'Russian spies' bungle was epicTo have an alleged spy ring uncovered before it could do any work is embarrassing – and the last thing Medvedev needs
David Hearst guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 29 June 2010 16.30 BST
Dmitry Medvedev admires the iPhone 4, but his attempts at portraying himself as a moderniser will be hit by spy ring allegations. Photograph: Dmitry Astakhov/AP
It is heartening to know that even alleged Russian spies have problems with their computers. Anna Chapman complained about the difficulties she had establishing a private wireless local area network to her handler UC-I, so that she could communicate with the van parked outside the coffee shop. Suspicions were mutual. C or Moscow Centre never quite understood why the couple who went under the name of Richard and Cynthia Murphy had to buy that house in New Jersey: "We are under the impression that C views our ownership of the house as a deviation from the original purpose of the mission," they said in an intercepted message.
The Murphys told C, perhaps somewhat defensively: "It was a convenient way to solving the housing issue, plus 'to do as the Romans do' in a society that values home ownership."
What did C expect? If they want 11 "illegals" to go native in America in order to establish a long-term, deep cover, then obviously home ownership in New Jersey beckons. Mrs Murphy did a good job. She certainly fooled the neighbours. "They couldn't have been spies," said Jessie Gugig. "Look what she did with the hydrangeas."
The 55-page indictment filed by the FBI revealing the existence of 11 (the 11th has been arrested in Cyprus) alleged spies who had spent years adopting false US identities, will not, however, make pleasant reading for C – otherwise known as Russia's External Intelligence Service, the SVR.
The FBI operation represents the biggest penetration of the SVR communications in recent memory. The FBI read their emails, decrypted their intel, read the embedded coded texts on images posted on the net, bugged their mobile phones, videotaped the passing of bags of cash and messages in invisible ink from one agent to another, and hacked into their bogus expenses claims.
Spies who defect paint a lurid picture of their former bosses. Their kiss-and-tell books are inevitably presented as "wake-up" calls to their new masters. Sergei Tretyakov, who worked as a press officer at the Russian Mission of the United Nations in New York, but in fact ran a number of agents in the US and the UN, was the last SVR spy to defect.
In Comrade J: The Untold Secrets of Russia's Master Spy in America After the End of the Cold War, by Pete Earley, Tretyakov said that nothing had changed. The "main enemy" defined by Soviet military doctrine in the cold war, had simply become the "main target".
"Nothing has changed. Russia is doing everything it can today to embarrass the US. Let me repeat this. Russia is doing everything it can today to undermine and embarrass the US. The SVR residenturas in the US are not less, but in some aspects even more active today than during the cold war. What should that tell you?"
But something, surely has changed. The tradecraft used by the alleged SVR ring was amateurish, and will send shivers down the spine of the rival intelligence organisations in Russia. This was bungling on a truly epic scale. No secrets about bunker-busting bombs were actually obtained, but the network was betrayed. The defendants are not charged with espionage, but with charges like conspiracy to act as unregistered agents of a foreign government. To have a spy ring uncovered before they could actually do any serious spying is doubly embarrassing.
Not that anyone in MI6 here in Britain should gloat. In the last decade, we have had two major expulsions of our spies in Moscow, who were caught on film red-handed trying to do exactly what the FBI caught the Murphys at. In one case, the British resident spymaster used a mentally unstable junior Russian diplomat, Platon Obukhov, to spy on his father, a former Soviet deputy foreign minister and one of the main negotiators of the intermediate nuclear forces treaty removing medium-range missiles from Europe.
The FBI waited three days after the Russian president Dmitry Medvedev's most successful foreign tour to date before making their arrests. During that, Barack Obama and Medvedev shared a cheeseburger in Arlington, Virginia; the Russian president toured Silicon Valley and emerged with his very own iPhone 4 from Steve Jobs. More than this, he won a pledge from Cisco Systems to invest $1bn as a tenant in Skolkovo, the Kremlin's pet project to create its own Silicon Valley outside Moscow.
Revelations about spy rings are the last thing a politician like Medvedev, who presents himself as a moderniser, needs. He has inveighed against the rule of lawlessness in Russia but struggles to the make the case that he can do anything about it.
Perhaps there was a covert message in all this that Washington was sending to Moscow. You can have the old relationship or the new one, but you would get more out of us through the front door.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
WHY DOES BLAGO'S ROBERT HANNSEN DEFENSE TEAM CONTINUE TO STALK WOMEN INTO PHOENIX AZ POSING AS STATE EMPLOYEES????????????????????????????????????????
Giannoulias subpoenaed for greasing the wheels
Prior to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s trial resuming today, word came that Illinois Democratic Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias had been subpoenaed to testify. Will Giannoulias finally be forthright about his involvement with Blago?
In today’s testimony, Blago’s former chief of staff John Harris explained wiretapped conversations between himself and the former governor, as they discussed possible candidates for the Senate seat. One name that echoed across the courtroom was that of the queen of daytime TV, Oprah Winfrey. Blago believed obtaining Winfrey’s support would be very beneficial to his political career because she was so instrumental in helping Obama ascend to the presidency. And, if anyone still doubted the former governor was not acting in the best interests of the people of Illinois, the tapes revealed he even considered appointing several out-of-state individuals including California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Harris also spoke about a meeting between Blago and Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. to plot out a possible alliance between the two. At the end of the meeting, Blago told Jackson, “I’m glad someone’s thinking about me and how they can help me.” Nothing mentioned about if anyone in his Democratic administration was thinking about the people of Illinois and how to help them.
Prior to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s trial resuming today, word came that Illinois Democratic Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias had been subpoenaed to testify. Will Giannoulias finally be forthright about his involvement with Blago?
In today’s testimony, Blago’s former chief of staff John Harris explained wiretapped conversations between himself and the former governor, as they discussed possible candidates for the Senate seat. One name that echoed across the courtroom was that of the queen of daytime TV, Oprah Winfrey. Blago believed obtaining Winfrey’s support would be very beneficial to his political career because she was so instrumental in helping Obama ascend to the presidency. And, if anyone still doubted the former governor was not acting in the best interests of the people of Illinois, the tapes revealed he even considered appointing several out-of-state individuals including California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Harris also spoke about a meeting between Blago and Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. to plot out a possible alliance between the two. At the end of the meeting, Blago told Jackson, “I’m glad someone’s thinking about me and how they can help me.” Nothing mentioned about if anyone in his Democratic administration was thinking about the people of Illinois and how to help them.
WHORIMIDATION BY THE DEMOCRATS CONTINUES!!!
Kirk Campaign Expresses Serious Concern over Report that Giannoulias Event Host Intimidated Young Woman after Fundraiser
June 23rd, 2010
Giannoulias should identify all those involved, terminate affiliation with the campaign and apologize to the people of Illinois
Northbrook, Ill. – The Kirk for Senate campaign today expressed serious concern regarding a report in Politico that a campaign fundraiser for Alexi Giannoulias’ Senate campaign intimidated a young woman in Washington, D.C. following a campaign fundraiser last week.
The report follows a video that surfaced on the Web last week showing Giannoulias campaign affiliates manhandling a videographer at a Giannoulias DC fundraiser.
“The news that Alexi Giannoulias’ campaign event host intimidated a young woman at her home in Washington following the campaign’s DC fundraiser raises serious concerns with regard to the integrity of the Giannoulias campaign and its associates,” Kirk spokesperson Kirsten Kukowski said. “We call on Alexi Giannoulias to immediately apologize for his campaign affiliates’ intimidation tactics, publicly identify all those involved and terminate all association with them.”
June 23rd, 2010
Giannoulias should identify all those involved, terminate affiliation with the campaign and apologize to the people of Illinois
Northbrook, Ill. – The Kirk for Senate campaign today expressed serious concern regarding a report in Politico that a campaign fundraiser for Alexi Giannoulias’ Senate campaign intimidated a young woman in Washington, D.C. following a campaign fundraiser last week.
The report follows a video that surfaced on the Web last week showing Giannoulias campaign affiliates manhandling a videographer at a Giannoulias DC fundraiser.
“The news that Alexi Giannoulias’ campaign event host intimidated a young woman at her home in Washington following the campaign’s DC fundraiser raises serious concerns with regard to the integrity of the Giannoulias campaign and its associates,” Kirk spokesperson Kirsten Kukowski said. “We call on Alexi Giannoulias to immediately apologize for his campaign affiliates’ intimidation tactics, publicly identify all those involved and terminate all association with them.”
THE ATHEIST, SOCIO-COMMUNIST, GAY & LESBIAN WHOR-OPOLOUSIS ORDERED TO PAY!!!
NH church receives more than $1.1 million over unconstitutional zoning restrictions
ADF-allied attorney secures one of largest zoning settlements in U.S. history from town of Richmond officials who called church’s moral positions ‘abhorrent’
Friday, June 25, 2010
RICHMOND, N.H. — An Alliance Defense Fund allied attorney has secured a $1.15 million settlement on behalf of Saint Benedict Center of Richmond in a lawsuit over the town’s unconstitutional zoning restrictions. The center contended officials singled it out for discrimination after certain officials expressed their view that the church’s moral positions on matters such as abortion and homosexual behavior are “abhorrent.”
The settlement payment--coming after two state court orders in favor of the church--marks one of the largest settlements in U.S. history involving the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, a federal law that protects churches from unequal treatment in land use disputes with local governments.
“Churches shouldn’t be singled out for discrimination and penalized by a city’s zoning restrictions because of their religious viewpoint,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Doug Napier. “It was right that Saint Benedict Center was compensated for years of unconstitutional restrictions that made it impossible to finish the construction of its church and school building.”
In enacting RLUIPA, Congress stated, “The right to assemble for worship is at the very core of the free exercise of religion. Churches and synagogues cannot function without physical space adequate to their needs and consistent with their theological requirements. The right to build, buy, or rent such a space is an indispensable adjunct of the core First Amendment right to assemble for religious purposes.”
In June 2007, Saint Benedict Center--a small, traditional Catholic congregation that has operated a monastery, convent, house of worship, and religious school in Richmond since 1989--filed suit against the town of Richmond after the town imposed more than 30 conditions upon SBC’s proposed new church and school building. A court determined in a summary judgment order last October that the conditions made completion of construction impossible and constituted a substantial burden on the church’s religious exercise under RLUIPA. The church noted to the court that the planning board chairman, who drafted several of the conditions, e-mailed other town officials about his disgust for the church’s religious teachings, stating that its stance on abortion, homosexual behavior, pornography, and divorce were “abhorrent.”
After the court issued an order that deferred a ruling on the problematic construction conditions, the town agreed to pay the church $1.15 million in monetary damages and attorneys’ fees, and the town’s board of selectmen agreed to a separate settlement that makes completion of the church and school building possible.
“Disagreement with an organization’s religious or political views should never motivate the government to impose special restrictions upon a church’s building project,” said lead counsel Michael Tierney of Manchester, one of nearly 1,700 attorneys in the ADF alliance. Tierney, who practices with the law firm Wadleigh, Starr and Peters, PLLC, filed and settled Saint Benedict Center v. Town of Richmond in the New Hampshire Superior Court for Cheshire County.
ADF-allied attorney secures one of largest zoning settlements in U.S. history from town of Richmond officials who called church’s moral positions ‘abhorrent’
Friday, June 25, 2010
RICHMOND, N.H. — An Alliance Defense Fund allied attorney has secured a $1.15 million settlement on behalf of Saint Benedict Center of Richmond in a lawsuit over the town’s unconstitutional zoning restrictions. The center contended officials singled it out for discrimination after certain officials expressed their view that the church’s moral positions on matters such as abortion and homosexual behavior are “abhorrent.”
The settlement payment--coming after two state court orders in favor of the church--marks one of the largest settlements in U.S. history involving the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, a federal law that protects churches from unequal treatment in land use disputes with local governments.
“Churches shouldn’t be singled out for discrimination and penalized by a city’s zoning restrictions because of their religious viewpoint,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Doug Napier. “It was right that Saint Benedict Center was compensated for years of unconstitutional restrictions that made it impossible to finish the construction of its church and school building.”
In enacting RLUIPA, Congress stated, “The right to assemble for worship is at the very core of the free exercise of religion. Churches and synagogues cannot function without physical space adequate to their needs and consistent with their theological requirements. The right to build, buy, or rent such a space is an indispensable adjunct of the core First Amendment right to assemble for religious purposes.”
In June 2007, Saint Benedict Center--a small, traditional Catholic congregation that has operated a monastery, convent, house of worship, and religious school in Richmond since 1989--filed suit against the town of Richmond after the town imposed more than 30 conditions upon SBC’s proposed new church and school building. A court determined in a summary judgment order last October that the conditions made completion of construction impossible and constituted a substantial burden on the church’s religious exercise under RLUIPA. The church noted to the court that the planning board chairman, who drafted several of the conditions, e-mailed other town officials about his disgust for the church’s religious teachings, stating that its stance on abortion, homosexual behavior, pornography, and divorce were “abhorrent.”
After the court issued an order that deferred a ruling on the problematic construction conditions, the town agreed to pay the church $1.15 million in monetary damages and attorneys’ fees, and the town’s board of selectmen agreed to a separate settlement that makes completion of the church and school building possible.
“Disagreement with an organization’s religious or political views should never motivate the government to impose special restrictions upon a church’s building project,” said lead counsel Michael Tierney of Manchester, one of nearly 1,700 attorneys in the ADF alliance. Tierney, who practices with the law firm Wadleigh, Starr and Peters, PLLC, filed and settled Saint Benedict Center v. Town of Richmond in the New Hampshire Superior Court for Cheshire County.
HUGE VICTORY AGAINST AN INSECURE BREACHED POLICE STATE --- PRIVATE CITIZENS MAY NOW SHOOT-TO-KILL TERRORISTS, FRENCH, RUSSIAN, & ILLEGAL WHORES!!!
U.S. Supreme Court Rules Chicago Handgun Ban Unconstitutional
Monday, June 28th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
Tags: Gun RightsIllinois CarryIllinoisCarry.comIncorporationMayor DaleyMcDonald v. City of ChicagoSCOTUSSecond AmendmentSupreme CourtU.S. Supreme Court Rules Chicago Handgun Ban Unconstitutional
IllinoisCarry.com
Washington, DC --(Ammoland.com)- The U.S. Supreme Court announced its 5-4 decision today overturning the decades old Chicago ban on handguns!
Following on the heels of the Heller vs DC decision two years ago which ruled DC’s ban unconstitutional, the landmark case of McDonald vs Chicago finally brings the Second Amendment decision is a huge win for the entire nation but especially for Chicago residents who have for decades been denied the right to possess a handgun in their home.
Increasing opposition to the ban has been fueled by residents of the city demanding the right to protect themselves from the horrendous number of violent crimes in their neighborhoods.
The ruling is also a tremendous win for Illinois citizens whose state constitution holds that the right to keep and bear arms is “subject to police power”. The Court ruled the 14th Amendment incorporates the Second Amendment to the states meaning “ . . . the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed” is a right protected even from local and state governments. While this decision does not immediately change state law it does throw open the door to re-examination of current law and a whole new era of defining the words “shall not be infringed”.
What does it all mean in our efforts to see a Right to Carry law passed in Illinois? It means a great deal in the IL General Assembly where some fence-sitters on the issue have been waiting to see “if” the Second Amendment truly does apply to the states. It will almost assuredly add votes to our side of the tally board and will make it increasingly more difficult to pass new laws restricting the right of a law abiding citizen’s to keep and bear arms.
