715: Tom Tatoe

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Wed, 22 Apr 2015 04:11

AN HONEST LIAR is a feature documentary about the world-famous magician, escape artist, and world-renowned enemy of deception, James 'The Amazing' Randi. The film brings to life Randi's intricate investigations that publicly exposed psychics, faith healers, and con-artists with quasi-religious fervor. A master deceiver who came out of the closet at the age of 81, Randi created fictional characters, fake psychics, and even turned his partner of 25 years, the artist Jose Alvarez, into a sham guru named Carlos. But when a shocking revelation in Randi's personal life is discovered, it isn't clear whether Randi is still the deceiver '' or the deceived.

NDAA and Overturning of Smith-Mundt Act

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (NDAA) allows for materials produced by the State Department and the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) to be released within U.S. borders and strikes down a long-time ban on the dissemination of such material in the country.[14][15][16]

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Sun, 21 Sep 2014 15:00

Propaganda in the United States is propaganda spread by government and media entities within the United States. Propaganda is information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to influence opinions. Propaganda is not only in advertising; it is also in radio, newspaper, posters, books, and anything else that might be sent out to the widespread public.

Domestic[edit]World War I[edit]The first large-scale use of propaganda by the U.S. government came during World War I. The government enlisted the help of citizens and children to help promote war bonds and stamps to help stimulate the economy. To keep the prices of war supplies down, the U.S. government produced posters that encouraged people to reduce waste and grow their own vegetables in "victory gardens." The public skepticism that was generated by the heavy-handed tactics of the Committee on Public Information would lead the postwar government to officially abandon the use of propaganda.[1]

World War II[edit]During World War II the U.S. officially had no propaganda, but the Roosevelt government used means to circumvent this official line. One such propaganda tool was the publicly owned but government funded Writers' War Board (WWB). The activities of the WWB were so extensive that it has been called the "greatest propaganda machine in history".[1]Why We Fight is a famous series of US government propaganda films made to justify US involvement in World War II.

In 1944 (lasting until 1948) prominent US policy makers launched a domestic propaganda campaign aimed at convincing the U.S. public to agree to a harsh peace for the German people, for example by removing the common view of the German people and the Nazi party as separate entities.[2] The core in this campaign was the Writers' War Board which was closely associated with the Roosevelt administration.[2]

Another means was the United States Office of War Information that Roosevelt established in June 1942, whose mandate was to promote understanding of the war policies under the director Elmer Davies. It dealt with posters, press, movies, exhibitions, and produced often slanted material conforming to US wartime purposes. Other large and influential non-governmental organizations during the war and immediate post war period were the Society for the Prevention of World War III and the Council on Books in Wartime.

Cold War[edit]During the Cold War, the U.S. government produced vast amounts of propaganda against communism and the Soviet bloc. Much of this propaganda was directed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation under J. Edgar Hoover, who himself wrote the anti-communist tract Masters of Deceit. The FBI's COINTELPRO arm solicited journalists to produce fake news items discrediting communists and affiliated groups, such as H. Bruce Franklin and the Venceremos Organization.

War on Drugs[edit]The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, originally established by the National Narcotics Leadership Act of 1988,[3][4] but now conducted by the Office of National Drug Control Policy under the Drug-Free Media Campaign Act of 1998,[5] is a domestic propaganda campaign designed to "influence the attitudes of the public and the news media with respect to drug abuse" and for "reducing and preventing drug abuse among young people in the United States".[6][7] The Media Campaign cooperates with the Partnership for a Drug-Free America and other government and non-government organizations.[8]

Iraq War[edit]In early 2002, the U.S. Department of Defense launched an information operation, colloquially referred to as the Pentagon military analyst program.[9] The goal of the operation is "to spread the administrations's talking points on Iraq by briefing ... retired commanders for network and cable television appearances," where they have been presented as independent analysts.[10] On 22 May 2008, after this program was revealed in the New York Times, the House passed an amendment that would make permanent a domestic propaganda ban that until now has been enacted annually in the military authorization bill.[11]

The Shared values initiative was a public relations campaign that was intended to sell a "new" America to Muslims around the world by showing that American Muslims were living happily and freely, without persecution, in post-9/11 America.[12] Funded by the United States Department of State, the campaign created a public relations front group known as Council of American Muslims for Understanding (CAMU). The campaign was divided in phases; the first of which consisted of five mini-documentaries for television, radio, and print with shared values messages for key Muslim countries.[13]

NDAA and Overturning of Smith-Mundt Act[edit]The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (NDAA) allows for materials produced by the State Department and the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) to be released within U.S. borders and strikes down a long-time ban on the dissemination of such material in the country.[14][15][16]

Ad Council[edit]The Ad Council, an American non-profit organization that distributes public service announcements on behalf of various private and federal government agency sponsors, has been labeled as "little more than a domestic propaganda arm of the federal government" given the Ad Council's historically close collaboration with the President of the United States and the federal government.[17]

International[edit]Through several international broadcasting operations, the US disseminates American cultural information, official positions on international affairs, and daily summaries of international news. These operations fall under the International Broadcasting Bureau, the successor of the United States Information Agency, established in 1953. IBB's operations include Voice of America, Radio Liberty, Alhurra and other programs. They broadcast mainly to countries where the United States finds that information about international events is limited, either due to poor infrastructure or government censorship. The Smith-Mundt Act prohibits the Voice of America from disseminating information to US citizens that was produced specifically for a foreign audience.

During the Cold War the US ran covert propaganda campaigns in countries that appeared likely to become Soviet satellites, such as Italy, Afghanistan, and Chile.

Recently The Pentagon announced the creation of a new unit aimed at spreading propaganda about supposedly "inaccurate" stories being spread about the Iraq War. These "inaccuracies" have been blamed on the enemy trying to decrease support for the war. Donald Rumsfeld has been quoted as saying these stories are something that keeps him up at night.[18]

Psychological operations[edit]The US military defines psychological operations, or PSYOP, as:

planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence the emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals.[19]

The Smith-Mundt Act, adopted in 1948, explicitly forbids information and psychological operations aimed at the US public.[20][21][22] Nevertheless, the current easy access to news and information from around the globe, makes it difficult to guarantee PSYOP programs do not reach the US public. Or, in the words of Army Col. James A. Treadwell, who commanded the U.S. military psyops unit in Iraq in 2003, in the Washington Post:

There's always going to be a certain amount of bleed-over with the global information environment.[23]

Agence France Presse reported on U.S. propaganda campaigns that:

The Pentagon acknowledged in a newly declassified document that the US public is increasingly exposed to propaganda disseminated overseas in psychological operations.[24]

Former US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld approved the document referred to, which is titled "Information Operations Roadmap." [22][24] The document acknowledges the Smith-Mundt Act, but fails to offer any way of limiting the effect PSYOP programs have on domestic audiences.[20][21][25]

Several incidents in 2003 were documented by Sam Gardiner, a retired Air Force colonel, which he saw as information-warfare campaigns that were intended for "foreign populations and the American public." Truth from These Podia,[26] as the treatise was called, reported that the way the Iraq war was fought resembled a political campaign, stressing the message instead of the truth.[22]

See also[edit]References[edit]^ abThomas Howell, The Writers' War Board: U.S. Domestic Propaganda in World War II, Historian, Volume 59 Issue 4, Pages 795 - 813^ abSteven Casey, (2005), The Campaign to sell a harsh peace for Germany to the American public, 1944 - 1948, [online]. London: LSE Research Online. [Available online at http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/archive/00000736] Originally published in History, 90 (297). pp. 62-92 (2005) Blackwell Publishing^National Narcotics Leadership Act of 1988 of the Anti''Drug Abuse Act of 1988, Pub.L. 100''715, 102 Stat. 4181, enacted November 18, 1988^Gamboa, Anthony H. (January 4, 2005), B-303495, Office of National Drug Control Policy '-- Video News Release, Government Accountability Office, footnote 6, page 3 ^Drug-Free Media Campaign Act of 1998 (Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1999), Pub.L. 105''277, 112 Stat. 268, enacted October 21, 1998^Gamboa, Anthony H. (January 4, 2005), B-303495, Office of National Drug Control Policy '-- Video News Release, Government Accountability Office, pp. 9''10 ^Drug-Free Media Campaign Act of 1998 of the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1999, Pub.L. 105''277, 112 Stat. 268, enacted October 21, 1998^Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006, Pub.L. 109''469, 120 Stat. 3501, enacted December 29, 2006, codified at 21 U.S.C. § 1715^Barstow, David (2008-04-20). "Message Machine: Behind Analysts, the Pentagon's Hidden Hand". New York Times. ^Sessions, David (2008-04-20). "Onward T.V. Soldiers: The New York Times exposes a multi-armed Pentagon message machine". Slate. ^Barstow, David (2008-05-24). "2 Inquiries Set on Pentagon Publicity Effort". New York Times. ^Rampton, Sheldon (October 17, 2007). "Shared Values Revisited". Center for Media and Democracy. ^"U.S. Reaches Out to Muslim World with Shared Values Initiative". America.gov. January 16, 2003.

Ok, drum roll.... and these stores are indeed undergoing a remodel and will definitely reopen. Historically 6 months is about right for that. Looks like much ado about nothing. Fixing "plumbing" may not have to do with water pipes, but upgrading the network pipes. I will forward some screenshots about the circuit upgrades.

They'll get on the ball now. With the stores being closed a store planner will be assigned onsite to drive the remodel project. They do a good job and these sound like total remodels where they will likely test a new layout. Once the remodel nears completion they'll stand up a "hiring site" and likely rehire a lot of the former employees. It's a good tactic to get rid of dead weight... those "non-productive" eaters ;-)

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Mon, 20 Apr 2015 02:01

Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives.

It seems that United isn't happy about Chris Roberts being on its planes.Planesguy/YouTube screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET

It seems that joking about messing with the security systems on a United Airlines flight might be asking for more trouble than you imagine.

Earlier this week, computer security researcher Chris Roberts was removed from a United flight by the FBI. His transgression was to have tweeted: "Find myself on a 737/800, lets see Box-IFE-ICE-SATCOM, ? Shall we start playing with EICAS messages? "PASS OXYGEN ON" Anyone ? :)"

For those who don't speak this peculiar strain of English, he was jesting that he could hack into the communication systems of the plane and even make the oxygen masks appear.

At the time, neither United nor the FBI commented on Roberts's removal. However, his new lawyers at the Electronic Frontier Foundation declared on Saturday that their client had just been removed from another flight. Or, rather prevented from boarding it, despite already having his boarding pass and clearing TSA checks.

The EFF's Andrew Crocker told me: "Roberts was told to expect a letter explaining the reasons for not being allowed to travel on United. He was flying from Colorado to SFO. United has already said that they would provide a refund."

Roberts was on his way to speak at the RSA Conference. He managed to securely board a Southwest Airlines flight to make his trip.

I have contacted United to ask for details of Roberts' flight status and will update, should I hear. His lawyers say that he still hasn't had his laptop and other devices returned to him by the FBI after the first incident.

At the time, Roberts admitted to CNN that in his tweet he'd been "probably a little more blunt than I should have been."

The EFF described this latest incident as "disappointing and confusing." It added: "As a member of the security research community, his [Roberts'] job is to identify vulnerabilities in networks so that they can be fixed."

This might be true, though some will wonder whether a tweet is the finest way to expose those alleged vulnerabilities.

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J

From: Wolfson, AimeeSent: Thursday, October 02, 2014 5:35 PMTo: Weil, LeahSubject: RE: Site Blocking Confab | October 8, 2014, 8:30am to 12:30pm PT | PRIVILEGED & CONFIDENTIAL

1) Your guilt will be washed away by Monday; 2) your influence with your peers is definitely the reason to attend, and 3) I think your presence will have an impact on your peers (which is #2), but no one can impact SF's bumbling

From: Weil, LeahSent: Thursday, October 02, 2014 4:54 PMTo: Wolfson, AimeeSubject: RE: Site Blocking Confab | October 8, 2014, 8:30am to 12:30pm PT | PRIVILEGED & CONFIDENTIAL

I wasn't going b/c 1) I was going to be in ny for meetings that have now been cancelled 2) I think it is a complete waste of time & should have been killed last time and 3) he is a horse's ass.

So'... keeping the same numbering:

1) Feel guilty

2) Still feel that way and am thinking maybe more support for our view might make sense

3) Sadly, neither my presence nor absence will have an impact

From: Wolfson, AimeeSent: Thursday, October 02, 2014 3:59 PMTo: Weil, LeahSubject: RE: Site Blocking Confab | October 8, 2014, 8:30am to 12:30pm PT | PRIVILEGED & CONFIDENTIAL

Right. I think that you are allowed to miss a meeting. I don't think that SF's tone-deafness should be a factor at all in your decision. His BS counts for that little. So the question is -- if he hadn't been a horse's ass, would you go?

