News Updates from CLG07
Mar 2014
http://www.legitgov.org/
All links are here:http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news
All links are here:http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news
Previous edition: US prepares 1B aid package for Ukraine (Google
subscribers: Google
Filter Instructions for CLG
Newsletter.)
U.S. Warship Crosses Bosporus Toward Black Sea -
Official 07 Mar 2014 A U.S. warship
crossed the Bosporus toward the Black Sea Friday afternoon, a Turkish official
said, the latest symbol of heightened international tensions over Crimea. The
USS Truxtun, a heavily armed guided-missile destroyer, sailed north on the
Aegean Sea and passed through the Dardanelles toward Istanbul Friday morning, an
official at the Directorate General of Coastal Safety in Istanbul told The Wall
Street Journal. The Directorate declined to comment on the old and pending
passages of other U.S. warships through Turkey's two straits that connect the
Mediterranean to the Black Sea.
US Navy destroyer heads to Black Sea via
Bosporus 07 Mar 2014 The USS
Truxtun, a US Navy guided-missile destroyer, passed through the Canakkale Strait
en route to the Black Sea on Friday for what the US Navy described as a
"routine" deployment that was scheduled well before the crisis in Ukraine. One
of the most important US navy destroyers, USS Truxtun entered the Canakkale
Strait from the Aegean Sea at 8 a.m. on Friday. The USS Truxtun was accompanied
by a coast guard boat after the destroyer entered the Canakkale Strait and
arrived in Canakkale at 8:50 a.m.
Ah, then came the dawn.
Ukraine signs $10 billion shale gas deal with
Chevron --Agreement with
Chevron, to extend for 50 years, foresaw an
initial investment of 350 million by the U.S. major in exploratory work over two
or three years 05 Nov 2013 Ukraine signed a 10 billion shale gas
production-sharing agreement with U.S. Chevron on Tuesday, another step in a
drive for more energy independence from Russia. The deal to develop its western
Olesska field followed a similar shale gas agreement with Royal Dutch
Shell in January and boosts Ukraine's leadership at a time of fraught
relations with Moscow over gas supplies. "The agreements with Shell and
Chevron...will enable us to have full sufficiency in gas by 2020 and, under an
optimistic scenario, even enable us to export energy," President Viktor
Yanukovich told investors shortly before the signing.
Kiev snipers hired by Maidan coalition: Leaked
call 07 Mar 2014 A leaked phone call
between EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, and Estonian Foreign Minister
Urmas Paet has revealed that the Maidan coalition in Ukraine hired snipers to
kill both policemen and protesters. In the 11-minute conversation, whose
authenticity has been confirmed by the Estonian Foreign Ministry, Paet said last
month's deaths were to blame on the snipers hired by the Maidan coalition, which
is the main provocateur of the crisis in Kiev.
Russia hits back at US 'barefaced cynicism and double
standards' over Ukraine 06 Mar 2014
The Russian Foreign Ministry has accused the US State Department of double
standards and low-level propaganda after it published a list of President
Vladimir Putin's "false claims" about the events in Ukraine. "The State
Department is trying to play on a shamelessly one-sided interpretation of the
events," ministry spokesperson Aleksandr Lukashevich said on Thursday. "Surely,
Washington cannot admit that they were nurturing Maidan [protests], encouraging
the violent overthrow of the legitimate government, and thus clearing the way
for those who are now pretending to be a legitimate power in Kiev." The United States has "no moral right" to lecture
about observing international laws and respecting the sovereignty of other
states, the diplomat added.
Obama: Crimea Referendum Would Violate International
Law 06 Mar
2014 President Barack Obama said Thursday that there is a "path to
de-escalation" for the crisis in Ukraine but that the United States and the
international community believes that borders cannot "be redrawn over the heads
of democratic leaders." "The proposed referendum on the future of Crimea would
violate the Ukrainian constitution and violate international law," he said in
remarks in the White House. [LOL! The *referendum* violates
international law? How about invading, occupying, and droning Iraq, Afghanistan,
Pakistan and Yemen? Does *that* violation international
law?]
Crimean parliament votes to join Russia, hold referendum in 10
days on ratifying 06 Mar 2014 The
Crimean parliament has voted for the region to join Russia. The decision will
only come in force if approved by the Crimeans at a referendum which will be
held in 10 days. Crimean MPs voted on Thursday for the region to "to become part
of the Russian Federation as its constituent territory," says the text of the
regional parliament's statement. 78 MPs said yes to Crimea joining Russia, while
8 abstained from voting.
Ukraine crisis: EU leaders to hold emergency
talks 06 Mar 2014 EU leaders are to
begin an emergency summit to decide how strongly they should respond to Russia's
troop deployment in Ukraine's Crimea region. Some members, particularly from
Eastern Europe, want tough sanctions, while others, led by Germany, seek
mediation. Ahead of the talks, the EU said it had frozen the assets of 18 former
Ukrainian officials, including [illegally] ousted President Viktor
Yanukovych.
