Citizens for Legitimate Government: 4 April 2013

Top scientists to Obama: Ban mutation experiments that will make avian flu more infectious 01 Apr 2013 A group of leading scientists -- including a Noble Prize winner -- has proclaimed that it is "ethically and morally" wrong to alter the deadly H5N1 virus to make it more contagious for research purposes, and have asked President Obama to ban it. "The accidental [not to mention, purposeful] release of an artificial, laboratory-generated, human-transmissible H5N1 virus into the community has the potential to cause a global pandemic of epic proportions that would dwarf the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic that killed over 50 million people," read a letter to the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. The petition was drafted by the Foundation for Vaccine Research (FVR), a scientific advocacy group, and numbered world-leading biologists among the 17 signatories, including Lord May, the former chief science advisor to the UK government, and Sir Richard Roberts, the recipient of the 1993 Nobel Prize for Medicine, for genetics research.

Bird Flu Strain Appears to Have Mutated to Infect Mammals --WHO: H7N9 virus has genetic markers that would help it infect people 03 Apr 2013 In a worrisome sign, a bird flu in China appears to have mutated so that it can spread to other animals, raising the potential for a bigger threat to people, scientists said Wednesday. In the wake of the illnesses, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention shared the genetic sequence of the H7N9 virus with other scientists to help study how the virus might behave in different animals and situations. One scientist said the sequence raises concern about a potential global epidemic, but that it's impossible to give a precise estimate of how likely that is.

Bird flu: Deaths cause scramble to probe virus's source [If they start with the labs at Fort Detrick, it'll be a big time-saver.] 01 Apr 2013 Health officials are scrambling to investigate a deadly new bird flu strain in China [H7N9] that has left two men dead and a woman fighting for her life, but so far, more questions than answers have emerged. Is this the front edge of a major pandemic or just another blip on the world's increasingly powerful radar for newly emerging viruses? One worry is that H7N9 could become like H5N1, the most famous of the avian flu strains that first emerged in Hong Kong in 1997.

Sequester this: U.S. to deploy anti-missile system to Guam 03 Apr 2012 The United States will deploy a sophisticated anti-missile defense system to Guam in response to North Korean threats to U.S. military bases in the Pacific, the Pentagon said Wednesday. The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD) is a relatively new land-based system designed to destroy incoming short, medium and intermediate-range missiles by crashing into them in the air. Only two batteries of the system, produced by Lockheed Martin, are currently deployed, both at Fort Bliss, Tex.

US sends missile defence to Guam on N. Korea 'threat' 03 Apr 2013 The Pentagon said on Wednesday it was sending an advanced ballistic missile defense system to Guam in the coming weeks, as U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel cited a “real and clear” danger from North Korea. North Korea has singled out U.S. military bases in Guam, a U.S. territory in the Pacific, and Hawaii among its potential targets in threats in recent weeks that have put the Korean peninsula on edge and triggered a change in the U.S. defense posture and missile defense planning. "Some of the actions they’ve taken over the last few weeks, present a real and clear danger," Hagel told an audience at the National Defense University in Washington.

US deploys second destroyer closer to North Korea coast 02 Apr 2013 The United States says it has deployed a second guided-missile destroyer in the Pacific to waters off the Korean Peninsula as tensions mount with North Korea. On Monday, US defense officials said that the USS John McCain was being positioned to operate off the Korean Peninsula. On Tuesday, Pentagon spokesman George Little said the McCain had arrived at a "pre-determined location" in the western Pacific. Little also said that the USS Decatur, another destroyer, had also been deployed in the western Pacific "to perform a missile defense mission as assigned by our combatant commander."

US Navy shifts destroyer to waters off Korean peninsula 01 Apr 2013 The U.S. Navy is shifting a guided-missile destroyer in the Pacific to waters off the Korean peninsula in the wake of ongoing rhetoric from North Korea, U.S. defense officials said. The USS McCain is capable of intercepting and destroying a missile, should North Korea decide to fire one off, the officials said. Still, U.S. defense officials insist that there is nothing to indicate that North Korea is on the verge of another launch.

U.S. Navy moving radar platform closer to North Korea's coast, Pentagon says 01 Apr 2013 The U.S. Navy is moving a warship and a sea-based radar platform closer to the North Korean coast in order to monitor that country's military moves, including possible new missile launches, a Defense Department official said Monday. The decision to move at least one ship and the oil rig-like SBX-1 are the first of what may be other naval deployments, CNN has learned. The United States has bolstered the exercises with shows of force that included overflights by nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers, massive Cold War-era B-52s and F-22 Raptor stealth fighters.