From: Weil, LeahSent: Thursday, October 02, 2014 3:38 PMTo: Wolfson, AimeeSubject: RE: Site Blocking Confab | October 8, 2014, 8:30am to 12:30pm PT | PRIVILEGED & CONFIDENTIAL

was thinking about optics of being only studio w/o GC presence'...

since the mpaa isn't paying you you only have to cheer-lead when/as appropriate!

From: Wolfson, AimeeSent: Thursday, October 02, 2014 2:27 PMTo: Weil, LeahSubject: RE: Site Blocking Confab | October 8, 2014, 8:30am to 12:30pm PT | PRIVILEGED & CONFIDENTIAL

Hmmm. I reviewed all the materials to give you a more informed response. Nothing new in the handouts. If all the GCs are there to listen and learn about technical aspects, then not much is new. Conversation could, of course, veer off. What's concerning is that this meeting should not assume that if it's ''effective enough,'' then we have a green light to go down the road of any of the untested legal theories. But no one necessarily assumes that. And SF's next steps are only PR, not legal.

We'd of course love to have you. I have my own beef with the CP gang at the moment, so I'm not the most engaged cheer-leader at the moment.

From: Weil, LeahSent: Thursday, October 02, 2014 12:07 AMTo: Wolfson, AimeeSubject: Fwd: Site Blocking Confab | October 8, 2014, 8:30am to 12:30pm PT | PRIVILEGED & CONFIDENTIAL

Maybe I should reconsider and join you guys....

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Steven_Fabrizio@mpaa.org" To: "Gary.Roberts@fox.com" , "ron.wheeler@fox.com" , "hanno.basse@fox.com" , "alan.n.braverman@disney.com" , "jonathan.whitehead@disney.com" , "Troy.Dow@disney.com" , "Suzanne.Wilson@disney.com" , "gordon.goldsmith@disney.com" , "mark.arana@disney.com" , "Maren.Christensen@nbcuni.com" , "Steve.Kang@nbcuni.com" , "braxton.perkins@nbcuni.com" , "Rebecca_Prentice@paramount.com" , "Michael.Fricklas@viacom.com" , "stanley.pierre-louis@viacom.com" , "Kevin_Suh@paramount.com" , "Stacey.dansky@viacom.com" , "Weil, Leah" , "Wolfson, Aimee" , "Stephens, Spencer" , "Jaquez, Sean" , "John.Rogovin@warnerbros.com" , "Jeremy.Williams@warnerbros.com" , "Dean.Marks@warnerbros.com" , "David.P.Kaplan@warnerbros.com" Cc: "John_McCoskey@mpaa.org" , "Alex_Deacon@mpaa.org" , "Julia_Jenks@mpaa.org" , "Joanna_McIntosh@mpaa.org" , "Laura_Nichols@mpaa.org" , "Mike_Robinson@mpaa.org" , "Karen_Thorland@mpaa.org" , "Farnaz_Alemi@mpaa.org" , "Sarah_Levitt@mpaa.org" , "Okke_DelfosVisser@mpaa.org" , "Stephanie_Gorman@mpaa.org" Subject:Site Blocking Confab | October 8, 2014, 8:30am to 12:30pm PT | PRIVILEGED & CONFIDENTIAL

PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIALATTORNEY-CLIENT COMMUNICATIONATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT

We are looking forward to seeing everyone on October 8th for the Site Blocking Confab. This email, and its attachments, will provide background and logistical information.

DETAILS:

Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014Breakfast from 8am PTProgram from 8:30am to 12:30pm PTMPAA Sherman Oaks Office

AGENDA: Attached.

BACKGROUND MATERIALS: Attached. Please keep confidential and do not forward.

1. Background on and analysis of technical issues and related policy considerations. This was previously circulated with the initial legal analysis as Attachment D.2. Analysis of site blocking efficacy. This was previously circulated with the initial legal analysis as Attachment E.3. Reference list of site blocking related research.4. One-pager on other possible antipiracy measures.

ATTENDEES:

FoxGary RobertsRon WheelerHanno Basse

DisneyAlan BravermanJonathan WhiteheadTroy DowMark Arana

NBCUniversalMaren ChristensenSteve KangBraxton Perkins

Paramount/ViacomRebecca PrenticeMichael FricklasStanley Pierre-LouisStacey Dansky

SonyAimee WolfsonSpencer StephensSean Jaquez

Warner Bros.John RogovinJeremy WilliamsDean MarksDavid Kaplan

If our list of attendees is incorrect or incomplete, please let us know asap.

In addition to our in-house experts '-- John McCoskey and Alex Deacon (technology) and Julia Jenks (research) '-- we will be joined by several outside technical experts: Jason Livingood (senior Comcast engineer), Joe Touch (CV attached), Michael Walsh (CV attached), and Kelly Truelove. Additionally, we have asked an outside statistician, Dr. Richard Waterman (Wharton School), to review the available efficacy studies and data, and offer his views as to what we can fairly conclude about site blocking from the body of available research. (Dr. Waterman cannot join us in LA, but we will be able to convey his thoughts.)

OBJECTIVE OF CONFAB:

The objective of the session is to put us in the best position possible to make a decision as to whether we should proceed to the next steps in seeking site blocking in the US.

* The first step is a pre-phase in which we will get prepared and try to create a more favorable environment for site blocking. This would involve multiple parallel tracks. Without attempting to be exhaustive, those tracks include: * Outreach to respected technologists to begin to forge agreement on technical facts and site blocking efficacy '-- and, where possible, garner policy support for site blocking (or at least dampen opposition to it). * Continued research and record building on the effectiveness of site blocking. * Outreach to academics, think tanks and other third parties to foster the publication of research papers, white papers and other articles that tell the positive story of site blocking: e.g., it is commonplace around the world and working smoothly; it has not broken the internet; it is not incompatible with DNSSEC; it is effective; legitimate sites/content have not been blocked; etc. * Building the record (and telling the story) that the sorts of sites at issue are dangerous. It is not just copyright infringement. Kids are one-click away from identity theft, graphic porn, malware, etc. Parent groups, consumer protection groups and other third parties can be cultivated to speak out against such predatory sites. * Telling the positive story of the widespread availability of legitimate content.

* At the right time, we would quietly approach ISPs with which we have good relationships and which we believe might consider cooperating with us to test US site blocking.

If any US ISPs are prepared to cooperate '-- and we can create a track record of effective site blocking in the US '-- the environment for US site blocking more broadly will become significantly more favorable.

We do not need to decide in advance how to proceed if no US ISP is prepared to work with us cooperatively. We recommend that we cross that bridge only if and when we need to, in context of the landscape we face at that point in time.

- - - - - -

We look forward to a productive session. Let us know if you have any questions.

SBF'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--[cid:2C542DC0-B90E-4A61-BE50-AFD959E325F0] Steven B. Fabrizio Senior Executive Vice President & Global General Counsel Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. 1600 Eye Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20006 202-378-9120 direct 703-307-7125 cell Steven_Fabrizio@mpaa.org

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Mon, 20 Apr 2015 07:36

In addition to his acting work, Leonardo DiCaprio has devoted himself to climate change advocacy, funding eco projects and speaking at gatherings like the UN climate summit in 2014. But secretly, RadarOnline.com has learned, recent charges that he is a ''hypocrite'' could hold some weight: According to newly leaked Sony emails, the actor happily availed himself of more than $200,000 worth of private jet travel in just six weeks in 2014.

According to Sony corporate travel records posted on WikiLeaks Thursday, DiCaprio took six private jet flights during April and May 2014.

On April 17, the documents state, he flew from Los Angeles to New York at a cost of $63,000 to the company. Travel handlers noted he was going for a filmmaker's meeting, but then-girlfriend Toni Garrn was listed as accompanying him.

PHOTOS: Hollywood Under Fire: The 35 Most Shocking Revelations Of The Sony Leak '-- So Far!

On April 27, they flew back to Los Angeles at a cost of $63,000, plus $3,000 in catering and $300 in car service on each end.

Days later, the documents state, he was booked for a flight from Los Angeles to New York again on May 4, at a cost of $37,306.60, plus $1,506.60 in catering and $800 in car service. Again, it was for a ''meeting,'' per the report.

He flew back to Los Angeles on May 31, according to the documents, at a cost of $55,000. His mother Irmelin DiCaprio and friend Lukas Haas were also listed as expected passengers.

PHOTOS: What's In A Name? Sony Hack Exposes These 11 Stars' Secret Aliases '-- You Won't Believe The Secret Pseudonyms Of Jessica Alba, Jude Law, Daniel Craig & More!

Travel records also state that he was then booked on a flight from Los Angeles to Las Vegas for a mere 8 hours on the evening of May 31. The projected cost of that round-trip flight was $12,000.

DiCaprio has said he is ''not an expert'' on climate change, and his lifestyle has drawn criticism in the past.

In 2014, the Environmental Policy Alliance called him a ''hypocrite'' for traveling the world on private jets and fuel-burning mega-yachts:

Story developing.

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Mon, 20 Apr 2015 16:10

The Outlander TV series and its possible impact on the Independence Referendum were raised by Sony executives before a meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron last year.

In the Wikileaks cache of leaked memos from the Sony organisation, an email written by Keith E. Weaver, executive vice president at Sony Pictures Entertainment, which produces Outlander, discusses a meeting with the Prime Minister and in particular mentions the "importance" of the TV series to the political situation last year.

Outlander, based on the best selling books by Diana Gabaldon and shot in Scotland, was broadcast in the UK well after other countries.

There was much speculation on social media and with Outlander fans last year that the delay was related to the date of the independence referendum in September.

In the time-travelling romantic drama series, the action takes place in the 18th century where rebel Scots are fighting against the forces of the UK state.

It is now viewable on the Amazon Prime streaming system.

In the background briefing document for a "PM Cameron event" last summer, Mr Weaver writes to other Sony executives: "Your meeting with Prime Minister Cameron on Monday will likely focus on our overall investment in the U.K. - with special emphasis on the jobs created by Tommy Cooper [the ITV show], the importance of Outlander (i.e., particularly vis-ƒ -vis the political issues in the U.K. as Scotland contemplates detachment this Fall), and the growth of our channels business..."

A spokeswoman for Sony declined to comment on the email.

At last year's Edinburgh International Book Festival, Gabaldon speculated on why the UK broadcast of the series was apparently delayed.

At the time, Sony were in discussions with broadcasters.

Gabaldon said: "There are in fact negotiating with one or more UK TV suppliers.

"Why that deal has not come to a conclusion, I don't know, they have been at it for three months at least.

"There has been talk and rumour and speculation, even though there is no evidence on which to speculate, but the most common rumour is they are waiting until after the Scottish referendum - but there is no evidence to suggest that is true. "You can take that for what it's worth."

One of the stars of the Outlander TV series, Sam Heughan, who plays Jamie Fraser, recently spoke of his support for Scottish independence and his disappointment at the result of the recent referendum.

Heughan, who plays the key role of Jamie Fraser in the US series said that initially he was not a supporter of Scotland leaving the UK.

However, he soon became "very much for Yes".

In an online video interview he said: "When I first heard about the arguments I very much thought it wasn't a great idea but just having spent some time there and discussing it more, I thought it was a chance for more democracy in Scotland."

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Mon, 20 Apr 2015 06:23

Details were scant Sunday night, but federal law enforcement officials told CNN the men were arrested in Minnesota and California in a sting operation.

There was never a direct threat to the public, the sources said. The plot was controlled by the FBI, which is a common tactic in terrorism investigations.

A news conference offering details on the sting operation and arrests is expected for Monday in Minnesota, the sources said.

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Source: News From Antiwar.com

Tue, 21 Apr 2015 02:42

Federal officials have announced the arrest of another six men who they are accusing of having plotted to join ISIS, saying they were a ''circle of friends who recruited each other.''

At the same time, other officials are claiming a Minneapolis man of being the ringleader of a recruitment effort, saying he went to join ISIS in May of last year and has been recruiting others ever since.

The group were all Somali Americans between the ages of 19 and 21, and were arrested over the weekend. Four of them were caught in Minneapolis, while the other two were arrested in San Diego.

Another US-born man, 26-year-old Marcos Zea, was sentenced to 25 years in prison today after being convicted of unsuccessfully trying to join al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Prosecutors declared him a ''homegrown terrorist.''

Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz

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Mon, 20 Apr 2015 15:23

FBI admits it fudged forensic hair matches in nearly all criminal trials for decades

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Spencer S. Hsu, Washington PostSunday, Apr. 19, 2015

Lead prosecutor Marcia Clark (L) and Christopher Darden (2nd L) and FBI agent Douglas Deedrick stand at a chart showing hair samples during the O.J. Simpson double murder trial. AFP / Getty Images

WASHINGTON '-- The Justice Department and FBI have formally acknowledged that nearly every examiner in an elite FBI forensic unit gave flawed testimony in almost all trials in which they offered evidence against criminal defendants over more than a two-decade period before 2000.

Of 28 examiners with the FBI Laboratory's microscopic hair comparison unit, 26 overstated forensic matches in ways that favoured prosecutors in more than 95 per cent of the 268 trials reviewed so far, according to the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and the Innocence Project, which are assisting the government with the country's largest post-conviction review of questioned forensic evidence.

