Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government 10 May 2009 <http://www.legitgov.org/>http://www.legitgov.org/ All links are here: <http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news>http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1180171/US-accused-using-illegal-white-phosphorus-chemical-attack-Taliban-killed-Afghan-civilians.html>US accused of using 'illegal' white phosphorus in chemical attack that killed Afghan civilians 10 May 2009 The US faced damning claims tonight that it used white phosphorus bombs in a battle with Taliban fighters that resulted in the death of scores of innocent Afghan civilians. Doctors in Afghanistan have found horrific burns on victims of the slaughter a week ago they believe could have been caused by the chemical, which bursts into fierce fire on contact with the air and can stick to and even penetrate flesh as it burns. Although phosphorus can be used legitimately in battle to light up the night sky, it is illegal to use it as a weapon. As many as 147 civilians were said to have died from American bombs dropped in the Farah district of Afghanistan during last week's battle. 'NATO has not denied using white phosphorus during the Kapisa incident, nor have they provided evidence that the insurgents fired these rounds.' <http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/05/08/afghanistan-nato-should-come-clean-white-phosphorus>Afghanistan: NATO Should 'Come Clean' on White Phosphorus --Release Report on Attack in Which Child Burned 08 May 2009 NATO forces in Afghanistan should immediately release the results of their investigation into a March 14, 2009, incident in which an 8-year-old girl in Kapisa province was burned by white phosphorus munitions, Human Rights Watch said today. A NATO spokesperson has denied allegations from the girl's father that NATO forces had fired the rounds that caused her injuries. The spokesman for the commander of NATO and US troops in Afghanistan, Brig. Gen. Richard Blanchette, confirmed that white phosphorus munitions are used in Afghanistan. <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090510/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan>Concern over white phosphorus use on civilians in Afghanistan 10 May 2009 Afghanistan's leading human rights organization said Sunday it was investigating the possibility that white phosphorus was used in a U.S.-Taliban battle that killed scores of Afghans. The U.S. military rejected speculation it had used the weapon but [Wait for it... here it comes...] left open the possibility Taliban militants did. The U.S. military used white phosphorus in the battle of Fallujah in Iraq in November 2004. Israel's military used it in January against Hamas targets in Gaza. Col. Greg Julian, the top U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan, said the U.S. did not use white phosphorus as a weapon in last week's battle. Julian noted that military officials believe that Taliban militants [!] have used white phosphorus at least four times in Afghanistan in the past two years. <http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6258404.ece>CIA terror suspects 'kept awake for 11 days' 10 May 2009 More than 25 of the CIA's war-on-terror prisoners were subjected to sleep deprivation for as long as 11 days at a time during the administration of former president [sic] George Bush, according to The Los Angeles Times. At one stage during the war on terror, the Central Intelligence Agency was allowed to keep prisoners awake for as long as 11 days, the Times <http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-interrogate10-2009may10,0,1512131.story>reported, citing memoranda made public by the Justice department last month. 'A prisoner who started to drift off to sleep would tilt over and be caught by his chains. At one point, the agency was allowed to keep prisoners awake for as long as 11 days.' <http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-interrogate10-2009may10,0,1512131.story>Memos shed light on CIA use of sleep deprivation --Though widely perceived as more effective and less objectionable than other torture methods, memos show it's harsher and more controversial than most realize. And it could be brought back. 10 May 2009 From the beginning, sleep deprivation had been one of the most important elements in the CIA's interrogation torture program, used to help break dozens of suspected terrorists, far more than the most violent approaches. And it is among the methods the agency fought hardest to keep. The technique is now prohibited by President Obama's ban in January on torture methods, although a task force is reviewing its use along with other interrogation methods the agency might employ in the future. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/09/AR2009050902489.html>Hill Panel Reviewing CIA Torture Tactics --Investigators Examining Interrogations, Legal Advice 10 May 2009 When [waterboarding] was employed on Abu Zubaida, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the torturers in several cases applied what the CIA's Office of Inspector General described in a secret 2004 report as "large volumes of water" to the cloths, explaining that their aim was to be more "poignant and convincing," according to a recently declassified Justice Department account. To assess whether interrogators complied with the department's guidance, Senate intelligence committee investigators are interviewing those involved, examining hundreds of CIA e-mails and reviewing a classified 2005 study by the agency's lawyers of dozens of interrogation videotapes, according to government officials who said they were not authorized to be quoted by name. Put him in there: <http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gCjLh2kageTJ28ie8cgEBhcAH-9AD983FFJ80>Cheney derides idea of closing Guantanamo prison 10 May 2009 Former Vice President [sic] Dick Cheney says transferring suspected terrorists from Guantanamo Bay to the United States would be a bad idea. The Obama administration has pledged to close the military prison in Cuba and raised the possibility of transferring some inmates to this country. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/11/world/asia/11karzai.html>U.S. Adviser Holds Firm on Airstrikes in Afghanistan 11 May 2009 President Obama's top national security adviser said on Sunday that the United States would likely continue conducting airstrikes against extremists in Afghanistan despite a sharp warning from President Hamid Karzai that civilian casualties were fast turning ordinary Afghans against the United States. In a pre-taped interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," Mr. Karzai suggested that the United States risked losing a "moral" fight against the Taliban if too many civilians died in American attacks. <http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/greens-want-afghan-civilian-death-probe-20090511-azdy.html>Greens want Afghan civilian death probe 11 May 2009 The Greens have called on Australian Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston to launch an inquiry into whether special forces were involved in the death and maiming of Afghan civilians. Military personnel have covered up an investigation into the alleged involvement of special forces soldiers in such an incident, Fairfax reports. Mission accomplished: <http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=94221§ionid=351020403>40-fold drug surge in Afghanistan: report 10 May 2009 Iranian police officials say drug production in Afghanistan has had a 40-fold increase since the US led invasion of the country in 2001. Afghanistan's opium poppy crop is set to break all records this year, as grim reports by Iranian sources showed that drug production has reached a new height in the land-locked country. <http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=94294§ionid=351020403>Ugly truth about foreign aid in Afghanistan 10 May 2009 Exorbitant sums of international aid to Afghanistan are being lavished by Western aid agencies on their own officials in the conflict-stricken country. "In the United States, Britain, and other countries, people work and taxpayers pay money that goes to help Afghanistan to build roads, dams, and electricity lines," Ramazan Bashardost, an Afghan parliament member and former planning minister, said. Bashardost added, "But when the money comes to Afghanistan, it's spent on those people who have cars costing USD 60,000 and who live in houses with a USD 15,000 monthly rent. This money goes to these expenses -- 90 percent logistics and administration." <http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=94282§ionid=351020403>Petraeus: al-Qaeda moved headquarters from Afghanistan to Pakistan [LOL! Yup, al-Q packed up and moved, to justify this insanity: <http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/94897>US House committee approves $400 mn for Pakistan counterinsurgency 08 May 2009. Oh, and wait! There's more: The top US military commander also warned that "tentacles of al-Qaeda" have spread across the countries from the Middle East to northern Africa.] 10 May 2009 Gen. David Petraeus says "very significant losses" in recent months have triggered al-Qaeda to move their headquarters from Afghanistan to western Pakistan. Appearing on "FOX News Sunday" and CNN's "State of the Union," on Sunday the head of the US Central Command said the group was no longer holding its headquarters in Afghanistan. The top US military commander also warned that "tentacles of al-Qaeda" have spread across the countries from the Middle East to northern Africa. Petraeus said he believes Osama bin Laden and his No. 2 [<http://www.legitgov.org/dead_al-qaeda_injured_020808.html>frequently killed and re-born] Ayman al-Zawahiri remain in charge of the terrorist network. 'It is the headquarters of the Al Qaeda senior leadership.' <http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009%5C05%5C10%5Cstory_10-5-2009_pg1_7>Al Qaeda's world base in Pakistan, says Petraeus 10 May 2009 Pakistan has become the nerve centre of Al Qaeda's global operations, Gen David Petraeus has said. The head of the US Army's Central Command, who oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, has told an interviewer that Al Qaeda [al-CIAduh] leaders have re-established its organisational structure and stronger ties to Al Qaeda offshoots in Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, North Africa and parts of Europe. [Just follow the oil. As the oil goes, so goes the 'tentacles of al-Qaeda.'] <http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009%5C05%5C08%5Cstory_8-5-2009_pg7_7>Journalists flee Swat valley 08 May 2009 Only a few journalists are left in the restive Swat valley to cover military operation against the Taliban, as majority of journalists have fled the area for fear of their safety. "Most journalists are on their way to other cities," Mingora Press Club President Salahuddin Khan told Daily Times over telephone on Thursday. Khan advised all journalists choosing to stay in Mingora to "stay home" while tending to their duties. <http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1084455.html>Report: Syria criticizes renewal of U.S. sanctions 10 May 2009 Syria rejected the Obama administration's decision to renew economic and diplomatic sanctions against Damascus and urged Washington to abandon foolish policies, a state-run newspaper reported Sunday. The State Department announced Friday that President Barack Obama felt compelled to renew the sanctions, which were first imposed by George W. Bush's administration four years ago as diplomatic contact dwindled. The decision came even as two U.S. envoys were in the Syrian capital exploring prospects for improved relations. <http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=94262§ionid=3510203>US raises terrorism alert on Canada border 10 May 2009 In a bid to block the influx of terrorists to the country the US is taking tough measures along the Canada border, similar to those taken along the southern frontiers. Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks the US launched a campaign to safeguard its borders -- mainly the southern borders with Mexico. [It did? I must have missed that.] However, now the security activities are quite tangible across the 3,987-mile frontier with Canada, something that according to a Los Angeles Times article has shocked residents especially on the Canadian side. <http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-other-border10-2009may10,0,5784580.story>U.S. gets tough on Canadian border --A passport or travel ID will be required June 1. 