Citizens for Legitimate Government, 18 Sept. 2012

Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens for Legitimate Government
18 Sep 2012
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Chains you can believe in: Obama wins right to indefinitely detain Americans under NDAA 18 Sep 2012 A lone appeals judge bowed down to the Obama administration late Monday and reauthorized the White House's ability to indefinitely detain American citizens without charge or due process. Last week, a federal judge ruled that a temporary injunction on section 702 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 must be made permanent, essentially barring the White House from enforcing a clause in the NDAA that can let them put any US citizen behind bars indefinitely over mere allegations of terrorist associations. On Monday, the US Justice Department asked for an emergency stay on that order, and hours later US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Judge Raymond Lohier agreed to intervene and place a hold on the injunction. The stay will remain in effect until at least September 28, when a three-judge appeals court panel is expected to begin addressing the issue.

U.S. Warns Ruling Impedes Its Detention Powers 18 Sep 2012 The Obama administration warned Monday that a judge's ruling last week blocking a statute authorizing the indefinite detention of terrorism suspects has jeopardized its ability to continue detaining certain prisoners captured during the war in Afghanistan. In an emergency appeal of the ruling, the government asserted that United States District Court Judge Katherine B. Forrest went beyond enjoining the statute - enacted last year as part of the National Defense Authorization Act - and potentially curtailed detention powers it has been exercising for years under its interpretation of the authorization to use military force against the perpetrators of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The indefinite detention provision in the version of the annual National Defense Authorization Act enacted last year was contentious because lawmakers did not make clear whether American citizens could also be held without trial as wartime prisoners, and they did not specify what kinds of conduct constituted the "support" that could make someone detainable, nor which "associated forces" were off-limits.

White House demands military prisons for Americans under NDAA 17 Sep 2012 The White House has asked the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals to place an emergency stay on a ruling made last week by a federal judge so that the president's power to indefinitely detain Americans without charge is reaffirmed immediately. On September 12, US District Court Judge Katherine Forrest made permanent a temporary injunction she issued in May that bars the federal government from abiding by the indefinite detention provision in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, or NDAA. Judge Forrest ruled that a clause that gives the government the power to arrest US citizens suspected of maintaining alliances with terrorists and hold them without due process violated the Constitution and that the White House would be stripped of that ability immediately.

US suspends joint military operations with Afghanistan after attacks 17 Sep 2012 The US military has suspended joint operations with Afghan forces because of a collapse in trust after a surge in the number of Americans and other Nato soldiers killed by the men they are fighting alongside or training. The chief US military officer, General Martin Dempsey, described the sharp rise in "insider attacks" by rogue Afghan soldiers and policemen, which saw four American and two British soldiers killed at the weekend, as "a very serious threat to the campaign" against the Taliban. American commanders said that joint operations on the ground will be suspended "until further notice" in a dramatic admission that the strategy to shift responsibility for fighting the insurgents to local forces has been deeply compromised by Afghan government soldiers and policemen killing 51 Nato soldiers in 36 attacks this year.

US lost eight jets in worst air loss in one day since Vietnam war 17 Sep 2012 After Taliban gunmen destroyed eight Harrier jets at a US camp in Helmand Province, the US military has suffered its worst air loss in one day since the Vietnam War. The Taliban attacked Camp Bastion, the main strategic base in southwestern Afghanistan, on Sept. 14, causing $200 million in damage in the single most destructive strike on a Western base during the war, according to military officials. Two Marines were killed, nine coalition personnel were wounded and six jets costing between $23 million and $30 million were completely destroyed.

Suicide blast kills 12 near Kabul's airport in Afghanistan 18 Sep 2012 Twelve people were killed near Kabul's airport Tuesday when a suicide car bomber rammed into a minivan carrying foreign air-charter workers, Afghan officials said. A Pakistan-based militant group said it carried out the attack to avenge a YouTube video that defames the Muslim prophet Muhammad. Many of the victims were contract personnel with Air Charter Service, a British-based company that provides services to the U.S. Agency for International Development and other organizations in Afghanistan, U.S. Embassy officials said.

