U.S. Jewish leaders visit Pollard in prison, call for speedy release, Obama more inclined to release Taliban jihadists from Guantanamo.

U.S. Jewish leaders visit Pollard in prison, call for speedy release.(Imra).Richard Stone and Malcolm Hoenlein, the chairman and the executive vice  chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, recently visited convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard at Butner prison in North Carolina.The two U.S. Jewish leaders talked with Pollard for two hours.Following the meeting, the two expressed concern about Pollard's deteriorating health condition."We've returned with a renewed commitment to work for Pollard's release," the two wrote in a statement after the visit. "We see this as a serious humanitarian issue and as a matter of justice.""Mr. Pollard suffers from multiple health challenges, which we believe add urgency for his release," the statement read.Stone and Hoenlein noted that Pollard reiterated to them that he regretted his actions and that he expressed the desire to be released from prison, build a family and be an active citizen.
Activists for Pollard's release said that the visit was the first of a series of planned visits by American Jewish community leaders intended to express to importance and urgency they see in having Pollard released from incarceration by U.S. President Barack Obama.Recently, calls for Pollard's release have increased amongst current and former U.S. officials as well as leaders of the American Jewish community.Pollard was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1986 after being convicted of
spying for Israel.Hmmmm.......The Obama administration is considering releasing five top Taliban jihadists from custody at Guantanamo Bay.But yes "the Taliban per se is not our enemy."Then who is?Read the full story here.

MFS - The Other News

                    Morning Posting.

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity situation New Zealand 6.1 - 5.8 - 5.5 - 5.2 ; Solomon Islands 5.6 !More info here.

• Boehner: Obama approved Solyndra, but not Keystone.(BC).By Joel Gehrke.House Speaker John Boehner said that President Obama has put politics ahead of job creation, and faulted the president for approving the high-risk Solyndra loan guarantee, but then denying a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline to be built."President Obama expedited approval of the Solyndra loan project, but won't approve a project that's been under review for over three years," House Speaker John Boehner said in a press conference today on Obama's decision not to grant a permit for the Keystone pipeline. He declared that "President Obama is destroying tens of thousands of American jobs and shipping American energy security to the Chinese." He argued that "the President is selling out American jobs for politics," and declared that Obama's promise to work to create jobs "was broken" today.President Obama said he was "disappointed" in the Republicans for forcing a Keystone decision ahead of the environmental studies timetable. "The rushed and arbitrary deadline insisted on by Congressional Republicans prevented a full assessment of the pipeline’s impact, especially the health and safety of the American people, as well as our environment," Obama said in his statement on the Keystone rejection. "I’m disappointed that Republicans in Congress forced this decision, but it does not change my Administration’s commitment to American-made energy that creates jobs and reduces our dependence on oil." Hmmmm.......Yup that's why Under Obama, Oil and Gas Production on Federal Lands Is Down 40% !Read the full story here.

• "Job-Killers, 2; American Workers, 0".(PNW).LIUNA – the Laborers' International Union of North America – called the reported decision by the Obama Administration today to block permitting for Keystone XL pipeline "politics at its worst."Last fall the Administration delayed consideration of a permit for the pipeline until after the 2012 elections. Today, in response to Congressional legislation requiring a 60-day decision, the Administration reportedly denied a permit."The score is Job-Killers, two; American workers, zero. We are completely and totally disappointed. This is politics at its worst," LIUNA General President Terry O'Sullivan said. "Once again the President has sided with environmentalists instead of blue collar construction workers – even though environmental concerns were more than adequately addressed. Blue collar construction workers across the U.S. will not forget this."The project would create thousands of good jobs at a time when unemployment in the construction industry is 16 percent with 1.3 million men and women jobless.Environmental groups have used the Keystone XL as a disingenuous proxy for arguments about global warming. The pipeline would carry up to 900,000 barrels of oil a day from Canada's Tar Sands to the U.S., reducing reliance on oil from hostile nations. While environmental groups decry Tar Sands development, the Canadian government and Trans-Canada, the company developing the Tar Sands, have made clear the oil will be developed – and possibly sold to China – regardless of whether Keystone XL is built.In addition, experts believe the project would be the safest ever constructed. Design included 21,000 sensors, monitored by satellites to immediately detect leaks and automatically stop the flow of oil. In addition, a revised route alleviated concerns in Nebraska over the project crossing water resources. Overall, the pipeline has undergone more than 1,100 days of governmental review. "The Administration and environmentalists have blown the whistle on workers trying to feed their families and keep a roof over their heads," said O'Sullivan. "Instead of celebrating their victory by hugging a tree they should hug a jobless construction worker because they're the ones who are going to need it."Read the full story here.

• Obama’s “Forced” Keystone Decision Rejects Jobs, Energy, and Logic.(Heritage).By Nicolas Loris.President Obama’s politically intoned decision to reject TransCanada’s permit application to construct a 1,700-mile pipeline from Alberta, Canada, to Texas refineries sent a clear message that special interest demands are of more importance than more energy and much-needed job creation.Building the pipeline would bring over 700,000 barrels of oil per day and directly create 20,000 truly shovel-ready jobs. The Canadian Energy Research Institute estimates that current pipeline operations and the addition of the Keystone XL pipeline would create 179,000 American jobs by 2035.Since TransCanada and Nebraska politicians have agreed to reroute the pipeline, the focus should now be on completing the reroute design and beginning construction. Congress should recognize the findings in the State Department’s “Final Environmental Impact Statement” and authorize the application submitted by TransCanada in September 2008.Given the need for jobs and more oil on the global market to offset high prices, the permit application had been moving along positively with bipartisan support without much attention until environmental activists made blocking the Keystone XL pipeline their issue to rally around for 2011. Although President Obama and the Department of State (DOS) said they’d make a decision at the end of 2011, they ultimately catered to a narrow set of special interests, punting the decision until after the 2012 elections.The payroll tax holiday legislation signed at the end of 2011 moved that decision date up to February 21. Today, however, the President rejected the permit, claiming, “This announcement is not a judgment on the merits of the pipeline, but the arbitrary nature of a deadline that prevented the State Department from gathering the information necessary to approve the project and protect the American people.” President Obama initially delayed the decision because he claimed that additional environmental review from the DOS was necessary.This is a stunning (though not unexpected) decision. At a time when unemployment remains unacceptably high, Iran is threatening the Strait of Hormuz, and Canada is looking to take this oil elsewhere, it is difficult to understand how the President could say no to thousands of jobs and an increase in energy supply from our ally.Hmmmm....Perhaps he wants the U.S. depending on Arab oil?Or in Fantasy Obamaland every one drives electric cars?Read the full story here.

