AP source: Census worker hanged with 'fed' on body --Census official: Law enforcement officers have told agency matter is "an apparent homicide" 23 Sep 2009 The FBI is investigating the hanging death of a U.S. Census worker near a Kentucky cemetery, and a law enforcement official told The Associated Press the word 'fed" was scrawled on the dead man's chest. The body of Bill Sparkman, a 51-year-old part-time Census field worker and occasional teacher, was found Sept. 12 in a remote patch of the Daniel Boone National Forest in rural southeast Kentucky. The Census has suspended door-to-door interviews in rural Clay County, where the body was found, pending the outcome of the investigation.
Guantanamo court "a headless chicken": lawyer 23 Sep 2009 The Guantanamo war crimes court has become "a headless chicken" that still operates under the old rules even as the Obama administration issues new ones, the lawyer for an accused Saudi boat-bomb plotter said on Wednesday. U.S. President Barack Obama has pledged to shut down the Guantanamo detention camp for terrorism suspects by January 22, and his administration has said it will decide by November 16 whether to move the 10 pending prosecutions into the regular U.S. courts or try them in revised tribunals. The Obama administration also is pushing legislation in Congress that would stop the military tribunals from using evidence obtained through brutality.
Administration Won't Seek New Detention System 24 Sep 2009 The Obama administration has decided not to seek legislation to establish a new system of preventive detention to hold terrorism suspects and will instead rely on a 2001 congressional resolution authorizing military force against 'al-Qaeda' and the Taliban to continue to detain people indefinitely and without charge, according to administration officials... In federal court in March, the Obama administration cited the 2001 congressional authorization of force to assert that "the president has the authority to detain persons that the president determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, and persons who harbored those responsible for those attacks. The president also has the authority to detain persons who were part of, or substantially supported, Taliban or al-Qaeda forces or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners, including any person who has committed a belligerent act, or has directly supported hostilities, in aid of such enemy armed forces."
Official: More questioned in NYC terrorism probe --Backpacks and cell phones were removed from one home. 23 Sep 2009 Hundreds of investigators have widened their probe of a potential terrorist bomb plot by questioning more residents of a New York City neighborhood raided last week. A law enforcement official familiar with the probe says investigators are re-interviewing people already questioned in Queens. The apartments were searched after a visit this month from Najibullah Zazi, of Colorado.
FBI Terror Probe Expands, Intensifies --Criminal Complaint Suggests Cops May Have Tipped-Off Zazi By Questioning New York Imam, Seizing Car 23 Sep 2009 The investigation into alleged bomb plot targeting New York has expanded to include nearly all of the FBI's 57 field offices in the country and some overseas. Investigators told CBS News that agents are aggressively following a steady stream of leads in the case and have essentially constructed a family tree with Najibullah Zazi at the center... CBS News learned Tuesday that a hunt was on to see if suspects had stored a cache of explosives somewhere in New York City.
US agencies renew warnings on luxury hotels security 22 Sep 2009 U.S. security authorities have told local law enforcement agencies to be on alert for possible attacks on luxury hotels, but said they had no information on the timing, location or target of any planned attacks. The note, sent by the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI to local law enforcement agencies, was unrelated to a probe into a bomb plot in New York and Denver made public in the last week, officials said on Tuesday.
NYC trains raise security after terrorism warning 22 Sep 2009 New York City's transit agency says it has increased police presence at "key locations" in light of a continuing terrorism probe. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says there's no credible threat to the city's subway system and commuter trains. But extra officers with helmets and bulletproof vests are at spots like Grand Central Terminal in midtown Manhattan.
Homeland security chief awards stimulus grants to beef up Port of Baltimore terror defense 23 Sep 2009 U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano traveled to Baltimore Wednesday morning to unveil more than $380 million in stimulus grants for fire station construction and port and transit security across the country. Maryland will receive $6 million of the funds, with the biggest chunk going toward protecting the Port of Baltimore from terrorism. The Port of Baltimore's $4.1 million grant will be used to support the implementation of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential, a tamper-resistant biometric credential issued to workers who require unescorted access to secure areas of ports and vessels.
