Saturday, April 23, 2011

'No sign Gaddafi bombed Tripoli - NATO wages war on false claims'

Heroes Villainized: FBI to investigate 9/11 first responders for terrorism

US Credit Worthiness: US Default Could Be Disastrous Choice for Economy

US Credit Worthiness: US Default Could Be Disastrous Choice for Economy - CNBC

The United States has never defaulted on its debt and Democrats and Republicans say they don't want it to happen now. But with partisan acrimony running at fever pitch, and Democrats and Republicans so far apart on how to tame the deficit, the unthinkable is suddenly being pondered.

"It's another game of chicken. And this time there are Mack trucks going at each other, not bumper cars. This is a biggie," said American University political scientist."

James Thurber
American University

The government now borrows about 42 cents of every dollar it spends. Imagine that one day soon, the borrowing slams up against the current debt limit ceiling of $14.3 trillion and Congress fails to raise it. The damage would ripple across the entire economy, eventually affecting nearly every American, and rocking global markets in the process.

A default would come if the government actually failed to fulfill a financial obligation, including repaying a loan or interest on that loan.

The government borrows mostly by selling bonds to individuals and governments, with a promise to pay back the amount of the bond in a certain time period and agreeing to pay regular interest on that bond in the meantime.

Jason Bermas The One Punch Knockout!

Japanese government censors Fukushima reports that contradict official story

Japanese government censors Fukushima reports that contradict official story - BlackListedNews.com
Source: NaturalNews

Censorship of the truth about what is really going on at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility has been taken to a whole new level of corruption. According to a recent report from the Shingetsu News Agency, the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication (MIAC), in conjunction with the National Police Agency and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), has established a special project team to crack down on independent and freelance news agencies that criticize or otherwise scrutinize the official Japanese government position concerning Fukushima.

The Japanese government appears to be working closely with both the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and the nation's mainstream media outlets to maintain the facade that everything is just fine, and that the nuclear meltdown situation is largely mitigated and under control. But recent prodding and questioning by certain media sources outside this "good ol' boys" club have struck a nerve with authorities, sparking the new crackdown on those who oppose the official story. Authorities say such scrutiny is a threat to national security.

For the most part, the mainstream Japanese media has been the only type of media invited to most of the press conferences concerning Fukushima. And the reporters who attend these events merely reiterate what TEPCO and others are saying about the situation, without asking any hard questions or investigating the situation. But the few press conferences at which independent and freelance reporters have been permitted to attend have been rife with the tough, hardball questions that nobody else has been asking -- and this has caused quite an upset.

"Freelance journalists and foreign media are pursuing the facts, even going into theradiation exclusion zone," explained Uesugi Takashi, an independent journalist that has been pushing the Japanese government to be more forthcoming with the truth about the situation. "However, surprisingly, the Japan government continues to prevent freelance journalists and overseas media from gaining access to official press conferences at the prime minister's house and government."

One of the biggest and most obvious questions that many independent journalists, as well as Japanese citizens, are asking concerns the near-total blackout of information on the current status of Fukushima. Authorities continue to repeat that the situation is under control, but where is the actual evidence to back this claim? And if those in power have nothing to hide, then why have all the meetings between TEPCO officials and the government been private, closed-door meetings that exclude actual journalists?

Meanwhile, empty reassurances that the Fukushima situation is essential "over" have drawn many citizens who previously evacuated the Fukushima exclusion zone back into these dangerous areas. This occurs, of course, as radiation readings around the world continue to rise in response to the Fukushima disaster (http://www.naturalnews.com/032048_r...).

Sources for this story include:

http://japanfocus.org/-Makiko-Segaw...

TSA Terrorizes Family UPDATE Video, TSA Response Blog

Anti-Monarchist Flyer For The Royal Wedding

NATO Strikes Near Gadhafi Compound

NATO Strikes Near Gadhafi Compound | News | English

NATO forces have bombed an area close to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli, hitting what reporters described as a military installation.

The strike early Saturday set off alarms in the capital, but caused no injuries.