Click to enlarge. Washington Post graphic

The cases include those of 32 defendants sentenced to death. Of those, 14 have been executed or died in prison, the groups said under an agreement with the government to release results after the review of the first 200 convictions.

The FBI errors alone do not mean there was not other evidence of a convict's guilt. Defendants and federal and state prosecutors in 46 states and the District of Columbia are being notified to determine whether there are grounds for appeals. Four defendants were previously exonerated.

The admissions mark a watershed in one of the country's largest forensic scandals, highlighting the failure of the U.S. courts for decades to keep bogus scientific information from juries, legal analysts said. The question now, they said, is how state authorities and the courts will respond to findings that confirm long-suspected problems with subjective, pattern-based forensic techniques '-- like hair and bite-mark comparisons '-- that have contributed to wrongful convictions in more than one-quarter of 329 DNA-exoneration cases since 1989.

In a statement, the FBI and Justice Department vowed to continue to devote resources to address all cases and said they ''are committed to ensuring that affected defendants are notified of past errors and that justice is done in every instance. The Department and the FBI are also committed to ensuring the accuracy of future hair analysis, as well as the application of all disciplines of forensic science.''

Peter Neufeld, co-founder of the Innocence Project, commended the FBI and department for the collaboration but said, ''The FBI's three-decade use of microscopic hair analysis to incriminate defendants was a complete disaster.''

''We need an exhaustive investigation that looks at how the FBI, state governments that relied on examiners trained by the FBI and the courts allowed this to happen and why it wasn't stopped much sooner,'' Neufeld said.

Norman Reimer, the NACDL's executive director, said, ''Hopefully, this project establishes a precedent so that in future situations it will not take years to remediate the injustice.''

While unnamed federal officials previously acknowledged widespread problems, the FBI until now has withheld comment because findings might not be representative.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a former prosecutor, called on the FBI and Justice Department to notify defendants in all 2,500 targeted cases involving an FBI hair match about the problem even if their case has not been completed, and to redouble efforts in the three-year-old review to retrieve information on each case.

''These findings are appalling and chilling in their indictment of our criminal justice system, not only for potentially innocent defendants who have been wrongly imprisoned and even executed, but for prosecutors who have relied on fabricated and false evidence despite their intentions to faithfully enforce the law,'' Blumenthal said.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and the panel's ranking Democrat, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, urged the bureau to conduct ''a root-cause analysis'' to prevent future breakdowns.

''It is critical that the Bureau identify and address the systemic factors that allowed this far-reaching problem to occur and continue for more than a decade,'' the lawmakers wrote FBI Director James Comey on March 27, as findings were being finalized.

The crest of the Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI) inside the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building in Washington, DC. MANDEL NGAN / AFP / Getty Images

The FBI is waiting to complete all reviews to assess causes but has acknowledged that hair examiners until 2012 lacked written standards defining scientifically appropriate and erroneous ways to explain results in court. The bureau expects this year to complete similar standards for testimony and lab reports for 19 forensic disciplines.

Federal authorities launched the investigation in 2012 after The Washington Post reported that flawed forensic hair matches might have led to the convictions of hundreds of potentially innocent people since at least the 1970s, typically for murder, rape and other violent crimes nationwide.

The review confirmed that FBI experts systematically testified to the near-certainty of ''matches'' of crime-scene hairs to defendants, backing their claims by citing incomplete or misleading statistics drawn from their case work.

In reality, there is no accepted research on how often hair from different people may appear the same. Since 2000, the lab has used visual hair comparison to rule out someone as a possible source of hair or in combination with more accurate DNA testing.

Warnings about the problem have been mounting. In 2002, the FBI reported that its own DNA testing found that examiners reported false hair matches more than 11 percent of the time. In the District, the only jurisdiction where defenders and prosecutors have re-investigated all FBI hair convictions, three of seven defendants whose trials included flawed FBI testimony have been exonerated through DNA testing since 2009, and courts have exonerated two more men. All five served 20 to 30 years in prison for rape or murder.

University of Virginia law professor Brandon Garrett said the results reveal a ''mass disaster'' inside the criminal justice system, one that it has been unable to self-correct because courts rely on outdated precedents admitting scientifically invalid testimony at trial and, under the legal doctrine of finality, make it difficult for convicts to challenge old evidence.

''The tools don't exist to handle systematic errors in our criminal justice system,'' Garrett said. ''The FBI deserves every recognition for doing something really remarkable here. The problem is there may be few judges, prosecutors or defense lawyers who are able or willing to do anything about it.''

Federal authorities are offering new DNA testing in cases with errors, if sought by a judge or prosecutor, and agreeing to drop procedural objections to appeals in federal cases.

However, biological evidence in the cases often is lost or unavailable. Among states, only California and Texas specifically allow appeals when experts recant or scientific advances undermine forensic evidence at trial.

Defense attorneys say scientifically invalid forensic testimony should be considered as violations of due process, as courts have held with false or misleading testimony.

The FBI searched more than 21,000 federal and state requests to its hair comparison unit from 1972 through 1999, identifying for review roughly 2,500 cases where examiners declared hair matches.

Reviews of 342 defendants' convictions were completed as of early March, the NACDL and Innocence Project reported. In addition to the 268 trials in which FBI hair evidence was used against defendants, the review found cases in which defendants pleaded guilty, FBI examiners did not testify, did not assert a match or gave exculpatory testimony.

When such cases are included, by the FBI's count examiners made statements exceeding the limits of science in about 90 percent of testimonies, including 34 death-penalty cases.

The findings likely scratch the surface. The FBI said as of mid-April that reviews of about 350 trial testimonies and 900 lab reports are nearly complete, with about 1,200 cases remaining.

The bureau said it is difficult to check cases before 1985, when files were computerized. It has been unable to review 700 cases because police or prosecutors did not respond to requests for information.

Also, the same FBI examiners whose work is under review taught 500 to 1,000 state and local crime lab analysts to testify in the same ways.

Texas, New York and North Carolina authorities are reviewing their hair examiner cases, with ad hoc efforts underway in about 15 other states.

ITM Adam,

I know you hate it when people critique some of the show content but I

needed to unload this off my chest. That dude you taped who kept going

about Shia and Iran was talking pure horse shit.

The mainstream branch of Islam is Sunna (90%) and Shia constitute (10%).

The general Sunni public don't know what Shia people are and often

confuse Shia with Communisim (Arabic: She-o-ia) as the words in Arabic

are similar.

Muslims generally take a very rightous approach and sideline all

different views; Sunnis apply the same logic against Shia.

All this haterd has been fueled by the Saudi (Al Saoud -- The family of

Saud) who made an alliance with a branch of Muslim scholars in the 1700s

called Wahabis (after this guy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_ibn_Abd_al-Wahhab)

With the arrival of the petro-dollar; these guys have become exceedingly

powerful and they have an idological conflict with Iran. Their vast

wealth made them print their shitty books and send them to the entire

Arab world; south Asia and Africa. They fund a lot of "NGOs" who have

preachers going around and spreading their crap. They sponsor a lot of

people to go and study in Saudi Arabia before sending them back to their

countries.

I know this is hard for you to visualise; because you never lived in a

poor country and saw how easily people can be brainwashed. Saudis have

systematically spread their shit since the 1950s.

This guy you taped sounded like one of those brainwashed monkeys with

Mohammed's prophecy about the war against Russia (red head people). He

would probably believe any shit he hears from a bearded man.

Finally, Syrians and Yemenis don't have substantial Shia population.

They have Alawaits and Zaidis respectively. They are other branches of

Islam, but no one is really interested in knowing the differences

including Sunnis, western media, etc. "Let's just call them Shia", it's

easier for the dumb listener to understand..

Rant over. I know you don't intend to spread misinformation and

appreciate all the effort you guys put in entertaining and informing us.

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Wed, 22 Apr 2015 15:17

The 'RHOBH' ladies join Yolanda and her family in the #LymeDiseaseChallenge, and encourage you to as well!

When life gives you Lyme, take a bite out of it!

That's Yolanda Foster's new motto, anyways. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star has been extremely vocal about her struggle with the debilitating disease, and now she's challenging others to raise awareness and help find a cure.

The former supermodel posted a selfie with husband David Foster on her Instagram, biting into the sour citrus fruit. "#WeMustFindACure #LymeDiseaseChallenge #TakeABiteOutOfLyme," she hashtagged the post.

Fellow RHOBH stars certainly rose to the occasion! Brandi Glanville retweeted the post, encouraging fans to follow suit; and Lisa Rinna gladly accepted the challenge, posting a pic of her pout on Instagram.

And of course daughter Gigi had to show her support. "#LYMEDISEASECHALLENGE for Lyme warriors like my mamma," she wrote alongside her picture, along with some helpful tips.

Gigi opened up last month about her mom's experience with the illness. "She's battling a tough one, but she's helping a lot of people through her personal health journey," she told People. "I think when she finally figures out how to help herself, she'll be able to help a lot of other people'...I'm very inspired."

To show your support, join the challenge by posting your own picture along with the hashtag #LymeDiseaseChallenge!

[Source: People]

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Sun, 19 Apr 2015 20:32

Jason Reed/ReutersSo Ben Bernanke wants to make a buck. Who can blame him? The guy is one of the most esteemed economists of his generation. He served his country admirably; his term as chairman of the Federal Reserve was probably the single most stressful term in that role in history. He resigned from his tenured professorship at Princeton when he joined the Fed board. What else is the guy going to do?

This is, of course, how systemic problems work'--few individual cases are obviously unacceptable, but the whole is horrifying. In this case, it's the "revolving door" of movement between government positions and the financial sector'--that is to say, from modestly paying positions in the public sector, overseeing financial firms, to higher-paying jobs in the private sector.

Bernanke is going to work for Citadel, a $25 billion hedge fund that is one of the country's largest. While Bernanke is a talented economist, he has also never worked in the industry, so it's fairly clear that what Citadel wants is inside information'--either things he knows because he remains close with people in positions of authority, or his insight into ongoing negotiations. That's why he's been in high demand by financial-industry powers ever since stepping down last February. For example, The New York Times noted that he analyzed the Fed's true feelings about inflation at a dinner with hedge funders in Las Vegas'--allowing several to make profitable moves. Another lamented that he didn't pay closer attention: "He gave this stuff out, but I didn't realize what he was saying at the time, so I didn't do a great trade.''

Quantifying the revolving door is difficult'--it involves a series of subjective choices about what constitutes the revolving door, what level of employees should be counted, and so on. (One study from Notre Dame found a double-digit increase between 2001 and 2013.) But there's ample anecdotal evidence. In fact, Bernanke isn't even the first Federal Reserve alum to jump to a hedge fund in the last month. Jeremy Stein, a former governor, was hired by BlueMountain Capital Management in late March. And as Rob Copeland notes, this is just the latest in a stream of prominent government officials:

Former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan and ex-Reagan economic adviser Martin Feldstein accepted paid roles on a now-disbanded economic advisory board at John Paulson's hedge-fund firm that started in 2008.

More recently, former Obama administration chief of staff William Daley joined Swiss hedge fund Argentiere Capital, while former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and former Central Intelligence Agency chief David Petraeus took posts at private-equity firms Warburg Pincus LLC and KKR, respectively.

And just this week, former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick was introduced as a new managing director at Bain Capital.

That doesn't even include non-hedge-fund and private-equity moves. Peter Orszag, who led President Obama's Office of Management and Budget, took a job with Citigroup when he left. The Obama administration had been closely involved with Citi in the aftermath of the financial collapse, and the bank received nearly $500 billion in bailouts. Orszag is not allowed to deal with the federal government directly, but as TheTimes noted, perhaps wryly, "Mr. Orszag's actual duties are murky at best. He is expected to draw on his deep knowledge of public sector financial issues and his experience overseeing the federal budget to counsel Citi's clients on various policy actions."

The thing about Bernanke's announcement is that he appears to be conscious of how bad it looks. ''I wanted to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest,'' he said. ''I ruled out any firm that was regulated by the Federal Reserve.''

That's true. But many people argued that hedge funds contributed to the systemic risks that helped bring about the financial collapse'--which is one reason that hedge funds and private equity are covered by the Volcker Rule in the Dodd-Frank financial-reform legislation. In fact, it is the Federal Reserve that's overseeing the process of big banks extricating themselves from hedge funds. Besides, given that many people worry that the financial sector is under-regulated, the reminder may not be much of a comfort. Back in 2006, one Ben Bernanke gave a speech grappling with the growing systemic risks of hedge funds.

Meanwhile, Bernanke has many other ways to influence business, even outside of any direct regulatory conflicts of interest. As the anecdote about the trader shows, Bernanke's casual remarks can move markets, and he also delivers speeches and other remarks'--in fact, through his post as a full-time fellow at the Brookings Institution, he recently started blogging.

Perhaps what makes Bernanke's case so worrisome is that he has an almost universal reputation for probity. If the revolving-door system is so powerful that it can make even him look suspect, is it beyond redemption?

