US gave $300m arms contract to 22-year-old with criminal record 28 Mar 2008
 
Resent-Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2008 17:25:09 -0500 (CDT)


Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government
28 Mar 2008 http://www.legitgov.org/ All items are here:

http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news US gave $300m arms contract
to 22-year-old with criminal record --Old stock sent to Afghan
forces battling Taliban --40-year-old ammunition had to be destroyed
28 Mar 2008 The Pentagon entrusted a 22-year-old previously arrested
for domestic violence and having a forged driving licence to be the
main supplier of ammunition to Afghan forces at the height of the
battle against the Taliban, it was reported yesterday. AEY, essentially
a one-man operation based in an unmarked office in Miami Beach,
Florida, was awarded a contract worth $300m (#150m) to supply the
Afghan army and police in January last year.

The report on AEY was the latest instance of private firms securing
lucrative defence contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan under the Bush
regime's policy of privatising growing aspects of the military.
"Operations like this pop up like mushrooms after the rain," said
Milton Bearden, a former CIA official who in the 1980s was in charge
of arming Afghan rebel groups fighting the former Soviet Union.

Army suspends munitions contractor 27 Mar 2008 The Army has suspended
a Miami Beach company [AEY Inc.] from government contract work for
reportedly providing Chinese-made ammunition to the Afghanistan
army, in violation of its contract and U.S. law. [See: Supplier to
U.S. Army Under Scrutiny on Aging Arms for Afghans 27 Mar 2008.]

Gates orders inventory of US nukes 27 Mar 2008 Defense Secretary
Robert Gates has ordered a full inventory of all nuclear weapons
and related materials after the 'mistaken' delivery of ballistic
missile fuses to Taiwan, the Pentagon said Thursday. [See also:
Minot AFB Clandestine Nukes 'Oddities' 17 Sep 2007.]

U.S. picks new commander for Iraq, Afghanistan wars 28 Mar 2008
Martin Dempsey assumed the role of top U.S. commander overseeing
both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars Friday, replacing William J.
Fallon as the head of the U.S.

Central Command (Centcom).

Basra crisis leaves British withdrawal in ruins 28 Mar 2008 Plans
to bring home 1,600 troops from Iraq this spring are in disarray,
Ministry of Defence officials said last night. The admission came
as the Iraqi [and US] Governments offensive against Shia militias
in Basra appeared to be failing.

U.S. Seen Taking Lead In Fighting in Baghdad --U.S. Forces Battle
Mahdi Army in Sadr City, Aircraft Target Basra 28 Mar 2008 U.S.
forces in armored vehicles battled Mahdi Army fighters Thursday in
Sadr City, and military officials said Friday that U.S. aircraft
bombed militant positions in the southern city of Basra, as the
American role in a campaign against party-backed militias appeared
to expand.

U.S. forces drawn deeper into Iraq crackdown 28 Mar 2008 U.S. forces
were drawn deeper into Iraq's four day-old crackdown on Shi'ite
militants on Friday, launching air strikes in Basra for the first
time and battling militants in Baghdad. Defense Minister Abdel Qader
Jassim acknowledged at a news conference in Basra that Iraqi security
forces had been caught off-guard by the strength of the opposition.

U.S. Planes Attack Militia Strongholds In Basra --9 Killed By U.S.
Aircraft 29 Mar 2008 American warplanes struck targets in the
southern port city of Basra late Thursday... according to British
and American military officials. In Baghdad, the capital, American
aircraft and Mahdi Army fighters exchanged fire in the Sadr City
neighborhood. The Iraqi police said an American helicopter opened
fire early Friday in Sadr City, killing five people. The Iraqi
police also reported a second, later strike by a fixed-wing American
aircraft that they said killed four people.

U.S. Armor Forces Join Offensive In Baghdad Against Sadr Militia
--Americans Appear to Take the Lead As Iraqi Units Wait 28 Mar 2008
U.S. forces in armored vehicles battled Mahdi Army fighters Thursday
in Sadr City. Iraqi army and police units appeared to be largely
holding to the outskirts of the area as American troops took the
lead in the fighting. Four U.S. Stryker armored vehicles were seen
in Sadr City by a Washington Post correspondent, one of them engaging
Mahdi Army militiamen with heavy fire. The din of American weapons...
was heard through much of the day. U.S. helicopters and drones
buzzed overhead.

