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Lies, Leaks, and Langley

2012-01-27T22:16:00.000-05:00

Former CIA officer, and former John Kerry staffer (in the Senate Foreign Affairs Committe) John Kiriakou, was charged this week with repeatedly disclosing classified information to journalists, including the name of a covert CIA officer and information revealing the role of another CIA employee in classified activities.

The Justice Department says the charges result from an investigation that was triggered by a classified defense filing in January 2009, which contained classified information the defense had not been given through official government channels, and, in part, by the discovery in the spring of 2009 of photographs of certain government employees and contractors in the materials of high-value detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

FBI documents show that on multiple occasions, one of the journalists to whom Kiriakou is alleged to have illegally disclosed classified information, in turn, disclosed that information to a defense team investigator, and that this information was reflected in the classified defense filing and enabled the defense team to take or obtain surveillance photographs of government personnel.

The FBI states that "...[t]here are no allegations of criminal activity by any members of the defense team for the detainees.

Kiriakou, 47, of Arlington, Va., was a CIA intelligence officer between 1990 and 2004, serving at headquarters and in various classified overseas assignments. He has been charged with one count of violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act for allegedly illegally disclosing the identity of a covert officer and two counts of violating the Espionage Act for allegedly illegally disclosing national defense information to individuals not authorized to receive it. Kiriakou was also charged with one count of making false statements for allegedly lying to the Publications Review Board of the CIA in an unsuccessful attempt to trick the CIA into allowing him to include classified information in a book he was seeking to publish.

The four-count criminal complaint alleges that Kiriakou made illegal disclosures about two CIA employees and their involvement in classified operations to two journalists on multiple occasions between 2007 and 2009. In one case, revealing the employee’s name as a CIA officer disclosed classified information as the employee was and remains covert (identified in the complaint as “Covert Officer A”).

In the second case, Kiriakou allegedly disclosed the name and contact information of an employee, identified in the complaint as “Officer B,” whose participation in an operation to capture and question terrorism subject Abu Zubaydah in 2002 was then classified. Kiriakou’s alleged disclosures occurred prior to a June 2008 front-page story in The New York Times disclosing Officer B’s alleged role in the Abu Zubaydah operation.

Patrick J. Fitzgerald, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, who was appointed Special Attorney in 2010 to supervise the investigation, announced the charges with James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the Washington Field Office of the FBI.

“Protecting the identities of America’s covert operatives is one of the most important responsibilities of those who are entrusted with roles in our nation’s intelligence community. The FBI and our intelligence community partners work diligently to hold accountable those who violate that special trust,” said McJunkin.

The FBI disclosed that the CIA filed a crimes report with the Justice Department on March 19, 2009, prior to the discovery of the photographs and after reviewing the Jan. 19, 2009, classified filing by defense counsel for certain detainees with the military commission then responsible for adjudicating charges. The defense filing contained information relating to the identities and activities of covert government personnel, but prior to Jan. 19, 2009, there had been no authorized disclosure to defense counsel of the classified information.

"The Justice Department’s National Security Division, working with the FBI, began the investigation. To avoid the risk of encountering a conflict of interest because of the pending prosecutions of some of the high-value detainees, Fitzgerald was assigned to supervise the investigation conducted by a team of attorneys from the Southern District of New York, the Northern District of Illinois and the Counterespionage Section of the National Security Division who were not involved in pending prosecutions of the detainees," FBI sources said.

According to the complaint affidavit, the investigation determined that no laws were broken by the defense team as no law prohibited defense counsel from filing a classified document under seal outlining for a court classified information they had learned during the course of their investigation.

Regarding the 32 pages of photographs that were taken or obtained by the defense team and provided to the detainees, the investigation found no evidence the defense attorneys transmitting the photographs were aware of, much less disclosed, the identities of the persons depicted in particular photographs and no evidence that the defense team disclosed other classified matters associated with certain of those individuals to the detainees.

"The defense team did not take photographs of persons known or believed to be current covert officers. Rather, defense counsel, using a technique known as a double-blind photo lineup, provided photograph spreads of unidentified individuals to their clients to determine whether they recognized anyone who may have participated in questioning them. No law or military commission order expressly prohibited defense counsel from providing their clients with these photo spreads," the FBI statement said.

Further investigation, based in part on emails recovered from judicially-authorized search warrants served on two email accounts associated with Kiriakou, allege that:

*Kiriakou disclosed to Journalist A the name of Covert Officer A and the fact that Covert Officer A was involved in a particular classified operation. The journalist then provided the defense investigator with the full name of the covert CIA employee;

*Kiriakou disclosed or confirmed to Journalists A, B and C the then-classified information that Officer B participated in the Abu Zubaydah operation and provided two of those journalists with contact information for Officer B, including a personal email address.

*One of the journalists subsequently provided the defense investigator with Officer B’s home telephone number, which the investigator used to identify and photograph Officer B; and

*Kiriakou lied to the CIA regarding the existence and use of a classified technique, referred to as a “magic box,” in an unsuccessful effort to trick the CIA into allowing him to publish information about the classified technique in a book.

An FBI press brief states that "upon joining the CIA in 1990 and on multiple occasions in following years, Kiriakou signed secrecy and non-disclosure agreements not to disclose classified information to unauthorized individuals."

Regarding Covert Officer A, the affidavit details a series of email communications between Kiriakou and Journalist A in July and August 2008. In an exchange of emails on July 11, 2008, Kiriakou allegedly illegally confirmed for Journalist A that Covert Officer A, whose first name only was exchanged at that point, was “the team leader on [specific operation].”

On Aug. 18, 2008, Journalist A sent Kiriakou an email asking if Kiriakou could pick out Covert Officer A’s last name from a list of names Journalist A provided in the email. On Aug. 19, 2008, Kiriakou allegedly passed the last name of Covert Officer A to Journalist A by email, stating “It came to me last night.” Covert Officer A’s last name had not been on the list provided by Journalist A. Later that same day, approximately two hours later, Journalist A sent an email to the defense investigator that contained Covert Officer A’s full name. Neither Journalist A, nor any other journalist to the government’s knowledge, has published the name of Covert Officer A.

At the time of Kiriakou’s allegedly unauthorized disclosures to Journalist A, the identification of Covert Officer A as “the team leader on [specific operation]” was classified at the Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) level because it revealed both Covert Officer A’s identity and his association with the CIA’s Rendition, Detention and Interrogation (RDI) Program relating to the capture, detention and questioning of terrorism subjects.

The defense investigator was able to identify Covert Officer A only after receiving the email from Journalist A, and both Covert Officer A’s name and association with the RDI Program were included in the January 2009 classified defense filing. The defense investigator told the government that he understood from the circumstances that Covert Officer A was a covert employee and, accordingly, did not take his photograph. No photograph of Covert Officer A was recovered from the detainees at Guantanamo.

In a recorded interview FBI agents told Kiriakou that Covert Officer A’s name was included in the classified defense filing. The affidavit states Kiriakou said, among other things, “How the heck did they get him? . . . [First name of Covert Officer A] was always undercover. His entire career was undercover.” Kiriakou further stated that he never provided Covert Officer A’s name or any other information about Covert Officer A to any journalist and stated “Once they get the names, I mean this is scary.”

Regarding Officer B, the affidavit states that he worked overseas with Kiriakou on an operation to locate and capture Abu Zubaydah, and Officer B’s association with the RDI Program and the Abu Zubaydah operation in particular were classified until that information was recently declassified to allow the prosecution of Kiriakou to proceed.

Documents show that in June 2008, The New York Times published an article by Journalist B entitled “Inside the Interrogation of a 9/11 Mastermind,” which publicly identified Officer B and reported his alleged role in the capture and questioning of Abu Zubaydah – facts which were then classified.

The article attributed other information to Kiriakou as a source, but did not identify the source(s) who disclosed or confirmed Officer B’s identity. The charges allege that at various times prior to publication of the article, Kiriakou provided Journalist B with personal information regarding Officer B, knowing that Journalist B was seeking to identify and locate Officer B. In doing so, Kiriakou allegedly confirmed classified information that Officer B was involved in the Abu Zubaydah operation.

For example, Kiriakou allegedly emailed Officer B’s phone number and personal email address to Journalist B, who attempted to contact Officer B via his personal email in April and May 2008. Officer B had provided his personal email address to Kiriakou, but not to Journalist B or any other journalist. Subsequently, Kiriakou allegedly revealed classified information by confirming for Journalist B additional information that an individual with Officer B’s name, who was associated with particular contact information that Journalist B had found on a website, was located in Pakistan in March 2002, which was where and when the Abu Zubaydah operation took place.

After The New York Times article was published, Kiriakou sent several emails denying that he was the source for information regarding Officer B, while, at the same time, allegedly lying about the number and nature of his contacts with Journalist B. For example, in an email dated June 30, 2008, Kiriakou told Officer B that Kiriakou had spoken to the newspaper’s ombudsman after the article was published and said that the use of Officer B’s name was “despicable and unnecessary” and could put Officer B in danger.

Kiriakou also denied that he had cooperated with the article and claimed that he had declined to talk to Journalist B, except to say that he believed the article absolutely should not mention Officer B’s name. “[W]hile it might not be illegal to name you, it would certainly be immoral,” Kiriakou wrote to Officer B, according to the affidavit.

From at least November 2007 through November 2008, Kiriakou allegedly provided Journalist A with Officer B’s personal contact information and disclosed to Journalist A classified information revealing Officer B’s association with the RDI Program.

Just as Journalist A had disclosed to the defense investigator classified information that Kiriakou allegedly imparted about Covert Officer A, Journalist A, in turn, provided the defense investigator information that Kiriakou had disclosed about Officer B. For example, in an email dated April 10, 2008, Journalist A provided the defense investigator with Officer B’s home phone number, which, in light of Officer B’s common surname, allowed the investigator to quickly and accurately identify Officer B and photograph him. Both Officer B’s name and his association with the RDI Program were included in the January 2009 classified defense filing, and four photographs of Officer B were among the photos recovered at Guantanamo.

In the same recorded interview with FBI agents, Kiriakou said he “absolutely” considered Officer B’s association with the Abu Zubaydah operation classified, the affidavit states. Kiriakou also denied providing any contact information for Officer B or Officer B’s association with the Abu Zubaydah operation to Journalists A and B prior to publication of the June 2008 New York Times article. When specifically asked whether he had anything to do with providing Officer B’s name or other information about Officer B to Journalist B prior to the article, Kiriakou stated “Heavens no.”

As background, the affidavit states that sometime prior to May 22, 2007, Kiriakou disclosed to Journalist C classified information regarding Officer B’s association with Abu Zubaydah operation, apparently while collaborating on a preliminary book proposal. A footnote states that Journalist C is not the coauthor of the book Kiriakou eventually published.

The FBI alleges that prior to publication of his book, The Reluctant Spy: My Secret Life in the CIA’s War on Terror, Kiriakou submitted a draft manuscript in July 2008 to the CIA’s Publication Review Board (PRB). In an attempt to trick the CIA into allowing him to publish information regarding a classified investigative technique, Kiriakou allegedly lied to the PRB by falsely claiming that the technique was fictional and that he had never heard of it before. In fact, according to a transcript of a recorded interview conducted in August 2007 to assist Kiriakou’s coauthor in drafting the book, Kiriakou described the technique, which he referred to as the “magic box,” and told his coauthor that the CIA had used the technique in the Abu Zubaydah operation. The technique was also disclosed in the June 2008 New York Times article and referred to as a “magic box.”

In his submission letter to the PRB, Kiriakou flagged the reference to a device called a “magic box,” stating he had read about it in the newspaper article but added that the information was “clearly fabricated,” as he was unaware of and had used no such device. The affidavit contains the contents of an August 2008 email that Kiriakou sent his coauthor admitting that he lied to the PRB in an attempt to include classified information in the book. The PRB subsequently informed Kiriakou that the draft manuscript contained classified information that he could not use, and information regarding the technique that Kiriakou included in the manuscript remained classified until it was recently declassified to allow Kiriakou’s prosecution to proceed.

Upon conviction, the count charging illegal disclosure of Covert Officer A’s identity to a person not authorized to receive classified information carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, which must be imposed consecutively to any other prison term; the two counts charging violations of the Espionage Act each carry a maximum term of 10 years in prison; and making false statements carries a maximum prison term of five years. Each count carries a maximum fine of $250,000.

Vanguard of Freedom News

See the Criminal Complaint HERE

NRC Chairman "Goes Nuclear:" 4 Commissioners Have Concerns About His Behavior

2011-12-09T23:01:00.003-05:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa today released a letter sent to White House Chief of Staff William Daley asking him to designate a witness for the Wednesday, December 14 Full Committee hearing "The Leadership of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)."

The request follows a letter sent to Daley by NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko's four fellow commissioners where they expressed deep concerns about Chairman Jaczko.

"We believe that [Chairman Jaczko's] actions and behavior are causing serious damage to this institution and are creating a chilled work environment at the NRC," the four NRC commissioners wrote to Daley on October 13. "We are concerned that this will adversely affect the NRC's essential mission protect the health, safety and security of the American people."

The letter sent by the four NRC Commissioners also stated specific examples of his behavior in the letter, and, according to Congressman Issa, "...for more than 18 months the Commission attempted to manage the Chairman's increasingly erratic behavior behind closed doors...The Commissioner's efforts to do so were 'received only as encouragement for further transgressions..."

The letter lists the concerns as:

"...Intimidated and bullied senior career staff to the degree that he has created a high level of fear and anxiety resulting in a chilled work environment

Ordered staff to withhold or modify policy information and recommendations intended for transmission to the Commission

Attempted to intimidate the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, a legislatively chartered independent group of technical advisors, to prevent it from reviewing certain aspectsof NRC's analysis of the Fukushima accident

Ignored the will of the majority of the Commission, contrarty to the statutory functions of the Commission

Interacted with us, his fellow Commissioners, with such intemperance and disrespect that the Commission no longer functions as effectively as it should..."

The Oversight Committee's request to the White House comes after it obtained the October 13 letter from the four NRC commissioners last week in the course of its ongoing investigation into the operations and decision making of the NRC.

"The President has the authority to take action to address these concerns," Chairman Issa wrote in his letter to Daley. "The White House has now been aware of the Commissioners concerns for nearly two months, and the public deserves to understand what actions have been taken and whether the President still believes that Chairman Jaczko is capable of leading the NRC."

The Oversight Committee has scheduled the hearing for 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 14th in the Rayburn House Office Building. Chairman Gregory Jaczko, Commissioner Kristine Svinicki, Commissioner George Apostolakis, Commissioner William Magwood, and Commissioner William Ostendorff are scheduled to testify.

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

26 GOP Senators Offer Bill to Stop IMF Bailouts for Europe

2011-12-09T21:56:00.000-05:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

Today, U.S. Senators Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) and 25 Republican Senators introduced a bill to stop the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from using U.S. taxpayer dollars to bailout Eurozone nations like Greece and Italy.

The bill would rescind a $108 billion line of credit to U.S. funds given to the International Monetary Fund, IMF, in 2009, force Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner to veto future IMF bailouts, and stop a proposed doubling of U.S. dues to the IMF.

“It’s time to stop the bailouts and start restoring fiscal discipline to our own economy,” said Senator DeMint.

“After years of mimicking European big government spending, America has lost our AAA rating with a debt of over $15 trillion that’s larger than our entire economy. The U.S. is in the red zone for our own fiscal catastrophe but there will be no one to bail us out. Most importantly, bailouts don’t solve a fiscal crisis, they make them worse. Greece, Portugal and Ireland have all received bailouts and all have seen their debt to total economy ratio continue to skyrocket. Europe and the U.S. need to end this undemocratic bailout culture, and do what is obvious to everyone: cut spending and balance the budget.”

In 2009, a Democrat Congress used a war funding bill to force approval of an additional $108 billion more for the IMF to continue bailing out Europe. Using American contributions, the IMF has already used almost $40 billion in 2010 on Greece’s rescue alone, with approximately $3 billion more added the first week of December this year. The European Union’s (EU) Stability & Growth Pact (SGP) requires members to maintain a debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio of no more than 60%, but almost every member nation is now above that.

Senator Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma) said, “Forcing American taxpayers to bail out bloated welfare states in Europe is unconscionable and immoral. It is bad enough that Congress refuses to make hard choices within our budget. We don't need to enable European governments to do the same. A bailout will prolong, not ease, Europe's burdens.”

The “No More IMF Bailouts Act” ends further U.S. involvement in taxpayer-funded bailouts of the European economy, as well as nullifying previously expanded IMF bailout authority, by accomplishing three things:

*Rescind the $108 billion additional bailout authority given to the IMF in the 2009 war supplemental appropriations bill (HR 2346, Title XIV).

*Prohibit U.S. involvement in any IMF bailouts for EU countries by directing the U.S. IMF representative to oppose any such action, and not permit further U.S. loans through the IMF to EU countries, until they meet the 60% debt to GDP ratio of the EU pact.

*State the sense of Congress that it should not approve legislation to implement the 2010 IMF decision doubling the yearly contribution of the U.S.

S. 1975, “No More IMF Bailouts Act,” is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-New Hampshire), John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Roy Blunt (R-Missouri), John Boozman (R-Arkansas), Richard Burr (R-North Carolina), Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia), Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Crapo (Idaho), Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Dean Heller (R-Nevada), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), Mike Johanns (R-Nebraska), Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), Jon Kyl (R-Arizona), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), Marco Rubio (R-Florida), Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama), John Thune (R-South Dakota), Pat Toomey (R-Pennsylvania), James Risch (R-Idaho), David Vitter (R-Louisiana).

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Senate Passes Graham Amendment Making National Guard Part of Joint Chiefs of Staff

2011-11-30T00:11:00.000-05:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

The United States Senate last night approved an amendment introduced by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) giving the National Guard a seat on the nation’s highest military council, the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"I’m very pleased the Senate has voted to allow the Chief of the National Guard Bureau to become a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,” said Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“Guardsmen and Reservists are citizen-soldiers,” said Graham. “Since 9/11, the National Guard and Reserves have done tremendous work at home and abroad in defense of our nation. They have been called up to duty, taken away from their work and families, and sent to far-away lands for long tours to protect our nation. They have earned a seat at the table where our most important military decisions are made.”

South Carolina Adjutant General MG Bob Livingston said, “This is a great day for our nation and our military. We face difficult times in terms of the variety and magnitude of foreign threats while dealing the reality of limited resources. The inclusion of the Chief of the National Guard Bureau on the Joint Chiefs of Staff brings the Citizen Soldier to the discussion. The Citizen Soldier has proven himself to be the innovator with civilian skills, the tie to the community and the proven hardened combat troop that is so critical in these tough times. This tradition of citizen responsibility is one of the essential threads in the fabric of our nation. It has made our nation great and will propel us into the future. The appointment of the Chief of the National Guard is a return to the basic values of our county and will pave the way to great innovation in the defense of our nation."

The amendment, also sponsored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) attracted 71 cosponsors, and was added by voice vote to the annual Defense Authorization bill. The Senate continues to debate the measure and a final vote is expected later this week.

“The Senate vote last night was a long-overdue recognition and fitting tribute for our citizen-soldiers and the sacrifices they have made on behalf of our nation,” said Graham. “The Guard and Reserve is indispensable to fighting the War on Terror and protecting the homeland. Their voice needs to be heard.”

The legislation was endorsed by the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the National Governors Association, the National Guard Association of the United States, the Adjutants General Association of the United States, and the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army General Martin E. Dempsey, however has recommended against making the chief of the National Guard Bureau a member of the Joint Chiefs, because he feels “only one person can be in charge of the ‘brand,’” he said.

"The Army chief of staff is in charge of soldiers, the chief of naval operations is in charge of sailors, the Air Force chief of staff is in charge of airmen, and the commandant is in charge of Marines, Dempsey noted. “That person, who is accountable for that institution across the components, in my feeling, should be the service chief,” he said.

Another reason Dempsey believes the chief of the National Guard Bureau should not be a member of the Joint Chiefs is because the chief has no budget. “The service chief, along with the service secretary, has the responsibility to organize, train and equip the force using the resources given him by the Congress of the United States,” he said.

The chairman said his decision has nothing to do with his high esteem and respect for the National Guard leaders and the contributions National Guardsmen have made. “We are truly one force today,” he said.

The general asked for a show of hands in the crowd for those Guardsmen who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan. Almost all service members raised their hands.

“I can’t tell who is in the active component, who is in the National Guard, or who is in the reserves,” Dempsey said. “It wasn’t always possible to say that. The way we’ve grown together over the past 10 years is something I find incredibly healthy for the nation. As we move forward and face the challenges that are very clear to us, we have to make sure we don’t lose that.”

Senator Lindsey Graham provides an alternative view:

http://youtu.be/bnGVBPzhcbY

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

HOLDER SAYS NO TO UTAH

2011-11-23T02:18:00.000-05:00

The Department of Justice today challenged Utah’s immigration law, which comes after recent lawsuits in Arizona, Alabama and South Carolina.

In a complaint, filed in the District of Utah, the department states that several provisions of Utah’s H.B. 497 are preempted by federal law. The provisions were enacted on March, 15, 2011.

The department’s complaint states that H.B. 497 clearly violates the Constitution because it attempts to establish state-specific immigration policy. The law creates and mandates immigration enforcement measures that interfere with the immigration priorities and practices of the federal government in a way which is not cooperative with the primary federal role in this area. The law’s mandates on law enforcement could lead to harassment and detention of foreign visitors and legal immigrants who are in the process of having their immigration status reviewed in federal proceedings and whom the federal government has permitted to stay in this country while such proceedings are pending.

A Justice Department statement said, "The federal government has the ultimate authority to enforce federal immigration laws and the Constitution does not permit a patchwork of local immigration policies. A state setting its own immigration policy interferes with the federal government’s enforcement efforts."

“A patchwork of immigration laws is not the answer and will only create further problems in our immigration system,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “The federal government is the chief enforcer of immigration laws and while we appreciate cooperation from states, which remains important, it is clearly unconstitutional for a state to set its own immigration policy. We will continue to monitor and coordinate with our federal partners as we remain concerned about the potential impact of these state laws.”

“This kind of legislation diverts critical law enforcement resources from the most serious threats to public safety and undermines the vital trust between local jurisdictions and the communities they serve,” said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. “The Department will continue to enforce federal immigration laws in Utah in smart, effective ways that focus our resources on criminal aliens, recent border crossers, repeat and egregious immigration law violators and employers who knowingly hire illegal labor.”

"The department notified Utah state officials of its position that the Utah’s Immigrant Guest Worker statutes, H.B. 116 and H.B. 469, are clearly preempted by federal law," The Justice Department said. "Given that the provisions do not take effect until 2013, and in light of the constructive conversations the department continues to have with Utah officials about these provisions pursuant to the Justice Department’s long-standing policy of exploring resolution short of litigation before filing suit against a state, the department is not challenging these provisions today. If, however, Utah fails to comply with federal law in this area, the department will not hesitate to take the legal action necessary to vindicate the important federal interests in this matter before these laws go into effect."

The suit was filed on behalf of the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and State, which share responsibilities in administering federal immigration law. The department is set to request a preliminary injunction to enjoin enforcement of the certain provisions of H.B. 497.

The Justice Department previously challenged S.B. 1070, H.B. 56, and Act No. 69 on federal preemption grounds in Arizona, Alabama and South Carolina, respectively. The department continues to review immigration-related laws that were passed in Indiana and Georgia. Courts have enjoined key parts of the Arizona, Alabama, Georgia and Indiana state laws and temporarily restrained enforcement of Utah’s law.

Unlawfully Foreclosed Veterans Get Justice

2011-11-20T14:07:00.000-05:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

The Justice Department announced that, as part of its settlement with BAC Home Loans Servicing LP, a subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation, servicemembers whose homes were unlawfully foreclosed upon will each receive a minimum $116,785 plus compensation for any equity lost to compensate them for the bank’s alleged violation of the Servicemember Civil Relief Act (SCRA).

Bank of America agreed to pay $20 million to approximately 160 servicemembers who were illegally foreclosed on between 2006 and the middle of 2009. Under the agreement, Bank of America agreed to provide information about its foreclosures from mid 2009-2010 and will pay damages in the same minimum amount to those servicemembers whose homes were illegally foreclosed upon to compensate for the loss of their homes. The review is on-going.

“The men and women serving our nation should not have to worry about a bank foreclosing on their home while they bravely serve our country,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will vigorously enforce the laws that protect servicemembers while they do the difficult and necessary work of protecting our country. We have and will continue to work hard to ensure that servicemembers receive the full protections of the law and relief they deserve in a timely fashion.”

On May 26, 2011, the department announced a settlement with BAC Home Loans Servicing LP, formerly known as Countrywide Home Loans Servicing LP, which resolved allegations that the bank unlawfully foreclosed on servicemembers’ homes in violation of the SCRA. This is the largest SCRA settlement ever reached by the department. The Department of Defense also provided critical assistance in identifying the servicemembers whose rights were violated.

Beginning on Nov. 14, 2011, letters will be sent to 157 servicemembers to notify them of the amount of money that they may receive under the settlement. The settlement agreement set a deadline for the end of November 2011 for the Justice Department to determine the amount of damages to which servicemembers may be entitled.

The SCRA provides critical additional consumer and other protections to the men and women serving our nation in the military – its enactment was a recognition that those who are making great sacrifices to protect us deserve our full support at home.

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

Counterfeit Drug Crackdown

2011-11-18T11:48:00.000-05:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

It has been reported that counterfeit drugs result in 100,000 fatalities globally each year, and account for an estimated $75 billion in annual revenue for criminal enterprises.

So U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Michael Bennet (D-Co.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Representatives Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.) and Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.) introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation Thursday to increase penalties for trafficking counterfeit drugs. The legislation responds to recommendations made by the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator and the administration’s Counterfeit Pharmaceutical Inter-agency Working Group.

A CBS News report in March, produced by Kyra Darnton, Sam Hornblower and Michael Radutzky documented that "There is a new front in the war on drugs, and it's not the kind of drugs you might think. We're not talking about cocaine, heroin or methamphetamines. This is about drugs that could wind up in your medicine cabinet: counterfeit prescription drugs, made with cheaper - sometimes even dangerous - ingredients such as highway paint, floor wax, and boric acid."

The report shows a raid on a counterfeit drug producing facility:

In the raid, they discovered about two dozen medicines including antibiotics, seizure, blood pressure and pain medications.

"We're in the middle of this very primitive courtyard. This doesn't look like any kind of facility that you'd expect at all. Does this surprise you?" Gupta asked. (CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta)
"No. No, unfortunately. The quantity of counterfeits you're seeing is phenomenal. The conditions are just abysmal. And if the consumer ever realized that products that they're putting inside their bodies come from this, from dirty water, drying out in the open under a heat lamp, insects and everything else getting into it, contaminants being, you know, brought into the equation and stuff, I think they'd be horrified," Clark said. (John Clark heads up a global security team assembled by Pfizer. The team includes former FBI, Homeland Security and narcotics agents who work with local police to track down criminals around the world.)

The Counterfeit Drug Penalty Enhancement Act increases penalties for the trafficking of counterfeit drugs to reflect the severity of the crime and the harm to the public. While it is currently illegal to introduce counterfeit drugs into interstate commerce, the penalties are no different than those for the trafficking of other products, such as electronics or clothing. The Counterfeit Drug Penalty Enhancement Act will target violators that knowingly manufacture, sell or traffic counterfeit medicines to the United States.

“While the manufacture and sale of any counterfeit product is a serious crime, counterfeit medication poses a grave danger to public health that warrants a harsher punishment,” said Leahy. “This legislation will raise those penalties to a level that meets the severity of the offense. Deterring this epidemic problem is a bipartisan effort.”

“Counterfeit medicines are some of the most profitable commodities for criminal organizations. Purchases of counterfeit drugs by unsuspecting customers are growing at alarming rates, especially over the internet,” Grassley said. “These drugs present a serious threat to the health and safety of people around the world. It’s important we address this threat by imposing harsher penalties on criminals who counterfeit these medicines.”

The CBS reported cited also:

"People can die. People can be seriously injured, but people can also die," Kumar Kibble, deputy director at Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), told Gupta.
Kibble is charged with protecting our borders from illicit trafficking. Over the past few years, his attention has increasingly focused on counterfeit drugs.
"In the scheme of things, how big a threat are fake drugs?" Gupta asked.

"Fake drugs are a big threat. And it is an exploding threat you actually have traditional criminal groups that may have engaged in traditional drug trafficking. And they realize, you know, 'I can make just as much money, making, you know, tens of dollars on a pill that I manufacture for pennies,' and have very little exposure in terms of in terms of prosecution," Kibble explained.