Next ArticleDavid A. Graham is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where he covers political and global news. He previously reported for Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, and The National.

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Tue, 21 Apr 2015 15:27

2015Billable Code

M23.90 is a billable ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes.On October 1, 2015 ICD-10-CM will replace ICD-9-CM in the United States, therefore, M23.90 - and all other ICD-10-CM codes - should only be used for training or planning purposes until then.This is the American ICD-10-CM version of M23.90. Other international ICD-10 versions may differ.Description SynonymsDerangement of kneeDerangement of meniscusDerangement of meniscus of kneeDerangement of meniscus of knee jointInternal derangement of kneeKnee lockingLocked kneeICD-10-CM M23.90 is grouped within Diagnostic Related Group(s) (MS-DRG v30.0):562 Fx, sprn, strn & disl except femur, hip, pelvis & thigh with mcc563 Fx, sprn, strn & disl except femur, hip, pelvis & thigh without mccConvert ICD-10-CM M23.90 to ICD-9-CM

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Wed, 22 Apr 2015 04:16

5:20 p.m. update: Several school districts in Central Texas reported problems with online STAAR testing Tuesday, but school officials said relatively few students were affected and most were able to complete the tests on time.

However, locally it seems that most students were able to finish their testing Tuesday.

Round Rock school district spokesman Corey Ryan said problems with Pearson Education online software created a 35-minute delay to the start of STAAR testing for special education and English language learners. The delay prevented a very small number of students from finishing tests Tuesday, Ryan said.

Students at the Austin school district were also affected Tuesday by software problems in STAAR testing, but all students were able to complete their tests, a district spokesman said.

District spokesman Jacob Barrett described the situation Tuesday morning with Pearson Education's online software as more of a ''frustration on the administrative side,'' than a student issue.

All students at the Pflugerville school district completed tests with minimal disruption, a district official said.

Earlier: Several Texas school districts were faced with numerous problems in online STAAR testing Tuesday that prevented some students from taking the required tests.

The scope of the problem was not fully known late Tuesday, but an official with the Texas Education Agency said they think most of the problems with the Pearson Education online software used for online STAAR tests were resolved.

Some students were unable to log in or lost a connection to the testing software Tuesday morning, preventing them from taking tests.

TEA officials said any student who could not take their STAAR tests on Tuesday should resume them Wednesday. If the student was set to take another test on Wednesday, that test will be administered later this week, according to a statement from Lisa Cottle, the TEA's director of test administration.

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Thu, 23 Apr 2015 14:35

Following the end of the $1.3 billion education initiative that would have seen all students in the Los Angeles school district outfitted with an iPad, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has notified Apple that it will no longer be using or paying for the Pearson Education curriculum that was meant to accompany the iPads.In a letter sent to Apple and shared in part by the Los Angeles Times, the LAUSD asked for a refund and said it has no plans to "accept or compensate Apple for new deliveries of [Pearson Education] curriculum."

When the school district entered into a contract with Apple, it paid approximately $768 per iPad, which included approximately $200 towards a three-year license for math and English curriculum from Pearson that was meant to replace many textbooks and other learning tools. The materials went largely unused by the district due to technical problems and the quality of the software.

"As you are aware, LAUSD is extremely dissatisfied with the work of Pearson," according to an April 13 letter signed by general counsel David Holmquist. "While Apple and Pearson promised a state-of-the-art technological solution ... they have yet to deliver it."

Despite demands to fix the problem, the letter said that "the vast majority of our students are still unable to access the Pearson curriculum on iPads."

The letter asks for a meeting with Apple to discuss the dissolution of the district's deal with Pearson and a refund for the licenses that it was not able to use, letting it recoup some of the cost that it paid for the failed iPad initiative.Apple and the Los Angeles Unified School District first entered into a $30 million agreement in 2013, which saw 35,000 iPads being distributed to 47 schools as part of a pilot program. The deal was meant to expand to a $1.3 billion initiative to provide all 640,000 students in the district with iPads, but it began falling apart soon after iPads were distributed to students.

Apple's contract with the LAUSD has since been under scrutiny from the FBI, under accusations that former L.A. superintendent John Deasy may have modified the bidding process for the initiative to favor Apple and Pearson due to ties with executives at Pearson.

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Source: News From Antiwar.com

Tue, 21 Apr 2015 02:41

Syrian President Bashar Assad has confirmed recent communications with the French government, saying security officials from France initiated contact with them, requesting a meeting.

''We don't have anything to ask from French intelligence. We have all the information about the terrorists,'' added Assad, during a high-profile interview with France 2 television.

The Syrian government has for the most part not had contact with the US-led coalition in the ISIS war, relying instead on the Iraqi government to transmit messages back and forth.

During the interview, Assad was critical of the coalition's involvement in the war, saying the coalition wasn't serious about defeating ISIS and was carrying out onl a handful of airstrikes on any given day.

Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz

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Source: Signs of the Times

Tue, 21 Apr 2015 02:38

(C) AP

Russian president's warning comes week after he lifted ban on delivery of S-300 missile defense systems to Iran.Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Israel on Saturday not to supply weapons to the Ukrainian government,saying that the move would be counterproductive to efforts to reach peace in east Ukraine.

"It's the Israeli leadership's choice. It's their right to do what they think is appropriate. If this is lethal weapon, I think it will be counterproductive. It will only lead to another round of conflicts, to a rise in the number of victims, and the outcome will be the same," Putin told the state-run Rossiya channel.

Some 300 U.S. soldiers are now in Ukraine to train local troops, the government in Kiev confirmed Friday.The Russian Foreign Ministry late Friday warned that the planned training was a "first step" to possible delivery of weapons.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov criticized the operation, saying that the presence of American soldiers was not helpful. "This is likely to destabilize the situation," Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.

Last week, Putin signed a decree lifting a ban on the delivery of S-300 missile defense systems to Iran. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that in light of the progress in the nuclear talks between Iran and world powers, there was no longer a need for the embargo. "

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone with Putin for nearly an hour on Tuesday, and expressed Israel's disappointment with the latter's decision to rescind the ban on selling S-300 missile air defense systems to Iran.

"Regarding our [weapons] shipments to Iran, these are defensive weapons, that will in no way harm Israel's defensive capabilities."

Putin on Thursday defended his decision to resurrect a deal to sell missiles to Iran during his annual television call-in show, saying it increases security in light of the conflict in Yemen.

"Under the present conditions in the region, especially regarding events in Yemen, such arms supplies are a deterrent."

The head of the Iranian security council, Ali Shamkhani, on Tuesday said that Iran expects Russia to deliver the air defense systems by the end of the year. His Russian counterpart, Nikolai Patrushev, said delivery would take time. "It will depend on our manufacturers," he told the Interfax news agency. "I believe they will need at least six months to complete this work."

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Mon, 20 Apr 2015 16:18

Posted on : Sep.17,2014 18:31 KSTModified on : Sep.17,2014 18:31 KST

By Park Byong-su, senior staff writerSouth Korea and the US have reportedly agreed on an early-2020s target date for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON), and entered discussions on the specific conditions and timeline.The issue of an additional postponement of the transfer was discussed at a senior meeting at the Ministry of National Defense complex in Seoul on Sept. 16 by ministry policy office chief Ryu Je-seung and US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia David Helvey. The two sides reportedly reaffirmed plans to announce the official timeline and conditions for the OPCON transfer at mid-October's ROK-US Security Consultative Meeting. Delegations for both countries plan to hold additional discussions at the two-day senior-level Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD), which begins on Sept. 17.Both sides had earlier agreed on a ''conditional transfer,'' with the date postponed once again from its scheduled Dec. 2015. According to sources, they examined specific conditions for the transfer and did last-minute coordination at the recent meeting, with a focus on the Korean Peninsula's security situation, the South Korean military's ability to respond to North Korean nuclear and missile threats, and building the South Korean military's peninsula-wide operational capabilities.A general consensus was also reached on when to have the transfer, with both sides agreeing on the importance of deterrence against North Korea's use of its weapons of mass destruction and conducting discussions with a target transfer date in the early-2020s, when South Korea will be establishing its kill chain and Korean Air and Missile Defense System (KAMD).The two countries are also reportedly discussing the possibility of a looser arrangement on the anticipated target date - satisfying the conditions for the transfer without nailing down a specific timeline.''It's important to consider whether the South Korean military has the capability to exercise OPCON and whether the conditions have been met,'' said a military officer on condition of anonymity. ''The date of the transfer is determined according to the capabilities and conditions.''''We could end up agreeing on a more flexible target date for the handover, rather than saying it will happen on some specific day, like 'April 17, 2012' or 'December 1, 2015,''' the authority added.Meanwhile, Blue House Office of National Security chief Kim Kwan-jin continued his visit to the US on Sept. 15, meeting with White House National Security Advisor Susan Rice to explain about President Park Geun-hye's North Korea policies, including her ''unification jackpot'' framework and the vision she laid out in Dresden Declaration in March. Rice expressed active support, the Blue House and South Korean embassy in Washington reported.ãPlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

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Tue, 21 Apr 2015 14:03

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is interviewed by France 2 TV anchor David Pujadas. (Photo: SANA)

(CNSNews.com) '' The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was created in Iraq in 2006 ''under the supervision of the Americans,'' Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told French television in an interview broadcast on Monday.

With the civil war in its fifth year, Assad presented a customarily defiant face in the interview with France 2 TV, denying using chemical weapons or ''barrel bombs'' against his foes, denying that Iranian troops were fighting in support of his regime, and accusing the West and regional Arab states of supporting the infiltration of terrorists into Syria.

Asked whether he had helped ISIS to emerge in order to present himself as ''a shield'' against the terrorists, Assad bristled.

''ISIS was created in Iraq in 2006 under the supervision of the Americans,'' he said, according to a transcript provided by the official SANA news agency. ''I wasn't controlling Iraq. The Americans controlled Iraq, and ISIS came from Iraq to Syria, because chaos is contagious.''

(The Syrian leader was alluding to ISIS' origins: Jordanian Sunni militant Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi renamed his jihadist group al-Qaeda in Iraq in 2004 and then Islamic State of Iraq in 2006. With its expansion into Syria, the group's name changed in 2013 to ISIS/ISIL, a move that sparked a split with al-Qaeda and its official Syria-based affiliate, the al-Nusra Front.)

''When there is chaos in Syria, ISIS came to Syria,'' Assad said. ''Before ISIS came al-Nusra Front, which is al-Qaeda, and before that you had the Muslim Brotherhood. They all represent the same grassroots for ISIS to come later.''

Going back to the origins of the civil war in Syria '' which began in March 2011 with citizens demanding more political freedom '' Assad said that from the early weeks of the conflict ''the terrorists infiltrated the situation in Syria with the support of Western countries and regional countries.''

He accused the French government and others of ''supporting those jihadists that they called moderate opposition.''

''The people who are supported now, who have Western armaments, they became ISIS, they were supported by your state [France], and by other Western states,'' he said.

'Not serious'

Assad was scathing of the U.S.-led military coalition's campaign of airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq, saying it was neither serious nor effective.

He said his own forces carry out ten times the number of missions against the terrorists than a coalition of 60 countries. ''Is that serious?''

Islamic State in Iraq and Syria fighters. (Screenshot: ISIS propaganda video)

''And the other proof is that ISIS has expanded in Syria, in Iraq, in Libya, in the region in general. So, how can you say that it was effective? They're not serious, that's why they don't make any help to anyone in this region.''

''The coalition against terrorism cannot be formed by countries who support the terrorists at the same time, so we don't care whether they attack it in Syria, or Iraq, or both, as long as they support the same terrorists at the same time.''

Declared U.S. policy is to support, train and equip fighters affiliated with the mainstream Syrian National Coalition, to better enable them to fight the terrorists and defend themselves against the regime.

But jihadist groups of various stripes have also been among the most effective anti-Assad fighters, and some enjoy support from elements in Turkey and the Gulf states.

Assad reiterated his view that there is no ''moderate'' opposition to his rule.

''They said they're going to arm the moderate opposition. Can you tell me what is it, where it is? We don't see it.''

'Fake narrative'

Assad also denied allegations by human rights groups and the U.S. and other governments that his forces have been using chlorine as a weapon and ''barrel bombs'' '' explosives-packed barrels dropped from helicopters, often in populated civilian areas.

''I have never seen such a thing in our army,'' he said of the barrel bomb allegation, adding that ''in our army we only use regular bombs that could be aimed.''

The chlorine accusation, he said, was ''another fake narrative by the Western governments.''

Firstly, the only operating chlorine factory in Syria was in rebel hands in the north of the country, he said, and secondly, ''the regular armaments that we have are more influential than chlorine, so we don't need it anyway.''

An Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons fact-finding mission has concluded with a ''high degree of confidence'' that chlorine has been used repeatedly and systematically as a weapon in Syria.

Citing those findings, the U.N. Security Council last month passed by a 14-0 vote (with Venezuela abstaining) a resolution condemning any such use, and saying individuals responsible must be held accountable.