• Taqiyya vs. Our President.(FM).Posted by David Meir-Levi.In a previous essay, the present writer exposed the concept of “taqiyya” as a traditional Muslim form of deceit employed by Yasir Arafat​, Mahmoud Abbas​, and other leaders of the Arab terror war against Israel. El-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood​ also are using taqiyya against the USA and other western countries, and with frightening success.While the Qur’an encourages honesty between believers (Sura 40:28), deception directed at non-Muslims, generally known in Arabic as taqiyya, has full Qur’anic support. Is Obama unaware of the intentions of the Brotherhood? Even if he had no Arabists on his staff, no one to translate the works of Sayd Qtub or Mustafa Mashhur or Yusuf el-Qaradhawi, much has been written about them in English. Have his advisors never read Front Page Magazine?Obama cannot not know that his backing of the Muslim Brotherhood is nothing less than support for the regimes that seek our demise. So one must ask the uncomfortable question: “whose side is he on?”Read the full story here.

• U.S. May Release Senior Taliban Terrorists.(IPT).The Obama administration is considering releasing five top Taliban jihadists from custody at Guantanamo Bay in hopes of negotiating a peace agreement with the Afghan terrorist movement. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last week that administration is in "the preliminary stages" of testing whether talks with the Taliban can succeed.President Obama plans to withdraw virtually all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by 2014. Last month, Vice President Joe Biden told an interviewer that "the Taliban per se is not our enemy."Republican presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney blasted Obama's approach to the Taliban, declaring that "The right course for America is not to negotiate with the Taliban while the Taliban are killing our soldiers." Yet one of Romney's top foreign policy aides has reportedly advocated a negotiating approach that is similar to Obama's.According to a recent report in The Hindu, radical Islamist cleric and Muslim Brotherhood spiritual guide Yusuf al-Qaradawi has served as a "key mediator" in U.S.-Taliban negotiations.The Taliban's recent announcement that it plans to open a political office in Qatar meets a longstanding U.S./NATO condition for discussing Afghanistan's future with the terror group. Earlier this month, reports indicated that Washington had agreed to transfer the five Taliban leaders from U.S. custody to Afghan President Hamid Karzai's government.At some point, they could be set free.Another report indicated the jihadists would be transferred to Qatar, a nation with a poor record on combating terrorism and a suspected link to the 9/11 attacks.The strategy is fraught with peril as previous experience has shown. Still, the State Department has made finding a negotiating address for the Taliban a top priority.Read the full story here.

• Muslim Brotherhood to US Ambassador in Egypt: Sharia Law ensures personal freedoms.(BM).CAIRO: A statement issued by Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood said that US Ambassador to Cairo Anne Patterson met with the group’s Supreme Guide Mohammed Badie on Wednesday, and reportedly told her that Sharia law, or Islamic law, “ensures personal freedoms for all.”The MB’s statement explained that Patterson expressed her gratitude for the meeting and congratulated the group for their political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), victory in the recent parliamentary elections, and stressed that the United States is looking forward to cooperate with “whoever is chosen by the Egyptian people and a democratic government.”The statement pointed out that Badie also thanked the ambassador for her congratulations, and said the elections “made Egyptians proud,” adding that the results of elections are a “victory” for the democratic alliance led by FJP, which includes a number of other parties.The Supreme Guide criticized the successive US administrations and accused them of “controlling people through their support to the dictators,” which made the popularity of the United States decline across the region.“The current era is the era of the people and we want to see deeds not words by the United States to recover its credibility among Arabs and Muslims, and in particular with regard to the Palestinian issue, which is the most important cause for Arabs and Muslims.”Badie explained that the principles of Islamic Sharia law is the m”ain source of legislation and the biggest guarantee of public and private freedoms, as it ensures the freedom of belief, religion and personal rights to all citizens equally.”For her part, Ambassador Patterson admitted that US administrations have committed some mistakes, but called for overcoming them and to “learn from them to avoid their recurrence in the future.”She pointed out that democracy always brings stable partners.Read the full story here.

• Leftists Sink to Nazi Propaganda in 'Bibi Uber Alles' Video Clip.(INN).Israelis of all political stripes are aghast over a Youtube video showing Nazi propagandist Josef Goebbels endorsing Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. The video, titled “Bibi Uber Alles,” clearly violates pending and existing laws against using Nazi imagery and inciting hatred, wrote commenters on the video site's page, and called for police prosecution of the individual who posted the video.In the video, called “one of the worst examples of leftist hate ever on the internet” by one commenter on the video's YouTube page, Goebbels is seen speaking to a mass audience of Germans in archival footage from a Nazi rally in the 1930s. However, interspersed in the video (obviously edited in) are shots of “settler” types, including what appears to be a woman wearing a head scarf – and oddly, one who bears a striking resemblance to former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert – along with the archival footage of Nazi-supporting masses.The video's author is listed as “Christian101,” and on Wednesday night it appeared on the Facebook page of an individual who calls himself Meir Mendelson, who wrote in a comment that “the cult of personality encouraged by Bibi the megalomaniac will lead to a catastrophe.”Commenters who identified themselves as both leftists and rightists condemned the video on its home page, with rightwing activists saying that the video shows not just the left's frustrated hatred of the right – but also its hypocrisy; weeks after the hareidi-religious use of Nazi imagery to protest arrests in Mea Shearim and Beit Shemesh was roundly condemned by everyone, not one public voice from leftists who “fear for Israeli democracy” has been raised in the several weeks since the video has been posted. Dozens of Israelis posting to the page called for viewers to demand that YouTube remove the video, and that police investigate and seek out the person behind the video and arrest him.Read the full story here.

