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POPSChristmas bomb bid complicates Gitmo plan Christmas Day bombing attempt aboard Northwest Flight 253, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, reportedly spent time in Yemen after graduating from a London university in 2008. According to ABC News, Abdulmutallab has told authorities that, while in Yemen, Al Qaeda operatives crafted the explosive device that was sewn into Abdulmutallab’s underwear. “Yesterday just highlights the fact that sending this many people back — or any people back — to Yemen right now is a really bad idea,” said Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.), the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee. “It’s just dumb. ... If you made a list of what the three dumbest countries would be to send people back to, Yemen would be on all the lists.” “I think it’s a major mistake,” Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) said about prisoner releases to Yemen.
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POPSThe NEXT BIG THING for 2010
· Neo-Survivalism: A new breed of survivalist is devising ingenious stratagems to beat the crumbling system. And, they’re not all heading for the hills with AK-47’s and pork & beans. · Not Welcome Here: Fueled by fear and resentment, a global anti-immigration trend will gather force and serve as a major plank in building a new political party in the US. · TB or Not TB: With two-thirds of Americans Too Big (TB) for their own good (and everyone else’s), 2010 will mark the outbreak of a “War on Fat,” providing a ton of business opportunities. · Mothers of Invention: Taking off with the speed of the Internet revolution, “Technology for the Poor” will be a major trend in 2010, providing products and services for newly downscaled Western consumers and impoverished consumers everywhere. · Not Made In China: A “Buy Local,” “My Country First” protectionist backlash will deliver a big “No” to unrestrained globalism and open solid niches for local and domestic manufacturers. · The
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POPSThe Taliban Letters Until recently Leah Farrall was a senior Counter Terrorism Intelligence Analyst with the Australian Federal Police and the organization’s al Qaeda subject matter expert. During her time at the AFP Leah worked on a range of international and domestic counter terrorism investigations as well as serving as the senior Intelligence Analyst in the AFP’s Jakarta Regional Cooperation Team (JRCT) in Indonesia and at the AFP’s Forward Operating Post in response to the second Bali bombings.
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POPS 30,000 The president seemed in sticker shock, watching his domestic agenda vanishing in front of him. “This is a 10-year, trillion-dollar effort and does not match up with our interests,” he said . Looking around, I haven’t found any reports that say McChrystal was looking for a 10-year, 100,000-plus total troop commitment. I recall he said he needed two years to make a decisive impact, in the counterinsurgency campaign and building up the Afghan military, and that the war could be won or lost in that time. So where’s the explanation of how we get from a 40,000-troop escalation to a 30,000-troop surge, from “10 years” to 18 months? (If the OMB meant that just 2 years at 40,000 on top of the rest of the effort drives the overall cost to $1 trillion, then cutting out six months and 10,000 doesn’t change that substantially.) “If people are having trouble swallowing 40, let’s see if we can make this smaller and easier to swallow and still give the commander what he needs, "
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POPSJihadists have infiltrated the Military Two investigations are necessary. First, a criminal investigation, “which is going to tell us details such as where did he (Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan) get the weapon, who are his contacts and all sorts of other material issues related to this specific act.” Second, a national security investigation is needed to look at the big picture, Phares says. “Who produced this jihadist? Is he in fact with other cells? And most important for all of us: are there other cases like Maj. Hasan in the U.S.?”
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POPSThe Enemy Within Comments on the attack at Fort Hood, is this an example of terrorism or an isolated case? Maybe the tipping point for something altogether more sinister should certain elements use it to their advantage.
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POPSSeeing the Afghan Forest Not the Trees William Pfaff wrote on September 17, 2001: "Clearly, the United States needs to deal with Mr. bin Laden's terrorist organization, but that is essentially a police and intelligence problem. Long-term United States interests cannot afford a "war" that risks toppling Saudi Arabia and other conservative Islamic regimes into alliance with the radical movements already powerful in Iran, Sudan, Algeria, and influential in Egypt, Pakistan, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. That, though, is the risk." Now, Pakistan threatens to come unglued and the President is being advised to send in 40,000 troops. What he needs to do is read this article below.
