GOP heavyweights reportedly tried to oust Fitzgerald 23 Apr 2008
 
Resent-Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:25:23 -0500 (CDT)



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

http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news GOP heavyweights reportedly
tried to oust Fitzgerald --U.S. attorney allegedly targeted by Karl
Rove, Bob Kjellander 23 Apr 2008 In a bombshell disclosure before
testimony began Wednesday morning in the Antoin "Tony" Rezko trial,
a federal prosecutor said a former Rezko confidant was prepared to
say that another friend of Rezko was trying to pull strings with
White House political director Karl Rove to fire U.S. Atty. Patrick
Fitzgerald and kill his investigation into Rezko. Assistant U.S.
Atty. Carrie Hamilton said Ali Ata [a former official in the
administration of Gov. Rod Blagojevich] would testify to conversations
he had with Rezko in 2004 about the power play... Before the jury
was brought into the courtroom Wednesday, Hamilton told U.S. District
Judge Amy St. Eve that Republican National Committeeman Robert
Kjellander was working with Rove "to have Fitzgerald removed."

Talk of firing the U.S. attorney told at Rezko trial 23 Apr 2008 A
government witness claims political fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko
discussed efforts among high-ranking Republicans, including Karl
Rove, to have Chicago's U.S.

attorney [Patrick Fitzgerald] fired, a federal prosecutor said
Wednesday.

Iraqi oil windfall: $70 billion for year --U.S. has given $48 billion
for Iraq 'reconstruction' projects 23 Apr 2008 New data on Iraq oil
revenues suggests that country's government will reap an even larger
than expected windfall this year -- as much as $70 billion --
according to the special U.S. auditor for Iraq. New figures from
Iraq's government show revenue from exports hit $5.83 billion in
December -- more than $1 billion over what was previously reported
by the government, said Stuart Bowen, special inspector general for
Iraq reconstruction, in an interview with The Associated Press. The
new figures also come as Bowen prepares to release the latest of
his quarterly reports, in which he audits a $48 billion U.S.
reconstruction program giveaway to Bush's corpora-terrorist cronies.

Gen. Petraeus Promoted to Lead Central Command --His New Post Makes
Him Responsible for Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Middle
East 23 Apr 2008 President [sic] Bush will nominate Gen. David
Petraeus [Betrayus] to take over as the commander of Central Command,
giving him overall responsibility for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
and the Middle East. To replace Petraeus in Iraq, the president
will nominate Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, who returned from Iraq two
months ago, where he served as Petraeus' deputy.

Turkish jets bomb PKK targets in N. Iraq- source 23 Apr 2008 At
least four Turkish military jets bombed Kurdish separatist targets
inside northern Iraq on Wednesday, a Turkish military source said.
The bombing, which lasted approximately 30 minutes, occurred between
1300 and 1400 GMT, the source said.

U.S. military says kills 15 gunmen in Baghdad 23 Apr 2008 U.S.
troops said on Wednesday they killed 15 gunmen overnight in Shi'ite
areas of Baghdad where fighting has raged for weeks between militiamen
loyal to Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and security forces.

Car bomb kills three US marines in Iraq 23 Apr 2008 Two separate
bomb attacks have killed three US marines in Iraq, including two
near the western city of Ramadi and one in the southern port city
of Basra, the American military said.

5 US troops killed in Iraq 22 Apr 2008 The US military on Tuesday
announced the deaths of five troops in a series of bombings as a
female suicide bomber killed six Iraqis, including five policemen,
north of Baghdad.

Suicide attack kills, injures 5 policemen in S Afghanistan 23 Apr
2008 A suicide attack on Wednesday morning targets police chief of
Gereshk district of southern Afghanistan's Helmand province leaving
two policemen dead and three others wounded, said an official.

Climate change 'may put world at war' 23 Apr 2008 Climate change
could cause global conflicts as large as the two world wars but
lasting for centuries unless the problem is controlled, a leading
defence think tank [Royal United Services Institute] has warned.

Current time most dangerous in 40 years, says U.S. military chief
22 Apr 2008 Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the U.S. Joint
Chiefs of Staff, told noncommissioned officers Tuesday this is the
most dangerous period he has seen in his more than 40 years in
uniform.

Olmert: Iran 'not as close as it pretends' to nuclear capability
22 Apr 2008 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in an interview broadcast
on Sunday that that Iran is "not as close as it pretends" to
developing nuclear weapons. Olmert, speaking to Israel Radio, also
said he believes that international diplomatic pressure on Iran
will in the end keep Tehran from attaining nuclear weapons, and
that a military confrontation over the issue will not be necessary.
"There is a possibility of bringing about a situation in which Iran
is 'non-nuclear' without a military operation." Olmert said he
believes "that continuing the diplomatic efforts to which Israel
is a partner, will in the end, attain the goal, and that there is
no need to latch onto all sorts of apocalyptic prophecies which
have no basis in reality."

