Wednesday, July 11, 2007

The Untouchable, Unstoppable Ron Paul

Dana Gabriel | July 9, 2007

First they tried to ignore him, then they tried to embarrass him, and now the attack dogs are out in full- force. In a desperate attempt they are trying to dig up any dirt from his past, but Ron Paul doesn't have any skeletons in his closet. He is a model of consistency, which can't be said for most politicians. The hit pieces are mounting, and many are trying to misrepresent him and his message, but to no avail. You must be doing something right when you are getting attacked from all sides. If Ron Paul has no chance of winning and he is nothing more then a second-tier candidate, as many are suggesting, why is there such a concerted effort to discredit and silence him?

Ron Paul is a threat to the establishment, to the Republicans and Democrats, and to this whole fake paradigm. A transformation is taking place, and he represents the common-sense revolution. Many in the anti-war movement who supported the Democrats and helped them gain control of the Senate and Congress now feel betrayed. He is restoring hope to those who have given up on the political process and his passion for freedom has many gravitating to his campaign. He is the only one out of the Republican presidential candidates who opposed the Iraq war. He favors a humble foreign policy and wishes to spread democracy by setting a good example-- one that other countries will want to emulate. The good doctor prescribes a restoration of the constitution, and his message of liberty, limited government, lower taxes, and preserving American sovereignty is resonating with many voters.

Recently, Ron Paul was not invited to participate in a Republican candidate's forum in Iowa. The event was co-sponsored by the Iowans for Tax Relief. Something didn't seem right-- after all, Dr. Paul has never voted to raise taxes. It then came out that one of the key organizers was active in the sinking ship that is now the John McCain campaign. What a contrast to Ron Paul, who has momentum and is a candidate on the rise. Something had to be done to try and slow him down. Ron Paul stated, “It's the control by the political establishment to want to exclude the viewpoints, which many people consider telling the truth.” He went on to say, “But there is a limit as to how much they can do to silence us.” He was right, and instead of hanging his head down and feeling sorry for himself, he did something about it. A rally was held in the same venue as the forum and Ron Paul outdrew all the other candidates combined. Talk about something blowing up in your face.

Ron Paul is running for president because he loves this country and wishes to save it. He is very approachable and makes himself available to everyone. He represents ordinary middle class Americans, those in the anti-war movement, freedom lovers, and those sick of big government corruption. Republicans, democrats, libertarians and independents; there is room for all in the Ron Paul tent. His message is such a contrast to the bought and paid-for candidates, and that's what makes the dynamics of his campaign so exciting and refreshing. Does he have a chance of winning? I believe so, but even if he didn't, supporting him is the right thing to do. Unfortunately, many have to be associated with one of the media-chosen front runner candidates, as it empowers them. They feel they have to be on the winning team and choose between the lesser of the evils. This time we don't have to--we have the right man with the right message.

The attacks on Ron Paul are becoming more frequent as the mainstream media and some of the other candidates put a negative spin on his campaign. There is an effort to downplay all his accomplishments. This includes his huge internet presence, the fact that he has won several on-line polls, and the success of his rally in Iowa. When reporting they refer to his campaign as doomed and say that he is little known outside of Texas, with no chance of winning. This is the underdog story the media usually loves to report on. They have exposed themselves and by continuing to attack him this will only bring more people to our side.

His detractors in the mainstream media and some in his own party might have thought that Ron Paul was going to be a pushover and just fade away into obscurity, never to be heard from again. To the contrary, he is in this fight to win, and the lesson is to never underestimate your opponent. This serious miscalculation could very well come back and bite them. Ron Paul is doing something revolutionary in the sense that he is speaking the truth, and the people are ready to listen. This race to the White House isn't over by a long shot. Ron Paul isn't about to throw in the towel. The longer he stays in this race the more people his message will reach. We are on the verge of something big, and we all have a chance to make history.

Woman Arrested for Not Watering Lawn

Dollar sinks in US subprime, credit quicksand

By Jamie McGeever

LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar weakened broadly on Wednesday, striking a record low versus the euro and a 26-year trough against sterling as growing fears surrounding the U.S. subprime mortgage and credit sectors gripped financial markets.

These concerns, heightened on Tuesday after two ratings agencies issued warnings on more than $17 billion of debt linked to risky mortgages, made investors less willing to take on risk.

This helped trigger a sharp selloff in equity markets, slide in bond yields, rise in implied FX volatility and some unwinding of carry trades where low yielders like the yen are sold for higher return units such as the New Zealand dollar.

The Federal Reserve's broad dollar index on Tuesday showed the greenback's nominal, weighted value at its lowest level in a decade. Against a selection of major currencies, the dollar hit its lowest level ever in the free-floating currency period since the Fed's records began in 1973.

But as European trading progressed Wednesday, traders took time out to assess the damage and prices retraced slightly.

"We continue to see two themes play out: the dollar taking the brunt of concerns about credit markets, and whether this should lead to more substantial risk aversion and unwind of carry positions," said Laura Ambroseno, currency strategist at Morgan Stanley in London.

"We've certainly seen that over the last day or so but market participants may not be quite convinced this will be a prolonged unwind, or if the reprieve is a good buying opportunity."

At 1000 GMT the euro was flat on the day at $1.3745, having set a record high of $1.3784, according to Reuters data, earlier in the day.

Sterling was up 0.25 percent at a 26-year peak of $2.0316, while dollar recovered from a one-month low of 121.02 yen to trade at 121.55 yen.

"It looks like markets are taking a breather and licking their wounds now," said one European bank trader.

BOJ EYED

The dollar's sell-off on Tuesday was exacerbated by reports from credit rating agencies Standard & Poor's and Moody's Investors Service on Tuesday that warned on over $17 billion of debt related to risky mortgages, much of it subprime. Subprime loans are extended to borrowers with poor credit.

The effect across financial markets was stark.

Ten-year Treasury yields slumped back below 5 percent, equities tumbled, spreads moved against the dollar and implied volatilities on short-term currency options jumped.

"Clearly with the weakness in equities and concerns about the U.S. housing market it is probably not surprising to see some short covering and unwinding of carry trades. But I would be very cautious to call this a general turn against carry," said Michael Klawitter, currency strategist at Dresdner Kleinwort in Frankfurt.

"I would expect the dollar index to remain under pressure. Euro/dollar risks are clearly for a move towards $1.40."

The dollar index fell to a 2-1/2 year low of 80.627.

Subprime worries prompted market to price in a greater risk of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut this year or next.

"Near term, these credit concerns should drive currencies, and that means the dollar remains under a bit of pressure," said Ambroseno at Morgan Stanley.

In contrast to the Fed, other central banks around the globe are expected to continue tightening monetary policy, with yield differentials thus set to move to the detriment of the dollar.

The Bank of Japan is widely expected to hold interest rates steady on Thursday, although some of the more hawkish members of the board may vote for a hike to 0.75 percent.

Treasurys Boosted by Housing Market Woes

AP

U.S. Treasury bond prices fell Tuesday as investors focused on problems in the housing market and forgot their concerns about rising inflation even as the Federal Reserve chief sought to address them.

At 5 p.m. EDT, the 10-year Treasury note was up $9.38 per $1,000 in face value, or 30/32 point, from its level at 5 p.m. Monday. Its yield, which moves in the opposite direction, fell to 5.02 percent from 5.15 percent.

The 30-year bond rose 1 25/32 point. Its yield fell to 5.12 percent from 5.24 percent.

The 2-year note rose 7/32 point. Its yield fell to 4.84 percent from 4.95 percent.

