Breaking News and Commentary from CLG - 23 Jan 2012

Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government

23 Jan 2012

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Former CIA officer charged in alleged leaks --Legal experts: Kiriakou is the sixth target of a leaks-related prosecution since President Obama took office, exceeding the total number of comparable prosecutions under all previous administrations combined. 23 Jan 2012 The 'Justice' Department on Monday charged a former CIA officer with repeatedly leaking classified information, including the identities of agency operatives involved in the capture and interrogation of alleged terrorists. The case against John Kiriakou, who also served as a senior Senate aide, extends the Obama administration's crackdown on disclosures of national security secrets. Kiriakou, who was among the first to go public with details about the CIA's use of water-boarding and other harsh interrogation torture measures, was charged with disclosing classified information to reporters and lying to the agency about the origin of other sensitive material he published in a book. He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted. [So, Obama charges the (alleged) leakers but not the waterboarders? Obama has out-Bushed Bush, six ways to Sunday. Do you comprehend that fact, MSNBC pundits?]

Ex-CIA man charged with leaking names of other agents who interrogated terror suspect to media --He is charged with violating the Espionage Act and the Intelligence Identities Protection Act for allegedly revealing the identity of a covert officer. 23 Jan 2012 A former CIA agent was arrested today and charged with leaking secrets to the media. John Kiriakou, who served for 14 years in the agency, is accused of revealing the names of other covert operatives who interrogated suspected al Qaeda financier Abu Zubaydah. The terror suspect was allegedly waterboarded 83 times. Kiriakou, 47, is said to have leaked top secret information to reporters, who in turn provided the details to defence attorneys.

Senator Rand Paul Is Detained by T.S.A. in Nashville 23 Jan 2012 Senator Rand Paul, the libertarian-leaning Republican from Kentucky, was detained at the airport in Nashville by the Transportation Security Administration on Monday, according to people close to the lawmaker, although the T.S.A. quickly disputed their account. Instead, the agency said the senator had been denied entry to the secure part of the airport after refusing a pat-down,and was "escorted" from the screening area by local law enforcement, but had never been "detained."

Rand Paul on TSA detainment: "I was barked at: 'Do not leave the cubicle!'" 23 Jan 2012 Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul told The Daily Caller that being "detained" by the Transportation Security Administration at the Nashville airport Monday was a major ordeal that underscores flaws in TSA's procedures that affect tens of millions of passengers every year. The White House, through spokesman Jay Carney, defended the TSA's actions during Monday's press briefing by arguing that Paul wasn't technically "detained." "Let's be clear," Carney said. "The passenger was not detained. He was escorted out of the area by local law-enforcement."

Britain, US and France send warships through Strait of Hormuz --The flotilla will have passed within a few miles of the Iranian coastline. 23 Jan 2012 Britain, America and France delivered a pointed signal to Iran, sending six warships led by a 100,000 ton aircraft carrier through the highly sensitive waters of the Strait of Hormuz. This deployment coincided with an escalation in the West's confrontation with Iran over the country's [alleged] nuclear ambitions. The three countries retain a permanent military presence in the Gulf, but a joint passage through the Strait of Hormuz by all of their respective navies is highly unusual.

'US posts elite commandos near Iran' 22 Jan 2012 The US-based Wired magazine says Washington has stationed a special team of highly trained commandos near Iran's border for possible sabotage operations. Quoting a US Army officer speaking on behalf of Special Forces, the report by Wired columnist, Spender Ackerman, said a team of "highly trained personnel that excel in uncertain environments" are operating near Iran. According to Ackerman, the team called Joint Special Operations Task Force-Gulf Coordinating Council (JSOTF-GCC) is now on the ground to instruct local troops in special operations.

New U.S. Commando Team Operating Near Iran -- Officials would not identify missions of the task force, its leadership or its headquarters. 19 Jan 2012 Danger Room has confirmed with the U.S. Special Operations Command that a new elite commando team is operating in the region. The primary, day-to-day mission of the team, known as Joint Special Operations Task Force-Gulf Cooperation Council, is to mentor military units belonging to the U.S.'s oil-rich Arab allies, who collectively are known as the Gulf Cooperation Council. Those Arab states consider Iran to be their primary foreign threat. The U.S. military has not previously acknowledged the existence of the team, known as JSOTF-GCC for short.

