McCain says al Qaeda might try to tip U.S. election 15 Mar 2008 Resent-Date: Sat, 15 Mar 2008 23:38:47 -0500 (CDT) Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government 15 Mar 2008 http://www.legitgov.org/ All items are here: http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news McCain says al Qaeda might try to tip U.S. election 14 Mar 2008 Republican presidential candidate Insane McCain said on Friday he fears that 'al Qaeda' or another extremist group might attempt spectacular attacks in Iraq to try to tilt the U.S. election 'against' him. Pentagon: $520 Million for Space Weapons Research By Noah Shachtman 13 Mar 2008 Over the years, the gang at the Center for Defense Information has... just released their survey of the Pentagon's 2009 budget, highlighting research that could lead to arms in space. By the absolute most conservative estimate, we're talking $520 million dollars in next year's budget. The real number is likely several multiples of that. Thousands protest over Iraq, Afghanistan in London, Glasgow 15 Mar 2008 Thousands of protesters gathered in London and Glasgow Saturday ahead of the fifth anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq, calling for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. In the capital, activists rallied at Trafalgar Square before marching the short distance to parliament while in Glasgow, demonstrators walked from the city centre to the Glasgow Green park on the banks of the River Clyde. Thousands in anti-war protest march 15 Mar 2008 Thousands of anti-war protesters joined marches in Britain on Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq. They took to the streets in London and the Scottish city of Glasgow demanding that British troops pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan. NATO to offer 1,000 new troops for Afghanistan: Danish minister 14 Mar 2008 Danish Defense Minister Soren Gade said Friday that NATO members could offer more than 1,000 new troops for Afghanistan at the alliance's April 2-4 summit in Bucharest. Bomb Attack in Afghanistan Kills Child 15 Mar 2008 A suicide car bomb attack near a convoy of international troops Saturday killed a 13-year-old Afghan child and wounded a soldier, officials said. The bomber attacked a four-vehicle convoy of troops in the eastern province of Khost, NATO and Khost provincial police chief Gen. Mohammad Ayub said. Suicide attack targets NATO convoy in E. Afghanistan 15 Mar 2008 A suicide car blast Saturday targeted a convoy of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in eastern Afghanistan's Khost province, injuring a civilian and an ISAF soldier, the NATO-led military said. Militants burns down school in Afghanistan's Kandahar 14 Mar 2008 Unknown militants [Blackwater] Friday set on fire a school for around 1,200 students in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar city and burned the furniture and facilities of the school, a provincial education official said. Taliban warn Afghan refugees against spying 15 Mar 2008 A top Taliban commander on Friday warned Afghan refugees against "spying" on militants for the Kabul regime or the US forces in Afghanistan, witnesses said. Maulvi Faqir Muhammad also produced five "Afghan spies" at a large gathering of refugees at Sui in Mamoond tehsil of Bajaur. US commanders: Al-Qaida in Iraq to stay 15 Mar 2008 Al-Qaida [al-CIAduh] is in Iraq to stay. It's not a conclusion the White House talks about much when denouncing the shadowy group, known as al-Qaida in Iraq, that used the U.S. invasion five years ago to develop into a major killer. Two People Killed in Coalition Raids in Southern Iraq 15 Mar 2008 Two people were killed Saturday in the southern Iraqi city of Kut during gunbattles between police and Shi'ite militia. Authorities say the clash occurred when police, aided by U.S. troops, raided two neighborhoods... At least one of the dead was a policeman. Soldier killed by small-arms fire in Iraq 15 Mar 2008 A Multi-National Division Baghdad Soldier was killed at approximately 3:30 p.m. March 15 after being attacked by small-arms fire in southwestern Baghdad in combat operations. Rules of Engagement "Thrown Out the Window" By Dahr Jamail 15 Mar 2008 Garret Reppenhagen received integral training about the Geneva Conventions and the Rules of Engagement during his deployment in Kosovo. But in Iraq, "Much of this was thrown out the window," he says. "The men I served with are professionals," Reppenhagen told the audience at a panel of U.S. veterans speaking of their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, "They went to Iraq to defend the U.S. But we found rapidly we were killing Iraqis in horrible ways. But we had to in order to remain safe ourselves. The war is the