Monday, September 05, 2011

Breaking News & Commentary from Citizens for Legitimate Government, 01 Sept 2011

Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens for Legitimate Government
01 Sep 2011
All links are here:
Fukushima exceeds Chernobyl in radiation level 01 Sep 2011 A map drawn up by the Japanese Government shows, that soil at 34 spots in six Prefecture municipalities around the Fukushima power plant, are contaminated with radioactive cesium. These levels are higher than the Chernobyl disaster standard used for forcible evacuations. A soil contamination map released by Japan's Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry, shows six municipalities have more than 1.48 million becquerels of cesium 137, per square meter. Most highly contaminated spots are mainly 40 kilometers northeast of the nuclear plant.
Report: 76 trillion becquerels of Plutonium-239 released from Fukushima --Plutonium-239 release is 23,000 times higher than previously announced 29 Aug 2011 NISA Mentions "Neptunium-239" in August 29 Press Conference, EX-SKF, August 28, 2011 '[...] The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA)'s daily press conference is ongoing (August 29). The NISA spokesman Moriyama mentions neptunium-239's conversion ratio to plutonium-239 as 1 to 1. According to the June 6 estimate by the NISA [...] Neptunium-239: 7.6×10^13 [...]' At a ratio of 1:1, Plutonium-239 releases are also 7.6 x 10^13, or 76 tera(trillion)becquerels. 23,000 higher than previous gov't estimate...
Survey Finds Radiation Over Wide Area in Japan 30 Aug 2011 The first comprehensive survey of soil contamination from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant showed that 33 locations spread over a wide area have been contaminated with long-lasting radioactive cesium, the government said Tuesday. The survey of 2,200 locations within a 100-kilometer (62-mile) radius of the crippled plant found that those locations had cesium-137 in excess of 1.48 million becquerels per square meter, the level set by the Soviet Union for forced resettlement after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, Japanese authorities said.
Sockeye salmon in Canada to be tested for radiation from Japan 30 Aug 2011 Sockeye salmon returning to Canada this year will be tested by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) for radiation contamination that might be picked up in the North Pacific from Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster. Canadian officials are testing because when the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in northeastern Japan failed in March, highly radioactive water (about 100,000 times the normal level) seeped out, contaminating nearby water and air.
Fukushima Daiichi Death Not Related to Plant Work - Tepco 31 Aug 2011 When Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Tuesday that a male employee in his 40s died of acute leukemia after working at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the news was as chilling as it was tragic, heightening concerns about the safety of plant workers. But the troubled operator of the even more troubled nuclear plant said that the cause of the death of the former laborer was unrelated to his brief stint at the facility early this month. The unidentified worker was assigned to Fukushima Daiichi for about a week in early August by a subcontracting company.
WikiLeaks: US troops executed 10 Iraqi civilians, including elderly woman and infant --US officials denied at the time that anything inappropriate had occurred. [Apparently, it's APPROPRIATE to shoot a 5-month-old infant in the head, US tax dollars at work. And, btw: Some US troops really ARE 'baby killers,' aren't they? --LRP] 01 Sep 2011 A cable in the latest tranche of documents released suggests US troops executed 10 Iraqi civilians, including an elderly woman and an infant, before bombing to destroy the evidence. The controversial ['Controversial?' It's a f*cking WAR CRIME.] 2006 incident in the central Iraqi town of Ishaqi involved the execution-style murder of 10 civilians including a woman in her 70s and a 5-month-old infant. The unclassified cable, which was posted on WikiLeaks' website last week, contained questions from a United Nations investigator about the incident, which had angered local Iraqi officials, who demanded some kind of action from their government. US officials denied at the time that anything inappropriate had occurred.
'Cheney fears trial as war criminal': Colin Powell aide hits out at former VP 31 Aug 2011 An aide to former Secretary of State Colin Powell has hit out at Dick Cheney, saying the former Vice President [sic] fears being 'tried as a war criminal'. Powell's long-time aide and chief of staff, Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson told ABC news Cheney, 'Was president for all practical purposes for the first term of the Bush administration,' adding, '[He] fears being tried as a war criminal'. Cheney had claimed that he would make heads in Washington 'explode' with revelations including that he told George W. Bush to bomb Syria and has 'no regrets' about water-boarding terror suspects. [Good! Let's start by waterboarding the actual 9/11 terror suspects: Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Giuliani and 'Lucky Larry' Silverstein. --LRP]
N.Y. billing dispute reveals details of secret CIA rendition flights --The CIA's Rendition Group, a division of the agency’s CounterTerrorism Center, was tasked with finding terrorism suspects, orchestrating their capture and transferring them for interrogation torture to covert prison sites --'We were transporting government personnel and their invitees.' 31 Aug 2011 The August 2003 flights -- and dozens of others to locations such as Bucharest, Romania; Baku, Azerbaijan; Cairo; Djibouti; Islamabad, Pakistan; and Tripoli, Libya -- were organized by Sportsflight, a one-man aircraft brokerage business on Long Island. It secured a plane from Richmor Aviation, based near the Columbia County Airport in Hudson, N.Y. Richmor eventually sued Sportsflight for breach of contract. In the process, the costs and itineraries of numerous CIA flights became part of the court record... The more than 1,500 pages from the trial and appeals court files appear to include sensitive material, such as logs of air-to-ground phone calls made from the plane. These logs show multiple calls to CIA headquarters; to the cell- and home phones of a senior CIA official involved in the rendition program; and to a government contractor, Falls Church-based DynCorp, that worked for the CIA. [See: DynCorp Disgrace By Kelly Patricia O'Meara 14 Jan 2002 Middle-aged men having sex with 12- to 15-year-olds was too much for Ben Johnston, a hulking 6-foot-5-inch Texan, and more than a year ago he blew the whistle on his employer, DynCorp, a U.S. contracting company doing business in Bosnia.]