US Embassy Personnel In Baghdad Told Not to Leave 'Reinforced
Structures' Due to Incoming Insurgent Fire 27 Mar 2008 The State
Department has instructed all personnel at the U.S. Embassy in
Baghdad not to leave reinforced structures due to incoming insurgent
rocket fire that has killed two American government workers this
week. In a memo sent Thursday to embassy staff and obtained by The
Associated Press, the department says employees are required to
wear helmets, body armor and other protective gear if they must
venture outside and strongly advises them to sleep in blast-resistant
locations instead of the less secure trailers that most occupy.

Rockets and mortars hammer Green Zone 27 Mar 2008 Baghdad's Green
zone is coming under more rocket and mortar fire today, and the
U.S. Embassy says one American government employee has been killed.
And the State Department is instructing all personnel at the U.S.
Embassy in Baghdad not to leave reinforced structures due to the
incoming insurgent fire.

Iraq MPs plan emergency session 28 Mar 2008 Iraq's parliament is
due to hold an emergency session to try to end fighting between
Shia militias and Iraqi security forces. More than 130 people have
died in the southern city of Basra since a clampdown on Shia militias
began there on Tuesday.

Baghdad placed under curfew 27 Mar 2008 Baghdad has been placed
under curfew until Sunday morning. Iraqi authorities say they hope
the curfew will prevent further confrontation [?] between security
troops and Shiite militias.

Hello, Pot? This is Kettle. Bush defends Iraq, accuses Congress of
hectoring 27 Mar 2008 U.S. President [sic] George W. Bush defended
the pace of political and economic reform in Iraq on Thursday and
accused members of the U.S.

Congress of "hectoring" Baghdad and threatening its leaders. Bush
also praised Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki for launching a
"tough battle against militia fighters and criminals" in the oil
city of Basra.

Hagel calls BS on Bush's rosy Iraq 28 Mar 2008 Senator Chuck Hagel
on Thursday said President [sic] Bush's rosy and gleeful view of
the war in Iraq is like he's living in "Alice in Wonderland."
"Everything is not fine" Hagel said after three days of fighting
in the southern region of Iraq have left more than 100 Iraqis dead
and prompted thousands to demonstrate Thursday in Shiite neighborhoods
of the capital against the crackdown launched by Iraqi Prime Minister
Nuri al-Maliki.

Bush likely to delay planned withdrawal of troops from Iraq 28 Mar
2008 George Bush signalled yesterday that he was likely to suspend
the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq this summer because of fears
that the country might return to the levels of violence witnessed
last year.

Iraq exit could lead to genocide: McCain 28 Mar 2008 In a wide-ranging
foreign policy speech, the presumptive Republican presidential
nominee, John McCain, refused to give ground on Iraq to his Democratic
rivals. He said that the US's continued presence there was a "moral
responsibility" and that a reckless withdrawal could lead to
"genocide".

CLG's Lori Price appeared on the John Gibson Radio Show, Thursday,
topic: U.S.

Says Hussein Spy Agency and Iraqi-American Arranged '02 Trip by
Lawmakers 27 Mar 2008 The Justice Department said Wednesday that
Saddam Husseins principal foreign intelligence agency and an
Iraqi-American man had organized and paid for a 2002 visit to Iraq
by three House Democrats whose trip was harshly criticized by
colleagues at the time. [See also: Halliburton Doing Business With
the 'Axis of Evil' 03 Feb 2005 The award for oddest geopolitical
couple of 2005 goes to the government of the Islamic Republic of
Iran and the Houston-based Halliburton. The story began on Jan. 9
when the Iran News ran a Reuters story reporting that Halliburton
"has won a tender to drill a huge Iranian gas field." The deal to
develop two sections of Iran's South Pars gas field promises
significant economic benefits.]

Case dropped against Haditha defendant --24 Iraqi civilians murdered
by US soldiers in 2005 28 Mar 2008 The Marine Corps is dropping all
charges against a lance corporal who was accused of involuntary
manslaughter in a squad's killing of 24 Iraqis in Haditha in 2005.

Top court questions Ottawa's motive on Khadr file --Justices pepper
federal government on how and why it passed on sensitive information
to U.S.

prosecutors 27 Mar 2008 The federal government's motives in the
Omar Khadr terrorism case came under sustained fire from the Supreme
Court of Canada yesterday, as a government lawyer sought to justify
its suppression of evidence. Several judges began to pepper Justice
Department lawyer Robert Frater with questions as to how and why
sensitive information was passed on to U.S. prosecutors. "Obviously
it was shared for a purpose," Mr. Justice Ian Binnie pressed Mr.
Frater. "You are the one who knew how it was shared, and whether
there were restrictions."