Yields on 3-month Treasury bills were 4.95 percent as the discount rate rose 0.01 percentage point to 4.81 percent.

Such safe-haven buying into government bonds has become a more regular occurrence in recent months amid rising angst over the state of the U.S. housing sector. On Tuesday, investors were frightened by a couple of dire reports from home builder DR Horton and Home Depot and a slew of negative ratings actions on subprime assets by ratings firm Standard & Poor's and Moody's Investors Service.

There's certainly been little else to coax investors into government bonds, with the Federal Reserve widely deemed to be taking a "perma-hold" position on interest rates. Last month marked a year anniversary of the target rate at 5.25 percent, and the central bank's policy statements continue to stress inflationary pressure as the dominant concern.

Tuesday's speech by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to the National Bureau of Economic Research didn't invite much market response as he did nothing to dispel the image of a Fed primarily concerned with keeping inflation expectations in check.

On this point, he ventured only that the public's expectations of inflation remain "imperfectly anchored," and change based on incoming economic news, though the situation is better than it was 20 years ago.

The Fed's bias toward inflation - though perhaps subtler today than it has been in the past - doesn't mean it's ignoring the squeals from the troubled housing sector, which it has described as a potential drag on the economy for sometime to come.

Scott Gewirtz, head of Treasury trading at Lehman Brothers in New York, points out that "the housing market is not about to turn around and be a source of growth anytime soon. The Fed is focused on both things."

TJ Marta, fixed income strategist at RBC Capital Markets in New York said it's worth remembering that recent developments have nothing much to do with the fundamental appeal of Treasurys.

"I think that the market is reacting to issues that probably involve some fraud and negligence and greed and lack of oversight, none of which can be fixed by the Fed cutting 25 basis points," he said.

"The market is going to become fixated on CDOs (collateralized debt obligations), adjustable-rate mortgages resets, declining or moderating consumption, and the Fed is still going to be looking at inflation pressures."

IMF presses for gas price hike

DAILY STAR
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has suggested that the government increase the price of natural gas before adjusting the prices of electricity, fertiliser and petroleum products.

"Higher gas prices will imply a need for further adjustment in electricity and fertiliser prices but reform of energy sector policy will be incomplete and distortionary unless adjustment of gas prices is included," an IMF report placed to the government recently said.

Finance ministry sources said the government's recent move to increase natural gas prices is in line with the IMF recommendations. "The government will raise the natural gas prices and then adjust prices of fertiliser, electricity and different petroleum products," a ministry official said.

Asked about IMF's influence on the move, he said, "Yes, there are some suggestions from the IMF. But, our concern is to minimise huge losses of the state-owned enterprises."

Energy Adviser Tapan Chowdhury told newsmen on Monday that the government has no alternative but to increase the prices of gas and petroleum. "We are yet to chalk out any plan for adjusting petroleum prices, but a proposal regarding the prices of natural gas has been sent to the chief adviser for approval," he said.

Zaid Bakht, research director of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, said it is very difficult for the government to bear such a huge amount of subsidy for the state-owned enterprises (SOE) for an unlimited time.

Referring to the increasing trend of inflation rate Bakht said rise of prices of natural gas, electricity, fertiliser and other petroleum products may have a negative impact on the macro economy.

The IMF report said pricing of natural gas in Bangladesh is considerably below the international levels, resulting in the forfeiture of a significant source of government revenue. It also creates substantial market distortions by encouraging conversion to CNG as a source of fuel.

The report said price adjustments and financial restructuring of loss-incurring SOEs are also needed.

"BPC [Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation] alone accounts for about two-thirds of accumulated SOE losses, with the state airline, fertiliser, and power companies accounting for the remainder," the IMF report said.

The IMF also suggested that the government continue the process of privatising the loss-making SOEs.

Earlier, the advisory committee on economic affairs in separate meetings sent back proposals for increasing prices of electricity and fertiliser asking the ministries concerned for more reviews in the proposals.

The present caretaker government, which took office in January, has increased the price of power the decision of which was taken by the BNP-led coalition government.

Prices of petroleum products were also increased in April and Finance Adviser Mirza Azizul Islam in his budget speech announced that the government would introduce pricing formula for the petroleum products from the current fiscal year.

A committee headed by the BPC chairman will sit shortly to fix how much price increase of petroleum products is needed to minimise losses.

Sources said the government's move to adjust prices of fuel, electricity and fertiliser are in line with the reform agenda of the IMF and World Bank. "The government is expecting new poverty reduction growth facility [PRGF] loans from the IMF and budgetary support from the World Bank," a government official said.

"Adjustment of fuel prices as well as fertiliser and power are part of the donors' conditions," he added.

Zaid Bakht criticised the IMF's economic policy saying donors are concerned only about the impact of huge subsidy on the budget. "But we have to keep it in mind that there will be an adverse effect on the agriculture while inflation may increase further if the government withdraws the subsidies," he observed.

Bakht suggested that the government cut Annual Development Programme to continue subsidy.

Families should have no more than two children - thinktank

NIALL FIRTH
Daily Mail
Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Comment: This is just modern-day eugenics wrapped up in phony environmentalism and it's aimed at middle class white people, whose population in most industrial areas of Britain is rapidly declining anyway. What would be the deterrant for people having more than two children? Would government agents abduct women off the streets, drug them and perform forced abortions as happens in China? Is the threat of global warming, like terrorism, severe enough to sacrifice all our freedoms and live in a society where the state regulates every single aspect of your personal life?

Families should have no more than two children if they want to help combat climate change, according to new research by a thinktank.

According to the report, published by the Optimum Population Trust, Britain's high birth rate is a major factor in the current level of climate change, which can only be combatted if families voluntarily limit the number of children they have.

The report calls for a 'two-child' policy in the UK that would reduce the nation's population from 60 million, as it currently stands, to no more than 55 milllion by 2050.

With the UK having the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in western Europe the thinktank is also calling for the Government to increase investment in family planning clinics and to look at ways of discouraging teenage girls from becoming pregnant.

At its current rate the report estimates that the UK's mid-century population is projected to be 68-69 million with the planet having the largest generation of young people in history - what it terms a 'youthquake'.

High population and accelerating consumption means that humans are outstripping the planet's biological capcity, says the report. By 2050, with the global population rising to 9.2 billion, humans will be using twice the Earth's natural capacity.

Figures released in the report highlight the links between human population and climate.

It claims that every additional Briton will 'burn' during their lifetime roughly the same amount of carbon as is found in a hectare of old-growth oak woodland - an area about three quarters the size of a Premiership football pitch or 50 average-sized UK gardens. Commenting on the figures, Prof John Guillebaud, the report's author, said: "Climate change is now widely regarded as the biggest problem facing the planet but most of the solutions seem to involve national or international agreements that look as far away as ever.

"We're nearing the point of no return and people are feeling increasingly desperate and helpless.

"The answer lies in our own hands. We're simply failing to acknowledge the link between human numbers and global warming.

"We have to recognise that the biggest cause of climate change is climate changers – in other words, human beings, in the UK as well as abroad - so deciding to stop at two, or at least to have one child less, is probably the simplest, quickest and most significant thing any of us could do to leave a sustainable and habitable planet for our children and grandchildren."

Homeland security chair responds to Chertoff's 'gut'

Will Menaker
Raw Story
Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Following yesterday's statement by Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff's that his remarks on the increased risk of terrorism this summer were based "on a gut feeling," the Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie G. Thompson has sent a letter to Chertoff demanding an explanation, "what color code in the Homeland Security Advisory System is associated with a 'gut feeling?' What sectors should be on alert as a result of your “gut feeling?”

