Khadr to stand trial at military tribunal --U.S., Canada embracing Bush-era disdain for justice in trying to find a forum to guarantee conviction, critics say 14 Nov 2009 Omar Khadr's fate remains in the legal twilight of widely denounced military tribunals, despite President Barack Obama's promise to end the makeshift Bush-era system for putting terrorists on trial and to shutter the notorious Guantanamo Bay prison camp. Instead, the Obama administration has tinkered with, but not scrapped, military commissions and intends to put a child soldier on trial, the first time it has been done at a war crimes tribunal since the Second World War. The Harper government applauded the decision, even as it fought in Canada's Supreme Court to overturn an order to bring Mr. Khadr home. He has been imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay for nearly eight years. Mr. Khadr, who has been in prison - including years in solitary - since 2002 may still be years away from having his case heard... "Any trial before the revised system of military commissions will carry the stigma of Guantanamo," said Human Rights Watch in a statement that accused the Obama administration of reviving the "discredited military commissions by trying a child soldier."
'Shocking' that Khadr will face military commission in U.S.: lawyer --AG Eric Holder announced Friday that the Toronto-born Khadr, the only westerner still at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is one of five who will face military tribunals on U.S. soil. 13 Nov 2009 Omar Khadr's civilian lawyer in the United States said Friday he was disappointed to hear Washington is pressing ahead with military commission proceedings against the Canadian terror suspect. Barry Coburn said he finds the decision "shocking." "We thought that the incoming Obama administration signalled a new day with respect to these cases - a new respect for civil liberties, an abhorrence of torture, a respect for the time-honoured legal procedures and protections that are mandated by the constitution and enforced by the federal courts, " Coburn told The Canadian Press in a telephone interview.
Accused 9/11 plotter Khalid Sheikh Mohammed faces New York 'trial' --AG: All five to be tried together; prosecutors will seek death penalty 13 Nov 2009 Five Guantanamo Bay detainees with alleged ties to the 9/11 conspiracy, including accused mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, will be transferred to New York to go on trial in civilian court, Attorney General Eric Holder announced Friday. Mohammed, Ramzi Bin al-Shibh, Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi will all be transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York -- a short distance from the World Trade Center towers that were destroyed in the September 11 attacks. [KSM was waterboarded 183 times in one month. (Gee, I'd confess to the 9/11 attacks, too.) Regrettably, the actual architects of the 9/11 terror attacks -- the Bush/Cheney cabal -- have yet to be tried for treason and war crimes. --LRP]
'Well, if they're [9/11 terror suspects] acquitted, they're not going to be out walking the streets. The Justice Department will just pick them up and charge them with something else.' ...'They've got a drawer full of other charges use against them. So, they can just re-arrest them and charge them with something else.' NBC News justice correspondent Pete Williams on MSNBC 13 Nov 2009.
Illinois the next Gitmo? --Chicago Tribune: Near-empty prison a leading contender to house terror suspects 14 Nov 2009 A near-empty prison in rural Illinois has emerged as "a leading option" to house suspected terrorists currently held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, an Obama administration official said Friday. As they work to shutter the controversial detention center, federal officials are talking to Illinois officials about buying the Thomson Correctional Center, a maximum-security prison about 150 miles west of Chicago.
US military: We pay hundreds of millions of dollars to Afghan insurgents --How the US Funds the Taliban By Aram Roston 11 Nov 2009 It is an accepted fact of the military logistics operation in Afghanistan that the US government funds the very forces American troops are fighting. And it is a deadly irony, because these funds add up to a huge amount of money for the Taliban. "It's a big part of their income," one of the top Afghan government security officials told The Nation in an interview. In fact, US military officials in Kabul estimate that a minimum of 10 percent of the Pentagon's logistics contracts--hundreds of millions of dollars--consists of payments to insurgents. [CLG has been reporting this insanity for years. Too bad the mainstream media won't cover it, instead of spending 24/7 on bimbo Sarah Palin's ghostwritten insipid Mantra of Whine. --LRP]
Drugs, bribes and 'police' in the pocket of the Taliban 06 Nov 2009 Having served in Afghanistan with the British Army, mentoring Afghan soldiers and police officers in 2006-7 and again last year, I know that the men who make up that police force are not officers of the law in any way we would recognise... Meanwhile, they are infiltrated by the Taliban at every level. The man named locally as responsible for shooting dead the five British soldiers this week is known to have links with the Taliban. The way the system works is that the Afghan government employs warlords who, in turn, recruit locals to serve as militia.