See CBS Article HERE

“Counterfeit pharmaceutical drugs are putting Coloradans at risk. In some cases the medicine you take may not be effective, in other cases it may make you ill, or worse,” Senator Bennet said. “Right now, the penalties for producing a fake company logo on a bottle of counterfeit drugs are more severe than they are for actually making and selling a counterfeit drug. We can help prevent these drugs from reaching hospitals, pharmacies and consumers by giving law enforcement the tools they need to crack down on these crimes.”

“Counterfeit drugs threaten the health of consumers and undermine American companies,” said Senator Blumenthal. “This legislation will enhance the penalties for trafficking in these substances, helping us to crack down on the epidemic of illegal counterfeiting and ensure that our medicines remain safe and effective.”

“These illegal, unregulated, uninspected drugs create a false sense of security among purchasers when in fact they can be extremely dangerous,” Congressman Meehan said. “Not only are they a threat to public health and safety, but as a prosecutor, I saw the hand of sophisticated criminal enterprises behind the operations. Steeper penalties will help deter these criminals from continuing to break our laws and put people’s lives at risk.”

“As a mother, I want to know the medications my family is taking are authentic and, most importantly, safe. The American people deserve to have peace of mind when they use medications,” said Congresswoman Sánchez. “Unfortunately, massive counterfeit drug enterprises continue to exploit the Internet to jeopardize the public’s safety and rob American businesses of millions of dollars in revenue. This legislation not only holds criminals accountable, but it gives our law enforcement officers the ability to effectively go after counterfeit drug traffickers.”

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

Panetta Asks Congress To Lead

2011-11-14T08:17:00.000-05:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10, 2011 – Congress must show leadership as the deadline approaches for its deficit reduction committee to find $1.2 trillion to close the gap between federal revenue and spending, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said.

Panetta and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a Pentagon news briefing that the department already is working on cutting the defense budget $450 billion over the next 10 years. "Senior leaders across the department are working together to devise a strategy that maintains American military strength while being fiscally responsible," Panetta said.

"Their immediate concern is to detail a five-year budget plan in February that reduces the department’s budget by $260 billion. This process … has to be driven by strategy,” Panetta said. “It also has to be a team effort. My hope is that … as we work through this, that we will put the entire leadership of the department, both military and civilian, in the same place so that we can finalize this effort within the coming weeks.”

The budget process continues in the building, but planners are casting a wary eye toward Capitol Hill, where the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction is looking at ways to reduce the federal spending deficit by at least $1.2 trillion. If the so-called super committee cannot agree on how to do that by Nov. 23, an automatic “sequester” goes into effect.

“This sequester approach would virtually double the size of the cuts that we face here at the Defense Department,” the secretary said. “And it would also force us to cut across the board.”
Sequestration would take effect in January 2013, and would force the department to cut more than 20 percent in every area. It would lead to a “hollow force,” Panetta said.

“Obviously, that which is hollow retains a shell, but lacks a core,” he said. “A hollow military has the organizational structure, but lacks the people, the training and the equipment it needs to actually get the job done.

“It’s a ship without sailors. It’s a brigade without bullets. It’s an air wing without enough trained pilots. It's a paper tiger,” he said. A hollow force has low morale, poor readiness, and is unable to keep up with potential adversaries. “In effect, it invites aggression,” he said. “A hollow military doesn't happen by accident. It comes from poor stewardship and poor leadership.”

The secretary’s message to Congress is to lead; to make the decisions to solve the budget problems. Congress “must show the necessary leadership by doing the job that they’ve been asked to do,” Panetta said. “That means identifying savings in the two- thirds of the federal budget that still has yet to be considered for deficit reduction along, in my view, with additional revenues.”

Panetta has told Congress that the nation’s service members are willing to fight and possibly die for the country. “It really shouldn’t be too much to ask our leaders to sacrifice just a little, to provide the leadership essential to solving the problems facing this country,” he said.

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

Carmona Steps Down as Dover Review Board Chief

2011-11-11T17:13:00.000-05:00

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11, 2011 – Former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona will step down as leader of an outside panel to review procedures and policies at the Dover Port Mortuary, Del., Pentagon officials announced today.
Carmona, who served as surgeon general under President George W. Bush, is running for senator from Arizona.
“Dr. Carmona notified the department this morning that he is stepping down from the panel,” Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said today in a written statement.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta agreed with Carmona’s decision and promises to name a replacement very soon, Little said. “The secretary believes that the panel’s independent review will strengthen our nation’s commitment to the treatment of America’s fallen heroes and to their families,” the press secretary said. “That’s a sacred obligation.”
The other members of the panel are: Retired Army Gen. Fred Franks, a member of DOD’s health board; Ruth Stonecifer, representative of families supported by the Dover Port Mortuary; Congressman Vic Snyder, a doctor and former Democratic U.S. representative from Arkansas; Garold Huey, a funeral director and embalmer who served in the Navy as enlisted member-embalming technician; Jacquelyn Taylor, executive director of the New England Institute and an internationally recognized leader in funeral service education; and Dr. Bruce Parks, a forensic pathologist.

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

A Taste Of Texas In Afghanistan

2011-11-05T22:08:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — The 8-ounce fillets hit the grill in a sizzle and juice dripped down on the red coals, causing a flow of white smoke to billow from the smoker. The line of Marines rapidly grew longer as they waited anxiously for the metaphorical dinner bell to ring, where some would receive their first home-cooked meal in months.

Steak Team Mission, a privately funded, nonprofit organization from Dallas, served the Marines and Sailors of 2nd Marine Division (Forward) steak dinners in seven separate locations within a five-day period in Afghanistan.

Steak Team Mission has served 31,000 service members around the world since 2002. However, the trip to Helmand Province April 14 was the first time in Steak Team Mission’s history that the team worked simultaneously in more than two locations and provided food for Marine-specific units. According to Tony Booth, treasurer for Steak Team Mission, the journey to Afghanistan was the dream of one of their volunteers and a Marine veteran, Terry Chapel. Booth stated Chapel called Harvey Gough, president for Steak Team Mission, and addressed the idea. Gough, a former tanker in the Texas National Guard, suggested the team feed the Marines in Helmand province.

“We want to go to the dirtiest, nastiest and ugliest places,” said Booth. “and get to the guys whose boots are in the dirt; who are really taking the fight to the enemy. That’s who needs us, and that is where we want to be. We just want to bring them a little piece of home.”

Steak Team Mission next had to coordinate the logistics to make Chapel’s dream a reality. The team received approval for the trip after months of coordinating with U.S. Central Command, the unit responsible for operations in the greater Middle East and South Central Asia.

The next big challenge was delivering the roughly $30,000 worth of steaks, ice cream and side dishes halfway around the world. The group garnered support from Fed Ex, which volunteered to transport the shipment to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where it was then transferred to a military aircraft. A private foundation donated the remaining funds necessary to get the trip on the runway.

With funding secured and steaks on the plane, the landing gear was up and the flight was headed to Dubai.

“The food came here in dry ice, and they were feeding ice cream in addition to steak, which is highly perishable,” said Maj. Joe Farley, the operations officer for the Supply and Logistics section, 2nd Marine Division (Fwd). “It was a challenge to link the food up with the airlifts. We had to minimize the amount of time we were away from refrigeration.”

Farley, who ensures subordinate units have the resources necessary to accomplish their mission, coordinated the movement of volunteers and steaks. He spoke to unit commanders within the division’s battle space to identify the seven locations selected for Steak Team Mission to feed Marines and sailors. Farley and his Marines worked diligently once the cargo was delivered from Dubai to prepare for the movement.

“The goal was to feed as many Marines as far forward in the area of operations as possible, and in the shortest amount of time,” said Farley. “That is what we tried to accomplish and resulted in a rather demanding airlift schedule.”

Three teams of volunteers, along with Marines from the Supply and Logistics section, hopped on and off CH-53 Super Stallion Helicopters, bringing the joy of Texas steaks.

At every location, Marines lined up next to the grill waiting for Booth to say, “Get on up here and tell ‘em how ya want it Marine! Raw, rare, medium rare, well done — it’s cooked to order. ”

The scent of flame-basking beef filled the air, and the grins on Marines’ faces grew broader the longer they waited.

“This is my fourth deployment, and this is the first time I’ve seen this happen before,” said Sgt. Corey Branner, the mess hall chief for 3rd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment.

Branner is in charge of ensuring breakfast, lunch and dinner are prepared for the battalion and said it was great to see the Marines smile at their first home-cooked meal in a while. He also noted the positive impact a meal like this has on morale in a unit and its affect on the mission.

Steak Team Mission pushed further and further south as the operation progressed, with one of the last stops at Patrol Base Wolfpack, approximately 20 miles from the Pakistan border.

The further down the team pushed, the fewer Marines there were to feed. Booth said there were some locations with only 100 to 150 Marines to serve. Steak Team Mission made it their mission to keep moving and cooking up home-cooked meals, regardless of the number Marines available.

“In places where there were 50 Marines, they weren’t getting much,” said Booth. “They had plenty of food, but it was the same old thing day after day.”

The Steak Team Mission did their best to feed every Marine available at each stop, even if it meant waiting for the Marines to get back to base from maneuvers. Lance Cpl. Wayne Snelling, serving as a dog handler with Erie Company, 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, stated his platoon had been out for nearly a month and a half and their usual food comes from pre-packaged Meals, Ready to Eat.

“This is the best meal I’ve had in more than a month,” said Snelling. At the conclusion of the five-day evolution, Booth said all the Marines they served were extremely appreciative, and they weren’t shy about showing it.

“Every Marine who came through the line came back through to shake our hands,” he explained. “They said it was the best meal they have had in 6 months, or however long they had been here.”

The Steak Team Mission volunteers closed out another successful mission, bringing a touch of home to Marines and sailors here. Their efforts demonstrated a tremendous level of dedication and patriotism, according to Farley.

“That gives them a taste of home, but it shows the Marines that the people at home give a damn,” said Farley. “There are people out there who want to make a difference, and Steak Team Mission not only talks the talk, they also walk the walk.”

FBI BUST: PLOT TO MAKE BIOLOGICAL TOXIN

2011-11-02T00:22:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

North Georgia Men Arrested, Charged in Plots to Purchase Explosives, Silencer and to Manufacture a Biological Toxin

ATLANTA—Frederick Thomas, 73, of Cleveland, Ga.; Dan Roberts, 67, of Toccoa, Ga.; Ray H. Adams, 65, of Toccoa; and Samuel J. Crump, 68, of Toccoa, were arrested today relating to plans to obtain an unregistered explosive device and silencer and to manufacture the biological toxin ricin for use in attacks against other U.S. citizens and government personnel and officials.

U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Sally Quillian Yates said, “These defendants, who are alleged to be part of a fringe militia group, are charged with planning attacks against their own fellow citizens and government."

"To carry out their agenda, two of the defendants allegedly purchased purported explosives and a silencer, while the other two defendants took steps to attempt to produce a deadly biological toxin. While many are focused on the threat posed by international violent extremists, this case demonstrates that we must also remain vigilant in protecting our country from citizens within our own borders who threaten our safety and security,” Yates said.

According to the criminal complaints, federal search warrants and documents in the public record, Thomas, Roberts, Crump, Adams and others were members of a militia organization and began participating in clandestine meetings of a fringe “covert” operations team starting in approximately March 2011. During these meetings, the complaints charge that the men discussed multiple criminal activities, ranging from murder; theft; manufacturing and using toxic agents; and assassinations in an effort to undermine federal and state government and to advance their interests.

"In March and April 2011, Thomas, Roberts, Adams and others attended meetings where participants discussed targeting various government officials, including employees of federal agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service. These meetings also were monitored by FBI agents through the attendance of a confidential source, who recorded the meetings and provided the information to the FBI," an FBI statement said.

During the meetings, the complaints allege, "Thomas, Roberts and others discussed the need to obtain unregistered silencers and explosive devices for use in attacks against federal government buildings and employees, as well as against local police. Thomas, Roberts and others also discussed the use of the biological toxin that can kill individuals in small doses. The participants acknowledged that these actions would constitute murder but reasoned that the actions were necessary in accordance with their ideology."

"In May and June 2011, Thomas and Roberts met with an undercover agent purporting to be a seller of unregistered silencers and explosive devices," the complaint alleges.

According to the complaints, "Thomas and Roberts allegedly agreed to purchase a silencer and an unregistered explosive device and discussed using the silencers and explosive devices in attacks against federal buildings. In furtherance of this plan, Thomas conducted surveillance of federal buildings in Atlanta and discussed with the source the possibility of attacking the federal buildings using silencers and explosive devices, as punishment for what Thomas deemed to be “treasonous” activities. Thomas also allegedly stated that he believed that these actions needed to be undertaken against both federal and state government officials, and advised that the group would need a great deal of explosives to accomplish its mission."

Additionally, the FBI reported that, "from June through November 2011, Thomas and Roberts met with the undercover agent and negotiated the purchase of a silencer for a rifle and conversion parts to make a fully automatic rifle, as well as explosives. The complaints allege that Thomas confirmed to the agent that he planned to use the silencer that he was purchasing, and described how he would clean the rifle and use rubber gloves when he handled it so he wouldn’t leave his fingerprints on it during its use. Ultimately, Thomas agreed to purchase the silencer and conversion parts in exchange for providing the undercover agent with another gun owned by Thomas, while Thomas and Roberts allegedly agreed to split the $1,000 cost for the explosives. Thomas and Roberts later expressed concerns that the undercover agent was a 'cop,' but wanted to go forward with the transaction anyway."

The complaints also charge "that during the investigation of Thomas and Roberts, Roberts described another individual named “Sammy” who, according to Roberts, had manufactured the biological toxin, ricin, and had access to the beans used to make ricin. During one of the group’s meetings in September, which was recorded by the confidential source, Crump arrived and said that he would like to make 10 pounds of ricin and disperse it in various United States cities, including Atlanta. Crump described a scenario for dispersing the ricin in Atlanta in which the toxin would be blown from a car traveling on the interstates. Crump allegedly also said that he possessed the ingredient used to make the toxin and cautioned the source about the dangers of handling it."

The complaints allege "that in October 2011, Crump described to the source the process to manufacture ricin and advised that the materials should be purchased at different locations far from where he lived. Crump again discussed various methods of and locations to disperse ricin, and told the source that the toxin is deadly if the powder comes into contact with a person’s skin or lungs. During another meeting in October, Adams allegedly provided a sample to Crump of the beans used to manufacture ricin from a storage container of the beans contained at his residence in Stephens County, Georgia, and Crump in turn provided the sample to the source. During meetings on Oct. 29, 2011, Crump allegedly told the source that he was going to shell the beans that week, and Adams explained to the source how to manufacture ricin, showing the source a formula used to make ricin and identifying the ways he planned to obtain the ingredients to do so."

FBI agents arrested all four defendants today without incident and executed search warrants at the residences of the four defendants. The defendants are expected to make an initial appearance on the charges before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan S. Cole on Wednesday.

Reportedly the information provided by the source and the undercover agent allowed the agents to disrupt the defendants’ plans before they were in a position to place citizens in danger of attacks using the weapons, explosives, or a biological toxin.

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

Add South Carolina to the DOJ List

2011-10-31T21:58:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

The Department of Justice is taking South Carolina to federal court to fight its recently passed immigration law, Act number 69.

In a complaint, filed in the District of South Carolina, the department states that "certain provisions of Act No. 69, as enacted by the state on June 27, 2011, are unconstitutional and interfere with the federal government’s authority to set and enforce immigration policy, explaining that 'the Constitution and federal law do not permit the development of a patchwork of state and local immigration policies throughout the country.' South Carolina’s law clearly conflicts with the policies and priorities adopted by the federal government and therefore cannot stand," the DOJ stated.

"South Carolina’s law is designed to further criminalize unauthorized immigrants and, like the Arizona and Alabama laws, expands the opportunity for police to push unauthorized immigrants towards incarceration for various new immigration crimes by enforcing an immigration status verification system," a DOJ statement says.

The Department of Justice alleges that because of the South Carolina law, it will not be able to do its job of fighting terrorism, drug smuggling and gang activity.

"Similar to Arizona’s S.B. 1070 and Alabama’s H.B. 56, this law will place significant burdens on federal agencies, diverting their resources away from high-priority targets, such as terrorism, drug smuggling and gang activity, and those with criminal records," the statement says.

According to DOJ, "In addition, the law’s mandates on law enforcement will also result in the harassment and detention of foreign visitors and legal immigrants, as well as U.S. citizens, who cannot readily prove their lawful status."

South Carolina House Speaker Bobby Harrell said back in June, when the bill was first sent to Governor Nikki Haley to be signed, "...South Carolina joined a growing number of states who are taking proactive steps to address the problems created by immigrants who, not only come into our country illegally, but also violate our laws while here.”

"After years of federal inaction on this issue, the SC General Assembly pushed for a comprehensive statewide illegal immigration policy in 2008, successfully passing 'The South Carolina Plan' into law. At the time, it was the toughest state immigration law in the nation. While many states have followed South Carolina’s lead by passing strong immigration laws, they are limited in the overall actions they can take on the issue. The true power of change lies at the federal level, but despite the best efforts of South Carolina’s Congressional Delegation, neither Congress nor our nation’s Executive Branch has enacted the policies needed to fully address these concerns or properly secure our nation’s borders," a statment from Harrel's office said.

“If Washington refuses to effectively support our law enforcement officers by enforcing immigration laws, it is left up to the states to stand up and do what is right. That is exactly what South Carolina did today by making sure our officers have the enforcement tools they need during this time of federal indecision," Harrel said last June.

“South Carolinians want safe streets and secure communities to raise a family and run our businesses,” Harrell continued. “Again, lawmakers heard loud and clear what our citizens wanted – for someone to stand up and enforce our nation’s federal immigration laws. And once again, the General Assembly didn’t hesitate to do everything we could to provide our officers with another crucial security tool, even if that meant taking on a federal government who would rather just pass the buck.”

The Justice Department takes issue with that law, however:

“Today’s lawsuit makes clear once again that the Justice Department will not hesitate to challenge a state’s immigration law, as we have in Arizona, Alabama and South Carolina, if we find that the law interferes with the federal government’s enforcement of immigration,” said Attorney General Eric Holder.

“It is understandable that communities remain frustrated with the broken immigration system, but a patchwork of state laws is not the solution and will only create problems. We will continue to monitor the impact these laws might have on our communities and will evaluate each law to determine whether it conflicts with the federal government’s enforcement responsibilities," said Holder.

“DHS continues to enforce federal immigration laws in South Carolina in smart, effective ways that focus our resources on criminal aliens, recent border crossers, repeat and egregious immigration law violators and employers who knowingly hire illegal labor,” said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. “This kind of legislation diverts critical law enforcement resources from the most serious threats to public safety and undermines the vital trust between local jurisdictions and the communities they serve, while failing to address the underlying problem: the need for comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level.”

According to the DOJ, "the department filed the lawsuit after consultation with the South Carolina attorney general and South Carolina law enforcement officials. The suit was filed on behalf of the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and (the Department of) State, which share responsibilities in administering federal immigration law. The department will soon request a preliminary injunction to enjoin enforcement of the law, parts of which go into effect on Jan. 1, 2012, arguing that the law’s operation will cause irreparable harm."

The Department of Justice is now battling immigration law in several states including Utah, Indiana, and Georgia. It continues to pursue court action against Arizona, Alabama, Georgia and Indiana.

"Courts have enjoined key parts of the Arizona, Alabama, Georgia and Indiana state laws and temporarily restrained enforcement of Utah’s law," the Department of Justice said.

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

Possible Trade War with European Union Looms Over U.S. House Bill Opposing EU Cap And Trade / Emissions Tax On U.S. Airlines

2011-10-29T23:38:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

Possible Trade War with European Union Looms Over U.S. House Bill Opposing EU Cap And Trade / Emissions Tax On U.S. Airlines:

House of Representatives Bill 2594 has just been passed in the House and now goes to the Senate. Representatives voted overwhelmingly against U.S. participation in the European Union's costly emissions taxes on U.S. and other nations' air carriers flying into and out of the EU.

The “European Union Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act of 2011” (H.R. 2594)" passed the House overwhelmingly by voice vote.

“This appropriately named EU scheme is an arbitrary and unjust violation of international law that disadvantages U.S. air carriers, threatens U.S. aviation jobs, and could close down direct travel from many central and western U.S. airports to Europe,” Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica said. “Congress and the United States government will not support this ill-advised and illegal EU tax scheme.”

“Reducing aviation emissions is a goal that is worth pursuing, but the EU’s go-it-alone approach will fly in the face of the international community and is not the way to find an international solution to an international problem,” said Congressman Nick Rahall. “Only through international dialogue will we reach consensus on how to deal with a global challenge, but I am confident that, if our European friends will act in good faith, we will more than rise to the occasion. For the meanwhile, this bill will protect U.S. airlines and all Americans who rely on them for travel and employment from the unjust effects of the EU’s plan.”

“The European Union is unilaterally attempting to impose an illegal scheme on American airlines,” said (Wisconsin) Congressman Thomas Petri. “This is unacceptable for all sorts of reasons. The money the EU is attempting to extract from our airlines would come at the expense of our much-needed investments in ‘NextGen’ technologies to upgrade our air traffic control system, and the purchasing of new aircraft - just two proven methods of improving environmental performance. If the EU gets away with this unilateral scheme, what's to stop them from imposing all sorts of new ‘eco-charges’ on other activities outside the EU? And we don’t even have a guarantee that the fees will be used to benefit the environment.”

If imposed on January 1, 2012, the EU aviation tax scheme would apply to U.S. and other nations’ flights into or out of an EU airport, regardless of how long that flight is in EU airspace. Airlines would be required to pay an emissions tax to the EU Member State to which they most frequently fly, without any requirements that EU countries even use these fees in aviation emissions reduction efforts.

H.R. 2594 prohibits U.S. aircraft operators from participating in the ETS. The bill also instructs U.S. officials to negotiate or take any action necessary to ensure U.S. aviation operators are not penalized by any unilaterally imposed EU scheme.

The Obama Administration testified before the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure in July that the EU ETS is inconsistent with international aviation law. According to additional testimony from that hearing, the Air Transport Association suggested that this scheme would cost U.S. airlines more than $3.1 billion between 2012 and 2020, which could be used to sustain more than 39,200 U.S. airline jobs.

Moreover, these costs could double if the cost of carbon allowances in Europe returns to where it was within the past two years.

According to the Congressional Committee there is growing international opposition to the ETS. and other nations that have voiced opposition include Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Paraguay, Qatar, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, and the member States of the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission (LACAC).

Even EU Member States, the Committee says, including Italy, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, and Spain, are calling for postponement of the EU ETS due to confusion over its implementation and opposition and potential retaliation from other nations.

In 2008 the twenty seven nations of the EU included airline carriers into their carbon program, when it was determined that airline emissions discharged in Europe had doubled in two decades. The E.U.'s efforts to curb pollution by cutting "greenouse gases" which some claim cause global warming or climate change, resulted in pollution limits being imposed on emitting entities by 2020, capping discharges at 21 percent below 2005 limits.

Congressman Jerry Costello of Illinois said, “The EU’s approach on emission controls is misguided and illegal. With..(this).. vote the House of Representatives joins the Obama administration, other EU member states and affected countries, and our domestic aviation industry in opposing the EU’s Emission Trading Scheme. Instead of this unilateral approach, the EU should work with us through the International Civil Aviation Organization to craft a plan that is fair and effective,” he said.

And Minnesota Congressman Chip Cravaack said the ETS scheme is equivalent to the paying of ransom to the Barbary pirates for safe passage.

Last week, Mica, Petri and other Members of the Committee led a bipartisan Congressional delegation to Montreal to meet with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) leaders, representatives of the EU, and other officials regarding U.S. opposition to the EU’s tax scheme. ICAO is the primary organization that sets international aviation standards.

The measure still needs to be approved by the Senate, and would need to be signed by the President. If it does pass and becomes law, penalties may be imposed by the European Union, which could spark further debate, controversy and possibly sanctions against the opposing states and their carriers, which in turn could spark retaliatory action against the E.U.

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

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Issa, Grassley Need More Info From DOJ About "Fast And Furious"

2011-10-28T01:44:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

WASHINGTON – Congressman Darrell Issa and Senator Chuck Grassley are pressing for additional information into the murder of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent Jaime Zapata and the tactics used while conducting surveillance on known straw purchasers, raising concerns similar to policies of Operation Fast and Furious out of the Phoenix office.

The letter explains the inconsistent statements by the Justice Department regarding Otilio Osorio, his brother Ranferi Osorio, and Kelvin Morrison. The three straw purchasers were known to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or ATF, long before one of the guns purchased by the brothers was linked to the murder of Agent Zapata.

To make matters worse, Grassley and Issa wrote in their letter that "documents indicate the ATF failed for more than three months to create a Report of Investigation on the November 9 transfer of firearms between the brothers and Morrison and a confidential informant, witnessed by ATF agents. The report was finally written on February 25, 2011—the same day the ATF received the report tracing the Zapata murder weapon back to the purchase by Otilio Osorio."

Grassley and Issa said that documenting investigative steps three months after the fact and only after a trace returned to the murder of a federal agent raises red flags about the nature of ATF's investigation.

The Letter:

Note: Letter Footnotes Not Included

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

Tarek Mehanna Trial Begins in Boston

2011-10-27T23:51:00.001-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

A trial for U.S. Citizen Tarek Mehanna began today in Boston. Mehanna is charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

FBI documents disclose that Mahenna was also indicted for providing and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, conspiracy to provide false information to law enforcement, and a number of separate counts of false statements to law enforcement.

Indictments allege that "...beginning on or about 2001 and continuing until on or about the date of the return of the superseding indictment, MEHANNA conspired with ... others, to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, namely al Qaeda, by agreeing with ... co-conspirators to provide personnel, expert advice and assistance, services, and other assistance."

Mehanna is alleged to have ...committed numerous overt acts that...(he)... believed would further...(his)... objective to provide material support to al Qaeda.

MEHANNA was previously indicted in January 2009 for making false statements to members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in connection with a terrorism investigation. On October 21, 2009, he was arrested on a Criminal Complaint and on November 5, 2009, he was charged in a superseding indictment and as of June 17, 2010 was being detained based on an order from the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts. Mahenna is still in custody.

Mahenna was indicted along with Ahmad Abousamra, who has since fled and is believed to be living in Syria. If convicted on the material support charges, MEHANNA and ABOUSAMRA each face up to 15 years’ imprisonment, to be followed by supervised release for any term of years up to life and a $250,000 fine, on each of two counts. If convicted of conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, MEHANNA and ABOUSAMRA each face up to life imprisonment, to be followed by supervised release for any term of years up to life.

Two of the false statement counts alleged against MEHANNA and one alleged against ABOUSAMRA concern false statements in connection with a terrorism investigation; on those counts, the defendants face a maximum of eight years' imprisonment, to be followed by three years’ supervised release and a $250,000 fine on each count. The remaining false statement counts and the conspiracy to provide false information, each carry up to five years’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

Mehhanna's attorneys argue that Mehanna's actions are protected as free speech under the first ammendment of the Constitution, and that Mahenna is being prosecuted unjustly.

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

LIBYAN REBELS ACCUSED OF MASS MURDER

2011-10-25T00:42:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

Fifty-three people, apparent Gaddafi supporters, seem to have been executed at a hotel in Sirte last week, Human Rights Watch said today. The hotel is in an area of the city that was under the control of anti-Gaddafi fighters from Misrata before the killings took place, according to the human rights organization.

HRW called on Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) to conduct an "immediate and transparent investigation into the apparent mass execution and to bring those responsible to justice."

“We found 53 decomposing bodies, apparently Gaddafi supporters, at an abandoned hotel in Sirte, and some had their hands bound behind their backs when they were shot,” said Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at Human Rights Watch, who investigated the killings. “This requires the immediate attention of the Libyan authorities to investigate what happened and hold accountable those responsible.”

Human Rights Watch observers reportedly saw the badly decomposed remains of the 53 people on October 23, 2011, at the Hotel Mahari in District 2 of Sirte. Investigators said the bodies were clustered together, apparently where they had been killed, on the grass in the sea-view garden of the hotel.

Anti-Gaddafi fighters from Misrata had held that area of Sirte since early October, according to witnesses interviewed by Human Rights Watch. On the entrance and walls of the hotel Human Rights Watch workers reported seeing the names of several brigades from Misrata.