Mayor Daley has vowed, regardless of the Supreme Court decision, to continue do everything he can to infringe on the Second Amendment rights of the people of Chicago – but he can’t do it alone - he must have the votes of the aldermen on the city council. If you are a resident of Chicago, contact your alderman TODAY and demand they support your constitutional right to keep and bear arms. Demand they put an end to Mayor Daley’s fanatical attack on their right to protect themselves and their families.
This is a great day in the history of this nation, the state of Illinois, and for the people of Chicago!!
IllinoisCarry extends our heartfelt gratitude and respect to the courageous plaintiffs who stood before the courts on behalf of all Americans – Adam Orlov, David and Colleen Lawson, and lead plaintiff Otis McDonald. Thank you to the Illinois State Rifle Association, Second Amendment Foundation, lead attorney Alan Gura, and Chicago attorney David Sigale for making it happen!A copy of the ruling can be downloaded at SCOTUSblog.com.
Come Join with the Huge Celebration of McDonald vs Chicago Second Amendment Freedom Rally
Friday, July 9, 2010 11:00am—1:00pm
James R. Thompson Center
100 W. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60601
Join the grassroots movement that is sweeping the state of Illinois— A movement to restore the Second Amendment right of law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms!
Do not miss this historical event in celebration of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in this landmark case to restore the Second Amendment throughout the nation! Sponsored by Illinois State Rifle Association and IllinoisCarry.com
About:
The IllinoisCarry forum was started in April 2004. The idea was that Illinois needed a central location to communicate ideas and information regarding 2nd Amendment issues in Illinois. There are many organizations in Illinois working to protect our 2nd Amendment Rights. Working with these groups IllinoisCarry has become the central location for information and Action Alerts. IllinoisCarry will not endorse political candidates. We simply provide information so voters can make informed decisions. Our goal is to join the other 48 states that allow their citizens to carry concealed firearms. We encourage you to register on our forum and join the fight for your 2nd Amendment Rights in Illinois. Visit www.IllinoisCarry.com
Distributed to you by - AmmoLand.com – The Shooting Sports News source.
Tags: Gun Rights, Illinois Carry, IllinoisCarry.com, Incorporation, Mayor Daley, McDonald v. City of Chicago, SCOTUS, Second Amendment, Supreme Court
.
Monday, June 28th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
Tags: Gun RightsIllinois CarryIllinoisCarry.comIncorporationMayor DaleyMcDonald v. City of ChicagoSCOTUSSecond AmendmentSupreme CourtU.S. Supreme Court Rules Chicago Handgun Ban Unconstitutional
IllinoisCarry.com
Washington, DC --(Ammoland.com)- The U.S. Supreme Court announced its 5-4 decision today overturning the decades old Chicago ban on handguns!
Following on the heels of the Heller vs DC decision two years ago which ruled DC’s ban unconstitutional, the landmark case of McDonald vs Chicago finally brings the Second Amendment decision is a huge win for the entire nation but especially for Chicago residents who have for decades been denied the right to possess a handgun in their home.
Increasing opposition to the ban has been fueled by residents of the city demanding the right to protect themselves from the horrendous number of violent crimes in their neighborhoods.
The ruling is also a tremendous win for Illinois citizens whose state constitution holds that the right to keep and bear arms is “subject to police power”. The Court ruled the 14th Amendment incorporates the Second Amendment to the states meaning “ . . . the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed” is a right protected even from local and state governments. While this decision does not immediately change state law it does throw open the door to re-examination of current law and a whole new era of defining the words “shall not be infringed”.
What does it all mean in our efforts to see a Right to Carry law passed in Illinois? It means a great deal in the IL General Assembly where some fence-sitters on the issue have been waiting to see “if” the Second Amendment truly does apply to the states. It will almost assuredly add votes to our side of the tally board and will make it increasingly more difficult to pass new laws restricting the right of a law abiding citizen’s to keep and bear arms.
Mayor Daley has vowed, regardless of the Supreme Court decision, to continue do everything he can to infringe on the Second Amendment rights of the people of Chicago – but he can’t do it alone - he must have the votes of the aldermen on the city council. If you are a resident of Chicago, contact your alderman TODAY and demand they support your constitutional right to keep and bear arms. Demand they put an end to Mayor Daley’s fanatical attack on their right to protect themselves and their families.
This is a great day in the history of this nation, the state of Illinois, and for the people of Chicago!!
IllinoisCarry extends our heartfelt gratitude and respect to the courageous plaintiffs who stood before the courts on behalf of all Americans – Adam Orlov, David and Colleen Lawson, and lead plaintiff Otis McDonald. Thank you to the Illinois State Rifle Association, Second Amendment Foundation, lead attorney Alan Gura, and Chicago attorney David Sigale for making it happen!A copy of the ruling can be downloaded at SCOTUSblog.com.
Come Join with the Huge Celebration of McDonald vs Chicago Second Amendment Freedom Rally
Friday, July 9, 2010 11:00am—1:00pm
James R. Thompson Center
100 W. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60601
Join the grassroots movement that is sweeping the state of Illinois— A movement to restore the Second Amendment right of law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms!
Do not miss this historical event in celebration of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in this landmark case to restore the Second Amendment throughout the nation! Sponsored by Illinois State Rifle Association and IllinoisCarry.com
About:
The IllinoisCarry forum was started in April 2004. The idea was that Illinois needed a central location to communicate ideas and information regarding 2nd Amendment issues in Illinois. There are many organizations in Illinois working to protect our 2nd Amendment Rights. Working with these groups IllinoisCarry has become the central location for information and Action Alerts. IllinoisCarry will not endorse political candidates. We simply provide information so voters can make informed decisions. Our goal is to join the other 48 states that allow their citizens to carry concealed firearms. We encourage you to register on our forum and join the fight for your 2nd Amendment Rights in Illinois. Visit www.IllinoisCarry.com
Distributed to you by - AmmoLand.com – The Shooting Sports News source.
Tags: Gun Rights, Illinois Carry, IllinoisCarry.com, Incorporation, Mayor Daley, McDonald v. City of Chicago, SCOTUS, Second Amendment, Supreme Court
.
OSAMA'S GAY & LESBIAN SPIES REFUSE TO DEPORT ILLEGALS WHILE SEXUALLY HARASSING AZ REPUBLICANS AT CASS HOMELESS SHELTER W FRENCH & RUSSIAN SPY WHORES!
OSAMA'S GAY & LESBIAN SPIES REFUSE TO DEPORT ILLEGALS WHILE SEXUALLY HARASSING AZ REPUBLICANS AT CASS HOMELESS SHELTER W FRENCH & RUSSIAN SPY WHORES!
OSAMA'S GAY & LESBIAN SPIES REFUSE TO DEPORT ILLEGALS WHILE SEXUALLY HARASSING AZ REPUBLICANS AT CASS HOMELESS SHELTER W FRENCH & RUSSIAN SPY WHORES!
OSAMA'S GAY & LESBIAN SPIES REFUSE TO DEPORT ILLEGALS WHILE SEXUALLY HARASSING AZ REPUBLICANS AT CASS HOMELESS SHELTER W FRENCH & RUSSIAN SPY WHORES!
OSAMA'S GAY & LESBIAN SPIES REFUSE TO DEPORT ILLEGALS WHILE SEXUALLY HARASSING AZ REPUBLICANS AT CASS HOMELESS SHELTER W FRENCH & RUSSIAN SPY WHORES!
OSAMA'S GAY & LESBIAN SPIES REFUSE TO DEPORT ILLEGALS WHILE SEXUALLY HARASSING AZ REPUBLICANS AT CASS HOMELESS SHELTER W FRENCH & RUSSIAN SPY WHORES!
ROBERT "ZIDEK" HANNSEN APPEARS AT 'CASS' HOMELESS SHELTER IN PHOENIX AZ TO PROMOTE PUTIN & OSAMA HUSSEIN!!!
Russian spies: US case could derail Medvedev, boost Putin
Russian spies case is believed in Moscow to be a plot by US hawks to undermine the US-Russia relationship. It could also hurt Medvedev's chances of beating Putin, an ex-KGB agent, in 2012 elections.
Russian spies case: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, left, and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin meeting at the Gorki residence outside Moscow, Monday. In Moscow, Russians believe the Russia spy case was a plot by US hawks to undermine the US-Russia relationship.
Vladimir Rodionov/Presidential Press Service/RIA-Novosti/AP
.Enlarge
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.By Fred Weir, Correspondent / June 29, 2010
Moscow
The Russian spy case, in which 10 alleged Russian spies were arrested just days after President Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev held one of the friendliest US-Russia meetings ever, looks like a carefully timed plot by disgruntled American hawks to reverse the warming relations.
Skip to next paragraph
Related Stories
Russian spy case 'right out of a John Le Carré novel'
Who is really running Russia?
All Russia news coverage
.At least, that is the nearly unanimous reaction to the scandal from Russian officials, security analysts, and political journalists.
"This scandal has been invented out of thin air," says Pavel Salin, an analyst with the Center for Political Trends, an independent Moscow think tank. "It's part of a backlash by US hawks to the improving relations between our countries. There are players on both sides who are still operating with a cold war mentality, and this is their way of working."
Many also believe that the scandal will badly hurt Mr. Medvedev ahead of 2012 presidential elections, in which Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, a former KGB foreign intelligence officer whom some still see as the real leader of Russia, may sideline Medvedev with his considerable clout.
"It really looked like Medvedev was gaining points, starting to close the gap between him and Putin in terms of who is most capable," says Alexander Konovalov, president of the independent Institute for Strategic Assessments in Moscow.
But now Medvedev looks like he fell into an American trap, by making concessions on Russia's Iran policy and other issues amid the warm glow of Obama's hospitality, then getting hit with these spy allegations just as he was leaving, Mr. Konovalov says.
"This scandal shows Medvedev as not so tough, not so experienced as the former intelligence officer Putin," in the eyes of people who really matter in Moscow, meaning the military and security establishment. "So, objectively, this can only play directly into Putin's hands," he adds.
'Very special timing'
All appear to agree that the timing of the arrest announcement – the day after Medvedev wound up a successful four-day trip to the US and Canada – must have been orchestrated for political effect.
The SVR, Russia's foreign intelligence agency, rebuffed all requests for comment Tuesday. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, currently visiting Israel, said only that "[The Americans] haven't explained what they mean" by the spying allegations. "I hope they will do so. The only thing I can say is that it was some sort of very special timing," he added.
Most Russian analysts say that the charges are part of a domestic plot against Obama – though some admit their perceptions of the US dynamic is based on how dirty politics would be played in Russia.
Spy scandals are often publicized in Russia during times of international tension, including the thrilling 2006 capture in Moscow of undercover British agents using electronic devices hidden in rocks when Russia-Britain relations were at low ebb. Another involved the expulsion of two Canadian NATO diplomats under espionage rules a year ago, apparently to punish NATO for holding war games with neighboring Georgia.
Russian spies: US case could derail Medvedev, boost Putin
Russian spies case is believed in Moscow to be a plot by US hawks to undermine the US-Russia relationship. It could also hurt Medvedev's chances of beating Putin, an ex-KGB agent, in 2012 elections.
Russian spies case is believed in Moscow to be a plot by US hawks to undermine the US-Russia relationship. It could also hurt Medvedev's chances of beating Putin, an ex-KGB agent, in 2012 elections.
Russian spies case: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, left, and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin meeting at the Gorki residence outside Moscow, Monday. In Moscow, Russians believe the Russia spy case was a plot by US hawks to undermine the US-Russia relationship.
Vladimir Rodionov/Presidential Press Service/RIA-Novosti/AP
.Enlarge
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.By Fred Weir, Correspondent / June 29, 2010
Moscow
The Russian spy case, in which 10 alleged Russian spies were arrested just days after President Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev held one of the friendliest US-Russia meetings ever, looks like a carefully timed plot by disgruntled American hawks to reverse the warming relations.
Skip to next paragraph
Related Stories
Russian spy case 'right out of a John Le Carré novel'
Who is really running Russia?
All Russia news coverage
.At least, that is the nearly unanimous reaction to the scandal from Russian officials, security analysts, and political journalists.
"This scandal has been invented out of thin air," says Pavel Salin, an analyst with the Center for Political Trends, an independent Moscow think tank. "It's part of a backlash by US hawks to the improving relations between our countries. There are players on both sides who are still operating with a cold war mentality, and this is their way of working."
Many also believe that the scandal will badly hurt Mr. Medvedev ahead of 2012 presidential elections, in which Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, a former KGB foreign intelligence officer whom some still see as the real leader of Russia, may sideline Medvedev with his considerable clout.
"It really looked like Medvedev was gaining points, starting to close the gap between him and Putin in terms of who is most capable," says Alexander Konovalov, president of the independent Institute for Strategic Assessments in Moscow.
But now Medvedev looks like he fell into an American trap, by making concessions on Russia's Iran policy and other issues amid the warm glow of Obama's hospitality, then getting hit with these spy allegations just as he was leaving, Mr. Konovalov says.
"This scandal shows Medvedev as not so tough, not so experienced as the former intelligence officer Putin," in the eyes of people who really matter in Moscow, meaning the military and security establishment. "So, objectively, this can only play directly into Putin's hands," he adds.
'Very special timing'
All appear to agree that the timing of the arrest announcement – the day after Medvedev wound up a successful four-day trip to the US and Canada – must have been orchestrated for political effect.
The SVR, Russia's foreign intelligence agency, rebuffed all requests for comment Tuesday. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, currently visiting Israel, said only that "[The Americans] haven't explained what they mean" by the spying allegations. "I hope they will do so. The only thing I can say is that it was some sort of very special timing," he added.
Most Russian analysts say that the charges are part of a domestic plot against Obama – though some admit their perceptions of the US dynamic is based on how dirty politics would be played in Russia.
Spy scandals are often publicized in Russia during times of international tension, including the thrilling 2006 capture in Moscow of undercover British agents using electronic devices hidden in rocks when Russia-Britain relations were at low ebb. Another involved the expulsion of two Canadian NATO diplomats under espionage rules a year ago, apparently to punish NATO for holding war games with neighboring Georgia.
Russian spies: US case could derail Medvedev, boost Putin
Russian spies case is believed in Moscow to be a plot by US hawks to undermine the US-Russia relationship. It could also hurt Medvedev's chances of beating Putin, an ex-KGB agent, in 2012 elections.
FRENCH ATHEIST WHORES ATTACK ROMAN CATHOLICS --- DELUSIONS OF US SUPREME COURT GRANDEUR BY 911 HIJACKERS!!!
Latest update: 24/06/2010 - Belgium - Catholic Church - sex abuse
Police raid Catholic Church headquarters on new abuse charges Police raided the headquarters of the Belgian Catholic Church on Thursday after new charges emerged of child sex abuse at the hands of priests in the latest blow to the scandal-plagued church.
By News Wires (text)
Frederic SIMON (video) AFP - Police raided the headquarters of the Belgian Catholic Church on Thursday following fresh accusations of child sex abuse involving priests.
The latest blow to the scandal-hit Roman Catholic Church came as a meeting of bishops took place in the presence of the Vatican's ambassador to Belgium, in Mechelen, just north of Brussels.
"Within the context of a recent investigation, prosecutors have been informed of accusations denouncing abuse of minors committed by a certain number of Church figures," a spokesman for Brussels prosecutors told AFP.