The letter states, "Over the past five years, tens of billions of taxpayer dollars have been dedicated to standing up and building capacity at the Department of Homeland Security. The Department of Homeland Security is charged with deterring, preventing and responding to the threat of terrorism. To that end, systems have been erected to identify risks and communicate them to the American public. With all the resources you have at your disposal and all the progress that you assure us that you are making, I cannot understand why you are quoted in the Chicago Tribune as saying you have a 'gut feeling' that we are entering a period of heightened risk this summer."

Thompson continues by asking Chertoff to further explain what measures the country should take based on his instincts, "What cities should be asking their law enforcement to work double shifts because of your “gut feeling?” Are the American people supposed to purchase duct tape and plastic sheeting because of your 'gut feeling?'"

Later, he stresses the importance of specific, actionable, intelligence as it relates to the function of the Department of Homeland security, and stressed how counter-productive vague warnings of terror are, "I urge you to follow up on your 'gut feeling' and share whatever information our nation’s first preventers need to be on alert and prepared. Otherwise, we run the risk of communities taking it upon themselves to mobilize for every possible threat. This not only would result in communities depleting their scarce homeland security resources but runs contrary to your efforts to move toward a risk-based approach to homeland security."

Chairman Thompson closes by offering to hold classified briefings on the subject of this summer's newly heightened terror alert.

Read whole letter here.

Democrats’ climate clash heads to floor

The Hill | July 10, 2007
Jonathan E. Kaplan

The intensifying battle between Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and a powerful committee chairman may lead to a global-warming showdown on the House floor later this month.

The outcome of an anticipated vote on energy legislation before the August recess could determine whether Pelosi will control the debate over a more comprehensive and controversial climate change bill this fall.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.) and Pelosi have been publicly at odds on climate change since the beginning of the Congress. And there have been clear indications recently that the tension between the two high-profile lawmakers is escalating.

As Dingell lobbed fresh insults in an interview late last week at the global warming panel that Pelosi created, Democratic leaders were discussing how to structure the time and format of the energy bill debate, according to Democratic aides and lobbyists familiar with the discussions.

If she is successful in passing legislation that includes a measure to raise fuel standards for cars and trucks, Pelosi will have dealt a blow to Dingell, who favors a slower approach to increasing Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards.

It is unclear whether Pelosi can corral 218 votes to pass such a bill, but she needs the next few weeks to build a coalition, which might have to include Republicans, because some so-called “Oil-Patch” and rural Democrats likely will side with Dingell.

“Pelosi knows or has a good sense that they do not have the votes right now,” said an automobile industry lobbyist, who described the negotiations as fluid.

“If they have the votes, they would roll Dingell. They do not want a messy floor fight. Why fight to lose anyway?” the lobbyist added.

The debate also has tested the relationship between the new Speaker and the dean of the House. While Pelosi and Dingell initially clashed over the creation of a select committee on global warming, sources close to both lawmakers said they have been working hard to resolve policy disputes and to keep their differences from becoming personal.

But in a C-SPAN “Newsmakers” interview taped last week and aired on Sunday, Dingell revived his stinging criticism of the House Select Committee on Climate Change and Global Warming and suggested that the American public was not ready to bear the cost of combating global warming.

“I have seen nothing that they have done that I, frankly, would want to take credit for,” Dingell said. “If I were on that committee, I would have long since asked for the privilege of being removed from it, because, quite frankly, I think it’s an embarrassment to everybody.”

He also proposed introducing measures in the fall to raise the gasoline tax by 50 cents and “a very substantial tax” on carbon emissions.

“I sincerely doubt that the American people are willing to pay what this is really going to cost them,” he said.

Some Democratic aides interpreted Dingell’s remarks as a shot at Pelosi and Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), the chairman of the global warming panel.

Dingell said, “I’m not running out and picking fights with anybody on this subject.”

Markey rejected the criticism.

“Speaker Pelosi said she was not going to proceed with business as usual, and when you change business as usual you have to expect pushback from those who are used to doing things in conventional ways. We feel we’ve given her some excellent results so far,” said Eben Burnham-Snyder, the select committee’s spokesman.

Markey’s fuel economy bill has been the leading Democratic marker for the past six years; it has garnered 149 cosponsors from both parties this year.

“It is the Democratic proposal that has the broadest bipartisan support. We’re convinced that this is the thing that will end up in the energy bill that will go to the president,” said Burnham-Snyder.

Asked whether Dingell told Pelosi he would publicly back a steep increase in the gas tax, Dingell spokeswoman Jodi Seth said the chairman has expressed his views to the Speaker in meetings dating back to early January.

With Democrats in charge, Pelosi, Markey and their allies are closer than ever to scoring a victory, and they could be less willing to compromise.

A leadership aide said Pelosi is committed to a comprehensive energy bill.

Dingell said on C-SPAN that the Senate-passed measure to increase CAFE standards included “defects,” but he favors raising the fuel efficiency requirements and indicated he could support a measure introduced by Reps. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) and Baron Hill (D-Ind.).

“I have made it very plain that I intend to see to it that CAFE is increased … They’ve come forward with a bill that does 32 miles for light trucks and 35 miles for automobiles. And they do it by the year — by roughly the same timeframe the Senate does,” Dingell said. “I can support this. I have no problems.”

Seth said Dingell “has been discussing the idea of a carbon emissions fee for several months now and has spoken publicly about it on a number of occasions. He is proposing this idea because he believes it is the best option for addressing the problem.”

CCTV Does Not Work: Road with 100 cameras is plagued by crime

London Telegraph | July 11, 2007
Martin Beckford

A crime-ridden high street in north London has been branded the most spied-upon road in Britain, after it emerged that it is watched over by more than 100 closed circuit television cameras.

In one 650-yard section of Holloway Road, that runs from Archway to Highbury Corner, there are 29 cameras mounted on shops and lampposts, a church and a courtroom.

There are 102 CCTV cameras monitoring crime on the two-mile Holloway Road

There are 102 CCTV cameras monitoring crime on the two-mile road, as well as a further seven checking for speeding cars and vehicles straying into bus lanes.

Civil liberties groups are alarmed by the number of opportunities for the state to watch people in Holloway Road, particularly as they claim surveillance cameras do not always help to reduce crime.

Mark Dziecielewski, of Watching Them Watching Us, said: "Politicians like cameras because they are seen to be doing something but, just like you see birds perched on scarecrows, the hoodies and dealers come back once the novelty has worn off.

"Having so many cameras in one place actually makes police investigations harder because they have to divert so much manpower into checking footage from every single camera."

A number of murders and other serious crimes have taken place in and around Holloway Road despite its dozens of CCTV cameras. Last month, 14-year-old Martin Dinnegan was knifed to death outside a chip shop yards from Holloway Road, while two years ago Richard Whelan was fatally stabbed as he sat on the top deck of a bus travelling along the road.

At the time, police disclosed there had been 430 offences committed over six months on Holloway Road, including 29 serious assaults, 15 robberies and 32 burglaries.

In 2004, 13-year-old Hakeem Johnston stabbed Noor Kasimi to death in a Holloway Road pizza shop where he worked, after being refused a £1 special offer. The road is also plagued by illegal cigarette sellers, while a Colombian cafe raided by police in 2003 was said to be central to a £200 million cocaine-smuggling cartel.

But some residents and shopkeepers along the road feel reassured by the presence of the CCTV cameras. Gillian Adam, an art dealer, said: "This can be a dangerous area, especially at night, so I think having so many cameras is a small price to pay."