Russia wants IMF to move ahead on reforms without U.S. -
sources 06 Mar 2014 Russian
officials are pushing for the International Monetary Fund to move ahead with
planned reforms without the United States, which could mean the loss of the U.S.
veto over major decisions at the global lender, sources said. Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov
brought up the idea at a meeting of top finance officials from the Group of 20
nations in Sydney late last month, two G20 sources told Reuters this
week.
Russia prepares bill on foreign asset freeze in reply to
sanctions - senator 05 Mar 2014 A
top Russian lawmaker has revealed he is working on a bill that would freeze the
assets of European and American companies operating in Russia in reply to
Western economic sanctions. The chairman of the upper house committee for
constitutional law, Andrey Klishas, is sure that Russia must have an enough
leverage to deal with the threat of sanctions coming from foreign countries. A
team of lawyers are currently preparing a separate federal bill that would allow
the Russian president and government to confiscate foreign owned property in
Russia, including assets belonging to private companies, the senator told the
RIA Novosti news agency.
Pentagon wants to keep war chest despite Afghan
'exit' 05 Mar 2014 The Pentagon
wants to keep its US80 billion war chest even though most or all US troops are
to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of this year, officials said on Tuesday.
"Overseas contingency operations" [aka billions for
'Blackwater'] funds are separate from the main Pentagon budget and have
financed wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and counter-terrorism efforts elsewhere
for more than a decade. The Defence Department's proposed budget, released on
Tuesday as part of the White House's annual spending plan, calls for US79.4
billion in war funding for fiscal year 2015. That represents only a small cut in
the overseas operations fund accorded US85.2 billion this year's main
budget.
Five Afghan soldiers killed in air strike by NATO-led
force 06 Mar 2014 Five Afghan
soldiers were killed on Thursday in an air strike by the NATO-led force in
Afghanistan's eastern province of Logar, Afghan officials and the coalition
said. The airstrike, at around 3.30 a.m., seriously wounded at least eight other
soldiers, said district governor Khalilullah Kamal. A total of 17 people had
been injured, his office said.
Rutgers University Faculty, Students Protest Condoleezza
Rice's Commencement Ceremony Appearance
--Rice will reportedly receive 35,000 and honorary doctorate for
speech 06 Mar 2014 Rutgers University
professors and students are up in arms over the academic institution's decision
to invite former U.S. Secretary of State [war criminal and unindicted 9/11
co-conspirator] Condoleezza Rice to address this year's commencement ceremony,
according to The Star-Ledger. Last week, Rutgers' New Brunswick
Facility Council passed a resolution that called upon the university's governing
board to rescind the invite that had been sent to Rice. The resolution mentioned
how Rutgers should not bestow such an honor on Rice because of her political
views with regards to the war in Iraq and former President [sic] George W.
Bush's administrative rules on harsh
interrogations torture such as waterboarding. According to the faculty
resolution, "Condoleezza Rice...played a prominent role in the
administration's effort to mislead the American people about the presence of
weapons of mass destruction."
Gatwick Airport: Man Held Over 'Terror
Training' 06 Mar 2014 A 21-year-old
man has been arrested at Gatwick Airport on suspicion of training for terrorism
overseas, Scotland Yard said. Officers from the Metropolitan Police's Counter
Terrorism Command arrested the man after he got off a flight from Istanbul at
around 2pm on Thursday. He is being held in custody at a West London police
station under section six of the Terrorism Act 2006.
CIA Accused of Spying on Senate Intelligence Committee
Staffers 05 Mar 2014 We've discussed
a few times how the Senate Intelligence Committee has been pushing to release a
supposedly devastating 6,000 page
report about the CIA's torture program, which
cost taxpayers an equally astounding 40 million to produce. But, the CIA has
been fighting hard to block the release of the report, arguing that it
misrepresents the CIA's actions. However, things are getting even more bizarre,
as the NY Times is reporting that the CIA is now accused of spying on the Intelligence
Committee and its staffers in its attempt to
keep that report from being released.
Attorneys for Barrett Brown want case on linking to hacked
material dismissed 04 Mar 2014
Lawyers acting for Barrett Brown, the activist-journalist facing more than 100
years in prison for having posted a hyperlink to hacked material, have called
for his case to be dismissed on grounds that it violates his First Amendment
rights to free speech and would chill the internet. Brown, 32, is being held in
Texas ahead of two scheduled trials on 28 April and 19 May. He is charged with a
total of 17 counts in three separate indictments relating to his work uncovering
online surveillance. The main allegation against him -- spanning 12 counts -- is
that he posted a hyperlink on an internet chat room to a website containing
material hacked from the private intelligence firm Strategic Forecasting, Inc,
(Stratfor).