About 30 officers and investigators sealed off the palace of the archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels "in order to establish if these accusations are backed up or not," said Jean-Marc Meilleur, without giving any more details.
Some 450 submissions to a special commission set up to examine complaints received of child abuse in the past and housed in the archdiocese premises were taken by officers.
Dutch-language daily De Standaard reported that authorities also wanted to ensure that all accusations received by Catholic leaders in the country had been transmitted to the independent body.
The man who led Belgium's Catholic Church for two decades until the turn of the year, Godfried Danneels, was himself "escorted" to the site by investigators, private Flemish TV channel VTM reported.
The channel said that the documents held by the independent commission were supposed to have been passed over "discreetly" to justice officials, but that clearly that had not yet been done as expected.
The Roman Catholic Church in Belgium has endured some of the worst of the paedophilia scandals to beset the Vatican, having been rocked in April when its longest-serving bishop, 73-year-old Roger Vangheluwe, resigned from his Bruges post after admitting sexually abusing a boy for years.
Danneels's successor as the leader of Belgium's Catholics, Andre-Joseph Leonard, has vowed a zero-tolerance approach to the issue since taking over as archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels.
In May, all of Belgium's bishops publicly begged forgiveness from victims both for the actions of paedophile priests and for the Church's "silence" down the years.
According to retired priest Dirk Deville, hundreds of cases of sexual abuse had been signalled to authorities going back to the 1990s, but only a "fraction" came to Danneels' attention in his 20 years at the helm.
Paedophile priest scandals and allegations of high-level cover-ups have surged again since last year across Europe, the United States and Brazil.
Earlier this month, Pope Benedict XVI begged for forgiveness in his clearest apology yet for the scourge.
"We... insistently beg forgiveness from God and from the persons involved, while promising to do everything possible to ensure that such abuse will never occur again," he said.
The pope himself has faced allegations that, as archbishop of Munich and later as the Vatican's chief morals enforcer, he helped to protect predator priests.
He has condemned paedophile priests several times, and met with abuse victims in Australia, the United States and Malta.
Police raid Catholic Church headquarters on new abuse charges Police raided the headquarters of the Belgian Catholic Church on Thursday after new charges emerged of child sex abuse at the hands of priests in the latest blow to the scandal-plagued church.
By News Wires (text)
Frederic SIMON (video) AFP - Police raided the headquarters of the Belgian Catholic Church on Thursday following fresh accusations of child sex abuse involving priests.
The latest blow to the scandal-hit Roman Catholic Church came as a meeting of bishops took place in the presence of the Vatican's ambassador to Belgium, in Mechelen, just north of Brussels.
"Within the context of a recent investigation, prosecutors have been informed of accusations denouncing abuse of minors committed by a certain number of Church figures," a spokesman for Brussels prosecutors told AFP.
About 30 officers and investigators sealed off the palace of the archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels "in order to establish if these accusations are backed up or not," said Jean-Marc Meilleur, without giving any more details.
Some 450 submissions to a special commission set up to examine complaints received of child abuse in the past and housed in the archdiocese premises were taken by officers.
Dutch-language daily De Standaard reported that authorities also wanted to ensure that all accusations received by Catholic leaders in the country had been transmitted to the independent body.
The man who led Belgium's Catholic Church for two decades until the turn of the year, Godfried Danneels, was himself "escorted" to the site by investigators, private Flemish TV channel VTM reported.
The channel said that the documents held by the independent commission were supposed to have been passed over "discreetly" to justice officials, but that clearly that had not yet been done as expected.
The Roman Catholic Church in Belgium has endured some of the worst of the paedophilia scandals to beset the Vatican, having been rocked in April when its longest-serving bishop, 73-year-old Roger Vangheluwe, resigned from his Bruges post after admitting sexually abusing a boy for years.
Danneels's successor as the leader of Belgium's Catholics, Andre-Joseph Leonard, has vowed a zero-tolerance approach to the issue since taking over as archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels.
In May, all of Belgium's bishops publicly begged forgiveness from victims both for the actions of paedophile priests and for the Church's "silence" down the years.
According to retired priest Dirk Deville, hundreds of cases of sexual abuse had been signalled to authorities going back to the 1990s, but only a "fraction" came to Danneels' attention in his 20 years at the helm.
Paedophile priest scandals and allegations of high-level cover-ups have surged again since last year across Europe, the United States and Brazil.
Earlier this month, Pope Benedict XVI begged for forgiveness in his clearest apology yet for the scourge.
"We... insistently beg forgiveness from God and from the persons involved, while promising to do everything possible to ensure that such abuse will never occur again," he said.
The pope himself has faced allegations that, as archbishop of Munich and later as the Vatican's chief morals enforcer, he helped to protect predator priests.
He has condemned paedophile priests several times, and met with abuse victims in Australia, the United States and Malta.
Monday, June 28, 2010
DEMOCRAT CONGRESSMAN ASSAULTS STUDENT LOAN RECIPIENTS --- FED JUDGE RULES FIRED BLAGO TRAFFIC SAFETY EMPLOYEES' LAWSUIT MAY GO FORWARD!!!
Judicial Watch Files House Ethics Complaint against Rep. Bob Etheridge for Alleged Assault
ViewDiscussion."Congressman Etheridge Acted Out in a Violent and Threatening Manner…"
Contact Information:
Press Office 202-646-5172, ext 305
Washington, DC -- June 22, 2010
Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has filed an official complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) against Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-NC) for allegedly assaulting a man on a Washington, DC, sidewalk on June 9th. According to press accounts, after the man asked Rep. Etheridge “Do you fully support the Obama agenda?” Etheridge allegedly grabbed the man by the wrist and by the “scruff” of the neck, pulling him into “an awkward clinch.” A video of the incident was widely distributed on the Internet and aired nationwide on major television networks.
According to Judicial Watch’s complaint, sent to the OCE’s Staff Director and Chief Counsel Leo Wise on June 18, 2010:
It is essential that the House hold Congressman Bob Etheridge to the high standards of behavior expected of a Member of the House. Congressman Etheridge acted out in a violent and threatening manner in response to an unremarkable inquiry by a member of the public. The public confidence in Congress has been diminished as a result.
Judicial Watch asks the OCE to take action in accordance with its authority as set forth in the House Ethics manual, which states:
“Public office is a public trust” has long been a guiding principle of government. To uphold this trust, Congress has bound itself to abide by certain standards of conduct, expressed in the Code of Official Conduct (House Rule 23) and the Code of Ethics for Government Service. These codes provide that Members, officers and employees are to conduct themselves in a manner that will reflect creditably on the House.
According to the manual, the U.S. Constitution authorizes Congress to punish members for disorderly behavior. Such punishments include: expulsion (with concurrence by two-thirds of the House), censure, reprimand, reduction of seniority, or “other sanction determined to be appropriate.” Judicial Watch also notes in its complaint that, in addition to any reprimand by Congress, Rep. Etheridge could also face criminal sanctions for assault under the laws of the District of Columbia and could be subject to penalties of up to $1,000 and 180 days in jail.
“As impotent as the House Ethics process has been, I cannot imagine Congress is going to allow one of its members to assault someone with video evidence without punishment,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “Without a doubt, Congressman Etheridge brought shame upon the institution of Congress with his appalling and violent outburst. He ought to be punished to the full extent of law and in accordance with the rules of conduct for members of Congress.”
OSAMAVITCH GROVELS TO RUSSIA!!!
Obama Grovels to the Russians, Refers to the "Great Patriotic War"
by Rush Limbaugh
June 25, 2010
BEGIN TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Somebody needs to ask Obama -- I know it's not gonna happen -- but some press person needs to say, "Mr. President, what exactly have you done to foster and support private sector growth? Can you name one thing, Mr. President, you have done that has caused private sector growth?" I'm sure he'd say health care, but it's not true. Obama said all that about the US can no longer pull the train for the world economy, he said all that yesterday while he was pushing for Russia and Putin to get into the World Trade Organization. Putin, Russia, those are the kind of people Obama wants to lead the world economy. Not us. And at the same press conference yesterday, Obama bowed to Putin's puppet -- this Medvedev guy -- more than he's bowed to everybody, and he's a master of "bowboy" diplomacy. He knows how to bow. In fact, we ought to establish that as a term for how Obama engages the world, "bowboy diplomacy." Let's stick with the audio sound bites. Here's Obama this morning outside the White House before leaving for Toronto. Audio sound bite number seven.
OBAMA: We'll put in place the toughest consumer financial protections in our history while creating an independent agency to enforce them. Through this agency we'll combine under one roof the consumer protection functions that currently are divided among half a dozen different agencies. Now there will be one agency whose sole job will be to look out for you.
RUSH: That's already being done. Ted Baxter's already doing that, Barack. Ted Baxter's already looking out for us. I don't want the government looking out for me in this kind of way. "We'll put in place the toughest consumer financial protections in our history while creating an independent agency to enforce 'em." Independent? It's going to be part of the regime! "Through this agency we'll combine under one roof the consumer protection functions that currently are divided among half a dozen different agencies. Now there will be one agency whose sole job will be to look out for you." Fox News already has that wrapped up, eight o'clock every night, looking out for you. By the way, here's Mark Knoller. This is a question that Obama got before leaving for Toronto. Mark Knoller, CBS Radio White House correspondent.
KNOLLER: Can you get the bill to the Senate?
OBAMA: You bet.
RUSH: You bet. Can you get the bill to the Senate? You bet. No question about it. Here's Timmy Geithner. This is yesterday, an interview with the BBC.
GEITHNER: I think the world understands now that the world -- growth in the future around the world can't depend as -- on the United States as much as it did in the past. So for the world to grow together, you're going to have to see more growth in the other major economies, too, not just in the emerging markets, which are very strong now in the United States.
RUSH: Okay, growth in the future, around the world can't depend on the United States as much as it did in the past. We're admitting it. The regime's leaders are admitting we're not going to be an economic engine of growth. Obama said it yesterday. This is how he said it.
OBAMA: The US economy for a long period of time was the engine of world economic growth. We were sucking in imports from all across the world, financed by huge amounts of consumer debt. Because of the financial crisis, but also because that debt was fundamentally unsustainable --
RUSH: Yeah.
OBAMA: -- the United States is not going to be able to serve in that same capacity to that same extent.
RUSH: Yeah. What he's saying is you have so much consumer debt that you're not going to be able to expand your lifestyles anymore, you're not going to be buying a bunch of products because we're not going to let you. That's what the financial reform bill is all about. We're not gonna let you do too much consuming. Besides, you're not going to have enough money to do any consuming because we're going to raise everybody's taxes. And therefore there won't be any private sector economic growth, and therefore there will not be any engine of economic growth that is the United States of America. Ain't going to happen. Get used to it. This is what the American people voted for 18 months ago. Now, this next is appalling and it is groveling at its most abject. This is Obama at the press conference with Dmitry Medvedev. Just listen to this. Sound bite number 11.
OBAMA: The generation that stood together as allies in the Second World War, the great patriotic war in which the Russian people suffered and sacrificed so much.
RUSH: To call World War II the great patriotic war, which is what Stalin called it, we call it World War II. The great patriotic war. It is groveling, it's just appalling. Carter may have kissed Brezhnev on the cheek. Obama is kissing Putin's butt with that press conference. Folks, this is abominable.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Tampa, and this is Tatum. Nice to have you here, and welcome.
CALLER: Hello, and let me start off with: Our beautiful beaches are open, our fishing is great, and the weather is great, so please come to Florida. Don't worry about the oil spill.
RUSH: Yeah, go to the West Coast of Florida if you're going to come. Go over there, exactly right. Go to Tampa.
CALLER: Specifically.
RUSH: Yeah.
CALLER: Today is just a frustrating day to wake up and see what was done again overnight while we were all sleeping, getting ready to go to work today.
RUSH: Yeah.
CALLER: Once again (chuckles), it seems like 2,000 pages of legislation is passed that no one's read and we don't know what's in it, and we're supposed to just accept it. That's become the norm. It's just frustrating. I grew up in a dysfunctional family with a bipolar parent, and I feel like I'm back there again. My country's leadership is bipolar, schizophrenic and paranoid.
RUSH: No, it's not. It's liberal. Well, it may be all that, but it's liberal. It is Marxist-socialist, is what it is. This is what you get. You know, folks, let me tell you about this business with the war. Snerdley asked me during the break, "What's so bad about the Great Patriotic War?" That's what Stalin called it! We have the president of the United States with a Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, sucking up or whatever the hell he was doing yesterday by referring to World War II as the Great Patriotic War. "The Great Patriotic War," to give you a little history lesson here, was only coined by Stalin after Hitler turned on him. They used to be allies. The Russians and the Germans were allies. All of a sudden Hitler turned on Stalin and Stalin suddenly needed to whip up some nationalistic fervor to repel the German invasion.
The Germans were coming and Stalin needed to get his gang up in morale. So the Great Patriotic War is what he called it. You know, Stalin even reopened the churches at the same time -- and that's another cynical move. But to have our president on our soil refer to the Great Patriotic War? My friends, it's an abomination. It is just appalling. It is groveling at its most abject. I mean, the Russians? Everybody thinks the Russians were such great allies of ours in World War II. Yeah, they wouldn't even declare war on Japan until the day before it was to end! The Russians were not our big allies. They only did that so as to be able to seize a couple of Japan's northern islands. We didn't have any allied status there. Remember, Patton got into trouble because he wanted to keep going to Moscow and wipe 'em out. He had a fear of what was coming.
The Great Patriotic War. So we have an idea here of just... This is "bowboy diplomacy." This is how Obama wants to impress people. These are the people he wants to impress, the Russians. He doesn't want to stand up for anything American, American exceptionalism. We're no longer going to be the engine that drives the world economy. We're not even going to be an engine that drives our own economy. I mean, every day, every day we wake up here with another one of our freedoms having been taken away, a new boot on our face, a new boot on our neck. Nobody -- nobody! -- calls it the Great Patriotic War except existing Stalinist hardliners, and there are still some around. You find 'em in California, south Florida, in New York, San Francisco. But nobody -- nobody -- refers to it as the Great Patriotic War.
END TRANSCRIPT
OSAMA HUSSEIN'S NETWORK --- IT'S NOT JUST A $3 MILLION PROJECTOR, IT'S REALITY!!!
Giannoulias says he's been subpoenaed for Blagojevich corruption trial
6/27/2010
From the Associated Press
U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias says former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich's lawyers have subpoenaed him to testify at Blagojevich's corruption trial.
Giannoulias said Sunday that he introduced a friend of President Barack Obama's to a union official. The friend, Valerie Jarrett, allegedly was Obama's choice to replace him in the Senate after he was elected president.
Prosecutors say Blagojevich sought favors from the White House in return for Jarrett's appointment and delivered the message through the union official.
Blagojevich has pleaded not guilty to charges of trying to sell or trade the appointment to the Senate seat.
Giannoulias is locked in a contentious race for Obama's old seat with Republican Congressman Mark Kirk.
+++++++++
Giannoulias Must Explain Contradictions, Answer Questions on Blagojevich Trial
6/28/2010
For months, U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias decided the people of Illinois didn’t have a right to know:
• That he called Rod Blagojevich’s Chief of Staff John Harris to discuss Illinois’ Senate seat;
• That he brokered a meeting between Valerie Jarrett and SEIU Illinois President and Blagojevich confidant Tom Balanoff;
• That he was questioned by federal investigators regarding the alleged sale of the U.S. Senate seat;
• And that he misled voters by claiming that the Blagojevich staff was “reaching out” to him as a potential candidate.