"The condition of the bodies suggests the victims were killed approximately one week prior to their discovery, between October 14 and October 19. The bloodstains on the grass directly below the bodies, bullet holes visible in the ground, and the spent cartridges of AK-47 and FN-1 rifles scattered around the site strongly suggest that some, if not all of the people, were shot and killed in the location where they were discovered," Human Rights Watch said.

According to HRW the bodies were in a similar stage of decomposition, suggesting they were killed at the same approximate time. Some of the bodies reportedly had their hands tied behind their backs with plastic ties. Others had bandages over serious wounds, suggesting they had been treated for other injuries prior to their deaths.

The human righs organization said that about 20 Sirte residents were putting the bodies in body bags and preparing them for burial when Human Rights Watch arrived at the hotel. The residents reportedly said they had discovered the bodies on October 21, after the fighting in Sirte had stopped and they had returned to their neighborhood. They identified four of the dead as residents of Sirte: Ezzidin al-Hinsheri, allegedly a former Gaddafi government official, a military officer named Muftah Dabroun, and two Sirte residents, Amar Mahmoud Saleh and Muftah al-Deley.

"Those preparing the bodies said they believed most of the victims were residents of Sirte, some of them Gaddafi supporters, and said that some of the victims had most likely tried to flee from District 2, the last stronghold of Gaddafi loyalists as anti-Gaddafi forces attacked the city. They reported that Other victims were possibly released from Ibn Sina Hospital in Sirte, after being treated for conflict-related injuries. The claim that some of the victims had been released from the hospital is consistent with the discovery of bandaged wounds on some of the bodies," Human Rights Watch said.

"The Hotel Mahari was apparently in the hands of anti-Gaddafi forces from Misrata before the killings, and it remained in their control until the fighting in Sirte stopped on October 20," Human Rights Watch said.

Anti-Gaddafi forces are organized in brigades whose primary loyalty is to their city of origin. Many Libyan cities have numerous brigades, small groups of fighters who operate semi-independently during battles. More than 100 brigades (katiba) operate in the city of Misrata alone.

On the walls of the Hotel Mahari, Human Rights Watch saw the names of five known Misrata-based fighting groups, who had apparently based themselves in the hotel. At the entrance, as well as on the inside and outside walls, was prominently written the “Tiger Brigade” (Al-Nimer). In numerous places on other walls were written the “Support Brigade” (Al-Isnad), the Jaguar Brigade (Al-Fahad), the Lion Brigade (Al-Asad), and the Citadel Brigade (Al-Qasba).

There is no direct evidence that these five brigades were involved in the executions, but their apparent presence in the hotel requires immediate investigation, Human Rights Watch said.

“The evidence suggests that some of the victims were shot while being held as prisoners, when that part of Sirte was controlled by anti-Gaddafi brigades who appear to act outside the control of the National Transitional Council,” Bouckaert said. “If the NTC fails to investigate this crime it will signal that those who fought against Gaddafi can do anything without fear of prosecution.”

At a separate site in Sirte, Human Rights Watch reported it saw the badly decomposed bodies of 10 people who had apparently also been executed. The bodies had been dumped in a water reservoir in District 2 of the city. The identity of the victims was unknown, and it was not possible to establish whether Gaddafi forces or anti-Gaddafi fighters were responsible. From the state of decomposition of the bodies, it appears they were killed prior to October 12.

Medical officials in Sirte told Human Rights Watch that pro-Gaddafi forces had carried out executions in the city. They said that medical teams and anti-Gaddafi fighters found at least 23 bodies, their hands bound, between October 15 and October 20.

"The executions at the Mahari Hotel came to light just days after the still unexplained deaths of Libya’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi and his son Muatassim Gaddafi while in the custody of fighters from Misrata. Both men were captured alive in Sirte on October 20," says HRW.

"At the site where Muammar Gaddafi was captured, Human Rights Watch found the remains of at least 95 people who had apparently died that day. The vast majority had apparently died in the fighting and NATO strikes prior to Gaddafi’s capture, but between six and ten of the dead appear to have been executed at the site with gunshot wounds to the head and body," an HRW statement said.

"To date, the NTC has failed to conduct a serious investigation into the killing of the former rebel military commander, Gen. Abdel Fattah Younes, who was killed with two aides on July 28 after being detained by opposition fighters, apparently after NTC officials had issued a warrant for his arrest," said HRW.

HRW emphasized that violence of any kind, and in particular murder, inflicted during an armed conflict on combatants who have laid down their arms or are in detention, is a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC has jurisdiction in Libya for all crimes within its mandate committed since February 15, 2011. Under the court's treaty, criminal liability applies to both those who physically commit the crimes and to senior officials, "including those who give the orders and those in a position of command who should have been aware of the abuses but failed to prevent them or to report or prosecute those responsible," says HRW.

“This latest massacre seems part of a trend of killings, looting, and other abuses committed by armed anti-Gaddafi fighters who consider themselves above the law,” Bouckaert said. “It is imperative that the transitional authorities take action to rein in these groups.”

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

RICK PERRY'S CUT, BALANCE AND GROW, 20% FLAT TAX

2011-10-24T23:35:00.001-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

Rick Perry is unveiling a 20 percent "flat tax" proposal on all taxpayers who will accept it in place of the current tax rate they are paying now, and which calls for capping federal spending at 18 percent of the country's GDP while permitting younger earners to privatize their Social Security accounts, AND letting taxpayers who do not want to pay a 20 percent flat income tax to keep their current rate.

Perry described his plan in an op-ed column in the Wall Street Journal, stating that his plan would preserve popular deductions for mortgage interest and donations to charity for households earning less than $500,000 per year, and he would increase the standard deducion to $12,500.

He calls it "Cut, Balance and Grow" and he says: “Cut, Balance and Grow strikes a major blow against the Washington-knows-best mindset,” Perry said. “It takes money from spendthrift bureaucrats and returns it to families. It puts fewer job-killing regulations on employers and more restrictions on politicians. It gives more freedom to Americans to control their own destiny. And just as importantly, the Cut, Balance and Grow plan paves the way for the job creation, balanced budgets and fiscal responsibility we need to get America working again.”

The CBG Flat Tax Plan is endorsed by Media magnate, Steve Forbes, who, while he was campaigning for the Republican nominaton for President in 1996 and 2000, also proposed a flat tax, along with medical savings accounts, a new Social Security system for working Americans, and parental choice of schools for their children. Forbes has also endorsed Rick Perry to be the Republican nominee for President in 2012. (Click Photo to See VIDEO)

"The folks in Washington might not like to hear it, but the plain truth is the U.S. government spends too much. Taxes are too high, too complex, and too riddled with special interest loopholes. And our expensive entitlement system is unsustainable in the long run," says Perry in the WSJ.

"This simple 20% flat tax will allow Americans to file their taxes on a postcard, saving up to $483 billion in compliance costs. By eliminating the dozens of carve-outs that make the current code so incomprehensible, we will renew incentives for entrepreneurial risk-taking and investment that creates jobs, inspires Americans to work hard and forms the foundation of a strong economy. My plan also abolishes the death tax once and for all, providing needed certainty to American family farms and small businesses," writes Perry in the op-ed piece.

Perry will make his announcement on the Cut, Balance, and Grow plan tomorrow.

To see the Full Article Click HERE.

Additionally Perry announced several new key members of his campaign staff. Joe M. Allbaugh, Tony Fabrizio and Fred Maas will join the expanding Perry for president team as senior advisors to the campaign, while Curt Anderson, Jim Innocenzi and Nelson Warfield will serve on the campaign’s national media team. Stanton Anderson will operate as the congressional liaison for the campaign.

The Perry campaign describes the advisers as follows:

Joe M. Allbaugh managed or advised numerous political campaigns, including George W. Bush’s 1994 gubernatorial campaign and 2000 presidential campaign, and Rudy Giuliani’s 2008 presidential campaign. Allbaugh also served as director of FEMA from February 2001 through March 2003. He is the founder of the Allbaugh International Group, LLC, and serves on several corporate boards.

Curt Anderson is a partner with OnMessage, Inc. Anderson previously served in the White House under President Reagan as the associate director of public liaison. Anderson also worked as political director at the Republican National Committee under Haley Barbour. He was a senior strategist for Steve Forbes in 1999, directed coalition outreach efforts for the Bush/Cheney campaign in 2000, led the RNC’s independent expenditure ad campaign to re-elect President Bush in 2004, was a member of the ad team for Mitt Romney’s campaign in 2007/2008, and led the RNC’s independent expenditure campaign against President Obama in the fall of 2008. Prior to starting OnMessage, Inc., Curt held many campaign posts including NRSC Coalition Director, NRSC Southern Regional Director, RNC Midwest Regional Director and RNC Political Director. In 2010 Anderson co-authored Governor Jindal’s new book, “Leadership and Crisis.”

Stanton Anderson currently serves as senior counsel to the president and CEO of the United States Chamber of Commerce, and previously served as executive vice president and chief legal officer. He also served as chairman of the Chamber’s Campaign for Free Enterprise. Anderson is a former chairman of Global USA, Inc., a consulting company he founded in 1982. He has managed a number of Republican conventions and served as counsel to the Reagan-Bush campaign in 1980. Anderson is a part member of the President’s Advisory Committee on Trade Negotiations and the Presidential Commission on Personnel Interchange. He also chaired the U.S. delegation to the United Nations conference on New and Renewable Energy Resources in 1981.

Tony Fabrizio is the principal of Fabrizio, McLaughlin & Associates, and is an expert on public opinion and politics and one of the nation’s leading GOP pollsters. In addition to serving as pollster and strategist for Senator Bob Dole’s 1996 presidential campaign, Fabrizio has worked for more than a dozen senators, more than 50 congressmen, a number of governors and other statewide elected officials. In 2010, Fabrizio served as pollster and strategist for Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s successful campaign. Fabrizio also served as pollster and strategist for the independent expenditure effort of the Republican Governors Association in the Georgia governor’s race in 2010. Additionally, Fabrizio and his firm served as pollsters and strategists for the National Republican Congressional Committee’s IE efforts in 12 congressional districts, resulting in the election of 11 new GOP members of Congress.

Jim Innocenzi is a founding partner of Sandler-Innocenzi, an award-winning national political advertising firm. Throughout the firm’s 28 year history, Jim has been the lead creative force behind dozens of high profile political campaigns, advising many governors, senators, and members of Congress. Some of his more recent clients include: Governors Dave Heineman of Nebraska and Butch Otter of Idaho; Congressmen Tom Rooney (FL), John Mica (FL), Mike Turner (OH) and Steve Buyer (IN); Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis (WY); and former GOP leader Adam Putnam (FL). Jim also served briefly on the John McCain for President Ad Council.

Fred Maas is the founder and CEO of Pacific EcoCompanies, LLC, a San-Diego based firm which specializes in investments and the development of sustainable buildings, communities and clean technologies. Maas has participated in national, state and local politics for more than 30 years, and worked for numerous prominent political figures, including John McCain, Bob Dole, Jack Kemp, Pete du Pont, Richard Lugar and Mitch Daniels.

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

Two Indicted for Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to Terrorists

2011-10-20T22:17:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

WASHINGTON – Ali Charaf Damache, an Algerian man who resided in Ireland, and Mohammad Hassan Khalid, a Pakistani citizen and U.S. lawful permanent resident who resided in Maryland, have been charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists in a superseding indictment returned today in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The charges were announced by Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Zane David Memeger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; and Mark Giuliano, Executive Assistant Director of the FBI’s National Security Branch.

Damache, aka “Theblackflag,” 46, is charged in the superseding indictment with one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and one count of attempted identity theft to facilitate an act of international terrorism. Damache was arrested by authorities in Ireland in March 2010 where he is currently being held on unrelated charges. The United States intends to seek his extradition from Ireland to stand trial in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. If convicted of the charges against him in the superseding indictment, Damache faces a potential sentence of 45 years in prison.

Khalid, aka “Abdul Ba’aree ‘Abd Al-Rahman Al-Hassan Al-Afghani Al-Junoobi W’at-Emiratee,” 18, is charged in the superseding indictment with one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. Khalid was arrested in Ellicot City, Md., on July 6, 2011, and is currently in custody in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. If convicted of the charge against him in the superseding indictment, Khalid faces a potential sentence of 15 years in prison.

“Today’s indictment, which alleges a terrorist conspiracy involving individuals around the globe who connected via the Internet -- including a teenager and two women living in America -- underscores the evolving nature of violent extremism.” said Assistant Attorney General Monaco. “I thank the many agents, analysts and prosecutors who helped bring about this case.”

“Protecting the citizens of the United States from acts of terrorism is one of the highest priorities of the Department of Justice,” said U.S. Attorney Memeger. “This case demonstrates that we must remain vigilant within our communities to make sure that we bring to justice those terrorists, of any age or background, who seek to do great harm to our citizens.”

“This investigation highlights the diverse threat environment we face today,” said FBI Executive Assistant Director Giuliano. “As revealed in this case, individuals used the Internet to further their radicalization and contribute to the radicalization of others. The FBI is committed to disrupting individual and group plots and doing so in close coordination with our law enforcement, intelligence and private sector partners.”

The indictment alleges that, from about 2008 through July 2011, Damache and Khalid conspired with Colleen R. LaRose, Jamie Paulin Ramirez and others to provide material support and resources, including logistical support, recruitment services, financial support, identification documents and personnel, to a conspiracy to kill overseas. LaRose, aka “Fatima LaRose,” aka “JihadJane,” pleaded guilty in February 2011 in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, false statements, and attempted identity theft. Ramirez pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in March 2011 to conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists.

According to the indictment, Damache, Khalid and others devised and coordinated a violent jihad organization consisting of men and women from Europe and the United States divided into a planning team, a research team, an action team, a recruitment team and a finance team; some of whom would travel to South Asia for explosives training and return to Europe to wage violent jihad.

The indictment alleges that Damache, Khalid, LaRose and others recruited men online to wage violent jihad in South Asia and Europe. In addition, Damache, Khalid, LaRose and others allegedly recruited women who had passports and the ability to travel to and around Europe in support of violent jihad. The indictment further alleges that LaRose, Paulin-Ramirez and others traveled to and around Europe to participate in and support violent jihad; and that Khalid and LaRose and others solicited funds online for terrorists.

For example, the indictment alleges that in July 2009, Damache sent an electronic communication using the username “Theblackflag” to Khalid, asking Khalid to recruit online “some brothers that can travel freely . . . with eu passports . . . .[A]nd I need some sisters too.” Damache also allegedly advised Khalid that “sister fatima will be charge of other sister care . . . . [W]e have already organized every thing for her. . . .” The indictment further alleges that Paulin-Ramirez married Damache on the day she arrived with her minor child in Europe to live and train with jihadists, even though she had never met Damache in person, and that, while living together in Europe, the couple began training Ramirez’s minor child in the ways of violent jihad.

Among other things, the indictment further alleges that, in July 2009, Khalid posted or caused to be posted an online solicitation for funds to support terrorism on behalf of LaRose and later sent electronic communications to multiple online forums requesting the deletion of all posts by LaRose after she was questioned by the FBI. In August 2009, Khalid allegedly sent a questionnaire to LaRose in which he asked another potential female recruit about her beliefs and intentions with regard to violent jihad. In addition, Khalid allegedly received from LaRose and concealed the location of a U.S. passport that she had stolen from another individual.

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

Senator Bernie Sanders: FED Is Riddled With Conflicts Of Interest

2011-10-19T22:39:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

A new audit of the Federal Reserve released today detailed widespread conflicts of interest involving directors of its regional banks. "The most powerful entity in the United States is riddled with conflicts of interest," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said after reviewing the Government Accountability Office report.

Sanders' Office said the study required by a Sanders Amendment to last year's Wall Street reform law examined Fed practices never before subjected to such independent, expert scrutiny. "The GAO detailed instance after instance of top executives of corporations and financial institutions using their influence as Federal Reserve directors to financially benefit their firms, and, in at least one instance, themselves," a statement said.

The corporate affiliations of Fed directors from such banking and industry giants as General Electric, JP Morgan Chase, and Lehman Brothers pose "reputational risks" to the Federal Reserve System, the report said. Giving the banking industry the power to both elect and serve as Fed directors creates "an appearance of a conflict of interest," the report added.

The 108-page report found that at least 18 specific current and former Fed board members were affiliated with banks and companies that received emergency loans from the Federal Reserve during the financial crisis. In the dry and understated language of auditors, the report noted that there are no restrictions in Fed rules on directors communicating concerns about their respective banks to the staff of the Federal Reserve.

It also said many directors own stock or work directly for banks that are supervised and regulated by the Federal Reserve. The rules, which the Fed has kept secret, let directors tied to banks participate in decisions involving how much interest to charge financial institutions and how much credit to provide healthy banks and institutions in "hazardous" condition.

"Even when situations arise that run afoul of Fed's conflict rules and waivers are granted," the GAO said, "the waivers are kept hidden from the public." The report by the non-partisan research arm of Congress did not name but unambiguously described several individual cases involving Fed directors that created the appearance of a conflict of interest, including:

Stephen Friedman In 2008, the New York Fed approved an application from Goldman Sachs to become a bank holding company giving it access to cheap Fed loans. During the same period, Friedman, chairman of the New York Fed, sat on the Goldman Sachs board of directors and owned Goldman stock, something the Fed's rules prohibited. He received a waiver in late 2008 that was not made public. After Friedman received the waiver, he continued to purchase stock in Goldman from November 2008 through January of 2009 unbeknownst to the Fed, according to the GAO.

Jeffrey Immelt The Federal Reserve Bank of New York consulted with General Electric on the creation of the Commercial Paper Funding Facility. The Fed later provided $16 billion in financing for GE under the emergency lending program while Immelt, GE's CEO, served as a director on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Jamie Dimon The CEO of JP Morgan Chase served on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York at the same time that his bank received emergency loans from the Fed and was used by the Fed as a clearing bank for the Fed's emergency lending programs. In 2008, the Fed provided JP Morgan Chase with $29 billion in financing to acquire Bear Stearns. At the time, Dimon persuaded the Fed to provide JP Morgan Chase with an 18-month exemption from risk-based leverage and capital requirements. He also convinced the Fed to take risky mortgage-related assets off of Bear Stearns balance sheet before JP Morgan Chase acquired this troubled investment bank.

In summary the GAO report found:

· The affiliations of the Federal Reserve's board of directors with financial firms continue to pose "reputational risks" to the Federal Reserve System.

· The policy of the Federal Reserve to give members of the banking industry the power to both elect and serve on the Federal Reserve's board of directors creates "an appearance of a conflict of interest."

· The GAO identified 18 former and current members of the Federal Reserve's board affiliated with banks and companies that received emergency loans from the Federal Reserve during the financial crisis including General Electric, JP Morgan Chase, and Lehman Brothers.

· There are no restrictions on directors of the Federal Reserve Board from communicating concerns about their respective banks to the staff of the Federal Reserve.

· Many of the Federal Reserve's board of directors own stock or work directly for banks that are supervised and regulated by the Federal Reserve. These board members oversee the Federal Reserve's operations including salary and personnel decisions.

· Under current regulations, Fed directors who are employed by the banking industry or own stock in financial institutions can participate in decisions involving how much interest to charge to financial institutions receiving Fed loans; and the approval or disapproval of
Federal Reserve credit to healthy banks and banks in "hazardous" condition.

· The Federal Reserve does not publicly disclose its conflict of interest regulations or when it grants waivers to its conflict of interest regulations.

· 21 members of the Federal Reserve's board of directors were involved in making personnel decisions in the division of supervision and regulation at the Fed

Further details disclosed by the report include the following:

Compared with central banks in other countries, the Federal Reserve does not do a good job in disclosing potential conflicts of interest and other important transparency issues. The GAO found that such transparency is "essential to the effective and credible functioning of a healthy democracy" and fulfilling the government's responsibility to citizens and taxpayers.

For example, the central bank in Australia prohibits its directors from working for or having a material financial interest in private financial companies located in its country. If such
regulations were in place at the Fed, the CEO of JP Morgan Chase and many other bank
executives would be prohibited from serving on the Fed's board of directors.

The central bank in Canada requires its directors to disclose any potential conflicts of interest as soon as they are discovered; avoid or withdraw from participation in any real, potential, or apparent conflicts of interest; and cannot vote on any matters in which there is a conflict of interest. If these regulations existed at the Fed, Stephen Friedman would have been required to immediately resign from Goldman's board, sell his Goldman stock, or resign from the Fed's board of directors.

Instead, Mr. Friedman was allowed to financially benefit from the increase in Goldman's stock while it received approval from the Fed to become a bank holding company and
received billions in emergency Fed loans.

The central bank in Canada also prohibits its directors from having affiliations with entities that perform clearing and settlement responsibilities in the financial services industry or serve as dealers in government securities. The Fed does not.

These regulations would have prevented both Friedman and Dimon from serving on the Fed's board of directors.

The directors of central banks in Australia, Canada, England and the European Union all have to disclose potential conflicts of interest and must disclose its conflict of interest policies on the internet. The Federal Reserve does not.

The European Central Bank and the central bank in Australia both require its directors to
annually disclose their financial interests. The Fed does not because it does not want to make it "burdensome" for people to serve on its board.

Federal Reserve Banks do not publish public information about vacant director positions. Instead of allowing the public to actively seek to apply to its board, the banking industry recruits most of the candidates to serve on the Federal Reserve's board of directors in private.

In contrast, the central bank in England publicly advertises when it is seeking applications for board directors. The central bank in Canada allows the public to apply for vacant board member positions on the internet.

The GAO also found the following:

· In 2010, the 108 members of the Federal Reserve's board of directors are predominately
white men who are senior executives of financial institutions.

· While Congress has mandated that the Federal Reserve's board of directors consist of experts in labor, consumer protection, agriculture, commerce, and industry, only 11 of the 202 members of the Federal Reserve's board of directors represented labor and consumer interests from 2006-2010.

· When choosing who will serve on its board of directors, the Federal Reserve generally
focuses its search on senior executives, usually CEOs or presidents in the financial industry.
Of the 108 Federal Reserve board directors, 82 were the President or CEO of their company.

· The Federal Reserve claims that it is hard to recruit labor and consumer representatives to its board because many are "politically active," and the Federal Reserve has restrictions on a director's "political activity." Sanders called this "laughable," compared to the political action of CEOs of large financial institutions serving on the Fed's board. For example, Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JP Morgan Chase currently serves on the board of directors at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Dimon has made over $620,000 in campaign contributions since 1990

"Clearly it is unacceptable for so few people to wield so much unchecked power," Senator Sanders said. "Not only do they run the banks, they run the institutions that regulate the banks."

Sanders said he will work with leading economists to develop legislation to restructure the Fed and bar the banking industry from picking Fed directors. "This is exactly the kind of outrageous behavior by the big banks and Wall Street that is infuriating so many Americans," Sanders said.

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

ICE Cooking The Books?

2011-10-19T15:49:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

The Obama administration is stretching its figures on the numbers of illegal immigration deportations to make it look like they are enforcing immigration laws, while covertly supporting and carrying out defacto amnesty for illegal aliens.

That's according to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith of Texas, who said yesterday, "The Obama administration continues to inflate its deportation numbers. The administration includes voluntary removals in its deportation statistics even though they impose no penalties on the offenders and make it easier for illegal immigrants to return to the U.S. In other words, the Obama administration is cooking the books to make it look like they are enforcing immigration laws, when in reality they are enacting amnesty through inaction."

Smith' comments come on the heels of statistics released earlier this week by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which show that it deported more immigrants during the 2011 fiscal year than it did in any year since the agency's 2003 inception. According to I.C.E. the total includes more than 216,700 people convicted of felonies and misdemeanors.

"U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director John Morton announced the agency's fiscal year 2011 year-end removal numbers, highlighting trends that underscore the administration's focus on removing individuals from the country that fall into priority areas for enforcement. These priorities, according to Morton, include the identification and removal of those that have broken criminal laws, threats to national security, recent border crossers, repeat violators of immigration law and immigration court fugitives, a statement from ICE said yesterday.

"These year-end totals indicate that we are making progress, with more convicted criminals, recent border crossers, egregious immigration law violators and immigration fugitives being removed from the country than ever before. Though we still have work to do, this progress is a testament to the hard work and dedication of thousands of ICE agents, officers and attorneys around the country," Morton said.

ICE statistics claim that it removed 396,906 individuals — the largest number in the agency's history. Of these, the agency claims, nearly 55 percent or 216,698 of the people removed, were convicted of felonies or misdemeanors — an 89 percent increase in the removal of criminals since FY 2008. According to ICE this includes 1,119 aliens convicted of homicide; 5,848 aliens convicted of sexual offenses; 44,653 aliens convicted of drug related crimes; and 35,927 aliens convicted of driving under the influence. ICE claims it achieved similar results with regard to other categories prioritized for removal. Ninety percent of all ICE's removals, it says, fell into a priority category and more than two-thirds of the other removals in 2011 were either recent border crossers or repeat immigration violators.

Congressman Smith however contests the ICE figures. "Under this administration, worksite enforcement has dropped 70%, making it easier for illegal immigrants to live and work in the U.S. And DHS recently established a working group with the specific purpose of overruling or preventing orders of removal for illegal immigrants. Even President Obama admitted to Hispanic voters that his administration’s deportation numbers are ‘deceptive'."

Smith's comments came just short of accusing the Obama administration of lying, stating that Obama's ICE statistics amount to "cooking the books on Immigration Enforcement."

“It’s disappointing that the Obama administration continues to put illegal immigrants before the American people. Fourteen million Americans are currently looking for work. Meanwhile seven million illegal immigrants have jobs in the U.S. We could free up millions of jobs for citizens and legal immigrants if we simply enforced our immigration laws. The President’s policies just don’t add up. It’s time to elect a President that puts the American people first by enforcing our immigration laws," said Smith.

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

Wounded Warrior ‘Dances With the Stars’ for Troops

2011-10-18T02:27:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

At 28, J.R. Martinez already has experienced life as a soldier wounded in combat, as a motivational speaker and as a soap opera actor.

This season, he added another entry to his resume as a contestant in the hit ABC television series “Dancing with the Stars.” Martinez dances on the show to call attention to the work of U.S. service members and veterans to keep alive their sacrifices, he said in a recent Pentagon Channel interview.

“I was injured, but able to turn it around into something positive to use as a voice for our service members and veterans,” he said. Whether Martinez and his partner dance a lively jive number or a passionate rumba, he said, he keeps one thought in mind. “Because I want to inspire and move people, I want to do it in such a big way,” he said. “I have to make that impact.”

And to deliver that impact, Martinez gives audiences everything he’s got.
“I have to expose myself and be willing to share who I am -- my struggles and not just the joys, the laughter and the jokes,” he said.

Television appearances and a career as a motivational speaker likely weren’t on his mind when Martinez enlisted in the Army in 2002 and joined the 101st Airborne Division’s “Strike” brigade at Fort Campbell, Ky. He was deployed to Iraq in 2003 when the left front tire of the Humvee he was driving hit a landmine. Three soldiers were thrown from the burning vehicle, but Martinez was trapped inside. With severe burns over 40 percent of his body, Martinez spent the next 34 months recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where he endured more than 33 skin grafts and reconstructive surgeries.

During his hospital recovery, Martinez had a chance conversation that would change the course of his life. A hospital staff member asked Martinez to share some of his experience to help another service member who had been admitted with burn injuries.

“I didn’t know what I was going to say to the young man,” Martinez said. “I was somewhat intimidated, but after talking to him about 45 minutes, I realized I was able to help him -- give him insight and hope -- which is something we all want in life.”

That conversation left Martinez wanting to help other people, and he became a motivational speaker in 2004. Fluent in Spanish and English, he traveled the country, sharing his experiences and encouraging resilience and optimism to audiences as varied as veterans’ groups, schools and corporations.

Martinez also became active in a variety of nonprofit veterans organizations. He serves as national spokesman for the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, which promotes and supports programs for wounded warriors. News of his work spread quickly, leading to appearances on “Oprah,” “60 Minutes” and CNN.

His career was progressing rapidly, and in 2008, he landed an acting role on the daytime drama “All My Children” playing combat veteran Brot Monroe after a nationwide search to find a real-life soldier to play the part. After Martinez was hired, the character’s injuries were created to match his own.

Martinez continues to balance motivational speaking, charity work and acting, and has begun writing his memoir, according to ABC.
“I think the courage is within me,” Martinez said of his experiences and his successes. “It’s no different than the men and women who go into the military and choose that life. It’s just something that’s instilled in us, and we just do it.”

