Citizens for Legitimate Government--October 19, 2011

FEMA Plans First-Ever Nationwide Emergency Alert System Test 10 Oct 2011 On November 9, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will conduct the first-ever nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), a test that will last for approximately three minutes. Although local and state components of the EAS are tested on a weekly and monthly basis, there has never been a nationwide test or a national activation of the system. Unlike the monthly tests, the national test will occur almost simultaneously on almost all TV and radio stations. [There needs to be an alert that FEMA is doing an alert.]

Heads up! Black Death genome sequenced from 14th century skeleton DNA --London 'plague pits' yield secrets of how the Black Death evolved from harmless soil bug --Genetics of lethal pathogen sequenced for first time 13 Oct 2011 DNA experts have sequenced the entire genome of the bubonic plague in a bid to help understand the spread of infectious diseases. It is first time scientists have been able to reconstruct an ancient pathogen and it will allow researchers to track changes in its evolution and virulence over time. The work by an international team of researchers from Germany and Canada, published in the journal Nature, could lead to a better understanding of modern infectious diseases.

Military 'Not Quite Sure' How Drone Cockpits Got Infected 19 Oct 2011 It's been more than a month since a virus infected the remote "cockpits" of America's drone fleet. And the U.S. military still doesn't know exactly how the machines at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada got infected. "We're not quite sure how that happened yet," General Robert Kehler told reporters Tuesday. Kehler is the head of U.S. Strategic Command, which is nominally in charge of the military's Cyber Command and all other online activities. The Pentagon is ordinarily reluctant to talk about any computer security breaches; even routine infections are treated as military secrets. For example, the clean-up of a common, if widespread, worm was considered a classified mission — undertaken under the name "Operation Buckshot Yankee." [LOL! I don't know what's worse -- America's psycho drone fleet or the cast of morons tasked with assigning names for these loser, lunatic 'missions.' Regardless, as to whoever released the viruses and worms: Keep 'em coming! Less eight-year-olds in Pakistan will be killed in their sleep if US drones are disabled. --LRP]

New cyber weapon detected in Europe - from the 'authors' of Stuxnet worm that attacked Iran's nuclear plant --From 'same authors' as Stuxnet cyber-weapon --Some observers suspected Stuxnet was produced by the U.S. or Israel [*Duh.*] 19 Oct 2011 The Stuxnet worm marked a sinister new stage in the evolution of cyber-weapons - it was designed to cause physical damage to industrial systems, specifically Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant. Now highly similar software has been detected in Europe, said researchers at security firm Symantec. The software, named Duqu, is so similar Symantec said, 'The threat was written by the same authors (or they have access to Stuxnet's code).'

DHS issues warning that Anonymous may attack infrastructure --Bulletin says hacker collective could soon be capable of heavily damaging industrial control systems 18 Oct 2011 The U.S. government is keeping a wary eye on what it says is hacking collective Anonymous' growing interest in attacking critical infrastructure targets. A DHS bulletin posted this week assesses the ability of the collective to inflict damage on industrial control systems that manage equipment at power plants, water treatment facilities, chemical plants and other potential targets. The report says that Anonymous recently called on members to target energy companies. [Right, DHS is jealous -- they want to do it first so they have an excuse to censor or shut the Internet.]

National Cyber Security Bulletin on Anonymous 17 Oct 2011 DHS has analyzed the likelihood of Anonymous attacking industrial control systems (ICS) after the hacktivist group showed such intentions earlier this year. "Assessment of Anonymous Threat to Control Systems" that was drafted by the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) back in September. The document is not classified, but it is intended for official use only. The report describes an interest within Anonymous to target industrial control systems.

Bills could require civilian authorities to turn cases involving terror suspects over to U.S. military --House bill also attempts to restrict civilian oversight of detention cases --Pentagon warns against bills changing rules on detainees 19 Oct 2011 The Pentagon objected Tuesday to a move in Congress to limit the Obama administration's ability to decide how terrorism suspects are tried. Provisions of similar House and Senate bills would significantly restrict the transfer of detainees prisoners out of the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and could require civilian authorities to turn cases involving al Qaeda suspects over to the military. The proposed changes are designed to clarify the administration's ability to hold terrorism suspects and to push it to try more prisoners using military tribunals rather than civilian courts.

