[PAA-Discuss] FW: Obama to fund Israel's missile system 14 May 2010

Mon May 17 21:01:40 EDT 2010

Breaking News and 
Commentary from Citizens for Legitimate Government
14 May 2010
http://www.legitgov.org
All links are here:
http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news

Obama to fund Israel's missile system 14 May 
2010 US President Barack Obama wants Congress to pay Israel more than $200 
million to fund a new missile system, the White House spokesman says. Obama has 
asked Congress to approve the aid so that Israel could deploy a controversial 
missile system called the "Iron Dome." White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said 
on Thursday that Washington recognizes the need [?!?] for Israel to have such a 
system. [So why the f*ck do *we* have to pay for 
it?]

Fungus hits Afghan opium poppies [Oh 
dear. The CIA must be *devastated.*] 13 May 2010 A 
serious disease is affecting opium poppies in Afghanistan, Antonio Maria Costa, 
the head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has said. Mr Costa told the 
BBC that this year's opium production could be reduced by a quarter, compared 
with last year. He said the disease - a fungus - is thought to have infected 
about half of the country's poppy crop. Afghanistan produces 92% of the world's 
opium. Mr Costa said opium prices had gone up by around 50% in the 
region. [Oh, OK, lol. Maybe not so much.]

General sees no winner in Afghan war 
[That's code for 'the war has been lost, but we don't 
want to leave so we can continue to fund Blackwater and DynCorp.'] 14 
May 2010 The top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley 
McChrystal, says neither coalition forces nor the Taliban are winning the war in 
the country. "I'd be prepared to say nobody is winning at this point," General 
McChrystal said in an interview with PBS radio in Washington on Thursday. In a 
blunt assessment of the war, General McChrystal admitted that after last year, 
the militants were ahead in the nine-year war.

Unlimited Talk, Only $679 Million: Inside the No-Bid Deal 
for Afghan Interpreters By Noah Shactman 12 May 2010 Earlier this 
week, the U.S. Army handed the Columbus, Ohio, company [Mission Essential 
Personnel] a one-year, no-bid $679 million extension of its current contract to 
field a small city’s worth of translators to help out American forces in 
Afghanistan. Not bad for a company that’s been accused of everything from 
abandoning wounded employees to sending out-of-shape interpreters to the front 
lines. MEP vigorously rejects the charges. ...[W]ith this new "indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity with cost-plus-award 
fee" contract extension, MEP is guaranteed another year as the dominant 
player in the translation market there.

US military plans mobile phone network for south 
Afghanistan 12 May 2010 The US military plans to set up mobile 
phone antennas in southern Afghanistan to replace towers that have been shut 
down by Taliban militants, a US official said on Wednesday. The mobile phone 
antennas will be set up at military bases across the south to counter the Taliban give US 
corporaterrorists more over-funded contracts, which has blown up or 
forced the closure of most cellular phone antennas in Kandahar and Helmand 
provinces, the official said. [We can't get the money to fix 
US infrastructure, but we can build mobile phone towers in Afghanistan -- so 
Blackwater can blow them up, blame 'al-Qaeda,' and rebuild them again? 
--LRP]

3 NATO soldiers fall in Afghanistan 14 May 
2010  The war in Afghanistan has claimed the lives of three foreign 
soldiers amid an upsurge in attacks against the US-led troops in the country. 
NATO said in a statement on Friday that troops were killed in separate attacks 
over the past 24 hours. A Canadian trooper died in a blast while on a foot 
patrol in the southern province of Kandahar.

Bomb attacks at Iraqi stadium kill 25 14 May 
2010 Two consecutive explosions during a football match at a crowded stadium in 
the northern Iraq kill 25 people and wound some 100 others. The blasts occurred 
in the town of Tal Afar, west of the violence-hit city of Mosul on Friday, AFP 
reported. Witnesses said some 250 people were attending the event, with no 
security personnel guarding the stadium.

'Obama funding Israel for new war' 14 May 
2010 US President Barak Obama has asked Congress to pay $205 million for 
Israel's latest missile system, called the 'Iron dome'. Tel Aviv completed tests 
in January on its short-range anti-missile system which is designed to intercept 
short-range rockets and artillery shells. President Obama argues that Israel 
must have such a system.

Report: Israel training to block Freedom 
Fleet 12 May 2010  Israel's naval forces are allegedly in 
training to prepare to seize eight boats scheduled to dock in the Gaza Strip on 
24 May from Europe, Arabic-language media reported on Wednesday. "About half of 
the Israeli naval forces will participate in an operation that was approved by 
the cabinet. [Israeli] Defense Minister Ehud Barak will supervise the 
operation," an Israeli official told the Arabic-language satellite TV station 
Al-Hurra.