BP exempted from US ban on Iran oil 23 Jan 2012 BP Plc, UK, and EU have reportedly convinced US lawmakers to exempt a BP-led project from the newly-proposed Washington sanctions on Iran. This is a clear indication that the West is pushing for stricter embargoes on Tehran without harming its own economy. US senators have discussed provisions that could bar companies like BP from working with the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), Reuters quoted one congressional aide as saying on Monday. The project, known as Shah Deniz, is a USD20 billion enterprise in the Caspian Sea off Azerbaijan, in which the Iranian state-owned oil company Naftiran Intertrade Co., an NIOC subsidiary, holds a 10% stake.

EU oil sanctions doomed to fail: Iran 23 Jan 2012 Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman says unilateral sanctions adopted by the European Union against Iran are "unfair" and "doomed to fail." "The method of threat, pressure and unfair sanctions against a nation that has a strong reason for its approach is doomed to fail," Ramin Mehmanparast said Monday. He added that such measures will not "prevent Iran from achieving its inalienable right" to peacefully use nuclear energy.

Russia rejects sanctions against Iran 23 Jan 2012 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has rejected unilateral sanctions against Iran, saying such sanctions would be counterproductive. "Unilateral sanctions do not help matters," Lavrov said on Monday. "We will restrain everyone from making harsh moves. We will seek the resumption of negotiations." He made the remarks after European diplomats confirmed earlier on Monday that the EU has agreed to impose sanctions on Iran's oil exports.

Most Syrians back President Assad, but you'd never know from western media --Assad's popularity, Arab League observers, US military involvement: all distorted in the west's propaganda war By Jonathan Steele 17 Jan 2012 Suppose a respectable opinion poll found that most Syrians are in favour of Bashar al-Assad remaining as president, would that not be major news? Especially as the finding would go against the dominant narrative about the Syrian crisis, and the media considers the unexpected more newsworthy than the obvious. Alas, not in every case. When coverage of an unfolding drama ceases to be fair and turns into a propaganda weapon, inconvenient facts get suppressed. So it is with the results of a recent YouGov Siraj poll on Syria commissioned by The Doha Debates, funded by the Qatar Foundation.

Mission accomplished! US rights group says Iraq becoming 'police state' 21 Jan 2012 An international human rights group says Iraq's [US-installed] Shiite-led government has cracked down harshly on dissent during the past year of Arab Spring uprisings, turning the country into a "budding police state" as autocratic regimes crumbled elsewhere in the region. Human Rights Watch says in its World Report 2012, which covers 2011, that Iraq is slipping back into authoritarianism as security forces abuse protesters, harass journalists, torture detainees and intimidate activists.

Plea deal for Marine in Iraqi deaths at Haditha --It was a stunning and muted end to a case once described as the Iraq War's version of the My Lai massacre in Vietnam. 23 Jan 2012 A Marine accused of killing unarmed Iraqi women and children pleaded guilty Monday to dereliction of duty in a deal that will mean a maximum of three months confinement and end the largest and longest-running criminal case against U.S. troops to emerge from the Iraq War. Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich of Meriden, Conn., led the Marine squad in 2005 that killed 24 Iraqis in the town of Haditha after a roadside bomb exploded near a Marine convoy, killing one Marine and wounding two others.

PETA calls sheep beating video a 'red flag,' cites serial killers who hurt animals [Exactly.] 23 Jan 2012 PETA Foundation writer Lindsay Pollard-Post compared the participants in the beating of a sheep, depicted in a video widely publicized last week, to Jeffrey Dahmer, "Boston Strangler" Albert DeSalvo and "BTK Killer" Dennis Rader. All had a history of violence against animals, he said in an op-ed piece published by McClatchy Newspapers. He said a history of cruelty to animals regularly shows in the FBI records of serial rapists and murderers. And citing a Northeastern University and the Massachusetts SPCA study, he said that people who abuse animals are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against humans.