Two Awlaki teenage relatives killed in Yemen attack: family 18 Oct 2011 Two relatives of an assassinated U.S.-born militant cleric who were killed in an air strike last week in southern Yemen were teenagers out for dinner with friends when they were hit, their family said in a statement on Tuesday. Yemeni officials said on Saturday about 24 people, including a son and a brother of Anwar al-Awlaki, were killed in an air strike on an [alleged] 'al Qaeda hideout' near the town of Azzan in the southern Shabwa province. "Abdel-Rahman Anwar al-Awlaki was born in the U.S. city of Denver, Colorado on 26, August 1995, and thus he is not 21 or 27-years-old, but just 16," the statement said. It added the second member of the Awlaki family killed was Ahmed Abdel-Rahman al-Awlaki, 17.

Mission accomplished! Weatherford Wins Multi-Million Project at Iraq's Garraf Oil Field 19 Oct 2011 U.S. giant oil services company, Weatherford International Ltd., has won a deal to build early production facilities at Iraq's untapped Garraf oil field in southern Iraq, a former Iraqi oil ministry official said Wednesday. Contracting sources attending an Iraqi energy meeting in Istanbul said the contract is worth about $200 million. Galay said that Lakeshore TolTest Corp. will be a subcontractor to the project.

Iraq's Sadr calls for full US withdrawal 19 Oct 2011 The head of Iraq's Sadr movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, has called for the complete withdrawal of all American troops from the country by the end of the year. Speaking in the holy city of Najaf on Wednesday, the cleric rejected any form of US presence in the country, as Washington and Baghdad are discussing keeping a limited number of US troops as military trainers in Iraq. Sadr said the presence of US military trainers in Iraq beyond the Dec. 31 deadline is an "organized occupation".

"Grenade-walking" part of "Gunwalker" scandal 14 Oct 2011 There's a new twist in the government's "gunwalking" scandal involving an even more dangerous weapon: grenades. CBS News said on "The Early Show" that the investigation into the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)'s so-called "Fast and Furious" operation branches out to a case involving grenades. Sources tell her a suspect was left to traffic and manufacture them for Mexican drug cartels. Police say Jean Baptiste Kingery, a U.S. citizen, was a veritable grenade machine. He's accused of smuggling parts for as many as 2,000 grenades into Mexico for killer drug cartels -- sometimes under the direct watch of U.S. law enforcement.

Greek protesters hurl firebombs at police 19 Oct 2011 Protesters throw petrol bombs at riot police as they demonstrate in front of the Greek parliament in Athens on October 19 as a two-day general strike began against a new austerity bill demanded by Greece's international creditors to avert bankruptcy. Over 52,000 people converged on central Syntagma Square, where parliament is located, in separate protests organised by unions but also joined by unaffiliated Greeks fed up with austerity cuts. (Photo essay)

Greek refuse workers threatened with army intervention on eve of general strike By Robert Stevens 19 Oct 2011 Greece's social democratic PASOK government is preparing to use the army against striking Athens refuse workers and threatening mass arrests. The attack on the refuse workers is a pre-emptive move against the entire Greek working class ahead of today's 48-hour general strike. Late on Friday, the government of Prime Minister George Papandreou stepped up its efforts to break the refuse strike by commissioning private vehicles to begin collecting thousands of tons of trash in the capital... On Sunday evening, riot police engaged in pitched battles with workers who had been occupying Athens's main landfill site northwest of the city since the beginning of the dispute.

Police Worry as Wall Street Protesters Pine for World Series Spotlight 18 Oct 2011 The Occupy Wall Street movement may make a move this week on the World Series. Facebook chatter from the protesters suggests they are casting their eyes on Busch Stadium, coveting the national media spotlight surrounding the series. Among the ideas floated among group members [infiltrators?] online: A massive rally, pitching tents around Busch Stadium or sending a streaker onto the field during the game "to send a message."

Iraq War Vet Shames Police at Occupy Wall Street --After observing police activity at this weekend's Occupy Wall Street protests, Sgt. Shemar Thomas says he saw better treatment of rioters in Iraq. --'This is not a war zone. They don't have guns. Why are you hurting these people?' 19 Oct 2011 As the crowds continue to swell at the Occupy Wall Street protests, so are the incidents of police brutality against the demonstrators. This weekend, however, after former U.S. Marine and Iraq war veteran Sgt. Shemar Thomas saw innocent protesters being hit with batons, he decided that enough was enough. "I saw a woman and a man getting hit with a baton. That infuriated me," he told ABC News following the incident. After becoming "infuriated," Thomas began shouting at police directly, saying, "These are unarmed people. It doesn't make you tough to hurt these people."

