arely staircase
arely staircase's JournalUnijogger?
Authorities responding to report of man with bomb discover runner with weight vest and iPhoneWhat began as a report of a man walking down FM 706 in Hudson with a bomb strapped to his chest Tuesday morning ended in the discovery of a man jogging with a weight vest and his iPhone.
According to Hudson Police Chief Jimmy Casper and Angelina County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Sergio Luna, around 7:30 a.m. law enforcement received a report of man dressed in all black walking down FM 706 with a bomb strapped to himself. "The woman was very descriptive in the information she gave us - white wires going down to a white box.", Hudson Police Chief Jimmy Casper said following the incident.
Angelina County Sheriff Greg Shanches said that although the incident ended up not being a safety concern, he applauds the public for paying attention."We're just glad that people are aware of their surroundings," the Sherriff said.
http://lufkindailynews.com/news/local/article_e20c558a-0f33-11e3-b52f-001a4bcf887a.html
So Its Now Pretty Obvious Snowden Gave the Names of US and British Agents to China and Russia
Whether knowingly or through gross negligence, the fact that his spokesman has his boyfriend travelling through international airports with that info (and its encryption password written on a piece of paper 
) paints a pretty clear picture of the level of security Snowden and company have maintained on their world wide espionage tour. It is also now clear that Greenwald lied about the quantity and nature of the data he possesses. This isn't about any so-called domestic spying. This is about the identity of US and UK forward deployed intelligence operatives and puts Mr. Snowden and Mr. Greenwald and his partner in a completely category. The whistleblower bullshit just went out the window. They are probably about to be in some deep shit.
UK government says Greenwald partner practiced terrible security
In a written statement to a British court Friday, Oliver Robbins, deputy national security adviser in the Cabinet Office, said that the the UK government had managed to access some of the documents Miranda had been carrying in encrypted form.
While most of the files remained encrypted, it was possible to access a portion of files on the hard drive because a piece of paper containing basic instructions for accessing some of the data that included a password for decrypting one of the files was among Miranda’s things.
Robbins said assessments by GCHQ had shown that the number of documents on the hard drive seized from Miranda was consistent with the number that Snowden would have had access to when working at the NSA and that he “indiscriminately appropriated material in bulk”, and that at least some of that was being couriered by Miranda.
Robbins “believes the data may have already been obtained by one or more of the countries through which Snowden has passed since he fled the US,” including China and Russia.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/08/30/uk-government-says-greenwald-partner-practiced-terrible-security/
http://www.businessinsider.com/david-miranda-glenn-greenwald-documents-national-security-2013-8
Obama's Quagmire
bemildred Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Mar-28-11 10:16 AM
Original message
Welcome to the new NATO quagmire
The minute Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told the Anatolia news agency, "The coalition that was formed following the Paris meeting will abandon the mission and hand it over entirely to a single command system under NATO", the issue was settled.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is about to enter the era of the double quagmire - as in Central Asia (Afghanistan) and northern Africa (Libya). And everyone thought NATO was supposed to be defending Europe from the commies. Libya now is an official victim of the endless war club.
This predictable coup de theater (see Endgame: Divide, Rule and roll with the oil Asia Times Online, March 25) does not alter the fact Odyssey Dawn remains an American war. Well, not a war, according to the White House, but a "time-limited, scope-limited military action".
For the moment it's a time-limited etc conducted by General Carter Ham, out of his Africom headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany (none among 53 African countries wanted Africom). Next week it will become a time-limited etc conducted by US Admiral James Stavridis, NATO's top military commander.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=594976&mesg_id=594976
41. Welcome to Quagmire Libya.
Edited on Sun Jun-12-11 06:45 AM by Nossida
I watched an interview with Secretary General of NATO Mr Rasmussen
earlier this evening. The interviewer asked him if the objective of
NATO in Libya is Regime Change. No direct answer, except to say No
Qaddafi isn't a Target. I suppose that is the reason NATO bombed his
Compound and killed a Son and 2 Grandchildren. With billions invested
in Intel NATO knew exactly who was in the Compound when it was Hit.
Many see no problem with the killing of Qaddafi's Grandchildren. A
shining example of 'Humanitarian Intervention'.
Its a well known fact the 'Freedom Fighters' were financed, and armed,
by NATO, before any demonstrations even began in Libya. From Day 1.
Google it for yourself.
American Banks joke about ripping off Qaddafi's Libyan Fund openly in
the Western Media. This Humanitarian Intervention is another War for
Resources, and nothing else. Plus Qaddafi wanted to drop the US dollar
and institute a Gold Dinar.