Israel deliberately destroyed Gaza 13 May 
2010 Human Rights Watch says it has proof Israeli soldiers deliberately 
destroyed Palestinian homes and buildings during the 2008-09 assault on Gaza. 
HRW, in its 116-page report, 'I Lost Everything': Israel's Unlawful 
Destruction of Property in the Gaza Conflict, says it has documented 12 
separate cases of such during the 22-day "Operation Cast Lead". The report, 
released Thursday, said there is evidence that Israeli forces destroyed civilian 
property, including homes, factories, farms, and greenhouses, in areas under 
their control although there was no fighting in that area or the fighting had 
stopped.

Israel seeks to silence dissent 
--Repressive practices long used in the West Bank and Gaza are now being used to 
limit civil liberties within Israel By Ben White 11 May 2010 Last 
Thursday, in the early hours of the morning, a Palestinian community leader's 
home was raided by Israeli security forces. In front of his family, the wanted 
man was hauled off to detention without access to a lawyer, while his home and 
offices were ransacked and property confiscated. While this sounds like an 
all-too typical occurrence in West Bank villages such as Bil'in and Beit Omar, 
in fact, the target in question this time was Ameer Makhoul, a Palestinian 
citizen of Israel and head of internationally renowned NGO network 
Ittijah.

U.S. Decision to Approve Killing of American Citizen 
Causes Unease [It should cause the second American 
Revolution.] 13 May 2010 The Obama administration’s decision to 
authorize the killing by the Central Intelligence Agency of a terrorism suspect 
who is an American citizen has set off a debate over the legal and political 
limits of drone missile strikes, a mainstay of the campaign against terrorism. 
The notion that the government can, in effect, execute one of its own citizens 
far from a combat zone, with no judicial process and based on secret 
intelligence, makes some legal authorities deeply uneasy.

Spanish prosecutors want 13 CIA agents 
arrested 12 May 2010 Spanish prosecutors are asking a judge to 
issue arrest warrants for 13 CIA agents who they believe were involved in the 
spy agency’s 2004 "extraordinary rendition" of a German citizen, according to 
Spain's El Pais newspaper. Prosecutors claim jurisdiction in the case because 
CIA personnel who handled the rendition kidnapping of Khaled 
El-Masri had a stopover in Majorca en route to Macedonia. El-Masri has said he 
was taken to Afghanistan, where he was tortured for several months and then 
released when the CIA realized it had been a case of mistaken identity.

Judge Baltasar Garzón suspended over Franco 
investigation --Move against Spanish magistrate, who 
pursued Pinochet over human rights abuses, seen as politically 
motivated 14 May 2010 The stellar career of the crusading Spanish judge 
Baltasar Garzón may have come to an abrupt end today after he was suspended from 
his post as an investigating magistrate at Madrid's national court. The higher 
council of judicial power, which oversees Spain's judges, temporarily suspended 
Garzón while the supreme court tries him on charges of distorting the law by 
opening an investigation into crimes against humanity carried out by the Franco 
regime.

81st Civil Support Team Conducts Exercise at Minot Air 
Force Base 07 May 2010 North Dakota's 81st Civil Support Team 
dispatched personnel and equipment though blustery winds to Minot Air Force Base 
May 5, to practice air load operations onto a C-17 Globemaster sent from McChord 
Air Force Base, Wash. While the CST is configured to assist local incident 
commanders in events known or suspected to involve weapons of mass destruction, 
it also responds regionally to augment other states. CSTs are divided into six 
different sectors throughout the country in order to supplement partner states 
should a chemical, biological or radiological event [is made to] occur.

Obama wants $80 bln to upgrade nuclear arms 
complex 13 May 2010 U.S. President Barack Obama sent a landmark 
arms-reduction treaty with Russia to the Senate on Thursday for ratification and 
called for $80 billion in nuclear funding, which could help win opposition 
support. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the funds, which would be spent 
over a decade, were needed to "rebuild and sustain America's aging nuclear 
stockpile."

Alcohol 'more of a problem for returning troops than 
stress disorder' 13 May 2010 Alcohol abuse is a bigger problem than 
post-traumatic stress disorder for British servicemen and women deployed in war 
zones, a study has concluded. British Forces sent to Afghanistan and Iraq are 22 
per cent more likely to drink "hazardous" levels of alcohol than troops who were 
not deployed, researchers from King’s College London said. The findings, 
published in The Lancet medical journal, show that rates of 
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health problems have 
remained broadly stable since 2003.

