News Updates from CLG
17 March 2015
17 March 2015
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: Obama approves $75 million in 'non-lethal' aid to Ukraine
Secret C.I.A. Fund Adds Millions to al-Qaeda
Coffers --'God blessed us with a
good amount of money this month,' Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, al-Qaeda's general
manager, wrote in a letter to Osama bin Laden in June 2010.
[No, not God. The CIA.] | 14 March 2015 | In the spring of
2010, Afghan officials struck a deal for 5 million to free an Afghan diplomat
held hostage by al-Qaeda [incontrovertibly, *al-CIAduh*]. They first turned to a
secret fund that the Central Intelligence Agency bankrolled with monthly c-sh
deliveries to the presidential palace in Kabul, according to several Afghan
officials involved in the episode. The C.I.A.'s contribution to al-Qaeda's
bottom line, though, was no well-laid trap. It was just another in a long list
of examples of how the United States...has sometimes inadvertently fin-nced the very
militants it is fighting.
ACLU files new lawsuit over Obama administration drone 'kill
list' | 16 March 2015 | On Monday, the
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) will file a disclosure lawsuit for secret
Obama administration documents specifying, among other things, the criteria for
placement on the so-called "kill list" for drone strikes and other deadly force.
Information sought by the ACLU includes long-secret analyses establishing the
legal basis for what the administration terms its "targeted killing program" and
the process by which the administration determines that civilians are unlikely
to be killed before launching a strike, as well as verification mechanisms
afterward to establish if the strike in fact has caused civilian
deaths.
No, *This* is ISIS: 'Dirty Brigades': US-Trained and Armed Iraqi Forces Investigated for
War Crimes | 11 March 2015 | U.S.-trained
and armed Iraqi military units, the key to the American strategy 'against' ISIS
[-CIA-SIS], are under investigation for committing some of the same atrocities
as the terror group, American and Iraqi officials told ABC News. Some Iraqi
units have already been cut off from U.S. assistance over "credible" human
rights violations, according to a senior military official on the Pentagon's
Joint Staff. The investigation, being conducted by the Iraqi government, was
launched after officials were confronted with numerous allegations of "war
crimes," based in part on dozens of ghastly videos and still photos that
appear to show uniformed soldiers from some of Iraq's most elite units and
militia members massacring civilians, torturing and
executing prisoners, and displaying severed
heads.
UN torture expert refused access to Guantánamo Bay and US federal
prisons | 11 March 2105 | The United
Nations’ top investigator on the use of torture has accused Washington of
dragging its feet over his requested visits to prisons and refusing to give him
access to inmates at Guantánamo. Juan Méndez said he had been waiting for more
than two years for the United States to provide him access to a range of state
and federal prisons, where he wants to probe the use of solitary confinement.
Méndez told reporters in Geneva he wanted to visit federal prisons in New York
and Colorado and state prisons in New York, California and Louisiana, among
others.
Israel election: Binyamin Netanyahu rules out Palestinian state as
voting begins | 16 March 2015 | Israel's
prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu has unequivocally ruled out the establishment
of a Palestinian state as he vowed to strengthen construction of settlements in
occupied east Jerusalem should he be re-elected on Tuesday. Netanyahu's comments
reinforced his hardening message of recent days and confirmed his final
abandonment of his at best tepid commitment to a two-state solution designed to
see the creation of an independent Palestinian state. While his remarks will be
seen in large part as election rhetoric designed to cement his standing with his
country's hard right at a time when Netanyahu has been struggling in his
campaign, they will further strain relations with the US and other key allies
should he win a third consecutive term.
Ex-Mossad chief Dagan: I would have resigned if Netanyahu ordered
Iran strike | 15 March 2015 | Former Mossad
Chief Meir Dagan said Saturday night that he would have resigned if Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had decided to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. In
his interview with Channel 10, Dagan said, "it was his fully within his
authority to make such a decision, but I decided that I would resign at that
moment." In the interview, Dagan also showed the letter in which he requested to
leave his post - responding to claims made by Netanyahu's associates that his
criticism of the premier was due to personal reasons, after Netanyahu decided
not to renew his tenure.
Putin in film on Crimea: US masterminds behind Ukraine coup, helped
train radicals --'They facilitated
the armed coup.' | 15 March 2015 | The Ukrainian armed coup was
organized from Washington, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated in an
interview for a new documentary aired Sunday. The Americans tried to hide behind
the Europeans, but Moscow saw through the trick, he added. "The trick of the
situation was that outwardly the [Ukrainian] opposition was supported mostly by
the Europeans. But we knew for sure that the real masterminds were our American
friends," Putin said in a documentary, 'Crimea - The Way Home,' aired by Rossiya
1 news channel. "They helped training the nationalists, their armed groups, in
Western Ukraine, in Poland and to some extent in Lithuania," he
added.
Maduro wins decree powers to fight 'U.S.
imperialism' [It's about
time!] | 15 March 2015 | Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Sunday
was given the right to rule by decree for nine months, as he continued to
capitalize on the backlash created by recent U.S. sanctions. In a raucous
session full of chanting and blistering speeches, the National Assembly, which
is controlled by the ruling party, passed the "Anti-Imperialist Enabling Law for
Peace." The law, which gives Maduro the ability to bypass congress in issuing
security and defense legislation through December, is expected to go into effect
Monday when it's published in the official gazette.