Britain has 4.2 million CCTV cameras, one for every 14 people, more than in the rest of Europe put together.

In May Ian Redhead, the deputy chief constable of Hampshire, said: "Are we really moving towards an Orwellian situation where cameras are at every street corner? I really don't think that's the kind of country that I want to live in."

Chertoff bases warning of terror risk on 'gut feeling'


"I believe we are entering a period this summer of increased risk," Michael Chertoff told the Chicago Tribune.
Milbert O. Brown: MCT

Homeland chief says he's offering an assessment, not a prediction

CHICAGO — Fearing complacency among the American people over possible terror threats, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in Chicago on Tuesday that the nation faces a heightened chance of an attack this summer.

"I believe we are entering a period this summer of increased risk," Chertoff told the Chicago Tribune's editorial board in an unusually blunt and frank assessment of America's terror threat level.

"Summertime seems to be appealing to them," he said of al-Qaida. "We do worry that they are rebuilding their activities."

Still, Chertoff said there are not enough indications of an imminent plot to raise the current threat levels nationwide. And he indicated his remarks were based on "a gut feeling" formed by past seasonal patterns of terrorist attacks, recent al-Qaida statements, and intelligence he did not disclose.

There is an assessment "not of a specific threat, but of increased vulnerability," he added.

There have been reports already that suggest intelligence warnings at a similar level to the summer before Sept. 11, 2001 and that al-Qaida may be mobilizing.

In recent days, ABC news reported that a secret law enforcement report prepared for homeland security warns that al-Qaida is preparing a "spectacular" summer attack. On Tuesday, ABC News also reported that "new intelligence suggests a small al-Qaida cell is on its way to the United States, or may already be here."

"We could easily be attacked," Chertoff added. "The intent to attack us remains as strong as it was on Sept. 10, 2001."

The dire warnings and Chertoff's comments come as the Bush administration faces political and business opposition over its immigration and border policies that have security implications.

With stiff blowback on those issues, the administration has been unsuccessful in efforts to enact broader security measures — ones opponents fear are too costly, unnecessary and infringe on people's rights.

Chertoff said, too, that the recent failure of Congress to pass an immigration bill has negative repercussions for homeland security and will lead to continued federal crackdowns on illegal immigrants.

Resistance has built as well, he said, from business and travel interests blocking his proposals to tighten border security, especially with Canada.

Family Attorney Blows the Whistle on State Child Protective Services Agencies

JBS | July 11, 2007
Bill Hahn

Practicing family attorney Gregory Hession confirms child protective service agencies engage in abusive, deliberate and dirty tricks motivated by federal funding.

Every year thousands of families are forcibly separated from their children based on unsubstantiated or outright false allegations of child abuse. Gregory Hession, a practicing constitutional and family law attorney in Mass., says that for these families, the nightmare has only begun.

Children in child protective services (CPS) have been abused, wounded, brain washed, drugged, adopted out and some have even died. Hession has represented hundreds of these families and has dedicated himself to exposing CPS abuses and reuniting loving, deserving families. He documents CPS abuses in the July 23, 2007, issue of The New American magazine.

Hession's articles highlight true stories of families who have been targeted by CPS agencies. All the families discussed are Hession's clients.

Hession writes that state CPS agencies continually yank children out of good, loving homes based on flimsy allegations of child abuse. He asserts that the child protection business generates so much money, and employs so many social workers, therapists, lawyers and other professionals, that it needs a steady flow of cases to keep all of these workers employed. In Mass., the cost of these state services totals into the billions of dollars, which the state can leverage to obtain prodigious quantities of federal reimbursement monies.

In 2005, more than 3.3 million reports involving 6 million children were made to state child-abuse hot lines. The vast majority of these eventually proved to be untrue. Statistics from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services show 40 percent of allegations are initially screened out. Of the remaining 60 percent, nearly two-thirds of child-abuse investigations are unsubstantiated. Yet, more than 500,000 children are currently in foster care and another 300,000 or so are forcibly removed from their homes by the system every year.

Hession states that genuine child abuse obviously does exist and those involved in its practice need to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. However, he writes that most people would likely disagree with CPS in how it defines abuse or neglect. Families are attacked for home-schooling or spanking their children, for not overseeing all play activities, or for when a child has an accident. Only a small percentage of the 3.3 million reported cases annually prove to be genuine abuse, and the system does a bad job of sorting it out.

The articles conclude that millions of children are imperiled by this imperious, abusive CPS system, which works quietly without much public scrutiny. Change will likely come only when the cruelties have been exposed, and the public reaffirms that raising children is the responsibility of families, not the state.

Data on Americans mined for terror risk

Data on Americans mined for terror risk

Government report discloses law enforcement efforts to gather, sort info
The Associated Press
Updated: 3:03 a.m. ET July 11, 2007

WASHINGTON - The FBI is gathering and sorting information about Americans to help search for potential terrorists, insurance cheats and crooked pharmacists, according to a government report obtained Tuesday.

Records about identity thefts, real estate transactions, motor vehicle accidents and complaints about Internet drug companies are being searched for common threads to aid law enforcement officials, the Justice Department said in a report to Congress on the agency's data-mining practices.

In addition, the report disclosed government plans to build a new database to assess the risk posed by people identified as potential or suspected terrorists.

The chairman of the Senate committee that oversees the Justice Department said the database was "ripe for abuse." The American Civil Liberties Union immediately derided the quality of the information that could be used to score someone as a terror threat.

The report, sent to Congress this week, marked the department's first public detailing of six of its data-mining tools, which look for patterns to catch criminals. The disclosure was required by lawmakers when they renewed the USA Patriot Act in 2005. It comes as the Justice Department faces sharp criticism from Congress and civil liberties advocates for violating peoples' privacy rights in terror and spy investigations.

Initiatives called ‘extremely valuable’
Justice spokesman Dean Boyd said the databases are strictly regulated to protect privacy rights and civil liberties.

"Each of these initiatives is extremely valuable for investigators, allowing them to analyze and process lawfully acquired information more effectively in order to detect potential criminal activity and focus resources appropriately," Boyd said in a statement.

All but one of the databases — the one to track terrorists — have been up and running for several years, the report showed. The lone exception is the System to Assess Risk, or STAR, program to rate the threat posed by people already identified as suspected terrorists or named on terror watch lists.

The system, still under construction, is designed to help counterterror investigators save time by narrowing the field of people who pose the greatest potential threat and will not label anyone a terrorist, Boyd said.

Inaccurate information?
But it could be based, in part at least, on commercial or public information that might not be accurate — potentially ranking an innocent person as a terror threat. Watch lists, for example, have mistakenly identified people as suspects based on their similar names or birthdates to terrorists.

The Justice report also leaves open the possibility that the STAR program might draw up lists of terror suspects based on information from other sources, including from Data Mart. The report described Data Mart as a collector of government information, but also travel data from the Airlines Reporting Corp. and other information from private data-aggregators like Choicepoint. Private data aggregators often sell commercial credit records as well as other databases, like voter and vehicle registration.

"When you put bad information into a system and you don't have any mechanism of ensuring the information is of high quality, you're certain to get bad information spit out on the back end," said ACLU senior legislative counsel Tim Sparapani. "And that has profoundly negative consequences for the individuals who are wrongly identified as potential terrorists."

