CLG: Pennsylvania Nuclear Reactor Shut Down After Water Leak, 5 Awful Things Congress Snuck Into the Omnibus Budget Deal

News Updates from CLG
14 December 2014

http://www.legitgov.org/
All links are here:http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news

Previous edition: 'US hid UK links in CIA torture report at request of British spy agencies.'

Breaking false flag/drill-gone-live: Sydney airspace shut down, Channel 7 studios evacuated during Martin Place siege --'Islamic flag' hung in Martin Place hostage crisis --Martin Place businesses, including the nearby Channel 7 studios, have been evacuated --Sydney airspace has also been reportedly shut down as result of Martin Place siege --Sydney Opera House evacuated: Reuters 15 Dec 2014 At least one armed man has taken over a Sydney cafe where morning restaurant goers have been taken hostage. Witnesses say a man, armed with a gun walked into the Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Martin Place this morning. Police were called to the cafe around 9.45am NSW time. Officers with guns drawn have attended the scene and surrounded it. Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that "about 20 staff and customers" are being held by the gunman.

'Islamists' take 20 hostages in Sydney cafe siege --As many as 20 hostages taken by gunmen in Sydney cafe --Black flag with Arab writing held against cafe window --Armed police seal off local area in Martin Place --Police earlier arrest man in counter-terror operation 15 Dec 2014 00.50 Jonathan Pearlman sets the scene where the siege is taking place. "As any visitor to Sydney would know, Martin Place – the site of the siege – is effectively the heart of Sydney. "The pedestrian mall is lined with stately nineteenth century buildings: it is bookended by the state parliament building at the top of the mall and the general post office at the bottom. It houses the offices of the state’s central bank, as well as two of the nation's biggest financial institutions: Commonwealth Bank, one of the biggest banks in the world, and Macquarie Bank.

Terror in Sydney's Martin Place as gunman takes hostages and forces them to hold a 'black extremist flag' up against the window 14 Dec 2014 Terrorists were today holding up to 12 hostages in an armed siege in a cafe in Sydney where an extremist flag was being held up in a window. Witnesses reported seeing staff and customers sobbing as they were forced to stand with their hands pressed against the windows of the Lindt cafe. At least two gunmen are involved in the siege but dozens of armed police have sealed off the streets surrounding the site. Martin Place has been shut down and scores of police are surrounding the building after the alarm was raised about 9.45am.

Two arrested after Sydney terror raid 15 Dec 2014 Two men have been arrested on suspected terror related offences during an early morning raid in Sydney. An Australian Federal Police spokesman confirmed a 25-year-old Beecroft man was arrested by the NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT). The arrest was part of continuing investigations into the planning of a terrorist attack on Australian soil and the facilitation of travel of Australian citizens to Syria to engage in armed combat, the AFP said.

$1.1T Spending Bill Passes Senate, Heads to Obama's Desk: $93M Cut From Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program (WIC) as Israel Gets $350M for Iron Dome 14 Dec 2014 Senate Passes $1.1 Trillion Spending Bill, Sends to Obama's Desk 14 Dec 2014 After days of rancor and uncertainty on Capitol Hill, the Senate has passed a massive spending bill, formally averting a government shutdown and sending the 1.1 trillion measure to the president's desk. The vote, which pitted both parties' establishment against its more populist wings, was 56-40. [Gee, what happened to the usual GOP filibuster? That's been the excuse used to provide cover for the DemocRATs since 2009, so they can pass all of Obama's Wall Street/war legislation and still pretend to work for the people.] Twenty-one Democrats and 19 Republicans voted against the measure. The bill funds most of the government until September 2015, although it sets up another battle over the funding of the Department of Homeland Security early next year.

Insane in the membrane: US to give Israel $350mn for Iron Dome --2015 defense authorization bill also authorized 521.3 billion for Defense Department operations 13 Dec 2014 The US Senate has approved a multi-billion-dollar military spending bill that includes 350 million for Israel's Iron Dome missile system. The Senate passed the bill on Friday by a 89-11 vote. The bill was sent to the White House for President Barack Obama's signature. The House of Representatives last week approved the National Defense Authorization Act by a 300-119 vote.

5 Awful Things Congress Snuck Into the Omnibus Budget Deal 12 Dec 2014 On Thursday night, the US House passed the omnibus spending bill - backed aggressively by President Obama and GOP leadership [two peas in a psycho pod] - to avert another government shutdown and put off our next completely avoidable, 100% self-imposed budget crisis until next September. The yes votes prevailed 219 to 206 despite vocal opposition from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi who was joined by 16 House Republicans. 57 House Democrats voted yes with House speaker John Boehner and the White House...The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, commonly referred to as WIC, was on the receiving end of a $93 million budget cut.

Edward Snowden lawyer calls on prosecutors across Europe to prepare to seize CIA agents, US torture architects --'They need to know that they'll run into severe trouble' if they enter Europe --Wolfgang Kaleck represented Khaled El Masri, who was tortured by the CIA 12 Dec 2014 A leading German human rights lawyer has called on prosecutors across Europe to "get active" and prepare to seize any CIA agents and US officials involved in torture who enter their territories. Wolfgang Kaleck said the US Senate committee report on CIA torture was giving new impetus to European resolve to hold those in positions of power responsible for the use of unacceptable interrogation techniques. "We're preparing reams of dossiers, and demanding of prosecutors that they do the same for those who are named in the report and those known as the higher-ups who directed and conducted this system," said Kaleck, the director of the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) in Berlin.

