Breaking: Va. teen suffers rare illness after swine flu shot --Boy diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome 12 Nov 2009 A 14-year-old Virginia boy is weak and struggling to walk after coming down with a reported case of Guillain-Barre syndrome within hours after receiving the H1N1 vaccine for swine flu. Jordan McFarland, a high school athlete from Alexandria, Va., left Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children Tuesday night in a wheelchair nearly a week after developing severe headaches, muscle spasms and weakness in his legs following a swine flu shot. He will likely need the assistance of a walker for four to six weeks, plus extensive physical therapy.
Breaking: Conflicting reports about who shot Hasan at Fort Hood 12 Nov 2009 Did Police Sgt. Kimberly Munley shoot Maj. Nidal Hasan last week at Fort Hood? Army officials have credited the wounded 34-year-old officer from Killeen, Texas, with ending the rampage that left 13 dead and dozens injured. But the officer who responded with her, Senior Sgt. Mark Todd, tells The New York Times that he shot Hasan after the gunman seriously wounded Munley. An eyewitness has backed Todd's version of events.
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.
KBR improperly billed for security guards, senator says 11 Nov 2009 KBR, the largest contractor in Iraq and Afghanistan, improperly billed the Pentagon and was paid about $103 million for armed security guard services, a U.S. senator says. In a Nov. 6 letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who chairs a contracting oversight panel, wrote that the Pentagon has recovered $42 million of the payments. McCaskill said she was concerned the Defense Department "is not moving quickly enough to recover the remaining $61 million" and asked Gates for a status report by Dec. 1.
Iraq probes Blackwater bribes 12 Nov 2009 Iraq has ordered an investigation into whether the US security firm Blackwater paid bribes to officials following the fatal shootings of 17 people in 2007. Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani told CNN that he had asked the appropriate commanders to look into the matter. The decision came after former top Blackwater executives told the New York Times they had sent $1m to its office in Iraq in a bid to silence criticism [and illegally thwart investigations].
Blair faces Iraq probe next year 13 Nov 2009 Former Prime Minister Tony Blair is to be called to give evidence to the Iraq War inquiry early next year. He will be among senior Labour figures to be publicly grilled just months ahead of an expected general election. Mr Blair and the others may be quizzed again in more detail, but that will not happen until after the election, which must take place by June.
Ministry of Defence civil servants paid £47 million in bonuses --Civil servants at the Ministry of Defence have been paid £47 million in performance bonuses so far this year. 12 Nov 2009 The MoD said the bonuses were paid for "exceptional performance" but the disclosure came as the Government faced increasing pressure over the lack of equipment for troops serving in Afghanistan. There are 85,000 civil servants at the MoD -- one for every two active soldiers, the highest level among the Allied nations -- and about 50,000 will get a performance bonus this year. Troops serving in Afghanistan would be "aghast" at the payments, the Conservatives said last night.
Gates Condemns Leaks on U.S. Afghan Policy and Ft. Hood 13 Nov 2009 Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates unleashed a torrent on Thursday about leaks during the investigation of the Foot Hood shootings and during President Obama’s deliberations on sending more American troops to Afghanistan. First, on the president’s meetings on Afghanistan: "I have been appalled by the amount of leaking that has been going on in this process," Mr. Gates told reporters... He added that he thought "a lot of different places are leaking" and that he was "confident that the Department of Defense is one of them." Then he made a threat: "And frankly if I found out with high confidence anybody who was leaking in the Department of Defense, who that was, that would probably be a career ender." [And, the first career we want to see ended is that of Robert Gates.]
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.
McDonald's advertises for staff to work at Guantánamo Bay 12 Nov 2009 McDonald's is advertising for staff to work at Guantánamo Bay, in what might be the perfect opportunity for anyone looking to see out the recession in warmer climes. The burger chain is looking to hire an assistant manager for its outlet at the military base on Cuba where the US holds foreign terrorist suspects. The sole McDonald's branch on the island has featured in news reports about the controversial prison, with interrogators allegedly buying Big Macs and fries in an attempt to make captives more amenable.