Now, with Balanoff preparing to testify in the Blagojevich trial, Giannoulias continues to make statements that raise serious questions.
• Alexi Giannoulias claims Tom Balanoff needed Alexi in order to contact Valerie Jarrett. But why would Balanoff need help if he had a direct line to the President-elect?
"Tom Balanoff reached out to me to get in touch with Valerie because he didn't know how to get a hold of her, and I put the two of them together," Giannoulias said. He said he also attended an informal meeting between Jarrett and Balanoff sometime after Obama's election but "didn't really participate in it." (Associated Press, 6/27/2010)
Two sources with knowledge of the investigation say Obama called Balanoff on Nov. 3, 2008, to give Balanoff the green light to continue talking to Blagojevich about Jarrett's possible appointment. The man who would be elected president the next day first left Balanoff, whose union also supported Obama, an innocuous message asking him to return the call. (Chicago Sun-Times, 4/23/2010)
• Alexi Giannoulias claims there was “nothing noteworthy” about the meeting he brokered between Balanoff and Jarrett. But we’ve already learned that this meeting was, in fact, noteworthy.
Giannoulias said he voluntarily talked to federal investigators about the meeting between Jarrett and Balanoff, but "they politely sent me on my way," because there was nothing noteworthy about it. (Associated Press, June 27, 2010)
In the same conversation, Jarrett said, Balanoff also told her Blagojevich had raised the possibility of his being named as secretary of Health and Human Services in the new Obama Cabinet, a possibility that Balanoff and Jarrett agreed would never happen. (Chicago Tribune, 4/30/2010)
• Alexi Giannoulias claims that Rod Blagojevich didn’t like him. But in 2008, Alexi claimed Blagojevich staff “reached out” to him as a potential replacement.
The former governor's ill will toward Alexi is no secret.” – Giannoulias campaign statement, June 27, 2010
“Giannoulias also said that staff within Blagojevich's office have "reached out" to him as a possible candidate to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate, though a Blagojevich spokesman said the governor has not contacted Giannoulias directly.” (Chicago Tribune, “Giannoulias mulls governor run, Senate seat,” 12/4/2008)
• Remember what David Hoffman said during the primary?
The National GOP is champing at the bit to make the 2010 U.S. Senate election in Illinois all about former Governor Rod Blagojevich. This morning, the Alexi Giannoulias campaign is serving them up a free punch, trotting out an endorsement from the union leadership that was Blago's biggest supporter and whose president was completely enmeshed in the controversy over Rod’s attempt to sell this Senate seat. (He even appears on the infamous Blagojevich wiretap!)
You can bet Giannoulias will sit silently on the dais and smile broadly as he receives the endorsement of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) leadership, just as he did when the Blagojevich controversy first surfaced. He doesn't rock the boat, and he's no doubt excited about stepping up to the same trough that netted Blagojevich more than a million dollars in campaign cash.
OSAMA HUSSEIN'S FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION & BP OIL HAVE CLOSED ACCESS TO UNITED STATES' GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES & AIRSPACE OVER GULF SPILL!!!
Media Blackout- Airspace Over Gulf Oil Spill Closed, What’s to Hide
June 16, 2010 by ahrcanum
GULF OF MEXICO OIL SPILL AND AFFECTED COASTLINE CLOSED
The media blackout continues. The airspace over the coastal waters around the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill have been closed by the FAA.
Pursuant to 14 CFR section 91.137(a)(1) temporary flight restrictions are in effect for deepwater horizon/mississippi canyon (mc252) incident cleanup and reconstitution operations…All aircraft operations are prohibited except those flights authorized by ATC, routine flights supporting offshore oil operations; federal, state, local and military flight operations supporting oil spill recovery and reconstitution efforts; and air medical and law enforcement operations. http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_0_5100.html
The closing of airspace does occur from time to time for everything from a military air show, to the arrival of a VIP. Other recent airspace closures can be found at http://tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.html. Most recently, much of Europe airspace was closed and blamed on the often invisible ash cloud from the Iceland Volcano. We saw airspace closed in the entire U.S. immediately after the events of 9-11.
So why close the airspace over an oil spill?
We know the oil spill is huge, and we know that BP and the AirForce is spraying COREXIT, the dispersant. The release says, “For additional information on air operations within the deepwater horizon TFR see website: https://1afnorth.Region1.Ang.Af.Mil/deepwater_spill/default.Aspx This link is a military site that offers no public access. So much for taking a little plane ride over the area.
http://ahrcanum.wordpress.com/2010/05/24/bp-tells-epa-to-shove-it-oil-spill-cleanup/ we noted that the EPA had asked BP to find an alternative to COREXIT after nearly a month of aerial spraying.
April 30, 2010. WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Air Force planes have been sent to Mississippi and were awaiting orders to start dumping chemicals on the oil spill threatening the coast, as the government worked Friday to determine how large a role the military should play in the cleanup.
The C-130 Hercules cargo planes, specially designed for aerial spraying, were sent Thursday from the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Ohio, said a spokesman there, Master Sgt. Bob Barko Jr. http://www.chem.info/News/2010/04/Environmental-Controls-Air-Force-Ready-to-Spray-Oil-Spill/
While we no longer have Posse Comitatus anymore with active U.S. Military Troops on U.S. soil, we now have BP hiring private security contractors to protect the oil spill, cleanup efforts and keep onlookers away.
In this video, the security firms name was revealed as Talon Security.. http://www.talonprivatesecurity.com/ They appear to be wearing sidearms and flack jackets.
“This wouldn’t be the first time a private security firm made an appearance in a Gulf disaster,” Wired’s Adam Rawnsley writes. “When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, the Department of Homeland Security and a number of private firms, fearful of reported widespread violence and chaos, turned to private security contractors like Blackwater and ArmorGroup International to protect their property.” via http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/06/bp-hires-mercs-to-block-oily-beaches/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Even Anderson Cooper of CNN, was warned by FEDERAL WILDLIFE OFFICIALS to avoid doing a bird clean up interview and when pursuing images of the clean up area, was denied access by a NATIONAL GUARD Troops.
Now we have the National Guard, The FAA, and private contractors all denying access. Who and what authorizes BP, and a mercenary security firm like Talon Security to have the right to provide security in the Gulf in the first place? Should privatized corporate law enforcement be a surprise.
Representative Gene Taylor (D-MS 4th) an 11th term Democrat from Mississippi, in a letter to President Obama asks:
05.01.10
Coincidence
The BP oil fire is projected to cause severe damage to four shoreline states. Cause? Was it an accident? Possible sabotage? Other?…Re: Recent BP fire – result oil spill 2010.
Should the federal government demand and regulate all oil employees who work on the oil rigs? Should the federal government provide security on and around oil production rigs? It is my opinion that leasing oil production companies do not have the capacity to provide U.S. security.
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bio/userletter/?id=348&letter_id=5130467066
On May 5th, 2010, ”Taylor flew over the spill in a Coast Guard plane on Saturday and said it was “not as bad” in an interview with a Biloxi TV station. He also said the slick looked like “chocolate milk” and appeared to be “breaking up naturally.” http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/96217-wicker-defends-rep-taylors-bp-oil-spill-analogy-to-chocolate-milk
Chocolate milk does not require the coast guard, AirForce, private security personnel and closed airspace. Relying only on BP data is BS. BP appears to have control over Nat’l Incident Mngt Systems data.
What this means to the non-GIS layperson:
1) The current configuration and process allow BP to limit or slow down the flow of information about the extent of the disaster to the government, the public and law enforcement, which I believe is against the spirit and letter of NIMS*.
2) The current process allows BP to treat GIS datasets as proprietary information. It is my understanding that public agencies, like The US Fish and Wildlife Service and The Louisiana National Guard, are literally submitting the only copy of agency field data directly to a BP GIS server behind the corporate firewall. Examples of these data are; dead bird and fish locations with photos, boom deployment and engineered construction, dates, along with other descriptive information and photos.
3) The GIS information is essential to the recovery of public resources, and some data belongs to US taxpayers, not BP. BP is paying for the hardware and collection of these GIS datasets, yet it is my understanding that the data belong to the people of the United States. BP must not be allowed to protect these data as if they were a proprietary product.
4) State Emergency Operation Center staff, Parish EOC staff, and other Emergency Responders and Recovery Specialists do not have access to these GIS datasets, contrary to all NIMS guidance, protocols and principles. The effort to slow down the flow of information is at the expense of the containment and cleanup effort of the responders and is in our opinion, suspect behavior by BP.
5) The Federal On Scene Coordinator at ICP Houma, US Coast Guard Captain Ed Stanton, standing with USCG Rear Admiral James Watson, approved the National Incident Management System (NIMS) compliant design, and ordered the first database and server. That server was received by BP, and placed behind the BP firewall.
Conclusion–At the very least, per NIMS, there must be redundancy of GIS information managed jointly, and fully accessible to both the FOSC and the SOSC. Technology allows implementation of this design to occur instantaneously and automatically. http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6593
According to the European financial database Amadeus, JPMorgan Chase is the No. 1 holder of stock in BP. That distinction also has earned the Wall Street bank the title of “Global Ultimate Owner” of the oil giant, as it owns 28.34% of BP. Let us remind you, JPMorgan got $25 BILLION in bailout money. http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/12/22/bailout.accountability/index.html
President Barack Obama declared war on the Gulf Oil spill in his first nationally televised address from the Oval Office. Obama wagged a finger in emphasis and insisted that oil giant BP will pay for the extensive environmental and the economic damage to the Gulf region. Duration: :01:32.
Who’s really going to pay? Follow the money all the way back to you and me.
“The Official Site of The Deepwater Horizon Unified Command”, http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931/ is Headquarters for information.
http://twitter.com/Oil_Spill_2010
June 16, 2010 by ahrcanum
GULF OF MEXICO OIL SPILL AND AFFECTED COASTLINE CLOSED
The media blackout continues. The airspace over the coastal waters around the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill have been closed by the FAA.
Pursuant to 14 CFR section 91.137(a)(1) temporary flight restrictions are in effect for deepwater horizon/mississippi canyon (mc252) incident cleanup and reconstitution operations…All aircraft operations are prohibited except those flights authorized by ATC, routine flights supporting offshore oil operations; federal, state, local and military flight operations supporting oil spill recovery and reconstitution efforts; and air medical and law enforcement operations. http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_0_5100.html
The closing of airspace does occur from time to time for everything from a military air show, to the arrival of a VIP. Other recent airspace closures can be found at http://tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.html. Most recently, much of Europe airspace was closed and blamed on the often invisible ash cloud from the Iceland Volcano. We saw airspace closed in the entire U.S. immediately after the events of 9-11.
So why close the airspace over an oil spill?
We know the oil spill is huge, and we know that BP and the AirForce is spraying COREXIT, the dispersant. The release says, “For additional information on air operations within the deepwater horizon TFR see website: https://1afnorth.Region1.Ang.Af.Mil/deepwater_spill/default.Aspx This link is a military site that offers no public access. So much for taking a little plane ride over the area.
http://ahrcanum.wordpress.com/2010/05/24/bp-tells-epa-to-shove-it-oil-spill-cleanup/ we noted that the EPA had asked BP to find an alternative to COREXIT after nearly a month of aerial spraying.
April 30, 2010. WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Air Force planes have been sent to Mississippi and were awaiting orders to start dumping chemicals on the oil spill threatening the coast, as the government worked Friday to determine how large a role the military should play in the cleanup.
The C-130 Hercules cargo planes, specially designed for aerial spraying, were sent Thursday from the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Ohio, said a spokesman there, Master Sgt. Bob Barko Jr. http://www.chem.info/News/2010/04/Environmental-Controls-Air-Force-Ready-to-Spray-Oil-Spill/
While we no longer have Posse Comitatus anymore with active U.S. Military Troops on U.S. soil, we now have BP hiring private security contractors to protect the oil spill, cleanup efforts and keep onlookers away.
In this video, the security firms name was revealed as Talon Security.. http://www.talonprivatesecurity.com/ They appear to be wearing sidearms and flack jackets.
“This wouldn’t be the first time a private security firm made an appearance in a Gulf disaster,” Wired’s Adam Rawnsley writes. “When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, the Department of Homeland Security and a number of private firms, fearful of reported widespread violence and chaos, turned to private security contractors like Blackwater and ArmorGroup International to protect their property.” via http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/06/bp-hires-mercs-to-block-oily-beaches/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Even Anderson Cooper of CNN, was warned by FEDERAL WILDLIFE OFFICIALS to avoid doing a bird clean up interview and when pursuing images of the clean up area, was denied access by a NATIONAL GUARD Troops.
Now we have the National Guard, The FAA, and private contractors all denying access. Who and what authorizes BP, and a mercenary security firm like Talon Security to have the right to provide security in the Gulf in the first place? Should privatized corporate law enforcement be a surprise.
Representative Gene Taylor (D-MS 4th) an 11th term Democrat from Mississippi, in a letter to President Obama asks:
05.01.10
Coincidence
The BP oil fire is projected to cause severe damage to four shoreline states. Cause? Was it an accident? Possible sabotage? Other?…Re: Recent BP fire – result oil spill 2010.
Should the federal government demand and regulate all oil employees who work on the oil rigs? Should the federal government provide security on and around oil production rigs? It is my opinion that leasing oil production companies do not have the capacity to provide U.S. security.
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bio/userletter/?id=348&letter_id=5130467066
On May 5th, 2010, ”Taylor flew over the spill in a Coast Guard plane on Saturday and said it was “not as bad” in an interview with a Biloxi TV station. He also said the slick looked like “chocolate milk” and appeared to be “breaking up naturally.” http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/96217-wicker-defends-rep-taylors-bp-oil-spill-analogy-to-chocolate-milk
Chocolate milk does not require the coast guard, AirForce, private security personnel and closed airspace. Relying only on BP data is BS. BP appears to have control over Nat’l Incident Mngt Systems data.
What this means to the non-GIS layperson:
1) The current configuration and process allow BP to limit or slow down the flow of information about the extent of the disaster to the government, the public and law enforcement, which I believe is against the spirit and letter of NIMS*.
2) The current process allows BP to treat GIS datasets as proprietary information. It is my understanding that public agencies, like The US Fish and Wildlife Service and The Louisiana National Guard, are literally submitting the only copy of agency field data directly to a BP GIS server behind the corporate firewall. Examples of these data are; dead bird and fish locations with photos, boom deployment and engineered construction, dates, along with other descriptive information and photos.
3) The GIS information is essential to the recovery of public resources, and some data belongs to US taxpayers, not BP. BP is paying for the hardware and collection of these GIS datasets, yet it is my understanding that the data belong to the people of the United States. BP must not be allowed to protect these data as if they were a proprietary product.
4) State Emergency Operation Center staff, Parish EOC staff, and other Emergency Responders and Recovery Specialists do not have access to these GIS datasets, contrary to all NIMS guidance, protocols and principles. The effort to slow down the flow of information is at the expense of the containment and cleanup effort of the responders and is in our opinion, suspect behavior by BP.
5) The Federal On Scene Coordinator at ICP Houma, US Coast Guard Captain Ed Stanton, standing with USCG Rear Admiral James Watson, approved the National Incident Management System (NIMS) compliant design, and ordered the first database and server. That server was received by BP, and placed behind the BP firewall.
