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'Kill pigs' riot erupts in Oakland in response to Zimmerman verdict - BizPac Review
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  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 14:16
  After deliberating for more than 16 hours, a jury found George Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter late Saturday evening.
  The verdict is the culmination of a case that captured the nation's attention and the outcome had authorities bracing for the possibility of tensions boiling over into wide-scale demonstrations and rioting.
  And while the scene outside the courthouse in Sanford, Fla., was quiet and orderly after the verdict was announced, some 3000 miles away, in Oakland, Calif., the story was very different.
  About 125 protesters, upset at the acquittal of Zimmerman, took to the streets of Oakland on Saturday evening starting several fires, smashing windows and trashing police vehicles. One police car can be seen with the words ''Kill Pigs'' spray painted on it.
  The remnants of Occupy Oakland look to be behind the mayhem, which comes as no surprise.
  At the height of the Occupy Wall Street movement, the city degenerated into chaos with widespread rioting and burning. Actions that were spurred on by the conciliatory reaction of Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, according to some.
  While the protestors claim to be reacting in support of Trayvon Martin, history tells us that these folks just like to destroy things. Some scenes from Oakland on Saturday night, via Twitter:
  Crowd growing over 100 at #OGP 14th and Broadway #Oakland angry about #ZimmermanTrial love for #Trayvonpic.twitter.com/MMtBwQ6rGX
  '-- Occupy Oakland (@OccupyOakland) July 14, 2013
  Here's a closer look at the flag protesters set on fire in Oakland. WATCH live stream here: http://t.co/4AWpbxbulJpic.twitter.com/mOv61MIWGk
  '-- ABC7 News (@abc7newsBayArea) July 14, 2013
  Downtown Oakland. pic.twitter.com/UxATjCSFHz
  '-- Susie Cagle (@susie_c) July 14, 2013
  And there it is. pic.twitter.com/VYXGrPMx6H
  '-- Susie Cagle (@susie_c) July 14, 2013
  Riots in downtown Oakland in response to Zimmerman ruling. pic.twitter.com/T6hnQlbGKC
  '-- Shane Bauer (@shane_bauer) July 14, 2013
  #BREAKING smashed windows downtown #Oakland as protestors march, angry about #TrayvonMartin verdict @KTVUpic.twitter.com/nckdiMCYPb
  '-- Debora Villalon (@deboraktvu) July 14, 2013
Belfast riots: seven more police officers injured | UK news | guardian.co.uk
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  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 14:14
  Riot police deploy a water cannon in north Belfast, Northern Ireland, during violence on Saturday night. Photograph: Peter Morrison/AP
  A further seven police officers have been injured in the rioting and disorder linked to a banned Orange Order parade in Belfast, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has confirmed.
  Saturday night's casualties bring the number of police officers hurt in the disturbances since Friday to 39. One officer was struck on the head with a piece of masonry, according to the PSNI.
  A Belfast-based press photographer was also hit with a brick in the face during the riot on Saturday night which was concentrated around Twaddell Avenue and Woodvale Avenue in the Greater Shankill area.
  Nearly 1,000 police officers from English, Welsh and Scottish constabularies are in Northern Ireland providing back-up for the PSNI.
  Meanwhile the Democratic Unionist MP for North Belfast, Nigel Dodds, is resting at home according to his wife, Diane, a DUP MEP. He was knocked unconscious on 12 July after being hit on the head with a missile thrown from loyalist lines at Woodvale Avenue towards the police.
  A PSNI spokesperson said: "Officers were attacked by petrol bombs, fireworks, masonry, laser pens, and by a whole range of weapons and missiles."
  None of those who were injured required hospital treatment and all stayed on duty, the spokesperson added.
  Police also had to fire 10 baton rounds against a small group of loyalists attacking their lines as well deploying water cannon.
  The violence erupted at about 8pm and lasted until 1.30am on Sunday when calm was restored to the area. The trouble was on a far lower scale than the disturbances that broke out following the ban on the return feeder parade from central Belfast to the Upper Crumlin Road via the nationalist Ardoyne district.
  There were also brief exchanges between nationalist and loyalist youths in the North Queen Street area of the city where a number of petrol bombs were thrown.
  The PSNI said there had been more than 30 arrests since Friday. The latest arrests include those of a boy and girl aged 17 suspected of riotous behaviour, and a 40-year-old man on suspicion of breach of peace, all in the Castlereagh Street area of east Belfast.
  A 29-year-old man was also detained in north Belfast on suspicion of riotous assembly and attempted criminal damage following disorder in the Woodvale area.
  Police said they hoped to make further arrests in the coming days. On Saturday the PSNI released video footage shot from a police helicopter of the frontline violence at Woodvale Avenue on Saturday. Dozens of loyalists attacking police lines including a member of a marching band are clearly seen brandishing a sword at police while men wearing Orange sashes also strike out at police Land Rovers. Many of their faces are identifiable and police will be using the film to mount arrests and prosecutions over the coming days and weeks.
  The Northern Ireland secretary, Theresa Villiers, described the events of the past 48 hours as depressing.
  She said: "The violence last night and the night before was shameful and it is vital that calls for calm are heeded by those responsible for this violence.
  "They say they are trying to defend their culture but they are not defending anything by throwing petrol bombs at police officers."
Eco-Blowback: Mutiny in the Land of Wind Turbines
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  Source: WT news feed
  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 13:53
  The German village of Husarenhof, just north of Stuttgart, nestles picturesquely between orchards and vineyards. Peter Hitzker's house stands on a sharp bend in the road. "Sometimes I get up in the morning and find a couple of totaled cars in the front yard," he says. "But I guess nowhere's perfect."
  Still, he finds the wind turbine behind his garden fence harder to cope with. The tower is 180 meters (590 feet) high, and the whirr of the blades and grinding of the actuators are clearly audible.
  "When I leave my local bar in Heilbronn, 15 kilometers from here, I find my way home by heading for the turbine," he quips.
  But he can't think of anything else positive to say about the turbine. "It's dreadful," he says. "And it's split the village. It's war here."
  The wind turbine, an Enercon E-82, has been there for over a year. When it was inaugurated, the local shooting club, the "Black Hunters", fired their guns in celebration, and the local priest delivered a sermon on protecting God's creation.
  But not everyone is happy. Some are angry at the way the landscape, celebrated by German Romantic poets such as H¶lderlin and M¶rike, is being butchered. The opponents protest with images of the Grim Reaper holding a wind turbine rather than his traditional scythe.
  The situation in Husarenhof can be found across Germany. After the nuclear disaster in Fukushima and Germany's swift decision to abandon nuclear energy and embrace renewable energy as part of its so-called Energiewende, the country's 16 federal states reacted with a sort of excessive zeal. The northeastern state of Brandenburg plans to set aside 2 percent of its land for wind farms. The western state of Rhineland-Palatinate intends to more than double the amount of wind power it generates. North Rhine-Westphalia, its neighbor to the north, is planning an increase of more than 300 percent.
  The winds of change are blowing in Germany -- and hard. Flat-bed trucks laden with tower segments make their way slowly across boggy fields. Cranes crawl up narrow forest paths to set up outsized wind turbines on the tops of mountains. Germany aims to increase its production of wind power from 31,000 to 45,000 megawatts over the next seven years. By the middle of the century, it hopes to be generating 85,000 megawatts in wind power
  With the prime coastal locations already taken, operators are increasingly turning their attention to areas further inland. Even valuable tourist regions -- such as the Moselle valley, the Allg¤u and the foothills of the Alps -- are to be sacrificed. Sites have even been earmarked by Lake Constance and near Starnberg, where the Bavarian King Ludwig II drowned.
  At the moment, things are still in the planning, reporting and application stage. Local authorities' filing cabinets are overflowing with authorization documents and wind strength measurements. Plans call for some 60,000 new turbines to be erected in Germany -- and completely alter its appearance.
  The Backer-Opponent Divide
  But what's really going on? Are politicians wisely creating the tools needed to prevent the end of the world as we know it? Or are they simply marring the countryside?
  More than 700 citizens' initiatives have been founded in Germany to campaign against what they describe as "forests of masts", "visual emissions" and the "widespread devastation of our highland summits."
  The opponents carry coffins symbolizing the death of environmental protection. They organize petitions on an almost daily basis. Local residents by Lake Starnberg have even filed a legal complaint alleging that the wind turbines violate Germany's constitution.
  The underlying divide is basic and irreconcilable. On one side stand environmentalists and animal rights activists passionate about protecting the tranquility of nature. On the other are progressively minded champions of renewable energy and climate activists determined to secure the long-term survival of the planet.
  The question is: How many forests must be sacrificed, how many horizons dotted with wind turbines, to meet Germany's new energy targets? Where is the line between thoughtful activism and excessive zeal? At what point is taxpayer money simply being thrown away?
  The wrangling over these issues has led many in Germany's Green Party to question what their party really stands for. Enoch zu Guttenberg, a founding member of Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND), noisily left the association last year because of its support for wind power. Since then, he has felt a "panicky need" to warn humanity about the "giant totems of the cult of unlimited energy."
  Michael Succow, a prominent German environmentalist and winner of the Alternative Nobel Prize, is also threatening to abandon ship. He fears soulless stretches of land and lost tranquility.
  And his fears are not unfounded. Back in the 1980s, tree-huggers put up Aeroman wind turbines in their front yards -- but those days are long gone. Just the masts of today's wind turbines can reach up to 160 meters high. When active, they kill so many insects that the sticky mass slows the rotors down.
  The sweeping blades of the Enercon E-126 cover an area of seven football fields. The rotors of modern wind turbines weigh up to 320 metric tons. There are 83 such three-armed bandits in Germany's largest wind farm, near the village of Ribbeck, northwest of Berlin.
  As they drive their SUVs through these turbine forests, tolerantly minded city-dwellers sometimes comment on how ugly eastern Germany has become. Others find them attractive -- as they speed past.
  But local Nimbies ("Nimby" = Not In My Back Yard) are indignant. Apart from everything else, the value of their homes has plummeted.
  Even sparsely populated areas are beginning to take action. Take, for example, the campaign "Rettet Brandenburg" ("Save Brandenburg"). This eastern state surrounding Berlin is already home to more than 3,100 wind turbines, more than any other federal state. Now, however, the powers-that-be want to build 3,000 more turbines, but state residents are up in arms and have launched a citizen's initiative. At a protest day held in late May, its members railed against "wind-grubbers" and "monster mills."
  Maxing Out Turbine Size
  Nevertheless, their protests will do little to stop wind-turbine manufacturers from eagerly building taller and taller models. For the relatively weak inland winds to generate sufficient energy and profits, Germany's wind farmers need to reach higher and higher into the skies.
  The goal is to get away from the turbulence found near the ground and to climb up into the Ekman layer, above 100 meters high, where the wind blows continuously. Up there, the forces of nature rage freely, creating enough terawatts to meet the energy needs of the global population hundreds of times over. Or at least that's the theory.
  Inland, the "technical trend" toward bigger wind turbines "continues unabated," according to a study recently published by the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology (IWES).
  A visit to the IWES test center in the northern port city of Bremerhaven reveals what lies in store. The center is home to a next-generation rotary blade: flexible, wobbly even, weighing 30 metric tons and stretching 83.5 meters across.
  The mammoth prototype blade is currently at the testing stage. Hydraulic presses and cables bend and buffet the blade millions of times over, simulating the stress exerted by storms and gusts of wind.
  IWES meteorologist Paul K¼hn thinks that the mast themselves, without the blades, could grow to up to 200 meters high. Anything taller would be unprofitable due to the "square-cube law."
  Growing Intolerance
  So, might we one day see wind turbines with blades stretching up almost 300 meters into the clouds -- a somber memorial to Germany's nuclear phase-out? Even hip urban fans of renewable energy think that would take some getting used to.
  Recent studies by bird protectors reveal how the giant blades chop up the air in brutal fashion. "Golden plovers avoid the wind turbines," says Potsdam-based ornithologist J¶rg Lippert. Swallows and storks, on the other hand, fly straight into them. The barbastelle bat's lungs collapse as it flies by. A "terrible future" awaits the lesser spotted eagle and red kite, Lippert says.
  German citizens are also having to make sacrifices to meet the ambitious goals of the new energy policy. In England, large wind turbines must be situated at least 3,000 meters away from houses in residential areas. In Germany, which is more densely populated, local planners place turbines much closer to homes. In the southern state of Bavaria, for example, the minimum separation is 500 meters, while it's just 300 meters in the eastern state of Saxony.
  In the early days, when everyone was still very excited about clean wind power, some farmers in northerly coastal areas allowed turbines to be erected even 250 meters from their cottages. And then they received large compensation payments when the noise from the rotors triggered stampedes in their pigsties.
  But now even those in northern Germany are grumbling. Many old wind turbines are being replaced with new, more powerful ones in a process known as "repowering." Instead of 50 meters tall, these new turbines are more than 150 meters high, have flashing lights on them to prevent aircraft from hitting them and make a lot of noise as they rotate.
  The result? Complaints about the noise everywhere.
VIDEO-BBC News - Glee star Cory Monteith dies in Canada hotel
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  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 13:30
  14 July 2013Last updated at04:33 ETPlease turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
  Monteith had played front man and heartthrob Finn Hudson since the hit musical comedy's start in 2009
  Glee star Cory Monteith has been found dead in a Vancouver hotel.
  The 31-year-old, who played Finn Hudson in the Fox TV hit, was found dead at the Pacific Rim Hotel in the city centre on Saturday, said police.
  The cause of death was not immediately apparent, but police have ruled out foul play.
  Monteith, who had been in the musical comedy since its 2009 start, was treated for drug addiction in April, and had a history of substance-abuse.
  His body was found by Pacific Rim staff after he missed his check-out time at midday on Saturday, said Vancouver's Deputy Police Chief Doug Lepard. Monteith had been dead for several hours, he added.
  The actor had returned to his room at the Pacific Rim alone early on Saturday morning having been out with friends earlier in the evening, said Mr Lepard.
  Calgary-born Monteith had checked into the hotel on 6 July.
  In response to a question about whether the actor died of a drug overdose, Mr LePard said he would "not discuss anything that we might have found in the room at this time".
  Coroner Lisa Lapointe said: "We do not have a great deal of information as to cause of death."
  An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.
  Monteith described himself on Twitter as "tall, awkward, canadian, actor, drummer, person".
  He was treated for drug abuse aged 19 and had been open about his battle against addiction, telling one interviewer he took "anything and everything".
  When he entered rehab in April this year, girlfriend Lea Michele issued a statement saying she loved and supported Cory. "I am grateful and proud he made this decision," she added.
  Michele played Monteith's opposite number Rachel Berry in Glee, which follows a group of American secondary school misfits who form the glee club in their quest for singing contest glory.
  As Hudson, Monteith played the school's star quarterback who risks alienation by his friends after joining the club.
  Known for its melodic covers and celebrity cameo appearances, Glee's four series had made global celebrities of its cast. The show featured guest spots by Britney Spears, Gwyneth Paltrow and Neil Patrick Harris.
  Cory Monteith had not featured in the final episodes of the fourth series earlier this year and was understood to be seeking treatment for his addiction issues.
  Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
  Doug LePard, Deputy Police Chief: "Monteith returned to his room by himself in the early hours"
  He had been expected to take part in the filming of the fifth series, due to air in the US in September.
  TV network Fox offered its thoughts and prayers to Monteith's family.
  "Cory was an exceptional talent and an even more exceptional person," said a statement by Fox. "He was a true joy to work with and we will all miss him tremendously."
  Glee co-stars expressed their shock at his death and offered condolences to his loved ones.
  Singer and former Glee star Kristin Chenoweth wrote: RIP Cory Montieth. You will be loved. Always."
  Dot-Marie Jones, who plays the butch-but-sensitive American football coach at Glee's William McKinley High, tweeted: "I have no words! My heart is broken. Cory was not only a hell of a friend, he was one amazing man that I will hold close to my heart forever."
  Iqbal Theba, who plays the school's Principal Figgins, tweeted simply: "OMG!! My Cory..."
Retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal, Conan O'Brien highlight secretive Bohemian Grove gathering in Monte Rio.
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  Archived Version
  Source: WT news feed
  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 13:25
  <p>Retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal and comedian Conan O'Brien, the former ''Tonight Show'' host, will be among the featured speakers at the Bohemian Grove encampment of rich and powerful men under the redwoods in Monte Rio.</p><p>Up to 2,500 Bohemian Club members and their guests will attend the all-male encampment that opened Thursday and runs through July 28, all in complete secrecy behind the gates of the San Francisco-based club's 2,700-acre enclave along the Russian River.</p><p>About 15 private jets, the conveyance for some of the plutocrats and powerbrokers, were parked Thursday at Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport, and more are expected to arrive today, airport manager Jon Stout said.</p><p>McChrystal, the former commander of American forces in Afghanistan, will discuss ''On Leadership'' in one of the daily talks presented beside a small lake ringed by towering redwoods.</p><p>O'Brien's topic '-- ''Success, Failure in Surviving the Media Revolution'' '-- sounds a bit more serious than his patter on the NBC show or his current show, ''Conan'' on TBS.</p><p>Also in the lineup for the Lakeside Talks are Paul Otellini, who retired in May as CEO of Intel, speaking on ''What My Life in Tech Taught Me''; Stanford University President John Hennessey (''The Coming Tsunami of Online Education''); and Jorge Quiroga, president of Bolivia (''South America After Chavez,'' referring to Hugo Chavez, the socialist president of Venezuela who died in March).</p><p>David Gergen, political commentator and former presidential adviser; Chris Matthews, political talk show host; and William Reilly, former Environmental Protection Agency administrator, also will address the Bohemians.</p><p>The Lakeside Talks '-- which in the past have featured the likes of Henry Kissinger and George H.W. Bush, who in 1995 introduced his son George to the august crowd '-- were the object of protests launched by the Bohemian Grove Action Network in 1980.</p><p>Critics say they resent the midsummer frolics by the titans of the military-industrial complex, and fringe elements allege the Bohemians engage in satanic worship.</p><p>Club officials say its more like a group of guys ''out in the woods having a good time.''</p><p>The Bohemians inhabit 119 camps among the redwoods, each with a clubhouse, campfire area, a cluster of cabins and tents for sleeping, and a bar, typically featuring a speciality drink made with the finest alcohol.</p><p>Activist Mary Moore of Occidental, who founded the protest group, had scaled back her involvement in 2001 but re-engaged last summer to stage a protest in conjunction with the Occupy movement.</p><p>Moore, 77, is now fuming over what she considers another group's infringement on her organizations's name.</p><p>''I feel really pissed off,'' Moore said, referring to plans by a group called Bohemian Grove Action and Resistance for a daylong protest at the grove gates on Saturday.</p><p>Sean Ackley of Brentwood posted notices online saying, ''Let us descend of (sic) Bohemian Grove and keep up the pressure so they know we have not forgot.''</p><p>Moore said she's getting calls from people who think she's involved, and she's further annoyed by Ackley's posting that says ''the original BGAN group'' will show up at the grove on July 20.</p><p>Not so, Moore said, noting that Ackley, a computer systems professional, helped set up the Bohemian Grove Action Network's Facebook page, which went up May 25.</p><p>''I feel like we got snookered,'' she said.</p><p>Ackley, a Republican with conservative tea party sentiments, expressed surprise over Moore's pique.</p><p>Bohemian Grove Action and Resistance is the name of his Facebook page, and Ackley said he felt he was cooperating with Moore's group.</p><p>Told that Moore has no plans for a July 20 action, Ackley said, ''Yeah, OK. That's true.''</p><p>Ackley said his group will hand out fliers and use bullhorns to talk to people arriving at the grove on Saturday. The protesters have no plans to engage in civil disobedience or get arrested, he said.</p><p>Sam Singer, spokesman for the Bohemian Club, said the club ''supports people's right to protest and they hope the protesters respect the rights of the members of the club to peacefully assemble at the grove.''</p><p>The club remains ''exceptionally popular and relevant'' and has a 20-year waiting list for prospective new members, Singer said.</p><p>You can reach Staff Writer Guy Kovner at 521-5457 or guy.kovner@pressdemocrat.com.</p>
Australia to scrap carbon tax for trading scheme
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  Source: Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories
  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 13:22
  Australia to scrap carbon tax for trading schemeJavascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions.45 minutes agoThis file photo shows Hazelwood power station billowing smoke from its exhaust stacks in the Latrobe Valley, 150 km east of Melbourne, on August 13, 2009. Key greenhouse gas emitter Australia on Sunday announced it will scrap its carbon tax in favour of an emissions trading scheme that puts a limit on pollution from 2014, a year earlier than planned.
  Key greenhouse gas emitter Australia on Sunday announced it will scrap its carbon tax in favour of an emissions trading scheme that puts a limit on pollution from 2014, a year earlier than planned.
  The move is set to cost the government billions of dollars but Treasurer Chris Bowen said cuts would be made elsewhere to compensate with the Labor Party sticking to its plan to return the budget to surplus in 2015-2016.
  Bowen confirmed media reports that the fixed Aus$24.15 ($21.90) per tonne carbon tax would be dumped in favour of a floating price of between Aus$6 and Aus$10 per tonne from July 1, 2014, to ease cost of living pressures for families and help support the non-mining sectors of the economy.
  With national elections later this year, Labor is hoping the change will see a drop in soaring electricity prices.
  "There is a substantial impact on the budget of doing this, of course there is, and it is several billion dollars, but we will be financing that in a fiscally responsible way," Bowen told the Ten Network, adding that full details would be announced over coming days.
  "It means ensuring that our strategy of returning to surplus over the economic cycle is adhered to, so it is a challenge."
  He added: "I think families will see a big benefit in what we are bringing forward".
  Australia's Treasurer Chris Bowen, pictured as he attends a swearing-in ceremony at Government House in Canberra, on June 27, 2013. Bowen on Sunday confirmed media reports that the fixed Aus$24.15 per tonne carbon tax would be dumped in favour of a floating price of between Aus$6 and Aus$10 per tonne from July 1, 2014, to ease cost of living pressures for families.
  Australia is among the world's worst per capita polluters due to its reliance on coal-fired power and mining exports and introduced a "carbon tax" in 2012, charging big polluters for their emissions.
  The government has always said it would move to an emissions trading scheme after three years with a floating price set by the market, but new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has now moved that forward a year.
  The issue of a carbon tax has been hotly debated in Australia.
  Former Labor prime minister Julia Gillard's popularity sunk after she announced plans for the carbon tax in early 2011'--after pledging before her 2010 election that it would not be introduced by a government she led.
  The policy backflip prompted protests around the country and conservative opposition leader Tony Abbott, who opinion polls suggest will narrowly win the 2013 election, has vowed to abolish it.
  Abbott on Sunday said the shift to 2014 was "just another Kevin con job".
  "Mr Rudd can change the name but whether it is fixed or floating it is still a carbon tax," he said, adding that "it's a bad tax, you've just got to get rid of it".
  Explore further:Australia to link with EU carbon scheme from 2015
  (C) 2013 AFP
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  Australia to scrap carbon tax for trading schemeJavascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions.45 minutes agoThis file photo shows Hazelwood power station billowing smoke from its exhaust stacks in the Latrobe Valley, 150 km east of Melbourne, on August 13, 2009. Key greenhouse gas emitter Australia on Sunday announced it will scrap its carbon tax in favour of an emissions trading scheme that puts a limit on pollution from 2014, a year earlier than planned.
  Key greenhouse gas emitter Australia on Sunday announced it will scrap its carbon tax in favour of an emissions trading scheme that puts a limit on pollution from 2014, a year earlier than planned.
  The move is set to cost the government billions of dollars but Treasurer Chris Bowen said cuts would be made elsewhere to compensate with the Labor Party sticking to its plan to return the budget to surplus in 2015-2016.
  Bowen confirmed media reports that the fixed Aus$24.15 ($21.90) per tonne carbon tax would be dumped in favour of a floating price of between Aus$6 and Aus$10 per tonne from July 1, 2014, to ease cost of living pressures for families and help support the non-mining sectors of the economy.
  With national elections later this year, Labor is hoping the change will see a drop in soaring electricity prices.
  "There is a substantial impact on the budget of doing this, of course there is, and it is several billion dollars, but we will be financing that in a fiscally responsible way," Bowen told the Ten Network, adding that full details would be announced over coming days.
  "It means ensuring that our strategy of returning to surplus over the economic cycle is adhered to, so it is a challenge."
  He added: "I think families will see a big benefit in what we are bringing forward".
  Australia's Treasurer Chris Bowen, pictured as he attends a swearing-in ceremony at Government House in Canberra, on June 27, 2013. Bowen on Sunday confirmed media reports that the fixed Aus$24.15 per tonne carbon tax would be dumped in favour of a floating price of between Aus$6 and Aus$10 per tonne from July 1, 2014, to ease cost of living pressures for families.
  Australia is among the world's worst per capita polluters due to its reliance on coal-fired power and mining exports and introduced a "carbon tax" in 2012, charging big polluters for their emissions.
  The government has always said it would move to an emissions trading scheme after three years with a floating price set by the market, but new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has now moved that forward a year.
  The issue of a carbon tax has been hotly debated in Australia.
  Former Labor prime minister Julia Gillard's popularity sunk after she announced plans for the carbon tax in early 2011'--after pledging before her 2010 election that it would not be introduced by a government she led.
  The policy backflip prompted protests around the country and conservative opposition leader Tony Abbott, who opinion polls suggest will narrowly win the 2013 election, has vowed to abolish it.
  Abbott on Sunday said the shift to 2014 was "just another Kevin con job".
  "Mr Rudd can change the name but whether it is fixed or floating it is still a carbon tax," he said, adding that "it's a bad tax, you've just got to get rid of it".
  Explore further:Australia to link with EU carbon scheme from 2015
  (C) 2013 AFP
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Corridors of powder: Drug scandal at the Houses of Parliament after traces of cocaine are found on toilets across Palace of Westminster.
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  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 13:20
  Evidence of class A drug use detected in UK's seat of powerChemical swabs found substance on toilet seats and hair dryersDrug was also found in toilets close to MPs' offices, away from public areas By Sam Webb
  PUBLISHED: 04:15 EST, 14 July 2013 | UPDATED: 04:46 EST, 14 July 2013
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  Evidence of cocaine use has been found inside toilets at the Houses of Parliament, including some just yards from MPs' offices.
  Traces of the class A drug were found in nine toilets throughout the Palace Of Westminster, the meeting place of the UK's political elite.
  The powder was detected in toilets used by guests at Parliament's bars, as well as cubicles a few yards away from MPs' offices - areas where members of the public are restricted from going.
  Not to be sniffed at: Evidence of cocaine use has been uncovered at the Houses of Parliament
  Charlie: Possession of cocaine can get you up to seven years in jail. File picture
  The drug use was uncovered using cocaine indicator swabs, which come up with blue blotches when rubbed on surfaces where the drug has been laid out in lines, such as toilet seats and hairdryers. The swabs are used by the police and customs officers.
  As Parliament's toilets are cleaned regularly, the white powder must have been snorted in the past few hours, according to reporters from The Sun, who did the testing.
  Users would have to smuggle the drug past extensive security checks and 500 police officers and guards.
  The reporters, acting on a tip-off from a House of Commons insider, claim to have found evidence of the drug in the cubicles of the toilets outside Strangers' Bar and in private areas close to MPs' offices.
  High office: The cocaine use was uncovered using test kits, similar to the one pictured
  Tory MP Douglas Carswell was scathing about the find.
  He said: 'With decadence comes something rotten. It suggests there is something rotten about the institution itself.'
  On two occasions cannabis has been confiscated at Westminster's entry checkpoints since the start of 2008, according to a Freedom of Information request.
  A Parliamentary spokesman said: 'Parliament is a public place and we welcome over a million visitors a year who have either direct access to these facilities or access when accompanied.
  'Clearly, it is inappropriate to monitor what happens in toilet facilities. In addition, we have issued over 14,000 passes, held by contractors and other third parties, as well as staff of both Houses, Members and their staff.
  'Consequently, it is impossible to know who may be involved. Our security searches are focussed on preventing harm to others and the building, not the detection of small amounts of drugs.
  'Parliament takes the issue of substance misuse very seriously and offers a range of welfare and health support services for those who need them.'
  A few days ago a Parliamentary watchdog said MPs should have an 11 per cent pay rise to £74,000 a year.
  In 2005 a German television station found traces of cocaine in 41 of 46 lavatories tested at the European Parliament in Brussels.
  Share or comment on this article
Jesse Jackson's Odd Complaint: Trayvon Denied Jury of His Peers
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  On MSNBC, calling the verdict in the George Zimmerman case a "tremendous miscarriage of justice," Jesse Jackson complains that Trayvon Martin was denied a jury of his peers. In fact, under the Constitution, it is the accused, not the potential victim, who is entitled to an impartial jury.
When The Constitutional Lecturer Becomes Commander-in-Chief
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  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 12:49
  The NY Times explains that Obama shares a common bond with many other Americans - he just can't understand that he is Commander-in-Chief:
  Remark by Obama Complicates Military Sexual Assault Trials
  By JENNIFER STEINHAUER
  WASHINGTON '-- When President Obama proclaimed that those who commit sexual assault in the military should be ''prosecuted, stripped of their positions, court-martialed, fired, dishonorably discharged,'' it had an effect he did not intend: muddying legal cases across the country.
  In at least a dozen sexual assault cases since the president's remarks at the White House in May, judges and defense lawyers have said that Mr. Obama's words as commander in chief amounted to ''unlawful command influence,'' tainting trials as a result. Military law experts said that those cases were only the beginning and that the president's remarks were certain to complicate almost all prosecutions for sexual assault.
  ''Unlawful command influence'' refers to actions of commanders that could be interpreted by jurors as an attempt to influence a court-martial, in effect ordering a specific outcome. Mr. Obama, as commander in chief of the armed forces, is considered the most powerful person to wield such influence.
  The White House has offered the "He was just running his mouth again, who knew anyone was listening?" defense:
  White House officials said Mr. Obama's remarks, made in response to a reporter's question, were meant to demonstrate his concern about the issue and were not intended to recommend penalties for offenders.
  ''The president was absolutely not trying to be prescriptive,'' said Kathryn Ruemmler, the White House counsel. ''He was listing a range of examples of how offenders could be held accountable. The president expects all military personnel who are involved in any way in the military justice process to exercise their independent professional judgment.''
  Do tell. Let's have a bit more context. This is in response to a question about sexual; assailt in the military at the May 7 press conference with President Park of South Korea:
  So bottom line is I have no tolerance for this. I have communicated this to the Secretary of Defense. We're going to communicate this again to folks up and down the chain in areas of authority, and I expect consequences. So I don't want just more speeches or awareness programs or training but, ultimately, folks look the other way. If we find out somebody is engaging in this stuff, they've got to be held accountable -- prosecuted, stripped of their positions, court-martialed, fired, dishonorably discharged. Period. It's not acceptable.
  Not "prescriptive"?
Global corruption in natural resource industry
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  Source: Atomic Insights
  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 12:44
  Though there are many admirable people working in the oil and gas industry, the global enterprise of extracting hydrocarbons has a long history that continues to present in which incredible sums of money are concentrated into the hands of unsavory people. The world's banking industry often holds its collective nose and continues dealing with the despicable because they claim ownership of large quantities of cash that should be more widely distributed to the legitimate owners of the places where resources have been extracted.
  This TED talk by Charmian Gooch of Global Witness and the sources provided in the text version provide strong support for my above assertions.
  Researchers from Ida Tarbell to Daniel Yergin to Robert Baer have been documenting similar types of behavior for more than 100 years. Global Witness continues to probe the oil and gas industry and to advocate transparency rules that seek to reduce the negative effects of what it calls the resource curse.
  With a questioning attitude, it is not a difficult leap to imagine that some of the ill-gotten gains from extracting oil and gas have been spent in an effort to discourage competition from nuclear energy because of its proven ability to increase the world's accessible energy supply, reduce the market power of fossil fuel suppliers, and create a long term weakness in world energy market prices. (A case can be made that low oil and gas prices from 1986 through 2000 were strongly influenced by the construction of enough nuclear power plants between 1963 and 1983 to eventually inject the equivalent of 12 million barrels of oil per day into the world market.)
The Emperor's New Clothes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 12:25
  "The Emperor's New Clothes" (Danish: Kejserens nye Kl...der) is a short tale by Hans Christian Andersen about two weavers who promise an Emperor a new suit of clothes that is invisible to those unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent. When the Emperor parades before his subjects in his new clothes, a child cries out, "But he isn't wearing anything at all!" The tale has been translated into over a hundred languages.[1]
  "The Emperor's New Clothes" was first published with "The Little Mermaid" in Copenhagen by C. A. Reitzel on 7 April 1837 as the third and final installment of Andersen's Fairy Tales Told for Children. The tale has been adapted to various media, including the musical stage and animated film.
  A vain Emperor who cares for nothing except wearing and displaying clothes hires two swindlers who promise him the finest, best suit of clothes from a fabric invisible to anyone who is unfit for his position or "hopelessly stupid". The Emperor's ministers cannot see the clothing themselves, but pretend that they can for fear of appearing unfit for their positions and the Emperor does the same. Finally the swindlers report that the suit is finished, they mime dressing him and the Emperor marches in procession before his subjects. The townsfolk play along with the pretense not wanting to appear unfit for their positions or stupid. Then a child in the crowd, too young to understand the desirability of keeping up the pretense, blurts out that the Emperor is wearing nothing at all and the cry is taken up by others. The Emperor cringes, suspecting the assertion is true, but continues the procession.
  Sources[edit]Andersen's tale is based on a story from the Libro de los ejemplos (or El Conde Lucanor, 1335),[2] a medieval Spanish collection of fifty-one cautionary tales with various sources such as Aesop and other classical writers and Persian folktales, by Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena (1282''1348). Andersen did not know the Spanish original but read the tale in a German translation titled "So ist der Lauf der Welt".[3] In the source tale, a king is hoodwinked by weavers who claim to make a suit of clothes invisible to any man not the son of his presumed father; whereas Andersen altered the source tale to direct the focus on courtly pride and intellectual vanity rather than adulterous paternity.[4]
  Composition[edit]Andersen's manuscript was at the printer's when he was suddenly inspired to change the original climax of the tale from the emperor's subjects admiring his invisible clothes to that of the child's cry.[5] There are many theories about why he made this change. Most scholars agree that from his earliest years in Copenhagen, Andersen presented himself to the Danish bourgeoisie as the naively precocious child not usually admitted to the adult salon. "The Emperor's New Clothes" became his expose of the hypocrisy and snobbery he found there when he finally gained admission.[6]
  Andersen's decision to change the ending may have occurred after he read the manuscript tale to a child,[7] or had its source in a childhood incident similar to that in the tale. In 1872, he recalled standing in a crowd with his mother waiting to see King Frederick VI. When the king made his appearance, Andersen cried out, "Oh, he's nothing more than a human being!" His mother tried to silence him by crying, "Have you gone mad, child?". Whatever the reason, Andersen thought the change would prove more satirical.[8]
  Publication[edit]"The Emperor's New Clothes" was first published with "The Little Mermaid" on 7 April 1837 by C.A. Reitzel in Copenhagen as the third and final installment of the first collection of Andersen's Fairy Tales Told for Children. The first two booklets of the collection were published in May and December 1835 and met with little critical enthusiasm.[9] Andersen waited a year before publishing the third installment of the collection.[10]
  Traditional Danish tales as well as German and French folktales were regarded as a form of exotica in nineteenth century Denmark and were read aloud to select gatherings by celebrated actors of the day. Andersen's tales eventually became a part of the repertoire and readings of "The Emperor's New Clothes" became a specialty of and a big hit for the popular Danish actor Ludvig Phister.[11]
  On 1 July 1844, the Hereditary Grand Duke Carl Alexander held a literary soiree at Ettersburg in honor of Andersen. The author was on the verge of vomiting after days of feasting and speaking various foreign languages but managed to control his body and read aloud ''The Princess and the Pea'', "Little Ida's Flowers", and "The Emperor's New Clothes".[12]
  Jack Zipes, in Hans Christian Andersen: The Misunderstood Storyteller, suggests that seeing is presented in the tale as the courage of one's convictions; Zipes believe this is the reason the story is popular with children. Sight becomes insight, which, in turn, prompts action.[13]
  Alison Prince, author of Hans Christian Andersen: The Fan Dancer, claims that Andersen received a gift of a ruby and diamond ring from the king after publications of "The Emperor's New Clothes" and "The Swineherd"'--tales in which Andersen voices a satirical disrespect for the court. Prince suggests the ring was an attempt to curb Andersen's sudden bent for political satire by bringing him into the royal fold. She points out that after The Swineherd, he never again wrote a tale colored with political satire, but, within months of the gift, began composing "The Ugly Duckling", a tale about a bird born in a henyard who, after a lifetime of misery, matures into a swan, "one of those royal birds".[14] In Hans Christian Andersen: The Life of a Storyteller, biographer Jackie Wullschlager points out that Andersen was not only a successful adapter of existing lore and literary material such as the Spanish source tale for "The Emperor's New Clothes" but also equally competent at creating new material that entered the human collective consciousness with the same mythic power as ancient, anonymous lore.[15]
  Hollis Robbins, in "The Emperor's New Critique" (2003),[16] argues that the tale is itself so transparent "that there has been little need for critical scrutiny."[17] Robbins argues that Andersen's tale "quite clearly rehearses four contemporary controversies: the institution of a meritocratic civil service, the valuation of labor, the expansion of democratic power, and the appraisal of art".[18] Robbins concludes that the story's appeal lies in its "seductive resolution" of the conflict by the truth-telling boy.
  In The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen (2008), folk and fairy tale researcher Maria Tatar offers a scholarly investigation and analysis of the story, drawing on Robbins's political and sociological analysis of the tale. Tatar points out that Robbins indicates the swindling weavers are simply insisting that "the value of their labor be recognized apart from its material embodiment", and notes that Robbins considers the ability of some in the tale to see the invisible cloth as "a successful enchantment".[19]
  Tatar observes that "The Emperor's New Clothes" is one of Andersen's best known tales and one that has acquired an iconic status globally as it migrates across various cultures reshaping itself with each retelling in the manner of oral folktales.[20] Scholars have noted that the phrase 'Emperor's new clothes' has become a standard metaphor for anything that smacks of pretentiousness, pomposity, social hypocrisy, collective denial, or hollow ostentatiousness. Historically, the tale established Andersen's reputation as a children's author whose stories actually imparted lessons of value for his juvenile audience, and "romanticized" children by "investing them with the courage to challenge authority and to speak truth to power."[21] With each successive description of the swindlers' wonderful cloth, it becomes more substantial, more palpable, and a thing of imaginative beauty for the reader even though it has no material existence. Its beauty however is obscured at the end of the tale with the obligatory moral message for children. Tatar is left wondering if the real value of the tale is the creation of the wonderful fabric in the reader's imagination or the tale's closing message of speaking truth no matter how humiliating to the recipient.
  Naomi Wood of Kansas State University challenges Robbins's reading, arguing that before the World Trade Center attacks of 2001, "Robbins's argument might seem merely playful, anti-intuitive, and provocative."[22] Wood concludes: "Perhaps the truth of 'The Emperor's New Clothes' is not that the child's truth is mercifully free of adult corruption, but that it recognizes the terrifying possibility that whatever words we may use to clothe our fears, the fabric cannot protect us from them."[23]
  Adaptations and cultural references[edit]Various adaptations of the tale have appeared since its first publication including a 1919 Russian film directed by Yuri Zhelyabuzhsky, a 1987 musical starring Sid Caesar, and numerous short stories, plays, spoofs, and animated films.[1]
  The story has been parodied numerous times, including one story in the animated television seriesALF: The Animated Series where Alf plays a frustrated tailor of comfortable casual clothes who pulls the trick on the uninterested emperor who refused his usual goods. At the end, when the emperor's pretension is exposed by a girl who makes some sarcastic comments about his state of undress, Alf's character supplies the ruler some of his usual wares which the emperor finds agreeable and so forgives the tailor for the humiliation. Furthermore, the story ends happier still with the emperor realizing that he has his one opportunity to go streaking and invites Alf and Rhonda to join him.
  The Emperor's New Clothes is the title of a fanciful 2001 film starring Ian Holm as Napoleon.
  The 1990 song "The Emperor's New Clothes" by recording artist Sin(C)ad O'Connor has the same general message as the original fairytale. The song ends with the lines, "through their own words / they will be exposed / they've got a severe case of / the emperor's new clothes."
  Le Roi nu (The Naked King) is a 1935 ballet with music by Jean Fran§aix, libretto and choreography by Serge Lifar.
  In the 1952 film musicalHans Christian Andersen based on the life of the Danishpoet and story-teller Hans Christian Andersen, starring Danny Kaye, the story of The Emperor's New Clothes is told in The King's New Clothes as one of the film's eight songs.
  The tale was made into a stop-motion animated TV special from Rankin-Bass, again with Danny Kaye's involvement and narration, entitled: The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye: The Emperor's New Clothes.
  The tale itself was adapted as an episode of the 2008 series Fairy Tales.
  The Chinese novelist Ye Sheng Tao continued the story which Andersen had left off; it is also titled, The Emperor's New Clothes.
  The song "Ready to Start" by Arcade Fire contains the lyric "All the kids have always known that the Emperor wears no clothes / but they bow down to him anyway, 'cause it's better than being alone".
  A modern animated film that revolves around an arrogant emperor is The Emperor's New Groove.
  In the Doctor Who story "The Romans", the Doctor is mistaken for a musician and gets roped into playing the lyre, which he cannot play. He manages to convince everyone present that the music he plays is so subtle that only the truly gifted can hear it. He then silently waves his hands over the instrument. Everyone present, not willing to admit they were too dull-witted to hear it, applauds his performance. Also, in the episode "Night Terrors" the Doctor jokingly mentions that one of the stories he enjoyed as a child was "The Emperor Dalek's New Clothes".
  The sculpture group "The Emperor's New Clothes" by Keld Moseholm is placed in Odense, the native town of Andersen.
  In 1980, computer scientist C.A.R. Hoare used a parody tale, The Emperor's Old Clothes, to advocate simplification over embellishment, for clothing or computer sorting algorithms.[24]
  The Emperor's New Clothes was parodied in Muppet Classic Theater. In this story, the Emperor of Fozzalia (played by Fozzie Bear) is fooled into believing that his vestments are made of an invisible cloth made by some tricksters (played by Rizzo the Rat, Yolanda the Rat, and Montague the Rat). When Fozzie goes out to show his new clothes, a young boy (played by Robin the Frog) notices that the Emperor is wearing nothing but his boxers. The citizenry think that since the Emperor isn't wearing clothing and that public nudity must be the latest fad. The Emperor tells his people that they should stop doing things just because he does them, and that they should start thinking for themselves.
  In the "Heather Locklear" episode of Muppets Tonight, a "Fairyland PD" segment had Clifford and Bobo the Bear busting the Emperor for supposedly streaking even though he claims that he is wearing his new outfit. When the Chief of Police arrives, he ends up complimenting the Emperor's "new outfit" as the Emperor leaves to get his tutu out of the dryer. When Clifford and Bobo start to say something to the Chief about this, the Chief quotes "Yeah, I know. He's naked as a jay bird. But hey, he's the Emperor and he signs the checks."
  In 2010, Alan Schmuckler and David Holstein adapted the well known story into a modern, family musical which underwent critical appraise during its run at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. An extended version of the musical is now being performed in Sydney, Australia by the Stage Artz Theatre Company.
  The story is often sited by the non-religious community in forms such as "The Emperor's New Clothes Syndrome". This comparison drawn by considering the feeling of some non-believers among a presumably believing population where until one publicly voices the opinion of the minority, people's true opinions will not be known.[25]
  In 2013, Jonathan Liu created a boardgame called "The Emperor's New Clothes" and put it on Kickstarter. It was a game that came with a blank box, a blank board, blank cards, and some other blank tokens. In an instant of life imitating art, some people backed it thinking there was something more and the reveal was that there was actually nothing other than that.[26][27]
  Use as an idiom[edit]The phrase "emperor's new clothes" has become an idiom about logical fallacies.[28] The story is an example of what happens because of pluralistic ignorance.[29] The story is about a situation where "no one believes, but everyone believes that everyone else believes."[30]
  See also[edit]References[edit]^ abAndersen 2005a 4^In Spanish:Exemplo XXXIIº '' De lo que contesci" a un rey con los burladores que fizieron el pa±o. In English: Of that which happened to a King and three Impostors from Count Lucanor; of the Fifty Pleasant Stories of Patronio, written by the Prince Don Juan Manuel and first translated into English by James York, M. D., 1868, Gibbings & Company, Limited; London; 1899; pp. xiii''xvi. Accessed 2010-03-06. This version of the tale is one of those collected by Idries Shah in World Tales.^Bredsdorff 312''3^Wullschlager 2000, p. 176^Wullschlager 2000, p. 177^Andersen 2005b, p. 427^Bredsdorff, p. 313^Frank, p. 110^Wullschlager 2000, p. 165^Andersen 2005d, p. 228^Andersen 2005d, p. 246^Andersen 2005d, p. 305^Zipes 2005, p. 36^Prince, p. 210^Andersen 2005a, p. xvi^Robbins, Hollis "The Emperor's New Critique." 34. New Literary History. pp. 659''675. ISSN 0028-6087. Link^Robbins, p. 659^Robbins, p. 670^Quoted in Tatar 8,15^Tatar xxii,xiii^Tatar xxiii^Wood 193''207^Wood 205^1980 Turing Award Lecture; Communications of the ACM 24 (2), (February 1981): pp. 75''83.^http://machineslikeus.com/news/why-atheism-winning-11-some-concluding-thoughts^"BoardGameGeek thread on "The Big Reveal". ^"ENC Kickstarter Page". ^Graves, Joseph L. (2003). The Emperor's New Clothes: Biological Theories of Race at the Millenium, p. 1; Hollis Robbins, "The Emperor's New Critique," New Literary History, Vol. 34, No. 4, Autumn 2003; retrieved 2013-3-1.^Zellner, William W. and Marc Petrowsky. (1998). Sects, Cults, and Spiritual Communities: A Sociological Analysis, p. 13; excerpt, "Like the villagers in the story of the emperor's new clothes, members of the inner circle were unwilling to reveal their ignorance by challenging .... As a result, they suppressed whatever doubts they had an worked even harder to make sense of what, in the final analysis, may have been nonsensical."^Hansen, Jens Ulrik. (2011). "A Logic-Based Approach to Pluralistic Ignorance" at Academia.edu; retrieved 2013-3-1.Further reading[edit]Andersen, Hans Christian; Tatar, Maria (Ed. and transl.); Allen, Julie K. (Transl.) (2008). The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen. New York and London: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-393-06081-2. Andersen, Hans Christian; Wullschlager, Jackie (Ed.); Nunnally, Tiina (Transl.) (2005). Fairy Tales. New York: Viking. ISBN 0-670-03377-4. Andersen, Hans Christian; Frank, Diane Crone (Ed. and transl.); Frank, Jeffrey (Ed. and transl.) (2005). The Stories of Hans Christian Andersen: A New Translation from the Danish. Durham and London: Duke University Press. ISBN 0-8223-3693-6. Andersen, Jens; Nunnally, Tiina (Transl.) (2005). Hans Christian Andersen: A New Life. New York, Woodstock, London: Overlook Duckworth. ISBN 1-58567-737-X. Bredsdorff, Elias (1975). Hans Christian Andersen: The Story of His Life and Work, 1805''75. London: Phaidon Press Ltd. ISBN 0-7148-1636-1. Prince, Alison (1998). Hans Christian Andersen: The Fan Dancer. London: Allison & Busby Ltd. ISBN 0-7490-0478-9. Robbins, Hollis (Autumn 2003). /journals/new_literary_history/v034/34.4robbins.html Emperor's New Critique34 (4). New Literary History. pp. 659''675. ISSN 0028-6087. Wood, Naomi (2007). "The Ugly Duckling's Legacy: Adulteration, Contemporary Fantasy, and the Dark". Marvels & Tales20 (2): 193''207. Wullschlager, Jackie (2000). Hans Christian Andersen: The Life of a Storyteller. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-91747-9. Zipes, Jack David (2005). Hans Christian Andersen: The Misunderstood Storyteller. New York and Middleton Park: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-97433-X. External links[edit]
Five more bodies found in Lac-M(C)gantic, bringing death toll to 33 - The Globe and Mail
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  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 12:14
  Five more bodies have been found in the ruins of Lac-M(C)gantic to bring the official death toll to 33 people, police confirmed at a press conference on Saturday. Seventeen people are still missing and presumed dead.
  Nine of the 33 killed have been identified by investigators, and authorities have released the names of eight victims so far:
  ‰liane Parenteau-Boulanger, 93Fr(C)d(C)ric Boutin, 19Kathy Clusiault, 24‰lodie Turcotte, 18Yannick Bouchard, 36Karine Lafontaine, 35Maxime Dubois, 27M(C)lissa Roy, 29
  The name of the ninth person identified is to be released on Monday.
  S>>ret(C) du Qu(C)bec Inspector Michel Forget said that the SQ's investigation of the disaster scene will take several more weeks at least, and that the search of the Musi-Caf(C) bar is underway. The popular bar was just 30 feet away from the disaster after 73 cars of crude oil derailed and exploded just after 1 a.m. last Saturday.
  When asked to describe the scene, Insp. Forget said: "Think of going through a two-storey building brick-by-brick in addition to dealing with all of the liquid and intense heat and this was a popular gathering place."
  "You have to understand that officers are mothers and fathers before police," Insp. Forget said.
  The mayor of Lac-M(C)gantic, Colette Roy-Laroche, also announced today that those still displaced by the disaster will be relocated from the local high school which has been serving as a shelter.
  "They will be relocated to better places. Places with real beds," Ms. Roy-Laroche said.
  The high school will continue to offer food, psychological and social services to those affected.
Zimmerman protests turn violent in Oakland | www.ktvu.com
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  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 12:14
  OAKLAND, Calif. '--
  A group of about 100 protesters took to the streets of Oakland late Saturday night, breaking windows, starting fires and even vandalizing a police vehicle in an angry reaction to the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
  The protest began at Frank Ogawa Plaza at 10 p.m. and was reportedly organized by Occupy Oakland over Twitter.
  In their tweets, Occupy Oakland asked that participants wear hooded sweatshirts in tribute to Martin, who was wearing one when he was killed. Other protesters brought a banner that declared ''We Area All Trayvon Martin.''
  By 11 p.m., the group had grown from a few dozen to almost 100 angry people, and around then the group began marching through the city's downtown area.
  While making their way through the city, participants began vandalizing businesses, spraying anti-police graffiti and breaking windows at the Oakland Tribune building.
  At one point, protesters vandalized a BART police patrol car, smashing its windshield and spray- painting anti-police slogans such as "FTP" on its exterior.
  Shortly before midnight, the march headed to the Alameda County Superior Courthouse near Lake Merritt, and along the way protesters flipped over a dumpster, smashed more windows and stopped to burn flags in front of a McDonald's.
  At the courthouse, marchers spray-painted more anti-police graffiti on the walls of the building.
  By then, the protest was dwindling due to the increasing numbers of police in riot gear surrounding the group.
  By 12:30 a.m., Officer Cynthia Espinoza said no arrests had been made.
  The late Saturday protest followed a raucous but largely peaceful one in San Francisco. Police say officers escorted demonstrators as they marched on the city's Mission District. The group was dispersed by 10 p.m.
  The verdict in a Florida courtroom also sparked protests in Los Angeles, where demonstrators gathered in Leimert Park, the city's historically black neighborhood.
  This story will be updated when we learn more information.
What ever happened to sticks and stones?
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  Archived Version
  Source: BadChad's ThoughtPile
  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 06:03
  Retired Boulder County Judge Thomas Reed
  Boulder is appealing last month's municipal court ruling that the city's "fighting words" ordinance violated the First Amendment, arguing the judge abused his discretion in declaring the 32-year-old law unconstitutional.
  The Boulder City Attorney's Office, in an appeal filed last week, contends Judge Thomas Reed -- a retired county court judge who was sitting in for Municipal Judge Linda Cooke -- "erroneously construed the law and abused its discretion when it found that 5-3-6, use of fighting words, Boulder revised code, 1981, was facially unconstitutional."
  City spokesman Patrick von Keyserling said he could not comment further on the appeal since the case is still open.
  On June 20, Reed threw out a fighting words ticket against Camille Lafont after her attorney filed a motion challenging the constitutionality of Boulder's "use of fighting words" ordinance.
  The ordinance reads: "No person shall insult, taunt or challenge another in a manner likely to provoke a disorderly response."
  Kevin Cheney, Lafont's attorney and a student lawyer with the University of Colorado Criminal Defense Clinic, filed a motion aruging the ordinance is unconstitutional because it did not require that a person intend to cause the disorderly response.
  Reed granted the motion and dismissed the case against Lafont.
  Should the ruling be upheld by an appellate court, it could force Boulder officials to re-examine the law. While the city can continue to prosecute cases until an appellate court upholds the ruling, Boulder police Chief Mark Beckner said in June he already was telling his officers that, unless an appeal was successful, the ordinance was "probably not very effective."
  "The appeal by the city was not unexpected, and we remain confident the district court will reach the same conclusion as the municipal court and find the ordinance unconstitutional," Cheney said Friday.
  In his original motion, Cheney cited examples in which the ordinance could be used to stifle protected forms of free speech, but the city contends in its appeal that the examples cited did not meet the burden of proof to declare the ordinance unconstitutional.
  "Simply proposing a handful of speculative situations in which a code provision might burden protected speech does not meet the burden," the city's attorneys wrote in their appeal. "The Boulder Municipal Court did not apply the appropriate burden of proof and accepted a handful of speculative 'impermissible applications' as proof that (the ordinance) was facially unconstitutional."
  In a written statement, Lafont said she has consulted with other legal experts and still believes Reed's ruling will stand.
  "The facts in this case show this is a selective prosecution driven by political agenda within the city attorney's office and there is no truth to the charge whatsoever; however, judicial review is a vital component of the justice system because it promotes public confidence in the validity of important rulings like this," Lafont wrote. "I encourage Boulder citizens to apply political pressure to City Council to take a vibrant rather than passive approach to the ordinance and re-enact a constitutional one."
  Contact Camera Staff Writer Mitchell Byars at 303-473-1329 or byarsm@dailycamera.com.
Zimmerman Innocent '' Huffington Post Wants Him Lynched
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  Archived Version
  Source: Veterans Today
  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 05:55
  ''Jury Let's Trayvon Martin Killer Go.'' '...Huffington Post pretend-a-journalist Jermaine Spradley
  I got confused this evening when rebooting my computer and AOL came up with a breaking headline that ''Jurors find Zimmerman not guilty''.
  I thought I had clicked on the link but a story came up about the jury asking for clarification. So I went back and repeated the process with the same result.
  On try number three what I finally found was a Huffington Post headline by Jermaine Spradley, yes he is black, which read'...''George Zimmerman Not Guilty: Jury Lets Trayvon Martin Killer Go?''
  Ouch there brother Jermaine, I think you and AOL are reading off of different dictionaries regarding what the words 'Not Guilty' mean. Your headline fit right in with the other who were priming the race riot pumps in anticipation of the prosecution's case going down in flames which we all watched happen this past weeks.
  We were shocked to see the judge try to taint the jury by slipping in the option of a child abuse charge in a last attempt to tag Zimmerman with something. I can't wait to hear what the jury's reflections are going to be about that. I expect them to be devastating.
  But pretend-a-journalist Spradley was not working alone this week on trying to stir up nationwide race riots. At least one top law enforcement official went public that they 'expected' race riots if Zimmerman was found not guilty.
  I have been around long enough to read the tea leaves of signaling that 'it's OK to riot and attack random white people over the Zimmerman case because ''we will just blame it all on white racism.''
  The kiddie photo that mass media 'seeded' the story with initially
  The case stank from the beginning with obvious stoking of racial tensions from the first day. All the public saw fora long time was a kiddie picture taken years ago of Trayvon. I did not see a 'real' photo of him until a day about which I have shared with you today.
  He was not a kid, but a strong muscular young man who stood taller than Zimmerman. But the media got away with the overt mis-impression.
  I would guess that 99% of the public is still unaware that the police chief that was dismissed early in the case was actually the police chief for security in the school system.
  Why? Well when checking into our angelic Trayvon we find that the chief decided to rig a nice decline in the juvenile crime statistics by ordering his officers to cut way back on student criminal reports being filed with the real police.
  When Trayvon cut class one day to rob a house a few blocks away he was stopped and searched by a school police officer on a vandalism case where he had been caught on the school cameras tagging a locker with a magic maker.
  When it was searched his bag contained an 'above average' amount of jewelery and a screw driver that could have been used to jimmy a cheap apartment lock.
  Mass media hid this photo as it showed how big Trayvon was, longer arms and taller than Zimmerman. It would have had the public asking why the kiddie picture was used so long. We know why? Because it had all those little black kids wearing Trayvon identity hoods, that's why. It was a psy ops, and it worked perfectly.
  As directed, the school officer did not file a criminal report for suspected stolen property so it could have been checked against the recent robbery reports. The victim that Martin robbed had to wait a long time to get their property back. The attempt to lynch Zimmerman had gotten in the way.
  Next we had the prosecutor in the case hiding the photos made during Zimmerman's arrests, his face wounds, and more importantly the wounds to the back of his head from having it slammed into the concrete by the little kiddie boy who really wasn't a kiddie boy.
  The prosecutor was in an election and I suspect she knew her participation in the Zimmerman lynching would carry her over the finish line. Professional misconduct charges should have been filed against her long ago, so now the lynch mob blood spatters are on those who looked the other way.
  Mass media seemed to have trouble finding and publishing this photo of Zimmerman's head. It does not jive with the image of the big brute white guy shooting a kiddie boy in cold blood.
  What surprised me all along is how ridiculous the whole thing had been.
  If Zimmerman had been black and the kid white, all of the same crowd, from Obama on down would have sided with the black Zimmerman on day one and screaming race, race, race if he had been indicted'...without knowing any of the facts.
  Reverse racism in America does not trouble itself with facts. We have had below the radar race going on int this country for decades'...just not the one people have been propagandized about.
  It is the black on white race war, an epidemic of black on white violent crime including a huge disparity in the black on white rape rate which is off the charts.
  The federal crime reports statistics are published every year, but our free media miraculously NEVER reports them to the public. For years now I have not met a single black person that had any idea about them. They were oblivious, and I must say, not too happy that I had taken that away from them as they would have preferred really not to know.
  Atlanta still has a problem with under age prostitution '' the legacy lives on
  Here in Atlanta we had a local version of this sacrificing the truth to keep the fairy tale alive. For years Atlanta was the under age prostitution capital of the country during our black administrations.
  It seems that the city fathers put the word out to the cops out that they did not want a lot of underage prostitution arrests made as that would create some embarrassing statistics.
  Word got out quickly nationwide and pimps flocked here, the safe haven for teen pimping, to buy young black girls to take to other cities.
  It got so outrageous that the pimps began having their annual ball here, yes'...called the Pimps' Ball, and they were very flashy, too'...with lots of media coverage. The black city fathers still did nothing.
  So finally the Feds moved in and broke the story on charges of transporting a minor across a state line for sex. There were indictments, trials and convictions, and the local paper did some very sad stories about the lives of these unfortunate young black girls, mostly from broken homes who hit the streets to lead an 'alternative' lifestyle.
  Here is an new excerpt from those times:
  ''She [the victim] was sitting [wearing] a jumpsuit with shackles around her ankles. She was age 10 and being charged with prostitution. The john '-- such a kind name for the people who rape our daughters '-- pimp or trafficker wasn't being charged. I had to do something,'' says Williams.
  None of the black city father's heads rolled'...not a one. If city government had been white and this had been happening to young black girls the civil rights phonies would have been screaming bloody murder. But, as usual, they gave themselves an affirmative action pass. I had nothing but contempt for them, and still do. They were phonies down to the soles of their shoes.
  The black community was ruthlessly manipulated with the Zimmerman-Martin case, but they were also willing participants
  I share this with you today as there are still those around who would like to bring the good ole days back'...''the white man always evil'''...''black man always the victim''.
  Frankly, that mentality is a kind of mental crack, and when the Zimmerman case broke with its instant racial staging, it was like passing ounce bags of crack out in the parking lot after a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. They all just went nuts.
  And like the black city fathers they did not give a hoot for the poor young black girls having their lives destroyed so the phonies did not have to deal with an embarrassing issue, so too was Zimmerman selected to get the Aztec treatment.
  The only difference was the Atlanta Journal Constitution eventually did what they were supposed to do. This time, with Zimmerman, the media were with the pimps. The idea of having another Pimp's Ball that would breath new life into the sails of reverse racism which have been greatly trimmed by court decisions in the last two decades.
  Brother Jermaine Spradley
  If there are race riots, I hope someone does what they are supposed to do to people who incite them. That is actually against the law, and one could consider it to be a terroristic threat.
  I sure hope the gansta brothers have not been watching those al-Nusra beheading videos, not the chopping off ones but those where they cut people's heads off with a knife, slowly.
  I think Spradley is way more dangerous than George Zimmerman. He did not murder anyone, nor was there any proof submitted that he wanted to. But bother Spradley has me worried. One does not light a match in a powder room unless they want something bad to happen.
  Dear pretend-a-journalist Jermaine Spradley, if there is one death I will be turning our name in right away, and the names of your editors. Be sure to send me your expose on the black on white Race War when you finish it. I will be dying to read it'...maybe literally.
  _____________________________________
  Related Posts:Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=259865
  The views expressed herein are the views of the author exclusively and not necessarily the views of VT or any other VT authors, affiliates, advertisers, sponsors or partners. Legal NoticePosted by Jim W. Dean on Jul 13 2013, With 0 Reads, Filed under Civil Liberties and Freedom, Corruption, Editor, Government, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
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Glee-acteur Cory Monteith dood
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  Archived Version
  Source: VK: Home
  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 05:54
  Door: Redactie '' 14/07/13, 07:25 '' bron: CNN
  (C) getty. Cory Monteith
  UPDATE Acteur Cory Monteith, bekend van de tv-serie Glee, is dood zijn aangetroffen in een hotel in het Canadese Vancouver. Dat heeft de politie zaterdagavond laat (plaatselijke tijd) bevestigd.
  De 31-jarige Monteith kampte met verslavingsproblemen. Verschillende media melden dat hij zou zijn overleden aan een overdosis. Hij verbleef in Vancouver in het Fairmount Pacific Rim-hotel.
  In Glee speelde Monteith de rol van Finn Hudson. Daarvoor had hij onder meer gespeeld in een aflevering van Stargate Atlantis en in de tv-serie Kyle XY. Ook was hij te zien in de film Final Destination 3 (2006).
  Monteith woonde de laatste jaren in Los Angeles, maar was Canadees van geboorte. Hij werd geboren in Calgary en groeide op in Victoria.
Boston Brakes: ''No Skidmarks in the Sky'' | Veterans Today
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  Archived Version
  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 05:22
  &amp;amp;lt;img src=''http://www.veteranstoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/ScreenHunter_05-Jul.-25-20.36-150—150.gif'' alt=''" width=''150'" height=''150'" /&amp;amp;gt;
  ''BOSTON BRAKES'' ASSASSINATION TECHNIQUE BECOMES BIG ''PROBLEM SOLVER'''--
  By Gordon Duff Senior Editor'--Several recent events, the controversial death of investigative journalist Michael Hastings in a one-car accident, juxtaposed by the relative impunity with which ''whistleblower'' Edward Snowden is able to ''flit'' from nation to nation and recent legal issues in the United Kingdom tied to the mysterious and controversial figure, John Bradenkamp, make the following study of ''Boston Brakes'' timely.
  Last week, Bradenkamps's legal team joked about reports of their client being accused of stealing nuclear weapons and the crime being covered up by the Blair administration. But there is more to the story, much more.
  I had never heard of ''Boston Brakes'' until 2010. I had been on the Kevin Barrett radio show yesterday, discussing, among other things, the endless ways to gain control of an aircraft and plow it into a building, something I had been briefed on by my Air Force buddies. There are a dozen ways to gain control of a plane, in fact, the more ''fly by wire'' a plane is, the more ways to control it remotely. Now I am told the same thing works for cars, not exactly the same but close enough.
  Nothing particularly clever is required, especially when the plane is capable of landing itself or, with a bit of hacking, making an inconvenient stop in the side of a building. I am told this game started with the CIA back in Boston, not with planes but cars. Car wrecks were mechanically staged using the ''Boston Brakes'' method, not always fatal but always a good way of communicating to someone your displeasure. Sending a college age daughter into a light pole, reporting her speedometer was stuck at 200 mph and fudging her blood test to show she was ''double drunk'' has been done countless times.
  It isn't just that crash that makes it ''Boston Brakes'' but the speedometer stuck at some outrageous speed and the blood acohol level, always from a sample that is mysteriously misplaced later. Oh, and I almost forgot, no skidmarks, something accident investigators only see at suicides or murder. Remember, always no skidmarks.
  The trail that led me to look into ''Boston Brakes'' involved the suicide in 2003 of Dr. David Kelly, a suicide now ruled a murder. Kelly was believed to have killed himself because he had been attacked in the press by Prime Minister Tony Blair. Kelly, a prominent weapons scientist had claimed, as we all know is true today, that Tony Blair had falsified intelligence to force Britain into what Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has called ''the illegal invasion of Iraq.'' With evidence finally, years later, piling in showing that Kelly's body had been moved and a suicide scene staged, pathologist records falsified and that Kelly was murdered with broad complicity by more than one government agency, things have started to take on a life of their own.
  The assassination of Dr. David Kelly if prosecuted, and it is now under full criminal investigation, could lead to the highest levels of the British and American governments, the absolute highest. Kelly was that important and the secrets they thought they had silenced when he was murdered point to the heads of state of several countries, not just Britain and America but Israel, North Korea, South Africa and maybe a few more. This was a stupid and clumsy murder of a good and decent man. Selling nuclear weapons to North Korea isn't a joke, not at least to Dr. David Kelly. This is what cost him his life.
  The suicide is now a murder and the wheels of justice have begun to turn. When that happens, nobody can control the outcome, almost nobody anyway.
  First of all, even the reason for the supposed suicide was totally false. Kelly was a whistleblower, yes, but not about falsified intelligence regarding Tony Blair and ''sexed up'' weapons reports. Kelly was spilling the beans on missing nuclear weapons that he, himself, was involved in, weapons involving Israel and South Africa, a big secret that is now at the root of a major investigation in the United Kingdom, an investigation that went critical when one of the missing bombs exploded in North Korea in 2009. This is why that mysterious ''Iraq Enquiry'' has come back to life but we are not told why.
  Kelly was murdered, not just because he was going to rat out members of both political parties for failing to act in the national interest but because tons of money was spent by mysterious parties to cover this up, money that has shown up on the public record as campaign contributions in amounts not even seen in the United States, from bad sources, unimaginably bad sources, the worst.
  The question isn't as much why Kelly was murdered, all this is out now, with a cover story being released, one with no missing nuclear weapons, no Israel and no North Korea for sure, but at least insiders in Britain, key members of the government, the judiciary and the intelligence services will know, some properly informed, some properly castigated and the ones who belong in prison for life, running scott free along with their Yank counterparts, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Bush.
  The problem is the pattern of killings, that 9/11 signature that we call ''Boston Brakes.'' The mysterious death of Richard Waddington, relative of a potential witness in the Chilcot Inquiry that could have opened an unimaginable ''can of worms.'' Waddington was to be subjected to an intimidating show of power, an arranged car accident, not a murder as it ended up. Waddington was killed to prevent someone else from confirming Israel's complicity in building 10 nuclear weapons. The ''secret world'' says ''6.'' Keeping an Israeli nuclear test secret, keeping a nuke sold to North Korea secret, keeping an ''under the table'' deal involving the Thatcher government and gun runners secret cost a life.
  In 2008, Jorg Haider, the anti-Zionist ready to take power as Prime Minister of Austria got the ''Boston Brakes'' treatment when his Volkswagen Phaeton, one of the world's finest road cars, as with Waddinton, Princes Di and others, rammed into a concrete abutment, ''no skidmarks.'' I keep going back in my mind to the ''dancing Israeli's'' when I think of Lady Di's death. How does she tie in? The money that flowed into Tony Blair's political coffers came from the pockets of ''Mr. Landmine,'' a Rhodesian arms merchant Lady Di may have given her life to stop. Tied to Israel, North Korea and the missing nukes, this trail heads to Paris and perhaps even the white Fiat Uno seen next to the ill fated Mercedes. Was it filled with ''dancing Israeli's?''
  Jon King, writing of these incidents, says the following:
  ''According to former SAS officer and world-famous explorer, Sir Ranulph Feinnes, it is not beyond reason that both Princess Diana's Mercedes and Jorg Haider's Volkswagen were remotely hijacked.
  &amp;amp;lt;img src=''http://www.consciousape.com/assets/559/feather_men_book_cover.jpg'' alt=''feather_men_book_cover'' /&amp;amp;gt;
  In his book, The Feather Men, Feinnes recounts in some detail a highly sophisticated assassination technique which he says has been employed by the world's intelligence agencies for decades.A microchip transceiver, he explains, is fitted to the target vehicle's on-board computer, allowing the vehicle to be controlled remotely.
  He says this technique was first deployed by the CIA in Boston, hence its name: the 'Boston brakes'.
  Feinnes also recounts an instance of the 'Boston brakes' being successfully deployed in England in 1986, which resulted in the assassination of SAS Major, Michael Marman, and the near-death of a former equerry to the Queen, Sir Peter Horsley.
  According to Sir Ranuplh Feinnes, the 'Boston brakes' is all fact, no fiction.
  Certainly evidence John and I present in our new book Princess Diana The Evidence shows clearly enough that Diana was almost certainly the victim of the 'Boston brakes'.
  And given the startling correlations presented above, one has to wonder if Jorg Haider might also have suffered this same premeditated fate.''
  I remember the first time I stood out in the road, Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, staring up at the Texas School Book Depository, supposed sight of Lee Harvey Oswald, once believed involved in the Kennedy assassination. Holding a photo from 1963 in my hand, I could see the Texas live oak was the same size, totally blocking the view from the window, blocking any potential shot on Kennedy. Even without the obfuscations of Arlen Specter and his ''magic bullet'' it all fell apart then as it does now.
  Similarly, I have walked the route of Princess Di's Mercedes also, walked it when the road is closed for the summer Paris Plages festival and have driven it dozens of times. As with all the ''Boston Brakes'' killings, no skidmarks. I drive the BMW version of the 12 cylinder Mercedes 600, a car you can dance around curves like a Porsche. The Volkswagen Phaeton is much of the same ilk, powerful engine, race car brakes and suspension and incredible handling. I have driven hours above 150 mph on European roads. Drivers do that all the time, you seldom see a ''fender bender.''
  Is there a great conspiracy out there, one that kills minor computer programmers in Ohio like Mike Cullen, who threatened to put George ''W'' Bush in prison for election rigging, one of the endless mysterious plane crashes that clean Democrats out of the United States Senate? Does anyone remember when Ross Perot, a certainty for the oval office, dropped out of the election?
  Truth is, we live in a world where it is cheaper sometimes to use simple thuggery, than to go to the bother of rigging a Boeing 767 or running a car into a concrete abutment. When a member of congress is bribed to support a war, vote for a special tax break for a gangster or to submit to some Israeli abuse, did someone send him a photo of his children playing in a school yard or was his brothers wife raped and beaten recently? This is how the game is played.
  Between 1995 and 2005, 50 scientists that we know of, all WMD specialists, germ warfare, bio weapons, chemical warfare, died under circumstances, some as plain as an unexpected heart attack in an otherwise healthy young adult to the inevitable ''Boston Brakes'' crash.
  NUMBERSCIENTISTSAGECIRCUMSTANCEDATE#1 JoseTrias MurderedMay 19, 1994#2Dr. Tsunao Saitoh46 MurderedMay 7, 1996#3-7MicrobiologistsPlane crashOctober 4, 2001#8 Jeffrey Paris Wall41Murdered?November 6, 2001#9Dr.Vladimir Pasechnik64StrokeNovember 21, 2001#10-12Dr.Yaakov Matzner, Amiramp Eldor,& Avishai Berkman54, 59,50Plane crashNovember 24, 2001#13Roman Kuzmin 24Struck by a carDecember 2001#14Dr. Benito Que52 MuggingDecember 6, 2001#15Dr. David Schwartz57MurderedDecember 10, 2001#16Set Van Nguyen44Found in airlock chamberDecember 14, 2001#17Don C. Wiley57Body found by riverDecember 20,2001#18Ivan GlebovBandit attackJanuary 2002#19Alexi BrushlinskiKilled/murdered?January 2002#20Victor Korshunov56MurderedFebruary 9, 2002#21Dr. Ian Langford40MurderedFebruary 11, 2002#22-23 Tanya Holzmayer &Guyang ''Mathew'' Huang46,38Murder then suicideFebruary 28, 2002#24David Wynn-Williams55Struck by vehicleMarch 24, 2002#25Dr. Steven Mostow63Plane crashMarch 25, 2002#26Dr. Leland Rickman47UnknownJune 24, 2003#27Dr. David Kelly59Suicide?/ MurderJuly 18, 2003#28Michael Perich46Car wreckOctober 11, 2003#29Robert Leslie Burghoff45Hit and runNovember 20, 2003#30Dr Robert E. Shope74Idiopathic Pulmonary FibrosisJanuary 19, 2004#31Michael Patrick Kiley62Heart failureJanuary 24, 2004#32Vadake Srinivasan78Stroke/Car wreckMarch 13, 2004#33William T. McGuire39MurderedMay 5, 2004#34Dr. Eugene F. Mallove56MurderedMay 16, 2004#35Antonina Presnyakova46Accidental/EbolaMay 19, 2004#36Thomas gold 84Heart diseaseJune 23, 2004#37Dr. Assefa Tulu45Hemorrhagic strokeJune 24, 2004#38Dr. John Mullen67Acute arsenic intoxicationJune 29, 2004#39Dr Paul Norman52Plane crashJuly 2, 2004#40Dr. John Badwey54Pneumonia like symptomsJuly 21, 2004#41Dr Bassem al-MudareMurderedJuly 21, 2004#42Professor John Clark52HangingAugust 12, 2004#43Mohammed Toki Hussein al-Talakani40MurderedSeptember 5, 2004#44Matthew Allison32Car explodedOctober 13, 2004#45John R. La Montagne, Ph.D61Sudden pulmonary embolismNovember 2, 2004#46Taleb Ibrahim al-DaherMurderedDecember 21, 2004#47-48Tom Throne & Beth Williams63, 53Car wreckDecember 29, 2004#49Jeong H. Im72MurderedJanuary 7, 2005#50 Geetha Angara43 Murdered/DrownedFebruary 8, 2005Find this a bit overwhelming? This is only one of several lists. If you wondered what intelligence services do, the answer is simple, they murder people. If you wonder who they work for, the answer is simple also, crooked arms dealers, drug cartels and power mad politicians.
  How many people will be murdered, how many kids threatened, how many poisonings, how much in bribes before America agrees to attack Iran? How many billions are being paid to keep America in Afghanistan, supporting Karzai and immune to knowlege of the $65 billion dollar a year drug trade? If you don't think members of congress are at the heart of the conspiracy, you aren't very good at using the Freedom of Information Act to track travel schedules or see who belongs to what organization along with drug lords and thugs.
  Ask Sibel Edmonds.
  If, like everyone else, you have come to expect terrorist acts, of late almost comedy routines, the ''crotch bomber'' and the Times Square Fizzler as potential Vegas headliners, expect that ''dirty bomb'' we have been warned about. If our ''bestest buddies in the whole world'' can sell submarines to North Korea or give them atom bombs, don't be surprised if, in order to push that Iran war we are hearing so much about, you don't wake up some morning to an American city glowing in the dark.
  Within seconds, Fox News will have the whole story, Iranian suspects, airport footage, everything. It is all a game, everything is a game. Everything is a business and our businessmen today are all gangsters, same as our government.
  Related Posts:Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=259817
  The views expressed herein are the views of the author exclusively and not necessarily the views of VT or any other VT authors, affiliates, advertisers, sponsors or partners. Legal NoticePosted by Gordon Duff on Jul 13 2013, With 0 Reads, Filed under Editor, WarZone. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
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VIDEO-Short Film: Doctors Inject HIV Into Little Girl Dying of Cancer in 'Fire with Fire'
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  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 05:15
  Why Watch? The Human immunodeficiency virus might be the very last thing you'd want injected into your body, but for some cancer patients, it's becoming a last resort that works.
  This short documentary from Ross Kauffman (Born Into Brothels) gives a glimpse into an enormously powerful story where a young girl on the brink of death is saved by something that has killed millions. It's unorthodox medical thinking, and as short as this doc is, it's profoundly humbling. Tightly constructed with an immensely compelling subject, this is a tiny fist that lands like an atomic bomb.
  What Will It Cost? Just about 3 minutes.
  Keep Watching Short Films
VIDEO-FBI Refuses To Testify At Congressional Hearing On The Boston Marathon Bombing - YouTube
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  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 05:01
VIDEO-NTSB Apologizes After Confirming Offensive Racist Pilot Names For Asiana Flight 214 In Error - YouTube
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  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 04:49
VIDEO-"He Is An Enemy Of Imperialism!" Muscovites Welcome Edward Snowden - YouTube
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  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 04:42
Belfast: loyalists clash with police in second night of violence
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  Source: The Guardian World News
  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 04:34
  Loyalists clash with police in the Woodvale Road area of Belfast. Photograph: Cathal Mcnaughton/Reuters
  A police officer was struck by a petrol bomb during a second evening of violence linked to the banning of a controversial loyalist march in north Belfast.
  Stones, bottles and fireworks were thrown at lines of riot police in the Woodvale area as young loyalists launched attacks on police on Saturday night.
  A spokesperson for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the officer was not badly injured in the molotov cocktail attack and has since returned to duty.
  Earlier a Belfast press photographer was struck in the face with a brick in the same area and sustained cuts to his mouth.
  The violence however was not on the same scale as on Friday when 32 police officers were injured including two from other UK constabularies.
  Northern Ireland's chief constable has been forced to call in 400 extra police officers from Britain to help his force cope with a deteriorating security situation linked to the province's sectarian marching disputes.
  It will bring the number of English, Welsh and Scottish officers deployed across the Irish Sea to more than 1,000.
  The move is unprecedented in terms of policing the marching season, even during the Troubles when the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) never asked for extra police back-up from other UK forces. Instead the RUC used the British army to bolster its security operations '' a move the government is determined not to repeat as part of its drive to demilitarise and normalise Northern Ireland.
  The two police officers from constabularies in Britain were injured on Friday alongside 30 of their colleagues from the Police Service of Northern Ireland during sustained violence in greater Belfast. A female officer brought over from Britain suffered a broken leg and a male officer from England suffered a broken jaw. In total, 4,000 police were on duty on Friday to cope with the security around the most sacred day in the Ulster loyalist calendar.
  In Belfast they faced a barrage of petrol bombs, fireworks, bricks, stones, bottles and even attacks with ceremonial swords as hundreds of loyalists attacked police lines in the north and east of the city.
  Matt Baggott, the head of the PSNI , described the Orange Order's call for street protests which quickly degenerated into rioting as "reckless" given the widespread sectarian disorder in Belfast on Friday.
  Reacting on Saturday morning to the way his officers were attacked, the chief constable said the loyal order "needs to reflect" on its stance.
  He said the attacks on police and the overall violence was "shameful and disgraceful".
  The violence erupted on Friday evening after loyalists protested against a ban on Orangemen returning from the main celebration of King William of Orange's victory at the Battle of Boyne in the city via their traditional route.
  The PSNI fired about 20 plastic baton rounds as well as using two mobile water cannons to deal with hundreds of loyalist rioters some of whom included children. A 14year-old boy was due in a Belfast court on Saturday in connection with the rioting.
  Across the river Lagan PSNI riot police backed by up English, Welsh and Scottish colleagues also had to quell rioting in east Belfast after trouble broke out when local loyalists there returned from the main Orange demonstration.
  For almost six hours the PSNI had to keep rival loyalist and nationalist youths apart who were exchanging missiles across police lines. At one stage police officers had to deal with loyalists using ceremonial swords to attack their lines around the Lower Newtonards Road.
  As well as suffering a barrage of missiles for hours, many of the English, Scottish and Welsh officers on the streets on Friday were visibly taken back by the level of sectarian abuse exchanged between Orangemen and their supporters, and protesting Catholic residents at two flashpoints in north Belfast.
Dyslexia is Britain's secret weapon in the spy war: Top codebreakers can crack complex problems because they suffer from the condition | Mail Online
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  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 04:29
  GCHQ bosses say those with the disorder see things in codes others do notThe Cheltenham-based agency has set up a dyslexia support groupBy Robert Verkaik
  PUBLISHED: 18:16 EST, 13 July 2013 | UPDATED: 18:20 EST, 13 July 2013
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  Many of Britain's top code-breakers and analysts are able to crack complex problems because they suffer from dyslexia, GCHQ has revealed.
  A spokesman for the Government's top-secret electronic eavesdropping station in Cheltenham said last night that some of their most talented code-breakers have difficulty in learning to read or interpreting words.
  But this can actually help them crack codes, as they 'see' things those without the disorder do not.
  Cracking: GCHQ, whose headquarters are pictured, revealed that many of their codebreakers can crack problems because they are dyslexic
  GCHQ's army of code-breakers and code-setters play a critical role in the battle to protect Britain from cyber attacks by other states and criminals, including terrorists.
  GCHQ recently found itself at the centre of allegations by US whistleblower Edward Snowden that it had access to the online data of British citizens via US spy agencies.
  Last week MPs on the Commons Intelligence and Security Committee praised steps taken by spy chiefs to harness the skills of dyslexic code-breakers.
  The threat to the UK from cyber attacks, according to the report, is at its 'highest level ever' and is 'disturbing' in its scale and complexity.
  Sufferer: Some of the world's greatest thinkers, including Albert Einstein, pictured, had dyslexia
  The MPs said the Cheltenham-based agency had set up a Dyslexia and Dyspraxia Support Group, which provides 'mentoring and practical support to individuals'.
  A GCHQ spokesman said some of their most talented code-breakers were affected: 'They are very creative but may need support, including adjustments in the workplace, such as IT tools and computer software, or [reductions] in their working hours.'
  In a speech last year, Sir Iain Lobban, the director of GCHQ, said: 'Part of my job is to attract the very best people and harness their talents, and not allow preconceptions and stereotypes to stifle innovation and agility.'
  Adrian Culley, a cyber expert and former Scotland Yard computer crime detective, said: 'Dyslexic people have the ability of seeing codes with patterns, repetitions and omissions.
  'Dyslexia may in other circumstances be regarded as negative '' but most people only get to see the full jigsaw picture when it's nearly finished while dyslexic cryptographists can see what the jigsaw puzzle looks like with just two pieces.'
  Some of the world's greatest thinkers suffered from dyslexia, including Albert Einstein.
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Train crash shadow over Bastille Day
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  Source: BBC News - Home
  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 04:18
  13 July 2013Last updated at21:39 ETFrance is preparing to mark Bastille Day as investigations continue into the country's worst rail disaster for 25 years.
  Six people were killed when a train derailed at Bretigny-sur-Orge, south of Paris, at 17:14 (15:14 GMT) on Friday.
  The French train operator SNCF says the crash may have been caused by a fault on the tracks.
  The French president is expected to call for solidarity in a traditional Bastille Day broadcast on Sunday.
  Francois Hollande will give a series of television interviews as workers continue to inspect the wreckage.
  A large crane arrived at the site on Saturday evening to lift away the remains of carriages, and to find out whether there are still bodies lying beneath.
  French media are reporting that it could still take a number of days to clear the derailed cars.
