Citizens for Legitimate Government: 19 May 2013

Pentagon Spec Ops Chief Sees '10 to 20' More Years of War Against al-Qaida 16 May 2013 The Pentagon's chief of irregular warfare still sees a war against al-Qaida that will last decades, all over the world -- a prospect that prompted astonishment and constitutional debate in the Senate. Asked at a Senate hearing today how long the war on terrorism will last, Michael Sheehan, the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, answered, "at least 10 to 20 years." It was just two months ago that the top U.S. intelligence official testified that al-Qaida [al-CIAduh] had been battered by the U.S. into a state of disarray... Yet a spokeswoman, Army Col. Anne Edgecomb, clarified that Sheehan meant the conflict is likely to last 10 to 20 more years from today -- atop the 12 years that the conflict has already lasted.

The 9/11 Phone Calls: Disturbing Irregularities Uncovered in the Calls that Flashed around the World 16 May 2013 The 9/11 Consensus Panel offers four evidence-based Points about the alleged phone calls from the 9/11 flights. The famous "let's roll" drama of the passenger revolt on UA 93 was relayed by passenger Todd Beamer's 13-minute unrecorded seat-back call to GTE telephone supervisor Lisa Jefferson, who reported Beamer as strangely tranquil, declining to speak to his wife. Eerily, Beamer's line remained open for 15 minutes after the crash. Oddly, the Verizon wireless record shows that 19 calls were made from Beamer's cell phone long after the crash of UA 93. Initial media reports and FBI interviews detailed more than a dozen cell phone calls from the planes at high elevation. Yet in 2001, a telephone spokesperson stated that sustained mobile calls were not possible above 10,000 feet.

France to buy US-made Reaper drones for use in Mali - Report 18 May 2013 France has plans to purchase US-made unarmed Reaper surveillance drones in a bid to back up its military operations against fighters in the crisis-hit African country, Mali, a report says. According to the report published by Air et Cosmos specialist magazine on Friday, France will buy two American medium-altitude Reaper drones following a deal reached between Paris and Washington. The report added that the French Air Force, which has already deployed Israeli-made armed unmanned drones to the West African nation, intends to acquire more modern drones rapidly.

Russia discloses identity of top CIA spy in Moscow 18 May 2013 Russia has publicized the identity of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)'s chief in the Russian capital, Moscow, as a spy row deepens between Washington and Moscow. A spokesman for Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) on Friday revealed the name of the CIA station chief in Moscow to Russia's Interfax news agency. The name of the CIA chief appeared in a quote from the spokesman in a Russian-language article. The spymaster's name was, however, removed from the quote in an English-language version.

FSB: CIA crossed 'red line' with agent Fogle 17 May 2013 The CIA has crossed a certain 'red line' in professional ethics of intelligence as American spy Ryan Fogle attempted to recruit a Russian agent, an FSB operative told RT. "In case with Fogle, the CIA crossed the red line and we had no choice but to react observing official procedures," a representative of the Russian Security Service, the FSB, said in an interview with RT. The spy story broke earlier this week after it was made public that Fogle -- who had worked under the guise of a third secretary at the US Embassy in Moscow -- was detained after being caught red-handed trying to recruit a Russian intelligence officer for the CIA.

North Korea fires projectile into eastern waters 19 May 2013 North Korea fired a projectile into waters off its eastern coast Sunday, a day after launching three short-range missiles in the same area, officials said. North Korea routinely test-launches short-range missiles. North Korea protested annual joint military drills by Seoul and Washington and U.N. sanctions imposed over its February nuclear test.

N. Korea fires 3 short-range guided missiles into its eastern waters, South reports 18 May 2013 North Korea on Saturday launched three short-range guided missiles off its eastern coast, South Korea's National Defense Ministry said. Ministry officials said the North fired its missiles toward the northeast -- away from the South -- where they then dropped into the sea. Japan said the missiles did not fall into its waters. The North launched two missiles in the morning and a third in the afternoon, the South said.

Mega barf alert! Karzai says US can establish military bases in Afghanistan 19 May 2013 Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said the United States can establish military bases in Afghanistan after the two sides sign US-Afghan bilateral security agreement. Karzai made the demand during a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday. The Afghan president said the agreement could be reached on condition that the US ensures lasting peace in the country.