Assad frequently rails against foreign interference in Syria, but when asked about the involvement of Iranian and Hezbollah forces fighting alongside his troops, he said there was ''a big difference between intervention and invitation.''

''Every government in the world, every state, has the right to invite any other country or party or organization to help in any domain, while no country has the right to intervene without invitation. So, we invited Hezbollah.''

''We didn't invite the Iranians,'' he added. ''They're not here, they didn't send any troops.''

The denial is at odds with frequent U.S. accusations about the presence in Syria of Iranian forces, especially troops from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

''Iran has been deeply involved with its forces on the ground in Syria,'' Secretary of State John Kerry said in Turkey last fall. ''IRGC forces are on the ground.''

In 2011 the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on two senior figures in the Qods Force '' the IRGC unit responsible for clandestine and terror operations abroad '' including its commander, Major General Qassem Soleimani, for supporting the Assad regime's repression.

Asked in the interview about calls from some quarters in the West for governments to open dialogue with his regime, Assad said the onus would be on those governments to stop supporting terrorists first.

''They have to convince me first, that they don't support terrorists, that they are not involved in the blood shedding of the Syrian people first,'' he said.

''How can we make dialogue with a regime that supports terrorists in our country, and what for? That's the question. When they change their policy, we'll be ready to make dialogue.''

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Source: Signs of the Times

Mon, 20 Apr 2015 07:57

(C) AFPDzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Members of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's family tell TIME they tried in vain to dismiss his defense lawyersThroughout the trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the 21-year-old who was convicted last week of bombing the Boston Marathon in 2013, his family resisted the urge to speak out publicly in his defense. Tsarnaev's defense team had advised them not to grant interviews, they say, as it could risk his chances at trial. But when the jury issued its guilty verdict on April 8, convicting him on 17 counts that could each carry the death penalty, some of his relatives decided to go public with their outrage.

On the evening of April 14, three members of the Tsarnaev family met at a caf(C) in the city of Grozny, close to their ancestral home in southern Russia, and told a TIME reporter how the trial had torn their family apart, how helpless they felt against what they see as an American conspiracy against them and, above all, how they still hope to convince Tsarnaev to fire his legal team and seek to overturn the verdict on appeal.

"It would be so much easier if he had actually committed these crimes," says his aunt Maret Tsarnaeva. "Then we could swallow this pain and accept it."

But two years after the bombing that killed three people and wounded hundreds near the race's finish line on April 15, 2013, they still refuse to admit Tsarnaev's guilt. From their homes in Chechnya and Dagestan, two predominantly Muslim regions of Russia, some of his family members have tried to convince Tsarnaev to fire his court-appointed lawyer, Judy Clarke, who has taken a surprising approach to his defense.

In one of her first arguments before the jury after entering a not-guilty plea, Clarke said that her client is indeed responsible for the "senseless, horrific, misguided acts." But in committing these crimes, she argued that he was acting under the direction of his older brother Tamerlan, who was killed in a shootout with authorities soon after the bombing.

This line of defense has outraged many of Tsarnaev's relatives, who have tried to convince him to dismiss Clarke and ask for a lawyer who will argue his innocence. "Why do we even need defense attorneys if they just tell the jury he is guilty?" his aunt asks. "What's the point?"Like many observers of the case in Russia, the Tsarnaev family has claimed '-- without providing any meaningful evidence '-- that the bombing was part of a U.S. government conspiracy intended to test the American public's reaction to a terrorist threat and the imposition of martial law in a U.S. city. "This was all fabricated by the American special services," Said-Hussein Tsarnaev, the convicted bomber's uncle, tells TIME. A panel of 12 jurors in Boston reached the verdict after weeks of testimony from some 90 witnesses and 11 hours of deliberations spread over two days.

Tsarnaev's mother, Zubeidat, made similar claims of a conspiracy soon after his arrest, but she seems to have come around since then to the strategy that her son's lawyers have taken at trial. As a result, the family appears to have suffered a rancorous split. While the brothers' paternal relatives, who spoke to TIME on Wednesday, have demanded a new legal team, their mother has refused to call for Clarke's dismissal. "The mother won't let us do it," says Hava Tsarnaeva, the brothers' great-aunt in Chechnya. "She won't listen to reason."Their only real means of pressuring her is through Tsarnaev's father, Anzor, a native of Chechnya who now lives in neighboring Dagestan. But he seems to have taken his wife's side on the quality of their son's defense. "As frightening as it is to admit, Anzor has been his wife's zombie all his life, from the first day they met," says his sister Maret.

In their desperation to reach Tsarnaev during the trial, his paternal relatives have tried sending letters, arranging phone calls and even encouraging a friend to go to the Boston courtroom and cry out to Tsarnaev during a hearing. But all of these efforts failed to reach him, they say, let alone convince him to fire his lawyers.

Their focus now has turned to outside help, primarily from rights activists and international institutions, though these efforts also have little chance of success. On Wednesday, they met with a leading rights activist in Chechnya, Heda Saratova, in the hope of filing an appeal in the case to the European Court of Human Rights. Saratova informed them that the U.S. is not a party to the court's founding treaty, and therefore does not accept its jurisdiction.

On hearing the news, Maret Tsarnaeva, the aunt, let out a laugh through her tears. "So I guess the U.S. has really proven its exceptionalism in this case," she says, bitterly. "It's a closed circle." And it leaves his family no choice but to wait for April 21, when the sentencing phase of the trial will consider whether Tsarnaev should face the death penalty or spend the rest of his life in prison.

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Source: Amateur/Ham Radio

Mon, 20 Apr 2015 08:06

Within two years from now, the shutdown of national FM-networks begins in Norway. The switchover will begin in the North and will be implemented region by region.

Av Mari Hagerup 16. april 2015Thursday, the Ministry of Culture announced a national FM-switch off, to complete the transition to digital radio. Norway is making an historical move into a new radio era, being the first country in the world to decide upon an analogue switch-off for all major radio channels. With DAB and digital radio, listeners will be provided with more radio channels and greater diversity in content.

Thor Gjermund Eriksen, head of NRK, says:- This is an important day for everyone who loves radio. The minister`s decision allows us to concentrate our resources even more upon what is most important, namely to create high quality and diverse radio-content to our listeners.

The DAB-coverage in Norway now exceeds FM-coverage. DAB provides Norway with 22 national channels, as opposed to five channels transmitting nationwide on FM.

Switch-off begins 11th January 2017The decision gives Norwegians a final date for the transition to digital radio, a process persisting for several years. Trygve R¸nningen , CEO and editor in chief P4, says:

- We can finally complete the work that has been on-going for many years. This is the best solution for all listeners throughout Norway, as they now have a better radio.

Switch-off starts in Nordland county 11th January 2017 and ends with the northernmost counties Troms and Finnmark 13.12 2017.

Coordintated

NRK, P4 Group and SBS Radio will turn off all its FM broadcasts simultaneously in two of six regions. In four regions however, NRK Radio will lead the way in FM-switch off. Lasse Kokvik , CEO of SBS Radio says:- The national radio industry have agreed upon a rapid and coordinated plan for the transition, with considerations taken on not giving unreasonable competitive advantages through FM-closing.

Look to NorwayToday's decision makes Norway the first country in the world to set a final date for FM-switch off. Several countries in Europe and Southeast Asia, however, are in similar processes, choosing DAB-technology as the backbone of future radio distribution.

Ole J¸rgen Torvmark , CEO of Digital Radio Norway says:- The White Paper from 2011 and a unique collaboration between the radio industry is the main reason why Norway is far ahead in the transition to digital radio. Many countries are now looking to Norway to learn.

Ensures a long life for radioRadio on digital platforms ensures the radio media a long life for years to come. The Radio Industry is better equipped to evolve with listener`s needs and are thus better enabled to adopt to the ever changing patterns of media consumption.Norway began the transition to DAB in 1995. In recent years two national and several local DAB-networks has been established. 56 per cent of radio listeners use digital radio every day. 55 per cent of households have at least one DAB radio, according to Digitalradio survey by TNS Gallup, continuously measuring the Norwegian`s digital radio habits.

Regional plan for FM switch-off (Click the image for a bigger version)Link to the announcementFor further information, please contact:Mari Hagerup, Head of communication, Digital Radio NorwayCell: 0047 920 46 088, Mail: hagerup@radio.no

Background

Norway is in a transition from analogue to digital radio for all national channels and some local channels. Digital radio expands radio reach and multiplies the number of national channels. More than 90 per cent of the population can now listen to 22 national radio channels. The national DAB networks have equally high and partly higher population coverage than national FM networks. DAB coverage along roads is generally better than FM-coverage .

STATS FOR DIGITAL RADIO IN NORWAY *

- 56 % of radio listeners use digital radio daily- 44 % of listeners only use FM radio daily- 20 % of private cars are equipped with DAB radio- 55 % of all Norwegian households have at least one DAB radio.- 7.9 million radio sets will be affected by FM-extinction. FM radios can be upgraded or recycled.* Digital radio survey , TNS Gallup 2015

DAB COVERAGE

NRK: at least 99,5 % coverage on DABCommercial radio: 92.8 % coverage on DABCommunity radio: 50 % DAB coverage on DABDAB-covarage on roads are generally higher than on FM. All FM-transmitters in tunnels will be replaced with DAB.

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Mon, 20 Apr 2015 19:18

This is the last year that the original version of Kraft Mac & Cheese sold in the U.S. will contain artificial preservatives or synthetic colors. In January, Kraft says its macaroni and cheese will be colored using paprika, annatto and turmeric.

There has been a huge shift away from processed foods in the U.S. and larger food producers are trying to follow their customers in that direction.

Already the company is selling a version in the U.S., called Kraft Mac & Cheese Boxed Shapes, which has no artificial flavors, preservatives or synthetic colors. Kraft said that its other macaroni and cheese varieties sold in the U.S., such as Shapes Cups, Original Cups, Premium Flavors and Easy Mac will have no artificial flavors, preservatives or synthetic colors later next year.

The company said that it has worked for some time to make the changes to the product, but had to ensure that customers would not notice a change in taste."We weren't ready to change the product until we were confident that Kraft Macaroni & Cheese tastes like Kraft Macaroni & Cheese," the company said.

-- The Associated Press

First published April 20 2015, 10:54 AM

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Source: Signs of the Times

Mon, 20 Apr 2015 16:26

(C) viral.buzzYou can be arrested for paying with cash.

With the passage of House Bill 195 into law, the State of Louisiana has banned the use of cash in all transactions involving second-hand goods. State representative Ricky Hardy, a co-author of the bill, claims that the bill targets criminals who traffic in stolen goods. According to Hardy, "It's a mechanism to be used so the police department has something to go on and have a lead."The bill prohibits cash transactions by "second-hand dealers," defined to include garage sales, flea markets, resellers of specialty items, and even non-profit resellers like Goodwill. Curiously, it specifically exempts pawnbrokers from the ban. But of course, pawn shops - and not rented stalls at local church flea markets - are notorious as places that criminals frequent to convert stolen goods into quick cash. So what gives?

Are the authors of the bill and those who voted for it ignoramuses - or are they deliberately obscuring the real purpose of the bill? The answer is clear once we examine the other provisions of the bill. The bill goes far beyond banning cash transactions. As lawyer Thad Ackel notes, the bill requires:

... second-hand dealers to turn over a valuable business asset, namely, their business' proprietary client information. For every transaction, a second-hand dealer must obtain the seller's personal information such as their name, address, driver's license number, and the license plate number of the vehicle in which the goods were delivered.

They must also make a detailed description of the item(s) purchased and submit this with the personal identification information of every transaction to the local policing authorities through electronic daily reports.

If a seller cannot or refuses to produce to the second-hand dealer any of the required forms of identification, the second-hand dealer is prohibited from completing the transaction.

So the aim of the bill is not to aid law enforcement in apprehending criminals, none of whom would be ever stupid enough to turn over such information. The real intent is to feed government's insatiable hunger for tax revenues by completely stripping law-abiding citizens of financial privacy in second-hand transactions, every detail of which is fed directly into police files.

This troubling development in Louisiana parallels the intensification of the war on cash by the Federal government. Last month, it wasreportedthat the U.S. Justice Department ordered bank employees to snitch to the cops on customers who withdrew $5,000 or more. In a speech, assistant attorney general Leslie Caldwell exhorted banks to "alert law enforcement authorities about the problem" so that police can "seize the funds" or at least "initiate an investigation."

