DHS activity at Waterloo fairgrounds raises questions 11 May 2008

progressive

(Sun, 11 May 2008 12:13:52 -0500 (CDT)) --- Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government
11 May 2008

www.legitgov.org

fairgrounds raises questions --ICE declines to say if whole area
will be used as detention center --National Cattle Congress fairgrounds
in Waterloo, Iowa, is prepared for a 'federal project.' 06 May 2008
Federal officials have imposed a news blackout at the National
Cattle Congress fairgrounds in Waterloo, where they have leased
almost the entire property through May 25. The Waterloo Courier on
Sunday reported that contractors have installed generators adjacent
to many buildings at the fairgrounds. In addition, windows on many
buildings have been covered up, blocking views inside. A number of
mobile-home-size trailers have been transported to the privately
owned grounds. Doug Miller, general manager of the Cattle Congress,
declined Monday to release a copy of his group's rental contract
with U.S. General Services Administration. He also indicated he was
in the dark about what's happening inside the fairgrounds.

ICE presence at fairgrounds 'remains a mystery' 08 May 2008 The
presence of immigration officials at National Cattle Congress has
stoked fears of an impending raid. Four days after The Courier first
reported the installation of trailers, generators and ventilation
equipment on the grounds, the presence of the U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement remains a mystery. On April 24, FEMA announced
it was conducting a national-level training exercise in May "to
prepare and respond to multiple incidents including both natural
disasters and terrorist incidents." The FEMA release did not specify
the location or locations of the exercise. While the release indicated
"a combined functional and full-scale exercise" would be conducted
May 1-8, the government has leased the NCC grounds through May 25.
Neither NCC nor the federal government would confirm whether federal
officials are using the NCC grounds as part of the national exercise.

Operation Iraqi Freedom Fascism: Iraqi government closes the Sadr
radio station 10 May 2008 U.S. and Iraqi forces closed on Thursday
the Sadr movement's al-Ahad radio station office, and stopped its
broadcast, at orders from the Iraqi government, said the station's
manager. "An Iraqi-U.S. force stopped al-Ahad radio station's
broadcast, according to a memo that carried Premier Nouri al-Maliki's
signature," Abid Abu-Zahra told Aswat al-Iraq. "The force did not
show a legal memo to stop the station," he said. "This step made
by the government is a dangerous measure that deprives people from
the voice that represents their pains," he added.

Judge: Woman's rape case against Halliburton can go to trial 09 May
2008 A woman who said she was raped by co-workers while employed
by a contractor in Iraq can take her claims to trial, a federal
judge ruled Friday. Jamie Leigh Jones filed a federal lawsuit last
year, saying she was attacked while working for a Halliburton Co.
subsidiary at Camp Hope, Baghdad, in 2005. Her lawsuit claims that
after she endured harassment from some of the men where she lived
in coed barracks, she was drugged and raped by Halliburton and KBR
firefighters. Jones, a former Conroe resident, said a KBR representative
imprisoned her in a shipping container for a day so she wouldn't
report the assault. [I'll stand with whoever will fight KBR,
Halliburton and Blackwater - and the regime that spawned them.
--LRP]

US war dead cremated in same facility as pets: Pentagon 10 May 2008
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates ordered a review of the handling
of the remains of US war dead and apologized after learning that
some were cremated in a commercial facility that also cremates pets,
the Pentagon said. The facility, owned by the Torbit's Funeral Home
Crematory, had been contracted by the air force to cremate remains
of soldiers brought back from Iraq and Afghanistan through Dover,
officials said.

Turkey says it has attacked Kurdish rebels in Iraq 11 May 2008
Turkey said on Sunday it had launched air and artillery attacks
against Kurdish separatist rebels in northern Iraq overnight after
an insurgent strike on a military base.