The “Dancing the Stars” competition continues for Martinez and dance partner Karina Smirnoff tonight and tomorrow on ABC

Vanguard of Freedom News / AFPS / Terri Moon Cronk

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

Chairman Issa, Oversight Committee Submit $375 Billion in Savings to Super Committee, Warn of President’s Postal Gimmick

2011-10-16T23:50:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform have submitted seven recommendations to the congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (Joint Select Committee) that, if implemented, will provide a minimum of $375 billion in savings over ten years. They also suggests that the Joint Committee should not address U.S. Postal Service reform.

The Oversight Committee's recommendations cover federal civilian retirement and federal workforce size and pay. Most of these items were included in the House Republican budget plan passed earlier this year. Several were also included in the Bowles-Simpson commission report.

Issa urged the Joint Select Committee to avoid adopting the same budgetary gimmick on postal reform that the President introduced in his deficit reduction package last month. That gimmick would change budget scoring rules to count savings to the Postal Service as savings to the taxpayer, even though the Postal Service does not spend taxpayer money for operations.

The Oversight Committee has approved a bill authored by Chairman Issa and Rep. Dennis Ross (R-FL) which would restore the Postal Service to profitability while averting a taxpayer-funded bailout: H.R. 2309, the Oversight Committee Postal Reform Act of 2011 which reportedly "will return the United States Postal Service (USPS) to sustainability and profitability without a taxpayer bailout. The Issa-Ross bill is the only postal reform proposal that has been successfully acted on this Congress."

“The United States Postal Service cannot become a taxpayer subsidized make-work program. To save the Postal Service, we must enact meaningful and immediate reform so we can maintain service to the American people and return it to financial solvency,” said Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. “The postal service is on the brink of collapse...(W)e have acted to pass a bill and provide an immediate and viable path forward to make the postal service more efficient, protect its workforce and ultimately return it to being a profitable enterprise. The reality is that failure to act now on the Issa-Ross bill will result in an automatic taxpayer-funded bailout.”

“We can no longer afford to postpone the Postal Service’s day of reckoning by putting our collective heads in the sand and wishing the problem away,” said Rep. Dennis A. Ross (R-FL), “Members here today are faced with a stark choice: Are we willing to make the hard decisions necessary to save the Postal Service or will we let it crumble on our watch and potentially put this venerable institution at risk – along with the jobs of the 8 million Americans who work in the mailing industry?”

"The federal government can and must do more to reduce red tape, ease the regulatory and bureaucratic burden on entrepreneurs and job creators, and right-size its mission with the economic reality. This includes cutting government spending. These recommendations will provide significant savings to taxpayers and help end the long-running habit of overspending and ever-increasing deficits in Washington," Chairman Issa said.

Oversight Committee recommendations on Federal civilian retirement reform provisions to the Joint Select Committee include:

1. Changing the pension formula salary base to cover the highest five year's average salary;

2. Increasing the employee Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) contribution by 6.2 percent;

3. Increasing the employee Civil Service Retirement System contribution from 7 percent to 10 percent beginning in 2013;

4. Eliminating FERS for new hires and using savings to establish a defined contribution option to supplement the Thrift Savings Plan;

5. Limiting the FERS minimum supplement to employees subject to mandatory retirement.

Federal workforce size and pay recommendations include:

1. Reducing the overall federal workforce by 10 percent through attrition; hiring one new worker for every three who leave; and, instituting a pay freeze through 2015;

2. Eliminating periodic non-performance-based step increases.

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

Guidelines for Ending Libya Mission

2011-10-10T00:07:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

Consensus exists among NATO members about how to decide when to end Operation Unified Protector in Libya, based on guidelines that can be used to evaluate conditions on the ground there, according to U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

At his final press conference of the Oct. 5-6 NATO defense ministerial here, Panetta listed the four guidelines, which ask the following questions:

- What happens in Sirte? This is the hometown of former Libyan leader Muamar Gadhafi and heavy fighting is underway there.

- Does the Gadhafi regime maintain the capability to attack civilians?

- Does Gadhafi maintain command capability with his regime’s remaining forces?

- Are opposition forces able to provide security and confront challenges that may arise?

“The decision there will depend a great deal on the recommendations of our commanders who I think will review those guidelines and come forward with their recommendations as to when the mission ought to conclude,” Panetta said.

Joining Panetta in NATO Headquarters’ Luns Auditorium were Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces Afghanistan, and Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis, supreme allied commander Europe.

The decision won’t be based on “a set series of precise metrics,” Stavridis said during the press conference. “It’s rather a sense of the situation, and it will follow the guidelines that the secretary laid out.”

"The military officers who head the air and sea portions of the Libya operation," he said, "are Royal Canadian Air Force Lt. Gen. Charles Bouchard, commander of the NATO military mission in Libya, and Italian Navy Vice Adm. Rinaldo Veri, commander of the Maritime Command for Operation Unified Protector."

"Together they will work through the confluence of factors involved in determining the mission’s status and present their views to Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, commander of the Allied Joint Force Command Naples."

"Ultimately the recommendations will be moved into the NATO political sphere for final determination," Stavridis said.

At his own final press conference of the ministerial, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the end is in sight for Libya operations. “Gadhafi’s forces are fighting for a lost cause, the threat to civilians is fading away [and] the recent positive developments in Libya are irreversible,” he said.

"NATO is determined to pursue the operation as long as fighting persists in Sirte, and end the operation as soon as political and military conditions are fulfilled," Rasmussen said.
“We launched Operation Unified Protector to protect the people of Libya,” he said. “We have conducted it in full compliance with our mandate, and I hope we’ll soon be able to end it in coordination with the United Nations and the legitimate legal authorities. We did the right thing in the right way and for the right reasons,” he added. "European allies and Canada took on the operation’s leadership and supplied the main effort," Rasmussen said.

“This was new,” he added, “it was welcome and could act as a model for the future. Libya’s new leadership faces huge political challenges," the secretary-general said, “but basically we’re confident that the National Transitional Council can manage a peaceful transition to democracy.”

Rasmussen said he does not foresee a major NATO role after the mission ends. “It is for the United Nations to take the lead in international efforts to assist the new authorities in Libya, if requested by the National Transitional Council,” he added. “But if we are requested to assist, we stand ready to help.”

In a longer-term perspective, Rasmussen said, “I could foresee that NATO could provide assistance in reforming defense and the security sector if requested by the NTC. We have a lot of expertise in that area.”

“If there’s a request and if there are needs that can be met,” Panetta said, “I think all of us in NATO would have to give serious consideration as to what kind of assistance, what kind of advice, what kind of training could be provided” to help the new leadership provide security to the population.

“If they are to succeed,” he added, “I think the international community, in general, owes it to them to provide whatever help is necessary to guarantee” that success.

Libya’s accomplishment “will be an extremely important signal to other countries in the region,” Panetta said, showing that as a result of the Arab Spring, any country can “move in the right direction to secure human rights, [implement] political and economic reform, and establish a better future for their people.”

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

National Labor Relations Board Attorney Cheers Union Attack on Boeing: “Hooray for the red, white and blue”

2011-10-08T01:10:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

Judicial Watch has received documents requested via the Freedom Of Information Act from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) concerning the NLRB’s decision to file a lawsuit against Seattle-based Boeing for opening a $750 million non-union assembly plant in North Charleston, South Carolina, to manufacture its Dreamliner plane.

The documents, obtained pursuant to Judicial Watch’s original July 14, 2011, Freedom of Information Act request and subsequent lawsuit include internal correspondence amongst NLRB attorneys discussing the Boeing lawsuit. Among the highlights:

*A May 5, 2011, email from Barry Kearney, Associate General Counsel for the National Labor Relations Board, to colleagues at NLRB concerning a press release issued by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) attacking Boeing: “Hooray for the red, white and blue.” NLRB attorney Miriam Szapiro responded shortly thereafter, “Good. I like this part [at last they can put it to some good use]: “the NLRB's long-term professional Regional Staff, National Office of Advice and General Counsel reviewed this case for a year.…” [emphasis in original]

*A July 12, 2011, email from NLRB Regional Director Richard Ahearn to NLRB hearing officer Peter Finch, responding to an article in The Hill newspaper about a request from Rep. Darrell Issa, Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, seeking documents related to the NLRB Boeing lawsuit: “We will politely decline.” (Mr. Ahearn signed the NRLB complaint against Boeing.)

*A May 5, 2011, email from NLRB attorney Miriam Szapiro warning an unknown recipient (name blacked out) about reading a Wall Street Journal article supporting Boeing and criticizing compulsory unionism: “don’t look at yesterday’s WSJ; you’ll puke.”
In response to an April 29, 2011, Wall Street Journal article, calling on President Obama to explain the NLRB lawsuit against Boeing, NLRB attorney Jayme Sophir issues a one word email response on May 2, 2011, to NLRB attorney Debra Willen, Division of Advice: “Ugh.”

The NLRB filed a lawsuit in April 2011, against Boeing, claiming that the company’s decision to open a Dreamliner production line in South Carolina was in retaliation against The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers for a series of union strikes that reportedly slowed production of the plane in 2008 in Washington State. According to Boeing, the NLRB’s “claim is legally frivolous and represents a radical departure from both NLRB and Supreme Court precedent. Boeing has every right under both federal law and its collective bargaining agreement to build additional U.S. production capacity outside of the Puget Sound region.”

Last year, President Obama bypassed the U.S. Senate and recess-appointed Craig Becker to head the NLRB’s five-member board. The Becker appointment was made after the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate refused to move forward on his confirmation. An ally of ACORN, Becker had previously worked for the SEIU and the AFL-CIO, major financial backers of Obama and the Democratic Party. Controversially, Becker has refused to recuse himself from certain NLRB decisions affecting his former union clients.

“The NLRB is supposed to be a neutral arbiter of labor disputes, not a cheerleader for unions,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “These documents confirm that the Obama NLRB is abusing its power on behalf of a powerful union to attack a major U.S. corporation. No wonder Judicial Watch had to sue the Obama administration to obtain these records.”

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

Holder Received at Least Five Memos on Fast and Furious

2011-10-06T22:59:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley and Congressman Darrell Issa today said that Attorney General Eric Holder received at least five weekly memos beginning in July 2010, including four weeks in a row, describing the ill-advised strategy known as Operation Fast and Furious. The memos were to Holder from Michael Walther, the director of the National Drug Intelligence Center.

The Attorney General told Issa during a House Judiciary Committee in May 2011 that he had just learned of Fast and Furious a few weeks before. Yet, on January 31, in a previously scheduled meeting, Grassley personally handed him two letters about Fast and Furious. Grassley and Issa said they find it very troubling that Holder actually knew of Operation Fast and Furious much earlier, and in greater detail than he ever let on.

The memos specifically said that the straw buyers were "responsible for the purchase of 1500 firearms that were then supplied to Mexican drug trafficking cartels."

"With the fairly detailed information that the Attorney General read, it seems the logical question for the Attorney General after reading in the memo would be "why haven't we stopped them?" Grassley said. "And if he didn't ask the questions, why didn't he or somebody in his office?"

"Attorney General Holder has failed to give Congress and the American people an honest account of what he and other senior Justice Department officials knew about gunwalking and Operation Fast and Furious. The lack of candor and honesty from our nation's chief law enforcement officials in this matter is deeply disturbing," Issa said.

Grassley and Issa have been leading the investigation into who approved the strategy to allow guns to be purchased by known straw buyers who then often transferred the firearms to Mexican Drug Cartels.

Read the memos here

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

Issa Introduces Open Government, Spending Transparency Reforms

2011-10-05T23:30:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has introduced the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act, or DATA Act, which will establish an independent body to track federal spending, including grants, contracts, loans and agencies' internal expenses, on a single electronic platform, using consistent reporting standards and data identifiers, and making all of the information available to the public.

"Americans have the right to know what their government is doing with their money," said Issa. "Incompatible technologies, inaccurate data, and a lack of common standards impede transparency. The Digital Accountability and Transparency Act will revolutionize the accessibility of government information."

"Today we have 'analog transparency', in the sense that anybody can file endless Freedom of Information Act requests with one hundred plus separate federal agencies and receive, maybe, after months, thousands of pages of scanned documents that, if carefully perused, might yield up the same information that ought to be able to be derived with a keystroke."

The DATA Act makes several major pro-transparency reforms, including:

• Establishing a universal standard of recipient reporting for money received from the federal government directly to an independent database. This has widely been credited as the key to the success of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board in catching and preventing fraud, waste, and abuse in stimulus spending.

• Collecting all agency expenditure data and combining it with the recipient reported data. This will allow agencies, Congress, and citizen watchdogs to discover waste and inefficiency in government and expose systematic financial management problems that lead to improper payments.

• Creating a permanent successor to the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, the body established by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act to ensure transparency, and giving that board similar powers to ensure all federal spending is transparent to the public. The new board is designated as the Federal Accountability and Spending Transparency Board (FAST Board).

• Directing the new FAST Board to establish common identifiers and consistent reporting standards for all federally collected data.

The FAST Board will be tasked solely with receiving, organizing, and publishing federal spending information. Chairman Issa first met with Vice President Biden in November of last year to discuss spending transparency and using the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board as a model for building a transparent and accountable government. Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board Chairman Earl Devaney will testify at an Oversight Committee hearing on federal spending transparency and the solutions that the bill proposes.

See Issa Video Here:

See Text of Legislation HERE (PDF File)

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

Mullen: America Can’t Lose its Military Edge

2011-09-30T16:10:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

"America can ill afford to lose its military superiority," Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said today, his last day as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Speaking to the audience gathered at Virginia’s Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall to watch him transfer the chairmanship to Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, Mullen said decisions made in the coming months will determine what kind of military the nation will have during the next 20 to 30 years.

The admiral noted the U.S. military forces have fought for a decade in Iraq and Afghanistan, and now face “looming threats” posed by Iran and North Korea, challenges in cyberspace and China’s growing military capabilities.

“We have become the best counterinsurgency force in the world, but we have done so at the expense of critical conventional capabilities we necessarily let lapse,” Mullen said. “We have become the most expeditionary force in our history, but in the process sacrificed some of the basics of garrison leadership and continuity that preserve the health of our all-volunteer force.”

Difficult budget decisions are ahead, the admiral acknowledged. “Cuts in defense spending are fair game. We should do our part,” Mullen said. “But cut too deeply, and we will burn the very blanket of protection we have been charged to provide our fellow citizens. Cut too deeply now, and we will harm, perhaps irreparably, the industrial base from which we procure the materials of war.”

Mullen said as the senior military advisor to the president and the secretary of defense, he has been fortunate in those he has served. Addressing Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, he said, “Our time together has been short in days, but long on substance. I consider myself fortunate to have had this opportunity to … learn from you, as I did under Secretary [Robert M.] Gates – another extraordinary man I consider a good friend and a mentor.”

Mullen added, “Thank you for your leadership, sir, and for the trust you placed in me.” The chairman then addressed the American public, as he has in scores of visits to colleges, town halls and other venues across the nation during his “Conversation With the Country” travels.

“The men and women of your armed forces are the best we have ever known,” Mullen said. “They believe in what they are doing. All I ask is that you continue to believe in them.” He urged Americans to reach out to service members, veterans and their families -- “to wash over them in what I call this ‘sea of goodwill’ that I know exists in the country. War has changed America’s service members forever, but it has not changed their dreams, and their fellow citizens can help make those dreams come true," Mullen said.

“Hire them. Help them buy a home. Get them started on the path to an education,” he said. “Give them a chance. That’s all they want. America and its citizens are struggling amid a global economic downturn," he acknowledged, "and the wars young men and women in uniform are fighting aren’t 'exactly foremost on everyone’s minds. But they are foremost in the minds of service members in the fight," the admiral said.

“We talk about the resilience of our troops and their families as if it is something apart from the rest of society,” he said. “It isn’t, or at least it shouldn’t be. America’s troops learned to be brave and steadfast in their homes, schools and communities," the chairman said.

“Welcome them back to those places, not only with bands and bunting or yellow ribbons, but with the solemn recognition that they have done your bidding, they have represented you well, they have carried the best of you and of this country into battle,” he urged.

"Those troops have done things and seen things and bear things in their souls that civilians cannot know, the chairman said. “Help them through their trials, be tolerant of them and each other,” Mullen said. “Give them a chance, and together we will prove the greatness that is America.”

Vanguard of Freedom News/ AFPS: Karen Parrish

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Iraq Makes First Payment for 18 F-16 Fighters

2011-09-29T23:52:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28, 2011 – The Iraqi government has transferred its first payment for 18 F-16C fighter aircraft, bringing Iraq closer to independently securing its airspace, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said yesterday.

“These aircraft will help provide air sovereignty for Iraq to protect its own territory, and deter or counter regional threats,” Little said. The fighter aircraft, he added, “are also a symbol of the commitment to a long-term strategic partnership between the United States and Iraq.

The fighters are the block 50/52 variant of the aircraft -- the current production version of the F-16 Fighting Falcon. The sale is valued at about $3 billion, Little said.

The United States conducts foreign military sales with Iraq, he added, “and fully supports Iraq's efforts to purchase military equipment in line with its domestic spending priorities and in accordance with its budget laws and procedures.”

Such foreign military sales will be a cornerstone of future cooperation and support the development of a long-term cooperative security relationship with Iraq, Little said.

“Foreign military sales around the world, such as this purchase of F-16 aircraft,” the press secretary said, “strengthen our diplomatic and military relationships with our allies and supports American industry and jobs at home.”

Vanguard of Freedom News/ AFPS: Cheryl Pellerin

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

2011-09-29T00:29:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

A 26-year-old Ashland, Massachusetts man was arrested and charged today in connection with his plot to damage or destroy the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol, using large remote controlled aircraft filled with C-4 plastic explosives. Rezwan Ferdaus, a U.S. citizen, was also charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization, specifically to al Qaeda, in order to carry out attacks on U.S. soldiers stationed overseas.

According to the FBI, the public was never in danger from the explosive devices, which were controlled by undercover FBI employees (UCs). The defendant was closely monitored as his alleged plot developed and the UCs were in frequent contact with him.

The FBI used an undercover operation to conduct this investigation.

“The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, JTTF, initiated this investigation because we have an obligation to take action to protect the public whenever an individual expresses a desire to commit violence. A committed individual, even one with no direct connections to, or formal training from, an international terrorist organization, can pose a serious danger to the community,” said Richard DesLauriers, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “It is important to remember that our system of justice is based on the notion of individual responsibility. Therefore, no one should cite Mr. Ferdaus’ actions as an excuse or reason to engage in any unlawful behavior against others in the community. We will work diligently to protect the civil rights of all Americans.”

The affidavit alleges the following: Ferdaus, a Northeastern University graduate with a degree in physics, began planning to commit a violent “jihad” against the U.S. in early 2010. He obtained mobile phones, each of which he modified to act as an electrical switch for an IED. He then supplied the phones to FBI UCs, who he believed to be members of, or recruiters for, al Qaeda. According to the affidavit, Ferdaus believed that the devices would be used to kill American soldiers overseas. During a June 2011 meeting, he appeared gratified when he was told that his first phone detonation device had killed three U.S. soldiers and injured four or five others in Iraq. Ferdaus responded, “That was exactly what I wanted.”

According to the affidavit, after each subsequent delivery, Ferdaus was anxious to know how well each of his detonation devices had worked and how many Americans they had killed. During recorded conversations, Ferdaus stated that he devised the idea of attacking the Pentagon long before he met with the government’s cooperating witness (CW) and UC, and that his jihad had, “started last year.”

In recorded conversations with the CW that began in January 2011, Ferdaus stated that he planned to attack the Pentagon using aircraft similar to “small drone airplanes” filled with explosives and guided by GPS equipment. According to the affidavit, in April 2011, Ferdaus expanded his plan to include an attack on the U.S. Capitol. In May and June 2011, Ferdaus delivered two thumb drives to the UCs, which contained detailed attack plans with step-by-step instructions as to how he planned to attack the Pentagon and Capitol. The plans included using three remote controlled aircraft and six people, including himself, whom he described as an “amir,” i.e., an Arabic term meaning leader.

During various recorded meetings, Ferdaus envisioned causing a large “psychological” impact by killing Americans, including women and children, who he referred to as “enemies of Allah.” According to the affidavit, Ferdaus’ desire to attack the United States is so strong that he confided, “I just can’t stop; there is no other choice for me.”

In May 2011, Ferdaus traveled from Boston to Washington, D.C., conducted surveillance and took photographs of his targets (Pentagon and Capitol), and identified and photographed sites at the East Potomac Park from which he planned to launch his aircraft filled with explosives. Upon his return, Ferdaus told the UC that “more stuff ha[d] to be done,” that his plan needed to be expanded, and that he had decided to couple his “aerial assault” plan with a “ground directive.” Ferdaus indicated that his ground assault plan would involve the use of six people, armed with automatic firearms and divided into two teams. Ferdaus described his expanded attack as follows:

...with this aerial assault, we can effectively eliminate key locations of the P-building then we can add to it in order to take out everything else and leave one area only as a squeeze where the individuals will be isolated, they’ll be vulnerable and we can dominate.

Once isolated, Ferdaus planned to “open up on them” and “keep firing” to create “chaos” and “take out” everyone. He also provided the expanded plan to the UC on a thumb drive.

Between May and September 2011, Ferdaus researched, ordered and acquired the necessary components for his attack plans, including one remote controlled aircraft (F-86 Sabre). This morning prior to his arrest, Ferdaus received from the UCs 25 pounds of (what he believed to be) C-4 explosives, six fully-automatic AK-47 assault rifles (machine guns) and grenades. In June 2011, Ferdaus rented a storage facility in Framingham, Mass., under a false name, to use to build his attack planes and maintain all his equipment.

According to the affidavit, in August 2011, the F-86 remote controlled aircraft was delivered to the Framingham storage facility. Ferdaus delivered a total of eight detonation devices to the UCs over the course of the investigation, which he built with the intention that they be used by al Qaeda operatives overseas to kill U.S. soldiers. On September 20, 2011 Ferdaus made a training video, which he provided to the UCs, demonstrating how to make “cell phone detonators.”

According to the affidavit, at today’s meeting the UCs allowed Ferdaus to inspect the explosives and firearms (a quantity of C-4 explosives, three grenades, and six fully-automatic AK-47 assault rifles) that the UCs delivered, and that Ferdaus had requested for his attack plan. After inspecting the components, Ferdaus brought them to his storage unit, took possession of the explosives and firearms, and locked them in his storage unit. Ferdaus was then immediately arrested.

Although Ferdaus was presented with multiple opportunities to back out of his plan, including, being told that his attack would likely kill women and children, the affidavit alleges that Ferdaus never wavered in his desire to carry out the attacks.

If convicted, Ferdaus faces up to 15 years in prison on the material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization charge; up to 20 years in prison on the charge of attempting to destroy national defense premises; and a five-year minimum mandatory in prison and up to 20 years on the charge of attempting to damage and destroy buildings that are owned by the United States, by using an explosive. On each charge Ferdaus also faces up to three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

Alabama Immigration Law Partially Upheld

2011-09-28T23:28:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

Certain Alabama officials are reacting favorably to a federal judge’s ruling that most portions of Alabama’s recently-enacted crackdown on illegal immigration will go into effect despite legal challenges from the U.S. Department of Justice and special interest groups.

Most of the substantial sections were allowed to go into effect, including those that:

*Make it a crime to be an illegal, undocumented alien in Alabama
*Prohibit state and local agencies from contracting or doing business with illegal aliens
*Require police to determine the status of suspected illegal immigrants
*Require businesses to confirm the legal status of their workers using the federal “E-Verify” system

Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard (R-Auburn) said the ruling is good news because Alabama can now see to it that these strict provisions are enforced.

“We’re very pleased to see that 85 percent of our law will go into effect and we can finally begin dealing with the problem of illegal immigration in Alabama. The E-Verify provision is among the most meaningful and effective parts of this law. If we’re going to stop the flow of thousands of illegal immigrants into Alabama, we must shut off the magnet that is drawing them here."

“We remain confident our law will ultimately be upheld as constitutional.”

Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh (R-Anniston) called the ruling a “significant win” in the effort to curb Alabama’s illegal immigration problem. “Our goal has always been to make sure Alabama jobs and taxpayer-funded resources are going to legal Alabama residents and Judge Blackburn’s ruling is a significant win for this cause."

“While enforcement of other parts of the law were delayed pending more definitive action by the courts, the intent of the law still stands, a large majority of this law remains intact and Alabama is finally able to address this issue that has been ignored by the federal government for too long,” said Marsh.

Alabama Governor Robert Bentley declared that the ruling "... is a victory for Alabama. The court agreed with us on a majority of the provisions that were challenged. During my campaign, I promised a tough law against illegal immigration, and we now have one. The law that the Alabama Legislature passed and I signed is constitutional. If the federal government had done its job by enforcing its own immigration laws, there would be no need for Alabama – or other states - to pass a law such as this. Unfortunately, they have failed to do their job."

Bentley said, "The judge temporarily enjoined four parts of the law, but this fight is just beginning. I am optimistic that this law will be completely upheld, and I remain committed to seeing this law fully implemented. I will continue to fight at every turn to defend this law against any and all challenges.”

SEE VIDEO:

The Alabama Immigration law came under attack by opponents immediately after it was passed. The law was challenged by the U.S Department of Justice, along with religious leaders and civil rights organizations.

The Department of Justice in a complaint and brief filed in the Northern District of Alabama, had argued "various provisions of H.B. 56, the Alabama Immigration law conflicted with federal immigration law and undermined the federal government’s careful balance of immigration enforcement priorities and objectives. the DOJ maintained that "The brief filed...makes clear that, while the federal government values state assistance and cooperation with respect to immigration enforcement, a state cannot set its own immigration policy, much less pass laws that conflict with federal enforcement of the immigration laws."

The DOJ Complaint also stated that "Alabama’s law is designed to affect virtually every aspect of an unauthorized immigrant’s daily life, from employment to housing to transportation to entering into and enforcing contracts to going to school. H.B. 56 further criminalizes mere unlawful presence and, like Arizona’s law, expands the opportunities for Alabama police to push aliens toward incarceration for various new immigration crimes by enforcing an immigration status verification system."

Similar legislation is also pending in Arizona, and the Justice Department has also sued the State of Arizona for SB1070, Arizona's Immigration Law.

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said recently that "Arizona will continue to defend SB 1070 against President Obama's ill-advised lawsuit and will pursue our counterclaim in the courts. I am prepared to take this case and our counterclaim all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, as may be necessary," and she outlined the steps she feels are needed in order to effect border security in Arizona. See Jan Brewer's comments HERE.

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

FBI Pays $2.1 Million Whitey Bulger Arrest Reward

2011-09-27T15:59:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

The Boston Division of the FBI received final authorization from the United States Department of Justice to pay the $2.1 million reward to those responsible for providing information which directly led to the arrest of former Top Ten Fugitive James “Whitey” Bulger and his companion, Catherine Greig. This information was generated as a direct result of the FBI’s public service announcement campaign, which was initiated on June 20, 2011.

On June 23rd, 2011 The FBI announced that Top Ten fugitive James “Whitey” Bulger was arrested thanks to a tip from the public—just days after a new media campaign was announced to help locate the gangster who had been on the run for 16 years.

Bulger, who once ran South Boston’s violent Winter Hill Gang and was wanted for his role in 19 murders, was arrested with his longtime companion Catherine Greig Wednesday night in Santa Monica, California, by agents on the Violent Crimes Task Force.

Boston Special Agent in Charge Rick DesLauriers commented on the arrest saying:

"Although there are those who doubted our resolve, it never wavered. We followed every lead, we explored every possibility and when those ran out we did not sit back and wait for the phone to ring.

The result is we have captured one of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, a man notorious in Boston--- and around the world--- for the crimes he is alleged to have committed.

Over the last 16 years, the leaders of the FBI have stood on this podium and promised to spare no effort to return James Bulger to Boston. I am proud to say the FBI has fulfilled that promise."

The FBI reliance on cooperation from the public to help capture fugitives and solve crimes netted results this time. The new media campaign regarding Bulger was designed to draw attention to Greig, who fled with Bulger in 1995. A 30-second public service announcement (PSA) produced by the Bureau began airing in 10 states where it was believed Bulger had resided or still had contacts. California was one of those states.

The PSA focused on the 60-year-old Greig’s physical appearance, habits, and personality traits and was directed specifically at women who might come in contact with her at places such as the beauty parlor or doctor’s office. After the PSA began to air, hundreds of tips flowed into the FBI, and one of them led to the arrest Wednesday night in a residence near Los Angeles.