• Islam's OIC: The World's Thought Police.(StonegateI).By Mudar Zahran.On December 19, 2011, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution condemning the negative stereotyping and stigmatization of people based on their religion, and urged member states to take effective measures towards addressing and combating "such incidents." This resolution, based on an initiative from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), was supported by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who hosted a closed-door three-day meeting – apparently one of many in a series called the "Istanbul Process"-- in Washington D.C. with OIC representatives to discuss ways to implement the resolution.What might sound like a step toward "tolerance," however, is in reality an assault on freedom of speech: a UN-endorsed violation of human rights, co-sponsored by the US, and prompted by the OIC, an organization of 57 Muslim nations, most of which hold the world's worst records on freedom of speech.The OIC initiative for a UN resolution against "defamation of religion" is not new; the OIC has been promoting it for the last 13 years despite earlier opposition from Western countries. What changed recently was dropping the word "defamation of religion" and stressing "freedom of speech"-- something about which Secretary of State Clinton seems to be enthusiastic.What resulted, however, from this new "Resolution 16/18," as it is called, is a US-endorsed UN proposal that urges the restriction of freedom of speech by using a vague terms, such as combating "religious profiling" – a term that can be interpreted by anyone any way he likes.Placing such language into an international legal context forces people to have to think twice before practicing their constitutionally-secured right of free speech – in the US, at least -- when it comes to discussing religion.What is also alarming, even to me as a practicing Muslim, is the fact that the resolution seems to revolve around just one religion: Islam. But will the OIC countries implement any resolution for themselves, taking measures against their government-sponsored demonization of the Jewish faith and the systematic proliferation of anti-Semitism?Does Resolution 16/18 mean that Muslims will still be free in their textbooks to call Jews the sons of swine and monkeys -- perhaps on some trumped-up excuse that that a such a remark is not religious but "only" racial?Will the Palestinians' highest religious authority, the Mufti, Muhammad Hussein, still be able to say, as he did in early January at a Fatah (not Hamas) event to celebrate the 47th anniversary of its founding, that the destiny of Muslims is to kill Jews [sic], and, quoting a Hadith [a saying attributed to the prophet Mohammad] that "The Hour [of Resurrection] will not come until you fight the Jews… come and kill [them]" – and then have Palestinian TV repeat it?The values of Islam, for example, encourage the military conquest of non-Muslim nations. Although this value is within my religion, as a Muslim, I would like to see it being dropped—Now, is that a defamation of my own religion?Is Obama's, Clinton's and the US's current message that some religions are "more sacred" than others?Unfortunately without ever investigating the United Nations, perhaps the biggest international human rights violator of all, Human Rights Watch, in one of its reports, says that the OIC, at least, has been relentless protecting states that violate human rights from criticism.Human Rights Watch also states it has concerns over the OIC's definition of terrorism, which includes "imperilling people's honour;" "threatening political unity," which sounds like an enshrinement of "one man, one vote, one time;" and "threatening territorial integrity." Would the OIC label the people of Quebec who want separation from Canada terrorists for threatening Canada's "territorial integrity"? Would the OIC recognize the Tea Party as a terrorist organization for "threatening political unity" in the US?Funny? Not really. The OIC could easily try to market those definitions of "terrorism" that Human Rights Watch describes as "vague," and label genuinely "peaceful acts of expression" as terrorism.Revealingly, the OIC excludes all real acts of terrorism – carried out by terrorist organizations, such as Hamas – calling them "legitimate struggle".Read the full story here.

• Bengal hospital horror: Mamata blames the Left for 40,000 infant deaths each year.(NDTV).Malda: In just 48 hours, 15 babies have died in a government hospital in Malda, West Bengal. The government quibbles that it is 11 deaths in two days, not 15, a number no less shocking.Four of the babies died in a span of eight hours last night. Health authorities claim each of these infants were brought to the hospital, the Malda Medical College Hopsital, in very serious condition and insist there has been no negligence. Last November, 26 infants had died at the same hospital over a period of six days; an average 40,000 infants die every year in West Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has vowed today to bring that rate down by 25 per cent. But when the health department sent a task force to the Malda hospital recently to investigate infant deaths, members of the team said no senior staff was present to answer queries. They were reportedly informed that the superintendent and vice principal of the college were in Kolkata and the principal was in Hyderabad for some official work. The task force reported that the hospital needs more doctors, nurses and infrastructure. "The hospital needs more doctors, nurses and group D staff. There is a lot of pressure at this hospital. The Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) needs to be expanded. Negligence, if found, will be punished," said Tridib Bhattacharya, a member of the task force.The Malda infant deaths bring into sharp focus the disarray that healthcare is in in West Bengal.Hmmmm......What is obviously missing in this story is the gender of the babies.....what leads one to stray to the thought of "gendercide".Read the full story here.

• 'Radioactive material stolen from Egypt plant'.(JPost).CAIRO - Radioactive material has been stolen from a nuclear power station on Egypt's Mediterranean coast that was the site of violent protests last week, state-run Al-Ahram newspaper reported on Thursday.A safe containing radioactive material at the Dabaa nuclear power plant was seized while another safe containing radioactive material was broken open and part of its contents taken, the newspaper said.The government has alerted security authorities and asked that specialised teams help in the search for the stolen material, Al-Ahram reported.More than a dozen people were wounded last week when military police tried to disperse hundreds of Egyptian protesters demanding the relocation of the Dabaa plant, which is still under construction.Plant staff have refused to go to the site because of the deterioration in the security situation there, Al-Ahram said.About 500 Egyptians rallied in front of the plant last week to demand that the project be terminated, with some saying they had lost their land on the plant's site.Soldiers and the protesters hurled stones at each other and exchanged gunfire after the protesters demolished a wall surrounding the site, a security source and witnesses said.Hmmmm.....Repeat after me "Dirty bomb".Read the full story here.

• UN: Gaza blockade – collective punishment.(YNet). The United Nations' submitted its annual report on the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories on Wednesday, painting a grim picture that includes food insecurity, isolation, violence and failing health and education services – all courtesy of the Israeli "occupation."The report, which was presented during a Security Council session upon the Palestinians' request, asserted that the number of civilian casualties rose by more than 30% in Gaza and the West Bank compared to 2010."Serious protection and human rights issues, limited access to essential services and entrenched levels of food insecurity continue to characterize the day-to-day lives of many Palestinians," the report stated. "Israeli authorities continued to impose a blockade on Gaza, amounting to collective punishment of the population and affecting every aspect of life in the Gaza Strip," it adds.The report maintains that the policies that restrict the Gazans' access to areas with viable agriculture and fishing prospects constrain their livelihoods. Moreover, restrictions on the movement of goods and people into Gaza compromise the region's health, education and sanitation services. The UN also addressed the situation in east Jerusalem, arguing that the Palestinian population there is growing isolated from the rest of the West Bank. Furthermore, the residents of Area C – which makes up 60% of the West Bank and is under Israeli control – have been facing escalating rates of home demolitions, settler violence and restricted travel. "The threat to lives and livelihoods became too great for many, coping strategies were overwhelmed and an increasing number of Palestinians were displaced from their homes and their land," the report claims.The global body called on organizations and policy makers to work towards alleviating the suffering and demand respect for the Palestinians' human rights. "Progress in the peace process is desperately needed – the coping strategies of Palestinian communities are being eroded with each year that passes," the report said.Israeli Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor slammed the Security Council for "wasting time on an issue that does not pose a humanitarian crisis." He noted that while Gaza saw a 28% growth in its Gross Domestic Product, 4 million Somalis are starving and people in Haiti, Sudan and Afghanistan don't have access to water.Prosor later told reporters that a humanitarian crisis can be found in southern Israel, where kids have 15 seconds to take cover when a rocket is about to explode.Read the full story here.