  CrowdedTransport routes were particularly busy at the time of the crash, as France began a long weekend for Bastille Day.
  The 14 July celebrations, marking the start of the French Revolution in 1789, traditionally include an annual military parade on the Champs Elysees in Paris.
  A minute's silence was held across France's train network at noon on Saturday to commemorate the victims of the accident.
  Those killed were four men and two women, aged between 19 and 82. Thirty people were injured, eight seriously.
  SNCF said 385 passengers were on board when the train crashed and the station platforms were crowded.
  The train had just left Paris on Friday afternoon and was heading for Limoges when six carriages derailed as the train passed through Bretigny-sur-Orge station at 137km/h (85mph).
  The train's third and fourth carriages derailed first and the others followed. One mounted the station platform.
  Eye witnesses described the train flying into the air and flipping over. Some said it was like scenes from a "war zone" with people running and screaming.
  'Preventing a collision'Giving its initial findings, SNCF management told reporters a metal bar connecting two rails had become detached at points 200m outside the station.
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  Eyewitness Karim Wone: "You could see the train upside-down"
  "It moved into the centre of the switch and in this position it prevented the normal passage of the train's wheels and it may have caused the derailment," said Pierre Izard, SNCF's general manager for infrastructure.
  An SNCF inquiry is now expected to focus on how the piece of metal had become detached.
  Separate investigations are also being conducted by judicial authorities and France's BEA safety agency.
  Transport Minister Frederic Cuvillier has praised the driver of the train, saying his quick actions averted a worse accident.
  Mr Cuvillier said the driver had "absolutely extraordinary reflexes in that he sounded the alarm immediately, preventing a collision with another train coming in the opposite direction and which would have hit the derailing carriages within seconds".
  Many people feel it was lucky that the accident was not a lot worse, given the violence of the impact and the fact that a packed train ploughed onto the platform at peak time, said the BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris.
  The worst railway accident in France in living memory took place at the Gare de Lyon in Paris in 1988, when two trains collided, killing 56 people.
China, Russia hold largest-ever joint naval drills
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  Source: Global Times
  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 04:12
  (Source: Navy.81.cn)More Photos:Seven Chinese warships left Vladivostok after joint naval drillChina-Russia "Joint Sea-2013" drill concludesSino-Russian joint naval drills end in Vladivostok"Joint Sea-2013" drill participated by Chinese and Russian warships concludesFemale soldiers in China-Russia joint drill come into focusChina-Russia joint drill enters 2nd dayChinese Navy vessels leave for joint naval drills from Vladivostok, RussiaChinese Navy Shijiazhuang guided-missile destroyer opens to the public in VladivostokChinese warships arrive in Russia's Far East for joint naval drillSino-Russian joint naval drills held in sea of JapanNaval vessels seen during Sino-Russian joint naval drillsChinese fleet departs for Sino-Russian joint naval drillsChinese, Russian warships stage variety of exercises during joint drill
  (Photo Source: Chinamil.com.cn)More Photos:Seven Chinese warships left Vladivostok after joint naval drillChina-Russia "Joint Sea-2013" drill concludesSino-Russian joint naval drills end in Vladivostok"Joint Sea-2013" drill participated by Chinese and Russian warships concludesFemale soldiers in China-Russia joint drill come into focusChina-Russia joint drill enters 2nd dayChinese Navy vessels leave for joint naval drills from Vladivostok, RussiaChinese Navy Shijiazhuang guided-missile destroyer opens to the public in VladivostokChinese warships arrive in Russia's Far East for joint naval drillSino-Russian joint naval drills held in sea of JapanNaval vessels seen during Sino-Russian joint naval drillsChinese fleet departs for Sino-Russian joint naval drillsChinese, Russian warships stage variety of exercises during joint drill
  Chinese naval vessel fire anti-submarine missile during the "Joint Sea-2013" drill at Peter the Great Bay inRussia, July 10, 2013. The "Joint Sea-2013" drill participated by Chinese and Russian warships concluded here on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Zha Chunming)More Photos:Seven Chinese warships left Vladivostok after joint naval drillChina-Russia "Joint Sea-2013" drill concludesSino-Russian joint naval drills end in Vladivostok"Joint Sea-2013" drill participated by Chinese and Russian warships concludesFemale soldiers in China-Russia joint drill come into focusChina-Russia joint drill enters 2nd dayChinese Navy vessels leave for joint naval drills from Vladivostok, RussiaChinese Navy Shijiazhuang guided-missile destroyer opens to the public in VladivostokChinese warships arrive in Russia's Far East for joint naval drillSino-Russian joint naval drills held in sea of JapanNaval vessels seen during Sino-Russian joint naval drillsChinese fleet departs for Sino-Russian joint naval drillsChinese, Russian warships stage variety of exercises during joint drill
  Chinese naval Shijiazhuang guided-missile destroyer attends the "Joint Sea-2013" drill at Peter the Great Bay in Russia, July 10, 2013. The "Joint Sea-2013" drill participated by Chinese and Russian warships concluded here on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Zha Chunming)More Photos:Seven Chinese warships left Vladivostok after joint naval drillChina-Russia "Joint Sea-2013" drill concludesSino-Russian joint naval drills end in Vladivostok"Joint Sea-2013" drill participated by Chinese and Russian warships concludesFemale soldiers in China-Russia joint drill come into focusChina-Russia joint drill enters 2nd dayChinese Navy vessels leave for joint naval drills from Vladivostok, RussiaChinese Navy Shijiazhuang guided-missile destroyer opens to the public in VladivostokChinese warships arrive in Russia's Far East for joint naval drillSino-Russian joint naval drills held in sea of JapanNaval vessels seen during Sino-Russian joint naval drillsChinese fleet departs for Sino-Russian joint naval drillsChinese, Russian warships stage variety of exercises during joint drill
  Chinese and Russian naval vessels are seen during a military review of the "Joint Sea-2013" drill at Peter the Great Bay in Russia, July 10, 2013. The "Joint Sea-2013" drill participated by Chinese and Russian warships concluded here on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Zha Chunming)More Photos:Seven Chinese warships left Vladivostok after joint naval drillChina-Russia "Joint Sea-2013" drill concludesSino-Russian joint naval drills end in Vladivostok"Joint Sea-2013" drill participated by Chinese and Russian warships concludesFemale soldiers in China-Russia joint drill come into focusChina-Russia joint drill enters 2nd dayChinese Navy vessels leave for joint naval drills from Vladivostok, RussiaChinese Navy Shijiazhuang guided-missile destroyer opens to the public in VladivostokChinese warships arrive in Russia's Far East for joint naval drillSino-Russian joint naval drills held in sea of JapanNaval vessels seen during Sino-Russian joint naval drillsChinese fleet departs for Sino-Russian joint naval drillsChinese, Russian warships stage variety of exercises during joint drill
  Directors of "Joint Sea-2013" drill from China andRussiaexchange gifts at the closing ceremony of the joint naval drills in Vladivostok, Russia, July 11, 2013. Ding Yiping, deputy commander of the Chinese Navy and director of the "Joint Sea-2013" drill, announced the end of the joint naval drills here on Thursday. (Xinhua/Zha Chunming)More Photos:Seven Chinese warships left Vladivostok after joint naval drillChina-Russia "Joint Sea-2013" drill concludesSino-Russian joint naval drills end in Vladivostok"Joint Sea-2013" drill participated by Chinese and Russian warships concludesFemale soldiers in China-Russia joint drill come into focusChina-Russia joint drill enters 2nd dayChinese Navy vessels leave for joint naval drills from Vladivostok, RussiaChinese Navy Shijiazhuang guided-missile destroyer opens to the public in VladivostokChinese warships arrive in Russia's Far East for joint naval drillSino-Russian joint naval drills held in sea of JapanNaval vessels seen during Sino-Russian joint naval drillsChinese fleet departs for Sino-Russian joint naval drillsChinese, Russian warships stage variety of exercises during joint drill
  Naval officers from China and Russia salute at the closing ceremony of the joint naval drills in Vladivostok, Russia, July 11, 2013. Ding Yiping, deputy commander of the Chinese Navy and director of the "Joint Sea-2013" drill, announced the end of the joint naval drills here on Thursday. (Xinhua/Zha Chunming)More Photos:Seven Chinese warships left Vladivostok after joint naval drillChina-Russia "Joint Sea-2013" drill concludesSino-Russian joint naval drills end in Vladivostok"Joint Sea-2013" drill participated by Chinese and Russian warships concludesFemale soldiers in China-Russia joint drill come into focusChina-Russia joint drill enters 2nd dayChinese Navy vessels leave for joint naval drills from Vladivostok, RussiaChinese Navy Shijiazhuang guided-missile destroyer opens to the public in VladivostokChinese warships arrive in Russia's Far East for joint naval drillSino-Russian joint naval drills held in sea of JapanNaval vessels seen during Sino-Russian joint naval drillsChinese fleet departs for Sino-Russian joint naval drillsChinese, Russian warships stage variety of exercises during joint drill
  Destroyer Shenyang of the ChinesePeople's Liberation Army(PLA) Navy leaves the Pier of Golden Horn Bay inRussia, on July 12, 2013. Seven Chinese warships left Russia's far eastern port of Vladivostok Friday morning after taking part in a joint naval drill with Russia. (Xinhua/Wang Jingguo)More Photos:Seven Chinese warships left Vladivostok after joint naval drillChina-Russia "Joint Sea-2013" drill concludesSino-Russian joint naval drills end in Vladivostok"Joint Sea-2013" drill participated by Chinese and Russian warships concludesFemale soldiers in China-Russia joint drill come into focusChina-Russia joint drill enters 2nd dayChinese Navy vessels leave for joint naval drills from Vladivostok, RussiaChinese Navy Shijiazhuang guided-missile destroyer opens to the public in VladivostokChinese warships arrive in Russia's Far East for joint naval drillSino-Russian joint naval drills held in sea of JapanNaval vessels seen during Sino-Russian joint naval drillsChinese fleet departs for Sino-Russian joint naval drillsChinese, Russian warships stage variety of exercises during joint drill
Did you know Trayvon Martin's Father is a 'Grand Master' Freemason
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  Source: WTF RLY REPORT
  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 04:05
  | WTF News |
  Make of it what you will, but it has been known that Trayvon Martin's father is a 'Grand Master' Freemason for quite some time now. (Read about the verdict)
  Via Story Leak
  Here's something you certainly won't hear about in the mainstream media despite the 24/7 coverage of the Trayvon Martin case which may generate riots: Trayvon Martin's dad is a 'Grand Master' Freemason. More to come on what this means and the occult history of Freemasonry, but for now here is this fact displayed in video form using images that I've compiled through user tips and investigation.
  I'd love to give credit for the Facebook screenshots and share further details on the subject, so please get in contact via News Tips if you were responsible and have further information.
VIDEO-Marty Kaplan on the Weapons of Mass Distraction | Moyers & Company | BillMoyers.com
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  Sun, 14 Jul 2013 03:05
  BILL MOYERS: Welcome. Time again to talk with MARTY KAPLAN. Loyal members of Moyers and Company know him as one of the keenest and most sensible observers of politics, the press, and culture. He runs the Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California, an independent promontory from which he lets his mind range wherever his insatiable curiosity takes him. Most recently, Brazil.
  For several weeks, the largest country in Latin America has been shaken by a massive citizen uprising protesting political corruption, economic injustice, poor health care, inadequate schools, lousy mass transit, a crumbling infrastructure, and, get this, billions blown on sports. That's right, vast numbers of citizens in this soccer crazy nation are outraged that their government is spending billions of dollars to host the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. This, in the land of Pel(C).
  They're even up in arms over the $74 million deal signed by the young soccer star Neymar da Silva. Crowds have been shouting, "Brazil, wake up. A teacher is worth more than Neymar!" Being no one's fool, Neymar has sided with the protesters and written on Facebook that their mobilization inspires him on the playing field.
  Surveying this tumult, MARTY KAPLAN recently expressed wonder at this people's uprising and challenged us, his fellow Americans, "Let's Be Brazil." That's when I called and ask him to join me on the show. By the way, his work has just won two awards from the Los Angeles Press Club, including best columnist.
  MARTY KAPLAN, welcome.
  MARTY KAPLAN: Thanks very much.
  BILL MOYERS: And congratulations on those awards.
  MARTY KAPLAN: Thank you.
  BILL MOYERS: You recently confessed to ''outrage envy.'' What's that about?
  MARTY KAPLAN: It's my feeling that what happened in Brazil, which is so encouraging about citizens taking their destiny in their own hands, is not happening here. We have unemployment and hunger and crumbling infrastructure and a tax system out of whack and a corrupt political system. Why are we not also taking to the streets is the question. And I want us to.
  BILL MOYERS: You wrote "If you're not outraged'...you're not paying attention." So are we not paying attention?
  MARTY KAPLAN: We are paying attention to the wrong things. We are paying attention to infotainment, which is being spoon-fed to us and sadly, frankly, we are enabling because we love the stuff.
  BILL MOYERS: "The infotainment narrative of life in America," you call.
  MARTY KAPLAN: Yes. The tragedy of journalism now is that it is demand driven. And when you ask people what they want, we're like one of those rats that have a lever to push and cocaine comes out. And once that happens one time, they'll stay there till they die, until more of the drug appears. We can't help loving lurid stories and suspense and the kind of sex and violence which the news is now made up of.
  BILL MOYERS: But you go on beyond the infotainment story. You say, "Our spirits have been sickened by the toxins baked into our political system." Powerful sentence. "Our spirits have been sickened by the toxins baked into our political system."
  MARTY KAPLAN: The control of our democracy by money is shocking and deserves the same kind of response to corruption that it got in Brazil. And instead, we have become used to it. We don't see a way around it. There are voices, there are people like Larry Lessig that are trying to change the campaign finance system, the way media plays into that. But they are voices in the wilderness.
  And we, the public, have wised up and decided either not to pay attention at all, or the media have decided not to force us to pay attention. And if we do pay attention, you can't live with the knowledge that our democracy is now so corrupt that it is unchangeable.
  BILL MOYERS: So, if it is true as you say, that, ''Our tax code is the least progressive in the industrial world,'' that we've witnessed ''The most massive transfer of wealth in history,'' which is ''Destroying our middle class,'' that ''Tuition is increasingly unaffordable, and retirement increasingly unavailable,'' that ''The banks that sold trillions of dollars of Americans' worth have not only gone unpunished; they're still at it,'' why are we not at the barricades?
  MARTY KAPLAN: I suspect among your viewers, there were people who are outraged and want to be at the barricades. The problem is that we have been taught to be helpless and jaded rather than to feel that we are empowered and can make a difference--
  BILL MOYERS: Taught by whom? By those of us who report the news of bad things happening?
  MARTY KAPLAN: Well, the stuff that is being reported on the news tends not to be the kind of stuff that we need to know about in order to be outraged. Climate change is one of the great tests of journalism.
  There was "The New York Times" headline about the first time that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached 400 parts per million. Which "The Times" said that carbon dioxide had reached a level not seen in ''millions of years.''
  BILL MOYERS: Yeah.
  MARTY KAPLAN: My jaw fell. You would think that that would cause a worldwide stir. And instead, it was a one-day story, onto the next thing.
  BILL MOYERS: As you know, President Obama recently made a major speech in which he announced a new plan to tackle climate change. All three cable networks turned to the president's speech, but then they cut away from it well before it was intended to end. Fox News cut away saying the remarks could be streamed online, and then they turned to a guest critical of the president.
  PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: The planet is warming, and human activity is contributing to it.
  MEGYN KELLY on Fox News: But that is not the full story. We're going to stream the remainder of the President's remarks live on foxnews.com and in the meantime we'll be, we're joined now with some reaction. Chris Horner is the senior fellow and the Center for Energy and Environment at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and the author of the book, "Red Hot Lies."
  BILL MOYERS: Fox's host, Megyn Kelly wondered aloud about whether the country even needed to tackle the problem. And CNN's Wolf Blitzer cut in soon after--
  WOLF BLITZER on CNN Newsroom: Alright, so the president making a major, major address on climate change. I want to bring in Jim Acosta, and the president has got some important news he's about to release--
  BILL MOYERS: --and then Wolf continued to talk over the president's remarks. What do you make of that?
  MARTY KAPLAN: The meta message is more interesting to journalism than the message itself. People--
  BILL MOYERS: Meta message?
  MARTY KAPLAN: The meta message is, here's grist for combat between different factions. How is it going to play out? Rather than the message, which is, here's what's happening to our climate, here's what we have to do to prevent it. That stuff risks being boring. But combat is never boring. What they don't know how to do is to talk about, well, what are our options here, America? How do we mitigate the effects of climate change?
  Instead, they're refighting all these old battles. And that kind of combat is what they can do. The Sunday talk shows did something else, which is to completely ignore it. I mean, they probably had John McCain and Lindsey Graham on for the 27th time each, instead of dealing with what was the most important speech about climate change ever given by a sitting president.
  BILL MOYERS: And ThinkProgress, the progressive website published an info-graphic, which pointed out that, as you say, Sunday's news shows ignored Obama's climate plan, late-night comedy shows picked up the slack. "The Daily Show" gave three minutes and 29 seconds to the president, "The Late Show" gave one minute, 33 seconds, "The Tonight Show" gave one minute and two seconds. "Meet the Press?" Zero seconds. Fox News? Zero seconds. ABC "This Week"? Zero seconds. "Face the Nation?" Zero seconds. "State of the Union" on CNN, zero seconds.
  MARTY KAPLAN: Yeah, but I bet they kept us informed about the phony IRS scandal. They have stuff which they think pushes the buttons that makes people emotional and angry. And they just find climate change as snooze. They find guns a snooze. Look at what happened with Sandy Hook. Look at what happened with Hurricane Sandy and climate change. We are capable of turning away because we get bored with one thing and need the next.
  BILL MOYERS: At the time of the Sandy Hook shootings, you wrote about the learned helplessness that seemed to permeate that situation. Talk about that a moment.
  MARTY KAPLAN: We have had the unfortunate experience of being outraged, being Brazilians, trying to get something done, and watching as the dysfunctional system that we are forced to live under destroys momentum and creates stasis, or adds power to the already powerful, rather than enabling reform. We have, for example, on Capitol Hill, a system which is built on the need to create ads, narratives, phony reality about members who are running for office.
  And they need to finance that because our television stations make a killing on that. Especially in the swing states. And so the only way they can finance it is by doing quid pro quo deals with special interests. So when the Newtown tragedy happened, my instinct was, yes, I know Obama's going to make a great speech and the polls are going to be 99 percent, but it's going to be business as usual. Our hearts will be broken, because the system is simply unresponsive and incapable of reform.
  You watch that happen enough times, and you decide, why bother? You have to be someone who just fell off the turnip truck to think that popular outrage can make a difference. The truth is that we can make a difference. We can change the way campaigns are financed. We can change the electoral college. You name it, we can do things. But because we have been taught that we will be ineffective and fail, it seems like the gesture of a rube to be hopeful.
  BILL MOYERS: But this takes us back to the Brazilians. Because as you know, the Brazilians were protesting, millions of them were protesting against the $31, $33 billion they're going be spending on the World Cup and the Summer Olympics. They were carrying signs about that 21-year-old soccer star who's just signed a deal for $74 million. And they were saying, a good teacher is worth more than this soccer star. Now somehow, their learned helplessness was overwhelmed, or overcome, or penetrated by some other consciousness.
  MARTY KAPLAN: Well, but I think the key difference is that their democracy is new. They still believe in holding it accountable. They want to have a system that works. And as long as their promise is out there of making a difference, they want to hold the politicians' feet to the fire. In our case, we have an old democracy, which has ossified.
  The narrative should be, the system is broken, let's fix it. The founders were not Moses or God and what they put in the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, was not written in stone. It is meant to deal with things they could never imagine.
  They could not imagine swing states and the amount of money you have to spend and what you have to do with special interests in order to get elected. There is a pathology in our system that we, as a country, refuse to acknowledge because it's a way of saying that we're not heaven's blessed child. We are humans.
  BILL MOYERS: What intrigued me was that the Brazilians first sparked over an increase in the bus fare in S£o Paulo, and then it just spread. The bus fare. Yet when recently the Metropolitan Transit Authority here in New York raised the transit fare, it just, that wasn't even a ripple on the surface.
  MARTY KAPLAN: Because the class that produces news has the kind of incomes that can absorb those kinds of changes. The news industry is now part of the privileged elite. They are not the scrappy adversaries that one would hope they would be fighting for the little guy. They are the man. And if public transportation costs a little more, the studio's going to send a car for them anyway. The problem is that corporate self-interest plays itself out in the content of news.
  BILL MOYERS: As you know, there's a debate going on over journalism in America. The Pew Research Center recently wrote bleakly about the future of journalism.
  The other side of it, Marty, is that some people are saying these are the ''glory days'' of journalism, because there's so much information out there online, if you have access. And you yourself recently wrote, and I'm quoting, ''the best journalism in the world, from plenty of sources, is available online, often for no cents a day, and we can access it in video and audio as well, and from anywhere at any time.'' So where do you come down?
  MARTY KAPLAN: And as long as you are a critical thinker. As long as you could sort the stuff that's reliable from the crud. As long as you understand that people who propagate information have interests. And so you could understand that, you know, this incredibly popular website is also the mouthpiece for this party. To be able to do that requires exposure to enough quality journalism so that you learn to tell the difference between the stuff that's being hawked in the bazaar that is intriguing and probably only partly accurate, between that and stuff which, where the facts are verified. We have had instance after instance in the last several months of stories in which it's the pressure to be first, to say something before anyone else has completely overridden the pressure to check is it accurate and valid.
  And this is happening to the prestige outlets. They are not taking the time, because they have this bizarre notion that being first in the world of journalism, when microseconds count, it's like being a micro trader on Wall Street, that you're going to make or lose zillions by having those bragging rights. And in fact, the next day, they buy full-page ads in "The New York Times" saying, we were first to get this. They don't buy an ad when they say, we were first and wrong.
  BILL MOYERS: Come back to cable for a moment. Because as you know, the three major cable outlets, MSNBC, Fox News, and CNN have been giving a lot of attention to the Trayvon Martin story--
  NEWS ANCHOR #1: Yesterday, huge day in the George Zimmerman trial--
  NEWS ANCHOR #2: Coming up, a crucial day in the George Zimmerman trial--
  NEWS ANCHOR #3: George Zimmerman trial is eating up a lot of time on cable television--
  NEWS ANCHOR #4: The trial that has got America entranced--
  NEWS ANCHOR #5: We are watching with great interest--
  NEWS ANCHOR #6: The jury is not yet seated. As soon as this trial begins in earnest we will take you there--
  BILL MOYERS: It's a good story, by the way. Would they be doing this if people weren't watching?
  MARTY KAPLAN: No. They are both creating and responding to demand. But what they're not doing is exercising journalism. What they're doing is they're part of the entertainment industry. They're providing content. Journalism, in principle, is set apart because it has a notion of what's important, not just interesting. And in a dream world, journalists would make important stuff interesting. That they would use the same kind of techniques they use in covering the Trayvon Martin case to make stuff like climate change just as compelling.
  BILL MOYERS: You've been following the debate between Glenn Greenwald who broke the Edward Snowden story and NBC's David Gregory, who asked, well, let's listen to what David Gregory asked Glenn Greenwald on "Meet the Press."
  DAVID GREGORY on Meet the Press: To the extent that you have aided and abetted Snowden, even in his current movements, why shouldn't you, Mr. Greenwald, be charged with a crime?
  GLENN GREENWALD on Meet the Press: I think it's pretty extraordinary that anybody who would call themself a journalist would publicly muse about whether or not other journalists should be charged with felonies. The assumption in your question, David, is completely without evidence, the idea I've aided and abetted him in any way.
  The scandal that arose in Washington before our stories began was about the fact that the Obama administration is trying to criminalize investigative journalism by going through the emails and phone records of AP reporters, accusing a Fox News journalist of the theory you just embraced, being a co-conspirator with felonies, in felonies for working with sources.
  If you want to embrace that theory, it means every investigative journalist in the United States who works with their sources, who receives classified information is a criminal. And it's precisely those theories and precisely that climate that has become so menacing in the United States. It's why "The New Yorker's" Jane Mayer said investigative reporting has come to a "standstill," her word, as a result of the theories that you just referenced.
  DAVID GREGORY on Meet the Press: Well, the question of who's a journalist may be up to a debate with regard to what you're doing. And of course anybody who's watching this understands I was asking a question, that question has been raised by lawmakers as well. I'm not embracing anything. But, obviously I take your point.
  MARTY KAPLAN: The assumption of the question is that there is some dictionary somewhere that says what journalism is. The truth is that journalism, like a number of other things, is socially constructed. We enter into a contract through history and based on class and evidence of what journalism is or is not. Things get ruled in or ruled out all the time.
  And the reasons they're ruled in or out is not because some school of journalism, some professor, says, well, here's the yardstick and it is or it isn't. The way in which things get ruled in or not is practice. What actually happens? So if David Gregory can ask a question and justify it by say, some in Congress are asking that question, that rules out nothing.
  Some in Congress are morons. And those people will say anything. And as long as you can have the ability to do the "some say" game and call yourself a journalist and be in a mainstream marquee platform, then you are tugging at what the definition of journalism is. And I think it's entirely appropriate for Glenn Greenwald or anyone else to tug right back and say, no. What you have done changes the terms of the debate. Here's where I stand. And let's fight it out. Let's not let the imprimatur of some corporate trademark say that this defines what journalism is.
  BILL MOYERS: So when Glenn Greenwald says, "Top officials are lying to our faces about government spying," is that journalism or is it prosecution? Is he a journalist or is he an activist?
  MARTY KAPLAN: I think there is a credible case that journalism is activism. That if you, as a journalist covered climate change by saying, well, some say this and some say that, you're not being a journalist. You're being a tool of the people who want to intimidate journalism from covering evidence and the truth. So when Glenn Greenwald says that lying is going on, I don't think you can rule that out because of the activist nature of journalism. It either is true or not true. Let's settle it on those merits, not on the question of, does he have the credential to be able to do that?
  BILL MOYERS: It does seem to me that the First Amendment guarantees us the right to draw a conclusion on the evidence, from the evidence that we have gathered.
  MARTY KAPLAN: Yeah, and unfortunately, the, especially the right has learned to game the system and to say, no, no, journalism is not that. Journalism is, ''We report, you decide." The phony slogan of Fox News. So giving people alleged evidence and letting them draw alleged conclusions is in the interest of people who want to throw sand in your face and work the ref so that they are softened up and afraid to say, here is the conclusion.
  BILL MOYERS: So your point about the Trayvon Martin trial, about Paula Deen, whom we haven't even discussed about what you call the race, crime, and porn axis in tabloid news, cable news, your point is that it distracts us from and drives out attention to the problems that will take us down if we don't tackle them?
  MARTY KAPLAN: Watch the birdie over here, not the corruption over there. That's what circuses are about, is to distract us and make us happy while we're being distracted. The challenge is not only to give us the information that we should be paying attention to and to do it in a way which keeps our attention, the challenge is also what do we as citizens do with that. And I think there is an aspect of journalism which is afraid of taking that extra step and empowering citizens or covering the citizens who have empowered themselves to try to make a difference.
  BILL MOYERS: So when we do that, Marty, we run into what you wrote about recently, ''Informed Citizen Disorder,'' ICD. Now for the benefit of my viewers who haven't read this, tell me what you mean by ''Informed Citizen Disorder.''
  MARTY KAPLAN: Ever since I was in junior high school, I was taught that to be a good citizen meant you needed to know what was going on in your country and in your world. You should read the paper, you should pay attention to the news, that's part of your responsibility of being an American.
  And the problem, especially in recent years, is the more informed I am, the more despondent I am, because day after day, there is news which drives me crazy and I want to see the public rise up in outrage and say, no, you can't do that, banks. You can't do that, corporations. You can't do that polluters, you have to stop and pay attention to the laws, or we're going to change the laws.
  That every time that doesn't happen, and I keep learning each day the same thing, something bad happened and nothing was done about it, that's the news. The more that that's the case, the sadder one is when you consume all that news. So it, the, all the incentives are perverse. The way to be happy, to avoid this despondency is to be oblivious to it all, to live in Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World."
  BILL MOYERS: So, given all that we've talked about and all you're writing about, where do you come out? Are you an optimist or a pessimist about what's happening to us?
  MARTY KAPLAN: I have children. I have to be an optimist. The globe has children. We have to be optimists. There is no choice. What is the alternative? If you are a pessimist, well, the most you can do, I suppose, is medicate yourself with the latest blockbuster and some sugar, salt, and fat that's being marketed to you. The only responsible thing that you can do is say that individuals can make a difference and I will try, we will try, to make that.
  BILL MOYERS: Don't they have to do it collectively. I mean, right now in North Carolina, there's a growing demonstration against the coup by the right wing that's been taken. But don't we have to do that collectively as they did in Brazil?
  MARTY KAPLAN: Well, yes, we do. But moral Monday's in North Carolina is a great example. What happened in Wisconsin was a great example. When people see one another, they join one another. If the TV is covering these demonstrations, it draws other people into it. The internet has been, in principle, a way in which people can gauge the growth of a community of discontent.
  It is not as important so far as actually physically getting off your duff and going into the street. And I'm under no illusion that I can ignite some national wave of protest. But as more and more cities become more and more unhappy with what their corrupt government is doing, maybe a critical mass builds.
  BILL MOYERS: MARTY KAPLAN, thank you again for joining me.
  MARTY KAPLAN: Thank you.
TRAINS Magazine - Trains News Wire, Railroad News, Railroad Industry News, Web Cam, Forums
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FBI investigating Boston-area man after pressure-cooker bomb materials found - World - Canoe.ca
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  TOPSFIELD, Mass. - The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating a Boston-area man after authorities found materials in his bedroom that could be used for making a pressure-cooker bomb similar to the devices used in the deadly Boston Marathon attack, authorities said on Saturday.
  Police arrested 27-year-old Daniel Morley last month on domestic assault and battery charges and for making a bomb threat, according to the Topsfield Police Department.
  After a nearly four-hour standoff on June 9, police discovered in Morley's bedroom a Russian-made assault rifle, a pressure cooker and other materials that concerned investigators, said Gary Hayward, a detective sergeant with Topsfield police.
  "Along with the pressure cooker, there were some other items that were concerning," Hayward said. He said he could not give more details because the matter was under investigation by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.
  The FBI's Boston office did not return messages seeking further comment.
  Morley is suspected of having enough materials to make a pressure-cooker bomb similar to the ones used at the Boston Marathon, according to two law enforcement sources who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
  On April 15 at the finish line of the storied marathon, homemade bombs - pressure cookers filled with explosives, nails and ball bearings - killed three people and injured 264 others. The tragedy set the city on edge for days as police hunted for the suspects.
  On June 9, a tense scene unfolded at Morley's home near Topsfield's town square, where police blocked off a large area. The perimeter forced a church to cancel services in the town of about 6,100 people about 23 miles (37 km) north of Boston.
  "Basically, it started with a domestic situation" about 2 o'clock in the morning, Hayward said.
  Members of the Massachusetts State Police SWAT team eventually entered the house and took Morley into custody. No one was injured, Hayward said.
  Morley has been arraigned on the assault and bomb threat charges and is due to appear next week in Ipswich District Court in Newburyport, Hayward said.
  Morley is at Bridgewater State Hospital, where he has undergone psychiatric evaluation, police said.
monitoring microwave
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 22:04
  -------------------------------------------------------------------------- How to Monitor Microwave Telecommunication Links (Telephone Channels) With an Ordinary TVRO Transcribed to the electronic media for you by Thallion of WUFO MCMXCIV. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now that Congress has decided to patch a massive hole in the security of U.S. Communications, with a law that neither requires nor encourages carriers to increase security, I thought I would re-post an article I wrote a year ago about a major aspect of the problem. By doing so I hope to remind everyone that, even with draconian laws in place, it is still very easy to intercept many regular telephone calls and circuits: Nothing in the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 requires or even particularly encourages carriers to increase the security of radio or satellite links. In short, listeners who get caught can be punished, but nothing anti-Constitutional has been done to make listening any harder. The kinds of interception I describe here are illegal under the new law, but the equipment required is very widely available and has legitimate use which make a ban on sale or possession very unlikely. The act of interception could be carried out in total secrecy and would be nearly impossible to detect from a distance. Plus, the Justice Department has stated that it does not intend to vigorously enforce the radio portions of the Law, most of which are generally regarded as unenforceable (even by the Bill's sponsors). So the Law, while fairly severe, really won't have much of a deterrent effect on even the most casual eavesdroppers. And casual listeners are not the real problem, anyway. Yes it is possible and not very difficult: Some years ago it was pointed out that 68% of all long distance trunks were carried by ground-based microwave. And while long distance carriers have been working (under some pressure from the NSA and the White House) to convert these circuits to optical fibers, or at least coaxial cable, there are still many routes that use microwave or satellite "hops." I don't know an exact figure, but I think it would be reasonable to guess that at least 40% - 50% of all long distance trunks include a micro wave or satellite hop. Approximately 75% of all long haul microwave relays use the 3.7 - 4.2 GHz band, which is readily receivable by a TVRO. Most long haul microwave systems use FM modulation and frequency division multiplexing (FDM) of single sideband suppressed carrier voice channels. Some satellite systems also use this modulation. Unfortunately, FM/FDM/SSB is quite easy to receive with simple and widely available equipment. Recovering the activity of a specific channel is very easy, which opens up the possibility of monitoring random phone calls to a specific group of destinations, or monitoring specific private line data or voice circuits (which are assigned to a multiplex slot for long periods of time). The question of whether a TVRO could be used to monitor phone conversations has been raised: The answer is, with the addition of a stable, general coverage, single sideband receiver (such as an ICOM R71, or a KENWOOD R2000, or the receiver section of a modem transceiver) connected to unfiltered and unclamped video outputs (provided for connecting stereo adapters and descramblers), a TVRO can be used to listen to FM-FDM multiplexed telephone signals from both celestial and ground-based sources. Further, with a stable down-block converter that converts to the UHF-TV band and one of the scanner type receivers designed to cover this band, one may also receive some of the Single Channel Per Carrier (SCPC) signals that carry telephone circuits to more remote places, along with network radio feds, Muzak and various broadcast data services, such as the AP and UPI news services. (Some signals are dithered and require some form of closed loop AFC to receive them.) This vulnerability has been known to telecommunications security specialists for many years. But as the number of TVRO systems has increased to well over two million, the problem assumes a somewhat different perspective: In 1976, Mitre (the Mitre Corporation) estimated that it would cost $50,000.00+ to intercept microwave telephone calls, and would require a 10' dish. In that era, a 10' dish would attract much attention. Today, however, anyone can buy a TVRO system with a 75k LNA and an 8' - 12' dish for S1,000 - $1,500. And almost nobody would give the system a second glance, because TVROs have become quite commonplace. A 751 LNA beats the 10 - 12 db receiver noise figure that the Mitre Corporation based its calculation on by a substantial margin. And the current generation of computer controllable, general coverage SSB receivers are much more cost effective de-multiplexing devices than are the synthesizer and selective voltmeter which seemed necessary back in 1976. The existence of these millions of receivers, which can pick up both celestial and ground-based telephone signals, means one should not ever presume that a long distance telephone call is private. More important, because they are much easier to find in FDM complexes, one should not assume that a private leased line is secure unless the long distance carrier has specially routed it via lightwave (much more secure) or coaxial cable (only somewhat more secure) for its entire path. (Obviously, conventional wiretaps must also be considered if there is reason to believe that some individual or organization has sufficient interest in your communications to risk imposing a physical tap on a telephone line.) MULTI-CHANNEL SYSTEMS 1: FDMA/PSK/DMA/PCM: Used on a number of transponders on 4 and 12 GHz satellites. Heavily used by private business for tie lines and other leased line services. Sometimes mixed with data. Quite secure if encrypted. Not easily intercepted by private individuals. 2: TDMA/PSK/TDM/PCM: Used on SBS (12 GHz) satellites as the principal accessing technique. Therefore, SBS Skyline services and some MCI services (both are now owned by IBM) are protected with this technique. Also used on some 4 GHz transponders. Very difficult for private individuals to intercept, even if un-encrypted. Some circuits are encrypted, some are not. TDMA is believed to be the heavy-use satellite access technique of the future, as it offers very efficient use of transponder power and dynamic allocation of system capacity to those links which are currently active. When combined with encryption, it is quite secure. 3: FDMA/FM/FDM/SSB: Standard modulation used on almost all terrestrial long-haul telephone microwave circuits. Used on several 4 GHz DOMSAT transponders and most older multi-channel INTELSAT links. Wideband FM/FDM signals may be readily received by standard TVRO receivers, and an individual channel may easily be picked out of the multiplex signal with a garden variety, general coverage SSB communications receiver. Very easy for private individuals to intercept. SINGLE CHANNEL SYSTEMS 5: FDMA/FM: (Also known as SCPC/FM) Single Channel Per Carrier is used to transmit one single FM telephone channel between two points. A transponder carries many such FM carriers at one time. Frequencies used are often coordinated by a central station when the call is set up, and may be used only for the duration of the call. This technique is used for communications with remote places that rarely need more than a few circuits at once. May be intercepted by a wide band scanner connected to a very stable block down-converter. Easy for private individuals to intercept. 6: FDMA/PCM: (Also known as SCPC/PCM, or SPADE) This technique is the international standard INTELSAT method of establishing telephone connections between places which do not have sufficient traffic to warrant permanently assigned FDM trunks. Each direction of each telephone call is assigned a channel by the central control station. These stations transmit a PSK keyed carrier on that channel for the duration of the call. Each carrier contains one 9 KHz sampled PCM bitstream, along with some error correction and synchronizing bits. As far as I know, encryption is not used. The signal may be intercepted by a sophisticated individual. But intercepting it requires a rather large dish, because the effective radiated power per carrier is very much less than DOMSAT carriers use. A few domestic SATCOM SCPC users use PCM, probably with some form of encryption. Hard for a private individual to intercept. 7: FM/FDM-FM: (Subcarriers on video feeds) As most TVRO owners discover, many video feeds contain additional subcarriers which many unrelated or tangentially related material. Included among these are cue and coordination channels which may occasionally carry telephone-like conversations. There are no regular telephone circuits in video subcarriers, however. These subcarriers are extremely easy to intercept, as most TVROs have tunable audio demodulation. ON FM/FDM/SSB All it takes to recover FM/FDM/SSB signals is a suitable wideband FM receiver connected to a stable, general coverage SSB receiver which tunes the frequency range used for the baseband. TVRO receivers have the correct bandwidth for many such signals. They often incorporate provisions for IF filters, which may be used to better adapt receivers to the narrow band signals found on some transponders. Modem general coverage SSB receivers, transceiver sections with synthesized tuning, digital frequency display and narrow IF filters are well suited to recovering the audio on a particular channel. Listening to FM/FDM/SSB signals may be accomplished by tuning the TVRO receiver to either a satellite transponder that carries an FM/FDM/SSB signal (which may involve restricting the IF bandwidth with a filter, because some transponders carry more than one FDM/FM signal, or by pointing the antenna at a nearby terrestrial microwave transmitter and tuning the receiver for maximum signal. Once the FDM/FM signal has been tuned in, the SSB receiver may be used to search the baseband (typically .3 MHz to 6 or 8 MHz) for telephone conversations, data transmissions and other private line circuits. Individual channels will appear as USB or LSB signals at precise 4 KHz intervals. In fact, the whole baseband is organize,d into 12 channel groups, 60 channel subgroups and 600 channel master-groups, according to a standard frequency plan. (The AT&T) plan, as usual, is different from the CCITT plan used internationally.) Most channels have completely suppressed carriers, but certain channels will appear to have a (slightly off frequency) carrier in them, which is called a pilot tone. This tone is used to monitor circuit continuity and control overall gain. Depending on how archaic the equipment is on a particular telephone trunk, there may be a 2600 Hz SF signaling tone in the channel when it is idle. But the tone is dropped when the channel is occupied with a call. Trunks that use SF signaling often use MFKP (Multi-Frequency Key Pulsing - the famous blue box version of tone dialing) to pass telephone numbers on to the destination switch. Most modem trunks use CCIS (Common Control Inter-office Signaling), which is a packet network replacement for the earlier and less secure in-band method that uses separate signaling channels to carry all of the signals for all of the trunks in a route. A single signal usually carries only half a telephone conversation, so it is necessary to use two receivers and two TVROs to clearly pick up both sides of a call. Receiving both sides of a terrestrial circuit requires a suitable location where both directions of transmission may be picked up. This usually means a site in line with the microwave path. Sometimes both directions of transmission from a single repeater site may be monitored by a very nearby (less than a couple of miles) receiver. Many telephone trunks have sufficiently low echo return loss so that both parties may be heard even when monitoring only one direction of transmission. So it is quite possible to listen to both sides of some conversations with only one receiver. Both sides of a satellite FDM circuit will sometimes be found on the same satellite, and sometimes not. In general, particularly on terrestrial signals, all of the channels in a 12 channel group originate and terminate at the same p1ace. The groups and super groups that make up a master group, however, often originate from several different places. Demodulation to baseband audio is generally done as few times as possible on a trunk or a private line circuit which connects two places. The 12 channels of its group are shifted to various frequencies within the baseband of the different satellite, microwave or coaxial cable FDM signals which carry it to its destination. Channels within a group are assigned various functions. Some may carry telephone trunks, some may carry private line data, some may carry private trunks which belong to large companies, and a certain percentage are received for use as spares. It has long been telephone company practice to route the telephone trunks between two switching centers over several different paths to supply redundancy in the event that one path fails. (And also to make it harder to intercept a particular call between the two switches.) This means any given FDM group may contain trunks from several different trunk groups rather than all of the trunks from, for example, Chicago to West Bend. ON PSK/TDM Some of these channels (often 24) are combined into a high speed serial bit stream (often 1.554 Mb) by sending one sample from each channel in serial form as a string of 8 bits, followed by a sample from the next channel, and so forth. Sometimes this composite bit stream, or the bit stream from individual channels, is encrypted with a DES chip. Error correction and framing bits, and sometimes special control channel bits, are added. This digital bit stream is then scrambled (so it has more predictable transition statistics and little or no DC component) by a linear feedback shift register sequence. The resultant bit stream is used to PSK modulate a carrier, which is uplinked to the satellite. Receiving these FDMA/PSK/TDM/PCM digital transmissions requires a complex RF modem, a large enough dish to derive an acceptable SNR (and BER) and, often, knowledge of DES encryption keys used (unless one is a cryptographer who can break DES). While certain transmissions which are not encrypted could be intercepted by a sophisticated individual, particularly one who has access to the RF modem and multiplexing hard-ware used by the actual subscribers, the required expertise is of an order of magnitude greater than that required to intercept FM/FMD/SSB signals. Also, the equipment required is highly specialized and not widely available. (Decoders for TDM-PCM bit streams could be built by a skilled person from available chips with relative ease. But the PSK high-speed RF modem technology used would not be easy for even a skilled person with substantial resources to duplicate.) Presumably few (if any) casual listeners intercept TDM/PCM radio circuits. The only listeners to such transmissions are intelligence agencies and, perhaps, industrial spies who can afford the necessary hardware to monitor their objective's private circuits. And more and more users of such links are encrypting them with DES, which is relatively easy as the information is already in a digital format. TDMA/PSK/TDM/PCM signals are much more complex than most FDMA/PSK/TDM/PCM signals. This is natural, since all traffic is sent by having each station on the network transmit a burst of very high speed (tens of Mb) data, in an assigned time slot, and in sequential fashion. Included in The burst formats are complex and contain error correction, status and control channels, call set-up channels and so forth. And the bursts are scrambled just as in the continuous carrier TDM case. Intercepting and demodulating such a signal would be a major task. It probably is something which has been done (by intelligence agencies) by using perverted versions of the ground station hardware and firmware used in the system. In addition to the complexity of the task of sorting out the digital information, and determining the right time slot from the right burst to retrieve the channel of interest, the very high speed, fast lock-on RF modems used to demodulate the bursts are, themselves, non-trivial devices. I suspect that perverting the firmware in a legitimate ground terminal is complex enough so that no private individual could accomplish it without access to a lot of detailed, unpublished information, such as the source of the firmware and precise details of the protocol and burst formats. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½Ä ½ [WHERE_INFORMATION_IS_FREE] ½ ½ ½½½ ½ ½ ½½½ ½½½ ½½½½ ½½½ ½ ½ ½½½ ½ ½ ½½½ ½½½ ½½½ | | ½ ½½½ ½½½½ ½½ ½½½½ ½½½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½½½ ½½½½ ½½½½ ½½½ : : ½½½ ½ ½½½½ ½½½ ½ ½ ½ ½½½½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½½½½ ½½½½ ½½½ . . +46-(o)16-3589o2 - 2:206/408@FidoNet - 14400 Bps, Open 24h ½ ½ Textfiles - PC-Files - Modules - Cyber-related - P/H/A/V/C Areas ½ Official HSi/iHA Distsite! I.N.I HQ! C.L.F SHQ!
  -------------------------------------------------------------------------- How to Monitor Microwave Telecommunication Links (Telephone Channels) With an Ordinary TVRO Transcribed to the electronic media for you by Thallion of WUFO MCMXCIV. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now that Congress has decided to patch a massive hole in the security of U.S. Communications, with a law that neither requires nor encourages carriers to increase security, I thought I would re-post an article I wrote a year ago about a major aspect of the problem. By doing so I hope to remind everyone that, even with draconian laws in place, it is still very easy to intercept many regular telephone calls and circuits: Nothing in the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 requires or even particularly encourages carriers to increase the security of radio or satellite links. In short, listeners who get caught can be punished, but nothing anti-Constitutional has been done to make listening any harder. The kinds of interception I describe here are illegal under the new law, but the equipment required is very widely available and has legitimate use which make a ban on sale or possession very unlikely. The act of interception could be carried out in total secrecy and would be nearly impossible to detect from a distance. Plus, the Justice Department has stated that it does not intend to vigorously enforce the radio portions of the Law, most of which are generally regarded as unenforceable (even by the Bill's sponsors). So the Law, while fairly severe, really won't have much of a deterrent effect on even the most casual eavesdroppers. And casual listeners are not the real problem, anyway. Yes it is possible and not very difficult: Some years ago it was pointed out that 68% of all long distance trunks were carried by ground-based microwave. And while long distance carriers have been working (under some pressure from the NSA and the White House) to convert these circuits to optical fibers, or at least coaxial cable, there are still many routes that use microwave or satellite "hops." I don't know an exact figure, but I think it would be reasonable to guess that at least 40% - 50% of all long distance trunks include a micro wave or satellite hop. Approximately 75% of all long haul microwave relays use the 3.7 - 4.2 GHz band, which is readily receivable by a TVRO. Most long haul microwave systems use FM modulation and frequency division multiplexing (FDM) of single sideband suppressed carrier voice channels. Some satellite systems also use this modulation. Unfortunately, FM/FDM/SSB is quite easy to receive with simple and widely available equipment. Recovering the activity of a specific channel is very easy, which opens up the possibility of monitoring random phone calls to a specific group of destinations, or monitoring specific private line data or voice circuits (which are assigned to a multiplex slot for long periods of time). The question of whether a TVRO could be used to monitor phone conversations has been raised: The answer is, with the addition of a stable, general coverage, single sideband receiver (such as an ICOM R71, or a KENWOOD R2000, or the receiver section of a modem transceiver) connected to unfiltered and unclamped video outputs (provided for connecting stereo adapters and descramblers), a TVRO can be used to listen to FM-FDM multiplexed telephone signals from both celestial and ground-based sources. Further, with a stable down-block converter that converts to the UHF-TV band and one of the scanner type receivers designed to cover this band, one may also receive some of the Single Channel Per Carrier (SCPC) signals that carry telephone circuits to more remote places, along with network radio feds, Muzak and various broadcast data services, such as the AP and UPI news services. (Some signals are dithered and require some form of closed loop AFC to receive them.) This vulnerability has been known to telecommunications security specialists for many years. But as the number of TVRO systems has increased to well over two million, the problem assumes a somewhat different perspective: In 1976, Mitre (the Mitre Corporation) estimated that it would cost $50,000.00+ to intercept microwave telephone calls, and would require a 10' dish. In that era, a 10' dish would attract much attention. Today, however, anyone can buy a TVRO system with a 75k LNA and an 8' - 12' dish for S1,000 - $1,500. And almost nobody would give the system a second glance, because TVROs have become quite commonplace. A 751 LNA beats the 10 - 12 db receiver noise figure that the Mitre Corporation based its calculation on by a substantial margin. And the current generation of computer controllable, general coverage SSB receivers are much more cost effective de-multiplexing devices than are the synthesizer and selective voltmeter which seemed necessary back in 1976. The existence of these millions of receivers, which can pick up both celestial and ground-based telephone signals, means one should not ever presume that a long distance telephone call is private. More important, because they are much easier to find in FDM complexes, one should not assume that a private leased line is secure unless the long distance carrier has specially routed it via lightwave (much more secure) or coaxial cable (only somewhat more secure) for its entire path. (Obviously, conventional wiretaps must also be considered if there is reason to believe that some individual or organization has sufficient interest in your communications to risk imposing a physical tap on a telephone line.) MULTI-CHANNEL SYSTEMS 1: FDMA/PSK/DMA/PCM: Used on a number of transponders on 4 and 12 GHz satellites. Heavily used by private business for tie lines and other leased line services. Sometimes mixed with data. Quite secure if encrypted. Not easily intercepted by private individuals. 2: TDMA/PSK/TDM/PCM: Used on SBS (12 GHz) satellites as the principal accessing technique. Therefore, SBS Skyline services and some MCI services (both are now owned by IBM) are protected with this technique. Also used on some 4 GHz transponders. Very difficult for private individuals to intercept, even if un-encrypted. Some circuits are encrypted, some are not. TDMA is believed to be the heavy-use satellite access technique of the future, as it offers very efficient use of transponder power and dynamic allocation of system capacity to those links which are currently active. When combined with encryption, it is quite secure. 3: FDMA/FM/FDM/SSB: Standard modulation used on almost all terrestrial long-haul telephone microwave circuits. Used on several 4 GHz DOMSAT transponders and most older multi-channel INTELSAT links. Wideband FM/FDM signals may be readily received by standard TVRO receivers, and an individual channel may easily be picked out of the multiplex signal with a garden variety, general coverage SSB communications receiver. Very easy for private individuals to intercept. SINGLE CHANNEL SYSTEMS 5: FDMA/FM: (Also known as SCPC/FM) Single Channel Per Carrier is used to transmit one single FM telephone channel between two points. A transponder carries many such FM carriers at one time. Frequencies used are often coordinated by a central station when the call is set up, and may be used only for the duration of the call. This technique is used for communications with remote places that rarely need more than a few circuits at once. May be intercepted by a wide band scanner connected to a very stable block down-converter. Easy for private individuals to intercept. 6: FDMA/PCM: (Also known as SCPC/PCM, or SPADE) This technique is the international standard INTELSAT method of establishing telephone connections between places which do not have sufficient traffic to warrant permanently assigned FDM trunks. Each direction of each telephone call is assigned a channel by the central control station. These stations transmit a PSK keyed carrier on that channel for the duration of the call. Each carrier contains one 9 KHz sampled PCM bitstream, along with some error correction and synchronizing bits. As far as I know, encryption is not used. The signal may be intercepted by a sophisticated individual. But intercepting it requires a rather large dish, because the effective radiated power per carrier is very much less than DOMSAT carriers use. A few domestic SATCOM SCPC users use PCM, probably with some form of encryption. Hard for a private individual to intercept. 7: FM/FDM-FM: (Subcarriers on video feeds) As most TVRO owners discover, many video feeds contain additional subcarriers which many unrelated or tangentially related material. Included among these are cue and coordination channels which may occasionally carry telephone-like conversations. There are no regular telephone circuits in video subcarriers, however. These subcarriers are extremely easy to intercept, as most TVROs have tunable audio demodulation. ON FM/FDM/SSB All it takes to recover FM/FDM/SSB signals is a suitable wideband FM receiver connected to a stable, general coverage SSB receiver which tunes the frequency range used for the baseband. TVRO receivers have the correct bandwidth for many such signals. They often incorporate provisions for IF filters, which may be used to better adapt receivers to the narrow band signals found on some transponders. Modem general coverage SSB receivers, transceiver sections with synthesized tuning, digital frequency display and narrow IF filters are well suited to recovering the audio on a particular channel. Listening to FM/FDM/SSB signals may be accomplished by tuning the TVRO receiver to either a satellite transponder that carries an FM/FDM/SSB signal (which may involve restricting the IF bandwidth with a filter, because some transponders carry more than one FDM/FM signal, or by pointing the antenna at a nearby terrestrial microwave transmitter and tuning the receiver for maximum signal. Once the FDM/FM signal has been tuned in, the SSB receiver may be used to search the baseband (typically .3 MHz to 6 or 8 MHz) for telephone conversations, data transmissions and other private line circuits. Individual channels will appear as USB or LSB signals at precise 4 KHz intervals. In fact, the whole baseband is organize,d into 12 channel groups, 60 channel subgroups and 600 channel master-groups, according to a standard frequency plan. (The AT&T) plan, as usual, is different from the CCITT plan used internationally.) Most channels have completely suppressed carriers, but certain channels will appear to have a (slightly off frequency) carrier in them, which is called a pilot tone. This tone is used to monitor circuit continuity and control overall gain. Depending on how archaic the equipment is on a particular telephone trunk, there may be a 2600 Hz SF signaling tone in the channel when it is idle. But the tone is dropped when the channel is occupied with a call. Trunks that use SF signaling often use MFKP (Multi-Frequency Key Pulsing - the famous blue box version of tone dialing) to pass telephone numbers on to the destination switch. Most modem trunks use CCIS (Common Control Inter-office Signaling), which is a packet network replacement for the earlier and less secure in-band method that uses separate signaling channels to carry all of the signals for all of the trunks in a route. A single signal usually carries only half a telephone conversation, so it is necessary to use two receivers and two TVROs to clearly pick up both sides of a call. Receiving both sides of a terrestrial circuit requires a suitable location where both directions of transmission may be picked up. This usually means a site in line with the microwave path. Sometimes both directions of transmission from a single repeater site may be monitored by a very nearby (less than a couple of miles) receiver. Many telephone trunks have sufficiently low echo return loss so that both parties may be heard even when monitoring only one direction of transmission. So it is quite possible to listen to both sides of some conversations with only one receiver. Both sides of a satellite FDM circuit will sometimes be found on the same satellite, and sometimes not. In general, particularly on terrestrial signals, all of the channels in a 12 channel group originate and terminate at the same p1ace. The groups and super groups that make up a master group, however, often originate from several different places. Demodulation to baseband audio is generally done as few times as possible on a trunk or a private line circuit which connects two places. The 12 channels of its group are shifted to various frequencies within the baseband of the different satellite, microwave or coaxial cable FDM signals which carry it to its destination. Channels within a group are assigned various functions. Some may carry telephone trunks, some may carry private line data, some may carry private trunks which belong to large companies, and a certain percentage are received for use as spares. It has long been telephone company practice to route the telephone trunks between two switching centers over several different paths to supply redundancy in the event that one path fails. (And also to make it harder to intercept a particular call between the two switches.) This means any given FDM group may contain trunks from several different trunk groups rather than all of the trunks from, for example, Chicago to West Bend. ON PSK/TDM Some of these channels (often 24) are combined into a high speed serial bit stream (often 1.554 Mb) by sending one sample from each channel in serial form as a string of 8 bits, followed by a sample from the next channel, and so forth. Sometimes this composite bit stream, or the bit stream from individual channels, is encrypted with a DES chip. Error correction and framing bits, and sometimes special control channel bits, are added. This digital bit stream is then scrambled (so it has more predictable transition statistics and little or no DC component) by a linear feedback shift register sequence. The resultant bit stream is used to PSK modulate a carrier, which is uplinked to the satellite. Receiving these FDMA/PSK/TDM/PCM digital transmissions requires a complex RF modem, a large enough dish to derive an acceptable SNR (and BER) and, often, knowledge of DES encryption keys used (unless one is a cryptographer who can break DES). While certain transmissions which are not encrypted could be intercepted by a sophisticated individual, particularly one who has access to the RF modem and multiplexing hard-ware used by the actual subscribers, the required expertise is of an order of magnitude greater than that required to intercept FM/FMD/SSB signals. Also, the equipment required is highly specialized and not widely available. (Decoders for TDM-PCM bit streams could be built by a skilled person from available chips with relative ease. But the PSK high-speed RF modem technology used would not be easy for even a skilled person with substantial resources to duplicate.) Presumably few (if any) casual listeners intercept TDM/PCM radio circuits. The only listeners to such transmissions are intelligence agencies and, perhaps, industrial spies who can afford the necessary hardware to monitor their objective's private circuits. And more and more users of such links are encrypting them with DES, which is relatively easy as the information is already in a digital format. TDMA/PSK/TDM/PCM signals are much more complex than most FDMA/PSK/TDM/PCM signals. This is natural, since all traffic is sent by having each station on the network transmit a burst of very high speed (tens of Mb) data, in an assigned time slot, and in sequential fashion. Included in The burst formats are complex and contain error correction, status and control channels, call set-up channels and so forth. And the bursts are scrambled just as in the continuous carrier TDM case. Intercepting and demodulating such a signal would be a major task. It probably is something which has been done (by intelligence agencies) by using perverted versions of the ground station hardware and firmware used in the system. In addition to the complexity of the task of sorting out the digital information, and determining the right time slot from the right burst to retrieve the channel of interest, the very high speed, fast lock-on RF modems used to demodulate the bursts are, themselves, non-trivial devices. I suspect that perverting the firmware in a legitimate ground terminal is complex enough so that no private individual could accomplish it without access to a lot of detailed, unpublished information, such as the source of the firmware and precise details of the protocol and burst formats. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½Ä ½ [WHERE_INFORMATION_IS_FREE] ½ ½ ½½½ ½ ½ ½½½ ½½½ ½½½½ ½½½ ½ ½ ½½½ ½ ½ ½½½ ½½½ ½½½ | | ½ ½½½ ½½½½ ½½ ½½½½ ½½½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½½½ ½½½½ ½½½½ ½½½ : : ½½½ ½ ½½½½ ½½½ ½ ½ ½ ½½½½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½½½½ ½½½½ ½½½ . . +46-(o)16-3589o2 - 2:206/408@FidoNet - 14400 Bps, Open 24h ½ ½ Textfiles - PC-Files - Modules - Cyber-related - P/H/A/V/C Areas ½ Official HSi/iHA Distsite! I.N.I HQ! C.L.F SHQ!
'Overheid moet kind beschermen tegen ouder' | nu.nl/binnenland | Het laatste nieuws het eerst op nu.nl
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  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 21:52
  Dat vindt senator voor de VVD Heleen Dupuis. Dat zei ze zaterdagavond in het tv-programma Nieuwsuur.
  Eerder riep ze predikanten al op zich uit te spreken v""r vaccinatie. De ethica vindt het hoog tijd om de discussie te openen over een verplichte prik voor kinderen.
  De Gezondheidsraad en het ministerie moeten zich erover buigen, vindt Dupuis, al is een verplichting volgens haar ook wel 'tricky': ''Er zitten ook nadelen aan.''
  Maar ze wees erop dat we ook een leerplicht hebben. ''Die is ook een inbreuk op het ouderlijk gezag.''
Texas Passes Abortion Restriction Bill
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  Archived Version
  Source: Weasel Zippers
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 17:50
  Wendy Davis, her catheter and haters fail; epic scream mode commences.
  Via The Blaze:
  AUSTIN, Texas (TheBlaze/AP) '-- The Texas Senate passed sweeping new abortion restrictions late Friday, sending them to Republican Gov. Rick Perry to sign into law after weeks of protests and rallies that drew thousands of people to the Capitol and made the state the focus of the national abortion debate.
  Republicans used their large majority in the Texas Legislature to pass the bill nearly three weeks after a filibuster by Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis and an outburst by abortion-rights activists in the Senate gallery disrupted a deadline vote June 25.
  Called back for a new special session by Perry, lawmakers took up the bill again as thousands of supporters and opponents held rallies and jammed the Capitol to testify at public hearings.
  The bill requires doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, allows abortions only in surgical centers and bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
  Keep reading'...
Czech ex-PM admits relationship with aide at centre of graft probe
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  Archived Version
  Source: Reuters: World News
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 17:48
  1 of 2. Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas attends a Civic Democratic Party (ODS) congress in Brno November 4, 2012.
  Credit: Reuters/Petr Josek
  PRAGUE | Sat Jul 13, 2013 12:15pm EDT
  PRAGUE (Reuters) - Former Czech conservative Prime Minister Petr Necas has now acknowledged he had a relationship with his closest aide, whose arrest for suspected illegal spying and graft led to the government's fall last month, a daily reported on Saturday.
  The aide, Jana Nagyova, is among a group of people who have been charged with illegal surveillance of Necas's wife, whom he is now divorcing, or with bribing parliamentary deputies who had rebelled against Necas last year.
  "I have a relationship with Jana Nagyova. It is a firm relationship and I count on it for the future," Necas, 48, told daily Pravo when questioned about his private life in an interview published on Saturday.
  Nagyova and six other suspects have been in police custody for a month since 400 policemen raided government and private offices and homes in the biggest sweep against graft since the communist era ended in 1989, causing a political crisis in the EU member country that may last for months to come.
  The charges against Nagyova and others are a by-product of a wider investigation into what police suspect is an organized corruption ring involving businessmen and public contracts. That investigation led police to Nagyova and the others, but none of them is accused of links to organized crime.
  A lawyer for Nagyova has said she acted in good faith.
  Police have also asked parliament to lift the immunity of Necas, who remains a deputy and thus is protected from investigation, so that they could charge him as well.
  Necas's close relationship with the blonde single mother of two had fuelled speculation among politicians and in the media in the central European state for months but neither Necas nor Nagyova had previously acknowledged it.
  Necas, a church-going father of four, said in January he had separated from his wife of more than 25 years, and the couple filed for divorce last month, just before the police raids.
  The former prime minister testified on Friday in the bribery case, centered on accusations that three deputies were promised jobs at state firms if they ceased opposing a key piece of tax legislation.
  Necas said he considered the process to be political and denied any wrongdoing. Some Czech politicians and commentators agree with his view, and the case will help set the boundary between acceptable political horse trading and corruption.
  Necas has previously said he had no knowledge of any illegal spying by military intelligence on his wife, which police say was organized by Nagyova.
  Leftist President Milos Zeman angered all the main political parties by appointing his own ally Jiri Rusnok as prime minister to replace Necas, leading to a standoff with parliament.
  That may lead to a prolonged political crisis in a country praised by investors for its stability, and could cripple policymaking, including approval of the 2014 budget.
  (Reporting by Jan Lopatka; Editing by Alistair Lyon)
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4 Softrock Kits
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  Archived Version
  Source: QRZ Forums
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 17:45
  HiI have 4 softrock kits that I bought but never built
  K3 IF kitIF Lite 2 combined40M lite 280m lite 2The K3 i opened to look at the docs, the other three I never opened.$70 for all four, firm, shipped lower 48.I will not split.
  Paypal ok if you pay the 3% fee.
  If interested, please email w4jpl at yahoo dot com
  73, John W4JPL
No evidence of link between Dreamliner fire and batteries: AAIB
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  Archived Version
  Source: Reuters: World News
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 17:41
  TweetShare thisEmailPrintEmergency crew surrounds a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, operated by Ethiopian Airlines, which caught fire at Britain's Heathrow airport in this July 12, 2013 still image taken from video.
  Credit: Reuters/Pool via Reuters TV
  LONDON | Sat Jul 13, 2013 1:21pm EDT
  LONDON (Reuters) - There is no evidence at this stage that a fire that broke out on a Boeing Dreamliner at London's Heathrow Airport on Friday was linked to the aircraft's batteries, Britain's Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) said on Saturday.
  "There has been extensive heat damage in the upper portion of the rear fuselage, a complex part of the aircraft, and the initial investigation is likely to take several days," the AAIB said in a statement.
  "However, it is clear that this heat damage is remote from the area in which the aircraft main and APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) batteries are located, and, at this stage, there is no evidence of a direct causal relationship."
  (Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; editing by Patrick Graham)
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Latin American Countries Recall Ambassadors From Spain, France, Italy And Portugal Over Snowden "Neo-Colonial" Flap
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  Archived Version
  Source: Zero Hedge
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 17:39
  The global fallout from the Snowden affair continues to reverberate following the latest news that four Latin American countries - Brazil, Argentina, Urugay and Venezuela - announced on Friday they would recall their ambassadors from the countries that blocked their airspace to Bolivia's Evo Morales following false rumors he was carrying Snowden, forcing an emergency landing in Austria. The four countries said this incident violated international law. As a result of Obama's "neo-colonial" practices in Europe, as Uruguay's foreign minister Luis Almagro denounces Europe's servile compliance with pax AmericaNSA, the Mercosur ambassadors in Spain, France, Italy and Portugal will be pulled back for consultations.
  The decision to take this stance was made during a summit of the Mercosur trade bloc.
  "We emphatically reject the interception of telecommunications and espionage actions in our nations, as they constitute a violation of human rights, of the right of our citizens to privacy and information,'' Mercosur leaders said in the summit's final statement.
  "It's unacceptable behaviour that breaches our sovereignty and harms relations between nations."
  The South American group also defended the right of asylum after Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua recently offered it to Snowden.
  Curiously, the post-Snowden schism continues to split the world in pro-US/China demarcation lines: Latin America, far more reliant on Chinese import markets for its growth has denounced the NSA spying scandal, and Snowden's treatment far more vocally than the failing Eurozone, which is vastly more reliant on the Fed's monetary generosity to preserve its cohesiveness. It is not surprising, thus, that while French president Hollande logged a statement of protest, one which resulted in Le Monde exposing precisely the same spying set up in France, Europe has largely taken the Snowden disclosures quietly. It knows that if it rocks the boat too much, then the Fed/Goldman/US-backed support for Europe just may slip away.
  Latin America, on the other hand, being far more reliant on Chinese goodwill, has had little trouble denouncing the NSA scandal, as well as offering Snowden the asylum he has requested, unlike European countries, including Iceland, all of which have rejected the NSA-whisteblower's plea.
  If nothing else, Snowden's disclosures over a month ago, have cemented the new bipolar world: one in which an American empire in decline is critical to a European continent on the edge of collapse both of which depend exclusively on the Fed's perpetuation of a reserve currency fiat myth, offset by a block comprising of China, Russia and Latin America.
  More on Friday's Mercosur announcement from Al Jazeera:
  Uruguayan Foreign Minister Luis Almagro said the four Mercosur trace bloc nations will recall their own ambassadors in the European countries involved for consultations over the incident.
  The actions of the four European countries were "unfounded, discriminatory and arbitrary, in a flagrant violation of the precepts of international law," Almagro said.
  He said the summit found that Morales was subjected to "neo-colonial practices."
  "It is an incredible, unfriendly and hostile action that violates human rights and affects the freedom of transit and movement and the immunity that every head of state enjoys," Mercosur leaders concluded, according to Almagro.
  Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said that the European actions were offensive to each of the leaders at the summit as Latin American presidents, and vowed "concrete and effective actions, be it with regard to the governments or the ambassadors of those countries."
  Rousseff noted media reports based on US National Security Agency (NSA) documents leaked by Snowden that the United States spied on many countries around the world including Mercosur members Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela.
  And from the BBC:
  In a statement, Mercosur said: "We repudiate any action aimed at undermining the authority of countries to grant and fully implement the right of asylum."
  It called for "solidarity with the governments of Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela, which have offered to grant asylum to Mr Edward Snowden".
  Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Mercosur would also demand "explanations and public apologies" from France, Italy, Spain and Portugal over the plane forced landing.
  Bolivia, which is an associate member of Mercosur, summoned the ambassadors of the four European countries last week over the diversion of the plane, which it called an act of aggression.
  Of course, if Bolivia's Evo Morales, president of the world's third largest producer of cocaine after Colombia and Peru, wanted to hurt those who make the real decisions, i.e., Wall Street, then he should just burn down all domestic coca plants and crush cocaine production for the next 6-12 months. Right after he nationalizes all remaining foreign mines in his country of course (the San Cristobal mine owned by Sumitomo is the third largest in the world with ~20MM oz/year, followed closely by Peru's Antamina mine) .
  Only then would one see real "developed world" panic.
  Average:Your rating: NoneAverage: 5(4 votes)
Tina Gerhardt thinks Obama Administration likes nuclear energy '' Huffington Post
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  Archived Version
  Source: Atomic Insights
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 16:49
  Tina Gerhardt has published an almost sadly amusing article on the Huffington Post titled Obama's Climate Action Plan: Nuclear Energy? in which she tries to make the case that President Obama's climate action plan is an undeserved endorsement of nuclear energy.
  Gerhardt is apparently unaware of all of the barriers that the current administration has raised in front of any meaningful role for nuclear energy.
  Although less in the headlines than the plan's position on coal-fired power plants, hydraulic fracturing and the Keystone XL Pipeline, nuclear energy forms a crucial component of President Obama's climate action plan. And action is moving ahead by leaps and bounds.'...President Obama's Climate Action Plan discusses nuclear energy as ''Clean Energy Innovation'', which the plan states encompasses ''a range of energy technologies, from advanced biofuels and emerging nuclear technologies '-- including small modular reactors '-- to clean coal.'' To bill nuclear energy as a ''clean energy'' source is a sleight of hand.
  She is apparently unaware of all of the barriers that the current administration has raised in front of any meaningful role for nuclear energy, including the selection of two antinuclear chairmen of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the complete abandonment of several decades worth of research and development on used nuclear fuel storage, the moratorium on both new licenses and license extensions based on the lack of waste confidence, and the shrinking budget for new license reviews under the guise of austerity for an agency that sends bills for $274 per bureaucrat hour to the people who get the reviews.
  Ms. Gerhart's article was full of a litany of supposed ills and risks associated with nuclear energy, despite the fact that the power source provides the energy equivalent of 4 million barrels of oil per day of emission free electricity to the US economy at an average cost of about 2 cents per kilowatt hour without having caused a single civilian death from radiation in more than 50 years.
  A slew of issues put the safety of nuclear power plant into question. Numerous nuclear power plants, such as the recently shut down San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, are located near seismic fault-lines.
  Other nuclear power plants, too, are located in earthquake, tornado or hurricane-prone zones. For example, the Indian Point nuclear power plant in New York and the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, 100 miles north of Santa Barbara, rest on fault-lines or active plates.
  Many nuclear power plants are located near water, either rivers or the ocean, which they draw on for cooling. This factor puts plants at risk from flooding or rising sea levels. For example, the Fort Calhoun power plant, 19 miles north of Omaha, Nebraska, closed in 2011 due to the flooding of the Missouri River.
  And throughout the U.S., nuclear power plants are located close to cities: Indian Point sits 24 miles north of New York City; Pilgrim rests 38 miles southeast of Boston; and Turkey Point is 20 miles south of Miami.
  I had to comment, even though participating in comment threads on Huffington Post can be an exercise in futility and can subject one to accusations of unspeakable dishonesty. Here was my first comment:
  Your litany of concerns about nuclear energy plants can be repeated for every piece of human constructed infrastructure. Everything on earth is a finite distance from fault lines, can be subjected to floods or hurricanes, or is a finite distance from cities.
  As Hargraves mentioned, nuclear plants are designed to be safe in the place where they are sited. They can be operated safely everywhere with the right kind of engineering; I can testify that nuclear plants have operated in the deep ocean, under the North Pole, in the middle of deserts, under the ice in Greenland, and in the downtown areas of many port cities around the world.
  In my opinion, a world that is currently dumping 35 billion tons of hydrocarbon waste into its share atmosphere every year NEEDS a power source that is clean enough to run inside submarines. Fortunately, mother nature or God gave an abundance of several materials that can perform that amazing feat '' uranium, thorium and plutonium.
  Rod AdamsPublisher, Atomic Insights
  As I almost expected, that comment received a rather typical '' for the Huffington Post '' response:
  GendersLove, Tolerance, Enlightenment6 hours ago (11:23 PM)BS. won't ever be a rooftop solar disasters, or an offshore wind disaster.
  Nice lie.
  Nukes are the most expensive electricity ever created.
  At the risk of continuing to waste my time, I fired back with one more response that I think is worth sharing here:
  @Genders
  You're right. Both rooftop solar and offshore wind are fated to be such tiny power sources affecting so few people that occasional deaths from falling will never be classified as a disaster.
  There will also never be a reliable power system that can serve the energy needs of 7-9 billion people based on weaklings like rooftop solar or offshore wind.
  The real competition in the energy business '' coal, oil and natural gas '' are certainly capable of being the source of large scale disasters.
  If you truly believe that nuclear energy is inherently expensive, there's nothing I can write to convince you of the errors in your thinking.
  However, for all of the readers that are willing to challenge tripe they have been fed by the hydrocarbon establishment, here is information that should stimulate a questioning attitude.
  The current market price for a pound of uranium is $40. That lump of metal that you can fit into your hand contains as much potential energy as 30 large tanker trucks full of oil (roughly 900 metric tons) that would cost approximately $660,000 at today's market price of $105 per barrel ($735 per tonne).
  That uranium can release its energy in the form of emission-free heat and be converted into useful power in machines similar to the ones used to convert oil into power.
  There is a reason that nuclear power plants are expensive and it has NOTHING to do with the basic technology.
  Rod Adams, Publisher, Atomic Insights
  Though it is perhaps completely futile, it is occasionally amusing or interesting to engage in public debates that just might get read by enough people to change a mind or at least encourage thinking. I encourage you all to consider devoting at least a portion of your time to such activity. The people who take the time to comment here are doing a bang-up job of keeping it interesting and making me feel like the effort is a worthwhile investment. Thank you.
WEEKLY ADDRESS: Strengthening our Economy by Passing Bipartisan Immigration Reform
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  Archived Version
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 16:48
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  July 13, 2013
  WASHINGTON, DC'-- In this week's address, President Obama said that two weeks ago, a large bipartisan majority in the Senate voted to pass commonsense immigration reform, which would add a big boost to our economy, strengthen Social Security, and modernize our legal immigration system to make it more consistent with our values. The President urges Congress to quickly take action to fix our broken immigration system and keep America strong for years to come.
  The audio of the address and video of the address will be available online at www.whitehouse.gov at 6:00 a.m. ET, July 13, 2013.
  Remarks of President Barack ObamaWeekly AddressThe White HouseJuly 13, 2013
  Hi, everybody. Two weeks ago, a large bipartisan majority of Senators voted to pass commonsense, comprehensive immigration reform '' taking an important step towards fixing our broken immigration system once and for all.
  This bill was a compromise, and neither side got everything they wanted. But it was largely consistent with the key principles of commonsense reform that most of us in both parties have repeatedly laid out. If passed, the Senate's plan would build on the historic gains we've made in border security over the past four years with the most aggressive border security plan in our history. It would offer a pathway to earned citizenship for the 11 million people who are in this country illegally '' a pathway that includes paying penalties, learning English, and going to the end of the line behind everyone trying to come here legally. And it would modernize our legal immigration system to make it more consistent with our values.
  The Senate's plan would also provide a big boost to our recovery. And on Wednesday, we released a report detailing exactly how big a boost that would be.
  The report is based on the findings of independent, nonpartisan economists and experts who concluded that, if the Senate's plan becomes law, our economy will be 5% larger in two decades compared to the status quo. That's $1.4 trillion added to our economy just by fixing our immigration system.
  Here in America, we've always been a nation of immigrants. That's what's kept our workforce dynamic, our businesses on the cutting edge, and our economy the strongest in the world. But under the current system, too many smart, hardworking immigrants are prevented from contributing to that success.
  Immigration reform would make it easier for highly-skilled immigrants and those who study at our colleges and universities to start businesses and create jobs right here in America. Foreign companies would be more likely to invest here. The demand for goods and services would go up '' creating more jobs for American workers. Every worker and business would be required to pay their fair share in taxes, reducing our deficit by nearly $850 billion over the next two decades. And since a large portion of those taxes go towards retirement programs that millions of Americans depend on, Social Security would actually get stronger over the long-term '' adding two years to the life of the program's trust fund.
  That's what immigration reform would mean for our economy '' but only if we act. If we don't do anything to fix our broken system, our workforce will continue to shrink as baby boomers retire. We won't benefit from highly-skilled immigrants starting businesses and creating jobs here. American workers will have to make due with lower wages and fewer protections. And without more immigrants and businesses paying their fair share in taxes, our deficit will be higher and programs like Social Security will be under more strain.
  We've been debating this issue for more than a decade '' ever since President Bush first proposed the broad outlines of immigration reform '' and I think he gave a very good speech this past week expressing his hope that a bipartisan, comprehensive bill can become law.
  If Democrats and Republicans '' including President Bush and I '' can agree on something, that's a pretty good place to start. Now the House needs to act so I can sign commonsense immigration reform into law. And if you agree, tell your Representatives that now is the time. Call or email or post on their Facebook walls and ask them to get this done. Because together, we can grow our economy and keep America strong for years to come.
  Thanks, and have a great weekend.
  ###
Readout of President Obama's Call with President Putin
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  Archived Version
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 16:46
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  July 12, 2013
  President Obama spoke by phone today with President Putin of Russia. The two leaders noted the importance of U.S.-Russian bilateral relations and discussed a range of security and bilateral issues, including the status of Mr. Edward Snowden and cooperation on counter-terrorism in the lead-up to the Sochi Winter Olympics.
Jeffrey T. Richelson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  Archived Version
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 16:44
  Jeffrey Talbot Richelson (born 1949) is an American author and academic researcher who studies the process of intelligence gathering and national security. He has authored at least thirteen books and many articles about intelligence, and has directed the publication of several of the National Security Archive's collections of source documents.
  Richelson earned his PhD in political science from the University of Rochester in 1975 and has taught at the University of Texas, Austin and American University. Richelson is currently a senior fellow with the National Security Archive.[1]
  References[edit]^Jeffrey Richelson and Desmond Ball. The ties that bind: intelligence cooperation between the UKUSA countries Allen & Unwin. 1985, frontispieceExternal links[edit]PersondataNameRichelson, Jeffrey T.Alternative namesShort descriptionDate of birth1949Place of birthDate of deathPlace of death
The U.S. Intelligence Community 8: Signals Intelligence
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  Archived Version
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 16:44
  The U.S. Intelligence Community 8: Signals Intelligence29 April 1998Thanks to Jeffrey T. Richelson and Ballinger
  The U.S. Intelligence CommunityJeffrey T. RichelsonNew York, Ballinger, 1989
  This excerpt from Second Edition (soft), pp. 167-197
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  Chapter 8Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is traditionally considered to be one of the most important and sensitive forms of intelligence. The interception of foreign signals can provide data on a nation's diplomatic, scientific, and economic plans or events as well as the characteristics of radars, spacecraft and weapons systems.
  SIGINT can be broken down into five components:
  communications intelligence (COMINT)electronics intelligence (ELINT)radar intelligence (RADINT)laser intelligence (LASINT)As its name indicates, COMINT is intelligence obtained by the interception, processing, and analysis of the communications of foreign governments or groups, excluding radio and television broadcasts. The communications may take a variety of forms--voice, Morse code, radio-teletype or facsimile. The communications may be encrypted, or transmitted in the clear.
  The targets of COMINT operations are varied. The most traditional COMINT target is diplomatic communications--the communications from each nation's capital to its diplomatic establishments around the world. The United States has intercepted and deciphered the diplomatic communications of a variety of nations-- Britain during the 1956 Suez Crisis, Libya's communications to its East Berlin People's Bureau prior to the bombing of a nightclub in West Berlin in 1985, Iraq's communications to its embassy in Japan in the 1970s.
  The United States also targets the communications between different components of a large number of governments. On some occasions both components are located
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  within the country, on other occasions at least one is located outside national boundaries. Communications that may be targeted include those between government officials, different ministries, a ministry or agency and subordinate units throughout the country and abroad, arms factories, military units during exercises and operations, and police and security forces and their headquarters. More specifically, the United States intercepts communications between the Soviet Ministry of Defense and Military District headquarters, and between Military District headquarters and units in the field; between transmitter stations and Soviet submarines; between the President of Egypt and his subordinates (including the time when Egypt was holding the hijackers of the Achille Lauro); and between military units at all levels in the Philippines.
  In 1980, U.S. intercepts of Soviet communications generated a fear that the Soviets were about to invade Iran. In 1983 intercepts allowed the United States to piece together the details concerning the sinking of a Soviet submarine in the North Pacific.1
  At times, entire sets of targets may be dropped or have their coverage dramatically increased. In the early 1970s the United States dropped COMINT coverage of the Soviet civil defense network (coverage was later resumed). In 1983 it began an all-source intelligence program (that included COMINT) to improve intelligence on the Soviet prison camp system, with the specific intent of issuing a study that would embarrass the Soviets. The intelligence was intended to determine the location of the camps, existing conditions, and the number of political prisoners.
  Governmental communications do not exhaust the set of COMINT targets. The communications of political parties or guerilla movements may also be targeted. The communications of the African National Congress in South Africa, the El Salvadoran rebels, and the Greek Socialist Party are all likely targets of COMINT activities. In addition, the communications of terrorist groups can also be COMINT targets--both to permit understanding of how the group functions and the personalities of its leaders, and to allow prediction of where and how the groups will strike next.
  Another major set of COMINT targets are associated with economic activity (of both the legal and illegal variety)--for example, the communications of multinational corporations and narcotics traffickers. In 1970, the predecessor to the Drug Enforcement Administration informed the NSA that it had "a requirement for any and all COMINT information which reflects illicit traffic in narcotics and dangerous drugs." Specific areas of interest included organizations and individuals engaged in such activities, the distribution of narcotics, narcotic cultivation and production centers, efforts to control the traffic in narcotics, and all violations of U.S. Laws concerning narcotics and dangerous drugs.2
  Electronic intercept operations are intended to produce electronic intelligence (ELINT) by intercepting the non-communication signals of military and civilian hardware, excluding those signals resulting from atomic detonations. Under NSA project KILTING, all ELINT signals are stored in computerized reference files containing the most up-to-date technical information about the signals.
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  The earliest of ELINT targets were World War II air defense radar systems. The objective was to gather emanations that would allow the identification of the presence and operating characteristics of the radars--information that could be used to circumvent or neutralize the radars (through direct attack or electronic countermeasures) during bombing raids. Information desired included frequencies, signal strengths, pulse lengths and rates, and other specifications. Since that time, intelligence, space tracking, and ballistic missile early-warning radars have joined the list of ELINT targets.
  In the early 1950s the primary targets were Soviet Bloc (including PRC) radars. Soviet radars remain a prime ELINT target. Monitoring Soviet radars also has an arms control verification aspect, since the 1972 ABM Treaty restricts the use of radars in an "ABM mode." During the Vietnam war, North Vietnamese radars were also major targets. Libyan and Iranian radars are clearly prime targets in the late 1980s.
  A subcategory of ELINT is Foreign Instrumentation Signals Intelligence (FISINT). Foreign instrumentation signals are electromagnetic emissions associated with the testing and operational deployment of aerospace, surface, and subsurface systems that have military or civilian applications. Such signals include, but are not limited to, signals from telemetry, beaconing, electronic interrogators, tracking-fusing-aiming/command systems, and video data links.3
  A subcategory of FISINT is Telemetry Intelligence (TELINT). Telemetry is the set of signals by which a missile, missile stage, or missile warhead sends, back to earth, data about its performance during a test flight. The data relate to structural stress, rocket motor thrust, fuel consumption, guidance system performance, and the physical conditions of the ambient environment. Intercepted telemetry can provide data to estimate the number of warheads carried by a given missile, its payload and throw-weight, the probable size of its warheads, and the accuracy with which the warheads are guided at the point of release from the missile's post-boost vehicles.4
  Radar intelligence--the intelligence obtained from the use of non-imaging radar--is similar to ELINT in that no intercepted communications are involved. However, RADINT does not depend on the interception of another object's electronic emanations. It is the radar which emanates electronic signals--radio waves--and the deflection of those signals allows for intelligence to be derived. Information that can be obtained from RADINT includes flight paths, velocity, maneuvering, trajectory, and angle of descent.