Israel willing to give up Golan: Syrian minister 23 Apr 2008 Israeli
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has told Turkey that Israel is willing
to give back Syria's Golan Heights in return for peace with the
Arab state, a Syrian cabinet minister said on Wednesday.

Carter says US Secretary Rice "not telling truth" 23 Apr 2008 Former
U.S.

President Jimmy Carter on Wednesday accused Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice of not telling the truth about warnings she said
her department gave Carter not to speak to Hamas before a Middle
East trip.

Blackwater Finds New Home In South Bay 22 Apr 2008 (CA) Military
security contractor Blackwater Worldwide is not giving up on a
training facility in San Diego County, according to company officials.
The company is planning to open an indoor facility in Otay Mesa.
It would be housed in a 61,600-square-foot building [which needs
to go bye-bye] on Siempre Viva Road, just south of Brown Field.

'Participants spent much of their time in a local doughnut shop.'
The incredible shrinking terror case 16 Apr 2008 Once labelled
Canada's first homegrown Islamist terror plot, the case of the
so-called Toronto 18 is quietly melting away. With yesterday's
decision to stay charges against four more of those that it had
once labelled dangerous terrorists, the federal government is now
admitting that it never had a serious case against almost half of
the men and youths charged two years ago... The alleged terror
training camp turned out to be a hapless adventure in the rain, one
where participants spent much of their time in a local doughnut
shop and where the ammunition for target practice was apparently
provided by one of two paid RCMP informers.

Police 'have foiled 15 terror plots since 7/7' 23 Apr 2008 Fifteen
terrorist plots have been foiled in the three years since the London
bombings, police chiefs have disclosed as they called for an extension
to the time limit that suspects can be held without charge. Sir Ian
Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, told MPs that because
of the escalating threat, officers needed more time to detain terror
suspects...

UB art professor Steven Kurtz cleared of federal charges --Use of
bacteria in work led to terrorism probe 22 Apr 2008 For the first
time in four years, setting off a government investigation into
whether he was a terrorist because of the bacteria he kept for his
artwork, Steven J. Kurtz is finally free of federal charges. Kurtz,
the University at Buffalo art professor and co-founder of the
Critical Art Ensemble, saw a federal judge dismiss the government
charges Monday as "insufficient on its face."

Laser pointers banned after attacks 21 Apr 2008 A major Australian
state has banned laser pointers after a spate of incidents in which
aircraft pilots have been temporarily blinded, the government said
on Monday. High-powered hand lasers, including so-called "star
pointers" used by astronomers, would be listed as prohibited weapons
in New South Wales state with jail terms of up to 14 years for
anyone carrying them without a permit.

Supreme Court broadens police searches 23 Apr 2008 The Supreme Court
offered unanimous support for police Wednesday by allowing drug
evidence gathered after an arrest that violated state law to be
used at trial, an important search-and-seizure case turning on the
constitutional limits of "probable cause."

Holy police state, Batman! Supreme Court says police may search
even if arrest invalid 23 Apr 2008 The Supreme Court affirmed
Wednesday that police have the power to conduct searches and seize
evidence, even when done during an arrest that turns out to have
violated state law. The unanimous decision comes in a case from
Portsmouth, Va., where city detectives seized crack cocaine from a
motorist after arresting him for a traffic ticket offense.

'The Capitalist model is in crisis.' Chavez says food prices
"massacre" of world's poor 23 Apr 2008 Soaring food prices are a
"massacre" of the world's poor and are creating a global nutritional
crisis, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Tuesday, calling
it a sign that capitalism is in decline. "It is a true massacre
what is happening in the world," Chavez said in a televised speech.
"The problem is not the production of food ... it is the economic,
social and political model of the world. The capitalist model is
in crisis."

World Food Program warns of 'silent tsunami' of hunger 23 Apr 2008
Ration cards. Genetically modified crops. The end of pile-it-high,
sell-it-cheap supermarkets. These possible solutions to the first
global food crisis since World War II are complex and controversial.
[Right, because they are *not* solutions - they are Monsanto and
Blackwater's wet dreams! A phony food shortage is the only way
Monsanto can force upon us its deadly, outlawed GMO crops - subsidized
by US taxpayers, privatized water supplies, and Bush's Waffen SS -
Blackwater - to protect it all. Bush has been foaming at the mouth
to declare martial law for 7+ years. Screw that! We'll do revolution,
first.

--LRP]

Wal-Mart's Sam's Club limits rice purchases 23 Apr 2008 Wal-Mart
Stores Inc's Sam's Club warehouse division said on Wednesday it is
limiting sales of several types of rice, the latest sign that fears
of a rice shortage are rippling around the world. [Boycott Wal-Mart
and Sam's Club. I am not allowed to call for anything worse, but
think worse.]