PTSD diagnosis could appear on driver's 
licenses 09 May 2010 Some Georgians could soon be carrying a unique 
driver’s license – one that says they have post-traumatic stress disorder. 
Lawmakers recently passed legislation that would allow current and former 
military to request the PTSD designation on their driver’s licenses. The 
legislation, which has to be signed by the governor to become law, would likely 
make Georgia the first state with a driver’s license that denotes a specific 
health problem, other than poor eyesight.

Bomb blast rocks Athens amid heightened 
tensions 13 May 2010 A bomb has exploded outside one of Greece's 
highest security prisons, injuring two people and damaging homes and shops up to 
four blocks away, Athens police said Thursday. The bomb was placed inside a 
garbage container alongside a wall at the Korydallos prison. The explosion could 
be heard several kilometers away, a witness told news agency Reuters.

Bankers jailed, sued as Iceland seeks culprits for 
crisis 12 May 2010 More than a year and a half after Iceland's 
major banks failed, all but sinking the country's economy, police have begun 
rounding up a number of top bankers while other former executives and owners 
face a two-billion-dollar lawsuit. Since Iceland's three largest banks -- 
Kaupthing, Landsbanki and Glitnir -- collapsed in late 2008, their former 
executives and owners have largely been living untroubled lives 
abroad.

Pakistani men held over links to Times Square bomb 
suspect, says FBI 14 May 2010 Two Pakistani men arrested in raids 
in Massachusetts yesterday have a direct connection to the Times Square bomb 
plot suspect, officials said. The men, held on immigration charges during one of 
a series of FBI raids, are alleged to have provided funds to Faisal Shahzad 
through the hawala system of Islamic money transfer. Officials said that a third 
man was taken into custody on suspicion of immigration violations during raids 
believed to be the result of the questioning of Mr Shahzad, who was arrested 
last week.

FBI busts three following raids across Northeast in Times 
Square bomb plot 13 May 2010 Three Pakistani men who authorities 
say supplied funds to Times Square car bomb suspect Faisal Shahzad were arrested 
today in a series of raids across the Northeast as the FBI followed the money 
trail in the failed attack. Investigators said it was not yet clear whether the 
three men who gave money knew how the money was going to be used. The feds 
raised homes on Long Island, New Jersey, Maine and in the Boston suburbs this 
morning.

Authorities search Boston area home, gas station in NYC 
bomb case 13 May 2010 Federal agents searched a home in Watertown 
and a gas station in Brookline and arrested two people today in connection with 
the investigation of the attempted bombing in Times Square earlier this month, 
authorities said. FBI spokeswoman Gail Marcinkiewicz said search warrants had 
been executed at "several locations in the Northeast," including a home on 
Waverley Avenue in Watertown. A second search warrant was also executed at a gas 
station in Brookline, state officials said.

Suspicious Package Leads to Conn. Airport 
Evacuation 14 May 2010 (New Haven) Tweed Airport is now clear after 
being closed on Friday afternoon when a suspicious item was found. The 
suspicious item appears to be a home safe, Airport Manager Lori Hoffman.  
It was found just outside the front door of the airport's terminal, she said. 
Two buildings were been evacuated and the airport was closed as bomb experts 
were brought in to help with the investigation.

9 indicted on charges of accessing Obama 
records 13 May 2010 Nine people have been indicted in federal court 
on charges they accessed President Barack Obama's student loan records while 
employed for a Department of Education contractor in Iowa. The U.S. attorney's 
office says a grand jury returned the indictments Wednesday in U.S. District 
Court in Davenport. The nine individuals are charged with exceeding authorized 
computer access.

Palin Warns "Mama Grizzlies" Will Take Back 
Country [That's right. They can start by devouring Sarah 
Palin, the polar bear- and wolf-killing terrorist.] 14 May 2010 Former 
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says "mama grizzles" will punish Washington in 
November's midterm elections.

Lisa Murkowski Received $400,000 from Oil and Gas in 8 
Years 14 May 2010 On Thursday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) 
blocked a bill that would have raised oil companies' "responsibility cap" -- the 
maximum amount in damages companies must pay for their accidents -- from $75 
million to $10 billion. On Friday, Murkowski's office was rebutting critics who 
were asking whether her opposition to the measure had anything to do with the 
fact she is a major supporter of offshore drilling who has received $426,989 in campaign donations from the oil and gas industry 
over her eight-year Senate career. Murkowski is the top Republican on the Energy 
and Natural Resources Committee.

Murkowski blocks oil liability bill 13 May 
2010 Alaska's senior senator blocked legislation Thursday that would have 
dramatically increased liability caps on oil companies, in the wake of one of 
the industry’s biggest disasters. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) objected to a 
voice vote request by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) on the bill, which would 
have spiked the maximum liability for oil companies after an oil spill from $75 
million to $10 billion.