Edward Snowden exposed eroding civil liberties, former spy
Christopher Boyce says 06 Mar 2014
When lawmakers in Norway nominated Edward Snowden for the Nobel Peace Prize this
year, Christopher Boyce tweeted the news with this comment: "He has my vote."
Snowden and Boyce share similarities. Both held top-secret security clearances
and walked off with troves of U.S. files. Both gained a mix of fame and infamy.
And both faced the government's wrath for their thefts and the exposure of
government secrets.
Private license plate scanners amassing vast databases open to
highest bidders 06 Mar 2014
Automated license plate readers used by car repossession companies, for example,
collect billions of personal records per year, which contribute to vast
databases that can be used by law enforcement, insurance companies, banks, and
the like, with few limits... Digital Recognition Network, which works with New
England Associates, says it collects plate scans of 40 percent of all US
vehicles per year.
Nine Mile 2 nuclear reactor shuts down after losing on-site
power supply 04 Mar 2014 (NY) The
Nine Mile Point 2 nuclear power plant shut down early today following the an
on-site electrical power failure, plant operator Constellation Energy Nuclear
Group said. The cause of the power failure is still under review. The loss of
the power supply impacted the flow of cooling to both of the plant's reactor
recirculation pumps, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission reported. In
response, the plant's operators manually scrammed the reactor at 1:43 a.m.,
which entails inserting all of the control rods to halt the fissioning
process.
House passes SC bill that blocks coal ash
lawsuits 01 Mar 2014 A bill that
could shield [eco-terrorists] Duke Energy from having to clean out polluted coal
ash ponds in two areas of South Carolina will move to the Senate for
consideration. The State newspaper reported the House approved the bill 80-30 this past week. The bill
would block lawsuit by citizen groups under the S.C. Pollution Control Act.
Democratic Rep. James Smith calls the bill "amnesty for polluters."
Duke Energy could avoid coal ash lawsuit if SC bill
passes 28 Feb 2014 South Carolina
policymakers are moving ahead with a plan that could shield Duke Energy from
having to clean out polluted coal ash ponds in two areas of the state. This past
week, the state House voted 80-30 for a bill that will block lawsuits by
citizens groups under the S.C. Pollution Control Act. The bill moves to the
Senate, which signed off on a similar bill two years ago. "It is amnesty for
polluters," Rep. James Smith, D-Richland said. While the bill would apply to any
company, it's particularly relevant to Duke Energy, Smith and others
said.
Idaho lawmakers pass bill allowing concealed guns on college
campuses 06 Mar 2014 Idaho lawmakers
on Thursday approved a measure allowing concealed guns to be carried onto
university and college campuses. The legislation, which cleared the state House
of Representatives by a 50-19 vote and was overwhelmingly approved by the state
Senate last month, now heads to Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter for his signature.
If the Republican governor signs the bill into law as expected, Idaho will be
the seventh U.S. state that allows guns on college campuses, according to the
National Conference of State Legislatures.
Congressional Black Caucus calls for removal of Issa after
cutting Cummings's mic 06 Mar 2014
Chair of Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, calls on House
Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to remove Rep. Darrell
Issa, R-Calif., from House Oversight
Committee after Issa cut off Rep. Elijah Cummings's microphone during Wednesday
hearing.
South Carolina Democrat slams Christie as hypocrite on
Medicaid expansion 04 Mar 2014 A
Democratic candidate for South Carolina governor has called out Gov. Chris
Christie as a hypocrite after the Republican Governors Associate attacked the
candidate for his stance on Medicaid expansion - a stance Christie himself has
taken in New Jersey. Democrat Vincent Sheheen is the presumptive Democratic
nominee and is set to challenge Republican Gov. Nikki Haley in the general
election. In a recent attack add, the Christie-led RGA slammed Sheheen for
advocating for the use of government dollars to expand Medicaid. But the
problem, according to Sheheen, is that last year, Christie, who is chairman of
the RGA, actually made the decision to accept federal dollars for expansion in
New Jersey.
*****
CLG
needs your support.
Or, please mail a check or m*ney order
to CLG: Citizens for Legitimate
Government (CLG)
P.O. Box 1142
Bristol, CT 06011-1142
Contributions to CLG are not tax deductible.
P.O. Box 1142
Bristol, CT 06011-1142
Contributions to CLG are not tax deductible.
Feel free -- and CLG
encourages you -- to forward this newsletter to your lists and
friends!
Those who wish to be added to the list can go here: http://www.legitgov.org/#subscribe_clg and add your name.
Those who wish to be added to the list can go here: http://www.legitgov.org/#subscribe_clg and add your name.
No comments:
Post a Comment