Nine foreigners killed in Afghan attack 18 Sep 2012 At least 12 people, including nine foreigners, have been killed in a car bomb attack that hit a minivan carrying foreigners to Afghanistan's Kabul International Airport, Press TV reports. The attack took place on the eight-lane highway in front of a wedding hall in the Afghan capital on Tuesday. Reports say a bomber blew up the minivan, killing nine foreign workers, their Afghan translator, and two other Afghans. Eight Afghan workers have also been wounded in the bomb attack.

Pakistan fires nuclear capable missile 17 Sep 2012 Pakistan on Monday test-fired a nuclear-capable cruise missile with "stealth features", the military said, the country's first such exercise in more than three months. The military described the Hatf-VII Babur missile as a "low-flying, terrain-hugging missile, which can strike targets both at land and sea with pin point accuracy" and has a range of 700 kilometres (440 miles).

50 US troops deployed in Sana'a, Yemen govt. says 17 Sep 2012 The Yemeni government says the United States has deployed 50 Marines in Sana'a to boost security at the US Embassy in response to the recent violent upheavals over an anti-Islam movie. On Friday, the Pentagon announced that it had sent Marines to Yemen after demonstrators stormed the US Embassy in Sana'a in protest over an anti-Islam film made in the US. Earlier, some media outlets reported that 250 US soldiers had arrived in Sana'a on Friday and Saturday.

Iran's newest nuclear facility struck by saboteurs 17 Sep 2012 Saboteurs have struck Iran's newest and most sensitive nuclear facility by blowing up its power supply cables, the head of the country's atomic energy programme disclosed. This announcement offered a rare glimpse of a long-running campaign to sabotage Iran's critical nuclear installations, believed to be a key priority of Western and Israeli intelligence agencies. The Fordow plant, located inside a bunker dug into a mountainside, became the latest target on Aug 17 when an explosion severed its electricity cables, running from the nearby city of Qom. Fereydoun Abbasi, the head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation, disclosed the incident during a speech in Vienna to the 155 members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He noted that IAEA inspectors visited Fordow the day after the explosion and insinuated that they might have been responsible.

Iran atomic chief says 'explosives' cut power at facility 17 Sep 2012 Explosive blasts destroyed power lines to Iran's underground nuclear facility at Fordo last month, the head of Iran's atomic agency said at a meeting of UN atomic agency member states Monday. "On...17th August 2012, the electric power lines from the city of Qom to the Fordo complex...were cut using explosives," Fereydoon Abbasi Davani told the 155-nation International Atomic Energy Agency gathering in a speech.

US deploys extra troops overseas as protests continue to spread --Demonstrations over Prophet film now in 20 Muslim countries and likely to persist for days 17 Sep 2012 Conceding that angry protests are likely to continue for days, the US defence department has sent extra troops to protect "personnel and property" at America's diplomatic outposts across the Muslim world. The deployment was revealed as the Obama administration ordered an evacuation of all but emergency staff from Tunisia and Sudan... The Pentagon has "deployed forces to a number of areas in the region", said the Defence Secretary, Leon Panetta.

Intel agencies warned U.S. Embassy in Egypt of possible violence 17 Sep 2012 A U.S. intelligence cable warned the American Embassy in Cairo of possible violence in response to Arabic-language broadcasts of clips from an anti-Muslim film, U.S. government sources said on Monday. The cable, dispatched from Washington on September 10, the day before protests erupted, advised the embassy the broadcasts could provoke violence. It did not direct specific measures to upgrade security, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Condom used as evidence in Assange sex case 'does not contain his DNA' --Swedish authorities requesting his extradition from Britain to stand trial 15 Sep 2012 Lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange have revealed that a key piece of evidence does not contain his DNA. A torn condom given to Swedish police by one of the alleged victims was examined by staff at two forensic laboratories but they could not find any conclusive evidence of Mr Assange's DNA on it. The same forensic teams found DNA thought to belong to the WikiLeaks boss on another condom, which was submitted by the second alleged victim. The revelation is contained in a 100-page police report that was written after witnesses were interviewed and forensic evidence had been examined.