“We were trying to reach a different audience to produce new leads in the case,” said Richard Teahan, a special agent in the Boston office who leads a task force that has searched for Bulger around the world. “We believed that locating Greig would lead us to Bulger. And that’s exactly what happened.”

The PSA included pictures of Greig after her pre-fugitive plastic surgeries and other details including her love of animals and the reward of up to $100,000 for her capture. Although she was not implicated in Bulger’s crimes, Greig was federally charged in 1997 for harboring a fugitive. The reward for Bulger was up to $2 million—the largest the FBI has ever offered for a Top Ten domestic fugitive.

Bulger, 81, who is known for his violent temper, was arrested without incident.

The FBI offered $2 million for information leading to the arrest of Mr. Bulger, and $100,000 for information leading to the arrest of Ms. Greig. As of Friday, September 23, 2011, the FBI had paid this reward money to more than one individual.

To protect the anonymity and privacy of those responsible for providing information which directly led to the arrests of Mr. Bulger and Ms. Greig, the FBI will not comment further regarding this matter. The FBI said that any further inquiries relating to Mr. Bulger and Ms. Greig should be directed to the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts.

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

Mullen Says It Again: Debt is Biggest Threat to National Security

2011-09-27T12:36:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

Looming budget reductions are the biggest threat to the United States’ national security, said Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during remarks to business executives today.
“I’ve said many times that I believe the single, biggest threat to our national security is our debt, so I also believe we have every responsibility to help eliminate that threat,” he said. “We must, and will, do our part.” (Said It Before)

Speaking to the Business Executives for National Security, the chairman discussed budget concerns and sought the executives’ experiences to help formulate strategic fiscal planning.

“All of you have dealt with downturns in the business cycle,” Mullen said. “Many of you have turned around troubled corporations, or restructured firms. Our challenges will not precisely be yours, but I’ll bet we can take a lesson or two from what you’ve seen.”

Founded in 1982, BENS is a nationwide, non-partisan organization which supports the U.S. government by applying, free of charge, best business practice solutions for national security challenges, according to a media release. Mullen talked to the group about concerns caused by the “sequestration” mechanism included in the nation’s new debt-reduction law.

“As you know, the President has made a decision to reduce the defense budget by more than $450 billion over the next 10 years,” he said. “That’s a lot of money from any perspective,” Mullen continued. “But, in fact, it only represents a little over nine percent a year from our baseline.

“Many of you have faced worse,” he continued. “And yet, as achievable as I believe these cuts to be, they will also be difficult to identify and to execute – more difficult, I think, than they would be for you.”

Mullen said most difficulties stem from large capital expenses, huge fixed and aging infrastructure such as bases, ships and aircraft.
“Our replacement turnover rate is extremely low, because it takes so long to design, build, test and field new equipment,” he said. “Cuts in this arena have significant military impacts, because to make any sort of difference you have to remove from your inventory a platform that will take a long time to replace,” he said.

Mullen also attributed these difficulties to fighting in two wars for a decade which has resulted in a “must-pay” liability. “Much of that equipment has been worn out more quickly than expected because of the wars we are fighting,” he said. “It needs to be repaired or replaced when it comes home.”

The chairman said the next logical step of reduction would be people and their compensation, but he cautioned against “draconian” changes. “They drive our costs in the Pentagon just like they have in the corporate world – increases in pay, and especially increases in the cost of health care,” Mullen said.

“We are a well-compensated force today and rightfully so,” he said. “And because I simply can’t – and [Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta] has made clear that he won’t – break faith with our troops, we need to be very careful here.”

Mullen praised service members for their sacrifices and reiterated his commitment to protecting them. “They are not my employees,” he said. “They aren’t anyone’s employees.

“They are soldiers, airmen, sailors, Marines and coast guardsmen -- volunteers all -- who made a life decision to join our ranks,” Mullen said. “And many of them risk those lives every, single day.”
The chairman said the nation faces an “imperative,” and agreed with Panetta’s assessment of the challenge as being “hard but manageable.”

“We must consider the world as it is, the threats as we see them, not wishing away the danger nor blowing it out of proportion,” Mullen said.

“Pragmatism and practicality must be our watchwords moving forward,” he added, “[and] strategy must become our acumen.”

Vanguard of Freedom News / AFPS: Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr./ Department of Defense / The Pentagon

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

2011-09-27T00:56:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

Zogby says, "Rick Perry has tumbled by more than 20 percentage points over the past month among Republican presidential primary voters and is now second to Herman Cain, who leads the field with 28%."

"The Poll states that "Mitt Romney received little benefit from Perrys fall, garnering 17% of the vote for third place...As for President Barack Obama, both his job approval (42%) and the percentage who believe he deserves re-election (37%) are little changed from recent polls, but he does seem to be winning back some supporters who have been disappointed in his job performance."

These results are from an IBOPE Zogby interactive poll conducted Sept. 23-26 of all likely voters and of likely Republican primary voters.

The poll dates indicate the survey results were in part tabulated before the Florida Straw Poll. This is significant because media reports indicated that Cain's leap to the GOP Primary Candidate lead was due possibly to voter dissatisfaction with the top tier candidates, and not to real voter preference for Cain.

To view the complete results, and a breakdown of the standings, SEE THIS...

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

Another Attack In Kabul

2011-09-26T15:35:00.001-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

Not two weeks since Afghan insurgents launched an organized attack on the U.S. Embassy and NATO Headquarters in Kabul, that resulted in nine dead, another attack resulted in the death of an American citizen, and wounded another person at a building designated as a U.S. Embassy annex used by the CIA.

Voice of America News is reporting that an "Afghan employee of the U.S. government carried out the attack late Sunday in the Afghan capital, and that the attacker was killed. Officials did not give a motive for the shooting, and there has been no immediate claim of responsibility."

This is the second attack against or near high value targets in the Afghan capital since General David Petraeus took over the Central Intelligence Agency as Director, and since Defense Secretary Leon Panetta assumed command at the Department of Defense.

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee last Thursday, Defense Secretary Panetta told Congress that "..the Taliban have shifted strategies to launch headline-grabbing attacks..."

"We are concerned that these attacks, because of the loss of life and because they represent an effort to disrupt the process we have made, must be confronted and cannot be allowed to continue,” the secretary said. “Overall, we judge this change in tactics to be a result in a shift in momentum in our favor, and a sign of weakness of the insurgency.”

Panetta said that the Taliban insurgency has lost ground in much of the country, especially in the south.

“Afghan national security forces are increasingly strong and capable...We have made significant progress with regards to our primary mission of disrupting, dismantling and ultimately defeating al-Qaida, particularly with the operations that took down bin Laden and that continue to take down the key leadership of al-Qaida and their affiliates.”

Accordingly, Panetta indicated, NATO and Afghan forces responses have changed against the enemy's new tactics. "Overall violence in Afghanistan is down, especially in areas where the surge was concentrated -- Kandahar and Helmand province. But Afghans still perceive the Taliban network is still effective and the coalition must work with the Afghan government to provide security to destroy those perceptions," the secretary said.

“We cannot allow terrorists to have safe havens from which they launch attacks and kill our forces,” he said. “We cannot allow that to happen, and we have to bring pressure on the Pakistanis to do their part to confront that issue.”

After the insurgent attacks on Kabul recently, Marine Corps General, John R. Allen warned of the "...likelihood of more high-profile attacks like yesterday’s on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul as insurgents grow increasingly desperate..."

“This is not the first such attack by the insurgents, and we do not expect that it will be the last,” he said. “The insurgents are on the defensive. They are losing territory. They are losing support. They are losing the confidence in their leaders who choose to give orders from the comfort of foreign lands.”

"To compensate," he said, "the insurgents use high-profile attacks in an attempt to frighten the Afghan people into submission. It is not working, and it will not work,” Allen said. “The insurgents will not win. They will lose. We will prevail.”

Ambassador Simon Gass, the U.S. senior civilian representative to Afghanistan, said such attacks backfire for the insurgents because they reveal their brutality and wanton disregard for human life.

“The real effect of these attacks is to remind the Afghan people why they are so determined against an insurgency that deliberately kills innocent men, women and children,” Gass said.

Two suicide bombers assassinated High Peace Council Chairman Prof. Burhanuddin Rabbani, and the wounding of Secretary to the High Peace Council Mohammad Massoom Stanekzai, in an attack at Prof. Rabbani's home on the afternoon of September 20, 2011. Prof. Rabbani and Minister Stanekzai were in Prof. Rabbani's residence when two suicide bombers, feigning a desire to conduct reconciliation talks, detonated themselves.

Below is a NATO account of an Afghan Forces report of the recent attack:

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

WW2 NAZI TO BE DEPORTED

2011-09-20T23:04:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) has dismissed the appeal of John (Ivan) Kalymon of Troy, Mich., who was ordered removed from the United States earlier this year because of his participation in lethal acts of Nazi-sponsored persecution of Jews during World War II.

The BIA upheld a Detroit immigration judge’s Jan. 31, 2011, decision that Kalymon was removable for shooting Jews while serving voluntarily as an armed member of the Nazi-sponsored Ukrainian Auxiliary Police (UAP) in German-occupied L’viv, Ukraine.

“John Kalymon and his Ukrainian Police accomplices were indispensable participants in Nazi Germany’s campaign to exterminate the Jews of Europe during World War II,” said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. “Their actions ensured that tens of thousands of Jewish men, women and children were murdered in L’viv or rounded up and shipped to the Nazi death camp in Belzec or Nazi forced labor camps. The Justice Department remains steadfast in our resolve to ensure that Holocaust perpetrators are not granted safe haven in this country.”

“We hope upholding this removal order helps bring justice to the families who were victimized by the reprehensible acts that this man committed,” said ICE Director Morton. “The U.S. government will work tirelessly to identify and arrest those who have committed crimes against humanity so that they may not seek to gain safe haven in the United States.”

In January 2011, U.S. Immigration Judge Elizabeth Hacker ordered Kalymon removed from the United States. Kalymon, 90, immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1949 and became a U.S. citizen in 1955. In 2004, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Detroit seeking revocation of his U.S. citizenship. Following trial, a federal judge granted that request in 2007, finding that Kalymon had participated in the rounding up and shooting of Jews during his voluntary 1941-44 service in the UAP. The judge further found that Kalymon concealed his UAP service when applying for his U.S. immigrant visa. The evidence included a seized Aug. 14, 1942, report, handwritten by Kalymon, in which he informed his UAP superiors that he had personally shot to death one Jew and had wounded another “during the Jewish operation” that day. The evidence also included other reports from Kalymon’s commander that Kalymon had fired his weapon during forcible round-ups of Jews, in the course of which Jews were killed and wounded. Judge Hacker ordered Kalymon deported to Germany, Ukraine, Poland or any other country that will admit him.

The BIA reviewed Judge Hacker’s decision and ruled that it agreed with the decision that “clear and convincing evidence” proffered by the Government “establishes the facts alleged” in the charging document.

“Ivan Kalymon was an integral part of the Nazi machinery of annihilation that ended the lives of more than 100,000 innocent men, women and children in L’viv,” said Eli M. Rosenbaum, Director of Human Rights Enforcement Strategy and Policy for the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecution Section (HRSP). “This case is one of more than a hundred cases successfully prosecuted by the Department of Justice against wartime Nazi perpetrators, and it reflects the government’s continuing commitment to pursuing justice on behalf of the victims of the Holocaust and other human rights crimes.”

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

Grassley, Franken Win Passage of Common Sense Amendment to Curb Over-Criminalization

2011-09-17T01:50:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

Did you know you could go to jail for not using your own name on Facebook?

"The little-known law at issue is called the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. It was enacted in 1986 to punish computer hacking. But Congress has broadened the law every few years, and today it extends far beyond hacking. The law now criminalizes computer use that "exceeds authorized access" to any computer. Today that violation is a misdemeanor, but the Senate Judiciary Committee is set to meet this morning to vote on making it a felony...The problem is that a lot of routine computer use can exceed "authorized access." Courts are still struggling to interpret this language. But the Justice Department believes that it applies incredibly broadly to include "terms of use" violations and breaches of workplace computer-use policies," according to Orin S. Kerr, writing in the Wall Street Journal.

Kerr says in a hypothetical situation, that "President Obama could order the arrest of anyone who broke a promise on the Internet. So you could be jailed for lying about your age or weight on an Internet dating site. Or you could be sent to federal prison if your boss told you to work but you used the company's computer to check sports scores online. Imagine that Eric Holder's Justice Department urged Congress to raise penalties for violations, making them felonies allowing three years in jail for each broken promise. Fanciful, right? Think again. Congress is now poised to grant the Obama administration's wishes in the name of "cybersecurity."

Kerr is referring to The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (“CFAA”)," an amendment made in 1986 to the Counterfeit Access Device and Abuse Act that was passed in 1984 and essentially states that, whoever intentionally accesses a computer without authorization or exceeds authorized access, and thereby obtains information from any protected computer if the conduct involved an interstate or foreign communication shall be punished under the Act.

"In 1996 the CFAA was, again, broadened by an amendment that replaced the term “federal interest computer” with the term “protected computer.” While the CFAA is primarily a criminal law intended to reduce the instances of malicious interferences with computer systems and to address federal computer offenses, an amendment in 1994 allows civil actions to brought under the statute, as well." (Source: Wikipedia)

There are seven types of criminal activity enumerated in the CFAA:

1. obtaining national security information,
2. compromising confidentiality,
3. trespassing in a government computer,
4. accessing to defraud and obtain value,
5. damaging a computer or information,
6. trafficking in passwords,
7. threatening to damage a computer.

Attempts to commit these crimes are also criminally punishable.
Protected Computer the term “protected computer” means a computer:

(1) exclusively for the use of a financial institution or the United States Government, or, in the case of a computer not exclusively for such use, used by or for a financial institution or the United States Government and the conduct constituting the offense affects that use by or for the financial institution or the Government; or

(2) which is used in interstate or foreign commerce or communication, including a computer located outside the United States that is used in a manner that affects interstate or foreign commerce or communication of the United States.

Under a reading of current law argued in federal court by the Department of Justice, something as simple as checking your personal email account at work may be against the law. By extension, this reading could also make it a federal felony for a father to use his son’s Facebook password to log into the son’s Facebook account and check messages and photos; for a 17 year-old to claim she is 18 in order to sell goods in certain online marketplaces; or even for using instant messenger on a computer at work

Kerr elaborates: "If that sounds far-fetched, consider a few recent cases. In 2009, the Justice Department prosecuted a woman for violating the "terms of service" of the social networking site MySpace.com. The woman had been part of a group that set up a MySpace profile using a fake picture. The feds charged her with conspiracy to violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Prosecutors say the woman exceeded authorized access because MySpace required all profile information to be truthful. But people routinely misstate the truth in online profiles, about everything from their age to their name. What happens when each instance is a felony?"

Kerr issues a dire warning: "Remarkably, the law doesn't even require devices to be connected to the Internet. Since 2008, it applies to pretty much everything with a microchip. So if you're visiting a friend and you use his coffeemaker without permission, watch out: You may have committed a federal crime."

(See Kerr Article here)

In response to this two U.S. Senators have added an amendment to the law to "decriminalize" possible unintended violations that under current law could lead to severe legal, and possibily criminal ramifications for computer users.

Senators Chuck Grassley and Al Franken won approval of a common sense amendment that would clarify that the definition of “exceeds authorized access” in the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act does not include violations of internet terms of service agreements or non-government employment agreements restricting computer access.

The amendment was accepted by voice vote to the Personal Data Privacy and Security Act that is being considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“When we sit down at home or at work, we check our email, read the news and generally go about our routine. What we don’t know is that we may be in violation of federal criminal law based upon a violation of internet terms of service agreements or employment agreements for misusing computers,” Grassley said. “This is a common sense solution that helps clean up some of the expansive provisions of our criminal code and ensures that innocent computer users are not federal criminals.”

“Our laws should protect people—not turn them into criminals for doing something as basic as checking Facebook or their Fantasy Football scores,” said Franken. “The amendment I introduced with Sen. Grassley does something very simple: it makes sure that if the only thing you’ve done wrong is violate a website’s Terms of Service or your employer’s computer use policy, you can’t be charged with a crime or sued in federal court.”

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

New CIA Chief, Director National Intelligence: Al-Qaeda Weaker But Still Committed

2011-09-13T20:46:00.002-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13, 2011 – Ten years after 9/11, al-Qaida is weaker and the U.S. intelligence community is more effective, the nation’s top intelligence officials told Congress today.

CIA Director David P. Petraeus and Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper spoke before a joint hearing of the House and Senate Intelligence committees about how U.S. intelligence efforts and al-Qaida’s capabilities have changed since 9/11.

Petraeus, in his first appearance as CIA director after retiring as an Army general from the job of leading U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, said a decade of war has thinned the ranks of al-Qaida’s leaders, creating a “window of opportunity” against the core terrorist organization.

“Today, as a result of sustained counterterrorism efforts -- a substantial number with our partners in Pakistan and Afghanistan -- the core part of al-Qaida’s organization is much weaker and less capable than when it attacked us on 9/11,” he said.

The successful operation against Osama bin Laden demonstrated the value of intelligence integration, the directors agreed.
Petraeus said bin Laden had been “iconic,” the sole al-Qaida leader since the group’s founding. While Ayman al-Zawahiri succeeded him in June, much of the group’s support base finds Zawahiri less compelling as a leader, the CIA director added.

Analysts expect Zawahiri will have more difficulty than did bin Laden in maintaining the group’s cohesion and motivation in the face of continued pressure, Petraeus said.

The group’s rank of “top lieutenants” has lost many of its plotters, paramilitary commanders, trainers and bomb-makers, he said, and the organization is struggling to find qualified replacements.

“These setbacks have shaken al-Qaida’s sense of security in Pakistan’s tribal areas,” Petraeus said. "With the core group’s focus diverted from plotting against the west to ensuring its own survival," he said, "some mid-level and rank-and-file al-Qaida members may seek safe haven in Afghanistan or outside the South Asia region."

“The upshot is that it will be more difficult for al-Qaida to attract and accommodate would-be jihadists wanting to travel to the tribal areas of Pakistan,” he said.

If the United States and its allies are to successfully exploit al-Qaida’s window of vulnerability, “we must maintain the pressure,” he said. Petraeus cautioned that al-Qaida and its affiliates still pose a very real threat, and the group still seeks what he termed one of its principle goals: “Forcing the United States and a number of our allies to retreat from the world stage … [to] clear the way for overthrowing governments in the Islamic world, and for the destruction of Israel.”

Al-Qaida remains committed to and can still launch attacks against the United States and Europe, he said. “Increasingly, in fact, we see signs of al-Qaida’s efforts to carry out relatively small attacks, that would nonetheless generate fear and create the need for costly security improvements,” he added.

As al-Qaida’s core has weakened, its affiliates and sympathizers outside South Asia have taken the initiative, he said. “Working with our local partners to cooperate against these affiliates will continue to be crucial to … our overall efforts to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaida’s global network,” he said. "While linked to the central al-Qaida structure, these groups largely operate independently and have their own command structures, resource bases and agendas," he noted.

“Our nation faces a serious threat from these groups, particularly from those based in Yemen, home to al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula,” Petraeus said. "The Yemen-based group has emerged as the most dangerous node in the global jihad, he said, with two attempted attacks against the United States since December 2009."

"Since May, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has launched an offensive against the Yemeni government in parts of southern Yemen, expelling many government forces from the region and increasing its members’ freedom of movement," he said.

Petraeus said counterterrorism cooperation between the United States and Yemen has improved in recent months, however, which is crucial to denying the group the safe haven it seeks to establish.

Southern Somalia also is one of the world’s most significant terrorist havens, and the al-Qaida affiliate there, al-Shabab, is larger and better funded than most extremist groups, he said.

“It has attracted and trained hundreds of foreign fighters, including scores of Americans and dozens from other western countries,” he added. "Suicide bombings in Uganda last year demonstrated al-Shabab’s ability to operate outside Somalia, but sustained pressure on the relatively small group of leaders linked to the core al-Qaida group could persuade the organization to turn away from global jihad", Petraeus said.

He noted both Harun Fazul, the top al-Qaida operative in East Africa, and the al-Shabab “mastermind” behind the Uganda bombings were killed in June, while African Union troops recently drove al-Shabab members out of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. “Nonetheless, we must continue our work to reduce al-Shabab’s capabilities,” he said.

"Yet another al-Qaida affiliate, al-Qaida in the lands of the Islamic Maghreb, has targeted western interests throughout northern and western Africa, while battling security forces in Algeria, Mali and Mauritania," Petraeus said. “We are working with our regional partners and France to counter AQIM, and those efforts have helped to prevent a significant attack by AQIM against western interests since late 2007,” he added.

"Nigeria and Iraq also are among the areas threatened by al-Qaida affiliates," he said, "while regional government forces in Southeast Asia, including Bali and India, have killed or captured many terrorist leaders there. The CIA’s global campaign against al-Qaida and its affiliates requires both offensive and defensive measures, and they will need to be sustained over a long period to be effective,” he said.

"CIA officers work closely with international partners to thwart terrorist plots before they can be carried out, and have succeeded in preventing several attacks," Petraeus said. “We owe these successes to improved tradecraft resulting from the fusion of intelligence disciplines, to tight integration with other agencies and the military, to the sharing of intelligence with foreign partners, and to [congressional] support,” he said.

"Over the past decade, CIA operatives and analysts have forged more effective relationships, resulting in better information flow and new insights into how and where terrorists operate," Petraeus said. "Cooperation with other intelligence organizations and with law enforcement agencies also is closer than ever," he added.

“We continue to work with [the Office of the Director, National Intelligence] and National Counterterrorism Center to … improve the application of community resources,” he said. "Director Clapper said intelligence integration across government is greatly improved since 9/11."

“The intelligence community today is producing and sharing more and better streams of intelligence,” he said. “We are connecting people to people, people to data, and data to data through enhanced collaboration, automation and connectivity.” Clapper said "The CIA, FBI, National Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security, Defense Intelligence Agency, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, National Counterterrorism Center, State Department and Treasury Department all contribute to the nation’s overall counter-terrorism effort."

"Intelligence information today can be discovered, evaluated and integrated faster and more comprehensively than ever before, he said, while remaining consistent with privacy laws and the protection of civil liberties. We have put in place remarkable capabilities and achieved significant successes,” Clapper said. “The nature of terrorism, though … [makes] it impossible to guarantee that every planned attack will be thwarted and every plot disrupted.”

Vanguard of Freedom News/ AFPS / Karen Parrish

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

Rumsfeld Remembers

2011-09-09T22:00:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

The morning of the 9/11 attacks, then Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld was hosting a breakfast meeting at the Pentagon, warning members of the House Armed Services Committee about the dangers of major cuts to the defense and intelligence budgets.

His book, “Known and Unknown,” recounts Rumsfeld’s foreboding comments.

“Sometime within the coming period,” he told his guests, “an event somewhere in the world will be sufficiently shocking that it will remind the American people and their representatives in Washington how important it is for us to have a strong national defense.”

Just as the meeting was wrapping up, that event began to unfold as a group of al-Qaida members launched the largest terror attack ever to take place on American soil.

Rumsfeld’s senior military assistant, Navy Vice Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani Jr., passed him a note to tell him that a plane had crashed into New York City’s World Trade Center, the former defense secretary recalled during a recent interview with The Pentagon Channel and American Forces Press Service.

Then news arrived of the second World Trade Center attack.
“At that point, it clearly was not an accident,” Rumsfeld said.
Rumsfeld was watching television images of the attacks with his intelligence briefer when he felt the Pentagon building shake. He bounded down the outer “E” ring hallway to find out what had happened, encountering such heavy smoke that he had to go downstairs and ultimately, outside the building.

“There was smoke and flames and people … coming out of the building and being pulled out of the building, wounded,” he said.
With first responders not yet on the scene, Rumsfeld joined others tending to the wounded. But as emergency workers arrived, he headed back to his office to communicate with President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, and “making decisions about what needed to be done at the Pentagon and elsewhere at the Department of Defense.”

Before reentering the building, Rumsfeld bent over to pick up one of the thousands of pieces of metal strewn across the ground near the crash site. Ten years later, it sits mounted on a wooden plaque in his Washington office, an ever-present reminder of that day that changed America, and especially, its military.

Rumsfeld recalled this week the chain of events that began immediately after the attacks. Not knowing if another attack was on the way, authorities grounded all commercial aircraft. Military aircraft were sent into the skies with orders to shoot down any aircraft that didn’t comply and appeared to pose a threat.

“That was an enormous decision for a president [and] for a vice president to pass that instruction down, and for the pilot of those aircraft,” Rumsfeld said. “Fortunately, it didn’t have to be done…. None of our military pilots had to shoot at an American aircraft filled with innocent people because it was headed for a target that was of importance to the United States.”

Based on continuity-of-operations plans developed during the 1980s, Rumsfeld was among the Cabinet members expected to move to secure locations outside Washington in the event of an attack. Instead, he sent Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz, so he could remain at the Pentagon.

Despite a building still smoking and burning, Rumsfeld called a news briefing that evening at the Pentagon. The goal was two-fold, he explained. The American people needed to know what had taken place at the Pentagon. But he had a message for the terrorists who had masterminded the attacks, too.

“I was convinced it would not be a good thing for the terrorists to believe that they had shut down the Department of Defense [and] the Pentagon, so we made a decision to have a press briefing there,” he said. “I indicated at that briefing that the Department of Defense would be operating that night and the next morning and we would not shut the place down.”

Even as fire marshals urged evacuation, Rumsfeld and his staff of essential personnel remained at their Pentagon posts. Rumsfeld admitted he was surprised to hear that al-Qaida had successfully launched the attack from within the United States. The Defense Department had always been organized and trained to deal with external threats. Internal threats were considered the domain of the FBI and state and local police.

“So what we had was a very different situation,” Rumsfeld said. “We had an external enemy that had successfully attacked our country, not from outside, but from within the country.”

"Bush opted to deal with the attackers, not as common criminals or a hostile foreign nation, but as an enemy network hostile to the United States," Rumsfeld said.

He said his past experience as a Middle East envoy for President George H. W. Bush convinced him that when dealing with terrorists, the attacker always has the advantage. “They can attack at any time, using any technique in any location, and it is not possible to defend everywhere, at every moment of the day or night against every conceivable type of attack,” he said.

"That," Rumsfeld said, "requires going on the offensive. If you were going to protect the American people, you had to do more than try to defend,” he said. “You had to put pressure on [terrorists] all across the globe and make everything they do more difficult: make it harder to raise money, harder to train, harder to talk to each other, harder to move from place to place.
“And only by doing that could you hope to … protect the American people and our interests and our friends and allies in a reasonable way.” Looking back, Rumsfeld said he never imagined on 9/11 that the United States would go a full decade without experiencing another attack on the homeland.

"Of the many attempts, all were foiled," he said. "But just as other parts of the world have faced terror attacks," Rumsfeld said he’s not convinced the United States couldn’t be hit again.

“There could be a terrorist attack as we sit here today, because it is not possible to defend everywhere, and they only have to be right once,” he said. “We can be right dozens of times, but if they are right once, they have success.”

Rumsfeld recalled his major objective at the Pentagon before 9/11: to transform the Defense Department into a 21st-century organization better suited to the current world. After 9/11, Rumsfeld said many thought that effort would have to be sidelined. “But it turned out to be just the opposite,” he said. “In fact, the events of September 11th provided an impetus to transform the department.”

Rumsfeld rattled off just a few of those sweeping changes made to posture the military for post-9/11 threats. Large Army divisions have been subdivided into more flexible and agile brigade combat teams. Special operations forces, now also joined by Marine special operators, have increased in numbers, authorities and equipment. U.S. forces have been “rebalanced” around the world to better deal with 21st-century challenges and threats.

“So I feel that, rather than preventing the department from transforming, September 11th really did provide a sense of urgency,” Rumsfeld said. [It] “helped people who had a traditional way of doing things recognize that we were facing a new kind of enemy and we needed to deal with asymmetrical threats as well as conventional threats. And we had to be able to do it with a great deal more skill and agility and speed.”

"This transformation," he said, "has impacted the fighting force as well." Rumsfeld, who served both in uniform and as defense secretary before the days of the all-volunteer force, said today’s service members have a sense of pride and purpose in serving their country in uniform.

“They all have a dedication and a patriotism and an aspect of their personalities that caused them to volunteer, to want to be involved in helping to serve our country,” he said. “We have a military that … has been tested in battle, that is stronger and more resilient and healthier as an armed force than during any previous conflict.”