Libyan officials described the site that was hit as a parking lot. But reporters on the scene say two bomb craters exposed a layer of reinforced concrete covering what appeared to be a bunker. They said ammunition crates also lay close by.

Also Saturday, the Italian Foreign Ministry said Libyan authorities have released an Italian ship detained in the port of Tripoli last month along with its 11 crewmembers.

The ship, which was working for an Italian oil company, was seized shortly before an international coalition began imposing a no-fly zone over Libya.

Map of Misrata in Libya

On Friday, Libyan officials said the military will withdraw from the city of Misrata, which has been the scene of some of the fiercest fighting between pro-Gadhafi forces and opposition rebels.

Libya's deputy foreign minister, Khaled Kaim, said the fate of the city will be left to the "tribes around Misrata and the Misrata people."

He did not say when or under what circumstances the army would leave.

US atrocities reach all time high in Afghanistan

US atrocities reach all time high in Afghanistan

Even as American officials optimistically talk about starting troop withdrawal from Afghanistan according to schedule in July, news about their atrocities continue to send shock waves globally. Recent reports and photos of torture and mutilation of Afghan civilians make Abu Ghraib look like a mild affair. These crimes are compounded by denials that the Americans have done or are capable of doing anything wrong since these are contrary to American “standards and values.” Their victims know better.

This past winter, American troops murdered even more Afghan civilians than in previous years. And true to form, they routinely claim the attacks were aimed at militants and that no civilians were killed. There has been a spate of such attacks in recent weeks that have soured relations between the US military and the Afghan government. To their customary brutality, the Americans have now added another tactic. Following a particularly gruesome attack in Ghaziabad district of Kunar province in late February, General David Petraeus said Afghan civilians had “deliberately burnt” their children’s legs and arms to make the attack look bad.

“I was dizzy. My head was spinning,” said an aide to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, referring to Petraeus’s remarks, during a meeting. “This was shocking. Would any father do this to his [own] children? This is really absurd.” Fazlullah Wahidi, governor of Kunar province, said at least 50 women and children perished in the attack carried out by US Apache helicopters. While the dust had not settled over this incident, NATO air strikes killed another nine children on March 1. Again, the Americans initially claimed these were insurgents. Later they apologized when it was confirmed that these were boys collecting wood in the mountains. Gates apologized for the attacks as did Obama. A day earlier, Afghans had demonstrated in Kabul against such attacks and Karzai angrily rejected an apology from Petraeus.

During a visit to Asadabad, capital of Kunar province on March 11, Karzai said NATO and the US should stop their operations in Afghanistan. “I ask NATO and US, with honor and humbleness and not with arrogance, to stop its operations on our soil,” Karzai said. The children were between the ages of 7 and 13 and collecting firewood in the Manogay district when they came under bombardment. “Afghans want peace and security and they cooperate with the world to bring peace and security,” Karzai said. “But we don’t want this war to continue any longer. We don’t want to repeat such bombardments and casualties.” The Americans have paid no attention to such appeals in the past; they are not likely to pay heed now and will dismiss them with contempt, regardless of how much suffering they cause.

Meanwhile, there was even more shocking news when the German weekly, Dier Spiegel on March 20 published photos of Afghan civilians killed by US soldiers and then posed with their naked bodies. The London daily, the Guardian, compared them to the photos of detainees tortured and humiliated in Iraq’s notorious Abu Ghraib prison. The British daily reported “commanders in Afghanistan are bracing themselves for possible riots and public fury triggered by the publication of ‘trophy’ photographs of US soldiers posing with the dead bodies of defenceless Afghan civilians they killed” (March 21). Some senior NATO officials have expressed fears the pictures could be even more damaging as they show the aftermath of deliberate murders of Afghan civilians by a rogue US Stryker tank unit that operated in the southern province of Qandahar last year.

Some of the activities of the American “kill team” are already public knowledge; 12 men are currently on trial in Seattle for their role in the killing of three civilians. Five soldiers are on trial for pre-meditated murder, after they staged killings to make it look like they were defending themselves against Taliban attacks. Other charges include the mutilation of corpses, the possession of images of human casualties and drug abuse. Other soldiers cut body parts of victims as “tro

9/11 Jesse Ventura Discusses WTC 7 Freefall On FOX News (With Reference ...