The five other databases detailed in the report include:

  • An identity theft intelligence program, used since 2003, to examine and analyze consumer complaints to identify major identity theft rings in a given geographic area.
  • A health care fraud system that looks at billing records in government and private insurance claims databases to identify fraud or over-billing by health care providers. It also has been running since 2003.
  • A database created in 2005 that looks at consumer complaints to the Food and Drug Administration to identify larger trends about fraud by Internet pharmacies.
  • A housing fraud program that analyzes public data on real estate transactions to identify fraudulent housing purchases, including so-called property flipping. The database was built in 1999.
  • A system that compares National Insurance Crime Bureau information against other data to crack down on fake car accident insurance claims and identify major offenders.
  • The 38-page report was four months late in being sent to Congress for required oversight. Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy said it "raises more questions than it answers."

    "Unfortunately, the Congress and the American public know very little about these and other data mining programs, making them ripe for abuse," said Leahy, D-Vt.

    URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19702310/

    U.S. sees increased risk of summer attacks

    U.S. sees increased risk of summer attacks

    No specific terror threat, officials say, but al-Qaida may be 'rebuilding'
    The Associated Press
    Updated: 8:15 a.m. ET July 11, 2007

    WASHINGTON - U.S. counterterror officials are warning of an increased risk of an attack this summer, given al-Qaida's apparent interest in summertime strikes and increased al-Qaida training in the Afghan-Pakistani border region.

    On Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told the editorial board of The Chicago Tribune that he had a "gut feeling" about a new period of increased risk.

    He based his assessment on earlier patterns of terrorists in Europe and intelligence he would not disclose.

    "Summertime seems to be appealing to them," Chertoff said in his discussion with the newspaper about terrorists. "We worry that they are rebuilding their activities."

    Other U.S. counterterrorism officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, shared Chertoff's concern and said that al-Qaida and like-minded groups have been able to plot and train more freely in the tribal areas along the Afghan-Pakistani border in recent months. Osama bin Laden and his top deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, are believed to be hiding in the rugged region.

    "The threat coming out of there is very real, even if there aren't a lot of specifics attached to it," one of the officials said.

    Chertoff's department has not made any move to increase the nation's color-coded terror alert system. Now, airlines are under orange — or high — alert, which is the second most serious level on a five-point scale. The rest of the country remains a step below at yellow, or elevated.

    Chertoff said he is convinced that terrorists are regrouping. "Our edge is technology and the vigilance of the ordinary citizen," he said.

    U.K. terror plots raise concern
    The secretary also urged Americans to be watchful for suspicious activities in the wake of recent terror incidents in England and Scotland. On June 29, two cars packed with gas cylinders and nails were discovered in London's entertainment district. The next day, two extremists smashed their flaming Jeep Cherokee into security barriers at Glasgow Airport's main terminal.

    Al-Qaida and its sympathizers have shown an interest in summertime attacks. Some examples from recent years:

  • In 2005, London faced two separate sets of transit attacks. The July 7 attacks on three trains and a bus killed 52. A second attack on July 21 was bungled when the detonators failed to light the explosives.
  • Last summer, international counterterror authorities said they foiled a plot to use liquid explosives to take down roughly 10 U.S.-bound airliners leaving Britain.
  • URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19700127/

    Officials Worry of Summer Terror Attack

    Tuesday, July 10, 2007

    WASHINGTON — U.S. counterterror officials are warning of an increased risk of an attack this summer, given al-Qaida's apparent interest in summertime strikes and increased al-Qaida training in the Afghan-Pakistani border region.

    On Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told the editorial board of The Chicago Tribune that he had a "gut feeling" about a new period of increased risk.

    He based his assessment on earlier patterns of terrorists in Europe and intelligence he would not disclose.

    "Summertime seems to be appealing to them," Chertoff said in his discussion with the newspaper about terrorists. "We worry that they are rebuilding their activities."

    Other U.S. counterterrorism officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, shared Chertoff's concern and said that al-Qaida and like-minded groups have been able to plot and train more freely in the tribal areas along the Afghan-Pakistani border in recent months. Osama bin Laden and his top deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, are believed to be hiding in the rugged region.

    "The threat coming out of there is very real, even if there aren't a lot of specifics attached to it," one of the officials said.

    Chertoff's department has not made any move to increase the nation's color-coded terror alert system. Now, airlines are under orange _ or high _ alert, which is the second most serious level on a five-point scale. The rest of the country remains a step below at yellow, or elevated.

    Chertoff said he is convinced that terrorists are regrouping. "Our edge is technology and the vigilance of the ordinary citizen," he said.

    The secretary also urged Americans to be watchful for suspicious activities in the wake of recent terror incidents in England and Scotland. On June 29, two cars packed with gas cylinders and nails were discovered in London's entertainment district. The next day, two extremists smashed their flaming Jeep Cherokee into security barriers at Glasgow Airport's main terminal.

    Al-Qaida and its sympathizers have shown an interest in summertime attacks. Some examples from recent years:

    _ In 2005, London faced two separate sets of transit attacks. The July 7 attacks on three trains and a bus killed 52. A second attack on July 21 was bungled when the detonators failed to light the explosives.

    _ Last summer, international counterterror authorities said they foiled a plot to use liquid explosives to take down roughly 10 U.S.-bound airliners leaving Britain.

    ___

    On the Net:

    Department of Homeland Security: http://www.dhs.gov

    Ex-Bush Aide Won't Answer Senate Queries

    ap

    Loyal even after leaving the White House, President Bush's former political director Sara M. Taylor obeyed his instructions and declined to answer Congress' questions Wednesday about her role in the firings of federal prosecutors.

    But Democrats insisted that the decision to cooperate with their subpoena - or not - is hers.

    "It is apparent that this White House is contemptuous of the Congress and feels that it does not have to explain itself to anybody," Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said as he opened the hearing. "I urge Ms. Taylor not to follow that contemptuous position and not to follow the White House down this path."

    Taylor, who met briefly with Leahy before the hearing, said she would answer only limited questions to comply with her former boss' orders, unless a court orders her to comply with the congressional subpoena instead.

    "While I may be unable to answer certain questions today, I will answer those questions if the courts rule that this committee's need for the information outweighs the president's assertion of executive privilege," said Taylor, 32, who left her White House job two months ago.

    "Thank you for your understanding," she added.

    Democrats made clear they did not understand or agree, noting that she is a private citizen compelled to testify with the subpoena under threat of being held in contempt of Congress. Leahy asked Taylor repeatedly whether she had met with or talked to Bush about the replacement of U.S. attorneys. Taylor repeatedly refused to answer, citing Bush's instructions.

    She got some backup from a GOP senator.

    "I think your declining to answer the last series of questions by the chairman was correct under the direction from White House counsel," the committee's ranking Republican, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said.

    "Whether White House counsel is correct on the assertion of executive privilege is a matter which will be decided by the courts," Specter added. But, in the senator's view, "congressional oversight has the better of the argument."

    Democrats insisted there were plenty of things about the firings that Taylor could discuss because they are not covered by Bush's executive privilege claim.

    Leahy took the unusual step of allowing Taylor's lawyer, Neil Eggleston, to sit next to her at the witness table. There, he was to advise her as the hearing progressed on which questions she could or could not answer under the president's directive. Leahy and Taylor met briefly in the minutes before the hearing began.

    Democrats said the same standard applied to a second former Bush aide, one-time White House counsel Harriet Miers. Miers, subpoenaed to appear before the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, said through her lawyer that she "cannot provide the documents and testimony that the committee seeks."

    "Ms. Miers is thus subject to conflicting commands, with Congress demanding the production of information that the counsel to the president has informed her she is prohibited from disclosing," Miers' lawyer, George Manning, wrote to House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers of Michigan and ranking Republican Lamar Smith of Texas.