Meet the Guy Who Snitched on Occupy Wall Street to the FBI and NYPD By Adrian Chen 15 Oct 2011 ...[T]he FBI and NYPD have had help tracking the Occupy Wall Street protesters' moves thanks to a conservative computer security expert who gained access to one of the group's internal mailing lists, and then handed over information on the group's plans to authorities and corporations targeted by protesters. Since the Occupy Wall Street protest began on September 17, New York security consultant Thomas Ryan has been waging a campaign to infiltrate and discredit the movement. Ryan says he's done contract work for the U.S. Army and he brags on his blog that he leads "a team called Black Cell, a team of the most-highly trained and capable physical, threat and cyber security professionals in the world."

BofA Said to Split Regulators Over Moving Merrill Derivatives to Bank Unit 18 Oct 2011 Bank of America Corp., hit by a credit downgrade last month, has moved derivatives from its Merrill Lynch unit to a subsidiary flush with insured deposits, according to people with direct knowledge of the situation. The Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. disagree over the transfers, which are being requested by counterparties, said the people, who asked to remain anonymous because they weren't authorized to speak publicly. The Fed has signaled that it favors moving the derivatives to give relief to the bank holding company, while the FDIC, which would have to pay off depositors in the event of a bank failure, is objecting, said the people. The bank doesn't believe regulatory approval is needed, said people with knowledge of its position.

Citigroup to pay $285 mln in CDO civil fraud case --Citi is third major bank to settle CDO case with SEC 19 Oct 2011 Citigroup Inc will pay $285 million to settle charges that it defrauded investors who bought toxic housing-related debt that the bank bet would fail, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Wednesday. The SEC said the bank's Citigroup Global Markets unit misled investors about a $1 billion collateralized debt obligation by failing to reveal it had "significant influence" over the selection of $500 million of underlying assets, and that it took a short position against those assets.

GOP debate becomes Wild West bar fight in Vegas 19 Oct 2011 In order to give the CNN Western Republican Presidential Debate a regional flair, the network created a horseshoe logo. The candidates went one better. They turned the debate in to a Wild West bar fight. It started with a scuffle over Herman Cain's 9-9-9 tax plan, then tipped over tables in a skirmish over Mitt Romney's health care plan in Massachusetts. The candidates talked over each other, their voices escalating. They accused each other of lying. At one testy point, when Romney was lecturing Rick Perry about interrupting, he put his hand on the Texas governor's shoulder. He was trying to provoke him. Watch it, Mitt--he could be packing.

Cain's 9-9-9 plan would give thousands back to millionaires --All Americans with incomes below $200,000 would see their taxes increase under Cain's proposal 18 Oct 2011 Herman Cain's 9-9-9 tax plan would give every American making more than $1 million an average tax cut of $455,000, according to a new independent analysis. All Americans with incomes above $200,000 would get tax cuts under the Republican presidential candidate's dramatic proposal, according to the analysis by the Tax Policy Center, a joint effort of the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution, both respected center-left policy-research centers.

Cain Used Campaign Funds to Buy Autobiography From His Company 18 Oct 2011 Republican presidential contender Herman Cain used campaign funds to buy his own books from his motivational speaking company, Federal Election Commission records show. Although his autobiography was published by a division of Simon & Schuster Inc., Cain paid Stockbridge, Georgia-based T.H.E New Voice Inc. $36,511 for books. His campaign spent $4 million through Sept. 30, including more than $64,000 paid to his motivational speaking company for airfare, lodging and supplies, as well as the books.

Sheriff: 49 exotic animals killed by authorities; 56 animals escaped from Ohio farm --Authorities kill six black bears [Too bad even one bear was unable to *shoot first.*] 19 Oct 2011 Authorities say that in all, 56 exotic animals escaped from a farm in Muskingum County last night, and one was still missing this afternoon. Of those animals, 49 were killed. Six animals -- a grizzly bear, three leopards and two monkeys -- were captured alive and taken to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and a monkey and a grey wolf were at large. The animals that were killed included 18 tigers, nine male lions, eight female lions, six black bears, three mountain lions, two grizzly bears, one baboon and two wolves, Sheriff Matt Lutz said.

Animal welfare group gives Ohio low score in dealing with wildlife 19 Oct 2011 Even as officials on Wednesday continued their roundup of wild animals released from an Ohio preserve, animal welfare activists said that the Buckeye State has long ranked near the bottom among states dealing with dangerous wild animals. The Humane Society of the United States put Ohio in the lowest level, along with Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina and Oklahoma, in the agency's 2009 report on how dangerous animals are treated. "Ohio's Fatal Attractions," a report from the Humane Society released earlier this year, focused on facilities within that state specifically.

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