How US firms profited from torture flights --Court documents illustrate how US contracted out secret rendition transportation to a network of private companies 31 Aug 2011 The scale of the CIA's rendition programme has been laid bare in court documents that illustrate in minute detail how the US contracted out the secret transportation of suspects to a network of private American companies. The manner in which American firms flew terrorism suspects to locations around the world, where they were often tortured, has emerged after one of the companies sued another in a dispute over fees. As the 10th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, the mass of invoices, receipts, contracts and email correspondence -- submitted as evidence to a court in upstate New York -- provides a unique glimpse into a world in which the "war on terror" became just another charter opportunity for American businesses.
Unredacted cables on Net after WikiLeaks breach 31 Aug 2011 More than a quarter of a million unredacted copies of secret U.S. diplomatic cables have shown up on the Internet after a security breach at WikiLeaks. The anti-secrecy organization today accused a reporter for the U.K.'s Guardian newspaper of disclosing the password that allowed access to the 251,000 State Department cables. The password was allegedly included in "WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy," which the Guardian published in February. "A Guardian journalist has negligently disclosed top secret WikiLeaks' decryption passwords to hundreds of thousands of unredacted unpublished US diplomatic cables," the organization said in a 1,600-word blog post.
WikiLeaks releases mystery file 31 Aug 2011 WikiLeaks released a mysterious encrypted file on Wednesday after telling its followers on Twitter to stand by for "an important announcement." WikiLeaks did not identify the contents of the 571 megabyte file and it could not be opened without a decryption key, which the anti-secrecy website said would be released "at the appropriate moment." In July of last year, WikiLeaks posted what it called an "insurance file," which was also encrypted.
Up to $60 billion in war funds said wasted 31 Aug 2011 As much as $60 billion in U.S. funds has been lost to waste and fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decade through lax oversight of contractors, poor planning and corruption, an independent panel investigating U.S. wartime spending estimates. In its final report to Congress, the Commission on Wartime Contracting said the figure could grow as U.S. support for reconstruction projects and programs wanes, leaving both countries to bear the long-term costs of sustaining the schools, medical clinics, barracks, roads and power plants already built with American tax dollars. [Notice that GOP/Obusha never allocate funds to 'sustain schools, medical clinics, barracks, roads and power plants with American tax dollars' in the US? That's because foreign 'reconstruction' funds go directly to US corpora-terrorists --as intended.]
This month America's deadliest in long Afghan war 30 Aug 2011 August has become the deadliest month yet for U.S. forces in the nearly 10-year-old war in Afghanistan, increasing pressure on the Obama administration to bring troops home sooner rather than later. The 66 U.S. service members killed this month eclipses the previous record of 65 killed in July 2010, according to an Associated Press tally. Nearly half the August deaths occurred when 'insurgents' shot down a Chinook helicopter Aug. 6, killing 30 American troops, mostly elite Navy SEALs.
Iraqi Kurd journalist attacked outside office 31 Aug 2011 An Iraqi Kurdish journalist told AFP Tuesday he was beaten with the butt of a pistol outside his office, as a rights group condemned "escalating attacks and threats" against media in the Kurdish region. Asos Hardi, the journalist who helped found two of the region's biggest independent newspapers, told AFP that he did not expect the police to catch his assailant, despite official pledges to bring him to justice.
Army Ranger's widow removed from Donald Rumsfeld book signing 29 Aug 2011 Two people were removed from a Donald Rumsfeld book signing last Friday at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, including the Yelm widow of an Army Ranger who blames the military for her husband’s suicide. Security officers for the former secretary of defense escorted Ashley Joppa-Hagemann out by the arm, she said Saturday. She and Jorge Gonzalez, the executive director of Coffee Strong, a Lakewood-based anti-war group, confronted Rumsfeld as he promoted his memoir, "Known and Unknown."
Libya commander says 50,000 dead in 'uprising' 30 Aug 2011 An estimated 50,000 people have been killed since the beginning of Libya's uprising coup to oust Moammar Gadhafi six months ago, a military commander with the country's interim ruling council said on Tuesday. "About 50,000 people were killed since the start of the uprising," Colonel Hisham Buhagiar, commander of the anti-Gadhafi troops who advanced out of the Western Mountains and took Tripoli a week ago, told Reuters.
Report: Israel sends 2 warships to Egyptian border --Military sources tell AP Israeli Navy sent additional warships to maritime border with Egypt following intelligence indicating viable 'terror threat.' Meanwhile, Iran set to send 15th fleet to area as well as to thwart pirate activity 30 Aug 2011 The Israeli Navy (INF) has decided to boost its presence and patrols near Israel's maritime border with Egypt due to a viable 'terror threat' in the area. Israeli security sources told the Associated Press on Tuesday that two additional warships have been dispatched to Israel's Red Sea border with Egypt. On Monday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen Benny Gantz ordered that deployment across the entire southern sector be bolstered, especially in the area near the Israel-Egypt border, following intelligence indicating an imminent threat.

