Armed Men Attend Obama Speech: Man carrying assault rifle attends Obama protest 17 Aug 2009 About a dozen people carrying guns, including one with an AR-15 assault rifle, milled among protesters outside an event where President Barack Obama was giving a speech Monday in Phoenix. It's the latest incident of gun-rights advocates visibly displaying firearms near the president. Phoenix police say the people with guns, including a man carrying the assault rifle, didn't need permits. [See: Guns OK Outside Obama Town Hall; Kerry Pins Brought Arrest At Bush Rally By Lori Price 12 Aug 2009.]
Legal battle over British detainees --They have never been charged with an offence. 18 Aug 2009 A human rights organisation has announced the start of legal action against the Government over questions of alleged rendition to Afghanistan. Reprieve will demand the Ministry of Defence gives answers about the treatment of two men arrested by the British in Iraq in 2004 who have since been held at the US detention facility at Bagram air force base in Afghanistan. They have never been charged with an offence, and the periodic review of their status by the US military has been characterised by a US federal judge as falling "well short of what the Supreme Court found inadequate at Guantanamo". Clive Stafford Smith, director of Reprieve, said: "These two men have been held in appalling conditions for five years, and the Government chose to do nothing."
Romania denies reports of secret CIA prisons in its territory 14 Aug 2009 Romania denied the reports that it hosted a secret prison of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Bucharest, saying the allegations groundless, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alin Serbanescu said on Thursday. The New York Times reported on Thursday that a newly-decorated building on a busy street in Bucharest was one of secret CIA prisons in Eastern Europe.
Iraq May Hold Vote On U.S. Withdrawal --U.S. has quietly lobbied against plebiscite 18 Aug 2009 U.S. troops could be forced by Iraqi voters to withdraw a year ahead of schedule under a referendum the Iraqi government backed Monday. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's move appeared to disregard the wishes of the U.S. government, which has quietly lobbied against the plebiscite. American officials fear it could lead to the annulment of an agreement allowing U.S. troops to stay until the end of 2011, and instead force them out by the start of that year. The Maliki government's announcement came on the day that the top U.S. general in Iraq proposed a plan to deploy troops to disputed areas in the restive north, a clear indication that the military 'sees a continuing need' for U.S. forces even if Iraqis no longer want them here.
US military proposes tripartite forces for N.Iraq --Idea might require modification of a U.S.-Iraqi security pact to allow U.S. troops to return to towns and villages 17 Aug 2009 The U.S. military commander in Iraq said on Monday he had proposed setting up security teams formed of Iraqi, Kurdish and U.S. forces to protect inflame volatile areas disputed by Kurds and Arabs from insurgent attacks. The tripartite arrangement, if approved, would be "a little bit" like a U.S. peacekeeping mission between the rival forces as they face off in a potentially explosive dispute over land, power and oil, Gen. Ray Odierno said. The Iraqi government may have to grant U.S. troops an exemption from the bilateral security agreement under which U.S. troops retreated to rural bases at the end of June and which sets an end-2011 deadline for a full U.S. withdrawal, he said.
U.S. troops may be sent to Iraq's Arab-Kurdish 'trigger line' 18 Aug 2009 The U.S. military is proposing to deploy troops for the first time in a strip of disputed territory in northern Iraq, the top American general in Iraq said Monday. Army Gen. Ray Odierno said the proposal would see U.S. troops deployed alongside Iraqi security forces and Kurdish peshmerga militiamen on the Arab-Kurdish fault line in the northern province of Nineveh, the scene of several recent high-profile [Xe?] bombings.
British forces to remain in Afghanistan for another five years, says Richard Dannatt 17 Aug 2009 General Sir Richard Dannatt, Chief of the General Staff, has said British forces could remain committed to operations in Afghanistan for another five years. Sir Richard said: "We have got to get it right. It will take a bit of time. We will go on doing, as the military, what we need to do until the Afghan capability is good enough to take over from us. That will continue for years. I don't want to put a figure on that but certainly two to four years, three to five years, of this kind of level of commitment by the military."
Mother of soldier killed in Afghanistan slams govt 17 Aug 2009 The mother of the 200th British soldier to be killed in Afghanistan urged Tuesday all members of parliament to "get out on the front line" to see how desperate troops were for resources. Hazel Hunt, whose 21-year-old son died from bomb blast injuries on Saturday, said politicians have "short changed" the army fighting in Afghanistan and the "troops are suffering because of it."
Suicide soars among US soldiers 17 Aug 2009 As the US government throws its weight about the globe, hundreds of thousands of men, women and children fall before Uncle Sam's swinging scythe. But, those at the cutting edge of the scythe are falling too, often by their own hands, in the inescapable confines of their homes or quarters in the barracks back on the US soil. In 2008, 143 soldiers committed suicide, the highest number in the three decades that the army has kept records, reports Washington Post.