  Two further categories of SIGINT were listed in the proposed National Security Agency charter of 1980--information derived from the collection and processing of (I) non-imaging infrared, and (2) coherent light signals. The former involves sensors that can detect the absence/presence and movement of an object via temperature. The term "coherent light signal" refers to lasers, and hence this category includes the interception of laser communications, as well as the emissions from Soviet laser research and development activities.5
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  The ease with which signals (whether communications or electronic signals) can be intercepted and understood depends on three factors: the method of transmission, the frequencies employed, and the encipherment system (or lack of) used to conceal the signals meaning form unauthorized personnel.
  The most secure form of transmission is that sent by cables, either land lines or underwater cables. Communications or other signals transmitted through such cables cannot be snatched out of the air. Interception of cable traffic has involved physically tapping into the cables or using "induction" devices that are placed in the proximity of the cables and maintenance of equipment at the point of access. This might be unobtainable with respect to hardened and protected internal landlines, the type of landline that carries much high-priority, secret command and control communications. Undersea cables are most vulnerable since the messages transmitted by them are then transmitted by microwave relay once the cable reaches land.
  A tremendous volume of communications is sent via satellite systems. Domestic and international telephone messages, and military and business communications are among those regularly transmitted via satellite using ultra, very, super, and extremely high frequencies (UHF, VHF, SHF and EHF). Thus, the United States has established major programs for the interception of Soviet and international commercial satellite messages. By locating satellite dishes at the proper locations, an enormous volume of traffic can be intercepted. Ground stations that send messages to satellites have antennas that direct the signals to the satellite with great accuracy; satellite antennas, on the other hand, are smaller and the signals they send back to earth are less narrowly focused--perhaps covering several thousand square miles.6
  Often, communications that are transmitted through part of their path by satellite are sent via microwave towers through the rest of their path. In other cases, particularly telephone calls within a country, microwave towers serve as the entire means of transmission and reception. For example, in Canada, the majority of telephone calls are transmitted via microwave. As one observer has written with regard to microwave relay towers:
  With modern communications, "target" messages travel not simply over individually tappable wires like those that connect the ordinary telephone, but as part of entire message streams, which can contain up to 970 individual message circuits, and have voice, telegram, telex and high speed data bunched together.7
  Microwave signals can be intercepted by two means--(1) ground stations near the invisible line connecting the two microwave towers, or (2) by space collection systems, if the area of transmission is within the footprint of the system.
  Radio is the most traditional means to transmit signals--including communications, missile telemetry, and foreign instrumentation signals. The accessibility of radio signals to interception will often depend on the frequencies upon which the signal is transmitted and the signal's geographic location. Messages transmitted at lower frequencies (ELF, VLF, LF, HF) travel for long distances since they bounce off the atmosphere and come down in locations far from the transmitting and
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  intended receiving locations. On the other hand, data sent at higher frequencies will pass through the atmosphere and out into space. To intercept such higher frequency signals, intercept stations must be within line of sight of the radio communications. The curvature of the earth can therefore make monitoring from ground-based sites impossible. Former CIA Deputy Director for Intelligence Sayre Stevens has written of the Soviet ballistic missile defense test center at Sary Shagan that:
  It lies deeply enough within the USSR to make it difficult to monitor from peripheral intelligence-gathering sites along the border Because flight test operations at Sary Shagan can be conducted well below the radio-horizon from such external monitoring locations, the Soviet Union has been able to conceal the details of its activities at Sary Shagan for many years.8
  Under such conditions, geosynchronous space collection systems may be necessary to collect such signals.
  Two additional methods of communication that are targets of interception operations are walkie-talkie and radio-telephone communications. Walkie-talkie communications are employed during military exercises as well as during emergency situations such as Chernobyl. Radio-telephone communications are used by government officials as they travel in their limousines. Since walkie-talkie traffic, particularly in the Soviet Union and China, may occur over areas not accessible to ground stations, satellite interception may be required. On the other hand, radio-telephone traffic is particularly large and significant in national capital areas, where embassy-based listening posts are often found.
  Once intercepted, signals have to be processed. If communications are sent without encipherment or scrambling, then the only processing needed may be translation. Communications may be sent in the clear either because they are considered too low level to justify the time and expense for protection, or because the method of transmission (e.g., cable) is believed immune to interception.
  Electronic signals sent in the clear still need to be interpreted. Thus, telemetry signals on all channels may be transmitted as numbers. The variables being measured and the units of measurement must be inferred by correlating data on missile maneuvers with the intercepted telemetry. For example, measurement may be made concerning different types of events: one-time events (e.g., the firing of explosive bolts or separation of RVs from the post-boost bus), discontinuous events (e.g., adjustments to the guidance system during flight), and continuous events (e.g., fuel flow, motor burn, or acceleration of the missile during the boost phase). These events can be expressed in terms of absolute values, arbitrary values (a one to ten scale), relative values (percentages) or inferential values. It will not necessarily be evident what the particular characteristic to which an intercepted reading refers or the particular values used. A fuel tank reading may be given as "30," which could refer either to a tank that is 30 percent full or 30 percent empty. The temperature in the rocket motor combustion chamber can be measured from the temperature of another part known to have a specific temperature relative to that in the chamber.
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  Communications or electronic signals may be either encrypted or scrambled, complicating the translation process. Diplomatic communications are traditionally enciphered. The sophistication of the encipherment and the quality of the operators determines whether such ciphers can be broken. Conversations via radio and radiotelephone can be scrambled and unscrambled. Non-communications signals may also be encrypted, as are a large portion of Soviet missile telemetry signals.
  Interception of signals involves a massive effort, employing space and airborne collectors, ground stations, embassy listening posts, ships and submarines.
  SPACE COLLECTIONThe United States operates three basic types of satellite systems to collect foreign signals. Since 1962 the United States has been operating low-earth orbiting satellites whose mission has been to intercept the signals emitted by Soviet, Chinese, and other nations' air defense, ABM, and early-warning radars. The satellites, known as "ferrets" in the popular literature, are actually referred to as "balls" within the U.S. intelligence community.
  The first ferret was launched by a Thor-Agena B on May 15, 1962, into an orbit with a 190-mile perigee and 392-mile apogee. Between the first launch and July 16, 1971, seventeen satellites of the initial type were launched, about one to three satellites being launched each year. The inclination of the earlier ferrets was approximately eighty-two degrees, while the inclination of the later satellites was seventy-five degrees. Likewise, the orbit changed after the first several launches to a more circular orbit, with about 300 miles separating the satellite from the earth. Switches to new boosters in June 1963 and October 1968 may have indicated new generations of ferrets coming into operation.9
  A second class of ferret satellites was put into operation beginning in August 1963. Unlike the first class, which were launched as the only payload on the rocket, the new class served as the secondary payload to imaging satellites. As with the first class, elliptical orbits of 180 by 250 miles gave way to more circular orbits, in the vicinity of 300 miles above the earth.10 By 1972, launches no longer placed just ferret satellites in orbit. From 19.72 to the present only ferret subsatellites have been launched. In general, the satellites were launched as the secondary payload on launches of the KH-9 imaging satellite. The final KH-9 was orbited in 1984. If subsatellite launches are to continue once the presently operational ferrets expire, they will have to be piggybacked with a different primary payload. It is possible that the KH-11 satellite also has a ferret capability.
  The exact number of ferrets within each class is not publicly known. What is known is that the code names for the satellites have had a common theme--they were all named after female sex symbols. Two of the satellites operating in the late 1970s were code-named RAQUEL and FARRAH, while earlier satellites had been code-named BRIDGET and MARILYN.11
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  In addition to ferret satellites, the United States is presently using two or three types of geosynchronous satellites. In the early 1970s the United States began operating a set of geosynchronous satellites which were given the code name RHYOLITE. According to the most recent account, a total of five RHYOLITE spacecraft were placed into orbit, with one launch failure. RHYOLITEs were launched on June 19, 1970, December 20, 1972 (a failure), March 6, 1973, May 23, 1977, December 11, 1977, and April 7, 1978; all were launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida using an Atlas-Agena D booster.12
  By the time the fourth satellite was in orbit, a two-station arrangement had emerged. Two of the satellites apparently were stationed near the Horn of Africa, at 45 degrees east, to receive telemetry signals transmitted from liquid-fueled ICBMs launched from Tyuratam in a northeasterly direction toward the Kamchatka Peninsula impact zone. Another two spacecraft were stationed farther east, over Borneo, at 115 degrees east, to monitor Soviet solid-propellant missiles such as the SS-16 and the SS-20 IRBM, launched from the Soviet Union's northern space launch facility at Plesetsk.13 The respective satellite footprints provided coverage of almost all the USSR and Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
  In addition to the telemetry signals from Soviet and Chinese missile tests, RHYOLITE satellites reportedly also engaged in a variety of COMINT activities. The satellites apparently were used to intercept Soviet and Chinese telephone and radio communications across the VHF, UHF, and microwave frequency bands. Robert Lindsey has written that the satellites "could monitor Communist microwave radio and long-distance telephone traffic over much of the European landmass, eavesdropping on a Soviet commissar in Moscow talking to his mistress in Yalta or on a general talking to his lieutenants across the great continent."14
  Walkie-talkie traffic generated by Soviet military exercises, which fall in the VHF-UHF range, also were regularly monitored by RHYOLITE satellites. Beyond the Soviet Union, RHYOLITE satellites intercepted communications from China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Lebanon.15
  The RHYOLITE project was described by former CIA official Victor Marchetti as
  a very interesting project, a very much advanced project in terms of technology, and a very desirable project because getting information of the type that we wanted and needed on Soviet ICBM testing, antiballistic missile programs, anti-satellite programs, and the like, much of this activity of course takes place in eastern Siberia and central Asia, getting information on the Chinese ICBM program.16
  The RHYOLITE program suffered a serious setback in 1975 when a TRW employee, Christopher Boyce, and his boyhood friend, Andrew Daulton Lee, sold the KGB technical details about RHYOLITE. In accordance with standard security practice, the NRO changed RHYOLITE's code name to AQUACADE.17 At this time it is probable that none of the compromised satellites are operational.
  The first satellite of a follow-on generation, code-named MAGNUM, was launched from the space shuttle Discovery on January 25, 1985. The satellite is
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  reported to have two huge parabolic antennas, one of which is intended to intercept communications and telemetry signals. According to one account, MAGNUM is stationed over the western Soviet Union and its second antenna is to be used to relay the intercepted data to another satellite (possibly the SDS) for transmission to the Pine Gap, Australia ground control station.18 MAGNUM may, in fact, be stationed over Borneo, in which case its second antenna would transmit the data directly to Pine Gap.
  Exactly how much MAGNUM is an improvement over RHYOLITE/AQUACADE is not known publicly. One possibility is that MAGNUM will be able to pick up lower powered signals than RHYOLITE, such as "turned-down" telemetry. MAGNUM's increased power might come from bigger antennas, and the satellite's potential is suggested by a project being undertaken for the NASA by Lockheed's Missile and Space Company. The project involves unfurling an antenna in space from the space shuttle's cargo bay. The antenna, resembling an umbrella, will be nearly twice the size of a football field, and so sensitive to low-powered signals from earth that it would pick up broadcasts from radios the size of a wristwatch.19
  In addition, MAGNUM may have some stealth or spoofing capabilities that make it harder for the Soviet Union to find and jam its signals--as has been alleged they were doing to AQUACADE in recent years. In 1984, Richard Perle, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy charged in testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the USSR had begun jamming telemetry-monitoring satellites to prevent collection of even the encrypted data. The jamming was alleged to be electronically precise, to have begun sometime after the Soviets shot down Korean Airlines Flight 007 in 1983, and to occur only during missile testing. The distinctive visual and radar image of MAGNUM will ordinarily allow the Soviets to know its location and mission.20 Hence, some sort of stealth technology would be required to hide the satellite from Soviet detection.
  On June 10, 1978, the first of another class of geosynchronous SIGINT satellites was launched. Originally code-named CHALET, it was renamed VORTEX after its original code name was revealed in the press.21
  VORTEX's original mission was strictly COMINT-related. However, after the loss of Iranian ground stations and the discovery of the sale of RHYOLITE documents to the KGB, VORTEX was modified to intercept Soviet telemetry. The first modified VORTEX was launched on October 1, 1979; subsequent launches occurred on October 31, 1981 and in 1984.22
  The primary targets of VORTEX are in the Soviet Union. At the height of VORTEX operations at least three VORTEX satellites were operational. One covered Eastern Europe and the Western USSR, the other the central USSR, and the third the eastern portion of the Soviet Union, as well as non-Soviet targets in their footprints. During the Chernobyl incident the VORTEX responsible for monitoring the western USSR was employed to intercept all communications within several hundred miles of the accident site, including those of the military, party, government and security forces.
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  Unlike AQUACADE, MAGNUM, or VORTEX, the other class of SIGINT satellites are neither in geosynchronous orbit nor are launched from Cape Canaveral. Rather, this class--known as JUMPSEAT--has been launched into sixty-three-degree inclined, highly elliptical orbits (200 by 24,000 miles) with Titan 3B-Agena D boosters from Vandenberg AFB, California. Approximately four JUMPSEATs have been launched since the first launch on March 5, 1975. In its highly elliptical orbit, JUMPSEAT "hovers" over the Soviet Union for eight to nine hours at a time. Its primary mission is to monitor Soviet ABM radars.23
  There appears to be several new generations of SIGINT satellites in development, probably including JUMPSEAT and VORTEX follow-ons. One of those satellites will monitor Soviet laser activities.
  Satellite operations are supported by a worldwide network of ground control stations, stations that conduct housekeeping operations as well as receive information from the satellites. A key element in the network is the HQ Consolidated Space Test Center (HQ CSTC), formerly the Air Force Satellite Control Facility at Onizuka AFS (Sunnyvale). The HQ CSTC has ground stations across the globe--Vandenberg AFB; New Boston, New Hampshire; Kaena Point, Hawaii; Thule (AB), Greenland; Mahe, the Seychelles; Andersen AFB, Guam; Oakhanger, England. The stations perform basic housekeeping functions--communicating commands to the satellites, altering orbits, checking the equipment on board. The stations also receive ELINT data from the JUMPSEAT and ferret satellites.24
  In addition to the HQ CSTC, several more specialized stations exist to control and receive signals from SIGINT satellites. Ft. Meade (NSA headquarters) is itself able to receive data from the satellites, but three overseas ground stations are backbone of the network: Pine Gap, Australia; Menwith Hill, United Kingdom; and Bad Aibling, Germany.25
  RHYOLITE/AQUACADE and MAGNUM satellites have been controlled since the beginning of their respective programs from a facility in Alice Springs, Australia, commonly known as Pine Gap. Officially, the facility is the Joint Defence Space Research Facility and is code-named MERINO. The facility consists of seven large radomes, a huge computer room, and about twenty other support buildings. The radomes (which resemble golf balls with one end sliced off and then mounted on a pedestal) are made of Perspex and mounted on a concrete structure. The radomes are intended to protect the enclosed antennas against dust, wind, and rain and to hide some of the operational elements of the antennas from unfriendly observation, such as from Soviet imaging satellites.26
  The first two radomes at Pine Gap were installed in 1968 and remain the facility's largest. The first appears to be about 100 feet in diameter and the second about 70 feet in diameter. They now form the western line of the antenna complex. The third and fourth radomes were fully installed by mid-1969. The third radome is about 55 feet in diameter and some 196 feet east of the largest radome, while the fourth is under 20 feet in diameter and just north of the second radome. In 1973 the antenna originally installed inside the third radome was dismantled and replaced by a thirty-three-foot communications terminal. The fifth radome is less than forty
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  feet in diameter and was installed in 1971. The sixth dish is about the same size as the fifth and was installed in 1977. The seventh radome, which was built in 1980, houses a second communications terminal.27
  On the northern edge of the complex is a high-frequency antenna that provides a direct communications link with Clark AB in the Philippines. It is the only non-satellite communications system linking Pine Gap with terminals outside Australia, and before installation of the 1973 antenna was the primary communications link between Pine Gap and the United States.28
  Originally, the main computer room was about 210 feet square, but it was expanded twice in the 1970s to its present size, about 60,000 square feet. Its immense size requires that operators at each end of the room communicate with each other via headphones. The room is divided into three principal sections. The Station Keeping Section is responsible for maintaining the satellites in geosynchronous orbit and for correctly aligning them towards targets of interest. The Signals Processing Office receives the signals transmitted from the satellites and transforms them into a form that can be used by the analysts. The Signals Analysis Section is staffed solely by CIA personnel--no Australian citizens or contractor personnel are included. Many individuals in the section are linguists who monitor the voice intercepts.29
  As of January 1986, there were 557 people employed at Pine Gap--273 Australians and 284 Americans. While in theory Pine Gap is a joint facility, the 50-50 relationship holds only with respect to the gross number of personnel. This relationship is achieved by counting Australian housemaids, cooks, and gardeners who work at the base as "equal" to the CIA personnel who conduct the actual operations.30
  The two other major control stations for SIGINT satellites are located in Europe--Bad Aibling and Menwith Hill. Information received at either location can be transmitted directly via DSCS satellite to Ft. Meade.31
  AIRBORNE COLLECTIONAt present, the single most important airborne platform involved in the collection of signals intelligence is the RC-135, of which there have been twelve versions. The first RC-135, a RC-135B, entered the SAC reconnaissance inventory in December 1965. This began the replacement of thirty obsolescent RB-47Hs and ERB-47Hs that were then "performing the ELINT portion of the Global Peacetime Airborne Reconnaissance Program."32
  At present there are eighteen RC-135s in the U.S. inventory. Fourteen are modernized RC-135V and RC-135M (RIVET CARD) models, code-named RIVET JOINT (Block III). These and the other models of the RC-135 have an overall length of 129 feet, a wingspan of 131 feet, and an overall height of 42 feet. At its operational altitude, 34,990 feet, it cruises at 460 miles per hour.33
  RIVET JOINT planes fly their missions (known as BURNING WIND missions) from bases in Alaska (Eielson AFB), Nebraska (Offutt AFB), Panama (Howard AB), England (RAF Mildenhall), Greece (Hellenikon AB), and Japan (Kadena AB,
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  Okinawa). RIVET JOINT/BURNING WIND missions average about seventy flights a month in Western Europe and the Far East and about twelve a month in Central America.34
  The RC-135V carries a crew of seventeen and flies at 35,000 feet for up to ten hours before it requires refueling. Its COMINT capability can be expanded from a minimum of six positions to thirteen depending on the requirements of the mission. The RIVET JOINT-ELINT system is comprised of three collection positions-- an Automatic ELINT Emitter Location System position supplemented by two manual operator positions. From Alaska the aircraft can patrol along the Kamchatka and Chukotski peninsulas, intercepting short-range tactical signals from Soviet naval and ground forces. The Japanese-based RC-135s patrol along the coasts of Vietnam, China, North Vietnam, and the USSR, including the Sea of Okhotsk.35
  British-based RIVET JOINT planes fly along the Baltic Sea, and over the Barents Sea just off the Kola Peninsula, possibly intercepting signals from the three naval bases in the Murmansk area or the Severodvinsk submarine construction yard. The pilots are under orders not to get within 40 nautical miles of the Soviet coastline, and generally loiter 100 miles or more out over the Barents Sea until they intercept signals of interest. The planes based at Hellenikon have Libya, Egypt, Israel, and Syria and to a lesser extent the USSR among their targets. Planes from Hellenikon periodically deploy to Saudi Arabia to operate against Iraq and Iran. In the past they have also deployed to Egypt and the Sudan.36
  From Eielson AFB, RIVET JOINT/BURNING WIND missions target the Soviet Far East. The missions proceed around the southern tip of Kamchatka and into the Sea of Okhotsk, a projected deployment area for Soviet missile submarines. If not assigned to patrol the Sea of Okhotsk, they slide down the coast toward Sakhalin Island. The missions monitor the alert status of Soviet air squadrons on Sakhalin as well as Soviet Air Force exercises. In the latter case the planes track Soviet fighters in flight.37
  RIVET JOINT/BURNING WIND missions flown from Nebraska and Panama are directed against Spanish and Russian-language targets in Cuba and Central America. Central American flights have been conducted in support of the El Salvador military and the contra rebels.38
  The remaining four RC-135 aircraft are evenly divided between the RC-135U and RC-135S models. The RC-135Us (modified RC-135Cs) bear the nickname COMBAT SENT. COMBAT SENT missions are flown along the periphery of the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries, with specific routes, tactics, and even aircraft configurations varying with the tasking requirements.39
  As with the RIVET JOINT planes, the COMBAT SENT aircraft fly at 35,000 feet and can fly for ten hours without refueling if necessary. Among their targets have been Soviet ODD PAIR, SIDE NET, and TOP STEER radar systems. The primary sensor for COMBAT SENT planes is the Precision Power Measurement System, which determines the absolute power, pattern, and polarization of selected target emitters. In addition there is a high-resolution camera and television and radar sensors in the tail that are used when the occasion permits. One of the
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  COMBAT SENT planes is equipped with a system known as COMPASS ERA, a system containing infrared thermal imaging, interferometer-spectrometer, and spectral radiometer sensors.40
  The RC-135S planes, based at Eielson AFB, Alaska and operating on occasion from Shemya, are nicknamed COBRA BALL and are the result of a late 1960s modification of two C-135Bs. The missions they conduct, known as BURNING STAR missions, involve the monitoring of the reentry phase of Soviet and Chinese ICBM, SLBM (submarine launched ballistic missile), and IRBM (intermediate range ballistic missile) research and development tests. The reentry phase of Soviet ICBM tests from Plesetsk and Tyuratam takes place either at Kamchatka Peninsula or into the expanses of the Pacific. For example. in 1974, three Soviet ICBM-test reentry phases occurred in the Pacific. In 1987 one test concluded in the vicinity of Hawaii.41
  Because COBRA BALL missions are dictated by Soviet decisions to conduct missile tests, missions cannot be planned on any regular basis. Only some of these tests--specifically, multiple tests or those tests with reentry phases outside Soviet territory--need to be announced in advance. Thus, the COBRA BALL aircraft must be ready to fly on a moment's notice, in response to notification by the Defense Special Missile and Astronautics Center (DEFSMAC) that a Soviet test is about to occur. Immediate launches are "announced by the sounding of a Klaxon horn" at Eielson.42
  The planes operate at 35,000 feet and up to ten hours unrefueled and eighteen hours refueled. Each COBRA BALL carries three sensor systems--one ELINT system and two photographic systems. The ELINT system is the Advanced Telemetry System (ATS), which automatically searches a portion of the frequency band and makes a digital record of all signals present. The operator of the ATS system allocates its collection resources to Soviet reentry vehicle links and records all telemetry detected.43
  The Ballistic Framing Camera System images all the objects of interest in the reentry phase, while the Medium Resolution Camera (MRC) System photographs individual reentry vehicles.44 The images produced by the MRC System are used to determine the reentry vehicle size. In turn, size estimates are used to produce estimates of the explosive yield of the warheads.
  During its orbit the RC-135S records and cross-checks its position coordinates at least once every twenty minutes. It is also called on to provide a variety of information--including air speed, altitude, estimated time of arrival, orbit point, adjustments in timing or track, track length (in minutes), the status of the equipment, wind direction, and time remaining on the track.45
  As a supplement to the COBRA BALL aircraft, the NSA and the SAC have employed another version of the C-135 to collect intelligence during Soviet missile tests. This variant is the EC-135N, a plane with a ten-foot radome built into its nose. This "droop snoot" radome carries an antenna seven feet in diameter that allows the eight-person crew to intercept voice communications, plus telemetered or radioed data on speed, temperature, and other characteristics of the object being
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  tracked. The plane also has a probe antenna on each wingtip for high-frequency radio transmission and reception, and high-frequency trailing wire beneath the fuselage.46
  The EC-135N has had, as its primary mission, tracking U.S. missiles during flight tests as well as keeping tabs on unmanned satellites. They perform these missions, according to the Air Force, "over land where tracking stations are limited by geographical constraints and over water where ships cannot move quickly enough to cover different portions during launch."47 However, as a secondary mission, the EC-135Ns--known as Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft or ARIAs-- have been used to monitor the end phase of Soviet missile tests, flying opposite Siberia or over the Pacific.
  The EC-135Ns have been augmented by a new set of ARIA aircraft, which resulted in an increase in 1985 flying time of 300 percent. Three EC-135Ns have been equipped with new engines. They have been redesignated EC-135Es and will continue to be part of the ARIA program through the late 1990s. The replacement aircraft are EC-18B--American Airlines 707-313--modified into the ARIA configuration by the Air Force System Command's Aeronautical Systems Division. The first two EC-18Bs became operational in 1985, and by 1988 all four were in operation.48
  Much of the equipment on the EC-18B airplanes will be recycled from the retired EC-135Ns. The recycled equipment includes radomes, antennas, and on-board mission equipment such as receivers, data processors, and recorders. Additions to the internal portion of the craft include a navigation station, a new flight director, a modified electrical system, and an improved environmental control system.49
  Additions to the forward portion of the aircraft include a large, drooped radome housing the seven-foot steerable antenna, high-frequency (HF) probe antennas on each wingtip, and a trailing wire, HF antenna on the bottom of the fuselage. Antennas for post-mission data transmission and satellite transmission also have been added. As with the EC-135Ns, the EC-18Bs will have as their primary mission monitoring U.S. space and missile launches, including unmanned space launches, cruise and ballistic missiles tests, and space shuttle launches.50
  Also employed for signals intelligence purposes are eight EC-130 aircraft, which are flown by the U.S. Air National Guard's 193rd Tactical Electronic Combat Group (headquartered at Harrisburg International Airport, Pennsylvania). The planes are deployed to Central America to fly missions against rebel targets in El Salvador and government targets in Nicaragua.51
  Also employed for SIGINT collection are the SR-71, U-2, and TR-I. In its SIGINT role, the SR-71 is used to fly "peripheral intelligence missions. . .to pinpoint locations and characteristics of potentially hostile signal emitters."52 Thus, the SR-71s SIGINT role continues the peripheral electronic reconnaissance that has been part of U.S. intelligence activities since the late 1940s. The SR-71 apparently also continues the tradition of inducing the Soviet air defense system to "turn on" critical radar systems. The Commander of the Strategic Air Command in 1978,
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  speaking of the SR-71 and RC-135, stated that "it is possible to operate these systems in a way that tells us things we want to know. This can't be done with satellites."53
  There are three SIGINT collection systems designed for the U-2/TR-I: SENIOR RUBY, SENIOR STRETCH, and SENIOR SPEAR. SENIOR RUBY is a near real-time ELINT collection, processing, and reporting system that provides information (including type and location) on radar emitters within line of sight of the U2-R. The SENIOR RUBY system can handle a large number of emitters simultaneously and send its data to a Ground Control Processor that is colocated with the Transportable Ground Intercept Facility (TGIF), used in conjunction with realtime U-2 missions.54
  SENIOR STRETCH is a near real-time COMINT collection, processing, and reporting system. The airborne receiver subsystem consists of a multi-channel microwave receiver, remotely controlled via satellite link from the Remote Operations Facility, Airborne (ROFA) at Ft. Meade. The data collected is transmitted via DSCS satellite back to the ROFA.55
  SENIOR SPEAR is also a near real-time collection, processing, and reporting system that provides a line-of-sight collection capability--out to 300 nm--from the aircraft. Under development, as of 1983, was SENIOR SPAN. SENIOR SPAN to be installed in the U-2R, is a near real-time SIGINT collection, processing and reporting system--with the airborne receiver subsystem consisting of HF, VHF, UHF, and microwave receivers. The receiver is remotely controlled via a satellite from the ROFA or a TGIF, with the collected data transmitted via satellite back to the control site.56
  U-2/TR-I missions are flown from several bases against a variety of targets. From Patrick AFB, Florida, Detachment 5 of the 99th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing flies SENIOR JUMP U-2Rs in collection missions against Cuba and Central America. The main Cuban targets are Cuban army, air force, and navy communications, with the intercepts being transmitted to Key West Naval Air Station, Florida. Data collected during Central American missions has been downlinked to installations in Honduras at Tiger Island or Cerro la Mole.57
  SENIOR STRETCH U-2Rs fly from RAF Akrotiri (Operating Location OLIVE HARVEST) to intercept signals from several Middle Eastern states. The data are then uplinked to DSCS satellites for transmission to the ROFA. From Osan AB, South Korea, SENIOR SPEAR U-2Rs fly OLYMPIC GAME missions against the communications of Chinese and North Korean activities, with the intercepted communications being downlinked to an Electronic Security Command unit at Osan.58
  TR-I/CREEK SPECTRE aircraft conduct COMINT/ELINT missions from RAF Alconbury, United Kingdom during missions along the border with East Germany and Czechoslovakia. The data are downlinked to an ESC unit in West Germany.59
  Two additional airborne SIGINT systems are Army systems: GUARDRAIL V and Improved GUARDRAIL V. GUARDRAIL is a remotely controlled airborne and ground-based intercept and radio-direction finding system, designed to exploit HF-VHF-UHF voice communications, mounted on RU-21H/GUARDRAIL V and RC-12D (Improved Guardrail V) aircraft. Both aircraft operate at between 10,000
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  and 20,000 feet, and can spend up to four hours on station. The RC-12D aircraft allow a wider range of frequencies to be targeted for intercept or DF (direction finding) purposes. The targets of both sets of aircraft include mobile forces, missile units, aviation elements, air defense units, and artillery regiments. Each system consists of six aircraft--two RU-21Hs and four RC-12Ds.60
  GROUND STATIONSBeginning in the late 1940s, the United States began establishing ground stations to monitor the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. This network changed composition over the years and has grown to include stations directed against China, Vietnam, North Korea, the Middle East, Central America, and other areas. Today, the network, largely run by the NSA, comprises approximately sixty stations in twenty countries. Included are heavily manned stations (employing about 30,000 personnel) and unmanned locations whose "take" is remoted to other locations and then to Ft. Meade. In addition, several radar stations, operated by the Air Force Space Command, are involved in detecting and tracking Soviet missile tests and space launches. The stations collectively conduct intercept operations across the VHF-UHF-HF bands. Approximately thirty stations collect HF, strategic COMINT while others focus on VHF-UHF tactical communications. Other stations target various forms of electronic emanations.
  The biggest and most important set of stations remain those directed at the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact countries. Several facilities in Alaska are among those monitoring the Soviet Union. At Shemya Island, Alaska--which is approximately 400 miles across the Bering Sea from the Soviet eastern seaboard--is the Anders facility. Run by the Bendix Field Engineering Corporation for the NSA, the facility's Pusher HF antenna monitors Soviet communications in the Far East.61
  Also located on Shemya is the COBRA DANE phased-array radar. The primary purpose of COBRA DANE is "to acquire precise radar metric and signature data on developing Soviet ballistic missile weapons systems for weapons system characterization determination. The Soviet developmental test to Kamchatka and the Pacific Ocean provided the United States with the primary source for collection of these data early in the Soviet developmental programs." Secondary missions are early warning and tracking of space objects.62
  The COBRA DANE system consists of a AN/FPS-108 radar facility, measuring 87 by 107 feet at its base and approximately six stories or 100 feet in height, plus an attached one-story Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory (PMEL) measuring 87 square feet. Both structures are located on a 230-foot-high bluff in the northwestern section of Shemya, where it overlooks the Bering Sea.63
  The most important characteristic of COBRA DANE is that it is a phased-array radar. To an observer depending only on eyes or using binoculars, a phased-array radar is simply a dormant structure, sort of an electronic pyramid. This is in sharp contrast to the older, more traditional radar dish "sweeping its beam of microwave
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  radiation along the horizon in search of distant objects.'' Rather, COBRA DANE consists of 15,360 radiating elements occupying ninety-five feet in diameter on the radar's face. Each element emits a signal that travels in all directions. When the signals are emitted at the same time, only targets in the immediate vicinity of the array's perpendicular axis are detectable. However, by successively delaying by a fraction of a wavelength, one can "steer" the beam to detect objects away from the perpendicular axis.64
  COBRA DANE, which achieved initial operating capability on July 13, 1977 can detect (with a 99 percent probability) and track a basketball-sized object at a range of 2,000 miles with a 120-degree field of view extending from the northern half of Sakhalin Island to just short of the easternmost tip of the Soviet Union nearing the Bering Strait. However, its ability to provide information on the size and shape is available only over a forty-four-degree range centered on the upper portion of Kamchatka, as indicated in Figure 8-1. COBRA DANE can simultaneously track up to 100 warheads when operating in an intelligence collection mode. It can also be employed for early warning and space surveillance; in those modes it can track up to 300 incoming warheads and up to 200 satellites.65
  [Map showing Shemya Island base, western Alaska and eastern USSR omitted]Figure 8-1. Range of COBRA DANE Coverage.
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  The major limitation of COBRA DANE is that the final, near earth trajectory of Soviet reentry vehicles is not visible due to the line-of-sight constraints imposed by the curvature of the earth.66
  Elmendorf AFB, located in Anchorage, is home of Naval Security Group Command and Electronic Security Command contingents, and an AN/FLR-9 "Elephant Cage" antenna. The AN/FLR-9 consists of three circular arrays, each made up of antenna elements around a circular reflecting screen. In the middle of the triple array is a central building, which contains the electronic equipment that forms the directional beams for monitoring and direction finding. The entire system is about 900 feet in diameter. The ESC contingent monitors USSR-Far Eastern military activity through voice, Morse Code, and printer intercepts.67
  Also targeted on the Soviet Far East is a major base at Misawa AB in Japan. Four miles northwest of Misawa is the "Hill." On the hill is a 100-foot AN/FLR-9 antenna system. The base and its antenna lie at the northern tip of Honshu Island, about 500 miles west of Vladivostok and 400 miles south of Sakhalin Island. Misawa's importance is testified to by the presence of representatives of all four services' cryptological authorities. There is a 900-person detachment from the Electronic Security Command, a 700-person detachment from the Naval Security Group Command, 200 representatives of the Army's Intelligence and Security Command, and 80 representatives of Company E, Marine Support Batallion.68
  According to one account, Misawa's AN/FLR-9 "can pick up a Russian television broadcast in Sakhalin or an exchange of insults between Chinese and Soviet soldiers on the Sino-Soviet border."69 The INSCOM contingent focuses its attention on Soviet army and General Staff activity, as well as on Afghanistan. The NSGC contingent monitored the Soviet Navy's search and rescue activity after the Soviets shot down Korean Airlines Flight 007 in 1983.70
  Misawa is also the site of Project LADYLOVE, which involves the interception of the communications transmitted via several Soviet satellite systems--Molniya, Raduga, and Gorizont.71
  Also involved in the satellite communications interception project are three additional stations, all run by the NSA. Rosman Research Station was transferred from the NASA to the Department of Defense on February 1, 1981 for use as a "Communications Research Station" and became operational on July 1, 1985 with 250 employees. At present it has four satellite dishes pointed straight up and four in radomes. Also involved is the NSA's Menwith Hill station, located eight miles west of Harrogate in Yorkshire, England. The 562-acre station consists of a large array of satellite tracking aerials. Under Project MOONPENNY, a variety of Soviet satellite communications are intercepted by Menwith Hill's antennas. In addition, Menwith Hill is also the home of Project SILKWORTH, a high-frequency, wideband communications interception program. Finally, the Bad Aibling station in Germany represents the fourth component of the satellite communications (SATCOM) intercept project.72
  Another station located in the United Kingdom that is heavily involved in the interception of Soviet communications is RAF Chicksands, near Bedford, home
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  of an 800-person ESC contingent. Among the Soviet communications targeted are those of the air defense network.73
  Over the years, the Chicksands mission has expanded to also focus on the military and diplomatic signals of Western European nations, particularly France. Inside the Chicksands facility are rooms and compartments with interception and direction finding allocated to different mission targets. Signs used to hang above the heads of coordinating "mission supervisors" which included, in the early 1970s, "France," "Czechoslovakia," and "Civil Navigation." On each of 3 daily shifts, over 100 operators staff interception positions. With over 1,750 military staff alone, Chicksands is the USAF's largest non-flying base in Britain.74
  Outside of Britain, important European ground stations involved in the monitoring of Soviet Bloc activities are located in Italy, Germany, and Turkey. At San Vito dei Normanni, Italy is a 700-person contingent of the Electronic Security Command. Employing the AN/FLR-9, the unit intercepts selected Soviet, East European, and Middle East communications.75
  In Turkey there are two important facilities, one run by the NSA and its SCAs the other by the Air Force Space Command. Sinop, nicknamed "Diogenes Station," began operating in the mid-19SOs and is now home to the 290-person Army Field Station Sinop and the 97-person Naval Security Group Activity Sinop. Sinop is a fishing port and farm center with a population of just over 18,000 persons. The station is 2 miles west of the town and is a 300-acre facility on a bleak 700-foot hill at the end of a peninsula. The INSCOM contingent and Turkish civilians at the base are involved in monitoring Soviet activity in the Black Sea area as well as Soviet missile testing activities. A major aspect of monitoring Soviet missile telemetry from Sinop is the interception of electronic emanations and telemetry connected with Soviet missile and space rocket launches from Kapustin Yar and other locations in the southern USSR. The monitoring of Soviet air activity can be a rather "boring job. . .a morse operator, for instance, just sits there in front of a radio receiver with headphones, and a typewriter copying morse signals."76
  The single most important U.S. intelligence facility in Turkey is the one at Pirinclik Air Base, a satellite operation of Diyarbakir Air Station. Located on a rocky plateau in southeastern Turkey, Pirinclik had its operations suspended from 1974 to 1978. During that time U.S. housekeeping personnel rotated one radar dish to prevent roller-bearing damage while the Turks locked up a key piece of radar equipment to make sure the radar was inoperative.77
  The base resumed operations on November 3, 1979, with its 2 radar antenna fixed permanently toward the northeast, where the Soviet border lies 180 miles away. The electronic beams of the radar operate through a natural "duct" in the mountains around the plateau, picking up Soviet missiles and space launches as they rise above the horizon. An AN/FPS-17 detection radar is used which can detect an object 1 meter in diameter up to 5,000 miles away. After the AN/FPS-17 indicates that a missile launch or space shot has taken place, the AN/FPS-79 "swings its white, round face in a noiseless arc in the same direction, ready to track missiles along their course."78
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  The radars are operated largely by civilian technicians from the contractor, General Electric. In addition to the 70 contractor personnel there are about 145 Air Force personnel, mostly enlisted personnel. Few of them are permitted in the top-secret radar control rooms. Rather, they are more likely to operate the communications facilities that transmit the data via DSCS satellite to Washington.79
  As might be expected, Germany is home for several strategic and tactical SIGINT stations targeted on the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. The two most important are located at Augsburg and Bad Aibling. Augsburg hosts units from INSCOM (Field Station Augsburg), the Electronic Security Command, and the Naval Security Group Command. With 1,814 personnel, Augsburg covers selected communications in East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and the western USSR, employing an AN/FLR-9 antenna.80
  As already noted, the Bad Aibling station serves as a downlink for satellite SIGINT data and as part of a four-station network involved in intercepting Soviet satellite communications. In addition, Bad Aibling has two other functions. Employing Rhombic and Pusher antennas, the Bad Aibling station conducts HFDF (high-frequency, direction finding) and communications intercept coverage of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, in support of Augsburg. It also serves as the initial reception site for data from two unmanned locations on Cyprus and Oman. The Cyprus stations consists of a Pusher HF antenna set up by the NSA at the Episkopi Sovereign Base Area to cover targets in the Middle East and southern USSR. The Abut Sovereign Base Area, home for a British SIGINT operation, is also home for NSA equipment that monitors military activity in the Near East and the southern USSR.81
  A second set of stations are directed primarily against the activities of Asian Communist nations. The major targets are the PRC, Vietnam, and Korea, with Cambodia and Laos being secondary targets.
  The two stations farthest from their targets are at Clark AB in the Philippines and Kunia, Hawaii. Clark AB is host to an AN/FLR-9 antenna and a 180-person contingent of the Electronic Security Command which intercepts a variety of Vietnamese and Chinese communications, both air and ground based, as well as diplomatic communications.82
  Kunia is host to the NSA-run "Defense Research Facility," INSCOM (Field Station Kunia), NSGC, and ESC contingents. Kunia serves as the NSA's B-Group Remote Operations Facility, receiving data from two remote facilities at Taegu, South Korea and Khon Kean, Thailand.
  The Khon Kean facility was apparently set up in the fall of 1979. The absence of such a facility apparently resulted in a shortfall of intelligence during the Chinese-Vietnam War earlier that year.83
  The Taegu facility, run for the NSA by the Bendix Field Engineering Group, is equipped with a Pusher HF antenna and targeted against communications in China, North Korea, and Vietnam.84
  Located at Pyong' Taek, Korea is U.S. Army Field Station, Korea (also known as Zoeckler Station), with a 304-person contingent and three operating locations:
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  Detachment J (at Koryo-Son Mountain on the island of Kangwna), Detachment K (at Kanak-San Mountain, six miles from the demilitarized zone), and Detachment L (on Yawol-San Mountain, within 1,500 meters of the DMZ). Collectively, the installations focus on a variety of North Korean COMINT and ELINT targets.85
  A third set of ground stations are those targeted on the Middle East and North Africa, Latin America, and international satellite traffic. Among the stations with Middle East intercept functions is the previously mentioned San Vito facility, which in addition to its Soviet Bloc intercept mission is responsible for the interception of diplomatic messages in the Mediterranean, South European, and North African regions. In addition, the remote facility at Episkopi Sovereign Base Area, Cyprus covers targets in the Middle East in addition to the southern USSR. Finally, a 400-person contingent of the ESC is stationed at Iraklion, Greece and engages in the interception of Arabic language communications originating from countries in North Africa and the Middle East.86
  The Iraklion station employs a rhombic/dipole antenna field to conduct its intercept operations. A rhombic array is a highly directional antenna system. Each element or antenna of that array consists of a wire several feet off the ground and attached to four posts spaced in the shape of a diamond, each side being approximately ten feet long. At one end the wire is connected to a coaxial cable that runs underground to a centrally located operations building. The entire array consists of between thirty and forty structures over several hundred acres.87
  Latin America, and particularly Central America, has obviously become a target of increased importance. At Lackland AFB, Medina Annex, San Antonio is a 272person contingent from INSCOM (U.S. Army Field Station, San Antonio) and one from the ESC which receive intercepted, Spanish language communications remoted from Tiger Island and Cerro la Mole in Honduras. Homestead AFB, Florida is the headquarters of Naval Security Group Activity Homestead, with its main operations center at Card Sound (known as Site Alpha or Seminole Station), which engages in the monitoring of Cuban military communications as well as Soviet activity in Cuba. It also monitors all communications involving Cuban and Soviet air activity originating in or destined for Cuba. Intercept operations are conducted using an AN/FRD-10 antenna system. Also targeted on Cuba are the antennas of the U.S. Army Field Station, Key West.88
  Outside of the continental United States, two stations on U.S. territory contribute to SIGINT operations directed against Latin America. At Guantanamo Bay, Cuba are more than 100 members of the Guantanamo Naval Security Group Activity. Employing an AN/FRD-10 antenna system, the unit intercepts Cuban and Soviet military communications in and around Cuba and the Caribbean Basin. The 430person Naval Security Group Activity at Sabana Seca, Puerto Rico employs an AN/FRD-10 to target internationally leased carrier and diplomatic communications for all of Central and South America.89
  Two stations target INTELSAT/COMSAT satellite communications. An NSA facility at Sugar Grove, West Virginia with 30, 60, 105, and 150 foot satellite antennas intercepts the signals being sent by the INTELSAT/COMSAT satellite over the
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  Atlantic and intended for the INTELSAT/COMSAT ground station at Etam, West Virginia. A second installation at the Yakima Research Station un Yakima, Washington targets the Pacific INTELSAT/COMSAT satellite.90
  COVERT LISTENING POSTSIn addition to the ground-based listening posts such as those described above, there is a second set of such posts. However. rather than using large areas of land they are surreptitiously hidden in U.S. embassies and consulates. Such listening posts allow the United States to target the internal military, political, police, and economic communications of the nation in which the embassy is located.
  Such listening posts are joint CIA-NSA operations, formally known as Special Collection Elements, and exist in approximately forty-five U.S. embassies and consulates.
  The best known of the listening posts is the one in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. In the late 1960s and early 1970s the Embassy listening post was used to intercept the radio-telephone conversations of Soviet Politburo members, including General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev, President Nikolai Podgorny, and Premier Alexsei Kosygin as they drove around Moscow.91
  Traffic from the interception operation was transmitted back to a special CIA facility a few miles from the agency's Langley, Virginia headquarters. Originally, the conversations simply needed to be translated, since no attempt had been made to scramble or encipher the conversations.92
  After a 1971 disclosure in the press concerning the operation, code-named GAMMA GUPY, the Soviets began enciphering their limousine telephone calls to plug leaks. Despite that effort, the United States was able to intercept and decode a conversation between General Secretary Brezhnev and Field Marshal Grechko that took place shortly before the signing of the SALT I treaty. Grechko assured Brezhnev that the heavy Soviet SS-l9 missiles under construction would fit inside the launch tubes of lighter SS-11 missiles, making the missiles permissible under the SALT I treaty.93
  In general, however, the intelligence obtained was less than earthshaking. According to a former intelligence official involved in GAMMA GUPY, the CIA "didn't find out about, say, the invasion of Czechoslovakia. It was very gossipy--Brezhnev's health and maybe Podgorny's sex life." At the same time the official said that the operation "gave us extremely valuable information on the personalities and health of top Soviet leaders."94
  Other covert listening posts are located in the U.S. embassies in Tel Aviv and Buenos Aires. The Tel Aviv outpost is targeted on Israeli military and national police communications. The latter gives the United States the capability to follow very closely the activities of the police in suppressing Palestinian demonstrators. The presence of a U.S. Listening post has not gone unnoticed by Israeli officials due to the large number of antennas on the roof of the Tel Aviv embassy.95
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  The Buenos Aires post was used to target the communications of the Argentine General Staff during the Falklands crisis--information that would be quickly passed to the British.96
  SURFACE SHIPSAt one time, the United States placed great reliance on signals intelligence gathered by ship-based sensors. The United States began using combat ships in this role. Destroyers and destroyer escorts often carried mobile vans packed with antennas as well as special detachments to operate the equipment. Use of destroyers and destroyer escorts, however, degraded fighting capabilities as combat ships were assigned to intelligence missions. Further, some Navy officials felt the stationing of a destroyer off a foreign shore, especially that of a hostile nation, to be provocative.97
  Two alternatives were deployed--Auxiliary General Technical Research (AGTR) and Auxiliary General Environmental Research (AGER) ships in 1961 and 1965 respectively. The AGTRs were converted World War II Liberty ships--each 458 feet long and 10,860 tons. The AGERs were old World War II vintage, converted diesel-driven light-cargo ships approximately 170 feet in length, with a maximum speed of thirteen knots and a cruising speed of ten knots. Each had an estimated range of 4,000 nautical miles. AGER collection capability was more restricted than AGTR capability, being concerned with SIGINT and hydrographic information. Elimination of the AGER and AGTR collection ships resulted from events in 1967 and 1969. The AGTR U.S.S. Liberty was bombed by Israeli aircraft in the midst of the 1967 Six Day War, resulting in severe damage and the death of thirty-four crew members. It was alleged by the Israeli government that the ship was mistaken for an Egyptian vessel; others have alleged the attack was deliberate and intended to prevent the United States from learning of Israeli military gains that would lead the United States to pressure Israel into a "premature" cease-fire.98
  In 1969, the AGER U.S.S. Pueblo was captured by the North Koreans and its crew held hostage. Shortly after the Pueblo was seized, the U.S.S. Sergeant Joseph P. Muller almost drifted into Cuban waters. After several attempts she was finally towed to safety by the escorting destroyer. Subsequently, the AGERs and AGTRs were decommissioned.99
  More recently, the United States has employed Spruance-class destroyers and frigates to collect intelligence concerning Nicaragua and El Salvador. The 7,800-ton destroyer Deyo, as well as her sister ship Caron, were stationed in the Gulf of Fonzeca. The ships could monitor suspected shipping, intercept communications and encrypted messages, and probe the shore surveillance and defense capabilities of the other nations. With regard to the latter use, they can induce nations to switch on shore-to-sea, ship-to-ship, and air-to-air radar.100
  In addition to being in the Gulf of Fonzeca, the Caron has been present in the Baltic, the Northern Sea, and off the Libyan coast. During the birth of Solidarity in Poland in August 1980, the Caron cruised fourteen miles off the coast of Gdansk,
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  and in the summer of 1981 she was among the ships that constituted the task force that was on an exercise off the Libyan coast in the Gulf of Sidra. During a North Atlantic cruise, she came as close to the Soviet naval base at Murmansk as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge is to the U.S. Naval Base at Norfolk, Virginia.101
  The Caron was again employed in an intelligence collection mission against a Soviet target in 1986. Along with another warship, the U.S.S. Yorktown, the Caron entered Soviet-claimed territorial waters in the Black Sea on March 10 and remained there a week, coming as close as six miles to the Soviet coast. While a Pentagon official claimed that intelligence collection was not the primary rationale of the exercise--which had been ordered by the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the name of Secretary of Defense Weinberger--it was at the very least an important secondary mission.102
  In addition to helicopters to gather information, the Yorktown is also outfitted with electronic equipment that can monitor voice communications and radar signals. It has been normal procedure to use such systems to determine if new radars have been deployed onshore and to check the readiness of Soviet forces. Additionally, with the headquarters of the Soviet Union's Black Sea Fleet at Sevastopol, communications monitoring would be certain. In a previous expedition, the Yorktown's equipment was used in part to monitor aircraft movements within the Soviet Union.103
  The Soviets responded to the Yorktown/Caron mission both militarily and diplomatically. A destroyer was used to trail both ships, while military aircraft overflew them. In addition, a Soviet protest note said the episode "was of a demonstrative, defiant nature and pursued clearly provocative aims."104
  In February 1988, the Yorktown and Caron again entered the Black Sea with the same objectives as in 1986--to assert the right to free passage in waters outside the U.S.-recognized three-mile limit and to collect intelligence. When the ships came closer than the twelve-mile limit claimed by the Soviets, destroyers were sent to nudge the ships as a means of indicating Soviet displeasure.105
  Two Navy frigates stationed in the Pacific have also been used against targets in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras. One ship--the 3,990-ton Blakely--is a Knox-class frigate commissioned in 1970; the other--the 3,400-ton Julius A. Furei--is a Brooke-class guided-missile frigate. The missions involved homing and recording voice and signals communications, locating transmitting stations, logging ships' movements, and studying their waterlines to help determine if they were riding low in the water when entering port and high when exiting--indicating the unloading of cargo.106
  Frigates have also been used to monitor Soviet missile telemetry. It was reported in 1979 that "American ships equipped with sensitive listening gear . . . patrol the North Atlantic, where they collect telemetry broadcast by the new Soviet submarine-launched missiles tested in the White Sea, northeast of Finland." Likewise, on the night of August 31, 1983, when the United States was expecting the Soviet Union to test a SS-X-24 missile, the frigate Badger was stationed in the Sea of Okhotsk.107
  190
  The Badger and the rest of the forty-six Knox-class frigates have dimensions of 438 by 46.8 by 24.8 feet, can travel at 27 knots and carry 275 personnel. In addition to ASROC (antisubmarine rocket) weapons, search radar, and sonar, they are fitted with satellite communications antennas for both transmission and reception.108
  In August 1985, the Navy commissioned its first ship dedicated solely to intelligence collection since the decommissioning of the AGTR and AGER ships in 1969 The ship, the ARL-24 Sphinx, is a former repair ship converted to its present role. The 328 by 50 foot ship can travel at 11.6 knots. With a home port at Little Creek, Virginia, it spends most of its time off the coast of Nicaragua intercepting Sandinista military communications.109
  The most important ship-based system for monitoring Soviet missile tests is a phased-array radar designated COBRA JUDY, which resides on the U.S.N.S Observation Island. Emplaced on the 563-foot ship is a 4-story turret on the aft deck that houses the major components of COBRA JUDY. The turret is essentially a thirty-foot cube with one face tilted slightly inward. An antenna array 22.5 feet In diameter occupies an octagonal, raised area on the cube's slanting face. In addition, on top of the superstructure there are two, thirty-two-foot diameter geodesic radomes containing a complex of passive receiving antennas funded by the NSA.110
  The deployment of COBRA JUDY was designed to allow the monitoring of the final near-earth trajectories of Soviet reentry vehicles during the portion of their flight not "visible" to COBRA DANE because of the earth's line-of-sight constraints. In particular, the sensors provide information on the radar signatures of reentry vehicles and warheads. To enhance that capability, an X-band radar with parabolic dish antennas was added in 1985 to further improve COBRA JUDY's capability. Because of the higher degree of resolution and target separation, the radar may be able to distinguish between multiple warheads and penetration aids such as decoys and chaff.111
  SUBMARINESA program that had its genesis in the later years of the Eisenhower Administration but is still operational today involves not surface ships but submarines. Known by a variety of code names, the best known of which is HOLYSTONE, the program is one of the most sensitive intelligence operations of the United States.
  HOLYSTONE, which also has been known as PINNACLE, BOLLARD, and most recently as BARNACLE, began in 1959 and has involved the use of special electronically equipped submarines to collect electronic communications and photographic intelligence. The primary target has always been the Soviet Union but at times countries such as Vietnam and China have been targets of the operations which sometimes involved penetration of the Soviet, Chinese, and Vietnamese three-mile territorial limits.112
  The missions lasted about ninety days. Crews were given cover stories such as being on an undersea geodetic survey project that was using sonar to study ocean
  191
  water temperatures in support of data collected by satellites. The crews were forbidden to use any active electronic or sonar gear while on a HOLYSTONE mission so as to avoid detection by Soviet antisubmarine warfare devices. In addition, hatches were tied down to prevent rattling.113
  By 1975, the program apparently had provided vital information on the Soviet submarine fleet--its configuration, capabilities, noise patterns, missiles, and missile firing capabilities. One mission involved obtaining the "voice autographs" of Soviet submarines. Using detailed tape recordings of noise made by submarine engines and other equipment, analysts of the Naval Scientific and Technical Intelligence Center (now the Naval Intelligence Support Center) were able to develop a methodology to identify individual Soviet submarines, even those tracked at long range under the ocean. The analysts could then follow the submarine from its initial operations to its decommissioning.114
  HOLYSTONE operations also provided information about theater and strategic sea-based missiles. Some Soviet sea-based missiles were tested against inland targets to reduce U.S. observation. On occasion, HOLYSTONE submarines would penetrate close enough to Soviet territory to observe the missile launchings, providing information on the early stages of the flight. According to one government official, the most significant information provided by the missions was a readout of the computer calculations and signals put into effect by Soviet technicians before launching the missiles. Beyond that the U.S. submarines also provided intelligence by tracking the flight and eventual landing of the missiles, providing continuous information on guidance and electronic systems.115
  In addition to providing acoustic and telemetry intelligence, the HOLYSTONE submarines also tapped into Soviet communications cables on the ocean floor. The tapping operation allowed the United States to intercept higher level military messages and other communications considered too sensitive to be entrusted to insecure means of communication such as radio and microwave.116
  Beyond signals intelligence, the submarines also were able to bring back valuable photographs, many of which were taken through the submarine's periscope. In the mid-1960s, photographs were taken of the underside of an E Class submarine that appeared to be taken inside Vladivostok harbor.117
  As was the case when the program was code-named HOLYSTONE, today's BARNACLE operations employ thirty-eight nuclear-powered Sturgeon-class submarines such as the SSN-6Y. The submarines have dimensions of 292 by 31.7 by 26 feet and carry SUBROC (submarine rocket) and antisubmarine torpedoes as well as Harpoon and Tomahawk missiles. With their 107-person complement (twelve officers and ninety-five enlisted personnel), the ships can travel at speeds at over twenty knots when surfaced and at over thirty knots underwater and can reach a depth of 1,320 feet. Their standard electronic equipment includes a search radar and both active and passive sonar systems.118
  The special equipment placed on submarines for HOLYSTONE/BARNACLE missions has included the WLR-6 Waterboy Signals Intelligence System. The WLR-6 is in the process of being replaced by a more advanced system known as SEA
  192
  NYMPH, described in one document as "an advanced, automatic, modular signals exploitation system designed for continuous acquisition, identification, recording, analysis and exploitation of electromagnetic signals." All the Sturgeon submarines will carry a basic skeletal system that can be upgraded to full capacity when authorized.119
  Another reconnaissance project involving submarines that began later than the HOLYSTONE program was code-named IVY BELLS. This project involved implanting a device to intercept the signals transmitted along a Soviet underwater cable in the Sea of Okhotsk, between the Kamchatka Peninsula and the eastern Soviet coastline. A combined Navy-NSA team, operating from a submarine, installed a miniaturized waterproof eavesdropping device--a large tape pod that fit over the Soviet cable, through which key Soviet military and other communications flowed. The pod had a wraparound attachment that intercepted the cable traffic by "induction" it could intercept the signals being transmitted along the cable without physically tapping into the cable. In addition, if the cable were raised by the Soviets for maintenance, the pod would break away and remain on the ocean floor. Tapes in the pod recorded messages and signals on various channels or communications links for four to six weeks, with the pod being installed for only two recording sessions a year.120
  The Sea of Okhotsk operation continued until 1981, when former NSA employee Ronald Pelton sold the Soviets information about the operation.
  NOTES TO CHAPTER 81. George C. Wilson, Soviet Nuclear Sub Reported Sunk," Washington Post, August 11, 1983, p. A9.
  2. John E. Ingersoll, "Request for COMINT of Interest to Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs," in U.S. Congress, Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, The National Security Agency and Fourth Amendment Rights (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1976), pp. 152-55.
  3. U.S. Congress, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Annual Report (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1978), p. 38.
  4. John Prados, The Soviet Estimate: U.S. Intelligence Analysis and Russian Military Strength (New York: Dial Press, 1982), p. 203; Farooq Hussain, The Future of Arms Control Part IV, The Impact of Weapons Test Restrictions (London: International Institute for Strategic Studies, 1980), p. 44; Robert Kaiser, "Verification of SALT II: Art and Science," Washington Post, June 15, 1979, p. 1.
  5. U.S. Congress, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, HR 6588, The National Intelligence Act of 1980 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1980), p. 521.
  6. Deborah Shapley, "Who's Listening?: How NSA Tunes In On America's Overseas Phone Calls and Messages," Washington Post, October 7, 1977, pp. C1, C4.
  7. Ibid.
  193
  8. Sayre Stevens, "The Soviet BMD Program," in Ashton B. Carter and David N. Schwartz, eds., Ballistic Missile Defense (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 1984), pp. 182-221 at p. 192.
  9. Anthony Kenden, "U.S. Reconnaissance Satellite Programs," Spaceflight, 20, pp. 7 (1978): 243ff.
  10. Philip Klass, Secret Sentries in Space (New York: Random House, 1971), p. 194.
  11. Seymour M. Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed: What Really Happened to Flight007 and What America Knew About It (New York: Random House, 1986), p. 38; Private information.
  12. Des Ball, Pine Gap: Australia and the US Geostationary Signals Intelligence SatelliteProgram (Sydney: Allen & Unwin Australia, 1988), pp. 14-15.
  13. Philip Klass, "U.S. Monitoring Capability Impaired," Aviation Week and SpaceTechnology, May 14, 1979, p. 18.
  14. Robert Lindsey, The Falcon and the Snowman: A True Story of Friendship andEspionage (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1979), p. 111.
  15. Ball, Pine Gap, p. 54.
  16. Victor Marchetti, Allies (A Grand Bay film directed by Marian Wilkinson and produced by Sylvia Le Clezio, Sydney, 1983).
  17. See Lindsey, Falcon and the Snowman, for a full-length account; on the renaming of RHYOLITE, see William E. Burrows, Deep Black: Space Espionage and NationalSecurity (New York: Random House, 1987), p. 192; Glenn Zorpette, "Monitoring the Tests," IEEE Spectrum (July 1986), 57-66 at 60.
  18. James Gerstenzang, "Shuttle Lifts Off with Spy Cargo," Los Angeles Times, January 25, 1985, pp. 1, 11.
  19. William J. Broad, "Experts Say Satellite Can Detect Soviet War Steps," New YorkTimes, January 25, 1985, p. A12.
  20. Walter Andrews, "Defense Aide Confirms U.S. Satellites Jammed," WashingtonTimes, June 21, 1984, p. 1.
  21. Richard Burt, "U.S. Plans New Way to Check Soviet Missile Tests, New York Times, June 29, 1979, p. A3; Burrows, Deep Black, p. 192.
  22. Hussain, The Future of Arms Control Part IV, p. 42; Ball, Pine Gap, pp. 14-15.
  23. Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed,'' p. 4; Burrows, Deep Black, p. 223.
  24. James B. Schultz, "Inside the Blue Cube," Defense Electronics (April 1983) 52-59; Organization and Functions Chartbook (Onizuka AFS, Calif.: Air Force Satellite Control Facility, December 1, 1986), p. 61; Space Division Regulation 23-3, "Air Force Satellite Control Facility," December 16, 1983.
  25. Paul Stares, Space and National Security (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 1987), p. 188; Private information.
  26. Desmond BalI, A Suitable Piece of Real Estate: American Installations in Australia (Sydney: Hale & Iremonger, 1980), p. 59.
  27. Ball, Pine Gap, p. 61.
  28. Ibid., p. 70.
  29. Ibid., pp. 67, 80.
  30. Ibid., p. 77.
  31. Ibid., pp. 27-28; Private information; Defense Communications Agency, FacilitiesHandbook (Areas 1, 2, and 9) (Scott AFB, Ill,: DCAOC, January 1985), p. %A.
  32. Untitled memo, Declassified Documents Reference System 1982-001583.
  194
  33. U.S. Congress, House Committee on Appropriations, Department of Defense Appropriations for 1984, Part 8 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1983), p. 384; Martin Streetly, "U.S. Airborne ELINT Systems, Part 3: The Boeing RC-135 Family," Jane's Defence Weekly, March 16, 1985, pp. 460-65.
  34. Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed,'' p. 9.
  35. Burrows, Deep Black, p. 171; Private information.
  36. Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed," pp. 9-10; Burrows, Deep Black, p. 171; Private information.
  37. George C. Wilson, "U.S. RC-135 Was Assessing Soviet Air Defenses," WashingtonPost, September 7, 1983, p. A-12; Philip Taubman, "U.S. Says Intelligence Plane Was On A Routine Mission," New York Times, September 5, 1983, p. 4; Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed,'' p. 220.
  38. Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed,'' p. 9
  39. Private information.
  40. Private information; References to the COMBAT SENT missions against the mentioned radars were found in the documents catalog of the Office of Air Force History.
  41. Streetly, "U.S. Airborne ELINT Systems, Part 3"; Bill Gertz, "Soviets Test-Fire ICBM Just North of Hawaii," Washington Times, October 1, 1987, pp. Al, A10.
  42. 6th Strategic Wing Regulation 55-2, "Operations, Aircrew and Staff Procedures," September 30, 1983, pp. 4-11.
  43. Private information; Burrows, Deep Black, p. 172.
  44. Private information; Burrows, Deep Black, p. 172.
  45. 6th Strategic Wing Regulation, "Operations, Aircrew and Staff Procedures," pp. 3-5.
  46. Charles W. Corddry and Albert Sehlstedt, Jr., "Plane's Covert Role is to Monitor Soviet Space Flights, Missile Tests," Baltimore Sun, May 1, 1981, p. 1.
  47. Ibid.
  48. U.S. Congress, House Committee on Appropriations, Military Construction Appropriations for 1985, Part 3 (Washington. D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1984), pp. 105-6; Brendan M. Greeley, Jr., "USAF Readies Range Instrumentation Aircraft for First Flight," Aviation Week and Space Technology, February 25, 1985, pp. 23-4; "Aerospace World," Air Force Magazine, December 1987, p. 33.
  49. Greeley, "USAF Readies Range Instrumentation Aircraft for First Flight."
  50. Ibid.
  51. Martin Streetly, "Hercules C-130 Electronic Missions," Jane'.s Defence Weekly, November 16, 1985, pp. 1092-96; Private information.
  52. "Electronic Environment Sampled Regularly," Aviation Week and Space Technology, May 10, 1976, pp. 90-92.
  53. Duncan Campbell, "Spy in the Sky," New Statesman, September 9, 1983, pp. 8-9.
  54. Private information.
  55. Ibid.
  56. Ibid.
  57. Ibid.
  58. Ibid.
  59. Ibid.
  60. Ibid.
  61. Ibid.
  195
  62. Dr. Michael E. del Papa, Meeting the Challenge: ESD and the Cobra Dane Construction Effort on Shemya Island (Bedford, Mass.: Electronic Systems Division, Air Force Systems Command, 1979), pp. 1-2.
  63. Ibid., p. 2-3.
  64. Eli Brookner, "Phased-Array Radars," Scientific American (April 1985) 94-102.
  65. Philip J. Klass, "USAF Tracking Radar Details Disclosed," Aviation Week and SpaceTechnology, October 25, 1976, pp. 41-46; del Papa, Meeting the Challenge. p. 38.
  66. Klass, "USAF Tracking Radar Details Disclosed."
  67. Duncan Campbell, The Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier: American Military Power inBritain (London: Michael Joseph, 1984), p. 155; "British MP Accuses U.S. of Electronic Spying," New Scientist, August 5, 1976, p. 268; Private information.
  68. Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed,'' p. 47.
  69 . Keyes Beech, "Secret U. S. Base Keeps Eye on Far East," Los Angeles Times, January 20, 1980, p. 17.
  70. Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed,'' pp. 47-48.
  71. U.S. Congress, House Committee on Appropriations, Military Construction Appropriations for 1981, Part 2 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1980), p. 875; Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed,'' p. 49; David Morison, "Sites Unseen," National Journal, June 4, 1988, pp. 1468-72.
  72. Duncan Campbell and Linda Melvern, "America's Big Ear on Europe," New Statesman, July 18, 1980, pp. 10-14; Stella Trapp, "Rosman Research Center is a 'Vital Part of the Security'," Transylvania Times, August 21, 1986, pp. 1A, 16A; Morison, "Sites Unseen"; Private information.
  73. Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed,'' p. 4.
  74. Campbell, The Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier, p. 155.
  75. Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed,'' p.47n.; Private information.
  76. Marvine Howe, "U.S. and Turks Monitor Soviet at Isolated Post," New York Times, January 4, 1981, p. 7; Michael Getler. "U.S. Intelligence Facilities in Turkey Get New Attention After Iran Turmoil," Washington Post, February 9, 1979, p. A15; U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Fiscal Year 1980 International Security Assistance Authorization (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Print ing Office, 1979), p. 365; U.S. Congress, House Committee on International Relations, United States Military Installations and Objectives in the Mediterranean (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1977), pp. 43-44; Michael K. Burns, "U.S. Reactivating Bases in Turkey," Baltimore Sun, October 21, 1978, pp. 1, 23; TUSLOG Detachment 28, Command History, 1January-30 September 1977; "U.S. Electronic Espionage: A Memoir," Ramparts (August 1972) pp. 35-50 at 40.
  77. Burns, "U.S. Reactivating Bases in Turkey."
  78. Getler, U.S. Intelligence Facilities in Turkey Get New Attention After Iran Turmoil."
  79. Ibid.
  80. Private information.
  81. Ibid.
  82. Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed,'' p. 47; Private information.
  83. Brian Toohey and Marian Wilkinson, The Book of Leaks: Exposes in Defence ofthe Public's Right to Know (North Ryde, Australia: Angus & Robertson, 1987), p. 135; Private information.
  196
  84. Private information.
  85. United States Army Field Station Korea, Fiscal Year 1986 Annual Historical Report, 1987, p. 2; Private information.
  86. Private information.
  87. Ibid.
  88. Ibid.
  89. U.S. Congress, House Committee on Appropriations, Military Construction Appropriations for 1987, Part 2 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1986), p. 682; Private information.
  90. James Bamford, The Puzzle Palace: A Report on NSA, America 's Most Secret Agency (Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 1982), pp. 172-72; Private information.
  91. Laurence Stern, "U.S. Tapped Top Russian's Car Phones," Washington Post, December 5, 1973, pp. A1, A16; Ernest Volkman, "U.S. Spies Lend an Ear to Soviets," Newsday, July 12, 1977, p. 7.
  92. Stern, "U.S. Tapped Top Russians Car Phones."
  93. Ibid.; Bill Gertz, "CIA Upset Because Perle Detailed Eavesdropping," Washington Times, April 15, 1987. p. 2A.
  94. Jack Anderson, "CIA Eavesdrops on Kremlin Chiefs," Washington Post, September 16, 1971, p. F7.
  95. Howard Kurtz, "Pollard: Top Israelis Backed Spy Ring," Washington Post, February 28, 1987, p. A8.
  96. Arthur Gavshon and Desmond Rice, The Sinking of the Belgrano (London: Secker & Warburg, 1984), p. 205 n.5.
  97. Trevor Armbrister, A Matter of Accountability (New York: Coward McCann, 1970), p. 87.
  98. Ibid.; U.S. Congress, House Committee on Armed Services, Inquiry into the U.S.S. Pueblo and EC-121 Incidents (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1969), pp. 1632, 1634; James Ennes, Assault on the Liberty (New York: Random House, 1980).
  99. Paul Backus, "ESM and SIGINT Problems at the Interface," Journal of Electronic Defense (July-August 1981) 23ff.
  100. Richard Halloran, "U.S. Navy Surveillance Ship is Stationed Off Central America," New York Times, February 25, 1982, pp. 1, 6; Private information.
  101. Private information.
  102. Richard Halloran, "2 U.S. Ships Enter Soviet Waters Off Crimea to Gather Intelligence," New York Times, March 19,1986, pp. A1, A11; George C. Wilson, "Soviet Ships Shadowed U.S. Vessels' Transit," Washington Post, March 20, 1986, p. A33.
  103. Halloran, "2 U.S. Ships Enter Soviet Waters Off Crimea to Gather Intelligence"; Private information.
  104. Halloran, "2 U.S. Ships Enter Soviet Waters Off Crimea to Gather Intelligence"; Private information.
  105. Philip Taubman, "Moscow Blames U.S. for Incident Between Warships," New York Times, February 14, 1988, pp. 1, 19; John H. Cushman, Jr.. "2 Soviet Warships Reportedly Nudged U.S. Navy Vessel," New York Times, February 13, 1988, pp. 1, 6.
  106 . George C. Wilson, "U. S. Detects Slowdown in Shipments of Weapons to El Salvador,'' Washington Post, April 29, 1983, p. A13.
  197
  107. Richard Burt, "Technology is Essential to Arms Verification," New York Times August 14, 1979, pp. Cl, C2; Murray Sayle, "KE 007: A Conspiracy of Circumstance," The New York Review of Books, April 25, 1985, pp. 44-54.
  108. Jane's Fighting Ships 1983-1984 (London: Jane's Publishing, 1983), p. 681.
  109. Norman Polmar, The Ships and Aircraft of the US. Fleet, 14th ed., (Annapolis Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1987), p. 317.
  110. Kenneth J. Stein, "Cobra Judy Phased Array Radar Tested," Aviation Week and Space Technology, August 10, 1981, pp. 70-73.
  111. Ibid.; "X-Band Expands Cobra Judy's Repertoire," Defense Electronics (January 1985) 43-44.
  112. Seymour Hersh, "Submarines of U.S. Stage Spy Missions Inside Soviet Waters," New York Times, May 25, 1975, pp. 1, 42.
  113. Seymour Hersh, "A False Navy Report Alleged in Sub Crash," New York Times, July 6, 1975, pp. 1, 26.
  114. Hersh, "Submarines of U.S. Stage Spy Missions Inside Soviet Waters."
  115. Ibid.
  116. Ibid.
  117. Ibid.
  118. Jane's Fighting Ships 1983-1984, p. 639.
  119. Private information.
  120. Bob Woodward, Veil: The Secret Wars of the CM 1981-1987 (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1987), pp. 448-449.
  The U.S. Intelligence Community 8: Signals Intelligence29 April 1998Thanks to Jeffrey T. Richelson and Ballinger
  The U.S. Intelligence CommunityJeffrey T. RichelsonNew York, Ballinger, 1989
  This excerpt from Second Edition (soft), pp. 167-197
  167
  Chapter 8Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is traditionally considered to be one of the most important and sensitive forms of intelligence. The interception of foreign signals can provide data on a nation's diplomatic, scientific, and economic plans or events as well as the characteristics of radars, spacecraft and weapons systems.
  SIGINT can be broken down into five components:
  communications intelligence (COMINT)electronics intelligence (ELINT)radar intelligence (RADINT)laser intelligence (LASINT)As its name indicates, COMINT is intelligence obtained by the interception, processing, and analysis of the communications of foreign governments or groups, excluding radio and television broadcasts. The communications may take a variety of forms--voice, Morse code, radio-teletype or facsimile. The communications may be encrypted, or transmitted in the clear.
  The targets of COMINT operations are varied. The most traditional COMINT target is diplomatic communications--the communications from each nation's capital to its diplomatic establishments around the world. The United States has intercepted and deciphered the diplomatic communications of a variety of nations-- Britain during the 1956 Suez Crisis, Libya's communications to its East Berlin People's Bureau prior to the bombing of a nightclub in West Berlin in 1985, Iraq's communications to its embassy in Japan in the 1970s.
  The United States also targets the communications between different components of a large number of governments. On some occasions both components are located
  168
  within the country, on other occasions at least one is located outside national boundaries. Communications that may be targeted include those between government officials, different ministries, a ministry or agency and subordinate units throughout the country and abroad, arms factories, military units during exercises and operations, and police and security forces and their headquarters. More specifically, the United States intercepts communications between the Soviet Ministry of Defense and Military District headquarters, and between Military District headquarters and units in the field; between transmitter stations and Soviet submarines; between the President of Egypt and his subordinates (including the time when Egypt was holding the hijackers of the Achille Lauro); and between military units at all levels in the Philippines.
  In 1980, U.S. intercepts of Soviet communications generated a fear that the Soviets were about to invade Iran. In 1983 intercepts allowed the United States to piece together the details concerning the sinking of a Soviet submarine in the North Pacific.1
  At times, entire sets of targets may be dropped or have their coverage dramatically increased. In the early 1970s the United States dropped COMINT coverage of the Soviet civil defense network (coverage was later resumed). In 1983 it began an all-source intelligence program (that included COMINT) to improve intelligence on the Soviet prison camp system, with the specific intent of issuing a study that would embarrass the Soviets. The intelligence was intended to determine the location of the camps, existing conditions, and the number of political prisoners.
  Governmental communications do not exhaust the set of COMINT targets. The communications of political parties or guerilla movements may also be targeted. The communications of the African National Congress in South Africa, the El Salvadoran rebels, and the Greek Socialist Party are all likely targets of COMINT activities. In addition, the communications of terrorist groups can also be COMINT targets--both to permit understanding of how the group functions and the personalities of its leaders, and to allow prediction of where and how the groups will strike next.
  Another major set of COMINT targets are associated with economic activity (of both the legal and illegal variety)--for example, the communications of multinational corporations and narcotics traffickers. In 1970, the predecessor to the Drug Enforcement Administration informed the NSA that it had "a requirement for any and all COMINT information which reflects illicit traffic in narcotics and dangerous drugs." Specific areas of interest included organizations and individuals engaged in such activities, the distribution of narcotics, narcotic cultivation and production centers, efforts to control the traffic in narcotics, and all violations of U.S. Laws concerning narcotics and dangerous drugs.2
  Electronic intercept operations are intended to produce electronic intelligence (ELINT) by intercepting the non-communication signals of military and civilian hardware, excluding those signals resulting from atomic detonations. Under NSA project KILTING, all ELINT signals are stored in computerized reference files containing the most up-to-date technical information about the signals.
  169
  The earliest of ELINT targets were World War II air defense radar systems. The objective was to gather emanations that would allow the identification of the presence and operating characteristics of the radars--information that could be used to circumvent or neutralize the radars (through direct attack or electronic countermeasures) during bombing raids. Information desired included frequencies, signal strengths, pulse lengths and rates, and other specifications. Since that time, intelligence, space tracking, and ballistic missile early-warning radars have joined the list of ELINT targets.
  In the early 1950s the primary targets were Soviet Bloc (including PRC) radars. Soviet radars remain a prime ELINT target. Monitoring Soviet radars also has an arms control verification aspect, since the 1972 ABM Treaty restricts the use of radars in an "ABM mode." During the Vietnam war, North Vietnamese radars were also major targets. Libyan and Iranian radars are clearly prime targets in the late 1980s.
  A subcategory of ELINT is Foreign Instrumentation Signals Intelligence (FISINT). Foreign instrumentation signals are electromagnetic emissions associated with the testing and operational deployment of aerospace, surface, and subsurface systems that have military or civilian applications. Such signals include, but are not limited to, signals from telemetry, beaconing, electronic interrogators, tracking-fusing-aiming/command systems, and video data links.3
  A subcategory of FISINT is Telemetry Intelligence (TELINT). Telemetry is the set of signals by which a missile, missile stage, or missile warhead sends, back to earth, data about its performance during a test flight. The data relate to structural stress, rocket motor thrust, fuel consumption, guidance system performance, and the physical conditions of the ambient environment. Intercepted telemetry can provide data to estimate the number of warheads carried by a given missile, its payload and throw-weight, the probable size of its warheads, and the accuracy with which the warheads are guided at the point of release from the missile's post-boost vehicles.4
  Radar intelligence--the intelligence obtained from the use of non-imaging radar--is similar to ELINT in that no intercepted communications are involved. However, RADINT does not depend on the interception of another object's electronic emanations. It is the radar which emanates electronic signals--radio waves--and the deflection of those signals allows for intelligence to be derived. Information that can be obtained from RADINT includes flight paths, velocity, maneuvering, trajectory, and angle of descent.
  Two further categories of SIGINT were listed in the proposed National Security Agency charter of 1980--information derived from the collection and processing of (I) non-imaging infrared, and (2) coherent light signals. The former involves sensors that can detect the absence/presence and movement of an object via temperature. The term "coherent light signal" refers to lasers, and hence this category includes the interception of laser communications, as well as the emissions from Soviet laser research and development activities.5
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  The ease with which signals (whether communications or electronic signals) can be intercepted and understood depends on three factors: the method of transmission, the frequencies employed, and the encipherment system (or lack of) used to conceal the signals meaning form unauthorized personnel.
  The most secure form of transmission is that sent by cables, either land lines or underwater cables. Communications or other signals transmitted through such cables cannot be snatched out of the air. Interception of cable traffic has involved physically tapping into the cables or using "induction" devices that are placed in the proximity of the cables and maintenance of equipment at the point of access. This might be unobtainable with respect to hardened and protected internal landlines, the type of landline that carries much high-priority, secret command and control communications. Undersea cables are most vulnerable since the messages transmitted by them are then transmitted by microwave relay once the cable reaches land.
  A tremendous volume of communications is sent via satellite systems. Domestic and international telephone messages, and military and business communications are among those regularly transmitted via satellite using ultra, very, super, and extremely high frequencies (UHF, VHF, SHF and EHF). Thus, the United States has established major programs for the interception of Soviet and international commercial satellite messages. By locating satellite dishes at the proper locations, an enormous volume of traffic can be intercepted. Ground stations that send messages to satellites have antennas that direct the signals to the satellite with great accuracy; satellite antennas, on the other hand, are smaller and the signals they send back to earth are less narrowly focused--perhaps covering several thousand square miles.6
  Often, communications that are transmitted through part of their path by satellite are sent via microwave towers through the rest of their path. In other cases, particularly telephone calls within a country, microwave towers serve as the entire means of transmission and reception. For example, in Canada, the majority of telephone calls are transmitted via microwave. As one observer has written with regard to microwave relay towers:
  With modern communications, "target" messages travel not simply over individually tappable wires like those that connect the ordinary telephone, but as part of entire message streams, which can contain up to 970 individual message circuits, and have voice, telegram, telex and high speed data bunched together.7
  Microwave signals can be intercepted by two means--(1) ground stations near the invisible line connecting the two microwave towers, or (2) by space collection systems, if the area of transmission is within the footprint of the system.
  Radio is the most traditional means to transmit signals--including communications, missile telemetry, and foreign instrumentation signals. The accessibility of radio signals to interception will often depend on the frequencies upon which the signal is transmitted and the signal's geographic location. Messages transmitted at lower frequencies (ELF, VLF, LF, HF) travel for long distances since they bounce off the atmosphere and come down in locations far from the transmitting and
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  intended receiving locations. On the other hand, data sent at higher frequencies will pass through the atmosphere and out into space. To intercept such higher frequency signals, intercept stations must be within line of sight of the radio communications. The curvature of the earth can therefore make monitoring from ground-based sites impossible. Former CIA Deputy Director for Intelligence Sayre Stevens has written of the Soviet ballistic missile defense test center at Sary Shagan that:
  It lies deeply enough within the USSR to make it difficult to monitor from peripheral intelligence-gathering sites along the border Because flight test operations at Sary Shagan can be conducted well below the radio-horizon from such external monitoring locations, the Soviet Union has been able to conceal the details of its activities at Sary Shagan for many years.8
  Under such conditions, geosynchronous space collection systems may be necessary to collect such signals.
  Two additional methods of communication that are targets of interception operations are walkie-talkie and radio-telephone communications. Walkie-talkie communications are employed during military exercises as well as during emergency situations such as Chernobyl. Radio-telephone communications are used by government officials as they travel in their limousines. Since walkie-talkie traffic, particularly in the Soviet Union and China, may occur over areas not accessible to ground stations, satellite interception may be required. On the other hand, radio-telephone traffic is particularly large and significant in national capital areas, where embassy-based listening posts are often found.
  Once intercepted, signals have to be processed. If communications are sent without encipherment or scrambling, then the only processing needed may be translation. Communications may be sent in the clear either because they are considered too low level to justify the time and expense for protection, or because the method of transmission (e.g., cable) is believed immune to interception.
  Electronic signals sent in the clear still need to be interpreted. Thus, telemetry signals on all channels may be transmitted as numbers. The variables being measured and the units of measurement must be inferred by correlating data on missile maneuvers with the intercepted telemetry. For example, measurement may be made concerning different types of events: one-time events (e.g., the firing of explosive bolts or separation of RVs from the post-boost bus), discontinuous events (e.g., adjustments to the guidance system during flight), and continuous events (e.g., fuel flow, motor burn, or acceleration of the missile during the boost phase). These events can be expressed in terms of absolute values, arbitrary values (a one to ten scale), relative values (percentages) or inferential values. It will not necessarily be evident what the particular characteristic to which an intercepted reading refers or the particular values used. A fuel tank reading may be given as "30," which could refer either to a tank that is 30 percent full or 30 percent empty. The temperature in the rocket motor combustion chamber can be measured from the temperature of another part known to have a specific temperature relative to that in the chamber.
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  Communications or electronic signals may be either encrypted or scrambled, complicating the translation process. Diplomatic communications are traditionally enciphered. The sophistication of the encipherment and the quality of the operators determines whether such ciphers can be broken. Conversations via radio and radiotelephone can be scrambled and unscrambled. Non-communications signals may also be encrypted, as are a large portion of Soviet missile telemetry signals.
  Interception of signals involves a massive effort, employing space and airborne collectors, ground stations, embassy listening posts, ships and submarines.
  SPACE COLLECTIONThe United States operates three basic types of satellite systems to collect foreign signals. Since 1962 the United States has been operating low-earth orbiting satellites whose mission has been to intercept the signals emitted by Soviet, Chinese, and other nations' air defense, ABM, and early-warning radars. The satellites, known as "ferrets" in the popular literature, are actually referred to as "balls" within the U.S. intelligence community.