US, Australia 'schemed against IAEA chief' 31 Aug 2011 The US and Australia schemed unsuccessfully in 2005 to block Mohamed ElBaradei's election to a third term as head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a newly leaked US diplomatic cable shows. Both countries were unhappy with Mr ElBaradei's "unhelpful" response to Iran's nuclear program, but the bid to prevent his re-election to the nuclear regulatory agency's leadership ultimately failed for lack of international support. The February 18, 2005, State Department cable released by WikiLeaks overnight opens a window into the effort, describing a lunch conversation between Australian officials and a US special envoy for nuclear non-proliferation, Jackie Sanders.

US security intensifying as Sept. 11 date nears 31 Aug 2011 As the United States prepares for the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, a date al-Qaida [al-CIAduh] has cited as a potential opportunity to strike again, security is intensifying at airports, train stations, nuclear plants and major sporting arenas around the country. "At this point there is no specific credible threat, but that doesn't mean we are relaxing at all in terms of our vigilance," said John Brennan, President Barack Obama's homeland security and counterterrorism adviser.

3 Hospitalized After Suspicious Package Found at Scott AFB --Investigators Say Nothing Suspicious Found In Mail Room 31 Aug 2011 A mysterious situation is under investigation at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. Around nine this morning, 3 workers at the base post office were rushed to Belleville Memorial Hospital. The three workers had the reaction almost at the same time, it appears they were reacting to whatever was in a bin loaded with mail and parcels. Base Commander, Col. Mike Hornitschek, said, "Two individuals noticed a smell or had respiratory response another individual had a skin response." The three were treated at the hospital and released.