atrocity." C.I.A. Secretly Held Qaeda Suspect, Officials Say 15 Mar 2008 The Central Intelligence Agency secretly detained a suspected member of 'Al Qaeda' for at least six months beginning last summer as part of a program in which C.I.A. officers have been authorized by President [sic] Bush to use harsh interrogation techniques torture, American officials said Friday. The suspect, Muhammad Rahim, is the first Qaeda prisoner in nearly a year who intelligence officials have acknowledged has been in C.I.A. detention. Osama's associate in US military custody: Pentagon 15 Mar 2008 The Pentagon said on Friday it had taken custody from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of an Afghan national who helped arrange Al Qaeda [al-CIAduh] leader Osama Bin Ladens escape from Tora Bora in 2001. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman would not say when or where Muhammad Rahim was captured or how long he was held [hired] by the CIA, but said he was transferred to US military custody at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba earlier this week. A sickening truth at Guantanamo --A gravely ill detainee I represent, never charged with a crime, has been neglected by military doctors. Will he be the next to die inside the notorious prison? By H. Candace Gorman 14 Mar 2008 The U.S. government has long insisted that it provides quality medical treatment to all suspected terrorists imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba... But it is time to set the record straight. Five prisoners are now known to have died inside the secretive prison -- at least one under dubious circumstances -- and others are gravely ill. And in the case of one very ill man, there is evidence of extraordinary medical neglect on the part of military physicians. Chavez says US can 'shove' terror list 14 Mar 2008 President Hugo Chavez dared the U.S. on Friday to put Venezuela on a list of countries accused of supporting terrorism, calling it one more attempt by Washington to undermine him for political reasons. Chavez said the "threat to include us on the terrorist list" is Washington's response to his government's successes in the region. "Let them make that list and shove it in their pocket," Chavez said in a televised speech. "We shouldn't forget for an instant that we're in a battle against North American imperialism," Chavez said. The Deployment of US Troops inside Canada By Michel Chossudovsky 13 Mar 2008 On February 14th, Canada and the US signed an agreement which allows for the deployment of US troops inside Canada. There was no official announcement nor was there a formal decision at the governmental level. In fact the agreement was barely mentioned by the Canadian media. The agreement, which raises far-reaching issues of national sovereignty, was not between the two governments. It was signed by military commanding officers. Beijing sends in tanks as Tibet erupts --Protesters claim that more than 100 have been killed as violence spreads and international protests mount 16 Mar 2008 China brought tanks and troops on to the streets of Lhasa, witnesses said yesterday, as the international community urged an end to the bloodshed in Tibet that has already claimed at least 10 - possibly dozens more - lives. President weakens espionage oversight --Board created by Ford loses most of its power 14 Mar 2008 Almost 32 years to the day after President Ford created an independent Intelligence Oversight Board made up of private citizens with top-level clearances to ferret out illegal spying activities, President [sic] Bush issued an executive order that stripped the board of much of its authority. The White House did not say why it was necessary to change the rules governing the board when it issued Bush's order late last month. FBI Tried to Cover Patriot Act Abuses With Flawed, Retroactive Subpoenas, Audit Finds By Ryan Singel 13 Mar 2008 FBI headquarters officials sought to cover their informal and possibly illegal acquisition of phone records on thousands of Americans from 2003 to 2005 by issuing 11 improper, retroactive "blanket" administrative subpoenas in 2006 to three phone companies that are under contract to the FBI, according to an audit released Thursday. Lawmaker: U.S. security agency faltering --Federal Protective Service understaffed and underfunded, GAO says 14 Mar 2008 A series of embarrassing incidents on federal property across the country, including the theft of a trailer of surveillance equipment from an FBI parking deck, is being blamed on budget cuts at the agency charged with securing federal grounds. Media Shield Law Remains in Doubt 15 Mar 2008 As federal judges order more reporters to disclose their confidential sources, news organizations are pinning their