Supply Officer Charged Over Iraq Work 18 Aug 2009 In a war burdened with seemingly bottomless corruption, the crimes allegedly carried out by Captain Williams, of Clarksville, Tenn., a member of the celebrated 101st Airborne Division, may appear of little significance: taking at least $20,000 to award favored companies more than half a million dollars in contracts for things as varied as copiers and guard towers in 2005 and 2006. But the indictment, handed up last Wednesday in the federal court for the Southern District of New York, provides a rare window into the troublesome question of how military and civilian contracting officers have so often managed to set up corrupt deals at the heart of the United States enterprise in Iraq, and more recently in Afghanistan.
U.S. group invests tax-free millions in East Jerusalem land 17 Aug 2009 American Friends of Ateret Cohanim, a nonprofit organization that sends millions of shekels worth of donations to Israel every year for clearly political purposes, such as buying Arab properties in East Jerusalem, is registered in the United States as an organization that funds educational institutes in Israel. The U.S. tax code enables nonprofits to receive tax-exempt status if they engage in educational, charitable, religious or scientific activity. However, such organizations are forbidden to engage in any political activity... Financing land purchases in East Jerusalem would, therefore, seem to violate the organization's tax-exempt status.
Minot base forms new unit --The Air Force cited Minot AFB as part of an overall deterioration in managing the nation's nuclear arsenal. 17 Aug 2009 An administrative unit that will supervise the maintenance of the nation's intercontinental ballistic missile arsenal will be activated on Tuesday at a North Dakota Air Force base. The Minot Air Force Base was chosen in June to be the headquarters of the 798th Munitions Maintenance Group. Col. David Milner Jr., the group commander, says the unit will consist of about a dozen military and civilian personnel. The North Dakota base got attention after a series of missteps, including a cross-country flight from Minot in 2007 by an Air Force bomber 'mistakenly' armed with nuclear-tipped cruise missiles.
Officials Say Detainee Fatalities Were Missed 18 Aug 2009 More than one in 10 deaths in immigration detention in the last six years have been overlooked and were omitted from an official list of detainee fatalities issued to Congress in March, the Obama administration said Monday. The administration added 10 previously unreported deaths to the official roster and disclosed an 11th, which occurred Friday... What Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials call "the death roster" stands at 104 since October 2003, up from the 90 that were on the list the agency gave to Congress this spring.
'A swine flu jab was blamed for more deaths than the disease itself.' Swine flu vaccine linked to deadly breathing disease 16 Aug 2009 Doctors have been put on alert for a deadly disease linked to swine flu jabs. The Health Protection Agency has told neurologists to look out for a rise in Guillain-Barr Syndrome - in which paralysis of the breathing muscles can cause death by suffocation - when vaccination starts in the next few weeks. The link was made following a mass immunisation programme in the U.S., in which a swine flu jab was blamed for more deaths than the disease itself.
DH director of immunisation tells nurses they have a 'duty' to have swine flu jab --Survey reveals one third of frontline nurses do not want the jab 17 Aug 2009 The Department of Health’s director of immunisation Professor David Salisbury has said nurses have a responsibility to be vaccinated against swine flu, after a Nursing Times survey reveals one third of frontline nurses do not want the jab. Up to a third of frontline nurses are not currently planning to get immunised against swine flu when the vaccine becomes available later this year, a snapshot survey by Nursing Times reveals.
Doctors on lookout for Guillain-Barré symptoms in swine flu patients 16 Aug 2009 Doctors treating swine flu patients have been instructed to monitor the incidence of a rare nerve disease that has been linked to the body’s immune response to flu-like illnesses. Neurologists will study the occurrence of Guillain-Barré syndrome, which affects the nervous system and can cause temporary paralysis, during the swine flu pandemic and vaccination programme.
President Obama is the real target of health care protesters, not policy By Mike Lupica 17 Aug 2009 We hear that all of this is democracy in action. It's not. It's boom-box democracy, people thinking that if they somehow make enough noise on this subject, they can make Obama into a one-term President. The most violent opposition isn't directed at his ideas about health care reform. It is directed at him. It is about him. They couldn't make enough of a majority to beat the Harvard-educated black guy out of the White House, so they will beat him on an issue where they see him as being most vulnerable. In the process, they'll come after him on health care the way Kenneth Starr went after Bill Clinton on oral sex in the Oval Office.
Public Option Called Essential --Democratic Lawmakers Express Concern 18 Aug 2009 Several leading Democrats voiced concern Monday about an apparent White House shift on health-care reform, objecting to signals from senior administration officials that they would abandon the idea of a government-run insurance plan if it lacked the backing to pass Congress. In the Senate, where negotiations are now focused, John D. Rockefeller IV (W.Va.) said that a public option, as the plan has become known, is "a must." Sen. Russell Feingold (Wis.) said that "without a public option, I don't see how we will bring real change to a system that has made good health care a privilege for those who can afford it."
UBS to reveal about 5,000 names in U.S. deal: source 17 Aug 2009 UBS will give U.S. authorities the names of about 5,000 wealthy Americans suspected of using the Swiss bank to evade taxes under a deal that will be formalized this week, a U.S. legal source said on Monday. The source, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to discuss the agreement, said it was due to be announced jointly by the Swiss and U.S. governments on Wednesday.