NYPD Confirms CIA Officer Works at Department --CIA spokesperson described agency's relationship with NYPD as 'collaborative' 25 Aug 2011 New York's police commissioner confirmed Thursday that a [just one?] CIA officer is working out of police headquarters there, after an Associated Press investigation revealed an unusual partnership with the CIA that has blurred the line between foreign and domestic spying. But he and the CIA said the spy agency's role at the department is an advisory one. Speaking to reporters in New York, commissioner Raymond Kelly acknowledged that the CIA trains NYPD officers on "trade craft issues," meaning espionage techniques, and advises police about events happening overseas.

Riots to cost Met police £34m 30 Aug 2011 Scotland Yard is expected to have spent more on policing the riots than it spent on policing all major public order events in the capital last year, officials said today. The disturbances will cost the force more than £34 million, with the total expected to rise even further as the final bills from other forces called in to help is settled, the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) said.

Obama Bows to GOP (As Always), Moves Jobs Speech --Obusha caves to his GOP/corpora-terrorist overlords *again.* Now, Obama the Moron competes for the nation's attention with the opening of the 2011 NFL season. Stupid is as stupid does. 01 Sep 2011 President Obama, bowing to the complaints of House Speaker John Boehner and other Republicans, has moved his 'jobs' speech before a joint session of Congress back one day, to Thursday, Sept. 8. [Primary Obusha in 2012! Obusha's plans for 'job-creation' consists of giving even MORE tax breaks for businesses so that they can promise to create jobs outside of the US. --LRP]

Boehner Has Reputation for Declining Invitations From Obama 31 Aug 2011 When it comes to syncing calendars, President Barack Obama and Speaker John Boehner [racist sociopath] have had a scheduling problem long before Wednesday's fight over the timing of the president's upcoming jobs speech. The latest dispute was resolved by Wednesday evening, with the president conceding to the Ohio Republican's recommendation that he speak before a joint session of Congress on Sept. 8, a day later than Obama had requested. Within weeks of taking control of the gavel, Speaker Boehner earned a reputation for declining invitations from Obama, including a state dinner for Chinese President Hu Jintao and a flight on Air Force One to attend a memorial ceremony for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson, Ariz.

U.S. Moves to Block AT&T Merger with T-Mobile 31 Aug 2011 The Justice Department on Wednesday sued to block AT&T’s proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile, a deal that would create the largest carrier in the country and reshape the industry. "The department filed its lawsuit because we believe the combination of AT&T and T-Mobile would result in tens of millions of consumers all across the United States facing higher prices, fewer choices and lower quality products for their mobile wireless services," said James M. Cole, the deputy attorney general.

Report: 25 Corporations Paid More to Their CEO Last Year Than They Paid In Taxes By Pat Garofalo 31 Aug 2011 Last year... tax dodging by corporations and the wealthy cost the average U.S. taxpayer $434, even as corporate profits soared 81 percent. In fact, according to a new report from the Institute for Policy Studies, "corporate tax dodging has gone so out of control that 25 major U.S. corporations last year paid their chief executives more than they paid Uncle Sam in federal income taxes": Of last year's 100 highest-paid corporate chief executives in the United States, 25 took home more in CEO pay than their company paid in 2010 federal income taxes.
Second giant ice island set to break off Greenland glacier --Astonished scientist says he was 'completely unprepared for the gob-smacking scale of the breakup, which rendered me speechless' --Glaciers shrinking at 'alarming' rate 01 Sep 2011 New photographs taken of a vast glacier in northern Greenland have revealed the astonishing rate of its breakup, with one scientist saying he was rendered "speechless." In August 2010, part of the Petermann Glacier about four times the size of Manhattan island broke off, prompting a hearing in Congress. Researcher Alun Hubbard, of the Centre for Glaciology at Aberystwyth University, U.K., told msnbc.com by phone that another section, about twice the size of Manhattan, appeared close to breaking off.

Gulf Storm Prompts Oil-Platform Evacuations as Hurricane Katia Heads West 01 Sep 2011 A low-pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico that will probably strengthen into a storm within two days is shutting down some oil and gas output, while in the Atlantic Katia is forecast to grow into a major hurricane. The Gulf system has an 80 percent chance of becoming a tropical depression or storm in the next 48 hours as it moves northwestward, the National Hurricane Center said in an advisory at 2 p.m. Eastern time.

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