Powerful blast hits governor's compound in northern Afghanistan 19 May 2013 Several people are feared dead or injured after a huge explosion rocked a governor's compound in northern Afghanistan, Press TV reports. Afghan security sources said the explosion took place in the vicinity of the governor's compound in the capital city of Sar-e Pol Province in the country's north on Sunday evening. Eyewitnesses say thick plumes of smoke were seen rising from the governor's complex.

Fifteen killed by suicide bomber in Kabul --Two Nato troops, four contractors killed in attack 17 May 2013 A suicide bomber drove his explosives-packed Toyota Corolla into armoured SUVs carrying Nato troops and civilians through Kabul, killing six passengers and nine Afghan civilian passersby, two of them children. The attack was the deadliest in Kabul this year, ripping through morning traffic in the western side of the Afghan capital at the peak of the morning rush hour. The blast was so loud it echoed across the city, and a huge plume of smoke rose from the debris as helicopters, US military vehicles and Afghan security services rushed to the site.

Fresh wave of violence kills 16 people in Iraq 19 May 2013 At least 16 people have been killed in a fresh wave of violence in Iraq, one day after multiple bomb blasts left over 60 people dead in the country. The deadliest attack occurred when gunmen broke into the house of an anti-terrorism police captain in a southern suburb of Baghdad on Saturday. The armed men killed Captain Adnan Ibrahim, his wife and two children, aged eight and 10. The attackers fled the scene, and killed another policeman who tried to stop them at a nearby checkpoint.

Bombs targeting Sunnis kill at least 76 in Iraq 17 May 2013 Bombs struck Sunni districts in Baghdad and surrounding areas Friday, killing at least 76 people in the deadliest day in Iraq in more than eight months, officials said, as a spike in [mercenary-generated] violence has created fears that the country could be on the path to a new round of sectarian bloodshed. The attacks in Baghdad and surrounding areas pushed the three-day Iraqi death toll to 130. Tensions have intensified since Sunnis began protesting what they say is mistreatment at the hands of the [US-installed] Shiite-led government regime, including random detentions and neglect [and shutting down the press]. [See: KBR Tells U.S. Army It Will Cost $500 Million and Take 13 Years to Close Its Iraq Contract.]

Israel plans to legalize 4 settler units in occupied West Bank 18 May 2013 An Israeli court document shows that the Tel Aviv government is planning to legalize four housing settlements already built in the occupied West Bank. In a reply to a Supreme Court petition by the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now, the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it had adopted measures in recent weeks to legalize retroactively four West Bank settlements, which were constructed without official authorization, the court document showed on Thursday. Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for acting Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the Israeli plan.

At Guantanamo, a costly confinement --Military about to spend millions more to 'upgrade' Guantanamo prison camp 17 May 2013 Not only has Guantanamo Bay become a lightning rod for America's critics -- it's no prize for America's taxpayers, either. Running the prison camp costs the Pentagon more than $150 million a year -- just over $900,000 for each of the 166 detainees at the facility, located on a Navy base on the eastern end of Cuba. By comparison, costs for a typical federal prison inmate run about $25,000 a year; at the "supermax" prison in Colorado that holds domestic terrorists Eric Rudolph and Ted Kaczynski, it's about $60,000. The military is about to spend millions more to upgrade the prison camp.

7 Foreign Chemical Engineers Caught Trespassing at Boston Water Supply --Patrols Stepped Up Across State 14 May 2013 Shortly after midnight Tuesday, seven people were caught trespassing at the Quabbin Reservoir. State Police say the five men and two women are from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore, and "cited their education and career interests" for being in the area. The men told police they were chemical engineers and recent college graduates. The Quabbin, in Belchertown, is one of the country's largest man-made public water supplies. Boston’s drinking water comes from the Quabbin and the Wachusett Reservoirs... The FBI is investigating and routine checks of public water supplies have been increased following the incident.

Much like the fortuitous Mohamed Atta passport 'find:' Boston bombings suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev left note in boat he hid in, sources say 16 May 2013 Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev left a note claiming responsibility for the April 13 attack on the Boston Marathon, reports CBS News. Sources tell CBS News that Tsarnaev wrote the note in the boat he was hiding in as police pursued him, and as he bled from gunshot wounds sustained in an earlier shootout between police and his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev. It reads as part manifesto, part suicide note, and part justification for the killing and maiming of innocent civilians. The note -- scrawled with a marker on the interior wall of the cabin -- said the bombings were retribution for U.S. military action in Afghanistan and Iraq, and called the Boston victims "collateral damage" in the same way Muslims have been in the American-led wars. "When you attack one Muslim, you attack all Muslims," Tsarnaev Craft International wrote.