Britain convulsed by its dirty secret in wake of CIA torture report --Senate report on rendition contrasts with recalcitrant UK, whose judge-led inquiry was shut down by Cameron 12 Dec 2014 In September 2005, on the day the Guardian published its first edition in the new Berliner format, the newspaper informed its readers that a fleet of CIA aircraft had been using the UK's airports during the agency's so-called extraordinary rendition operations. Aircraft from the 26-strong fleet had flown into and out of the UK at least 210 times since 9/11, the newspaper reported, "an average of one flight a week", refuelling at RAF bases and civilian airports that included Northolt, Heathrow, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Belfast and -- the agency's favourite destination -- Prestwick. "It is not a matter for the MoD," one Ministry of Defence official told the newspaper. "The aircraft use our airfields. We don't ask any questions."

Court rejects attempt to allow Edward Snowden into Germany 12 Dec 2014 Attempts by opposition parties in Germany to bring Edward Snowden to Berlin to give evidence about the NSA's operations have been thwarted by the country's highest court. The Green and Left parties wanted the whistleblower to give evidence in person to a parliamentary committee investigating espionage by the US agency, but Germany's constitutional court ruled against them on Friday. The government has argued that Snowden's presence in Germany could impair relations with the US and put it under pressure to extradite him.

Russia's French Christmas tree diplomacy 14 Dec 2014 Russia has donated a Christmas tree to the Notre Dame cathedral in France, following an appeal for help. The cathedral had struggled to raise the money for its annual tree and appealed to foreign embassies in Paris for assistance. The surprise donation comes at a time of strained relations between the two countries, over Russia's involvement [over US involvement] in the conflict in Ukraine.

Radioactive Fukushima water to be 'cleaned,' dumped into Pacific 14 Dec 2014 Japan's nuclear watchdog says the radioactive water that has accumulated at the battered Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant must be decontaminated and dumped into the ocean, local media reported. The news has sparked concern from local fisherman. "We have to dispose of the water," Shunichi Tanaka, chairman of the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA), told a media conference after visiting the crippled nuclear power plant on Friday, Asahi Shimbun reported. The NRA chief was referring to the contaminated radioactive water stored in tanks on the premises of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

Pennsylvania Nuclear Reactor Shut Down After Water Leak --PPL Susquehanna noticed the slow leak over the past 'few weeks' 13 Dec 2014 PPL Susquehanna LLC said today it shut down a reactor at its nuclear plant near Berwick, Pennsylvania, to address "a small water leak" discovered inside the unit's concrete containment structure. Though the leak is small enough to continue operating the reactor safely [!?!], PPL Susquehanna said it took the "conservative measure" to shut it down, the utility said in a statement. The company did not say when the unit might come back up.

Georgia government, law enforcement agencies given $70M in military surplus gear 14 Dec 2014 According to U.S. Department of Defense records, equipment ranging from an ice cream maker to grenade launchers has been given to Georgia law enforcement and government agencies through a federal military surplus program. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Georgia agencies received more than 70 million in decommissioned military gear, mostly in the last three years.

Effigies of black men found hanging by nooses at UC Berkeley campus --College: effigies of lynching victims appear connected to nationwide protests --At least one cardboard cutout carried 'I can't breathe' slogan 13 Dec 2014 Three cardboard cutouts of black men were found hanging by nooses on Saturday on the Berkeley campus of the University of California. A school spokeswoman, Amy Hamaoui, said police were trying to determine who had placed the effigies, which were found at two prominent campus locations on Saturday morning. Hamaoui said the effigies appeared to be connected to a noontime demonstration nearby planned to coincide with a national protest against police brutality. The effigies appeared to be life-size photos of lynching victims.

US protesters march against police slayings of black men 14 Dec 2014 Demonstrators nationwide protesting the fatal shootings of unarmed black men killed by police chanted "I can't breathe!" ''Hands up, don't shoot!" and waved signs that read "Black lives matter!" as family members of three victims packed a stage in front of the U.S. Capitol, urging thousands of supportive marchers to keep pressing for changes to the criminal justice system. The march in Washington on Saturday -- attended by family members for Michael Brown and Eric Garner, who were killed by police in recent months, and Amadou Diallo, who was fatally shot by police more than 15 years ago -- coincided with nationwide demonstrations that spanned from iconic Fifth Avenue in New York to the streets of San Francisco and the steps of the Boston Statehouse.

Quick action! Request UN election monitors, observers for Canada 6 Dec 2014 In the days following the May 2nd, 2011, Canadian federal election, faith was shattered and confidence lost in Elections Canada's ability to ensure a fair, honest and unimpeded electoral process as reports of widespread voter suppression and fraud began to surface... "The Federal Court has found in no uncertain terms that widespread election fraud took place during the 2011 federal election." The ruling clearly states that "there was an orchestrated effort to suppress votes during the 2011 election campaign by a person with access to the [Conservative Party's] CIMS database." ...As a result, Canadian Citizens can no longer trust the legitimacy or integrity of future federal elections in Canada and formally request UN election monitors to oversee our federal election in 2015. (Petition to UN)

*****

CLG needs your support.

http://www.legitgov.org/donate.html

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.

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.