Clashes in Baghdad kill 19, wound 116: hospitals 10 May 2008 Nineteen
people have been killed and 116 wounded in clashes between security
forces and militants in eastern Baghdad's Sadr City district in the
past 24 hours, the two hospitals in the Shi'ite city said on Saturday.

Iraq: US soldier dies in 'non-combat incident' 11 May 2008 The U.S.
military says a soldier has died in a vehicle accident near al-Asad.
The military says the soldier was killed when the vehicle he was
traveling in rolled over near al-Asad, home to the second largest
air base in Iraq.

Report: US coalition kills civilians in Afghanistan 10 May 2008
Dozens of protesters blocked a road Saturday in eastern Afghanistan,
claiming that US-led 'coalition' forces killed three civilians.
Villagers from the area carried the three bodies to a major highway
during the protest, in which police allegedly opened fire, killing
one and wounding three.

US says Syria, Iran behind Lebanon violence 09 May 2008 The Bush
regime accused Iran and Syria on Friday of fueling ongoing violence
in Lebanon by inciting members of the radical Shiite Hezbollah
movement to take up arms against the country's western-backed
government.

Brazil sees no Iranian threat, despite US warning 09 May 2008 Brazil
sees no threat from Iran, despite U.S. concerns that the Tehran
government is courting allies in Latin America, Defense Minister
Nelson Jobim said on Friday. Thomas Shannon, the senior U.S. official
for Latin America, said on Wednesday that Iran was making allies
in the region to counter Washington's traditional influence imperialism
and could use them to threaten U.S. security.

Lebanese opposition ends west Beirut takeover 10 May 2008 Lebanon's
Hezbollah-led opposition on Saturday said it was ending its takeover
of west Beirut after the army revoked government moves against the
Shiite group that sparked days of deadly fighting.

Adviser Barred From Detainee Case Over Bias Concerns 11 May 2008
The Pentagon's top legal adviser in the Office of Military Commissions
was disqualified late last week from participating in the prosecution
of a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by a Navy officer who ruled
that the adviser exerted improper influence over a team of prosecutors
and may have compromised the case's fairness. Capt. Keith J. Allred,
who is presiding over hearings in preparation for the military's
'trial' of an alleged driver for Osama bin Laden, determined that
Air Force Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Hartmann was too closely tied to
prosecutors. In a 13-page ruling issued Friday, Allred found that
Hartmann pressured prosecutors to present certain cases because
they were "sexy," suggesting that factors other than a case's merits
"were at play." He also found that Hartmann appeared to be pushing
for prosecutors to use evidence derived by coercion, something
Allred found to be "an effort to influence the professional judgment"
of the prosecutors.

Judge Drops General From Trial of Detainee 10 May 2008 In a new
blow to the Bush regimes troubled military commission system, a
military judge has disqualified a Pentagon general who has been
centrally involved in overseeing Guantanamo war crimes tribunals
from any role in the first case headed for 'trial.' The judge said
the general was too closely aligned with the prosecution, raising
questions about whether he could carry out his role with the required
neutrality and objectivity. Military defense lawyers said that
although the ruling was limited to one case, they expected the issue
to be raised in other cases, potentially delaying prosecutions,
including the death-penalty prosecution of six prisoners at Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba, for the [Bush] Sept. 11 attacks.

U.S. denies Khadr probe was halted prematurely 10 May 2008 The
Pentagon disputes claims that political pressure prematurely halted
an investigation into the alleged abuse of Omar Khadr when he was
detained in Afghanistan.

Pentagon spokesperson Cmdr. Jeffrey Gordon said army investigators
did not substantiate the allegations of harsh interrogations torture
at the U.S. base in Bagram. Following a court hearing Thursday at
the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Khadr's military lawyer
accused the government of a cover-up since the investigation appeared
to stop in October 2006 the same month U.S. President [sic] George
W. Bush signed the military law under which Khadr is charged. Khadr
was 15 when he was brought to the U.S. base camp at Bagram after
he was captured in a firefight on July 27, 2002. He had been shot
twice in the back by U.S. forces.