hopes on congressional passage of a media shield bill the Bush regime opposes as a threat to national security. The legislation being considered in the Senate offers only modest shelter for reporters wanting to protect the identity of confidential sources. In many cases, it would leave the fate of journalists -- and their sources -- to the discretion of judges who increasingly have been willing to jail or fine them. Officials Seek People Possibly Exposed to Girl With Measles 15 Mar 2008 A Northern Virginia toddler caught measles on a family trip to India, and health officials are trying to find people in this area [!] who might have been exposed to her. SWAT teams disperse crowd of hundreds awaiting housing applications 12 Mar 2008 (Boca Raton, FL) Police in riot gear intervened Wednesday when hundreds of people seeking a chance at subsidized housing grew frustrated after officials ran out of applications. PUCO Uses New License Plate Scanner to Look For Law Breakers 12 Mar 2008 (AR) The Pulaski County Sheriff's Department is using a new system that scans license plates of passing cars, checking up to 800 vehicles per hour to see if any are stolen or if the owners are subjects of warrants. N.Y. Gov. Spitzer in sex scandal; pimp said to hold Israel passport 11 Mar 2008 New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer found his political career on the brink of collapse Monday after he was accused of paying for a romp with a high-priced call girl, in a prostitution ring allegedly led by a man found with an Israeli passport at his home. The Associated Press reported that U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael H. Dolinger ordered Mark Brener, of Cliffside Park, N.J., to be held without bail after the passport and $600,000 in cash were found in his apartment. Forget Spitzer, fire Bernanke By Chan Akya 15 Mar 2008 This week's events involving the governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer, may however have helped to hide a more egregious misuse of authority, namely that of Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke and his central banking cohorts around the world. In another one of those nice coincidences that seem to happen whenever Wall Street is down and out, the unpopular governor of New York was found consorting with prostitutes through a Federal investigation that has all the hallmarks of a "hit job" ordered from the very top. Most FCC investigations go nowhere: report 14 Mar 2008 If the Federal Communications Commission were a cop on the beat, congressional watchdogs contend, it would have a lousy conviction record. They find that most of the government agency's investigations fail to result in any enforcement. According to a report released on Thursday by the General Accountability Office, only about 9% of the completed investigations resulted in enforcement action, while 83% resulted in no enforcement. Clinton says Obama voted for oil firm tax breaks 14 Mar 2008 Sen. Hillary Clinton on Friday renewed her attack on oil company profits and accused Sen. Barack Obama, her rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, of supporting tax breaks for oil companies. Mega barf alert! McCain's London Fund-Raiser 14 Mar 2008 Senator John McCain has been averaging a fund-raiser a day in Americas pockets of affluence hotel ballrooms in New York, Atlanta, Chicago but now he will expand his pursuit of campaign donations at a $1,000-a-plate lunch at the 18th century Spencer House in London. IMF tells states to plan for the worst 13 Mar 2008 Governments might have to intervene with taxpayers' money to shore up the financial system and prevent a "downward credit spiral" from taking hold, the International Monetary Fund said yesterday. John Lipsky, the IMF's first deputy managing director, said: "We must keep all options on the table, including the potential use of public funds to safeguard the financial system." Run on Big Wall St. Bank Spurs Rescue Backed by U.S. 15 Mar 2008 Just three days ago, the head of Bear Stearns, the beleaguered investment bank, sought to assure Wall Street that his firm was safe. But those assurances were blown away in what amounted to a bank run at Bear Stearns, prompting JPMorgan Chase and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to step in on Friday with a financial rescue package intended to keep the firm afloat. JPMorgan and Fed Move to Bail Out Bear Stearns 14 Mar 2008 Bear Stearns, facing a grave liquidity crisis, reached out to JPMorgan on Friday for a short-term financial lifeline and now faces the prospect of the end of its 85-year run as an independent investment bank. With the support of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, JPMorgan said in a statement that it had "agreed to provide secured funding to Bear Stearns, as necessary, for an initial period of up to 28 days." Costs Surge for Stocking the Pantry 15 Mar 2008 Government figures released Friday showed that grocery costs had jumped 5.1 percent in 12 months, the latest in a string of increases. In fact, the nation is undergoing its worst grocery inflation since the early 1990s. With a few exceptions, nearly every grocery category measured by the Labor Department, which compiles the official inflation numbers, has increased in the last year. Ozone case shows Bush meddling in science: watchdogs 15 Mar 2008 President [sic] George W. Bush's decision to intervene in setting air pollution standards is part of a longstanding administration pattern of meddling in environmental science, watchdog groups said on Friday. 3 groups sue U.S. for missing polar bear deadline 13 Mar 2008 Three conservation groups sued the U.S. Department of the Interior on Monday for missing a deadline on a decision to list polar bears as threatened because of the loss of Arctic sea ice. Atlanta Mayor, Governor Declare States of Emergency 15 Mar 2008 Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin and Gov. Sonny Perdue have declared states of emergency after Friday's tornado. Tornado trashes Atlanta --Tornado rips path 6 miles long, 200 yards wide in Atlanta 15 Mar 2008 A trail of uprooted and broken trees, downed utility lines, peeled-off roofs and collapsed brick walls marked the path of a tornado that tore through downtown Atlanta. The National Weather Service confirmed late Saturday morning that an EF-2 tornado with winds up to 130 mph struck the city Friday night. Storm forces SEC tournament move, unusual twinbill 15 Mar 2008 The SEC will take the unprecedented step of having a team play twice in one day in order to conclude the storm-delayed conference tournament in Atlanta before the NCAA tournament selection announcement at 6 p.m. Sunday. CLG needs your support. http://www.legitgov.org/#contribute Or, please mail a check or money order to the CLG: Citizens for Legitimate Government (CLG) P.O. Box 1142 Bristol, CT 06011-1142 Contributions to CLG are not tax deductible. [Previous lead stories:] Another One: Top Federal Judge Linked to Prostitution Ring --Officials: Edward Nottingham 'implicated as a customer' in police investigation of alleged prostitution operation 14 Mar 2008 One of the country's top federal judges has been linked to an investigation of a Denver-based prostitution ring, according to federal officials. Edward Nottingham, the chief federal judge in Denver, Colo., was "implicated as a customer" in an ongoing IRS and Denver police investigation of an alleged prostitution operation called Denver Sugar/Denver Players, according to officials. According to published reports, Judge Nottingham, appointed to the federal bench in 1989 by President George H.W. Bush, paid $300 to $400 for "all-inclusive" sex with prostitutes working for the Denver Sugar/Denver Players service. Homeland Security worker in sex bust 13 Mar 2008 A Homeland Security staffer was busted for promising to help an applicant get her immigration papers in exchange for sexual favors, prosecutors said Wednesday. Isaac Baichu of the Bronx allegedly forced a female applicant to perform oral sex on him in his car in Queens some time in December 2007, telling her, "Trust me, because I'm the one who can help you," prosecutors said. [Oops! MSNBC forgot to cover this one.] Israeli at center of Spitzer scandal 10 Mar 2008 The alleged procurer in the prostitution scandal surrounding New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has an Israeli passport. A federal magistrate in New York ordered Mark "Michael" Brener held without bail after his arrest March 6 related to allegations that he headed the Emperors VIP Club, described by police as a high-priced prostitution ring. The Associated Press reported that $600,000 in cash and an Israeli passport were elements in denying bail to Brener. Spitzer, whose office conducted serious investigations of at least two Jewish organizations when he was state attorney general, made a brief statement to the media Monday admitting he had let down his family and the public. Please forward this newsletter to anyone you think might be interested. Those who'd like to be added to the list can go here: http://www.legitgov.org/#subscribe_clg and add your name. Those who wish to be removed from the list can access the same link and click 'unsubscribe.' Please write to: signup@legitgov.org for inquiries/issues/concerns with your subscription. CLG Newsletter editor: Lori Price, Manager. Copyright ) 2008, Citizens For Legitimate Government . All rights reserved. CLG Founder and Chair is Michael Rectenwald, Ph.D.