Request to photograph Boston bombing suspect denied 18 May 2013 A federal magistrate has refused a request from lawyers for the surviving Boston Marathon bombing suspect that would allow them to take "current and periodic" photographs of him, which would have been kept from the government. In an order on Friday, Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler said Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's request "fails to establish that future photographs are subject to the attorney client privilege." Tsarnaev, 19, is hospitalized at a federal prison facility northwest of Boston after being captured and charged in connection with the April 15 bombing attack.

Boise Man Arrested on Terrorism Charges 16 May 2013 A Boise man appears in federal court at 8:30 Friday morning on terrorism charges. Fazladdin Kurbanov, 30, was arrested Thursday in Boise at an apartment complex near Borah High School. The arrest comes after an investigation by the FBI out of Salt Lake City and the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Kurbanov's Idaho indictment has three counts. The first two are conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization.

Justice Dept. Lost Track of Terrorists, Report Says 17 May 2013 The Justice Department temporarily lost track of two former terrorists who had participated in its witness protection program and until recently did not disclose the fictitious identities it created for terrorism-linked witnesses to the agency that generates watch lists, allowing some who were on the no-fly list to take commercial flights under their new names, according to a new report. A public summary of the classified report, issued Thursday by the office of the Justice Department's independent inspector general, Michael Horowitz, revealed that the internal watchdog raised alarms with senior department officials in early 2012 about how the witness protection program was dealing with terrorism-related witnesses, leading to an overhaul of its procedures.

Hundreds of CT kindergarten students suspended from school --At least 1,967 students age 6 and under were suspended last school year -- almost all of them black or Hispanic. 17 May 2013 It started with a report to the state's Office of the Child Advocate that a child had been expelled from preschool. Jamey Bell, the child advocate, saw no reason why a child that young should be suspended, and wanted to know how widespread the problem was. She also had learned that a 7-year-old had been arrested while at school. According to a report from the Connecticut Department of Education, the number of students suspended is actually higher, but privacy issues restrict the state agency from releasing information that could identify unique student information.

Hofstra student was killed by police - Authorities 19 May 2013 A New York college student being held by an armed home intruder was shot and killed by a Nassau County police officer who had responded to a report of a home invasion at an off-campus home, police said Saturday. Andrea Rebello was shot once in the head Friday morning by an officer who opened fire after the masked intruder, Dalton Smith, pointed a gun at the officer while holding the 21-year-old junior in a headlock, Nassau County homicide squad Lt. John Azzata said. The Nassau County police officer fired eight shots at Smith, Azzata said.

Police arrest Anonymous suspects in Italy 17 May 2013 Italian police arrested four suspected hackers Friday, accusing them of having taken control of the Italian branch of the Anonymous network. The alleged hackers, aged between 20 and 34, were placed under house arrest near the northern cities of Bologna, Turin and Venice, and in the southern town of Lecce. Six more people were placed formally under investigation and a total of 10 premises were raided at the conclusion of a two-year police investigation code-named "Tango Down."

Wisconsin bill would ban mandatory flu shots --5 states considering legislation that would either require either require workers to get vaccinated for flu or order employers to make vaccine available, according to National Conference of State Legislatures 19 May 2013 Wisconsin employers, including hospitals, nursing homes and other health care agencies, could no longer require workers to get flu shots under a bill pending in the Legislature. Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt, R-Fond du Lac, said he began drafting the legislation after several hospital workers and health care contractors in his district complained they were fired after refusing to be vaccinated. The bill would require employers to provide information about the risks and benefits of vaccination and allow employees reasonable time to consider it. They could not demote, suspend, discharge or discriminate against employees who refuse. "No one should have to choose between losing employment and having a large, ineffective vaccine injected into their body," Thiesfeldt said in a memo attached to the proposal. [Exactly!]