• Two Catholic priests kidnapped in Sudan.(BikyaMasr).CAIRO: Fears in the minority Christian community in Sudan have intensified after the kidnapping of two Catholic priests last Sunday.Father Joseph Makwey and Father Sylvester Mogga were kidnapped on January 15 by a militia who broke into their compound in Rabak, south of Khartoum.The men scoured the compound, kidnapping the men and stealing computers and other valuables.The militia reportedly targeted the church because it was rumored that the priests had granted refuge to a former member of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army, who fought successfully for the independence of South Sudan.The identity of the armed men is now yet known, however police believe that they are militiamen from South Sudan.Bishop Daniel Adwok of the Khartoum archdiocese said that the government had failed to protect citizens from the violence, and explained that the kidnapping does not come as an isolated incident, but part of a larger problem within the Christian community in Sudan.“I do not believe this was a random crime. This kidnapping seems deliberate. They must have known that the two individuals kidnapped were priests,” said the Bishop.Christians in Sudan have reported an increase in violence and intimidation, as hostilities have heightened since the secession of South Sudan.Read the full story here.

• Tunisian students launch hunger strike to protest ban on veils.(BikyaMasr).CAIRO: Five Tunisian students went on a hunger strike on Wednesday to protest a ban on the niqab at a University of Manouba, just west of Tunis.The students are reportedly under medical monitoring, and will continue the hunger strike indefinitely.The dispute over the niqab ban began last November, with the university banning the garment due to security concerns.A group of Salafist Muslim students held a series of sit-ins to protest the ban, shutting down the university for a month and a half.The sit-ins will continue as the students launch their hunger strike, however university officials want to disperse the protests before exams start on January 24.“I don’t wear the niqab or the veil, but I believe that any woman should have the right to dress as she believes is appropriate. That is freedom,” university student Hend Mohamed told Bikyamasr.com via email on Thursday.Read the full story here.

• Iran’s nude actress Golshifteh Farahani sparks anger,Iranian government, calling her “anti-Islam” and demanding that she be put to death for “blasphemy.”(BikyaMasr).CAIRO: An Iranian actress who posted nude photos of herself on Facebook has been attacked by the Iranian government, calling her “anti-Islam” and demanding that she be put to death for “blasphemy.”Golshifteh Farahani came to stardom at the age of 14 when she appeared in the film Pearl Tree, but jumped to international fame in 2008 when she starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie Body of Lies.Her dabbling in women’s issues began when she appeared in France’s Madame Le Figaro and protested against the ultra-conservative nature of her home country, which she said in the interview, was “restricting the ability for Iran’s film industry to push forward.”This month, however, she again sparked controversy by posting her bare chest image on her personal Facebook page.“I think it is disgusting and she should be put to jail or worse for this crazy idea. Women here are treated with utmost respect,” said an Iranian government official in Cairo, the birthplace of the nude photo revolutionary in the region.Back in Iran, the semi-official Fars news agency said “publishing of photographs of the deplorable Golshifteh Farahani on the Internet shows the ugly face of cinemas behind the scenes.”But women in Iran are not as disturbed by the image and told Bikyamasr.com that the idea that a woman can demand her rights through “the shock of nudity” is not new to the world.“We have long had nudity in our history, and this concept and act of protest by Farahani is the next evolution in the battle for women to become equal and have full rights in the country,” said one professor, Nadia, who said speaking on the topic could make her face disciplinary action.“It is really easy to condemn and call her ridiculous, but the reality is men are all logging on to see her naked body, just like they did in Egypt. At least now we can talk about women’s issues in this country and push empowerment forward,” the professor told Bikyamasr.com via telephone.In Egypt, upon hearing of Farahani’s actions, activist Manal said that “if she is going to be banned from Iran, maybe more women should follow her lead and take off their clothes. At least this way we can leave our countries and live in peace.”Read the full story here.

• 'Previously hidden mass graves found at Treblinka'.(DailyMail).A British forensic archaeologist has unearthed fresh evidence to prove the existence of mass graves at the Nazi death camp Treblinka - scuppering the claims of Holocaust deniers who say it was merely a transit camp.Some 800,000 Jews were killed at the site, in north east Poland, during the Second World War but a lack of physical evidence in the area has been exploited by Holocaust deniers.Forensic archaeologist Caroline Sturdy Colls has now undertaken the first co-ordinated scientific attempt to locate the graves.As Jewish religious law forbids disturbing burial sites, she and her team from the University of Birmingham have used 'ground-penetrating radar'.Her work at the site, where the Nazis tried to destroy all traces of industrial-scale killing, is being followed in forthcoming Radio 4 documentary The Hidden Graves Of The Holocaust.Sturdy Colls said: 'All the history books state that Treblinka was destroyed by the Nazis but the survey has demonstrated that simply isn’t the case.'I’ve identified a number of buried pits using geophysical techniques. These are considerable in size, and very deep, one in particular is 26 by 17 metres.'The programme’s presenter says that the pits contain the burnt remains of thousands of bodies.Read the full story here.

MFS - The Other News

                        Afternoon Posting.

• Live broadcast info from Japan directly ! Here.

• Ht :The Big picture . Japan: One week later see it  here and here.