US officials confirm Afghan teenager stabbed American soldier 02 Apr 2013 US officials have confirmed that an Afghan teenager stabbed a 26-year-old American soldier to death in eastern Afghanistan. The officials said on Monday that the assailant stabbed Sgt. Michael Cable in the neck on Wednesday in the province of Nangarhar. The officials, who requested not to be named as they were not authorized to speak to the media, said the attacker was thought to be about 16 years old.

Banks Look to Set Up Branches in Iraq [Great. Now we'll be bailing out Bank of Amerika in Iraq.] 04 Apr 2013 According to the Web site of the Central Bank of Iraq, the country is served by 7 state-owned banks, 32 private banks and 15 foreign banks. But analysts say that a handful of state-owned banks -- and two in particular, Rafidain Bank and Rasheed Bank -- dominate 90 percent of the business. With access to public funds drawn from the oil industry, public banks are well capitalized. Private banks, on the other hand, must fight for deals in the hotly competitive infrastructure, construction and manufacturing sectors.

U.S. Lawmakers: CIA Should Keep Armed UAVs 01 Apr 2013 Pro-military lawmakers and U.S. analysts want the White House to resist shifting the CIA's armed unmanned aircraft program to the Pentagon, citing operational and legal reasons to keep the spy agency in the targeted-killing business. The Obama administration is mulling whether placing the U.S. military in charge of all aerial drone strikes -- largely run by the CIA in the post-9/11 era -- would allay intensifying legal concerns while increasing congressional and public scrutiny of the program. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers with national security credentials say they have major concerns about placing what has become America's top covert tool in the fight against 'al-Qaida' in the hands of the military.

Defense Secretary Hagel to take voluntary sequester pay cut 02 Apr 2013 Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will take a voluntary pay cut as a show of solidarity with Pentagon employees who will have to take unpaid time off over the coming months, a Defense Department spokesman said on Tuesday. Hagel will give back the equivalent of 14 days' pay to the government, Pentagon spokesman George Little said. That would come to about $10,750, based on Hagel's salary of $199,700. "My understanding is that there is a legal way to actually write a check, if you will, back to the U.S. Treasury," Little told reporters.

Ameren Nuclear Plant Accident Injures Three in Missouri 03 Apr 2013 Ameren Corp., owner of Missouri’s biggest utility, said three people were injured yesterday at its nuclear power plant. It was the second worker accident at a U.S. atomic facility this week. The accident involved an "electrical flash" in the switch-yard area of Ameren's Callaway Energy Center at 5:06 p.m. local time, the St. Louis-based company said in an e-mailed statement today. The three injured workers were transported to local hospitals, Ameren said. An emergency call reported burn victims, including two with burns to their faces, Callaway County Emergency Management Director Michelle Kidwell said in a telephone interview.

Almost third of US West Coast newborns hit with thyroid problems after Fukushima nuclear disaster 03 Apr 2013 Researchers have discovered that the Fukushima nuclear disaster has had far-reaching health effects more drastic than previously thought: young children born on the US West Coast are 28 percent more likely to develop congenital hyperthyroidism. In examining post-Fukushima conditions along the West Coast, researchers found American-born children to be developing similar conditions that some Europeans acquired after the 1986 meltdown of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. "Fukushima fallout appeared to affect all areas of the US, and was especially large in some, mostly in the western part of the nation," researchers from the New York-based Radiation and Health Project wrote in a study published by the Open Journal of Pediatrics.

4 arrested as Dutch search for alleged sarin nerve agent after tip 01 Apr 2013 Dutch police spent three days digging up a field after receiving a tip that sarin may have been buried there, but they found no trace of the deadly nerve agent, a prosecutor's office spokeswoman said Monday. Two men and two women have been arrested in the case in the southern city of Maastricht on suspicion of owning and concealing a deadly gas, spokeswoman Cindy Reijnders said in a telephone interview. She said police started monitoring a man's movements last week after a tip and arrested him Friday as he was about to start digging in a field just outside Maastricht, a city close to the Dutch border with Belgium.