Puzzling! Swine flu virus detected in elephant seals off West Coast --'The question is, where did it come from?' 18 May 2013 The H1N1 [lab-generated] virus strain that caused a 2009 swine flu outbreak in humans was detected in northern elephant seals off the coast of central California. Scientists say this is the first time marine mammals have been found to carry the H1N1 flu strain, which originated in pigs. The seals seem to have picked up the virus while at sea, but it's unclear how this happened. "We thought we might find influenza viruses, which have been found before in marine mammals, but we did not expect to find pandemic H1N1," Tracey Goldstein, an associate professor with the UC Davis One Health Institute and Wildlife Health Center, said in a statement.

5.9 earthquake strikes Japan off Fukushima coast 18 May 2013 (MI) An earthquake with a magnitude measured at 5.9 by Japan's Meteorological Agency has struck the northeast of the country. The epicenter was close to the Fukushima coast and only 200km from Tokyo, causing buildings in the capital to shake. The quake struck at 2:48 pm (05:48 GMT) in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 50km (31 miles) from land. The United States Geological Survey recorded the earthquake as being of magnitude 6.1, with a depth of 33km (20.5 miles). Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s two nuclear plants in the prefecture reported no immediate irregularities as a result of the quake, according to the local Kyodo news agency.

Radioactive leak found at Palisades Nuclear Power Plant 17 May 2013 Investigators have discovered a half-inch long crack around a nozzle on one of the tanks of the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant, and have attributed the crack to the water leakage that spilled radioactive water into Lake Michigan on May 5. The plant, which is located on the shore of the Great Lake and operated by Entergy, was shut down after the water tank exceeded its site threshold and leaked. Authorities say the crack led to about 79 gallons of "slightly [?] radioactive water" spilling from the Palisades plant into the lake, WOOD-TV reports. The leak came from a 300,000-gallon injection and refueling tank, which floods and cools the nuclear reactor with borated water during refueling outages. It also removes heat from the reactor when there is a loss of coolant by sourcing the safety injection system.

Inspectors find radioactive leak at Entergy nuclear plant 16 May 2013 U.S. inspectors have found the source of a [radioactive] water leak that forced the shutdown of Entergy Corp.'s Palisades Nuclear Power Plant is on the Lake Michigan shoreline. The inspection has turned up a crack about half-inch-long around a nozzle. New Orleans-based Entergy idled the plant May 5 , 2013, after operators found a tank leaking faster than regulations allow. Some slightly [?] radioactive water entered Lake Michigan, but the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says there's no health risk. ['Slightly radioactive.' Is that like being 'a little bit pregnant?']

Two Dozen NRC Inspectors at Browns Ferry 17 May 2013 (GA) The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has a team of inspectors going over the overall operation of TVA's Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant near Athens. Almost two dozens NRC inspectors will spend the next two weeks verifying safety procedures at the plant. This action stems from a critical safety issue discovered almost three years ago. In the fall of 2010, a water intake valve at Browns Ferry was found to be malfunctioning. It had been out of operation for roughly 18 months, according to the NRC. That water intake system is a crucial component, should there be another fire at the plant.

North Carolina nuclear plant shut down after crack discovered 17 May 2013 A nuclear plant near North Carolina's capital city was shut down after operators reviewing ultrasonic tests from last year found the results showed tiny marks of corrosion and cracking that need repair, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said. Operators at the Shearon Harris plant on Wednesday found a quarter-inch flaw in the covering of the reactor vessel, which contains superheated steam produced by the nuclear reaction's energy. NRC inspectors will want to ask plant owner Duke Energy Corp. -- which acquired the 26-year-old plant through its buyout last year of Progress Energy -- why the testing performed during a spring refueling outage last year didn't find the problem, agency spokesman Roger Hannah said Thursday.

Shell and BP bosses met in secret to fix oil prices - whistleblower 18 May 2013 The ex-boss of Shell held top-secret meetings with the BP chief, an insider claimed last night. Jeroen van der Veer entertained John Browne strictly ALONE at his London HQ once a year, a former Shell worker said. The whistleblower claimed the office was swept for bugs before the talks, lasting nearly two hours. The firms face claims of 'price fixing'. He added: “The security around their meetings was incredible. There was lock-down. The whole floor was a no-go area for anyone else... "It's common knowledge they were talking about oil prices." Offices of both companies were raided this week in a probe over price fixing allegations going back a decade. It is feared it could have cost Britain's 31million drivers up to 10,000 pounds each.