EPA scientists complain about political pressure 23 Apr 2008 Hundreds
of Environmental Protection Agency scientists say they have been
pressured by superiors to skew their findings, according to a survey
released Wednesday by an advocacy group [Union of Concerned
Scientists].

McCain Helped Ord Land Deal 23 Apr 2008 Sen. John McCain helped an
Arizona developer resolve his water issues in a Fort Ord property
purchase, according to Monterey County court documents. The presumptive
Republican presidential candidate also sent a dazzling letter of
recommendation to Seaside city officials when developer Donald
Diamond submitted his bid to develop the Bayonet and Black Horse
golf courses. McCain's assistance came to light in a New York Times
front-page story Tuesday, thrusting Seaside's real estate machinations
with Fort Ord into the national campaign spotlight.

Dems Fight On, Clinton Wins PA Primary By 10 Points --Despite
Delegate Lead, Obama Can't Seem to Lock Up Democratic Nomination
23 Apr 2008 Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., has won the Pennsylvania
primary vote as expected with a decisive 10-point win. "We were up
against a formidable opponent who outspent us 3-1... trying to knock
us out of the race," Clinton said of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. "Well
the people of Pennsylvania had other ideas today."

The Same Old Story: Discrediting Hillary By Stephen Schlesinger 23
Apr 2008 Here we go again. Stomp on Hillary for winning. Last night
Hillary Clinton picked up the sixth big state out of the seven the
Democrats need to win the fall presidential contest. Obama has only
won one big state, Illinois -- and that is it. She has won California,
New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio, Texas and now Pennsylvania
(and, yes, Florida and Michigan). Yet in today's newspapers and
partisan websites, the critics are downplaying Clinton's victory
(even her erstwhile supporter the New York Times criticizes her in
its lead editorial for running a dirty campaign), dismissing any
triumph as meaningless because of Obama's lead in elected delegates,
and suggest once again that she drop out so she does not further
hurt the inevitable nominee, Barack Obama.

McCain picks failing Ohio factory to laud free trade 22 Apr 2008
Standing before a nearly shuttered factory pocked with broken windows
in a city devastated by the erosion of its industrial base, John
McCain on Tuesday urged Americans to reject the "siren song of
protectionism" and embrace free trade.

McCain extols free trade as answer to loss of jobs in US 22 Apr
2008 Republican Insane McCain made a risky argument in a hard-hit
Ohio steel town yesterday, telling residents that free trade can
help solve their problems.

That is a tough sell in communities that have hemorrhaged jobs as
manufacturing moved overseas and cheap imports flooded the market.
But McCain insisted that free trade is the solution and not the
cause.

Blair 'caught riding without a ticket' 23 Apr 2008 Former prime
minister Tony Blair was left red-faced when he was caught travelling
on a train without a ticket and said he had no cash to pay the fare,
a report said on Wednesday.

Blair, who has earned around 500,000 pounds on the speaking circuit
since leaving office in June, was confronted by a ticket inspector
as he travelled to Heathrow airport to catch a flight to the United
States on Monday, the Daily Mail newspaper reported.

City Governments Feel Crunch of High Fuel Prices 22 Apr 2008 Some
local governments said high fuel prices may start hitting Connecticut
residents in the services they get at homes and in their taxes.
Officials said residents cannot only expect an increase in taxes,
but they will likely also pay more for less.

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[Previous lead stories:] Hillary Clinton wins Pennsylvania primary
23 Apr 2008 Hillary Clinton kept her slim hopes of the White House
alive after early results suggested she would beat Barack Obama in
the key Pennsylvania primary.

Prisoners allege forced drugging during US interrogations 22 Apr
2008 At least two dozen former and current detainees have alleged
that they were either forcibly administered drugs or witnessed the
forceful administration of drugs on other prisoners while in US
custody, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.

The detainees, held at Guantanamo Bay and other sites, said in
interviews and court documents that they did not know what drugs
they were given, but that they believed they were intended to make
prisoners more pliant during interrogation.

Amnesty unveils shock 'waterboarding' film --Campaign to persuade
the US to abandon the practice  a form of torture used as long ago
as the Spanish Inquisition [and revived by Bush]. 22 Apr 2008 An
American expert in torture techniques has denounced his government
for allowing "waterboarding" to be practised against terror suspects,
just as a graphic advertisement showing the brutal reality of the
technique is unveiled to British cinema-goers. Malcolm Nance, who
trained hundreds of US servicemen and women to resist interrogation
by putting them through "waterboarding" exercises, demanded an
immediate end to the practice by all US personnel. He said: "They
seem to think it is worth throwing the honour of 220 years of
American decency in war out of the window.

Waterboarding is out-and-out torture, and I'm deeply ashamed President
[sic] Bush has authorised its use and dragged the US's reputation
into the mud."

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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.