Homeland Security Quietly Runs “Loan-a-Drone” Program for Local Law Enforcement.

Homeland Security Quietly Runs “Loan-a-Drone” Program for Local Law Enforcement.(AllGov).By Noel Brinkerhoff .Government watchdog groups are concerned that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been loaning out sophisticated, expensive drones to local law enforcement, and in the process turning the military’s hottest new weapon on Americans.
In one of the first known instances of domestic drone use, in 2011 DHS loaned one of its unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to police in North Dakota in order to spy on a farmer, Thomas Brossart, who had refused to give back some cows that had wandered onto his property. The Brossart case was the first known drone-aided arrest.
The Washington Guardian reports that since then, DHS and Customs and Border Protection (CPB) have deployed drones several other times to help local law enforcement and other federal agencies.
The problem with the loan-a-drone program, according to critics, is that it is being operated on an ad-hoc basis with no established regulations for how and when to use them, or how to protect Americans’ privacy, or how to make sure taxpayers are reimbursed for the loaners.
After all, CPB’s drones can cost between $15 million and $34 million each to purchase, not to mention their hourly operational costs.
Between loan-a-drone and DHS giving out $4 million in grants to help police buy their own drones, good government groups are concerned that homeland security is subsidizing the militarization of local police forces.
“Drones are a powerful surveillance tool that can be used to gather extensive data about you and your activities,” Jennifer Lynch, a lawyer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which studies privacy issues, told the Washington Guardian. “The public needs to know more about how and why these Predator drones are being used to watch U.S. citizens.”Read the full story here.

Related: White House wins fight to keep drone killings of Americans secret

Why is SOCOM Lying About Domestic Drone Activities?

Why is SOCOM Lying About Domestic Drone Activities?(PIN).Via : Cryptogon.A spokesman for U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has provided statements to publications in New Hampshire and Oregon indicating that information regarding domestic drone activities provided by Public Intelligence is inaccurate, despite confirmations from the offices of two U.S. Senators. Following our publication last week of a map of current and proposed Department of Defense drone activities within the U.S., several journalists with local publications around the country wrote articles regarding drone activities that were listed in their area. David Brooks of the Nashua Telegraph wrote about the listing of New Hampshire’s Mt. Washington as the site of a USSOCOM drone activity involving small unmanned aerial vehicles including the Raven and Wasp. Corey Pein of the Willamette Week wrote about a planned USSOCOM drone activity in Portland that was listed as utilizing the same types of drones.
When each of these reporters contacted USSOCOM for information on the drone activities in their area, a spokesman stated that the information provided in our map, which was constructed from several public U.S. Air Force presentations from 2010 and 2011, was incorrect. The spokesman, deputy public affairs officer Ken McGraw, went so far as to tell the Willamette Week that “U.S. Special Operations Command does not have nor will it have [a drone] base in Portland.”
McGraw provided the Nashua Telegraph with a nearly identical statement that USSOCOM “does not have a [drone] base in Mt. Washington” and added that “US Special Operations Command does not issue the Raven or Wasp. Those two UAVs are Army pieces of equipment.”

Both of the statements provided by USSOCOM have now been found to be demonstrably false following further investigation of public documents and confirmations of drone activities from the offices of two U.S. Senators.

In New Hampshire, a local newspaper has now confirmed with the office of Senator Kelly Ayotte that in 2010, Navy Special Operations Forces utilized areas around Mt. Washington to conduct training operations using Wasp and Raven drones. David Brooks of the Nashua Telegraph was further able to confirm via Army Lt. Col. James Gregory that similar exercises were also conducted in 2009 using the same types of drones.
In Oregon, the Willamette Week was able to confirm with the office of Sen. Ron Wyden that drones are currently stored in Portland for several military units in the area. Though the location is not primarily used as a launch site, the spokesman for Sen. Wyden’s office stated that “in the event of a natural disaster or other legitimate need” drones could be flown out of Portland.
In each of the statements provided by USSOCOM, their involvement in domestic drone activities is denied or misrepresented, preventing any meaningful exchange from taking place. If the military wishes to counter controversy from the increasing integration of drones into domestic airspace, then it may help to not make statements to press that are inaccurate or disproved by publicly available congressional reports.Hmmm......It slowly starts to resemble a 'Terminator' movie.Read the full story here.

WHITE HOUSE INSIDER: Barack Obama’s High Tech Snuff Films.

WHITE HOUSE INSIDER: Barack Obama’s High Tech Snuff Films.(TUR).By Ulsterman.
WHI: …Obama loves them drones. He has made them a personal priority above all else.  The question that is also the answer to so much of this then – is WHY? From there…I got the goods…I told you what their re-election plan was. How they are gonna use race, division, chaos…that’s the re-election plan. Folks are talking now…from inside the administration. And they are afraid. Sh-t ain’t right. Where they wanna take us – and it’s got people upset. Military had wind of it first…the Old Man knew…now it’s spreading. Not about the election campaign -the second term plan. There’s denials being sent back…but nobody trusts them now. And the ones who do…they are in on it themselves. Others…like me…you might see us smilin’ and noddin’…but know that’s just the public face we are putting on. We gotta do that to maintain access. Don’t let that throw you – you’re gonna see more and more of that in the coming months. That just needs to be done. We lose our access…makes it a hell of a lot tougher to plan, right? So you may see me saying one thing…I’m doing it different. You gotta trust me on that. There will come a time in all of this…it’s gonna get tough, it’s gonna get weird…you’re gonna feel used up. Betrayed. When we reach that point, and we will – I’m tellin’ you now – we will reach that point…trust is what will keep it all together. If we don’t have that…they win. And if they win – we all are gonna lose and lose hard. The country’s really in the sh-t now…and the papers runnin’ low…