Mountain of Petroleum Coke From Oil Sands Rises in Detroit 18 May 2013 Assumption Park gives residents of this city lovely views of the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit skyline. Lately they've been treated to another sight: a three-story pile of petroleum coke covering an entire city block on the other side of the Detroit River. Detroit's ever-growing black mountain is the unloved, unwanted and long overlooked byproduct of Canada's oil sands boom. And no one knows quite what to do about it, except Koch Carbon, which owns it. The company is controlled by Charles and David Koch, wealthy industrialists terrorists who back a number of conservative and libertarian causes including activist groups that challenge the science behind climate change global warming. The company sells the high-sulfur, high-carbon waste, usually overseas, where it is burned as fuel. "What is really, really disturbing to me is how some companies treat the city of Detroit as a dumping ground," said Rashida Tlaib, the Michigan state representative for that part of Detroit.

Texas sues BP, others over oil spill 17 May 2013 Texas on Friday became the latest state to sue BP, Halliburton and others tied to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, alleging the parties "engaged in willful and wanton misconduct" and seeking penalties and damages "to the fullest extent allowed by law." The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Beaumont, more than three years after one of the worst oil spills in American history. Listed defendants include Transocean, Halliburton and Anadarko, in addition to BP America.

Official: Broken rail eyed in Conn. train crash 18 May 2013 Officials investigating a train collision in Connecticut have ruled out foul play and are studying a rail fracture where a derailed commuter train was struck by another bound for New York City. National Transportation Safety Board member Earl Weener says the broken rail is of substantial interest to investigators and a portion of the track will be sent to a lab for analysis. Weener says he won't speculate on the cause of the derailment.

Sixty injured, 5 critically, after trains collide outside NYC 17 May 2013 Five people were hospitalized in critical condition Friday and dozens more were treated for less serious injuries after a commuter train headed from New York City to suburban Connecticut derailed and hit a train headed in the opposite direction, officials said. Gov. Dannel Malloy updated the casualty figures late Friday after he arrived at the scene near the Fairfield, Conn., station about 50 miles north of New York City.

Head of Fort Campbell Harassment Program Arrested 17 May 2013 The manager of the sexual harassment and assault response program at Fort Campbell, Ky., was arrested in a domestic dispute and relieved of his post, authorities said Thursday. Lt. Col. Darin Haas turned himself in to police in Clarksville, Tenn., late Wednesday on charges of violating an order of protection, and stalking, authorities said Thursday. Master Sgt. Pete Mayes, a spokesman for the massive Army post on the Tennessee-Kentucky line, said Haas was immediately removed as manager of a program meant to prevent sexual harassment and assault and encourage equal opportunity.

Senator Pushes Repeal of Secret 'Monsanto Protection Act' 16 May 2013 Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) is planning to push an amendment to the upcoming farm bill that would repeal the secret provision known as the Monsanto Protection Act, a rider attached anonymously to a spending bill that sailed through Congress in March. An outcry greeted the news of the legislation once the public learned that it had been passed by Congress with no debate and signed into law by President Barack Obama. The provision allows Monsanto and other companies terrorist groups to continue selling genetically engineered seeds, even if a court has blocked them from doing so. Merkley will press for a floor vote on his repeal amendment when the farm bill is taken up next week, a Merkley aide told HuffPost.

Deaf, Blind Dog Kicked Out of Calif. Park 24 Apr 2013 (Orcutt, CA) A fragile dog kicked out of a local park because of its size. The owner takes "Billy" to Woof Park where a sign used to allow 'small and timid' dogs. But now that sign reads 'small dogs' only. Marty Niles says her dog Billy has been going to the small dog park at Waller Park for more than a year but was kicked out last week because he was too big. For Niles, it's a struggle just to get Billy out of the car. "He can't see," says Niles. "He bumps into the walls." This is Billy's favorite park but last week, Niles says Billy was kicked out. "A park ranger showed up and said this is for small dogs only and tried to explain to the park ranger that Bill is not only deaf but he's nearly totally blind," says Niles.

Let Blind, Deaf Dog Back in His Favorite Park! 19 May 2013 Billy the dog doesn't play rough. He's older, blind, and deaf, which means that dogs his size tend to bully and scare him. So for several years, his owner has been taking him to the "small or timid dog" section of the local dog park. Last week, though, a park ranger told Billy's owner that Billy had to play with the big dogs or get out. He said that Billy's section of the park was for small dogs only, and that it didn't matter that Billy's disability meant that he couldn't protect himself if any dogs his own size decided to get rowdy.

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