  The first ferret was launched by a Thor-Agena B on May 15, 1962, into an orbit with a 190-mile perigee and 392-mile apogee. Between the first launch and July 16, 1971, seventeen satellites of the initial type were launched, about one to three satellites being launched each year. The inclination of the earlier ferrets was approximately eighty-two degrees, while the inclination of the later satellites was seventy-five degrees. Likewise, the orbit changed after the first several launches to a more circular orbit, with about 300 miles separating the satellite from the earth. Switches to new boosters in June 1963 and October 1968 may have indicated new generations of ferrets coming into operation.9
  A second class of ferret satellites was put into operation beginning in August 1963. Unlike the first class, which were launched as the only payload on the rocket, the new class served as the secondary payload to imaging satellites. As with the first class, elliptical orbits of 180 by 250 miles gave way to more circular orbits, in the vicinity of 300 miles above the earth.10 By 1972, launches no longer placed just ferret satellites in orbit. From 19.72 to the present only ferret subsatellites have been launched. In general, the satellites were launched as the secondary payload on launches of the KH-9 imaging satellite. The final KH-9 was orbited in 1984. If subsatellite launches are to continue once the presently operational ferrets expire, they will have to be piggybacked with a different primary payload. It is possible that the KH-11 satellite also has a ferret capability.
  The exact number of ferrets within each class is not publicly known. What is known is that the code names for the satellites have had a common theme--they were all named after female sex symbols. Two of the satellites operating in the late 1970s were code-named RAQUEL and FARRAH, while earlier satellites had been code-named BRIDGET and MARILYN.11
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  In addition to ferret satellites, the United States is presently using two or three types of geosynchronous satellites. In the early 1970s the United States began operating a set of geosynchronous satellites which were given the code name RHYOLITE. According to the most recent account, a total of five RHYOLITE spacecraft were placed into orbit, with one launch failure. RHYOLITEs were launched on June 19, 1970, December 20, 1972 (a failure), March 6, 1973, May 23, 1977, December 11, 1977, and April 7, 1978; all were launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida using an Atlas-Agena D booster.12
  By the time the fourth satellite was in orbit, a two-station arrangement had emerged. Two of the satellites apparently were stationed near the Horn of Africa, at 45 degrees east, to receive telemetry signals transmitted from liquid-fueled ICBMs launched from Tyuratam in a northeasterly direction toward the Kamchatka Peninsula impact zone. Another two spacecraft were stationed farther east, over Borneo, at 115 degrees east, to monitor Soviet solid-propellant missiles such as the SS-16 and the SS-20 IRBM, launched from the Soviet Union's northern space launch facility at Plesetsk.13 The respective satellite footprints provided coverage of almost all the USSR and Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
  In addition to the telemetry signals from Soviet and Chinese missile tests, RHYOLITE satellites reportedly also engaged in a variety of COMINT activities. The satellites apparently were used to intercept Soviet and Chinese telephone and radio communications across the VHF, UHF, and microwave frequency bands. Robert Lindsey has written that the satellites "could monitor Communist microwave radio and long-distance telephone traffic over much of the European landmass, eavesdropping on a Soviet commissar in Moscow talking to his mistress in Yalta or on a general talking to his lieutenants across the great continent."14
  Walkie-talkie traffic generated by Soviet military exercises, which fall in the VHF-UHF range, also were regularly monitored by RHYOLITE satellites. Beyond the Soviet Union, RHYOLITE satellites intercepted communications from China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Lebanon.15
  The RHYOLITE project was described by former CIA official Victor Marchetti as
  a very interesting project, a very much advanced project in terms of technology, and a very desirable project because getting information of the type that we wanted and needed on Soviet ICBM testing, antiballistic missile programs, anti-satellite programs, and the like, much of this activity of course takes place in eastern Siberia and central Asia, getting information on the Chinese ICBM program.16
  The RHYOLITE program suffered a serious setback in 1975 when a TRW employee, Christopher Boyce, and his boyhood friend, Andrew Daulton Lee, sold the KGB technical details about RHYOLITE. In accordance with standard security practice, the NRO changed RHYOLITE's code name to AQUACADE.17 At this time it is probable that none of the compromised satellites are operational.
  The first satellite of a follow-on generation, code-named MAGNUM, was launched from the space shuttle Discovery on January 25, 1985. The satellite is
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  reported to have two huge parabolic antennas, one of which is intended to intercept communications and telemetry signals. According to one account, MAGNUM is stationed over the western Soviet Union and its second antenna is to be used to relay the intercepted data to another satellite (possibly the SDS) for transmission to the Pine Gap, Australia ground control station.18 MAGNUM may, in fact, be stationed over Borneo, in which case its second antenna would transmit the data directly to Pine Gap.
  Exactly how much MAGNUM is an improvement over RHYOLITE/AQUACADE is not known publicly. One possibility is that MAGNUM will be able to pick up lower powered signals than RHYOLITE, such as "turned-down" telemetry. MAGNUM's increased power might come from bigger antennas, and the satellite's potential is suggested by a project being undertaken for the NASA by Lockheed's Missile and Space Company. The project involves unfurling an antenna in space from the space shuttle's cargo bay. The antenna, resembling an umbrella, will be nearly twice the size of a football field, and so sensitive to low-powered signals from earth that it would pick up broadcasts from radios the size of a wristwatch.19
  In addition, MAGNUM may have some stealth or spoofing capabilities that make it harder for the Soviet Union to find and jam its signals--as has been alleged they were doing to AQUACADE in recent years. In 1984, Richard Perle, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy charged in testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the USSR had begun jamming telemetry-monitoring satellites to prevent collection of even the encrypted data. The jamming was alleged to be electronically precise, to have begun sometime after the Soviets shot down Korean Airlines Flight 007 in 1983, and to occur only during missile testing. The distinctive visual and radar image of MAGNUM will ordinarily allow the Soviets to know its location and mission.20 Hence, some sort of stealth technology would be required to hide the satellite from Soviet detection.
  On June 10, 1978, the first of another class of geosynchronous SIGINT satellites was launched. Originally code-named CHALET, it was renamed VORTEX after its original code name was revealed in the press.21
  VORTEX's original mission was strictly COMINT-related. However, after the loss of Iranian ground stations and the discovery of the sale of RHYOLITE documents to the KGB, VORTEX was modified to intercept Soviet telemetry. The first modified VORTEX was launched on October 1, 1979; subsequent launches occurred on October 31, 1981 and in 1984.22
  The primary targets of VORTEX are in the Soviet Union. At the height of VORTEX operations at least three VORTEX satellites were operational. One covered Eastern Europe and the Western USSR, the other the central USSR, and the third the eastern portion of the Soviet Union, as well as non-Soviet targets in their footprints. During the Chernobyl incident the VORTEX responsible for monitoring the western USSR was employed to intercept all communications within several hundred miles of the accident site, including those of the military, party, government and security forces.
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  Unlike AQUACADE, MAGNUM, or VORTEX, the other class of SIGINT satellites are neither in geosynchronous orbit nor are launched from Cape Canaveral. Rather, this class--known as JUMPSEAT--has been launched into sixty-three-degree inclined, highly elliptical orbits (200 by 24,000 miles) with Titan 3B-Agena D boosters from Vandenberg AFB, California. Approximately four JUMPSEATs have been launched since the first launch on March 5, 1975. In its highly elliptical orbit, JUMPSEAT "hovers" over the Soviet Union for eight to nine hours at a time. Its primary mission is to monitor Soviet ABM radars.23
  There appears to be several new generations of SIGINT satellites in development, probably including JUMPSEAT and VORTEX follow-ons. One of those satellites will monitor Soviet laser activities.
  Satellite operations are supported by a worldwide network of ground control stations, stations that conduct housekeeping operations as well as receive information from the satellites. A key element in the network is the HQ Consolidated Space Test Center (HQ CSTC), formerly the Air Force Satellite Control Facility at Onizuka AFS (Sunnyvale). The HQ CSTC has ground stations across the globe--Vandenberg AFB; New Boston, New Hampshire; Kaena Point, Hawaii; Thule (AB), Greenland; Mahe, the Seychelles; Andersen AFB, Guam; Oakhanger, England. The stations perform basic housekeeping functions--communicating commands to the satellites, altering orbits, checking the equipment on board. The stations also receive ELINT data from the JUMPSEAT and ferret satellites.24
  In addition to the HQ CSTC, several more specialized stations exist to control and receive signals from SIGINT satellites. Ft. Meade (NSA headquarters) is itself able to receive data from the satellites, but three overseas ground stations are backbone of the network: Pine Gap, Australia; Menwith Hill, United Kingdom; and Bad Aibling, Germany.25
  RHYOLITE/AQUACADE and MAGNUM satellites have been controlled since the beginning of their respective programs from a facility in Alice Springs, Australia, commonly known as Pine Gap. Officially, the facility is the Joint Defence Space Research Facility and is code-named MERINO. The facility consists of seven large radomes, a huge computer room, and about twenty other support buildings. The radomes (which resemble golf balls with one end sliced off and then mounted on a pedestal) are made of Perspex and mounted on a concrete structure. The radomes are intended to protect the enclosed antennas against dust, wind, and rain and to hide some of the operational elements of the antennas from unfriendly observation, such as from Soviet imaging satellites.26
  The first two radomes at Pine Gap were installed in 1968 and remain the facility's largest. The first appears to be about 100 feet in diameter and the second about 70 feet in diameter. They now form the western line of the antenna complex. The third and fourth radomes were fully installed by mid-1969. The third radome is about 55 feet in diameter and some 196 feet east of the largest radome, while the fourth is under 20 feet in diameter and just north of the second radome. In 1973 the antenna originally installed inside the third radome was dismantled and replaced by a thirty-three-foot communications terminal. The fifth radome is less than forty
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  feet in diameter and was installed in 1971. The sixth dish is about the same size as the fifth and was installed in 1977. The seventh radome, which was built in 1980, houses a second communications terminal.27
  On the northern edge of the complex is a high-frequency antenna that provides a direct communications link with Clark AB in the Philippines. It is the only non-satellite communications system linking Pine Gap with terminals outside Australia, and before installation of the 1973 antenna was the primary communications link between Pine Gap and the United States.28
  Originally, the main computer room was about 210 feet square, but it was expanded twice in the 1970s to its present size, about 60,000 square feet. Its immense size requires that operators at each end of the room communicate with each other via headphones. The room is divided into three principal sections. The Station Keeping Section is responsible for maintaining the satellites in geosynchronous orbit and for correctly aligning them towards targets of interest. The Signals Processing Office receives the signals transmitted from the satellites and transforms them into a form that can be used by the analysts. The Signals Analysis Section is staffed solely by CIA personnel--no Australian citizens or contractor personnel are included. Many individuals in the section are linguists who monitor the voice intercepts.29
  As of January 1986, there were 557 people employed at Pine Gap--273 Australians and 284 Americans. While in theory Pine Gap is a joint facility, the 50-50 relationship holds only with respect to the gross number of personnel. This relationship is achieved by counting Australian housemaids, cooks, and gardeners who work at the base as "equal" to the CIA personnel who conduct the actual operations.30
  The two other major control stations for SIGINT satellites are located in Europe--Bad Aibling and Menwith Hill. Information received at either location can be transmitted directly via DSCS satellite to Ft. Meade.31
  AIRBORNE COLLECTIONAt present, the single most important airborne platform involved in the collection of signals intelligence is the RC-135, of which there have been twelve versions. The first RC-135, a RC-135B, entered the SAC reconnaissance inventory in December 1965. This began the replacement of thirty obsolescent RB-47Hs and ERB-47Hs that were then "performing the ELINT portion of the Global Peacetime Airborne Reconnaissance Program."32
  At present there are eighteen RC-135s in the U.S. inventory. Fourteen are modernized RC-135V and RC-135M (RIVET CARD) models, code-named RIVET JOINT (Block III). These and the other models of the RC-135 have an overall length of 129 feet, a wingspan of 131 feet, and an overall height of 42 feet. At its operational altitude, 34,990 feet, it cruises at 460 miles per hour.33
  RIVET JOINT planes fly their missions (known as BURNING WIND missions) from bases in Alaska (Eielson AFB), Nebraska (Offutt AFB), Panama (Howard AB), England (RAF Mildenhall), Greece (Hellenikon AB), and Japan (Kadena AB,
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  Okinawa). RIVET JOINT/BURNING WIND missions average about seventy flights a month in Western Europe and the Far East and about twelve a month in Central America.34
  The RC-135V carries a crew of seventeen and flies at 35,000 feet for up to ten hours before it requires refueling. Its COMINT capability can be expanded from a minimum of six positions to thirteen depending on the requirements of the mission. The RIVET JOINT-ELINT system is comprised of three collection positions-- an Automatic ELINT Emitter Location System position supplemented by two manual operator positions. From Alaska the aircraft can patrol along the Kamchatka and Chukotski peninsulas, intercepting short-range tactical signals from Soviet naval and ground forces. The Japanese-based RC-135s patrol along the coasts of Vietnam, China, North Vietnam, and the USSR, including the Sea of Okhotsk.35
  British-based RIVET JOINT planes fly along the Baltic Sea, and over the Barents Sea just off the Kola Peninsula, possibly intercepting signals from the three naval bases in the Murmansk area or the Severodvinsk submarine construction yard. The pilots are under orders not to get within 40 nautical miles of the Soviet coastline, and generally loiter 100 miles or more out over the Barents Sea until they intercept signals of interest. The planes based at Hellenikon have Libya, Egypt, Israel, and Syria and to a lesser extent the USSR among their targets. Planes from Hellenikon periodically deploy to Saudi Arabia to operate against Iraq and Iran. In the past they have also deployed to Egypt and the Sudan.36
  From Eielson AFB, RIVET JOINT/BURNING WIND missions target the Soviet Far East. The missions proceed around the southern tip of Kamchatka and into the Sea of Okhotsk, a projected deployment area for Soviet missile submarines. If not assigned to patrol the Sea of Okhotsk, they slide down the coast toward Sakhalin Island. The missions monitor the alert status of Soviet air squadrons on Sakhalin as well as Soviet Air Force exercises. In the latter case the planes track Soviet fighters in flight.37
  RIVET JOINT/BURNING WIND missions flown from Nebraska and Panama are directed against Spanish and Russian-language targets in Cuba and Central America. Central American flights have been conducted in support of the El Salvador military and the contra rebels.38
  The remaining four RC-135 aircraft are evenly divided between the RC-135U and RC-135S models. The RC-135Us (modified RC-135Cs) bear the nickname COMBAT SENT. COMBAT SENT missions are flown along the periphery of the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries, with specific routes, tactics, and even aircraft configurations varying with the tasking requirements.39
  As with the RIVET JOINT planes, the COMBAT SENT aircraft fly at 35,000 feet and can fly for ten hours without refueling if necessary. Among their targets have been Soviet ODD PAIR, SIDE NET, and TOP STEER radar systems. The primary sensor for COMBAT SENT planes is the Precision Power Measurement System, which determines the absolute power, pattern, and polarization of selected target emitters. In addition there is a high-resolution camera and television and radar sensors in the tail that are used when the occasion permits. One of the
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  COMBAT SENT planes is equipped with a system known as COMPASS ERA, a system containing infrared thermal imaging, interferometer-spectrometer, and spectral radiometer sensors.40
  The RC-135S planes, based at Eielson AFB, Alaska and operating on occasion from Shemya, are nicknamed COBRA BALL and are the result of a late 1960s modification of two C-135Bs. The missions they conduct, known as BURNING STAR missions, involve the monitoring of the reentry phase of Soviet and Chinese ICBM, SLBM (submarine launched ballistic missile), and IRBM (intermediate range ballistic missile) research and development tests. The reentry phase of Soviet ICBM tests from Plesetsk and Tyuratam takes place either at Kamchatka Peninsula or into the expanses of the Pacific. For example. in 1974, three Soviet ICBM-test reentry phases occurred in the Pacific. In 1987 one test concluded in the vicinity of Hawaii.41
  Because COBRA BALL missions are dictated by Soviet decisions to conduct missile tests, missions cannot be planned on any regular basis. Only some of these tests--specifically, multiple tests or those tests with reentry phases outside Soviet territory--need to be announced in advance. Thus, the COBRA BALL aircraft must be ready to fly on a moment's notice, in response to notification by the Defense Special Missile and Astronautics Center (DEFSMAC) that a Soviet test is about to occur. Immediate launches are "announced by the sounding of a Klaxon horn" at Eielson.42
  The planes operate at 35,000 feet and up to ten hours unrefueled and eighteen hours refueled. Each COBRA BALL carries three sensor systems--one ELINT system and two photographic systems. The ELINT system is the Advanced Telemetry System (ATS), which automatically searches a portion of the frequency band and makes a digital record of all signals present. The operator of the ATS system allocates its collection resources to Soviet reentry vehicle links and records all telemetry detected.43
  The Ballistic Framing Camera System images all the objects of interest in the reentry phase, while the Medium Resolution Camera (MRC) System photographs individual reentry vehicles.44 The images produced by the MRC System are used to determine the reentry vehicle size. In turn, size estimates are used to produce estimates of the explosive yield of the warheads.
  During its orbit the RC-135S records and cross-checks its position coordinates at least once every twenty minutes. It is also called on to provide a variety of information--including air speed, altitude, estimated time of arrival, orbit point, adjustments in timing or track, track length (in minutes), the status of the equipment, wind direction, and time remaining on the track.45
  As a supplement to the COBRA BALL aircraft, the NSA and the SAC have employed another version of the C-135 to collect intelligence during Soviet missile tests. This variant is the EC-135N, a plane with a ten-foot radome built into its nose. This "droop snoot" radome carries an antenna seven feet in diameter that allows the eight-person crew to intercept voice communications, plus telemetered or radioed data on speed, temperature, and other characteristics of the object being
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  tracked. The plane also has a probe antenna on each wingtip for high-frequency radio transmission and reception, and high-frequency trailing wire beneath the fuselage.46
  The EC-135N has had, as its primary mission, tracking U.S. missiles during flight tests as well as keeping tabs on unmanned satellites. They perform these missions, according to the Air Force, "over land where tracking stations are limited by geographical constraints and over water where ships cannot move quickly enough to cover different portions during launch."47 However, as a secondary mission, the EC-135Ns--known as Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft or ARIAs-- have been used to monitor the end phase of Soviet missile tests, flying opposite Siberia or over the Pacific.
  The EC-135Ns have been augmented by a new set of ARIA aircraft, which resulted in an increase in 1985 flying time of 300 percent. Three EC-135Ns have been equipped with new engines. They have been redesignated EC-135Es and will continue to be part of the ARIA program through the late 1990s. The replacement aircraft are EC-18B--American Airlines 707-313--modified into the ARIA configuration by the Air Force System Command's Aeronautical Systems Division. The first two EC-18Bs became operational in 1985, and by 1988 all four were in operation.48
  Much of the equipment on the EC-18B airplanes will be recycled from the retired EC-135Ns. The recycled equipment includes radomes, antennas, and on-board mission equipment such as receivers, data processors, and recorders. Additions to the internal portion of the craft include a navigation station, a new flight director, a modified electrical system, and an improved environmental control system.49
  Additions to the forward portion of the aircraft include a large, drooped radome housing the seven-foot steerable antenna, high-frequency (HF) probe antennas on each wingtip, and a trailing wire, HF antenna on the bottom of the fuselage. Antennas for post-mission data transmission and satellite transmission also have been added. As with the EC-135Ns, the EC-18Bs will have as their primary mission monitoring U.S. space and missile launches, including unmanned space launches, cruise and ballistic missiles tests, and space shuttle launches.50
  Also employed for signals intelligence purposes are eight EC-130 aircraft, which are flown by the U.S. Air National Guard's 193rd Tactical Electronic Combat Group (headquartered at Harrisburg International Airport, Pennsylvania). The planes are deployed to Central America to fly missions against rebel targets in El Salvador and government targets in Nicaragua.51
  Also employed for SIGINT collection are the SR-71, U-2, and TR-I. In its SIGINT role, the SR-71 is used to fly "peripheral intelligence missions. . .to pinpoint locations and characteristics of potentially hostile signal emitters."52 Thus, the SR-71s SIGINT role continues the peripheral electronic reconnaissance that has been part of U.S. intelligence activities since the late 1940s. The SR-71 apparently also continues the tradition of inducing the Soviet air defense system to "turn on" critical radar systems. The Commander of the Strategic Air Command in 1978,
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  speaking of the SR-71 and RC-135, stated that "it is possible to operate these systems in a way that tells us things we want to know. This can't be done with satellites."53
  There are three SIGINT collection systems designed for the U-2/TR-I: SENIOR RUBY, SENIOR STRETCH, and SENIOR SPEAR. SENIOR RUBY is a near real-time ELINT collection, processing, and reporting system that provides information (including type and location) on radar emitters within line of sight of the U2-R. The SENIOR RUBY system can handle a large number of emitters simultaneously and send its data to a Ground Control Processor that is colocated with the Transportable Ground Intercept Facility (TGIF), used in conjunction with realtime U-2 missions.54
  SENIOR STRETCH is a near real-time COMINT collection, processing, and reporting system. The airborne receiver subsystem consists of a multi-channel microwave receiver, remotely controlled via satellite link from the Remote Operations Facility, Airborne (ROFA) at Ft. Meade. The data collected is transmitted via DSCS satellite back to the ROFA.55
  SENIOR SPEAR is also a near real-time collection, processing, and reporting system that provides a line-of-sight collection capability--out to 300 nm--from the aircraft. Under development, as of 1983, was SENIOR SPAN. SENIOR SPAN to be installed in the U-2R, is a near real-time SIGINT collection, processing and reporting system--with the airborne receiver subsystem consisting of HF, VHF, UHF, and microwave receivers. The receiver is remotely controlled via a satellite from the ROFA or a TGIF, with the collected data transmitted via satellite back to the control site.56
  U-2/TR-I missions are flown from several bases against a variety of targets. From Patrick AFB, Florida, Detachment 5 of the 99th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing flies SENIOR JUMP U-2Rs in collection missions against Cuba and Central America. The main Cuban targets are Cuban army, air force, and navy communications, with the intercepts being transmitted to Key West Naval Air Station, Florida. Data collected during Central American missions has been downlinked to installations in Honduras at Tiger Island or Cerro la Mole.57
  SENIOR STRETCH U-2Rs fly from RAF Akrotiri (Operating Location OLIVE HARVEST) to intercept signals from several Middle Eastern states. The data are then uplinked to DSCS satellites for transmission to the ROFA. From Osan AB, South Korea, SENIOR SPEAR U-2Rs fly OLYMPIC GAME missions against the communications of Chinese and North Korean activities, with the intercepted communications being downlinked to an Electronic Security Command unit at Osan.58
  TR-I/CREEK SPECTRE aircraft conduct COMINT/ELINT missions from RAF Alconbury, United Kingdom during missions along the border with East Germany and Czechoslovakia. The data are downlinked to an ESC unit in West Germany.59
  Two additional airborne SIGINT systems are Army systems: GUARDRAIL V and Improved GUARDRAIL V. GUARDRAIL is a remotely controlled airborne and ground-based intercept and radio-direction finding system, designed to exploit HF-VHF-UHF voice communications, mounted on RU-21H/GUARDRAIL V and RC-12D (Improved Guardrail V) aircraft. Both aircraft operate at between 10,000
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  and 20,000 feet, and can spend up to four hours on station. The RC-12D aircraft allow a wider range of frequencies to be targeted for intercept or DF (direction finding) purposes. The targets of both sets of aircraft include mobile forces, missile units, aviation elements, air defense units, and artillery regiments. Each system consists of six aircraft--two RU-21Hs and four RC-12Ds.60
  GROUND STATIONSBeginning in the late 1940s, the United States began establishing ground stations to monitor the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. This network changed composition over the years and has grown to include stations directed against China, Vietnam, North Korea, the Middle East, Central America, and other areas. Today, the network, largely run by the NSA, comprises approximately sixty stations in twenty countries. Included are heavily manned stations (employing about 30,000 personnel) and unmanned locations whose "take" is remoted to other locations and then to Ft. Meade. In addition, several radar stations, operated by the Air Force Space Command, are involved in detecting and tracking Soviet missile tests and space launches. The stations collectively conduct intercept operations across the VHF-UHF-HF bands. Approximately thirty stations collect HF, strategic COMINT while others focus on VHF-UHF tactical communications. Other stations target various forms of electronic emanations.
  The biggest and most important set of stations remain those directed at the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact countries. Several facilities in Alaska are among those monitoring the Soviet Union. At Shemya Island, Alaska--which is approximately 400 miles across the Bering Sea from the Soviet eastern seaboard--is the Anders facility. Run by the Bendix Field Engineering Corporation for the NSA, the facility's Pusher HF antenna monitors Soviet communications in the Far East.61
  Also located on Shemya is the COBRA DANE phased-array radar. The primary purpose of COBRA DANE is "to acquire precise radar metric and signature data on developing Soviet ballistic missile weapons systems for weapons system characterization determination. The Soviet developmental test to Kamchatka and the Pacific Ocean provided the United States with the primary source for collection of these data early in the Soviet developmental programs." Secondary missions are early warning and tracking of space objects.62
  The COBRA DANE system consists of a AN/FPS-108 radar facility, measuring 87 by 107 feet at its base and approximately six stories or 100 feet in height, plus an attached one-story Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory (PMEL) measuring 87 square feet. Both structures are located on a 230-foot-high bluff in the northwestern section of Shemya, where it overlooks the Bering Sea.63
  The most important characteristic of COBRA DANE is that it is a phased-array radar. To an observer depending only on eyes or using binoculars, a phased-array radar is simply a dormant structure, sort of an electronic pyramid. This is in sharp contrast to the older, more traditional radar dish "sweeping its beam of microwave
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  radiation along the horizon in search of distant objects.'' Rather, COBRA DANE consists of 15,360 radiating elements occupying ninety-five feet in diameter on the radar's face. Each element emits a signal that travels in all directions. When the signals are emitted at the same time, only targets in the immediate vicinity of the array's perpendicular axis are detectable. However, by successively delaying by a fraction of a wavelength, one can "steer" the beam to detect objects away from the perpendicular axis.64
  COBRA DANE, which achieved initial operating capability on July 13, 1977 can detect (with a 99 percent probability) and track a basketball-sized object at a range of 2,000 miles with a 120-degree field of view extending from the northern half of Sakhalin Island to just short of the easternmost tip of the Soviet Union nearing the Bering Strait. However, its ability to provide information on the size and shape is available only over a forty-four-degree range centered on the upper portion of Kamchatka, as indicated in Figure 8-1. COBRA DANE can simultaneously track up to 100 warheads when operating in an intelligence collection mode. It can also be employed for early warning and space surveillance; in those modes it can track up to 300 incoming warheads and up to 200 satellites.65
  [Map showing Shemya Island base, western Alaska and eastern USSR omitted]Figure 8-1. Range of COBRA DANE Coverage.
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  The major limitation of COBRA DANE is that the final, near earth trajectory of Soviet reentry vehicles is not visible due to the line-of-sight constraints imposed by the curvature of the earth.66
  Elmendorf AFB, located in Anchorage, is home of Naval Security Group Command and Electronic Security Command contingents, and an AN/FLR-9 "Elephant Cage" antenna. The AN/FLR-9 consists of three circular arrays, each made up of antenna elements around a circular reflecting screen. In the middle of the triple array is a central building, which contains the electronic equipment that forms the directional beams for monitoring and direction finding. The entire system is about 900 feet in diameter. The ESC contingent monitors USSR-Far Eastern military activity through voice, Morse Code, and printer intercepts.67
  Also targeted on the Soviet Far East is a major base at Misawa AB in Japan. Four miles northwest of Misawa is the "Hill." On the hill is a 100-foot AN/FLR-9 antenna system. The base and its antenna lie at the northern tip of Honshu Island, about 500 miles west of Vladivostok and 400 miles south of Sakhalin Island. Misawa's importance is testified to by the presence of representatives of all four services' cryptological authorities. There is a 900-person detachment from the Electronic Security Command, a 700-person detachment from the Naval Security Group Command, 200 representatives of the Army's Intelligence and Security Command, and 80 representatives of Company E, Marine Support Batallion.68
  According to one account, Misawa's AN/FLR-9 "can pick up a Russian television broadcast in Sakhalin or an exchange of insults between Chinese and Soviet soldiers on the Sino-Soviet border."69 The INSCOM contingent focuses its attention on Soviet army and General Staff activity, as well as on Afghanistan. The NSGC contingent monitored the Soviet Navy's search and rescue activity after the Soviets shot down Korean Airlines Flight 007 in 1983.70
  Misawa is also the site of Project LADYLOVE, which involves the interception of the communications transmitted via several Soviet satellite systems--Molniya, Raduga, and Gorizont.71
  Also involved in the satellite communications interception project are three additional stations, all run by the NSA. Rosman Research Station was transferred from the NASA to the Department of Defense on February 1, 1981 for use as a "Communications Research Station" and became operational on July 1, 1985 with 250 employees. At present it has four satellite dishes pointed straight up and four in radomes. Also involved is the NSA's Menwith Hill station, located eight miles west of Harrogate in Yorkshire, England. The 562-acre station consists of a large array of satellite tracking aerials. Under Project MOONPENNY, a variety of Soviet satellite communications are intercepted by Menwith Hill's antennas. In addition, Menwith Hill is also the home of Project SILKWORTH, a high-frequency, wideband communications interception program. Finally, the Bad Aibling station in Germany represents the fourth component of the satellite communications (SATCOM) intercept project.72
  Another station located in the United Kingdom that is heavily involved in the interception of Soviet communications is RAF Chicksands, near Bedford, home
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  of an 800-person ESC contingent. Among the Soviet communications targeted are those of the air defense network.73
  Over the years, the Chicksands mission has expanded to also focus on the military and diplomatic signals of Western European nations, particularly France. Inside the Chicksands facility are rooms and compartments with interception and direction finding allocated to different mission targets. Signs used to hang above the heads of coordinating "mission supervisors" which included, in the early 1970s, "France," "Czechoslovakia," and "Civil Navigation." On each of 3 daily shifts, over 100 operators staff interception positions. With over 1,750 military staff alone, Chicksands is the USAF's largest non-flying base in Britain.74
  Outside of Britain, important European ground stations involved in the monitoring of Soviet Bloc activities are located in Italy, Germany, and Turkey. At San Vito dei Normanni, Italy is a 700-person contingent of the Electronic Security Command. Employing the AN/FLR-9, the unit intercepts selected Soviet, East European, and Middle East communications.75
  In Turkey there are two important facilities, one run by the NSA and its SCAs the other by the Air Force Space Command. Sinop, nicknamed "Diogenes Station," began operating in the mid-19SOs and is now home to the 290-person Army Field Station Sinop and the 97-person Naval Security Group Activity Sinop. Sinop is a fishing port and farm center with a population of just over 18,000 persons. The station is 2 miles west of the town and is a 300-acre facility on a bleak 700-foot hill at the end of a peninsula. The INSCOM contingent and Turkish civilians at the base are involved in monitoring Soviet activity in the Black Sea area as well as Soviet missile testing activities. A major aspect of monitoring Soviet missile telemetry from Sinop is the interception of electronic emanations and telemetry connected with Soviet missile and space rocket launches from Kapustin Yar and other locations in the southern USSR. The monitoring of Soviet air activity can be a rather "boring job. . .a morse operator, for instance, just sits there in front of a radio receiver with headphones, and a typewriter copying morse signals."76
  The single most important U.S. intelligence facility in Turkey is the one at Pirinclik Air Base, a satellite operation of Diyarbakir Air Station. Located on a rocky plateau in southeastern Turkey, Pirinclik had its operations suspended from 1974 to 1978. During that time U.S. housekeeping personnel rotated one radar dish to prevent roller-bearing damage while the Turks locked up a key piece of radar equipment to make sure the radar was inoperative.77
  The base resumed operations on November 3, 1979, with its 2 radar antenna fixed permanently toward the northeast, where the Soviet border lies 180 miles away. The electronic beams of the radar operate through a natural "duct" in the mountains around the plateau, picking up Soviet missiles and space launches as they rise above the horizon. An AN/FPS-17 detection radar is used which can detect an object 1 meter in diameter up to 5,000 miles away. After the AN/FPS-17 indicates that a missile launch or space shot has taken place, the AN/FPS-79 "swings its white, round face in a noiseless arc in the same direction, ready to track missiles along their course."78
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  The radars are operated largely by civilian technicians from the contractor, General Electric. In addition to the 70 contractor personnel there are about 145 Air Force personnel, mostly enlisted personnel. Few of them are permitted in the top-secret radar control rooms. Rather, they are more likely to operate the communications facilities that transmit the data via DSCS satellite to Washington.79
  As might be expected, Germany is home for several strategic and tactical SIGINT stations targeted on the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. The two most important are located at Augsburg and Bad Aibling. Augsburg hosts units from INSCOM (Field Station Augsburg), the Electronic Security Command, and the Naval Security Group Command. With 1,814 personnel, Augsburg covers selected communications in East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and the western USSR, employing an AN/FLR-9 antenna.80
  As already noted, the Bad Aibling station serves as a downlink for satellite SIGINT data and as part of a four-station network involved in intercepting Soviet satellite communications. In addition, Bad Aibling has two other functions. Employing Rhombic and Pusher antennas, the Bad Aibling station conducts HFDF (high-frequency, direction finding) and communications intercept coverage of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, in support of Augsburg. It also serves as the initial reception site for data from two unmanned locations on Cyprus and Oman. The Cyprus stations consists of a Pusher HF antenna set up by the NSA at the Episkopi Sovereign Base Area to cover targets in the Middle East and southern USSR. The Abut Sovereign Base Area, home for a British SIGINT operation, is also home for NSA equipment that monitors military activity in the Near East and the southern USSR.81
  A second set of stations are directed primarily against the activities of Asian Communist nations. The major targets are the PRC, Vietnam, and Korea, with Cambodia and Laos being secondary targets.
  The two stations farthest from their targets are at Clark AB in the Philippines and Kunia, Hawaii. Clark AB is host to an AN/FLR-9 antenna and a 180-person contingent of the Electronic Security Command which intercepts a variety of Vietnamese and Chinese communications, both air and ground based, as well as diplomatic communications.82
  Kunia is host to the NSA-run "Defense Research Facility," INSCOM (Field Station Kunia), NSGC, and ESC contingents. Kunia serves as the NSA's B-Group Remote Operations Facility, receiving data from two remote facilities at Taegu, South Korea and Khon Kean, Thailand.
  The Khon Kean facility was apparently set up in the fall of 1979. The absence of such a facility apparently resulted in a shortfall of intelligence during the Chinese-Vietnam War earlier that year.83
  The Taegu facility, run for the NSA by the Bendix Field Engineering Group, is equipped with a Pusher HF antenna and targeted against communications in China, North Korea, and Vietnam.84
  Located at Pyong' Taek, Korea is U.S. Army Field Station, Korea (also known as Zoeckler Station), with a 304-person contingent and three operating locations:
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  Detachment J (at Koryo-Son Mountain on the island of Kangwna), Detachment K (at Kanak-San Mountain, six miles from the demilitarized zone), and Detachment L (on Yawol-San Mountain, within 1,500 meters of the DMZ). Collectively, the installations focus on a variety of North Korean COMINT and ELINT targets.85
  A third set of ground stations are those targeted on the Middle East and North Africa, Latin America, and international satellite traffic. Among the stations with Middle East intercept functions is the previously mentioned San Vito facility, which in addition to its Soviet Bloc intercept mission is responsible for the interception of diplomatic messages in the Mediterranean, South European, and North African regions. In addition, the remote facility at Episkopi Sovereign Base Area, Cyprus covers targets in the Middle East in addition to the southern USSR. Finally, a 400-person contingent of the ESC is stationed at Iraklion, Greece and engages in the interception of Arabic language communications originating from countries in North Africa and the Middle East.86
  The Iraklion station employs a rhombic/dipole antenna field to conduct its intercept operations. A rhombic array is a highly directional antenna system. Each element or antenna of that array consists of a wire several feet off the ground and attached to four posts spaced in the shape of a diamond, each side being approximately ten feet long. At one end the wire is connected to a coaxial cable that runs underground to a centrally located operations building. The entire array consists of between thirty and forty structures over several hundred acres.87
  Latin America, and particularly Central America, has obviously become a target of increased importance. At Lackland AFB, Medina Annex, San Antonio is a 272person contingent from INSCOM (U.S. Army Field Station, San Antonio) and one from the ESC which receive intercepted, Spanish language communications remoted from Tiger Island and Cerro la Mole in Honduras. Homestead AFB, Florida is the headquarters of Naval Security Group Activity Homestead, with its main operations center at Card Sound (known as Site Alpha or Seminole Station), which engages in the monitoring of Cuban military communications as well as Soviet activity in Cuba. It also monitors all communications involving Cuban and Soviet air activity originating in or destined for Cuba. Intercept operations are conducted using an AN/FRD-10 antenna system. Also targeted on Cuba are the antennas of the U.S. Army Field Station, Key West.88
  Outside of the continental United States, two stations on U.S. territory contribute to SIGINT operations directed against Latin America. At Guantanamo Bay, Cuba are more than 100 members of the Guantanamo Naval Security Group Activity. Employing an AN/FRD-10 antenna system, the unit intercepts Cuban and Soviet military communications in and around Cuba and the Caribbean Basin. The 430person Naval Security Group Activity at Sabana Seca, Puerto Rico employs an AN/FRD-10 to target internationally leased carrier and diplomatic communications for all of Central and South America.89
  Two stations target INTELSAT/COMSAT satellite communications. An NSA facility at Sugar Grove, West Virginia with 30, 60, 105, and 150 foot satellite antennas intercepts the signals being sent by the INTELSAT/COMSAT satellite over the
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  Atlantic and intended for the INTELSAT/COMSAT ground station at Etam, West Virginia. A second installation at the Yakima Research Station un Yakima, Washington targets the Pacific INTELSAT/COMSAT satellite.90
  COVERT LISTENING POSTSIn addition to the ground-based listening posts such as those described above, there is a second set of such posts. However. rather than using large areas of land they are surreptitiously hidden in U.S. embassies and consulates. Such listening posts allow the United States to target the internal military, political, police, and economic communications of the nation in which the embassy is located.
  Such listening posts are joint CIA-NSA operations, formally known as Special Collection Elements, and exist in approximately forty-five U.S. embassies and consulates.
  The best known of the listening posts is the one in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. In the late 1960s and early 1970s the Embassy listening post was used to intercept the radio-telephone conversations of Soviet Politburo members, including General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev, President Nikolai Podgorny, and Premier Alexsei Kosygin as they drove around Moscow.91
  Traffic from the interception operation was transmitted back to a special CIA facility a few miles from the agency's Langley, Virginia headquarters. Originally, the conversations simply needed to be translated, since no attempt had been made to scramble or encipher the conversations.92
  After a 1971 disclosure in the press concerning the operation, code-named GAMMA GUPY, the Soviets began enciphering their limousine telephone calls to plug leaks. Despite that effort, the United States was able to intercept and decode a conversation between General Secretary Brezhnev and Field Marshal Grechko that took place shortly before the signing of the SALT I treaty. Grechko assured Brezhnev that the heavy Soviet SS-l9 missiles under construction would fit inside the launch tubes of lighter SS-11 missiles, making the missiles permissible under the SALT I treaty.93
  In general, however, the intelligence obtained was less than earthshaking. According to a former intelligence official involved in GAMMA GUPY, the CIA "didn't find out about, say, the invasion of Czechoslovakia. It was very gossipy--Brezhnev's health and maybe Podgorny's sex life." At the same time the official said that the operation "gave us extremely valuable information on the personalities and health of top Soviet leaders."94
  Other covert listening posts are located in the U.S. embassies in Tel Aviv and Buenos Aires. The Tel Aviv outpost is targeted on Israeli military and national police communications. The latter gives the United States the capability to follow very closely the activities of the police in suppressing Palestinian demonstrators. The presence of a U.S. Listening post has not gone unnoticed by Israeli officials due to the large number of antennas on the roof of the Tel Aviv embassy.95
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  The Buenos Aires post was used to target the communications of the Argentine General Staff during the Falklands crisis--information that would be quickly passed to the British.96
  SURFACE SHIPSAt one time, the United States placed great reliance on signals intelligence gathered by ship-based sensors. The United States began using combat ships in this role. Destroyers and destroyer escorts often carried mobile vans packed with antennas as well as special detachments to operate the equipment. Use of destroyers and destroyer escorts, however, degraded fighting capabilities as combat ships were assigned to intelligence missions. Further, some Navy officials felt the stationing of a destroyer off a foreign shore, especially that of a hostile nation, to be provocative.97
  Two alternatives were deployed--Auxiliary General Technical Research (AGTR) and Auxiliary General Environmental Research (AGER) ships in 1961 and 1965 respectively. The AGTRs were converted World War II Liberty ships--each 458 feet long and 10,860 tons. The AGERs were old World War II vintage, converted diesel-driven light-cargo ships approximately 170 feet in length, with a maximum speed of thirteen knots and a cruising speed of ten knots. Each had an estimated range of 4,000 nautical miles. AGER collection capability was more restricted than AGTR capability, being concerned with SIGINT and hydrographic information. Elimination of the AGER and AGTR collection ships resulted from events in 1967 and 1969. The AGTR U.S.S. Liberty was bombed by Israeli aircraft in the midst of the 1967 Six Day War, resulting in severe damage and the death of thirty-four crew members. It was alleged by the Israeli government that the ship was mistaken for an Egyptian vessel; others have alleged the attack was deliberate and intended to prevent the United States from learning of Israeli military gains that would lead the United States to pressure Israel into a "premature" cease-fire.98
  In 1969, the AGER U.S.S. Pueblo was captured by the North Koreans and its crew held hostage. Shortly after the Pueblo was seized, the U.S.S. Sergeant Joseph P. Muller almost drifted into Cuban waters. After several attempts she was finally towed to safety by the escorting destroyer. Subsequently, the AGERs and AGTRs were decommissioned.99
  More recently, the United States has employed Spruance-class destroyers and frigates to collect intelligence concerning Nicaragua and El Salvador. The 7,800-ton destroyer Deyo, as well as her sister ship Caron, were stationed in the Gulf of Fonzeca. The ships could monitor suspected shipping, intercept communications and encrypted messages, and probe the shore surveillance and defense capabilities of the other nations. With regard to the latter use, they can induce nations to switch on shore-to-sea, ship-to-ship, and air-to-air radar.100
  In addition to being in the Gulf of Fonzeca, the Caron has been present in the Baltic, the Northern Sea, and off the Libyan coast. During the birth of Solidarity in Poland in August 1980, the Caron cruised fourteen miles off the coast of Gdansk,
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  and in the summer of 1981 she was among the ships that constituted the task force that was on an exercise off the Libyan coast in the Gulf of Sidra. During a North Atlantic cruise, she came as close to the Soviet naval base at Murmansk as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge is to the U.S. Naval Base at Norfolk, Virginia.101
  The Caron was again employed in an intelligence collection mission against a Soviet target in 1986. Along with another warship, the U.S.S. Yorktown, the Caron entered Soviet-claimed territorial waters in the Black Sea on March 10 and remained there a week, coming as close as six miles to the Soviet coast. While a Pentagon official claimed that intelligence collection was not the primary rationale of the exercise--which had been ordered by the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the name of Secretary of Defense Weinberger--it was at the very least an important secondary mission.102
  In addition to helicopters to gather information, the Yorktown is also outfitted with electronic equipment that can monitor voice communications and radar signals. It has been normal procedure to use such systems to determine if new radars have been deployed onshore and to check the readiness of Soviet forces. Additionally, with the headquarters of the Soviet Union's Black Sea Fleet at Sevastopol, communications monitoring would be certain. In a previous expedition, the Yorktown's equipment was used in part to monitor aircraft movements within the Soviet Union.103
  The Soviets responded to the Yorktown/Caron mission both militarily and diplomatically. A destroyer was used to trail both ships, while military aircraft overflew them. In addition, a Soviet protest note said the episode "was of a demonstrative, defiant nature and pursued clearly provocative aims."104
  In February 1988, the Yorktown and Caron again entered the Black Sea with the same objectives as in 1986--to assert the right to free passage in waters outside the U.S.-recognized three-mile limit and to collect intelligence. When the ships came closer than the twelve-mile limit claimed by the Soviets, destroyers were sent to nudge the ships as a means of indicating Soviet displeasure.105
  Two Navy frigates stationed in the Pacific have also been used against targets in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras. One ship--the 3,990-ton Blakely--is a Knox-class frigate commissioned in 1970; the other--the 3,400-ton Julius A. Furei--is a Brooke-class guided-missile frigate. The missions involved homing and recording voice and signals communications, locating transmitting stations, logging ships' movements, and studying their waterlines to help determine if they were riding low in the water when entering port and high when exiting--indicating the unloading of cargo.106
  Frigates have also been used to monitor Soviet missile telemetry. It was reported in 1979 that "American ships equipped with sensitive listening gear . . . patrol the North Atlantic, where they collect telemetry broadcast by the new Soviet submarine-launched missiles tested in the White Sea, northeast of Finland." Likewise, on the night of August 31, 1983, when the United States was expecting the Soviet Union to test a SS-X-24 missile, the frigate Badger was stationed in the Sea of Okhotsk.107
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  The Badger and the rest of the forty-six Knox-class frigates have dimensions of 438 by 46.8 by 24.8 feet, can travel at 27 knots and carry 275 personnel. In addition to ASROC (antisubmarine rocket) weapons, search radar, and sonar, they are fitted with satellite communications antennas for both transmission and reception.108
  In August 1985, the Navy commissioned its first ship dedicated solely to intelligence collection since the decommissioning of the AGTR and AGER ships in 1969 The ship, the ARL-24 Sphinx, is a former repair ship converted to its present role. The 328 by 50 foot ship can travel at 11.6 knots. With a home port at Little Creek, Virginia, it spends most of its time off the coast of Nicaragua intercepting Sandinista military communications.109
  The most important ship-based system for monitoring Soviet missile tests is a phased-array radar designated COBRA JUDY, which resides on the U.S.N.S Observation Island. Emplaced on the 563-foot ship is a 4-story turret on the aft deck that houses the major components of COBRA JUDY. The turret is essentially a thirty-foot cube with one face tilted slightly inward. An antenna array 22.5 feet In diameter occupies an octagonal, raised area on the cube's slanting face. In addition, on top of the superstructure there are two, thirty-two-foot diameter geodesic radomes containing a complex of passive receiving antennas funded by the NSA.110
  The deployment of COBRA JUDY was designed to allow the monitoring of the final near-earth trajectories of Soviet reentry vehicles during the portion of their flight not "visible" to COBRA DANE because of the earth's line-of-sight constraints. In particular, the sensors provide information on the radar signatures of reentry vehicles and warheads. To enhance that capability, an X-band radar with parabolic dish antennas was added in 1985 to further improve COBRA JUDY's capability. Because of the higher degree of resolution and target separation, the radar may be able to distinguish between multiple warheads and penetration aids such as decoys and chaff.111
  SUBMARINESA program that had its genesis in the later years of the Eisenhower Administration but is still operational today involves not surface ships but submarines. Known by a variety of code names, the best known of which is HOLYSTONE, the program is one of the most sensitive intelligence operations of the United States.
  HOLYSTONE, which also has been known as PINNACLE, BOLLARD, and most recently as BARNACLE, began in 1959 and has involved the use of special electronically equipped submarines to collect electronic communications and photographic intelligence. The primary target has always been the Soviet Union but at times countries such as Vietnam and China have been targets of the operations which sometimes involved penetration of the Soviet, Chinese, and Vietnamese three-mile territorial limits.112
  The missions lasted about ninety days. Crews were given cover stories such as being on an undersea geodetic survey project that was using sonar to study ocean
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  water temperatures in support of data collected by satellites. The crews were forbidden to use any active electronic or sonar gear while on a HOLYSTONE mission so as to avoid detection by Soviet antisubmarine warfare devices. In addition, hatches were tied down to prevent rattling.113
  By 1975, the program apparently had provided vital information on the Soviet submarine fleet--its configuration, capabilities, noise patterns, missiles, and missile firing capabilities. One mission involved obtaining the "voice autographs" of Soviet submarines. Using detailed tape recordings of noise made by submarine engines and other equipment, analysts of the Naval Scientific and Technical Intelligence Center (now the Naval Intelligence Support Center) were able to develop a methodology to identify individual Soviet submarines, even those tracked at long range under the ocean. The analysts could then follow the submarine from its initial operations to its decommissioning.114
  HOLYSTONE operations also provided information about theater and strategic sea-based missiles. Some Soviet sea-based missiles were tested against inland targets to reduce U.S. observation. On occasion, HOLYSTONE submarines would penetrate close enough to Soviet territory to observe the missile launchings, providing information on the early stages of the flight. According to one government official, the most significant information provided by the missions was a readout of the computer calculations and signals put into effect by Soviet technicians before launching the missiles. Beyond that the U.S. submarines also provided intelligence by tracking the flight and eventual landing of the missiles, providing continuous information on guidance and electronic systems.115
  In addition to providing acoustic and telemetry intelligence, the HOLYSTONE submarines also tapped into Soviet communications cables on the ocean floor. The tapping operation allowed the United States to intercept higher level military messages and other communications considered too sensitive to be entrusted to insecure means of communication such as radio and microwave.116
  Beyond signals intelligence, the submarines also were able to bring back valuable photographs, many of which were taken through the submarine's periscope. In the mid-1960s, photographs were taken of the underside of an E Class submarine that appeared to be taken inside Vladivostok harbor.117
  As was the case when the program was code-named HOLYSTONE, today's BARNACLE operations employ thirty-eight nuclear-powered Sturgeon-class submarines such as the SSN-6Y. The submarines have dimensions of 292 by 31.7 by 26 feet and carry SUBROC (submarine rocket) and antisubmarine torpedoes as well as Harpoon and Tomahawk missiles. With their 107-person complement (twelve officers and ninety-five enlisted personnel), the ships can travel at speeds at over twenty knots when surfaced and at over thirty knots underwater and can reach a depth of 1,320 feet. Their standard electronic equipment includes a search radar and both active and passive sonar systems.118
  The special equipment placed on submarines for HOLYSTONE/BARNACLE missions has included the WLR-6 Waterboy Signals Intelligence System. The WLR-6 is in the process of being replaced by a more advanced system known as SEA
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  NYMPH, described in one document as "an advanced, automatic, modular signals exploitation system designed for continuous acquisition, identification, recording, analysis and exploitation of electromagnetic signals." All the Sturgeon submarines will carry a basic skeletal system that can be upgraded to full capacity when authorized.119
  Another reconnaissance project involving submarines that began later than the HOLYSTONE program was code-named IVY BELLS. This project involved implanting a device to intercept the signals transmitted along a Soviet underwater cable in the Sea of Okhotsk, between the Kamchatka Peninsula and the eastern Soviet coastline. A combined Navy-NSA team, operating from a submarine, installed a miniaturized waterproof eavesdropping device--a large tape pod that fit over the Soviet cable, through which key Soviet military and other communications flowed. The pod had a wraparound attachment that intercepted the cable traffic by "induction" it could intercept the signals being transmitted along the cable without physically tapping into the cable. In addition, if the cable were raised by the Soviets for maintenance, the pod would break away and remain on the ocean floor. Tapes in the pod recorded messages and signals on various channels or communications links for four to six weeks, with the pod being installed for only two recording sessions a year.120
  The Sea of Okhotsk operation continued until 1981, when former NSA employee Ronald Pelton sold the Soviets information about the operation.
  NOTES TO CHAPTER 81. George C. Wilson, Soviet Nuclear Sub Reported Sunk," Washington Post, August 11, 1983, p. A9.
  2. John E. Ingersoll, "Request for COMINT of Interest to Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs," in U.S. Congress, Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, The National Security Agency and Fourth Amendment Rights (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1976), pp. 152-55.
  3. U.S. Congress, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Annual Report (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1978), p. 38.
  4. John Prados, The Soviet Estimate: U.S. Intelligence Analysis and Russian Military Strength (New York: Dial Press, 1982), p. 203; Farooq Hussain, The Future of Arms Control Part IV, The Impact of Weapons Test Restrictions (London: International Institute for Strategic Studies, 1980), p. 44; Robert Kaiser, "Verification of SALT II: Art and Science," Washington Post, June 15, 1979, p. 1.
  5. U.S. Congress, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, HR 6588, The National Intelligence Act of 1980 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1980), p. 521.
  6. Deborah Shapley, "Who's Listening?: How NSA Tunes In On America's Overseas Phone Calls and Messages," Washington Post, October 7, 1977, pp. C1, C4.
  7. Ibid.
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  8. Sayre Stevens, "The Soviet BMD Program," in Ashton B. Carter and David N. Schwartz, eds., Ballistic Missile Defense (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 1984), pp. 182-221 at p. 192.
  9. Anthony Kenden, "U.S. Reconnaissance Satellite Programs," Spaceflight, 20, pp. 7 (1978): 243ff.
  10. Philip Klass, Secret Sentries in Space (New York: Random House, 1971), p. 194.
  11. Seymour M. Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed: What Really Happened to Flight007 and What America Knew About It (New York: Random House, 1986), p. 38; Private information.
  12. Des Ball, Pine Gap: Australia and the US Geostationary Signals Intelligence SatelliteProgram (Sydney: Allen & Unwin Australia, 1988), pp. 14-15.
  13. Philip Klass, "U.S. Monitoring Capability Impaired," Aviation Week and SpaceTechnology, May 14, 1979, p. 18.
  14. Robert Lindsey, The Falcon and the Snowman: A True Story of Friendship andEspionage (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1979), p. 111.
  15. Ball, Pine Gap, p. 54.
  16. Victor Marchetti, Allies (A Grand Bay film directed by Marian Wilkinson and produced by Sylvia Le Clezio, Sydney, 1983).
  17. See Lindsey, Falcon and the Snowman, for a full-length account; on the renaming of RHYOLITE, see William E. Burrows, Deep Black: Space Espionage and NationalSecurity (New York: Random House, 1987), p. 192; Glenn Zorpette, "Monitoring the Tests," IEEE Spectrum (July 1986), 57-66 at 60.
  18. James Gerstenzang, "Shuttle Lifts Off with Spy Cargo," Los Angeles Times, January 25, 1985, pp. 1, 11.
  19. William J. Broad, "Experts Say Satellite Can Detect Soviet War Steps," New YorkTimes, January 25, 1985, p. A12.
  20. Walter Andrews, "Defense Aide Confirms U.S. Satellites Jammed," WashingtonTimes, June 21, 1984, p. 1.
  21. Richard Burt, "U.S. Plans New Way to Check Soviet Missile Tests, New York Times, June 29, 1979, p. A3; Burrows, Deep Black, p. 192.
  22. Hussain, The Future of Arms Control Part IV, p. 42; Ball, Pine Gap, pp. 14-15.
  23. Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed,'' p. 4; Burrows, Deep Black, p. 223.
  24. James B. Schultz, "Inside the Blue Cube," Defense Electronics (April 1983) 52-59; Organization and Functions Chartbook (Onizuka AFS, Calif.: Air Force Satellite Control Facility, December 1, 1986), p. 61; Space Division Regulation 23-3, "Air Force Satellite Control Facility," December 16, 1983.
  25. Paul Stares, Space and National Security (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 1987), p. 188; Private information.
  26. Desmond BalI, A Suitable Piece of Real Estate: American Installations in Australia (Sydney: Hale & Iremonger, 1980), p. 59.
  27. Ball, Pine Gap, p. 61.
  28. Ibid., p. 70.
  29. Ibid., pp. 67, 80.
  30. Ibid., p. 77.
  31. Ibid., pp. 27-28; Private information; Defense Communications Agency, FacilitiesHandbook (Areas 1, 2, and 9) (Scott AFB, Ill,: DCAOC, January 1985), p. %A.
  32. Untitled memo, Declassified Documents Reference System 1982-001583.
  194
  33. U.S. Congress, House Committee on Appropriations, Department of Defense Appropriations for 1984, Part 8 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1983), p. 384; Martin Streetly, "U.S. Airborne ELINT Systems, Part 3: The Boeing RC-135 Family," Jane's Defence Weekly, March 16, 1985, pp. 460-65.
  34. Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed,'' p. 9.
  35. Burrows, Deep Black, p. 171; Private information.
  36. Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed," pp. 9-10; Burrows, Deep Black, p. 171; Private information.
  37. George C. Wilson, "U.S. RC-135 Was Assessing Soviet Air Defenses," WashingtonPost, September 7, 1983, p. A-12; Philip Taubman, "U.S. Says Intelligence Plane Was On A Routine Mission," New York Times, September 5, 1983, p. 4; Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed,'' p. 220.
  38. Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed,'' p. 9
  39. Private information.
  40. Private information; References to the COMBAT SENT missions against the mentioned radars were found in the documents catalog of the Office of Air Force History.
  41. Streetly, "U.S. Airborne ELINT Systems, Part 3"; Bill Gertz, "Soviets Test-Fire ICBM Just North of Hawaii," Washington Times, October 1, 1987, pp. Al, A10.
  42. 6th Strategic Wing Regulation 55-2, "Operations, Aircrew and Staff Procedures," September 30, 1983, pp. 4-11.
  43. Private information; Burrows, Deep Black, p. 172.
  44. Private information; Burrows, Deep Black, p. 172.
  45. 6th Strategic Wing Regulation, "Operations, Aircrew and Staff Procedures," pp. 3-5.
  46. Charles W. Corddry and Albert Sehlstedt, Jr., "Plane's Covert Role is to Monitor Soviet Space Flights, Missile Tests," Baltimore Sun, May 1, 1981, p. 1.
  47. Ibid.
  48. U.S. Congress, House Committee on Appropriations, Military Construction Appropriations for 1985, Part 3 (Washington. D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1984), pp. 105-6; Brendan M. Greeley, Jr., "USAF Readies Range Instrumentation Aircraft for First Flight," Aviation Week and Space Technology, February 25, 1985, pp. 23-4; "Aerospace World," Air Force Magazine, December 1987, p. 33.
  49. Greeley, "USAF Readies Range Instrumentation Aircraft for First Flight."
  50. Ibid.
  51. Martin Streetly, "Hercules C-130 Electronic Missions," Jane'.s Defence Weekly, November 16, 1985, pp. 1092-96; Private information.
  52. "Electronic Environment Sampled Regularly," Aviation Week and Space Technology, May 10, 1976, pp. 90-92.
  53. Duncan Campbell, "Spy in the Sky," New Statesman, September 9, 1983, pp. 8-9.
  54. Private information.
  55. Ibid.
  56. Ibid.
  57. Ibid.
  58. Ibid.
  59. Ibid.
  60. Ibid.
  61. Ibid.
  195
  62. Dr. Michael E. del Papa, Meeting the Challenge: ESD and the Cobra Dane Construction Effort on Shemya Island (Bedford, Mass.: Electronic Systems Division, Air Force Systems Command, 1979), pp. 1-2.
  63. Ibid., p. 2-3.
  64. Eli Brookner, "Phased-Array Radars," Scientific American (April 1985) 94-102.
  65. Philip J. Klass, "USAF Tracking Radar Details Disclosed," Aviation Week and SpaceTechnology, October 25, 1976, pp. 41-46; del Papa, Meeting the Challenge. p. 38.
  66. Klass, "USAF Tracking Radar Details Disclosed."
  67. Duncan Campbell, The Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier: American Military Power inBritain (London: Michael Joseph, 1984), p. 155; "British MP Accuses U.S. of Electronic Spying," New Scientist, August 5, 1976, p. 268; Private information.
  68. Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed,'' p. 47.
  69 . Keyes Beech, "Secret U. S. Base Keeps Eye on Far East," Los Angeles Times, January 20, 1980, p. 17.
  70. Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed,'' pp. 47-48.
  71. U.S. Congress, House Committee on Appropriations, Military Construction Appropriations for 1981, Part 2 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1980), p. 875; Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed,'' p. 49; David Morison, "Sites Unseen," National Journal, June 4, 1988, pp. 1468-72.
  72. Duncan Campbell and Linda Melvern, "America's Big Ear on Europe," New Statesman, July 18, 1980, pp. 10-14; Stella Trapp, "Rosman Research Center is a 'Vital Part of the Security'," Transylvania Times, August 21, 1986, pp. 1A, 16A; Morison, "Sites Unseen"; Private information.
  73. Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed,'' p. 4.
  74. Campbell, The Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier, p. 155.
  75. Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed,'' p.47n.; Private information.
  76. Marvine Howe, "U.S. and Turks Monitor Soviet at Isolated Post," New York Times, January 4, 1981, p. 7; Michael Getler. "U.S. Intelligence Facilities in Turkey Get New Attention After Iran Turmoil," Washington Post, February 9, 1979, p. A15; U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Fiscal Year 1980 International Security Assistance Authorization (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Print ing Office, 1979), p. 365; U.S. Congress, House Committee on International Relations, United States Military Installations and Objectives in the Mediterranean (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1977), pp. 43-44; Michael K. Burns, "U.S. Reactivating Bases in Turkey," Baltimore Sun, October 21, 1978, pp. 1, 23; TUSLOG Detachment 28, Command History, 1January-30 September 1977; "U.S. Electronic Espionage: A Memoir," Ramparts (August 1972) pp. 35-50 at 40.
  77. Burns, "U.S. Reactivating Bases in Turkey."
  78. Getler, U.S. Intelligence Facilities in Turkey Get New Attention After Iran Turmoil."
  79. Ibid.
  80. Private information.
  81. Ibid.
  82. Hersh, ''The Target is Destroyed,'' p. 47; Private information.
  83. Brian Toohey and Marian Wilkinson, The Book of Leaks: Exposes in Defence ofthe Public's Right to Know (North Ryde, Australia: Angus & Robertson, 1987), p. 135; Private information.
  196
  84. Private information.
  85. United States Army Field Station Korea, Fiscal Year 1986 Annual Historical Report, 1987, p. 2; Private information.
  86. Private information.
  87. Ibid.
  88. Ibid.
  89. U.S. Congress, House Committee on Appropriations, Military Construction Appropriations for 1987, Part 2 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1986), p. 682; Private information.
  90. James Bamford, The Puzzle Palace: A Report on NSA, America 's Most Secret Agency (Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 1982), pp. 172-72; Private information.
  91. Laurence Stern, "U.S. Tapped Top Russian's Car Phones," Washington Post, December 5, 1973, pp. A1, A16; Ernest Volkman, "U.S. Spies Lend an Ear to Soviets," Newsday, July 12, 1977, p. 7.
  92. Stern, "U.S. Tapped Top Russians Car Phones."
  93. Ibid.; Bill Gertz, "CIA Upset Because Perle Detailed Eavesdropping," Washington Times, April 15, 1987. p. 2A.
  94. Jack Anderson, "CIA Eavesdrops on Kremlin Chiefs," Washington Post, September 16, 1971, p. F7.
  95. Howard Kurtz, "Pollard: Top Israelis Backed Spy Ring," Washington Post, February 28, 1987, p. A8.
  96. Arthur Gavshon and Desmond Rice, The Sinking of the Belgrano (London: Secker & Warburg, 1984), p. 205 n.5.
  97. Trevor Armbrister, A Matter of Accountability (New York: Coward McCann, 1970), p. 87.
  98. Ibid.; U.S. Congress, House Committee on Armed Services, Inquiry into the U.S.S. Pueblo and EC-121 Incidents (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1969), pp. 1632, 1634; James Ennes, Assault on the Liberty (New York: Random House, 1980).
  99. Paul Backus, "ESM and SIGINT Problems at the Interface," Journal of Electronic Defense (July-August 1981) 23ff.
  100. Richard Halloran, "U.S. Navy Surveillance Ship is Stationed Off Central America," New York Times, February 25, 1982, pp. 1, 6; Private information.
  101. Private information.
  102. Richard Halloran, "2 U.S. Ships Enter Soviet Waters Off Crimea to Gather Intelligence," New York Times, March 19,1986, pp. A1, A11; George C. Wilson, "Soviet Ships Shadowed U.S. Vessels' Transit," Washington Post, March 20, 1986, p. A33.
  103. Halloran, "2 U.S. Ships Enter Soviet Waters Off Crimea to Gather Intelligence"; Private information.
  104. Halloran, "2 U.S. Ships Enter Soviet Waters Off Crimea to Gather Intelligence"; Private information.
  105. Philip Taubman, "Moscow Blames U.S. for Incident Between Warships," New York Times, February 14, 1988, pp. 1, 19; John H. Cushman, Jr.. "2 Soviet Warships Reportedly Nudged U.S. Navy Vessel," New York Times, February 13, 1988, pp. 1, 6.
  106 . George C. Wilson, "U. S. Detects Slowdown in Shipments of Weapons to El Salvador,'' Washington Post, April 29, 1983, p. A13.
  197
  107. Richard Burt, "Technology is Essential to Arms Verification," New York Times August 14, 1979, pp. Cl, C2; Murray Sayle, "KE 007: A Conspiracy of Circumstance," The New York Review of Books, April 25, 1985, pp. 44-54.
  108. Jane's Fighting Ships 1983-1984 (London: Jane's Publishing, 1983), p. 681.
  109. Norman Polmar, The Ships and Aircraft of the US. Fleet, 14th ed., (Annapolis Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1987), p. 317.
  110. Kenneth J. Stein, "Cobra Judy Phased Array Radar Tested," Aviation Week and Space Technology, August 10, 1981, pp. 70-73.
  111. Ibid.; "X-Band Expands Cobra Judy's Repertoire," Defense Electronics (January 1985) 43-44.
  112. Seymour Hersh, "Submarines of U.S. Stage Spy Missions Inside Soviet Waters," New York Times, May 25, 1975, pp. 1, 42.
  113. Seymour Hersh, "A False Navy Report Alleged in Sub Crash," New York Times, July 6, 1975, pp. 1, 26.
  114. Hersh, "Submarines of U.S. Stage Spy Missions Inside Soviet Waters."
  115. Ibid.
  116. Ibid.
  117. Ibid.
  118. Jane's Fighting Ships 1983-1984, p. 639.
  119. Private information.
  120. Bob Woodward, Veil: The Secret Wars of the CM 1981-1987 (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1987), pp. 448-449.
News from The Associated Press
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 16:42
  PORT ANGELES, Wash. (AP) -- Army special operations helicopters on a training exercise buzzed around the small city of Port Angeles, Wash., late Thursday in an episode that the mayor says "terrorized my city."An Army official apologized Friday for the unannounced training mission.Dozens of alarmed residents called police to ask what was going on."No one had any warning about the helicopters, no one said anything afterward, and today city officials had to spend hours just trying to find out what had happened - who had invaded Port Angeles," said Cherie Kidd, mayor of the Olympic Peninsula city about 60 miles west of Seattle.The Army said the helicopters involved included both twin-engine Chinooks and Blackhawk attack helicopters.The training exercise involved part of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, which is based at Fort Campbell, Ky., but has individual units in various locations, said Sgt. Jimmy Norris, an I Corps spokesman at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Wash. Part of the 160th is based at Lewis-McChord, he said."Our watch commander last night reported that we received `dozens of calls' complaining about low-flying helicopters over the city," Deputy Police Chief Brian Smith said.After multiple calls to Puget Sound-area military bases, Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict was finally able to determine about mid-day Friday that the helicopters belonged to the Army, The Peninsula Daily News reported (http://is.gd/QaMw82d ).Army Col. H. Charles "Chuck" Hodges Jr., garrison commander at Lewis-McChord, told the newspaper that he had launched an investigation and was meeting with unit commanders at the base."I apologize, this is totally unacceptable," he said.Hodges said the helicopters - he mentioned four Chinooks - were over Port Angeles from about 11:15 p.m. to shortly before midnight Thursday.An Army spokesman for Hodges' office did not immediately return an Associated Press phone call Friday evening.Kidd said she plans to meet Monday with Hodges at the base about 90 miles south of Port Angeles.The helicopters were "training to work in urban environments," Norris told the AP, adding that the exercise involved landing at the small Port Angeles Coast Guard base. It's located across the city harbor from the downtown business area."I guess a lot of people got spooked because they had their lights on and the lights were bright, but I guess they had to have the lights on as part of the operation for landing at the airfield," he added.Port Angeles resident Eric Phillips said he saw four helicopters traveling in two sets, with the leading set flying without lights. The aircraft circled the city for at least an hour, he told Daily News.Army Maj. Michael Burns, interviewed by telephone from Fort Campbell, told the newspaper the exercise also included Blackhawk helicopters.He said he couldn't discuss many details of the mission or say why the Port Angeles area was chosen, only that "the particular area just gave a different training environment for the pilots, something unfamiliar."We do our best to try to avoid populated areas, but (with) those aircraft being so large and so loud, even if we're not very low, it seems very loud," Burns said.Specific law enforcement agencies in the area were not notified of Thursday's training mission, Burns confirmed, saying that's not typically done for operations as short as a one-night exercise.Also, the aircraft used in such missions can cover such a wide area, "it's tough to notify every agency," he told the newspaper.---Information from: Peninsula Daily News, http://www.peninsuladailynews.com
Pew poll: Americans hate journalists, even more than they did four years ago Hot Air
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 16:09
  posted at 9:21 pm on July 11, 2013 by Mary Katharine Ham
  In a Pew survey of Americans' attitudes about occupations, journalists suffered the worst fall in the last four years while the military maintained its top position. Also interesting, and worth pondering for those in the national news who constantly harp on the GOP for its outreach to women, journalists seem to have a serious woman problem:
  Compared with the ratings four years ago, journalists have dropped the most in public esteem. The share of the public saying that journalists contribute a lot to society is down 10 percentage points, from 38% in 2009 to 28% in 2013. The drop is particularly pronounced among women (down 17 points). About as many U.S. adults now say journalists contribute ''not very much'' or ''nothing at all'' to society (27%) as say they contribute a lot (28%).
  Down 17 points among women over four years? Even Mitt Romney couldn't come close to pulling that off. In seriousness, what caused the precipitous drop-off? There seems to be a very good opportunity for someone to figure this out and serve at least some of this currently poorly served market. Political news attracts a more male audience, in general, but maybe general news coverage just isn't addressing economic worries women are facing or isn't telling those stories in a way that appeals to them. Allow me to hope, for the sake of my gender, that the answer isn't more Jody Arias-style coverage.
  Not mentioned in the Pew story, but interesting and counterintuitive given the near-constant narrative of the last four years: business executive is the only occupation whose score went up since 2009. Granted, it's only three points, from a paltry 21 percent who believe they contribute a lot to 24 percent, and it still resides near the bottom of the list, but it is curious that's the one occupation trending upward as the last four years have taken a toll on every other category.
  If I didn't know better, I'd say the profession of journalism is in serious danger of becoming a rump, regional profession, losing ground across all demographic groups and ending up a stale relic of a bygone era. Perhaps the GOP should be urging journalism's rebranding as urgently as journalism is pushing the GOP's. The GOP could even teach journalism a thing or two about keeping the 50+ crowd happy. Journalism lost ground across all age groups:
  The decline in public views about journalists' contribution to society since 2009 is more pronounced among women than men. Roughly three-in-ten women (29%) say journalists contribute a lot to society's well-being, down 17 percentage points from 46% in 2009. Men's views on this are about the same today as they were in 2009.
  The decline in the perceived contribution of journalists cuts across partisan leanings, age and education level. Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents as well as Republicans and Republican-leaning independents all are less likely to say journalists contribute a lot to society's well-being today (down 8 points among Republicans/leaning Republicans and 10 points among Democrats/leaning Democrats).
  And, yes, I know I'm a media person in or near the journalism realm, and I'm happy to take my lumps. I think it's healthy for a profession, especially one customarily pumped full of save-the-world propaganda during its professional training, to have to evaluate just how valuable it is to its fellow citizens and perhaps change its behavior accordingly.
  The military reigns supreme, with teachers and doctors close behind, and lawyers taking the bottom slot:
  Americans continue to hold the military in high regard, with more than three-quarters of U.S. adults (78%) saying that members of the armed services contribute ''a lot'' to society's well-being. That's a modest decline from 84% four years ago, the last time the Pew Research Center asked the public to rate various professions. But the military still tops the list of 10 occupational groups, followed closely by teachers, medical doctors, scientists and engineers. A solid majority of the public says each of those occupations contributes a lot to society.
  I wonder if the answer would have been different if the question had been about teachers unions?
  Front-page photo via Jon S on Flickr.
  Related Posts:
USDOJ: Statement of Attorney General Eric Holder on the Justice Department Report on Revised Media Guidelines
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 15:47
  Office of Public Affairs
  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
  Friday, July 12, 2013
  Statement of Attorney General Eric Holder on the Justice Department Report on Revised Media Guidelines
  After conducting a rigorous review of internal Justice Department guidelines governing investigations and other law enforcement matters that involve journalists, Attorney General Eric Holder today released a report outlining several key reforms to the department's protocols, as well as the following statement: ''The Department of Justice is firmly committed to ensuring our nation's security, and protecting the American people, while at the same time safeguarding the freedom of the press. These revised guidelines will help ensure the proper balance is struck when pursuing investigations into unauthorized disclosures. While these reforms will make a meaningful difference, there are additional protections that only Congress can provide. For that reason, we continue to support the passage of media shield legislation. I look forward to working with leaders from both parties to achieve this goal, and am grateful to all of the journalists, free speech advocates, experts, and Administration leaders who have come together in recent weeks '' in good faith, and with mutual respect '' to guide and inform the changes we announce today.''
  During the review, Attorney General Holder personally held seven meetings with approximately 30 news media organizations as well as with First Amendment groups, media industry associations and academic experts.
  A copy of the full Justice Department report is attached.
Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 7/12/2013
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 15:41
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  July 12, 2013
  James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
  1:10 P.M. EDT
  MR. CARNEY: The Associated Press, start us off. I have no announcements. Welcome.
  Q Edward Snowden has said he would like to have asylum in Russia, that he's willing to agree to their demand that he not continue to release information to them. What is your message today to Russia about what the implications of granting that to him would be for their relations with the United States?
  MR. CARNEY: Our position on Mr. Snowden and the felony charges against him, and our belief that he ought to be returned to the United States to face those felony charges is as it was. And we have communicated it to a variety of countries, including Russia. So it's no different than it was. And I would simply say that providing a propaganda platform for Mr. Snowden runs counter to the Russian government's previous declarations of Russia's neutrality and that they have no control over his presence in the airport. It's also incompatible with Russian assurances that they do not want Mr. Snowden to further damage U.S. interests.
  But having said that, our position also remains that we don't believe this should, and we don't want it to do harm to our important relationship with Russia. And we continue to discuss with Russia our strongly held view that there is absolute legal justification for him to be expelled, for him to be returned to the United States to face the charges that have been brought against him for the unauthorized leaking of classified information.
  Q Can you tell us a little bit about the President's session today with the Attorney General? And has he accepted Eric Holder's report on media relations and investigations?
  MR. CARNEY: The President did meet with the Attorney General today in the Oval, and the Attorney General did discuss with him and present to him that report. I believe the Department of Justice will be releasing that report this afternoon, but I'd refer you to them.
  Q So if they're releasing it this afternoon, that indicates that the President did accept it as it was presented?
  MR. CARNEY: Yes, I think that's a fair assessment to make. We won't have any statement or comment on it before it's released, but I believe the Department of Justice is releasing it today.
  Q And on Secretary Napolitano's departure, do you have any information for us on who her replacement might be or any timeline for that decision?
  MR. CARNEY: I have no names to float, if you will. I would say that the President greatly appreciates Secretary Napolitano's four-plus years of service. And if you think about it, those four and a half years account for almost half the existence of the Department of Homeland Security. And she's done a remarkable job. And on her watch there have been just numerous issues that have required her expert attention, from the H1N1 virus to the recent bombings in Boston, to Hurricane Sandy to the devastating tornadoes in Joplin and Tuscaloosa and elsewhere; the Deepwater Horizon oil spill; floods that we've seen in this country.
  And her department, with her leadership, has functioned at a very high level. And it's also the case that with Secretary Napolitano at the helm, we have greatly enhanced our border security, including the doubling of Border Patrol agents. And that is due in some measure to her leadership, and the President appreciates that and wishes her well.
  On the timeline for a replacement, I believe it's been put out that she remains in her position until early September. And the President will be very deliberate about looking at potential successors for that very important position. But I have no announcements to make on it.
  Q Jay, are you saying there would be no repercussions to U.S.-Russian relations if he's granted asylum there?
  MR. CARNEY: I think that I'm not going to speculate about something that hasn't happened.
  What I would say is that we don't believe this issue should do harm to the relations between Russia and the United States. And we are working with the Russians and have made clear to the Russians our views about the fact that Mr. Snowden has been charged with very serious crimes, and that he should be returned to the United States where he will be granted full due process and every right available to him as a United States citizen facing our justice system under the Constitution. And we'll continue to have those conversations, and we've made very clear our views.
  Q Have the Russians communicated anything to you recently about him?
  MR. CARNEY: Well, I don't have any specific conversations to read out except that obviously we are in conversation with Russian officials, as we are with other officials from other nations when we've talked about issues of where -- what nations might be transit points or potential destinations for Mr. Snowden were he to leave the transit lounge of the Sheremetyevo Airport.
  But the conversations that have been held reflect everything that I'm telling you now in terms of our views on this matter.
  Q And Snowden wrote in an open letter that the U.S. government is engaged in an unlawful campaign to deny him his right to seek asylum. Is that how you see it?
  MR. CARNEY: No, it is not. He has been charged under the law with three felonies, very serious crimes. And every aspect of the United States system of justice is available to him upon his return to the U.S. to face those charges. And that's how our system works.
  We have communicated with nations around the world our view that Mr. Snowden should be returned to the United States because of the charges filed against him and because -- which is normal practice when you've been charged with felonies and the revocation of his passport, because he does not have travel papers or a valid passport, that he ought to be returned to the United States, and where he will face justice in a system that affords defendants all the rights that every American citizen enjoys.
  Yes, Jim.Q How does the next Homeland Security Secretary nominee not get tangled up in the politics over immigration reform in this debate that's happening up on the Hill, and for that matter, this whole mess that started yesterday with the nuclear option between Senate Majority Leader Reid and Minority Leader McConnell? It just seems like it could be a complicated mix.
  MR. CARNEY: Complicated as a potential nominee. Let me address the first question related to immigration. As I noted earlier, Secretary Napolitano has done a remarkably effective job in fulfilling one of the major responsibilities that that position requires when it comes to overseeing the border security function of our federal government, the CBP, and overall enforcement.
  And we've seen -- again, as I've talked all week about, we've seen all the metrics by which you can measure effective enforcement; and changes in enforcement demonstrate that there have been great improvements. And that is -- another measure of that is the fact that the number of border security agents has increased so dramatically in the last five years.
  I don't expect that the transition that will take place at the department will -- when it comes to enforcing immigration laws will become entangled in the politics over legislation that has broad bipartisan support, and support from law enforcement communities when it comes to enforcement issues, and from faith communities when it comes to the morality of immigration reform, and business communities when it comes to the economic and business benefits of immigration reform. So we don't expect that to be an issue.
  On the other matter, look, we have made clear that the President is frustrated with the obstructionism that we've seen from Republicans when it comes to the confirmation process. Not only has he made it clear, he included sections about it in two State of the Union addresses, including in 2012. And so we share the frustration that Senator Reid has talked about.
  We have highly qualified executive branch nominees up on the Hill, their nominations up on the Hill today who continue to be obstructed, who have been held up for over a hundred days. And that's not how the system should work. So when it comes to next steps, we defer to Senator Reid. We are very appreciative for all he has done, all he is doing and will do to ensure that the President's qualified nominees are confirmed.
  Q Does the President believe that the Majority Leader should go through with the nuclear option? Because when Senator Obama was over there in the Senate, he once said when the roles were reversed and the majority was threatening to use that option at one time, he said, ''I fear that the partisan atmosphere in Washington will be poisoned to the point where no one will be able to agree on anything.'' And that is not what the Founding Fathers had in mind. So given his previous statement on this, he would agree with Senator McConnell on this, right?
  MR. CARNEY: I think he would agree with this statement from Senator McConnell: "I think the President is entitled to an up or down -- that is a simple majority vote on nominations, both to his Cabinet and to the Executive Branch, and also to the Judiciary." That's Senator McConnell in the spring of 2005.
  The fact is, citing then-Senator Obama's comments, is that the situation has gotten exponentially worse since Republicans gained -- since in the last several years, under Senator McConnell's leadership of the Republican minority, the obstructionism has doubled.
  The number of days that nominees have to wait, the kinds of obstacles and gridlock created by this refusal to take up and consider and confirm highly qualified nominees. I look at Gina McCarthy -- there is no question about her qualifications. She is, by any measure, enormously qualified for the position to which she has been nominated. In fact, it's a position very similar to the one she held in the state of Massachusetts for then-Governor Mitt Romney. More than a hundred days her nomination has been pending for a floor vote.
  Richard Cordray, here is somebody with support from Republicans and Democrats -- someone who has Republican state attorneys general who support him, someone about whom not a single Republican senator has had a bad thing to say when it comes to his qualifications for the job to run this very important agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. And he has done an amazing job as he has held that position and waited for actual confirmation by the Senate. It's been two years. But why has it been blocked? Because Republicans in the Senate simply don't like the fact that the CFPB's existence is the law of the land. They lost that battle.
  The President insisted that the CFPB be created and that it had strong powers to protect consumers when it came to their rights using credit cards, on student loans and mortgages. And there's an enormous number of examples that demonstrate how effective already that bureau has been in protecting consumer rights. Republicans don't like that.
  Q But shouldn't the President be urging Senator Reid to be cautious here? Because exercising that option would potentially fundamentally change the nature of the Senate. It would -- people say it would become essentially like the House. This is sort of playing with fire, is it not?
  MR. CARNEY: The President said in 2012, in the State of the Union address, "Some of what's broken has to do with the way Congress does its business these days. A simple majority is no longer enough to get anything -- even routine business -- passed through the Senate. Neither party has been blameless in these tactics. Now both parties should put an end to it. For starters, I ask the Senate to pass a simple rule that all judicial and public service nominations receive a simple up or down vote within 90 days." Unfortunately, that recommendation has not been taken up by Republican leadership in the Senate.
  And contained within that, those remarks that the President made in the well of the House at a State of the Union address, was an acknowledgement that this is a problem that has existed when -- and has been exacerbated in some ways by both parties. But there is no question that it has gotten -- the world today is quite different than it was in 2005 when it comes to this issue in the Senate, and the way that it's been run, and the obstructionism that we've seen from Republican leaders in the Senate and Republican members in the Senate. It is not the same and it is a real problem.
  When it comes to Senator Reid, we defer to him on Senate procedure, but we appreciate the support he's given and will give to the confirmation of the President's qualified nominees.
  Susan. Welcome.
  Q Thank you. Back to Snowden just for a moment. You said that the administration is working with the Russians. What does that mean? What does that look like? Is the President directly involved in these conversations? Is the Vice President?
  MR. CARNEY: We've had conversations with Russian officials at a variety of high levels, and the President actually does have a call scheduled with President Putin for later today. That is a call that has been on the books for several days. So he will have that conversation.
  Q Will you read it out?
  MR. CARNEY: I'm sure we'll have something for you on it.
  Q You could put it on the mult -- save you some readout time. (Laughter.)
  MR. CARNEY: You think that's a good idea?
  Q I do. (Laughter.)
  MR. CARNEY: Yes, I expect you do.
  But, Susan, the point is, is that we've made clear both in public and in our conversations at a variety of levels -- including through law enforcement channels, which is the normal mechanism through which something like this would be resolved -- that Mr. Snowden is wanted on three felony charges.