UM: I need to your to expand on the Drone thing – Obama’s love of using the drones. You say you “got the goods” – your words. What do you mean?
WHI: It’s what has been brewin’ for well over a year now…it’s causing all kinds of hell between the administration…the military…infighting and concern among the staff…even Jarrett don’t have a handle on all of it. Even she is not entirely comfortable with how the president has sunk his teeth into the drones…the kill list. She’s not bothered by their use specifically…she’s more…I would guess she’s more worried over the political implications of Obama’s obsession…that eventually enough people will stand together and say ENOUGH. She can’t afford to have that happen too soon…the re-election makes them all vulnerable…the plans…the obligations to others…America can still stop them in 2012 and she understands that. So having Obama so oddly focused…not just focused…he gets excited…visually…the guy gets off on it and he ain’t even hiding that fact anymore. And some are repulsed by it. They’ve done video reviews you know…of the missions. The drones. The kills.
UM: The president you mean? He watches videos of the drone attacks?
WHI: Yeah – like it was…like it was porn. I can’t emphasize…I don’t think I’m painting a clear enough picture here for you of how this thing has people really freaking out inside the administration. It’s good on one hand because it’s got more of them willing to talk…but…the fact it’s gotten this bad…these drones…an American president who has the video sent up to his personal study so he can watch them over and over again…like I said – sh-t ain’t right. And more and more people are figuring that out – and that is what has Jarrett concerned. But even she…Obama won’t listen to her on this one. Those drones are the one thing he really feels he has control over…all the rest…he’s been told what to say and where to go…when to wake…when to sleep…but the drones. The drones are all his – and he ain’t given those up. For nobody. 
UM: So Jarrett is against the use of drones?
WHI: No-no-no…I ain’t said that. Far from it. The drones are all part of this…the big big picture here…what she’s concerned over is that her boy…the president…he’s gotta get it under control…his obsession with using them like he has. The weekly meetings, the kill list…I mean c’mon now…he’s got his own personal kill list. The guy who campaigned against Bush era interrogations…Obama don’t interrogate. He picks a name off a list…some of these people have beenU.S. citizens…he picks that name off a list and orders the kill. Then he gets the video confirmation of the kill…and he watches it. Over and over and over again. (Pause) Jarrett knows she has got to tap that down. That kind of display…it’s repulsive to people. And it’s freaking them out. Jarrett don’t mind the drones…she approves of the program…she approves of what…of how they will be utilized at home. But if the president…if his reaction to using them…how he gets off on it…that endangers them having control of those drones after 2012…and beyond. It’s a politically difficult – an extremely difficult argument to win. A guy who complained loudly about water boarding – it don’t kill the poor bastard. It makes ‘em talk. Barack Obama declared that to be offensive to the ideals of America, right? But now Barack Obama…he’s judge and jury. With a pointing of a finger to names on a list…Barack Obama gets to play God. No day in court. No guarantee innocent people won’t be killed as well – and they have been killed. Children. Women. Over and over again. And this president…he has that knowledge when he watches the kill confirmations. And he watches it over and over again. These are high tech snuff films – a multi-billion dollar snuff program…and he gets off on it. You ok? 
UM: This is sickening. What you’re telling me…this is disturbing on a whole other level.
WHI: (Points finger) THAT’S the reaction people are having to this – right there. And that’s the reaction Jarrett is worrying over. She’s gotta try and contain it – but the president’s obsession is becoming too much to do that. The knowledge of it – it’s getting out now. Reaching other world leaders…it ain’t good. Even if it might give us a political advantage…you want sickening? I think to myself…what I just told you…I ask myself what if we lose? What if this guy is re-elected? You call it a whole other level? Yeah – you say that…but you don’t really understand it. Those drones…their domestic use…don’t think he ain’t thought about it. A lot. You see, Obama – he don’t trust the military. Not all of them…not many of them. But he trusts those drones, now don’t he? Don’t take him having to trust some military official to order troops to carry out an order inside the United States. It’s just inputting a bit of data – and the push of a button, right? And keep the f-cking military out of that equation there. Move the program…attach it directly to the White House. Make it…make it part of Homeland Security, right? Simple as that. One appropriations bill – just one…and it’s done. …And Valerie Jarrett – she wants that. Her…the investors who are behind Obama…they are completely in favor of that.
UM: Of a domestic drone program? Why? What’s the purpose?
WHI: Same as everything else this administration has attempted to implement – control. Absolute and total f-cking control. No different than Obamacare…expansion of the EPA…all the czars…bypassing of Congressional oversight…it’s all about control. And in order to secure that control – you need chaos. That chaos gives the justification for the drones. And the Occupy bullsh-t, the race riot threats…think about that. Think about the timing of the domestic drone program…tie it in with all the manufactured chaos that’s comin’. His calls for a citizen police force that was equal to the United States military. Obama said it himself, right? Before he was elected? He said it. His wife said it.
UM: Said what?
WHI: Do you know Michelle Obama…it was in ’08…she was speaking…some campaign stop…she got up from her chair and began to say how America needed to change its traditions – how it needed to change its history. That got some of us concerned at the time. That kind of thing…in a normal campaign you would have seen the media jumping all over it. Didn’t happen this time though. And when people went back to the campaign and expressed concern about those kinds of things – how the Obama’s were repeating their desire to change everything about America…we were told to shut up. That language was supported by on high. UM: On high?
WHI: Jarrett. She wanted that language to be part of the campaign trail. That language…it sent word back to their investors that they were in fact the real deal. Now I didn’t realize this at the time…too damn busy. The campaign. But hindsight, right? Looking back, you start to piece the puzzle together…now I understand what she was doing – what Jarrett was doing. She was keeping those dollars flowing into the campaign…into the media control mechanism they had set up…letting the investors know their time had come. This candidate – this Barack Obama – he was gonna implement what they had wanted…what they had planned for – for a very long time. Five days out – Obama re-affirmed that promise. He said it, right? “Fundamentally transform the United States of America”. The Old Man said it – this is a war we are fighting here. Call it us against them – good vs evil…whatever. Call it whatever. I don’t give a sh-t what you wanna call it – just as long as we win and they lose, because if they win – it’s like Obama said himself – the fundamental transformation of America. They gonna tell us what to think. What to eat. What to drink. What to read. What to watch. And if somebody don’t like that…then you’ll be on a list now won’t you. And an order will be given. And later, sitting up in some second floor study will be that skinny ass Manchurian piece of sh-t playing it over and over again.Read the full story here.

Did a military or law enforcement drone nearly cause a Mid-Air Collision Over Denver?

Location of sites where licences have been granted for the use of drones within the U.S. There are 63 active sites based in 20 states. Red flags show active sites and blue show those locations where licences have expired since 2006.Full seize pic here.




Did a military or law enforcement drone nearly cause a Mid-Air Collision Over Denver?(TTBTS).The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a mystery in the sky. A mysterious object flying over Denver nearly caused a mid-air collision Monday evening. As far as investigators know, the mystery object did not show up on radar Monday. Investigators believe this object, whatever it is, could pose a serious safety hazard to planes. Radio transmissions from LiveATC.com confirm a nervous-sounding pilot reported a strange object at 5:17 p.m. Monday. The pilot is heard telling air traffic control: “A remote controlled aircraft, or what? Something just went by the other way … About 20 to 30 seconds ago. It was like a large remote-controlled aircraft. The corporate jet, a Cessna Citation 525 CJ1, was flying at 8,000 feet above sea level over Cherry Creek when the mystery object came close enough to make any pilot nervous. “That’s an issue because now we have something in controlled airspace that poses a danger,” Former NTSB Investigator and 9NEWS Aviation Analyst Greg Feith said.
Feith listened to the air traffic recordings and believes the object could be one of three things:

- A military or law enforcement drone.

- A remote controlled aircraft.

- A large bird.

Any one of those things can be catastrophic if it collides with an airplane. John Dickens, president of the Denver RC Eagles, says members are not permitted to fly more than 400 feet above ground level or about 5,700 feet above sea level, due to possible air traffic interference with Centennial Airport.Hmmmm......Is there a drone in your neighbourhood? Rise of spy planes exposed after FAA is forced to reveal 63 launch sites across U.S.Read the full story here.

Patent awarded for “behavioral recognition” surveillance software system

Patent awarded for “behavioral recognition” surveillance software system.(BLN).By Madison Ruppert.The American surveillance state is becoming increasingly advanced, expansive and capable of processing huge amounts of data at blinding speeds.

Now Behavioral Recognition Systems, Inc., also known as BRS Labs, has developed an artificial intelligence-based system which supposedly can automatically recognize human behavior.