• HT:NuclearHistory.Suffering of radiation workers, food supply information.Fukushima prefecture Empty streets in Tamura in the Fukushima prefecture where residents are staying indoors due to the radiation risk caused by the failure of the Fukushima nuclear plant.Six workers at the Fukushima nuclear power plant have been exposed to radiation levels beyond the usual legal limit while carrying out emergency operations to make the complex safe.The news came amid reports that radiation from the stricken plant had found its way into the food supply, raising anxiety in a country already struggling to deal with the aftermath of the worst crisis in its postwar history.The facility’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), said it would have to vent radioactive gas from reactor 3, but later called off the risky procedure after pressure inside stabilised, albeit at a relatively high level.The Kyodo news agency reported that Tepco said six staff members had been exposed to more than 100 milliSieverts of radiation, but had been assigned to other tasks and were continuing to work because they had not shown any abnormal signs since being exposed.The government earlier increased to 250 mSv the limit for those working in the emergency operation.Japan’s fire and disaster management agency said readings of up to 27 mSv were detected on 50 firefighters. They were decontaminated after a 13-hour operation to spray water into the spent fuel pool at reactor 3 ended in the early hours of the morning.On Sunday morning, workers doused a pool at reactor 4, also a cause of concern, for the first time.“I think the situation is improving step by step,” the deputy chief cabinet secretary, Tetsuro Fukuyama, told a news conference.Yukiya Amano, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), heralded a “strengthening” of work.But Hidehiko Nishiyama, deputy-general at Japan’s Nuclear Safety Agency, cautioned: “We are making progress … [but] we shouldn’t be too optimistic.”Japan is considering a temporary ban on sales of food products from the Fukushima region after levels of radiation exceeding government limits were found in milk and spinach.The contaminated food and water pose no threat to human health, Edano said, adding that the tainted milk and spinach had not found its way on to the market.“These levels do not pose an immediate threat to your health. Please stay calm.”Iodine-131 was present in milk at a farm 20 miles away from the crippled nuclear plant and in spinach grown at farms more than 60 miles away in neighbouring Ibaraki.Tiny amounts of radioactive iodine have been found in tap water in and around Tokyo, about 150 miles away from the atomic plant, and five prefectures near Fukushima.The education and science ministry said traces of another radioactive material, caesium-137, had been identified in tap water in nearby Tochigi and Gunma prefectures, but posed no danger to people even if ingested.The government is to provide daily counts of radioactive materials in tap water from all of the affected areas, as well as levels in atmospheric fallout such as rain and dust.Radiation was also detected on fava beans exported to Taiwan.An official from Taiwan’s department of health said a shipment of beans from Japan’s south-western Kyushu island had shown slightly higher radiation than naturally occurring trace levels.The department said the radiation, detected only on the surface of the beans, was well below Taiwan’s legal limit and not harmful to human health.Radioactive dust and particles were recorded in the greater Tokyo area but posed no risk to health, the government said on Sunday.Edano said someone who drank the tainted milk for a year would receive the same amount of radiation as in a single CT health scan; eating the spinach would be the equivalent of one-fifth.The government said radioactive iodine-131 present in spinach tested on Wednesday was three to seven times above acceptable government standards.Levels in drinking water from Fukushima were slightly over the limit on Thursday but had decreased significantly by the weekend, the health ministry said.Drinking one litre (1.76 pints) of water with the iodine at Thursday’s levels is the equivalent of receiving one 88th of the radiation from a chest x-ray, said Kazuma Yokota, a spokesman for the prefecture’s disaster response headquarters.Iodine-131 decays within a matter of weeks, but can pose a short-term risk to health, the IAEA said.“There is a short-term risk to human health if radioactive iodine food is absorbed into the human body,” the agency said. “If ingested, it can accumulate in and cause damage to the thyroid. Children and young people are particularly at risk.”A potentially greater concern is caesium-137, which caused widespread damage to the food supply in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster. The substance affects cells in the entire body and can increase the chances of developing cancer.You know, really, caesium 137 and Iodine 131 are not the only biologically active fission products. Even the ones the body does not use to build cells with do have some uptake, and some residence time. Inhalation is the most likely intake route for many substances. These doses do deserve some mention in my view. In an educated population this widely known information, isnt going to be a surprise. The omission of it rather simply furrows the eyebrows. Agriculture and nuclear reactors don’t mix. Especially when things like this happen.Hmmmm.......perhaps they should read this?Read the full story here.

• HT:Paul Langley's Nuclear History Blog.Boiling points of relevant elements.

Cesium Melting point 26.44 deg C Boiling point 671 deg C

Strontium Melting point 769 deg C Boiling point 1384 deg C

Therefore : The Fukushima Plumes will consist of the fission inventory originally present in the fuel rods displaced in fractions according to their thermal characteristics as these relate to the temperatures which have been applied to the fuel rods. (the fuel rods have been cooking for over a week, situation easing). Periodic explosions, caused by hydrogen, have disturbed a proportion of the fuel rods. The presence of radioactive dust in plumes is therefore not limited to Cesium and Iodine. The condition of the fuel rods and the condition of the fuel rod contents would determine the moblity of the elements of concern. Explosive, thermal and other forces may drive “dust” from fuel rod to emitted plume. The temperature of the fuel rods is not the only factor which mobilises the contents of damaged fuel rods.Mechanical force and thermal peaks applied by hydrogen explosions to the fuel rods also liberates fuel rod contents. The composition of the Fukushima plume may vary from day to day. There is likely to be a greater abundance of Cesium in the plumes than was originally present in the fuel rod. Published results of plume and ground sampling will describe the actual plume and fallout contents. We have seen the use of alpha monitoring devices and the results of positive readings (selection of people for care). If the fuel is present in the plume, the presence of many fission products is likely also. I still disagree with the British scientist. The delay in any official attempt to define the plume contents did not engender trust. It is an issue to be resolved by sample analysis. The melting and boiling points of fuel rod uranium (a ceramic oxide) is high. Alpha survey of individuals (to my eye at least) is continuing. If uranium oxide dust is present in the cloud, no other fuel content is precluded. There is indication that alpha emitters (ie fuel) are present in the area of plume deposition.Hmmmm......In other words we're being deliberatly kept in the dark about the cloud composition?Read the full story here.

• Libya Live Blog - March 20. Here .(AlJazeera)And here (BBC)

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world ,lots of seismic activity globally today! More info here.

• Updated : The wind directions over Japan. Here.

• Japan's Efforts to Ease Nuclear Crisis Hit Setback as Reactors Face Unexpected Rise in Pressure.An unexpected rise in pressure inside a troubled reactor set back efforts to bring Japan's overheating, leaking nuclear complex under control Sunday as concerns grew that as-yet minor contamination of food and water is spreading.The pressure increase meant plant operators may need to deliberately release radioactive steam, prolonging a nuclear crisis that has consumed government attention even as it responded to the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that savaged northeast Japan on March 11.In a rare rescue after so many days, a teenage boy's cries for help led police to rescue him and an 80-year-old woman at a wrecked house.Beyond the disaster area, an already shaken public grew uneasy with official reports that traces of radiation first detected in spinach and milk from farms near the nuclear plant are turning up farther away in tap water, rain and even dust. In all cases, the government said the radiation levels were too small to pose an immediate risk to health. Still, Taiwan seized a batch of fava beans from Japan found with faint -- and legal -- amounts of iodine and cesium.All six of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex's reactor units saw trouble after the disasters knocked out cooling systems. But officials reported headway this weekend in reconnecting two units to the electric grid and in pumping seawater to cool reactors and replenish bubbling or depleted pools for spent nuclear fuel.Temperatures in storage pools for Units 5 and 6 continued their several days of decline Sunday to a safe, cool level, the nuclear safety agency said.But the buildup in pressure inside the vessel holding Unit 3's reactor renewed the danger, forcing officials to consider venting. The tactic produced explosions during the early days of the crisis."Even if certain things go smoothly there would be twists and turns," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters. "At the moment, we are not so optimistic that there will be a breakthrough."Nuclear safety officials said one of the options could release a cloud dense with iodine as well as the radioactive elements krypton and xenon.Contamination of food and water compounds the government's difficulties, heightening the broader public's sense of dread about safety. Consumers in markets snapped up bottled water, shunned spinach from Ibaraki -- the prefecture where the tainted spinach was found -- and overall expressed concern about food safety.Experts have said the amounts of iodine detected in milk, spinach and water pose no discernible risks to public health unless consumed in enormous quantities over a long time. Iodine breaks down quickly, after eight days, minimizing its harmfulness, unlike other radioactive isotopes such as cesium-137 or uranium-238, which remain in the environment for decades or longer.Rain forecast for the Fukushima area also could further localize the contamination, bringing the radiation to the ground closer to the plant.The governor of Fukushima, where milk contaminated with iodine was found at one farm Friday, urged dairy farmers across the prefecture to halt all sales -- just short of a ban in consensus-driven, polite Japan.Edano, the government spokesman, tried to reassure the public for a second day running Sunday. "If you eat it once, or twice or even for several days, it's not just that it's not an immediate threat to health, it's that even in the future it is not a risk," Edano said. "Experts say there is no threat to human health."Hmmmmm......"Altogether, the number of Chernobyl related cases of thyroid cancer to be expected in Europe (outside the borders of the former Soviet Union) is between 10,000 and 20,000.In Belarus alone, over 10,000 people developed thyroid cancer since the catastrophe. According to a WHO prognosis, in the Belarussian region of Gomel alone, more than 50,000 children will develop thyroid cancer during their lives. If one adds together all age groups then about 100,000 cases of thyroid cancer have to be reckoned with, just in the Gomel region."The half life of Radioactive Iodine is EIGHT Days.Read the full story here.