Bomb destroys Pakistani security building: witnesses 12 Nov 2009 A bomb destroyed a Pakistani security agency office in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Friday, killing at least two people, witnesses said. Police said the blast was caused by a bomb. Militants have launched several big bomb attacks in Peshawar since the army began an offensive against Taliban militants on October 17.
Iran consulate official killed in Peshawar 12 Nov 2009 'Unknown' gunmen have shot dead a local official at Iran's consulate in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar. Abul Hassan Jafari, director of public relations at the consulate, was attacked by assailants on Thursday as he was on his way to work, police said. He died of severe injuries on the way to hospital. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. [Yeah, but we all know who it is.]
Obama extends Iran sanctions for another year 12 Nov 2009 US President Barack Obama has renewed longstanding US economic sanctions against Iran, despite his apparent overtures to the Islamic Republic. Obama notified Congress that he was extending existing US measures against Tehran for another year, the White House said on Thursday.
Israeli rabbi backs killing non-Jews 10 Nov 2009 An Israeli rabbi has supported the murder of non-Jewish babies who pose a threat to Israel in his recently released book The King's Torah. Rabbi Yitzhak Shapiro, who heads the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva religious school in the occupied West Bank, says Jews are allowed to murder even non-Jewish babies and children if they pose a threat to Israel, Haaretz reported. Shapiro said Jews are allowed to kill 'those who, by speech, weaken our sovereignty'.
Lack of health care killed 2,266 US veterans last year: study 11 Nov 2009 The number of US veterans who died in 2008 because they lacked health insurance was 14 times higher than the US military death toll in Afghanistan that year, according to a new study. The analysis produced by two Harvard medical researchers estimates that 2,266 US military veterans under the age of 65 died in 2008 because they lacked health coverage and had reduced access to medical care.
Italy: 17 Arrested in Terrorism Case 13 Nov 2009 Italy’s top security official said Thursday that authorities had broken up an international terrorist cell with the arrest in Italy and elsewhere in Europe of 17 Algerians suspected of raising money to finance terrorism. The official, Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, called the cell "significant." The arrests stemmed from an antiterrorism investigation in Milan, and antiterrorist units from Algeria, Austria, Britain, France, Spain and Switzerland cooperated in the inquiry.
Neb. to test communication, terrorism response 11 Nov 2009 Next week, the state of Nebraska will be testing a communications tool as it checks its ability to handle a terrorist attack. This year's emergency-response test is called Terrex '09 and is scheduled for Nov. 18 and 20 in Lincoln, Scottsbluff and Grand Island. The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency says Terrex '09 will check the state's response to terrorists' use of hazardous materials.
White House Sides With C.I.A. in Turf Battle 13 Nov 2009 After a months-long turf battle between America’s top spies, the White House has sided with the Central Intelligence Agency in the dispute over who has the power to appoint the top spy in each country overseas, according to intelligence officials. The decision is a blow to Dennis C. Blair, the director of national intelligence, who had used the issue as a litmus test of the power of his office, created in 2004 to enhance cooperation among intelligence agencies and put an end to persistent squabbling among American spies.
Government Will Pay $3 Million in Coffee Table Spying Suit 10 Nov 2009 The U.S. has agreed to pay $3 million to a former government worker who accused officials with the CIA and State Department of spying on him with a bugged coffee table. Rather than comply with a court order to provide lawyers in the case with what the U.S. government says is classified information, the government has agreed to settle to end the 15-year-old suit. A close review of the case suggests that the Justice Department also decided to pay off the plaintiff in order to quash the series of damaging legal rulings issued by the influential judge overseeing the case that would have forced them to disclose the classified information.
State to 'spy' on every phone call, email and web search --Every phone call, text message, email and website visit made by private citizens is to be stored for a year and will be available for monitoring by government bodies. 10 Nov 2009 All telecoms companies and internet service providers will be required by law to keep a record of every customer’s personal communications, showing who they have contacted, when and where, as well as the websites they have visited. Despite widespread opposition to the increasing amount of surveillance in Britain, 653 public bodies will be given access to the information, including police, local councils, the Financial Services Authority, the ambulance service, fire authorities and even prison governors. They will not require the permission of a judge or a magistrate to obtain the information, but simply the authorisation of a senior police officer or the equivalent of a deputy head of department at a local authority.