    The two former aides are now private citizens, and some congressional officials have argued that it is not clear Bush's executive privilege claim covers them even though White House Counsel Fred Fielding told lawyers for Miers and Taylor that the president was directing them not to answer questions or provide any information about the firings.

    A court fight could take years, dragging on even after Bush leaves office.

    So opens the latest round in the dispute over the administration's firing last winter of eight federal prosecutors. The congressional probe, now in its seventh month, has morphed into a broader standoff over what information the president may keep private and what details Congress is entitled to receive as part of its oversight of the executive branch.

    Claims for executive privilege are based upon the separation of powers set forth in the Constitution. As a separate but equal branch of government, it is argued, the executive can resist efforts by the legislative and judicial branches to encroach on its authority. Presidents have argued against releasing some documents to Congress and against forcing administration officials to testify about private discussions, contending that such disclosures could damage the executive branch's ability to function independently.

    Presidents also say they won't be able to get unvarnished advice from aides who worry that their words will be made public later.

    Taylor and Miers were among Bush's closest aides during the period when the firings were planned. Democrats want to know if the prosecutors were fired at the White House's direction. Bush has denied that there were improper political motives.

    You are not real churches, Pope says to Protestants

    smh
    Pope Benedict … backing traditional practices.

    Pope Benedict … backing traditional practices.

    John Hooper in Rome and Stephen Bates in London
    July 12, 2007

    PROTESTANT churches have reacted with dismay to a new declaration approved by the Pope insisting they were mere "ecclesial communities" and their ministers in effect phonies with no right to give communion.

    Coming just days after the reinstatement of the Latin Mass, Tuesday's document left no doubt about the Pope's eagerness to back traditional Catholic practices and attitudes, even at the expense of causing offence.

    The view that Protestants cannot have churches was first set out by Pope Benedict seven years ago when, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he headed the Vatican ministry for doctrine. A commentary attached to the latest text acknowledged that his 2000 document, Dominus Iesus, had caused "no little distress".

    But it added: "It is nevertheless difficult to see how the title of 'Church' could possibly be attributed to [Protestant communities], given that they do not accept the theological notion of the Church in the Catholic sense and that they lack elements considered essential to the Catholic Church."

    The Pope's old department, which issued the document, said its aim was to correct "erroneous or ambiguous" interpretations of the Second Vatican Council, which ended in 1965. Quoting a text approved by the council, it said Protestant churches, "because of the absence of the sacramental priesthood", had not "preserved the genuine and integral substance of the Eucharistic Mystery".

    However, other Christians saw the latest document as another retreat from the spirit of openness generated by the council, which laid the basis for talks on Christian unity. Bishop Wolfgang Huber, head of the Protestant umbrella group Evangelical Church in Germany, said: "The hope for a change in the ecumenical situation has been pushed further away by the document published today."

    He said the new pronouncement repeated "offensive statements" in the 2000 document and was a "missed opportunity" to improve relations with Protestants. The president of the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy, Pastor Domenico Maselli, called it a "huge step backwards in relations between the Roman Catholic church and other Christian communities".

    The Church of England reacted cautiously. A spokesman for the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, said: "This is a serious document, teaching on important ecclesiological matters and of significance to the churches' commitment to the full, visible unity to the one church of Jesus Christ."

    The Vatican's statement had fewer misgivings about the Orthodox Church, which had "true sacraments" and a genuine priesthood. But its failure to acknowledge the Pope's authority meant it suffered from a "defectus", politely translated from Latin as "a wound".

    Last Saturday the Pope freed Catholics to ask for Masses to be celebrated according to the Latin rite abolished by the Second Vatican Council. This meant the reinstatement of a Good Friday prayer describing Jews as blind to the Christian truth.

    Guardian News & Media

    Military Analyst: West Needs More Terror To Save Doomed Foreign Policy

    Only attacks on scale of 9/11, 7/7 can save bolster resolve according to war studies head

    Paul Joseph Watson
    Prison Planet
    Tuesday, July 10, 2007

    The West needs more terror attacks on the scale of 9/11 and 7/7 in order to save a failing foreign policy, according to Lt.-Col. Doug Delaney, chair of the war studies program at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario.

    This alarming admission can be found right at the end of a long and academic Toronto Star article about the history of conflict and why the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq are doomed.

    "The Royal Military College of Canada (RMC), is the military academy of the Canadian Forces and is a full degree-granting university," according to Wikipedia.

    The Star article discusses a new study which surmises that military invasions since World War 2 that require cooperation of the population of a country to succeed hold only a 17% chance of success.

    In a paraphrased quote attributed to Delaney, he concludes that "The key to bolstering Western resolve is another terrorist attack like 9/11 or the London transit bombings of two years ago."

    "If nothing happens, it will be harder still to say this is necessary," adds Delaney.


    "Londoners pull together outside a subway station during the bombings of July 7, 2005. Could such terrorist attacks actually bolster Western resolve?" - reads the caption accompanying the photo in the Toronto Star piece.

    By this logic, if terrorist attacks only boost the geopolitical agenda of Western governments then how is it in their interest to prevent them, and of what benefit are they to the actual terrorists - unless the terrorists occupy positions of power?

    Delaney's comments are in a similar vein to former Republican Senator Rick Santorum's statements to a radio show this past weekend, in which he said that "unfortunate events" would occur along the lines of the recent car bomb attempts in the UK, that will change American's views of the war.

    Last month, the new chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party Dennis Milligan said that there needed to be more attacks on American soil for President Bush to regain popular approval.

    U.S. sending third aircraft carrier to the Middle East

    Associated Press
    Tuesday, July 10, 2007

    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: The United States is sending a third aircraft carrier to the Middle East, the U.S. Navy said Tuesday in a move that bolstered U.S. military capability at a time of tension with Iran and stepped-up operations in Iraq.

    The Navy confirmed the departure of nuclear-powered USS Enterprise from it's home port of Norfolk, Virginia, with about 5,500 sailors and marines.

    The Enterprise will provide "power to counter the assertive, disruptive and coercive behavior of some countries, as well as support for our soldiers and marines in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Vice Admiral Kevin J. Cosgriff, the commander of the Bahrain-based U.S. 5th Fleet.

    Cosgriff did not specify which nations he was alluding to, but the carrier's move came amid heightened tensions with Iran, which lies along the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

    "The complex operational environment, especially during these challenging times, requires a strong presence in the region," Cosgriff said, adding that the Enterprise "provides us with the right assets at the right time."

    Cosgriff said the Enterprise transports about 70 attack, fighter and detection planes, as well as four helicopters. These will "contribute to stability" and ensure the "free flow of commerce in the region," he said.

    Iran's hardline Islamic government has repeatedly threatened of disruptions along the world's busiest oil route in the narrow Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula if the U.S. attacked Tehran over it's nuclear program.

    Officers at the Naval Forces' Central Command in Bahrain declined to say whether the Enterprise and the ships in its strike group would replace either the USS John C. Stennis or the USS Nimitz Carrier currently patrolling the zone.

    The U.S. has maintained two carriers in the region since February to patrol in the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean with 15,000 sailors and marines between them.

    Until now, the arrival of a new carrier and strike group spelled the departure of one of the two on patrol in the region's restless seas, which also include critical waterways such as the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb off the coast of Yemen.

    Six Months Later, Time’s Up For Escalation Proponents

    Think Progress
    Tuesday, July 10, 2007

    Six months ago today, on January 10, 2007, the President announced his policy of escalation in Iraq. He claimed that “if we increase our support at this crucial moment, and help the Iraqis break the current cycle of violence, we can hasten the day our troops begin coming home.”