• Latest official Situation Update No. 48. Here.

• Dennis Kucinich Hints at Impeachment of Obama Over Libya No-Fly Zone, Fellow Far-Left Dems Equally Outraged…A hard-core group of liberal House Democrats is questioning the constitutionality of U.S. missile strikes against Libya, with one lawmaker raising the prospect of impeachment during a Democratic Caucus conference call on Saturday.Reps. Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.), Donna Edwards (Md.), Mike Capuano (Mass.), Dennis Kucinich (Ohio), Maxine Waters (Calif.), Rob Andrews (N.J.), Sheila Jackson Lee (Texas), Barbara Lee (Calif.) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.) “all strongly raised objections to the constitutionality of the president’s actions” during that call, said two Democratic lawmakers who took part.Kucinich, who wanted to bring impeachment articles against both former President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney over Iraq — only to be blocked by his own leadership — asked why the U.S. missile strikes aren’t impeachable offenses.Kucinich also questioned why Democratic leaders didn’t object when President Barack Obama told them of his plan for American participation in enforcing the Libyan no-fly zone during a White House Situation Room meeting on Friday, sources told POLITICO.And liberals fumed that Congress hadn’t been formally consulted before the attack and expressed concern that it would lead to a third U.S. war in the Muslim world.Hmmmm.........."Blasphemy"?Read the full story here.

• Boehner says Obama must explain Libya mission.House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner on Sunday called on President Barack Obama to explain the U.S. mission in Libya and how his administration intends to achieve its goals."The president is the commander-in-chief. But the administration has a responsibility to define for the American people, the Congress and our troops, what the mission in Libya is," Boehner, a Republican, said in a statement."Before any further military commitments are made, the administration must do a better job of communicating to the American people and to Congress about our mission in Libya and how it will be achieved," he said.Hmmmm.....Perhaps after 'the commander-in-chief is back from his 'family holiday'on the taxpayers their tab?Read the full the full story here.

• Libya: Newt Gingrich bashes Obama's lack of leadership 'We look weak and uncertain'.Thank goodness the French don't have March Madness: Gingrich bashes 'weak' Obama's leadership in Libya.Newt Gingrich has slammed Barack Obama for his lack of leadership over Libya as Western jets - led by France - bombed Muammar Gaddafi's forces today.The former House Speaker, who is considering a presidential run in 2012, mocked Mr Obama yesterday for publicising his Final Four pics as Libyan rebels battled for their country.He attacked the President for making America look 'weak and uncertain', and said former Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan would have been far more decisive.The world's leaders met in Paris today for a summit on the crisis.The group included British Prime Minister David Cameron, French president Nicolas Sarkozy, Canadian premier Stephen Harper, and leaders of several Arab states.U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is at the summit to represent America. But Mr Obama is thousands of miles away in Brasilia, where he has taken his family to help him promote U.S. trade links.When asked about the UN resolution authorising military intervention in Libya, Mr Gingrich blasted the President, who publicised his picks for the winner's of this year's March Madness college basketball tournament earlier this week. 'I was, frankly, very disappointed that [Nicolas] Sarkozy did not share with us his Final Four picks,' Mr Gingrich told reporters.'And i think it's his failure to understand the Final Four that allowed him to focus on Libya.He said it was 'ironic' that Mr Obama had called for Gaddafi to go on March 3 - but waited until now to back a no-fly zone. 'This is the opposite of Eisenhower and Reagan, neither of whom would have held a press conference and both of whom would have made sure he [Gaddafi] was gone,' Mr Gingrich said.'This idea that we posture, we talk, we have diplomatic meetings ... this is very weak," he said. "It makes us look weak and uncertain. It increases the danger in the Persian Gulf.'Mr Obama mentioned the Libya operation only briefly in Brazil today. He noted that U.S., European and other government officials met in Paris Saturday to discuss the way ahead in Libya.Mrs Clinton said 'unique' American military capabilities will be brought to bear in support of the coalition, and she reiterated Mr Obama's pledge on Friday that no U.S. ground forces would get involved.Hmmmm......Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. Abraham Lincoln.Read the full story here.

• RAF strikes against Gaddafi's forces branded 'a success' as bombed out tanks and cars litter the roads near Benghazi.Burnt out tanks and cars belonging to forces loyal to Colonel Gaddafi today littered the road between Benghazi and Ajdabiyah.The RAF proclaimed the start of hostilities a success just hours after British and American warships unleashed cruise missiles against Libya as the world finally lost patience with the dictator.Tornado jets, submarines and stealth bombers fired 112 Tomahawk missiles and dropped explosives on 20 coastal locations as Gaddafi's men tried to take control of rebel-held Benghazi.Stormshadow missiles were launched from GR4 fast jets which had flown 3,000 miles from RAF Marham in Norfolk and back - the longest range bombing since the Falklands.David Cameron today pronounced the action was 'legal and right'Read the full story here.

• Turkey to serve as protecting power for US in Libya.Turkey will serve as a “protecting power” for the United States in Libya, senior State Department officials told CNN on Sunday.As a protecting power, Turkey will represent the United States in Libya, including acting as consular officers on behalf of U.S. citizens in Libya and looking after American diplomatic facilities in the country.Turkey can also pass messages between the United States and Libya, as what little communication remains between the two countries is likely to come to a grinding halt now that the United States is bombing Libyan targets as part of enforcement of a no-fly zone.Although the United States has not formally suspended ties with Libya, the U.S. State Department shuttered its embassy earlier this month and withdrew all of its diplomats from the country. The State Department also ordered the Libyan Embassy in Washington closed and ordered its diplomats to leave the country. It recognized Ali Aujali – the former ambassador who resigned from the regime in protest of its violence against citizens and joined the opposition – as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people.Officials said Libya has not yet identified a protecting power for its interests in the United States.Hmmmm......Turkey the NATO member that is in the first place a representative of ISLAM?Why am i not suprised that Ahmadinajad's buddy Erdogan will be also Gadaffi's buddy.Read the full story here.