Technology which seems similar on the surface already exists and is being used on surveillance platforms like the “Intellistreets” street lights. These street lights, which are outfitted with a great deal of surveillance equipment, are reportedly capable of monitoring activity and telling the difference between certain behaviors while also being able to tell the difference between humans and animals. This technology could be used to enforce curfews, track the movement of individuals, and supposedly spot fights and other crimes.

However, BRS Labs’ technology, which was awarded U.S. patent number 8,131,012 (go here if link doesn’t open properly) by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, according to Government Security News, seems to blow that older system out of the water. This is because previous technologies relied on specific rules put in place by human operators, whereas the new system relies on “reason-based video surveillance behavior recognition software.”

This patent is actually part of over 60 related U.S. patents which are currently either pending approval, in process or already granted, all of which are part of the “AISight 3.0” video surveillance software system.

“The video surveillance technology we have invented is distinctly and materially different from the simple recognition capabilities found in video analytics solutions currently available from a number of vendors in the physical security market,” president of BRS Labs, John Frazzini, said in a news release.

“Generally speaking, video analytics software receives video data from cameras and issues alerts based on very specific and narrowly defined human programmed rules that have failed to provide operational value in the video surveillance market,” Frazzini said. “In strong contrast to those limited and deteriorating solutions, the patented technology of BRS Labs does not require any human pre-programmed rules, thereby providing an inherently scalable enterprise class software platform to the video surveillance market.”

Indeed, if this technology works as it is supposed to, this is a major step up from previous software, and it could increase the ability to accurately monitor and track the activity of individuals.

Coupling this system with incredibly powerful facial recognition technology could represent a significant leap forward for Big Brother technology.

The major difference in this new technology is that it can actually allow computers to autonomously learn behavioral patterns, thus being able to determine what behaviors could be considered unusual.

The system can then warn security personnel about the allegedly unusual or suspicious behavior.

BRS Labs’ system uses standard streams from surveillance cameras, which means that the cost to roll out such systems would be relatively minimal.

The behavioral recognition system takes the video stream then detects and tracks subjects, characterizes their appearances and other properties, then classifies them and automatically learns their behavioral patterns.

The system then stores those patterns and thus can recognize behaviors which differ from the established behavior patterns. When the system detects a divergence, it alerts the user of those events in real time.BRS Labs reportedly has many other patents in the works which seem to focus on artificial intelligence as applied to surveillance.

While companies might see this as a great cost-saving measure since it could reduce the number of people who have to sit and physically watch the surveillance monitors, if it is used in law enforcement I see many potential problems.

Much like so-called threat assessment technology, or malintent detection technology, this could erroneously flag behaviors as unusual or suspicious, thus resulting in individuals being treated as if they are criminals when they very well might not be.

All of this serves to erode the entire concept of innocent until proven guilty as people are marked as suspicious persons or displaying unusual behavior without any proof of wrongdoing.

After one is labeled as such, they are often treated like they did something wrong, even if there is absolutely no evidence of any illegal activities.

Personally, I see this as a dangerous trend which hopefully will be reversed, however, the growth of the surveillance industry does not show any sign of slowing down any time soon, so I’m not holding my breath just yet.Read the full story here.

Eyes in the sky - Sky Sapience unveils hovering UAV for surveillance.

Eyes in the sky - Sky Sapience unveils hovering UAV for surveillance.(JPost).By Yaakov Katz.By Sky Sapience. After establishing a name as a world leader in the development of unmanned drones, Israeli companies are expanding to a new field – tethered hovering platforms.
Earlier this month, a new Israeli company called Sky Sapience unveiled the Hovermast, an unmanned platform that can hover in one place for extended periods and provide real-time surveillance.Equipped with four thrusters and a central fan for lift and stabilization, the Hovermast lands without additional recovery systems and comes packed into a small container that can be installed on the roof of a vehicle.
With the push of a button, the container opens, and HoverMast extends up to 50 meters high within 15 seconds.Brig.-Gen. (res.) Gabriel Shachor, a former senior officer in the air force, together with a group of engineers, founded Sky Sapience. It works with another Israeli company called Controp, which manufactures high-quality sensors that can be installed on the Hovermast for various missions.
Shachor said Hovermast was unique in that even people who were not trained to operate unmanned aerial vehicles could use it easily. The system is suitable for border control and security of sensitive installations, he said.
“Anyone can use the system and receive immediate surveillance, all with the press of a button,” he said, adding that the Hovermast could receive its power directly from the vehicle – meaning that as long as the vehicle has fuel and is running, the Hovermast will work.
The introduction of the new device comes a few months after Israel Aerospace Industries revealed the Electric Tethered Observation Platform (ETOP), a similar hovering unmanned platform.
The ETOP is slightly larger than the Hovermast and can carry a payload of about 20 kg. in comparison to the Hovermast’s 9 kg.Read the full story here.

"You're eighter with me or against me" Obama admin wants to track you.

"You're eighter with me or against me" Obama admin wants to track you.Justice Department seeks cellphone location information.(WT).Consumers love their iPhones, Androids and BlackBerrys. With built in GPS navigation, these handy little gadgets can point the way to the nearest gas station with a low price or the highest-rated restaurant within a few blocks. Results can be personalized based on the user’s location at any given moment, a feature so handy that many never leave home without their mobile.
Under federal law, even the most basic cellphone must collect location information so that 911 services can respond appropriately. The Obama administration wants the ability to seize this data for its own purposes. Last month, the Justice Department filed a brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit insisting the government had the right to gather 60 days’ worth of tracking information from a cellphone without a warrant issued on probable cause.
By claiming this detailed information is relevant to a criminal investigation, there would effectively be no limit to the state’s ability to know someone’s every move. In the case at hand, federal agents sought the travel history of certain customers of T-Mobile and MetroPCS, but a federal magistrate ruled that the government’s hunch that these individuals might be involved in crime was good enough to merit release of basic subscriber information, such as name and address, but “a higher standard of proof” had to be met before the court would compel the release of location information.
The administration appealed this decision to a district court, arguing the location information represented “third-party business records” entitled to no privacy protection whatsoever. The judge saw this as a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment.
The most troubling aspect of the Justice Department’s pursuit of this case to the next level is that the Supreme Court has already shot down its effort to allow warrantless installation of GPS trackers on automobiles. Tracking a phone potentially reveals far more information than merely following a car, since the phone usually doesn’t stop at the parking space or garage.
Knowing where an individual goes over a two-month period paints a very revealing look at a person’s life. The data could expose a person’s friends, associates, political leanings, religious affiliations, hobbies and even vices like gambling. Such a dossier could as easily be misused to blackmail political enemies as it could be used to crack an organized crime ring.
In a free society, government is not simply entitled to this information. A neutral third party decides whether law enforcement has a real case against the person whose privacy would be violated.
Unfortunately, the administration has too often chosen to trample on the right of citizens to be free from the prying of nosy bureaucratic busybodies. President Obama’s lack of leadership on privacy is most apparent in the hands-on investigations conducted at airports by the Transportation Security Administration. If Congress doesn’t have the courage to step in and tackle this issue, the courts should shut the door once and for all on these attempts to create a surveillance state.Hmmmm......When I said, “change we can believe in,” I didn’t say “change we can believe in tomorrow.” Not “change we can believe in next week.” We knew this was going to take time, because we’ve got this big, messy, tough democracy.Read the full story here.