9 ISAF Troops Injured In Bomb Blast Near US Base In Afghanistan 13 Nov 2009 Nine members of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and 10 civilian contractors were injured Friday in a suicide-bomb blast before a US military base in the eastern part of the Afghan capital Kabul. The bomber, who was driving an explosive-packed vehicle, triggered the blast on Jalalabad Road, a locality that houses several international military bases.
Orszag Says 40,000 More Troops Would Cost $40 Billion 12 Nov 2009 Sending 40,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan would cost an extra $40 billion a year, White House Budget Director Peter Orszag said today. Orszag, speaking at the Bloomberg Washington Summit, said "every 10,000 troops would entail a fiscal year cost of about $10 billion, very roughly speaking."
UK to ask allies for 5,000 more troops in Afghanistan 13 Nov 2009 Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Friday Britain was trying to persuade its military allies fighting Taliban 'insurgents' in Afghanistan to send 5,000 more troops. He said he wanted to encourage members of the NATO-led coalition to share the burden of combat and help train Afghan soldiers.
Germany sending 120 more combat troops to Afghanistan --Opinion polls show most Germans oppose military involvement, which has cost the lives of 36 of their countrymen. 13 Nov 2009 Germany will send 120 more soldiers to northern Afghanistan to reinforce its base in the Kundus province, Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said on Friday. Guttenberg announced the modest increase during a surprise visit to Afghanistan, where Germany has the third largest contingent in the NATO-led mission with 4,200 troops.
Death toll in Pakistan bombing up to 17: official 14 Nov 2009 The death toll from a powerful suicide car bomb which ripped through the Peshawar headquarters of Pakistan's top spy agency rose to 17 on Saturday, officials said. The early Friday attack devastated the provincial headquarters in the city of Peshawar of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), which is heavily involved in Pakistan's anti-terror fight, destroying more than half the building.
Former US envoy Galbraith could earn $100m from Iraqi oil field 13 Nov 2009 A prominent former United Nations official was forced to defend himself yesterday against accusations that he used his influence in Iraq to enrich himself. Peter Galbraith, a former US ambassador who recently quit as deputy head of the UN mission in Kabul, struck a potentially lucrative oil deal in Iraqi Kurdistan which could reportedly earn him $100 million (£60 million). He helped the Kurds to negotiate provisions in the 2005 Iraqi Constitution that gave them control over new oil finds on their territory. [Insurgency?]
Ahmadinejad calls for WMD-free world 13 Nov 2009 Iran's President has repeated calls for global nuclear disarmament, saying the existence of atomic weapons has not solved any of the outstanding problems facing mankind. "There is no need for a nuclear bomb for that matter," said President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday. "Their [the nuclear bombs] existence today has not helped the world in the least."
Controllers Were Slow to Notify Defense Command of Errant Jet 14 Nov 2009 Air traffic control supervisors delayed nearly an hour in notifying Norad, the military air defense command, that a Northwest Airlines jetliner was not responding to radio calls, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday. The delay was a violation of detailed procedures put in place after the hijackings of four airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001. The delay appeared to make little difference to Norad, said the administrator, J. Randolph Babbitt, because while the Air Force did prepare fighter jets in the incident it never ordered them into the air.
