Friday, May 25, 2007

Reid warning to judges over control orders

The home secretary, John Reid, made clear yesterday he is prepared to declare a "state of emergency" to suspend key parts of the human rights convention if the law lords do not overturn a series of judgments that have weakened the anti-terrorist control order regime.

His warning to the courts followed his acute embarrassment yesterday when he had to confirm to MPs that three terror suspects whom he had placed under control orders to prevent them travelling to Iraq to kill British and US troops had all absconded on Monday night.

Source: Guardian UK
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Bush makes power grab

President Bush, without so much as issuing a press statement, on May 9 signed a directive that granted near dictatorial powers to the office of the president in the event of a national emergency declared by the president.

The "National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive," with the dual designation of NSPD-51, as a National Security Presidential Directive, and HSPD-20, as a Homeland Security Presidential Directive, establishes under the office of president a new National Continuity Coordinator.

That job, as the document describes, is to make plans for "National Essential Functions" of all federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal governments, as well as private sector organizations to continue functioning under the president's directives in the event of a national emergency.

The directive loosely defines "catastrophic emergency" as "any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government functions."

When the president determines a catastrophic emergency has occurred, the president can take over all government functions and direct all private sector activities to ensure we will emerge from the emergency with an "enduring constitutional government."

Translated into layman's terms, when the president determines a national emergency has occurred, the president can declare to the office of the presidency powers usually assumed by dictators to direct any and all government and business activities until the emergency is declared over.

Ironically, the directive sees no contradiction in the assumption of dictatorial powers by the president with the goal of maintaining constitutional continuity through an emergency.

Source: WorldNetDaily
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Thursday, May 24, 2007

Bid to put off info time-wasters

Plans are due to be unveiled to deter "pointless and mischievous" requests under the Freedom of Information Act.
UK Information Commissioner Richard Thomas will say the act's reputation is being jeopardised by such inquiries.
He cites a request to the Foreign Office on the amount spent on Ferrero Rocher chocolate and one on eligible bachelors in the Hampshire police.
But he will stress that the act "reinforces good government" and should not be fought over.
More than 100,000 public bodies, including government departments, councils, the NHS, and universities, have been subject to potential FoI requests since 2005.
Preventing requests
In a keynote speech, the commissioner will say FoI should not be regarded as a threat even when it reveals information that is "embarrassing" or "uncomfortable".
He will urge public bodies them to adopt a positive approach to openness.

"After nearly two-and-a-half years FoI is delivering real benefits," Mr Thomas will say.
"There is a presumption of disclosure, unless there is a genuine reason to withhold information."

The commissioner is due to outline new guidelines, highlighting the right of public bodies to reject "vexatious" requests.
Some have been bombarded with inquires - the BBC, for example, has received more than 90 from one individual about the amount of expenses paid to senior staff.
"A charter for responsible FoI requests will help to prevent requests which have no serious purpose or value, impose disproportionate burdens or have the effect of harassing the public body," Mr Thomas will say.
The suggestion, however, is likely to prompt criticism from those already concerned at attempts by some MPs to restrict the scope of the act.

Source: BBC News

Editor Notes:
So it looks like the UK Government wants to limited what information is given out, One thing I want to know is what was "pointless and mischievous" request. There has been no examples, I do know that people are questioning the 7/7 Incident, could it be this? Which I don't think is "pointless and mischievous"

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Israel Launches Air Strikes on Gaza Amid New Truce Effort

Israel has launched fresh air strikes in the Gaza Strip, wounding at least seven Palestinians. As Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, the attacks occurred as Palestinian leaders pushed for a new truce.

Israeli aircraft attacked targets of the Islamic militant group Hamas across Gaza including suspected weapons factories and warehouses and other facilities. Now in its second week, the air campaign is aimed at halting Palestinian rocket attacks. More than 150 rockets have fallen on Israel over the past week, leaving the border community of Sderot a virtual ghost town.

The rockets keep falling despite the air strikes, but Israeli spokeswoman Miri Eisen says a major ground assault on Gaza is not on the table.