It's a drone's world - A first look at world's future battleground

It's a drone's world - A first look at world's future battleground.(YNet).Unmanned boats, cars and tanks and small remote-control operated aircraft are just some of the new developments presented at this week's AUVSI conference hosted by Israel's Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv.Conference visitors will be able to get a glimpse of the "future battleground" as designed by members of the Defense Ministry's R and D and technology departments.
They will also be able to take a look at two of the Air Force's star drones: the giant Eitan UAV, which foreign reports claim is able to reach Iran, and "Sky Rider" which recently supported intelligence efforts in the Gaza Strip in the latest round of violence with Hamas. Foreign aircraft manufacturers from around the world will also be showcasing their developments.
Among the participants will be officials from NASA, General Motors and the US and British militaries. White House representatives will also be presenting the latest developments in robotics, aerospace and unmanned weapons and intelligence systems.Read and see (Video) the full story here.

Congress Calls for Accelerated Use of Drones in U.S.

Congress Calls for Accelerated Use of Drones in U.S.(DougRoss).Via Fas   By Steven Aftergood

A House-Senate conference report this week called on the Administration to accelerate the use of civilian unmanned aerial systems (UAS), or “drones,” in U.S. airspace.
The pending authorization bill for the Federal Aviation Administration directs the Secretary of Transporation to develop within nine months “a comprehensive plan to safely accelerate the integration of civil unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system.”
“The plan… shall provide for the safe integration of civil unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system as soon as practicable, but not later than September 30, 2015.”
The Department of Defense is pursuing its own domestic UAS activities for training purposes and “domestic operations,” according to a 2007 DoD-FAA memorandum of agreement. (“Army Foresees Expanded Use of Drones in U.S. Airspace,” Secrecy News, January 19, 2012.)
In the recently enacted FY2012 National Defense Authorization Act (section 1097), Congress mandated that “the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall establish a program to integrate unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system at six test ranges.” This new test range program is supposed to be established within 180 days.Read the full story here.

MFS -The Other News - What the main papers don't say.

                    Morning Posting.

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity situation Indonesia 4.9 !More info here.

• Assad may start regional war if UN tells him to step down – Gulf sources.(Debka).In confidential conversations with his advisers, Syrian President Bashar Assad is reported by Persian Gulf sources Tuesday, Jan. 31 to have threatened to start up armed hostilities in the region if the UN Security Council Tuesday night endorses the Arab League proposal for him to step down and hand power to his deputy.Those sources told debkafile that the heads of the Syrian armed forces and intelligence have been given their orders and some units are on the ready. Other Middle East sources reported that the Lebanese Hizballah has also shown signs of military preparations in the last few hours. And the Russian flotilla berthed at the Syrian port of Tartus, led by the Admiral Kutznetsov aircraft carrier, also appears to be on the alert for ructions in the wake of the Security Council Syria session.During the day, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov warned that pushing the Arab League's UN resolution was "the path to civil war." debkafile reports that the military flurry in advance of the critical Security Council session included US naval movements. Sunday, Jan. 29, the nuclear submarine USS Annapolis, escorted by the guided missile destroyer USS Momsen sailed through the Suez Canal to the Red Sea. This looked like a Washington warning for Tehran to keep its military fingers out of Syria if the confrontation there escalates.It was not the first time Assad has threatened Syria's neighbors. On Aug. 9, 2011, four months into his savage crackdown against protesters, he warned Turkey that, six hours after the first shot was fired against Syria, he would "destroy Tel Aviv and set the entire Middle East on fire."Earlier still on May 10, one of Assad's close kinsmen, the international tycoon Rami Makhlouf, warned: "If there is no stability in Syria, there will be none in Israel. No one can be sure what will happens after that. God help us if anything befalls this regime."Read the full story here.

• No More Leading from Behind for America.(RCW).By Rick Santorum.Much like Ronald Reagan called out for freedom in the symbolic heart of communism, I will call upon the Muslim world to tear down the walls of oppression that oppose freedom of conscience and religion, equality of women, the security of Israel and support violence and Jihadism, which inverts the concept of martyrdom from one who dies for his or her faith to one who kills for his or her faith. I will not coddle those who want to kill and destroy. I will seek peace with those who treasure freedom for all.Christianity struggled with these issues of freedom of conscience and violence largely hundreds of years ago; Islam is struggling with them now. We will stand with the true advocates of freedom who define freedom not just by a ballot box, but also by meaningful protections for minorities. This is the message of freedom that should be proclaimed and practiced from Cairo to Tehran. This is consistent with universal human dignity, our values and our national security interests.Informed Americans are opposed to those who want to kill and destroy, not to those who want to make peace and treasure freedom for all. I supported America's security and freeing Muslims and others from oppression in Iraq and Afghanistan. I stood for the Green Movement in Iran when President Obama sat down. I support freedom of religion - for Muslims and other religious minorities - but believe they should provide the same.Read the full story here.

• Martin Luther King’s Family Halts Occupy Event at Atlanta Memorial Center.(BigGovernment).Martin Luther King’s family asked US Park Police to eject a group of 32 Occupy Wall Street protestors from an Atlanta based memorial center that was named after the civil rights leader on Sunday.The OWS protestors, who left New York City November 9 to march roughly 880 miles to Atlanta through Washington, and through the south, planned on holding a press conference at the Atlanta based Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change “to honor Dr. King.” The press conference was scheduled for 2 p.m., but within minutes, private security for the center asked the demonstrators to leave the outside area that was part of the MLK center.According to the center’s online page, it was established in 1968 by Coretta Scott King, and is the “official, living memorial dedicated to advancing the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Our programs and partnerships educate the world about his life and his philosophy of nonviolence, inspiring new generations to further his work.”Hmmmm....They showed more 'Character' then the White House occupants.Read the full story here.

• Obama-Funded “Green” Energy Company Amonix Lays Off Two-Thirds Of Its Workforce.(Las Vegas Sun) — Just seven months after California-based solar power company Amonix Inc. opened its largest manufacturing plant, in North Las Vegas, the company’s contractor has laid off nearly two-thirds of its workforce. Flextronics Industrial, the Singapore solar panel manufacturer that partnered with Amonix to staff the new $18 million, 214,000-square-foot plant, laid off about 200 of its 300-plus employees Tuesday.Amonix’s director of manufacturing operations, Eric Culberson, said the layoffs are part of “retooling” the factory as the company prepares to roll out its next-generation product.“The new 8700 utility-scale CPV solar power system is a higher efficiency and lower cost,” Culberson said. “Once it is ready, we will ramp back up to meet the demands of the industry.”Culberson said the job cuts are temporary and expects to begin hiring more people in the second half of the year to meet demand.The company scaled down at all levels of employment at the plant — which was hiring as recently as three months ago — from entry level assemblers, process engineers, production supervisors and quality-control techs, according to one employee who was laid off.Culberson said layoffs were made across the board.Amonix received a $5.9 million investment tax credit through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act in 2010, and another $12 million in private capital helped finance the plant.Hmmmmm.....Obama: "All the Choices We've Made Have Been the Right Ones".Read the full story here.