    A host of administration officials and media pundits quickly embraced Bush’s call, and asked that the American public give it a chance to succeed. Building off the work that has been done by Atrios and others, ThinkProgress has compiled a list of administration officials and media pundits who promised a reassessment after giving the surge a chance. Some examples:

    CONDOLEEZZA RICE: So it’s not as if there is a date, at six months we’ll know and then we have to do something dramatic. [Time Magazine, 1/12/07]

    CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: I think we ought to give him and the president the benefit of the doubt, give them six months and see if it can be controlled. [Fox News, 1/12/07]

    BILL O’REILLY: We can’t force these people to stop killing each other. They’re either going to do it or they’re not, but now they know. Now they know. They’ve got six months and that’s it. [The O’Reilly Factor, 1/24/07]

    Six months later, the cycle of violence in Iraq continues. Since Bush announced the escalation, 590 U.S. soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians have died. Military assessments suggest that “the U.S. military’s plan to secure Baghdad against a rising insurgency is falling far short of its goal” and “no progress has been made on the political benchmarks the Iraqi government was supposed to have met already.”

    Bush’s escalation has failed, and time is up for the following list of people. Read the report HERE, and let us know if there’s someone we missed.

    Iran three years away from nuclear bomb: Israel media

    AFP
    Tuesday, July 10, 2007

    Iran could have a nuclear capacity by 2009 but would not be able to produce operational nuclear weapons for three or four years, Israeli intelligence officials said according to media here on Tuesday.

    The officials, quoted by several military correspondents, also estimated that it was possible that several "targets" in Iran would be vulnerable to an Israeli attack.

    Public radio said that a special unit headed by a senior officer had been set up to coordinate all information gathered by Israeli intelligence services with the aim of deciding on potential targets in Iran. It did not elaborate.

    Iran has repeatedly denied that its programme of uranium enrichment is aimed at producing nuclear weapons, and says its intentions are purely peaceful and are to produce nuclear fuel to generate power for a growing population.

    Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Liberman slammed the European Union earlier on Tuesday for what he termed its appeasement attitude over Iran's nuclear programme.

    "My feeling when I hear the Europeans in Brussels, and also here during the visit of (Italian prime minister) Romano Prodi, is that they want to make Israel believe it should accept a peaceful nuclear programme by Iran," he said.

    On Monday after meeting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem, Prodi said both countries were determined to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

    "Iran cannot and should not have a military nuclear capacity," he said.

    Olmert said that Israel "will never accept that a country that threatens to destroy the state of Israel will one day possess a nuclear weapon, but I have confidence in the international efforts."

    Israel is widely believed to be the only nuclear-armed power in the Middle East, albeit undeclared, with an estimated 200 warheads.

    Tehran's refusal to suspend uranium enrichment has resulted in the UN Security Council adopting two sets of sanctions against Iran.

    9/11 Truth Activists Strike Motorway Lorry

    Mick Meaney
    RINF Alternative News
    Tuesday, July 10, 2007

    On the northbound M6 motorway, between Preston and Lancaster, 9/11 truth activists engaged in some hardcore guerilla activism by ‘branding’ a motorway advert lorry with a 9/11 truth web site.

    WWW.AE911TRUTH.ORG can clearly be read from the motorway and it is expected to be seen by at least 302,400 people a week, that’s 43,200 people a day minimum.

    In an anonymous message to RINF, one of the activists stated: “We hope this will inspire other groups around the country to take similar action because a short and to the point website URL can be hugely effective on motorways as it will be seen by hundreds of thousands of people every week.

    “It’s very easy to do and doesn’t take much time. The benefits are enormous and since similar action was taken in September last year, we’ve noticed awareness of 9/11 truth in the area has increased dramatically,” he said.

    Meat from cloned animals on sale 'within two years'

    Daily Mail
    Tuesday, July 10, 2007

    Cloned red meat could hit British supermaket shelves in just two years, according to scientists linked with Dolly the sheep.

    And American authorities are expected to approve meat from offspring of cloned livestock being sold before the end of the year - without any extra labelling.

    The move raises the prospect of British tourists in the US being served such meat without knowing.

    "Labelling needs to be handled very carefully, as public acceptance is key to this technology," said Chris Warkup of Genesis Faraday, a governmentfunded research institute based at the Roslin Institute, where Dolly the sheep was created.

    "Thousands of UK tourists will be eating cloned meat at McDonald's when they are on holiday in America within two to three years, whether they know it or not," he said.

    "But there are some real consumer benefits to this. Hypothetically we could, for instance, create cows that produce more milk, live longer and are more environmentally friendly, producing less methane."

    Experts plan to clone animals that are the top 0.5 per cent of breeding stock and then to farm their offspring commercially as meat. But it is likely to be two years before a full decision is made.

    Professor Keith Campbell, of the University of Nottingham, who worked on the original Dolly research, said he was in favour of the cloned meat getting the go-ahead. "Cloning is just another technique. And we will not be eating cloned animals as such, but their offspring."

    EU discussions over the issue have just begun and are expected to take up to two years before a decision is reached.

    But animal welfare groups and food safety organisations have opposed cloning, saying it poses unnecessary risks to the animals, and humans that consume the produce.

    Lord Melchett, policy chief of the Soil Association, said the prospect of cloned meat entering the food chain would "horrify" British consumers.

    He said: "I cannot think of anything more likely to destroy the public's confidence in British food."

    However, the pro-cloning lobby has argued that cloning could help animals develop a resistance to diseases such as foot and mouth.

    Experts have said that it will be inevitable that Britons will be consuming meat from cloned animals by the end of the decade as the practice becomes more common.

    • Scientists have been told to find a way to cut methane emissions from cows and sheep. Livestock account for a quarter of the harmful greenhouse gas methane released into Britain's atmosphere. Most of the gas escapes through belching so scientists must find cows a diet that causes less wind.

    Times Square reopens after security scare

    Reuters
    Tuesday, July 10, 2007

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - A section of New York City's Times Square was closed down briefly on Tuesday as police investigated what they described as a possible bomb scare, but the suspicious bag was later found to be forgotten luggage.

    Several blocks of Seventh Avenue, including along the front of the Reuters building, were closed to traffic for more than half an hour while police investigated the suspicious item.

    A Reuters witness said the suspicious item was a red bag.

    A Reuters building manager said officers with the New York Police Department had emptied the bag and "it appears to be full of clothing."

    Seventh Avenue is now reopen.

    The bag was found at the corner of 42nd street and Seventh Avenue. A spokeswoman for NYC Transit said subway services at the busy 42nd Street/Times Square station were not affected.

    Israeli hardliner slams 'European appeasement' on Iran

    AFP
    Tuesday, July 10, 2007

    Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Liberman slammed the European Union on Tuesday for what he termed its appeasement attitude over Iran's nuclear programme.

    "The wind of Chamberlain is blowing over Europe," the noted hardliner told army radio, referring to former British premier Neville Chamberlain, known for his appeasement policy towards Germany's Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.

    "My feeling when I hear the Europeans in Brussels, and also here during the visit of (Italian prime minister) Romano Prodi, is that they want to make Israel believe it should accept a peaceful nuclear programme by Iran," he said.

    "This is absolutely surreal... the Europeans would like to make us take on this problem which is not uniquely ours."

    Israel and its main ally the United States spearhead opposition to Iran's nuclear programme, suspecting it could be a cover for plans to build the bomb, a charge Tehran denies.