The chapter of Rumsfeld’s book about 9/11 and its aftermath, “The Agony of Surprise,” is posted on his website at www.rumsfeld.com. The Department of Defense, Pentagon (News) Channel will air portions of its interview with Rumsfeld beginning Sept. 9 and continuing through the 9/11 weekend.

AFPS/Donna Miles/ Vanguard of Freedom News

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Former New Jersey Congressman's Campaign Treasurer Jail Sentence 30 Yrs.

2011-09-09T20:49:00.001-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

WASHINGTON – The former campaign treasurer for Representative Frank LoBiondo of New Jersey was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for embezzling more than $450,000 from the congressman’s election and re-election campaign accounts..

Andrew J. McCrosson Jr., 60, of Egg Harbor Township, N.J., also was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Joseph E. Irenas to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term, and to pay $458,000 in restitution. McCrosson pleaded guilty on March 4, 2011, in Camden, N.J., to a two-count criminal information charging him with one count of wire fraud and one count of embezzling and converting funds contributed to a federal candidate.

According to court documents and information presented in court, McCrosson was the campaign treasurer for Congressman LoBiondo from 1995 through Aug. 23, 2010. The election and re-election campaign committees were known as LoBiondo for Congress. As campaign treasurer, McCrosson was responsible for maintaining the campaign committee’s financial records, keeping track of contributions to and expenditures of the campaign committee and filing necessary submissions with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

McCrosson was paid a fee for his services ranging between $3,000 and $8,000, either per election cycle or per calendar year.

According to court documents, the campaign committee maintained bank accounts into which campaign contributions were deposited and from which expenditures were paid. During his guilty plea hearing, McCrosson acknowledged that he controlled those bank accounts on behalf of the campaign committee and was responsible for reporting all campaign contributions and expenses to the FEC. McCrosson admitted that from 1995 to August 2010, he wrote checks totaling approximately $458,000 from the LoBiondo for Congress bank accounts to himself without authorization and for no legitimate campaign purpose.

According to the court document, McCrosson used the embezzled funds for personal purposes such as the repayment of a federal income tax lien, home mortgage payments, college tuition payments for his children and other living expenses.

McCrosson failed to report to the FEC all of the checks he wrote to himself, in an effort to conceal his theft. McCrosson also admitted that he materially misrepresented in these FEC filings the amount of cash on hand held by the campaign committee in its bank accounts to further conceal his embezzlement from Congressman LoBiondo, the campaign committee, the FEC and the public.

Congressman LoBiondo represents the Second Congressional District of New Jersey which includes all of Salem, Cumberland and Cape May counties and parts of Gloucester, Atlantic and Burlington counties. McCrosson performed his duties as campaign treasurer for the committee from his home in Marmora, N.J., and later from his home in Egg Harbor Township.

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

Judicial Watch Obtains Obamacare Records from Department of Health and Human Services

2011-09-09T14:28:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

Judicial Watch has obtained 3,495 pages of documents from the Department of Health and Human Services Affordable Health Care Act (ObamaCare), after filing suit to obtain the documents under the Freedom of Information Act.

Judicial Watch says the records include internal HHS email correspondence and strategic documents, as well as email communications with unions and companies applying for waivers, along with records that also include preliminary drafts and multiple versions of the health care plan including comments from the Office of Management and Budget, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and other agencies with concerns and suggestions for revising the plan.

"The majority of the communications relate to the granting of waivers by the Secretary of HHS exempting companies and unions from the minimum annual cap on the amount payable to an individual in benefits. Such waivers enable companies and unions to keep their existing plans in place until January 1, 2014," Judicial Watch stated. "As of July 2011, 1,472 one-year waivers and 106 three-year waivers were granted, covering some 3.4 million enrollees, more than half of which belong to unions. Yet, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, union members account for only about 12% of the total workforce."

Judicial Watch previously obtained documents from HHS regarding closed-door health care meetings between union officials and Vice President Joe Biden, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and then-Obamacare Czar Nancy-Ann Min DeParle.

"The documents include a list of all of the labor union leaders who attended a meeting with President Obama, along with brief biographical information on each participant. The list includes: Richard Trumka, President of the AFL-CIO; Andy Stern, President of the Service Employees International Union; and Jim Hoffa, President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, among other Big Labor leaders. The documents suggest that the key provisions of the Obamacare law were written solely to address the concerns of union interests," Judicial Watch said in a media statement.

Speaking at a rally for organized labor over Labor Day Weekend attended by President Barack Obama, Hoffa criticized the Tea Party and urged attendees to get out the vote for Democrats: "President Obama, this is your army…Everybody here has got to vote. If we go back and we keep the eye on the prize, let's take these sons of bitches out and give America back to America where we belong."

“This first batch of documents has the gory bureaucratic details of the Obamacare mess. The Obama administration has tried to keep its government takeover of healthcare veiled in secrecy, especially the details of these waivers. Waiving the law for 3.4 million Americans is unfair and an affront to the rule of law,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “It seems corrupt when political supporters in Big Labor are getting a disproportionate number of waivers from Obamacare. Unions helped write the Obamacare law, and then get exempted from it! Now Big Labor is paying back these waiver favors with campaign support for Barack Obama. Judicial Watch is committed to bringing as much transparency as possible to Obamacare, especially this ongoing abuse of the ‘waiver’ process, Fitton said.

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

Breaking News: Credible Threat Warning Issued: Possible Attack Looming

2011-09-08T22:33:00.001-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

U.S. officials say they have discovered information about what they are calling a "credible threat" of a specific attack planned to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Sources told U.S. news media Thursday the information suggests the threat may focus on Washington, DC or New York City. Officials say they suspect three individuals, one a U.S. citizen, entered the U.S. in August intending to attack with a bomb-laden vehicle. One news organization, ABC News, is also reporting that authorities are seeking two rental trucks that have gone missing.

The White House said President Barack Obama was updated on the threat information throughout the day. A White House official told reporters the government had already "significantly enhanced" security and readiness efforts in advance of the September 11 anniversary, but the President Thursday called on counterterrorism authorities to "redouble" their efforts to protect the U.S. from any attacks.

Officials say the threat is unconfirmed and that they are continuing to investigate. They say they are considering whether to brief local police about what to look for and whether to make the information public. The government is also considering whether to raise the country's terrorist alert level.

Earlier Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said intelligence officials have lately picked up more "chatter" on terrorist websites. She said the U.S. is taking all of the talk seriously.

Earlier this week, the United States raised the alert level at its domestic military bases as a precaution.

Meanwhile, the U.S. says terrorists are now struggling to secure steady financing.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told a symposium in Washington Thursday that al-Qaida can "no longer rely on a thick Rolodex ((contact list)) and a simple bank transfer."

Geithner said that the struggle to secure cash is the result of ongoing U.S. and international efforts to identify terror donors and hit them with sanctions. He also said that the death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden has also hurt the group's fundraising efforts.

The Treasury Department chief says al-Qaida's current financial struggles contrast greatly with the terror group's financial standing 10 years ago, when it carried out attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon. Still, he warned the terror group is resilient and will continue to find ways to access money.

U.S. President Barack Obama's top anti-terror advisor also addressed the symposium. John Brennan said even though "virtually every major al-Qaida affiliate has lost its key leader or operational commander," the terror group continues to plot against the U.S.

Separately, the former co-chair of the bipartisan 9-11 Commission told U.S. lawmakers Thursday the country is still not as secure or as safe as it should be.

Former congressman Lee Hamilton told the House of Representative's Homeland Security Committee the country's various anti-terror agencies still suffer from a lack of unified leadership. He called for additional improvement in sharing critical intelligence across anti-terror agencies.

Hamilton's request was supported by U.S. Comptroller General Gene Dodaro, who heads the Government Accountability Office.

Dodaro said the country needs a law making it clear that the director of national intelligence is the nation's topmost intelligence authority.

The very first secretary of Homeland Security also appeared before the House panel.

Former secretary Tom Ridge cautioned that no matter how hard anti-terror officials work, another attack is likely.

"The hard work of securing the U.S. homeland stretches from the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan and other far-off places, all the way back to the main streets of our smallest home towns," she said.

The United States is safer than it was 10 years ago just after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Napolitano said, and that has much to do with the sacrifices of service members and their families.

Our nation's armed forces may be thousands of miles from our shores, living in forward operating bases far from loved ones or the comforts of home, but they're every bit on the front lines of our homeland security," she said. "They've helped significantly degrade al-Qaida's capabilities to mount major attacks here in the United States and elsewhere."

Still, Napolitano said, the arrests of more than two dozen Americans on terrorism-related charges in the past two years have proven that counterterrorism operations are not just overseas efforts."

Vanguard of Freedom News, Voice of America

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Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Foreclosure Prevention Actions Down in Second Quarter; HARP Refinancings Continue Increase

2011-09-04T23:12:00.000-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

Washington, DC – The Federal Housing Finance Agency says that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) have completed nearly 1.8 million foreclosure prevention actions since the beginning of conservatorship in the fourth quarter of 2008.

"More than half of these actions resulted in loan modifications. According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA’s) second quarter 2011 Foreclosure Prevention & Refinance Report, loan modifications declined for the fourth consecutive quarterbut again resulted in deeper payment reductions for more people."

The FHFA says it has added information about the Enterprises’ real estate owned (REO) activity and inventory, and that those findings include the following items.

· Total completed foreclosure prevention actions declined for the fourth consecutive
quarter, driven by decreases in completed loan modifications and forbearance plans.

· The Enterprises’ completed loan modifications decreased to approximately 81,200 in
the second quarter from 86,200 in the first quarter.

· The cumulative total of refinancings through the Home Affordable Refinance Program
(HARP) increased 11 percent to approximately 838,400 through June.

· Loans modified since the start of the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP)
continued to perform substantially better than loans modified in earlier periods for two
reasons: 1) Loan modifications resulted in deeper payment reductions for a greater
proportion of borrowers than in earlier periods; and 2) The majority of these borrowers
were required to successfully complete a trial period prior to permanent modification.

· The Enterprises’ REO properties declined for the third consecutive quarter as property
dispositions continue to outpace acquisitions in the second quarter.

· Foreclosure starts declined while completed third-party and foreclosure sales increased
in the second quarter

The FHFA has made the report available HERE. (See this PDF file for the details.)

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

Defense Officials Watchful as 9/11 Anniversary Approaches

2011-09-04T01:44:00.001-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

Defense Department officials are “keenly aware” that terrorist attacks are possible as the 10th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, a department spokesman told Pentagon reporters today.

Marine Corps Col. Dave Lapan also told reporters that DOD’s threat assessment is in line with that of the Department of Homeland Security.

He quoted a statement by DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, released today: “There is no specific or credible intelligence that al-Qaida or its affiliates are plotting attacks in the United States to coincide with the 10-year anniversary of 9/11.”

From the DOD perspective, Lapan said, “We will obviously be … watching closely [and maintaining] increased vigilance. We may take additional security steps based on information.”

There is always a risk of “aspirational” terrorist attacks against the United States from al-Qaida and other groups, he noted.

“After the raid on the bin Laden compound, we turned up information that suggested that attacks around the anniversary of 9/11 is something they were pursuing,” Lapan said.

That information was very general, however, and no specific attack plans have come to light, the colonel added.

Lapan noted that officials at U.S. military installations may increase force protection measures based on information they review regularly.

Napolitano’s statement continued: “Homeland security is a shared responsibility, and everyone plays an important role in helping to keep our communities safe and secure. We remind our federal, state, local partners and the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to local law enforcement authorities.”

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

2011-09-02T02:23:00.000-04:00

Washington, D.C. – Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues Chair Amy Gutmann, Ph.D., today announced that the Commission has concluded its investigation into the U.S. Public Health Service (U.S. PHS) studies done in Guatemala in the 1940s. The U.S. PHS research involved intentionally exposing and infecting vulnerable populations to sexually transmitted diseases without the subjects’ consent. The Commission discussed several of its findings at its public quarterly meeting in Washington today as it worked to refine its conclusions. The report will be provided to President Obama in early September.

“It is important that we accurately document this clearly unethical historical injustice. We do this to honor the victims,” Gutmann said. “In addition, we must look to and learn from the past so that we can assure the public that scientific and medical research today is conducted in an ethical manner. Research with human subjects is a sacred trust. Without public confidence, participation will decline and critical research will be stopped. It is imperative that we get this right.”

Following the revelation last fall that the U.S. PHS supported research on sexually transmitted diseases in Guatemala from 1946 to 1948, President Obama tasked the Bioethics Commission with two assignments: 1. oversee a thorough fact-finding investigation into the specifics of the research in Guatemala (due in September); and 2. assure him that current rules for research participants protect people from harm or unethical treatment, domestically as well as internationally (due in December).

The Government of Guatemala has undertaken its own research into the 1940s studies and that effort is led by Dr. Espada. To date, Guatemala has not yet released its investigation report. Espada had been scheduled to brief the Commission this morning, but was forced to cancel. Espada also cancelled a briefing at the Commission’s last public meeting in May in New York.

Commission staff carefully reviewed over 125,000 original documents collected from public and private archives around the country and completed a fact finding trip to Guatemala. The Commission staff worked cooperatively with the Guatemalan government, including meeting with their own internal investigation committee.

Today the Commission discussed key findings from the investigation including how research in Guatemala compared to similar research that also involved intentionally exposing prison inmates to gonorrhea in Terre Haute, Ind. in 1943. The Commission learned that many of the same researchers involved in Terre Haute later went to Guatemala to conduct the STD research. The key difference between the two research projects was that in Terre Haute the prisoners were fully briefed, volunteered and gave informed consent. A few years later, the subjects of the same researchers in Guatemala gave no consent.

“This finding goes a long way to helping the Commission answer the question about whether ethics rules of the time were violated,” Gutmann said. She added that the Commission will now quickly finish writing its conclusions about the ethics of the case and will send its full investigation report to the President in September.

With the historical investigation concluded, the Commission will turn its attention tomorrow to its ongoing work in reviewing contemporary standards that protect human research participants.

“Guatemala is the catalyst for this important work that the Commission will complete at end of this year,” Gutmann said.

In particular, the Commission looks forward to receiving the proceedings and recommendations from the International Research Panel that it assembled to advise it on the effectiveness of current federal rules and international standards for research involving human subjects.

The Panel, a subcommittee of the Commission, met three times. The International Research Panel’s findings and recommendations will be printed in the Federal Register and the Commission will also take public comment on the Panel’s recommendations. The Commission will use both the Panel’s recommendations and the public comments to inform its final report to President Obama. That final report is due to the President in December.

“Assuring the President that the current rules for research participants protect people from harm or unethical treatment, domestically, as well as internationally, is at the heart of the Commission’s charge on human subjects protection,” Gutmann said.

Vanguard of Freedom Network / Patriot Action Network / Liberty News Network

Judicial Watch: "Proof Obama Administration Bypassing Congress"

2011-09-02T00:57:00.001-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, has obtained documents from the Obama Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detailing behind-the-scenes efforts by the Obama administration to bypass Congress and grant amnesty at least one million illegal aliens by suspending immigration deportation proceedings against “DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act kids” and other illegal aliens. The records include internal DHS strategic documents, as well as extensive email communications within the DHS and with the Obama White House. The documents were obtained by Judicial Watch as a result of two Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits filed on March 29, 2011.

The records include emails from press outlets investigating the Obama administration’s efforts to suspend the deportations of students who would be covered under The DREAM Act, which was under consideration by Congress. The DREAM Act would have permitted certain immigrant students who have grown up in the U.S. to apply for temporary legal status, eventually obtain permanent legal status, and become eligible for U.S. citizenship if they go to college or serve in the U.S. military. The DREAM Act has failed repeatedly to pass Congress. The DREAM Act initially could provide amnesty for over one million illegal immigrants and would have cost over $6 billion a year.

Highlights from the newly disclosed documents include the following:

In an April 20, 2010, email from Melissa Crow, former DHS Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy in the Office of Immigration and Border Security, to Roxana Bacon, Chief Counsel for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Crow states: “Since we met, I’ve done my best to encourage ICE to grant deferred action in the DREAM Act cases…brought to my attention.”
In an email chain about “one of the DREAM [Act] kids” who was being detained by authorities suggests confusion at DHS regarding how to handle requests for “deferred action” from illegal alien students. In the email chain, ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Chief of Staff Suzanne Barr writes to DHS Deputy Press Secretary Matthew Chandler, “we r f’ed up,” to which Chandler responds, “Yep. And we wonder why pp’l FOIA us.”

The student was granted a stay of removal for six months.

In response to a USA Today inquiry into whether aliens are required to carry identification, DHS General Counsel John R. Sandweg writes, “Ugh. Yes. Fed law does require aliens to carry their paperwork. I don’t know if it is a criminal offense, but this provision has gone relatively unnoticed by media and [redacted].” “…I think some groups of aliens are exempted from this requirement as they don’t really have paperwork (folks who were issued deferred action). Either way, it is not routinely enforced.”

In a memo from Mariela Melero, Chief of the Office of Public Engagement of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas, entitled “Stakeholder Input of Administrative Reforms,” Melero sets forth suggested reforms “outside of Comprehensive Immigration Reform,” which includes the opinion that the director – unless otherwise required by law – has the authority to judge if the evidence presented for deferred action is “probably true.” Another reform would allow a 501(c)3 organization in “good standing… to design and implement voter registration programs at USCIS offices across the country.”

The Obama administration’s campaign to suspend the deportations of illegal aliens has been subject to intense scrutiny since 2010, when the press uncovered a USCIS memo that contemplated various “administrative alternatives” to bypass Congress and implement stealth amnesty for illegal aliens.

A subsequent Houston Chronicle story exposed an effort by the administration to suspend the deportations of illegal aliens who supposedly have not been convicted of any “serious” crimes. Documents uncovered by Judicial Watch show that DHS officials misled Congress and the public about the scope of the immigration enforcement policy change, which gave wide latitude to local immigration officials to dismiss illegal alien deportation cases – including the dismissal of charges against illegal alien criminals convicted of violent crimes.

The Obama administration announced last week that it would effectively halt any enforcement actions (on an alleged “case-by-case” basis) against any illegal alien who hasn’t committed any other serious crimes. The administration denied that this was a blanket or categorical amnesty, but these new documents show otherwise.

“These documents show the Obama administration is lying about its stealth amnesty activities and its alarming contempt for Congress and the rule of law. Frankly, these documents show that Obama immigration officials don’t even know what the law is! The Obama administration cannot simply pick and choose which federal immigration laws it will enforce. In its zeal to curry favor with the illegal alien lobby and secure Hispanic votes for a second term, the Obama administration is exercising raw executive power to change the law by granting illegal aliens amnesty in a way that strikes at the heart of our constitutional system and the rule of law. This is a festering constitutional crisis,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

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Former Department of Defense Employee Sentenced to Prison for Stealing Financial Assistance Funds Intended for Service Members

2011-08-26T23:08:00.002-04:00

Copyright © 2011 Vanguard of Freedom

WASHINGTON – A former civilian employee of the Department of Defense was sentenced today to nine months in prison for conversion of Army Emergency Relief (AER) funds while he was employed at Camp Humphreys in the Republic of Korea, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

Tyrone L. Ellis, 56, of Columbus, Ga., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Clay D. Land of the Middle District of Georgia. In addition to his prison term, Ellis was sentenced to two years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $9,250 in restitution.

Ellis pleaded guilty in May 2011 to one count of conversion. Ellis was indicted on Oct. 27, 2010, for this criminal conduct. As part of his guilty plea, Ellis admitted that, as an assistant AER officer at Camp Humphreys in 2005 and 2006, he approved grants for a dozen soldiers in financial need that were in excess of the amounts they required. Ellis also admitted that after he approved these grants, he manipulated the soldiers to return some of the grant money to him. In total, Ellis requested and received approximately $9,250 back from the grant recipients, which he converted to his own use. AER is funded primarily through donations from active and retired soldiers. For many soldiers, AER is their only source of funds for emergency expenses such as flights home to visit sick family members. Ellis also admitted making false statements to investigators when questioned about the allegations in 2006.

Justice Department Files Lawsuit Alleging Religious Discrimination by City of Lilburn, Georgia, Against Muslim Group

2011-08-26T23:03:00.000-04:00

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department filed a complaint today against the city of Lilburn, Ga., alleging that the city violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA) when it rejected the Dar-E-Abbas Shia Islamic Center’s requests for rezoning to construct a mosque. Both parties have agreed to a consent decree that will be filed on Aug. 29, 2011.

The city twice rejected the Islamic Center’s applications to rezone property it owned to build a mosque in November 2009 and December 2010. The government’s lawsuit alleges that the city’s denials of the rezoning applications were based on the religious bias of city officials and to appease members of the public who opposed the construction of a mosque because of religious bias. The complaint further alleges that the city treated the Islamic Center differently than it treated non-Muslim religious groups that regularly have been granted similar rezoning requests.

The department notified the city of its intention to file a lawsuit for violations of RLUIPA in June 2011, and the city and the United States have been engaged in pre-suit negotiations to settle the lawsuit since that time. On Aug. 16, 2011, the city approved rezoning for the Islamic Center that was substantially similar to the rezoning request the Islamic Center made in 2010.

“Religious freedom is among our most fundamental rights. Under federal law, cities may not use their zoning laws to discriminate against religious groups seeking to build places of worship,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “The department acknowledges and commends the city’s decision to ultimately approve the rezoning, and it is pleased that the city has agreed to enter into a decree with the United States that helps ensure that freedom of religion in the United States is a reality for persons of all faiths.”

U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Sally Quillian Yates said, “Religious freedom requires that local government decisions impacting the exercise of that freedom be free of discrimination. The city of Lilburn twice failed to approve rezoning permits to allow building a mosque, and the complaint alleges that the rejection was because the applicants are Muslims. We are pleased that the city is settling the lawsuit and that the rezoning issue is being resolved.”

Under the agreement, the city may not impose different zoning or building requirements on the Islamic Center or other religious groups, and will publicize its non-discrimination policies and practices. The city also agreed that its leaders, managers and certain other city employees will attend training on the requirements of RLUIPA. In addition, the city will adopt new procedures that clarify its complaint process for zoning and permitting decisions regarding houses of worship, and will report periodically to the Justice Department.

Leader of International Conspiracy Convicted of Defrauding the Military and Smuggling Gold

2011-08-26T22:47:00.000-04:00

WASHINGTON – Roger Charles Day Jr. was found guilty late yesterday of leading an international conspiracy to sell more than $4.4 million in nonconforming and defective parts to the Department of Defense (DOD).

The guilty verdict was announced today by U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride of the Eastern District of Virginia; Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Robert E. Craig of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Edward T. Bradley of the DCIS Northeast Field Office.

After a nine-day trial, Day, 47, formerly of Long Valley, N.J., was found guilty by the jury on all counts. Day was charged in July 2008 with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to engage in international money laundering, and conspiracy to smuggle gold out of the United States. Day was extradited from Mexico in December 2010. Day’s sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 15, 2011.

“The evidence showed that Mr. Day, a serial criminal, used other people like commodities to aid and assist his criminal enterprise,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “He sent the military bogus parts to critical application items, which were essential to ensuring the performance of our warfighters and the safety of our military personnel. The verdict shows that criminals such as Mr. Day will be brought to justice even when they orchestrate complex crimes.”

“Mr. Day masterminded a sophisticated and dangerous conspiracy to profit from the sale of defective parts to the U.S. military,” said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. “He foolishly put our nation’s security at risk for the sake of personal riches. Yesterday, a Richmond jury convicted Day for his cowardly crimes, and now he faces the prospect of significant prison time.”

“Over the past two decades, Roger Day has perpetrated a number of schemes in attempts to defraud the Department of Defense,” said DCIS Special Agents in Charge Craig and Bradley in a joint statement. “Yesterday’s guilty verdict on all counts brings justice to bear on his criminal activity once again. It is regrettable that even at a time when this country continues to fight terrorism in a hostile environment overseas, individuals such as Day are willing to attempt to enrich themselves through corrupt activity, at the expense of our brave men and women in the Armed Forces. The Defense Criminal Investigative Service stands committed to aggressively investigate these crimes and to support their prosecution to the fullest.”

According to the evidence at trial and court documents, over a four-year period Day led a conspiracy to bid on and win contracts to provide parts to the U.S. military through the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), including through the DLA’s Defense Supply Center in Richmond, Va. The parts included “critical application items,” which are essential to weapons system performance or operation or to the preservation of life or safety of operation personnel. Under DOD’s procurement procedures, contractors were permitted to submit electronic invoices upon shipment of the needed parts, and were paid electronically by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service.

In the course of the scheme, Day and other conspirators, operating in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Belize, formed at least 18 separate companies that posed as legitimate contractors and collectively used a computer program to win nearly 1,000 lucrative contract awards for the various companies. Day and his conspirators then shipped defective parts to the DOD on more than 300 of those contracts, receiving more than $4.4 million in payment on parts that Day purchased for less than $200,000. In all known cases, the parts sent by Day and his conspirators could not be used for their intended purpose.

Day and his co-conspirators compounded the fraud by concealing their identities through the use of multiple nominee companies and by assuming others’ identities to operate the companies. When DOD requested proof that the companies had purchased and intended to supply the correct parts from approved manufacturers, Day and others submitted fabricated documents that falsely represented that the correct parts had been purchased. When DOD debarred several of the companies from doing further business with the military, Day directed his conspirators to discontinue bidding through those companies and instead formed and used new companies.

According to evidence presented at trial, to conceal the proceeds of the scheme and to prevent recovery, Day directed his conspirators to transfer the scheme’s proceeds to offshore bank accounts and ultimately to purchase more than 3,500 ounces (more than $2.2 million) in gold bars and coins. Day further directed his conspirators to bring the gold bars and coins to his residence in Lo De Marcos, Mexico. On one occasion he directed them to hide the gold bars in the modified bumper of a 1979 Toyota LandCruiser and on another occasion in the rear hatch door panel of a 1971 Austrian Pinzgauer military transport vehicle.

At sentencing, Day faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for each count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and each count of wire fraud, 10 years in prison for each count of conspiracy to engage in international money laundering, and five years in prison for each count of conspiracy to smuggle gold out of the United States.

Prior to Day’s trial, five defendants in this conspiracy pleaded guilty. Nathan Francis Victor Carroll was sentenced on Nov. 8, 2007, to 94 months in prison and was ordered to pay nearly $3.7 million in restitution. Gregory Allen Stewart was sentenced on April 29, 2008, to 75 months in prison and was ordered to pay nearly $3.7 million in restitution. Susan Crotty Neufeld was sentenced on May 14, 2008, to five years of probation and ordered to pay $47,600 in restitution for the gold coins she received. Juerg Mehr was sentenced to five years of probation on March 27, 2009. Glenn Teal was sentenced on Sept. 22, 2009, to 90 days in prison

Barrio Azteca Gang Member Extradited from Mexico to the United States to Face Charges Related to U.S. Consulate Murders in Juarez, Mexico

2011-08-26T22:41:00.000-04:00

Copyright © Vanguard of Freedom

Barrio Azteca Gang Member Extradited from Mexico to the United States to Face Charges Related to U.S. Consulate Murders in Juarez, Mexico

WASHINGTON –Miguel Angel Nevarez, aka “Lentes” and “94,” a member of the Barrio Azteca (BA) gang, has been extradited to the United States from Mexico to face a variety of charges including those related to his alleged participation in the March 13, 2010, murders of three individuals with ties to the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney John Murphy of the Western District of Texas, Assistant Director Kevin Perkins of the FBI and Administrator Michele M. Leonhart of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Nevarez, 30, arrived in the United States yesterday and made his initial appearance today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Western District of Texas (El Paso Division). Nevarez had been in the custody of Mexican authorities pending extradition since his arrest on Oct. 30, 2010.

On March 2, 2011, Nevarez and 34 co-defendants were charged in an a third superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in El Paso with conspiracy to commit racketeering, drug distribution, drug importation and money laundering. The indictment also charges Nevarez with conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country, murder in aid of racketeering activity and federal firearm charges, based on the March 13, 2010, murders in Juarez, Mexico, of U.S. Consulate employee Leslie Ann Enriquez Catton, her husband Arthur Redelfs and Jorge Alberto Salcido Ceniceros, the husband of a U.S. Consulate employee.

The Department of Justice expresses its gratitude and appreciation to the government of Mexico for its cooperation and assistance in the apprehension and extradition of Nevarez.

“Mr. Nevarez is charged with participating in the senseless murders of three individuals with ties to the U.S. consulate in Ciudad Juarez,” said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. “Today’s extradition is a sign of the sustained commitment of the Justice Department and our Mexican law enforcement partners to seeing justice served, and to ending the cycle of violence that gangs like Barrio Azteca cause on both sides of the border.”