• GOP wants Sen. Baucus to go rogue on Keystone XL oil sands pipeline.(TheHill).Republicans are pressing Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) to buck his leadership and use his authority in the payroll tax conference to green-light the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline.Baucus has told business leaders in Montana that winning authorization for the transnational pipeline is one of his highest priorities for 2012.Republicans say Baucus, as co-chairman of the payroll tax conference, has the power to include Keystone language in must-pass legislation and will pressure him to act.“The quickest and surest way to get the pipeline going is for the Democratic chairman of the conference committee to put it into a must-do piece of legislation, the payroll tax package,” said a senior Senate Republican aide.Senate Democrats think Baucus will stick with the caucus and oppose the inclusion of language to force President Obama’s hand on Keystone but they acknowledge the senior Montana lawmaker could go rogue, as he has in the past. A Baucus aide said the lawmaker would try to get the Keystone project started using whatever tools or legislative vehicles are at his disposal, including the payroll tax bill, available.“Senator Baucus will be looking for every opportunity to get Keystone done, whether now or through any other appropriate vehicle,” said the aide.Some Democrats say that Keystone is not as potent a political issue as Republicans claim and voice confidence Baucus will not defy Obama and the Democratic leadership by attaching Keystone language to the payroll tax deal.“The king president is pretty definitive on this,” said Sen. Ben Cardin (Md.), one of the conferees in the payroll tax negotiations with the House.Read the full story here.

• The Obama administration Is Giving Out Free Cell Phones And Free Cell Phone Minutes To Welfare Recipients.(TEC).Did you know that the federal government is giving out free cell phones and free cell phone minutes to welfare recipients? It may be hard to believe, but it is true. Right now, there are companies that are running advertisements specifically targeted at low income Americans informing them of the fact that all they have to do is sign up and they can get a free cell phone and hundreds of free cell phone minutes every single month and it will all be paid for by the federal government. Some have referred to this as "The Obama Phone", but that is not exactly accurate. The outrageous federal programs that are paying for this were initiated before Barack Obama entered the White House. But the fact that welfare recipients have been receiving free cell phones and free cell phone minutes under both the Bush and Obama administrations has been confirmed as being true by Snopes. All of this is paid for by "the federal Universal Service Fund". That is one of those annoying little taxes that you may have noticed on your phone bill. So what is essentially happening is the federal government is taking money from all of us so that they can provide free cell phone service for welfare recipients every single month. When some of my readers informed me of this free cell phone scheme, I decided that I better go to the source. So I went over to the FCC website, and it turns out that there are two federal programs involved. "Link Up" provides a one-time connection discount on phone service, and it can be applied to the cost of a cell phone. So this is where the free cell phone comes from. "Lifeline" provides a monthly discount on telephone service. So this is where the free cell phone minutes each month come from. The following is a description of these programs from the FCC website....Read the full story here.

• Birthright Citizenship - Is Mitt Romney a “natural born citizen”?(TheCaptainsQuarters).It is absolutely clear that Mitt Romney is NOT a Natural Born Citizen unless he can prove that George Romney gained citizenship from naturalization prior to Mitt’s birth in 1947.Having the Status of Birthright Citizenship Is Not Sufficient to Make One an. Article II “Natural Born citizen”.Mitt Romney / Not Eligable to hold the office of {POTUS}.Call upon Mitt Romney now to either post Gaskell Romney’s US naturaliztion documents (or repatriated record) or George Romney‘s US naturaliztion documents that he would have filled out and signed when he was 21 years of age, or withdraw from the presidential race as Constitutionally unqualified to take the oath of office of the presidency of the United States. Was George Romney (father of Mitt Romney) a U.S. citizen?Not according to the historical records.b. Colonia Dublán, Galeana, Chihuahua, México, 8 July 1907, d. Bloomfield Hills, Mich., 26 July 1995 [SSDI 577-10-6742], bur. Fairview Cemetery, Brighton, Mich. m. Salt Lake City, Utah, 2 July 1931.George Romney was born in Mexico to expatriated Mormon parents. George’s father is named Gaskell Romney.If George Romney was not a “U.S. citizen” or became naturalized BEFORE Mitt was born, then neither can Mitt Romeny (his son) be natural born.Read the full story here.

• Catholic Church Rejects Surrender Terms from Obama.(NewZeal).By: Cliff Kincaid.(Accuracy in Media).My Catholic priest, Father Larry Swink, delivered a homily on Sunday that I told him would make headlines. In the toughest sermon I have ever heard from a pulpit, he attacked the Obama Administration as evil, even demonic, and warned of religious persecution ahead. What was also newsworthy about the sermon was that he cited The Washington Post in agreement—not on the subject of the Obama Administration being evil, but on the matter of its abridgment of the constitutional right to freedom of religion.What is happening is extraordinary and unprecedented. The Catholic Church is in open revolt against the Obama Administration, with Fr. Swink noting from the pulpit that priests across the archdiocese were joining the call on Sunday to rally Catholics to resistance against the U.S. Government. He said we are entering a time of religious persecution and that Catholics and others will have to make a final decision about which side they are on.The issue is what the Catholic Bishops have called a “literally unconscionable” edict by the Obama Administration demanding that sterilization, abortifacients and contraception be included in virtually all health plans.At a time when the media are full of reports about who is ahead and behind in the polls, and who will win the next Republican presidential primary, this incredible uprising in the Catholic Church is something that could not only overshadow the political campaign season, but also may have a major impact on the ultimate outcome—if Republicans know how to handle it. This matter goes beyond partisan politics to the growing perception of an unconstitutional Obama Administration assault on religious freedom. To hear the Catholic Bishops and Priests describe it, our constitutional republic and our freedoms hang in the balance.The bishops go on, “Now that the Administration has refused to recognize the Constitutional conscience rights of organizations and individuals who oppose the mandate, the bishops are now urging Catholics and others of good will to fight this unprecedented attack on conscience rights and religious liberty.”Interestingly, The Washington Post, as Father Swink indicated, agrees with the bishops. The paper said, “In this circumstance, requiring a religiously affiliated employer to spend its own money in a way that violates its religious principles does not make an adequate accommodation for those deeply held views. Having recognized the principle of a religious exemption, the administration should have expanded it.”So why would the administration pick a major fight with the Catholic Church? There are two main reasons. (1) The administration wants to please its progressive and feminist, secular pro-abortion base. (2) The administration believes Catholics are divided on the issue and will ignore their leaders and follow Obama.Father Larry Swink of Jesus The Divine Word Catholic Church in Huntingtown, Maryland opened his discussion of what he described as the evil nature of the Obama Administration by reading from scripture about Jesus casting out demons. He saw the order on health care coverage as the start of religious persecution. The congregation joined him in calls of “Amen” when he challenged them to stand tall with the church.Hmmmm........Read the full story here.