Guantanamo prisoners spead word to boycott trials 09 May 2008 The
message travels among Guantanamo prisoners in whispers between
recreation areas and shouts through slots in cell doors: Don't trust
the Americans. Boycott. Guards call it the Detainee News Network,
and it is now prompting inmates to turn their backs on their
war-crimes 'trials' at this U.S. Naval station in southeast Cuba.
Six prisoners currently at Guantanamo have appeared before a military
judge, and five of those have joined the boycott, which is expected
to spread as more suspected terrorists are arraigned.

U.S. looks set to offer Israel powerful new radar 10 May 2008 The
Bush regime appears set to offer Israel a powerful radar system
that could greatly boost Israeli defenses against enemy ballistic
missiles while tying it directly into a growing U.S. missile shield.

Olmert defies calls to resign over bribe probe 09 May 2008 Israeli
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert defied a barrage of calls to resign on
Friday after he admitted taking cash from an American businessman
at the centre of a police inquiry into allegations of bribery.

The mouse that roared --The line in the sand has been drawn on
Georgia and NATO. Beware pushing the limits of Russia's patience
too far, worries Eric Walberg 08 May 2008 While Georgians see
themselves as part of Europe, "the whole history of Georgia is of
Georgian kings writing to Western kings for help, or for understanding.
And sometimes not even getting a response," said its thoroughly
Westernised president, Mikheil Saakashvili, in a recent interview.
"Not just being an isolated, faraway country, but part of something
bigger."

Narrow escapes for CNN reporter in Myanmar 10 May 2008 A CNN reporter
who left Myanmar Friday was chased by authorities as he reported
on the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis but escaped primarily because
of the incompetence of the people after him. Dan Rivers hid under
a blanket at one police checkpoint and casually covered up his name
on a passport to avoid detection another time.

U.S. (forgetting Katrina) "outraged" by Myanmar's response to cyclone
By Lori Price 09 May 2008 'The United States expressed outrage on
Thursday at the delays in allowing in aid.' Really? Well, I am
outraged that they are outraged! This is the 'Pot-Kettle' moment
of the decade. Heckova job, Brownie Burma! [The item is 'Diggable'
now, please click so that the media finally reports on this outrageous
Bush hypocrisy!]

McCain hit with lobbyist scandal 11 May 2008 The McCain-picked
leader of the Republican national convention has resigned after a
report revealed his lobbying ties with Myanmar. Doug Goodyear, chief
executive of the lobbying firm DCI Group, resigned a few hours after
Newsweek revealed on Saturday that his company was paid to represent
Myanmar's junta in 2002 and 2003. DCI has reportedly been a pioneer
in running 'independent' expenditure campaigns by so-called 527
groups. Senator McCain supposedly denounces this kind of operations.

Leader of GOP convention quits after Myanmar ties reported 10 May
2008 The man picked by the John McCain campaign to run the 2008
Republican National Convention resigned Saturday after a report
that his lobbying firm used to represent the military regime in
Myanmar. Doug Goodyear resigned as convention coordinator.

McCain's Convention Chair Worked for Burma's Military Junta 10 May
2008 John McCain's campaign recently tapped Doug Goodyear manage
this summer's GOP convention in St. Paul, Minn. Goodyear is CEO of
DCI Group, a consulting firm that earned $3 million last year
lobbying for ExxonMobil, General Motors and other clients. Potentially
more problematic: the firm was paid $348,000 in 2002 to represent
Burma's military junta, which had been strongly condemned by the
State Department for its human-rights record and remains in power
today.

Justice Department lobbying records show DCI pushed to "begin a
dialogue of political reconciliation" with the regime. It also led
a PR campaign to burnish the junta's image, drafting releases
praising Burma's efforts to curb the drug trade and denouncing
"falsehoods" by the Bush administration that the regime engaged in
rape and other abuses.