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POPSObama's Czars You will need to read the article at the site to see "why they qualified".
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POPSAuthorities Investigate Lake Elsinore Explosion My contact also says that the victim told the hospital it was a gun shot that blew up his hand, but doctors could obviously see that wasn't the case and alerted authorities. As my contact says. This could be as serious as domestic terrorism by a skinhead group, or as simple as a drug guy playing with explosives to protect his crop or lab. FBI Investigates California Man Injured by Explosive Device Investigators found explosives, a sophisticated marijuana growing facility and evidence that the home recently had been used as a state-licensed child care facility, Gutierrez said. "We do believe that when all this illegal activity was going on, that children were present," he said. However, no children were home at the time of the explosion, authorities said. Kuzelka's mother, Rebecca Kuzelka, 55, and brother Grey Kuzelka, 21, were arrested at the home for investigation of child endangerment, manufacture of explosives and cultivating marijuana
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POPSThe Dollar in Jeapordy - Wow! Economic warfare and "blowback" to US foreign policy. This goes to show just how much foreign policy, both wars and economic sanctions against others, can effect the domestic U.S. economy. Will Americans press the government to roll back its foreign aggression in pretense of a "war on terrorism", threats against Iran...etc?
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POPSWhat Went Wrong With Our Economy? We're letting domestic and multinational corporations, with their uncompromising profit motive and strong connection to the military, determine the future course of our country and the world. Terrorism has replaced communism as the major threat to our lifestyle. But corporate defense contractors -- Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, and General Dynamics -- take millions of dollars from the federal treasury every DAY to produce Cold-War-era weapons, with their profits guaranteed by the American public. We're the leading seller of arms to the world. We intervene in more countries than ever before, even though studies show that intervention is tied to terrorism. Our elected representatives listen to businessmen and generals rather than to scientists, doctors, humanitarians, teachers, mothers. And we've been conditioned to believe that this is the way it must be. But it doesn't have to be this way.
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POPSSocial change could spark violence
And this week, the FBI said that it is investigating whether anti-government sentiment played a role in the death of a U.S. Census worker who was found hanged from a tree in rural Kentucky, because the body had the word “fed” scrawled on the chest — though authorities say there are too many unanswered questions at this point to rule the case a homicide or a hate crime. There’s a big difference, of course, between a person who shouts at a congressman at a town hall and a person who would do something much more violent. But security experts say that the shouting incidents and other angry moments in recent weeks serve as indicators of an increase in political rage in the culture. That rage comes against a backdrop of enormous changes in American life. The United States suffered a humiliating economic collapse that threatens its long-term position as the world’s most important economy, with a staggering 9.7 percent unemployment rate. President Barack Obama made several controversial
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POPSGermany Hit With "al-Qaida" Pre-election Propaganda Watch for a false-flag event in Germany if Merkel loses ( remember Spain's 3-11 here for backing out of Iraq), which this propaganda is actually designed to help by inciting fear of terrorism and pushing necessary war , by manufacturing an Islamist enemy (beardless youth in suit and tie for the first time) with a domestic terrorism threat in a timely presentation-- all pushed by the government and media , instead of censored! Just who does this propaganda benefit the most? In fact, the "powers that be" do want people to remember Madrid's 3/11, "vote for Merkel, or else". Note the issue is AFGHANISTAN, German people now largely opposing their war presence there (just as a majority in the U.S. and UK does). This is typical FEAR propaganda that always preceded Bush and Congressional elections, allegedly from Bin Laden or Al Qaeda, but always stoking war fever for the neoconservative-Israeli agenda.