More than 180 Occupy Wall Street arrests in NYC financial district 17 Sep 2012 Occupy Wall Street protesters celebrated the movement's anniversary on Monday by clogging intersections in the city's financial district. In total, there were a few hundred protesters scattered throughout the city. More than 180 of them were arrested by early Monday evening, mostly on disorderly conduct charges. Zuccotti Park, the former home of the encampment, was encircled by metal police barricades lined with police officers standing watch.

Facebook blocks Press TV advertisements 18 Sep 2012 Facebook has blocked Press TV’s advertisements on the social networking website, saying that the Iranian news network is located in a region which is "not eligible to use this feature." Facebook’s risk management department informed Press TV in an email that the social networking website’s security systems had shut down the payments functionality on Press TV’s account. [CLG cannot include direct links to Press TV's news items because filters then block the delivery of the CLG Newsletter.]

Judge: Police to enforce Arizona immigration law 18 Sep 2012 A judge has ruled that police in Arizona can immediately start enforcing the most contentious section of the state's immigration law, marking the first time officers can carry out a requirement that officers, while enforcing other laws, question the immigration status of those suspected of being in the country illegally. The decision on Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton is the latest milestone in a two-year legal battle over the requirement. It culminated in a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June that upheld the provision on the grounds that it doesn't conflict with federal law.

Shell executive caught after accidentally printing child pornography at work 17 Sep 2012 A former Shell executive was caught downloading child pornography at home when he accidentally printed off explicit images at work, a court heard. Anthony Sturman, 59, sent six pages containing indecent material to a printer at the UK headquarters of Shell UK, where he had worked for 15 years. Sturman, described as a 'senior manager' at the oil giant, was viewing child pornography at his country home in Kent when he pressed the print button. His PC was linked to his work system, so the images were produced at his office.

Romney: 'Palestinians have no interest whatsoever in establishing peace' 18 Sep 2012 US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney questioned the feasibility of the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, according to video footage published Tuesday by US magazine Mother Jones. "I'm torn by two perspectives in this regard," Romney said at a $50,000-per-plate fundraising dinner on May 17. "One is the one which I've had for some time, which is that the Palestinians have no interest whatsoever in establishing peace, and that the pathway to peace is almost unthinkable to accomplish."

Romney derides Obama supporters in hidden-camera speech 18 Sep 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney dismissed supporters of President Barack Obama - almost half of U.S. voters - as people who live off government handouts and do not "care for their lives," in a potentially damaging video. The video, taken secretly at a fundraising event for the former private-equity executive, was the latest setback for a campaign struggling with low poll numbers and reports of infighting. "There are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them," Romney said in a hidden-camera video of remarks to potential donors earlier this year posted on Monday on left-wing [sic] Mother Jones magazine's website

Inside the campaign: How Mitt Romney stumbled 16 Sep 2012 Stuart Stevens, Mitt Romney's top strategist, knew his candidate's convention speech needed a memorable mix of loft and grace if he was going to bound out of Tampa with an authentic chance to win the presidency. So Stevens, bypassing the speechwriting staff at the campaign's Boston headquarters, assigned the sensitive task of drafting it to Peter Wehner, a veteran of the last three Republican White Houses and one of the party's smarter wordsmiths. Stevens junked the entire thing, setting off a chaotic, eight-day scramble that would produce an hour of prime-time problems for Romney, including Clint Eastwood's meandering monologue to an empty chair. Romney's convention stumbles have provoked weeks of public griping and internal sniping about not only Romney but also his mercurial campaign muse, Stevens.

Chicago's Teacher Strike Ends; Classes Resume Wednesday --Union's House of Delegates vote to end strike; Contract ratification still pending 18 Sep 2012 Chicago's first teacher strike in 25 years came to an end Tuesday after more than a week of discussions and rallies that had parents scrambling to find alternative care for their children. The Chicago Teachers Union's House of Delegates -- nearly 800 members -- voted to end the strike during a meeting at Operating Engineers Hall, at 2260 Grove Street, on the city's south side.

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