  We have a history of effective law enforcement cooperation with Russia, with the Russian government, including very recently in the wake of the bombings in Boston at the Boston Marathon, and that through those channels and through the normal procedures, we believe Mr. Snowden ought to be expelled from Russia and to make his way home to the United States, where as a U.S. citizen he is afforded all the considerable rights that defendants are afforded when they are charged with crimes. And he has been charged with three felonies and with very serious crimes in the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive, classified information.
  Q There's an important summit later this summer. What impact would this have with their decision on whether the President goes to that summit?
  MR. CARNEY: Well, the President has and plans to -- has said and plans to travel to Russia for the G20 Summit in September, and I certainly don't have any updates on his travel schedule beyond what we've said already.
  Wendell.
  Q Did the President accept the entire report from Secretary Holder? Did he make -- ask any changes?
  MR. CARNEY: We'll have a statement or some comment on it. The report hasn't been released, so I'm not going to comment on it at this time. I shouldn't be -- the report hasn't been released, so when it is released we'll have something to say about it.
  Q You cannot say whether Mr. Obama objected to any parts of it at all?
  MR. CARNEY: No, the President accepted the report, but I think we'll have something to say about it later once it's been released. I don't want to have a discussion about a report that none of you have seen. I want to be helpful and wait to have that discussion after you've seen it.
  Q Did he accept with reservations?
  MR. CARNEY: No. Yes, he accepted the report.
  Q Thank you.
  That's all you got for me? Bill?
  Q About it.
  MR. CARNEY: Excellent.
  Q Friday.
  MR. CARNEY: I like that. (Laughter.) Madam Welker.
  Q I want to ask you about Afghanistan. Earlier this week you said that a decision about post-2014 troop levels was not imminent. Can you be more specific? Does the President want to make a decision by a specific time, or is there a timeline?
  MR. CARNEY: I really can't be more specific because it's just not imminent. I think that we're talking about troop levels beyond the end of 2014, which is 18 months from now. And we are in the process of further drawing down the troops that are in Afghanistan -- roughly 60,000 currently -- and we will be continually drawing those down as we hand over more and more responsibility for security to Afghan forces.
  The President will be discussing with his national security team the issue of a potential residual force post-2014. But as I've said earlier in the week, the range of options depends on a number of things, and the range is full from -- I mean, it goes to zero, as we've discussed as a possible option, because the issue isn't a number, it's the fulfillment of our policy objectives. And the two policy objectives we have when it comes to a post-2014 security relationship have to do with continuing to counter the remnants of al Qaeda, and to continue to train and equip the Afghan National Security Forces.
  And we will -- the President will, with his team, examine our options in how we fulfill those policy objectives, working, of course, with the Afghan government in those discussions. And we have discussions ongoing with the Afghans about a bilateral security agreement, we have a very important strategic partnership agreement that we continue to implement with them that has to do with our -- what will be regardless a very substantial commitment to Afghanistan and Afghanistan's future, including a strong civilian component.
  Q Jay, on Thursday, a number of lawmakers, including Robert Menendez, made the argument that the President should make a decision soon to reassure Afghans that the United States would continue to support them. Does that add to the urgency? Is there a sense of urgency? And does he agree with that assessment?
  MR. CARNEY: There is not. The President is going to be very deliberate about this, as he has been when it comes to assessing our options and our policy posture with regards to Afghanistan.
  We have, when it comes to assurances, 60,000 approximately men and women in uniform in Afghanistan today fighting for and bleeding for the fulfillment of a policy that is aimed at ridding that region of al Qaeda and preventing Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for al Qaeda or al Qaeda-like extremist organizations in the future.
  Q But I think the argument that lawmakers are making is that the uncertainty --
  MR. CARNEY: It's 18 months from now. I think that it is entirely proper, and I think the American people would expect that we would be very deliberate about these decisions as we continue to draw down troops in keeping with the President's promise and his policy objectives. And when the President has an announcement to make, he'll make it. But it is not imminent.
  Q And has President Karzai given any indication that he's getting closer to resuming peace negotiations?
  MR. CARNEY: I don't speak for the Afghan government, but I haven't heard any updates on that.
  Q And has President Obama been working actively to try to resume those negotiations?
  MR. CARNEY: We have an excellent team that works on these issues and continues to work on them.
  Q Is the President working on it specifically?
  MR. CARNEY: I'm not sure what that means. As you know, we've talked about this issue several times this week. The President is always focused on and concerned about our troops in harm's way in Afghanistan and the fulfillment of his policy in the region. But that's something he thinks about and deals with every day. When it comes to our negotiations with Afghanistan and the Afghan government, we have very able personnel in Kabul. We have very able personnel in the Pentagon and at the Department of State who engage in those discussions regularly.
  Mark.
  Q Jay, can you elaborate beyond what was in the readout yesterday about what President Obama told Chinese officials about the failure of Hong Kong to extradite Ed Snowden?
  MR. CARNEY: I can tell you that we've been very clear about our disappointment with the way that that situation was handled. I think Deputy Secretary Burns raised this and discussed this during the S&ED I think yesterday or earlier today. I think he said yesterday, quote -- this is a paraphrase rather: We were very disappointed with how the authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong handled the Snowden case, which undermined our effort to build the trust needed to manage difficult issues. At the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue this week, we made clear that China's handling of this case was not consistent with the spirit of Sunnylands or with the type of relationship, the new model that we both seek to build.
  The President also expressed his disappointment and concern with China's handling of the Snowden case in his meeting yesterday with the S&ED co-chairs.
  Q Did China respond in any way?
  MR. CARNEY: Well, I would refer you to the Chinese. I think it's very -- we've been very clear and candid about our views on this. We've also been very clear and candid, as I think the S&ED reflects, that we have a broad and important relationship with China and we have had -- that these conversations, this dialogue was very useful and productive on many fronts. But that fact does not take -- or does not diminish our concern about the way the Snowden circumstance was handled.
  Yes, in the back.
  Q Thank you. Going back to the Afghanistan question on the zero option, why is this being considered in the first place itself? And isn't this opposed or contradictive to what the President has been saying of committing to Afghanistan people that they have -- the U.S. would have an enduring commitment to Afghanistan?
  MR. CARNEY: We do have an enduring commitment to Afghanistan, and whether we have a residual force there or not, that commitment will continue. And the commitment will continue through our Strategic Partnership Agreement, it will continue through a security relationship, which will involve our efforts to continue to go after the remnants of al Qaeda in the region and to help train and equip the Afghan security forces.
  The question of whether or not there's a residual U.S. troop presence is something we have to negotiate with the Afghan government. We're not going to make a promise about a residual force if we haven't negotiated the circumstances of that with Afghanistan.
  So it has to be the case, as we've said as long back as -- as far back as January, that one option is no troops. I'm not saying that's a preferred option, I'm just saying to suggest otherwise would be to make assumptions about negotiations that have not reached a conclusion.
  Q Is the last option that the U.S. would have for Afghanistan?
  MR. CARNEY: I'm sorry, what is that?
  Q Is the zero option the last option? The last --
  MR. CARNEY: I'm not going to express preference, because the purpose here is not to check a box and fulfill a quota in terms of the numbers of -- these are U.S. men and women in uniform who would be in a difficult assignment in harm's way, as they are today. And the choices we make about that are made very carefully and have to do with very specific policy objectives. And when it comes to a residual force in a country like Afghanistan, that is something that would have to be negotiated with the Afghan government. It is not something that we would presuppose until it's decided.
  April, and then Bill.
  Q I want to go to the Trayvon Martin case. The jury will be read instructions after lunch today. Is there any concern from the White House about what could happen after the jury makes its decision, particularly as there was a lot of news right after the situation happened, after his murder, after his death, it was racially charged? Is there any concern from the White House about reaction to a verdict?
  MR. CARNEY: Well, April, I would simply say that this is an ongoing trial, as you just mentioned. And I'm not aware of the timeline exactly, but you just said that the jury is going to be read instructions. To suggest our views on -- or anyone's views here, whether it's the President's or anyone else's views here -- on an ongoing trial that's about to go to jury I think would be a mistake, and potential outcomes and what might happen in an outcome.
  This is a jury in Florida, in the United States that's fulfilling its function -- a trial and a jury. And we'll obviously be made aware of the results of that when they happen. But I wouldn't want to characterize our views about it or the President's views about it, because it's an ongoing trial.
  Q But it was such a --
  MR. CARNEY: No, I understand that it was --
  Q It was racially charged.
  MR. CARNEY: -- obviously, it got a lot of attention at the time, and there were a number of issues around it. And the President commented on it. But we're in a trial phase and apparently, soon a jury phase. And at this time, I just don't have any further comment.
  Q And the last thing -- I'm going to go back to what I asked you yesterday on the Justice Department. They were investigating --
  MR. CARNEY: I just don't -- again, whether the Justice Department is investigating other matters is something that the Justice Department would answer. I don't have an answer to that.
  Q Well, let me ask you this. Would the Attorney General ever, at any point -- even at the time when the President even commented on it -- would the Attorney General have made the President aware of what their plans are in this, or is that something that they can do by themselves?
  MR. CARNEY: Well, it's certainly something they can do by themselves. But I'm commenting on something that I just don't know about, so I would refer you to Justice.
  Bill.
  Q A couple of things. First, on food stamps, yesterday as you know, the House of Representatives passed a bill, which zeroed out the SNAP, or food stamp program. Would the President sign a farm bill without some continued funding in there for food stamps, which has been there since 1973?
  MR. CARNEY: We put out a statement of administration policy on this specific bill -- deeply, deeply flawed bill. And that says, "The administration strongly opposes H.R. 2642, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013." And it is -- just reading further -- "It's apparent that the bill does not contain sufficient commodity and crop insurance reforms, and it does not invest in renewable energy.'' I mean, I can -- ''The bill also fails to reauthorize nutrition programs," which goes to what your question is about, "which benefit millions of Americans in rural, suburban and urban areas alike. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is a cornerstone of our nation's food assistance safety net and should not be left behind as the rest of the Farm Bill advances. If the President were presented with this bill, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill." That's a standard form of statement of administration policy.
  For decades, Congress has worked in a bipartisan fashion to pass real, comprehensive farm bills. The Senate continued that tradition this year. And unfortunately, House Republicans decided instead to pursue an exercise in partisanship. They passed a bill that lacks real commodity and crop insurance reforms, does not invest in job creation in rural America, and fails to reauthorize, as I said, nutrition programs which benefit millions of Americans. And for that reason we oppose it.
  I think there's been some pretty interesting comment on the House action, including by conservatives, and pretty damning comment. It is I think fairly remarkable -- I know that these are two different issues, but the Congress has before, and the House in particular, a comprehensive immigration reform bill that would reduce the deficit, according to the CBO, by $850 billion -- would help our economy grow; would help our labor force become more productive; would introduce into our business stream new entrepreneurs with job-creating ideas; would further secure our border significantly. Huge upside, an upside with a lot of conservative goals achieved within this comprehensive immigration bill, including deficit reduction.
  And then, at the same time, they pass a farm bill that cuts out this nutrition assistance program to millions of Americans in the name of deficit reduction, far less significant deficit reduction. It smacks a little bit of hypocrisy to me, but not just me.
  Q A second just quickly. The other side of the Snowden issue is that there have been more and more comments this week from members of Congress that the intelligence community, starting with Director Clapper, either lied to Congress or misrepresented what the NSA program is all about. Is there any attempt or will there be on the part of the administration to explain, okay, exactly here's what we're doing and here's why we need to do this?
  MR. CARNEY: First of all, Director Clapper has addressed this specific instance and I refer you to his comments. Director Clapper is doing --
  Q But they're saying --
  MR. CARNEY: Well, here are the facts. Congress has been briefed in numerous venues on these programs, including public testimony, paper briefings, and classified sessions. I have seen reports of 22 briefings on the 702 program -- 22 briefings -- and nearly as many on the 215 program. But if you don't believe me, hear what Leader Reid and Senator Chambliss and Senator Feinstein and Congressman Rogers and Congressman King have said about this. They have all said that members were fully briefed on these programs. And there are not that many things that those particular members of Congress -- Republicans and Democrats alike -- agree on, but this is one of them. They have been briefed on these programs.
  And I think a lot of -- Representative Mike Rogers: ''The committee has been extensively briefed on these efforts over a regular basis as a part of our ongoing oversight responsibility over the 16 elements of the intelligence community and the national intelligence program.'' The collection efforts under the business records provision in Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act ''are legal, court-approved, and subject to an extensive oversight regime.'' That's the Republican Chairman of the House.
  So we are very much interested in, and the President is very interested in, as he has said, in a dialogue about these issues and a debate about these issues, and in providing as much information as we can about these programs, mindful of the very sensitive nature, by definition of intelligence programs that are designed to, as their main goal, thwart potential terrorist attacks against the United States and our allies.
  But it is simply not the case that Congress and the relevant committees and individual members have not been informed about these programs.
  Q But, Jay, you know there are senators -- Senator Merkley, Senator Udall, Senator Whitehouse, others -- several members of Congress --
  MR. CARNEY: I know that there are some members who missed briefings --
  Q -- who said that, yes --
  MR. CARNEY: I know that there are some members who missed briefings in order to --
  Q But they said they asked specific questions and they were told misinformation --
  MR. CARNEY: Well, again, I think -- again, the fact is they've known about these programs, they've approved these programs, they've provided oversight over these programs. I know that some members don't show up for these briefings. I know that some members choose appearances on cable television over these briefings, but the briefings exist and have happened.
  Ann.
  Q Thank you.
  MR. CARNEY: I'm sorry, and then Lisa. Go ahead.
  Q Thanks very much, Jay. Does the President think that folks like Human Rights Watch or Amnesty International are being used by Edward Snowden when they show up at a meeting with him in the secure part of the airport? Does the President have any message for groups that stand up for what they describe as human rights --
  MR. CARNEY: I would say a couple of things about that. One, those groups do important work, but Mr. Snowden is not a human rights activist or a dissident. He is accused of leaking classified information, has been charged with three felony counts, and should be returned to the United States, where he will be accorded full due process.
  And on the issue of human rights organizations in Russia, meeting with Mr. Snowden, I think we would urge the Russian government to afford human rights organizations the ability to do their work in Russia throughout Russia, not just at the Moscow transit lounge.
  Q And on the meeting with the Attorney General today, do you know whether the Attorney General brought to the President any information about whether communities in Florida have asked for Justice Department help or support?
  MR. CARNEY: The meeting today was about the report the Department of Justice is going to issue. I wasn't in the meeting, but I don't have any further information about it beyond that specific subject.
  Q But did it come up at --
  MR. CARNEY: Not that I'm aware of, but I wasn't in the meeting. Again, it was about this particular subject that we discussed and the deadline for the release of this report.
  Q If the community asked for help, would the --
  MR. CARNEY: I would refer you to the Justice Department, as I said before.
  Yes, Lisa, sorry.
  Q When did the President find out that Secretary Napolitano was going to be leaving? And did he make the case that she should stay through the remainder of the --
  MR. CARNEY: I don't have a specific -- obviously, the Secretary advised the President of her intentions, but I don't have a date for that. I can tell you the President believes Secretary Napolitano has done an excellent job and is enormously appreciative of her service. She's been doing it for four-plus years. And while all of these senior positions in a White House or an administration are very demanding, hers is particularly so. And so those four and a half years represent a lot of hard work and a lot of -- the dealing with a lot of very stressful issues, no question. And Secretary Napolitano has met every challenge.
  So I think he's very understanding when someone who has devoted so much of her time and focus and energy to the fulfillment of her responsibilities in that job wants to move on. And he is very appreciative of the fact that she has left a legacy as a Secretary of a department for nearly half of its existence that her successor will be able to build on in a positive way, and in fact will be able to build on even more if comprehensive immigration reform is passed; if the Senate bill that we have seen emerge from the Senate becomes law, because that bill provides substantial new resources for border enforcement and substantial and important changes to our legal immigration laws that allow for enhanced legal immigration in a way that will bring enormous benefits to our economy. So the President is very appreciative for her service -- of her service.
  Q And is he concerned about how having this -- having a confirmation hearing for this post while the immigration debate is going on could influence the debate or anything --
  MR. CARNEY: The President will nominate a very qualified person to fill that job. And as we've discussed in general, the President believes that qualified nominees for executive branch positions ought to be considered and confirmed expeditiously.
  Q And finally, Senator Schumer recommended Ray Kelly for the job. Is he under consideration?
  MR. CARNEY: I think it is far too premature on the day that Secretary Napolitano announced that she's leaving in a month and a half to speculate about successors. We will be -- the President will be very deliberate in examining his options.
  Chris.
  Q Thanks, Jay. I have a question about Russia, actually. A big concern among the international LGBT community about anti-gay legislation and anti-gay violence in that country, there were some calls to boycott the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. At the end of last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a bill that bans the promotion of homosexuality to minors. Is the President aware of these calls for a boycott? And is he open to the idea of withdrawing U.S. participation for the Winter Olympics?
  MR. CARNEY: I'm not aware of the calls. I can tell you that the President and this administration makes clear to our allies and partners and nations around the world our belief that LGBT rights need to be respected everywhere. But I don't have a specific -- I haven't discussed this with him. The State Department may have more information, but I don't have a specific response from him or from the White House on that particular issue.
  But broadly speaking, we make our concerns about these issues known to countries around the world. And I think this came up in the President's trip to Africa and he made that clear.
  Q Can you tell me if he came up in the bilateral talks between President Obama and President Putin?
  MR. CARNEY: Not that I'm aware of, but, again, we make our concerns about issues like this known to countries where appropriate.
  Q One other topic. I know you've answered a lot of questions about that LGBT workplace nondiscrimination executive order, but there's one more thing I wanted you to address. In an email that was leaked to me in June, last month, the treasurer of the Democratic National Committee, Andrew Tobias, told LGBT donors that he's spoken with people in the administration about it and everyone is for it, and it will get done, but the holdup is a process that is broader than just this one very important and long-delayed agenda item. Do you dispute that a process is holding up this executive order?
  MR. CARNEY: I've been very clear in answer to your questions, and questions the other day, that our firm belief is that we think that an inclusive employment nondiscrimination act, which would enshrine into law strong, lasting and comprehensive protections against employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity is necessary. And the President and his administration will continue to work to build support for it.
  And we saw an important step taken this week when ENDA passed out of committee in the Senate with some Republican support. We're not there yet, and I will not argue with you if they say that there are obstacles that ENDA faces to becoming law. But the fact is this was a good week in progress towards passing ENDA, and the President strongly supports the efforts undertaken by Senate Democrats and some Senate Republicans to encourage the passage of this legislation, and we'll continue to work with the Congress to see it done.
  And the rest of that -- our position has been well known about ENDA as the best means to pursue lasting and comprehensive protections against employment discrimination of LGBT individuals.
  Q I understand that, but why do you think the DNC treasurer would say that a process --
  MR. CARNEY: I'm not familiar with an email that you said was leaked to you. I can tell you what I know here in the West Wing of the White House.
  Q One last question on this. There are three Senate Democrats who don't co-sponsor the Employment Non-Discrimination Act -- Bill Nelson, Mark Pryor and Joe Manchin. As we get closer to the floor vote in the Senate on ENDA, do you expect the President will reach to them to try to get them on board with support?
  MR. CARNEY: I expect that we will try to encourage every member of the Senate to do the right thing and support that legislation.
  Voice of America.
  Q Syria question, if I may. In these discussions you're having with the committees on the Hill, Jay, what are you saying about the confidence -- as we heard from Ben Rhodes last month -- confidence in the relationships with the opposition council -- the military council and the channels for aid in terms of those all being stronger. Is there stronger confidence now than there was when we all heard from Ben Rhodes where he outlined the broad parameters of the lethal aid effort?
  MR. CARNEY: Well, first of all, as we said at the time we announced the expansion of our assistance to the Supreme Military Council, we cannot detail every type of support that we are providing, nor can we provide details about the timeline or logistics of delivery for every type of assistance. Our assistance covers a range of different purposes, and the goal of our assistance is to strengthen both the cohesion of the opposition and the effectiveness of the Supreme Military Council and its efforts to defend the Syrian people against a repressive regime that has shown no boundaries in its willingness to kill civilians.
  We have, with our allies and partners, worked to strengthen the elements of the Syrian opposition that have, in our view, the best interests of the Syrian people in mind and the future of Syria in mind. And we continue to work with those elements. And we, as I said the other day, believe that the enhanced assistance that the President announced is very important given the assault that Assad has been waging of late with the assistance of Hezbollah and Iran. And that's why the President believes it's necessary to move forward with that assistance.
  Q Is there headway being made in terms of conversations up on the Hill about speeding up the process?
  MR. CARNEY: I can simply tell you that we continue to consult closely with members of Congress.
  Mike.
  Q Thank you, Jay -- two quick issues. The first one, I want to approach the DOJ report from a slightly different angle. Setting aside whatever is in it, can you tell us about the President's commitment to make changes in this area on the executive side? I know you've talked about supporting the shield law. And should we see this as the last word on this subject or part of a continuing conversation?
  MR. CARNEY: I think the President made pretty clear his views about this issue and this matter on several occasions earlier when it was a focus of a lot of attention here in the briefing room and, broadly, with the press in Washington. I don't want to characterize next steps until everyone has had a chance to see the report. But the President's views about this remain what they were, and I think he expressed them publicly, so I can't improve on them.
  Q And the part about would it be the end of the conversation or just part of the conversation?
  MR. CARNEY: I don't think the conversation ends. I think the conversation on this issue and other issues are -- I would expect them to continue. I'm not sure what you mean by the conversation to end. This is an effort to examine an issue in a way that reflects the President's belief about the importance of the job that reporters do. And I'll let the Justice Department speak to its report and then we'll have some comment or statement afterwards.
  Q And the other issue -- I don't want to jump to the week ahead here, but can you say a little bit about the visit of Bush 41 on Monday?
  MR. CARNEY: I can tell you that the President and First Lady will host former President George H.W. Bush and Former First Lady Barbara Bush, and members of the Bush family for an event to honor the winner of the 5,000th Daily Point of Light Award. The Points of Light is -- those of you might remember from the George H.W. Bush administration -- the world's largest organization dedicated to volunteer service. It mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world, and recognizes individuals who are making a difference through service and volunteerism.
  The President very much looks forward to this event and he has a very high regard for President George H.W. Bush and Former First Lady Barbara Bush and the Bush family. So I know he and the First Lady are looking forward to this event and always looking forward to an opportunity to be with the former President and the former First Lady.
  Victoria.
  Q On Guantanamo, on forced feeding, the judge ruled that she couldn't stop it but the President could. It's Ramadan, and as you know, one of the principles of Ramadan is it's a time of reflection and not a time for conflict. These detainees are being strapped down and are having tubes inserted into them against their will. So they are being forced into a conflict situation. So it's going against the principle of Ramadan.
  MR. CARNEY: Well, I appreciate -- I don't have anything new for you on our position. The President obviously does not want these individuals to die. He is understanding of the circumstances around this issue. He believes very strongly and is working to make happen that we need to close Guantanamo Bay. And as you know, he talked about this not that long ago and is taking steps to double -- redouble our efforts to bring that about mindful of the fact that we face obstacles from Congress.
  On the specific handling of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, I'd refer you to the Defense Department.
  Q So let me come at it from a different way if you don't want to address the Ramadan issue. The President believes in a woman's right to choose and a woman's right to privacy. Does he also accept a man's right to privacy and a man's right to choose control over his own body? In other words, that if a man chooses that he doesn't wish to eat, that he has that right?
  MR. CARNEY: Well, again, I understand the complexity of these issues, Victoria, but I don't have anything more to say beyond what I said earlier in the week, which is the President is obviously concerned about this, but is also concerned that he does not want to see individual detainees die. And for more details about the handling of detainees, I would refer you to the Defense Department.
  Q Does he believe that they have the right to --
  MR. CARNEY: Again, Victoria, I just don't have anything more for you on that.
  Yes.
  Q Back to Syria for a second. Can you detail any assistance that is in the hands of the rebels at this point in the last month and what it is?
  MR. CARNEY: Well, I think I just said we're not going to detail all types of assistance that we provide, and that's the case. If you're asking has new assistance arrived, I would refer you to the Defense Department about the assistance programs that they oversee, or the State Department about the assistance programs that they oversee.
  The fact is we're working with Congress on the issue of the President's announcement of enhanced military assistance, but I don't have anything about specific shipments to provide to you.
  Q Can you say yes or no if assistance is -- any kind of assistance is in Syria?
  MR. CARNEY: Well, we've been providing assistance to Syria, including the Syrian Military Council, for some time now. So the answer is, yes, there is and has been.
  Q Thanks, Jay.
  MR. CARNEY: All right, last one, yes.
  Q On July the 19th, the FISA Court order that enables the collection of Verizon data expires. Does the administration plan to renew or amend that order?
  MR. CARNEY: That's a question I think best addressed to the Department of Justice. I don't have anything for you on it. But, thank you.
  Q Can you do the week ahead, Jay?
  Q Jay, one last one --
  MR. CARNEY: Yes, Steve. Is it breaking news from your --
  Q The phone call -- no, no, the phone call with President Putin, is it specifically about Snowden, or is it a myriad of topics?
  MR. CARNEY: Well, I don't think that's the only topic that will be discussed. I'm sure that will be discussed. I just want to make clear that it was something that we put on the books a couple of days ago for today, and I'm sure we'll have some sort of readout about it for you.
  Q And he'll ask to return Snowden?
  MR. CARNEY: I don't want to predict or put into the President's mouth words that haven't been spoken. I'm sure President Putin is aware of our views about Mr. Snowden, and I know that issue has been discussed at a variety of levels between our two governments.
  If I may, I will read the week ahead. As I just mentioned, on Monday, the President and the First Lady will host former President George H.W. Bush, former First Lady Barbara Bush, and members of the Bush family for an event to honor the winner of the 5,000th Daily Point of Light Award.
  On Tuesday and Wednesday, the President will attend meetings here at the White House. On Thursday, the President will participate in an ambassador credentialing ceremony here at the White House. On Friday, the President and the First Lady will host the Diplomatic Corps reception for the Foreign Diplomatic Corps at the White House.
  And that's your week ahead. Have a great weekend, everybody. Thank you.
  END1:59 P.M. EDT
Statement by the President on H.R. 1151
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 15:28
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  July 12, 2013
  Today I have signed into law H.R. 1151, an Act concerning participation of Taiwan in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The United States fully supports Taiwan's membership in international organizations where statehood is not a requirement for membership and encourages Taiwan's meaningful participation, as appropriate, in organizations where its membership is not possible. My Administration has publicly supported Taiwan's participation at the ICAO and will continue to do so. Consistent with my constitutional authority to conduct foreign affairs, my Administration shall construe the Act to be consistent with the "one China" policy of the United States, which remains unchanged, and shall determine the measures best suited to advance the overall goal of Taiwan's participation in the ICAO. I note that sections 1(b) and 1(c) of the Act contain impermissibly mandatory language purporting to direct the Secretary of State to undertake certain diplomatic initiatives and to report to the Congress on the progress of those initiatives. Consistent with longstanding constitutional practice, my Administration will interpret and implement these sections in a manner that does not interfere with my constitutional authority to conduct diplomacy and to protect the confidentiality of diplomatic communications.
  BARACK OBAMA
Daily Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 07/11/2013
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 15:23
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  July 11, 2013
  James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
  The Administration released a Statement of Administration Policy last night indicating that if the President were presented with H.R. 2642, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.
  1:07 P.M. EDT
  MR. CARNEY: Welcome to the White House. Thanks for being here, as ever. Before I go to questions, I have two things to note.
  First, the President had a good discussion with Senators Schumer and McCain about the importance of common-sense immigration reform. It's clear that there is a broad coalition to support common-sense immigration reform and we are pleased the House recognizes that inaction is not an option. There is support from CEOs and labor leaders, from faith leaders and law enforcement leaders, from Democrats and from Republicans.
  We're pleased also that they are, in the House, moving forward and we stand willing to work with all parties to make sure that common-sense immigration reform becomes a reality as soon as possible. We talked yesterday about the enormous economic benefit that passage and implementation of comprehensive immigration reform would bring to the country -- increase in GDP, productivity, significant reduction in the deficit. And the counter to that is that the cost of inaction is very high.
  So we want to thank Senators Schumer and McCain for coming today.
  Separately, I want to note for you, on your behalf, that your ballots are due by 4 p.m. -- (laughter) -- in the White House Correspondents Association election. So exercise your right: Cast a vote.
  Q -- elections.
  MR. CARNEY: I can't vote. I don't have that right. Would that I could. I'm making no endorsements. I think that anybody who actually -- I remember from being here as a reporter covering the White House and obviously now, seeing it from the other side, it's a pretty demanding and in many ways thankless responsibility. So I think everyone should at the very least offer their appreciation to those of your colleagues who make the effort, run for these slots, and then actually fulfill the responsibilities, because there's not a lot of glory in it.
  Associated Press.
  Q Speaker Boehner said today that the vast majority of House Republicans believe that they need to tackle immigration reform but that border security has to come first. And the White House has said all along that the border is as secure as it's ever been. It seems like, on that particular issue, it's sort of going toward a stalemate -- House Repubs on this side, the White House on that side. How does the White House move that from stalemate to resolution so you can get movement on so many parts of immigration reform?
  MR. CARNEY: There is no question that we've made enormous progress in the past five years on border security, and there are a variety of ways to measure that that demonstrate that that progress has taken place. But on the issue of whether or not we need to further improve our border security, I think Republicans in the House and the President agree, as do Democrats. That's why the President has long made it one of the criteria that he insists upon in comprehensive immigration reform, that it include improvements to our border security. And as you know, in the process that led to the bill that cleared the Senate with a bipartisan majority, an amendment was passed that dedicates significant resources, new resources, to enhancing our border security.
  And as Senator McCain has said in the past, anybody who says that the Senate bill does not contain significant border security measures is not really serious about border security, because it is an absolute fact that that Senate process created -- led to a result that provides significant resources towards border security and reflects the President's commitment to enhancing our border security.
  So our view of where we are now is that we continue to move forward; that it is a good sign that House leaders believe that inaction is not an option; that the cost of inaction is high, in our view, both economically, morally, politically; and that, therefore, we will continue to work with members of both parties in both houses to move this process forward and to see immigration reform passed and signed into the law as soon as possible.
  Q At the stakeout after the meeting, Senator McCain said that President Obama should address immigration, he should speak out on it. McCain said that he and Schumer would also be traveling the country to talk about it and promote it, et cetera, et cetera. Will the President also travel and talk up the issue now that it's moved from the Senate to House?
  MR. CARNEY: Well, the President has on numerous occasions spoken about the need to enact comprehensive immigration reform and his views on comprehensive immigration reform, and he will continue to do so. And he has used all the tools in his toolbox to help bring us to the point where we have a bipartisan bill that cleared the Senate and progress in the House.
  So we will make our decisions about what the President does, who he talks to, how he addresses the issue, in accordance with what we think will help move this ball down the field. And that's what we've done in the past and that's what we'll do moving forward. And I think that Senator McCain -- and we appreciate that -- recognized that the President has played and will play an important role in this process.
  But as I said yesterday, this is obviously much bigger than him. By definition, when you have the kind of consensus we've seen among labor leaders and business leaders and faith leaders and law enforcement leaders, Democrats and Republicans, this is an issue that transcends any individual, even the President. And I think his commitment to working with Congress and being willing to compromise in order to get something significant done demonstrates his commitment to the issue, as opposed to the politics behind the issue.
  Q Just one more quickly on Egypt. Is there any comment from the White House on the bill that Senator Paul introduced today to cut off aid to Egypt?
  MR. CARNEY: It is our view that we should not immediately suspend or change our assistance program to Egypt. We are reviewing our obligations under the law, and reviewing them with an eye towards our national security interests and with an eye towards our objective here, which is to do everything we can to assist the Egyptian people in their transition to democracy and their transition, we hope, to a democratically elected civilian government.
  So that's our view. I don't have a specific response to any proposed legislation. But we believe that precipitous action here is not the right action. We will review our obligations; we will review what took place. We are mindful of the fact that, while we are concerned about the events that led to the removal of President Morsi from office, the fact is that millions of Egyptians do not see what happened as a coup, and they believe that and they amply demonstrated their belief that there should be a change in government.
  So for all the reasons that we've talked about all week, we are going to be very deliberate and cautious as we assess this and as we review our assistance programs. And the President has asked that all the agencies involved in assistance to Egypt, including, of course, the Defense Department, review those assistance programs as we make these evaluations.
  Steve.
  Q Just to draw you out further on immigration, Senator McCain was saying it's important for the President to be respectful of the process, not be too heavy handed while he's trying to influence the discussion. Is the President doing that? Does he plan to do that?
  MR. CARNEY: To be heavy handed?
  Q No, no -- to strike a balance?
  MR. CARNEY: Yes. I think you've seen in the way that the President has approached this issue his desire to have -- when the process was in the Senate, have the Senate demonstrate its ability to forge a bipartisan compromise. He and others at the White House obviously worked together with Senate leaders and staff of both parties as that process moved forward, and we continue to work with other lawmakers in the House and the Senate as this issue continues to develop.
  As I said earlier to Darlene, we will engage, as we have all along, and the President will engage, as he has all along, and he will make clear his support for and his insistence upon comprehensive immigration reform because it's the right thing for our economy and it's the right thing for our people. How that manifests itself, what events he may hold, we'll have to see, because we're going to make those judgments as this issue ripens over the next weeks and months.
  Q The signal we're hearing from the Hill is that this probably won't get done by the August recess. Is that your understanding as well? Does that worry you at all?
  MR. CARNEY: We have said all along that the Congress should address this deliberately but quickly. There has been obviously a great amount of time spent over the years, certainly since the middle of the last decade, on this issue. A lot of work has been done. A lot of work was done to produce the bipartisan Senate bill, and now work is being done in the House. So we believe that the House can and should act quickly. We don't control the House so we obviously have to work with the House, as the Senate does, as they move through this issue.
  We were encouraged, as Senators McCain and Schumer said they were encouraged, by the statements from leaders in the House that they recognize the need to act on this issue. And so we will continue to work with Congress, both houses, leaders in both parties, as well as rank-and-file members, as well as all the stakeholders out there in this issue as we move forward.
  Q But, Jay, to follow up on that, the House Republican leadership put out a statement yesterday and they reiterated today that they are not going to take up the Senate bill, that they would prefer a more step-by-step approach. And there are several members in the House that have advocated a piecemeal approach to immigration reform. Would the President reject that if it were to come out of the House and Senate after they go to conference, particularly if it doesn't include a path to citizenship for the undocumented?
  MR. CARNEY: Well, the President has always made clear that the right way to do this is comprehensively and that the criteria he laid out are essential to successful comprehensive immigration reform. And among those criteria were improved border security and a clear pathway to citizenship, a mechanism to improve legal immigration, and also, of course, to ensure that everybody was playing by the same rules, including all businesses in their hiring. And those elements are reflected in the Senate bill that passed with a bipartisan majority, a significant bipartisan majority.
  Our takeaway from the readouts of the meeting in the House is that there is a recognition that action has to be taken here. And we consider that a good sign that progress is possible. We're not going to game out how that progress is going to play out. Obviously, there are leaders in the House and others who will decide what happens. But we believe that we need to act on comprehensive immigration reform. We believe that, as we demonstrated yesterday, the benefits of comprehensive immigration reform are enormous for the country. I mean we're talking about $850 billion in deficit reduction.
  Now, a good portion of the two and a half years that I've been at this podium has been dedicated to discussions between you and me about how we go about reducing our deficit and the differing ideas that the President has and the Republicans have, Democrats as well as the President, on how to do this, and the Republican insistence that deficit reduction is perhaps their top priority. Well, here is an excellent way to achieve that as you go about achieving a significant and important goal that goes beyond deficit reduction.
  So we're going to continue to work with members of both parties in both houses to get this done. We think it's absolutely essential that we do get it done.
  Q The President is going to insist on a path to citizenship?
  MR. CARNEY: He has always said that a path to citizenship is essential to immigration reform. That was one of the central elements that he put forward. Obviously, there's opposition to certain parts of what the President proposed, what the Senate passed. Not everything in the Senate bill is as the President would have written it. In fact, not everything in the Senate bill is as it would have been written by individual members of the Gang of Eight. But that's what compromise is about. And we're going to be part of this process that we hope will forge a compromise and a consensus and a bill that has broad support in both houses of Congress and can be signed by the President of the United States.
  Q I wanted to ask you about an item in The Washington Post that's up on their website right now that is noting that the international flights going from Moscow to Havana seem to be taking a different flight path and that they're not going over U.S. soil. And I'm just curious -- would an international flight carrying Mr. Snowden be welcome if it were flying over U.S. soil, or would the U.S. prefer that it not take that path?
  MR. CARNEY: Well, I would refer you to the agencies that handle flight paths. (Laughter.) I'm not aware of the story, but I'm also not aware that you would need to fly over U.S. soil to get to Havana from Moscow. But, again, I'm not an aviation expert. But let me say that our position on Mr. Snowden is what it was, which is that we believe that, and have communicated this to numerous countries, that he should be returned to the United States, where he faces felony charges and is accused of serious crimes. And we believe that there is significant legal justification for him to be expelled from Russia and to engage in only the international travel necessary to be returned to the United States.
  Q The only reason why I ask is there are international flights that are taken over land as much as possible in the event of an emergency, and these flights seem to be going over water.
  MR. CARNEY: I know. I'm just not familiar with those flight paths.
  Q One other thing, on the Trayvon Martin-George Zimmerman trial that's happening now. The President once said that if he had a son, he would look like Trayvon Martin. Is the President watching this trial, and does he have any concerns as to what the response might be once it's come to its conclusion?
  MR. CARNEY: Look, I think that -- well, the President, as you know, does not spend a lot of time watching television during the day, but his comments on that are what they were. But we're not going to say anything from here in the midst of a trial of that nature.
  Q Can I follow up on the Travyon Martin case?
  MR. CARNEY: Okay, April, and then Major.
  Q Okay, really fast. Is the Justice Department watching for the outcome on this Trayvon Martin case on civil rights matters? Because we understand while before the trial, all the investigations, there was an investigation into civil rights violations and things like that. Is the Justice Department watching the outcome, and will they be reporting back to the President once this trial is over to talk about possibilities?
  MR. CARNEY: I don't know the answer to that. I would ask the Justice Department.
  Q And also, airspace -- what about American airspace from Russia?
  MR. CARNEY: Again, that's just not something I'm familiar with, so I would refer you to the Pentagon or elsewhere. Our position on this and what we've done regarding it is the same as it was yesterday and for many previous days.
  Major.
  Q Jay, the President has commented from this podium a couple of times that on certain issues his voice can be an irritant to House Republicans. It can make things more difficult because if he lobbies too aggressively, House Republicans reflexively oppose him. He's talked about that in the context of the fiscal cliff. Does he have any anxieties about this as far as immigration reform, and is he going to calibrate his public advocacy because of that?
  MR. CARNEY: The President will take the steps that he believes can help this process reach a positive conclusion. You have seen us do that in the process thus far, and that has included speaking about the matter, both before large audiences and small. It has included giving interviews where he's discussed the need for comprehensive immigration reform and the criteria that he thinks are essential to comprehensive immigration reform.
  So I think that we will approach this as we have in the past, with a mind --
  Q Does he share the same concerns about immigration that he's expressed about fiscal matters, where he has become an irritant in the House Republican context?
  MR. CARNEY: I would say that he has a fairly sophisticated and nuanced appreciation for how the politics of all of the issues that we're dealing with right now play out, and he will engage in a way that he thinks can be most effective. And I think that, as Senators McCain and Schumer said today and others have noted, his role in this is important.
  He's the President. He is, in many ways, a central reason why we are where we are. Because, as we know, in the hard-fought election last year for President, there were two very opposing views on this issue, and had President Obama not been reelected, it is safe to assume that the position of the President and of the Republican Party would be what the position was of the Republican nominee, which is the way to deal with our immigration challenge and the fact that the system is broken is through self-deportation, which is not a position that obviously reflects where we are today or where numerous Republican leaders are today.
  So his role in this has been significant. But as I said yesterday, this is bigger than the President. It's not about who wins on this issue at a political level. It's about doing something extremely important for our country. The system, as President George W. Bush said yesterday, is -- the system that governs our immigration is broken. We need to fix it. And there is an opportunity here to do that in a bipartisan way that would bequeath enormous benefits to our economy going forward.
  Q I understand your desire to accentuate the positive, but aren't there some frustrating aspects as well from this White House's point of view about what came out of that Republican meeting yesterday? They're not going to act before the break. This issue, then, necessarily becomes involved in a lot of other complicated legislative maneuvering around the debt ceiling, about continuing resolutions if one is necessary, the appropriations cycle. Wouldn't you have been happier and isn't there a degree of frustration with just a very slender commitment that something needs to be done, but it's going to be piecemeal, not comprehensive, it won't be timely, and it's going to get involved necessarily in a lot of these other issues that are equally politically charged, if not more so?
  MR. CARNEY: The President has known all along that this would be a challenge, like so many of these issues that haven't been accomplished because it's hard, and that requires --
  Q That was true yesterday. I'm talking about specific things that you now know to be true -- scheduling thing that you didn't know about.
  MR. CARNEY: There's nothing that we know today that is different from what we knew yesterday about how challenging this would be to bring to conclusion, successful conclusion. But there is an enormous amount of consensus here. There is a bill that emerged from the Senate that represents what bipartisan cooperation can look like on a big issue like immigration reform. And there is recognition in the House by Republican leaders that there's an urgency to do something, to act on this, because the consequences of inaction are significant and severe. So that's progress.
  And when you're moving forward, the momentum builds -- and we're moving forward. And so we'll acknowledge that there are a lot of obstacles between where we are today and where we want to be, but that has long been the case. And we're hopeful that in the end, the Congress will act on the will of the American people, on the will of the business community, on the will of labor leaders, of faith leaders, of law enforcement leaders, of Republican and Democratic leaders across the country, and get this important piece of business done.
  Q One more before I let you go. There's a very detailed story in the Wall Street Journal today that essentially says Chuck Hagel, the Defense Secretary, is the principal interlocutor with this transitional Egyptian government and that the State Department and the White House are funneling most, if not all, communications with General al-Sisi through Chuck Hagel. Is that a fair characterization? And is the conduit of information flow back and forth that narrow right now between this government and the transitional --
  MR. CARNEY: No, it's not that narrow. Secretary Hagel is playing a very important role in this, as you would expect from the Secretary of Defense, and he is in constant contact with his counterparts -- and counterpart, in particular, General al-Sisi -- but Secretary Kerry is engaged daily in conversations with Egyptian counterparts, and others are also engaged, including obviously the Ambassador. So this is an issue that is occupying the time of all of the President's national security leaders.
  Q But when those other conversations occur they're not happening with the person who seems to be at the head of this transitional government. That would seem to put this particular --
  MR. CARNEY: Well, I would suggest that you don't -- that's like saying that the only conversation you can have with the U.S. government is with the President. There are governing authorities that --
  Q But you would concede this transitional Egyptian government is a little less formed than the current U.S. government --
  MR. CARNEY: Well, certainly, but it has been formed and we are dealing with a number of leaders in the transitional government, making the point to every one of them that the military must show, in our view, maximum restraint, that all parties ought to refrain from violence, and that it is incumbent upon this transitional government to ensure, if it hopes to carry out the plan that they laid forward, to ensure the participation of all groups and all parties and all individuals in that process, because the only way this is going to work successfully for the Egyptian people is if all parties are encouraged and allowed to participate.
  And that's why we've made clear that arbitrary arrests are not anything that -- that we could not support those. Because if you're arresting individuals from one group or one party, you're working against yourself if your effort is to be inclusive as you make this transition back to a civilian, democratically elected government.
  Wendell.
  Q The Treasury Department's actions regarding the Affordable Care Act, does that delay the employer mandate, or just the reporting requirement?
  MR. CARNEY: I would ask you to address that question to the Treasury. I mean, I think that the Treasury Department put out very clear language yesterday in a letter that they -- or they provided a letter to the Hill that I think has been put out now about the authority that exists to allow for this delay in the implementation of a provision of the Affordable Care Act. But the specificity behind it you would have to ask the Treasury Department about.
  Q The reason I ask is because Pelosi says it's just the reporting requirement and that the mandate itself remains. I'm not sure how that's possible.
  MR. CARNEY: Again, I think the implementation of the mandate has been postponed a year -- the deadline -- but the law is the law. It hasn't been expunged, as much as I'm sure some members of Congress wish it were.
  Q What's the cost to the government of doing this?
  MR. CARNEY: You'd have to ask the Treasury Department, Wendell. I don't know what costs are associated with it, if any. The Treasury Department would have the answer to that. They are the authority that executes on this.
  Peter.
  Q Jay, the Republican conference yesterday expressed a lack of trust in the President and this administration when they were referring to the immigration reform bill, but specifically they were making reference to the Affordable Care Act as well. There was some commentary from some Republicans today on the Hill who said, ''One of the issues is, what would stop the President from not enforcing this law'' -- in reference to the immigration reform bill that's passed through the Senate. So I just want to get a sense, if the employer mandate was delayed a year, Republicans insist, then why wouldn't the President, if pressured by big business, perhaps delay or not enforce something like an employment verification system that he's not been heavily in favor of? What do you say to those people who doubt that?
  MR. CARNEY: That it's just -- again, I got this exact question almost word for word yesterday, which I know is the sort of Republican talking point. But it is preposterous to suggest that a delay in the implementation of a provision within a law is anything unusual. I have several examples here I could provide to you, and numerous more could be provided to you, and they happened under previous administrations and this one.
  Q Which is to say the same thing could happen to immigration reform, though, correct?
  MR. CARNEY: But that's like saying that the way that government works is unsatisfying to some members of Congress who are part of government. So this is not unusual. This is a political effort to undermine a law that was passed by Congress, a law that was upheld by the Supreme Court, a law that bequeaths significant benefits to millions and millions of Americans. And this is about an attempt to sabotage the Affordable Care Act.
  Believe me -- and I think you understand this -- the House Republicans who are driving this narrative are not concerned about a delay in the implementation of a law that they oppose. They want to kill the bill -- I mean, they want to kill the law. They want to undermine the law. They've made that clear. They're proud of it. And that's a fine position to take, but it's the law, and it's been upheld by the Supreme Court.
  And the position that they hold -- and this is interesting when you saw some of the members who support repeal and oppose the implementation not just of the employer mandate, but the individual responsibility provision -- they have no answer to what would happen if repeal were to take place.
  One out of two Americans -- half the people in this room -- have a preexisting condition. The Republican answer to that: Tough luck. You're protected under the Affordable Care Act, half of you, but you wouldn't be if it were repealed. And if you have kids in their early 20s who are on the insurance policy that you hold today, tough luck. And it would be one thing if Republicans had an alternative, but even a faint attempt at providing an alternative, proposing an alternative which the Majority Leader in the House briefly took up was shot down by the ultraconservatives in the House of Representatives.
  So the Affordable Care Act is being implemented. It's being implemented responsibly. When it came to the delay in the provision that affects 4 percent of businesses with more than 50 employers, we listened to the concerns of business because we want to get this right and it's the right thing to do.
  Q I want to ask you on Syria, very quickly -- and acknowledging that the White House won't have any comments on whatever divisions may exist at the Capitol, as you referenced in conversations with us yesterday -- what is the status of the distribution of lethal aid to the opposition groups, to the rebel groups within Syria right now? Yes or no -- has aid already arrived at its destination?
  MR. CARNEY: We're in the process of working with Congress on this. I don't have any updates from what I gave earlier in terms of the provision of specific aid. The Defense Department may have more specifics, but as I understand it, we're still working with Congress on this issue.
  Q Are you satisfied by the pace then, given the fact that the reports of aid has yet to reach --
  MR. CARNEY: We think it's important that we continue to step up the provision of aid, as the President made clear was his policy, and that we believe is essential to strengthening the opposition, which is under significant assault by Bashar al-Assad, coupled with the support that Assad has been getting from Hezbollah and Iran. So we believe that it is important to continue to increase the support that we provide to the Syrian opposition and we'll work with Congress to make that happen.
  Q And finally, Camp Leatherneck in southwest Afghanistan, they call it the big white elephant that nobody wants -- this is a 64,000-square-foot U.S. military headquarter that I think the construction or the plans began in 2009 -- $34 million was the cost. The Inspector General came out with a report about this specifically, and then on camera said that he was "outraged." Republicans, or at least opponents of this administration, would suggest this just outlines a waste of money by this administration. Is the President outraged by this spending?
  MR. CARNEY: I would have to take the question. I haven't seen the report. But we're obviously outraged by wasteful spending in general. Again, I'm not aware of this report or any specifics about the base that you describe. But this President's commitment to reducing wasteful spending is strong and has been demonstrated through the numerous actions he's taken to reduce waste.
  Peter. Peter two.
  Q What can the White House do to sustain the momentum on immigration coming from the -- this strong vote that you got out of the Senate and keep House members focused on this issue if it goes into the fall?
  MR. CARNEY: What can we do in general, or if it goes into the fall? We're just going to keep pressing for the consensus that has already built up around comprehensive immigration reform to continue to grow, and for House members to acknowledge what others have said is the urgency of the need to act now, that inaction is not an option.
  As I said earlier, in answer to earlier questions, we're going to engage in the ways that we have, mindful of what produces the best outcome here. And we have been very engaged thus far and will continue to be very engaged in this process. Again, we wouldn't be where we are today if it weren't for the positions the President took and the positions he took to the American people in the fall of 2012.
  So we remain hopeful and optimistic that the Congress will eventually act on this, and we believe they should act soon because the consensus is there. Business supports it. Labor supports it. Faith leaders support it. Law enforcement supports it. The bill that passed the Senate provides a huge amount of resources for increased border security. The bill fulfills the criteria that all the leaders on this issue said need to be part of comprehensive immigration reform. And there is a continually building consensus here behind this effort, and we're going to work with everybody involved -- Republicans, Democrats, stakeholders around the country -- to make the case for this important piece of business.
  Yes, Peter.
  Q Jay, today you told us that you're pleased that the House recognizes that inaction is not an option, and yesterday you said that you felt that a lot of the Republicans were acting out of fear of a challenge from the right --
  MR. CARNEY: I think I said that it would be a shame if this important piece of legislation that would provide so many benefits to our economy and our businesses and the middle class would be blocked because of concerns by some House members in the Republican Party about primary challenges from the far right. That would seem to me not a great justification for blocking legislation that has such enormous bipartisan support and enormous support across the country from communities that don't always agree -- business and labor, Republicans and Democrats, and the like.
  Q So, following the outcome of their meeting, how much do you feel that that's still in play?
  MR. CARNEY: That what is still in play?
  Q What you're saying about a fear by some of them that they're going to face a challenge --
  MR. CARNEY: No, I have no doubt. Again, I wasn't in the meeting. There was a time when I used to hang out outside the room and get quotes from participants in those meetings. But based on the reporting that your colleagues did and I suppose some of you did, there's obviously -- there are a range of opinions within the House conference. But what we believe is significant is that there's a recognition at the leadership level, as well as the rank-and-file level, among some members that inaction is not an option, because the consequences of inaction are significant both economically and, based on the reporting I've seen, politically.
  Roger Runningen.
  Q Thank you. One of the governors of the Federal Reserve Board, Elizabeth Duke, submitted her resignation to the President today, effective August 31st. Is the machinery underway to find a replacement? And does the President have any comment?
  MR. CARNEY: I think our own Amy Brundage tweeted about the President's appreciation for her service. And I don't have personnel announcements or any announcements about machinery being underway. But obviously, we appreciate her service.
  Q Would there be any effort to try to a get a nomination before the August recess?
  MR. CARNEY: I don't have any personnel scheduling announcements to make.
  Scott.
  Q Jay, is congressional opposition or hesitation the holdup to stepped-up military aid to the opposition in Syria?
  MR. CARNEY: I think that we're working with Congress to address the concerns that some members may have and information that some members desire. And we're making it clear our view and the President's view that we need to take this step to enhance the provision of assistance to the Syrian opposition.
  Does that work for you? (Laughter.) Probably not.
  Q My question was, is that what's holding up the aid?
  MR. CARNEY: I've seen reports of that nature, but we're working Congress to get this done.
  Steve.
  Q Jay, a couple more questions. On the Senate nomination fight, does the President support Senator Reid's threat to use the nuclear option to get the President's nominees confirmed?
  MR. CARNEY: We believe that, as we've stated many times, that the President's nominees are highly qualified and ought to be confirmed, and they should not be held up. The posts that Senator Reid spoke about today, the nominees for those posts, have extraordinary credentials and they have bipartisan support. And some of them -- several of them have been waiting over 100 days for a vote; Gina McCarthy, Tom Perez have waited over 100 days for a vote.
  The fact is -- and, again, the evidence that the charts are sort of eye-popping in the way that they demonstrate this -- Senate Republicans have brought obstructionism to new heights, and it is a problem. Blocking and delaying nominees who are unquestionably qualified is a problem. And unfortunately, Republicans are choosing and have chosen to play political games instead of fulfilling their constitutional responsibility to confirm executive branch appointments.
  We've voiced that frustration many times -- I have, the President has, and others have. And in terms of Senate procedure, that is something that we generally defer to the Senate leadership, and so we defer to Senator Reid on the steps that he may or may not take. But we certainly share and have been vocal about sharing the frustration that he expressed today about the obstructionism, the historic obstructionism that we've seen from Senate Republicans.
  Q On a different issue, the President many times has talked about saving Detroit from bankruptcy. And he was talking about the car companies, but the city is in dire straits. In fact, it's near bankruptcy. And I'm wondering, is the President looking at doing anything to save the city of Detroit from bankruptcy?
  MR. CARNEY: I know that the President is aware of the situation in Detroit and that administration officials have been in contact with leaders in Detroit. But I'm not aware of any plans or proposals that the President has, but we're certainly aware of the circumstances.
  Q Jay, student loans -- since the Senate measure that would call for a one-year extension failed the other day, is there any attempt to break this impasse? Is the White House involved in these talks? Are they making any progress?
  MR. CARNEY: The answer is yes, yes, and yes. There is no question that there is a compromise available on this important issue and that the sides have not been that far apart and we just need to get it done. And we're encouraged that there seems to be progress on that front.
  We've been in close contact with senators from both parties to get this done. I think it's been reported that Denis McDonough, in addition to his food delivery responsibilities, has been -- I hope everybody got some doughnuts today -- but that he has been meeting with senators of both parties on this issue.
  And as I have said previously, one of the ways that we've been discussing moving forward here has been offering the addition of a cap to a long-term proposal like the President's. So there's progress on this issue. We believe that it can be done, and we're working with the Senate to see if we can get it done.
  Q What do you say to the Republican leaders who have said the problem here is not so much on their side as it is divisions among the Democrats, in the Senate especially?
  MR. CARNEY: Well, I'd say a couple things. One is we're working with the Senate, with members of both parties. We're working with leaders in the House as well on this issue to get this done. The House bill asks students to fund deficit reduction, and we have long opposed that approach.
  But there is, as others have noted, an obvious -- or at least the potential for compromise. And we have been working with lawmakers to make that compromise happen. We think it's really important. We think that we need to make sure that students don't see their rates double, that we implement a bill here that will be retroactive so that the deadline that passed on July 1st is not a problem for students as they secure loans for the coming year.
  And we need to act on it quickly, because families are planning right now for how they are going to pay for college. And it's an issue that's very important to the President. He believes that college affordability is a huge challenge for this nation and a huge challenge for middle-class families, and we should be not taking action in Washington that makes it more difficult for those families and for those students.
  Anita, yes.
  Q We saw Senators McCain and Schumer here today, and I just wondered if you had anything you could tell us about House members -- the President's interaction with House leadership. I know the last time they were here it was more about foreign than domestic issues. Is he phoning House members? Has he talked to the Speaker? Have you --
  MR. CARNEY: I have no other meetings or conversations of the President to read out. We don't read out every meeting and conversation the President has. As I've been saying --
  Q We want you to.
  MR. CARNEY: I know you do. (Laughter.)
  And by that, I'm simply saying that the President has been and will continue to be engaged. He met with Senators Schumer and McCain today. That was a good meeting. I think as you mentioned, you heard from the two senators after that meeting.
  The President and his team are working on this issue every day. It is obviously a priority of the President's that we get comprehensive immigration reform passed and signed into law. It would produce enormous benefits for the economy. It would be good for the middle class. It would ensure that employers across the country all play by the same set of rules. It would ensure that our border security is improved and enhanced, building on the improvements and enhancements that we've made already over the past five years. So this is a very high priority of the President's.
  And he is working with Congress in a variety of ways to help bring this about. But as I said I think in answer to somebody's question or numerous questions from the front row, there are obstacles here, and we need to navigate around them and over them and sometimes through them to get this done.
  But the good news is we have a lot of help. We have the support of business. We have the support of labor. We have the support of faith communities. We have the support of the law enforcement community. We have the support of Democrats and Republicans across the country as well as here in Washington. There's a consensus here, and there's a compelling case to be made on a number of fronts.
  And the fact is, doing nothing comes with a very high cost. It's not -- the status quo is bad for the country, and the alternative -- which is passing comprehensive immigration reform -- is to see a reduction in our deficit that's significant, an increase in productivity that' significant, an increase in wages that's significant -- huge benefits that come from harnessing the talent and entrepreneurial imagination of immigrants who disproportionately start businesses and create jobs here in the United States. And we need to get about the business of taking advantage of those opportunities and passing this important piece of legislation.
  Alexis.
  Q Jay, related to the immigration -- some people say that one of the challenges the President faces in the House is that he doesn't have a point people on each side of the aisle -- or to be able to invite like a Schumer and a McCain to the White House to talk about immigration from the House. Who does the White House consider to be the point people in the House on immigration reform right now?MR. CARNEY: First of all, we have engaged with members and leaders in the House on this issue for some time. There is a process -- the Gang of Seven, now, that's been underway, and we obviously have been working with the House on that and with leaders. And we'll continue to do that.
  As has been noted in some of the exchanges we've had earlier in this briefing, there are a variety of ways and means that we can employ here to help this process move forward. And we -- as we move along, we're examining all options in terms of what the President can do, what the White House can do, what the administration can do, what we can do working with supporters of comprehensive immigration reform outside of government and around the country. And we're doing all of it, because this is important.
  But it is bigger than the President and it's bigger than the three gentlemen who met in the Oval Office earlier today, and is bigger than any grouping of Democrats and Republicans that might have a meeting with the President. This is an issue with broad national support from business and labor, and faith and law enforcement communities. And we're going to keep pressing to work their will through a bipartisan process in Congress.
  Q Quick change, Jay, of subject. Tomorrow I believe is the deadline that the President set for the Attorney General to present him with ideas, recommendations for changes related to investigations that involve reporters. Do you know whether the Attorney General is going to be able to meet that deadline tomorrow, and whether the President will be prepared to respond?
  MR. CARNEY: Well, I have no reason to believe that the deadline won't be met. I don't know about a presidential response. But I would refer you to the Department of Justice in terms of meeting the deadline.
  Q Thanks, Jay. Vice President Biden has been meeting with Chinese officials, and he's spoken fairly bluntly about the cybersecurity issue. What kind of response has he received, and is the administration satisfied with the response it's received so far?
  MR. CARNEY: We've been clear with the Chinese about our concerns with respect to cybersecurity, and have made it a key point of discussion with China at all levels, and that includes the Vice President and the President on down.
  On Monday, at the first meeting of the U.S.-China cyber working group, we raised directly our concerns with respect to the theft of intellectual property, trade secrets, and confidential business information for economic gain. And we stressed the need to address these concerns, including through the working group, and are continuing to discuss these issues at the Strategic and Economic Dialogue.
  So I don't have a readout of a specific conversation that the Vice President may have had, but this is certainly an issue that we are addressing with the Chinese, among many issues that we are addressing with the Chinese during this dialogue.
  Q Is this issue becoming easier or more difficult to negotiate?
  MR. CARNEY: I don't have a way to qualify it. I think that this is an issue that we consistently raise with the Chinese, we express our concerns, and we urge that the steps be taken that I just laid out. And we'll continue to engage with them, as we engage with them on a number of issues. As you know from the reporting on and the information provided about the Strategic and Economic Dialogue, this is a meeting and a series of meetings that encompasses a number of issues, not just cybersecurity. But cybersecurity is one of them.
  Q Jay?
  MR. CARNEY: April.
  Q On the steps taken on the farm bill, could you talk about that? And CBC is protesting on the floor about that.
  MR. CARNEY: We obviously have been concerned about the failure of Congress to act on the farm bill the President put forward, a long-term proposal here that -- and the Senate passed, I believe -- and we want progress to be made on the farm bill. I don't have any specific reaction at this time to that.
  Q But SNAP is a nutrition assistance program --
  MR. CARNEY: I understand, and we obviously support SNAP. But the President believes that Congress needs to act, and he has put forward a proposal that is long term, and he supports the Senate measure -- is that correct? And we want to see action on this.
  I've got to go. I think time was called a long time ago.
  Q A quick one on the event in the Bronx today. Derek Jeter is donning the pinstripes. Your personal thoughts? (Laughter.)
  MR. CARNEY: Well, as a Red Sox fan --
  Q That's why I ask.
  MR. CARNEY: -- as well as a Nationals fan, I can say that I have enormous regard for Derek Jeter. He's a true professional and a class act. And I hope he does well -- just not well enough for the Yankees to catch up to the Red Sox.
  Q Thanks, Jay.
  END 1:59 P.M. EDT
Statement by the President on Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano's Announcement
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  Archived Version
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 15:22
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  July 12, 2013
  I want to thank Secretary Napolitano for her outstanding work on behalf of the American people over the last four years. At the Department of Homeland Security, Janet's portfolio has included some of the toughest challenges facing our country. She's worked around the clock to respond to natural disasters, from the Joplin tornado to Hurricane Sandy, helping Americans recover and rebuild. Since day one, Janet has led my administration's effort to secure our borders, deploying a historic number of resources, while also taking steps to make our immigration system fairer and more consistent with our values. And the American people are safer and more secure thanks to Janet's leadership in protecting our homeland against terrorist attacks. I've come to rely on Janet's judgment and advice, but I've also come to value her friendship. And as she begins a new chapter in a remarkable career of public service, I wish her the best of luck.
Adding a custom menu to a Fargo blog
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: Dave's Fargo Blog
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 15:18
  Every new Fargo blog has a menu at the top of each page. It links to archive pages for each month, a set of help pages, and the RSS feed for the blog. You can see what it looks like on the newbie demo site.
  The default menu may be all you ever need, but if you want to create your own menu, this document shows you how to do that.
  Grab a starter menu
  Tour of Kim's menu
Snowden uncovers shocking truth behind Chemtrails | The Internet Chronicle
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 15:10
  According to Snowden, chemtrails are the only thing keeping the US from global warming incineration, but at what price?
  MOSCOW, Russia '' Edward Snowden, the hacker who gained access to every secret corner of the Internet during his tenure at the NSA, has come forward with details of a classified project to alter the world's climate. The shocking truth, as he says, is that chemtrails are part of a benevolent program aimed at countering global warming. By cooperating in secret with jet fuel manufacturers, government agents have carefully kept the massive chemtrail efforts completely under wraps. Snowden added, ''I am only revealing this program because there is no oversight in the scientific community, no public discussion, and little concern for the side-effects which are well known only to a few privileged people interested in continuing the decades-long chemtrail program in secret.''
  Because climate change is a threat to U.S. agriculture, it has been labeled a national security issue. With the influence and cooperation of Monsanto, a secret Geoengineering lab dubbed Muad'Dib has been operating since the late 1960s, and the chemtrail program is often referred to by insiders as its ''crown jewel.'' Muad'Dib has aimed to protect North America's climate at all costs '' even if that means accelerating desertification in Sub-Saharan Africa or spreading trace amounts of carcinogens over lightly populated areas. Other side effects, which scientists at the secret Muad'Dib Geoengineering Lab have predicted, include droughts in the Amazon and powerful windstorms along the East Coast.
  Snowden shared decisive documents with The Internet Chronicle, but out of concern for national security, only his testimonial can be published. These documents contain references to scientists who would surely be targeted by foreign counterintelligence, and their knowledge is vital to short-term survival of the United States.
  Snowden said, ''If this program were to stop, the scientists behind it strongly believe that within just one year the North American climate would spiral out of control, and crop failures would lead to a series of devastating famines that would quickly depopulate urban centers.''
  Because the program has been carried out on such a massive scale, skeptics might find Snowden's story unbelievable. However, Snowden explained that the chemtrail program has been incredibly easy to hide, especially with the cooperation of jet fuel companies, a crucial part of the military-industrial complex. Snowden said, ''The chemicals which are released by passenger airplanes have been covertly introduced as 'additives,' supposedly to improve efficiency. Only as the plane reaches cruising velocity does the heat and atmospheric pressure cause a chemical reaction that synthesizes the top secret carbon-trapping molecule. This process is imperfect, and many of the by-products are incredibly dangerous even in trace quantities. The most dangerous thing is that although chemtrails are keeping the climate of the U.S. reasonably stable, citizens are bombarded every day with an invisible rain of carbon-laden molecules, and the effect on health is totally unknown.''
Boston police officer arrested after bombs and explosives found inside home
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: USA RSS
  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 22:44
  A Boston police officer was arrested and charged after his wife called police to report that she found military-grade explosives, grenades, and ammunition in their home.
  Police Officer Kirk D. Merricks, 43, is now facing 11 counts of possession of an explosive device, four counts of obtaining stolen property and one count of illegal possession of ammunition. A bomb squad was called in to remove the explosives from the residence on the night of July 11.
  ''We requested the assistance of the Mass State Police Bomb Squad, as well as the [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives], and we sought a search warrant after we secured those devices that we did locate'--some were in the house and some were in a shed in the backyard,'' Plymouth Chief Michael Botieri told WATV.
  A police report states that Merricks' wife and son discovered the explosives when they were going through the officer's belongings. After calling Plymouth police around 3 p.m. Thursday, the officer's wife led them to a shed containing military-grade explosives. A metal box contained four explosive sticks wrapped in military-style cloth and marked as ''TNT''.
  A black briefcase contained four 40 mm grenades that are normally used with an M203 grenade launcher '' a device that the US military introduced in the early 1970s. M203 grenade launchers are categorized as ''Destructive Devices'' under the National Firearms Act and are rarely available on the civilian weapons market.
  Officers also found a detonation cord, blasting caps, and military-grade ammunition.
  Chief Botieri told reporters that investigators believe the items were stolen, since they are generally not available for civilian purchase. Although Merricks is licensed to carry firearms, none of the explosives or military-grade ammunition were issued to him by police.
  ''They are obviously not anything that civilians should possess,'' Botieri told the Boston Globe. ''We believe it's all stolen. It's not something you can go out and buy without the correct permits.''
  Merricks was on duty while his home was being searched, and was arrested shortly thereafter. He has been placed on paid administrative leave and stripped of his handgun and badge.
  After pleading not guilty to his charges on Friday morning, he was freed on $1,000 bail.
  Botieri is a 14-year veteran of the Boston Police Department who previously served with the Marine Corps during Desert Storm. Police were called to his home during a domestic dispute last month. Merricks' wife says the couple separated on June 4, when she filed a restraining order against him, accusing him of verbal abuse.
  Eric Goldman, the attorney representing Merrick, said his client had not been living in the house for three months, and suggested that the ''contentious'' divorce proceedings may have something to do with the woman's call to police.
  Police have launched an investigation into the incident.
Press Release July 12, 2013
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 15:02
  National Transportation Safety BoardOffice of Public Affairs
  NTSB statement on erroneous confirmation of crew names July 12The National Transportation Safety Board apologizes for inaccurate and offensive names that were mistakenly confirmed as those of the pilots of Asiana flight 214, which crashed at San Francisco International Airport on July 6.
  Earlier today, in response to an inquiry from a media outlet, a summer intern acted outside the scope of his authority when he erroneously confirmed the names of the flight crew on the aircraft.
  The NTSB does not release or confirm the names of crewmembers or people involved in transportation accidents to the media. We work hard to ensure that only appropriate factual information regarding an investigation is released and deeply regret today's incident.
  Appropriate actions will be taken to ensure that such a serious error is not repeated.
  Office of Public Affairs490 L'Enfant Plaza, SWWashington, DC 20594(202) 314-6100Kelly Nantelkelly.nantel@ntsb.gov
  ###
  The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent federal agency charged with determining the probable causeof transportation accidents, promoting transportation safety, and assisting victims of transportation accidents and their families.
KTVU apologizes for racist SF plane crash gaffe | Matier And Ross | an SFGate.com blog
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 14:48
  Update: The National Transportation Safety Board late Friday issued its own apology for ''inaccurate and offensive names that were mistakenly confirmed'' to KTVU Channel 2 as those of the pilots of Asiana flight 214, which crashed at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday.
  The statement said that an NTSB summer intern, in response to the station's inquiry, ''acted outside the scope of his authority when he erroneously confirmed the names of the flight crew on the aircraft.''
  However, in a subsequent phone interview with the SFGate's Jeff Elder, NTSB spokeswoman Kelly Nantel made clear that the names ''originated at the media outlet'' and that the intern '-- unaware of the offensive names '-- was ''acting in good faith and trying to be helpful'' by confirming names he didn't know.
  ''The NTSB does not release or confirm the names of crew members or people involved in transportation accidents to the media,'' Nantel said.
  Original blog post follows: '--
  KTVU Channel 2 is apologizing for an on-air gaffe that the station '-- or viewers '' won't soon forget.
  During the noon newscast Friday, co-anchor Tori Campbell, announced that ''KTVU has just learned the names of the four pilots who were on board'' Asiana flight 214 when it crashed at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday.
  She then read from a teleprompter while a TV graphic displayed four fake names that clearly were someone's idea of a joke.
  The first name '-- ''Captain Sum Ting Wong'' '-- should have been a give-away that something really was wrong. But Campbell kept reading'... ''Wi Tu Lo, Ho Lee Fuk, Bang Ding Ow.''
  Yikes.
  After a break, Campbell made an on-air correction, clarifying that the names were clearly wrong '-- but that they had confirmed them earlier with the National Transportation Safety Board.
  KTVU news director Lee Rosenthal did not immediately turn our calls seeking comment.
  This incident happened days after station made a web promo hyping its crash coverage:
  ''This past weekend viewers flocked to KTVU Channel 2 News for coverage of the tragic crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
  KTVU Channel 2 News owned this breaking news story with a number of firsts!
  - First on-air.- First on-line.- First with alerts to mobile devices.- First on Twitter & Facebook.- First with aerial shots from KTVU NewsChopper 2.- First with a live reporter from the scene.- First live interview with anyone connected to someone on the flight.
  Rosenthal is quoted in the promo: ''Being first on air and on every platform in all aspects of our coverage was a great accomplishment, but being 100% accurate, effectively using our great sources and social media without putting a single piece of erroneous information on our air, is what we are most proud of as a newsroom.''
  In an-online apology, KTVU general manager Tom Raponi said ''We are reviewing our procedures to ensure this type of error does not happen again.''
VIDEO-KTVU Reports Racist Joke As Names Of Asiana 214 Pilots (VIDEO) (UPDATE)
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 14:38
  Fire crews work the crash site of Asiana Flight 214 at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, Saturday, July 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Bay Area News Group, John Green)
  This aerial photo shows the wreckage of the Asiana Flight 214 airplane after it crashed at the San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, Saturday, July 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
  This frame grab from video provided by KTVU shows the scene after an Asiana Airlines flight crashed while landing at San Francisco Airport on Saturday, July 6, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/KTVU) MANDATORY CREDIT
  People at the airport look out at the burning plane (photo via Twitsnoop)
  A fire truck sprays water on Asiana Flight 214 after it crashed at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday, July 6, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
  A video shows a plume of smoke arising from the 777 jet.
  ABC News photoThe top of the plane is a large hole from a fire, evidently.
  Photo from passenger on board plane"I just crash landed at SFO. Tail ripped off," said David Eun on Twitter.
  Picture of large gray smoke plume via @mgescuro on Twitter
  A photo from KTVU-TV shows up close the burned-out plane.
  An eerie photo from Danielle Wells on Twitter.
  A scary photo from the inside of a nearby plane (via Marilyn McCullough on Twitter)
  Scary audio from air traffic controllers as Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashed.
  NBC appears to have a photo of an explosion happening as the plane crashes, which was tweeted by WFSA Channel 12.
  This frame grab from video provided by KTVU shows the scene after an Asiana Airlines flight crashed while landing at San Francisco Airport on Saturday, July 6, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/KTVU) MANDATORY CREDIT
  The tail of Asiana Flight 214 is seen after it crashed at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, Saturday, July 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
  An Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 is seen on the runway at San Francisco International Airport after crash landing on July 6, 2013. There were no immediate reports of casualties and one apparent survivor tweeted a picture of passengers fleeing the plane. Video footage showed the jet, Flight 214 from Seoul, on its belly surrounded by firefighters. AFP PHOTO/JOSH EDELSON (Photo credit should read Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images)
  An Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 is seen on the runway at San Francisco International Airport after crash landing on July 6, 2013. There were no immediate reports of casualties and one apparent survivor tweeted a picture of passengers fleeing the plane. Video footage showed the jet, Flight 214 from Seoul, on its belly surrounded by firefighters. AFP PHOTO/JOSH EDELSON (Photo credit should read Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images)
  SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 6: Traffic backs up on the US Route 101 South after a Boeing 777 airplane crashed landed at San Francisco International Airport July 6, 2013 in San Francisco, California. A passenger aircraft from Asiana Airlines coming from Seoul, South Korea crashed landed on the runway. No word so far on injuries or deaths. (Photo by Sarah Rice/Getty Images)
  An Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 is seen on the runway at San Francisco International Airport after crash landing on July 6, 2013. There were no immediate reports of casualties and one apparent survivor tweeted a picture of passengers fleeing the plane. Video footage showed the jet, Flight 214 from Seoul, on its belly surrounded by firefighters. AFP PHOTO/JOSH EDELSON (Photo credit should read Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images)
  SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 06: A Boeing 777 airplane lies burned on the runway after it crash landed at San Francisco International Airport July 6, 2013 in San Francisco, California. An Asiana Airlines passenger aircraft coming from Seoul, South Korea crashed while landing. There has been at least two casualties reported. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
  SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 06: A Boeing 777 airplane lies burned on the runway after it crash landed at San Francisco International Airport July 6, 2013 in San Francisco, California. An Asiana Airlines passenger aircraft coming from Seoul, South Korea crashed while landing. There has been at least two casualties reported. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
  SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 06: A Boeing 777 airplane lies burned on the runway after it crash landed at San Francisco International Airport July 6, 2013 in San Francisco, California. An Asiana Airlines passenger aircraft coming from Seoul, South Korea crashed while landing. There has been at least two casualties reported. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
  SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 6: The remains of a Boeing 777 airplane sits on a tarmac after having crashed while landing at San Francisco International Airport July 6, 2013 in San Francisco, California. A passenger aircraft from Asiana Airlines coming from Seoul, South Korea crashed landed while on it's decent. No word so far on injuries or deaths. (Photo by Kimberly White/Getty Images)
  SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 6: (EDITORS NOTE: Retransmission with alternate crop.) A Boeing 777 airplane lies burned on the runway after it crashed landed at San Francisco International Airport July 6, 2013 in San Francisco, California. A passenger aircraft from Asiana Airlines coming from Seoul, South Korea crashed landed while on it's landing decent. No word so far on injuries or deaths. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
  Map locates San Francisco airport.; 1c x 3 inches; 46.5 mm x 76 mm;
  This photo provided by Wei Yeh shows what a federal aviation official says was an Asiana Airlines flight crashing while landing at San Francisco airport on Saturday, July 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Wei Yeh)
  This photo provided by Zach Custer shows smoke rising from what a federal aviation official says was an Asiana Airlines flight crashing while landing at San Francisco airport on Saturday, July 6, 2013. It was not immediately known whether there were any injuries. (AP Photo/Zach Custer)
  Emergency responders work at the site of the crash of Asiana Flight 214 at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, Saturday, July 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Bay Area News Group, John Green)
  Smokes rises from Asiana Flight 214 after it crashed at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, Saturday, July 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Bay Area News Group, John Green)
  Fire crews work the crash site of Asiana Flight 214 at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, Saturday, July 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Bay Area News Group, John Green)
  This aerial photo shows the wreckage of the Asiana Flight 214 airplane, right, after it crashed, as another plane approaches at the San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, Saturday, July 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
  Planes from various airlines are docked at the terminals after Asiana Flight 214 crashed at the San Francisco International in San Francisco, Saturday, July 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
  Investigators comb the end of a runway at San Francisco International Airport following the crash of Asiana Flight 214 on Saturday, July 6, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
  SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 7: In this handout photo provided by the National Transportation Safety Board, the wreckage of Asiana Airlines flight 214 lies near the runway following yesterday's crash, on July 7, 2013 in San Francisco, California. The Boeing 777 passenger aircraft from Asiana Airlines coming from Seoul, South Korea crashed landed on the runway at San Francisco International Airport. Two people died and dozens were injured in the crash. (Photo by NTSB via Getty Images)
  SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 7: In this handout photo provided by the National Transportation Safety Board, oxygen masks hang from the ceiling in the cabin interior of Asiana Airlines flight 214 following yesterday's crash, on July 7, 2013 in San Francisco, California. The Boeing 777 passenger aircraft from Asiana Airlines coming from Seoul, South Korea crashed landed on the runway at San Francisco International Airport. Two people died and dozens were injured in the crash. (Photo by NTSB via Getty Images)
  SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 7: In this handout photo provided by the National Transportation Safety Board, NTSB investigators examine the wreckage of Asiana Airlines flight 214 following yesterday's crash, on July 7, 2013 in San Francisco, California. The Boeing 777 passenger aircraft from Asiana Airlines coming from Seoul, South Korea crashed landed on the runway at San Francisco International Airport. Two people died and dozens were injured in the crash. (Photo by NTSB via Getty Images)
  People take a photo of the crashed Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 at San Francisco International Airport on July 7, 2013. US officials were combing through the wreckage of an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 passenger jet in San Francisco as they tried to determine why it crashed onto the runway, killing two people and injuring 182 others, on July 6. AFP PHOTO/JOSH EDELSON (Photo credit should read Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images)
  A United Airlines plane readies for take off next to the wreckage of Asiana Flight 214 at the San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, Sunday, July 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
  Dave Estrada, bottom right, photographs the wreckage of Asiana Flight 214 as a United Airlines plane arrives at the San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, Sunday, July 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
  INCHEON, SOUTH KOREA - JULY 08: Passengers who were involved in the San Fransisco plane crash arrive at Incheon International Airport on July 8, 2013 in Incheon, South Korea. Two people are dead and more than 180 injured after an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft coming from Seoul, South Korea crash-landed at San Francisco International Airport on July 6, 2013. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
  SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - JULY 08: Passengers from San Fransisco plane crash arrive at Incheon International Airport on July 8, 2013 in Incheon, South Korea. A Boeing 777 Asiana Airlines passenger aircraft coming from Seoul, South Korea crashed while landing. Two fatalities have so far been reported. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
  INCHEON, SOUTH KOREA - JULY 08: Passengers who were involved in the San Fransisco plane crash arrive at Incheon International Airport on July 8, 2013 in Incheon, South Korea. Two people are dead and more than 180 injured after an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft coming from Seoul, South Korea crash-landed at San Francisco International Airport on July 6, 2013. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
  INCHEON, SOUTH KOREA - JULY 08: Passengers who were involved in the San Fransisco plane crash arrive at Incheon International Airport on July 8, 2013 in Incheon, South Korea. Two people are dead and more than 180 injured after an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft coming from Seoul, South Korea crash-landed at San Francisco International Airport on July 6, 2013. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
  An unidentified family member of one of two Chinese students killed in a crash of Asiana Airlines' plane on Saturday, cries at the Airlines' counter as she and other family members check in a flight to San Francisco at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, China, Monday, July 8, 2013. The Asiana flight crashed upon landing Saturday, July 6, at San Francisco International Airport, and the two of the 307 passengers aboard were killed. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Criminal Defense Attorney Donald Flanary | State and Federal Crime Defense | Complex White Collar Fraud Cases |
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 14:36
  Donald H. Flanary III San Antonio, Texas
  Associatephone: 210-226-1463800-226-6465 (Toll Free)fax: 210-226-8367Email Me
  The best defense is a relentless offense
  I believe that when a citizen is accused of a crime, the best defense is a relentless offense! Every criminal accusation leveled by the government against a citizen is an attempt to deny that citizen's right to life, liberty, and happiness. I see our duty as more than just counselors and advocates, but as warriors. The only way to truly insure that we can get the best results for our clients is to fight as if every case is going to trial. I believe that every case should be pursued with this attitude in mind.
  In my tenure with the firm I have participated in a wide array of state and federal criminal trials and appeals. In addition to representing clients in many serious state criminal matters, I have represented a number of clients in large scale federal drug conspiracies, complex white collar fraud cases, and cases involving computers and internet crimes.
  I have been admitted to practice in the State of Texas, the United States District Courts for the Western and Southern Districts of Texas, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. I received my Juris Doctorate from St. Mary's University in 2004 and I hold a Master's Degree in International Relations. I am an active member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the American Bar Association, the National Bar Association, the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, the San Antonio Bar Association, and the San Antonio Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. I have lectured and written extensively in the areas of criminal law.
  Sincerely,Don Flanary
  Areas of Practice:Federal Drug Offenses (Possession with Intent to Distribute, Manufacturing of Controlled Substances)Organized Crime, RICOWhite Collar OffensesWire, Bank, Mail, and Credit Card FraudStructuring and Money LaunderingEmbezzlement / FraudWeapons, Explosives and Firearms OffensesMurder / ManslaughterSexual AssaultAggravated RobberyAggravated AssaultChild PornographyArsonSolicitation of a MinorSexual OffensesMisappropriation by FiduciaryDWI Manslaughter and AssaultBond HearingsExtradition and Rendition HearingsAppealsWrits of Habeas Corpus
  Bar Admissions:TexasU.S. District Court Western District of TexasU.S. District Court Southern District of TexasU.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit
  Education:St. Mary's University School of Law, San Antonio, Texas, 2004J.D.