Comment: Cash - maybe the last bastion of anonymity! What better way to shut down an economy, than to make new and invasive rules about how to accomplish a transaction, be worried about whether you are being monitored privately or on a national/international scale, and tracked as to what you purchase. (This bill was passed in 2011!) What is even worse is the $5000 bank withdrawal-triggers that allow the police to seize your funds and place you under investigation. Tellers have become the inquisitors. And, the smartphone personal tracking device and payment scheme (phasing out/outlawing cash/check/credit card sales thanks to POTUS) become mandatory in October 2015. Don't phone home.Over in France, Finance Minister Michel Sapin hailed the introduction of measures set to come into force in September which will restrict French citizens from making cash payments over 1,000 euros. The new regulations, introduced in the name of fighting terrorism, will also see cash deposits of over 10,000 euros during a single month reported to anti-fraud authorities.Meanwhile, in the UK, HSBC is nowinterrogating its account holderson how they earn and spend their money as well asrestricting large cash withdrawalsfor customers from £5000 upwards.Back in America, purchasing Amtrak train tickets with cash is beingtreated as a suspicious activityas part of a number of behaviors that are "indicative of criminal activity".

See also:Department of Justice wants banks to call the police on anyone who withdraws more than $5,000Feds urge banks to call the cops on customers who withdraw $5000 or more

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Source: Signs of the Times

Wed, 22 Apr 2015 23:40

Robert Wenzel

Letters are apparently going out to some JPMorganChase customers announcing that cash will be prohibited from being stored in the bank's safety deposit boxes.At the Collectors Universe message board, a commenter reports:

My mother has a SDB at a Chase branch with one of my siblings as co-signers. Last week they got a letter outlining a number of changes to the lease agreement, including this:

"Contents of the box: You agree not to store any cash or coins other than those found to have a collectible value."

Another change is that signatures will no longer be accepted to access the box. The next time they go in they have to bring two forms of ID and they will be issued a four-digit pin number that will be used to access the box then and in the future.

Professor Joseph Salerno of the Mises Institute writes:As of March, Chase began restricting the use of cash in selected markets, including Greater Cleveland. The new policy restricts borrowers from using cash to make payments on credit cards, mortgages, equity lines, and auto loans. Chase even goes as far as to prohibit the storage of cash in its safe deposit boxes . In a letter to its customers dated April 1, 2015 pertaining to its "Updated Safe Deposit Box Lease Agreement," one of the highlighted items reads: "You agree not to store any cash or coins other than those found to have a collectible value."

Just last week, Citigroup's top economist, Willem Buiter, wrote a report calling for the abolishment of cash as a sound policy.Hide your wallets, the banksters are on the move.

Robert Wenzelis editor & publisher ofEconomicPolicyJournal.comand ofTarget Liberty. He also hosts the weekly podcastThe Robert Wenzel Show. His guests on the show have included,Jesse Ventura,Roger Stone,James Altucher,David Stockman,Guy Kawasaki,Oliver Stone,Judge Andrew Napolitano,Steve Forbes,Peter SchiffandGary Johnson.

He is author ofThe Fed Flunks: My Speech at the New York Federal Reserve Bankand the soon to be published,Always Fighting for Freedom: The Early Wenzel.

Comment: The trend seems clear: "capital controls" are extending right down to the cash in our own accounts. It might be wise to store some of this cash (outside the bank) while you still can. There are two other strategies that are often overlooked:1) convert some cash assets to real property - property and goods that can help you weather the financial storms that are surely coming (including precious metals), and2) move your cash accounts to a small healthy bank that only supports your local community, and get to know them - a small local bank is much more likely to be "user friendly" as these capital controls are rolled out.

Here is a good recent summary of the currency wars (by John Rubino and Gordon Long) going on right now at all levels:

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Tue, 21 Apr 2015 13:49

Alien enthusiasts think Hillary could blow open Washington's biggest cover-up.

'--AJ Vicens on Fri. April 3, 2015 6:00 AM PDT

Stephen Bassett is ready for Hillary. Bassett, Capitol Hill's only registered UFO lobbyist, anticipates that another Clinton presidency will offer another shot at what's long been the Holy Grail for extraterrestrial enthusiasts: full disclosure of what the US government really knows about aliens. "This is the most important issue in the world," he says.

His enthusiasm is shared by Michael Salla, an academic turned UFO researcher who maintains that aliens have been secretly involved in American politics since the Cold War. He thinks a Clinton presidency would be a good thing for the UFO community. "I think Hillary would play a positive role in getting this information out," he says. "I think that Hillary definitely is much more the pro-disclosure candidate, where as someone like Jeb Bush is basically status quo."

The UFO activists' hopes for Hillary are pinned on the assumption she believes in their cause'--despite having never spoken publicly about it. In particular, they are encouraged that John Podesta, Bill Clinton's former chief of staff, will likely chair Clinton's campaign and would likely serve in another Clinton White House. As a self-described "curious skeptic," Podesta has openly called for greater government transparency on UFO-related matters. In his forward to UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record, a 2011 book by journalist Leslie Kean, he wrote, "It's time to find out what the truth really is that's out there. The American people'--and people around the world'--want to know, and they can handle the truth."

Podesta's interest in extraterrestrial phenomenon is nothing new. In 1998, the Washington Post described his "fanatical devotion to 'The X-Files''--especially FBI agent Fox Mulder, with whom he shares a penchant for obsessiveness and paranoia." Grant Cameron, a Canadian UFO researcher, unsuccessfully tried to get the Clinton Library to release records detailing Podesta's X-Files-themed 50th birthday party, which was apparently thrown by the first couple'--who may have dressed up as the show's main characters.

In February, as he prepared to step down as a senior adviser to President Obama, Podesta tweeted about the UFO issue:

While the tweet may have been tongue in cheek, UFO activists went nuts over it. "It was a big frickin' deal," says Bassett. "Someone who has been an adviser to the president of the United States, and is leaving his job, and it's already been announced publicly that he is going to be a key adviser to the heir apparent to the White House, the de facto candidate, does not, on the day he leaves the White House, put out a tweet about UFOs. He's inviting hundreds of articles to be written about this tweet." Podesta did not respond to a request for comment.

The other reason that UFO enthusiasts are excited about a potential Clinton victory goes back to the X-Files era. In early 1993, Laurance S. Rockefeller began to lobby the Clinton administration to release any government information related to UFOs and extraterrestrials, including the 1947 Roswell incident. The fourth child of John D. Rockefeller Jr., Rockefeller was a successful venture capitalist, philanthropist, and conservationist. One of his lesser-known interests was UFOs. (He died in 2004.)

Over the next three years, Rockefeller and his associates corresponded and met with officials in the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy, according to documents released as part of a records request filed by Cameron. The effort, known as the Rockefeller Initiative, helped push the Air Force to produce what it characterized as the definitive report on Roswell. (UFO activists were not satisfied, to say the least.) The initiative also may have helped spur a 1995 executive order that declassified millions of records, of which the vast majority were not UFO-related.

In August 1995, Rockefeller met with Hillary Clinton, and perhaps Bill, at his Wyoming ranch. In a memo, the then-director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Jack Gibbons, warned the Clintons about Rockefeller's agenda before the visit. "[Rockefeller] will want to talk with you about his interest in extrasensory perception, paranormal phenomena, and UFO's," he wrote. Gibbons said he'd tried to persuade Rockefeller "not to bother you with this issue" and to focus instead on the administration's science and technology policies. Rockefeller, he continued, "knows that we are trying to be helpful in responding to his concerns about UFO's [sic] and human potential'--and that we're keeping an open mind about such matters'--but I've made no secret about my conviction that we must not be too diverted from more earthly imperatives." Gibbons could not be reached for comment.

Hillary Clinton with Laurance Rockefeller at his Wyoming ranch in 1995 Grant Cameron/Stephen Bassett

Documents from the Rockefeller Initiative posted on Bassett's website suggest that the first lady was kept in the loop. A November 1995 letter to Gibbons from one of Rockefeller's lawyers included a draft letter to President Clinton "which Laurance has been discussing with Mrs. Clinton and her staff." Three months later, Rockefeller wrote Gibbons about the letter, which the White House was apparently in no hurry to receive: "It well may be that it will be timely to put this before the President late this year in order that it might receive attention in a second term. You indicated that you will keep the First Lady's Office informed, and we shall as well."

Bassett says the Rockefeller Initiative proves that the Clintons were interested in pursuing meaningful UFO and extraterrestrial disclosure. "You don't go through all of this, and have this much work, just to amuse a billionaire," he says. "If you did, you'd have to answer to that." Bassett has been lobbying for congressional hearings on the question of UFO contact with the US government. He says that forcing the Clintons to discuss the Rockefeller Initiative is key to his strategy. "I call it the exopolitical blue dress," he says, referring to Monica Lewinsky's infamous blue dress and "exopolitics," a term for the intersection of terrestrial politics and extraterrestrial beings.

Salla, who has claimed that humans are currently in touch with 17 extraterrestrial civilizations, says that Hillary Clinton's return is another indicator that the truth is coming. He cites Jimmy Kimmel's recent interview with President Obama, in which the president quipped that he hasn't delved into the government's UFO files because "the aliens won't let it happen. You'd reveal all their secrets. They exercise strict control over us."

Where most people heard a punch line, Salla discerned a direct link to Podesta and perhaps something deeper. "The fact that he said aliens exert strict control over us'--no president has ever said that before, even as a joke," Salla says. "Obama said things that shouldn't just be assumed to be throwaway lines. A senior adviser a month before said he was frustrated by a lack of progress and now you have Obama on Jimmy Kimmel saying that. I think it's worth raising the question."

Asked for clarification of Hillary Clinton's stance on UFO disclosure, a spokesman from her office responded via email. "Our non-campaign has a strict policy of not commenting on extraterrestrial activity," Nick Merrill wrote. "BUT, the Truth Is Out There."

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Thu, 23 Apr 2015 15:22

Tomato and Potato in one plant? Yes!

The how and why?

Both plants are from the same family (solanaceae) and thus it is possible to graft them without GMO.

After years of research and development, the plant is ready to hit your garden or patio in 2015!

The TomTato® has a lot of sweet cherry tomatoes and has a versatile potato!

All available for your own balcony, patio or allotment!

TomTato® - Tomato and Potato in one plant!

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Thu, 23 Apr 2015 15:23

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Thu, 23 Apr 2015 15:15

Oil prices fell on Tuesday on anticipation of another weekly build in U.S. crude stockpiles.

Position squaring ahead of the expiry of the front-month contract in U.S. crude also accounted for a large part of activity, traders and analysts said.

"The bears seem to be having an edge this week after the strong gains of the past week," said Gene McGillian, analyst at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Connecticut.

U.S. crude for May, which expired at the close of Tuesday's session, closed down $1.12, or 1.99 percent, at $55.26 a barrel. U.K. North Sea Brent crude, the more widely used benchmark for oil slipped $1.30, or 2 percent, to $62 a barrel.

Read MoreFor crude oil, this looks like 2009 all over again

A preliminary Reuters survey on Monday showed that U.S. crude inventories likely rose by 2.4 million barrels last week, for a 15th straight week of builds.

The American Petroleum Institute, an industry group, will issue its own reading on the inventory situation at 4:30 p.m. EDT, before official stockpile data due from the government on Wednesday.

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Thu, 23 Apr 2015 15:11

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Thu, 23 Apr 2015 15:07

Not exactly doing his wife's presidential bid any favors.

Former President Bill Clinton called the terrorist group ISIS the ''most interesting non-governmental organization today'' in remarks at Georgetown University:

''Arguably the most interesting non-governmental organzation today, which proves the importance of inclusion by its short-comings but is formidable, is ISIS,'' said Clinton.

''ISIS is a terrorist organization, an NGO, trying to become a state. That is, they don't recognize any of the boundaries of the Middle Eastern countries as legitimate. They were all established, drawn largely by Westerners after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in World War I. And so when they go capture a place, they set up their own judicial system, they set up their own rule making, they set up whatever their social services are going to be. And the only thing is, you can't disagree with them, or they'll kill you.''