Now the combined Air Power of England, France, Italy, and the US have
failed to bring Qaddafi down, and they are screaming for help. Sounds
rather a Sticky Wicket.
bvar22 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-20-11 12:17 PM
Response to Original message
11. I'm with you.
If the Pro-WAR people could point to a single Military Intervention in the Middle East that has ended well,
I might be willing to listen.
This one will not end well either.
Now that we have started killing Libyans, how do we stop?
What is the exit strategy?
(That should be the FIRST question asked & answered before even beginning to talk about another war.
You would think we might have learned something since 1964, but we haven't.)
The marketing being used to SELL our involvement in ANOTHER war
is the exact same marketing "they" used to sell the last WAR.
Does anyone seriously believe we will be OUT of Libya before Campaign 2012 begins?
After the "New War Smell" wears off this, and we face the realities of WHO we are supporting,
how many we kill, and how much it costs,
it will be a hard for Obama & The Democrats to sell this NEW Quagmire to America.
No specific Military Objective + No exit Strategy = Quagmire
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=698526&mesg_id=698749
one_voice Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-22-11 01:05 PM
Original message
Rep. Dennis Kucinich: Defund Libya attack
Liberal Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich plans to offer up a measure that would defund U.S. efforts in Libya.
According to a letter blasted to his email list, Kucinich plans to offer an amendment to the next spending bill to ensure no federal funds go to the bombing campaign in Libya.
The amendment would give Congress a more concrete opportunity than they’ve had to challenge President Barack Obama on Libya, a subject that has riled both sides of the aisle.
In the letter Kucinich addressed to his fellow lawmakers, the Ohio Democrat said Obama scooted around the Constitution, “which gives only Congress the power to declare war.” He also says the no-fly zone will cost between $400 and 800 million.
“We have already spent trillions of dollars on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, both of which descended into unwinnable quagmires,” Kucinich wrote in his letter. “Now, the president is plunging the United States into yet another war we cannot afford. While the administration assures us that that the U.S. will hand-off its lead role to coalition partners within days, we have not been notified of long-term plans or goals following initial air strikes in the country. The timeline the president gave to Congress was summarized with one word: ‘limited.’”
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/51736.html#ix...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=716307&mesg_id=716307
alp227 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-14-11 03:21 PM
Original message
Libyan bombing alone will not budge Gaddafi, UK officials warn
Source: The Guardian
Almost three months into the campaign of air strikes, Britain and its Nato allies no longer believe bombing alone will end the conflict in Libya, well-placed government officials have told the Guardian.
Instead, they are pinning their hopes on the defection of Muammar Gaddafi's closest aides, or the Libyan leader's agreement to flee the country.
"No one is envisaging a military victory," said one senior official who echoed Tuesday's warnings by Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, head of the navy, that the bombing cannot continue much beyond the summer.
Stanhope, whose comments caused fury in Downing Street, was expressing publicly what many senior defence officials say in private, officials made clear.
Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/14/libyan-bomb...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4884425&mesg_id=4884425
Nossida Donating Member (205 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-15-11 10:29 AM
Response to Original message
9. NO US Troops
Then by all means England and France,
send your own Troops into Libya. The
US is quite busy with Afghanistan,
Yemen, Pakistan, Iraq, etc, etc, etc.
That French Midget Sarkozy is no where
to be found. This so called Humanitarian
Intervention was the brainchild of the
French, and the Brits. Let them send in
Troops, because if you had not noticed
Qaddafi has gone no where, and this
farce has become a Quagmire. Obama said,
"Days Not Weeks".
No US Troops for this French Colonial War.
Do it yourself, midget.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4884425&mesg_id=4885374
L. Coyote Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-15-11 10:21 AM
Response to Original message
8. And, they said a few days is all it would take. LIARS as usual.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4884425&mesg_id=4885367
Why the US must not intervene in Libya - Democratic Underground
Intervention in Libya has all the makings of another Middle East quagmire. The
urge to intervene there, however, is not driven solely by factors ...
www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az...all... - Similar
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'
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NATO ends Libya mission
Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- More than seven months after the U.N. Security Council authorized NATO forces to protect demonstrators in Libya, the aerial bombing campaign operation that helped depose longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi ended here Monday at midnight.
"I think what has happened in Libya sends a very clear signal to autocratic regimes all over the world," NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters earlier in the day after arriving in Tripoli from Brussels, Belgium.
"We have been mandated by the United Nations Security Council to protect civilians and that mission has been a great success," he told CNN during the flight. "We have prevented a massacre. We have saved countless lives. We have fully implemented the United Nations mandate. That was our mission and we have done what we promised to do."