10 May 2009 High above the rugged border, an unmanned Predator B drone equipped with night-vision cameras and cloud-piercing radar has scanned the landscape for signs of smugglers, illegal immigrants or terrorists. Armed agents checked the identification of border crossers while radiation sensors and other devices monitored vehicles entering by road. Soon, a network of telescopic and infrared video cameras mounted atop 80-foot metal towers will rise above key locations. <http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/05/07/FBI_Terrorist_Watchlist_Riddled_With_Errors.htm>FBI Terrorist Watchlist Riddled With Errors 07 May 2009 The FBI failed to remove thousands of people from its "Terrorist Watchlist," sometimes years after determining that they were not actually terrorists; failed to put on the list people who are tied to terrorism, allowing them to enter and move about the country; and its controls over "nomination" of people for the list without an FBI investigation were "weak or nonexistent," the Justice Department concluded in a report released Wednesday. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/06/AR2009050603968.html>FBI's Lapses on Terrorist Watch List Put Nation at Risk, Report Warns 07 May 2009 The FBI has retained almost 24,000 names on the nation's terrorist watch list without current or proper justification, while failing to include people who are subjects of terrorist investigations, according to a Justice Department report issued yesterday. The FBI's lapses "create a risk to national security," Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine said in the report. <http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-gps-police,0,5890193.story>Wisconsin court upholds GPS tracking by police 07 May 2009 Wisconsin police can attach GPS to cars to secretly track anybody's movements without obtaining search warrants, an appeals court ruled Thursday. However, the District 4 Court of Appeals said it was "more than a little troubled" by that conclusion and asked Wisconsin lawmakers to regulate GPS use to protect against abuse by police and private individuals. <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090509/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_holder_commencement>AG Holder says law school grads have duty to serve 09 May 2009 Attorney General Eric Holder offers this advice for Howard University law school graduates: devote part of your career to public service. At their commencement Saturday in Washington, he called the graduates "the privileged few." [Instead of worrying about the 'duty to serve,' why doesn't Holder worry about prosecuting US torturers?] <http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE54760K20090510>U.S. has more than 2,500 H1N1 flu cases 10 May 2009 The United States has 2,532 confirmed cases of the new H1N1 swine influenza in 44 states, and three deaths, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Sunday. On Saturday, the CDC reported 2,254 confirmed cases, with 104 people in the hospital. <http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ihCkuZyngVAt3e9hn9pgpWkVDBkgD9833OIO0>Swine flu-related death reported in Wash. 09 May 2009 Washington state health officials say a man in his 30s is the first person in the state to die from what appears to be complications of swine flu. The state Department of Health says in a news release that a Snohomish County man in his 30s with underlying heart conditions died last week with what appears to be complications of swine-origin influenza. <http://www.detnews.com/article/20090509/METRO/905090405/Michigan-has-115-swine-flu-cases>Michigan has 115 swine flu cases 09 May 2009 State health officials announced Saturday that Michigan has 115 confirmed cases of swine flu. That includes 11 new cases. The state began confirming its own cases Thursday, James McCurtis, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Community Health, said earlier in the week. The cases are spread among 20 counties. CLG needs your support. <http://www.legitgov.org/donate.html>http://www.legitgov.org/donate.html<> Or, please mail a check or money order to CLG: Citizens for Legitimate Government (CLG) P.O. Box 1142 Bristol, CT 06011-1142 Contributions to CLG are not tax deductible Previous lead stories: <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/08/AR2009050804228.html>Obama Set to Revive Military Tribunals 09 May 2009 The Obama administration is preparing to revive the system of military tribunals established at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, under new rules that would offer terrorism suspects greater legal protections, government officials said. The military commissions have allowed the trial of terrorism suspects in a setting that favors the government and protects classified information, but they were sharply criticized during the administration of President [sic] George W. Bush. "By any measure, our system of trying detainees has been an enormous failure," then-candidate Barack Obama said in June 2008. <http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1035103.html>Document: Judge sets May 27 war court hearing 06 May 2009 The chief judge for the Pentagon's military commissions has scheduled the next war court hearing at Guantánamo Bay for late May, according to a document obtained by The Miami Herald. The May 27 hearing for Ahmed Darbi, a Saudi captive, would be the first since government lawyers sought, and won, a 120-day freeze of the hearings staged at an abandoned airstrip [ironically] called Camp Justice. <http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/may2009/memo-m09.shtml>CIA memo cites 40 Congressional briefings on torture By Bill Van Auken 09 May 2009 A memo released Wednesday by Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair lists 40 separate briefings beginning in September 2002 in which leading members of Congress were briefed by the CIA on the agency's use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" -- in plain words, torture. Before the revelations about the employment of such methods as waterboarding appeared in the media, none of these legislators, including leading Democrats, objected to or publicly protested against what amounted to war crimes. 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