McCain to Me in 1999: Bush "As Dumb as a Stump" By Al Meyerhoff 10
May 2008 Over the Fourth of July weekend of 1999, I had the good
fortune to accompany my then fiancie (and now happily my wife) to
the McCain vacation home in Sedona where she was interviewing them
for a Home and Garden Television show.

...[A]s McCain flipped burgers, I could not help but ask his views about then
candidate George W. Bush. "He's as dumb as a stump," McCain offered.
We then went on to discuss other matters (including Vietnam) but
that quote remains seared in my memory. So how the McCains actually
voted that November is between them and their voting booth. But if
John McCain did end up voting for Bush, then by his own admission
he voted for a stump.

Obama Launches 50-State Voter Registration Drive 10 May 2008 Sen.
Barack Obama may not yet be the Democratic Party's presidential
nominee, but Saturday morning his campaign launched in more than
100 other locations across the country a national voter registration
drive intended to transform the electorate - or at least register
more Democrats -- in advance of November's general 'election.'

Obama Overtakes Clinton in Race for Superdelegate Endorsements 11
May 2008 Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama won
endorsements from five superdelegates yesterday, erasing rival
Hillary Clinton's long-held lead in backing from party officials
and lawmakers.

E-Mails Show Derogatory Banter at Secret Service 10 May 2008 Secret
Service supervisors shared crude sexual jokes and engaged in racially
derogatory banter about blacks, and passed around an anecdote about
a possible assassination of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, according to
internal e-mail disclosed in a federal court filing on Friday by
lawyers for black Secret Service agents. The messages were written
mainly from 2003 through 2005, and were sent to and from e-mail
accounts of at least 20 Secret Service supervisors. Eric Zahren, a
spokesman for the Secret Service, said that an internal inquiry had
been opened and that the inspector general at the Department of
Homeland Security, which oversees the Secret Service, had been
alerted.

Federal regulators close Arkansas bank ANB Financial 09 May 2008
Federal regulators says they've closed ANB Financial National
Association banks after discovering "unsafe and unsound" business
practices there. David Barr, a spokesman for the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corp. says many customers served by the bank's nine
locations had accounts under $100,000, which will be fully insured
by the government.

U.S. Naval medical lab 'not transparent' in its operations: Indonesia
health minister --'We don't know what happened to the [bird flu]
viruses that we sent.' 07 May 2008 Indonesia is trying to defend
the interests of poorer nations by refusing to share bird flu samples
with the West and is locked in a cultural misunderstanding over the
issue, Jakarta's health minister said on Wednesday. Siti Fadillah
Supari also said in an interview that a U.S. naval medical lab based
in Indonesia for research into tropical diseases was barely benefiting
its host country and was not being transparent in its operations...

The minister said the U.S. U.S. naval lab in Jakarta had been
receiving virus samples from across Indonesia, but that had been
stopped. "We don't know what happened to the viruses that we sent,"
she said, adding the U.S. lab had also received samples from
Indonesian soldiers deployed in Papua.

Swan tests positive for bird flu 10 May 2008 Japanese officials are
worried that the H5N1 bird flu virus may be spreading among wild
birds in the north after the body of a swan tested positive for the
disease, the third case in recent weeks. No poultry have been
affected so far, said Shigeki Oda, a farm official in the northern
island of Hokkaido.

San Francisco to Test Drinking Water Security System 09 May 2008
Improving the security of U.S. drinking water systems has gathered
urgency since the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Today, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency announced an $8 million grant to
San Francisco to help the city develop and evaluate a contamination
warning system for its drinking water supply.

$423 Million Settlement Reached in Groundwater Contamination Lawsuit
Against Oil Behemoths 08 May 2008 Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. has secured
a landmark settlement against some of the country's biggest oil
companies, which have agreed to pay $423 million in a suit involving
the contamination of 153 public water systems nationally. The MTBE
litigation, brought by Weitz & Luxenberg and Baron & Budd, addressed
the gasoline additive methyl tertiary butyl ether, or MTBE.