  St. Mary's University, 2000Masters Degree: International Relations
  Texas A&M Commerce, 1999Bachelor of Science: Political Science and Philosophy
  Honors and Awards:St. Mary's School of Law, Pro Bono Achievement Award
  College of the State Bar of TexasMember
  Professional Associations and Memberships:National Association of Criminal Defense LawyersFederal Bar AssociationBar Association of the Fifth Federal CircuitAmerican Association for JusticeAmerican Bar AssociationNational Bar AssociationTexas Criminal Defense Lawyers AssociationTexas Young Lawyer AssociationSan Antonio Bar AssociationSan Antonio Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
  Seminars Taught:The 41th Annual Judge A. A. SemaanCriminal Law InstituteSan Antonio Bar AssociationApril 16-17, 2004
  17th Annual Rusty Duncan Advanced Criminal Law CourseTexas Criminal Defense Lawyers AssociationJune 2004
  Publications:The Endless Drug War: No Winners, Only Casualties; Understanding the Real Costs of U.S. Drug Policy; Jan/Feb Issue, Vol. 33 No. 1; Voice for the Defender; Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
  The Endless Drug War Part 2: The Erosion of Our Civil Liberties; Voice for the Defender; Spring 2004 Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
  SEARCH AND SEIZURE 2006 UPDATE19TH ANNUAL RUSTY DUNCANADVANCED CRIMINAL LAW SHORT COURSETEXAS CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYERS ASSOCIATIONSan Antonio, Texas; June 2006
  SEARCH AND SEIZURE 2006 UPDATEFEDERAL LAW, STATE DUI, AND DRUG TRACKTEXAS CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYERS ASSOCIATIONAustin, Texas; September 7 and 8, 2006
  NEW SEARCH AND SEIZURE CASES 2006NORML KEY WEST LEGAL SEMINAR 2006Key West, Florida; December 2006
  SEARCH & SEIZURE SEARCH ME, SEIZE ME SQUEEZE ME44TH ANNUAL CRIMINAL LAW INSTITUTEIN HONOR OF DISTRICT JUDGE A. A. SEMAANSAN ANTONIO BAR ASSOCIATIONSan Antonio, Texas; March 30-31, 2007
  SIGNIFICANT NEW SEARCH AND SEIZURE DECISIONSASPEN NORML LEGAL SEMINAR 2007The Gant HotelAspen, Colorado; June 9-10, 2007
  SEARCH ME, SEIZE ME, SQUEEZE ME '' THE PRINCIPLE FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE FOURTH AMENDMENTFEDERAL LAW AT THE FRENCH QUARTERHotel Monteleone in the French QuarterNew Orleans, Louisiana; March 6, 2008
  HOT NEW TRENDS FROM THE SUPREMES AND AROUND THE BLOCK45TH ANNUAL CRIMINAL LAW INSTITUTEIN HONOR OF DISTRICT JUDGE A. A. SEMAANSAN ANTONIO BAR ASSOCIATIONSan Antonio, Texas; March 27-28, 2008
  HOT NEW TRENDS FROM THE SUPREMES AND COURTS NEAR YOUFEDERAL LAW CONFERENCE 2008HIDALGO COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATIONSheraton ResortSouth Padre Island, Texas; March 27-28, 2008
  SUPREME COURT REVIEW '' WHERE WE'VE BEEN AND WHERE WE'RE GOIN' OVER THE NEXT 50 YEARSNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYERSNew York, New York; May 3, 2008
  HOT NEW TRENDS FROM THE SUPREMES AND AROUND THE BLOCKASPEN NORML LEGAL SEMINAR 2008The Gant HotelAspen, Colorado; June 6-7, 2008
  SEARCH ME, SEIZE ME, SQUEEZE ME '' THE PRINCIPLE FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE FOURTH AMENDMENT21th ANNUAL RUSTY DUNCANADVANCED CRIMINAL LAW SHORT COURSETEXAS CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYERS ASSOCIATIONSan Antonio, Texas; June 25, 2008 June 28, 2008
  2008 SUPREME COURT UPDATEADVANCED TRIAL SERIESTEXAS CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYERS ASSOCIATIONSheraton ResortSouth Padre Island, Texas; July 10, 2008
  2008 SUPREME COURT UPDATE34TH ANNUAL ADVANCED CRIMINAL LAW COURSE 2008STATE BAR OF TEXASMarriot RivercenterSan Antonio, Texas; July 28, 2008
  MOTIONS TO SUPPRESSDEFENDING DRUG CASES SEMINARNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYERSDouble Tree HotelHouston, Texas; November 13-14, 2008
  2008 SUPREME COURT UPDATENORML KEY WEST LEGAL SEMINAR 2008Key West, Florida; December 4, 2008
  REPRESENTATIVE CASES:
  Trials:U.S. v. Rana '' Medicare FraudU.S. v. Luczkow '' Income Tax Evasion, Filing False Tax ReturnsU.S. v. Martinez, R. '' Driving While Intoxicated on Military BaseU.S. v. Turley '' Driving While Intoxicated on Military BaseState v. Berlanga '' Injury to the ElderlyState v. Long '' Deadly ConductState v. Montez '' Aggravated Sex Assault, Aggravated Assault (3 Counts)State v. Pardue '' Engaging in Organized Crime, Promotion of GamblingState v. Abrego '' Driving While IntoxicatedState v. Gaona '' Assault Bodily Injury, FamilyState v. Martinez '' Driving While IntoxicatedState v. Salazar '' Driving While Intoxicated 2nd
  Federal Cases:U.S. v. Abuteir '' Tax FraudU.S. v. Aslam '' Bank Fraud, Access Device Fraud, Wire Fraud, Social Security Fraud, Structuring, Money LaunderingU.S. v. Bhojani '' Counterfeit CigarettesU.S. v. Bravo '' Distribution of CocaineU.S. v. Chicoine '' Copyright InfringementU.S. v. Garza '' Distribution of CocaineU.S. v. Hmaidan '' Counterfeit Cigarettes, Counterfeit CurrencyU.S. v. Hernandez '' Distribution of MethamphetaminesU.S. v. Light '' Distribution of Child PornographyU.S. v. Lemire '' Fraud to Obtain FirearmsU.S. v. Martinez, M. '' Sexual Abuse of a Minor or WardU.S. v. Menchaca '' Distribution of CocaineU.S. v. Monsavias '' Poss. Prohibited FirearmsU.S. v. Moore '' Distribution of MethamphetaminesU.S. v. Mora '' Alien SmugglingU.S. v. Ortman '' Poss. Prohibited FirearmsU.S. v. Patel '' Medicare FraudU.S. v. Pena '' BriberyU.S. v. Ramirez, Arturo '' USDA FraudU.S. v. Rich '' Insurance FraudU.S. v. Silva '' Distribution of CocaineU.S. v. Studenney '' Distribution of Child PornographyU.S. v. Weaver '' Manufacturing Marijuana
  State Felony Cases:State v. Adams '' Possession of Marijuana, 4oz to 5lbsState v. Alejandro '' Felon in Possession of a FirearmState v. Anderwald '' Drugs/Aggravated AssaultState v. Bryand '' Possession of Weapon in Prohibited PlaceState v. Clark '' TheftState v. Colflesh '' ArsonState v. Cruz '' Driving While Intoxicated, 3rdState v. Ferguson '' Aggravated Sexual Assault, Unauthorized Recording of SexState v. Geary '' Motion to Revoke ProbationState v. Guzman '' Possession of Controlled Substance 1-4g PG1State v. Harris '' Possession of Controlled Substance less than 1g PG1State v. Light '' Possession of Child PornographyState v. Long '' Evading Detention with a Vehicle, Aggravated Assault, Serious Bodily InjuryState v. McDowell '' Indecency with a ChildState v. McLean '' Possession of Controlled Substance 1-4g PG1, Possession of MarijuanaState v. Mitchell '' Possession with Intent to Deliver Controlled Substance 4 to 200 PG1, RepeaterState v. Morin '' Possession of Controlled Substance less than1g PG1State v. Ormston '' Solicitation of a MinorState v. Palme '' Possession of Weapon in a Prohibited PlaceState v. Puryear '' Theft 20k-100k, Possession Dangerous DrugState v. Ramos '' Possession of Marijuana, 4oz to 5lbsState v. Riten '' MurderState v. Rogier '' Obtaining Drugs by Fraudulent Scheme IIIState v. Stepherson '' Possession of Controlled Substance 1-4g PG1State v. Tavares '' ArsonState v. Widman '' Possession of Controlled Substance less than 1g PG1State v. Williams, Henry '' Possession of Controlled Substance less than 1g PG1State v. Williams, Nathan '' Attempt Possession of Controlled Substance less than1g PG1State v. Zapata '' Aggravated Sexual Assault of Child
  State Misdemeanor Cases:State v. Adams '' Theft $50-$500State v. Alvarez '' Failure to ID, Motion to Revoke ProbationState v. Ambeau '' Evading ArrestState v. Archie '' Possession of Marijuana, 0 to 2 ozState v. Arias '' Possession of Marijuana, 0 to 2 ozState v. Arias '' Driving While License InvalidState v. Bela '' Possession of Marijuana, 0 to 2 ozState v. Benavides '' Driving While IntoxicatedState v. Black '' Motion to Revoke ProbationState v. Castaneda '' Theft $50-$500State v. Chavarria '' Assault Bodily Injury, FamilyState v. Cruz '' Failure to IDState v. Farias '' TheftState v. Garcia '' Possession of Marijuana, 0 to 2 ozState v. Gonzalez, F '' TheftState v. Gonzalez, A '' Possession of Marijuana, 0 to 2 ozState v. Huron '' ProstitutionState v. Hall '' Driving While Intoxicated, Criminal MischiefState v. Harkal '' Burglary of Coin Operated MachineState v. Harris '' TheftState v. Jasinski '' Assault Bodily Injury, FamilyState v. Jordan '' Driving While Intoxicated; Dropped to Obstructing a HighwayState v. Luera '' TheftState v. Light '' Driving While IntoxicatedState v. Maciel '' Driving While Intoxicated, 2ndState v. Martinez, E. '' Possession of Marijuana, 0 to 2 ozState v. Mena '' Driving While IntoxicatedState v. Mendez '' Assault Bodily Injury, FamilyState v. Mincy '' Possession of Marijuana, 0 to 2 ozState v. Moldenhauer '' Possession of Marijuana, 0 to 2 ozState v. Ortiz '' TheftState v. Ortiz '' Unlawful Carry, Possession of Marijuana, 0 to 2 ozState v. Olivo '' Motion to Revoke Probation, Possession of Marijuana, 0 to 2 ozState v. Palmer '' Assault Bodily Injury, Family, Terroristic ThreatsState v. Parkison '' Resisting ArrestState v. Pacheco '' Assault Bodily Injury, Family, Violation of Protective Order, POM, DWIState v. Pearce '' Interference with Official DutiesState v. Pople '' Criminal TrespassState v. Puryear '' Possession Dangerous DrugState v. Ramirez '' Possession of Marijuana, 0 to 2 ozState v. Ramirez, Jose '' Driving While Intoxicated 2nd, Failure to IDState v. Ramos-Cuellar '' Driving While Intoxicated, TheftState v. Redlin '' Possession of Marijuana, 0 to 2 oz, Assault Bodily Injury, FamilyState v. Reynosa '' Failure to IDState v. Rich '' Texas Parks & Wildlife Deer Breeder ViolationsState v. Richardson '' Possession of Marijuana, 0 to 2 oz, Evading DetentionState v. Robinson '' Possession of Dangerous DrugState v. Sanchez '' TheftState v. Sanders, Emily '' Theft $500 to $1500State v. Santana '' Evading Detention, Hindering ApprehensionState v. Scott '' Telephone HarassmentState v. Smith, J. '' Possession of Prohibited KnucklesState v. Sosa '' Possession of Marijuana, 0 to 2 ozState v. Stephens '' Possession of Marijuana, 0 to 2 ozState v. Trevino '' Motion to Revoke ProbationState v. Teves '' Failure to IdState v. Tondre '' Possession of Marijuana, 0 to 2 ozState v. Ushery '' Criminal TrespassState v. Vasquez '' Possession of Marijuana, 0 to 2 ozState v. Vela '' TheftState v. Vigil '' Driving While License InvalidState v. Vonsneidern '' RacingState v. Williams '' Driving While License InvalidState v. Wood '' ProstitutionState v. Zangda '' Possession of Marijuana, 0 to 2 ozState v. Zangda '' Motion to Revoke Probation
  Appeals and Writs of Habeas Corpus:Federal:U.S.v. Forte '' Distribution of CocaineU.S.v. Rana '' Medicare FraudU.S.v. Moreno-Gonzalez '' Distribution of CocaineU.S.v. Mosely '' Distribution of MarijuanaU.S.v. Rana '' Medicare Fraud
  State:State v. Goodrich '' ManslaughterState v. Manziel '' Probation RevocationState v. Molina-Neave '' ExtraditionState v. Music '' Indecency with a Child, 7 CountsEx Parte Long - BondEx Parte Molina - Neave '' BondEx Parte Molina - Neave '' ExtraditionEx Parte Music - Indecency with a Child, 7 CountsEx Parte Riten - BondEx Parte Zapata - Aggravated Sexual Assault of Child
  Dismissals and Non-ProsecutionsU.S. v. Forte - Distribution of Cocaine Presidential Commutation
  U.S. v. Smyth - Possession of Explosives & FirearmsU.S. v. Ivone - Possession of Child PornographyU.S. v. Salas - Alien SmugglingU.S. v. Santana - Larceny on a Military BaseState v. Alvarez - Theft 50 to 500State v. Ambeau - Theft $1500-$20,000-vehicle, Evading Arrest with vehicleState v. Avila - Resisting ArrestState v. Beard - Possession of Marijuana, 0 to 2 ozState v. Benavides - Evading ArrestState v. Bermudez - Driving While IntoxicatedState v. Black '' Possession of Marijuana, 0 to 2 ozState v. Camacho '' Assault Bodily Injury, FamilyState v. Carroll '' Possession of Marijuana, 0 to 2 ozState v. Coleman '' Assault Bodily Injury, FamilyState v. Contreras '' Driving While IntoxicatedState v. Contreras, M. '' AssaultState v. Espinoza '' Driving While License InvalidState v. Fisher '' Criminal MischiefState v. Fleischacker '' Terroristic ThreatState v. Flowers '' Minor in Possession of AlcoholState v. Galloway '' Possession of Marijuana, 0 to 2 ozState v. Gardner '' Assault Bodily Injury, FamilyState v. Geary '' Assault Bodily Injury, FamilyState v. Gonzales '' Possession of Controlled Substance 1-4g PG1State v. Goff '' AssaultState v. Gradner '' Interference with 911State v. Hernandez, R. '' Possession of Controlled Substance 1-4g PG1, Theft $1500-$20,000 '' VehicleState v. Hernandez, L. '' Assault Bodily Injury, FamilyState v. Herrera '' GraffitiState v. Hussain '' Minor Driving Under the Influence of AlcoholState v. Hyatt '' Driving While IntoxicatedState v. Keen '' Assault Bodily InjuryState v. Lawrence '' Assault Bodily InjuryState v. Laughlin '' Criminal MischiefState v. Leal '' Racing Homicide (3 Counts)State v. Long '' Possession of Marijuana, 0 to 2 ozState v. McIntyre '' Assault Bodily Injury, FamilyState v. Morris '' Assault Bodily Injury, FamilyState v. Parkoff '' TheftState v. Peters '' Minor in Possession of AlcoholState v. Ramos '' AssaultState v. Reid '' Assault Bodily Injury, FamilyState v. Reder '' Driving While Intoxicated-Open Container, POMState v. Sanchez - Driving While License InvalidState v. Sears - Assault Bodily InjuryState v. Smith - Assault Bodily Injury, Family #1State v. Smith - Assault Bodily Injury, Family #2State v. Stephens - Assault Bodily Injury, FamilyState v. Tallon - Driving While IntoxicatedState v. Terrell - AssaultState v. Williams - Receiving Stolen ChecksState v. Williams, Nathan - Possession of Controlled Substance
Canadian Crime Stoppers Association
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 14:31
  What is Crime Stoppers?Crime Stoppers is a civilian, non profit, charitable organization that brings together in a triparte relationship, the police services of a community, the media and the community in the fight against crime.
  Crime Stoppers provides citizens with a vehicle to anonymously supply the police with information about a crime or potential crime of which they have knowledge. Cash rewards are offered to people who call the program and their information leads to an arrest.
  Who administers the Crime Stoppers Program?A volunteer board of Directors actively administers and is responsible for the program. The Crime Stoppers Society is a non-profit charitable organization and is responsible for raising funds and the disbursements of rewards. The Board of Directors work in close cooperation with the Police Department and all areas of the media.
  How is the Crime Stoppers program funded?Crime Stoppers is a Community Project supported by donations of money, goods or services. Contributions from individuals, corporations, clubs, professional associations, retailers, civic and social groups keep the Crime Stoppers program functional. All donations to a Crime Stoppers Society are tax deductible.
  How did Crime Stoppers begin?In July 1976, in Albuquerque New Mexico, a university student was killed during a gas station robbery. After 6 weeks of investigation the police had very few leads as to who was responsible. Police investigators thought that if the public was able to observe a re-enactment of the crime on television this might lead to a citizen providing information that may lead to an arrest.
  The police investigators were right. A0 caller contacted the police Department the next day after seeing the re-enactment. The tip information was enough to lead the police to the two men who were responsible. Within 72 hours of the re-enactment being aired, the police had solved the murder. This was the beginning of Crime Stoppers.
  Since the program started, there are now more than 1700 Crime Stoppers programs worldwide in 32 countries. More than 425,000 crimes have been solved since the programs inception and over $8 billion worth of stolen property and narcotics have been seized.
  How does Crime Stoppers work?The Crime Stoppers tip line is staffed by trained personnel who receive, process, and pass on tip information to investigating officers. Callers are given a code number which is used in all subsequent calls and callers do not have to identify themselves.
  A reward of up to $2,000 is offered to anyone providing information which leads to an arrest for a crime. Rewards may also be made for information leading to the recovery of stolen property, the seizure of illegal drugs or an arrest on an outstanding warrant.
  The media is a very important component of Crime Stoppers. An unsolved crime may be re-enacted and shown on television or may be publicized in a newspaper or aired on the radio. The media also brings the program to the attention of the public
  Note: This site does not accept Tip information. If you have information about a crime, phone 1-800-222-TIPS(8477). For the closest Crime Stopper Program to you, use this link to obtain the closest Crime Stoppers Program to you to submit your information. Note: Not all programs have 'web tip' capability.
VIDEO-Teenager jailed over 'sarcastic' Facebook post out on bail '-- MSNBC
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 14:28
  UPDATED, July 11, 2:28 p.m.
  San Antonio resident Justin Carter, 19, has been in jail for nearly four months. Carter says he has been assaulted repeatedly by other inmates and subsequently placed in solitary confinement. According to his lawyer, Carter is so depressed that he's on suicide watch, meaning that the jail guards have stripped him of his clothes and replaced them with only a gown.
  If convicted, Carter could expect up to a decade more of these conditions for the third-degree felony of making ''terroristic threats.'' All over a Facebook post his family and attorney say was entirely joking.
  Carter's troubles began on Feb. 13 of this year. During an argument on Facebook over the online multiplayer game League of Legends, some told Carter that he was ''crazy,'' according to his defense attorney, Donald Flanary III. Carter replied: ''I'm f'--ed in the head alright. I think I'ma shoot up a kindergarten and watch the blood of the innocent rain down and eat the beating heart of one of them.''
  Flanary told MSNBC the remark was ''crass and distasteful and crude,'' but argued that it did not constitute a legitimate threat.
  ''I think the whole conversation was crude and crass, as are many conversations online with people,'' he said. But he believes that the full context, which the state has not acquired from Facebook, ''would indicate unequivocally that [Carter's remark] was a joke.''
  One of Carter's interlocutors felt differently. A Canadian national took a screenshot of Carter's post and sent it to the Canadian Crime Stoppers Association, a nonprofit which collects anonymous tips regarding possible criminal activity and passes them along to the police. According to the organization's official site, Crime Stoppers pays out rewards of up to $2,000 to anyone whose tip leads to an arrest.
  In this case, it did. The information somehow made it was to the Austin Regional Intelligence Center (ARIC), a group comprised of ten different law enforcement agencies in three different Texan counties, devoted to counterrorism and combating organized crime. The Austin Police Department, believing Carter to be an Austin resident living within half a mile of an elementary school, issued an arrest warrant for the then-18-year-old.
  Carter had grown up in Austin, but he has since moved to the San Antonio area. Nonetheless, after his arrest, he was transferred to Austin's Travis County Jail. Carter's bail was set at $250,000. Because Carter didn't have the money to spare, he spent weeks in jail before it was determined that he did not fall under Travis County's jurisdiction.
  Instead of walking free, Carter was then transferred to the Comal County jail in New Braunfels, Texas, on March 27. A Comal County judge then doubled his bail, bringing it to a grand total of $500,000. He rejected a plea deal to serve eight years in jail, but on April 10, a grand jury indicted Carter made terrorist threats ''with the intent to cause impairment or interruption of communications, public transportation, public water, gas or public supply or other public service'' and to ''place the public or a substantial group of the public in fear of serious bodily injury.''
  Carter's mother, Jennifer Carter, started a Change.org petition begging for her son's release. As of press time, the petition has nearly 99,000 signatures. In the petition, Jennifer Carter describes her son as a ''good kid,'' and said the family was ''really confused and heartbroken'' by his incarceration.
  ''The authorities' over-reaction is ruining Justin's life,'' she wrote. ''And it's setting a dangerous example trying to punish kids who often say strange things that I believe are protected under freedom of speech. The justice system's abuse of Justin is wasting time and money that could otherwise be spent to help people who honestly need it!''
  Austin- based t-shirt company Victory Ink decided to help the family make bail by selling ''Free Justin Carter'' t-shirts and donating the proceeds to help Justin make bail.
  But Carter remains behind bars, awaiting a July 16 court hearing. In the meantime, Flanary said he has been repeatedly attacked and beaten by other inmates at the jail.
  ''When you are being assaulted, they don't put the other people in solitary,'' said Flanary. ''They just put you in solitary. And he was very depressed, so they put him on suicide watch as well. They took his clothes from him, put him in a gown, and put him in a very small cell at a very cold temperature with nothing but a surgical gown for months.''
  The Comal County District Attorney's office is not speaking to reporters about the Carter case, but they did provide MSNBC with a press release.
  ''Because of the nature of the case, we are aware that there is a significant amount of public interest in the case,'' reads the statement. ''However, ethical rules prohibit a prosecutor from making any statements to be disseminated by public means that could prejudice a pending criminal proceeding. Therefore, because this is a pending case, there is very little information we can provide at this time.''
  UPDATE: Justin Carter's attorney has confirmed that Carter is out on bail as of Thursday, July 11. An ''anonymous good Samaritan'' donated $500,000 to the Carter family so they could make bail for Justin, said defense attorney Don Flanary.
  CORRECTION, July 12 4:19 pm: Earlier version of this article said that Justin Carter had spent time in prison. In fact, he has only ever spent time in jail, as he has not been convicted.
Gazprom gets Kyrgyzstan Ga for $1
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 14:15
  From:
  To:
Pandora's Promise and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. '' What we missed - Atomic Insights
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 07:42
  Author blurb:Paul Lorenzini earned his PhD in Nuclear Engineering from Oregon State University and later earned a JD. He had a distinguished career in the electric utility business and was the Chief Executive Officer for NuScale Power for its first five years. He is now retired and sharing some of his thoughts about energy issues.
  By Paul Lorenzini
  Perhaps the most persistent criticism of ''Pandora's Promise'', the recently released documentary on nuclear power by producer-director Robert Stone, was its failure to give screen time to a credible anti-nuclear spokesperson. We got a glimpse of what we missed following the film's recent opening at the Jacob Burns Film Center in New York, where Andrew Revkin of the New York Times arranged and moderated a debate between Stone and Robert F. Kennedy jr. On substance, we didn't miss much. Yet it spoke volumes about the character of the nuclear power controversy itself.
  Having shaken the foundations of established environmental dogma when it was released earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, ''Pandora's Promise'' features five well respected environmentalists who have changed their minds about nuclear power. They tell their story and explain how and why they changed their position. While it is clearly pro-nuclear, ''Pandora's Promise'' is not an attempt to make the case by providing a documentary on nuclear power per se. Rather it does so by looking at the issues through the eyes of these environmentalists, operating on the premise that the intellectually curious will want to see just how they processed Fukushima, the waste issue, proliferation, radiation fears and so forth. That's the whole point.
  Yet it is fair to say one does get curious about how someone like Kennedy will respond as one watches the documentary unfold, so the debate served a useful purpose.Kennedy is identified by Revkin as ''the Pace University law professor and environmental firebrand'', a claim validated by his performance. As expected, Kennedy opens his attack with a broadside: the documentary is ''an elaborate hoax'', ''dishonest'', and ''almost every fact that is presented as fact is either untrue or misleading''. He then proceeds to offer a bromide filled with dishonesty and facts that are presented as facts that are either untrue or misleading.
  He begins with a statement no one believes: ''I am for nuclear power if we can make it economic and safe'' '' he is clearly not open to proof of either.On safety, he starts with an old canard, the Price Anderson Act. ''In this country, '' he says, ''a nuclear power plant cannot get insurance '... people on Wall Street have said you are too risky to insure.'' This means, he implies, we are not protected from nuclear accidents: '''... so every homeowner's insurance policy has a provision which says this policy does not protect you against radiation damage to you or your property against radiation from a nuclear accident.''Originally passed in 1957, the Price Anderson Act does give owners and manufacturers a limit on their liability in the event of a nuclear plant accident. But it also requires owners of nuclear plants to purchase insurance '' which they can and do '' and it requires these owners to add to that by participating in a $12 billion pool to assure that anyone affected by a problem at the plant receives financial protection. The existence of the pool is the reason nuclear accidents are excluded from normal homeowners policies '' they are already covered.
  And it works. The only time it was ever really called upon was after the 1979 accident at Three Mile Island, when funds were immediately made available to people who were evacuated. The total paid by these insurance pools from the beginning of time has been $71 million. Yes, coverage exists, you can buy it, and it is grossly misleading to claim you are not protected: you are. Urging its repeal today, as Kennedy does, might be worth debating points, but it would only remove a massive piece of protection for consumers.
  Kennedy then turns to economics. Cherry-picking the world's most expensive nuclear plant, the first-of-a-kind Finnish plant at Olkiluoto, he makes anecdotal economic comparisons between nuclear power, solar and wind. There are 69 nuclear plants under construction world-wide '-- all of them coming in well below the costs of the plant in Finland, the largest number being in China. Why would China pursue an uneconomic resource? But leave that aside.
  The real test is what has happened to prices where renewables have been subsidized and mandated by legislation. We have three clear cases to consider: California, Spain and Germany.
  In California, wedded to a renewables-only energy policy since the 1970's, prices have soared while industries have been fleeing the state. Industrial electricity rates are 50% higher than the national average while all of the nine surrounding western states are lower than the national average. The pattern is similar for commercial and residential rates.
  In Spain, renewables have been fueled by subsidies funded with government deficits. The deficit was $7.3 billion in 2012 alone, with recent downgrades from financial institutions as the accumulated deficit grows. The subsidies have become so costly they have been halted.
  Germany is perhaps the most salient example. After passing the National Energy Plan in 2000, calling for an all-out commitment to renewables and a phase-out of their nuclear plants, wind and solar have grown, dramatically fueled by generous subsidies, legislated mandates and preferences on the grid. So have prices. According to the International Energy Agency, ''Electricity prices in Germany, especially for household consumers, are among the highest in Europe.'' Between 2007 and 2011 constant prices increased by 40%. Only Denmark is higher.
  To recover the higher costs of wind and solar projects, investors receive a guarantee that the electricity they produce will be purchased at a fixed price for a period of several years. Last year alone, owners of wind and solar farms were paid EUR 14 billion ($18 billion), with an estimate that an additional EUR 100 billion will be paid by 2022 for facilities that have already been installed. These subsidies are recovered through a surcharge on household electric bills, 14% of bills last year. The environmental minister recently estimated the overall cost of the program, to include massive transmission system upgrades, will approach EUR 1 trillion. It's not complicated '' as Der Spiegel reported ''contrary to earlier forecasts, solar and wind farms are a long way from being able to produce energy at prices possible in coal-fired and nuclear plants.''
  Flying in the face of these remarkable facts, Kennedy then whines about the lack of subsidies in the U.S.. ''On a level field,'' Kennedy claims, ''we would beat nuclear power hands down.'' Then later, ''We aren't getting government support '' if we got a tiny fraction of what they got '...'' transitioning mid-sentence to another topic, but clearly implying federal subsidies are the only thing standing in the way of renewable development. But renewables are getting subsidies that dwarf anything being given to nuclear power today. According to the U.S Energy Information Administration, in FY 2010, the total subsidies to nuclear power through direct expenditures and tax incentives were $2.5 billion. The comparable figure for renewables was $14.7 billion. Of the tax preferences granted, according to the CBO, 4% went to nuclear and 68% went to renewables.
  On substance, Stone finally retorts ''I will not put documented untruths in my documentary.'' Yet there is more to this debate than the substance.
  What is on display here is an ideological hatred of all things nuclear. The thread running through Kennedy's rant is that only anti-nuclear advocates can be believed '' on anything. Nuclear proponents are simply bad people who can't be trusted. There is no room for two legitimate sides to this controversy. The producers and players in the documentary, he charges, were dishonest and basically lied. Plus, they are not even true environmentalists. In the end, the person who complained regularly during the debate about being marginalized spent most of his time marginalizing the documentary.
  In one sense, it's the ultimate cheap shot '-- any fair-minded person can see these are genuine people who have been dedicated to environmental causes for years and who came to their decisions at a very personal level. We may not agree, but let's at least respect their authenticity.
  Nevertheless it is part of the overall pattern, demonstrating how distorting the ideological lens can be. It is especially apparent in the discussion of radiation risks. Virtually every nuclear power issue runs through the core issue of radiation '' just what risks does it pose? The documentary addresses this in the most factual way possible '' it takes a radiation detector around the world to show just what natural radiation we receive wherever we are and just how widely varying the levels of exposure are. We find people walking the street unconcerned in Rio de Janeiro at higher levels than Japanese living near Fukushima who, because of fear, will not let their children play outdoors. Higher levels were shown in several places, not the least of which was a pristine location in the mountains of New Hampshire.
  Perhaps the most contentious issue related to the consequences of the accident at Chernobyl. The documentary bases its conclusions on a study conducted by eight United Nations agencies and the three most affected governments in Belarus, Russia and the Ukraine, supported by roughly 100 public health experts from around the world. Kennedy argues they can't be believed because they are biased. Stone rightly defends it as the most comprehensive study available and accuses Kennedy of doing what climate -change deniers do '' cherry-picking studies from groups and individuals who have an ideological bias to dispute what the mainstream scientific community is saying.
  It is a critical issue for Kennedy and anti-nuclear advocates because it neutralizes their central issue '' fear of radiation '' so by whatever means, it must be disputed. Make people afraid. The unfortunate reality is, by clinging to and exploiting the issue of fear, they have caused more human misery than any release of radiation from these accidents ever did. That was true at Three Mile Island, at Chernobyl and now at Fukushima.
  But the larger concern, the one that motivated Stone in the first place, is the ideological hatred of nuclear power which has caused us to lose focus on the real goals '' decarbonizing our energy portfolio by moving off fossil fuels, and making energy available to impoverished people throughout the world. ''We need everything'' Stone says '' yes wind, yes solar, but also nuclear, if we are to achieve these purposes. ''Is the goal simply more wind and more solar'', he asks, or is it to achieve these goals? Coal, the resource that dwarfs all others both on the question of health effects and carbon emission, is accelerating throughout the world (see here as well). How will we reverse this?
  Kennedy's anemic response is that he is fighting coal also. But is he? The reality is the policies he and the anti-nuclear community are pursing are resulting in more coal, more carbon and more health consequences, not less. There is anti-nuclear rapture that California's San Onofre nuclear plant was just shut down, taking roughly 2200 MW of capacity off line. It is being replaced in part by restarting retired fossil facilities. When Japan shut down its nuclear plants after Fukushima, coal consumption went up. In Germany, they are shutting down there nuclear plants but building new coal plants. In each of these cases, the clear priority is not global warming, it's shutting down nuclear power at any cost. That trumps everything else.
  We must ask why? At one point during the debate, moderator Andrew Revkin calls attention to a recent study by Paul Slovic, The Feeling of Risk. One of the world's most renowned experts on this subject, he argues that feelings about risk are strongly influenced by the feelings we have that come before we assess the risk. Ideology can predetermine our views of these risks.
  One cannot watch this debate and not be impressed by Kennedy's passion and conviction. At one point he puts his head in his hands evidencing his frustration. I was left wondering what ideology fuels such passion and such willingness to hang on to so many positions that simply fail on close examination '' what causes one to care more about stopping nuclear power than stopping coal? What accounts for the callous willingness to promote irrational fear of radiation, knowing full well the human toll it is taking?
  One reviewer summed it up as ''baby boomer environmentalists whose fear of anything nuclear grows from deep historic roots and whose self identities are too tightly bound to the expected tribal opposition to nuclear power.'' Perhaps.
  We are torn today between two views of our energy future and the only thing that separates them is whether or not nuclear power should be included. Nuclear power is critical because of the contribution it can make. Stone's plea is that this documentary will permit a more rational discussion of these very important questions. Let's hope it does.
  PS from Rod AdamsI think Paul is too generous by ascribing Kennedy's reaction to ''passion and conviction''. I cannot get past the fact that he makes luncheon speeches to fossil fuel trade organizations like the Colorado Oil and Gas Association in which he essentially asks them for money to support his causes (and his investments). His pitch is that his large, taxpayer subsidized wind and solar installations are actually just gas installations that will consume more of their product.
  I think that Kennedy, like many people that claim to be concerned about the environment, is more concerned about the impact that increasing nuclear energy output would have on his personal wealth and power.
The Illuminati & American History X (Why the Illuminati Will Fall?)
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: hollywoodilluminatidotcom
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 07:34
  The state was Virginia & the year was 1840. The tobacco plantation was owned by my great great great grandfather. He was an Englishman with the surname of Williamson. On his plantation, he not only held African Slaves but 30% of his labor force were Irish or White Anglo Slaves, which were even more common than black slaves in some parts of the U.S.
  His Irish Slaves were jealous of the African Slaves because the blacks lived on the plantation grounds and some times got to eat pig intestines or chitlins. The African Slaves were jealous of the Irish Slaves because they often had Irish Log Cabins off plantation grounds but many were malnourished.
  Both groups could have escaped or simply left and went Westwards but yet they stayed decade after decade and generation after generation because my great great great grandfather was an elite that knew how to break them in. In the case of the poor whites, the European Aristocrats in England and Germany had broken them in, centuries prior to the founding of the colonies. Many whites were generational slaves for European Elites.
  My great great great grandfather & his father, were getting red haired Irish slaves from Western Ireland because the Western Area of Ireland is where most of these red haired Irish people lived. The British had the Irish & White Slave Trade down to a science. (I know my shit bitches)
  My family was pretty much British and elite before the American Revolution, which was a war that was organized by the British-(turned) American Elites. The commoner white (present day White America that were pre-existing in America before the 1900's) didn't have the brain power or know-how to even begin the task of forging a country and breaking away from the British Crown.
  This is why things are so bad in America today, because the so called ''majority'' were never the ones who created this country and as we can see, they all watch Fox News, which is owned by British Intelligence, Saudi Arabia and operated by an Australian/British Agent for The Royal Crown. I mean, to watch Fox News and listen to those clowns, one may as well just sit around and listen to Queen Elizabeth or King Abdullah and follow their orders. It's pretty much the same thing.
  My English Family then started mixing with aristocratic French explorers, military men and merchants in Louisiana due to Chesapeake Consignment Agreements, which started domestic tobacco trade with the French Colony of Louisiana. The Chesapeake Consignment Agreements started up trades some where in the 1700's-1800's with other American-Euro Colonies instead of simply growing products, like tobacco & then shipping it all to England.
  As a result of my great great great grandfather trading with the French Colony, after the British instigated Civil War, one of his sons migrated from Virginia and into Louisiana and married into the Duplessis-Vinette French Creole Family, which hailed from Northern France into French-Canada, the Caribbean and Louisiana.
  So, while Paula Deen has these delusions, along with many other whites in the U.S., about the good-ole days of slavery and throwing slavery theme parties, my family actually owned many of these whites. Most whites in 1600's, 1700's and even in 1800's America were slaves or indentured debt servants. There is a good chance that my family owned Paula Deen's family. (I dined on the blood of white trash before & I will dine on the blood of white trash again. The great purge is coming soon.)
  My English Tobacco Growing Ancestors owned many whites that have the surname of ''Mc'' this or that. McDonald, McConnell, McWilliams, Deen, Williams, Scott are all surnames of whites that were once from slave families in the colonies. In fact, in New Orleans some whites even worked for Mixed-Race Creoles that were part African. This was mostly because the British/English could be so ruthless when it came to dealing with poor whites from England and the Irish Slaves.
  Even after the Civil War was over in America, there were still German Slaves in Germany and Irish Slaves in Ireland. Even today the IMF, British Royals and Global Bankers are gutting entire villages of young Irish and shipping them into Canada because these bankers want Irish Land. And last I checked, the Irish Leaders were praising the greatness of the IMF and bankers, so we still see this slave mentality among the Irish in Ireland.
  What made slavery so bad was the British System. Spain, France, Portugal & others wanted to either get rich or build a mini-society that reflected the mother country but the British & Dutch wanted a strict imperial system and started injecting brutal beatings, torture, capital punishment and even Satanic Sacrifices.
  Queen Elizabeth I, was a die hard Satanist. Queen Elizabeth I, was the main financier behind the spreading of Satanism and Sacrifices to the European Aristocratic Class.
  In fact, some of the oldest European Books on Demonology are in existence due to the British/German Royal Family and French Aristocratic Classes. Without Queen Elizabeth I, there would simply be no modern Satanism, that could be understood by Anglos or Western Europeans.
  By the time the late 1800's rolled around, the Royal Families out of England and The Netherlands were so possessed by demons that they decided it was time for them to use religion as a means of being viewed as Gods and Goddesses.
  This is how we got the modern day Illuminati and Free-masons which focus on Satan Worship. There was no hard core Satanic Worship going on among our Founding Fathers or in Freemason Lodges in the 1600, 1700 and early 1800'²s in the colonies but yet they all were Illuminati & Freemasons. They all had ''occult'' beliefes and rituals but this ''Hail Satan'' Era is mostly a British gift that was distributed really hard after the Civil War in America. Queen Elizabeth I, wanted a Satanic/Occult Society and Queen Elizabeth (present) is carrying out this agenda.
  Why are the British Royal Family and Queen of the Netherlands allowed to keep helpless servants on their estates, many of whom were born there and can't read or write? Surely in 2013 this is a human rights violation.
  Why are so many dead bodies turning up at the estates owned by Queen Elizabeth? Why were British Rock Bands and bands like The Rolling Stones allowed to sacrifice black kids, directly in hotel rooms back in New York City during the 1970'²s? Why is no one ever going to jail or getting in trouble? Religion was always used as a corrupting tool by the European Elites and maybe this is why most Americans rejected Christianity in colonial America.
  In fact, if a person was some how able to re-visit America, back in the 1700 and 1800's most places didn't even practice Christianity. In parts of Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia and what is now West Virginia, the white tribes, which were mostly Irish, poor white Anglo trash from rural England and Scottish, there just was't too much going on with Christianity. One could walk all day in pre-Civil War Virginia State & through many different white villages and NEVER see one single Christian Church or hear of any mention of a Jesus.
  These white folks were already forced into the Americas and then once they arrived in the colonies, they were slaves and after they were forced as expansion tools by people like my great great great great grandfather, most avoided organized religion like the plague because they knew that Christianity was a fake religion, set up by King George & King James, which was used as a means of enslavement by the British Royal Crown and European Elites.
  My point is that slavery and Christianity, in America, isn't an exact science that follows a clean cut path from a historic perspective.
  Most of the European Royal Families, even today, can not score above an ''average'' on an IQ Test. Due to centuries of in-breeding; their off spring were born defective.
  The European Royals grew upset, because there really is no hard core historic evidence that justifies genetic royalty or a Divine Right of Kings. There were two things that needed to be done, in order to keep the British Royal Family in power.
  They had to elevate the Anglo Peasants.
  And also fund research into early DNA/Genetics and Eugenics. All of these neat little tricks of spiking food & water with chemicals that cause brain damage and disease, came about because the Royal European Families didn't want their populations to be too smart.The British Royal Family could never be tolerated in France or present day Germany (which is why they left Germany & moved to England) but they are still tolerated by the British-Anglo, which proves that Anglos are an inferior tribe of people, before and after chemical warfare & eugenics.
  Eugenics isn't about the killing of the weak but instead it is about killing off the strong & smart, so that trash can continue their attempts to rule the world. This is why the New World Order looks so tri-polar.
  When we look at America in modern times, especially The South, we wonder why these people are so dumb & stupid, when for hundreds of years, the elites of Europe came to the colonies and set up international business/plantations, which led to the founding of our country. The intellectual center of the colonies was really the Southern U.S. The North East was always compromised with European Influences that were anti-American in nature.
  The entire point of the Civil War was to break apart American Wealth of American Elites and eventually hand everything over to forces out of the North East & Europe. The CIA(formed in the late 1800's by the British Royal Family), Radical Islam, Radical Christianity/Evangelicals and even Hasidic Judaism Radicals were the brain child of the European Royal Families/Rothschild Bankers & David Rockefeller because they wanted some way to re-colonize America and spread their disease of out dated greed/colonialism to the entire world.
  In 1913-1914 the Europeans started a Federal Reserve Private Banking System and snuck it onto the U.S. The Federal Reserve was a 100 year time bomb (100 years ago this year)-to bankrupt America as pay back to the colonies for declaring independence from England. As I write this post, The Federal Reserve is stealing 85 Billion Dollars a month of our money, sending it to private people in Europe and then charging us for this debt.
  But in order to do these thefts and crimes, the European Bankers and Royal Families had to flood the U.S. with even dumber Euro-peasants and this is when we got the migration into Boston & NY from Italy, Eastern Europe and even European Jews. And this is how they started the New World Order. The Federal Reserve is really in the business of directing our tax money out of America and into Europe, as well as being a way to drag the U.S. into endless wars, which only benefit Europe and even China.
  The Rockefeller Family in the 1920's argued against flooding the U.S. with criminal peasants from places like Ireland, Italy and Eastern Europe and wanted black & white intellectuals from America to lead the charge of the NWO because eventually the NWO would need to sell their agenda to the world. So, David Rockefeller started funding black intellectuals from the Southern US, setting them up in the North East and this is how we got the Harlem Renaissance. If the NWO/Illuminati would have followed what David Rockefeller wanted, then I would be more famous than Jay-Z and it would be a Glorious Occasion. In fact we wouldn't even have low level animals in positions of power or sitting in world government.
  But the mafia circles of criminal whites (Jews, Italians & others) were upset because they weren't considered ''white'' and there were even movements of Jews and Italians that actually went to court and petitioned to become ''white'' being that most White Americans referred to ethnic Europeans, that had darker features as ''colored'' or ''savage''. And even today, these really dumb groups of ''whites'' constantly try to elevate themselves by obsessing over negative aspects of other ethnic groups but they're all trash in my eyes.
  Jay-Z & Kanye's Niggaz in Paris Video from Rockefeller. The NWO thinks that they can toss up some dumb rappers and the world will bow down to the Illuminati? Just dumb. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG_dA32oH44
  When David Rockefeller let up on having an intellectual renaissance, we got flooded with criminal trash and this is the reason why the NWO can not seem to get its feet back on sound ground.
  The reason why we have criminal whites in the Federal Government that steal money, molest kids & use CPS as their personal sexual fantasy agency is because these whites are either the trash that migrated over to the U.S., in the 1900's or they are the off spring of former slave hands and come from generational slavery. Just look at our court system, Congress & Senate'.....that's what genetic trash looks like. They are there for a reason.
  The reason why we have Jay Z, Lady Gaga, Kanye and Beyonce along with other idiots being used to push the Illuminati and NWO is because there were elements in the 1940's, including Rothschild and the European Royal Families, that had grown scared of intellectual people and other elite families. I mean look at France, the French decapitated Marie Antoinette, which is why you do not have a King and Queen in France and the Royal Family in Belgium has less power than a muppet.
  The Illuminati has hit a dead end, because they do not have the intellectual weight nor charisma to take it any further, which is why you see them doubling down on corruption, gang mentalities, nuclear wars and still thinking that some politician, radio host, journalist or music artist (all from defective blood lines) is somehow going to sell, what has become, a Dead on Arrival Agenda.
  The Illuminati has no where to go but down. You can not have a bunch of idiots doing what they are trying to pull off. The NWO is a glass mansion built on a cracked, decayed and rotting foundation & if the public simply tosses the right stone or kicks it at the right angle'...'...it all crashes.
  ______________________________________________________________________________________
  The Canyons starring James Deen & Lindsey Lohan rounding out the cast http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOi_G62t2HM
  http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20716576,00.html
  Paparazzi calls Suri Cruise a ''bitch'' (That's why people need to carry around guns in Hollywood & NYC because some of these paparazzi aren't even legal citizens and they are way too aggressive) http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/suri-cruise-called-brat-b-paparazzo-article-1.1397122
  Philadelphia Cops taser some teen-age slut because she wouldn't give up the pussy http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2011/dec/15/philadephia-police-taser-girl-video
  Vampire Grave found in Poland http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/poland/10174137/Polish-archaeologists-unearth-vampire-grave.html
  Russian teenagers behead a homeless man and play soccer http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/484791/20130630/russian-teenagers-behead-decapitate-homeless-man-football.htm#
  FBI plotted to kill Occupy Wall Street Organizershttp://www.presstv.com/usdetail/312145.html
  Chem Trails are labeled by the government as ''Exotic Weapon Systems'' http://www.infowars.com/chemtrails-are-labeled-as-exotic-weapons-systems-on-record/
  Republican Governor of Maine kills a bill that would allow the sale of organic and healthy milkhttp://www.wisconsinagconnection.com/story-national.php?Id=1548&yr=2013
  Amanda Bynes back in love with Drake http://www.eonline.com/news/438465/amanda-bynes-latest-revelation-carmen-electra-and-drake-are-stunning
  Liev Schrieber not playing Chris Benoithttp://www.tmz.com/2013/07/11/liev-schrieber-chris-benoit-biopic-movie/?adid=hero4
  Prince William holds family meeting before birth of his child http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/prince-william-had-private-meeting-with-queen-elizabeth-ii-ahead-of-babys-birth-2013107
  California Prisons perform forced sterilization on female inmates http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/female-inmates-sterilized-state-approval-article-1.1392816
  New York Hospital harvest patient's organs while she was still alive http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/woman-wakes-organs-harvested-article-1.1393821
  Obama sends a gay homosexual pedophile ambassador to Dominican Republic & Dominicans protest (They aren't protesting because he is gay but because ambassadors from the U.S. are known to be pedophiles in many black & brown countries. The US State Dept is nothing but a spy/CIA and pedophile agency) http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/07/11/dominicans_rage_against_obamas_gay_ambassador_pick
  Charlie Sheen flies to Scotland to search for Loch Ness Monster http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/charlie-sheen-sought-loch-ness-monster-article-1.1395894
  Texas Governor, Rick Perry, wants to be president of the United States; so he takes a trip to Israel?http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jul/11/perry-trip-israel-sign-another-white-house-bid/
  (She is such a slut! Look at how you can see her bra!)
  Mexican Police Chief killed with a gun, given to drug cartels by the ATF & Eric Holder at the US Justice Dept (This has to be a crime against humanity) http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-atf-fast-furious-20130705,0,2692834.story
  Kip Moore rises up music charts http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-615/1569773/kip-moores-girl-hits-top-10-video-premiere-spikes-taylor-swifts-red
Agents Descend on a New York Gallery, Charging Its Owner - NYTimes.com
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 07:16
  Outside the rarefied world of art dealers and collectors, where discretion is often prized nearly as much as the art itself, the Nahmad family does not attract the same recognition as some of their fellow billionaires.
  But for those who trade in multimillion-dollar paintings, they have long been a major presence at the premier auctions held every spring and fall at Sotheby's and Christie's, where they often descend, wives and children included, and have been known to argue loudly with one another, even while others around them engaged in more genteel bidding.
  Despite sneers from some of their more staid peers who have accused them of unfairly negotiating special terms with auction houses, they are among the most powerful, wealthy and colorful members of the elite global club of fine art dealers.
  ''They have sold more works of art than anybody alive,'' Christopher Burge, the former chairman of Christie's New York, once said.
  Two men arrested on Tuesday as part of the investigation were Anatoly Shteyngrob and, back, a smiling Anatoly Golubchik.
  John Marshall Mantel for The New York Times
  But on Tuesday, the family's New York flagship gallery, the Helly Nahmad Gallery, at the opulent Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan, was filled with agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducting a raid. An indictment unsealed on Tuesday charged its owner, Hillel Nahmad, 34, with playing a leading role in a far-flung gambling and money-laundering operation that stretched from Kiev and Moscow to Los Angeles and New York.
  The case features a wide cast of characters, including a man described as a Russian gangster accused of trying to rig Winter Olympic skating competitions in Salt Lake City and a woman who once organized high-stakes poker games for some of Hollywood's most famous faces. In all, 34 people were charged on Tuesday with playing a part in what federal prosecutors described as two separate but interconnected criminal groups '-- one operating overseas and the other in the United States. Together, they are accused of laundering more than $100 million in gambling money.
  In addition to charges that Mr. Nahmad helped finance a multimillion-dollar gambling ring in the United States, the art dealer is accused of defrauding an unnamed person by selling him a painting for $300,000 when it was worth only $50,000, according to the indictment.
  Mr. Nahmad, the indictment said, also wired money '-- once for $500,000 and another time for $850,000 '-- from his father's bank account in Switzerland to a bank account in America to help finance the gambling operation.
  Hillel Nahmad
  PatrickMcMullan.com, via Associated Press
  The Nahmad family's rise to prominence dates from its roots in Aleppo, Syria, where the family's patriarch, also named Hillel, was a successful banker in the middle of the last century.
  He had three sons, David, Ezra and Giuseppe; Giuseppe died last year in London.
  David Nahmad, whose son Hillel ran the New York gallery, has been described as a risk-taker in both business and life. In Monte Carlo, he won the World Championship of Backgammon in 1996.
  Over the years the family has amassed an estimated 300 Picassos worth $900 million, and about 4,500 other works by artists including Monet and Mir", many secreted in a duty-free warehouse near the Geneva airport. It is a treasure that Forbes estimated to be worth over $3 billion. Before this week, Hillel Nahmad's gallery was a cynosure of refinement and wealth, with masters like Wassily Kandinsky and Francis Bacon on the walls.
  Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov
  Associated Press
  With an entrance at Madison Avenue and 76th Street, the gallery's connection with the Carlyle, itself synonymous with privilege, added to its prestige. The gallery has been at the Carlyle since at least the late 1990s.
  However, even before the F.B.I. raid at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, the gallery's windows were covered with brown paper, which is unusual since the spring art season is just kicking into high gear.
  A sign on the door said, ''We are closed for renovation, please ring the bell or call.''
  A man who answered the phone at that number declined to speak to a reporter.
  According to the indictment, Hillel Nahmad was one of the leaders of a ''high-stakes illegal gambling business run out of New York City and Los Angeles that catered primarily to multimillionaire and billionaire clients.''
  He was expected to surrender to the authorities in Los Angeles on Tuesday. His lawyer could not be immediately reached for comment.
  The indictment also named Molly Bloom, who made headlines in 2011 for her role in arranging clandestine games for high-rollers, including Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
  Federal law enforcement officials would not say whether the poker games Ms. Bloom ran in Los Angeles in 2011 came under scrutiny during the course of the investigation. But the charges in the indictment relate to her conduct between 2010 and the present. The indictment did not name any of the high-profile players who investigators said were involved in the poker games held in New York and Los Angeles.
  According to the indictment, the organization would enforce payment of gambling debts through coercion. One client surrendered a 50 percent interest in his business, Titan P&H plumbing company in the Bronx, to repay a $2 million gambling debt. Some of the money generated by the scheme was also used to buy expensive property, including an apartment at Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue.
  One of the defendants, Vadim Trincher, helped run the scheme from the $5 million apartment, according to prosecutors, who said that $75,000 in cash and $2 million in chips from the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas were seized from the apartment.
  At the center of the overseas operation detailed in the indictment was Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov, 64, whom prosecutors describe as the leader of a Russian organized-crime gang.
  Mr. Tokhtakhounov, according to the indictment, was a ''Vory V Zakone,'' sometimes known as a Vor or a ''thief in law,'' the highest level of Russian gangsters.
  Between December 2011 and January 2012, Mr. Tokhtakhounov was paid $10 million for his leadership role in the organization, according to the indictment.
  Mr. Tokhtakhounov, the indictment said, oversaw the laundering of money generated by a huge sports-betting operation in the former Soviet Union that served Russian oligarchs.
  Mr. Tokhtakhounov, who remains at large, was indicted in 2002 on charges that he was part of a scheme to rig the results of the Winter Olympic finals in Salt Lake City in pairs figure skating and ice dancing.
  In July 2002, Italian tax authorities detained Mr. Tokhtakhounov at his villa in Tuscany at the request of federal prosecutors in New York.
  According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan in that case, he was accused of working with an unidentified member of a Russian crime gang and an unidentified Russian skating official to rig the competition. He helped secure a gold medal for Russia in the pairs event in exchange for a victory for the French ice dancing team, according to the complaint.
  However, Italy's highest court overturned an extradition order, and he was never brought to the United States to stand trial.
  In 2008, Mr. Tokhtakhounov, who has been linked with powerful Russian politicians, including some close to President Vladimir V. Putin, was interviewed by ESPN and denied all the charges against him regarding the Olympics scandal.
  ''All that's being written about me is completely untrue,'' he said. Still, he seemed to revel in his lavish lifestyle.
  ''I am not a poor man,'' he said. ''I am a wealthy man. I work a lot. I work hard.''
  James Barron and Colin Moynihan contributed reporting.
The Prestige (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 13 Jul 2013 06:43
  Touchstone opted to move the release date up a week, from the original October 27, to October 20, 2006.[34] The film earned $14,801,808 on opening weekend in the United States, debuting at #1. It grossed $109 million, including $53 million from the United States.[1] The film received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Art Direction and the Academy Award for Best Cinematography,[35] as well as a nomination for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form in 2007.[36] Along with The Illusionist and Scoop (also starring Jackman and Johansson), The Prestige was one of three films in 2006 to explore the world of stage magicians.
  Critical response[edit]The Prestige received generally favorable reviews from film critics.[37]Rotten Tomatoes reported that 76% of critics gave the film positive reviews, with an average score of 7.1/10, based upon a sample of 179 reviews.[38] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 66, based on 36 reviews.[37] Claudia Puig of USA Today described the film as "one of the most innovative, twisting, turning art films of the past decade."[39]Drew McWeeny gave the film a glowing review, saying it demands repeat viewing,[40] with Peter Travers of Rolling Stone agreeing.[41]Richard Roeper and guest critic A.O. Scott gave the film a "two thumbs up" rating.[42][43] Todd Gilchrist of IGN applauded the performances of Bale and Jackman whilst praising Nolan for making "this complex story as easily understandable and effective as he made the outwardly straightforward comic book adaptation (Batman Begins) dense and sophisticated... any truly great performance is almost as much showmanship as it is actual talent, and Nolan possesses both in spades."[44]CNN.com and Village Voice film critic Tom Charity listed it amongst his best films of 2006.[45]Philip French of The Observer recommended the film, comparing the rivalry between the two main characters to that of Mozart and Salieri in the highly acclaimed Amadeus.[46]
  On the other hand, Dennis Harvey of Variety criticized the film as gimmicky, though he felt the cast did well in underwritten roles.[47] Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter felt that characters "...are little more than sketches. Remove their obsessions, and the two magicians have little personality."[48] Nonetheless, the two reviewers praised David Bowie as Tesla, as well as the production values and cinematography. On a simpler note, Emanuel Levy has said: "Whether viewers perceive The Prestige as intricately complex or just unnecessarily complicated would depend to a large degree on their willingness to suspend disbelief for two hours." He gave the film a B grade.[49]
  Roger Ebert gave the film three stars out of four, describing the revelation at the end a "fundamental flaw" and a "cheat." He wrote, "The pledge of Nolan's The Prestige is that the film, having been metaphorically sawed in two, will be restored; it fails when it cheats, as, for example, if the whole woman produced on the stage were not the same one so unfortunately cut in two."[50] R.J. Carter of The Trades felt, "I love a good science fiction story; just tell me in advance." He gave the film a B-.[51]Christopher Priest, who wrote the novel the film is based on, saw it three times as of January 5, 2007, and his reaction was "'Well, holy shit.' I was thinking, 'God, I like that,' and 'Oh, I wish I'd thought of that.'"[52]
  In 2009, The A.V. Club included The Prestige in their best films of the decade list.[53]
  Music[edit]English musician and film score composer David Julyan penned the music for The Prestige. Julyan had previously collaborated with director Christopher Nolan on Following, Memento and Insomnia. Like the film, the soundtrack was divided into three sections: the Pledge, the Turn, and the Prestige.[54]
  Track listing[edit]All music composed by David Julyan.
  1."Are You Watching Closely?" 1:512."Colorado Springs" 4:153."The Light Field" 1:504."Borden Meets Sarah" 2:115."Adagio for Julia" 2:036."A New Trick" 4:297."The Journal" 2:558."The Transported Man" 2:369."No, Not Today" 2:3110."Caught" 1:3911."Cutter Returns" 2:1312."The Real Transported Man" 2:2813."Man's Reach Exceeds His Imagination" 2:0814."Goodbye to Jess" 2:5315."Sacrifice" 5:1516."The Price of a Good Trick" 5:0517."The Prestige" 1:40Some critics were disappointed with the score, acknowledging that while it worked within the context of the film, it was not enjoyable by itself.[55][56] Jonathan Jarry of SoundtrackNet described the score as "merely functional," establishing the atmosphere of dread but never taking over. Although the reviewer was interested with the score's notion, Jarry found the execution was "extremely disappointing."[55]
  Christopher Coleman of Tracksounds felt that though it was "...a perfectly fitting score," it was completely overwhelmed by the film, and totally unnoticed at times.[56] Christian Clemmensen of Filmtracks recommended the soundtrack for those who enjoyed Julyan's work on the film, and noted that it was not for those who expected "any semblance of intellect or enchantment in the score to match the story of the film." Clemmensen called the score lifeless, "constructed on a bed of simplistic string chords and dull electronic soundscapes."[57]
  The song "Analyse" by Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke is played over the credits.[58]
  Home media[edit]The Region 1 disc is by Buena Vista Home Entertainment, and was released on February 20, 2007, and is available on DVD and BD formats.[59] The Warner Bros. Region 2 DVD was released on March 12, 2007.[60] It is also available in both BD and regionless HD DVD in Europe (before HD DVD was canceled). Special features are minimal, with the documentary Director's Notebook: The Prestige '' Five Making-of Featurettes, running roughly twenty minutes combined, an art gallery and the trailer. Nolan did not contribute to a commentary as he felt the film primarily relied on an audience's reaction and did not want to remove the mystery from the story.[61]
Articles: Why the Zimmerman Prosecutors Should Be Disbarred
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  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 22:31
  Toward the end of his closing statement on Thursday, Florida Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda posted a slide on a screen in a fifth-floor Seminole County courtroom.
  "Which Owner would be more inclined to yell for help?" read the banner on the top of the slide. The slide was divided in two. On the left was a photo of George Zimmerman's Kel-Tec PF-9 9mm handgun, and on the right was a can of Arizona Watermelon Fruit Juice Cocktail. Beneath the photo of the gun was the question, "Who followed?" Under the can was the question, "Who ran?"
  So absurd was de la Rionda's presentation, and the whole case for that matter, that the can was turned sideways so the label could not be read. Throughout the trial, prosecutors have called the drink "iced tea" lest the word "watermelon" be said in court. "F***ing" was okay. De la Rionda said it more times than the average rapper, but "watermelon," apparently because of its racial connotations, was not.
  Hiding the word "watermelon" was the least of de la Rionda's dishonesties. This one slide had several built in. As to who ran, Martin had four minutes to run the 100 or so yards to the house he was visiting. When he attacked Zimmerman, he was still 70 or so yards from that townhouse. Do the math.
  Then, too, from the day the State took over the case, prosecutors knew that Zimmerman was the one screaming for help. All evidence supported that save for the dubious identification by Martin's mother. If the State's jobs were to sow the seeds of reasonable doubt, one could forgive them this deception, but that's not the State's job. That's the defense's.
  The State's job is to make the case for the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Fifty years ago, in Brady v. Maryland, the U.S. Supreme Court established that a prosecutor's responsibility was "to seek justice fairly, not merely win convictions by any means." In the case at hand, this meant that the State of Florida had the responsibility to share promptly all exculpatory evidence with the defense. It did not.
  One substantial block of evidence that it kept to itself until a whistleblower alerted the defense was the content of Martin's cell phone. On Tuesday night of this week, phone expert Richard Connor made a detailed presentation. Although the jury was not present, the respective attorneys were, as were the media.
  For dubious and probably reversible reasons, Judge Debra Nelson disallowed Connor's testimony, but prosecutors have known for many months about the downward spiral of Martin's life. In the course of his close, de la Rionda called Martin an "innocent young boy" and made several other allusions to that effect. He was intentionally deceiving the jury. Martin was neither little nor innocent.
  Consider the following exchange from November 2011, three months before the shooting. After Martin told a female friend he was "tired and sore" from a fight, she asked him why he fought. "Bae" is shorthand for "babe."
  MARTIN: Cause man dat nigga snitched on me
  FRIEND: Bae y you always fightinqq man, you got suspended?
  MARTIN: Naw we thumped afta skool in a duckd off spot
  FRIEND: Ohh, Well Damee
  MARTIN: I lost da 1st round :( but won da 2nd nd 3rd . . . .
  FRIEND: Ohhh So It Wass 3 Rounds? Damn well at least yu wonn lol but yuu needa stop fighting bae Forreal
  MARTIN: Nay im not done with fool..... he gone hav 2 see me again
  FRIEND: Nooo... Stop, yuu waint gonn bee satisified till yuh suspended again, huh?
  MARTIN: Naw but he aint breed nuff 4 me, only his nose
  The fight followed the mixed martial arts (MMA) format. A day later, Martin would tell a friend that his opponent "got mo hits cause in da 1st round he had me on da ground nd I couldn't do ntn."
  As the girl complained, Martin was "always" fighting. He was also something of a sadist. His opponent, after all, did not bleed enough. Why might this be relevant?
  Jonathan Good, the closest of the eyewitnesses to the shooting, confirmed last week the testimony he gave on the night of the shooting, specifically that there was a "black man in a black hoodie on top of either a white guy ... or an Hispanic guy in a red sweater on the ground yelling out help," and that black man on top was "throwing down blows on the guy MMA [mixed martial arts] style." That is right: "yelling out help."
  On January 6, 2012, Martin got into trouble at school again. When asked why, he told a friend, "Caus I was watcn a fight nd a teacher say I hit em." Said the friend, "Idk how u be getting in trouble an sh**." By this time, Martin's mother had thrown him out of the house for "fightn," and he had moved in with his aunt and uncle.
  Martin's younger half-brother, Demetrius Martin, sent one of the more indicative messages. Last seen in the media crying as he remembered his brother during a "March for Peace," Demetrius asked Martin when he was "going to teach me to fight."
  "This defendant didn't give Trayvon Martin a chance," said de la Rionda. No, it was the State of Florida, the Department of Justice, and even the president that didn't give Zimmerman a chance. Someone should pay.
Opinion: Zimmerman trial is about race - CNN.com
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  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 22:21
  Photos: Zimmerman trial in death of Trayvon Martin
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  STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  Roxanne Jones: We have all been duped in the Trayvon Martin caseJones: This case was never "open and shut" as the Martin family attorney said earlierShe says race still matters deeply in our courtrooms, just as it does in our nationJones: In Zimmerman trial, the prosecution appears to be lying low and taking punchesEditor's note: Roxanne Jones is a founding editor of ESPN The Magazine and former vice president at ESPN. She is the CEO of The Push Marketing Group. Jones is an award-winning editor, reporter, writer and producer who has also worked at the New York Daily News and The Philadelphia Inquirer across news and sports. She is co-author of "Say It Loud: An Illustrated History of the Black Athlete" (Random House).
  (CNN) -- We have all been duped in the Trayvon Martin case. Bamboozled.
  This case was never "open and shut" as Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump insisted in a news conference at the start of the trial. I doubted it was that easy from Day One.
  Said Crump then: "The jury will have to hear all of the evidence. We think this is a simple case. No. 1: Zimmerman was a grown man with a gun. No. 2: Trayvon was a child with no blood on his hands. Literally."
  Roxanne Jones
  When I heard Crump's words, I was immediately suspicious. Could it really be that simple? Or was the attorney just trying to placate a grieving family and spin an angle for the media? Did Crump really believe that "Justice for All" had finally arrived in our nation? And that the damning stereotypes associated with race and class would have no room in a Florida courtroom where George Zimmerman is being charged with second-degree murder in the death of Martin?
  Get the latest updates at HLNTV.com's live blog
  I'm no cynic but I am a realist. A realist who's covered enough criminal trials to know for certain that the trial that plays out in the public over pep rally vigils and celebrity protests is never the trial that unfolds in the courtroom. I understand that race still matters deeply in our courtrooms, just as it does in our nation. And there's no getting away from that fact.
  As the trial of Zimmerman continues, nothing is as simple as it seems.
  "This case is a perfect storm," says Xavier Donaldson, a defense attorney and former prosecutor in New York. "You have to look at the nature of the case and the racial, political and social economics of the defendant and accused. You have a young black kid, walking with a sweatshirt on and some guy, who wants to be a cop, assumes he's a criminal and shoots him dead." Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.
  Trayvon Martin Shooting: Fast Facts
  "Zimmerman had an image in his community as a good guy, who wanted to protect people. So he -- and not Martin, the victim -- has gotten the benefit of presumption of innocence. Normally, in murder cases that doesn't happen. People generally believe that if you've been arrested and charged that you must have done something wrong, but those lines are blurred here," says Donaldson.
  It seems Zimmerman, in part because he belonged to his neighborhood watch group, has been granted the status of a police officer. He even has police officers testifying in his favor that Trayvon's father, Tracy Martin, told them that the voice screaming for help on the 911 call was "not his son" when he heard the tape for the first time. The father strongly denies he said those words to the police.
  Normally, the prosecutor in a high-profile murder case puts forth evidence to prove the defendant's guilt and aggressively goes after any notion that suggests that the victim is at fault. The prosecution's goal is to do anything it can to convince a jury that the killer is a menace that needs to be taken off the street. That's how the battle is won in the courtroom.
  But in the trial of Zimmerman, the prosecution -- Richard Mantei -- appears to be lying low and taking too many punches. Could it be that Mantei himself buys into the theory that Zimmerman is some misunderstood do-gooder in the community? It's just puzzling.
  Words matter, as we have seen over the course of the trial. So when Mantei told the court before resting his case: "There are two people involved here. One of them is dead, and one of them is a liar," I was shocked.
  This is a murder case. One person is dead, and the other person is a murderer. Those words more accurately describe the facts presented in the case. There is no question that Zimmerman killed Martin, so there's no reason to tiptoe around the words.
  And that's exactly what is so troubling for myself and many others, especially in the black community. It has been all too easy an idea for people to entertain that Martin did something to cause his own murder. History tells us that in our nation's courtrooms and even outside of those walls, my son, your son, our sons still don't have the presumption of innocence, even when they are the victims of a murder.
  "I would have told Martin's parents, 'prepare for hell,' " says Donaldson. "It will not be easy. They will present evidence that will make your son look like the worst criminal. The defenses' goal is to turn your son into the criminal here and make him guilty of the crime."
  No one knows yet how this trial will end. Donaldson feels it's too close to call until rebuttals are made and the case wraps up. "It could go either way," Donaldson says.
  But I do know one thing: We should not have to wear a Trayvon T-shirt to an awards show or attend a pep rally to remind America that when an unarmed child is confronted and gunned down in the street by a grown man who's trained to kill, that's murder. End of story.
  Follow@CNNOpinion on Twitter.
  Join us atFacebook/CNNOpinion.
  The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Roxanne Jones.
Army Says War Records Gap Is Real, Launches Recovery Effort - ProPublica
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  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 20:16
  Army Secretary John McHugh confirms to members of Congress that commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan failed to keep required field records: ''Steps are being taken to make sure this doesn't happen again.''
  An Army sergeant from Alpha Company 1-325 of the 82nd Airborne Division prepares to search a home in the Hurriyah neighborhood of Baghdad, Iraq, in September 2007. Among the missing war records are nearly all those from the 82nd Airborne Division. (John Moore/Getty Images)
  The U.S. Army has conceded a significant loss of records documenting battlefield action and other operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and has launched a global search to recover and consolidate field records from the wars.
  In an order to all commands and a separate letter to leaders of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Secretary of the Army John McHugh said the service also is taking immediate steps to clarify responsibility for wartime recordkeeping.
  The moves follow inquiries from the committee's leaders after a ProPublica and Seattle Times investigation last year reported that dozens of Army and National Guard units had lost or failed to keep required field records, in some cases impeding the ability of veterans to obtain disability benefits. The problem primarily affected the Army but also extended to U.S. Central Command in Iraq.
  McHugh, in his letter to committee leaders, said that while the Army had kept some of the required records, ''we acknowledge that gaps exist.''
  And in an enclosure responding to specific questions from the committee, McHugh confirmed that among the missing records are nearly all those from the 82nd Airborne Division, which was deployed multiple times during the wars.
  McHugh's letter was addressed to Chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla., and the panel's senior Democrat Michael Michaud of Maine, who said in an email Friday that the records were of critical importance to veterans.
  ''The admission that there are massive amounts of lost records is only the first step,'' Michaud said. ''I appreciate the Army issuing orders to address this serious problem, but I'm concerned that it took a letter from Congress to make it happen.''
  ''Our veterans have given up so much for our country, and they deserve a complete record of their service '' for the sake of history as well as potential disability claims down the road,'' he said.
  A call and an email to Miller were not returned. Maj. Chris Kasker, an Army spokesman, said McHugh was not available for further comment.
  In his order to Army commands, McHugh notes that units are required under federal law to keep field records, including ''daily staff journals, situation reports, tactical operations center logs, command reports, (and) operational plans.''
  ''In addition to providing support for health-related compensation claims, these documents will help capture this important period in Army history,'' he wrote.
  But ProPublica and the Seattle Times uncovered assessments by the Army's Center of Military History showing that scores of units lacked adequate records. Others had wiped them off computer hard drives amid confusion about whether classified materials could be transferred home.
  In one 2010 report, investigators found infighting between the Army and U.S. Centcom over recordkeeping in Iraq and ''the failure to capture significant operational and historical" materials in the theater.
  The missing records do not include personnel files and medical records, which are stored separately from the field records that detail day-to-day activities.
  McHugh's response to the congressmen said Army rules delegate recordkeeping responsibility to commanders at all levels, but they weren't always followed.
  ''Although numerous directives have been issued to emphasize the importance of the preservation of records,'' the response says, ''these directives unfortunately were often overcome by other operational priorities and not fully overseen by commanders.''
  ''Steps are being taken now to make sure this does not happen again,'' the letter says.
  McHugh's order launching an Army-wide search for records also shifts responsibility for maintaining them in a new central repository.
  Under regulations, individual units are charged with maintaining their records under the direction of the Army's Records and Declassification Agency (RMDA), which archives some records but is not required to collect them. Separately, the Center of Military History sends trained historians into combat zones to collect materials to write the official history of the Army campaigns.
  In Iraq and Afghanistan, the historians found themselves becoming de facto archivists in combat, chasing down what field reports they could find. Their reports of missing or inadequate recordkeeping prompted alarms and complaints from military and civilian historians but little corrective action from Army brass.
  Emails obtained by ProPublica show that the Center of Military History and RMDA have long argued about which Army branch should be gathering different records. Now, McHugh's memo orders commands to send whatever they have to the Center, which is to assess what the Army does and does not have by Dec. 31.
  Calls to the Center for Military History were not returned. Officials at the National Organization of Veterans' Advocates, which had called on the Army to reconstruct missing field records, were not immediately available for comment.
Federal Funding for Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs | The National Campaign
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  Archived Version
  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 20:06
  The Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Program, administered by the Office of Adolescent Health (OAH), was initially funded at $110 million for FY 2010. Funding was cut to $105 million in FY 11. This funding provides competitive grants to a broad range of organizations and agencies to implement evidence-based programs to prevent teen pregnancy. The grants (known as cooperative agreements) will run for five years, contingent upon funding being appropriated each year. The $105 million for FY 11 includes:
  $75 million for 75 ''Tier 1'' grants to replicate teen pregnancy prevention programs that have shown to be effective through rigorous evaluation.$25 million for ''Tier 2'' grants to develop, replicate, refine and test additional models and innovative strategies to reduce teen pregnancy. OAH awarded 19 grants totaling $15 million; the remaining $10 million supports eight grants awarded in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for community-wide initiatives to prevent teen pregnancy in communities with the highest rates.An additional $5 million is available for program support, including evaluation, training, technical assistance for the grantees. When the program was originally created in FY 10, funding for program support was $10 millionResources
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Community-Wide Initiatives to Reduce Teen PregnancyIn partnership with OAH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded competitive grants to 8 state and local organizations for a project to advance community-wide strategies to reduce teen pregnancy. These grants were funded with a portion of the $25 million in Tier 2 funding above. In addition, 5 national organizations, including The National Campaign, received grants funded by CDC. These national, state, and local organizations will work together to promote the use of evidence-based programs, educate community leaders about the importance of preventing teen pregnancy, and connect youth to clinical services. For more information about this initiative and the grantees, click here.
  Pregnancy Assistance FundOAH awarded competitive grants to 17 states and tribes for projects to support pregnant and parenting teens and women. Programs will provide support for teens in high schools and community service centers, young women in institutions of higher education, victims of domestic violence in partnership with the state attorney general's office, and will raise public awareness about these services. For more information from OAH, click here.
PocketSpacecraft.com | Open source open access personal space exploration
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  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 18:52
  Have you ever dreamt of exploring the solar system with your own spacecraft?
  Well finally you can!
  We've developed a very low cost, open source, open access, mass space exploration system that anyone can use, and we need your help to send your very own Pocket Spacecraft, and thousands of others, on a first of its kind expedition to the moon.
  We're a global team of scientists, engineers and designers that have worked on this concept at some of the world's leading universities and come together to kick start the personal interplanetary space age and give you the opportunity to become a hands on citizen space explorer. Explorers who back the project can personalise their own spacecraft by adding a picture and customising the message it transmits using just their web browser. More technical explorers can even customise software and hardware.
  Check out our KickStarter project for details and join us on an expedition to the moon!
VIDEO-Send your own Pocket Spacecraft on a Mission to the Moon! by Pocket Spacecraft '-- Kickstarter
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  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 18:49
  Have you ever dreamt of exploring the solar system with your own spacecraft?
  Well finally you can!
  We've developed a very low cost, open source, open access, mass space exploration system that anyone can use, and we need your help to send your very own Pocket Spacecraft, and thousands of others, on a first of its kind expedition to the moon.
  We're a global team of scientists, engineers and designers that have worked on this concept at some of the world's leading universities and come together to kick start the personal interplanetary space age and give you the opportunity to become a hands on citizen space explorer. Explorers who back the project can personalise their own spacecraft by adding a picture and customising the message it transmits using just their web browser. More technical explorers can even customise software and hardware.
  Smaller than a CD and as thin as a piece of paper, you'll be able to watch online as your Pocket Spacecraft is built in the lab and loaded into an Interplanetary CubeSat Mothership. Having hitched a ride into space on a commercial rocket, some Pocket Spacecraft will be released into space to flutter to the ground to demonstrate landing on a planet with an atmosphere (the Earth). The mothership will set off to the moon where, when it arrives many months later, the rest of the Pocket Spacecraft will be released, photographed and then land on the moon to complete the mission.
  You'll monitor progress throughout with your own Pocket Mission Control app - track the progress of your spacecraft as it is designed, built and travels through space. See data from your spacecraft's instruments as it arrives, relayed from space by a global ground station network direct to your smartphone. Hold your phone up to the sky and use the augmented reality feature to point out exactly where your spacecraft is!
  Never before will private individuals have had such a hands on opportunity to take an active part in interplanetary space exploration - this is your chance to be a true space pioneer!
  Members of our team co-created the first space mission funded on KickStarter (KickSat - due to be launched by NASA later this year), and have created or co-led influential workshops such as the Interplanetary CubeSat Workshop at MIT, and the Keck Institute for Space Studies Small Satellites: A Revolution in Space Science workshop at Caltech.
  We've created more than twenty open space projects since 2009 building the elements we need for this mission, with contributions from more than a hundred volunteers in twenty countries (and counting) led by our co-ordinators in Europe (Bristol, UK) and America (Pasadena, USA). In short, we're serious.
  We'll tell you how we expect the project to work in a moment, but first a little about your mission, should you choose to accept it'...
  Space is big - really big! Mankind has only sent a few dozen successful robotic exploration missions into the solar system since the start of the space age, yet there are millions of places waiting to be explored including asteroids, moons, planets, ring systems and more.
  Although space agencies do an amazing job launching high end exploration systems to interesting places, there are many more missions proposed than can ever be funded as high end missions are typically one offs that cost many many millions or even billions.
  We need your help to provide another option - to explore space at scale needs a generation of interested minds with access to affordable exploration tools. By supporting this mission you can help make this happen and be the first of this new generation of space explorers.
  We want to demonstrate that thousands of technical and non-technical people can design their own spacecraft, send these spacecraft into space, land some on a planet with an atmosphere (Earth this time) and send the rest a significant interplanetary distance to a body without an atmosphere (the Moon), and do useful science while having fun.
  That's bold, crazy some people might even say, but thanks to Moore's law and advances in flexible and printable electronics, it's now possible and we need your help to prove it. If we succeed, one day every child may be able to have their own spacecraft to take part in robotic field trips around the solar system as a normal part of growing up - and you'll have helped make it happen!
  The key to our approach are 'Pocket Spacecraft'. These spacecraft (that can also function as landers and rovers to some degree), are small enough to fit in your pocket, both physically and financially - we're talking the cost of a nice birthday present here.
  Your Scout spacecraft
  Your Pocket Spacecraft will be a Thin-Film Spacecraft / Lander / Rover 'Scout'. These will be loaded by the thousand into an Interplanetary CubeSat Mothership which will fly to the body of interest, send out the Scouts to explore it, and relay their discoveries back to Earth and amongst each other.
  Your Scout is a polyimide disc (a material used for flexible circuit boards, spacesuits and, of particular relevance for this application, high performance solar sails) held taut by a NiTi memory metal hoop that can also double as an antenna.
  Solar cells, a thinned commercial off the shelf system-on-a-chip die (ground down with diamond sand paper) and support components, sensors and instruments are bonded or printed on the polyimide and protected with a conformal coating resulting in a spacecraft with an average thickness less than one twentieth of a millimetre (two thousandths of an inch), and a mass much less than a gram (a thirtieth of an ounce).
  This thinness and lightness allows us to pack thousands per mothership, act as very small solar sails (when coated with a thin metal layer) to move about space, and potentially survive re-entry from orbit to the surface of bodies with suitable atmospheres.
  Your Interplanetary CubeSat mothership
  CubeSats revolutionised low cost access to space a decade ago when professors Bob Twiggs at Stanford and Jordi Puig-Suari at CalPoly created a 30x10x10cm,
Is the George Zimmerman trial being used to market 'Fruitvale Station'? | Fox News
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  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 18:45
  LOS ANGELES '' First time writer/director Ryan Coogler's independent drama ''Fruitvale Station'' opens for a limited theatrical release Friday, coinciding with the closing arguments of the George Zimmerman trial.
  The highly-anticipated film, which won top jury and audience prizes at the Sundance Film Festival this year, is based on the true life tale of the hours leading up to the death of 22-year-old black Oakland man Oscar Grant, who was shot dead by a BART police officer on New Year's 2009 despite being unarmed and having committed no crime. The transit officer who shot Grant claimed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, which sparked riots in the Bay area, which some fear could be repeated depending on the Zimmerman verdict.
  The Zimmerman trial has indeed become a promotional point for the film. A marketing photo uploaded to the movie's Facebook page features a still image from the film of actor Michael B. Jordan, who plays Grant, illuminated with a quote from Coogler:
  ''Anytime someone's life is lost and there's an inkling of politics involved, that person is not around to defend himself and his character gets pulled in different directions depending on what side of the fence you sit on," the quote reads. "We saw it happen with Trayvon Martin, and it shows no signs of slowing down.''
  According to TheWrap, TV ads for ''Fruitvale Station'' also aired this week during coverage of the Zimmerman trial, although the official marketing campaign developed by its studio the Weinstein Company does not made specific mention of Martin's death. A rep for the studio told the entertainment publication that their ad buy was not necessarily intended to connect with trial coverage, but to reach a crossover audience including cable news. The film was also written prior to Trayvon Martin's killing, but the teen's death was a top news story as ''Fruitvale Station'' started filming in Oakland, Calif.
  So is the apparent linking of Coogler's fiml to the Martin shooting and Zimmerman trial in poor taste? Some think so.
  ''It's absolutely inappropriate and morally wrong to use a high profile case to create publicity and buzz about a movie release. But capitalize on political bias and a high profile case together, and Hollywood thrives on it,'' entertainment and political publicist, Angie Meyer, told FOX411's Pop Tarts column.
  Dan Gainor, VP of Business and Culture at the Media Research Center, said Coogler's comments are an attempt to pre-judge the trial.
  ''Hollywood only believes a person is innocent if they are liberal or one of the many approved minority groups," he said. ''Of course, the trailer includes the classic movie get-out-of-jail-free line: 'based on a true story.' That means they can make up as much as they want and then sell it to the public as truth.''
  The film's stars have also drawn likenesses between this based-on-real-life story and that of Trayvon Martin while on the promotional circuit.
  ''There are so many things that happen like this all the time, the Trayvon Martin thing had just happened,'' co-star Melonie Diaz said in response to a question from BlackTreeTV about why she wanted to be part of the film after initially reading the script. ''I always wished I was more political, but I'm not. So this was a great chance to exercise my voice and be part of a movement because these things do matter. I just didn't know how to involve myself.''
  Much of the press coverage surrounding the critically-acclaimed movie has also drawn correlations between its story and Martin's shooting.
  ''As the film hits theaters, the Trayvon Martin case is continuing to play out on cable news,'' noted a review in the L.A Times which called the similarities in the overall circumstances ''unmistakable.'' ''Audiences who come out to see the film will ride down a kind of two-way street of fact-based moviegoing. 'Fruitvale' might help them understand the Martin case. Or the Martin case might make them yearn to learn more about the events described in 'Fruitvale.'''
  A New York Times article on the film also noted that the Grant incident ''incited protest, unrest and arguments similar to those that would swirl around the killing of Trayvon Martin in Florida a few years later. The deaths of these and other African-American young men touch some of the rawest nerves in the body politic.''
  The Weinstein Company did not respond to a request for comment.
Cell-All: Super Smartphones Sniff Out Suspicious Substances | Homeland Security
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  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 18:44
  Crowdsourcing cell phones to detect dangerous chemicals
  Years ago, if you wanted to take a picture, you needed a dedicated camera. You needed to buy batteries for it, keep it charged, learn its controls, and lug it around. Today, chances are your cell phone is called a ''smartphone'' and came with a three-to-five megapixel lens built-in'--not to mention an MP3 player, GPS, or even a bar code scanner.
  This Swiss Army knife trend represents the natural progression of technology'--as chips become smaller and more advanced, cell phones continue to absorb new functions. Yet, in the future, these new functions may not only make our lives easier, they could also protect us'--and maybe even save our lives.
  The Cell-All initiative may be one such savior. Spearheaded by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), Cell-All aims to equip your cell phone with a sensor capable of detecting deadly chemicals at minimal cost'--to the manufacturer (a buck a sensor) and to your phone's battery life. ''Our goal is to create a lightweight, cost-effective, power-efficient solution,'' says Stephen Dennis, Cell-All's program manager.
  How would this wizardry work? Just as antivirus software bides its time in the background and springs to life when it spies suspicious activity, so Cell-All regularly sniffs the surrounding air for certain volatile chemical compounds.
  When a threat is sensed, a virtual ah-choo! ensues in one of two ways. For personal safety issues such as a chlorine gas leak, a warning is sounded; the user can choose a vibration, noise, text message, or phone call. For catastrophes such as a sarin gas attack, details'--including time, location, and the compound'--are phoned home to an emergency operations center.
  While the first warning is beamed to individuals'--a grandmother taking a siesta or a teenager hiking through the woods'--the second warning works best with crowds. And that's where the genius of Cell-All lies'--in crowdsourcing human safety.