Venezuela Sounds Alarm after Obama Invokes International Emergency
Act | 10 March 2015 | Venezuelan foreign
minister Delcy Rodriguez sent an alert to international solidarity groups this
afternoon, indicating that recent actions taken by the US government are meant
to justify "intervention," and do not correspond with international law. The
warning came within 24 hours of an address made by US president Barack Obama, in
which Venezuela was labeled an "unusual and extraordinary threat to [US]
national security". While slapping a new set of sanctions on the South American
nation, Obama declared a national emergency, invoking the International
Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) against Venezuela.
Vigil for Julian Assange to mark 1,000 days in embassy for Wikileaks
founder | 16 March 2015 | Supporters of the
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will hold a vigil today to mark the 1,000th day
of his stay inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London. His sympathisers will
display posters and banners opposite the Knightsbridge building where the
Australian has been holed up since June 2012. The 43-year-old has been living in
the embassy to avoid travelling to Sweden where he is wanted for questioning
over claims of sex assaults against two women [in a CIA 'honeypot' trap], which
he denies. Assange fears being extradited to the United States if he goes to
Sweden, and face interrogation over publication of secret documents by
WikiLeaks.
Sydney siege gunman's lawyer Adam Houda takes on terrorism suspects'
case | 16 March 2015 | A lawyer who accused
Prime Minister Tony Abbott of prejudicing the trial of two terrorism suspects by
"milking" it for political gain [So true!] has taken on their case, indicating
they will plead not guilty. Adam Houda, the former lawyer of Sydney siege gunman
Man Haron Monis, appeared in Central Local Court on Monday on behalf of two
Fairfield men accused of plotting a terrorist attack in Sydney..."From what I've
seen, the essential feature of this case is the video and I've seen the video
and it's not convincing," Mr Houda said outside court. In February, Mr Houda
said Mr Abbott had prejudiced the trial of the Fairfield pair by reading out
details of that video in Parliament.
Police watchdog to investigate claims Met covered up child sex
abuse | 16 March 2015 | The Independent
Police Complaints Commission has launched an investigation into allegations of
police corruption in London relating to child sex offences dating back to the
1970s, including that officers colluded in the coverup of a high-level
paedophile ring. The allegations, referred by the Metropolitan Police Service
(MPS), include suppressing evidence, hindering or halting investigations and
covering up offences because of the involvement of MPs and police officers.
"These allegations are of historic, high-level corruption of the most serious
nature," said Sarah Green, the IPCC deputy chair.
Met Police pedophiles get a pass: Police condemned for using stop and search powers on 300 children
aged under five --Metropolitan
Police stopped and frisked 184 under-fives in last five years | 15
March 2015 | Nearly 300 children under the age of five have been stopped and
searched by police over the last five years, it has emerged. Officers across the
UK have been condemned for using their powers to stop and search toddlers on
suspicion of a host of offences including drug or knife crime, possession of
weapons and terrorism. Police said that in nearly all cases, officers had
carried out the searches after believing the child had been an innocent party
who had been used by adults to conceal drugs, weapons or stolen
goods.
Canada-wide demonstrations against proposed anti-terrorism
law --Conservative government
introduced legislation, known as Bill C-51, in January | 14 March 2015
| Demonstrators are gathering across Canada today to protest the government's
proposed anti-terrorism legislation. Organizers say demonstrations will take
place in dozens of cities in Canada, from Victoria to Halifax, in an event they
have dubbed "Defend our Freedom." In Toronto, hundreds gathered at city hall to
speak out against the proposed legislation, with many holding signs, chanting
and drumming in protest of the bill they call dangerous, reckless and
unacceptable. The wide-ranging bill would give police much broader powers and
allow them to detain terror suspects and give new powers to Canada's spy
agency.
Families of nine Sandy Hook victims sue estate of Adam Lanza's
mother | 16 March 2015 | The families of
nine people killed in the Newtown elementary school shooting have filed lawsuits
against the estate of the [alleged] gunman's mother. The lawsuits allege that
Nancy Lanza incorrectly secured her legally owned Bushmaster AR-15 rifle, which
her troubled adult son, Adam Lanza, used to kill 20 children and six educators
at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012, the Connecticut Post reported
Friday. The lawsuits seek to collect on Nancy Lanza's homeowner's insurance, the
Connecticut Post reported.
Ebola Is a Man-Made Virus From America; Why Go to Liberia for Vaccine
Trials, Asks Monrovia Local
--Reporter asked whether signing Ebola vaccine consent form was tantamount to a
'death warrant' for volunteers. [It is.] | 13 Mar 2015 | The United
States is helping to lead a large study of two vaccines against Ebola..."When we
look at Ebola, it came from America," [Most likely, Fort
Detrick] said Sylvester George, a pastor's assistant, expressing doubts
about the clinical trials at an information session. "It's a man-made virus. So why didn't they
do this trial in America, but they decide to come to Liberia?" The phrase "Ebola
prevention vaccine" is used rather than "Ebola vaccine," to help avoid the
impression that the vaccine might cause Ebola. [It does.]