"The military themselves are very clear on the fact that even a full-scale invasion would not necessarily stop all of the rocket attacks," said Eisen.

Source: VOA News
To read the full story, please click on the source

Hillary Clinton - What Does she stand for?



I think that says it all!

ABC News: Bush Authorizes New Covert Action Against Iran

The CIA has received secret presidential approval to mount a covert "black" operation to destabilize the Iranian government, current and former officials in the intelligence community tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com.

The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, say President Bush has signed a "nonlethal presidential finding" that puts into motion a CIA plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran's currency and international financial transactions.

Source: ABCNEWS Blog
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CNN news - Does the jihadists serve really the cause of their country?



An Interesting News Report from CNN

Faith United - A Lesson For Us All...


This is an old video from last year On 7/26/2006, Ahmed Bedier along with other CAIR reps meet Orthodox Jewish Rabbis participating in Rally outside the Embassy of Israel, Washington, D.C. to call for an immediate Cease Fire. The Rabbis described the Israeli aggression as illegal. One Rabbi aske the world not blame the great religion of Judaism for the actions of the Israeli government.

The last bit is crucial, Judaism is NOT to blame, the Zionist Israeli Government is!

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Russia shields spy murder suspect

Relations between Britain and Russia hit a post-cold war low on Tuesday after Moscow said it would not extradite the former KGB officer the UK wants to try for the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, a Russian dissident.

The government began formal proceedings for Andrei Lugovoi to be extradited after the Crown Prosecution Service said there was enough evidence for him to face trial in the UK for the poisoning of Litvinenko in a London hotel in November.

A spokesman for Tony Blair, the prime minister, said the UK would “not in any way shy away’’ from trying to ensure justice prevailed. “Murder is murder; this is a very serious case,” he said.

Mr Lugovoi said he was innocent of murder and the decision to charge him was politically motivated, according to the Russian news agency RIA-Novosti.

Source: FT.com
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"Israels Next War" - Jewish Settler Attitudes



The documentary is damage control for Israel. The settlers have run amok for years unfettered by the State. With the average non jew now cottoning on that the biggest thug on the block is Israel, they are having to "trim their sails".

We see here the end result of the ideological base that bonds all jews together...the racist and biggotted holy books called the Talmud and Zohar/Kabbahla.

In these books only the jew is a human being. All non jews are animals.

Whether a rabid right wing religious jew or a rabid secular Zionist with Left wing leanings, the base of operations remains the same...Israel must fulfill it's destiny no matter how many Arabs die or are made homeless.

When Arabs fight back it is "terrorism".

When radical jews commit murder...it is unfortunate.

Please visit and purchase quality books and multi media from Michael Hoffmans website...

http://www.revisionisthistory.org

Pilotless police drone takes off

The UK's first police remote control helicopter has taken off.

Merseyside police are using the "spy drone", fitted with CCTV cameras, mainly for tackling anti-social behaviour and public disorder.

The machine is 1m wide, weighs less than a bag of sugar, and can record images from a height of 500m.

Originally used by the military, it is due to be operational by June for a full three-month trial, which is the "first of its kind" in the UK.

The drone will also be used for monitoring traffic congestion and investigations are to be made into its possible role in firearms operations.

The machines, which are flown by remote control or using pre-programmed GPS navigation systems, are silent and can be fitted with night-vision cameras.

The images they record are sent back to a police support vehicle or control room.

Source: BBC News
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Sunday, May 20, 2007

Global net censorship 'growing'

The level of state-led censorship of the net is growing around the world, a study of so-called internet filtering by the Open Net Initiative suggests.

The study of thousands of websites across 120 Internet Service Providers found 25 of 41 countries surveyed showed evidence of content filtering.

Websites and services such as Skype and Google Maps were blocked, it said.

Such "state-mandated net filtering" was only being carried out in "a couple" of states in 2002, one researcher said.

"In five years we have gone from a couple of states doing state-mandated net filtering to 25," said John Palfrey, at Harvard Law School.