Official royal wedding list released

Official royal wedding list released - Home News, UK - The Independent

Press Association

Saturday, 23 April 2011

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The full list of confirmed guests attending the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton was released by Britain's monarchy today.

Soccer star David Beckham and his wife Victoria were among the most recognizable names on the list of guests at the April 29 nuptials.

Many on the list had been already confirmed in the media weeks ago, including the Beckhams, musician Elton John and director Guy Ritchie. But others, like singer Joss Stone and Mr. Bean actor Rowan Atkinson — a close friend of William's father Prince Charles — were new.

Royal family members from countries including Bahrain, Denmark, Spain and Morocco will also attend. Other guests include government officials, Afghan war veterans, and charity workers.

The palace said it is only invited crowned heads of states, and that foreign political leaders — such as President Barack Obama or French President Nicolas Sarkozy — weren't sent invitations.

Saturday Morning Commoncents with Doc and Jay 04/23 by Commoncents Radio | Blog Talk Radio

Saturday Morning Commoncents with Doc and Jay 04/23 by Commoncents Radio | Blog Talk Radio

Banks Grab Homes, Obama Launches Skynet, IDF Raids School & Police Get i...

Gaddaffi Releases Libyan Islamic Fighting Group From Prison After They R...

Carlin Earth Day

DEADLINE LIVE EXCLUSIVE: Los Zetas Outmaneuver Mexican Military; Burn Border Town to the Ground

DEADLINE LIVE EXCLUSIVE: Los Zetas Outmaneuver Mexican Military; Burn Border Town to the Ground : Deadline Live With Jack Blood

By Mario Andrade
DeadlineLive.info
April 22, 2011

Yesterday, the criminal organization known as Los Zetas, managed to outmaneuver the Mexican military and penetrated Gulf Drug Cartel territory. In what appeared to be a carefully planned operation, Los Zetas lured the military outside the border town of Miguel Aleman, Mexico to fight them in rural areas and back roads While the military was pre-occupied trying to catch the criminals outside the border town, several Zeta convoys moved in from the west.

An anonymous phone call was received by the military, mentioning that a battle between the Gulf Drug Cartel and Los Zetas was about to take place in Miguel Aleman. When the military turned its convoys around to head back to town, they were ambushed by two Zeta convoys, killing one soldier. One Zeta convoy split up, heading west towards the city of Mier, near Falcon Lake; the other convoy headed further into Miguel Aleman, where Los Zetas were already battling Gulf Cartel gangs.

The battle lasted over three hours. Los Zetas clearly displayed superior fire-power and sophisticated infantry maneuvers, running circles around the military and Gulf Cartel members guarding the town of Miguel Aleman. They also burned businesses and homes, terrorizing the local town people. In this operation, Los Zetas clearly demonstrated that they will soon chase the Gulf Drug cartel out of Miguel Aleman. Last year, Los Zetas took control of Falcon Lake and Mier from the Gulf Cartel, as they’ve been slowly moving in from Nuevo Laredo towards Reynosa and Matamoros.

Los Zetas are also outflanking the Gulf Cartel by taking full control of San Fernando, just south of the city of Reynosa, demonstrating how close they are getting to take full control of the border with Texas.

Since the 1990’s, the town of Miguel Aleman, across the border from Roma, Texas, had been a safe heaven for Gulf Drug Cartel leaders. Nowadays, Los Zetas are waiting to take control over it, waiting just outside the west side of town, where they have gained control of Nuevo Laredo, Guerrero, Falcon Lake, and the city of Mier.

EXCLUSIVE: DHS Can’t Account for 10 Libyan Men It Caught and Released Inside U.S.