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Thu, 23 Apr 2015 15:03

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Thu, 23 Apr 2015 14:47

');jQuery(owl._items[0]).find('.media__icon').remove();}}function currentVideoCollectionContainsId (currentVideoId) {var nextVideoIndex = 0,vidObj,i;if (jQuery.isArray(currentVideoCollection) && currentVideoCollection.length > 0) {for (i = 0; i 0) {for (i = 0; i 0) {nextPlay = currentVideoCollection[getNextVideoIndex(currentVideoId)].videoUrl;if (nextPlay === undefined || nextPlay === null) {nextPlay = currentVideoCollection[0].videoUrl;}moveToNextTimeout = setTimeout(function () {location.href = nextPlay;}, nextVideoPlayTimeout);}}callbackObj = {onAdPlay: function (containerId, cvpId, token, mode, id, duration, blockId, adType) {clearTimeout(moveToNextTimeout);/* Add VisualRevenue event on video ad start */if (Array.isArray(window._vrq)) {window._vrq.push(['video', 'adroll', configObj.video]);}},onAdEnd: function (containerId, cvpId, token, mode, id, blockId, adType) {/* Add VisualRevenue event on video ad stop */if (Array.isArray(window._vrq)) {window._vrq.push(['video', 'adstop', configObj.video]);}},onCVPReady: function (containerId, cvpId, event) {setCarouselDisplayIndex();},onContentPlay: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {clearTimeout(moveToNextTimeout);setNowPlaying(contentId);/* Add VisualRevenue event on video start */if (Array.isArray(window._vrq)) {window._vrq.push(['video', 'play', configObj.video]);}var idx,cvp = containerId && window.cnnVideoManager.getPlayerByContainer(containerId).videoInstance.cvp || null,prevVideoId = (window.jsmd && window.jsmd.v && (window.jsmd.v.eVar18 || window.jsmd.v.eVar4)) || '';if (cvp && typeof cvp.reportAnalytics === 'function') {if (prevVideoId.length === 0 && document.referrer && document.referrer.search(/\/videos\//) >= 0) {prevVideoId = document.referrer.replace(/^(?:http|https)\:\/\/[^\/]\/videos\/(.+\.\w+)(?:\/video\/playlists\/.*)?$/, '/video/$1');if (prevVideoId === document.referrer) {prevVideoId = '';}}if (jQuery.isArray(currentVideoCollection) && currentVideoCollection.length > 0) {idx = getNextVideoIndex(contentId);nextVideoId = currentVideoCollection[idx].videoId;nextVideoUrl = currentVideoCollection[idx].videoUrl;currentVideoCollectionId = (window.jsmd && window.jsmd.v && window.jsmd.v.eVar60) || nextVideoUrl.replace(/^.+\/video\/playlists\/(.+)\//, '$1');}cvp.reportAnalytics('videoPageData', {videoCollection: currentVideoCollectionId,videoBranding: CNN.omniture.branding_content_page,templateType: CNN.omniture.template_type,nextVideo: nextVideoId,previousVideo: prevVideoId,referrerType: '',referrerUrl: document.referrer});}},onContentMetadata: function (containerId, playerId, metadata, contentId, duration, width, height) {var embedContainer = embedLinkHandler.getEmbedContainer();if (typeof metadata !== 'undefined' &&(typeof embedContainer.length !== 'undefined' &&embedContainer.length CNN's Karl Penhaul speaks to migrants who risked it all by crossing the Mediterranean Sea to find a better life in Italy.

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Thu, 23 Apr 2015 14:06

JapanApr. 23, 2015 - Updated 04:12 UTC

Tokyo police investigating a drone found on top of the Prime Minister's Office say nobody had been up there for the last month.

Police are checking surveillance cameras in the vicinity on Thursday to determine when the drone landed. They are also analyzing the contents of a container mounted on the device, which contained radioactive cesium.

The drone was found on the rooftop on Wednesday.Police suspect it was intentionally flown over the Prime Minister's Office.

They said staffers at the Office found it when they went to the rooftop as part of training for new hires.

Investigators told reporters the heliport on the roof was last used on March 22nd and that the drone was not there then. They say nobody had been up on the roof since.

Police are stepping up surveillance of an area of several hundred meters around the Prime Minister's Office and the National Diet Building.

Officers are monitoring suspicious flying objects and drone operators, while intensifying stop-and-searches.

They are asking the operators of nearby buildings to lock entrances to rooftops and patrol the buildings thoroughly.

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Thu, 23 Apr 2015 13:58

A State Department official told Congress Wednesday that the department is under an almost constant threat of cyber attacks, and said its computer systems have already been breached before.

''We are attacked every day, thousands of times a day,'' Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Heather Higginbottom said in response to a question from Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.). ''I can tell you, senator, that we have been breached, as has been reported.''

Higginbottom said she could only discuss the breach in a closed setting, and thus said nothing else. But her comments are likely to alarm many about the risk that hackers might break into State's computers and mine them for sensitive or classified information.

On Tuesday, Perdue asked State Department Inspector General Steve Linick about the security of State's computers. He said State's system had been hacked into, and said the IG office noticed it because they use the same system.

'-- This story was corrected to note the senator's correct name, David Perdue, not Mark Perdue.

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Thu, 23 Apr 2015 05:45

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Thu, 23 Apr 2015 05:41

Samantha Power, later to become ambassador to the United Nations, urged the Armenian American community in early 2008 to support Sen. Barack Obama's White House bid by highlighting his pledge to recognize atrocities against Armenian Christians a century ago as genocide.

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Thu, 23 Apr 2015 05:08

[More in the cross-post on the MRC's NewsBusters blog.]

On the 22 April 2015 edition of Good Morning America, ABC's Terry Moran refreshingly labeled one of the major threats to Western civilization '' something the Obama administration has consistently failed to do '' as he covered a planned attack on churches in France. Moran disclosed that "France and...Europe...is, essentially, fighting off the virus of Islamic violent extremism that is settling into the neighborhoods here '' into the young people '' and some of them taking a violent revenge on their own societies."

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Thu, 23 Apr 2015 02:19

(C) 2015 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Sitemap | Legal Notices | Privacy Policy

EMC2, EMC, RSA and their respective logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of EMC Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners.

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Wed, 22 Apr 2015 22:17

Robert Downey Jr. is currently in the middle of his press tour to promote the hell out of Avengers: Age of Ultron. But he clearly didn't expect to get probing questions about his troubled past, which happened during his sit-down with British interviewer Krishnan Guru-Murthy.

Most of the interview focused on Avengers and superheroes and all the rest of it, but then Guru-Murthy decided to make things more personal. He asked Downey about a quote of his from years ago about how he didn't come out of prison as a liberal, but Downey simply said opinions change.

Guru-Murthy said he wanted to dive more into the personal stuff, and Downey looked a little uncomfortable as he brought it up. Guru-Murthy mentioned the ''dark period'' he entered, mentioning his past drug use, and asked if he thinks he's ''free of all of that.''

Downey asked, ''What are we doing?'' Seconds later, he got up and ended the interview, telling Guru-Murthy, as he was walking out, ''It's just getting a little Diane Sawyer.''

Guru-Murthy is the same interviewer who ended up getting Quentin Tarantinoreally pissed off during an interview about Django Unchained, in which Guru-Murthy asked him about the link between movie violence and real-world violence.

You can watch Downey's interview and walkout here, via Channel 4:

[image via screengrab]

'' ''

Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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Wed, 22 Apr 2015 14:33

BRUSSELS '-- European antitrust regulators on Wednesday charged the Russian energy giant Gazprom with abusing its dominance in natural gas markets, a move amounting to a direct challenge to the authorities in Moscow.

The European Commission, the European Union's executive arm, said that unfair pricing might have resulted in higher gas prices in Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, which have long been wholly or substantially dependent on Russian gas. In those countries, the commission said, Gazprom was suspected of charging wholesalers prices that were significantly higher compared with the company's costs or to benchmark prices.

In response on Wednesday, Gazprom suggested that it was not subject to the European Union's antitrust jurisdiction because it is a state-controlled company '-- effectively an arm of the Russian government. Gazprom added that it had been ''empowered by the laws of the Russian Federation with special socially significant functions and has the status of a strategic government-controlled business entity.''

The commission also suspects Gazprom of quashing competition by restricting gas flows to some parts of Europe. Gazprom seems to be ''pursuing an overall strategy to partition Central and Eastern European gas markets, for example by reducing its customers' ability to resell the gas cross-border,'' the commission said.

It also said that Gazprom might have been leveraging its powerful market position in Bulgaria and Poland by making supplies of gas conditional on those countries' participating in infrastructure projects, like plans for new pipelines to carry even more Russian gas into Europe.

''Keeping national gas markets separate also allowed Gazprom to charge prices that we, at this stage, consider to be unfair,'' said Margrethe Vestager, the European Union's competition commissioner.

''If our concerns were confirmed, Gazprom would have to face the legal consequences of its behavior,'' she said.

The charges make it more likely that Gazprom could eventually face a fine theoretically running higher than 10 billion euros, or about $10.7 billion. But the larger worry for Gazprom is the prospect of being forced to allow more competition in markets it has long controlled. Russia supplies about one-third of the European Union's natural gas.

Gazprom said in a statement that it ''considers the objections put forward by the European Commission to be unfounded.''

The company added that it ''strictly adheres to all the norms of international law and national legislation,'' and that its pricing policies ''are in full conformity with the standards observed by other producers and exporters of natural gas.''

Christopher J. Weafer, a senior partner at Macro-Advisory, a Moscow-based business consulting firm, said that the European Union is ''in a stronger position to take on Gazprom than it has been before'' because of new supplies of gas opening up for Europe. He noted gas production in Azerbaijan at the end of this decade and the potential of gas from Iran, which has comparable reserves to Russia.

''The commission seems intent on putting a cap on Gazprom's position,'' Mr. Weafer said. ''They can do that.''

He said that the only leverage that Gazprom has is to refuse new contracts to European customers, but that ''that would be pretty much cutting off their nose to spite their face.''

He said there was the possibility of a settlement, with Gazprom easing some of its pricing and gas-flow restrictions while gaining permission to expand its pipeline capacity in northern Europe. But he said that the ''political rhetoric is going to be tough.''

''The Kremlin is going to complain about this in fairly clear terms,'' he said.

Jonathan Stern, chairman of the gas program at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, said that the commission's statement was very conciliatory and that many of the charges could be resolved.

He estimated that only 14 percent of Gazprom's gas for Europe was affected, noting that countries where its practices were under investigation '-- Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary '-- had been dropped from the commission's review.

Gazprom would most likely agree to remove the restrictions from contracts in eastern Europe on how customers can use the gas they buy, he said, but in the absence of competing energy sources, it may be difficult to agree on pricing the fuel in any other way than by linking it to oil prices. The company will probably point out that oil linkage has until recently been the predominant way of pricing gas in Europe and remains largely in effect in Asia.

The regulators' move is a frontal challenge to President Vladimir V. Putin's economic and geopolitical strategy by potentially limiting Russia's ability to set prices favoring some customers and penalizing others.

President Dalia Grybauskaite of Lithuania, the country that called most vigorously for formal charges, said, ''The decision is a strong signal to consumers and the market that rules apply to everyone.''

''The era of Kremlin-backed political and economic blackmail draws to a close,'' said Ms. Grybauskaite, who also called for ''swift and conclusive'' results in the case.

The charges represent the second major move in a week by Ms. Vestager, who has sought to reinvigorate antitrust enforcement in Europe since taking office six months ago. Last Wednesday, she filed formal charges accusing Google of abusing its dominance in the market for online search in Europe.

Stanley Reed contributed reporting from London.

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Wed, 22 Apr 2015 05:57

5:20 p.m. update: Several school districts in Central Texas reported problems with online STAAR testing Tuesday, but school officials said relatively few students were affected and most were able to complete the tests on time.

However, locally it seems that most students were able to finish their testing Tuesday.

Round Rock school district spokesman Corey Ryan said problems with Pearson Education online software created a 35-minute delay to the start of STAAR testing for special education and English language learners. The delay prevented a very small number of students from finishing tests Tuesday, Ryan said.

Students at the Austin school district were also affected Tuesday by software problems in STAAR testing, but all students were able to complete their tests, a district spokesman said.

District spokesman Jacob Barrett described the situation Tuesday morning with Pearson Education's online software as more of a ''frustration on the administrative side,'' than a student issue.

All students at the Pflugerville school district completed tests with minimal disruption, a district official said.

Earlier: Several Texas school districts were faced with numerous problems in online STAAR testing Tuesday that prevented some students from taking the required tests.

The scope of the problem was not fully known late Tuesday, but an official with the Texas Education Agency said they think most of the problems with the Pearson Education online software used for online STAAR tests were resolved.

Some students were unable to log in or lost a connection to the testing software Tuesday morning, preventing them from taking tests.

TEA officials said any student who could not take their STAAR tests on Tuesday should resume them Wednesday. If the student was set to take another test on Wednesday, that test will be administered later this week, according to a statement from Lisa Cottle, the TEA's director of test administration.

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Wed, 22 Apr 2015 05:56

When a goggle-wearing gunman burst into her classroom two years ago, teacher Linda McLean wondered if she was going to die.

She remembered her grandchildren and the one on the way.

That's when she noticed a pistol on the floor outside her classroom and wondered if she should pick it up and go after the man in black who had just pointed a gun in her face, pulled the trigger and told her she was dead.

But she wasn't dead. She wasn't even bleeding. And a short time later, McLean, 56, and other teachers were gathered in the library of their Oregon elementary school, being debriefed on how they reacted.

That is McLean's version of what happened during a simulated school shooting at Pine Eagle Charter School in Halfway, Oregon, in April 2013, according to a newly filed federal lawsuit.

Yet she was never warned that it was a just drill '-- one that came just four months after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut '-- the suit claims.

Citing emotional distress, McLean is suing the school district, the principal, several members of the school board and Alpine Alarm Communications and Construction LLC.

Alpine constructed, installed and maintained the school's security system, according to Oregon Live. McLean is also suing the man she says pointed the gun in her face '-- Shawn Thatcher, who happened to be the school's safety supervisor.

The teacher, who had worked at the school more than three decades, says she has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and has not been able to set foot back in the school since the incident.

She also says she has been ostracized in the small community of 288 people for speaking out about what happened.

Now she's seeking lost wages, medical costs and punitive damages. The suit was filed Friday in federal court in Portland.