Pakistan Army rejects US report on NATO attack 23 Jan 2012 Pakistan Army on Monday rejected US findings on a November 26 NATO cross-border air attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and plunged relations to a low point. "Pakistan does not agree with several portions and findings of the investigation report, as these are factually not correct," the military said in a statement. The US report released on December 22 found both American and Pakistani forces were to blame for the border incident, inflaming already strained ties. "Affixing partial responsibility of the incident on Pakistan is therefore unjustified and unacceptable," said the military. ['False equivalency' -- that's a common tactic of USociopaths to complete their lie pie. --LRP]

Pakistan's Perspective on Investigation Report --Pakistan's Perspective on Investigation Report conducted by BG Stephen Clark into 26th November 2011 US led ISAF-NATO Forces Attack on Pakistani Volcano and Boulder Posts in Mohmand Agency 23 Jan 2012 'There have clearly been several failures on the part of US / ISAF / NATO (as acknowledged in the US Investigation Report). Trying to affix partial responsibility of the incident on Pakistan (Reference: Page 29, Para 53, Lines 3-4 of US Investigation Report) is, therefore, unjustified and unacceptable.' (.pdf)

Mission accomplished! US mercenaries and other corpora-terrorists continue to make a killing on the killing: Costs Soar for New War Supply Routes 20 Jan 2012 The U.S. is paying six times as much to send war supplies to troops in Afghanistan through alternate routes after Pakistan's punitive decision in November to close border crossings to NATO convoys, the Associated Press has learned. Islamabad shut down two key Pakistan border crossings after a U.S. airstrike killed two dozen Pakistani soldiers in late November, and it is unclear when the crossings might reopen. Pentagon figures provided to the AP show it is now costing about $104 million per month to send the supplies through a longer northern route. That is $87 million more per month than when the cargo moved through Pakistan.

French soldiers die because of urination video 22 Jan 2012 An attack on French soldiers on Friday at a base in eastern Afghanistan, may have been enacted due to the indiscretion of US allies. Four French troops were shot by an Afghan soldier who was assisting them in the field. Fifteen other French troops were wounded when the Afghan soldier opened fire on the unarmed men. According to AFP, the Afghan soldier said he shot the men in the wake of a recent video showing US Marines urinating on the dead bodies of Taliban insurgents and also because British soldiers had been filmed abusing Afghan children.

Afghan soldier 'killed French troops over US abuse video' 22 Jan 2012 An Afghan soldier who shot dead four French troops has said he did it because of a recent video showing US Marines urinating on the dead bodies of Taliban insurgents, security sources told AFP. The attack on the soldiers, who were unarmed, came on Friday at a base in eastern Afghanistan and left 15 other French troops wounded, eight of them seriously.

Yemen's Saleh leaves for U.S., opponents protest --Thousands of Yemenis protested Sunday against Saleh's immunity and demanded he be put on trial for the killing of hundreds of demonstrators 22 Jan 2012 Outgoing dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh apologized for "any shortcoming" in his 33-year rule before leaving Yemen for the United States Sunday, paving the way for a transfer of power after a year of unrest. The U.S. State Department confirmed it had given him a visa.

Five Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza 24 Jan 2012 Israeli forces have carried out five airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, eyewitnesses say, but no casualties have been reported so far. The Israeli air force claimed that its warplanes targeted "an arms factory" in the center of the Palestinian territory and also three tunnels allegedly used for smuggling contraband.

Pilot with terror links deemed a security risk accuses airline of racism after losing his job --Airline pilot was arrested because of close links with alleged extremists --Told by his well-know British employers it was in 'national interest' he never flew an airliner again 22 Jan 2012 A British airline pilot arrested over an alleged terrorist plot is claiming racial and religious discrimination after losing his job. The pilot, a Muslim, was judged a security risk because of his close links to two alleged extremists suspected of 'planning to use an aircraft as part of a hostile or terrorist act'. Because of draconian reporting restrictions imposed last week by an employment tribunal, the man cannot be identified and neither can his employer.

US Supremes: GPS tracking requires warrant --'Stop! In the name of the 4th Amendment...' 24 Jan 2012 The US Supreme Court has ruled unanimously that police need to request a warrant before attaching GPS tracking devices to suspects' cars. "We decide whether the attachment of a Global-Positioning-System (GPS) tracking device to an individual’s vehicle, and subsequent use of that device to monitor the vehicle’s movements on public streets, constitutes a search or seizure within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment," the judgment reads. Their decision - after extensive hearings - was, at core, "Yes".