• GOP Rep. Chris Smith Holds Congressional Hearing On “Explosively” Anti-Semitic, Anti-American Palestinian Textbooks Used In UN-Run Camps.(CNSNews).The textbooks used to educate Palestinian children who live in refugee camps came under fire at a briefing on Wednesday on Capitol Hill where experts said lessons of intolerance and hatred toward Jews and Israel fill the books’ pages.Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), chairman of the House subcommittee on Human Rights and co-chairman of the Bi-Partisan Coalition for Combating Anti-Semitism, told CNSNews.com that U.S. donations to the United Nations Refugee and Works Agency (UNRWA) make the federal government accountable for what is in the books.“We are responsible for the content and the content has been, year in and year out, explosively anti-Semitic, anti-American and anti-Israeli,” Smith said, at the event he hosted with the Center for Near-East Policy Research, which is based in Jerusalem and which has studied the topic extensively.Since the UNRWA began operations in 1950 in the wake of the Arab-Israeli war of 1948, the United States has been the largest contributor to the agency. The UNRWA oversees the health, education, and social services of some 5 million registered Palestinian refugees, including those in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.The CRS reports that U.S. contributions to the UNRWA have steadily increased over the past decade, with nearly $228 million given in [fiscal year] 2010.Read the full story here.

• Special Ops ‘Mothership’ Heads to Persian Gulf.(StratRisks).Recent U.S. and European sanctions against Iran have gotten tougher, but that hasn’t stopped the Islamic regime’s quest for nuclear weapons.Now, the United States is ready for a new military show of force. The Pentagon is sending the USS Ponce to the Persian Gulf, where it will become a floating base for U.S. Navy SEALs.The ship was scheduled to be retired weeks ago, but now has a new mission — to search for mines and enemy activity.“What it’s going to be is the mother ship for special operations forces that will allow the U.S. to covertly deploy our special operations warriors to really difficult parts of the world,” explained ABC News consultant and retired Col. Stephen Ganyard.The Ponce will be equipped with cranes to extract mines. Twelve small boats can dock on the ship and there is room for four helicopters, as well as an operations command center.In addition to deploying the Ponce, the Defense Department will ask Congress for more money to retool the military’s bunker busting bombs. Experts are concerned that the 30,000- pound bombs may not have enough explosive power to destroy Iran’s underground nuclear facilities.Ganyard says the military moves aren’t just window dressing.“It’s true preparation. The message is also getting through to the Mullahs and to Iran,” he said.Read the full story here.

• Iraqi bill to ban travels to Israel.(YNet).The Iraqi parliament is planning to pass a new bill banning Iraqis from traveling to Israel, Al Jazeera online reported Monday. The bill was proposed following a number of incidents at the Bagdad airport. A local security officer working there said the passport had caught a number of Iraqi officials carrying passports with Israeli entry visas. The officer, speaking on a condition of anonymity, reported that the passports of some nine high-profile Iraqi politicians were clearly marked with Ben-Gurion Airport stamps as well.According to the source, the politicians made their first trips to Israel after the Iraqi elections, held on January 2010, until around October that same year. The officer claimed that during questioning of the Iraqis, it was discovered that they were operating as envoys to Israel on behalf of Iraqi politicians.In response to the report, Iraqi Parliament Member from the National Iraqi Alliance Mohammad Redha al-Khafaji declared that some 50 parliament members have already put their John Hancock to a bill proposing to ban such trips to Israel. Khafaji emphasized that in the past, Iraqi senior officials had visited Israel secretly.Forbidding a citizen from traveling is against the Iraqis' right to freedom, as written in the constitution. However banning travel to Israel has nothing to do with politics, she told Al Jazeera, explaining that Iraq has never had any diplomatic or political relations with Israel, nor has it acknowledged the State of Israel. Israel classifies Iraq, as well as most Arab countries, as an "enemy state." However, over the years senior Israeli officials have hinted on numerous occasions that despite having no official diplomatic relations with such countries, many times there are economical and security ties. Hmmmmm........Obama: If We Work Hard, Afghanistan Could Be a Success...Like Iraq!Read the full story here.

• Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood gear up to challenge the army.(Alarabiya).The Muslim Brotherhood is devising a blueprint for a parliamentary democracy that would overturn Egypt’s tradition of strong heads of state, flexing its muscles after emerging as the country’s dominant political force.The plan has emerged since the Islamist movement took the biggest share of seats in parliament, allowing it to challenge the generals ruling Egypt since the overthrow last February of Hosni Mubarak in a popular uprising.For now the Brotherhood has avoided a power struggle with the army, saying that would delay a return to political stability, bolstering the widely held belief that the two have a tacit understanding so their interests do not collide.The Brotherhood has decided not to field a candidate for the presidency but was free to deploy its formidable grassroots campaign machine unhindered in the parliamentary vote and won almost half of the seats on offer in the lower house.It appears, for now, to accept the idea of a strong president who enjoys the army’s backing.But under a plan outlined by senior officials in the movement, the presidency would be downgraded to a largely ceremonial role within four years and parliament would gradually take control of defense and foreign affairs from the military.“We want a system where the prime minister liaises with parliament to pick the cabinet,” said Mohamed Saad al-Katatni, secretary-general of the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP). The current constitution gives the president powers to pick the cabinet.“The prime minister will have most powers of government, relating to both internal and foreign affairs. The president’s powers would be limited,” he added.“The army will not allow anyone to meddle in its defense affairs,” said an official close to the army establishment.“The president will ensure that the army’s interests and position in the civilian state remain secure. The army in turn will back the president in managing the country’s sovereign affairs.”But retaining a role in national security issues could give the army a broad remit to intervene when it deemed necessary.Until a new president arrives, the Brotherhood wants to use its parliamentary presence to pressure the army-backed interim cabinet led by Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri to govern in the country’s long-term interests.“Ganzouri is driving the economy into the ground,” said Beltagy. “We do not understand how he could allocate 200 million Egyptian pounds to passing out free school meals when the country is facing a balance of payment crisis and turning to the IMF for help.Read the full story here.

• Iranian man arrested after attack on crew in Turkish plane.(HurriyetDaily).Turkish police arrested an Iranian passenger on a domestic flight after he attacked cabin crew because he was angered by a six-hour delay, the Anatolia news agency reported on Tuesday.The passenger, identified only as S.R.I., was scheduled to fly from Istanbul to Antalya in southern Turkey on Monday evening on an Onur Air plane, but heavy snowfall in Istanbul caused long delays.Turkish authorities cancelled almost 200 flights Monday in Istanbul.Angered by a three-hour delay before boarding and another three-hour wait inside the plane, the Iranian passenger broke one of the plane's window protectors and attacked cabin crew, Anatolia reported.He also stole food being served and attempted to force his way into the cockpit, leading the pilot to call police and an ambulance. Police arrested the passenger and the flight was cancelled.Read the full story here.

• Audit: U.S. Defense Department can't account for billions for Iraq.(CNN).By Josh Levs.The U.S. Defense Department cannot account for about $2 billion it was given to cover Iraq-related expenses and is not providing Iraq with a complete list of U.S.-funded reconstruction projects, according to two new government audits.The reports come from the office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.The Iraqi government in 2004 gave the Department of Defense access to about $3 billion to pay bills for certain contracts, and the department can only show what happened to about a third of that, the inspector general says in an audit published Friday.Although the Department of Defense (DoD) had "internal processes and controls" to track payments, the "bulk of the records are missing," the report says, adding that the department is searching for them.Other documents are missing as well, including monthly reports documenting expenses, the audit says."From July 2004 through December 2007, DoD should have provided 42 monthly reports. However, it can locate only the first four reports."Read the full story here.