Obama orders base killings probe 12 Nov 2009 US President Barack Obama has ordered a review of the way intelligence agencies handled information over an army major suspected of killing 13 people. The measure comes after US intelligence authorities revealed they knew Maj Nidal Malik Hasan had been in contact with a cleric sympathetic to al-Qaeda [al-CIAduh].
Hasan charged with premeditated murder, Army official says 12 Nov 2009 Maj. Nidal M. Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of opening fire on soldiers at Fort Hood last week, has been charged with premeditated murder in the deaths of 12 soldiers and a civilian and could face other charges, an Army official said Thursday. Christopher Grey, a spokesman for the Army's Criminal Investigation Division and for the joint task force investigating the crime, said Hasan "has been charged with 13 specifications of premeditated murder under Article 118 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice." He told a news conference that "additional charges may be preferred in the future."
Major Hasan: Soldier of Allah; Many Ties to Jihad Web Sites --Officials Say Accused Fort Hood Shooter Used Multiple Hotmail, AOL Accounts for Overseas Contacts 12 Nov 2009 United States Army Major Nidal Hasan proclaimed himself a "soldier of Allah" on private business cards he obtained over the Internet and kept in a box at his apartment near Fort Hood, Texas. The cards make no mention of his military affiliation, but underneath his name he listed himself as SoA (SWT). SoA is commonly used on jihadist Web sites as the acronym for Soldier of Allah, according to investigators and experts who have studied such sites. SWT is commonly used by Muslims as an acronym for Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, Glory to God.
Hasan did not formally ask to leave military, Army official says 11 Nov 2009 The Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people last week at Fort Hood, Tex., did not formally seek to leave the military as a conscientious objector or for any other reason, an Army official said. Any formal request by Maj. Nidal M. Hasan to separate early would have been submitted to the Department of the Army, according to the official, who saw Hasan's file before it was recently sealed by Army investigators. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case publicly.
Walter Reed Officials Asked: Was Hasan Psychotic? 11 Nov 2009 Starting in the spring of 2008, key officials from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences held a series of meetings and conversations, in part about Maj. Nidal Hasan, the man accused of killing 13 people and wounding dozens of others last week during a shooting spree at Fort Hood. One of the questions they pondered: Was Hasan psychotic?
Lawyers say a fair trial for Hasan will be impossible 11 Nov 2009 Lawyers for US Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who is alleged to have shot 13 people dead at Fort Hood, Texas, say he will not get a fair trial on the base. Army officials have been overseeing the care of Major Hasan, after he was shot by a civilian police officer following his alleged shooting rampage at the Fort Hood installation. Hasan's lawyer, retired Colonel John Galligan, has said his client's condition in hospital is stable and he is aware charges will be laid.
H1N1 has killed 3,900 Americans: CDC 12 Nov 2009 H1N1 swine flu killed an estimated 3,900 Americans from April to October, including more than 500 children, U.S. health officials said on Thursday. Better data than was previously available shows the flu pandemic has infected an estimated 22 million Americans and put 98,000 in the hospital, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Glaxo sees recurring pandemic flu business 12 Nov 2009 Sales of flu treatments due to the H1N1 swine flu pandemic may be sustainable beyond the current winter season, as governments around the world overhaul their long-term strategy on stockpiles. GlaxoSmithKline Plc Chief Executive Andrew Witty said on Thursday that pandemic stockpiling would be a recurrent business [!], rather than a simple one-off, with some 60 countries now running strategic reserves of both vaccines and antivirals.
Trucks With H1N1 Vaccine Will Be Escorted By Police --Truck Carrying Flu Vaccine Supply Is Stolen 07 Nov 2009 (Chicago) Someone in Milwaukee stole a refrigerated truck that was hauling 930 doses of the swine flu vaccine. The doses were being returned [H1N1 vaccine is unwanted, despite mainstream media assertions to the contrary] to Milwaukee's main storage facility on Thursday evening after a public vaccination clinic when one or more people drove away in the truck, which had been left idling and unattended only for moments, the authorities said. As prosecutors considered charges against a man suspected in the theft, there was other fallout: the department will no longer employ the transport company involved, said Bevan K. Baker, the city health commissioner, and trucks bearing H1N1 doses will now be escorted by a police squad car.