And McLean claims she's not the only one that was traumatized by the drill: One teacher wet herself, and another hurt his arm trying to keep one of the "gunmen" out of his classroom, according to the lawsuit.

John Minarich, the vice chair of the district's school board and the owner of Alpine Alarms, was also stalking the hallways that day with an unloaded gun, the suit says.

McLean and her lawyer did not immediately return a call from NBC News.

Emails to each defendant still employed at Pine Eagle Charter School went unanswered Tuesday.

William Johnson, a defendant and former school board member, said he couldn't immediately talk. Kelly Dennis, a secretary at the school, told NBC News that the school has been advised not to comment on the pending litigation.

Richard Cockle / The OregonianHalfway, a small town located in eastern Oregon.

First published April 21 2015, 1:00 PM

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Mon, 20 Apr 2015 19:43

This is the 'blockbuster expos(C)' Rand Paul says will wreck Hillary Clinton's campaign - Yahoo FinanceHTTP/1.1 200 OK Date: Mon, 20 Apr 2015 19:43:16 GMT P3P: policyref="http://info.yahoo.com/w3c/p3p.xml", CP="CAO DSP COR CUR ADM DEV TAI PSA PSD IVAi IVDi CONi TELo OTPi OUR DELi SAMi OTRi UNRi PUBi IND PHY ONL UNI PUR FIN COM NAV INT DEM CNT STA POL HEA PRE LOC GOV" X-Yahoo-Request-Id: aas9435ajalmk X-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN Content-Type: text/html;charset=utf-8 Content-Encoding: gzip X-Cache: HIT from ncache11.global.media.bf1.yahoo.com-2 X-Cache-Lookup: HIT from ncache11.global.media.bf1.yahoo.com-2:3128 X-Cache: MISS from ncache4.global.media.bf1.yahoo.com X-Cache-Lookup: MISS from ncache4.global.media.bf1.yahoo.com:4080 Via: 1.1 ncache11.global.media.bf1.yahoo.com-2:3128 (squid/2.7.STABLE9), 1.1 ncache4.global.media.bf1.yahoo.com:4080 (squid/2.7.STABLE9), http/1.1 media-border110.global.media.bf1.yahoo.com (ApacheTrafficServer [cMsSfW]), http/1.1 r05.ycpi.dcb.yahoo.net (ApacheTrafficServer [cMsSf ]) Server: ATS Cache-Control: max-age=0, private Expires: -1 Age: 9 Transfer-Encoding: chunked Connection: keep-alive

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Mon, 20 Apr 2015 19:19

Walmart suddenly closed stores in a number of states last week.. All for what the corporation called plumbing problems. Every news account however details that no plumbing permits are being sought..workers in Walmart were suddenly without work.

Conspiracy theorists went hog wild.

JADE HELM!!FEMA CAMPS!!ASTEROID STRIKE!!!

If you want to hear an alternate, sensible, and true podcast about, I have an idea.

Last night Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis tackled the WALMART closing issue in a refreshing way, Clyde Lewis correctly said that this has nothing to do with FEMA camps or Jade Helm.. instead, if you look at the stores WALMART suddenly closed for the 'plumbing' issues, it was all locations where workers had previously protested low wages. Yes, there is more to the story. But conspiracy theorists have gone overboard. Sometimes the answer is much simpler than a vast conspiracy.But we also know that the official plumbing story doesn't hold an ounce of water..

The full show here:

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Mon, 20 Apr 2015 16:22

Late last week, when we covered the various signs that "something big" may be coming, we discussed the one "exercise that people have really been buzzing about" - operation Jade Helm, an "unconventional warfare exercise" during which the states Texas and Utah will be designated as hostile territory.As previously profiled, "Jade Helm is a challenging eight-week joint military and Interagency (IA) Unconventional Warfare (UW) exercise conducted throughout Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah and Colorado," according to an unclassified military document announcing the training drill, which runs from July 15 through September 15.

Multiple branches of the US military, including Green Berets, Navy Seals, and the 82nd Airborne Division, will participate in the 8-week long exercise, which may result in "increased aircraft in the area at night."

Troops will be tasked with honing advanced skills in "large areas of undeveloped land with low population densities," and will work alongside "civilians to gain their trust and an understanding of the issues."

The exercise, in which some participants will be "wearing civilian clothes and driving civilian vehicles," lists Texas and Utah as "hostile" territory.

The proposed theater of operations of Operation Jade Helm is shown on the map below:

So while there are still three months until Jade Helm officially opens, various documented reports of substantial national guard drills and troop exercises are starting to trickle in early. As Paul Joseph Watson notes, the first documented proof of National Guard drills comes from Ontario, California where National Guard troops can be seen patrolling residential streets and practicing traffic control.In the video troops, followed by a humvee, are seen marching close to an elementary school and single family homes."I just watched it again and recognized the low block wall and the elementary school! It was right there where my sister and her husband live! OMG how frightening!" one YouTube commenter responded, while others insisted the patrols were a routine occurrence.

However, another respondent insisted that the patrol was not normal.

"During the last few seconds I got a quick glimpse of my sister and brother-in-laws house on Fuschia. Ave," wrote the commenter."That motorcycle was parked almost in front of their house. They told me they saw this procession going on from their front yard. They have lived in that house for 30 or so yrs and this is the first time they have seen this type of thing in their neighborhood. Might be a common thing to do their training someplace else but not in that area."

This is not the first such clip: a disturbing video out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida last month also showed military and law enforcement practicing the internment of citizens during martial-law style training.Meanwhile on the eastern US seaboard, the PostStar reports that nearly 600 Army and Air National Guard forces from New Jersey and New York "are preparing for the worst."They are participating in a homeland response force drill at New Jersey's Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst on Friday.

The troops specialize in rescue, security, decontamination and medical treatment.

The units will train to rapidly assess and identify a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incident.

Of course, the bigger concern is that the real motive behind this major national guard exercise is not a focus on a "defensive" drill from an outside threat, but one dealing with a domestic threat.How is that possible, some would say? Could the national guard really be preparing for a confrontation with the US population?

Unfortunately the answer is yes, as we reported last August in "Under What Conditions Can The US Army Engage Citizens: The Army's "Civil Disturbances" Primer" which lays out not only when the US Army (and national guard) can engage the US population, but lays out clearly the protocol under which the US army is specifically permitted to engage in "PSYOPs" against the US population.

Here are the salient points, as reported previously, from the primer which begins with the umbrella statement:

Civil unrest may range from simple, nonviolent protests that address specific issues, to events that turn into full-scale riots. Gathering in protest may be a recognized right of any person or group, regardless of where U.S. forces may be operating. In the United States, this fundamental right is protected under the Constitution of the United States...

"Protected" it may be, but as usual, the interpretation of the Constitution is in the eye of the beholder, or more appropriately, gun holder. Because shortly thereafter we further read the following:The Constitution of the United States, laws, regulations, policies, and other legal issues limit the use of federal military personnel in domestic support operations. Any Army involvement in civil disturbance operations involves many legal issues requiring comprehensive legal reviews. However, federal forces are authorized for use in civil disturbance operations under certain circumstances.

What circumstances? For the answer we turn to section, 2-8. To wit:The Constitution of the United States provides two exceptions for which the Posse Comitatus Act does not apply. These exceptions are based upon the inherent right of the U.S. government to ensure the preservation of public order and to carrying out governmental operations within its territorial limits by force, if necessary. These two exceptions are'--

Emergency authority.A sudden and unexpected civil disturbance, disaster, or calamity may seriously endanger life and property and disrupt normal governmental functions to such an extent that local authorities cannot control the situation. At such times, the federal government may use military force to prevent the loss of life or wanton destruction of property and to restore government functions and public order. In these circumstances, federal military commanders have the authority, in extraordinary emergency circumstances where prior authorization by the President is impossible and duly constituted local authorities are unable to control the situation, to engage temporarily in activities that are necessary to quell large-scale, unexpected civil disturbances (see DODD 3025.18).Protection of federal property and functions. When the need for the protection of federal property or federal functions exists, and duly constituted local authorities are unable to, or decline to provide adequate protection, federal action, including the use of military forces, is authorized.2-9. Laws passed by the U.S. congress include four exceptions to the Posse Comitatus Act. With the first three laws discussed below (10 USC 331 - 333) there is a prerequisite that the President must take personal action, including the issuance of a proclamation calling upon insurgents to disperse and retire peaceably within a limited time. The four exceptions, based on law are -

10 USC 331. When a state is unable to control domestic violence and they have requested federal assistance, the use of the militia or Armed Forces is authorized.10 USC 332. When ordinary enforcement means are unworkable due to unlawful obstructions or rebellion against the authority of the United States, use of the militia or Armed Forces is authorized.10 USC 333. When a state cannot or will not protect the constitutional rights of the citizens, due to domestic violence or conspiracy to hinder execution of State or Federal law, the use of the militia or Armed Forces is authorized.House Joint Resolution 1292. This resolution directs all departments of the U.S. government, upon request of the Secret Service, to assist in carrying out its statutory duties to protect government officials and major political candidates from physical harm.In other words, if and when the US Armed Forces decide that rioting infringes upon any of these exclusions, then the constitution no longer applies and the use of lethal force becomes a viable option against US citizens.It gets worse, because whereas one would expect that a "Constitutional expert" such as the president, Barack Obama would be the one tasked with interpreting if and when the Constitution no longer applies, the primer is quite explicit in handing over responsibility to "federal military commanders":

... federal military commanders have the authority, in extraordinary emergency circumstances where prior authorization by the President is impossible and duly constituted local authorities are unable to control the situation, to engage temporarily in activities that are necessary to quell large-scale, unexpected civil disturbance.

So should Obama resume his vacation even as things in Missouri escalate dramatically, and be "unreachable", it may well come to pass that Obama's opinion will be irrelevant not only whether the National Guard should be unleashed in Ferguson, but whether Posse Comitatus is suddenly null and void.The good news: the use of lethal force is not the only option the US Army would have if and when it engages with the population. US citizens may simply be herded into "temporary internment camps" for reindoctrination purposes under the supervision of PSYOP Officer (no really, they used that word), as follows from the Army's FM3-39.40 "Internment and Resettlment Operations" manual:

Internment and Resettlement (I/R) operations facilitate the ability to conduct rapid and decisive combat operations; deter, mitigate, and defeat threats to populations that may result in conflict; reverse conditions of human suffering; and build the capacity of a foreign government to effectively care for and govern its population. This includes capabilities to conduct shaping operations across the spectrum of military operations to mitigate and defeat the underlying conditions for conflict and counter the core motivations that result in support to criminal, terrorist, insurgent, and other destabilizing groups. I/R operations also include the daily incarceration of U.S. military prisoners at facilities throughout the world.

An adaptive enemy will manipulate populations that are hostile to U.S. intent by instigating mass civil disobedience, directing criminal activity, masking their operations in urban and other complex terrain, maintaining an indistinguishable presence through cultural anonymity, and actively seeking the traditional sanctuary of protected areas as defined by the rules of land warfare. Such actions will facilitate the dispersal of threat forces, negate technological overmatches, and degrade targeting opportunities. Commanders will use technology and conduct police intelligence operations to influence and control populations, evacuate detainees and, conclusively, transition rehabilitative and reconciliation operations to other functional agencies. The combat identification of friend, foe, or neutral is used to differentiate combatants from noncombatants and friendly forces from threat forces.

Presenting army camps, hopefully not in a city near you:Detainee facilities, an important planning consideration, are treated in the same basic fashion as any base camps. The same basic planning considerations are taken into account. Some detainee facilities will be subordinate to a larger base camp but they may also be at a separate location.

Of course, none of this will be needed if the Army's Psyops work as required:The PSYOP officer in charge of supporting I/R operations serves as the special staff officer responsible for PSYOP. The PSYOP officer advises the military police commander on the psychological impact of military police or MI actions to prevent misunderstandings and disturbances by detainees and DCs. The supporting I/R PSYOP team has two missions that reduce the need to divert military police assets to maintain security in the I/R facility. The team -

Assists the military police force in controlling detainees and DCs.Introduces detainees or DCs to U.S. and multinational policy.Develops PSYOP products that are designed to pacify and acclimate detainees or DCs to accept U.S. I/R facility authority and regulations.Gains the cooperation of detainees or DCs to reduce the number of guards needed.Identifies malcontents, trained agitators, and political leaders within the facility who may try to organize resistance or create disturbances.Develops and executes indoctrination programs to reduce or remove antagonistic attitudes.Identifies political activists.Provides loudspeaker support (such as administrative announcements and facility instructions when necessary).Helps the military police commander control detainee and DC populations during emergencies.Plans and executes a PSYOPIn other words, if and when the time comes to "override" Posse Comitatus, random US citizens may have two options: i) end up in the US version of a Gulag or, worse, ii) be shot. For now, however, just keep an eye on the various drill videos to get a sense of the US army's preparedness in dealing with "civil disobedience."

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Mon, 20 Apr 2015 06:24

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