Source: BBC News
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Police chief slams 'Orwellian' CCTV

A senior police officer has warned that the proliferation of CCTV cameras risks creating an "Orwellian" society.
Ian Readhead, Deputy Chief Constable of Hampshire Police, said he did not want to live in a country with surveillance on every street corner.
He questioned whether the expansion was justified in areas where there were relatively-low crime levels.
The Hampshire force area includes the small town of Stockbridge, where parish councillors have spent £10,000 installing CCTV.

"I'm really concerned about what happens to the product of these cameras, and what comes next," he told BBC One's Politics Show.

"If it's in our villages, are we really moving towards an Orwellian situation where cameras are at every street corner? And I really don't think that's the kind of country that I want to live in."


Mr Readhead also called for the use of speed cameras to be reviewed, and more consideration of why DNA was kept.
There are an estimated 4.2 million CCTV cameras in the UK - one for every 14 people.
Information Commissioner Richard Thomas has raised concerns about Britain "sleepwalking into a surveillance society", with more cameras on the street and extensive monitoring of consumer behaviour.
However, supporters say CCTV is a crucial tool in deterring crime and catching criminals, and the innocent have nothing to fear.

Source: Guardian UK

Friday, May 18, 2007

Senators Want CIA to Release 9/11 Report

A bipartisan group of senators is pushing legislation that would force the CIA to release an inspector general's report on the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The CIA has spent more than 20 months weighing requests under the Freedom of Information Act for its internal investigation of the attacks but has yet to release any portion of it.

The agency is the only federal office involved in counterterrorism operations that has not made at least a version of its internal 9/11 investigation public.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and two other intelligence committee leaders - chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and senior Republican Kit Bond of Missouri - are pushing legislation that would require the agency to declassify the executive summary of the review within one month and submit a report to Congress explaining why any material was withheld.

The provision has been approved by the Senate twice, but never made into law.

In an interview, Wyden said he is also considering whether to link the report's release to his acceptance of President Bush's nominations for national security positions.

``It's amazing the efforts the administration is going to stonewall this,'' Wyden said. ``The American people have a right to know what the Central Intelligence Agency was doing in those critical months before 9/11.... I am going to bulldog this until the public gets it.''

Source: Guardian
To read the full story, please click on the source

Thursday, May 17, 2007

US says Israel has right to defend against Hamas

The United States said on Thursday that Israel had the right to defend itself against rocket attacks from the militant Palestinian group Hamas and praised the Jewish state for "great restraint" in recent days. Israeli air strikes on Thursday destroyed a Hamas security headquarters and a car carrying one of the group's top commanders. Israel had threatened a "severe" response to cross-border rocket attacks that have persisted despite a troop and settler pullout from Gaza in 2005. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack urged restraint on all sides but said Israel had the right to respond to rocket attacks from Hamas. "Israel has the right to defend itself and it has exercised great restraint in the face of these rocket attacks," McCormack told reporters. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke earlier to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as well as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert about the latest violence pitting Abbas' Fatah movement against Hamas. Israel has also launched deadly air strikes against the Islamists."She wanted to talk to them directly and see how they saw the situation," said McCormack of the calls Rice made to the two leaders. "We certainly want to see a reduction or an end to the violence but let's remember how that violence started and it started with these Hamas-led forces," he added.

Source: Reuters

It looks like the US just stands by while innocent people are being killed

Israel launches Gaza air strikes

Israel's aircraft have struck a number of targets in Gaza after it vowed a severe response to rocket attacks on its soil.

A Hamas commander died in an attack on a car and another militant was killed in a housing unit, both in Gaza City.

A raid on a Hamas office also killed one person and injured at least 45.

The attacks came as efforts to end five days of fighting between rivals Hamas and Fatah again appeared to fail. At least 40 people have now died.

Correspondents say the rocket attacks into Israel appear to be an attempt to draw it into an internal Palestinian conflict.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who leads Fatah, on Thursday suddenly called off a trip to Gaza that had been billed as an effort to shore up the fourth Hamas-Fatah ceasefire in five days.

Officials said he might now travel from Ramallah in the West Bank on Friday.

The BBC's Magdi Abdelhadi says control of the security forces appears to have been the trigger for the latest factional fighting but that it has now developed a momentum of its own.