Ft. Knox on heightened security alert following fatal shooting --The post was placed on a full 100 percent lockdown at 5:50 p.m., but is currently under a heightened security alert. 03 Apr 2013 Fort Knox is on a heightened security alert following a fatal shooting on post. According to Fort Knox PAO Kyle Hodges, Fort Knox police were alerted to a shooting in the parking lot outside of the Human Resource Command headquarters at 5:40 p.m. Wednesday. A press release from Hodges confirmed the victim was an Army civilian employee of the United States Army Human Resources Command. "Special Agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command are investigating a personal incident and not a random act of violence," said Chris Grey, spokesperson for the independent Army investigative agency.

West Virginia Sheriff Shot and Killed Outside Courthouse 03 Apr 2013 A West Virginia sheriff with a reputation for cracking down on drug dealers was shot in the head at point blank range and killed outside a county courthouse today, officials and witnesses said. Mingo County Sheriff Eugene Crum was shot and killed while sitting in his vehicle during his lunch break in the town of Williamson, state Delegate Harry Keith White told ABC News. A witness told ABC News that he watched the suspect approach Crum's car, where he was known to eat lunch, and fire twice into the vehicle. The suspect then calmly walked to his truck, and drove away.

2 With Gang Ties Sought in CO Prison Chief Death 04 Apr 2013 Authorities investigating the death of Colorado's prisons chief told law enforcement officers Wednesday to be on the lookout for two known associates of a white supremacist prison gang. James Lohr, 47, and Thomas Guolee, 31, aren't being called suspects in the death of Colorado Department of Corrections chief Tom Clements, but their names have surfaced during the investigation, El Paso County sheriff's Lt. Jeff Kramer said. An officer safety bulletin regarding the two was sent out Wednesday.

Conn. Legislature Approves Historic Gun Bill; Governor to Sign It Thursday at Noon 04 Apr 2013 After more than 13 hours of debate that was at moments impassioned and agonized, the General Assembly early Thursday approved an historic and far-reaching gun-control bill that proponents said was their toughest-in-the-nation response to the Dec. 14 Newtown school massacre. The state House of Representatives at 2:26 a.m. gave final legislative approval to the bill by a vote of 105 to 44, with 2 absent. Of the 98 House Democrats present, 13 voted no; and 31 of the 51 Republicans in the hall voted no. About eight hours earlier, the state Senate had approved it by a 26-10 vote – with two of 22 Democrats and eight of 14 Republicans opposed. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy (D) will sign the bipartisan bill into law at noon Thursday in the Old Judiciary Room on the third floor of the state Capitol.

Conn. creates nation's first statewide 'Dangerous Person' registry, in wake of Sandy Hook --Conn. Senate passes toughest U.S. gun laws 03 Apr 2013 The Connecticut Senate on Wednesday evening approved far-reaching gun control legislation that would be the toughest in the United States. It passed on a 26-10 vote and now heads to the House, which is to begin deliberations. Final approval is expected Wednesday night. The bill strengthens an existing ban on semiautomatic assault rifles, limits the capacity of ammo magazines, and require background checks for all weapon sales, including at gun shows. It would also establish the nation's first statewide registry for people convicted of crimes involving dangerous weapons.

Conn. legislature proposes toughest gun laws in the nation 01 Apr 2013 Connecticut will have the toughest gun-control laws in the nation, leaders of the House and Senate proclaimed Monday night, culminating weeks of secret bipartisan negotiations after the worst school shooting in the nation's history. The proposed law would require criminal background checks for every gun sale and expand the state's 1993 ban on assault weapons to include about 100 new models. It would also immediately ban the sale or purchase of magazines that could take more than 10 rounds of ammunition, and establish guidelines for storage and increased penalties for firearms trafficking. The sale or purchase of magazines that could take more than 10 rounds of ammunition would be immediately banned if the bill passes in a vote on Wednesday and is signed into law by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

Fox News reporter ordered to return to court over refusal to reveal sources in Colo. shooting case 01 Apr 2013 The FoxNews.com reporter who broke the exclusive story about a notebook that Colorado shooter James Holmes sent to his psychiatrist, then refused to reveal her sources under threat of jail, was ordered to return to the Aurora courtroom April 10, in a case experts say has chilling ramifications for the First Amendment. Arapahoe County District Judge Carlos Samour intends to question a detective for a second time about who leaked the notebook, and then could still put veteran reporter Jana Winter on the stand and try to compel her to reveal the sources of her story. Winter and attorneys for Fox News have resisted efforts by Holmes's defense team to make Winter reveal who may have violated a gag order issued by Judge William Sylvester, who reassigned the case to Samour.