• ContentionsTurkey Vetoes NATO No-Fly Over Libya.While not in the English-language press yet, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey’s prime minister, has announced that under no circumstance would Turkey allow NATO to impose a no-fly zone over Libya. Erdoğan has traditionally been a fan of Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi and just a few months ago accepted the Qaddafi International Prize for Human Rights. Erdoğan’s actions now suggest that his selection was $250,000 well spent by the Libyan strongman.Given Turkey’s secret war games with China, its nuclear defense of Iran, the fact that perhaps as many Turks are fighting against us in Afghanistan as are fighting for us, and now Erdoğan’s funny business with Qaddafi, it may be time to cast aside the increasingly surreal discussion about whether Turkey belongs in the European Union and focus instead on whether Turkey belongs in NATO.Hmmm....I've been saying this for the last 11 months!Read the full treason story here.

• Arab League: West bombing civilians.Amr Moussa says Arab League, which backed Libyan no-fly zone, wanted 'protection of civilians, not bombardment of more civilians'. Russia also calls for end to 'indiscriminate' strikes which have killed up to 64.Muammar Gaddafi's appeal for Arab solidarity in the face of foreign air strikes fell on deaf ears across the Middle East on Sunday, but support for his opponents was mixed with deep suspicion of Western motives. The head of the Arab League, which supported Libyan no-fly zone, said his organization had not endorsed attacks on ordinary Libyans."What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians," Amr Moussa said, announcing an emergency Arab League meeting to discuss Libya.Moussa's comments followed a demand by Russia to stop the "indiscriminate" use of force it said was killing civilians in Libya. The air strikes exceed the mandate of the UN Security Council resolution, which approved a no-fly zone and authorized all necessary measures to protect civilians, Russia Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement.A few hours after the first missiles struck, Gaddafi called on "citizens of the Arab and Islamic nations" and other developing countries to "stand by the heroic Libyan people to confront this aggression". But Arabs from North Africa to the Gulf, many demanding political rights for the first time, dismissed the appeal from a leader whose four decades of authoritarian and capricious rule have exhausted any reserves of sympathy. "It is now clear and understandable that Arab people want to get rid of their leaders, so leaders should simply leave and not fight their people and force foreign nations to interfere," said Mohamed Abdel Motaleb, a bank employee in Cairo, where mass protests toppled veteran president Hosni Mubarak last month."I am very much against foreign troops fighting in Libya, but Arab leaders should not let that happen through their stubbornness and refusal to quit power"."There is fighting between the rebels and the Gaddafi forces. Their tanks are in the center of Misrata," Abdelbasset, a spokesman for the rebels, said by telephone from the city. "There are so many casualties that we cannot count them." "He (Gaddafi) is using a scorched earth strategy. Burning and destroying everything in his way," said Abdelbasset.Gaddafi's forces – including units of the 32nd brigade commanded by his son Khamis – have been laying siege to Misrata for days, residents have said, but until Sunday rebel fighters had kept them confined to the city's outskirts. Read the full story here.

• The Middle East - To put it mildly it's starting to boil over.Al-Qaradhawi: The Shiites in Bahrain Are Carrying Out a Sectarian Revolution.In a Friday sermon on March 18, 2011, Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, said that the revolution in Bahrain is a sectarian revolution of the Shiites against the Sunnis, and not a revolution of the people against an oppressive tyrant, as in other Arab countries. He accused the Shiite demonstrators of attacking Sunnis, taking over their mosques, and using bullies, warned that the Shiites belonged to another country (i.e., Iran), and called for inter-sect dialogue in Bahrain. Al-Qaradhawi called to support changes in the Egyptian legislation, to abolish the ruling party, and to establish a civil regime as soon as possible. He also condemned Libyan President Mu'ammar Al-Qadhafi for acting like God, and for killing his people with weapons bought out of the people's money, and called for Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Saleh to leave power.Source.

HT:Memri.Iranian Ayatollah to the Bahrainis: Martyrs or Victors.On March 18, 2011, senior Iranian regime official Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati advised the Bahrainis to choose one of two options: either to become martyrs or to become victors. In a Friday sermon delivered in Tehran, he cursed the US, which, he alleged, was behind the Saudi invasion of Bahrain, and said that he had always asked himself how the Libyans could support a madman (i.e., Al-Qadhafi).Source.

HT:Memri.Nasrallah: The Arab Countries Must Protect the Demonstrators in Bahrain; The Uprising There Is Not Sectarian.In a speech delivered at a rally of solidarity with the Arab peoples' uprisings, held on March 19, 2011, Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said that the uprising in Bahrain was not sectarian, and that the allegations that Iran was behind it were stupid. He said that Saudi Arabia should have mediated between the parties rather than send in its soldiers. Nasrallah called upon the Arab countries to intervene in order to protect the demonstrators in Bahrain. He criticized the Sunni Arab world and Turkish PM Erdogan for remaining silent in light of the violent suppression of the demonstrations, claiming that this silence enabled foreign intervention, which might lead to occupation and imperialism. With regard to Lebanon, Nasrallah said that the attack of the March 14 forces on the weapons of Hizbullah did not affect the resistance, which continued to conduct training, mobilize arms, and make preparations, adding that it was the resistance that would defend Lebanon when it decided to drill for oil and gas in the Mediterranean Sea.Source.

• Drilling Unlikely to Lower Oil Prices, Energy Information Chief Says.Richard Newell, administrator of the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), said that while oil prices are likely to stay above average for the remainder of 2011, it is unlikely that an increase in domestic oil production would dramatically affect oil prices in either the short-term or the long-term.Newell, a political appointee, was tapped to head the EIA by President Barack Obama in mid-2009.In his testimony before the House Committee on Natural Resources on Thursday, Newell said that because oil is a global commodity dependent on global trends, domestic production would do little to ease prices at the pump in the near future.“Long term, we would not expect additional volumes of oil that could flow from resources of federal lands due to greater access to have a large impact on oil and gasoline prices,” said Newell.He also said that increased production in the United States could potentially cause OPEC to lower production, thus negating any impact of increased drilling in the United States.“Another key issue is how OPEC production would respond to any increase in non-OPEC supply, potentially offsetting any direct price impact of an increase in U.S. production,” Newell told committee members.When CNSNews.com asked if Newell knew how much oil and natural gas was sitting untapped on land and offshore in the United States, Newell declined to answer.However, when asked if tapping those resources could lead to lower gas and energy prices in the long term, Newell said that it depended on a number of global factors.“One needs to think about this in a global context,” said Newell. “Currently, the U.S. liquid supply is about 11 percent of global liquid supply of about 88 million barrels per day. So if one thinks about incrementing that over some period of time, you know resource development tends to take at least several years.“We had seen offshore production increases over the last several years due to increased leasing and development offshore. We’ve yet to see a downward impact on offshore production in response to the Macondo well blowout and the subsequent moratorium and regulatory changes that took place,” Newell added.In his testimony to the House Committee, Newell predicted that because of recent events in the Middle East and North Africa, the price of a gallon of regular gasoline will average $3.70 this summer and $3.56 for the remainder of the year, which is about $.77 higher than last year’s average.According to the EIA, as of March 14 the national average price for a gallon of regular gas was $3.56 per gallon. However, in some parts of the country, the price for gallon has already risen above $4.00.Hmmmm.....Bottom line if you're Brazilian you can drill in the Gulf of Mexico if you're American "Sorry no can do"?Won't that affect OPEC?Makes you wonder what's in it for the US to give Brazil these permits?Read the full scam story here.