  Currently, if a person suspects that something is amiss, he might dial 9-1-1, though behavioral science tells us that it's easier to do nothing. If he does do something, it may be at a risk to his own life. And as is often the case when someone phones in an emergency, the caller may be frantic and difficult to understand, diminishing the quality of information that's relayed to first responders. An even worse scenario: the person may not even be aware of the danger, like the South Carolina woman who last year drove into a colorless, odorless, and poisonous ammonia cloud.
  In contrast, anywhere a chemical threat breaks out'--a mall, a bus, subway, or office'--Cell-All will alert the authorities automatically. Detection, identification, and notification all take place in less than 60 seconds. Because the data are delivered digitally, Cell-All reduces the chance of human error. And by activating alerts from many people at once, Cell-All cleverly avoids the longstanding problem of false positives. The end result: emergency responders can get to the scene sooner and cover a larger area'--essentially anywhere people are'--casting a wider net than stationary sensors can.
  But what about your privacy? Does this always-on surveillance mean that the government can track your precise whereabouts whenever it wants? To the contrary, Cell-All will operate only on an opt-in basis and will transmit data anonymously. ''Privacy is as important as technology,'' avers Dennis. ''After all, for Cell-All to succeed, people must be comfortable enough to turn it on in the first place.''
  For years, the idea of a handheld weapons of mass destruction detector has engaged engineers. In 2007, S&T called upon the private sector to develop concepts of operations. Today, thanks to increasingly successful prototype demonstrations, the Directorate is actively funding the next step in R&D'--a proof of principle'--to see if the concept is workable.
  To this end, three teams from Qualcomm, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Rhevision Technology are perfecting their specific area of expertise. Qualcomm engineers specialize in miniaturization and know how to shepherd a product to market. Scientists from the Center for Nanotechnology at NASA's Ames Research Center have experience with chemical sensing on low-powered platforms, such as the International Space Station. And technologists from Rhevision have developed an artificial nose'--a piece of porous silicon that changes colors in the presence of certain molecules, which can be read spectrographically.
  Similarly, S&T is pursuing what's known as cooperative research and development agreements with four cell phone manufacturers: Qualcomm, LG, Apple, and Samsung. These written agreements, which bring together a private company and a government agency for a specific project, often accelerate the commercialization of technology developed for government purposes. As a result, Dennis hopes to have 40 prototypes in about a year, the first of which will sniff out carbon monoxide and fire.
  To be sure, Cell-All's commercialization may take several years. Yet the goal seems imminently achievable: Just as Bill Gates once envisioned a computer on every desk in every home, so Stephen Dennis envisions a chemical sensor in every cell phone in every pocket, purse, or belt holster. If it's not already the case, our smartphones may soon be smarter than we are.
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg vows to resist pressure to retire - NY Daily News
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  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 18:39
  At age 80, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, leader of the Supreme Court's liberal wing, says she is in excellent health, even lifting weights despite having cracked a pair of ribs again, and plans to stay several more years on the bench.
  In a Reuters interview late on Tuesday, she vowed to resist any pressure to retire that might come from liberals who want to ensure that Democratic President Barack Obama can pick her successor before the November 2016 presidential election.
  Ginsburg said she had fallen in the bathroom of her home in early May, sustaining the same injury she suffered last year near term's end.
  "I knew immediately what it was this time," she said, adding that there was nothing to do but take pain killers and wait out the six weeks as her ribs healed. Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said on Wednesday that the day after the May 2 incident, Ginsburg was examined at the Office of the Attending Physician at the Capitol and then went about her regular schedule.
  RELATED: UNCIVIL COURT? JUSTICE SAMUEL ALITO SPOTTED MOCKING JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG AS SHE READS DISSENT
  The justice, who survived two serious bouts with cancer, in 1999 and 2009, is keeping up a typically busy summer of travel, at home and abroad, beginning next week with a trip to Paris. Ginsburg said she was back to her usual weight-lifting routine and recently had good results from a bone density scan.
  Supreme Court justices are appointed for life and can be a president's most enduring legacy. Disputes over many social dilemmas come down to 5-4 votes, as was seen in the recently completed term on gay marriage and voting rights. A retirement decision rests with an individual justice, but history is rife with tensions between aging justices and anxious presidents. Ginsburg, the eldest justice on an ideologically divided court, was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993.
  Political pressure is an age-old backdrop to Supreme Court appointments, and for Ginsburg it is likely to accelerate before the November 2014 congressional elections that could alter the Democratic dominance of the Senate.
  Such talk is always subtle because a presidential administration never wants to be perceived to engage in politics over the judiciary given the bedrock American principle that separates the branches of government.
  RELATED: SUPREME COURT STRIKES DOWN DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT, CLEARS WAY FOR SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IN CALIFORNIA IN TWO LANDMARK DECISIONS
  Before Obama's 2012 reelection, Harvard University law professor Randall Kennedy stirred public debate with an April 2011 essay for the New Republic urging Ginsburg and Justice Stephen Breyer, now 74 and also appointed by Clinton, to retire to ensure a possible Republican president not fill their seats.
  On Wednesday, Kennedy repeated his sentiment, telling Reuters he still thinks that "the responsible thing" would be for Ginsburg to step down. "It seems to me that a justice should take into account the politics surrounding confirmation and not allow (an) opportunity to fall to a Republican," said Kennedy, who was a law clerk to Justice Thurgood Marshall.
  University of North Carolina law professor Michael Gerhardt, who has studied judicial nominations, said Wednesday he expected to see "opinion leaders trying to shape attitudes" among the public as well as "efforts through back channels to increase the pressure for her to step down."
  In her interview, Ginsburg referred to past liberal commentary and predicted, "That's going to start up again."
  RELATED: SUPREME COURT STRIKES DOWN PART OF VOTING RIGHTS ACT
  Brushing off political calculations, she said, "It really has to be, 'Am I equipped to do the job?' ... I was so pleased that this year I couldn't see that I was slipping in any respect." She said she remains energized by her work as the senior liberal, a position she has held since 2010 when Justice John Paul Stevens retired, and calls being a justice "the best job in the world for a lawyer."
  She has previously said she wanted her tenure to at least match the nearly 23 years of Justice Louis Brandeis, which would get her to April 2016, and said she had a new "model" in Justice Stevens, who retired at age 90 after nearly 35 years on the bench.
  Reinforcing the message that she might not leave before her health requires it, she mused of another former colleague, "I wonder if Sandra regrets stepping down when she did?"
  Justice Sandra Day O'Connor retired in January 2006 at age 75 to take care of her husband, John, who had Alzheimer's disease. He died in 2009.
  RELATED: NEW YORKERS MOB GAY PRIDE PARADE POST-DOMA
  Ginsburg, who picked up the mantle of the liberals after Stevens' departure, took the unusual step of reading three dissenting statements from the bench in the final week of the term. Dissenting justices typically issue their statements only in writing. During one of them, on June 24, the media commented on the antics of Justice Samuel Alito, who had written the majority opinion in a job discrimination case Ginsburg was protesting, Vance v. Ball State University. As she spoke, he conspicuously rolled his eyes and screwed up his face.
  Alito did not respond to a request for comment.
  Ginsburg said she was oblivious, and only learned of his behavior from her law clerks. When she read another dissenting statement from the bench the next day, "he did not make any faces."
  Was she insulted? Her answer appeared to allude to Alito's nationally televised grimace and mouthing of "Not true" in response to comments Obama made in his 2010 State of the Union speech about a court campaign-finance ruling.
  "I'm in such good company," said Ginsburg. "I'm in the company of the president."
Official: Snowden wants Russian asylum | CNS News
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  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 18:37
  Genri Reznik, a prominent lawyer and head of the Moscow bar association, speaks to the media at Sheremetyevo airport outside Moscow, Russia, Friday, July 12, 2013. About a dozen Russian human rights activists, lawyers and political figures have been ushered into a room at Moscow's Sheremetyevo international airport where they are expected to meet with Edward Snowden, the leaker of U.S. National Security Agency secrets. Snowden is believed to have been stuck in the transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo international airport since June 23. At left is Olga Kostina, a member of the Russian public chamber. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
  MOSCOW (AP) '-- A Russian parliament member who was among the figures meeting with Edward Snowden says the NSA leaker plans to seek asylum in Russia.
  Duma member Vyacheslav Nikonov told reporters of Snowden's intentions after he and a dozen other prominent officials and activists met Friday with Snowden in the transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, where Snowden has been marooned since June 23.
  (Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
United Stasi of America Artist Wanted by Berlin Police - SPIEGEL ONLINE
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  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 18:33
  It was meant to be a publicity stunt -- a political prank aimed at voicing displeasure over vast US Internet surveillance and spying activities. But Oliver Bienkowski, the light artist who projected the words "United Stasi of America" onto the US Embassy late Sunday night now finds himself in hot water with the Berlin police after authorities opened an investigation.
  Officially, a Berlin spokesman confirmed on Friday, Bienkowski is suspected of having violated a law against "insulting organs and representatives of foreign countries." So far, however, the artist has not yet even been approached by the authorities, though the Berlin police said he would soon be invited in for questioning.
  The projection, which included an image of Internet activist and hacker icon Kim Schmitz, aka "Kim Dotcom," took place at around 1 a.m. local time on Sunday night and lasted for a mere 30 seconds before police guarding the embassy asked him to move on. "Stasi" is a reference to the infamous East German Ministry for State Security, which managed a vast network of spies and informants in communist times -- but which also persecuted the state's political opponents.
  Bienkowski told SPIEGEL ONLINE that his goal was to "do things that people will see and try to get them to think." Specifically, he wanted to voice criticism of US web surveillance, the vast scope of which was revealed recently by whistleblower Edward Snowden. Bienkowski says he even spent '‚¬5,000 ($6,500) out of his own pocket to finance the costs of the guerilla light projection.
  Free Speech?
  Despite the slow pace of the investigation thus far, the artist has already hired a lawyer. And in a press release issued this week, the law firm made clear that it sees the case as having little merit. For one, the law firm D. Breymann Rechsanw¤lte says that a complaint has to have been made by the US Embassy for the case to be pursued. But the embassy has told Berlin daily Tagesspiegel that it does not intend to file such a complaint. For another, the supposed insult was not directed at a specific individual.
  Mostly, though, Bienkowski's lawyer makes clear that the projection on Sunday night should be protected by the right to free speech. "By making use of the artistic form of satire, which has always been characterized by exaggeration and hyperbole, Bienkowski was protesting in a legitimate manner the massive degradation of civil rights, particularly via the recently revealed attacks on the private spheres of (not just) German civilians through intercontinental surveillance measures," the lawyer's statement reads.
  Bienkowski, for his part, seems unconcerned as well, telling SPIEGEL ONLINE on Friday that it is a cut-and-dry case of freedom of expression. He also seems to harbor little animosity toward the Berlin police themselves -- even if they forced him to turn off his projector just seconds into his protest. "They were very friendly," he says.
  (C) SPIEGEL ONLINE 2013All Rights ReservedReproduction only allowed with the permission of SPIEGELnet GmbH
VIDEO-Solve for X: Anthony Sutera on low power wireless everywhere - YouTube
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  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 18:10
Scientific Evidence Shows Secondhand Smoke Is No Danger | Heartlander Magazine
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  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 17:47
  Exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) is an unpleasant experience for many nonsmokers, and for decades was considered a nuisance. But the idea that it might actually cause disease in nonsmokers has been around only since the 1970s.
  Recent surveys show more than 80 percent of Americans now believe secondhand smoke is harmful to nonsmokers.
  Federal Government Reports
  A 1972 U.S. surgeon general's report first addressed passive smoking as a possible threat to nonsmokers and called for an anti-smoking movement. The issue was addressed again in surgeon generals' reports in 1979, 1982, and 1984.
  A 1986 surgeon general's report concluded involuntary smoking caused lung cancer, but it offered only weak epidemiological evidence to support the claim. In 1989 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was charged with further evaluating the evidence for health effects of SHS.
  In 1992 EPA published its report, "Respiratory Health Effects of Passive Smoking," claiming SHS is a serious public health problem, that it kills approximately 3,000 nonsmoking Americans each year from lung cancer, and that it is a Group A carcinogen (like benzene, asbestos, and radon).
  The report has been used by the tobacco-control movement and government agencies, including public health departments, to justify the imposition of thousands of indoor smoking bans in public places.
  Flawed Assumptions
  EPA's 1992 conclusions are not supported by reliable scientific evidence. The report has been largely discredited and, in 1998, was legally vacated by a federal judge.
  Even so, the EPA report was cited in the surgeon general's 2006 report on SHS, where then-Surgeon General Richard Carmona made the absurd claim that there is no risk-free level of exposure to SHS.
  For its 1992 report, EPA arbitrarily chose to equate SHS with mainstream (or firsthand) smoke. One of the agency's stated assumptions was that because there is an association between active smoking and lung cancer, there also must be a similar association between SHS and lung cancer.
  But the problem posed by SHS is entirely different from that found with mainstream smoke. A well-recognized toxicological principle states, "The dose makes the poison."
  Accordingly, we physicians record direct exposure to cigarette smoke by smokers in the medical record as "pack-years smoked" (packs smoked per day times the number of years smoked). A smoking history of around 10 pack-years alerts the physician to search for cigarette-caused illness. But even those nonsmokers with the greatest exposure to SHS probably inhale the equivalent of only a small fraction (around 0.03) of one cigarette per day, which is equivalent to smoking around 10 cigarettes per year.
  Low Statistical Association
  Another major problem is that the epidemiological studies on which the EPA report is based are statistical studies that can show only correlation and cannot prove causation.
  One statistical method used to compare the rates of a disease in two populations is relative risk (RR). It is the rate of disease found in the exposed population divided by the rate found in the unexposed population. An RR of 1.0 represents zero increased risk. Because confounding and other factors can obscure a weak association, in order even to suggest causation a very strong association must be found, on the order of at least 300 percent to 400 percent, which is an RR of 3.0 to 4.0.
  For example, the studies linking direct cigarette smoking with lung cancer found an incidence in smokers of 20 to around 40 times that in nonsmokers, an association of 2000 percent to 4000 percent, or an RR of 20.0 to 40.0.
  Scientific Principles Ignored
  An even greater problem is the agency's lowering of the confidence interval (CI) used in its report. Epidemiologists calculate confidence intervals to express the likelihood a result could happen just by chance. A CI of 95 percent allows a 5 percent possibility that the results occurred only by chance.
  Before its 1992 report, EPA had always used epidemiology's gold standard CI of 95 percent to measure statistical significance. But because the U.S. studies chosen for the report were not statistically significant within a 95 percent CI, for the first time in its history EPA changed the rules and used a 90 percent CI, which doubled the chance of being wrong.
  This allowed it to report a statistically significant 19 percent increase of lung cancer cases in the nonsmoking spouses of smokers over those cases found in nonsmoking spouses of nonsmokers. Even though the RR was only 1.19--an amount far short of what is normally required to demonstrate correlation or causality--the agency concluded this was proof SHS increased the risk of U.S. nonsmokers developing lung cancer by 19 percent.
  EPA Study Soundly Rejected
  In November 1995 after a 20-month study, the Congressional Research Service released a detailed analysis of the EPA report that was highly critical of EPA's methods and conclusions. In 1998, in a devastating 92-page opinion, Federal Judge William Osteen vacated the EPA study, declaring it null and void. He found a culture of arrogance, deception, and cover-up at the agency.
  Osteen noted, "First, there is evidence in the record supporting the accusation that EPA 'cherry picked' its data. ... In order to confirm its hypothesis, EPA maintained its standard significance level but lowered the confidence interval to 90 percent. This allowed EPA to confirm its hypothesis by finding a relative risk of 1.19, albeit a very weak association. ... EPA cannot show a statistically significant association between [SHS] and lung cancer."
  The judge added, "EPA publicly committed to a conclusion before the research had begun; adjusted established procedure and scientific norms to validate its conclusion; and aggressively utilized its authority to disseminate findings to establish a de facto regulatory scheme to influence public opinion."
  In 2003 a definitive paper on SHS and lung cancer mortality was published in the British Medical Journal. It is the largest and most detailed study ever reported. The authors studied more than 35,000 California never-smokers over a 39-year period and found no statistically significant association between exposure to SHS and lung cancer mortality.
  Propaganda Trumps Science
  The 1992 EPA report is an example of the use of epidemiology to promote belief in an epidemic instead of to investigate one. It has damaged the credibility of EPA and has tainted the fields of epidemiology and public health.
  In addition, influential anti-tobacco activists, including prominent academics, have unethically attacked the research of eminent scientists in order to further their ideological and political agendas.
  The abuse of scientific integrity and the generation of faulty "scientific" outcomes (through the use of pseudoscience) have led to the deception of the American public on a grand scale and to draconian government overregulation and the squandering of public money.
  Millions of dollars have been spent promoting belief in SHS as a killer, and more millions of dollars have been spent by businesses in order to comply with thousands of highly restrictive bans, while personal choice and freedom have been denied to millions of smokers. Finally, and perhaps most tragically, all this has diverted resources away from discovering the true cause(s) of lung cancer in nonsmokers.
  Dr. Jerome Arnett Jr. (jerry.arnett@gmail.com) is a pulmonologist who lives in Helvetia, West Virginia. A longer version of this essay with footnotes is available here.
  For more information ...
  James E. Enstrom and Geoffrey C. Kabat, "Environmental tobacco smoke and tobacco related mortality in a prospective study of Californians, 1960-98," British Medical Journal, May 2003: http://www.heartland.org/article.cfm?artId=23332.
VIDEO-UPMC Taking Steps To Ban On-Duty Employees From Smoking CBS Pittsburgh
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  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 17:38
  Related tagsEmployees, Health, Health Care, Medical Provider, Paul Martino, Second-hand Smoke, Smoke, smoking, Smoking Ban, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, UPMCFeatured Gallery
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  PITTSBURGH (KDKA) '-- The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is the area's largest health employer with more than 60,000 employees.
  The medical provider says they don't care if those workers smoke, but they don't want them doing it on the job, even during their breaks.
  At most public buildings, smokers have already been banished to the outdoors.
  And about six years ago, the area's dominant health care provider banned smoking on all of their property. Now they're taking it one step further.
  ''We're asking our employees not to smoke during their shift because if they do smoke during their shift, they will naturally bring that smoke into the property, into the services that we are providing,'' said Gregory Peaslee, of UPMC.
  UPMC argues that if you smoke during your shift, you'll expose patients '' sick people '' to the smoke.
  ''When you smoke, you tend to carry that on you,'' said Peaslee. ''You have particulates, you have smoke on you. You will exhale smoke for 30 minutes after you smoke.''
  But isn't smoking a legal activity? That's the argument being made by some.
  ''I think that you should be able to go have a smoke if you want to,'' said one person.
  ''It's their right to smoke,'' said another.
  ''If it doesn't affect other people, who cares?'' added another person.
  But UPMC argues it does affect other people, and they don't expect a legal challenge.
  ''We do not believe it is a violation of their rights,'' said Peaslee. ''We are taking this step because we believe it is the most appropriate step.''
  UPMC says only about 11 percent of their employees smoke.
  The new policy won't go into effect for a year. Meanwhile, the health care system is offering classes and medication to help their workers kick the habit.
  RELATED LINKS:More UPMC NewsMore Reports by Paul Martino
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Edward Snowden full statement: 'It was the right thing to do and I have no regrets' | World news | guardian.co.uk
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  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 17:10
  Edward Snowden along with Sarah Harrison of WikiLeaks (left) at a press conference in Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow. Photograph: Tanya Lokshina/Human Rights Watch
  Statement by Edward Snowden to human rights groups at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, posted by WikiLeaks:
  Friday July 12, 15:00 UTC
  Hello. My name is Ed Snowden. A little over one month ago, I had family, a home in paradise, and I lived in great comfort. I also had the capability without any warrant to search for, seize, and read your communications. Anyone's communications at any time. That is the power to change people's fates.
  It is also a serious violation of the law. The 4th and 5th Amendments to the Constitution of my country, Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and numerous statutes and treaties forbid such systems of massive, pervasive surveillance. While the US Constitution marks these programs as illegal, my government argues that secret court rulings, which the world is not permitted to see, somehow legitimize an illegal affair. These rulings simply corrupt the most basic notion of justice '' that it must be seen to be done. The immoral cannot be made moral through the use of secret law.
  I believe in the principle declared at Nuremberg in 1945: "Individuals have international duties which transcend the national obligations of obedience. Therefore individual citizens have the duty to violate domestic laws to prevent crimes against peace and humanity from occurring."
  Accordingly, I did what I believed right and began a campaign to correct this wrongdoing. I did not seek to enrich myself. I did not seek to sell US secrets. I did not partner with any foreign government to guarantee my safety. Instead, I took what I knew to the public, so what affects all of us can be discussed by all of us in the light of day, and I asked the world for justice.
  That moral decision to tell the public about spying that affects all of us has been costly, but it was the right thing to do and I have no regrets.
  Since that time, the government and intelligence services of the United States of America have attempted to make an example of me, a warning to all others who might speak out as I have. I have been made stateless and hounded for my act of political expression. The United States Government has placed me on no-fly lists. It demanded Hong Kong return me outside of the framework of its laws, in direct violation of the principle of non-refoulement '' the Law of Nations. It has threatened with sanctions countries who would stand up for my human rights and the UN asylum system. It has even taken the unprecedented step of ordering military allies to ground a Latin American president's plane in search for a political refugee. These dangerous escalations represent a threat not just to the dignity of Latin America, but to the basic rights shared by every person, every nation, to live free from persecution, and to seek and enjoy asylum.
  Yet even in the face of this historically disproportionate aggression, countries around the world have offered support and asylum. These nations, including Russia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Ecuador have my gratitude and respect for being the first to stand against human rights violations carried out by the powerful rather than the powerless. By refusing to compromise their principles in the face of intimidation, they have earned the respect of the world. It is my intention to travel to each of these countries to extend my personal thanks to their people and leaders.
  I announce today my formal acceptance of all offers of support or asylum I have been extended and all others that may be offered in the future. With, for example, the grant of asylum provided by Venezuela's President Maduro, my asylee status is now formal, and no state has a basis by which to limit or interfere with my right to enjoy that asylum. As we have seen, however, some governments in Western European and North American states have demonstrated a willingness to act outside the law, and this behavior persists today. This unlawful threat makes it impossible for me to travel to Latin America and enjoy the asylum granted there in accordance with our shared rights.
  This willingness by powerful states to act extra-legally represents a threat to all of us, and must not be allowed to succeed. Accordingly, I ask for your assistance in requesting guarantees of safe passage from the relevant nations in securing my travel to Latin America, as well as requesting asylum in Russia until such time as these states accede to law and my legal travel is permitted. I will be submitting my request to Russia today, and hope it will be accepted favorably.
  If you have any questions, I will answer what I can.
  Thank you.
Tom Hayden: CIA Secret Rendition Policy Backed by Human Rights Groups?
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  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 17:10
  It is confirmed that one of the loopholes in the president's anti-torture orders allows the continuance of rendition by the CIA, which consists of secretly snatching suspects off the street without any due process and "rendering" them to jails in other countries. Rendition is at the heart of the state secrecy apparatus, and should be of concern to any civil liberties, human rights, or democracy advocates.
  But Human Rights Watch and, apparently, other human rights groups signed off on renditions in talks with the Obama administration, saying publicly that there is "a legitimate place" for the practice.
  That's not a position that represents most human rights advocates, and deserves to be reconsidered in the months of drafting the new administration's rules. Human Rights Watch could have celebrated Obama's presidential order while vowing to close the rendition loophole. Instead, according to the LA Times, the proposal "did not draw major protests" among human rights groups because of "a sense that nations need certain tools to combat terrorism." [see LA Times, Feb. 1, 2009]
  "You still have to go after the bad guys", says an Obama spokesman in defense of renditions, which have been condemned by the European parliament. A Human Rights Watch representative, Tom Malinowski, says he urged the administration to guarantee public hearings in the countries to which they are rendered, as a protection against torture and disappearances. That would be an important corrective, but leaves unanswered the purpose of the secret abductions in which the CIA is the judge, jury, and in certain cases the executioner.
  Italian politics were shaken when it was revealed that the CIA, in cooperation with the Berlosconi government, abducted an Egyptian cleric who was flown to Egypt and tortured in 2003. In another 2003 case, an Egyptian citizen, Khalid Masri, was grabbed by men wearing ski masks, stripped, blindfolded, placed in diapers, shackled and flown from Macedonia to Albania. He was released five months later as a case of mistaken identity. There perhaps have been hundreds of cases of rendition, tracked by European citizens as suspected CIA planes utilized landing rights in other countries. Despite causing an international uproar, the numbers of renditions may never be known.
  If the Obama Justice Department wants to defend renditions as constitutional on "executive privilege" and "national security" grounds, human rights groups should perhaps meet them in court and seek a better outcome.
  As the policy stands now, Jack Bauer would be pleased.
Obama preserves renditions as counter-terrorism tool - Los Angeles Times
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  The role of the CIA's controversial prisoner-transfer program may expand, intelligence experts say.
  Reporting from Washington -- The CIA's secret prisons are being shuttered. Harsh interrogation techniques are off-limits. And Guantanamo Bay will eventually go back to being a wind-swept naval base on the southeastern corner of Cuba.But even while dismantling these programs, President Obama left intact an equally controversial counter-terrorism tool.
  Under executive orders issued by Obama recently, the CIA still has authority to carry out what are known as renditions, secret abductions and transfers of prisoners to countries that cooperate with the United States.Current and former U.S. intelligence officials said that the rendition program might be poised to play an expanded role going forward because it was the main remaining mechanism -- aside from Predator missile strikes -- for taking suspected terrorists off the street.
  The rendition program became a source of embarrassment for the CIA, and a target of international scorn, as details emerged in recent years of botched captures, mistaken identities and allegations that prisoners were turned over to countries where they were tortured.
  The European Parliament condemned renditions as "an illegal instrument used by the United States." Prisoners swept up in the program have sued the CIA as well as a Boeing Co. subsidiary accused of working with the agency on dozens of rendition flights.But the Obama administration appears to have determined that the rendition program was one component of the Bush administration's war on terrorism that it could not afford to discard.
  The decision underscores the fact that the battle with Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups is far from over and that even if the United States is shutting down the prisons, it is not done taking prisoners.
  "Obviously you need to preserve some tools -- you still have to go after the bad guys," said an Obama administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity when discussing the legal reasoning. "The legal advisors working on this looked at rendition. It is controversial in some circles and kicked up a big storm in Europe. But if done within certain parameters, it is an acceptable practice."
  One provision in one of Obama's orders appears to preserve the CIA's ability to detain and interrogate terrorism suspects as long as they are not held long-term. The little-noticed provision states that the instructions to close the CIA's secret prison sites "do not refer to facilities used only to hold people on a short-term, transitory basis."
  Despite concern about rendition, Obama's prohibition of many other counter-terrorism tools could prompt intelligence officers to resort more frequently to the "transitory" technique.
  The decision to preserve the program did not draw major protests, even among human rights groups. Leaders of such organizations attribute that to a sense that nations need certain tools to combat terrorism.
  "Under limited circumstances, there is a legitimate place" for renditions, said Tom Malinowski, the Washington advocacy director for Human Rights Watch. "What I heard loud and clear from the president's order was that they want to design a system that doesn't result in people being sent to foreign dungeons to be tortured -- but that designing that system is going to take some time."
  Malinowski said he had urged the Obama administration to stipulate that prisoners could be transferred only to countries where they would be guaranteed a public hearing in an official court. "Producing a prisoner before a real court is a key safeguard against torture, abuse and disappearance," Malinowski said.
  CIA veterans involved in renditions characterized the program as important but of limited intelligence-gathering use. It is used mainly for terrorism suspects not considered valuable enough for the CIA to keep, they said.
  "The reason we did interrogations [ourselves] is because renditions for the most part weren't very productive," said a former senior CIA official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject.
  The most valuable intelligence on Al Qaeda came from prisoners who were in CIA custody and questioned by agency experts, the official said. Once prisoners were turned over to Egypt, Jordan or elsewhere, the agency had limited influence over how much intelligence was shared, how prisoners were treated and whether they were later released.
  "In some ways, [rendition] is the worst option," the former official said. "If they are in U.S. hands, you have a lot of checks and balances, medics and lawyers. Once you turn them over to another service, you lose control."
  In his executive order on lawful interrogations, Obama created a task force to reexamine renditions to make sure that they "do not result in the transfer of individuals to other nations to face torture," or otherwise circumvent human rights laws and treaties.
  The CIA has long maintained that it does not turn prisoners over to other countries without first obtaining assurances that the detainees will not be mistreated.
Human Rights Watch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo, Toronto, and Washington.[1]
  As of June 2011, the organization's annual expenses totaled $50.6 million.[2]
  The George SorosOpen Society Foundation is the primary donor of the Human Rights Watch, contributing $100 million of $128 million of contributions and grants received by the HRW in the 2011 financial year.[3] The $100 million contribution from the Open Society Foundation will be paid out over ten years in $10 million annual installments.[4]
  History[edit]Main article: Helsinki WatchHuman Rights Watch was founded as a private American NGO in 1978, under the name Helsinki Watch, to monitor the former Soviet Union's compliance with the Helsinki Accords.[5] Helsinki Watch adopted a methodology of publicly "naming and shaming" abusive governments through media coverage and through direct exchanges with policymakers. By shining the international spotlight on human rights violations in the Soviet Union and its European partners, Helsinki Watch contributed to the democratic transformations of the region in the late 1980s.[5]
  Americas Watch was founded in 1981 while bloody civil wars engulfed Central America. Relying on extensive on-the-ground fact-finding, Americas Watch not only addressed perceived abuses by government forces but also applied international humanitarian law to investigate and expose war crimes by rebel groups. In addition to raising its concerns in the affected countries, Americas Watch also examined the role played by foreign governments, particularly the United States government, in providing military and political support to abusive regimes.
  Asia Watch (1985), Africa Watch (1988), and Middle East Watch (1989) were added to what was then known as "The Watch Committees." In 1988, all of the committees were united under one umbrella to form Human Rights Watch.1
  Profile[edit]Pursuant to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Human Rights Watch opposes violations of what it considers basic human rights, which include capital punishment and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Human Rights Watch advocates freedoms in connection with fundamental human rights, such as freedom of religion and the press.
  Human Rights Watch produces research reports on violations of international human rights norms as set out by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and what it perceives to be other internationally accepted human rights norms. These reports are used as the basis for drawing international attention to abuses and pressuring governments and international organizations to reform. Researchers conduct fact-finding missions to investigate suspect situations also using diplomacy, staying in touch with victims, making files about public and also individuals and providing required security for them in critical situations and in a proper time generate coverage in local and international media. Issues raised by Human Rights Watch in its reports include social and gender discrimination, torture, military use of children, political corruption, abuses in criminal justice systems, and the legalization of abortion.[5] Human Rights Watch documents and reports violations of the laws of war and international humanitarian law.
  Human Rights Watch also supports writers worldwide who are being persecuted for their work and are in need of financial assistance. The Hellman/Hammett grants are financed by the estate of the playwright Lillian Hellman in funds set up in her name and that of her long-time companion, the novelist Dashiell Hammett. In addition to providing financial assistance, the Hellman/Hammett grants help raise international awareness of activists who are being silenced for speaking out in defence of human rights.[6]
  Each year, Human Rights Watch presents the Human Rights Defenders Award to activists around the world who demonstrate leadership and courage in defending human rights. The award winners work closely with Human Rights Watch in investigating and exposing human rights abuses.[7][8]
  Human Rights Watch was one of six international NGOs that founded the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers in 1998. It is also the co-chair of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, a global coalition of civil society groups that successfully lobbied to introduce the Ottawa Treaty, a treaty that prohibits the use of anti-personnel landmines.
  Human Rights Watch is a founding member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, a global network of non-governmental organizations that monitor censorship worldwide. It also co-founded the Cluster Munition Coalition, which brought about an international convention banning the weapons. Human Rights Watch employs more than 275 staff'--country experts, lawyers, journalists, and academics '' and operates in more than 90 countries around the world.[9]
  The current executive director of Human Rights Watch is Kenneth Roth, who has held the position since 1993. Roth conducted investigations on abuses in Poland after martial law was declared 1981. He later focused on Haiti, which had just emerged from the Duvalier dictatorship but continued to be plagued with problems. Roth's awareness of human rights began with stories that his father told about escaping Nazi Germany in 1938. He graduated from Yale Law School and Brown University.
  Financing and services[edit]For the financial year ending June 2008, HRW reported receiving approximately US$44 million in public donations.[10] In 2009, Human Rights Watch stated that they receive almost 75% of their financial support from North America, 25% from Western Europe and less than 1% from the rest of the world.[11]
  According to a 2008 financial assessment, HRW reports that it does not accept any direct or indirect funding from governments and is financed through contributions from private individuals and foundations.[12]
  Notably, billionaire financier and philanthropist George Soros announced in 2010 his intention to donate US$100 million to HRW over a period of ten years. He said, "Human Rights Watch is one of the most effective organizations I support. Human rights underpin our greatest aspirations: they're at the heart of open societies."[13][14] The donation increases Human Rights Watch's operating budget from $48 million to $80 million. The donation was the largest in the organization's history.[15]
  Charity Navigator gave Human Rights Watch a four-star rating overall, but only a three-star rating in their financial rating.[16]The Better Business Bureau said Human Rights Watch meets its standards for charity accountability.
  Human Rights Watch published the following program and support services spending details for the financial year ending June 2011.
  Program services2011 Expenses (USD)[2]Africa$5,859,910Americas$1,331,448Asia$4,629,535Europe and Central Asia$4,123,959Middle East and North Africa$3,104,643United States$1,105,571Children's Rights$1,551,463Health & Human Rights$1,962,015International Justice$1,325,749Woman's Rights$2,083,890Other programs$11,384,854Supporting servicesManagement and general$3,130,051Fundraising$9,045,910Human Rights Watch published the following program and support services spending details for the financial year ending June 2008.
  Program services2008 Expenses (USD)[10]Africa$5,532,631Americas$1,479,265Asia$3,212,850Europe and Central Asia$4,001,853Middle East and North Africa$2,258,459United States$1,195,673Children's Rights$1,642,064International Justice$1,385,121Woman's Rights$1,854,228Other programs$9,252,974Supporting servicesManagement and general$1,984,626Fundraising$8,641,358Notable staff[edit]Some notable current and former staff members of Human Rights Watch have included:[17]
  Robert L. Bernstein, Founding Chair EmeritusJames F. Hoge, Jr., Chairman of the BoardKenneth Roth, Executive DirectorJan Egeland, Deputy Director and the Director of Human Rights Watch EuropeMinky Worden, Media DirectorJamie Fellner, Senior Counsel for the United States Program of Human Rights WatchScott Long, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights DirectorSarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa DirectorJoe StorkMarc Garlasco, former staff member, resigned due to a scandal involving his Nazi memorabilia collection[18]Sharon HomTae-Ung Baik, former research consultantNabeel Rajab, member of the Advisory Committee of Human Rights Watch's Middle East DivisionIssues and campaigns[edit]Publications[edit]Human Rights Watch publishes reports on many different topics[19] and compiles an annual World Report presenting an overview of the worldwide state of human rights.[20] It has been published by Seven Stories Press since 2006; the current edition, World Report 2013, was released in February 2013.[21] Human Rights Watch has reported extensively on subjects such as the Rwandan Genocide of 1994[22] and the conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[23]
  Comparison with Amnesty International[edit]Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International are the only two Western-oriented international human rights organizations operating worldwide in most situations of severe oppression or abuse.[8] The major differences lie in the groups' structure and methods for promoting change.
  Amnesty International is a mass-membership organization. Mobilization of those members is the organization's central advocacy tool. Human Rights Watch's main products are its crisis-directed research and lengthy reports, whereas Amnesty lobbies and writes detailed reports, but also focuses on mass letter-writing campaigns, adopting individuals as "prisoners of conscience" and lobbying for their release. Human Rights Watch will openly lobby for specific actions for other governments to take against human rights offenders, including naming specific individuals for arrest, or for sanctions to be levied against certain countries, recently calling for punitive sanctions against the top leaders in Sudan who have overseen a killing campaign in Darfur. The group has also called for human rights activists who have been detained in Sudan to be released.[24]
  Its documentations of human rights abuses often include extensive analysis of the political and historical backgrounds of the conflicts concerned, some of which have been published in academic journals. AI's reports, on the other hand, tend to contain less analysis, and instead focus on specific abuses of rights.
  In 2010 The Times of London wrote that HRW has "all but eclipsed" Amnesty International. According to The Times, instead of being supported by a mass membership, as AI is, HRW depends on wealthy donors who like to see the organization's reports make headlines. For this reason, according, HRW tends to "concentrate too much on places that the media already cares about", especially in disproportionate coverage of Israel.[25]
  Criticism[edit]HRW has been criticized by national governments, other NGOs, its founder and former Chairman Robert L. Bernstein, and the media. It has been accused by critics[26] of being influenced by U.S. foreign policy,[27] in particular in relation to reporting on Latin America;[28][29][30][31][32] ignoring antisemitism in Europe or being antisemitic;[33] biases in relation to the Arab''Israeli conflict; and unfair and biased reporting of human rights issues in Eritrea and Ethiopia.[34][35][36] Accusations in relation to the Arab''Israeli conflict include claims that HRW is biased against Israel[37][38][39] and requesting donations from Saudi Arabian citizens on the basis of its criticism of Israel;[40] it has also been accused of unbalanced reporting on Palestinians by, Jonathan Cook and others.[41][42] HRW has publicly responded to criticisms relating to its reporting on Latin America[43][44][45] and in the context of the Arab''Israeli conflict.[39][46][47][48][49]
  See also[edit]References[edit]^"Frequently Asked Questions". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2009-07-23. ^ ab"Financial Statements, Year Ended June 30, 2011". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2012-06-26. ^See page 16 for the Open Society Foundation's contribution^"George Soros to Give $100 Million to Human Rights Watch". Human Rights Watch. ^ abc"Our History". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2009-07-23. ^Hellman-Hammett Grants,Human Rights Watch^Human Rights Watch. "Five Activists Win Human Rights Watch Awards". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 23 February 2013. ^ abSocialSciences.in. "Human Rights Watch". Retrieved 23 February 2013. ^"Who We Are". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2009-07-23. ^ ab"Financial Statements. Year Ended June 30, 2008". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2009-07-23. ^"Human Rights Watch Visit to Saudi Arabia". Human Rights Watch. 2009-07-17. Retrieved 2009-07-23. ^"Financials". Human Rights Watch. 2008-09-22. Retrieved 2009-07-23. ^Soros to give Human Rights Watch $100m. over 10 years^Colum Lynch (2010-09-12). "With $100 million Soros gift, Human Rights Watch looks to expand global reach". Washington Post. "The donation, the largest single gift ever from the Hungarian-born investor and philanthropist, is premised on the belief that U.S. leadership on human rights has been diminished by a decade of harsh policies in the war on terrorism." ^George Soros gives $100 million to Human Rights Watch (The Guardian, Sept. 7, 2010)^"Charity Rating - Human Rights Watch." Charity Navigator - America's Largest Charity Evaluator | Human Rights Watch.[1]^Human Rights Watch: Our People^Pilkington, Ed (2009-09-15). "Human Rights Watch investigator suspended over Nazi memorabilia". The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-02-15. ^"Publications". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2009-07-28. ^"Previous World Reports". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2009-07-28. ^World Report 2013, Seven Stories Press.^Rwandan genocide report,Human Rights Watch^Congo report,Human Rights Watch^Human rights group says activists detained in Sudan^NGO Monitor research featured in Sunday Times: "Nazi scandal engulfs Human Rights Watch", March 28, 2010. Retrieved 2012-07-19.^Russia investigates alleged Chechnya atrocities (The Guardian, Feb. 25, 2000)'No Jenin massacre' says rights group (BBC, May 3, 2002)Libyan human rights in the spotlight (BBC, January 20, 2003)^Naiman, Robert (2009-08-21). "Latin America Scholars Urge Human Rights Watch to Speak Up on Honduras Coup". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 2009-08-22. Retrieved 2009-08-22. ^Steve Miller and Joseph Curl (2004). "Aristide accuses U.S. of forcing his ouster". Washington Times. Retrieved 2005-12-26. ^"Aristide related articles". Democracy Now. Retrieved 2006-07-21. ^Emersberger, Joe (2006-03-29). "Haiti and Human Rights Watch". Z Communications. Archived from the original on 2009-08-11. Retrieved 2009-08-11. ^Council on Hemispheric Affairs, 12 January 2009, Scholars Respond to HRW's Kenneth Roth's Riposte on Venezuelan Human Rights^Grandin, Greg; Adrienne Pine (2009-08-22). "Over 90 Experts Call on Human Rights Watch to Speak Out on Honduras Abuses". Common Dreams. Archived from the original on 2009-08-22. Retrieved 2009-08-22. ^Anti-Semitism in Europe: Fighting Back,Anti-Defamation League^"Eritrea: Repression Creating Human Rights Crisis". Human Rights Watch. 2009-04-16. Retrieved 2009-08-21. ^Tesfamariam, Sophia (2009-04-29). "Human Rights Watch at Chatham House-A Peddlers Event". American Chronicle. Retrieved 2009-08-21. ^"A row over human rights". The Economist. 2009-02-05. ^Levy, Daniel (2009-07-20). "The "Swiftboating" of Human Rights Watch". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2009-08-19. ^Keinon, Herb (2009-07-16). "Diplomacy: Israel vs. Human Rights Watch". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2009-08-19. ^ ab"False Allegations about Human Rights Watch's Latest Gaza Report". Human Rights Watch. 2009-08-14. Retrieved 2009-08-17. ^Bernstein, David. "Human Rights Watch Goes to Saudi Arabia."The Wall Street Journal. 15 July 2009. 15 July 2009.^http://www.counterpunch.org/cook11302006.html^Mujahed: ''Human Rights Watch'' is blatantly biased in favor of Israel Occupied Palestine, December 25, 2012^https://nacla.org/node/5369^Tom Porteus, 30 September 2008, New Statesman, HRW v Chavez II^Human Rights Watch (2009-08-25). "Honduras: Rights Report Shows Need for Increased International Pressure". Human Rights Watch. Archived from the original on 2009-08-28. Retrieved 2009-08-28. ^Derfner, Larry (2009-07-22). "Rattling the Cage: The smearing of human rights organizations". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2009-08-18. ^Visit to Saudi Arabia and False Allegations of Human Rights Watch 'Bias' [2]^"Human Rights Watch Visit to Saudi Arabia". Human Rights Watch. ^Whitson, Sarah Leah (September 22, 2006). "Hezbollah's Rockets and Civilian Casualties: A Response to Jonathan Cook". Counterpunch. Retrieved 2006-10-14. External links[edit]
Tanya Lokshina | Human Rights Watch
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  Tanya Lokshina is Deputy Director of Human Rights Watch's Moscow office. Having joined Human Rights Watch in January 2008, Lokshina authored reports on egregious rights abused in Chechnya and Ingushetia and co-authored a report on violations of international humanitarian law during the armed conflict in Georgia in the summer of 2008. Lokshina runs a column for the Russian current affairs website Polit.Ru. She is recipient of the 2006 Andrei Sakharov Award for Journalism as Civic Accomplishment.
  Prior to joining Human Rights Watch, Lokshina headed a prominent Moscow-based human rights think-tank Demos, which carries out research and advocacy projects in such areas as human rights abuses in armed conflict zones; arbitrariness and excessive use of force in the activities of state agencies; effective implementation of international human rights standards, and human rights education.
  Since 2003, Lokshina's work has largely focused on Chechnya and the Caucasus. Her books include Chechnya Inside Out and Imposition of a Fake Political Settlement in the Northern Caucasus. Lokshina also published articles on human rights issues in some prominent Russian and foreign newspapers, including Novaya Gazeta, Washington Post, and the Guardian.
Sarah Harrison, the woman from WikiLeaks - The Washington Post
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  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 17:03
  LONDON '-- He didn't have the space for it, but Gavin MacFadyen needed more bodies. The American running a British think tank for investigative journalism had eight staffers crammed into an 15-by-12-foot office in east central London, trying to crack a story on wrongdoing at a multinational company.
  Then Sarah Harrison walked through his door.
  Within a few years, Harrison would become the intense, 31-year-old emissary of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, the mystery woman sent to spirit former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden from Hong Kong to Moscow, where she is now aiding his quest to evade U.S. authorities.
  But then, in late 2009, Harrison was an eager 27-year-old applying for an unpaid internship, a graduate of a prestigious boarding school with ambitions to become a journalist.
  Harrison had no prior experience, but MacFadyen said he saw a spark that led him to bring her on board '-- a break that would set her on the path to meeting Assange and eventually bring her into the whistleblower Web site's inner circle.
  ''It was an intelligent choice to send her'' to Snowden, MacFadyen said. ''She's smart, determined and fully believes in the moral principle of shedding light. This is something she has strong feelings about.''
  After being recommended by MacFadyen, Harrison began working with WikiLeaks in August 2010 on the internal vetting of confidential U.S. documents supplied by Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, which the site later released. At some point that year, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation and who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Harrison and Assange became intimately involved. They cautioned that the relationship was not Harrison's prime motivation in championing the WikiLeaks cause.
  ''She is firmly committed to what WikiLeaks is trying to do; she believes 100 percent in the mission,'' one of the people said. ''Any suggestion that her relationship with Julian is what has compelled her to do the things she has would be a totally wrong assumption.''
  Although those who know her as an Assange confidante describe her as more comfortable behind the scenes, Harrison now finds herself in the spotlight. She has raced across continents to aid Snowden, assisting in his flight from Hong Kong and his search for asylum from Moscow. (On Friday, Venezuela offered Snowden asylum and Nicaragua said it would do so ''if circumstances allow it.'') All the while, she has has maintained a low profile and refrained from public statements.
  Acknowledgment of her role has come via bare-bones WikiLeaks statements and a comment from one Russian authority. Kristinn Hrafnsson, a WikiLeaks spokesman, declined to comment for this article. Harrison did not respond to an interview request. Assange, who has been holed up at Ecuador's embassy in London for more than a year, said in an e-mailed statement that ''Sarah is spirited, courageous and completely incorruptible,'' but did not comment further.
  Those who know Harrison say she appeared to blossom under Assange's tutelage, going from starry-eyed intern to a savvy crusader for the no-holds-barred brand of public disclosure that has come to define WikiLeaks.
Sarah Harrison (journalist) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  Sarah Harrison (born c. 1982[1]) is a British journalist, legal researcher, and WikiLeaks section editor. She works with the WikiLeaks Legal Defense and is Julian Assange's closest adviser. Harrison accompanied National Security AgencyleakerEdward Snowden on a high-profile flight from Hong Kong to Moscow while he was sought by the United States government.
  Early life and career[edit]Harrison was born to Ian and Jennifer Harrison, respectively, an executive at clothing retailer Burton, and a reading specialist.[1] In her youth, Harrison attended Sevenoaks School, a private school.[1] Her father has said she was a good runner and swimmer.[1] Harrison performed well in her International Baccalaureate exams and took a gap year to travel and ski.[1] She studied English at Queen Mary, University of London.[1] Harrison continued to travel and decided to be a journalist.[1]
  In 2009, Harrison became an unpaid intern researcher at the Centre for Investigative Journalism at City University, London, which trains journalists.[1] In 2010, she became a junior researcher at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, a new professional organization also at the university.[1] She later graduated from City University London.[3]
  WikiLeaks[edit]As an intern at the Centre, she was assigned to Julian Assange before the Afghan War documents leak.[4] She sorted files about the Iraq War from Assange for future television documentaries.[1] When main members of WikiLeaks left the organisation due to a dispute with Assange, Harrison's role in the organisation increased, particularly with the embassy cable publication and Assange's legal fight against Swedish extradition.[4] Harrison is a WikiLeaks section editor.[5] She works with the WikiLeaks Legal Defense led by Baltasar Garz"n,[2] and is reportedly one of Julian Assange's closest advisers.[4]
  Edward Snowden[edit]On 24 June 2013, WikiLeaks said that Harrison accompanied National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden on a high-profile[6] flight from Hong Kong to Moscow en route to political asylum from US extradition.[5][4][6][2] Dominic Rushe of The Guardian observed that Harrison was a "strange choice" because of her lack of legal qualifications compared to other WikiLeaks staff, such as human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson.[4] At the time, she had been with the organisation for over two years.[5] As of the announcement, Harrison and Snowden's final destination are unknown.[4]
  References[edit]External links[edit]
Michael McConnell: Obama Suspends the Law - WSJ.com
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  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 16:44
  President Obama's decision last week to suspend the employer mandate of the Affordable Care Act may be welcome relief to businesses affected by this provision, but it raises grave concerns about his understanding of the role of the executive in our system of government.
  Article II, Section 3, of the Constitution states that the president "shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed." This is a duty, not a discretionary power. While the president does have substantial discretion about how to enforce a law, he has no discretion about whether to do so.
  This matter'--the limits of executive power'--has deep historical roots. During the period of royal absolutism, English monarchs asserted a right to dispense with parliamentary statutes they disliked. King James II's use of the prerogative was a key grievance that lead to the Glorious Revolution of 1688. The very first provision of the English Bill of Rights of 1689'--the most important precursor to the U.S. Constitution'--declared that "the pretended power of suspending of laws, or the execution of laws, by regal authority, without consent of parliament, is illegal."
  To make sure that American presidents could not resurrect a similar prerogative, the Framers of the Constitution made the faithful enforcement of the law a constitutional duty.
  The Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, which advises the president on legal and constitutional issues, has repeatedly opined that the president may decline to enforce laws he believes are unconstitutional. But these opinions have always insisted that the president has no authority, as one such memo put it in 1990, to "refuse to enforce a statute he opposes for policy reasons."
  Attorneys general under Presidents Carter, Reagan, both Bushes and Clinton all agreed on this point. With the exception of Richard Nixon, whose refusals to spend money appropriated by Congress were struck down by the courts, no prior president has claimed the power to negate a law that is concededly constitutional.
  In 1998, the Supreme Court struck down a congressional grant of line-item veto authority to the president to cancel spending items in appropriations. The reason? The only constitutional power the president has to suspend or repeal statutes is to veto a bill or propose new legislation. Writing for the court in Clinton v. City of New York, Justice John Paul Stevens noted: "There is no provision in the Constitution that authorizes the president to enact, to amend, or to repeal statutes."
  The employer mandate in the Affordable Care Act contains no provision allowing the president to suspend, delay or repeal it. Section 1513(d) states in no uncertain terms that "The amendments made by this section shall apply to months beginning after December 31, 2013." Imagine the outcry if Mitt Romney had been elected president and simply refused to enforce the whole of ObamaCare.
  This is not the first time Mr. Obama has suspended the operation of statutes by executive decree, but it is the most barefaced. In June of last year, for example, the administration stopped initiating deportation proceedings against some 800,000 illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. before age 16, lived here at least five years, and met a variety of other criteria. This was after Congress refused to enact the Dream Act, which would have allowed these individuals to stay in accordance with these conditions. Earlier in 2012, the president effectively replaced congressional requirements governing state compliance under the No Child Left Behind Act with new ones crafted by his administration.
  The president defended his suspension of the immigration laws as an exercise of prosecutorial discretion. He defended his amending of No Child Left Behind as an exercise of authority in the statute to waive certain requirements. The administration has yet to offer a legal justification for last week's suspension of the employer mandate.
  Republican opponents of ObamaCare might say that the suspension of the employer mandate is such good policy that there's no need to worry about constitutionality. But if the president can dispense with laws, and parts of laws, when he disagrees with them, the implications for constitutional government are dire.
  Democrats too may acquiesce in Mr. Obama's action, as they have his other aggressive assertions of executive power. Yet what will they say when a Republican president decides that the tax rate on capital gains is a drag on economic growth and instructs the IRS not to enforce it?
  And what of immigration reform? Why bother debating the details of a compromise if future presidents will feel free to disregard those parts of the statute that they don't like?
  The courts cannot be counted on to intervene in cases like this. As the Supreme Court recently held in Hollingsworth v. Perry, the same-sex marriage case involving California's Proposition 8, private citizens do not have standing in court to challenge the executive's refusal to enforce laws, unless they have a personal stake in the matter. If a president declines to enforce tax laws, immigration laws, or restrictions on spending'--to name a few plausible examples'--it is very likely that no one will have standing to sue.
  Of all the stretches of executive power Americans have seen in the past few years, the president's unilateral suspension of statutes may have the most disturbing long-term effects. As the Supreme Court said long ago (Kendall v. United States, 1838), allowing the president to refuse to enforce statutes passed by Congress "would be clothing the president with a power to control the legislation of congress, and paralyze the administration of justice."
  Mr. McConnell, a former judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, is a professor of law and director of the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution.
  A version of this article appeared July 9, 2013, on page A13 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Obama Suspends the Law.
VIDEO-WOlverine Boston Bauman-Nightly News: Boston bombing survivor: 'You can't be negative about it'
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  Fish oil linked to prostate cancer Researchers who followed 35,000 men over age 50 and found men who started with the highest blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids, like the ones found in fatty fish oil and fish oil supplements, had a 71 percent increased risk of developing a deadly form of prostate cancer. NBC's Dr. Nancy Snyderman reports.
Facts on Induced Abortion Worldwide
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  WORLDWIDE INCIDENCE AND TRENDS' After declining substantially between 1995 and 2003, the worldwide abortion rate stalled between 2003 and 2008. [1]
  ' Between 1995 and 2003, the abortion rate (the number of abortions per 1,000 women of childbearing age'--i.e., those aged 15''44) for the world overall dropped from 35 to 29. It remained virtually unchanged, at 28, in 2008. [1]
  ' Nearly half of all abortions worldwide are unsafe, and nearly all unsafe abortions (98%) occur in developing countries. In the developing world, 56% of all abortions are unsafe, compared with just 6% in the developed world. [1]
  ' The proportion of abortions worldwide that take place in the developing world increased between 1995 and 2008 from 78% to 86%, in part because the proportion of all women who live in the developing world increased during this period. [1]
  ' Since 2003, the number of abortions fell by 600,000 in the developed world but increased by 2.8 million in the developing world. In 2008, six million abortions were performed in developed countries and 38 million in developing countries, a disparity that largely reflects population distribution. [1]
  ' A woman's likelihood of having an abortion is slightly elevated if she lives in a developing region. In 2008, there were 29 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15''44 years in developing countries, compared with 24 in the developed world. [1]
  REGIONAL INCIDENCE AND TRENDS' The overall abortion rate in Africa, where the vast majority of abortions are illegal and unsafe, showed no decline between 2003 and 2008, holding at 29 abortions per 1,000 women of childbearing age. [1]
  ' The Southern Africa subregion, dominated by South Africa, where abortion was legalized in 1997, has the lowest abortion rate of all African subregions, at 15 per 1,000 women in 2008. East Africa has the highest rate, at 38, followed by Middle Africa at 36, West Africa at 28 and North Africa at 18. [1]
  ' Both the lowest and highest subregional abortion rates are in Europe, where abortion is generally legal under broad grounds. In Western Europe, the rate is 12 per 1,000 women, while in Eastern Europe it is 43. [1] The discrepancy in rates between the two regions reflects relatively low contraceptive use in Eastern Europe, as well as a high degree of reliance on methods with relatively high user failure rates, such as the condom, withdrawal and the rhythm method.
  ' In Europe, 30% of pregnancies end in abortion. A higher proportion of pregnancies end in abortion in Eastern Europe than in the rest of the region. [1]
  ' In Eastern Europe, the abortion rate held steady at 43 per 1,000 women between 2003 and 2008, after a period of steep decline between the mid-90s and the early 2000s. [1]
  ' Western Europe, Southern Africa and Northern Europe have the lowest abortion rates in the world, at 12, 15 and 17, respectively. [1]
  ' The abortion rate fell in Latin America from 37 to 31 abortions per 1,000 women between 1995 and 2003; it has held fairly steady since, reaching 32 in 2008. [1]
  ' In Latin America, subregional abortion rates range from 29 in Central America (the subregion that includes Mexico) to 32 in South America and 39 in the Caribbean. The Caribbean (the subregion that includes Cuba, where abortions are generally safe) has the lowest proportion of abortions in the region that are unsafe (46%), compared with nearly 100% in Central and South America. [1]
  ' In Asia, abortion rates across subregions held steady between 2003 and 2008, ranging from 26 per 1,000 in South Central Asia and Western Asia to 36 per 1,000 in Southeastern Asia. [1]
  ' Abortion incidence appears to have risen in China since 2003, after an extended period of decline. Evidence shows that this is due to an increase in premarital sexual activity and disruptions in access to contraceptive services resulting from rapid urbanization.
  ABORTION LAW' Highly restrictive abortion laws are not associated with lower abortion rates. For example, the abortion rate is 29 per 1,000 women of childbearing age in Africa and 32 per 1,000 in Latin America'--regions in which abortion is illegal under most circumstances in the majority of countries. The rate is 12 per 1,000 in Western Europe, where abortion is generally permitted on broad grounds. [1]
  ' Where abortion is permitted on broad legal grounds, it is generally safe, and where it is highly restricted, it is typically unsafe. In developing countries, relatively liberal abortion laws are associated with fewer negative health consequences from unsafe abortion than are highly restrictive laws. [2] [3]
  ' In South Africa, the annual number of abortion-related deaths fell by 91 % after the liberalization of the abortion law. [2]
  ' In Nepal, where abortion was made legal on broad grounds in 2002, it appears that abortion-related complications are on the decline: A recent study in eight districts found that abortion-related complications accounted for 54% of all facility-treated maternal illnesses in 1998, but for only 28% in 2008''2009. [3]
  ' Between 1997 and 2008, the grounds on which abortion may be legally performed were broadened in 17 countries: Benin, Bhutan, Cambodia, Chad, Colombia, Ethiopia, Guinea, Iran, Mali, Nepal, Niger, Portugal, Saint Lucia, Swaziland, Switzerland, Thailand and Togo. Mexico City and parts of Australia (Capital Territory, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia) also liberalized their abortion laws. In contrast, El Salvador and Nicaragua changed their already restrictive laws to prohibit abortion entirely, while Poland withdrew socioeconomic reasons as a legal ground for abortion.
  UNSAFE ABORTION' The World Health Organization defines unsafe abortion as a procedure for terminating a pregnancy that is performed by an individual lacking the necessary skills, or in an environment that does not conform to minimal medical standards, or both.
  ' Between 1995 and 2008, the rate of unsafe abortion worldwide remained essentially unchanged, at 14 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15''44. [1]
  ' During the same period, the proportion of all abortions that were unsafe increased from 44% to 49%. [1]
  ' In 2008, more than 97% of abortions in Africa were unsafe. Southern Africa is the subregion with the lowest proportion of unsafe abortions (58%) [1]. Close to 90% of women in the subregion live in South Africa, where abortion was liberalized in 1997.
  ' In Latin America, 95% of abortions were unsafe, a proportion that did not change between 1995 and 2008. Nearly all safe abortions occurred in the Caribbean, primarily in Cuba and several other countries where the law is liberal and safe abortions are accessible. [1]
  ' In Asia, the proportion of abortions that are unsafe varies widely by subregion, from virtually none in Eastern Asia to 65% in South Central Asia. [1]
  ' In Western Asia, the proportion of abortions that are unsafe increased from 34% to 60% between 2003 and 2008. [1]This increase is likely due to improved measurement of unsafe abortions and to a steady decline in abortions (partly due to the increasingly widespread use of effective contraceptives) in countries where abortion is legal and safe.
  ' Worldwide, medication abortion (a technique using a combination of the drugs mifespristone and misoprostol, or misoprostol alone) has become more common in both legal and clandestine procedures. Increased use of medication abortion has likely contributed to declines in the proportion of clandestine abortions that result in severe morbidity and maternal death.
  CONSEQUENCES OF UNSAFE ABORTION' The estimated annual number of deaths from unsafe abortion declined from 56,000 in 2003 to 47,000 in 2008. Complications from unsafe abortion accounted for an estimated 13% of all maternal deaths worldwide in both years. [4]
  ' Declines since 2003 in the annual number of deaths from unsafe abortion, along with concurrent increases in the annual number of unsafe abortions performed, indicate that the risks associated with clandestine procedures may be decreasing.
  ' In the United States, legal induced abortion results in 0.6 deaths per 100,000 procedures. Worldwide, unsafe abortion accounts for a death rate that is 350 times higher (220 per 100,000), and, in Sub-Saharan Africa, the rate is 800 times higher, at 460 per 100,000. [4]
  ' Almost all abortion-related deaths occur in developing countries, with the highest number occurring in Africa.
  ' Unsafe abortion is a significant cause of ill-health among women in the developing world. Estimates for 2005 indicate that 8.5 million women annually experience complications from unsafe abortion that require medical attention, and three million do not receive the care they need. [5]
  ' Treating medical complications from unsafe abortion places a significant financial burden on public health care systems in the developing world. According to a 2009 study, the minimum annual estimated cost of providing postabortion care in the developing world is $341 million. [6]
  ' In developing countries, poor women have the least access to family planning services and the fewest resources to pay for safe abortion procedures; they are also the most likely to experience complications related to unsafe abortion.
  ' Unsafe abortion has significant negative consequences beyond its immediate effects on women's health. For example, complications from unsafe abortion may reduce women's productivity, increasing the economic burden on poor families; cause maternal deaths that leave children motherless; cause long-term health problems, such as infertility; and result in considerable costs to already struggling public health systems.
  UNINTENDED PREGNANCY: THE ROOT OF ABORTION' The uptake of modern contraceptive methods worldwide has slowed in recent years, from an increase of 0.6 percentage points per year in 1990''1999 to an increase of only 0.1 percentage points per year in 2000''2009. In Africa, the annual increase in modern contraceptive use fell from 0.8 percentage points in 1990''1999 to 0.2 percentage points in 2000''2009. [7]
  ' An estimated 215 million women in the developing world have an unmet need for modern contraceptives, meaning they want to avoid a pregnancy but are using a low-efficacy traditional family planning method or no method. [8]
  ' Some 82% of unintended pregnancies in developing countries occur among women who have an unmet need for modern contraception. [8]
  ' In the developing world, women's reasons for not using contraceptives most commonly include concerns about possible side-effects, the belief that they are not at risk of getting pregnant, poor access to family planning, and their partners' opposition to contraception.
  ' Reducing unmet need for modern contraception is an effective way to prevent unintended pregnancies, abortions and unplanned births.
  1. Sedgh G et al., Induced abortion worldwide in 2008: levels and trends, Lancet, 2012, (forthcoming)
  2. Jewkes R and Rees H, Dramatic decline in abortion mortality due to the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act, South African Medical Journal, 2005, 95[4]:250.
  3. Pradhan A et al., Nepal Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Study 2008/2009: Summary of Preliminary Findings, Kathmandu, Nepal: Family Health Division, Department of Health Services, Ministry of Health, 2009.
  4. World Health Organization (WHO), Unsafe Abortion: Global and Regional Estimates of the Incidence of Unsafe Abortion and Associated Mortality in 2008, sixth ed., Geneva: WHO, 2011.
  5. Singh S, Hospital admissions resulting from unsafe abortion: estimates from 13 developing countries, Lancet, 2006, 368[9550]:1887''1892.
  6.Vlassoff M et al., Estimates of health care system costs of unsafe abortion in Africa and Latin America, International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health,. 2009, 35[3]:118.
  7. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, United Nations, World contraceptive use 2010, 2011, , accessed Dec. 19, 2011.
  8.Singh S et al., Adding It Up: The Costs and Benefits of Investing in Family Planning and Maternal and Newborn Health, New York: Guttmacher Institute, 2009.
  Most data in this fact sheet is from Sedgh G et al., Induced abortion: incidence and trends worldwide from 1995 to 2008, Lancet, 2012, (forthcoming), and the World Health Organization.
  January 2012
Report Indicates More Extensive Cooperation by Microsoft on Surveillance - NYTimes.com
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  WASHINGTON '-- Microsoft has collaborated with the National Security Agency more extensively than it previously acknowledged, providing the spy agency with up-to-date access to its customer data whenever the company changes its encryption and related software technology, according to a new report based on disclosures by the former N.S.A. contractor Edward J. Snowden.
  Quoting classified internal N.S.A. newsletters obtained from Mr. Snowden, The Guardian newspaper reported that Microsoft had helped the security agency find ways to circumvent its encryption on its Outlook.com portal's encrypted Web chat function, and that the agency was given what The Guardian described as ''pre-encryption stage'' access to e-mail on Outlook, including Hotmail e-mail.
  The Guardian, which did not release the N.S.A. documents that it quoted, said that Microsoft had also provided the F.B.I. with access to its SkyDrive service, a cloud storage service with millions of users.
  Microsoft, according to The Guardian, also worked with the F.B.I. to study how Outlook allowed users to create e-mail aliases, while Skype, now owned by Microsoft, worked with the government to help it collect both the video and audio of conversations. It also reported that information collected through the N.S.A. program code-named Prism was shared with both the F.B.I. and the C.I.A.
  Senator Ron Wyden believes the White House is rethinking one surveillance program.
  Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press
  Microsoft said in a statement that it only provided access to its systems when required to do so by court orders.
  ''We only ever comply with orders about specific accounts or identifiers, and we would not respond to the kind of blanket orders discussed in the press over the past few weeks,'' the company said in its statement. ''To be clear, Microsoft does not provide any government with blanket or direct access to SkyDrive, Outlook.com, Skype or any Microsoft product. Finally, when we upgrade or update products legal obligations may in some circumstances require that we maintain the ability to provide information in response to a law enforcement or national security request.''
  The latest disclosure from documents leaked by Mr. Snowden underscores the increasingly close ties between the N.S.A. and the high-tech community. Microsoft, Facebook and other companies have already been forced to address questions about their cooperation with the agency following Mr. Snowden's disclosure of the Prism surveillance program.
  Many of the companies have repeatedly denied that they agree to blanket collection requests from the government, despite evidence that the government has for years collected huge amounts of phone and Internet data from American citizens. An N.S.A. Internet metadata collection program revealed by Mr. Snowden, for example, was halted in 2011 only after two members of the Senate Intelligence Committee began to question its value.
  Fearing a negative public response to their cooperation, some Silicon Valley companies are beginning to openly push back against the security agency. Yahoo, for example, is now asking the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the secret court that rules on data collection requests by the government, to allow it to make public the record of its 2008 challenge to the constitutionality of the law requiring it to provide its customer data to the agency.
  A Yahoo spokeswoman said Thursday that the company was ''seeking permission from the FISA court to unseal the arguments and orders from the 2008 case.''
  Yahoo said in a public filing with the FISA court this week that releasing documents about the 2008 case would allow it '' to demonstrate that it objected strenuously to the directives that are now the subject of debate, and objected at every stage of the proceeding, but that these objections were overruled and its request for a stay was denied.''
  Signs of a popular backlash against the security agency's large-scale collection of the personal data of Americans have convinced a leading privacy advocate in Congress that the Obama administration may soon begin to back away from the most aggressive components of the agency's domestic surveillance programs.
  The advocate, Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat and a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in an interview Thursday that he believed that the security agency might soon abandon the bulk collection of the telephone calling data of millions of Americans.
  The current controversy over the agency's surveillance policies was first set off after Mr. Snowden leaked a secret FISA court order telling Verizon to turn over calling data from all of its customers. Mr. Wyden now believes that the White House is beginning to recognize that the program raises so many privacy concerns that it is willing to drop it.
  ''I have a feeling that the administration is getting concerned about the bulk phone records collection, and that they are thinking about whether to move administratively to stop it,'' he said. He added he believed that the continuing controversy prompted by Mr. Snowden had changed the political calculus in Congress over the balance between security and civil liberties, which has been heavily weighted toward security since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
  ''I think we are making a comeback,'' Mr. Wyden said, referring to privacy and civil liberties advocates.
  Claire Cain Miller contributed reporting from San Francisco.
  U.S. Is Pressing Latin Americans to Reject Snowden
LA Times - Janet Napolitano, Homeland Security chief, to head UC
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IG: IRS Made 'Policy Decision' to 'Legalize Illegal Aliens' | CNS News Mobile
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  By giving illegal aliens a tax identification number and allowing them to file tax returns as if they were citizens or legal immigrants, the IRS, according to the Treasury Department Inspector General for Tax Administration, was opening the door for illegal aliens to receive tax benefits Congress had intended for U.S. citizens. (AP File Photo)
  (CNSNews.com) - The question of whether to legalize illegal aliens and put them on a pathway to citizenship may be the most controversial legislative issue facing the U.S. Congress this year.
  But, according to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), seventeen years have already passed since the Internal Revenue Service made its own ''policy decision'' to '''legalize' illegal aliens.''
  That policy, made those many years ago, not only determined that the IRS would treat illegal aliens the same as legal immigrants and U.S. citizens, but also that the IRS would not hand over to federal immigration authorities information about employers who appeared to be hiring large numbers of illegal aliens and about illegal aliens who filed false documents with the IRS.
  The story starts in 1996, when Democrat Bill Clinton was president, and the Republicans controlled Congress.
  On May 2, 1996, the Senate voted 97 to 3 to approve the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act. This vote inspired Sen. Ted Kennedy to go down to the Senate floor and proudly proclaim that the Senate had taken bipartisan action to stop illegal immigration and protect American workers.
  ''This legislation, I think,'' said Kennedy, ''will be extremely important and, I believe, effective in stemming the tide of illegals, not just because of the expansion of the border patrols, although that will have some effect, and not just because of the increased penalties in smuggling, as all that will have an effect; it will have an important impact in helping American workers get jobs and be able to hold them and have the enhanced opportunity for employment.''
  Four months later, on Sept. 25, 1996, a House led by Speaker Newt Gingrich approved the bill 305 to 123. President Clinton signed it on Sept. 30, 1996.
  Section 642 of this law said that no other law or official could bar any agency or official from providing information about illegal aliens to the Immigration and Naturalization Service--the agency then responsible for enforcing immigration law.
  ''Notwithstanding any other provision of federal, state, or local law, a federal, state, or local government entity or official may not prohibit, or in any way restrict, any government entity or official from sending to, or receiving from, the Immigration and Naturalization Service information regarding the citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual,'' said the law.
  ''Notwithstanding any other provision of federal, state, or local law,'' it said, ''no person or agency may prohibit, or in any way restrict, a federal, state, or local government entity from doing any of the following with respect to information regarding the immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual: (1) Sending such information to, or requesting or receiving such information from, the Immigration and Naturalization Service. (2) Maintaining such information. (3) Exchanging such information with any other federal, state, or local government entity.''
  On May 29, 1996'--after this bill passed the Senate but before it passed the House'--the IRS issued a regulation that contradicted it.
  This regulation said the IRS would grant what it called Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) to aliens who did not qualify to work in the United States and did not qualify for Social Security Numbers. The IRS had three basic requirements for people receiving these numbers: 1) they had to be an alien, 2) they could not be qualified to work in the United States or have a Social Security Number, and 3) they owed taxes in the United States.
  In issuing this regulation, the IRS said Section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code would apply to the aliens it granted these ITINs. Section 6103 says the IRS must keep tax information confidential and, with a few exceptions, may not share that information with other government agencies.
  In September 1999, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, which has oversight over the IRS, published an audit report on the ITIN regulation. It was titled, ''The Internal Revenue Service's Individual Taxpayer Identification Number Program Was Not Implemented in Accordance with Internal Revenue Code Regulations.''
  The IG pointed out that the IRS's claim that it could issue ITINs to illegal aliens and then decline to provide information about those illegal aliens to the federal immigration enforcement agency'--then called the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)--contradicted the terms of the 1996 immigration reform law.
  ''The IRS provides disclosure protection to illegal alien applicants,'' said the IG. ''The Congress has clearly stated how the federal government is to communicate between agencies concerning illegal aliens. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (the Illegal Immigration Reform Act) states that information concerning illegal alien status should be provided to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) notwithstanding any other law. [Bold in the original.]
  ''However, in the ITIN regulations issued on May 29, 1996, the IRS states, 'Generally, tax return and tax return information are confidential, as required by 26 USC 6103,''' said the IG. ''Therefore, the IRS assurance of anonymity seems to be in conflict with a federal statute.''
  The IG determined it was the IRS's deliberate intention to withhold information about illegal aliens to the INS.
  ''IRS management and the Office of Disclosure Litigation indicated that the IRS intentionally will not provide information to the INS,'' said the IG report. ''The rationale for this policy is that the Illegal Immigrant Statute is a 'general' statute and does not change IRC Section 6103.''
  By giving illegal aliens a tax identification number and allowing them to file tax returns as if they were citizens or legal immigrants, the IRS, according to the IG, was opening the door for illegal aliens to receive tax benefits Congress had intended for U.S. citizens.
  ''Some of the tax advantages that are being realized by illegal aliens treated as residents include receiving spousal exemptions, standard deductions, and even some erroneous earned income credits,'' said the IG.
  In sum, the IG concluded, despite the 1996 immigration reform law, the IRS had made its own policy decision to simply ''legalize'' illegal aliens.
  ''The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) made a policy decision to issue IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) to illegal aliens so tax filing obligations could be met,'' said the IG. ''This IRS policy, to 'legalize' illegal aliens, seems counter-productive to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) mission to identify illegal aliens and prevent unlawful alien entry.''
  In a November 2002 followup report, the IG said the IRS's policy of issuing ITINs could be helpful to terrorists.
  ''Based on national security risks, the ITIN process is an area of vulnerability and concern,'' said the IG. ''With an accepted form of government-issued identification like an ITIN, it is easier for terrorists and their sympathizers to operate in an open society while planning hostile actions.''
  In January 2004, in response to concerns raised by then-Senate Finance Chairman Charles Grassley, TIGTA published another report about the problems caused by the IRS's policy toward illegal aliens.
  This report revealed that the number of tax returns filed by ''unauthorized'' aliens using ITINs was increasing, raising concerns about illegal aliens committing identity theft'--by using stolen Social Security Numbers'--and raking in refundable tax credits, such as the Additional Child Tax Credit.
  On July 18, 2003, TIGTA's Assistant Inspector General for Audit Gordon C. Milbourn sent a memorandum to then-IRS Commissioner Mark Everson citing TIGTA's concerns.
  ''Specifically, unauthorized resident aliens filing U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns (Form 1040) identified with an ITIN would qualify for accelerated disbursements of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC),'' Milbourn wrote.
  He then restated TIGTA's concern that issuing ITINs to illegal aliens conflicted congressionally enacted immigration law'--this time citing the 1986 amnesty law.
  ''The presence of the Form W-2 issued in the filer's name indicates that employment was secured,'' wrote Milbourn. ''Therefore, these resident aliens were apparently employed without authorization. Consequently, we believe that the IRS is at risk of conflicting with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which was designed to prevent unauthorized resident aliens from working in the U.S.''
  Then Milbourn noted that tax returns that had a Form 1040 using an ITIN given to an illegal alien but that reported income on a W-2 using a Social Security Number indicated that the alien in question was not only working illegally in the United States but may be committing identity theft.
  ''[S]ome paper-filed returns appear to have been submitted to the IRS with inconsistent identification information, since the Form 1040 showed an ITIN and the filer's Form W-2 showed and SSN,'' wrote Milbourn. ''This SSN often belonged to another person, indicating potential identity theft.''
  In its January 2004 audit report TIGTA noted that it was a felony for someone to use someone else's Social Security Number or a fake one. The report also noted that this was not at uncommon on tax returns filed by aliens using ITINs.
  ''The Social Security Act provides that whoever, with the intent to deceive, falsely represents a number to be his or her SSN when, in fact, that number was not assigned to that person, shall be guilty of a felony and subject to a fine,'' said the report.
  ''Government agencies reported that hundreds of thousands of unauthorized resident aliens have used fraudulent documents, including Social Security cards to obtain employment,'' said the report.
  ''Unauthorized residents submitted to the IRS an estimated 309,000 paper filed tax returns with an estimated 354,000 SSNs on Forms W-2,'' said the report. ''These Forms W-2 included 265,000 SSN that are assigned by the SSA to other individuals.''
  The report also said they included 89,000 Social Security Numbers that the SSA had never assigned to anyone.
  TIGTA noted that SSA Inspector General James G. Huse had testified in Congress that the misuse of Social Security Numbers had helped the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorists.
  ''The Inspector General stated that improperly obtained SSNs were a factor in the terrorists' ability to assimilate themselves into American society while they planned their attacks,'' said the report. ''The events of Sept. 11, 2001 heightened the urgency of protecting the integrity of SSNs.''
  This 2004 TIGTA report recommended that IRS work with the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services and the SSA on seeking new legislation on sharing IRS information on illegal aliens.
  The IRS reiterated its position that, as it stood, Section 6103 blocked it from sharing information about illegal aliens with immigration enforcement.
  ''BCIS and SSA are knowledgeable about the type of information collected by the IRS,'' the service said in its response to the audit. ''A legislative change to Section 6103 of the code is needed before IRS can share tax information with these agencies.''
  Meanwhile, the inspector general of the Social Security Administration began focusing on a corollary problem: Some businesses were filing massive numbers of bad W-2 forms for their workers'--on which the names and the Social Security Numbers did not match. Because it could not assign credit for the Social Security taxes paid on these W-2s to an identifiable taxpayer, the Social Security Administration credited the money to an accounting limbo called the ''Earnings Suspense File'' (ESF).
  ''According to SSA officials, illegal aliens may be major contributors to this problem,'' said a Feb. 7, 2000 audit report from SSA's IG. ''SSA suspects that employers in certain high turnover industries (bars and restaurants, services, and agriculture) compound the problem because they may knowingly hire illegal aliens with fraudulent identification and are able to do so because there are no penalties imposed for their actions. Consequently, those employers who knowingly accept fraudulent documentation are free to conduct business as usual without regard to the disruption and harm caused to SSA's customers and to unknowing individuals whose identities are falsely used.''
  The SSA said that it had wanted to provide information from this file to the Immigration and Naturalization Service to help the INS identify employers who were habitually hiring illegal aliens but discovered that ''privacy and disclosure limitations'' would block the SSA from sharing information with the INS.
  ''The INS has oversight responsibility for illegal aliens,'' said the IG. ''SSA has the capability to provide the INS with valuable leads to identify employers who continually hire illegal aliens.
  ''The Agency included a project to collaborate with the INS in its December 1997 version of the ESF Tactical Plan,'' said the IG. ''The initiative was to involve SSA working with the INS to formulate and conduct a limited review of employers who (1) employ large numbers of immigrants and (2) experience high name/SSN error rates on their AWRs. SSA planned to use the results of this effort to revise, if necessary, current SSA policies, procedures, and systems as well as IRS regulations relating to AWR requirements. Because of privacy and disclosure limitations, the Agency determined it could not share such information with the INS, according to SSA officials. SSA subsequently dropped the project from later versions of the ESF Tactical Plan.''
  Four years later, in October 2004, the SSA IG published another audit report revealing that employers who habitually filed the largest number of no-match W-2s were concentrated in certain industries in certain states.
  One habitual no-match W-2 filer was a state government agency. The most egregious was an employer based in Illinois.
  ''Our analysis of the Top 100 employers by industry determined that the highest contributors of items to the ESF were concentrated in three industries: services, restaurants, and agriculture,'' said the SSA IG. ''We found that 95 of the Top 100 employers were in 1 of these 3 industries, representing 2.6 million wage items and over $9.1 billion in wages over the 5-year review period. Forty-three of the Top 100 employers were in the service industry, 32 were in the restaurant industry, and 20 employers were in the agriculture industry. Four of the remaining employers were in the hotel/retail industry, and one was a State agency.''
  ''We found that 54 of the 100 employers had registered addresses in three States '' California, Texas, and Illinois '' representing almost 1.5 million wage items and over $4.8 billion in wages during TYs 1997 to 2001,'' said the IG.
  The Illinois company that had the worst record had filed 131,191 no-match W-2s in tax years 1997 through 2001.
  In the years since the IRS made its ''policy decision'' to ''legalize illegal aliens,'' the amount of money paid to illegal aliens through the refundable Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) has grown.
  ''In TY 2007,'' said a 2009 TIGTA audit report, ''more than 1.2 million (66 percent) ITIN filers received ACTCs of almost $1.8 billion. The ACTC is a refundable credit available to individuals with no tax liability.''
  At that time TIGTA recommended that Congress pass legislation to specifically bar the ACTC from going to tax filers who do not have Social Security Numbers'--i.e. aliens.
  ''We believe legislation is needed to clarify whether or not refundable tax credits such as the ACTC may be paid to filers without an SSN,'' said the 2009 audit report. ''Such a legislative change could result in cost savings to the federal government of $1.8 billion annually ($8.9 billion over 5 years). As it now stands, the payment of federal funds through this tax benefit appears to provide additional incentive for aliens to enter, reside, and work in the U.S. without authorization, which contradicts federal law and policy to remove such incentives.''
  On July 7, 2011, TIGTA published yet another audit report revealing that President Obama's economic stimulus law had made the ACTC more generous and that the IRS had paid out $4.2 billion to illegal aliens through this refundable credit in 2010.
  In July 2012, TIGTA published a report on an audit it had initiated because two IRS employees had alleged ''that IRS management was requiring employees to assign Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITIN) even when the applications were fraudulent.''
  In this report, TIGTA revealed that in 2011 the IRS had sent $46,378,040 in tax refunds to what theoretically were 23,994 unauthorized aliens using ITINs and all sharing a single Atlanta, Ga., mailing address. Similarly, the IRS sent $10,395,874 in refunds to what theoretically were 2,507 unauthorized aliens using ITINs and all sharing a single address in Oxnard, California.
  The same IG report said the IRS also sent $7,319,518 in refunds to 2,706 theoretical unauthorized aliens who all shared the same bank account.
  The IG found that the IRS sometimes granted massive numbers of ITINs to unauthorized aliens who all used the same address. For example, according the IG, the IRS assigned 15,795 ITINs to theoretical unauthorized aliens all using the same address in Phoenix. It also assigned 15,028 ITINs to theoretical unauthorized aliens all using the same address in Dallas.
  It has now been seventeen years since the IRS decided it should start issuing ITINs to illegal aliens'--or, as the IG put it, made a ''policy decision'' to ''legalize illegal aliens.''
  Immigration and Customs Enforcement Spokesman Brandon Montgomery told CNSNews.com that SSA and the IRS still do not provide ICE with information about no-match W-2s or ITIN tax filings.
  Since June 24, CNSNews.com has made multiple inquiries to the IRS asking whether at any time since TIGTA issued its 1999 audit report on the service's ITIN policy had the IRS begun giving federal immigration enforcement agencies information about known or suspected illegal aliens who had applied for ITINs, or filed tax returns using ITINs, or about employers who had filed hundreds of no-match W-2s in a single year. The IRS has not yet responded.
BBC News - Europe's abortion rules
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 14:06
  AUSTRIA
  Availability: On request
  Gestational limit: First three months - in practice often before 12 weeks
  Conditions: Must have medical consultation. May be performed after 12 weeks if necessary to avoid serious danger to the woman's physical or mental health; if the child is at risk of being born with a serious physical or mental defect; or if the woman is under 14 years of age.
  In practice, the ability of a woman to pay for an abortion is an important factor. It is difficult for women to get an abortion outside Vienna and other big cities. Few doctors perform abortions in private practice in rural areas.
  BELGIUM
  Availability: On request
  Gestational limit: 12 weeks
  Conditions: Woman must say she is in a "state of distress". Abortions allowed at any stage later in pregnancy if two physicians agree there is a serious risk to the health of the mother or that the child has an "extremely serious and incurable disease".
  The woman must receive counselling at least six days prior to procedure, which must be performed by a physician under good medical conditions in a healthcare establishment with the proper information resources.
  BULGARIA
  Availability: On request
  Gestational limit: 12 weeks
  Conditions: Between 12 and 20 weeks, abortion is permitted only if the woman is suffering from a proven, documented case of a disease that could endanger the life of mother or child.After 20 weeks, abortion is permitted only if the woman's life is in danger or evidence is found of severe foetal impairment.