• Third Aircraft Carrier Group Coming To Iran.(Zerohedge).For months now we have been following US naval developments and deployments in the Arabian Sea, which serve one purpose and one purpose only - to demonstrate US military strength in the Straits of Hormuz region and to keep Iranian 'offensive passions' subdued. Yet never has the US had a total of three aircraft carrier groups in the vicinity, always topping out at 2 in the Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet, most recently these being the CVN-70 Vinson and CVN 72 Lincoln, with a third boat present merely until a rotation in or out of the theater of operations was complete. That is about to change, and with it the prevailing price of Brent, which we are confident is about to take a new step wise price higher as the US makes it all too clear what the endgame is, because as Naval Today reports, the "US navy to deploy third carrier group to Persian Gulf", probably the CVN-77 George H.W. Bush which departed Norfolk two weeks ago according to the most recent naval update, or any other Norfolk-stationed aircraft carrier: there is a wide selection to chose from.Read the full story here.

• Massive US Military Buildup on Two Strategic Islands: Socotra and Masirah, Up to 100,000 Troops Ready By March.(Debka).While quietly casting lines to draw Tehran into talks on their nuclear dispute, President Barack Obama is reported exclusively by DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s military and Washington sources to have secretly ordered US air, naval and marine forces to build up heavy concentrations on two strategic islands – Socotra, which is part of a Yemeni archipelago in the Indian Ocean, and the Omani island of Masirah at the southern exit of the Strait of Hormuz.Socotra is situated 80 kilometers east of the Horn of Africa and 380 kilometers southeast of the Yemeni coastline. It lies athwart the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. A military base there is in a position to oversee the shipping moving in and out of those strategic naval waterways.Lushly verdant, Socotra is approximately 120 kilometers long by 40 kilometers wide. Its population of 55,000 has its own distinct language and culture. Since 2010, the US has been quietly building giant air force and naval bases on Socotra with facilities for submarines, intelligence command centers and take-off pads for flying stealth drones, as part of a linked chain of strategic US military facilities in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf.The Socotra facilities are so secret that they are never mentioned in any catalogue listing US military facilities in this part of the world, which include Jebel Ali and Al Dahfra in the United Arab Emirates; Arifjan in Kuwait; and Al Udeid in Qatar – all within short flying distances from Iran.Additional US forces are also being poured into Camp Justice on the barren, 70-kilometer long Omani island of Masirah, just south of the Hormuz entry point to the Gulf of Oman from the Arabian Sea.Our military sources have also picked up reports of British and French air, naval and special forces landings this month in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.All these military concentrations and Obama's latest word on the Iranian nuclear issue tend to confirm that nothing has changed since DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s sources in Washington first reported in November 2011 on the US president's resolve to attack Iran's nuclear facilities in the course of 2012.Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal told Al-Arabiya television last week that the Saudi government takes Iran's threats seriously. He pointed in particular to the words of Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, who warned that Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi's promise to boost oil production by 2.7 million barrels a day (bpd) to make up for any shortfall caused by sanctions on Iran, would "create all possible problems later."Prince Turki said he personally did not believe the oil kingdom would engage in military action but added:"It's a direct threat to our national interests and a direct threat to our industrial installations on the coast."Other Saudi officials in Riyadh were less diplomatic: "Iran's threats could be interpreted by Saudi Arabia as an act of war," said a senior Saudi defense official bluntly.This week Saudi Arabia began deploying its military in the kingdom's oil regions in the east opposite the Persian Gulf.Patriot PAC-2 and PAC-3 intercept missile batteries were installed around the oil fields and oil terminals; Saudi special forces stationed around the kingdom's main export terminal at Ras Tanura; and special marine and naval forces trained to defend the installations began conducting sea patrols off shore.Saudi armored forces were furthermore stationed at the main junctions of the pipelines and pumping stations and its air force and navy put on a state of alert.While the whole world talked about Iran's threat to close the Strait of Hormuz in response to an embargo on its oil exports, the Saudis were far more concerned with the reality of the second half of that threat: They are certain that the menace of an Iranian strike at Saudi oil targets will loom ever larger as US-European sanctions bite deeper into Iran's oil sales and Riyadh steps up its oil production to make up for the Iranian shortfall.The Saudis envision a panoply of aggressive Iranian operations: Missiles striking their oil fields and export terminals - aimed from speedboats zooming up close to target and launched from small unpopulated Persian Gulf islands occupied for the purpose by especially trained Iranian units.Iranian frogmen may come ashore to sabotage oil installations and pipelines; kamikaze pilots crash their planes into the oil tankers; and booby-trapped speedboats piloted by suicide attackers try to ram oil installations or tankers.Read the full story here.

• Cricketer-turned-politician Khan vows to sweep Pakistan polls.(GN).Dubai: Pakistan is heading towards a bigger revolution than the Arab Spring because the "silent revolution" has brought people together under his leadership to usher in change in the country, said Imran Khan, cricketer-turned-politician.Khan, who led Pakistan's cricket team to win the 1992 World Cup, said that he is all set to "captain the nation"."My tsunami is much bigger than the leaderless Arab Spring, which was triggered by social media, but in Pakistan the media is free and I am leading the ‘revolution' from the front," the chief of Tehreek-e-Insaf (Justice Movement) told Gulf News on Sunday at a reception in Dubai. Khan, who has always opposed the military operation against militant groups in the US war on terror, said that he would immediately put an end to the war as soon as he comes to power."We will immediately announce a ceasefire and will not use our military against our own people because I have always said that it is not our war and we should not fight it. The US should also exit from Afghanistan to ensure peace in the region," he said. Khan is also in talks with militant groups as well and said he would use his influence in the tribal areas to reconcile with them."I have always told Americans as well that there is no military solution to this problem, but rather they have to solve it politically through talks and they have also started talking to the Taliban," he added.Read the full story here.

• This Is Europe's Scariest Chart.(ZeroHedge).Surging Greek and Portuguese bond yields? Plunging Italian bank stocks? The projected GDP of the Eurozone? In the grand scheme of things, while certainly disturbing, none of these data points actually tell us much about the secular shift within European society, and certainly are nothing that couldn't be fixed if the ECB were to gamble with hyperinflation and print an inordinate amount of fiat units diluting the capital base even further. No: the one chart that truly captures the latent fear behind the scenes in Europe is that showing youth unemployment in the continent's troubled countries (and frankly everywhere else). Because the last thing Europe needs is a discontented, disenfranchised, and devoid of hope youth roving the streets with nothing to do, easily susceptible to extremist and xenophobic tendencies: after all, it must be "someone's" fault that there are no job opportunities for anyone. Below we present the youth (16-24) unemployment in three select European countries (and the general Eurozone as a reference point). Some may be surprised to learn that while Portugal, and Greece, are quite bad, at 30.7% and 46.6% respectively, it is Spain where the youth unemployment pain is most acute: at 51.4%, more than half of the youth eligible for work does not have a job! Because the real question is if there is no hope for tomorrow, what is the opportunity cost of doing something stupid and quite irrational today?Hmmmm......Thank corporate greed for using 'cheap labor countries'.Read the full story here.