“The extradition of Nevarez is another big step in our efforts to bring to justice those accused of the murders of Ms. Enriquez, her husband Mr. Redelfs, and Mr. Salcido,” stated U.S. Attorney Murphy. “According to the indictment, these wanton acts of violence were part of a pattern and practice of the Barrio Azteca which engaged in scores of murders in furtherance of their racketeering enterprise. We appreciate all of the assistance provided by the government of Mexico during the investigation and prosecution of this case. We will vigorously pursue prosecution of all of the defendants named in this indictment and look forward to the continuing cooperation of our partners in Mexico.”

According to the indictment, Nevarez was a member or associate of the Barrio Azteca criminal enterprise, which began in the late 1980s as a violent prison gang and has expanded into a transnational criminal organization. The BA is primarily based in West Texas; Juarez, Mexico; and throughout state and federal prisons in the United States and Mexico. The gang has a militaristic command structure and includes captains, lieutenants, sergeants and soldiers – all with the purpose of maintaining power and enriching its members and associates through drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion, intimidation, violence, threats of violence and murder.

To increase its power and influence, the indictment alleges that the BA formed an alliance with the Vicente Carrillo-Fuentes (VCF) drug trafficking organization in Mexico. As part of this alliance, the BA conducts enforcement operations against VCF rivals and the VCF provides illegal drugs to the BA at discounted prices.

The indictment alleges a variety of criminal acts committed by members and associates of the BA since Jan. 1, 2003, including drug trafficking, extortion, money laundering, kidnapping and murder.

All but four of the 35 individuals charged in the third superseding indictment are currently in custody in the United States or Mexico. Eduardo Ravelo aka “Tablas,” Luis Mendez aka “Alex,” April Cardoza and Yolanda Barba Chavira aka “Yoli” are currently at large. The United States has filed provisional arrest warrants with the government of Mexico for the arrest of Ravelo and Mendez in connection with this case. Ravelo is currently one of the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, and the FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading directly to his arrest.

National Guard responds to Hurricane Irene

2011-08-26T19:20:00.000-04:00

Copyright © Vanguard of Freedom

ARLINGTON, Va.– As of 11:30 a.m. EST, the governors of seven states had declared states of emergency, prompting National Guard adjutants general to upgrade Hurricane Condition levels and relocate assets in preparation for Hurricane Irene, Guard officials said Aug. 26.

Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York and Virginia declared states of emergency, allowing them to use state resources such as their National Guard, with about 101,000 Guard members ready to assist potentially affected East Coast states if called upon by their governors.

In North Carolina, the National Guard has about 40 personnel activated for state active duty and an Emergency Operations Center communicating with the governor and the state emergency management office.

Irene was 490 miles south of Cape Hatteras, N.C., and is anticipated to make landfall on Aug. 27.

North Carolina Guard officials said the Guard is ready to answer the call, as they have many times before.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell authorized about 300 Virginia Guard members to be activated Aug. 25. About 50 have already responded with the other 250 being alerted and expected to respond tonight.

“We will be staging personnel, vehicles and equipment to support missions such as high water transport and recovery, light debris removal and route clearance,” said Army Col. Gerald Catrett, director of operations for the Virginia National Guard.

“It is critical for us to have personnel in place and ready to respond before severe weather hits so we can rapidly respond when called,” he said.

Delaware is at Hurricane Condition three and will evacuate 13 aircraft, both Air and Army, to avoid damage, but no personnel evacuations are in the plans.

Army Maj. Gen. Francis Vavala, the adjutant general of the Delaware National Guard said they are prepared to provide 200 Guard members within hours of request by the governor and up to 500 personnel can be called upon after 48 hours.

Connecticut, New Jersey and New York are all preparing for the worst and are ready to respond when called upon by their governors, Guard officials said.

In the wake of Tropical Storm Irene, Puerto Rico was picking up the pieces and the National Guard had about 330 personnel activated to assist with the cleanup.

They are using landing craft and providing transportation for citizens with special needs, military equipment and heavy equipment to and from Vieques Island.

“This is the only National Guard [unit] that has this type of boat, and we are proud about that,” said Army Maj. Gen. Antonio Vicens, adjutant general of the Puerto Rice National Guard.

National Guard officials continue to monitor Irene.

Panetta Urges Troops, Families to Prepare for ‘Irene’

2011-08-26T18:39:00.000-04:00

Copyright © Vanguard of Freedom

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta today encouraged service members, Defense Department civilians and families that may be affected by Hurricane Irene to take all necessary precautions against the storm that’s currently moving northward along the eastern U.S. seaboard.

In a message issued today to DOD’s workforce, Panetta wrote:

“As Hurricane Irene churns in the waters of the Atlantic, I wanted to take this opportunity to encourage all of you who could be impacted by this storm to take all necessary precautions.

“One of the best ways people can prepare for an event like this is to use the checklists provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency at the www.ready.gov web site.

“I can’t say it strongly enough. I want all military and civilian members of this Department to ensure they are prepared for Hurricane Irene. You also need to know how to stay connected to your commands, organizations or military services after the storm passes. Accountability of personnel is extremely important."

“I also want you to know that as those of you along the East Coast are making personal preparations this Department is already working closely with FEMA to provide support to the American public."

“I directed U.S. Northern Command to provide support as identified by FEMA in light of the projected path of the storm. Fort Bragg, N.C.; Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst, N.J.; and Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass., have all been designated as a FEMA Incident Support Base (ISB)."

"As such, we have already prepositioned 225 non-DOD trucks loaded with equipment, food, water, and generators at Bragg. Supplies and equipment are in the process of being moved to the other ISBs now."

“For all of you who are away from home as the storm approaches, as Secretary of Defense, you have my word that I will do everything possible to take care of your families who might be in the path of the storm."

"Whether you are forward deployed around the globe or getting valuable ships and aircraft out of harm’s way, I understand the concerns that you have about your loved ones."

“And while your spouses and families are some of the strongest and most resilient people I have had the privilege to meet, I want you to know that they won’t be alone in the wake of the storm. I have directed the service chiefs to ensure that all of the appropriate organizations are poised and ready to proactively provide needed support."

“Thank you for your service.”

Panetta: Any Retirement Changes Won’t Affect Serving Military

2011-08-22T00:11:00.000-04:00

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19, 2011 – In his clearest statement on the subject to date, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said today that if the military retirement system changes, it will not affect serving service members.

“I will not break faith,” the secretary said during a roundtable meeting with military media representatives in the Pentagon.

Panetta’s predecessor, Robert M. Gates, asked the Defense Business Board to look at the military retirement system and make recommendations. The final report is due later this month, but Panetta said he is familiar with the outlines of the proposal.

“I certainly haven’t made any decisions” on retirement, he said. “People who have come into the service, who have put their lives on the line, who have been deployed to the war zones, who fought for this country, who have been promised certain benefits for that -- I’m not going to break faith with what’s been promised to them,” Panetta said.

People in the service today will come under the current retirement system, which gives retirees 50 percent of their base pay after 20 years of service.

“Does that stop you from making changes?” Panetta asked. “No, because obviously you can ‘grandfather’ people in terms of their benefits and then look at what changes you want to put in place for people who become members of the all-volunteer force in the future.”

One aspect of the retirement issue is one of fairness, the secretary said. Most service members do not spend 20 years in the military and therefore do not get any retirement benefits when they leave the service.

“They are not vested in any way,” Panetta said. “The question that is at least legitimate to ask is, ‘Is there a way for those future volunteers to shape this that might give them better protection to be able to have some retirement and take it with them?’”

Health care is another area that has to be dealt with, the secretary said. In fiscal 2001, the DOD health care bill was $19 billion. It is more than $50 billion now, he said, and it soars to the neighborhood of $60 billion in future years. Among proposals Congress is contemplating is an increase in some TRICARE military health plan premium payments.

“I think those recommendations make sense,” Panetta said. “Especially with tight budgets, it does make sense that people contribute a bit more with regards to getting that coverage.” The Defense Department -- which is responsible for a large part of the nation’s discretionary budget -- will do its part to reduce the budget deficit, the secretary said. But while Defense has a role to play, he added, Congress has to deal with the more than two-thirds of the federal budget that represents the mandatory spending.

“If you are serious about getting the deficit down,” Panetta said, “you have to deal with the mandatory side of the budget and taxes.” DOD has a responsibility to look at all aspects of the budget, the secretary said, and officials at the Pentagon are doing that.

“This is not because it is necessarily going to hurt areas,” he added, “because frankly, a lot of this can be done through efficiencies, a lot of it can be done looking at the administrative side of the programs: what can we do to make these programs more efficient?”

The secretary said he believes the budget crunch can represent an opportunity to make DOD a more efficient, effective and agile force that still can deal with the threats of the future.

The department also needs to ask how to provide benefits for troops and their families that will be effective at ensuring the nation always has a strong volunteer force, Panetta said. “That’s a debate and discussion that it’s important for the Defense Department to have, the White House to have, the Congress to have and the country to have,” he said. “[We] need to have that debate about ‘How are we going to do this in a way that maintains the best military in the world?’”

The Defense Department will face some tough choices, Panetta acknowledged.

“I think the bottom line is this can be an opportunity to shape something very effective for the future that can still represent the best defense system in the world,” he said.

New Tea Party News Service Launches With On-The-Ground Coverage of Iowa Straw Poll

2011-08-12T21:11:00.000-04:00

MAXWELL, Iowa, Aug. 11, 2011 / -- Liberty News Network, a new Tea Party news service connected to one of the largest Tea Party grassroots networks in the nation, is conducting its "beta" launch with five days ofLIVE coverage of the Iowa Straw Poll from Friday, August 12th, through Tuesday, August 16th, 2011.

"The Tea Party has been the dominant story of the American political scene for the past two years and our goal is to ensure that the Tea Party news perspective is represented in Iowa this weekend," said Eric Odom, Liberty News' Director of Interactive Media who will be on site for the coverage. The live coverage of the Iowa Straw Poll will be featured on LibertyNews.com andCampaignTrailReport.com -- a campaign-themed news site within Liberty News.

Liberty News Network is the news and information network of Grassfire Nation and the Patriot Action Network that together reach 2 million citizens through social and traditional web services. In addition to having bloggers on the ground, Liberty News will feature a video production crew on site filming and filing reports in Ames, Iowa on Saturday. Then beginning Sunday evening and throughout the day on Monday, Liberty News Network will be presenting web TV news reports with guest host Deanna Meske. "We will connect what's happening in Iowa directly to the core of the grassroots Tea Party movement," says Odom.

To track Liberty News' Iowa reporting before, during and after the Straw poll, visit Campaign Trail Report's Iowa Straw Poll Update Stream. For live updates via social media, follow Eric Odom via Facebook here and Twitter here. Catch all the Patriot Action Network updates via Twitter here.

International Child Sexual Abuse & Pedophilia Promotion Ring Members Indicted

2011-08-11T09:34:00.000-04:00

Three indictments and one complaint charging a total of 72 individuals for their participation in an international cirminal network dedicated to the sexual abuse of children and the creation and dissemination of graphic images and videos of child sexual abuse throughout the world, have been unsealed.

The Justice department disclosed Operation Delego, an ongoing investigation that was launched in December 2009, targeted the 72 charged defendants and more than 500 additional individuals around the world for their participation in Dreamboard – a private, members-only, online bulletin board that was created and operated to promote pedophilia and encourage the sexual abuse of very young children, in an environment designed to avoid law enforcement detection.

The Justice Department announced that to date, 52 of the 72 charged defendants have been arrested in the United States and abroad.

DOJ is alleging that "members traded graphic images and videos of adults molesting children 12 years-old and under, often violently, and collectively created a massive private library of images of child sexual abuse. The international group prized and encouraged the creation of new images and videos of child sexual abuse – numerous Dreamboard members sexually abused children, produced images and videos of the abuse, and shared the images and videos with other members of Dreamboard."

The Justice Department revealed that "Operation Delego represents the largest prosecution to date in the United States of individuals who participated in an online bulletin board conceived and operated for the sole purpose of promoting child sexual abuse, disseminating child pornography and evading law enforcement."

“As alleged in court documents, Dreamboard was a self-described global ‘community’ of pedophiles dedicated to the relentless victimization and exploitation of children 12 and under,” said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. “Using sophisticated methods to evade detection by law enforcement, Dreamboard members allegedly used the power and anonymity of the Internet to motivate each other to commit their horrific acts of sexual abuse of minors and trading in child pornography. The charges show the department’s continued commitment to a strategy of targeting the most sophisticated child exploitation networks, at home and abroad. No matter how savvy online predators think they are, we will find them, dismantle their networks, and bring them to justice.”

“These indictments capture the activity of a major, global child pornography and exploitation enterprise whose primary objective was to sexually abuse vulnerable children,” said U.S. Attorney Finley. “I hope that these charges send a clear message that we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law those who participate in this type of activity. We will continue to aggressively pursue these criminals to ensure that there is no place to hide – not in the United States, not anywhere around the globe.”

“The dismantling of Dreamboard is another stark warning to would-be child predators who think they can trade in child pornography and commit heinous acts against innocent children while hiding behind pseudonyms and other technological tricks,” said ICE Director John Morton. “As these criminals try new techniques to digitally erase their trail, ICE's Homeland Security Investigations along with our U.S. and international law enforcement partners continue to upgrade our strategies and technology to track down the depraved individuals who bring suffering to children.”

According to court documents filed in the Western District of Louisiana and elsewhere:

* Dreamboard members employed a variety of measures designed to conceal their criminal activity from detection by law enforcement. Members communicated using aliases or “screen names,” rather than their actual names.

* Links to child pornography posted on Dreamboard were required to be encrypted with a password that was shared only with other members.

* Members accessed the board via proxy servers, which routed Internet traffic through other computers so as to disguise a user’s actual location and prevent law enforcement from tracing Internet activity.

* Dreamboard members also encouraged the use of encryption programs on their computers, which password-protect computer files to prevent law enforcement from accessing them in the event of a court-authorized search.

* Membership was tightly controlled by the administrators of the bulletin board, who required prospective members to upload child pornography portraying children 12 years of age or younger when applying for membership.

* Once they were given access, members were required continually to upload images of child sexual abuse in order to maintain membership. Members who failed to follow this rule would be expelled from the group.

Court documents further allege that:

* Dreamboard members were divided into groups based on status and ranking. The highest level of membership was “Super VIP.”. Individuals who obtained that title had created new images of child pornography by molesting children and shared those images with the board administrators

* The next level of membership was “Super VIP,” which was comprised of trusted members of the website. The next level after Super VIP was the VIP rank. Individuals in the lowest level of membership were called Members

* Those in the lower ranks could only access a limited quantity of child pornography on the bulletin board. The higher the rank, the more material was available to the member. Individuals advanced to higher levels of membership by providing child abuse images that the individual had produced, providing a large number of images, or providing images that had never been seen before.

* The bulletin board included rules of conduct, printed in English, Russian, Japanese and Spanish. The rules required prospective members to upload material depicting children under the age of 12 engaged in sexually explicit activity.

* Approved members were required to observe strict posting rules designed to encourage members to disseminate large quantities of child pornography, thwart efforts by law enforcement to identify members of the board, and encourage members to sexually abuse children in order to produce new material for the board.

* The board rules also required members to organize postings based on the type of content. One particular category was entitled “Super Hardcore.” The rules for that category described in graphic language that the only posts permitted were those involving adults having violent sexual intercourse with “very young kids” who were being subjected to both physical and sexual abuse and were obviously “in distress, and or crying.”

All 72 of the defendants are charged with conspiring to advertise and distribute child pornography, and 50 of them are also charged with engaging in a child pornography enterprise. The charges and arrests were conducted in three separate phases over the course of the operation.

Twenty-eight defendants were charged and 19 were arrested during phase one of the operation; 22 defendants were charged and 17 were arrested during phase two of the operation; and 22 defendants were charged and 16 arrested during phase three of the operation.

Thirteen of the 52 individuals arrested have pleaded guilty. To date, 20 of the 72 charged individuals remain at large and are known only by their online identities. Efforts to identify and apprehend these individuals continue.

Four of the 13 individuals who have pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy have been sentenced to prison. On May 10, 2011, Timothy Lee Gentry, 33, of Burlington, Ky., was sentenced to 25 years in prison. On May 31, 2011, Michael Biggs, 32, of Orlando, Fla., was sentenced to 20 years in prison. On June 22, 2011, Michael Childs, 49, of Huntsville, Ala., was sentenced to 30 years in prison. On July 14, 2011, Charles Christian, 49, of Tilton, Ill., was sentenced to more than 22 years in prison. Each defendant also received a lifetime of supervised release following his release from prison as part of their sentence.

Operation Delego involved extensive international cooperation to identify and apprehend Dreamboard members abroad. Through coordination between ICE; the Department of Justice; Eurojust, the European Union’s Judicial Cooperation Unit; and dozens of law enforcement agencies throughout the world, 19 Dreamboard members across five continents and 13 countries have been arrested to date outside the United States, including two of the five lead administrators of the board. Those countries include Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Hungary, Kenya, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Qatar, Serbia, Sweden and Switzerland. Numerous foreign investigations related to Operation Delego remain ongoing. The location and arrest of Dreamboard members abroad have led to the capture and investigation of other global targets.

To date, law enforcement has confirmed that 15 arrested Dreamboard members personally created child pornography. For example, during his July 11, 2011, guilty plea, Anthony Sowders, 28, of Middlesboro, Ky., admitted that he posted on Dreamboard sexually explicit images of female children that he had created via a webcam. Efforts by federal, state, local and international law enforcement to locate and identify the victims of sexual abuse and exploitation by Dreamboard members are ongoing.

According to the Justice Department, Operation Delego is a spinoff investigation from leads developed through “Operation Nest Egg,” the prosecution of another online group dedicated to the sharing and dissemination of child pornography. Operation Nest Egg was a spinoff investigation developed from leads related to another international investigation, “Operation Joint Hammer,” which targeted transnational rings of child pornography trafficking.

"The investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE initiative to identify, investigate and arrest those who prey on children, including human traffickers, international sex tourists, Internet pornographers, and foreign-national predators whose crimes make them deportable," a Justice Department statement said.

The Justice Department provided the public with a method of reporting suspected child predators and any suspicious activity: The toll-free hotline - 1-866-DHS2ICE, which is staffed around the clock by investigators.

NATO Airstrike Kills Insurgents Who Caused Helicopter Crash

2011-08-10T16:24:00.000-04:00

By Cheryl Pellerin

WASHINGTON, Aug. 10, 2011 – Coalition forces used a precision airstrike to kill Taliban insurgents involved in the Aug. 6 downing of the helicopter carrying 30 U.S. service members and eight Afghans, the commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan said today.

In a briefing from his headquarters in the Afghan capital of Kabul, Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen told Pentagon reporters the action was a continuation of the original mission to dismantle the leadership of an enemy network in Wardak province’s Tangi Valley. “This does not ease our loss,” Allen said. “But we must and we will continue to relentlessly pursue the enemy.”

Near midnight on Aug. 8, the general said, coalition forces called in a precision airstrike with F-16s over the Chak district of Wardak province. According to details International Security Assistance Force officials released today, the strike killed Taliban leader Mullah Mohibullah and the insurgent who fired the shot, a rocket propelled grenade, which struck the helicopter on Aug 6, and caused it to crash.

Mohibullah was a key facilitator in an insurgent attack cell led by Din Mohammad, a Taliban leader killed in a previous special operations mission, ISAF officials said. As a leader in Mohammad’s network in the Tangi Valley, Mohibullah had as many as 12 Taliban fighters under his command, including potential suicide bombers.

Special operations forces received several intelligence leads and tips from local civilians and after an exhaustive manhunt, ISAF officials said, they located Mohibullah and the shooter as they were trying to flee the country.

The security force located and followed the insurgents to a wooded area in the Chak district. After making sure no civilians were in the area, the force called for the airstrike that killed Mohibullah, the shooter and several Taliban associates.

On the night of the deadly helicopter crash, the inbound CH-47 carried special operations forces in pursuit of insurgents from Mohammad’s network who were fleeing from an engagement in which six militants already had been killed, ISAF officials said.

Allen said ISAF does not yet know if enemy fire was the sole reason for the helicopter crash, but on its approach, the aircraft encountered small-arms fire from several insurgent locations. An investigation into the crash and its causes began yesterday when Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, commander of U.S. Central Command, appointed Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Colt as lead investigator.

Questions to be asked, Allen said, will include “What was the cause of the crash?” and “What lessons can be learned as a result of that cause?”
The answers, he said, ultimately will feed back into the mission evaluation process to improve future missions.

The crash was a tragic incident in a very difficult military campaign, Allen said. “However,” he added, “it was a singular incident in a broader conflict in which we are making important strides and considerable progress.”

Coalition forces face challenges ahead and tough fights in the days to come, the general said, but all across Afghanistan the insurgents are losing.
“They're losing territory. They're losing leadership. They're losing weapons and supplies. They're losing public support,” Allen said.

Villages that seek to embrace Afghan local police in the Village Stability Operations program are mobilizing their communities for their own security, he added. “That's not widely understood [or] … widely covered,” Allen said. “But that's a great example of where the Taliban are losing ground and … influence because they can no longer get inside the population of these areas.”
"Across Afghanistan," he added, "the insurgents are losing resolve and the will to fight. They face relentless pressure from coalition and, increasingly, Afghan forces,” he said. Reintegration of former insurgents into Afghan society also is succeeding. The effort is an Afghan program supported by coalition forces that across Afghanistan is beginning to see Taliban foot soldiers ultimately come forward and seek to rejoin society, becoming members of their villages," he said.

Allen said "more than 2,300 people have reintegrated so far. Success is a function of security operations. It's a function of the establishment of Afghan local police. It's a function of the establishment of credible governance [and] economic opportunity.”

"The numbers of former Taliban fighters rejoining society is an indication that the insurgents are losing. We're not declaring victory, certainly. We recognize that there are going to be long days ahead and some pretty heavy lifts. But progress also is visible in other areas," Allen said.

In July, he noted, the transition of security responsibility began to the Afghan government and Afghan forces. “Our military is working hand in hand with our civilian partners to secure the gains we have made by strengthening the Afghan government and by advancing economic opportunity. Afghan forces have made immense strides in increasing their professionalism and effectiveness," he said.

“By the time our additional 23,000 troops come out [of Afghanistan] by the end of September of next year, we'll have seen on the order of 70,000 Afghan national security forces come onto the field. So it's a trade-off in terms of the Afghans who are joining us in the battle space with the forces that will be coming down," the General said.

"Afghan forces are increasingly out in front, securing territory, safeguarding populations and, when necessary, fighting and dying for their country and their countrymen. We lost eight Afghans in this crash -- brave Afghans -- and we pay tribute as well to their service and to their sacrifice,” the General said.

Allen said he’s spoken with coalition and U.S. troops in the four corners of Afghanistan and found them to be steadfast in their commitment to the mission. “We remember why we're here in the first place,” he said, “and we know what is at stake. Coalition forces intend to continue to work very hard in the south throughout the current fighting season and well into the fall and beyond. We're going to fight all winter,” the General said. “We're going to attempt to disrupt the enemy safe havens throughout the winter -- the opportunity for him to rest and refit.”

"In spring and summer 2012," he said, “we will continue to disrupt the enemy and then spend a particular amount of attention in the east. As the counterinsurgency campaign continues in Afghanistan, so will counterterrorism operations such as the one that ended with the CH-47 crash. As our surface area decreases in Afghanistan, the role of counterterrorism operations -- and in particular these kinds of special missions -- will become prominent. With that as an anticipated outcome, we will pursue special operations on a regular basis, both now and for the foreseeable future. And it will be an adjunct and a component of the larger counterinsurgency campaign.”

"Whether they’re fighting in counterinsurgency or counterterrorism operations, troops on the battlefield in Afghanistan are committed to succeed, Allen said. They have my full and complete support, and they know that they have the support of a grateful nation that stands squarely behind them,” said the General.

Obama/Holder File Suit Against Alabama Immigration Law

2011-08-02T00:39:00.000-04:00

The Obama administration has sued Alabama for passing immigration law H.B. 56, the toughest immigration legislation to date originating from the states.

In a complaint and brief filed in the Northern District of Alabama, the Justice department said that various provisions of H.B. 56 conflict with federal immigration law and undermine the federal government’s careful balance of immigration enforcement priorities and objectives.

"The brief filed today makes clear that, while the federal government values state assistance and cooperation with respect to immigration enforcement, a state cannot set its own immigration policy, much less pass laws that conflict with federal enforcement of the immigration laws," a Justice Department statement said.

According to the Department of Justice, "Alabama’s law is designed to affect virtually every aspect of an unauthorized immigrant’s daily life, from employment to housing to transportation to entering into and enforcing contracts to going to school. H.B. 56 further criminalizes mere unlawful presence and, like Arizona’s law, expands the opportunities for Alabama police to push aliens toward incarceration for various new immigration crimes by enforcing an immigration status verification system."

The suit alleges further that, "consistent with the department’s position in United States v. Arizona, in which the department last year successfully obtained a preliminary injunction against Arizona’s S.B. 1070, the mandates that H.B. 56 imposes on Alabama law enforcement may also result in the harassment and detention of foreign visitors, legal immigrants and even U.S. citizens who may not be able to readily prove their lawful status. In addition, H.B. 56 will place significant burdens on federal agencies, diverting their resources away from dangerous criminal aliens and other high-priority targets. In addition to interfering with law enforcement, H.B. 56 imposes further burdens on children by demanding that students prove their lawful presence, which could discourage parents from enrolling their children in school."

“Today’s action makes clear that setting immigration policy and enforcing immigration laws is a national responsibility that cannot be addressed through a patchwork of state immigration laws,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “The department is committed to evaluating each state immigration law and making decisions based on the facts and the law. To the extent we find state laws that interfere with the federal government’s enforcement of immigration law, we are prepared to bring suit, as we did in Arizona.”

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano chimed in, saying “DHS continues to enforce federal immigration laws in Alabama and around the country in smart, effective ways that focus our resources on criminal aliens and employers who knowingly hire illegal labor, as well as continue to secure our border. Legislation like this diverts critical law enforcement resources from the most serious threats to public safety and undermines the vital trust between local jurisdictions and the communities they serve. We continue to support comprehensive reform of our immigration system at the federal level because this challenge cannot be solved by a patchwork of inconsistent state laws.”

The Justice Department also quoted Birmingham Chief of Police A.C. Roper, stating that he "believes that the Alabama immigration law will hamper local law enforcement’s ability to police the community effectively. Roper stated that the law will require the Birmingham Police Department to “expend scarce resources on immigration matters at the expense of” municipal priorities."

According to a statement released today, the Justice department filed the suit after consultation with the Alabama governor, Alabama attorney general and Alabama law enforcement officials. "The suit was filed on behalf of the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and State, which share responsibilities in administering federal immigration law, and the Department of Education was also consulted. The department has requested a preliminary injunction to enjoin enforcement of the law, parts of which go into effect on Sept. 1, 2011, arguing that the law’s operation will cause irreparable harm," the statement said.

A similar suit brought by the Justice Department blocked Arizona's immigration law last year. Currently there are four other states besides Alabama litigating with the Obama administration over immigration law: Georgia, Arizona, Utah, and Indiana.

The Justice Department statement did not include information regarding the refusal of Homeland Security and the Justice Department to enforce immigration laws to secure the southern border and stem the flow of illegal immigrants into the U.S. as mandated by the Constitution.

Advocates of the Alabama immigration law say, "this bill is intended to stem and reverse the flow of unauthorized aliens into Alabama through strengthening the immigration enforcement authorities of state and local governments. Provisions of the bill are specifically designed to deter the infiltration of illegal immigrants by prohibiting practices in the public and private sector that currently encourage undocumented workers to locate in Alabama."

Alabama was previously sued in a 118 page complaint: Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama v. Bentley, which was filed on behalf of a list of organizations and represented by others including the Southern Poverty Law Center, claiming eight constitutional items, including the Supremacy Clause, arguing that the state law is pre-empted by Federal law.

Another suit was filed against Alabama challenging HB 56 by the American Civil Liberties Union.