• Sarah Palin arrives in Israel, set to meet Netanyahu.JERUSALEM - Leading US Republican Sarah Palin began a private visit to Israel on Sunday, her first to the Jewish state, and planned to meet Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and tour holy sites.Palin, a 2008 vice presidential candidate, is a potential White House contender in 2012 and a leading light in the fiscally conservative Tea Party movement."As the world confronts sweeping changes and new realities, I look forward to meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu to discuss the key issues facing his country, our ally Israel," Palin, who flew in from India, said in a statement on her website.Israeli media described her trip as a bid to show support for Israel, whose standing is strong among US voters, and gain more experience in international affairs ahead of a possible presidential run.Palin, who is keeping her supporters guessing on whether she will run for the presidency, made no comment to reporters on arrival at Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion airport for the two-day visit.Palin was scheduled to have dinner with Netanyahu and his wife on Monday after visiting holy sites in Jerusalem, including the Western Wall.Hmmmm.....No problems with her middle name.Read the full story here.

• HT:BigPeace.Saudi Arabia: Islam Is Against Democracy.Rattled by the unprecedented and contagious revolts befalling Arab despots around them, the Saudi monarchy has realized that bribery is not enough to placate their disenfranchised citizens. The notorious Saudi Minister of Interior, Prince Naif, issued a stern warning against any public demonstration by anyone at anytime in the repressive desert kingdom. As usual, his royal warning was immediately echoed by the top religious clerics including the Saudi Mufti, Al-Ashaikh. According to the Imam of Prophet Mohammed’s Mosque in Madinah, Al-Hudaifi, “Laws and regulations in the Kingdom totally prohibit all kinds of demonstrations, marches and sit-in protests as well as calling for them as they go against the principles of Shariah and Saudi customs and traditions… There is no place for chaotic demonstrations in this country of monotheism because Shariah is the dominant force in this country.” This is the first time the religious establishment has unequivocally asserted that Islam is against individual liberty and freedom of expression. This means that as long as the Quran is the country’s constitution and the Shariah is its law, there can be neither political participation nor personal freedom.Since the inception of the Saudi state in 1932, the US-Saudi relationship has produced mutual economic and strategic benefits at the expense of the Saudi people. However, relations have been severely scarred by recent developments, particularly by Saudi nationals’ vicious attack on the US on September 11, 2001. In addition, Saudi Arabia has been a major breeding ground for anti-American religious sentiments and an exporter of extremism. Furthermore, State Department documents publicized by Wikileaks suggest that Saudi Arabia has been a major financier of extremist groups worldwide.The Arab World, including countries bordering Saudi Arabia, is being swept by public revolts against oppressive regimes. What should the United States do when the Saudi people demand drastic political reforms or the overthrow of the ruling family altogether? Should America stand by the Saudi people as it stood with the Tunisians and Egyptians (and to a lesser degree with the Bahrainis, Libyans and Yemenis)? Should it send its uniformed men and women to defend the last absolute monarchy in the world? The prudent, pragmatic, and morally correct response is to stand by the Saudi people.To continue supporting an oppressive regime loathed not only by the Saudi people but by the international community, would be costly to Saudi people, American interests worldwide, the international economy, and established order.Read the full story here.

• HT:BloggerBase.International Judge the Koran Day Update.Sunday, March 20, 2011 at 4p.m., the trial will start, lasting for four hours. I doubt that is sufficient time, but it is not up to me. Since Chowderhead backed out, Sheikh Imam Mohamed El Hassan has been recruited to defend the Koran. The prosecution team is loaded with apostates. Ahmed Abaza, the prosecutor, is a convert to Christianity. Mr. Ahmed Paul is an expert witness, another apostate. Sheikh Abdulla Al Sabah, another expert witness, also knows Islam from the inside, being an apostate. According to the press release, the poll is running 69% in favor of immolation. That should make for some fun, because Dr. Jones previously promised that he would not burn the Koran. How will he resolve that conflict? Is he secretly hoping for an acquittal? One of the charges could be difficult to prove: the Koran is accused of inciting murder, rape and terrorist activities. The Koran commands Muslims to engage in perpetual warfare but I am not convinced that meets the legal definition of murder. It does sanction sexual exploitation of slaves and commands terrorism. For those of us who can not travel to Gainsville, Florida for the event, it will be broadcast live on the internet at www.truthsat.tv. Read the full story here.

• HT:CreepingSharia.Obama Counterterrorism Adviser won’t bring bin Laden to Gitmo if captured.President Obama’s counterterrorism adviser, John O. Brennan, delivered the administration’s most forceful public call to date for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center and the use of federal courts to try some detainees held there.Pointing the finger at Congress, he called legislative efforts to block prisoner transfers to the United States for trial or detention an “unprecedented encroachment” on Obama’s authorities to prosecute suspects.He said any “terrorists captured in the United States would be prosecuted exclusively through the criminal justice system,” and not by the military, as some members of Congress want.Brennan described the closure of Guantanamo as an “essential national security objective,” and noted that its continued use was “preventing other countries from handing over terrorism suspects to the United States.”“I believe in this,” he said later, at the conclusion of a speech at a national security symposium sponsored by The Atlantic Philanthropies and New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice.In his remarks, Brennan alluded to recent Congressional hearings led by New York Republican Rep. Peter King that focused on Muslim radicals in the United States. Brennan called it “un-American,” to single out individual groups based on ethnicity, political affiliation or religion.In a lengthy conversation afterward with reporters, Brennan said that if captured, Osama bin Laden would not be taken to the prison at Guantanamo Bay, categorically disputing a recent claim by CIA Director Leon Panetta.“All the steps we are taking are to decrease the population there, not increase it,” he said. He did not say where bin Laden would be held, just that there were other detention “options available if we find people overseas. Certainly, if they are charged with crimes in the United States, they will be detained and prosecuted in our courts,” he said.Hmmmm......Is this why Obama just gave the Guantanamo prisoners POW status?Read the full story here.