Conclusion–At the very least, per NIMS, there must be redundancy of GIS information managed jointly, and fully accessible to both the FOSC and the SOSC. Technology allows implementation of this design to occur instantaneously and automatically. http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6593
According to the European financial database Amadeus, JPMorgan Chase is the No. 1 holder of stock in BP. That distinction also has earned the Wall Street bank the title of “Global Ultimate Owner” of the oil giant, as it owns 28.34% of BP. Let us remind you, JPMorgan got $25 BILLION in bailout money. http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/12/22/bailout.accountability/index.html
President Barack Obama declared war on the Gulf Oil spill in his first nationally televised address from the Oval Office. Obama wagged a finger in emphasis and insisted that oil giant BP will pay for the extensive environmental and the economic damage to the Gulf region. Duration: :01:32.
Who’s really going to pay? Follow the money all the way back to you and me.
“The Official Site of The Deepwater Horizon Unified Command”, http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931/ is Headquarters for information.
http://twitter.com/Oil_Spill_2010
OSAMA'S AIRPORT PROSECUTED FOR HIRING ILLEGAL ALIENS TO SECURE UNITED STATES AIRSPACE & TRAFFIC CONTROLS!!!
O’Hare Airport Security Breach – Over 100 Fake Security Badges, 23 Arrested
November 8, 2007 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
Federal and local law enforcement agents raided several warehouses Wednesday at O’Hare International Airport and arrested 24 workers who were allegedly in the country illegally and using phony security badges for jobs on the tarmac, cargo areas and other restricted zones.
Also arrested Wednesday in a probe federal authorities said “identified national security vulnerabilities” were two company managers at Ideal Staffing Solutions Inc., a temporary employment agency in Bensenville. The firm allegedly hired the workers and provided them with deactivated airport security badges that allowed them to work at O’Hare, immigration officials said. Ideal Staffing managers also knowingly allowed workers to lie about their identities on airport security applications, officials alleged. They said they’re still investigating whether there are more related security risks at the airport.
One report indicates more than 100 workers at have been found with fake security passes.
Authorities said 110 of the badges issued to a contracting company did not match their owners.
Of those arrested, 21 are from Mexico and two from Guatemala, the Associated Press new agency reported.
The case concerns workers employed by Ideal Staffing Solutions, which contracted work for carriers including United Airlines, KLM and Qantas.
Applications for the 110 fake badges used social security numbers that did not exist or belonged to other people, some of them dead.
One worker is said to have told investigators he was asked to rummage through a box of about 20 airport security passes and pick one with a picture that looked like him.
Read More from the Chicago Tribune
MSNBC has more from their investigation.
“The investigation identifies a vulnerability that could compromise national security, while bringing criminal charges against individuals who built an illegal work force into their business practice,” said Elissa A. Brown, special agent in charge for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office of investigations in Chicago. Brown.
Mary Gurin, 36, of Carpentersville, and Norinye Benitez, 24, of Franklin Park, were arrested and charged in separate federal complaints with one count of harboring illegal aliens for financial gain and one count of misuse of Social Security numbers, according to a release from the U.S. Attorneys office.
November 8, 2007 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
Federal and local law enforcement agents raided several warehouses Wednesday at O’Hare International Airport and arrested 24 workers who were allegedly in the country illegally and using phony security badges for jobs on the tarmac, cargo areas and other restricted zones.
Also arrested Wednesday in a probe federal authorities said “identified national security vulnerabilities” were two company managers at Ideal Staffing Solutions Inc., a temporary employment agency in Bensenville. The firm allegedly hired the workers and provided them with deactivated airport security badges that allowed them to work at O’Hare, immigration officials said. Ideal Staffing managers also knowingly allowed workers to lie about their identities on airport security applications, officials alleged. They said they’re still investigating whether there are more related security risks at the airport.
One report indicates more than 100 workers at have been found with fake security passes.
Authorities said 110 of the badges issued to a contracting company did not match their owners.
Of those arrested, 21 are from Mexico and two from Guatemala, the Associated Press new agency reported.
The case concerns workers employed by Ideal Staffing Solutions, which contracted work for carriers including United Airlines, KLM and Qantas.
Applications for the 110 fake badges used social security numbers that did not exist or belonged to other people, some of them dead.
One worker is said to have told investigators he was asked to rummage through a box of about 20 airport security passes and pick one with a picture that looked like him.
Read More from the Chicago Tribune
MSNBC has more from their investigation.
“The investigation identifies a vulnerability that could compromise national security, while bringing criminal charges against individuals who built an illegal work force into their business practice,” said Elissa A. Brown, special agent in charge for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office of investigations in Chicago. Brown.
Mary Gurin, 36, of Carpentersville, and Norinye Benitez, 24, of Franklin Park, were arrested and charged in separate federal complaints with one count of harboring illegal aliens for financial gain and one count of misuse of Social Security numbers, according to a release from the U.S. Attorneys office.
OSAMA'S CHICAGO AIRPORT IS THE LEAST SECURE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!! OSAMA FIRES SECURITY ON 911 --- MULTI-MILLION $ LAWSUIT PENDING!!!
Ousted Security Boss: O'Hare is 'Least Secure Airport' in Country
Updated: Wednesday, 03 Mar 2010, 9:35 PM CST
Published : Wednesday, 03 Mar 2010, 7:15 PM CST
Chicago Sun Times
Chicago - O’Hare Airport is the “least secure airport in the country” -- and vulnerable to a terrorist attack -- because of an aviation commissioner hell-bent on building runways at the expense of security, the airport’s fired security chief told the Chicago Sun-Times Wednesday.
Jim Maurer said he was fired from his $130,380-a-year security job in mid-September, not because he “physically attacked” one of Aviation Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino’s top lieutenants, as Andolino claimed, but because he raised security concerns the commissioner didn’t want to hear.
Maurer’s explosive charges are outlined in a lawsuit filed Wednesday against Andolino and her top deputy, Ellen O’Connor. He’s seeking reinstatement, back pay and in excess of $2 million in damages, for what he calls a “retaliatory discharge” and “slander” of his reputation.
Maurer’s lawsuit claims that O’Connor, an assistant aviation commissioner, even went so far as to file a “false police report” claiming that Maurer had assaulted her, when he did not.
“[Andolino] made up this stuff to get rid of me because I was the guy who brought the turd to the punch bowl. Every time I would bring up a security issue, they didn’t want to hear about it. It all cost money. It interfered with their O’Hare Modernization Program. That’s all they care about,” said Maurer, 63.
“O’Hare is the least secure airport in the country because of security lapses they poo-pooed every time I brought it up. I can’t go into some of it because it would be so easy for some whack job to go in and shoot up the place.”
Pressed for specifics, Maurer talked about his failed efforts to convince Andolino to move the communications nerve center away from the terminal core.
He outlined a “severe manpower shortage” that has reduced authorized police strength from more than 220 officer before the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, to “120-something” today. On some nights, there are “as few as two armed officers patrolling the entire airport,” he said.
But Maurer charged that the biggest security problem of all is the fact that O’Hare is “the only airport in the country that allows private vehicles to park on the secure side of the airfield.”
“Ten thousand vehicles-a-day drive through and park in the northwest hanger area of the airport, even though they’ve been warned twice by TSA and Homeland Security. It’s private parking for airline employees and they don’t want to piss off the airlines,” Maurer said.
“This has the potential for creating the biggest catastrophe of any airport scenario you could have. Forget about seizing airplanes. You don’t have to do that. You have 28 miles of perimeter that are not properly secure.”
Mayor Daley sloughed off Maurer’s explosive allegations and declared O’Hare to be a “good airport” that’s perfectly safe.
“He’s disgruntled. You would be, too. ... Any time someone is asked to leave, of course they’re gonna say that,” the mayor said.
“That’s his lawsuit. He’s gonna say that. He was in an exempt position. They asked him to leave.”
Andolino was out of town and unavailable for comment.
Maurer is a former Chicago Police Department chief-of-patrol who spent four years as aviation security chief after retiring from the Police Department in 2005. The civilian job allowed Maurer to collect a police pension and a city paycheck at the same time.
The outspoken Maurer is also no stranger to controversy.
In 2003, while a semi-finalist for police superintendent, Maurer lashed out at the parents of a critically wounded 9-year-old for allowing their son to be out past midnight at a party for a slain gang leader whom he likened to Adolf Hitler.
Mayor Daley understood what Maurer meant, but was not happy with his choice of words. The superintendent’s job ultimately went to Phil Cline.
The aviation security chief presides over an $11.8 million-a-year budget and 220 employees, including unarmed aviation security officers who guard perimeter checkpoints to prevent unauthorized access to the tarmac and back areas at O’Hare and Midway.
The sensitive job was previously held by former First Deputy Police Superintendent Jack Townsend, the Bridgeport native who once served as head of Richard J. Daley’s bodyguard detail.
CHICAGO POLICE SUE APOLLO WHILE CRIMINALLY HARASSING FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN RECIPIENTS AT WORK & DEMANDING AYER SPEECHES ON CAMPUSES!!!
Apollo Group's $277.5 Million Jury Loss Is Reinstated by Appeals Court
By Thom Weidlich and Emily Heller - Jun 23, 2010
Business ExchangeTwitterDeliciousDiggFacebookLinkedInNewsvinePropellerYahoo! BuzzPrintApollo Group Inc., owner of the for- profit University of Phoenix, had a securities-fraud damages award of as much as $277.5 million reinstated against it after the trial judge had tossed it out.
The federal appeals court in San Francisco reinstated the jury award today. U.S. District Judge James A. Teilborg in Phoenix ruled in 2008 that Apollo stockholders couldn’t show their losses were caused by ex-Chief Executive Officer Todd Nelson’s withholding of a U.S. Education Department report that accused the company of violating a federal ban on paying staff on the basis of enrollment numbers.
“The district court erred in granting Apollo judgment as a matter of law,” the appeals court wrote today, finding that the jury could have “reasonably found” that analyst reports were “corrective disclosures” that deflated the stock price.
The jury made the award in January 2008, setting damages at $5.55 a share, the amount investors sought. The appeals court found Apollo isn’t entitled to a new trial despite the exclusion of certain testimony the company sought to introduce and that there was no reason to reduce the amount of the jury award.
“This is a great victory for shareholder rights in America,” Stephen Basser, a lawyer for the investors at Barrack, Rodos & Bacine in San Diego, said in an e-mailed statement.
Company Is Disappointed
The company is disappointed with today’s decision “and believes that the lower court’s well-reasoned decision in its favor was correct,” P. Robert Moya, Apollo’s general counsel, said in a statement.
“We will explore all available options for seeking further review of the Ninth Circuit’s decision,” Moya said.
After a two-month trial, jurors found Apollo officials didn’t mention the government audit of the university’s operations in a press statement, analyst calls or a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over a seven-month period beginning in February 2004.
Jurors concluded that was an attempt to deceive investors, such as the Policemen’s Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago, about the university’s financial stability. They held the company, Nelson and former Chief Financial Officer Kenda Gonzales liable.
Apollo officials countered during the case that they didn’t disclose the report because their lawyers told them it was preliminary and flawed, that the company quickly resolved the issues raised and that the report’s subsequent disclosure didn’t significantly affect Apollo’s stock price.
Seven months after they received the audit, Apollo paid a $9.8 million fine without conceding it violated government education rules. After the settlement was announced, the contents of the report became public and investors sued.
The Education Department’s probe was triggered by a California lawsuit by two University of Phoenix counselors who said they were paid based on the number of students they enrolled.
A 1992 federal law bars schools whose students receive federally guaranteed tuition loans from paying staffers a commission, bonus or other incentive payment based on the number of students they enroll.
Apollo fell 22 cents to $46.33 in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. The stock has fallen 24 percent this year.
The case is In re Apollo Group Inc. Securities Litigation, 04-2147, U.S. District Court, District of Arizona (Phoenix). The appeal is 08-16971, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (San Francisco).
To contact the reporters on this story: Thom Weidlich in Brooklyn, New York, federal court at tweidlich@bloomberg.net. Emily Heller in Phoenix at emilyheller@cox.net.
Friday, June 25, 2010
ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN....ONE GIANT LEAP FOR WOMAN : )
Boeing wins final contract for moon rocket
NASA strikes $799.5 million deal for Ares 1 avionics system
NASA
An artist's concept shows the Ares 1 rocket in flight. Slide show
NASA artwork traces each phase of a future mission to the moon and back.
updated 7:18 p.m. MT, Wed., Dec . 12, 2007
WASHINGTON - NASA on Wednesday awarded the Boeing Co. a $799.5 million contract to produce an avionics system that will control the Ares 1 rocket, which will be used to send astronauts back to the moon.
The latest deal is the final major contract award for the program that will launch the Orion crew exploration vehicle into orbit by 2020. Over the last five months, NASA has awarded nearly $5 billion in contracts for various Ares 1 elements to companies including Boeing; Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp.; and Alliant Techsystems Inc.
A year ago, NASA passed over Boeing as well as its strategic partner, Northrop Grumman, to give the $3.9 billion contract for the Orion crew exploration vehicle to a team led by Lockheed Martin. This time, Boeing beat out Ball Aerospace, a unit of Broomfield, Colo.-based Ball Corp. for the avionics deal.
The avionics are considered the "brains" of the Ares 1 rocket and will provide guidance, navigation and control for the rocket until it reaches orbit. The system is also responsible for managing vehicle health and reporting engine shutdown and first-stage separation to flight controllers.
The company will develop and acquire the avionics hardware for the rocket, as well as assemble, inspect and integrate the system's components on the upper stage of the rocket. The parts will be manufactured by Boeing suppliers across the country.
Boeing said it expects to hire up to 100 technical personnel to support NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Final integration and checkout will take place at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana.
This report was supplemented by msnbc.com.
CONGRATULATIONS --- BOEING WINS U.S. DEFENSE TANKER CONTRACT!!!
Boeing gets $216 million contract to upgrade KC-10 tankers
A KC-10 Extender from McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., flies a mission over Southwest Asia in 2008. (Staff Sgt. Cherie A. Thurlby/U.S. Air Force)
The U.S. Air Force has awarded Boeing a $216 million contract to install a new communication, navigation, surveillance and air traffic management system in the service's 59 KC-10 Extender tankers, Boeing announced Wednesday.
The upgrade will allow the fleet to comply with the expected 2015 U.S. and global air traffic standards.
"As air traffic continues to increase, modern CNS/ATM systems become essential for communicating precise flight data and obtaining the most direct routing," Mike Harris, Boeing vice president of Weapon Systems Modernization, said in a news release. "This upgrade is critical to the Air Force for pilots' safety, mission effectiveness and lower operational costs."
The contract calls for modification and flight-testing from 2012 through 2015.
The KC-10 tankers are the big brothers of the KC-135 Stratotankers that the Air Force is trying to replace with its current KC-X tanker contract process.
Close
de.licio.usDiggFacebookNewsvineRedditStumbleUponGoogle BookmarksYahoo MyWebTwitterPosted by Aubrey Cohen at June 23, 2010 11:22 a.m.
Categories: Boeing/Airbus orders, Defense, Tanker
+++++++++++++++++
Boeing gets $100 million Navy contract
Comments (10) Recommend (1)
By Eagle staff
Boeing has received a five-year contract valued at more than $100 million to provide the U.S. Navy with C-40A logistics support .