At Pentagon's Request, Post Delayed Story on General's Afghanistan Report --Woodward withheld certain details, to avoid criticism 23 Sep 2009 To Bob Woodward, it was the modern-day equivalent of the Pentagon Papers. But to Obama administration officials, the classified assessment of the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, if disclosed by The Washington Post, represented a potential threat to the safety of U.S. troops. The result was that The Post agreed to a one-day delay in publicizing the report by Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, and that the paper's top editor engaged in a lengthy discussion Sunday with three top Defense Department officials in a meeting at the Pentagon... The Post agreed to withhold certain operational details. That, Woodward said, "made it easier" for the newspaper to proceed with publication without risking criticism [!] for disclosing classified information.
At UN, Obama delivers veiled warning to Iran 23 Sep 2009 In his maiden address before the UN General Assembly, President Barack Obama says Iran could play a significant role in shaping the future of the world and its security, should it abandon "the pursuit of nuclear weapons." President Obama told world leaders on Wednesday that his government was committed to a new era of engagement to tackle global problems, ranging from climate change to peacemaking in the Middle East, insisting that the international community should take a larger role.
Gaddafi blasts big powers in first ever U.N. speech 23 Sep 2009 Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, in his first ever address to the United Nations, on Wednesday accused the veto-wielding powers of the Security Council of betraying the principles of the U.N. charter. [Muammar Gaddafi on swine flu: 'The capitalist countries make the viruses and they make the profits from the viruses.' --Well said!]
Ahmadinejad calls for restructuring UN 24 Sep 2009 Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for the restructuring of the UN in order to transform the world body into an efficient organization. Ahmadinejad, in his address to the 64th session of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday said that the reform in the structure of the UN should turn the body into a "fully democratic organization, capable of playing an impartial" role in international relations.
Ahmadinejad: Capitalism at end of road 24 Sep 2009 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the "unfair capitalism" system has reached the end of the road and the world needs fundamental changes. Ahmadinejad, in his address to the 64th session of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday said, "Continuation of the current circumstances in the world is impossible." He noted that the present unfavorable condition in the world runs counter to the very nature of human kind and contravenes the goal behind the creation of the world.
Medvedev: Sanctions against Iran's nuclear programme 'may be inevitable' 24 Sep 2009 Gulf countries are seeking to play a new role in the race to stop Iran's nuclear programme by using their economic leverage to line up support for tough sanctions, Arab and European officials said yesterday. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will use the prospect of oil contracts, arms deals and work visas to persuade Russia and China, who have been resisting tougher UN sanctions, that their long-term strategic interests lie with them, not in Iran.
Zbig Brzezinski: Obama Administration Should Tell Israel U.S. Will Attack Israeli Jets if They Try to Attack Iran 20 Sep 2009 The national security adviser for former President Jimmy Carter, Zbigniew Brzezinski, gave an interview to The Daily Beast in which he suggested President Obama should make it clear to Israel that if they attempt to attack Iran's nuclear weapons sites the U.S. Air Force will stop them. "We are not exactly impotent little babies," Brzezinski said. "They have to fly over our airspace in Iraq. Are we just going to sit there and watch? ... We have to be serious about denying them that right. That means a denial where you aren’t just saying it. If they fly over, you go up and confront them. They have the choice of turning back or not. No one wishes for this but it could be a 'Liberty' in reverse."
Bombs kill 11 in Iraq's capital, northern city 23 Sep 2009 A bomb exploded Wednesday outside a home in southwestern Baghdad, killing a woman and her two children, as other bombings killed at least seven Iraqi security personnel and a local politician in the capital and a northern area.
Iraq: Attacks Kill at Least 6 People 23 Sep 2009 A series of roadside bombs and shootings in northern and western Iraq on Wednesday killed at least six people, four of them security officers, who have increasingly become the target of attacks.