..."They said they want more Ebola patients because government is using them to
make m-ney," Samuel Weah said. "The more dead and infections, the more
m-ney."
Americans Evacuated After at Least 10 Aid Workers Had Possible Ebola
Contact | 14 March 2015 | Several American
aid workers, among at least 10 who might have come into contact with the virus in , were evacuated on Saturday,
according to a United States Embassy spokeswoman in the Sierra Leonean capital,
Freetown. They will be the most Americans who have returned home over fears of
exposure to the virus since an outbreak in three West African countries was
declared last year. Another American aid worker, who was showing signs of
illness, arrived in the United States on Friday evening, hours after a colleague
with Ebola was flown from Sierra Leone to the clinical center of the National Institutes
of Health in Bethesda, Md. That patient, a clinician who was not identified,
tested positive for the virus on Tuesday, and investigators feared that he had
exposed others to it.
U.S. appeals ruling on size of BP oil spill | 14 March 2015 | The U.S. government is appealing a federal court
ruling that reduced the potential penalty BP Plc must pay for the 2010 Gulf of
Mexico oil spill by almost $4 billion. The appeal, which was filed on Friday in
U.S. District Court in New Orleans, challenges a January decision by U.S.
District Court Judge Carl Barbier that set the size of the spill at 3.19 million
barrels. The government had estimated the size of the spill at 4.09 million
barrels and BP at 3.26 million.
Chemicals from stain repellent disrupt brain signal in polar
bears --Scientists have warned that
a quarter of Canadian polar bears could be wiped out by the end of the century
because of shrinking ice caps. Warming temperatures could destroy one tenth of
the bear's habitat, affecting their ability to roam across huge expanses of ice
to hunt for food and mate. | 16 March 2015 | Polar bears are suffering
potentially harmful changes to their brains due to the accumulation of pollution
in the arctic, according to a new study. Scientists have found that key
processes in the brains of polar bears are being disrupted by man-made chemicals
such as stain repellents and water-proofing treatments. They claim this could
result in changes to polar bear behaviour and hormone balance that may
ultimately affect their ability to survive.
Vanuatu's Cyclone Pam death
toll rises to 24 | 16 March 2015 | The
United Nations reported Monday that 24 people are confirmed dead and 3,300 have
been displaced by Cyclone Pam in the South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu. Radio
and telephone communications with outer islands have not yet been established
two days after what the country's president called a "monster" storm, the UN
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. It said 3,300 people
are sheltering in 37 evacuation centres on the main island of Efate and in the
provinces of Torba and Penama.
Did Time magazine just put DEVIL HORNS on Hillary Clinton's head?
Suspected political jab has Democrats seeing red | 13 March 2015 | The latest issue of Time magazine features Hillary
Clinton on its cover, but there's something different about the former secretary
of state and would-be Madam President. The way the magazine's graphic designers
positioned her silhouette under the letter 'M' in its iconic masthead appears to
tack a pair of devil horns on her head.
GOP Rep. Aaron Schock Announces Resignation Amid
Scandals | 17 March 2015 | Illinois Rep.
Aaron Schock resigned Tuesday, less than 12 hours after POLITICO raised
questions about tens of thousands of d-llars in mileage reimbursements he
received for his personal vehicle...The discrepancy added to a growing wave of
ethical and legal problems the 33-year-old politician faces. During the past
month, Schock repaid the government 40,000 after spending m-ney from his
official office budget to redecorate his office in the theme of PBS's "Downton
Abbey," an English historical drama. He also reimbursed taxpayers more than
1,200 after using his office account to pay to fly on a private plane to a
Chicago Bears football game.
Dems will try to override Christie veto today on Port Authority
reform bill | 16 March 2015 | The state
Senate is schedule for a veto override vote this afternoon on a Port Authority
reform bill vetoed
by the governor in December. While Democrats control the Senate and Assembly,
they lack the two-thirds majority needed in either chamber for an override, and
have never succeeded in pulling the GOP votes necessary to push through bills
vetoed by the Republican governor. The senate's Democratic sponsors of the
reform bill, S-2181, had been
optimistic about the chances for an override, after Republicans had joined in
approving it last fall without a single no-vote in the Senate or
Assembly.
N.J. pension system worst in nation, new study
shows | 12 March 2015 | New Jersey's record
of funding its p-nsion system is the worst in the country, according to a
new study by the National Association of State Retirement Administrators. That
chronic underf-nding has led to a deepening pension crisis and individual
p-nsion f-nds that could run out of m-ney by 2027, officials
say.
State, county police take over Ferguson protest security after
shooting | 12 March 2015 | With tensions
running high after the shooting of two officers in Ferguson, Missouri, state and
county police took over protest security in the St. Louis suburb Thursday. St.
Louis County Police and the Missouri State Highway Patrol are assuming "command
of the security detail regarding protests," St. Louis County Police said, while
Ferguson Police will remain responsible for "routine policing services" in the
city.
*****
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