• Sex consensual as rape victim didn’t scream, Turkish court rules.(HurriyetDaily). A court in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır has ruled that a rape victim had consensual sex with her assailant because she "did not scream” during the intercourse. E.B., a 40-year-old woman with mental disabilities, lost her husband in 2007 and had been living with her three mentally disabled children in a single-room shanty home in Diyarbakır's Ergani district when the district's deputy governor found out about her condition and placed her in care in 2009. E.B. was taken to a hospital for health examinations where it was discovered that she was eight months pregnant.  E.B. and her 14-year-old son said she had been repeatedly raped by their 24-year-old neighbor, İbrahim T., for the past two years.A court arrested İbrahim T. after DNA samples that were taken from the baby girl E.B. gave birth to proved that he was the father. Prosecutors charged him with "coercion" and "numerous sexual assaults" and asked for a 17-year prison term.The court asked the forensics department to conduct a report on E.B. The report said she was 36 percent mentally disabled and that she could have fought to resist the rape but did not, meaning that the intercourse was consensual. Forensic officials based their report on the fact that E.B. did not scream while being sexually assaulted. The court convened on a day when its only female judge, Hatice Polat, was on leave and decided to release İbrahim T. after two years of arrest.Hmmmm......Human rights....what, who , when , where?Read the full story here.

• UAE men handed one-month jail for beating pregnant Canadian woman.(BikyaMasr).DUBAI: Three Emirati men were handed one-month in jail for beating a pregnant woman at n Ikea cafeteria three years ago. They were also handed a DH12,000 fine for the incident involving a Canadian couple.According to The National, Emirati businessman A A, 52, and his brothers M A, 33, and E A, 43, on June 13, 2009, beat the woman and her husband after they sat at a table allegedly reserved for the men and their families.“A A approached us and told us that the table was booked as his three children were sitting on the other end,” the husband told the court.When the wife, who was pregnant, said she didn’t want to move, the husband attempted to move her away and sit elsewhere, but the men attacked the couple.“I was punched in the back of the head and lost consciousness and woke to find three men kicking me and punching me on the floor and saw my wife bleeding from her legs profusely,” he told prosecutors.The National reported that a Syrian man had witnessed the incident and confirmed that he saw one of the men hitting the woman while the other two attacked the husband.Security guards called the Dubai Police in order to end the attack after they had failed.The couple were taken to Rashid Hospital, where the wife was also given treatment to prevent a miscarriage.The sentence has left many in the UAE angry over the extremely lenient terms, with many citizens pointing out that drug charges carry longer terms in jail that the assault of a pregnant woman.“I find it appalling to call myself an Emirati,” said Abdullah. “These people should be in jail for a long time, not just one month, but because they are Emiratis they are getting off without anything but a slap on the wrist. It is wrong.”Hmmmm......Read the full story here.

• Document appears incourt, titled "The Islamic Rule on Hijacking Airplanes".(Memri).Hizbut Tahrir's Document on Hijacking Now Before A British Court: 'If The Plane Belongs To A Country At War With The Muslims, Like Israel, It Is Allowed To Hijack It, For There Is No Sanctity Neither For Israel Nor For The Jews Inside It'. A document, titled "The Islamic Rule on Hijacking Airplanes" and produced by Hizbut Tahrir, is the subject of court proceedings in the United Kingdom where a Muslim pilot was sacked over fears that he could carry out a 9/11-like terror attack.Read the full story here.

• 'Israel sees narrowing window for Iran strike'.(YNet).Israeli officials are quietly conceding that new international sanctions targeting Iran's suspect nuclear program, while welcome, are further constraining Israel's ability to take military action – just as a window of opportunity is closing because Tehran is moving more of its installations underground.The officials said that Israel must act by the summer if it wants to effectively attack Iran's program.A key question in the debate is how much damage Israel, or anyone else, can inflict, and whether it would be worth the risk of a possible counterstrike. Israel has been a leading voice in the international calls to curb Iran's nuclear program. Like the West, it believes the Iranians are moving toward nuclear weapons capability – a charge Tehran denies.Israel contends a nuclear-armed Iran would threaten its survival. It also fears an Iranian bomb would touch off a nuclear arms race in a region still largely hostile to Israel. Israeli leaders say they prefer a diplomatic solution. But – skeptical of international resolve – Israel refuses to rule out the use of force, saying frequently that "all options are on the table."After calling for tougher sanctions against Iran at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Friday: "We must not waste time on this matter; the Iranians continue to advance (toward nuclear weapons), identifying every crack and squeezing through. Time is urgently running out."Key Israeli defense officials believe that the time to strike, if such a decision is made, would have to be by the middle of this year. Complicating the task is the assessment that Iran is stepping up efforts to move its work on enriching uranium deep underground.An Israeli strike would risk shattering the US-led diplomatic front that has imposed four additional rounds of sanctions on Iran and jolt the shaky world economy by causing oil prices to spike. Still, the officials said that if Israel feels no alternative but to take military action, it will do so. The US has sold Israel dozens of 100 GBU-28 laser-guided "bunker-buster" bombs. The 2.5-ton bombs are capable of penetrating more than 20 feet of solid concrete. It's not clear how much damage the bunker-busters could actually do. Iran's main enrichment site at Natanz is believed to be about 25 feet (6 meters) underground and protected by two concrete walls.Many believe that in the event of a strike, Iran would likely unleash its large arsenal of missiles capable of striking Israel.Iran's local proxies, Hezbollah to Israel's north and Hamas to the south, possess tens of thousands of short-range rockets and missiles. American soldiers in the Persian Gulf might come under fire. Islamist backers of Iran could target civilians all over the world. A one-time surgical strike, the most likely attack by Israel, "can't do more than politically declare that we aren't willing to tolerate" a nuclear Iran, Shapir said. Hmmmm......Unless small tactical Nuclear weapons are used? Read the full story here.

• Hizbullah Al-Manar TV Exclusive on U.S. Drone Captured by Iraqi Insurgents.(Memri).Reporter: "This American reconnaissance plane is in the hands of the Iraqi resistance. This is an achievement that the resistance has pulled out of its hat – one of dozens of qualitative achievements that the U.S. occupation army has not dared to acknowledge throughout its time in Iraq. This state-of-the-art Predator plane fell into the hands of the resistance in Basra, following surveillance activity that led to this achievement."Read and see the full story here.

• Man raped in UAE by 13 relatives of woman he had relationship with.(BM).DUBAI: Thirteen men were imprisoned for between one and two years this week for kidnapping and raping an Asian man who allegedly had a relationship with one of their female relatives, The National newspaper reported on Tuesday.According to the report, the men kidnapped, sexually assaulted the man and filmed the entire attack on their mobile phone.Police said they rescued the man from the house, but did not say how long the man had been there or how long the ordeal had taken.The sentence, however, has rights groups angered over the apparent lack of longer jail time, saying that kidnapping and rape should carry harsher sentences.Read the full story here.