  CYPRUS
  Availability: Under certain conditions
  Gestational limit: 28 weeks
  Conditions: Allowed to save a woman's life, to preserve her mental or physical health or in cases of rape or incest and if the child is likely to be born with serious disabilities. The UN says that although not specified by law, in practice abortion is performed within 28 weeks of gestation.
  Certification by two doctors is required for all grounds except rape - when certification by a police authority is necessary. Free of charge for patients eligible for free medical care.
  Anyone caught performing an unlawful abortion is liable to seven years' imprisonment. A woman inducing her own abortion is liable to the same punishment. In practice, terminations are often carried out for social and economic reasons.
  CZECH REPUBLIC
  Availability: On request
  Gestational limit: 12 weeks
  Conditions: Requires consent of the woman and authorisation by her gynaecologist. After 12 weeks, pregnancy can be terminated only if the woman's life or health is endangered or in the case of suspected foetal impairment. The procedure must be authorised by a medical commission and performed in a hospital. Therapeutic abortion is permitted up to 26 weeks.
  Women who have had an abortion are not allowed another within six months unless they have had two deliveries, are at least 35 years of age or the pregnancy was the result of a rape.
  The number of abortions in the Czech Republic dropped by about two-thirds in the 1990s mainly due to the increasing availability of the birth-control pill and other types of contraception.
  DENMARK
  Availability: On request
  Gestational limit: 12 weeks
  Conditions: After 12 weeks, if the pregnancy does not pose a risk to the woman's life or of serious deterioration to her physical or mental health, the abortion must be approved by a committee of four people.
  The procedure must be performed by a physician in a state or communal hospital or in a clinic attached to a hospital. No cost, part of the public health system.
  Abortion for non-residents is not allowed unless they have some special relationship with Denmark.
  FAROE ISLANDS:
  Availability: Under certain conditions
  Gestational limit: 16 weeks
  Conditions: If there is a risk to life of woman, in cases of rape and severe risk of foetal malformation. If married, consent is required from the husband.
  ESTONIA
  Availability: On request
  Gestational limit: 12 weeks
  Conditions: After 12 weeks, a woman must undergo a consultation with doctors and the reason for the abortion has to be stated in writing.
  Abortions are permitted until 22 weeks for health reasons and certain other reasons, including pregnancy at a very young age (under 16) or over 45 years of age. A woman choosing to have an abortion must pay a larger cost of the abortion than she would if it should be performed on medical grounds.
  FINLAND
  Availability: Under certain conditions
  Gestational limit: 24 weeks
  Conditions: Abortions permitted up to 12 weeks to save the woman's life, to preserve her mental health, for economic or social reasons or in the cases of rape or incest.Available up to 20 weeks if there is a risk to the physical health of woman or if she is younger than 17. The procedure can be performed up to 24 weeks if the woman's life is at risk or there is a risk of foetal malformation.
  An abortion must be authorised by one or two doctors up to 12 weeks, or by the State Medical Board up to 20 weeks. Abortion is free of charge under national health insurance but women must pay hospital fees.
  The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) says that in practice a woman can get an abortion on demand, but illegal abortion is rare.
  FRANCE
  Availability: On request
  Gestational limit: 12 weeks
  Conditions: The woman must claim to be in a "state of distress" because of her pregnancy. After 12 weeks, abortions are allowed only if the pregnancy poses a grave danger to the woman's health or there is a risk the child will suffer from a severe illness recognised as incurable. If this is the case, two doctors must confirm the risk to the health of the woman or foetus.
  A pregnant girl under the age of 16 may ask for an abortion without consulting her parents first. But she has to be accompanied by an adult of her choice.Conscientious objection allows professionals to decline involvement in procedures, but they must inform the patient without delay.
  GERMANY
  Availability: On request
  Gestational limit: 12 weeks
  Conditions: The woman must receive proper counselling three days before the procedure. The state-regulated counselling is required to inform the woman that the unborn have a right to life and to try to convince her to continue her pregnancy.
  The procedure is not covered by public health insurance except for women with low income. The law includes penalties for people who force a pregnant woman to obtain an abortion or who induce a pregnant woman to have an abortion by maliciously withholding support payments.
  GREECE
  Availability: On request
  Gestational limit: 12 weeks
  Conditions: Abortions are allowed up to 19 weeks in the case of rape or incest and 24 weeks in cases of foetal abnormality.
  Abortions must be performed by a practising physician in a private clinic or hospital. A minor must obtain the written consent of her parents or guardian.The United Nations says the public is still not fully aware of the new laws and illegal abortions are still common.
  HUNGARY
  Availability: On request
  Gestational limit: 12 weeks
  Conditions: The woman must obtain counselling. A consultation with a nurse is compulsory to inform the pregnant woman on issues of contraception, as well as to provide assistance if the pregnancy is carried to term.
  Before 1953 abortions were illegal except for health reasons. The 1992 law stressed respect for the foetus, but it allowed abortions.
  If the pregnancy endangers the life of the woman, or the foetus shows malformation that renders any form of postnatal life impossible, the abortion can be performed at any time during pregnancy.
  IRELAND
  Availability: Strict conditions
  Gestational limit: No set limit
  Conditions: Only allowed if woman's life is at risk (including the risk of suicide).
  Ireland has voted five times in the past 20 years on its abortion laws, most recently deciding to continue to allow women to have an abortion if they say they are suicidal - a loophole the government and Catholic Church wanted closed.
  Women can have counselling and advice on options, and can leave the country to have the procedure elsewhere - more than 6,000 a year go to the UK for a termination.
  ITALY
  Availability: On request
  Gestational limit: 12 weeks
  Conditions: A one-week reflection period is imposed unless the situation is one of urgency. A certificate confirming the pregnancy and the request for termination must be issued by a doctor and signed by the woman and the doctor.
  Parental authorisation is required if the woman is under 18. After 12 weeks, abortion is allowed only if the foetus has a genetic deficiency or to preserve the physical and mental health of the mother. An abortion must be performed in a public hospital or authorised private facility - if there are staff willing to perform the procedure.
  The influence of the Roman Catholic Church - and the threat of excommunication for anyone performing an abortion and any woman obtaining an abortion - means the majority of physicians and other healthcare professionals invoke a conscience clause allowing them to be exempted on moral or religious grounds.
  LATVIA
  Availability: On request
  Gestational limit: 12 weeks
  Conditions: After the first three months, special authorisation is required but non-medical reasons can include the death of the husband during pregnancy; imprisonment of the pregnant woman or her husband; divorce during pregnancy; pregnancy following rape; and history of child disability in the family.
  The laws were liberalised during the Soviet era. Procedures must be performed in a hospital or other authorised health-care facility.
  LITHUANIA
  Availability: On request
  Gestational limit: 12 weeks
  Conditions: After 12 weeks, special authorisation is required. The laws are similar to Latvia, the countries having been a part of the former Soviet Union. Abortion laws have changed little since independence.
  LUXEMBOURG
  Availability: Under certain conditions
  Gestational limit: 12 weeks
  Conditions: Allowed during first 12 weeks to save a woman's life, to preserve her mental or physical health, for economic or social reasons in the cases of rape or incest or foetal impairment. A one-week reflection period is required and the pregnant woman must be given an information booklet in which options other than abortion are explained.
  After 12 weeks, the law allows abortion only if there is a very serious threat to the health of the woman or the unborn child. Two qualified doctors must confirm in writing that a serious threat exists. A doctor is not required to perform an abortion except when the life of the pregnant woman is in imminent danger.
  The UN says there remains a reluctance among doctors to perform abortions, partly because of the country's religious conservatism.
  MALTA
  Availability: None
  Conditions: Abortion is prohibited in all circumstances. Anyone performing an abortion - or a woman who performs one on herself or consents to the procedure - can be jailed for between 18 months and three years. A physician, surgeon, obstetrician, or pharmacist who performs an abortion faces a jail term of 18 months to four years and a lifelong ban from exercising his or her profession.
  The government and bishops on the island objected strongly to moves in 2000 to perform abortions on a ship in international waters off Malta.
  THE NETHERLANDS
  Availability: On request
  Gestational limit: 13 weeks
  Conditions: A five-day waiting period is required between the initial consultation and the performance of an induced abortion. The procedure must be performed in a licensed hospital or clinic. Abortion is allowed after 13 weeks (up to 24 weeks) if she claims to be in a state of distress.
  Since November 1984, women in the Netherlands have been able to obtain abortions free of charge under the government-sponsored national health insurance system. Foreigners may have abortions in the Netherlands, but they have to pay.
  POLAND
  Availability: Under certain conditions
  Gestational limit: 12 weeks
  Conditions: Allowed to save a woman's life, to preserve her mental or physical health or in the cases of rape or incest or foetal impairment. The procedure must be performed by an obstetrician or gynaecologist who has passed the national proficiency tests.
  After 12 weeks, abortions are allowed only if continued pregnancy would endanger the life or health of the pregnant woman. It must be performed in a hospital or clinic with the consent of the pregnant woman or her parents or guardian if she is a minor.
  PORTUGAL
  Availability: Under certain conditions
  Gestational limit: 16 weeks
  Conditions: Allowed within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy to save a woman's life or to preserve her mental or physical health.
  Abortions are allowed within 16 weeks in the cases of rape or another sexual crime and up to 24 weeks if there is a risk that the child will be born with an incurable disease or malformation - which must be certified by a doctor other than the one performing the procedure.
  Portugal's laws will now be liberalised to allow abortions on request within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, after a referendum which saw almost 60% of voters back the move.
  It was not legally binding, because less than half the electorate voted, but Prime Minister Jose Socrates said "the people spoke with a clear voice" and the law would be changed.
  ROMANIA
  Availability: On request
  Gestational limit: 14 weeks
  Conditions: Must be carried out with the woman's consent in an approved medical institution or surgery. Abortions may be performed later in pregnancy if absolutely necessary for therapeutic reasons, according to legal provisions.
  A doctor who performs an illegal abortion faces suspension.
  SLOVAKIA
  Availability: On request
  Gestational limit: 12 weeks
  Conditions: Woman must request procedure in writing. It is allowed only if at least six months have elapsed since a previous abortion, except in the case of a woman who has had two other births or is 35 years of age or older, or in the case of rape.
  A woman must receive counselling before an abortion is performed. Parental consent is required for women under 16 years of age; for minors between 16 and 18 years of age, the physician must inform the parents following the abortion. Abortions after 12 weeks are only allowed for medical and genetic reasons and in cases of rape or other sexual crimes.
  SLOVENIA
  Availability: On request
  Gestational limit: 10 weeks
  Conditions: After the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, special authorisation by a commission composed of a gynaecologist/obstetrician, a general physician or a specialist in internal medicine and a social worker or a psychologist is required.
  If the woman is a minor, approval of her parents or guardian is required, unless she has been recognised as fully competent to earn her own living.
  SPAIN
  Availability: Under certain conditions
  Gestational limit: 22 weeks
  Conditions: Abortions are allowed to avoid serious risk to physical or mental health of the woman within the first 12 weeks. If the pregnancy is a result of rape, the rape must first be reported to the police and the procedure carried out within 12 weeks of pregnancy.
  In case of foetal impairment, two specialists, other than the doctor performing the abortion, must certify that the child would suffer from severe physical or mental defects. The procedure must be performed within the first 22 weeks.All abortions must be reported to the national health authorities.
  SWEDEN
  Availability: On request
  Gestational limit: 18 weeks
  Conditions: Between 12 and 18 weeks of gestation, the women must discuss the procedure with a social worker. After 18 weeks, permission must be obtained from the National Board of Health and Welfare.
  Abortions must be performed by a licensed medical practitioner and, except in cases of emergency, in a general hospital or other approved healthcare establishment. Abortion is subsidised by the government. The country says illegal abortions have been eradicated.
  UNITED KINGDOM
  Availability: Under certain conditions
  Gestational limit: 24 weeks
  Conditions: Abortion is allowed in England, Wales and Scotland to save a woman's life, for health, economic or social reasons. Two registered medical practitioners must certify that the required medical grounds have been met.
  The procedure must be carried out, except in emergency, in a National Health Service hospital or in a nursing home, private hospital or other approved place. The consent of the spouse is not a prerequisite of the medical termination.
  In Northern Ireland, the woman's health must be at risk. The difference between the British mainland and Northern Ireland occurred in 1967 when the Westminster parliament let the then Ulster authority decide not to adopt the new laws. Hundreds of women each year cross the Irish Sea to get abortions in England.
  Sources: United Nations and the International Planned Parenthood Federation.
The Wolverine (2013) - IMDb
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  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 13:55
  The Wolverine (2013) - IMDb
  When he's most vulnerable, he's most dangerous.
  Watch Trailer Watchlist
  See all photos
  Kenuichio Harada/Silver Samurai
  Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
  Summoned to Japan by an old acquaintance, Wolverine becomes embroiled in a conflict that forces him to confront his own demons. Full Summary
  "The Wolverine": 'Viper' Spoilers
  See all news
Crisis increases heroin and alcohol> TVI24
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  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 13:47
  From:
  To:
EMCDDA | European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction '-- information on drugs and drug addiction in Europe
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 13:47
  The pages below provide information and resources by drug-related topic.
  new Perspectives on drugs series:
  The links below point to some of the working areas for the EMCCDA, inlcuding epidemiology, best practice and monitoring new drugs.
  European Drug Report 2013
  Hepatitis C treatment among IDUs
  Cocaine-related emergencies
  Models for the legal supply of cannabis
U.S., Firms Draw a Bead on Chinese Cyberspies - Yahoo! Finance
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 13:33
  The U.S. government gave American Internet providers addresses linked to suspected Chinese hackers earlier this year as part of a previously undisclosed effort aimed at blocking cyberspying, current and former U.S. officials said.
  The push reflects a significant shift in levels of cooperation between the government and Internet companies amid rising concerns over hacking. It also marks a bold move by the U.S. as it takes part in high-level meetings on cybersecurity and other matters with the Chinese this week in Washington. Each side accuses the other of cyberespionage.
  Getty Images The NSA's Gen. Keith Alexander has characterized efforts as self-defense in cyberspace.In February, as Washington and Beijing heatedly traded accusations of cyberspying, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was also providing service providers with Internet addresses associated with a hacking group that U.S. officials linked to the Chinese military, officials said. The aim, they said, was to warn companies that traffic from those addresses could use the U.S. networks as gateways to attack U.S. computer networks.
  At the time, U.S. officials said they saw a temporary decline in infiltrations of U.S. companies from what they identified as the Chinese group. Many outside security experts attributed the drop to the Obama administration's public shaming campaign against Chinese cyberattacks. But the cooperation with service providers was also responsible for the drop, current and former U.S. officials now say.
  Beijing denies U.S. accusations of cyberspying. The Internet providers that received the addresses included major national firms, said the U.S. officials, who declined to identify them.
  Officials say the cooperative effort is ongoing. But the gains appear to have been short-lived. The hackers quickly changed their Internet signatures and resumed probing U.S. companies, the officials said. "Part of the problem is we can close this door and it's fairly easy for them to open another door," a U.S. official said.
  Firms that track foreign hackers say they haven't seen another dip recently in Chinese activity. "Business as usual" is how Richard Bejtlich, chief security officer of Mandiant Corp., a cybersecurity research firm, described recent hacking levels.
  Cooperation between the U.S. government and Internet providers has long been a delicate issue. Many in the private sector have been wary of taking action on Washington's behalf because they could be seen as an agent of the government, creating potential legal and public relations risks, officials said.
  Those risks have been underscored by revelations in classified documents leaked recently by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. Among the documents he admitted to leaking included those outlining secret cooperation by telecommunication companies and Internet firms with government antiterrorism surveillance programs.
  Such concerns have been tempered in part by alarm over foreign spying, with disclosures that top U.S. technology, industrial and communications firms have been hacked. They include the defense firm Lockheed Martin; RSA Security, a computer-security unit of EMC Corp.; and media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.
  The U.S. has previously shared information with service providers, say people familiar with the efforts. The government began increasing the amount of intelligence on cyberthreats it shared last fall, these people said, a decision they said was partly a response to complaints from large banks facing harassment from suspected Iranian hackers.
  The U.S. government has been slow over the years to directly confront hackers from China, a major trade partner, for diplomatic reasons. This year, however, the administration has been steadily ramping up public pressure on China to end corporate cyberespionage while it weighs more aggressive response options.
  This winter, it saw an opportunity to counterpunch Chinese hackers, when cybersecurity firm Mandiant, based in the Washington, D.C., area, shared with the government its plans to out a Chinese hacking group known as the Comment Crew in a detailed report on the country's hacking efforts.
  In the week before the report's Feb. 18 release, Department of Homeland Security officials consulted with Internet providers about how to block some Chinese hacking, former U.S. officials said.
  That same day, Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation released a joint memo that detailed hundreds of Internet signatures, or Internet Protocol addresses, linked to hacking efforts. The memo made no mention of China, but officials at the time said the IP addresses were linked to tactics used by the Comment Crew.
  An email sent by Homeland Security officials to Internet companies alerting them to the joint memo suggested they "institute actions based on the publication" and notes that the matter was "previously discussed," according to a copy reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Those previous discussions focused on blocking Chinese hackers, according to people familiar with them.
  Such government efforts risk tipping off hackers that officials are on their trail, according to one U.S. official. In the case of the February blocking campaign, however, the Comment Crew was already due to be fingered by Mandiant. That provided an opportunity for the Obama administration to signal to the Chinese that it was fighting back, officials said.
  The U.S. has pressed China to establish a formal working group on cybersecurity, and that group met for the first time on Monday in advance of U.S.-China diplomatic talks this week. The U.S. sent several top officials, including State Department cybersecurity chief Christopher Painter and Pentagon cybersecurity chief Eric Rosenbach, to try to carve out areas where the countries can work together on cybersecurity.
  The release of the Internet addresses in February "is an important part of our broader effort to provide critical infrastructure entities with the information they need to protect their networks from malicious cyber activity," a DHS official said.
  The efforts represent a rare glimpse into what NSA Director Gen. Keith Alexander and other officials call "active defense," which they characterize as exercising self-defense in cyberspace. How such activities are executed remains largely cloaked in mystery.
  This stepped-up effort to block Internet addresses also coincides with the Obama administration's rewrite of U.S. cyberattack and defense powers, a classified effort whose details became public when Mr. Snowden, the former NSA contractor, leaked a recent presidential directive on the matter.
  The directive authorized NSA, Homeland Security and other agencies to respond to "persistent malicious cyber activity" when traditional technical and law enforcement tools fail to stop it. The previous directive remains classified.
  It isn't clear which providers blocked the traffic, and to what degree. Providers don't block every malicious address provided by the government or another firm, according to an industry official. They first look to see whether the cyberthreat is affecting their networks or any customers, this person said. They also are loath to block an Internet address from their network if doing so could prevent their customers from accessing legitimate websites.
  "Blocking all traffic to and from an IP address is a very blunt instrument used very sparingly," an Internet industry official said.
  Among the IP addresses given to service providers by the DHS in February was the website of a major oil company, a former U.S. official said, without identifying the company's home country. It is likely a part of that company's network had been compromised by hackers, but much of the traffic from the address could still be legitimate, the official said. It wasn't clear if the company was blocked.
  Gen. Alexander has been urging the White House to establish a position on how to work with Internet providers to deploy NSA "countermeasures" against cyber assaults, according to current and former officials familiar with the discussions. He persuaded the administration to hold at least one recent policy meeting on the issue, a former administration official said.
  A key issue has been how to provide liability protection for Internet providers in the event that they take a countermeasure that has unintended consequences, such as blocking legitimate traffic, officials said.
  "The telecom companies are telling him we're not going to be able to do what you want us to do unless we have liability protection for countermeasures," the former administration official said, adding that effort may be put on hold in light of Mr. Snowden's disclosures and the resurgent wariness of NSA work with telecom companies.
  The administration needs to "define a legal framework for how to respond," the U.S. official said.
  Responding to Chinese allegations that the U.S. is spying on China, U.S. officials acknowledge privately that they are spying on China'--but on government targets, they say, not on Chinese business targets. In China, a country where many businesses are state-owned, officials often don't draw a clear distinction between government and business interests.
  Write to Danny Yadron at danny.yadron@wsj.com and Siobhan Gorman at siobhan.gorman@wsj.com
  More From The Wall Street Journal
XKEYSCORE program may have allowed NSA to spy on Google Maps searches.
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  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 02:56
  Even Google Maps searches might not be safe from the NSA.
  Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
  With its PRISM Internet surveillance program, the National Security Agency can reportedly monitor targets' emails and do live surveillance of Google searches and other data. Now, the latest batch of revealed secret documents suggests the agency may have the ability to spy on Google Maps use, too.
  In recent days, Brazilian newspaper O Globo has been publishingdetails about the NSA's monitoring of email and phone call metadata across Latin America. O Globo, working in partnership with the Guardian's Glenn Greenwald, has been revealing information gleaned from secret NSA documents disclosed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. The same trove of documents has been the source of a series of explosivescoops that have put the spotlight on the extent of the NSA's ability to monitor Internet and phone communications in the United States and internationally.
  Over the weekend, O Globo published a handful of new top-secret NSA PowerPoint slides. One of the slides disclosed the existence of an NSA program called ''XKEYSCORE,'' which appears to involve the mass storage of international Internet metadata'--including information about emails, phone calls, log-ins, and other user activity'--that can later be mined, or ''queried,'' by an NSA analyst from a computer.
  One of the PowerPoint slides published by O GloboScreengrab via O Globo.
  Notably, another of the XKEYSCORE slides suggests that the NSA can monitor a person's Google Maps activity'--and use this as a basis to follow up any activity deemed suspicious with further investigation. The slide notes: ''My target uses Google maps to scope target locations'--can I use this information to determine his email address? What about the Web searches'--do any look suspicious?'' It adds: ''XKEYSCORE extracts and databases these events, including all web-based searches, which can be retrospectively queried.''
  It's unclear how up to date the XKEYSCORE PowerPoints are and whether this program is still active. Either way, the slides are highly revealing. It is possible that they date from pre-2011, before Google made the decision to give all users the ability to encrypt Google Maps sessions using the SSL protocol. Without SSL encryption turned on, which shows in Internet browsers as HTTPS unlike unencrypted HTTP, the information you are sending over the Internet can be intercepted easily by anyone who has access to the data as it is being communicated over a network.
  It seems likely that prior to Google adopting SSL for its maps sessions, the NSA was taking advantage of this by mining data about users' Google activity directly from U.S. and international networks. Information published by the Guardian last month showed that the NSA appears to be collecting billions of what it calls ''digital network intelligence'' records from Internet infrastructure across the world. Separately, the Associated Press recently reported that the agency is operating a large surveillance program that ''snatches data as it passes through the fiber optic cables that make up the Internet's backbone.''
  Although Google Maps sessions are now automatically encrypted, which may have stifled the NSA's snooping somewhat, it is also possible that the agency can still get access to Google Maps data by demanding that the company turn it over as part of orders issued under the Foreign Intelligence and Surveillance Act. In addition, not all Google searches are encrypted'--unless you are logged in to a Google account or direct your browser to https://encrypted.google.com'--meaning that the NSA is still likely collecting huge troves of users' searches by siphoning data off of networks it is tapping in to.
  I asked Google whether it was able to hand over Google Maps sessions in real-time under a FISA order, but the company said it could not comment. "At some point we may expand our transparency report to cover this topic in more depth, but until then I'm not able to provide additional information for you," spokesman Chris Gaither told me. I also asked Gaither why the Google does not automatically encrypt all of its searches in order to thwart spies mining the data directly off of networks. He said that Google had ''worked hard over the past few years to increase our services' use of SSL encryption'' and was ''committed to adding more support for SSL.''
  But you don't have to wait on Google to take action. If you are concerned about the NSA snooping on searches and maps sessions, there are a range of tools available to browse the Internet more securely. You can use Tor browser or a Virtual Private Network to conceal your IP address, both of which can help anonymize your Internet sessions. Alternatively, you can switch to using privacy friendly search engines like Ixquick and DuckDuckGo, which are committed to not storing data about users' searches and have enjoyed a boomin popularity in recent weeks following the revelations about the scope of the NSA's surveillance programs.
New America Foundation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 02:55
  The New America Foundation is an American non-profit, nonpartisan public policy institute and think tank focusing on a wide range of issues, including national security studies, technology, asset building, health, energy, education, and the economy. The organization is based in Washington, D.C., in addition to having a significant presence in New York City.
  In 2007, Steve Coll, a former managing editor of The Washington Post, became President of the New America Foundation.[1]Google's Executive Chairman, Eric Schmidt, is chairman of the foundation's board of directors.[2]
  In 2013 Anne-Marie Slaughter became President of the New America Foundation, replacing Steve Coll.[3]
  History and mission[edit]The New America Foundation was founded in 1999 by Ted Halstead, Sherle Schwenninger, Michael Lind and Walter Russell Mead as a non-profit, public policy institute whose stated mission is to ''invest in new thinkers and new ideas to address the next generation of challenges facing the United States.''[4] The organization has a staff of over a hundred employees and fellows with offices in Washington, D.C., and New York City.
  The organization continues to ''emphasize work that is responsive to the changing conditions and problems of our 21st-century information-age economy'' with ''big ideas, impartial analysis and pragmatic solutions''.[4]Newsweek's Howard Fineman called New America a "hive of state-of-the-art policy entrepreneurship".[5]
  Organization and structure[edit]The New America Foundation houses programs and initiatives that focus on specific domestic, economic and global issues.[6] New America also houses a fellowship program.
  Foreign policy[edit]New America's National Security Studies Program researches and analyses a wide range of global issues, from the inner-workings of al-Qaeda to overall national foreign policy strategy. With the presence of journalists such as Steve Coll and Peter Bergen, New America has carved out a policy niche in the issues of Afghanistan and counter-terrorism. Bergen, who leads the program, is a CNN national security analyst and author of several best-selling books, including, "The Longest War: The Enduring Conflict between America and Al-Qaeda." Coll, president of New America, has also written several books on al-Qaeda and Afghanistan, including the 2005 Pulitzer Prize winner for general non-fiction, Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden.
  New America also has a policy focus on the Middle East with its Middle East Task Force, directed by Leila Hilal, which covers analysis and commentary on the Middle East and North Africa.
  Technology[edit]New America Foundation's Open Technology Institute (OTI) led by Sascha Meinrath has become one of the largest programs within the organization. Focus areas of OTI include wireless community networks building, the creation and management of an open source platform that supports broadband research tools and speed tests, the development of a platform (called Commotion Wireless) to lower barriers for building distributed communications networks, among other projects.
  In the same vein of technology, New America's Future Tense initiative, a partnership with Arizona State University and Slate Magazine, explores emerging technologies and their effects on society and public policy. Central to the partnership is a series of events in Washington, D.C., that take an in-depth look at issues that, while little-understood today, could reshape the policy debates of the coming decade.
  Economics[edit]New America's Economic Growth Program, directed by New America co-founders Sherle Schwenninger and Michael Lind, aims to take a policy look at America and the world's economic problems. The program commissioned a paper ''The Way Forward: Moving From the Post-Bubble, Post-Bust Economy to Renewed Growth and Competitiveness"[7] which warned of the severe economic problems America would face if continued on its current path. The program does not believe in immediate government deficit reduction; it believes that will only make the situation worse. Instead, as stated in the paper, it has other suggestions, including investing in a sustained infrastructure program, lasting from five to seven years, to create jobs and demand.
  Formerly, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget was a part of New America until it separated to become the Fix the Debt campaign. The bipartisan Committee ran a number of projects, including U.S. Budget Watch (www.usbudgetwatch.org), a project funded by Pew Charitable Trusts which reports on important fiscal issues relating to the 2008 election and afterwards. One of its most recent initiatives is the "Go Big" initiative, which was created after the Budget Control Act of 2011, enacted in early August to raise the debt-ceiling and avoid default. The effort urged a bipartisan 12-member Joint Congressional Committee on Deficit Reduction, also known as the Super Committee, with finding an additional $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction by November 23.
  Maya MacGuineas, who has worked at the Brookings Institution as well as on Wall Street, led the Committee and now leads Fix the Debt.After advising politicians from both parties, she serves as a trusted mediator on budget talks between Democrats and Republicans.[8] In addition, in April 2010 the Committee's policy director, Marc Goldwein, joined President Obama's bipartisan Fiscal Commission.[9] Goldwein, 26, was also named one of the Forbes' "30 under 30".[10]
  Education Policy Program[edit]New America's Education Policy Program comprises experts on pre-k to K-12 through higher education and into the workforce. The policy staff produce three blogs: Early Ed Watch, Higher Ed Watch, and Ed Money Watch. It also comprises the Federal Education Budget Project, which serves as a "source of information on federal education funding for policymakers, the media, and the public".
  Fellows program[edit]The organization provides fellowships to ''foster the next generation of thinkers and public intellectuals'' through the Bernard L. Schwartz Fellows program. The Schwartz fellowship ''supports talented journalists, academics and other public policy analysts who offer a fresh and often unpredictable perspective on the major challenges facing our society''.[11] Current fellows include Peter Beinart, Sheri Fink, Franklin Foer, Rebecca MacKinnon, Dana Goldstein, and Amanda Ripley. Alumni of the program include Jacob Hacker, Megan McArdle, Katherine Boo, Robert Wright, Tim Wu, Chris Hayes, Romesh Ratnesar, and Dayo Olopade.
  New America NYC[edit]Launched in winter 2011''12, New America NYC is a new initiative that aims to further the New America Foundation's goals of research and policy innovation. The space, located in SoHo, hosts several events each month generally focused on politics, media, and culture.
  Published articles[edit]Staff and fellows at New America are published regularly in leading national publications. Board members and fellows have written cover stories for a large number of periodicals, including Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Wilson Quarterly, Wired, The New Republic, The New York Times, The National Interest, The American Conservative, The New Yorker, The American Prospect, and Mother Jones.
  Recent reports include: ''The Outlaw[12] '' by Steve Coll, which ran in The New Yorker and explores Osama bin Laden's life and his use of media to get his message out; ''Romney Lays Out Weak Obama Attack Line After New Hampshire Primary Win[13] '' in The Daily Beast by Peter Beinart; and ''An American Hospital: The Most Dangerous Place?[14] '' by Shannon Brownlee in TIME magazine.
  Funding[edit]New America receives funding from both the private and public sector. Seventy percent of its financing comes from private companies and individuals, while the rest comes from public institutions, including the U.S. government. The list of organizations and individuals that supported New America in 2010 includes more than 100 contributors.
  Board of Directors[edit]The New America Foundation's Board of Directors consists of 21 members. It is chaired by Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google, who succeeded founding chairman James Fallows in 2008. Other members include:
  Liaquat Ahamed, investment manager and authorDavid G. Bradley, owner of the Atlantic Media CompanyBoykin Curry, former board member is what is now Public Prep NetworkFrancis Fukuyama, political scientist, political economist and authorAtul Gawande, surgeon and journalistTed Halstead, think-tank executive and authorRita Hauser, lawyer and ambassadorZachary Karabell, president of River Twice ResearchKati Marton, author and journalistWalter Russell Mead, professor of foreign affairs and humanities, editor-at-large of The American InterestSteven Rattner, financier, former "car czar" for the United States Treasury DepartmentAnne-Marie Slaughter, political professor, former director of policy planning for the United States State DepartmentJonathan Soros, CEO of JS Capital Management, senior fellow at the Roosevelt Institute and son of George SorosDaniel Yergin, chairman of Cambridge Energy Research AssociatesFareed Zakaria, journalist and authorLaurene Powell Jobs is a former board member.
  Leadership Council[edit]New America's Leadership Council, chaired by Scott Delman, recognizes those individuals who contribute $25,000 or more to the Foundation each year. As members of the Leadership Council, they participate in the intellectual life of the Foundation in numerous ways. For instance, they are invited to attend a special annual retreat with New America senior staff, Fellows and Board of Directors, as well as a series of salon dinners. The Leadership Council currently has 17 members, which includes Craig Newmark (Customer Service Rep and founder, craigslist.org), Leo Hindery, Jr. (Managing Partner, InterMedia Partners), and Neal Baer, M.D. (Executive Producer of the television series A Gifted Man).[15]
  Advisory Council[edit]New America's National Security Studies Program has an advisory council which directly works with Peter Bergen and Steve Coll to help advance the creativity and impact of the its national security policy work. Co-chairs of the group are board member Fareed Zakaria, and Charles R. Kaye (co-president of Warburg Pincus).
  References[edit]^New America Foundation, "Journalist Chosen to Lead a Public Policy Institute", New York Times, July 23, 2007, accessed January 23, 2012^New America Foundation, Board of Directors, accessed May 11, 2010]^Hogan, Clara (April 3, 2013). "ANNE-MARIE SLAUGHTER NAMED NEXT PRESIDENT OF NEW AMERICA FOUNDATION". NEW AMERICA FOUNDATION. Retrieved April 3, 2013. ^ abNew America Foundation, About New America, accessed June 23, 2010^Howard Fineman, "Living Politics: Election Gave '04 Brokers More Clout", ''Newsweek'', November 13, 2002^New America Foundation, Programs and Issues, accessed June 23, 2010^Nocera, Joe (10/10/2011). "This Time, It Really Is Different". New York Times. Retrieved 1/24/2012. ^Brady, Jessica (11/15/2011). "Maya MacGuineas in High Demand During Fiscal Debate". Roll Call. Retrieved 1/24/2012. ^Dan Froomkin, "Obama's Fiscal Commission: What's Going On In There?", The Huffington Post, May 5, 2010^"30 Under #0". Forbes. 1/24/2012. Retrieved 12/20/2011. ^New America Foundation, The Bernard L. Schwartz Fellows Program^Coll, Steve (5/16/11). "The Outlaw". The New Yorker. Retrieved 1/24/2012. ^Beinart, Peter (1/11/2012). "Romney Lays Out Weak Obama Attack Line After New Hampshire Primary Win". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 1/24/2012. ^Brownlee, Shannon (1/9/2012). "An American Hospital: The Most Dangerous Place?". TIME. Retrieved 1/24/2012. ^Leadership Council | NewAmerica.netExternal links[edit]
Anne-Marie Slaughter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 02:55
  Anne-Marie Slaughter (born September 27, 1958) is the Bert G. Kerstetter '66 University Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University and was formerly Dean of Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.[1][2][3] She is an academic, foreign policy analyst, and public commentator through the old and new media. She served as Director of Policy Planning for the U.S. State Department from January 2009 until February 2011.[1][4] She is an international lawyer and political scientist who has taught at the University of Chicago and Harvard University, and is a former president of the American Society of International Law. In 2013, Slaughter was named President of the New America Foundation.[5]
  Academic career[edit]Scholarship and teaching[edit]Slaughter served on the faculty of the University of Chicago Law School from 1989''1994 and then as J. Sinclair Armstrong Professor of International, Foreign, and Comparative Law on the faculty of Harvard Law School from 1994 to 2002. She then moved to Princeton to serve as dean of the Woodrow Wilson School, the first woman to hold that position. She held that post from 2002 to 2009, when she accepted an appointment at the US State Department. In 2011, she returned to Princeton as a professor.
  As a scholar, Slaughter has had a focus on integrating the study of international relations and international law, using international relations theory in international legal theory. In addition, she has written extensively on European Union politics, network theories of world politics, transjudicial communication, liberal theories of international law and international relations, American foreign policy, international law, and various types of policy analysis. She has published four books: International Law and International Relations (2000), A New World Order (2004), The Idea that is America: Keeping Faith with our Values in a Dangerous World (2007), The Crisis of American Foreign Policy: Wilsonianism in the Twenty-first Century (with G. John Ikenberry, Thomas J. Knock, and Tony Smith) (2008), as well as three edited volumes on international relations and international law, and over one hundred extended articles in scholarly and policy journals or books.
  She has been active as a teacher of numerous doctoral students in both law and political science, as well as other undergraduate and undergraduate students. At Princeton University, she is currently jointly appointed in the Politics Department and the Woodrow Wilson School, where she teaches and advises PhD, Masters and undergraduate students.
  On leave from her responsibilities as dean, Slaughter spent the academic year 2007-2008 based in Shanghai, China, as a fellow at the Shanghai Institute for International Affairs.
  Administration[edit]From 1994 to 2002, while at Harvard University, Slaughter was Director of the International Legal Studies Program at Harvard Law School from 1994-2002, and a Professor at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government from 2001-2002.
  During her tenure as dean of the Woodrow Wilson School, she was credited with vigorously building the faculty, research and teaching activities of the school. She expanded the school by 30%, adding scholars from history, sociology, engineering and the natural sciences, and expanded the School's Masters in Public Policy Program to include medical doctors, lawyers, and Ph.D. scientists. She was credited with rebuilding Princeton's international relations faculty, including hiring a bevy of well-respected senior scholars including Robert Keohane, Helen Milner, and G. John Ikenberry. She also retained or hired influential right-of-center scholars including Aaron Friedberg and Thomas Christensen. Slaughter was also responsible for the creation of several research centers in international political economy and national security, the joint Ph.D. program in Social Policy, the Global Fellows program and the Scholars in the Nation's Service Initiative.
  In late 2005, over 100 Princeton students and faculty signed an open letter to Slaughter and Princeton presidentShirley Tilghman criticizing the University in general and the Woodrow Wilson School in particular of biasing selection of invited speakers in favor of those supportive of the Bush administration.[6] Slaughter responded to these claims by pointing to the dozens of public lectures by independent academics, journalists, and other analysts that the Wilson School hosts each academic year.[7] Others noted that, with Bush's Republican Party controlling the Presidency and both houses of Congress, many of the most influential people in the federal government, and in the international relations apparatus in particular, were necessarily administration supporters. In 2003 the Woodrow Wilson School hosted an art exhibit titled "Ricanstructions" that opponents of the exhibit claimed was "anti-Catholic" and desecrated Christian symbols. Slaughter defended the exhibit.[8]
  From 2002-2004, Slaughter served as president of the American Society of International Law.
  Honors[edit]Slaughter has received an honorary degree from the University of Miami (2006) and the University of Virginia's Jefferson Medal (2007).
  Career at the State Department[edit]On January 23, 2009, U.S. Secretary of StateHillary Rodham Clinton announced the appointment of Slaughter as the new Director of Policy Planning under the Obama administration.[1] Slaughter was the first woman to hold this position.
  At the State Department, Slaughter was chief architect of the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review whose first instantiation was released in December 2010.[9][10] The QDDR provided a blueprint for elevating development as a pillar of American foreign policy and leading through civilian power. Commenting upon the skepticism that often greets such reports, and reiterating Secretary Clinton's strong desire that the QDDR become an essential part of the State Department policy process, Slaughter said: ''I'm pretty sure you're thinking, 'I've heard this before,' [a big plan to change the way a government agency works] But this is different.''[10] Slaughter received the Secretary's Distinguished Service Award for exceptional leadership and professional competence, the highest honor conferred by the State Department. She also received a Meritorious Honor Award from the U.S. Agency for International Development for her outstanding contribution to development policy.
  In February 2011, at the conclusion of her two-year public service leave, Slaughter returned to Princeton University. She remains a consultant for the State Department.[11] She has written that she came "home not only because of Princeton's rules (after two years of leave, you lose your tenure), but also because of my desire to be with my family and my conclusion that juggling high-level government work with the needs of two teenage boys was not possible."[12]
  Other policy, public, and corporate activities[edit]In the 1980s, as a student, Slaughter was part of the team headed by Professor Abram Chayes that helped the Sandinista government of Nicaragua bring suit against the United States in the International Court of Justice for violations of international law, in the case Nicaragua v. United States (1986).
  Since leaving the State Department, Slaughter remains a frequent commentator on foreign policy issues to both mainstream and new media, publishing op-eds in major newspapers, magazines and blogs around the world and curating foreign policy news for over 33,000 followers on Twitter. She appears regularly on CNN, the BBC, NPR, and PBS and lectures to academic, civic, and corporate audiences. She has written a regular opinion column for Project Syndicate since January 2012.[13] She delivers more than 60 public lectures annually. Foreign Policy magazine named her to their annual list of the Top100 Global Thinkers in 2009, 2010, and 2011.[citation needed]
  She has served on the board of numerous non-profit organizations, including the Council of Foreign Relations, the New America Foundation, the National Endowment for Democracy. She is currently on the Advisory Board of the Center for New American Security, the Truman Project, and the bipartisan Development Council of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She is currently a member of the Secretary of State's Foreign Policy Advisory Board. In 2006, she chaired the Secretary of State's Advisory Committee on Democracy Promotion. She previously served on the Advisory Boards of the National Security Network and the Brookings Doha Center. From 2004-2007, she served as co-director of the Princeton Project on National Security.[14]
  In the private sector, she currently serves on the corporate board of Abt Associates. She has previously served on the board of the McDonald's Corporation and on the Citigroup Economic and Political Strategies Advisory Group.[14]
  In 2003, Slaughter stated that the impending Iraq invasion might be viewed as "legitimate," apart from the question of whether it was illegal, if intervening countries: (a) found weapons of mass destruction, (b) were greeted as liberators, and (c) went back to the UN immediately. Slaughter subsequently concluded publicly that, according to these criteria, the invasion had been illegitimate. In 2011, after leaving her State Department position, Slaughter became a prominent early voice calling for Western military intervention in Libya, which she continues to support.[citation needed]
  In 2013, Slaughter was named president of the New America Foundation,[5] to start on 1 September.[15]
  Writing on work-family balance[edit]Slaughter's article titled "Why Women Still Can't Have it All" appeared in the July/August 2012 issue of The Atlantic.[12] In the first four days after publication, the piece attracted 725,000 unique readers, making it by far the most popular magazine article ever published in that magazine.[citation needed] In the same period, it received over 119,000 Facebook "Recommends," making it by far the most "liked" piece ever to appear in any version of the magazine. Within several days, it had been discussed in detail on the front page of the New York Times[16] and in many other media outlets,[17] attracting attention from around the world.[18]
  Education[edit]Slaughter received her B.A. from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University in 1980, her M.Phil. in International Affairs from Oxford University in 1982, her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1985, and her D.Phil. in International Relations from Oxford in 1992.[19] She graduated magna cum laude from Princeton in 1980 where she majored in the Woodrow Wilson School and received a certificate in European cultural studies. She won the Daniel M. Sachs Memorial Scholarship, one of Princeton's top honors, which provides for two years of study at Oxford University. She received her M.Phil. and D.Phil. degrees in international relations from Oxford in 1982 and 1992, respectively, and her law degree from Harvard Law School, cum laude, in 1985. She continued at Harvard after graduation as a researcher for her academic mentor, the distinguished international lawyer Abram Chayes.
  Personal life[edit]Slaughter is married to Andrew Moravcsik, who teaches in Princeton's Department of Politics. They have two children.[20][21]
  Slaughter was raised in Charlottesville, Virginia, by her American father and Belgian mother.[14]
  Selected Publications[edit]G. John Ikenberry, Thomas J. Knock, Anne-Marie Slaughter & Tony Smith, The Crisis of American Foreign Policy: Wilsonianism in the Twenty-first Century, Princeton University Press, 2008.Slaughter, A.-M., A. Moravcsik, W.A. Burke-White. 2005. Liberal Theory of International Law. New York: Oxford University Press, forthcoming.Slaughter, A.-M. 2004. A New World Order: Government Networks and the Disaggregated State. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Goldstein, J., M. Kahler, R.O. Keohane, and A.-M. Slaughter, eds. 2000. Legalization and world politics: A special issue of international organization. International Organization, 54.Ratner, S.R., and A.-M. Slaughter, eds. 1999. Symposium on method in international law: A special issue of the American Journal of International Law. American Journal of International Law, 93.Slaughter, A.-M., A. Stone Sweet, and J.H.H. Weiler, eds. 1997. The European Courts and National Courts: Doctrine and Jurisprudence. Oxford: Hart Publishing.Slaughter, A.-M. 2000. International Law and International Relations Theory: Millennial Lectures. Hague Academy of International Law, Summer.Slaughter, A.-M., and K. Raustiala. 2001. Considering compliance. In Handbook of International Relations, edited by Walter Carlnaes, Thomas Risse, and Beth Simmons. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.References[edit]^ abc"Official State Department Biography: Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter". U. S. State Department. January 27, 2009. Archived from the original on 2011-07-10. ^Brush, Silla (May 15, 2002). "Slaughter '80 named Wilson School dean". The Daily Princetonian. Retrieved 2012-06-24. ^"Administration". Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Retrieved 2012-06-24. ^"Biography: Anne-Marie Slaughter, Director Policy Planning". U. S. State Department. Archived from the original on 2012-12-26. ^ abHogan, Clara (April 3, 2013). "ANNE-MARIE SLAUGHTER NAMED NEXT PRESIDENT OF NEW AMERICA FOUNDATION". NEW AMERICA FOUNDATION. Retrieved April 3, 2013. ^"Open Letter to President Shirley Tilghman, Dean Anne-Marie Slaughter, and the Princeton Community". 11 October 2005. Retrieved 7 May 2013. ^"Events - Archive". Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Retrieved 7 May 2013. ^The Daily Princetonian - Forum looks at controversy over Wilson School exhibit^Long, Emily (2009-07-15). "State Department launches quadrennial review". Government Executive. Archived from the original on 26 December 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-13. ^ abLaFranchi, Howard (2010-12-15). "Hillary Clinton's vision for foreign policy on a tight budget". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on 19 January 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-15. ^Thiel, Samantha (February 1, 2011). "Slaughter '80 returns to Wilson School". The Daily Princetonian. Retrieved 2012-06-24. ^ abSlaughter, Anne-Marie (July/August 2012). "Why Women Still Can't Have It All". The Atlantic. ^"Anne-Marie Slaughter". Project Syndicate. Retrieved 2012-06-24. ^ abcWoodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. "Anne-Marie Slaughter". Princeton University. Retrieved 7 May 2013. ^"New America Staff". Retrieved 6 May 2013. ^Kantor, Jodi (June 21, 2012). "Elite Women Put a New Spin on an Old Debate". The New York Times. ^"Record Hits On Mag's 'Can't Have It All' Story". NPR. June 22, 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-24. ^"The gender debate, at least, has had it all". Globe and Mail. July 21, 2012. ^"Resume of Anne-Marie Slaughter" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-06-24. ^"Short biography". Andrew Moravcsik. Retrieved 2008-08-23. ^Princeton Weekly Bulletin, April 30, 2007 p.1-7External links[edit]PersondataNameSlaughter, Anne-MarieAlternative namesShort descriptionAmerican academicDate of birthSeptember 27, 1958Place of birthDate of deathPlace of death
VIDEO-New Book On Benghazi Attack - Victoria Nuland Confirmation Hearing - Special Report All Star Panal - YouTube
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  Fri, 12 Jul 2013 02:33
Which Is Greater: Full Time Jobs Or Americans On Food Assistance And Disability?
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  Source: Zero Hedge
  Thu, 11 Jul 2013 22:04
  Over the past week there has been some speculation whether the number of Americans who receive food assistance and/or are on disability, outnumber full-time employed workers in the US.
  Here is the answer:
  There are 116 million Americans with full-time jobs according to the BLS (source), which includes 21.9 million government workers (source).So far so good. Now the flip side showing how many Americans are reliant on the USDA's Food and Nutrition Services program or on Disability payments, i.e., food assistance in some form:
  There are 47.5 million Americans on FoodstampsThere are 30.4 million Americans participating in the National School Lunch ProgramThere are 13.2 million Americans participating in the School Breakfast ProgramThere are 8.6 million Americans participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition - Women, Infants and Children program ParticipantsThere are 3.4 million Americans participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the Food Donation ProgramThere are 0.6 million Americans participating in the Commodity Supplemental Food ProgramThere are 0.1 million Americans participating in the Food Donation ProgramThere are 8.6 million Americans on DisabilityFor a grand total of 112.5 million Americans on Food assistance (sources here and here).
  End result: there are 3.5 million more Americans with full-time jobs than there are Americans who are reliant on the government for their daily bread: a tiny 3% delta.
  What this means for the country, we will let readers decide.
  The above is notable because Congress just passed a Farm Bill without consideration for Foodstamps funding. From Reuters:
  The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives defied a White House veto threat and passed a farm bill on Thursday that expands the taxpayer-subsidized crop insurance system but omitted food stamps for the poor.
  Lawmakers passed the 608-page bill, unveiled by Republican leaders late on Wednesday night, on a 216-208, party-line vote after two hours of debate in which no amendments were allowed.
  Republican leaders said food stamps, traditionally part of the farm bill, would be handled later and that, for now, they needed a way to start negotiations with the Senate over a compromise bill.
  Democrats said the real intent of the action was to isolate food stamps for large cuts in funding.
  House Speaker John Boehner declined to say if leaders would allow a vote on a farm bill with larger food stamp spending than his party liked. "We'll get to that later," he told reporters.
  Massachusetts Democrat Jim McGovern said he believed conservatives were promised a chance to strive for deeper cuts to food stamps in upcoming legislation. The defeated earlier version of the farm bill would have ended benefits for 2 million people, or about 4 percent of recipients.
  "A vote for this bill is a vote to end nutrition programs in America," said Rose DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat.
  Surely not even Congress is stupid enough to not realize that if the free meals of 47.5 million Americans are taken away, the consequences would be severe.
  Average:Your rating: NoneAverage: 4.9(12 votes)
All Signs Point to a Sudden Change in Gold Prices
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  Source: Profit Confidential
  Thu, 11 Jul 2013 22:03
  Thursday, July 11th, 2013By Michael Lombardi, MBA for Profit Confidential
  While the gold bullion naysayers keep their bearish view, the fundamentals for the precious metal continue to gain strength.
  We have seen a significant amount of selling in the gold bullion market. But consider this: according to data compiled by Bloomberg, gold bullion holdings in global exchange-traded products (ETPs) have plummeted 589.4 metric tons this year to 2,042.5 tons'--the lowest since May of 2010.
  And if that trend continues, it would be the first drop in gold bullion holdings of ETPs since they were brought onto the market in 2003. (Source: Financial Post, July 4, 2013.)
  On top of all this, hedge funds are also predicting lower gold bullion and precious metal prices. And some of the biggest banks around the world have also cut their forecasts.
  In the second quarter of this year (April to June), gold bullion prices plummeted 23%'--the most since 1920. The primary reason for that is that investors were suddenly convinced that the precious metal wasn't as precious as its price indicated once the Federal Reserve announced that it will soon be starting to apply the brakes on its runaway money printing.
  But that move, when it comes, will only make physical precious metals more valuable. Gold is simply becoming scarce, and buyers will soon be scrambling to buy.
  Remember'--and I have said this before'--it was only in the paper market that we witnessed increased selling. The demand for the physical market remains strong.
  The cost of borrowing gold bullion has increased sharply. The one-month gold bullion lease rate rose to 0.3% on July 9, up from 0.12% a week ago. (Source: Financial Times, July 9, 2013.)
  Dear reader, you must remember: gold bullion trades globally. We are witnessing staggering demand out of Asia'--the usual gold bullion buyers'--and refineries there are operating at full capacity. UBS, a global bank, points out that the price of gold bullion in China remains $40.00 above the benchmark London spot prices.
  Here's what my colleague and resident gold bug, Robert Appel, BA, BBL, LLB'--the smartest guy I know when it comes to understanding and explaining what's happening with precious metals'--had to say:
  ''Regression analysis of the gold market back to the 1970s suggests that the time to repair the damage is often about equal to the time to make the damage. In fact, top analyst Louise Yamada, who advises corporations and large funds, and commands large fees for her advice, has said the very same thing in many of her CNBC interviews. Assuming the base builds this fall, this suggests that the total damage was spread over 2 years. Therefore, according to 'traditional' analysis, gold should be back in favor by 2015. Now, note we used the words 'traditional analysis.' If you factor in the unusual dynamic of this specific market'--all world markets joined at the hip electronically; the gold whack that was artificial and not organic; Western nations on the edge of another 2008-style event; false unemployment data; the Fed trying to walk and chew gum at the same time; Japan on a kamikaze mission; and unknown weather patterns'--this could happen sooner than expected.
  I remain bullish on gold bullion prices in the future because the fundamentals are aligning perfectly. Right now, there's a significant amount of negativity towards it and other precious metals but I have to go by the old adage: 'In the times of most uncertainty, the greatest buying opportunity arises.'''
  Michael's Personal Notes:
  I am watching the Chinese economy very closely, because any economic slowdown there could have an adverse effect on the already struggling U.S. economy.
  And here's what I've seen: the stock advisors are not mentioning how critical the Chinese economy really is, how companies based here in the U.S. can face hard times if it slows, and how that could ultimately lead to lower key stock indices.
  Dear reader, the most important thing you need to know about the Chinese economy is that it's an indicator of global economic health and demand. Currently, it looks as though its health is deteriorating. Exports from the Chinese economy to the global economy plunged 3.1% in June, a month in which they were expected to increase by four percent. (Source: Reuters, July 10, 2013.)
  What that means is that demand in the global economy is declining'--and that strengthens my belief that the global economy is headed toward an economic slowdown. In June, exports from the Chinese economy to the U.S. economy fell 5.4% and those to the eurozone fell 8.3%.
  Customs spokesman in the Chinese economy, Zheng Yuesheng, said, ''China faces relatively stern challenges in trade currently'... Exports in the third quarter look grim.'' (Source: ''China warns of 'grim' trade outlook after weak exports surprise,'' Reuters, July 10, 2013.)
  The Chinese economy is now expected to slow to 7.5% this year. But not only exports are declining; the factory output and investment growth in China, the second-biggest economic hub, are also headed downhill.
  I think these numbers might even be too optimistic considering the economic slowdown in the Chinese economy could become severe, as the credit market problems are starting to unfold. Businesses not being able to borrow money to run their daily operations can hurt demand in the country. Consequently, high unemployment will probably become an important issue going forward.
  Economic slowdown in China means U.S.-based companies operating in the country will also see their profitability decline. We've heard from companies like Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE/CAT) that are showing concerns with their operations in the Chinese economy; meanwhile, other companies'--like Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE/WMT), which has significant operations in China'--are facing troubled times as well.
  And you can add to this list the exporters to China'--any economic slowdown in China's economy means they will be selling less to the country. As I said before, the strength of the Chinese economy is an indicator of overall global health.
  As I continue to point out in these pages, the key stock indices are not reflecting the reality of the economic situation'--it's far worse than they would indicate.
  I remain pessimistic toward the key stock indices, because I don't see a lot of improvements; rather, I see risk piling up significantly. This irrational rally can only go on for so long. Eventually, it will all come back to where it should be. And problems in the Chinese economy might just be the spark that brings investors back to their senses.
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Now That the Video Streaming Wars Have Begun, Who Will Win?
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  Archived Version
  Source: Profit Confidential
  Thu, 11 Jul 2013 22:02
  Thursday, July 11th, 2013By George Leong, B.Comm. for Profit Confidential
  The battle in the video streaming market is on, and based on recent developments, it will intensify, which ultimately is better for the consumer. As my stock analysis indicates, now is the time to take advantage.
  No longer is Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ/NFLX) safe as the current market leader, but the aggressive moves made by Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ/AMZN) to drive its streaming video business is already changing the landscape. (Read ''Online War Begins: Netflix vs. Amazon.com.'')
  And if you don't believe me, consider that there is currently a bidding war for video-streaming provider Hulu and its three million subscribers. The company will sell for over $1.0 billion on bids from the likes of private equity AT&T Inc. (NYSE/T) and DIRECTV (NASDAQ/DTV).
  My stock analysis suggests that while Hulu is interesting, the company is still largely a U.S.-only business with no international exposure, unlike Netflix and Amazon.com. Hulu is much smaller than Netflix, which has more than 36 million subscribers worldwide (source: Netflix, Inc. web site, last accessed July 10, 2013), and Amazon.com, which has 10 million users. (Source: Thomas, O., ''Amazon Has An Estimated 10 Million Members For Its Surprisingly Profitable Prime Club,'' Business Insider, March 11, 2013.)
  But in the event of a takeover, Hulu will gain access to significant capital, with which it could expand its services to markets within and outside of the U.S. And if the AT&T partnership or DIRECTV bid wins, Hulu will have instant access to tens of millions of subscribers, based on my stock analysis. DIRECTV has about 35 million subscribers in the U.S. and Latin America.
  The price points are similar on a monthly basis between the three services, but Amazon.com offers the cheapest annual fee. The emergence of a stronger Hulu would likely increase price competition down the road, and that could drive down the monthly fees.
  But according to my stock analysis, what will be the real determinant on which service consumers will base their decision will be program offerings, especially those shows made exclusive to one service. We are already seeing moves by Netflix and Amazon.com to offer proprietary programming, and I expect this strategy to continue'--similar to the model set by HBO.
  Over the next year, my stock analysis is expected to see the three streaming companies try to align themselves with the makers and distributors of TV shows and movies for more programming deals.
  And since there is no commitment to enter into service contracts, consumers can switch services at any time. This will make the competition to retain viewers fierce.
  My stock analysis indicates that while Netflix is the market leader right now and is still the company to beat, don't count out upstart Amazon.com or even Hulu, especially if it aligns with AT&T or DIRECTV.
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The Big Profit in Crony Spying
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  Archived Version
  Source: EconomicPolicyJournal.com
  Thu, 11 Jul 2013 22:01
  CBS reports:AT&T, for example, imposes a $325 "activation fee" for each wiretap and $10 a day to maintain it. Smaller carriers Cricket and U.S. Cellular charge only about $250 per wiretap. But snoop on a Verizon customer? That costs the government $775 for the first month and $500 each month after that, according to industry disclosures made last year to Congressman Edward Markey.
  Meanwhile, email records like those amassed by the National Security Agency through a program revealed by former NSA systems analyst Edward Snowden probably were collected for free or very cheaply. Facebook says it doesn't charge the government for access. And while Microsoft, Yahoo and Google won't say how much they charge, the American Civil Liberties Union found that email records can be turned over for as little as $25.[...]
  The average wiretap is estimated to cost $50,000, a figure that includes reimbursements as well as other operational costs. One narcotics case in New York in 2011 cost the government $2.9 million alone.
  Note CBS also reports that phone companies claim this work isn't profitable for them. Yeah right.CBS again:
  In 2009, then-New York criminal prosecutor John Prather sued several major telecommunications carriers in federal court in Northern California in 2009, including AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, for overcharging federal and state police agencies. In his complaint, Prather said phone companies have the technical ability to turn on a switch, duplicate call information and pass it along to law enforcement with little effort. Instead, Prather says his staff, while he was working as a city prosecutor, would receive convoluted bills with extraneous fees. The case is pending.
Planned Parenthood President Can't Explain Difference Between Gosnell Killings And Elective Late-Term Abortions'...
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: Weasel Zippers
  Thu, 11 Jul 2013 22:00
  Short answer: There isn't any.
  Via Weekly Standard:
  Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards held a small rally outside the U.S. Capitol Thursday joined by Minnesota senator Al Franken, Connecticut congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, and a crowd of 200 Planned Parenthood activists. Richards warned that new state and federal bills''including measures establishing late-term abortion limits''pose threats to women's rights.
  The new legislation is being debated and voted on in the wake of the trial of Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell, who was convicted of murder in May for snipping the necks of babies after they were born. Following the rally, THE WEEKLY STANDARD asked Richards to explain the difference between the Gosnell killings and late-term abortions.
  ''I mean he was a criminal. And he's now going to jail,'' Richards replied. ''It is very rare for a woman to need to terminate a pregnancy after 20 weeks. And quite often it's stories like ones we heard today where'' the fetus is diagnosed with a dire medical condition.
  But asked about late-term abortion when there isn't a medical problem (Texas's proposed abortion limit has exceptions for the physical health of the mother and severe ''fetal abnormalities''), Richards refused to answer. Nor did she reply when asked if she supports any legal limits on abortion.
  Keep reading'...
U.S. lawmakers may ease 'coup' ban on aid to Egypt
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  Archived Version
  Source: Reuters: World News
  Thu, 11 Jul 2013 21:59
  A supporter of the deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi and his sons sit on a motorbike as they listen to a speech during a sit-in protest in Cairo July 11, 2013.
  Credit: Reuters/Suhaib Salem
  By Patricia Zengerle
  WASHINGTON | Thu Jul 11, 2013 5:18pm EDT
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers will begin to vote as soon as next week on legislation that could continue aid to Egypt even if the Obama administration determines that the ouster of elected President Mohamed Mursi was a military coup, lawmakers and aides said on Thursday.
  The United States currently sends $1.3 billion in military aid and $250 million in economic aid to Egypt each year, but the military coup label would cut off the flow under a U.S. law dating to the 1980s.
  As a result, the White House and State Department have so far refused to characterize Mursi's ouster as a coup, with administration officials often resorting to verbal gymnastics to avoid using the word.
  Republican U.S. Representative Kay Granger, chairwoman of the House of Representatives subcommittee in charge of the aid, said her panel was considering allowing more flexibility, such as language that would allow the aid to continue if doing so were deemed to be in the U.S. national security interest.
  The law as currently written bans the administration from waiving the restriction, even if the administration judges it to be important for national security.
  "There is not a waiver (provision) in the coup legislation," Granger told Reuters in an interview. "That could be changed, however, if the Congress says we are going to allow a waiver."
  PAKISTAN AID PRECEDENT?
  Congress approved President George W. Bush's request to allow aid to Pakistan's government after the September 11, 2001, attacks, despite the ouster of its government in a coup.
  Lawmakers said a similar bill was one possibility for Egypt. They said another possibility would be rewriting the law on foreign aid to allow waivers for national security reasons more routinely.
  The House subcommittee is due to begin considering aid to Egypt this month, possibly as soon as next week.
  The Senate subcommittee also expects to vote on its version of the legislation this month, likely during the week of July 23, aides said.
  After the state and foreign operations subcommittees of the House and Senate Appropriations committees debate and vote on their versions of the bill, the measures will be voted on by the full committees before being sent for a vote by the full House and Senate.
  Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, the chairman of the Senate panel, has said he considers Mursi's ouster a coup, although the ultimate determination is up to the administration. A spokesman said the Senate panel is not now considering a provision in its legislation to waive the coup requirement.
  However, Senator John Boozman, a Republican subcommittee member, said he was open to the possibility of a waiver, depending on the situation in Egypt, noting the long-term close relationship between U.S. officials and the U.S. military.
  "With the situation as it is now, I would certainly be open to having that discussion," he told Reuters. "And right now my tendency would be to vote for the waiver and, again, we'll just have to wait and see what happens."
  President Barack Obama asked Congress to appropriate $1.55 billion in aid for Egypt for fiscal 2014, including $1.3 billion in military aid and $250 million in economic assistance.
  Committee members and aides from both panels said it was too soon to comment on whether they would approve that level of aid, because the situation in Egypt is changing so rapidly.
  (Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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Hunger strike for 29,000 US inmates
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  Archived Version
  Source: BBC News - Home
  Thu, 11 Jul 2013 21:59
  11 July 2013Last updated at17:43 ETA hunger strike by California prisoners has entered its fourth day, with 29,000 inmates protesting against lengthy solitary confinement sentences at the state's high-security prisons.
  But California's prisons chief says the strike is detrimental to their cause.
  Many of the roughly 3,800 prisoners in solitary confinement have been deemed to have gang ties, and some have spent more than a decade in isolation.
  It is the third such hunger strike in California prisons in two years.
  But the strike that began on Monday when 30,000 inmates refused meals is the largest in the state's history. The number of striking prisoners has fallen below 29,000 as of Wednesday.
  'Make their point'"I don't think it helps anything to do this," Corrections Secretary Jeffrey Beard said on Thursday in his first comments on the strike.
  "Much of what they're asking for is being done. It's just not being done fast enough for them... the hunger strike actually interferes with the process."
  After the two previous strikes, the corrections department began a programme to reduce isolation sentences. Hundreds have either already been released from solitary confinement or have been marked for release.
  But the programme was suspended as the strike began on Monday. Mr Beard told an oversight hearing that corrections authorities would not make concessions to the prisoners.
  "I think the department has pretty much done what it can do," Mr Beard told the Associated Press on Thursday. "My hope is that they sort of make their point, get the thing over and we can go back and start doing the reviews."
  Groups supporting the strikers say California's programme does too little to prevent or limit the confinement sentences.
  22-24 hours a day"They're asking for a more humane set of conditions that aren't designed to destroy people," said Claude Marks, a spokesman for the Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity Coalition.
  "If that's [Beard's] position, that [California] has nothing else to offer, then that explains why there's an issue."
  In one high-security prison near the Oregon border, Pelican Bay, more than a 1,000 prisoners remain in solitary confinement.
  About 500 have been in isolation between 22-24 hours a day for more than a decade, with dozens spending more than 20 years in the cells, according to a lawsuit filed on their behalf.
  Three other high-security prisons in California have similar programmes.
  According to the Los Angeles Times, those formerly in isolation have been released into the general prison population either because they no longer qualified for isolation, were part of a four-year "step-down" programme, or had agreed to inform on other prisoners.
San Diego protester faces vandalism charges for sidewalk chalk drawings
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  Archived Version
  Thu, 11 Jul 2013 21:37
  San Diego protester faces vandalism charges for sidewalk chalk drawingsTop News
  San Diego protester faces vandalism charges for sidewalk chalk drawings
  Thu, Jun 27 23:27 PM EDT
  By Marty Graham
  SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - A protester is standing trial on criminal vandalism charges in San Diego, and faces a sentence of up to 13 years in prison if convicted, for a scribbling a series of anti-bank slogans in chalk on a city sidewalk.
  Mayor Bob Filner has denounced the prosecution of Jeff Olson, 40, a man with no previous criminal record, as a waste of taxpayer money and an abuse of power that infringes on First Amendment free speech protections in the U.S. Constitution.
  "This young man is being persecuted for thirteen counts of vandalism stemming from an expression of political protest that involved washable children's chalk on a city sidewalk," the mayor said last week in a memo to the City Council.
  The city attorney, Jan Goldsmith, defended his pursuit of the case in remarks published on Thursday in the U-T San Diego news website, saying: "We prosecute vandalism and theft cases regardless of who the perpetrator or victim might be."
  "We don't decide, for example, based upon whether we like or dislike banks," Goldsmith added. "That would be wrong under the law and such a practice by law enforcement would change our society in very damaging ways."
  On Thursday, Superior Court Judge Howard Shore issued a gag order in the case, forbidding all parties from discussing the trial further. He previously ruled that Olson would not be permitted to invoke freedom of expression as a defense in the case.
  Olson is charged with 13 misdemeanor counts of vandalism, each carrying a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine, though he is not expected to receive as harsh a sentence as 13 consecutive years behind bars if found guilty.
  He is accused of writing a series of protest slogans between February and August 2012 on sidewalks in front of Bank of America branches.
  Olson has admitted to the graffiti protests, but said nothing he wrote was profane or vulgar and suggested his prosecution was politically motivated.
  "I wrote, 'No thanks big banks.' I wrote, 'Shame on Bank of America,'" he told San Diego CBS television affiliate KFMB-TV. He told another local station, ABC affiliate KGTV: "If I had drawn a little girl's hopscotch squares on the street, we wouldn't be here today."
  The mayor's office would not rule out the possibility that Filner might appear as a witness for Olson.
  The Olson case has become the latest flashpoint in a deepening rift between Filner and Goldsmith, who was elected city attorney under the former mayor by promising to improve the office's ability to work with the city's top elected official.
  The mayor and city attorney have clashed over medical marijuana dispensary crackdowns, tourism district funds, bond issues and the mayor's recent successful effort to cut $500,000 from the city attorney's budget.
  (Reporting by Marty Graham; Editing by Steve Gorman and Eric Beech)
  San Diego protester faces vandalism charges for sidewalk chalk drawingsTop News
  San Diego protester faces vandalism charges for sidewalk chalk drawings
  Thu, Jun 27 23:27 PM EDT
  By Marty Graham
  SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - A protester is standing trial on criminal vandalism charges in San Diego, and faces a sentence of up to 13 years in prison if convicted, for a scribbling a series of anti-bank slogans in chalk on a city sidewalk.
  Mayor Bob Filner has denounced the prosecution of Jeff Olson, 40, a man with no previous criminal record, as a waste of taxpayer money and an abuse of power that infringes on First Amendment free speech protections in the U.S. Constitution.
  "This young man is being persecuted for thirteen counts of vandalism stemming from an expression of political protest that involved washable children's chalk on a city sidewalk," the mayor said last week in a memo to the City Council.
  The city attorney, Jan Goldsmith, defended his pursuit of the case in remarks published on Thursday in the U-T San Diego news website, saying: "We prosecute vandalism and theft cases regardless of who the perpetrator or victim might be."
  "We don't decide, for example, based upon whether we like or dislike banks," Goldsmith added. "That would be wrong under the law and such a practice by law enforcement would change our society in very damaging ways."
  On Thursday, Superior Court Judge Howard Shore issued a gag order in the case, forbidding all parties from discussing the trial further. He previously ruled that Olson would not be permitted to invoke freedom of expression as a defense in the case.
  Olson is charged with 13 misdemeanor counts of vandalism, each carrying a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine, though he is not expected to receive as harsh a sentence as 13 consecutive years behind bars if found guilty.
  He is accused of writing a series of protest slogans between February and August 2012 on sidewalks in front of Bank of America branches.
  Olson has admitted to the graffiti protests, but said nothing he wrote was profane or vulgar and suggested his prosecution was politically motivated.
  "I wrote, 'No thanks big banks.' I wrote, 'Shame on Bank of America,'" he told San Diego CBS television affiliate KFMB-TV. He told another local station, ABC affiliate KGTV: "If I had drawn a little girl's hopscotch squares on the street, we wouldn't be here today."
  The mayor's office would not rule out the possibility that Filner might appear as a witness for Olson.
  The Olson case has become the latest flashpoint in a deepening rift between Filner and Goldsmith, who was elected city attorney under the former mayor by promising to improve the office's ability to work with the city's top elected official.
  The mayor and city attorney have clashed over medical marijuana dispensary crackdowns, tourism district funds, bond issues and the mayor's recent successful effort to cut $500,000 from the city attorney's budget.
  (Reporting by Marty Graham; Editing by Steve Gorman and Eric Beech)
LA Times - Ex-supporters call on S.D. mayor to 'do the right thing,' resign
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  Thu, 11 Jul 2013 21:36
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AQ Harry Potter
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  Archived Version
  Thu, 11 Jul 2013 21:35
  AP
  Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
  by Adam Goldman, Associated Press
  WASHINGTON (AP) '-- Confined to the basement of a CIA secret prison in Romania about a decade ago, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the admitted mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, asked his jailers whether he could embark on an unusual project: Would the spy agency allow Mohammed, who had earned his bachelor's in mechanical engineering, to design a vacuum cleaner?
  The agency officer in charge of the prison called CIA headquarters and a manager approved the request, a former senior CIA official told The Associated Press.
  Mohammed had endured the most brutal of the CIA's harsh interrogation methods and had confessed to a career of atrocities. But the agency had no long-term plan for him. Someday, he might prove useful again. Perhaps, he'd even stand trial one day.
  And for that, he'd need to be sane.
  "We didn't want them to go nuts," the former senior CIA official said, one of several who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about the now-shuttered CIA prisons or Mohammed's interest in vacuums.
  So, using schematics from the Internet as his guide, Mohammed began re-engineering one of the most mundane of household appliances.
  That the CIA may be in possession of the world's most highly classified vacuum cleaner blueprints is but one peculiar, lasting byproduct of the controversial U.S. detention and interrogation program.
  By the CIA's own account, the program's methods were "designed to psychologically 'dislocate'" people. But once interrogations stopped, the agency had to try to undo the psychological damage inflicted on the detainees.
  The CIA apparently succeeded in keeping Mohammed sane. He appears to be in good health, according to military records.
  Others haven't fared as well. Accused al-Qaida terrorists Ramzi Binalshibh and Abd al-Nashiri, who were also locked up in Poland and Romania with Mohammed, have had mental issues. Al-Nashiri suffers from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Binalshibh is being treated for schizophrenia with a slew of anti-psychotic medications.
  "Any type of prolonged isolation in custody '-- much less the settings described in the press '-- have been known to have a severe impact on the mental condition of the detainee," said Thomas Durkin, Binalshibh's former civilian lawyer. Durkin declined to discuss Binalshibh's case.
  Mohammed was subjected to harsh interrogations in Poland. Agency officers and contractors forced him to stay awake for 180 hours, according to a CIA inspector general's report. He also underwent 183 instances of waterboarding, or simulated drowning.
  After the CIA prison in Poland was closed in September 2003, Mohammed was moved to Bucharest, to a black site code-named "Britelite." Soon the CIA was trying to find ways to entertain Mohammed as his intelligence value diminished.
  The prison had a debriefing room, where Mohammed, who saw himself as something of a professor, held "office hours," as he told CIA officers. While chained to the floor, Mohammed would lecture the CIA officers on his path to jihad, his childhood and family. Tea and cookies were served.
  Along with the other five detainees at the prison in Bucharest, Mohammed was given assignments about his knowledge of al-Qaida, or "homework," as CIA officers called it. He was given Snickers candy bars as rewards for his studiousness.
  In Romania, the prison provided books for detainees to read. Mohammed, former officials said, enjoyed the Harry Potter series. For the CIA officers at the prison, not so much. For security reasons, after a prisoner finished a book, they tediously checked every page to ensure detainees weren't passing messages. They once caught Mohammed trying to hide a message in a book warning his prison mates not to talk about Osama bin Laden's courier.
  Mohammed graduated from North Carolina A&T State University with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1986. It's not clear whether Mohammed was interested in designing a better vacuum or had ulterior motives. He might have intended to use the plans to conceal secret information or trick his jailers.
  In Graham Greene's spy thriller "Our Man in Havana," a vacuum salesman in Cuba agrees to work for MI6, the British spy service. He dupes the British into believing his vacuum designs are military installations. The AP was unable to determine whether Mohammed ever read the famous novel.
  It remains a mystery how far Mohammed got with his designs or whether the plans still exist. The secret CIA prison in Romania was shuttered in early 2006 and Mohammed was transferred later that year to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base prison, where he remains. It's unlikely he was able to take his appliance plans to Cuba.
  Mohammed's military lawyer, Army Capt. Jason Wright, said he was prohibited from discussing his client's interest in vacuums.
  "It sounds ridiculous, but answering this question, or confirming or denying the very existence of a vacuum cleaner design, a Swiffer design, or even a design for a better hand towel would apparently expose the U.S. government and its citizens to exceptionally grave danger," Wright said.
  But Wright added that he often discussed "modern technological innovations" and the "scientific wonders" of the Quran with Mohammed. He called Mohammed "exceptionally intelligent."
  "If he had access to educational programs in Guantanamo Bay, such as distance learning programs, I am confident that in addition to furthering his Islamic studies, he could obtain a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, and very likely patent inventions," Wright said.
  The CIA won't discuss the Mohammed's vacuum plans, either. The AP asked the CIA for copies of the vacuum designs or any government records about them under the Freedom of Information Act.
  The CIA responded in a letter to the AP that the records, "should they exist," would be considered operational files of the CIA '-- among its most highly classified category of government files '-- and therefore exempt from ever being released to the public.
  Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Harry Reid: Nuclear Option Is On The Table
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  Archived Version
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Thu, 11 Jul 2013 21:30
  Maybe this time...While Lucy has brandished this particular football many times, there is reason to believe that he actually means it this time. Word is, this is a coordinated effort with the White House over the stalemated judicial nominations, and Harry's even giving a speech about it on Monday. So we'll see:
  Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) launched a barn-burner of a speech Thursday on the Senate floor, excoriating Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for continued obstruction when it comes to presidential nominees.
  ''Senator McConnell broke his word,'' Reid said. ''The Republican leader has failed to live up to his commitments. He's failed to do what he said he would do '-- move nominations by regular order except in extraordinary circumstances. I refuse to unilaterally surrender my right to respond to this breach of faith.''
  Why, Harry? You've been doing such a great job at it up until now!
  The remarks were Reid's first in weeks on the issue of nominations and Senate gridlock, a brewing fight that he sidelined last month in order to pass immigration reform through the Senate. McConnell has been regularly arguing for weeks that Reid is breaking his word by threatening to change the rules with the nuclear option after he agreed not to upon passage of the modest rules changes in January which preserved the filibuster.
  In Thursday's speech, Reid cited GOP filibusters to slow down the confirmations of Chuck Hagel for secretary of defense and John Brennan for CIA director. He also cited the GOP's promise to filibuster Richard Cordray or any other nominee for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau unless Democrats agree to weaken the agency.
  ''It is a disturbing trend when Republicans are willing to block executive branch nominees even if they have no objection about the qualification of the nominee,'' Reid said. ''They're blocking qualified nominees because they refuse to accept the law of the land.''
  Uh, Harry? They've been doing that for five years now. Are you finally going to do something about it?
  The majority leader declared that no ''matter who is elected, whether it is Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden, that person shouldn't have to go through what we've gone through the last four and a half years.''
  ''Is there anybody out there in America that thinks this body is functioning well?'' he said.
  Reid ended by saying his patience was running out. ''I'm not going to wait another month, another few weeks, another year,'' he said, ''for Congress to take action on the things we have been doing for almost 240 years.''
  McConnell, clearly worked up over Reid's speech, responded on the floor shortly after and vowed that Democrats will ''live to regret it'' if they follow through with the threat to change the rules of the Senate with a bare majority of votes. He called the accusations of obstruction an ''absolutely phony, manufactured crisis.''
Al Qaeda kills Free Syrian Army commander: FSA spokesman
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  Source: Reuters: World News
  Thu, 11 Jul 2013 21:30
  BEIRUT | Thu Jul 11, 2013 4:52pm EDT
  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Militants linked to al Qaeda in Syria killed a senior figure in the Western- and Arab-backed Free Syrian army on Thursday, an FSA source said, signaling a widening rift between Islamists and more moderate elements in the armed Syrian opposition.
  Kamal Hamami, a member of the Free Syrian Army's Supreme Military Council, known by his nom de guerre Abu Bassel al-Ladkani, was meeting with members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in the port city of Latakia when they killed him, Qassem Saadeddine, a Free Syrian Army spokesman, told Reuters.
  "The Islamic State phoned me saying that they killed Abu Bassel and that they will kill all of the Supreme Military Council," Saadeddine said from Syria.
  "He met them to discuss battle plans," Saadeddine added.
  The Free Syrian Army has been trying to build a network of logistics and reinforce its presence across Syria as the U.S. administration pledged to send weapons to the group after it concluded that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces had used chemical weapons against rebel fighters.
  U.S. congressional committees are holding up the plan because of fears that such deliveries will not be decisive and the arms might end up in the hands of Islamist militants, security sources have said.
  While Free Syrian Army units sometimes fight alongside Islamist militant groups such as the Islamist State, rivalries have increased and al Qaeda-linked groups have been blamed for several assassinations of commanders of moderate rebel units.
  (Reporting by Mariam Karouny; Editing by Michael Roddy)
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Arrest over 'green Rolex' death
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  Archived Version
  Source: BBC News - Home
  Thu, 11 Jul 2013 21:29
  11 July 2013Last updated at17:27 ETA man has been arrested in connection with the death of a teenage girl who had taken fake ecstasy tablets.
  The 18-year-old woman died in Alexandria on Tuesday. She and three friends had taken green tablets with a Rolex Crown logo on them.
  Similar tablets have been linked to the deaths of six other people in the west of Scotland in the past two months.
  The 24-year-old man has been arrested over allegations he was concerned in the supply of controlled drugs.
  He was detained in police custody, and is expected to appear at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on Friday.
  Dangerous chemicalPolice said the teenager took the tablets in the West Dunbartonshire town with three friends in the early hours of Tuesday.
  The three men, aged 18, 21 and 25, were all admitted to hospital.
  A total of seven people in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire have died after taking the Rolex tablets over the past two months.
  The tablets have also been linked to the deaths of several people in Northern Ireland.
  Police have urged people not to take the tablets, which are sold as ecstasy but contain a dangerous chemical called PMA.
  Posters warning about the dangers of the tablets, which cause extremely high temperatures, hallucinations and convulsions, have also been been put up at this weekend's T in the Park music festival.
  On Wednesday, Dr Richard Stevenson of Glasgow Royal Infirmary told the BBC numerous other people had been admitted to intensive care after taking the tablets.
  'Very frightening'Describing the effect the tablets have, Dr Stevenson, a specialist doctor in emergency medicine, said: "Initially it starts off with hyperactivity, unable to sit still, they are quite restless.
  "Then the hallucinations start to kick in. They are very frightening for the individual."
  He added: "They're not pleasant and they become combative, quite aggressive and they are confused about their surroundings and who is trying to help them.
  "Then their body temperature starts to rise quite dramatically and it is that which is what is killing these individuals. We need to get their body temperature down as fast as possible."
International drug-band has revealed
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  Archived Version
  Source: euronews
  Thu, 11 Jul 2013 21:29
  Luxembourg's long-standing prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker has met with the Grand Duke to make an official request for elections. This follows his recent decision to resign in light of a spying scandal involving the country's secret service. He spoke with journalists'...
CRISIS BREWING The Wheels are Coming Off the Whole of Southern Europe
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  Archived Version
  Source: EconomicPolicyJournal.com
  Thu, 11 Jul 2013 21:26
  Ambrose Evans-Pritchard reports:A leaked report from the European Commission confirms that Greece will miss its austerity targets yet again by a wide margin. It alleges that Greece lacks the ''willingness and capacity'' to collect taxes. In fact, Athens is missing targets because the economy is still in freefall and that is because of austerity overkill. The Greek think-tank IOBE expects GDP to fall 5pc this year. It has told journalists privately that the final figure may be -7pc. The Greek stabilisation is a mirage.Italy's slow crisis is again flaring up. Its debt trajectory has punched through the danger line over the past two years. The country's '‚¬2.1 trillion (£1.8 trillion) debt '' 129pc of GDP '' may already be beyond the point of no return for a country without its own currency.[...]Spain's crisis has a new twist. The ruling Partido Popular is caught in a slush-fund scandal of such gravity that it cannot plausibly brazen out the allegations any longer, let alone rally the nation behind another year of scorched-earth cuts. El Mundo says a ''pre-revolutionary'' mood is taking hold.A magistrate has obtained the original ''smoking gun'' alleging that Premier Mariano Rajoy accepted illegal payments as a minister. The Left is calling for his head but so are members of the Consejo General del Poder Judicial, the justice watchdog.''Citizens cannot tolerate a situation where the prime minister has received undeclared payments,'' said Jos(C) Manuel G"mez, a Consejo member. Much of the ruling party appears tainted by a network of covert funding. If proved, said Mr Gomez, it poses a ''very grave'' threat to Spanish democracy.Portugal is slipping away. Professor Jo£o Ferreira do Amaral's book -Why We Should Leave The Euro '' has been a bestseller for months. He accuses Brussels of serving as an enforcer for Germany and the creditor powers.
Thought Of Cutting Food Stamps Sends Pelosi Over The Edge, Shreiks On House Floor, ''Poverty! Poverty! Poverty!'''...
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: Weasel Zippers
  Thu, 11 Jul 2013 21:25
  Dems love welfare, that much is abundantly clear.
  Via Red Alert:
  House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has a question for House Republicans on the farm bill: ''What are you thinking? Or are you thinking?''
  Pelosi entered the debate on the House floor on Thursday with very passionate feelings about poverty in America. She aimed her scorn at members of the GOP, who are trying to split the farm bill from food stamps with their new proposed legislation.
  ''You are taking food out of the mouths of your own poor constituents,'' Pelosi accused.
  But the House Minority Leader didn't stop there, growing increasingly impassioned as she continued her speech.
  ''Poverty in America,'' she exclaimed. ''Poverty. I'm saying the word on the floor of the House '' poverty! Poverty! Poverty! Poverty! Poverty in America, seems to be a word that people get nervous about.''
  Pelosi was absolutely outraged at the Republicans decision to split the bill, slamming them for their decision.
  Keep reading'...
  If only Democrats fought as hard for taxpayers as they do for people on the dole.