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/31/world/africa/libya-nato-mission
Remarks by the President on the Death of Muammar Qaddafi
Rose Garden2:07 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody. Today, the government of Libya announced the death of Muammar Qaddafi. This marks the end of a long and painful chapter for the people of Libya, who now have the opportunity to determine their own destiny in a new and democratic Libya.
For four decades, the Qaddafi regime ruled the Libyan people with an iron fist. Basic human rights were denied. Innocent civilians were detained, beaten and killed. And Libya’s wealth was squandered. The enormous potential of the Libyan people was held back, and terror was used as a political weapon.
Today, we can definitively say that the Qaddafi regime has come to an end. The last major regime strongholds have fallen. The new government is consolidating the control over the country. And one of the world’s longest-serving dictators is no more.
One year ago, the notion of a free Libya seemed impossible. But then the Libyan people rose up and demanded their rights. And when Qaddafi and his forces started going city to city, town by town, to brutalize men, women and children, the world refused to stand idly by.
Faced with the potential of mass atrocities -- and a call for help from the Libyan people -- the United States and our friends and allies stopped Qaddafi’s forces in their tracks. A coalition that included the United States, NATO and Arab nations persevered through the summer to protect Libyan civilians. And meanwhile, the courageous Libyan people fought for their own future and broke the back of the regime.
So this is a momentous day in the history of Libya. The dark shadow of tyranny has been lifted. And with this enormous promise, the Libyan people now have a great responsibility -- to build an inclusive and tolerant and democratic Libya that stands as the ultimate rebuke to Qaddafi’s dictatorship. We look forward to the announcement of the country’s liberation, the quick formation of an interim government, and a stable transition to Libya’s first free and fair elections. And we call on our Libyan friends to continue to work with the international community to secure dangerous materials, and to respect the human rights of all Libyans –- including those who have been detained.
We’re under no illusions -- Libya will travel a long and winding road to full democracy. There will be difficult days ahead. But the United States, together with the international community, is committed to the Libyan people. You have won your revolution. And now, we will be a partner as you forge a future that provides dignity, freedom and opportunity.
For the region, today’s events prove once more that the rule of an iron fist inevitably comes to an end. Across the Arab world, citizens have stood up to claim their rights. Youth are delivering a powerful rebuke to dictatorship. And those leaders who try to deny their human dignity will not succeed.
For us here in the United States, we are reminded today of all those Americans that we lost at the hands of Qaddafi’s terror. Their families and friends are in our thoughts and in our prayers. We recall their bright smiles, their extraordinary lives, and their tragic deaths. We know that nothing can close the wound of their loss, but we stand together as one nation by their side.
For nearly eight months, many Americans have provided extraordinary service in support of our efforts to protect the Libyan people, and to provide them with a chance to determine their own destiny. Our skilled diplomats have helped to lead an unprecedented global response. Our brave pilots have flown in Libya’s skies, our sailors have provided support off Libya’s shores, and our leadership at NATO has helped guide our coalition. Without putting a single U.S. service member on the ground, we achieved our objectives, and our NATO mission will soon come to an end.
This comes at a time when we see the strength of American leadership across the world. We’ve taken out al Qaeda leaders, and we’ve put them on the path to defeat. We’re winding down the war in Iraq and have begun a transition in Afghanistan. And now, working in Libya with friends and allies, we’ve demonstrated what collective action can achieve in the 21st century.
Of course, above all, today belongs to the people of Libya. This is a moment for them to remember all those who suffered and were lost under Qaddafi, and look forward to the promise of a new day. And I know the American people wish the people of Libya the very best in what will be a challenging but hopeful days, weeks, months and years ahead.
Thank you, very much.
END
2:12 P.M. EDT
Close Transcript
http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/2011/10/20/president-obama-death-muammar-qaddafi#transcript
Syria, thinking aloud
On the one hand I do believe the use of chemical weapons against civilians crosses a line that makes me want to support military action against the Assad regime. I do not buy the pacifist position that the US shouldn't ever intervene militarily under any circumstances (I wish Clinton had intervened in Rwanda and I supported his use of force against the Serbs in Bosnia and Kosova.) I supported Bush's toppling of the Taliban and wish he had seen it through instead of shifting to an illegal war of aggression in Iraq, thereby leaving both Afghanistan and Iraq the mess they are today.
But then I fear we will be a catalyst for something worse (a fundamentalist/Taliban like replacement.) I feel like our only choices are sitting back and watching a Rwanda style massacre or aiding and abetting Al Qaeda/Taliban fundamentalists.
What Is my position then? I don't know what I would advise the president. It makes me so sad and all I can do is pray for the poor people of Syria and that the president makes the right decision.
Really, as anyone here at DU who knows me understands I am very opinionated (but on this my heart just breaks) I can't endorse military action nor can I say it shouldn't be done.