Hacker infiltrates Twitter account of Senator Chuck Grassley, PIPA sponsor 23 Jan 2012 The official Twitter account for Chuck Grassley, a Republican senator from Iowa, was hacked Monday by someone who used the account to urge supporters to vote against pending bills that would increase regulation on Internet use. Grassley is one of the original co-sponsors of the Protect Intellectual Property Act, and he supports the Stop Internet Privacy Act in the House. The bills, known as PIPA and SOPA, have stirred an uproar among many technologists and Internet users. "Vote against ACTA, SOP, and PIPA, because this man, Chuck Grassley, wants YOUR internet censored," one of the tweets said. Another said, "Chuck is a supporter of SOPA, PIPA, and ACTA, meaning he wants no privacy for private accounts."

Internet mogul Kim Dotcom denies internet piracy in New Zealand court 23 Jan 2012 Kim Dotcom, the internet mogul accused by the FBI of earning $175m (£112m) in illegal profits through file-sharing site Megaupload.com, has denied internet piracy in a New Zealand court. A judge in North Shore declined to release the German national on bail after prosecutors argued the 38-year old, also known as Kim Schmitz, was a flight risk "at the extreme end of the scale" because it was believed he had access to funds, had multiple identities and had a history of fleeing criminal charges. Dotcom was arrested at his leased country estate in New Zealand on Saturday at the request of the FBI, which has charged him in a Virginia court with racketeering, copyright infringement and money laundering and is seeking his extradition.

Radioactive iodine in rainwater: Public was in the dark 14 Jan 2012 After the Fukushima nuclear accident, Canadian health officials assured a nervous public that virtually no radioactive fallout had drifted to Canada. But last March, a Health Canada monitoring station in Calgary detected an average of 8.18 becquerels per litre of radioactive iodine (an isotope released by the nuclear accident) in rainwater, the data show. The level easily exceeded the Canadian guideline of six becquerels of iodine per litre for drinking water, acknowledged Eric Pellerin, chief of Health Canada's radiation-surveillance division. Canadian authorities didn't disclose the high radiation reading at the time.

Giffords to Quit Congress a Year After Being Shot 22 Jan 2012 U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, shot in the head more than a year ago at a constituent event, said she will resign from Congress this week. Giffords, a Democrat, said today in a statement that she needs time to focus on her recovery from the injuries and leaving now "is best for Arizona." Giffords, 41, was among 19 people shot on Jan. 8, 2011, during a meeting in Tucson, Arizona. Six people died. She was elected in 2006 and would have stood for election to a fourth term in November.

Sen. Mark Kirk recovering from stroke 23 Jan 2012 U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Highland Park, had a stroke and underwent "successful" surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he is recovering. After being stricken Saturday, Kirk, 52, who lives in the Town of Fort Sheridan, drove himself to Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital, "where doctors discovered a carotid artery dissection in the right side of his neck," his office said. The Illinois Republican was later transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, where tests showed that he had suffered an ischemic stroke, his staff said, and he underwent surgery to relieve swelling around his brain.

Scalia on unlimited political ads: Turn off the TV 21 Jan 2012 U.S. Supreme Court 'justice' Antonin Scalia has a simple solution for people who don't like all the political advertisements unleashed by the court's decision two years ago that ended limits on corporate contributions in political campaigns - change the channel or turn off the TV. Scalia was asked about the decision during a presentation before the South Carolina Bar on Saturday, exactly two years after the court handed down the 5-4 decision in the case that led to the rise of Super PACs.

Ga. judge orders President Obama to appear at hearing 20 Jan 2012 A judge has ordered President Barack Obama to appear in court in Atlanta for a hearing on a complaint that says Obama isn't a natural-born citizen and can't be president. A Georgia resident made the complaint, which is intended to keep Obama's name off the state's ballot in the March presidential primary. An Obama campaign aide says any attempt to involve the president personally will fail and such complaints around the country have no merit.

ENDS

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