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POPSVictory at the Cost of Sanity in Obama’s Forever War The tired old mentality of the U.S. military, actually any military, is “There is no alternative to victory.” What is considered victory, the complete subjugation of the enemy? What would be considered a victory for the U.S. in Afghanistan? If we think we are going to eradicate terrorism and hatred towards the U.S. then we are sadly mistaken. Victory comes in many different forms. At this point in time I would consider it a victory to get our troops home without any further loss of life, our troops as well as civilians at the hands of America’s war machine, accidental though they may be. It really doesn’t matter who rules Afghanistan or Iraq after we leave, assuming there are plans to ever leave. We need to get back home and divert some of the obscene amount of money being thrown at the pentagon and put it towards domestic purposes, like schools and healthcare. We can defend our borders just fine from within our borders.
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POPSGovernors Oppose Federal Martial Law Powers, Invoke States' Rights This could apply to any potential Swine Flu emergency declarations or any other federal responses during acts of terrorism, disasters, or crises whereby the Pentagon has pleaded a domestic role for power. See Clipmark U.S. Military Plans for H1N1 Flu Outbreak Good for the governors and states' rights! As a side, people should note that because Governor's have authority over each states "National Guard" that they could invoke their authority to NOT DEPLOY these troops (never intended for foreign wars) to unjust wars, or war undeclared by Congress (the only lawful wars) for foreign operations, i.e. Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. They have full legal power to resist if only they have political courage to stand upon principle against mistaken notions of zeal or "patriotism" invoked to push such wars. More on that here.
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POPSReport: Bush mulled sending troops into Buffalo And who supported this daft idea? The usual suspects, of course! "According to the Times, Cheney and other Bush aides said an Oct. 23, 2001, Justice Department memo gave broad presidential authority that allowed Bush to use the domestic use of the military against al-Qaida if it was justified on the grounds of national security, rather than law enforcement. Among those arguing for the military use besides Cheney were his legal adviser David S. Addington and some senior Defense Department officials, the Times reported."
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POPSCatherine Crabill, VA GOP Candidate: We May Have To "Resort To The Bullet Box" (VIDEO) UPDATE: Crabill has defended her words in an interview with the Washington Post. "Those are my convictions," Crabill, 52, said in a telephone interview this morning. "I am a full-blooded, freedom-loving American, and what we're seeing in Washington is domestic terrorism at its worst." But as a video of some provocative remarks zipped around the Internet, she also worried that she would be caricatured as an extremist. And she said she wanted to make clear that she was not advocating armed resistance. "I have no desire to see this country erupt in any kind of violent revolution," Crabill said. "I don't even own a gun."
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POPSCheney broke the law with CIA program Panetta's subordinates told him about the program on June 23, and he briefed two intelligence committees the following day, the Times reported. Under the National Security Act of 1947, the U.S. president must ensure the intelligence committees are informed about "intelligence activities in the United States, including any significant anticipated intelligence activity." However, the Act also stipulates briefings should be held "to the extent consistent with due regard for the protection from unauthorized disclosure of classified information relating to sensitive intelligence sources and methods or other exceptionally sensitive matters." Feinstein said the law shows Congress should have been told about the program, and the Bush administration's failure to do so "is a big problem." It's unclear how U.S. President Barack Obama will address the issue. Since taking office, he has been reluctant to uncover any alleged wrongdoing by the Bush administration.
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POPS'I Quit the Evangelical Movement in Disgust': Former Evangelist Fears Right-Wing Lunacy Will Lead to
* Republican senators and representatives giving speeches calling on their followers to accept and work with the president in a truly loyal opposition and denouncing Dick Cheney for saying the president is making us "less safe." * Evangelical Christian and Roman Catholic leaders telling their congregations to stop believing insane Religious Right lies, like the one about Obama being a Muslim, and/or the Antichrist ... Instead, the rising tide of violence is met with silence and/or pretended horror by leaders on the right and yet even more hateful words amounting to outright provocation -- "I hope Obama fails," or, "Obama is making America less safe," or, "We regret Tiller's murder, but after all, he murdered 60,000 babies..." or, "Illegal immigrants must be stopped!" and so on. Who on the right-wing radio shows, among the Republicans in Congress and in far-right media such as Fox News, will now try to cure the sickness of their right-wing followers -- before it explodes
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