The plane is a military version of the Boeing 737-700 C. It is designed to support Navy operations worldwide.
The contract supports the Navy's fleet of nine planes that are in service. Boeing has a contract to deliver three more C-40As by the end of 2011.
The contract is in addition to the current support Boeing provides for the plane, including sustaining engineering and winglet modification.
Read more: http://www.kansas.com/2010/06/24/1375564/boeing-gets-100-million-navy-contract.html#ixzz0rsmfffbX
+++++++++++++++
Boeing gets $1.53 bln US contract for eight C-17s
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2010-06-22 22:24 (UTC)
WASHINGTON, June 22 (Reuters) - Boeing Co has received a $1.53 billion U.S. Air Force contract for eight C-17 transport planes, the Pentagon said on Tuesday in a daily list of contract awards.
It said $734 million has already been obligated toward the work.
The Obama administration has said it is opposed to Congress adding further funding for C-17 aircraft beyond those already budgeted for.
(Washington newsroom, 202 898-8300)
Keywords: BOEING/C17
COPYRIGHT
Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved.
The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
++++++++++++++
Russia to buy 50 Boeing 737s worth four billion dollars
ChannelOneAsia.Com ^ | 6/25/2010 | ChannelOneAsia.Com
Posted on Thursday, June 24, 2010 3:47:32 PM by sonofstrangelove
President Barack Obama on Thursday said that Russia was buying 50 Boeing aircraft valued at four billion dollars that could create 44,000 jobs in the struggling US economy.
Obama, speaking after White House talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, said the order was part of a broad array of major trade and investment deals between the two countries.
"Consistent with my administration's national export initiative, this includes the sale of 50 Boeing aircraft worth four billion dollars that could add up to 44,000 new jobs in the American aerospace industry," Obama said.
In a statement released after Obama's comment, Boeing said that it had signed a document with the Russian state corporation Rostechnologii "confirming the decision by Rostechnologii to place an order for 50 Boeing Next-Generation 737 airplanes."
The document was signed during Medvedev's official visit to the United States, the aerospace giant said, without providing further details.
"Rostechnologii's selection of Boeing airplanes demonstrates its commitment to deploying the optimal solution for the market needs," the Chicago-based company said.
Touting "the economic benefits and operating efficiencies" of the Next-Generation 737, Boeing said the planes would "directly support Rostechnologii's plan to provide Russian airlines with efficient and reliable airplanes that will help them to consolidate and grow their domestic and international operations."
"We look forward to continuing our long-term partnership with Rostechnologii and finalising the contract," the company said.
Jim Proulx, spokesman for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said in an interview with AFP that the 50 Next-Generation 737s were worth "3.6 billion dollars at current list price."
Commercial aircraft are often sold below list value.
Proulx noted the agreement signed was for the Russian state firm to purchase the planes, but further details needed to be worked out for a firm contract, such as which airlines would be taking the planes
(Excerpt) Read more at channelnewsasia.com ...
A KC-10 Extender from McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., flies a mission over Southwest Asia in 2008. (Staff Sgt. Cherie A. Thurlby/U.S. Air Force)
The U.S. Air Force has awarded Boeing a $216 million contract to install a new communication, navigation, surveillance and air traffic management system in the service's 59 KC-10 Extender tankers, Boeing announced Wednesday.
The upgrade will allow the fleet to comply with the expected 2015 U.S. and global air traffic standards.
"As air traffic continues to increase, modern CNS/ATM systems become essential for communicating precise flight data and obtaining the most direct routing," Mike Harris, Boeing vice president of Weapon Systems Modernization, said in a news release. "This upgrade is critical to the Air Force for pilots' safety, mission effectiveness and lower operational costs."
The contract calls for modification and flight-testing from 2012 through 2015.
The KC-10 tankers are the big brothers of the KC-135 Stratotankers that the Air Force is trying to replace with its current KC-X tanker contract process.
Close
de.licio.usDiggFacebookNewsvineRedditStumbleUponGoogle BookmarksYahoo MyWebTwitterPosted by Aubrey Cohen at June 23, 2010 11:22 a.m.
Categories: Boeing/Airbus orders, Defense, Tanker
+++++++++++++++++
Boeing gets $100 million Navy contract
Comments (10) Recommend (1)
By Eagle staff
Boeing has received a five-year contract valued at more than $100 million to provide the U.S. Navy with C-40A logistics support .
The plane is a military version of the Boeing 737-700 C. It is designed to support Navy operations worldwide.
The contract supports the Navy's fleet of nine planes that are in service. Boeing has a contract to deliver three more C-40As by the end of 2011.
The contract is in addition to the current support Boeing provides for the plane, including sustaining engineering and winglet modification.
Read more: http://www.kansas.com/2010/06/24/1375564/boeing-gets-100-million-navy-contract.html#ixzz0rsmfffbX
+++++++++++++++
Boeing gets $1.53 bln US contract for eight C-17s
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2010-06-22 22:24 (UTC)
WASHINGTON, June 22 (Reuters) - Boeing Co has received a $1.53 billion U.S. Air Force contract for eight C-17 transport planes, the Pentagon said on Tuesday in a daily list of contract awards.
It said $734 million has already been obligated toward the work.
The Obama administration has said it is opposed to Congress adding further funding for C-17 aircraft beyond those already budgeted for.
(Washington newsroom, 202 898-8300)
Keywords: BOEING/C17
COPYRIGHT
Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved.
The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
++++++++++++++
Russia to buy 50 Boeing 737s worth four billion dollars
ChannelOneAsia.Com ^ | 6/25/2010 | ChannelOneAsia.Com
Posted on Thursday, June 24, 2010 3:47:32 PM by sonofstrangelove
President Barack Obama on Thursday said that Russia was buying 50 Boeing aircraft valued at four billion dollars that could create 44,000 jobs in the struggling US economy.
Obama, speaking after White House talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, said the order was part of a broad array of major trade and investment deals between the two countries.
"Consistent with my administration's national export initiative, this includes the sale of 50 Boeing aircraft worth four billion dollars that could add up to 44,000 new jobs in the American aerospace industry," Obama said.
In a statement released after Obama's comment, Boeing said that it had signed a document with the Russian state corporation Rostechnologii "confirming the decision by Rostechnologii to place an order for 50 Boeing Next-Generation 737 airplanes."
The document was signed during Medvedev's official visit to the United States, the aerospace giant said, without providing further details.
"Rostechnologii's selection of Boeing airplanes demonstrates its commitment to deploying the optimal solution for the market needs," the Chicago-based company said.
Touting "the economic benefits and operating efficiencies" of the Next-Generation 737, Boeing said the planes would "directly support Rostechnologii's plan to provide Russian airlines with efficient and reliable airplanes that will help them to consolidate and grow their domestic and international operations."
"We look forward to continuing our long-term partnership with Rostechnologii and finalising the contract," the company said.
Jim Proulx, spokesman for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said in an interview with AFP that the 50 Next-Generation 737s were worth "3.6 billion dollars at current list price."
Commercial aircraft are often sold below list value.
Proulx noted the agreement signed was for the Russian state firm to purchase the planes, but further details needed to be worked out for a firm contract, such as which airlines would be taking the planes
(Excerpt) Read more at channelnewsasia.com ...
Sunday, June 20, 2010
MORE VICTIMS OF CLINTONS TERRORISTS SPEAK OUT...CAN HILLARY BY PARDONED...HOW LONG WILL SHE SERVE IN FED PRISON??? WE'LL FIND OUT.
How Eric Holder fixed the FALN pardons
By Michelle Malkin • January 9, 2009 10:18 AM The Los Angeles Times, mirabile dictu, breaks from the Obamedia pack and does some digging into Attorney General nominee Eric Holder’s past history as a political fixer for the Puerto Rican FALN terrorists (hat tip – Debra).
Attorney general nominee Eric H. Holder Jr. repeatedly pushed some of his subordinates at the Clinton Justice Department to drop their opposition to a controversial 1999 grant of clemency to 16 members of two violent Puerto Rican nationalist organizations, according to interviews and documents…
…President Clinton’s decision to commute prison terms caused an uproar at the time. Holder was called before Congress to explain his role but declined to answer numerous questions from angry lawmakers demanding to know why the Justice Department had not sided with the FBI, federal prosecutors and other law enforcement officials, who were vehemently opposed to the grants.
Some religious groups and influential individuals, including President Carter, had endorsed the commutations. But Clinton’s decision outraged law enforcement officials, who had tried to contain a bombing campaign in New York, Chicago and elsewhere in the 1970s and 1980s by groups seeking independence for Puerto Rico from the United States.
New interviews and an examination of previously undisclosed documents indicate that Holder played an active role in changing the position of the Justice Department on the commutations.
Holder instructed his staff at Justice’s Office of the Pardon Attorney to effectively replace the department’s original report recommending against any commutations, which had been sent to the White House in 1996, with one that favored clemency for at least half the prisoners, according to these interviews and documents.
And after Pardon Attorney Roger Adams resisted, Holder’s chief of staff instructed him to draft a neutral “options memo” instead, Adams said.
The options memo allowed Clinton to grant the commutations without appearing to go against the Justice Department’s wishes, Adams and his predecessor, Margaret Colgate Love, said in their first public comments on the case.
“I remember this well, because it was such a big deal to consider clemency for a group of people convicted of such heinous crimes,” said Adams, the agency’s top pardon lawyer from 1997 until 2008. He said he told Holder of his “strong opposition to any clemency in several internal memos and a draft report recommending denial” and in at least one face-to-face meeting. But each time Holder wasn’t satisfied, Adams said.
The 16 members of the FALN (the Spanish acronym for Armed Forces of National Liberation) and Los Macheteros had been convicted in Chicago and Hartford variously of bank robbery, possession of explosives and participating in a seditious conspiracy. Overall, the two groups had been linked by the FBI to more than 130 bombings, several armed robberies, six slayings and hundreds of injuries.
CAN HILLARY ESCAPE PRISON??? WILL HER "SPECIAL PRIVILEGE" DEFENSE HOLD UP IN THE BLAGO TRIAL??? WILL FIND OUT.
COUNT FIVE
The SPECIAL FEBRUARY 2008-2 GRAND JURY further charges:
2. On or about November 10, 2008, at Chicago, in the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, and elsewhere, ROD BLAGOJEVICH, defendant herein, for the purpose of executing the above-described scheme, did knowingly cause to be transmitted by means of wire and radio communication in interstate commerce signals and sounds, namely a conference call between ROD BLAGOJEVICH, John Harris and others, in Chicago, Illinois, and various advisors in Washington, D.C., and New York City, in which they discussed financial benefits which ROD BLAGOJEVICH could request in exchange for the appointment of Senate Candidate B to the United States Senate; In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1343 and 1346.
The SPECIAL FEBRUARY 2008-2 GRAND JURY further charges:
2. On or about November 10, 2008, at Chicago, in the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, and elsewhere, ROD BLAGOJEVICH, defendant herein, for the purpose of executing the above-described scheme, did knowingly cause to be transmitted by means of wire and radio communication in interstate commerce signals and sounds, namely a conference call between ROD BLAGOJEVICH, John Harris and others, in Chicago, Illinois, and various advisors in Washington, D.C., and New York City, in which they discussed financial benefits which ROD BLAGOJEVICH could request in exchange for the appointment of Senate Candidate B to the United States Senate; In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1343 and 1346.
HILLARY CLINTON --- THE MOST CORRUPT U.S. POLITICAL WIFE IN HISTORY --- IS SHE LOOKING AT A PRISON TERM THIS TIME???
Ethics Complaints and Investigations – Senator Hillary Clinton
Senator Clinton (D-NY)
“Thanks in no small part to Judicial Watch, Hillary Clinton may be the most thoroughly…investigated person in the history of the Republic.” -- Margaret Carlson, Time Magazine, CNN’s Capital Gang.
According to the evidence compiled by Judicial Watch in the last ten years, Hillary Clinton is among the most corrupt politicians in our nation’s history. She devised a scheme to sell taxpayer financed trade missions to Communist China in exchange for campaign contributions. She presided over the theft of the private FBI files of former Reagan and Bush staffers. She led the campaign to slander the women sexually and otherwise abused by President Clinton, and has lied time and time again to investigators, to her colleagues, to the press and to the American people.
Most recently, according to a Judicial Watch’s Senate Ethics complaint filed on May 6, 2005, Senator Clinton and her campaign team conspired to defraud the U.S. Senate and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) by failing to report the true cost of a $2 million Hollywood campaign fundraising event in August 2000. David Rosen, Hillary Clinton’s National Finance Director, recently stood trial for his role in the campaign finance scheme, facing charges he caused false campaign finance reports to be filed with the Federal Election Commission. Federal prosecutors, in an effort to keep Hillary and Bill Clinton out of the trial, presented a watered down case and Rosen was eventually acquitted. Still, there is a mountain of evidence implicating Rosen and both Clintons, and this evidence can be found in the following complaint filed by Judicial Watch with the U.S. Senate’s Select Committee on Ethics.
May 26, 2006 Senate Ethics Committee Letter
2006 Petition to Senate Select Committee on Ethics
2006 Petition to FEC
2005 Ethics Complaint Against Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton – Complaint filed with the Senate Select Committee on Ethics
2001 Ethics Complaint Against Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
QUICK LINKS
Hillary Watch 2006
Group waiting for action on Code Pink digs - Washington Times (October 25, 2007)
Dishwashers for Clinton - Washington Post (October 22, 2007)
Papers? I Don’t See Any Papers. - Newsweek (Oct 29, 2007)
Their Seven Deadly Sins - American Spectator (October 18, 2007)
Accused Law Firm Continues Giving to Democrat - New York Times (October 18, 2007)
Prosecution Rests in California Bribery Trial - The Washington Post (October 18, 2007)
Hillary leads in donor refunds - Washington Times (October 17, 2007)
ARPAIO TARGETS DAY LABORER COMPLAINTS IN CITY OF PHOENIX - Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (October 15, 2007)
The Convict and the Congressman - Conde Nast (November 2007)
White House Denies Delaying Release of Clinton Records - New York Sun (October 12, 2007)
Effort to Curb Illegal Workers' Hiring Blocked - Washington Post (October 11, 2007)
He’s back: Sandy Berger now advising Hillary Clinton - Examiner.com (October 8, 2007)
Illegal immigrants are issued ID cards in some places - USA Today (October 4, 2007)
Former Presidents Can't Withhold Records - Washington Post (October 2, 2007)
Senator Clinton (D-NY)
“Thanks in no small part to Judicial Watch, Hillary Clinton may be the most thoroughly…investigated person in the history of the Republic.” -- Margaret Carlson, Time Magazine, CNN’s Capital Gang.
According to the evidence compiled by Judicial Watch in the last ten years, Hillary Clinton is among the most corrupt politicians in our nation’s history. She devised a scheme to sell taxpayer financed trade missions to Communist China in exchange for campaign contributions. She presided over the theft of the private FBI files of former Reagan and Bush staffers. She led the campaign to slander the women sexually and otherwise abused by President Clinton, and has lied time and time again to investigators, to her colleagues, to the press and to the American people.