Armed supporters on the ground may no longer be paying attention to orders from their political leadership, he adds.

On Thursday, US President George W Bush said both he and visiting UK Prime Minister Tony Blair were urging all parties to work for peace.

Source: BBC News
To read the full story, please click on the source

Israel Soldiers Hurt In Secret Anthrax Experiment

Dozens of Israeli soldiers are today suffering from a wide range of illnesses, some incurable, after participating in a secret experiment to develop an anthrax vaccine.

Israel's Channel 2 News reported that the soldiers have developed skin tumors, severe lung infections, serious migraine headaches, bronchitis and even epilepsy.

Some 800 Israeli soldiers from have participated in the program since 1999. They were sworn to secrecy, and forbidden to tell even their families about the program even after they began displaying serious medical symptoms.

The investigative reporter behind the expose charged that Israel's Defense Ministry has so far refused to take responsibility for the medical care of the soldiers in an effort to maintain the program's secrecy.

Syria, which some military experts fear may soon engage Israel in a war involving heavy use of long-range ballistic missiles, is believed to have a large stockpile of anthrax.

Source: AHN Media Group

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Al Fayed wants Queen quizzed over Diana's death

Lawyers for Mohamed Al Fayed today tried to embroil the Queen in the Diana, Princess of Wales, inquest.

They called for the monarch to be "directly approached" over an infamous conversation she allegedly had with the former royal butler, Paul Burrell, in which she warned him of unknown "powers" at work in this country.

Mr Burrell, who previously worked for the princess, made the claim after the collapse of his Old Bailey trial for theft.

Source: Guardian UK
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Reid to expand use of Taser stun guns

The use of Taser stun guns could be extended to non-firearms police officers, the Home Office said on Wednesday.

Home Secretary John Reid is due to tell the Police Federation's annual conference in Blackpool that he wants to see more frontline police officers carrying the 50,000 volt devices.

The guns, which temporarily disable a suspect, can only be used by firearms officers at the moment, but Reid wants to extend the use to non-firearms officers working in specially trained units.

Currently, officers can only use the guns when confronted by an armed person, but under the plans, officers will also be able to use them if they face violence or threats, the BBC reported.

Taser guns have been used in 619 incidents since their introduction in the UK four years ago, a Home Office spokeswoman said.

The plans have angered human rights groups who say Tasers have been linked to dozens of deaths in America and Canada.

The Home Office said no deaths have been linked to their use in Britain.

An independent medical panel is carrying out research on whether the guns, which fire two barbed darts trailing electric wires, can cause serious injury.

If the plans get the go-ahead, trials could begin from September.

Source: Reuters UK

Lawyer for bomber's widow condemns police

The solicitor of a woman released without charge after being arrested in connection with the July 7 bombings has condemned police for her treatment.

Last night Scotland Yard confirmed three people arrested in connection with the July 7 bombings had been released without charge.

Those released include Hasina Patel, 29, the widow of London bombings ringleader Mohammed Sidique Khan.

Ms Patel's solicitor, Imran Khan, said he was relieved his client had been released, but shocked at the way she had been treated.

He said police had destroyed relations with the Muslim community in the way they had behaved towards the widow of Mohammed Sidique Khan.

A fourth man aged 34, Khalid Khaliq, remains in custody after police were granted a warrant to detain him for further questioning until May 21.

The two men released are Ms Patel's brother Arshad and Imran Motala.

The four were arrested in a series of anti-terror raids last Wednesday, during which properties in West Yorkshire and the West Midlands were searched.

All four, held on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, were taken to the high-security Paddington Green police station in London for questioning.

Mr Khan told BBC News 24: "I'm relieved that she's out after her ordeal and shocked that the police only revealed at the last minute information which they had in their possession before Hasina was arrested which shows she had no idea, not an inkling of what Mohammed Sidique Khan was going to do."

While Mr Khan said he was not at liberty to reveal what that information was, he said it showed "clearly and unequivocally" that she knew nothing of what Sidique Khan was planning.

Source: The Independent
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