3 Indicted in Theft of 130 Million Card Numbers 18 Aug 2009 The man who prosecutors said had masterminded some of the most brazen thefts of credit and debit card numbers in history was charged on Monday with an even larger set of digital break-ins. In an indictment, the Justice Department said that Albert Gonzalez, of Miami and two unnamed Russian conspirators made off with more than 130 million credit and debit card numbers from late 2006 to early 2008. Prosecutors called it the largest case of computer crime and identity theft ever prosecuted.
US hacker charged with stealing 130m credit card IDs --Former secret service worker in jail in New York accused of record scam against retail companies 18 Aug 2009 A serial hacker has been charged with carrying out the largest theft of credit card identities ever recorded in the US, in a sophisticated scam in which he and accomplices allegedly stole at least 130m accounts from big retail companies. Albert Gonzalez, who once worked with the US secret service, is accused of working with two unidentified Russian conspirators to hack into the databases of retail chains, selling the information around the world.
Poll: 57% don't see stimulus working 17 Aug 2009 Six months after President Obama launched a $787 billion plan to right the nation's economy, a majority of Americans think the avalanche of new federal aid has cost too much and done too little to end the recession. A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll found 57% of adults say the stimulus package is having no impact on the economy or making it worse. Even more --60% --doubt that the stimulus plan will help the economy in the years ahead, and only 18% say it has done anything to help improve their personal situation.
Scalia says there's nothing unconstitutional about executing the innocent. By Ian Millhiser 17 Aug 2009 In light of the very real evidence that Davis could be innocent of the crime that placed him on death row, the Supreme Court today invoked a rarely used procedure giving [Troy Anthony] Davis an opportunity to challenge his conviction. Joined by Justice Clarence Thomas in dissent, however, Justice Antonin Scalia criticized his colleagues for thinking that mere innocence is grounds to overturn a conviction: This Court has never held that the Constitution forbids the execution of a convicted defendant who has had a full and fair trial but is later able to convince a habeas court that he is "actually" innocent. Quite to the contrary, we have repeatedly left that question unresolved, while expressing considerable doubt that any claim based on alleged "actual innocence" is constitutionally cognizable.
Opharma poised for final sellout: White House appears ready to drop 'public option' 16 Aug 2009 President Barack Obama's administration signaled on Sunday it is ready to abandon the idea of giving Americans the option of government-run health insurance as part of his ambitious health care proposal. Facing mounting opposition to the overhaul, administration officials left open the chance for a compromise with Republicans that would include health insurance cooperatives. Such a concession is likely to enrage his liberal supporters but could deliver Obama a much-needed win on a top domestic priority opposed by GOP lawmakers.
Sebelius Says Government Insurance Plan Not Essential 16 Aug 2009 Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said providing citizens with the option of government-run insurance isn’t essential to the Obama administration’s proposed overhaul of U.S. health care. "What’s important is choice and competition," Sebelius said today on CNN’s "State of the Union." The public option itself "is not the essential element."
California board votes to drop healthcare coverage for 60,000 children 14 Aug 2009 Nearly 670,000 children could be dropped by June 30. The announcement by state officials that California has enough cash to stop paying bills with IOUs did little to take the sting out of other budget news Thursday: Tens of thousands of poor children are about to lose their healthcare coverage. A state board voted Thursday to begin terminating health insurance for more than 60,000 children Oct. 1 as a result of the budget amendments signed into law recently by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger [R-Enron]. [Oh, but there's *plenty* of money to train Georgian troops and (pretend to) rebuild Afghanistan. Not a *peep* when billions are handed to corpora-terrorist contractors to pour down their sewers, right? Also, where is the town hall outrage when the GOP 'pulls the plug on grand*KIDS?* --LRP]
Three more British soldiers killed in Afghanistan --Three more British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, taking the number of UK personnel killed since operations began in 2001 to 204. 16 Aug 2009 The three, all from The 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, died on Sunday morning after they were attacked while on patrol near Sangin, the Ministry of Defence said.
British soldier's death brings Afghanistan toll to 200 15 Aug 2009 A soldier who died in the UK from wounds suffered in Afghanistan has become the 200th British serviceman killed since the start of operations in 2002, the Ministry of Defence said.
Four killed in Iraq attacks 16 Aug 2009 At least four people were killed and 18 wounded in a bomb attack in the Iraqi capital on Sunday, an interior ministry official said. Two bombs, one planted inside a restaurant and one outside, tore into diners at around 8:20 pm (1720 GMT) in the east Baghdad neighbourhood of Jadidah, the official told AFP, requesting anonymity.
Mercenaries and murder in Iraq --As private security firms take on more responsibility in Iraq, no amount of regulation can stop tragedies from happening By Eric Stoner 14 Aug 2009 In fact, with no countries officially left in the so-called "coalition of the willing", contractors are now playing a more important role than ever, as the Obama administration begins to slowly scale back the war in Iraq. In June, a Pentagon report revealed that there are still 132,610 contractors in Iraq – effectively doubling the size of the occupation – and that the use of armed "private security contractors" in the country actually increased by 23% during the second quarter of 2009.