Bush Sets New Record in Refusing to Protect Endangered Species
--Polar Bear Decision Looms 09 May 2008 Today marks two years since
the Department of the Interior last protected a new U.S. species
under the Endangered Species Act.

"The Bush administration has been an unmitigated disaster for the
nations endangered species, delaying and denying protection for
hundreds of animals and plants," said Noah Greenwald, science
director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

Kalluk the polar bear looks a little blue 09 May 2008 Zookeepers
at San Diego Zoo have painted the seven-year-old and his favourite
toy, a burlap doll, a light shade of blue as part of the zoo's
annual Bear Awareness Days. The campaign aims to raise awareness
of the plight of the world's bears and the threats they face from
climate change and rising sea levels. Unfazed by his new look,
Kalluk spent the morning playing in his enclosure before falling
asleep on his new blue friend.

18 reported dead in Missouri, Oklahoma tornadoes 11 May 2008 At
least 18 people were killed on Saturday in Missouri and Oklahoma
after tornadoes swept through the area, authorities in the two
states said. There were at least 12 storm-related deaths in Missouri,
10 of those in Newton County on the border with Oklahoma, according
to Susie Stonner of the Missouri Emergency Management Agency.

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[Previous lead stories:] Military stops cremating troops by contractor
that also handles pets --A Pentagon cremation contractor, Torbert
Funeral Home, incinerated both soldiers and animals 09 May 2008
(DE) The U.S. military will no longer cremate troops returning from
Iraq and Afghanistan at a Dover facility that also cremates pets,
the Pentagon announced Friday evening at a hastily planned new
conference. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates made the decision
Friday after a soldier who works at the Pentagon informed the
department that a crematory contracted by the department also
incinerated animals.

Iraq Plans $1 Billion 'Zone of Influence' Near U.S. Embassy In
Baghdad 08 May 2008 Marriott International is considering opening
a hotel in Baghdad's Green Zone, in response to a request from U.S.
government officials who want to help Iraq revive its economy through
foreign investments and economic activities.

Baghdad authorities have approached other hotel operators aside
from Marriott, but Iraq wants to maximize its links with the Bush
administration since Bill Marriott chairs the U.S. Export Council.
Even before Marriott has confirmed its interest, a license for a
hotel construction has already been issued by Baghdad, said Paul
Brinkley, deputy defense undersecretary for business transformation.

Rehired KBR driver in Iraq caught with child porn -- again 09 May
2008 A former bus driver for Iraq war contractor KBR Inc. who was
fired in 2006 for possessing child pornography got rehired less
than a year later, and has again been caught with a large collection
of child porn, according to prosecutors.

Ira L. Waltrip of Lampasas, Texas, who had been working for KBR at
Camp Liberty in Baghdad, was charged this week in U.S. District
Court with possessing child pornography. [See: Iraqis allege sex
abuse at the British Embassy 08 May 2008; KBR's Rape Problem By
Karen Houppert 17 Apr 2008; KBR's Flawed Wiring Still Kills G.I.'s,
Despite Alert 04 May 2008; KBR awarded $385M Homeland Security
contract for U.S. detention centers 24 Jan 2006; Memo:

Halliburton failed to purify GIs' water 16 Mar 2006; Contractor
served troops dirty food in dirty kitchens 14 Dec 2003. Gee, it all
kinda makes you want to stand up and cheer for Muqtada al-Sadr,
doesn't it?]

Blackwater unlikely to face charges in Iraq shooting 09 May Blackwater
Worldwide, the security contractor mercenaries blamed by an angry
Iraqi government for the shooting deaths of 17 civilians, is not
expected to face criminal charges -- all but ensuring the company
will keep its multimillion-dollar contract to protect U.S. diplomats.

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