Most recently, according to a Judicial Watch’s Senate Ethics complaint filed on May 6, 2005, Senator Clinton and her campaign team conspired to defraud the U.S. Senate and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) by failing to report the true cost of a $2 million Hollywood campaign fundraising event in August 2000. David Rosen, Hillary Clinton’s National Finance Director, recently stood trial for his role in the campaign finance scheme, facing charges he caused false campaign finance reports to be filed with the Federal Election Commission. Federal prosecutors, in an effort to keep Hillary and Bill Clinton out of the trial, presented a watered down case and Rosen was eventually acquitted. Still, there is a mountain of evidence implicating Rosen and both Clintons, and this evidence can be found in the following complaint filed by Judicial Watch with the U.S. Senate’s Select Committee on Ethics.
May 26, 2006 Senate Ethics Committee Letter
2006 Petition to Senate Select Committee on Ethics
2006 Petition to FEC
2005 Ethics Complaint Against Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton – Complaint filed with the Senate Select Committee on Ethics
2001 Ethics Complaint Against Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
QUICK LINKS
Hillary Watch 2006
Group waiting for action on Code Pink digs - Washington Times (October 25, 2007)
Dishwashers for Clinton - Washington Post (October 22, 2007)
Papers? I Don’t See Any Papers. - Newsweek (Oct 29, 2007)
Their Seven Deadly Sins - American Spectator (October 18, 2007)
Accused Law Firm Continues Giving to Democrat - New York Times (October 18, 2007)
Prosecution Rests in California Bribery Trial - The Washington Post (October 18, 2007)
Hillary leads in donor refunds - Washington Times (October 17, 2007)
ARPAIO TARGETS DAY LABORER COMPLAINTS IN CITY OF PHOENIX - Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (October 15, 2007)
The Convict and the Congressman - Conde Nast (November 2007)
White House Denies Delaying Release of Clinton Records - New York Sun (October 12, 2007)
Effort to Curb Illegal Workers' Hiring Blocked - Washington Post (October 11, 2007)
He’s back: Sandy Berger now advising Hillary Clinton - Examiner.com (October 8, 2007)
Illegal immigrants are issued ID cards in some places - USA Today (October 4, 2007)
Former Presidents Can't Withhold Records - Washington Post (October 2, 2007)
ANYONE INTERESTED IN CONFRONTED US DOMESTIC TERRORIST OSAMA & THE UNQUALIFIED WIFE OF THE IMPEACHED, DIS-BARRED, & NEVER PARDONED ONE...COME TO TEXAS!
HERE WE ARE IN AMARILLO, TEXAS AT THE "SALVATION ARMY"...
IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN FACE-TO-FACE CONFRONTATION WITH THE UNQUALIFIED WIFE OF THE PREVIOUS IMPEACHED, DIS-BARRED, AND NEVER PARDONED PRESIDENT, AS WELL AS U.S. DOMESTIC TERRORIST AND HIS 911 HIJACKERS....YOU'RE WELCOME TO AMARILLO, TEXAS BABY!!!
Facing Federal Lawsuit, Arizona Governor Stands Her Ground on Immigration Law
Published June 19, 2010
| FOXNews.com
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer speaks to reporters outside the White House in Washington, Thursday, June 3, 2010, after a private meeting with President Barack Obama. (AP)
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer refused to flinch after Obama administration officials confirmed Friday that they plan to file a lawsuit challenging the state's anti-illegal immigration law.
In a statement issued late Friday, Brewer called Obama's decision "outrageous" but "not surprising."
"Our federal government should be using its legal resources to fight illegal immigration, not the law-abiding citizens of Arizona," she said.
Meanwhile, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said his office plans to withdraw as the state's lawyers in legal challenges to the law, leaving Brewer's attorneys to defend it. Brewer had complained that Goddard's criticism of the measure raised doubts about his ability to defend it.
Brewer said with Goddard out, "I will ensure the immigration laws we passed are vigorously defended all the way to the United States Supreme Court if necessary, where this reasonable law will ultimately be found constitutional."
The law takes effect July 29 and requires officers to question a person's immigration status if there's a reasonable suspicion that he or she is in the country illegally.
At least five legal challenges have been filed to the law since April.
The lawsuits generally allege that Arizona's law will lead to racial profiling and argue that it's the federal government's responsibility to regulate immigration.
On Friday evening, Brewer's defense team asked a federal judge to throw out the suit by the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups that challenge the law's constitutionality.
Obama officials confirmed plans to file their lawsuit after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in an interview with a TV station in Ecuador earlier this month that the administration would challenge the law in court, though officials had long said the issue was under review.
Administration officials initially would not confirm Clinton's statement. But an official told Fox News on Friday that while the review is still underway, the decision has already been made that a Department of Justice suit will be filed. The administration at this point is just building its case.
Another official said there are still "substantial" issues to address and work out before the Justice Department knows that it has a strong enough case to file a lawsuit. The official said the department intends to file suit, but that any court action is contingent on the final review.
Clinton's announcement was met with outrage Thursday by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who signed the law. Brewer told Fox News she's ready for a fight.
"What a disappointment," Brewer told Fox News' Greta Van Susteren on Thursday, saying she was shocked the administration would make such an announcement on foreign TV without giving Arizona officials the news first.
"We are not going to back away from this issue," Brewer said. "We are going to pursue it, we're going to be very aggressive," Brewer said. "We'll meet them in court ... And we will win."
She added: "The population of America agrees with Arizona."
IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN FACE-TO-FACE CONFRONTATION WITH THE UNQUALIFIED WIFE OF THE PREVIOUS IMPEACHED, DIS-BARRED, AND NEVER PARDONED PRESIDENT, AS WELL AS U.S. DOMESTIC TERRORIST AND HIS 911 HIJACKERS....YOU'RE WELCOME TO AMARILLO, TEXAS BABY!!!
Facing Federal Lawsuit, Arizona Governor Stands Her Ground on Immigration Law
Published June 19, 2010
| FOXNews.com
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer speaks to reporters outside the White House in Washington, Thursday, June 3, 2010, after a private meeting with President Barack Obama. (AP)
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer refused to flinch after Obama administration officials confirmed Friday that they plan to file a lawsuit challenging the state's anti-illegal immigration law.
In a statement issued late Friday, Brewer called Obama's decision "outrageous" but "not surprising."
"Our federal government should be using its legal resources to fight illegal immigration, not the law-abiding citizens of Arizona," she said.
Meanwhile, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said his office plans to withdraw as the state's lawyers in legal challenges to the law, leaving Brewer's attorneys to defend it. Brewer had complained that Goddard's criticism of the measure raised doubts about his ability to defend it.
Brewer said with Goddard out, "I will ensure the immigration laws we passed are vigorously defended all the way to the United States Supreme Court if necessary, where this reasonable law will ultimately be found constitutional."
The law takes effect July 29 and requires officers to question a person's immigration status if there's a reasonable suspicion that he or she is in the country illegally.
At least five legal challenges have been filed to the law since April.
The lawsuits generally allege that Arizona's law will lead to racial profiling and argue that it's the federal government's responsibility to regulate immigration.
On Friday evening, Brewer's defense team asked a federal judge to throw out the suit by the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups that challenge the law's constitutionality.
Obama officials confirmed plans to file their lawsuit after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in an interview with a TV station in Ecuador earlier this month that the administration would challenge the law in court, though officials had long said the issue was under review.
Administration officials initially would not confirm Clinton's statement. But an official told Fox News on Friday that while the review is still underway, the decision has already been made that a Department of Justice suit will be filed. The administration at this point is just building its case.
Another official said there are still "substantial" issues to address and work out before the Justice Department knows that it has a strong enough case to file a lawsuit. The official said the department intends to file suit, but that any court action is contingent on the final review.
Clinton's announcement was met with outrage Thursday by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who signed the law. Brewer told Fox News she's ready for a fight.
"What a disappointment," Brewer told Fox News' Greta Van Susteren on Thursday, saying she was shocked the administration would make such an announcement on foreign TV without giving Arizona officials the news first.
"We are not going to back away from this issue," Brewer said. "We are going to pursue it, we're going to be very aggressive," Brewer said. "We'll meet them in court ... And we will win."
She added: "The population of America agrees with Arizona."
Saturday, June 19, 2010
REMEMBER KIDS, ZINGERS ARE LESS FATTENING THAN LITTLE DEBBIE, KAGAN, KHAN ARTISTS, & THE COLE IN YOUR X-MAS STOCKINGS COMBINED!!!
Jun 19, 2010
Halvorson, Kinzinger hope to slide ahead on oil spill
Morris Daily Herald
by Jo Ann Hustis
Both Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson and her opponent in the Nov. 2 election, Adam Kinzinger, agree BP must be held accountable for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
The Crete Democrat says she’s working in Congress to hold the British oil company accountable for its actions, and is also fighting to provide incentives for cleaner, greener home-grown energy to create jobs that grow the local economy without environmental risk.
Her Republican opponent says the full force of the federal government needs to be focused on cleanup and plugging the hole in the Gulf floor to stop the flow of oil from its mile-deep source.
Halvorson is seeking campaign contributions to help her keep the pressure on BP “to finish the cleanup and put our fellow Americans back on their feet,” she noted in a news release this week.
If he were in Congress, Kinzinger said he would press President Obama to basically use the full force of the federal government to cap the gushing well. Also, to support oil well owner British Petroleum in what it has to do.
“And to open dialog with other oil companies and say, ‘What do you guys have,’ and to other nations and say, ‘What kind of boats can you guys bring down here to help us skim the oil off,’” he said.
The incident needs to be a world affair, Kinzinger noted.
“And right now, I note, they have not exempted the Jones Act, which prevents any foreign vessel from coming into the Gulf of Mexico.”
An exemption to the Jones Act was issued by then-President George W. Bush in 2005, allowing foreign-flagged vessels into the Gulf to assist with the devastation left behind by Hurricane Katrina.
“There are a lot of foreign governments right now offering skimming boats and different things to come in and help us clean it up, but the Jones Act hasn’t been lifted for the time being,” Kinzinger said.
“We have got to use the full force of the federal government, full force of the company involved, full force of any other company that has stuff, and we have to allow our allies to come in and help take care of this.
“If I were in Congress, I would say, ‘Let’s get the government out of the way of these regulations and restrictions, and get the government focused on what they need to do to clean up.’”
In her June 16 news release, Halvorson said that, although communities around the Gulf of Mexico have come together to begin cleaning up the massive disaster, Washington Republicans are “plotting to hand you the bill and let BP off the hook.”
“Join me in standing up to Washington insiders who want to let their friends in big oil get off without paying the price,” she noted in asking in the release for campaign contributions.
“Donate $5, $10, or even $25 to help me keep the pressure on BP to finish the cleanup and put our fellow Americans back on their feet.”
BP announced plans this week to not pay dividends to stockholder this year, but to create a $20 billion escrow account for oil spill victims. This is an action Halvorson said she called on BP to do.
In a press release Thursday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee accused Kinzinger of joining House Republicans in defending BP.
The release noted the House Republican Study Committee, a conservative legislative service organization, defended BP against the Obama Administration’s attempt to hold it accountable through the $20 billion escrow account.
It also notes that “since Kinzinger agreed to support values consistent with those espoused by the RSC, voters can only assume Kinzinger agrees with the RSC’s outrageous defense of BP.”
“I don’t think the American people should pay for the cleanup,” Kinzinger said this week in a Morris Daily Herald interview. “This should be paid by BP. They can suspend their dividend. They can dig into their profits and pay for these operations, and they ought to, because this is their fault.”
He said the federal government’s focus is “kind of all over the place, not on the singular focus of capping this well.”
“As a congressman, it’s keeping the dialog focused on that. It took weeks to agree to burn the oil off the surface of the ocean because they wanted to do an environmental impact study on what the burning would do,” he said.
“Well, I’ll tell you. The environment is being destroyed by this raw oil leaking into the Gulf. That’s my environmental impact study.”
Halvorson, Kinzinger hope to slide ahead on oil spill
Morris Daily Herald
by Jo Ann Hustis
Both Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson and her opponent in the Nov. 2 election, Adam Kinzinger, agree BP must be held accountable for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
The Crete Democrat says she’s working in Congress to hold the British oil company accountable for its actions, and is also fighting to provide incentives for cleaner, greener home-grown energy to create jobs that grow the local economy without environmental risk.
Her Republican opponent says the full force of the federal government needs to be focused on cleanup and plugging the hole in the Gulf floor to stop the flow of oil from its mile-deep source.
Halvorson is seeking campaign contributions to help her keep the pressure on BP “to finish the cleanup and put our fellow Americans back on their feet,” she noted in a news release this week.
If he were in Congress, Kinzinger said he would press President Obama to basically use the full force of the federal government to cap the gushing well. Also, to support oil well owner British Petroleum in what it has to do.
“And to open dialog with other oil companies and say, ‘What do you guys have,’ and to other nations and say, ‘What kind of boats can you guys bring down here to help us skim the oil off,’” he said.
The incident needs to be a world affair, Kinzinger noted.
“And right now, I note, they have not exempted the Jones Act, which prevents any foreign vessel from coming into the Gulf of Mexico.”
An exemption to the Jones Act was issued by then-President George W. Bush in 2005, allowing foreign-flagged vessels into the Gulf to assist with the devastation left behind by Hurricane Katrina.
“There are a lot of foreign governments right now offering skimming boats and different things to come in and help us clean it up, but the Jones Act hasn’t been lifted for the time being,” Kinzinger said.
“We have got to use the full force of the federal government, full force of the company involved, full force of any other company that has stuff, and we have to allow our allies to come in and help take care of this.
“If I were in Congress, I would say, ‘Let’s get the government out of the way of these regulations and restrictions, and get the government focused on what they need to do to clean up.’”
In her June 16 news release, Halvorson said that, although communities around the Gulf of Mexico have come together to begin cleaning up the massive disaster, Washington Republicans are “plotting to hand you the bill and let BP off the hook.”
“Join me in standing up to Washington insiders who want to let their friends in big oil get off without paying the price,” she noted in asking in the release for campaign contributions.
“Donate $5, $10, or even $25 to help me keep the pressure on BP to finish the cleanup and put our fellow Americans back on their feet.”
BP announced plans this week to not pay dividends to stockholder this year, but to create a $20 billion escrow account for oil spill victims. This is an action Halvorson said she called on BP to do.
In a press release Thursday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee accused Kinzinger of joining House Republicans in defending BP.
The release noted the House Republican Study Committee, a conservative legislative service organization, defended BP against the Obama Administration’s attempt to hold it accountable through the $20 billion escrow account.
It also notes that “since Kinzinger agreed to support values consistent with those espoused by the RSC, voters can only assume Kinzinger agrees with the RSC’s outrageous defense of BP.”
“I don’t think the American people should pay for the cleanup,” Kinzinger said this week in a Morris Daily Herald interview. “This should be paid by BP. They can suspend their dividend. They can dig into their profits and pay for these operations, and they ought to, because this is their fault.”
He said the federal government’s focus is “kind of all over the place, not on the singular focus of capping this well.”
“As a congressman, it’s keeping the dialog focused on that. It took weeks to agree to burn the oil off the surface of the ocean because they wanted to do an environmental impact study on what the burning would do,” he said.
“Well, I’ll tell you. The environment is being destroyed by this raw oil leaking into the Gulf. That’s my environmental impact study.”
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUN SUN SUU KYI!!!
THE IRISH TIMES REPORTS:
Fresh calls for Suu Kyi release
Supporters of Burma’s detained pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, marked her 65th birthday today amid renewed calls for her release.
The Nobel peace prize winner has spent 15 of the last 21 years in detention because of her fight for democracy in the army-ruled country and is under house arrest in her home in the former capital, Rangoon.