Iraq detainee death 'was revenge' 23 Sep 2009 British soldiers might have been out for "revenge" when they detained an Iraqi civilian who died in their custody, a public inquiry has heard. Baha Mousa's father said he had reported members of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment after seeing them break into a safe.
Italians begin closing arguments at CIA trial 23 Sep 2009 Prosecutors began closing arguments Wednesday in the trial of 26 Americans and seven Italians accused of orchestrating a CIA-led kidnapping of an Egyptian terror suspect. The arguments by Prosecutor Armando Spataro signaled the final phase of the first trial in any country involving the CIA's extraordinary renditions program. Spataro's arguments, including his specific demands for each defendant, are expected to continue into next week.
Obama to Set Higher Bar For Keeping State Secrets --New Policy May Affect Wiretap, Torture Suits 23 Sep 2009 The Obama administration will announce a new policy Wednesday making it much more difficult for the government to claim that it is protecting state secrets when it hides details of sensitive national security strategies such as rendition and warrantless eavesdropping, according to two senior Justice Department officials. The new policy requires agencies, including the intelligence community and the military, to convince the attorney general and a team of Justice Department lawyers that the release of sensitive information would present significant harm to "national defense or foreign relations."
Seven Million Hondurans Under House Arrest as Micheletti Writes of "Democracy" By Al Giordano 22 Sep 2009 The Honduran coup regime’s 26-hour martial curfew upon the entire country effectively places 7.5 million Honduran citizens – men, women, children and elders – under house arrest... The military curfew has no practical reason. It will not bring the expulsion, anew, of [President Manuel] Zelaya from national territory. It will not hasten his capture by the regime. And it does not make the regime any more legitimate. To the contrary, it demonstrates, again, its repressive, anti-democratic and usurper character.
'What are all these black kids doing here?' Panel Orders Swim Club to Pay $3.35 Million for Discrimination 23 Sep 2009 The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission has ruled that racial discrimination, not safety concerns , as the reason a group of Black and Latino youth were not allowed to return to a suburban Philadelphia swim club. Last June, children and staff from Creative Steps, Inc. day camp arrived at The Valley Club in Huntingdon Valley, PA only to have their money be refunded and asked to leave... The lawyer representing the swim club said they will appeal the ruling. The club must pay a $3.35million fine or $50,000 for each child discriminated against.
Tragic Details About Census Worker Found Hanged 23 Sep 2009 William E. Sparkman Jr. was a 51-year-old single father who once battled Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma while he pursued his teaching degree, according to a March 2008 article profiling the London, Kentucky man. Sparkman worked two jobs while he earned his degree and was treated for cancer. Sparkman worked as substitute teacher and a census taker for the U.S. Census Bureau. He was found dead Sunday, Sept. 13, with the word "fed" was scrawled onto his chest, according to a law enforcement source.
Seasonal flu shot may increase H1N1 risk 23 Sep 2009 Preliminary research suggests the seasonal flu shot may put people at greater risk for getting swine flu, CBC News has learned. Four Canadian studies involved about 2,000 people in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta, health officials told CBC News. Researchers found people who had received the seasonal flu vaccine in the past were more likely to get sick with the H1N1 virus.
CNN's Dr. Gupta gets the swine flu 23 Sep 2009 As CNN's chief medical correspondent [Sanjay Gupta] writes in his blog, Paging Dr. Gupta, he, and a CNN cameraman, picked up the swine flu -- formally known as H1N1 -- while on a trip to Afghanistan. Gupta says he rarely gets sick, but this time was hit so hard he had seek out a battlefield hospital for treatment.
ACORN Sues Over Damaging Video --Secret Recording in Baltimore Violated Wiretapping Law, Liberal Group Says 24 Sep 2009 ACORN, the community organizing group embarrassed recently in a video sting, said Wednesday that it needs to determine whether it has major internal problems, but it also struck back, filing a lawsuit against the 'people' who conducted the secret investigation. Bertha Lewis, head of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, told reporters in a conference call that ACORN does not support criminal activity and that it thinks the filmmakers should have obeyed Maryland laws.