EXCLUSIVE: DHS Can’t Account for 10 Libyan Men It Caught and Released Inside U.S. | CNSnews.com

President Barack Obama and Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi

President Barack Obama shakes hands with Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi in L’Aquila, Italy, on July 9, 2009. (AP photo/Michael Gottschalk)

(CNSNews.com) - Even as President Barack Obama continued the U.S. military intervention in Libya’s civil war--with armed Predator drones beginning patrols over that North African country on Thursday--U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the division of the Department of Homeland Security responsible for enforcing immigration laws, could not account for 10 Libyan men it had caught and released inside the United States since July 2009.

After two weeks of inquiries about the Libyans from CNSNews.com, ICE finally responded on Thursday afternoon that it had already released to CNSNews.com all the information that was “available” on these Libyans and that the agency had “nothing more to add on the matter.”

ICE describes itself as “the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the second largest investigative agency in the federal government.” It says its “primary mission is to promote homeland security and public safety through the criminal and civil enforcement of federal laws governing border control, customs, trade, and immigration.”

The information about the unaccounted-for Libyans derives from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that CNSNews.com filed with ICE on Dec. 1, 2010. This FOIA request asked for records about non-Mexican foreign nationals processed by ICE in fiscal years 2009 and 2010.

On Jan. 28, 2011, ICE responded to the FOIA request by providing CNSNews.com with two Excel spreadsheets including information about 286,769 non-Mexican foreign nationals processed by the agency over the two years. One Excel spreadsheet contained information on 143,543 non-Mexican aliens processed by ICE in fiscal 2009, and another Excel spreadsheet contained information about 143,206 non-Mexican aliens processed by ICE in fiscal 2010.

The Excel spreadsheets did not include the names of the aliens, but did include eight columns of information about them. These columns included: 1) the “book in” date on which the alien had been detained, 2) the “book out” date on which the alien had been released from detention, 3) the ICE geographical “area of responsibility” in which the alien had been detained, 4) the alien’s "case status,” 5) the alien’s “case category,” 6) the alien’s date of birth, 7) the alien’s gender, and 8) the alien’s country of citizenship.

In all 286,769 cases, ICE had redacted the unnamed alien’s date of birth from the version of the database released to CNSNews.com citing the (b)(6) and (b)(7)(C) exemptions under FOIA. As ICE explained in a letter to CNSNews.com, these exemptions allow the government to withhold information from a FOIA response if releasing it would be an “unwarranted invasion of privacy.”

Generally, the spreadsheet entry for an alien detained by ICE included information in each of the other seven columns. For example, the first alien listed in the database is a 1) female, 2) Nicaraguan, 3) booked in by ICE on Oct. 29, 2008, 4) in the St. Paul, Minn. area of responsibility, 5) who was booked out on Nov. 19, 2008, 6) whose “case category” was “[8C] Excludable / Inadmissible--Administrative Final Order Issued,” and 7) whose “case status” was “8-Excluded/Removed--Inadmissibility.”

The spreadsheets also generally indicated when an alien had been granted some form of relief or given permanent resident status in the United States. For example, a Honduran man detained in the San Antonio area on April 8, 2009 and held in custody until Sept. 16, 2009, was marked as having a case category of “Excludable/Inadmissable,” but after his case was adjudicated by an immigration judge, his case status column was marked “L-Legalization--Permanent Residence Granted.”

CDC predicts smoking bans in every state by 2020

CDC predicts smoking bans in every state by 2020 - Yahoo! News

ATLANTA – By 2020, every state may have bans on smoking in restaurants, bars and the workplace, federal health officials predicted Thursday, based on the current pace of adopting anti-smoking laws.

The number of states with comprehensive indoor smoking bans went from zero in 2000 to 25 in 2010.

"It is by no means a foregone conclusion that we'll get there by 2020," said Dr. Tim McAfee, director of the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health.

But the success of the smoking ban movement has been astounding, and seems to be accelerating, he added. "I'm relatively bullish we'll at least get close to that number."

Nearly half of U.S. residents are covered by comprehensive state or local indoor smoking bans, the CDC estimated, in a new report.

Another 10 states have laws than ban smoking in workplaces, bars or restaurants, but not in all three venues.