US President Barack Obama renewed a call for Burma’s military rulers to release Suu Kyi and urged a dialogue for national reconciliation in the impoverished but gas-rich country which borders both India and China.
"I once again call on the Burmese government to release Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally and to allow them to build a more stable, prosperous Burma that respects the rights of all its citizens," Mr Obama said in statement.
About 400 people, most of them members of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), held a ceremony at the home of a party member in Rangoon to celebrate Suu Kyi's birthday.
Buddhist monks were offered breakfast early in the morning and later, caged birds were freed and books and stationery were given to the children of detained party members. Trees were planted inside a Buddhist monastery on the eve of her birthday.
Security men in plain clothes kept watch outside and photographed people turing up. Half a dozen truck loads of riot police were parked nearby but there was no trouble.
Suu Kyi is the daughter of the hero of the country's campaign for independence from British rule, Aung San. She was first detained in 1989, a year after she emerged as a champion of political reform during an unsuccessful, student-led democracy uprising.
Her NLD won a landslide election victory in 1990, only to be denied power by the military, which has ruled the country since 1962 and is preparing to hold the first election since then this year.
Last year, she was found guilty of breaking a draconian security law in connection with briefly harbouring an American intruder after he swam to her lakeside home.
International critics of the generals accused them of trumping up the charges to sideline Suu Kyi from the election.
Critics say the vote will cement military rule under a veneer of civilian control and her party is boycotting it.
Burma is subject to US sanctions over its human rights record but under Mr Obama, the United States has pursued a policy of deeper engagement with the generals.
About 200 of Suu Kyi's supporters in neighbouring Thailand, including exiled politicians, monks and students, held a ceremony near the border to mark her birthday and called on Burma’s neighbours to reject this year's polls.
Authorities have yet to set a date for the general election.
Fresh calls for Suu Kyi release
Supporters of Burma’s detained pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, marked her 65th birthday today amid renewed calls for her release.
The Nobel peace prize winner has spent 15 of the last 21 years in detention because of her fight for democracy in the army-ruled country and is under house arrest in her home in the former capital, Rangoon.
US President Barack Obama renewed a call for Burma’s military rulers to release Suu Kyi and urged a dialogue for national reconciliation in the impoverished but gas-rich country which borders both India and China.
"I once again call on the Burmese government to release Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally and to allow them to build a more stable, prosperous Burma that respects the rights of all its citizens," Mr Obama said in statement.
About 400 people, most of them members of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), held a ceremony at the home of a party member in Rangoon to celebrate Suu Kyi's birthday.
Buddhist monks were offered breakfast early in the morning and later, caged birds were freed and books and stationery were given to the children of detained party members. Trees were planted inside a Buddhist monastery on the eve of her birthday.
Security men in plain clothes kept watch outside and photographed people turing up. Half a dozen truck loads of riot police were parked nearby but there was no trouble.
Suu Kyi is the daughter of the hero of the country's campaign for independence from British rule, Aung San. She was first detained in 1989, a year after she emerged as a champion of political reform during an unsuccessful, student-led democracy uprising.
Her NLD won a landslide election victory in 1990, only to be denied power by the military, which has ruled the country since 1962 and is preparing to hold the first election since then this year.
Last year, she was found guilty of breaking a draconian security law in connection with briefly harbouring an American intruder after he swam to her lakeside home.
International critics of the generals accused them of trumping up the charges to sideline Suu Kyi from the election.
Critics say the vote will cement military rule under a veneer of civilian control and her party is boycotting it.
Burma is subject to US sanctions over its human rights record but under Mr Obama, the United States has pursued a policy of deeper engagement with the generals.
About 200 of Suu Kyi's supporters in neighbouring Thailand, including exiled politicians, monks and students, held a ceremony near the border to mark her birthday and called on Burma’s neighbours to reject this year's polls.
Authorities have yet to set a date for the general election.
WILL THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES AS THE EUROPEAN UNION? WILL WE BE DIVERTED TO GREEK BANKRUPTCY & DEPENDENCY???
SPEIF: Gazprom: EDF To Take No Less Than 10% Stake In South Stream
By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen
Dow Jones Newswires
ST PETERSBURG -(Dow Jones)- French utility Electricite de France (EDF.FR) said Saturday it has agreed with Russia's OAO Gazprom (GAZP.RS) and Italy's Eni SpA (E: 39.7, -0.43, -1.07%) to take a stake of no less than 10% in the South Stream gas pipeline project.
Under a memorandum of understanding signed by the three companies, Eni--currently a 49% shareholder in the project--will lower its stake in the project, while Gazprom will keep a controlling 51% stake.
Copyright © 2009 Dow Jones Newswires
By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen
Dow Jones Newswires
ST PETERSBURG -(Dow Jones)- French utility Electricite de France (EDF.FR) said Saturday it has agreed with Russia's OAO Gazprom (GAZP.RS) and Italy's Eni SpA (E: 39.7, -0.43, -1.07%) to take a stake of no less than 10% in the South Stream gas pipeline project.
Under a memorandum of understanding signed by the three companies, Eni--currently a 49% shareholder in the project--will lower its stake in the project, while Gazprom will keep a controlling 51% stake.
Copyright © 2009 Dow Jones Newswires
ALEXI, THE SURVIVING NM PILOT, HIDING IN CAVES & ACQUIRING YACHTING CZARS WITH CONVICTED BANKING MOBSTERS!!!
http://www.weareillinois.org
Giannoulias Scrambles to Hide Senior Adviser Who Lobbied for BP
6/17/2010
Earlier Thursday, columnist Matt Lewis first reported that a top adviser to Illinois Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias was a five-year lobbyist for BP in Chicago – including the year BP pushed a plan to pollute Lake Michigan.
Moments ago, Mr. Zemenides’ LinkedIn profile dropped his affiliation with the Giannoulias campaign. See his current profile below.
But Mr. Zemenides didn’t count on “Google Cache.” Take a look at what his profile looked like before Thursday below.
Questions for Alexi Giannoulias?
1) Did you fire your political director today?
2) Did you instruct Endy Zemenides to change his LinkedIn profile today?
3) How long have you known Endy Zemenides?
4) Why did you make a BP lobbyist your campaign political director and senior adviser?
5) Do you think voters should question your commitment to the environment given your close relationship to a former BP lobbyist?
Giannoulias Scrambles to Hide Senior Adviser Who Lobbied for BP
6/17/2010
Earlier Thursday, columnist Matt Lewis first reported that a top adviser to Illinois Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias was a five-year lobbyist for BP in Chicago – including the year BP pushed a plan to pollute Lake Michigan.
Moments ago, Mr. Zemenides’ LinkedIn profile dropped his affiliation with the Giannoulias campaign. See his current profile below.
But Mr. Zemenides didn’t count on “Google Cache.” Take a look at what his profile looked like before Thursday below.
Questions for Alexi Giannoulias?
1) Did you fire your political director today?
2) Did you instruct Endy Zemenides to change his LinkedIn profile today?
3) How long have you known Endy Zemenides?
4) Why did you make a BP lobbyist your campaign political director and senior adviser?
5) Do you think voters should question your commitment to the environment given your close relationship to a former BP lobbyist?
LONG LINE OF GAFFES WITH BP OIL & JP MORGAN CHASE!!!
White House, Gulf State Senator Slam BP Chief's Attendance at UK Yacht Race
Published June 19, 2010
FOXNews.com
April 28: The Senate Banking Committee's ranking Republican Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington.
President Obama's chief of staff and a Gulf state senator ripped BP chief executive Tony Hayward for taking time off Saturday to attend a glitzy yacht race around England's Isle of Wight as oil spewing into the Gulf continues to wreak havoc on the environment and wildlife.
Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, said Hayward has committed yet another in a "long line of PR gaffes" while Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., called it the "height of arrogance."
"He is the CEO of BP and he testified in Washington before a congressional committee the other day. Now he's gone over to be on his yacht over in England," Shelby told Fox News on Saturday. "I can tell you that yacht ought to be here skimming and cleaning up a lot of the oil. He ought to be down here seeing what is really going on. Not in a cocoon somewhere."
Emanuel mocked Hayward's infamous statement that he wishes the crisis were over so he could have his life back.
Referring to the yachting, Emanuel told ABC's "This Week," "He's got his life back, as he would say."
BP spokespeople rushed to defend Hayward, who has drawn withering criticism as the public face of BP's halting efforts to stop the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
Spokeswoman Sheila Williams said Hayward took a break from overseeing BP efforts to stem the undersea gusher in Gulf of Mexico so he could watch his boat "Bob" participate in the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race. The 52-foot yacht is made by the Annapolis, Maryland-based boat builder Farr Yacht Design.
The annual one-day race is one of the world's largest, attracting more than 1,700 boats and 16,000 sailors as world-renown yachtsmen compete with wealthy amateurs in the 50-nautical mile course around the island.
Robert Wine, a BP spokesman at the company's Houston headquarters, said it was the first break that Hayward has had since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded April 20, killing 11 workers and setting off the undersea oil gusher.
"He's spending a few hours with his family at a weekend. I'm sure that everyone would understand that," Wine said Saturday. "He will be back to deal with the response. It doesn't detract from that at all."
Wine described the race as "one of the biggest sailing events in the world and he's well known to have a keen interest in it."
He said Hayward will be returning to the United States, though it's unclear when.
Hayward's boat finished fourth in its class.
Still, hobnobbing with millionaires and their yachts is likely to be a hard sell in the Gulf, which is struggling to deal with up to 120 million gallons of oil that have escaped from the blown-out well. Oil has been washing up along the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Florida, killing birds and fish, coating delicate marshes and wetlands and covering pristine beaches with tar balls.
Hayward already angered many in the U.S. when he was quoted in the Times of London as suggesting that Americans were particularly likely to file bogus claims. He later shocked residents in Louisiana by telling them that no one wanted to resolve the crisis as badly as he did because "I'd like my life back."
A pair of relief wells that won't be done until August is the best bet to stop the massive spill. By late June, the oil giant hopes it can keep nearly 90 percent of the flow from the broken pipe from hitting the ocean.
Just minutes after reports about Hayward emerged Saturday, the issue became a hot topic on social networking sites, with people on Twitter passing along the news and reacting to it every few seconds. Some comments called the move "mindboggling" while others noted he had gotten his life back -- while Gulf residents had not.
British environmental groups immediately slammed Hayward's outing. Charlie Kronick of Greenpeace said Hayward was "rubbing salt into the wounds" of Gulf residents whose livelihoods have been wrecked by the disaster.
"Clearly it is incredibly insulting for him to be sailing in the Isle of Wight," he said.
Hugh Walding of Friends of the Earth said Hayward's choice of venue was sure to arouse anger.
"I'm sure that this will be seen as yet another public relations disaster," Walding said.
On Thursday, Hayward told lawmakers on a U.S. House investigations panel that he was out of the loop on decisions surrounding the blown well. Both Democrats and Republicans were infuriated when he asserted, "I'm not stonewalling."
The next day, BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg seemed to suggest that Hayward was being withdrawn from the front line of the oil spill response, although his comments were later qualified.
"It is clear that Tony has made remarks that have upset people," Svanberg told Sky News television, adding that Hayward was "now handing over" daily operations to BP Managing Director Bob Dudley.
Williams said Svanberg was misunderstood and that only a transition to Dudley, an American with 30 years in the oil business, had begun.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Published June 19, 2010
FOXNews.com
April 28: The Senate Banking Committee's ranking Republican Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington.
President Obama's chief of staff and a Gulf state senator ripped BP chief executive Tony Hayward for taking time off Saturday to attend a glitzy yacht race around England's Isle of Wight as oil spewing into the Gulf continues to wreak havoc on the environment and wildlife.
Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, said Hayward has committed yet another in a "long line of PR gaffes" while Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., called it the "height of arrogance."
"He is the CEO of BP and he testified in Washington before a congressional committee the other day. Now he's gone over to be on his yacht over in England," Shelby told Fox News on Saturday. "I can tell you that yacht ought to be here skimming and cleaning up a lot of the oil. He ought to be down here seeing what is really going on. Not in a cocoon somewhere."
Emanuel mocked Hayward's infamous statement that he wishes the crisis were over so he could have his life back.
Referring to the yachting, Emanuel told ABC's "This Week," "He's got his life back, as he would say."
BP spokespeople rushed to defend Hayward, who has drawn withering criticism as the public face of BP's halting efforts to stop the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
Spokeswoman Sheila Williams said Hayward took a break from overseeing BP efforts to stem the undersea gusher in Gulf of Mexico so he could watch his boat "Bob" participate in the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race. The 52-foot yacht is made by the Annapolis, Maryland-based boat builder Farr Yacht Design.
The annual one-day race is one of the world's largest, attracting more than 1,700 boats and 16,000 sailors as world-renown yachtsmen compete with wealthy amateurs in the 50-nautical mile course around the island.
Robert Wine, a BP spokesman at the company's Houston headquarters, said it was the first break that Hayward has had since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded April 20, killing 11 workers and setting off the undersea oil gusher.
"He's spending a few hours with his family at a weekend. I'm sure that everyone would understand that," Wine said Saturday. "He will be back to deal with the response. It doesn't detract from that at all."
Wine described the race as "one of the biggest sailing events in the world and he's well known to have a keen interest in it."
He said Hayward will be returning to the United States, though it's unclear when.
Hayward's boat finished fourth in its class.
Still, hobnobbing with millionaires and their yachts is likely to be a hard sell in the Gulf, which is struggling to deal with up to 120 million gallons of oil that have escaped from the blown-out well. Oil has been washing up along the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Florida, killing birds and fish, coating delicate marshes and wetlands and covering pristine beaches with tar balls.
Hayward already angered many in the U.S. when he was quoted in the Times of London as suggesting that Americans were particularly likely to file bogus claims. He later shocked residents in Louisiana by telling them that no one wanted to resolve the crisis as badly as he did because "I'd like my life back."
A pair of relief wells that won't be done until August is the best bet to stop the massive spill. By late June, the oil giant hopes it can keep nearly 90 percent of the flow from the broken pipe from hitting the ocean.
Just minutes after reports about Hayward emerged Saturday, the issue became a hot topic on social networking sites, with people on Twitter passing along the news and reacting to it every few seconds. Some comments called the move "mindboggling" while others noted he had gotten his life back -- while Gulf residents had not.
British environmental groups immediately slammed Hayward's outing. Charlie Kronick of Greenpeace said Hayward was "rubbing salt into the wounds" of Gulf residents whose livelihoods have been wrecked by the disaster.
"Clearly it is incredibly insulting for him to be sailing in the Isle of Wight," he said.
Hugh Walding of Friends of the Earth said Hayward's choice of venue was sure to arouse anger.
"I'm sure that this will be seen as yet another public relations disaster," Walding said.
On Thursday, Hayward told lawmakers on a U.S. House investigations panel that he was out of the loop on decisions surrounding the blown well. Both Democrats and Republicans were infuriated when he asserted, "I'm not stonewalling."
The next day, BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg seemed to suggest that Hayward was being withdrawn from the front line of the oil spill response, although his comments were later qualified.
"It is clear that Tony has made remarks that have upset people," Svanberg told Sky News television, adding that Hayward was "now handing over" daily operations to BP Managing Director Bob Dudley.
Williams said Svanberg was misunderstood and that only a transition to Dudley, an American with 30 years in the oil business, had begun.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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