“This draconian initiative signed into law...by Gov. Robert Bentley is so oppressive that even Bull Connor himself would be impressed,” said Wade Henderson, head of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, referring to Birmingham’s notorious segregationist public safety commissioner from the civil rights era. HB 56 is designed to do nothing more than terrorize the state’s Latino community.” (@ PoliticalArticles.NET)

See VIDEO of a protest against HB56. VIDEO

The Justice Department suit was filed on the heels of Obama's address to the National Council of La Raza, in which he said, "some people would like me to bypass Congress and change the laws on my own... And believe me, right now dealing with Congress... the idea of doing things on my own, is very tempting..." Obama Video

It is an interesting note that the Arizona immigration law, according to one of its authors, "embodies the doctrine of 'concurrent enforcement' – i.e., that the state law parallels applicable federal law without any conflict and Kobach stated that he believes it would thus survive any challenge: 'There are some things that states can do and some that states can't do, but this law threads the needle perfectly.... Arizona only penalizes what is already a crime under federal law.' State Senator Pearce noted that some past state laws on immigration enforcement had been upheld in federal courts. In Gonzales v. City of Peoria (9th Cir. 1983), the Court held that the Immigration and Naturalization Act precludes local enforcement of the Act's civil provisions but does not preclude local enforcement of the Act's criminal provisions. The U.S. Attorney General may enter into a written agreement with a state or local government agency, under which that agency's employees perform the function of an immigration officer in relation to the investigation, apprehension, or detention of aliens in the United States; however, such an agreement is not required for the agency's employees to perform those functions." (WIKIPEDIA)

The Alabama law, on the other hand goes much further, and directly asserts the state's responsibility for its own citizenry in the face of a recalcitrant federal government and/or one which chooses which laws to enforce, and which not.

WAR NEEDS "THE FAST LANE"

2011-07-16T21:41:00.001-04:00

Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, Ashton B. Carter told an audience at the Brookings Institution that supporting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan calls for rapidly fielded new capability, agile logistics and careful contingency contracting.

"The Defense Department must institute a 'fast lane' that is more agile than traditional requirements. Going forward, we need to institutionalize a fast lane in the department in some way. It’s not only necessary for the wars we’re in, it’s really necessary for the tempo of technological change and the way the world changes," said Carter.

Today, the Pentagon’s ad hoc fast lane is formally called the Senior Integration Group, chaired by Carter and Robert Neller, director of operations for the Joint Staff, and created by former Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. “That is the mechanism Secretary Gates set up to overcome his frustration with the department’s general inability to be agile and quick, which is true,” Carter said. “The system we have is designed to be deliberate and not to be quick,” he added. “That’s a problem all by itself, even in our normal programs, [and] it’s completely unacceptable when you’re in the middle of a war.”

Carter, who just returned from Afghanistan, said the focus of activity there now “is to ensure that the force in Afghanistan, which President [Barack] Obama has directed be reduced in size, nevertheless continues to grow in capability.”

Carter outlined the steps needed to make that happen:

* CONTINUE to provide more enablers: intgelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), technology, and the capability to detect roadside bombs.

* USING fewer deployed soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines to accomplish tasks that don’t require uniforms or physical presence in Afghanistan. (Example: The way the U.S. flies remotely controlled unmanned Predator and Reaper aerial vehicles from Creech Air Force Base in Nevada).

* MAKING the Afghan security forces more capable in the years ahead is another way to reduce the number of U.S. forces while maintaining capability in Afghanistan

* REINFORCING the delivery of equipment, such as equipment that is now yielding results (which arrived as a result of the 'surge.'). Equipment like aerostats (moored balloons enabled with sensors for persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, which are critical for use over outlying facilities and roadways.

* UNATTENDED ground sensors for areas that are being cleared and held.

* ALL-TERRAIN, mine-resistant, ambush protected armored fighting vehicles with underbody improvements that increase their resistance to bombs.

* PROVIDING the equipment and tactics needed in cleared and held areas that require more dismounted operations.

* Additional training on equipment before it is needed in the field to ensure experience with the equipment the troops will be using.

Carter added that, "In the area of logistics, “the miracle of 2010” continues in Afghanistan, thanks to the efforts of “Log Nation” -- the combined organization of military commands, defense contractors, Department of Defense civilians and commercial contractors who support DOD logistics."

“It’s amazing what Log Nation is capable of doing and does every day there,” he said. "The miracle, refers to getting tens of thousands of troops and their equipment into “a land-locked country with very parsimonious internal lines of communication” for the Afghanistan surge."

"We do a lot of contingency contracting,” or direct contracting support to tactical and operational forces, to ensure war fighters have what they need," he said. “[We’re] always trying...to balance effectiveness and efficiency and make sure we have enough contracting officers [and] contracting officer representatives,” he added. “We still have work to do, but we are making progress not using cash payments and otherwise trying to minimize opportunities for fraud, corruption or just a bad deal, as we do our contingency contracting.”

And then there are the "budget wars."

"Gates and his successor, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta have made it clear that the Defense Department is entering a new era in defense spending that is going to require changing the way it does business," Carter said. "Obama and Congress have also made it clear," he added, "that the defense budget, which is about 20 percent of the total federal budget, must be part of the reduction in spending over the next 12 years."

“As we have assessed how to accomplish [this] task, first Secretary Gates and now Secretary Panetta have undertaken a comprehensive review of the impact of budget reductions on force structure and capability and ultimately on missions and America’s role in the world,” Carter said. Carter explained that "comprehensive" means that everything must be on the table.

The comprehensive review is under way and making progress, he said, but it already has revealed that:

-- The new era will require a different mind set for government and industry managers and their congressional overseers;

-- It’s important to proceed not by subtraction alone but by a vision of the military needed in the future; and

-- However large the budget is, every dollar must count.

“The president, the secretary and the taxpayers are going to expect us to make every dollar we do get count,” Carter said. “In short, they want better value for the defense dollar,” he added. “It’s what the country should expect, no matter what size the budget is.”

Cheryl Pellerin
Department of Defense Files
Vanguard of Freedom News

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"DON'T ASK DON'T TELL" INPUT IS IN

2011-07-13T23:37:00.000-04:00

The input from all Department of Defense Branches, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard in advance of the "Don't Ask, don't Tell" law that bans gays from serving openly in the military is in. That's according to Defense Department Spokesman Marine Corps Colonel Dave Lapan.

"The input includes progress on training of the force, the regulatory aspects of the change in the law and other aspects. Ultimately, it’s for the services to provide their input to the secretary about whether their services are prepared for repeal to take place,” Lapan said.

By "the secretary" Lapan means newly installed Department of Defense Secretary, Leon E. Panetta.

"No requirement exists for 100 percent of the force to receive training prior to repeal, the colonel said. “It is more in the nature of giving the input where all the services are in the training and whether they’ve reached a point where they believe they are ready to move forward,” Lapan said.

Two laws are affecting the implementation of DADT policy: The first is the original law passed in 1993. Its provisions were to remain in effect until repeal. The second law calls for repeal to take effect after certification that the services are ready.

On July 6th of this year the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the government to stop enforcing the terms of the law that prevents openly gay service members from being in the military.

The court lifted a stay put in place Nov. 1. The stay was put in place after 9th Circuit Judge Virginia Phillips ruled the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law was unconstitutional. The case then went to a three-judge panel on the Court of Appeals.

Since the court issued the stay in November, Congress passed and President Barack Obama signed repeal of the 1993 law. “In the meantime, implementation of the DADT repeal voted by the Congress and signed into law by the president last December is proceeding smoothly, is well under way, and certification is just weeks away,” Lapan said last July.

The repeal act calls for training the force and for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the secretary of defense to certify to the president that the conditions for repeal are met.

“We have two laws: the law known as ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ that a court injunction has stopped us from enforcing, but we also have a law that requires us to certify that the force is ready for repeal,” Lapan said. “And we are trying to comply with both.”

At a Pentagon news conference in January Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and then Secretary of Defense Robert Gates updated reporters on the department’s plan for implementing repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” which had been in effect since 1993 and remains in effect until the process is complete. “Our goal here is to move as quickly, but as responsibly, as possible,” Gates said then.

“I see this as a three-step process. The first is to finalize changes in regulations [and] policies [and] get clearer definition on benefits. The second phase is to prepare training materials for use by personnel specialists, chaplains, commanders and other leaders, and those who are in daily contact with service members," he said. "The third phase," the secretary explained, "is the actual training for service members. We're trying to get the first two phases of that process done as quickly as possible,” he said. “My hope is that it can be done within a matter of a very few weeks, so that we can then move on to what is the real challenge, which is providing training to 2.2 million people.”

The House of Representatives passed legislation in May that called for the president, defense secretary and Joint Chiefs chairman to certify the implementation plan before the repeal takes effect.

On Nov. 30, Pentagon officials released the report of a working group that reviewed issues associated with a potential repeal. And on Dec. 18, the Senate voted 65-31 for repeal, and President Barack Obama signed the legislation into law Dec. 22. Gates said Clifford L. Stanley, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, would be leading the effort.

“I have asked Undersecretary Stanley to accelerate the first two phases of this process as much as he possibly can so that we can get on with the training process,” the secretary said.

Mullen said the legislation specifies that the repeal will take effect only after he, Gates and President Obama certify that new policies and implementing regulations are consistent with standards of military readiness, effectiveness, unit cohesion and retention.

“From my perspective,” the chairman said, now is not the time to ‘come out,’ if you will,” noting that even after the required certification takes place, the present law will remain in effect for 60 more days. “We'll get through this. We'll do it deliberately. We certainly are focused on this, and we won't dawdle.”

Since then, Defense Department officials have been speaking with Justice Department lawyers about the next steps. In the meantime, the department continues to abide by the repeal law, and that is what the input from the services represents, Lapan said.

"The services have provided the input, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the secretary of defense will make their decision when to certify to the president that DOD is ready to move forward with repeal," he said.

Lapan would not hazard a guess when the decision will land on the president’s desk.

Soldiers Re-enlist On Independence Day

2011-07-04T20:36:00.001-04:00

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - In a large, crowded tent on a forward operating base in southern Afghanistan, so many service members gather with one goal. Before the massive crowd, on the day of their nation’s birth, a senior U.S. Army officer takes the stage and brings them to attention. The formation stands as a final order is given to raise their right hands.

Thirty-six Task Force Resolute soldiers reaffirmed their commitment to the U.S. Army during a re-enlistment ceremony on Kandahar Airfield, July 4.

The "Resolute" warriors stood in a formation of 235 service members from the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Army in what was named "Operation Red, White, and True." The re-enlisting officer for the ceremony was Gen. David Petraeus, the International Security Assistance Force commanding general. Before giving the Oath of Re-enlistment, he gave all those in attendance several words of encouragement.

“These two-hundred-thirty-five soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines preparing to take this oath are showing the highest level of dedication to our nation,” said Petraeus. “You are dedicating yourself to continue being a member of what is regarded as the best military in the world.”

After the oath of re-enlistment, each service member was invited to take a photo with Petraeus, receive the ISAF coin and a custom coin for the ceremony, and receive a signed certificate. "Operation Red, White, and True" held special significance as it is the last re-enlistment ceremony Petraeus will host before retiring from the Army. It is also the last 4th of July he will spend deployed as a soldier.

“There is nowhere in the world I would rather be this Fourth of July than right here with these service members,” said Petraeus. “To all those who re-enlisted today and will enlist in the future, we express our heartfelt gratitude to each of you.”

After completing the ceremony on KAF, Patraeus immediately caught a flight to perform another re-enlistment at Bagram Air Field, completing Operation Red, White and True.

The service members in attendance also expressed their feelings on the ceremony and the timing.

“This is a moment in history,” said Sgt. Melissa Gillespie, a Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Special Troops Battalion, TF-Resolute orderly room noncommissioned officer. “It’s wonderful that Gen. Petraeus came here to share this moment with us.”

Report filed by Staff Sgt. Alexander Burnett

PETRAEUS ARRIVES AT THE CIA

2011-07-01T14:11:00.001-04:00

The Senate yesterday confirmed Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, currently the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, as the next director of the CIA.

Petraeus will replace Leon E. Panetta, former CIA director, who took office today as secretary of defense.

During his confirmation hearing June 23, Petraeus said some observers have questioned whether his previous involvement in Afghanistan and other endeavors will color the agency's analysis of those efforts.

“Let me reassure you on this issue,” he said. “Clearly I have views on the efforts in which I've been engaged. I've shared them in the past with the agency's analysts, and I'll do so in the future. However, if confirmed, when I am in the situation room with the president, I will strive to present the agency position. I will also remain keenly aware that I am the leader of an intelligence agency, not a policymaker.”

According to a spokesman for NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, Petraeus will turn over command July 18. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. John R. Allen has been nominated for promotion to general and appointment as Petraeus’ successor.

Petraeus will retire from the Army on Aug. 31 and assume his new duties as central intelligence director Sept. 6, the spokesman said.

General David H. Petraeus assumed command of the NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and U.S. Forces – Afghanistan (USFOR-A) on July 4, 2010 after serving for over 20 months as Commander, United States Central Command.

Before his assignment as CENTCOM Commander, General Petraeus commanded Multi-National Force-Iraq where he led US and Coalition Forces during “the surge.” Prior to his tour as MNF-I Commander, he commanded the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, during which time he oversaw the development of the Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Manual.

Before that assignment, he served for over 15 months as the first Commander of the Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq and the NATO Training Mission-Iraq. That deployment to Iraq followed his command of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), during which he led the “Screaming Eagles” in combat during the fight to Baghdad and throughout the first year of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

His command of the 101st followed a year deployed on Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia, where he was the Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations of the NATO Stabilization Force and the Deputy Commander of the US Joint Counter-Terrorism Task Force-Bosnia. Prior to his tour in Bosnia, he spent two years at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, serving first as the Assistant Division Commander for Operations of the 82nd Airborne Division and then as the Chief of Staff of XVIII Airborne Corps.

General Petraeus was commissioned in the Infantry upon graduation as a “distinguished cadet” from the United States Military Academy in 1974. In addition to the posts noted above, he subsequently held leadership positions in airborne, mechanized, and air assault infantry units in Europe, the United States, and the Middle East, including command of a battalion in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and a brigade in the 82nd Airborne Division.

In addition, he served in a number of staff assignments: Aide to the Chief of Staff of the Army; battalion, brigade, and division operations officer; Military Assistant to the Supreme Allied Commander-Europe; Chief of Operations of the United Nations Force in Haiti; and Executive Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

General Petraeus was the General George C. Marshall Award winner as the top graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College Class of 1983. He subsequently earned MPA and Ph.D. degrees in international relations from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and he later served as an Assistant Professor of International Relations at the US Military Academy. He also completed a fellowship at Georgetown University.

Awards and decorations earned by General Petraeus include two awards of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, two awards of the Distinguished Service Medal, the Bronze Star Medal for valor, the State Department Distinguished Service Award, the NATO Meritorious Service Medal, the Gold Award of the Iraqi Order of the Date Palm, the French Légion d’Honneur, the Polish Order of Merit, the Order of Australia, and the National Defense Cross of the Czech Republic.

He is a Master Parachutist and Air Assault and Ranger qualified. He has also earned the Combat Action Badge and French, British, and German Jump Wings. In 2005 he was recognized by the U.S. News and World Report as one of America’s 25 Best Leaders, and in 2007 he was one of four runners-up for Time Person of the Year.

In 2009, he was selected by Foreign Policy magazine as one of the world’s top 100 public intellectuals and by Esquire magazine as one of the 75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century. Most recently, he was awarded the George Kennan Award by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy and the 2010 James Madison Medal by Princeton University.

2011-05-16T02:29:00.000-04:00

Landmark legislation to stop the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) from groping travelers without probable cause has passed an important vote in the Texas House.

HB 1937 was given unanimous approval by voice vote on second reading. HB 1937, authored by Representative David Simpson (R-Longview), is the first bill in the country that would actively restrict the TSA’s intrusive screening practices to pass a legislative vote.

“HB 1937 is a significant step forward in the protection of our constitutional and civil liberties,” said Rep. Simpson. “Groping innocent citizens does little to enhance security but it does much to reduce our freedom and dignity. I am very thankful that members of both parties have joined together to defend our citizens’ dignity against the TSA’s egregious screening methods.”

HB 1937 would make it a criminal act for security personnel to touch a person’s private areas without probable cause as a condition of travel or as a condition of entry into a public place. This bill is not intended to contravene any federal statutes currently in place.

Texas’ efforts to stop the TSA from abusing travelers have attracted significant national and international attention from The Washington Post, MSNBC, Fox News, Drudge Report, The Guardian, USA Today, and others.

Eight other states, including Alaska, Washington, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania, also have legislation pending to protect travelers’ dignity. New Jersey was the first state to file similar legislation. The Alaska House of Representatives became the first state to pass a resolution against TSA abuses back in March.

Meanwhile, TSA has issued a statement that purportedly nullifies TEXAS HB 1937, invoking Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, Section 2, stating "...This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding..."

In an article in the TSA BLOG, the TSA asks, "What's our take on the Texas House of Representatives voting to ban the current TSA pat-down?" The TSA explanation says, "Well, the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution (Article. VI. Clause 2) prevents states from regulating the federal government."

TSA goes on to justify its explanation by advancing examples of aviation security agencies "worldwide" stating that worldwide agencies have been "using pat-downs long before TSA was created to prevent dangerous items from getting onto airplanes. The pat-down is a highly effective tool to resolve certain alarms and keep these dangerous items off of planes that could cause catastrophic damage."

TSA then goes on to explain pat-down "myths and facts."

However, nowhere in that TSA Blog article is the "search and seizure" section of the Constitution mentioned. That portion of the Constitution, Amendment IV, states, "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

HB 1937 does make a statement regarding the ninth and tenth Amendments of the Constitution.

NINTH: "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." TENTH: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

HB 1937 references those Amendments with regard to defense of the legislation: "In a prosecution described by Subsection (a) of this section, if the government of the United States, the defendant, or the defendant ’s employer challenges the validity of Section 39.03(a)(2), Penal Code, as added by this Act, on grounds of unconstitutionality, preemption, or sovereign immunity, the attorney general of this state, with the consent of the appropriate local county or district attorney, shall take any actions necessary on behalf of the state to defend the validity of the statute. The attorney general may make any legal arguments the attorney general considers appropriate, including that this Act constitutes a valid exercise of: (1)the state ’s police powers; (2)the liberty interests of the people secured by the Ninth Amendment to the United States Constitution; (3)the powers reserved to the states by the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution; or (4)the rights and protections secured by the Texas
Constitution."

94 Representatives—a near supermajority—have signed on to HB 1937 as either joint or coauthors, supporting Rep. Simpson’s legislation. The bill will be voted on and then will proceed to the Texas Senate.

Mullen said the scene at the White House had been "Tense."

2011-05-11T00:48:00.003-04:00

Many have seen the now famous photograph of Administration offcials in the Situation Room at the White House, as the events unfolded during the assault on the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen spoke out today about the events, while being interviewed by Tom Brokaw during the annual fund raiser at the Javits Center, at the annual Robin Hood Foundation gala. The event raises funds that target poverty in New York by supporting and developing organizations that provide direct services to low-income residents.

Mullen said the scene at the White House had been "Tense."

"It really was the culmination of a phenomenal effort on the part of all the government agencies,” he said.

He singled out “the best intelligence work I’ve ever seen that enabled those in the military who executed this mission to do so successfully.”

Mullen stated that "it was by no means a sure thing that the al-Qaida leader was in the one-acre compound. “I thought it was a courageous decision on the part of the president,” Mullen said, noting it was only a 55 percent chance that the 9/11 attack mastermind was in the compound. "The president did have 100 percent certainty in relying on our military,” the chairman added.

The SEAL team that killed bin Laden “represents 2.2 million men and women -- active, Guard and reserve,” Mullen said. They are part of the best military he has seen in his more than four decades of service that started in Vietnam.

“I’ve spoken to them -- they are proud of what they did; they are proud to represent this extraordinary military,” he said. “They really did make a difference.”

The silent special operations warriors also would like to fade back into the shadows, the chairman said, “and I hope that we can let them do that.”

Brokaw asked Mullen about what the feeling was like in the White House when word came back from Pakistan that the team had killed bin Laden. Mullen said he was elated, but he also was still worried.

“It was far from over at that point,” he said. “They were still inside the building. There was the need to get them out and get them out safely.”

They, of course, did make it out safely. The special operators performed the mission perfectly even when faced with an additional challenge -- one helicopter had a hard landing and had to be abandoned.

“I think tremendous credit goes to a lot of people,” Mullen said. “Not only did we execute this mission, but we didn’t lose anybody, none of our people were injured, and we achieved it in a way that many people didn’t think we could years ago. They are the best of the best.”

(DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley)

Suspicious Letters Received by District of Columbia Schools

2011-05-06T23:38:00.000-04:00

28 Washington D.C. schools have received suspicious letters containing a white powdery substance, prompting investigations by the FBI, and local law enforcement .

The FBI is reporting that the addresses on the letters were printed, not handwritten, and each letter was addressed to a school and not a specific person. Details of the content of the letters have not been released due to the ongoing investigation, but the FBI indicates that local and federal hazardous material experts responded to each school location to assess the level of risk and to ensure that the letters, described as "threatening" and the substances were packaged safely for analysis and determining that there was no additional risks to the targeted schools.

The FBI has concluded that there was not hazardous substances in the mailings and said that no illnesses or injuries have been reported.

Officials said that procedure requires that each item packaged will be analyzed for hazardous substances by an approved regional lab before it is transported to the FBI’s Laboratory at Quantico, Virginia.

Experts there will perform a variety of tests in an effort to determine who sent the letters and whether the letters are linked to any other pending investigation.

Initial indications are that the letters were mailed from the Dallas area and are similar in style and content to other suspicious letters under investigation by Dallas FBI and U.S. Postal Inspectors.

In addition, they are similar to other letters received at some Washington, D.C. area schools in October of 2010.

The FBI's investigation teams deployed shortly after noon on Thursday, May 5, 2011. The FBI’s National Capital Response Squad began responding with the Washington, D.C. Fire Department, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to repeated calls from Washington, D.C. schools with concerns of suspicious letters containing a white powdery substance.

The letters caused some school evacuations and have thus far tied up hundreds of hours of police and law enforcement resources.

Additionally, D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray assured parents and other D.C. residents that his Public Safety team, including the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Fire and Emergency Medical Services (FEMS) and the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA), has been working in coordination with its other federal partners including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to take all necessary measures to ensure students’ and staff members’ safety.

“Let me assure residents that the District of Columbia government acted quickly and efficiently to ensure our children’s safety at the first hint of potential danger,” Mayor Gray said. “This was a dastardly and incredibly disruptive act that has alarmed people unnecessarily.”

The Mayor said that DCPS followed the pre-determined protocols associated with such incidents, including sheltering students and staff in place until a determination that there was no danger. In addition, schools sent automated voicemail messages to parents and guardians of students in affected schools to keep them abreast of the situation.

“Our schools acted swiftly to ensure the safety of all students and staff,” said DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson. “MPD and emergency personnel responded quickly to each school to investigate and at no time were students exposed to the substance. There was minimal impact to the school day.”

“The safety of our students is our top priority and we will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates when we have new information.”

The Mayor indicated that extensive plans are in place to inspect school mail for potential threats and to ensure a safe environment for all schools. He applauded public safety and school authorities for acting quickly to respond to the incidents.

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THE BIN LADEN MISSION

2011-05-04T19:12:00.000-04:00

Director CIA, Leon Panetta, now slated to be the successor to Robert Gates, as Secretary of Defense, said to CIA employees that "...(We) have rid the world of the most infamous terrorist of our time." Panetta explained that a US strike team stormed a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan and killed Usama Bin Ladin. "Thankfully, no Americans were lost, and every effort was taken to avoid civilian casualties," he said.

Panetta said that nothing will ever compensate for the pain and suffering inflicted by this mass murderer and his henchmen. "But just as evil never rests, neither does good. May the fact that Usama Bin Ladin no longer inhabits the earth be a source of comfort for the thousands of families, here in America and around the globe, who mourn the victims of al-Qa’ida’s barbarity."

"Within our Agency family, our thoughts turn to those who died fighting to make this day possible. Our brothers and sisters who gave their lives in the war against al-Qa’ida—from Mike Spann to our heroes at Khowst—are with us, in memory and spirit, at this joyful moment. In all that we do, they are our constant inspiration," said Panetta.

Panetta praised CIA crews for their work and their efforts. "My deepest thanks and congratulations go out to the officers of our CounterTerrorism Center and Office of South Asia Analysis for their outstanding expertise, amazing creativity, and excellent tradecraft. I also extend my profound appreciation and absolute respect to the strike team, whose great skill and courage brought our nation this historic triumph," he said.

CIA information sources described the operation:

In the early morning hours of May 2nd, a U.S. military raid of an al-Qa’ida compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, killed America’s most wanted terrorist, Usama Bin Ladin.

The mission’s success was the culmination of many years of complex, thorough, and highly-advanced intelligence operations and analysis led by the CIA with support from partners across the Intelligence Community. U.S. agencies had been collecting intelligence about the compound since it was discovered in August, 2010. Multiple streams of intelligence led to the assessment that Bin Ladin was hiding there, protected by two of his closest facilitators.

The strike on the compound, authorized by the President on April 29th, was a surgical raid by a small team of special operations forces. The raid was designed to minimize collateral damage and to pose as little risk as possible to non-combatants on the compound or to Pakistani civilians in the neighborhood.

The compound where Bin Ladin was hiding is in Abbottabad, a town in Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province (formerly the Northwest Frontier Province), about 35 miles north of Islamabad. The compound and its main residence had extensive security features: high walls topped with barbed wire, double entry gates, opaque windows, no apparent Internet or telephone connection, and the residents burned their trash. It was valued at $1 million, but the two al-Qa’ida facilitators who owned it had no apparent source of wealth.

The death of Usama Bin Ladin marks the single greatest victory in the U.S.-led campaign to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al-Qa’ida. It is a major and essential step in bringing about the terrorist organization’s eventual dissolution.

Bin Ladin was al-Qa’ida’s founder and only amir, or commander, in its 22-year history. He was largely responsible for the organization’s mystique, its ability to raise money and attract new recruits, and its focus on the United States as a target for terrorist attacks. As the only al-Qa’ida leader whose authority was universally respected, he also maintained the group’s cohesion.

Although al-Qa’ida may not fragment immediately, the loss of Bin Ladin puts the deadly organization on a path of decline that will be difficult to reverse.

Panetta's Statement to CIA staff continued:

"Persistent hard work produced the results that the American people expect of their intelligence service: We gave President Obama and his team accurate, relevant, timely intelligence—providing the information and insight they needed at key points as this mission developed. I offered my personal thanks to the President for his willingness to make the courageous decision to proceed with the operation."

"Though Bin Ladin is dead, al-Qa’ida is not. The terrorists almost certainly will attempt to avenge him, and we must—and will—remain vigilant and resolute. But we have struck a heavy blow against the enemy. The only leader they have ever known, whose hateful vision gave rise to their atrocities, is no more. The supposedly uncatchable one has been caught and killed. And we will not rest until every last one of them has been delivered to justice."

"Remember how you felt in the anxious hours after the attacks of September 11th , and how our Agency vowed to run to ground a vicious foe. Whether you were here at the time or were inspired to serve at CIA in the months and years that followed, take heart in knowing that our Agency is doing its essential job for the American people, and for all humanity. A promise has been kept. And a war will be won."

"God bless the United States of America. Leon E. Panetta"

Malicious Software Features Usama bin Laden Links to Ensnare Unsuspecting Computer Users

2011-05-04T17:18:00.000-04:00

The FBI today warns computer users to exercise caution when they receive e-mails that purport to show photos or videos of Usama bin Laden’s recent death.

"This content could be a virus that could damage your computer. This malicious software, or 'malware,' can embed itself in computers and spread to users’ contact lists, thereby infecting the systems of associates, friends, and family members. These viruses are often programmed to steal your personally identifiable information."

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) "urges computer users to not open unsolicited (spam) e-mails, including clicking links contained within those messages. Even if the sender is familiar, the public should exercise due diligence. Computer owners must ensure they have up-to-date firewall and anti-virus software running on their machines to detect and deflect malicious software."

The IC3 recommends the public do the following:

*Adjust the privacy settings on social networking sites you frequent to make it more difficult for people you know and do not know to post content to your page. Even a “friend” can unknowingly pass on multimedia that’s actually malicious software.

*Do not agree to download software to view videos. These applications can infect your computer.
Read e-mails you receive carefully. Fraudulent messages often feature misspellings, poor grammar, and nonstandard English.

*Report e-mails you receive that purport to be from the FBI. Criminals often use the FBI’s name and seal to add legitimacy to their fraudulent schemes. In fact, the FBI does not send unsolicited e-mails to the public. Should you receive unsolicited messages that feature the FBI’s name, seal, or that reference a division or unit within the FBI or an individual employee, report it to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.