Sad, so sad.
Thank You Mr. President. Thank You Gen. Holder
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Justice Department sued Texas on Thursday over the state's voter ID law and will seek to intervene in a lawsuit over its redistricting laws that minority groups complain are discriminatory, but Texas Republicans insist are designed to protect the state's elections from fraud.
Attorney General Eric Holder said the action marks another step in the effort to protect voting rights of all eligible Americans. He said the government will not allow a recent Supreme Court decision to be interpreted as open season for states to pursue measures that suppress voting rights.
"This represents the department's latest action to protect voting rights, but it will not be our last," the attorney general said.
http://www.chron.com/news/texas/article/Gov-t-to-sue-Texas-over-voter-ID-law-4752989.php?cmpid=hpbn
As Republicans try to disenfranchise us through redistricting and take us back to Jim Crow with onerous ID laws, we are blessed to have these two men fighting for our rights, just as Democratic Presidents and Attorneys General have since JFK and LBJ.
Special Prosecutor to Investigate Rick Perry
AUSTIN — A San Antonio senior judge confirmed Thursday that he will appoint a special prosecutor to investigate possible charges of abuse of office and coercion against Gov. Rick Perry.
Judge Robert “Bert” Richardson said he expected to select someone early next week, at which time “an order will be prepared and filed with the court.”
The investigation stems from the governor’s veto of $3.7 million in annual funding for Travis County’s Public Integrity Unit, which oversees public corruption and malfeasance complaints.
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/state-politics/20130815-special-prosecutor-to-investigate-rick-perrys-threat-to-veto-public-integrity-unit-funds.ece
Rick Perry is one of the most corrupt Texas governors ever - quite an accomplishment.
The Big Dog
Cut taxes for fifteen million low-income families raised taxes on the wealthiest 1.2 percent of taxpayers - without a single Republican vote and presided over the longest period of peacetime economic expansion in American history.
Signed the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 on February 5, which required large employers to allow employees to take unpaid leave for pregnancy or a serious medical condition.
Signed the Brady Bill into law on November 30, 1993, which imposed a five-day waiting period on handgun purchases.
Expanded the Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income workers.
The first President to select openly gay persons for Administration positions.
Lifted the ban on security clearances for LGBT federal employees.
Banned discrimination based on sexual orientation in the federal civilian workforce.
First Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt to be elected President more than once.
Signed legislation forming the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
Appointed Ginsberg and Breyer to the Supreme Court.
Upon leaving office, Clinton's Gallup Poll rating of 66 percent was the highest approval rating of any postwar, three points ahead of both Reagan and John F. Kennedy.
In March 2010, a Newsmax/Zogby poll asking Americans which of the current living former presidents they think is best equipped to deal with the problems the country faces today, found that a wide margin of respondents would pick Bill Clinton. Clinton received 41 percent of the vote, while George W. Bush received 15 percent, George H. W. Bush received 7 percent, and Jimmy Carter received 5 percent.
I do not support what Manning did (release thousands of diplomatic cables) but
I have come to believe he was motivated by good, but naive intentions, and I believe he was/is a troubled soul as it relates to his sexuality and gender identity. Those facts do not excuse his guilt but they should mitigate his punishment. If I were the judge I would give him 5-10 minus time served. More likely the 5.
Egypt unrest: Muslim Brotherhood 'fired on police'
A TV station, which backs the government in Egypt, has aired infrared footage which the authorities say shows Muslim Brotherhood gunmen firing on police.
The claim follows the deaths of scores of protesters in Cairo, as security forces stormed the camps of Muslim Brotherhood supporters.
A state of emergency has been declared in Egypt and a curfew has begun.
video at link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23701960
For the record, I am not saying this is correct, only that the BBC says the gov says it and claim the video shows it. I am praying for an end to the bloodshed there. That is all.
Racist Idiot Steve King Says Idiotic Racist Crap to other Racist Idiots, Just Not Very Many of Them
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) launched another attack against immigration reform Monday evening at a “Stop Amnesty” rally in Richmond, Va., saying immigrants from Latin America would bring violence to the U.S.
“If you bring people from a violent civilization into a less-violent civilization, you're going to have more violence right?" King said to the less-than-anticipated crowd of 60, according to Politico. "It’s like pouring hot water into cold water, does it raise the temperature or not?"
Politico reported the Iowa firebrand also said that the further south one goes in Latin America, the more violent the societies become. King's comments follow those he previously made about young immigrants who were brought illegally to the U.S. when they were children, describing them as drug mules with “calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert.”
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/steve-king-immigration-reform-will-bring-violence-into
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