ACORN Founder Calls Conservative Attacks 'Complete Fabrication' 23 Sep 2009 The founder of ACORN, the community organizing group embarrassed recently in a video sting, says many of the accusations about the group are distortions meant to undermine President Obama and other Democrats. In an interview with The Washington Post, founder Wade Rathke said conservative claims that ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, is a "criminal enterprise" that misuses federal and donor funds for political ends -- a claim contained in a report by House Republicans -- are a "complete fabrication."
Republicans ask US Senate to slow down on healthcare 23 Sep 2009 The Senate Finance Committee made unsteady progress on Wednesday on a broad healthcare overhaul bill, working slowly through a crush of amendments as lawmakers battled over its cost and size. Lawmakers resumed debate on Chairman Max Baucus's [disastrous] healthcare reform proposal, with Republicans repeatedly demanding more information on costs and calling for the committee to slow down its deliberations. [Sure, Republicans *have* health care - they don't care if anyone else has it.]
Cantor to Uninsured Woman With Growing Tumors: Get 'An Existing Government Program' Or Find Charity By Lee Fang 22 Sep 2009 At the Richmond Times-Dispatch "public square" forum yesterday, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) fielded open questions from his constituents on the health reform debate for the first time this summer. Patricia Churchill relayed a story about a close family member who recently lost a high-paying job and her health insurance. Churchill told Cantor that her relative was dying of stomach tumors and needs an operation as soon as possible. Cantor responded by suggesting that Churchill’s relative should seek "existing government programs" or find charity.
Useless is as useless does: Democrats Soften Financial Bill 24 Sep 2009 Congressional Democrats and the White House are softening some elements of the Obama administration's proposal to overhaul financial-market supervision as they begin a push to win broader support for the bill. So far, Democrats and the White House haven't budged on the main tenets of the effort, which include tougher regulation of the country's largest financial companies and the creation of a new agency to protect consumers. But the changes are nonetheless significant...
Australia engulfed by dust storms --Wild winds sweep millions of tonnes of red dust from continent's drought-ravaged interior and dump it on coast 23 Sep 2009 Storms of red dust produced a supernaturally orange and glowing sky over much of Australia's east coast as the country experienced a day of freak weather conditions. The Sydney Opera House turned orange, flights at Sydney and Brisbane airports were delayed, building sites shut down, workers choked and emergency departments were flooded with calls, after the worst dust storm to hit Australia in 70 years.
Previous lead stories: NYC terror probe: Cops visit truck rentals, raid homes 22 Sep 2009 As New York City transportation officials moved to ratchet up security at major rail hubs, law enforcement sources said Tuesday that police were conducting more visits to truck rental companies and chemical suppliers as part of the major terrorism probe that led to the arrest of three men over the weekend. Reports also spread that police had raided homes in Queens in search of more than a dozen associates of Najibullah Zazi, who has emerged as the central figure in the investigation into a possible plot to set off explosives in the city.
Terror suspects and torture: former CIA inspector general confirms Panorama findings 21 Sep 2009 The former CIA inspector general, John Helgerson, has confirmed that the Bush administration authorised the CIA to use a harsh interrogation method torture on terror suspect Abu Zubaydah before written legal clearance was given. This is politically explosive, because the Bush administration has always claimed that it used harsh interrogation techniques such as waterboarding only after government lawyers had determined they did not amount to torture.
US ships arrive in Israel ahead of joint drill --Officials say US may leave some systems in Israel after planned drill 21 Sep 2009 US Navy missile ships started arriving in Israel on Sunday ahead of next month's joint missile defense exercise between the IDF and the American military's European Command. Called Juniper Cobra, the exercise will include the Arrow missile defense system as well as three American systems - the THAAD, Aegis and PAC3 - that will all be deployed in Israel for the duration of the exercise.