Fort Hood suspect may be paralyzed --Hasan's attorney says he will seek psychiatric evaluation 14 Nov 2009 The accused Fort Hood gunman has no feeling in his legs and may be paralyzed from the waist down, his attorney said Friday after visiting Maj. Nidal M. Hasan in his hospital room. Retired Col. John Galligan, who has been hired by Hasan's family to defend him against murder charges, said the Army psychiatrist remains in the intensive care unit of a San Antonio military hospital, where he is in great pain, except for his legs.
Congressman says Ft. Hood shooter had Pakistan 'connection' 13 Nov 2009 The suspected shooter at last week's Ft. Hood massacre had a "connection" to Pakistan, a Texas lawmaker said Friday. Rep. Mike McCaul (R) suggested a financial relationship between Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan and Pakistan, a country long plagued by terror groups, including al-Qaeda Blackwater. In an earlier statement to the Dallas Morning News, McCaul described "communications and wire transfers" between Hasan and Pakistani sources.
Major Nidal Malik Hasan, jihadist or patsy? By Jerry Mazza 13 Nov 2009 The story as it unwinds seems too scripted to be true. That Army psychiatrist and Major Nidal M. Hasan went on a rampage at Fort Hood with two guns blazing, a .357 Magnum and a semi-automatic pistol with laser target-finder, after shouting the Arabic phrase 'Allah Akbar' (God is Greatest) as he opened fire, and will live (so far) to talk about it, though an Army-appointed lawyer says he will never get a fair trial. Hasan coincidentally received his masters in chemistry at Virginia Tech, famous for the infamous Seung-Hui Cho, the campus killer gunman credited on April 19, 2007, with the deadliest shooting rampage in modern history... See the link to Citizens for Legitimate Government on him and his 'Missing Records.'
New types of influenza found in Ukraine --Chief medical officer told about AH3N2, AH2N2, AH1N1, a large group of influenza B, and parainfluenza viruses of three types, reports proUA.com. 12 Nov 2009 Besides swine influenza, AN3N2, AN2N2 and group B have been found in the territory of Ukraine. In particular, at present at least 8 different viruses are circulating in the territory of Bukovyna. Such conclusions are made by experts of regional sanitary epidemiological stations following the results of almost 6,000 studies on the identification of acute respiratory viral infections, said the chief state sanitary doctor of the Chernivtsi Region Oleksandr Svitlichny on November 11 at the briefing.
Virginia Family Claims H1N1 Vaccine Sickened Son 13 Nov 2009 A northern Virginia family says their lives were turned upside down just 24 hours after getting their 14-year-old son received his seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccines. Jordan McFarland is an avid young athlete who was unable to walk without the aid of a walker just one day after getting his flu shots. His father Calvin says doctors made a preliminary diagnosis of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disease characterized by muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis.
Scores of O.C. teens picked up in 'scared straight' curfew sweep --About 300 officers participated in the sweep. 13 Nov 2009 Sixty-seven underage Orange County teens were rounded up in a massive countywide [Nazi] curfew sweep late Thursday in an effort by dozens of law enforcement agencies to scare the after-hours wanderers straight. The teens, who ranged in age from 13 to 17, were taken to one of three headquarters, put on jail buses to await their parents' arrival and then shown photos of young men who’d been killed in after-curfew incidents.
Tenn. trooper suspended over white pride e-mail 13 Nov 2009 A Tennessee state trooper who accidentally sent an e-mail proclaiming white pride to 787 state employees has been suspended for 15 days without pay and will have to attend diversity training. The e-mail from Trooper Brent Gobbell states, in part, "You rob us, carjack us, and shoot at us. But, when a white police officer shoots a black gang member ... you call him a racist." It also includes a list of racist epithets.
Republicans charged in $10 million scandal --Former House Speaker charged with 82 felonies 13 Nov 2009 Former House Speaker John Perzel, one of the most powerful members of the General Assembly since 1994, was charged Thursday with 82 felonies for allegedly masterminding a "sophisticated criminal strategy" to spend more than $10 million of taxpayers' money on political campaigns, Attorney General Tom Corbett said. Most of that money paid for computer technology to help Perzel, a Republican who represents a Northeast Philadelphia district, and other House Republicans win elections, a statewide grand jury concluded. Perzel is charged with theft, conspiracy, obstruction of justice and conflict of interest.