Ex-NYC top cop allowed out of jail for holidays 11 Nov 2009 Bernard Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner and one-time [Bush] candidate for Homeland Security chief, was freed from jail Tuesday for the holidays to await sentencing on federal crimes. Kerik, who pleaded guilty last week to eight felonies, was released on $1.5 million bond by federal Judge Stephen Robinson after the former top cop spent three weeks in jail.
Holy hypocrisy, Batman! RNC insurance plan covers abortion 12 Nov 2009 The Republican National Committee’s health insurance plan covers elective abortion - a procedure the party’s own platform calls "a fundamental assault on innocent human life." Federal Election Commission Records show the RNC purchases its insurance from Cigna. Two sales agents for the company said that the RNC’s policy covers elective abortion.
Advocacy Groups Claim Victory After Dobbs Leaves --Dobbs Released From Contract Early, Considering Number of Options 12 Nov 2009 CNN moved swiftly to replace Lou Dobbs in its nightly lineup with John King, who said Thursday that all views would be welcome on his politically-oriented talk show when it debuts early next year. Dobbs' abrupt exit prompted a victory lap by advocacy groups that had sought his ouster for outspokenness... But CNN President Jon Klein said their pressure had nothing to do with the decision.
Previous lead stories: Taliban Militants Seize Weapons and Ammunitions in Military Posts Evacuated By U.S. Forces in East Afghanistan --Al-Jazeera TV report on the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan, which aired November 9, 2009. 10 Nov 2009 Large Quantities of American-Made Weapons and Ammunition Fall into Taliban Hands --Reporter: "The most important spoils of war, as far as the Taliban militants are concerned, may be the large quantities of American-made weapons and ammunition that fell into their hands, enabling them to continue their operations against the Afghan and foreign forces. This arsenal joins the old weapons in their possession. The Taliban commanders in Nuristan say that they have enough men, and they will send their weapons surplus to other places." Taliban Leader: "We Have Defeated The U.S. Forces…"; Government Signs in Kamdesh Have Been Replaced By Signs of The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan --Muhammad Othman, a Taliban leader in Kamdesh: "We have defeated the U.S. forces, with the help of God. All these regions are completely free of Americans. The most recent defeat they suffered was at Ormar. East Nuristan has become free of U.S. forces." Reporter: "The government signs in Kamdesh have been replaced by signs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and the Taliban flag has been hoisted on top of the government buildings, and the army and police posts. The U.S. forces have pinned their withdrawal on the onset of winter, which necessitated a new deployment in the region."
Bush officials lead Iraq business push 09 Nov 2009 Senior Bush administration figures including Zalmay Khalilzad, former US ambassador to Baghdad, and Jay Garner, the retired general who led reconstruction efforts immediately after the war, are leading a new business push into Iraq. The two one-time senior officials are among a raft of former US soldiers and diplomats either leveraging their war experience helping foreign companies to enter the Iraqi market or starting businesses there themselves.
Blackwater Authorized $1M In Bribes to Iraqi Officials After Shootings --Blackwater's buying off government officials is illegal under US law 11 Nov 2009 Top executives at Blackwater Worldwide authorized secret payments of about $1 million to Iraqi officials that were intended to silence their criticism and buy their support after a September 2007 episode in which Blackwater security guards mercenaries fatally shot 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad, according to former company officials. Blackwater approved the cash payments in December 2007, the officials said, as protests over the deadly shootings in Nisour Square stoked long-simmering anger inside Iraq about reckless practices by the security company’s employees. Four former Blackwater executives said in interviews that Gary Jackson, who was then the company’s president, had approved the bribes, and the money was sent from Amman, Jordan, where Blackwater maintains an operations [and torture] hub, to a top manager in Iraq. [See: Blackwater/Xe in Pakistan.]