Prosecution pushes death penalty for Colorado theater shooting suspect --Attorneys on both sides under gag order 01 Apr 2013 Prosecutors said Monday they will seek the death penalty for Colorado movie theater shooting suspect James Holmes despite his offer last week to plead guilty in exchange for avoiding a death sentence. The trial was originally scheduled for August, but a judge Monday pushed back the start date to February 3, and said it could be delayed further. Holmes faces 166 counts of murder and attempted murder for last year's shooting [false flag] at an Aurora movie theater that left 12 people dead and 58 wounded.

Mega barf alert *and* gag me with a chainsaw: Obama to attend George W. Bush presidential library opening 03 Apr 2013 President Barack Obama will join all four living former U.S. presidents at ceremonies marking the opening of George W. Bush's presidential library later this month, the White House said on Wednesday. It will mark the first time since January 2009 that the so-called "presidents club" has gotten together. [Yeah, 'so-called' because Bush was never elected, but instead installed by his friends on the 'Supreme' Court and then by the election-rigging GOP in Ohio] Obama and former presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton will gather in Dallas at Southern Methodist University for the younger Bush's event on April 25. [Now, aside from 'The Pet Goat' which Bush chose to read as Cheney gave the command for NORAD to stand down on 9/11, what 'book' since September 11, 2001, has George W. Bush read? LOL, it's ludicrous to assume that Bush 'reads.' BTW, regarding Benghazi: Can you IMAGINE the uproar if Obama sat for a *half-hour* while the United States was 'under attack' -- and did *zippo?* LOL, the hypocritical talking heads at Faux News would be exploding all over Manhattan if a Democrat did what Bush did and didn't do on that day. --LRP]

Obama picks Goldman Sachs exec for ambassador to Canada 03 Apr 2013 U.S. President Barack Obama has selected a partner at the investment firm of Goldman Sachs in Chicago to be the new U.S. ambassador to Canada, CBC News has learned. Sources tell CBC News Network's Power & Politics that Bruce Heyman has accepted the job but still has to pass a vetting process in order to be be formally nominated. His confirmation will be up to the U.S. Congress. Heyman runs the private wealth fund at Goldman Sachs and his areas of responsibility include parts of Canada.

Mark Sanford wins GOP nomination in South Carolina 02 Apr 2013 The former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford has cleared another hurdle in his bid for a political comeback, winning the Republican nomination for a vacant seat in the House of Representatives. Sanford's political career was derailed four years ago when he disappeared from the state and later admitted to an extramarital affair with an Argentinian woman – they are now engaged. With 96% of precincts reporting, Sanford had about 57% of the primary vote to 43% for Curtis Bostic, a former Charleston county council member. Sanford will face the Democratic candidate, Elizabeth Colbert Busch, in a May special election.

Beijing Prepares for Avian Flu 02 Apr 2013 A decade after the deadly SARS virus wrought havoc in Beijing and other Chinese cities, hospitals in China's capital are gearing up in the event that another pandemic begins to spread. Following news that at least two men in Shanghai have died from the H7N9 avian flu virus--the first known human deaths from the virus--the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Public Health released a statement that medical facilities in China's capital are now taking extra precautions to screen for the virus, as Xinhua News reported on Tuesday. Beijing hospitals are already stocking up on relevant medical equipment, stepping up screenings, and preparing for the possibility of avian flu-related emergencies.

China: Four More Cases of New Bird Flu Strain 02 Apr 2013 China has confirmed that four more people in one province are seriously ill with a bird flu virus new to humans that has already killed two people. The health bureau of eastern Jiangsu province said on its website that three women, aged 45, 48 and 32, and an 83-year-old man, from different cities in the province, were all critically ill with the H7N9 virus. The four cases did not appear to be connected, and people who have had close contact with the patients have not reported any symptoms, it said.

Greenpeace protest 'polar bear' floats past Kremlin 01 Apr 2013 A Greenpeace activist in a polar bear suit has floated along the Moscow River past the Kremlin before being briefly detained in a stunt by the environmental group to protest against energy exploration in Russia's Arctic waters. The activist in a furry white suit stood on a white air cushion designed to look like an ice floe with signs reading "Help!" and "Arctic not for Sale" before a river patrol came out in a motorboat and bundled the activist inside. The activist was later released from a police station with no charge, Greenpeace said on Twitter, adding that "the crimes are being committed in the Arctic."

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