Ex-lawmaker gets 13 years in prison for bribery 13 Nov 2009 Former Democratic U.S. Representative William Jefferson, who hid $90,000 in cash in his freezer, was sentenced on Friday to 13 years in prison for bribery, racketeering and money laundering. Jefferson, who lost re-election last year in Louisiana, was accused in 2007 of soliciting millions of dollars in bribes from companies while using his office to broker business deals in Africa. He was convicted in August on 11 of 16 counts.
Palin's Book Goes Rogue on Some Facts 13 Nov 2009 Sarah Palin's new book reprises familiar claims from the 2008 presidential campaign that haven't become any truer over time. Ignoring substantial parts of her record if not the facts, she depicts herself as a frugal traveler on the taxpayer's dime, a reformer without ties to powerful interests and a politician roguishly indifferent to high ambition. Palin goes adrift, at times, on more contemporary issues, too. She criticizes President Barack Obama for pushing through a bailout package that actually was achieved by his Republican predecessor George W. Bush -- a package she seemed to support at the time.
Previous lead stories: U.S. Moves to Seize 4 Mosques and Skyscraper 'Tied to Iran' --The assets include bank accounts; Islamic centers consisting of schools and mosques in New York City, Maryland, California and Houston; more than 100 acres in Virginia; and a 36-story glass office tower in New York. 12 Nov 2009 Federal prosecutors took steps Thursday to seize four U.S. mosques and a Fifth Avenue skyscraper owned by a nonprofit Muslim organization long suspected of being secretly controlled [?!?] by the Iranian government. In what could prove to be one of the biggest counterterrorism seizures in U.S. history, prosecutors filed a civil complaint in federal court against the Alavi Foundation, seeking the forfeiture of more than $500 million in assets. [Maybe other nations will return the favor and start seizing US assets, since the US is a key backer and perpetuator of international terrorism.]
KBR burned smallpox inoculations in Iraq, Afghan burn pits --Troops sue KBR over toxic waste 11 Nov 2009 Dozens of US military personnel have filed 34 lawsuits against US defense contractor KBR for allegedly incinerating toxic waste and releasing it into the atmosphere in Iraq and Afghanistan. Susan Burke, one of the lawyers bringing the suits, said they have been filed over the past year, 18 of them in recent days. One lawsuit filed in federal court in Nashville, Tennessee charged that they "ignored their contractual obligations and burned vast quantities of unsorted waste in enormous open air burn pits with no safety controls. This misconduct began in 2003 and continues unabated [thanks, Obusha!] to date," it alleges. "Every type of waste imaginable was and is burned on these pits, including trucks, tires, lithium battery, Styrofoam, paper, rubber, petroleum-oil-lubricant products, metals, hydraulic fluids, munitions boxes, medical waste, biohazard materials (including human corpses), medical supplies (including those used during smallpox inoculations), paints, solvents, asbestos insulation, items containing pesticides, polyvinyl chloride pipes, animal carcasses, dangerous chemicals and hundreds of thousands of plastic water bottles," the lawsuit claims.
US envoy warns against troop surge in Afghanistan --Memos from Eikenberry state extra troops 'not a good idea' until Karzai government tackles corruption, according to reports 12 Nov 2009 The US ambassador in Kabul has warned against plans to send tens of thousands more troops to Afghanistan, until President Hamid Karzai's government demonstrates that it is willing to tackle the corruption. Karl Eikenberry sent two classified cables to Washington in the past week expressing his concern over proposals to deploy as many as 40,000 extra troops while the Karzai government remains dogged by accusations of incompetence and corruption, according to reports from Washington. The existence of the memos was revealed as Barack Obama held a war council at the White House to discuss the final four options for deployment of extra US troops in an effort to stave off defeat at the hands of the Taliban.