U.S. Said to Allow Drilling Without Needed 
Permits 13 May 2010 The federal Minerals Management Service gave 
permission to BP and dozens of other oil companies to drill in the Gulf of 
Mexico without first getting required permits from another agency that assesses 
threats to endangered species -- and despite strong warnings from that 
agency about the impact the drilling was likely to have on the gulf. Those 
approvals, federal records show, include one for the well drilled by the 
Deepwater Horizon rig, which exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers and 
resulting in thousands of barrels of oil spilling into the gulf each day.

US let BP drill in Gulf without permits 14 
May 2010 New information on the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has come 
to light indicating that the US government allowed BP to drill in the area 
without proper permits. Federal records show that the Minerals Management 
Service (MMS) gave BP the green light for drilling, in violation of the 
Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. According to the 
Center for Biological Diversity, which filed a complaint Friday to sue the MMS 
over its non-compliance with the laws, the Department of the Interior also has 
approved over 300 drilling operations, three large lease sales, and over 100 
seismic surveys without the required permits. 

Size of Oil Spill Underestimated, Scientists 
Say 13 May 2010 Two weeks ago, the government put out a round 
estimate of the size of the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico: 5,000 barrels a day. 
Repeated endlessly in news reports, it has become conventional wisdom. But 
scientists and environmental groups are raising sharp questions about that 
estimate, declaring that the leak must be far larger... Ian R. MacDonald, an 
oceanographer at Florida State University who is an expert in the analysis of 
oil slicks, said he had made his own rough calculations using satellite imagery. 
They suggested that the leak could "easily be four or five times" the government 
estimate, he said.

Udderly Ridiculous: Feds tell court they can decide what you 
eat --'Plaintiffs do not have a fundamental right to obtain 
any food they wish' By Bob Unruh 14 May 2010 Attorneys for the federal 
government have argued in a lawsuit pending in federal court in Iowa that 
individuals have no "fundamental right" to obtain what food they choose. The 
brief was filed April 26 in support of a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by 
the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund over the U.S. Food and Drug 
Administration's ban on the interstate sale of raw milk.

Los Angeles Approves a Boycott of Arizona 12 
May 2010 The Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday to ban official travel to 
Arizona and block future contracts with companies there in protest of that 
state's new immigration law. The Council has asked officials for the city's 
port, airport and utilities to review all contracts with companies based in 
Arizona.

Commencement 2010: Student protesters plan to take off 
graduation robes during Dimon's address 12 May 2010 The Take Back 
Commencement movement has protested the choice of JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief 
Executive Officer Jamie Dimon as the 2010 Syracuse University and State 
University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry 
commencement speaker. The students originally wanted the university to remove 
Dimon and choose another speaker. Realizing that wouldn't happen, they decided 
the best way to protest Dimon was by taking off their robes during his 
speech.

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Previous lead stories: 
Transocean Ltd. Announces Exchange Rate in Proposed US$ 
1.0 Billion Distribution to Shareholders 12 May 2010 Transocean 
Ltd. today announced the applicable exchange rate to determine the Swiss franc 
("CHF") amount of the proposed cash distribution to shareholders in the form of 
a par value reduction equal to USD 3.11 per issued share (including treasury 
shares) to be calculated and paid in four quarterly installments... Shareholders 
will have the opportunity to vote on the proposed cash distribution at the 
Annual General Meeting to be held in Zug, Switzerland, on May 14, 
2010.

Obama Linguistically Morphing Into 
Bush 'War is tough!' It's tough, I tell you! 
By Lori Price 13 May 2010  On Wednesday, President Barack Obama 
gave his 'war is tough' speech to Hamid Karzai and a group of obsequious media 
trolls at a White House news conference. Obama said that there would be some 'hard 
fighting' ahead in Afghanistan. Apparently, Obusha is abandoning the soaring 
rhetoric which has served him well as a cover for policies that benefit his 
corporaterrorist paymasters.

Military awards massive KBR Iraq contract without 
competition --KBR 'won' the LOGCAP III contract under 
competitive bidding in 2001. 11 May 2010 The U.S. Army is under fire 
for reversing a decision to have three companies compete for more than $500 
million worth of work in Iraq, and instead keeping it under an existing contract 
without any bidding. The $568 million contract for support work in Iraq stayed 
with contracting giant KBR under the existing sole-source contract - known 
as Logistics Civil Augmentation Program III (LOGCAP III) - after the Army 
initially requested bids from KBR and its main competitors, Fluor 
Intercontinental and DynCorp International, under a competitive contract system 
known as LOGCAP IV.

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