    Tehran's refusal to suspend its uranium enrichment programme has resulted in the UN Security Council adopting two sets of sanctions against Iran.

    Israel is widely believed to be the only nuclear-armed power in the Middle East, with an estimated 200 warheads.

    Despite Lieberman's comments about Prodi, the Italian leader said after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem on Monday: "Iran cannot and should not have a military nuclear capacity."

    "Iran's refusal to abide by the requests of the United Nations Security Council furthers chances to strengthen the sanctions. This leads us down a path that no one wants to take," he said.

    Moore accuses CNN of 'libel'

    Raw Story
    Tuesday, July 10, 2007

    A prominent documentarian is using new media to refute attacks leveled against him by the old media.

    Michael Moore posted a lengthy critique of a CNN "Reality Check" that attacked his newest film SiCKO, which examines flaws in the US healthcare industry.

    In a heated exchange with Situation Room host Wolf Blitzer -- the second part of which is set to air Tuesday at 7 p.m. -- Moore said the four-minute report, which aired immediately before his appearance, was "biased."

    On his Web site, Moore and the "SiCKO Truth Squad" refuted many of the findings in Dr. Sanjay Gupta's reporting, which concluded that Moore "did fudge some facts" in the movie.

    "This is libel," the Web site says. "There is not a single fact that is 'fudged' in the film. ... We expect CNN to correct their mistakes on the air and to apologize to their viewers."

    Moore's Web site also posted links to discussions of his appearance on prominent liberal blogs, including Crooks and Liars, Huffington Post and Brad Blog. (Moore also linked to RAW STORY's report on the appearance posted Monday.)

    Rachel Sklar, writing at Huffington Post, said the clip is "spreading around the net like wildfire," and Brad Blog's Brad Friedman applauded Moore's "dead on-target ass-whooping to the hapless Wolf Blitzer and friends."

    Gupta backs up Moore's finding that the US healthcare system is No. 37 on the World Health Organization's rankings of healthcare systems around the globe. But Gupta encourages viewers to "hold on" before believing Cuba's healthcare system is better after Moore takes people there to receive treatment because Cuba ranks lower than the US, coming in at No. 39. SiCKO shows the WHO list, including Cuba's placement below the US, so Moore says he's not trying to deceive anyone.

    "The fact that the healthcare system in an impoverished nation crippled by our decades-old blockade (including medical supplies and drugs) ranks so closely to ours is more an indictment of the American system than the Cuban system," Moore's Web site says.

    In his piece, Gupta says Moore is wrong in asserting the US spends $7,000 per person on healthcare compared to Cuba spending $25 per person, putting the figure for the US at $6,096 per person and Cuba's spending at $229 per person. Moore links to a study from the Department of Health and Human Services that projected health spending for 2006 at $7,092 per capita and $7,498 for 2007.

    "As for Cuba," Moore's site says, "Dr. Gupta and CNN need to watch 'SiCKO' first before commenting on it. 'SiCKO' says Cuba spends $251 per person on health care, not $25, as Gupta reports. And the BBC reports that Cuba's per capita health expenditure is… $251!"

    And Gupta is wrong in asserting Americans live just slightly longer than Cubans, Moore says.

    "Just the opposite," the Web site says. "The 2006 United Nations Human Development Report's human development index states the life expectancy in the United States is 77.5 years. It is 77.6 years in Cuba."

    The CNN report also cites the fact that Americans have shorter wait times than everyone but Germans for non-emergency treatment like hip replacements or knee repairs. Moore says this "isn't the whole truth" and that for sick Adults waiting for a doctor's appointment, only Canadians have longer wait times.

    In New Zealand, 81 percent of patients got a same- or next-day appointment for a non-routine visit. The comparable figures were 71 percent in Britain, 47 percent in the US and 36 percent in Canada, Moore says, citing a Business Week article.

    Moore also refutes CNN's airing of a health care analyst explaining that citizens in other countries pay higher taxes to fund the more expansive healthcare programs. The movie "never claims that health care is provided absolutely for free in other countries, without tax contributions from citizens," Moore points out along with the fact that "half of all bankruptcies in the United States are triggered by medical bills," according to MSNBC.

    The "truth squad" did not mention the conclusion Gupta reached in his report, that "there's one (fact) everyone agree's on: The system here should be far better."

    Al Qaeda boss warns of fresh terror attacks on Britain

    Daily Mail
    Tuesday, July 10, 2007

    Al Qaeda today warned that it will carry out further terror attacks in response to the decision to honour author Salman Rushdie with a knighthood.

    However tonight Downing Street insisted Britain would not be undermined by terrorists.

    In a 20-minute speech the terror organisation's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahri said a "very precise" response to the knighthood was being prepared.

    The chilling speech by Osama Bin Laden's was entitled "Malicious Britain and its Indian Slaves" and was produced by as-Sahab - the multimedia wing of al Qaeda - for distribution to extremist websites.

    It was uncovered by the US-based intelligence group SITE, which monitors al Qaeda messages.

    Ayman al-Zawahri lashed out at Britain for having awarded the knighthood to Rushdie last month, saying it was defying the Islamic world by granting the honor to the author of The Satanic Verses, which was deemed an insult to Islam.

    Addressing British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the al-Qaeda deputy chief said Britain's strategy in the Middle East "has brought tragedy and defeat upon you, not only in Afghanistan and Iraq but also in the centre of London."

    "And if you did not understand, listen, we are ready to repeat it for you," al-Zawahri said.

    A Downing Street spokesman, while not responding directly to al-Zawahri's remarks, said: "As the Prime Minister has said we will not allow terrorists to undermine the British way of life.

    "The British people will remain united, resolute and strong."

    The Foreign Office said it would maintain efforts to thwart terrorists.

    "We will continue to tackle the threat from international terrorism as a priority in order to prevent the risk of attacks on British interests at home and overseas, including from al Qaida," a spokesman said.

    "These terrorists care nothing for the peoples of the Middle East, Iraq and Afghanistan. Al Qaida has been killing civilians of all faiths, including many fellow Muslims, for years."

    On the knighthood of Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses, the Foreign Office reiterated that it was awarded purely in recognition of his literary achievements.

    "The Government have already made clear that Rushdie's honour was not intended as an insult to Islam or the prophet Mohammed." the spokesman said.

    "It was a reflection of his contribution to literature throughout a long and distinguished career."

    The decision stirred anger among Muslim radicals, some groups renewing calls for the Indian novelist to be sentenced to death.

    Iran's leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had issued a fatwa, or religious ruling, in 1989 to sentence the author to death for having written The Satanic Verses, deemed blasphemous against Islam and the Prophet Muhammad.

    The rest of al-Zawahri's new tape addressed a variety of topics frequently raised by al Qaeda.

    The terrorism chief criticized the Palestinian Hamas for compromising with Israel, called Muslims to join the jihad -or holy war- against the West, and hailed a bombing that killed six United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon last month, SITE said.

    He also railed against Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, saying Muslims should not oppose him through elections but by fighting alongside the Taliban.

    It was not immediately clear whether al-Zawahri recorded his tape before or after the June 29 thwarted terror plot in Britain or since police began ongoing clashes with religious students at a radical mosque in Pakistan.

    Al-Zawahri has issued eight video messages this year, along with a number of audio speeches. His previous tape was distributed last week by as-Sahab, the al-Qaida media wing.

    The IntelCenter, a US-based intelligence group that monitors militant messages, says this was the 59th video released by as-Sahab in 2007.

    The group released a total of 58 videos for all of 2006. IntelCenter said as-Sahab is operating at its highest production level ever and is averaging a video release every three days.