North Korea Test-Launches Missiles 28 Mar 2008 North Korea test-fired
a barrage of short-range missiles Friday, the nation's latest
response to the new South Korean government's tougher stance on
Pyongyang. South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that North
Korea launched three ship-to-ship missiles at around 10:30 a.m.
(9:30 p.m. EST Thursday), citing unidentified government officials.

Developer sues to recover 9/11 costs --'Lucky Larry' seeks $12.3
billion in damages 27 Mar 2008 The developer of the World Trade
Center in New York is seeking $12.3 billion in damages from the
airlines and other companies associated with the September 11
terrorist attacks, his spokesman said Thursday. Larry Silverstein,
president and CEO of Silverstein Properties, has recovered $4.6
billion in insurance payments, spokesman Bud Perrone said.

Spy drones in demand by U.S. police departments; approval pending
27 Mar 2008 A small pilotless vehicle manufactured by Honeywell
International, capable of hovering and "staring" using electro-optic
or infrared sensors, is expected to be introduced soon in the skies
over the Florida Everglades. If use of the drone wins U.S. Federal
Aviation Administration approval after tests, the Miami-Dade Police
Department will start flying the 14 pound, or 6.35 kilogram, drone
over urban areas for full-fledged crime fighting.

Woman says TSA forced piercings removal --Mandi Hamlin said she
heard male TSA agents snickering as she took out the ring. 27 Mar
2008 A Texas woman who said she was forced to remove a nipple ring
with pliers in order to board an airplane called Thursday for an
apology by federal security agents and a civil rights investigation.

Move to block finger scans of kids OK'd --Senate bill, tentatively
approved, keeps schools from taking prints 28 Mar 2008 State senators
gave preliminary approval Thursday to blocking schools from collecting
fingerprint data from their students. Sen. Karen Johnson, R-Mesa,
who is pushing SB 1216, fears Arizona schools will be swept up in
the nationwide push to force students to identify themselves with
fingerprints.

Bush aide resigns for alleged wrongdoing 28 Mar 2008 An aide to
President [sic] Bush has resigned because of his alleged misuse of
grant money from the U.S. Agency for International Development when
he worked for a Cuban 'democracy' organization. Felipe Sixto was
promoted on March 1 as a special assistant to the president for
intergovernmental affairs and stepped forward on March 20 to reveal
his alleged wrongdoing and to resign, White House spokesman Scott
Stanzel said Friday. He said Sixto took that step after learning
that his former employer, the Center for a Free Cuba, was prepared
to bring legal action against him.

Former Ala. governor to be freed on bond 27 Mar 2008 A federal
appeals court approved the release of former Alabama Gov. Don
Siegelman on bond Thursday while he appeals his convictions in a
corruption case. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the
former governor had raised "substantial questions of fact and law"
in challenging his conviction, which Siegelman claims was politically
motivated [a Rove frame-up].

Siegelman Sought for Hill Testimony 27 Mar 2008 The House Judiciary
Committee has asked the Justice Department to temporarily release
former Alabama Gov.

Don Siegelman from prison to testify before Congress in early May
about possible political influence over his prosecution. A spokeswoman
for the committee said Thursday that Siegelman, who is serving more
than seven years in a Louisiana prison, would travel to Washington
under guard of the U.S.

Marshals Service.

Clinton adviser faces Canadian interrogation 28 Mar 2008 A top
adviser to Hillary Clinton arrived by plane in Ottawa to deliver a
speech only to be subjected to intensive interrogation about who
he was, what he was going to say and what group he was addressing,
the American economist said yesterday.

In a private lunch, Gene Sperling complained that he had been pulled
aside by a Canadian border official and questioned in more detail
than he had ever experienced in his numerous trips to Canada or
dozens of other countries, according to those in attendance.

Dean urges superdelegates to choose between Clinton and Obama by
July 1 28 Mar 2008 The chairman of the Democratic National Committee
today tried to impose a deadline on the divisive nomination contest,
urging the party's superdelegates to make their choice between
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama by July 1.

Fed Offers $100 Billion More to Banks 28 Mar 2008 The Federal Reserve
announced Friday it will auction another $100 billion in April to
cash-strapped banks as it continues to combat the effects of a
credit crisis.

The central bank said it would make $50 billion available at each
of two auctions, on April 7 and April 21.

Investment Firms Tap Fed for Billions 27 Mar 2008 Big Wall Street
investment companies are taking advantage of the Federal Reserve's
unprecedented offer to secure emergency loans. The central bank
says those firms averaged $32.9 billion in daily borrowing over the
past week from the Fed's new lending facility. The report Thursday
does not identify the borrowers.

Banks Post Worst Earnings in 17 Years 27 Mar 2008 While some of the
largest banks continued making significant quarterly writedowns of
mortgage-related securities, the elevated reserving activity in the
fourth quarter caused the industry to post its worst quarterly
earnings performance since the fourth quarter of 1991.

Russian expert warns of bird flu pandemic 28 Mar 2008 A Russian
scientist has said during an international bird flu conference that
the virus would cause a global pandemic resulting in thousands of
deaths, but did not say when it would happen. [Ask Bush's bioterror
team at Fort Detrick - I'm sure they'll know.]

Switzerland detects first bird flu case 27 Mar 2008 Switzerland on
Thursday reported its first case of bird flu in two years, after
diagnosing a wild duck with the H5N1 virus, said the Swiss federal
veterinary department.

Uranium Firms Eye New Mexico 28 Mar 2008 At least five companies
are seeking state permits to mine uranium reserves in New Mexico,
estimated at 500 million pounds or more. Uranium Resources Inc.
(URI), a Texas-based company, wants to reopen a uranium mill in
Ambrosia Lake.

Tell Calif. legislators to pass California's Cloned Food Labeling
Act (ConsumersUnion.org) Do you want to eat meat and drink milk
from cloned animals? If you want the power to say "no" to clones,
support SB 1121. With very little data to go on, the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) declared milk and meat from cloned animals
safe to eat, with no labeling... If you want to know if the milk
or meat in your supermarket comes from a cloned animal so you can
choose for yourself, ask your state Senator to vote YES on SB 1121,
which requires products from cloned animals to be labeled.

Arizona's temperatures rising more than the planet's average 28 Mar
2008 While the rest of the world has experienced a relatively
moderate increase in temperature over the past five years, the
American Southwest has begun to broil. ...Research released Thursday
showed that although the globe warmed by an average of 1-degree
Fahrenheit during that period, the West warmed by 1.7 degrees and
Arizona by 2.2 degrees.

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[Previous lead stories:] Pakistan's new leaders tell US: We are no
longer your killing field --John Negroponte and Richard Boucher
earn cold reception from coalition 27 Mar 2008 The Bush regime is
scrambling to engage with Pakistan's new rulers as power flows from
its strong ally, President Pervez Musharraf, to a powerful civilian
government buoyed by anti-American sentiment. On Tuesday, senior
coalition partner Nawaz Sharif gave the visiting Americans a public
scolding for using Pakistan as a "killing field" and relying too
much on Musharraf.

Another $300 million-dollar blow job for a Bush crony contractor:
Supplier to U.S. Army Under Scrutiny on Aging Arms for Afghans 27
Mar 2008 The American military has relied since early last year on
a fledgling company led by a 22-year-old man whose vice president
was a licensed masseur. With the award last January of a federal
contract worth as much as nearly $300 million, the company, AEY
Inc., which operates out of an unmarked office in Miami Beach,
became the main supplier of munitions to Afghanistans army and
police forces.

Since then, the company has provided ammunition that is more than
40 years old and in decomposing packaging, according to an examination
of the munitions by The New York Times and interviews with American
and Afghan officials. In purchasing munitions, the contractor has
also worked with middlemen and a shell company on a federal list
of entities suspected of illegal arms trafficking.

Total curfew imposed in Baghdad after clashes 27 Mar 2008 Iraqi
authorities imposed a three-day curfew in Baghdad on Thursday to
'contain' clashes between Mehdi Army militants and Iraqi security
forces that have threatened to spiral out of control.

Al-Sadr in trouble, Iraq headed for meltdown 27 Mar 2008 The fighting
among Shiite militias and government troops in Basra is a glimpse
of Iraq's future, and pivotal cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is in deep
trouble, according to two CNN correspondents and a CNN military
analyst.

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CLG Newsletter editor: Lori Price, Manager. Copyright ) 2008,
Citizens For Legitimate Government . All rights reserved. CLG Founder
and Chair is Michael Rectenwald, Ph.D.