Black sites we can believe in: US Secret Prison Still Operating OnBagram Air Base 28 Nov 2009
CLG_News
28 Nov 2009 http://www.legitgov.org All links are here:
http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news
Breaking: Obomba holiday weekend bad news PentaPost leak: Troop
deployment to begin shortly after Obama's war strategy
speech<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/28/AR2009
112801682.html> Saturday 28 Nov 2009 3:56 PM [LOL!] Days after
President Obama outlines his new war 'strategy' in a speech Tuesday,
as many as 9,000 Marines will begin deploying to southern Afghanistan
to renew an assault on a Taliban stronghold that stalled earlier
this year amid a troop shortage and political pressure from the
Afghan government, senior U.S. officials said. The extra Marines
-- the first to move into the country as part of Obama's escalation
of the Bush's eight-year-old war -- will double the size of the
U.S. force in the southern province of Helmand and provide a critical
test for Afghan President Hamid Karzai's struggling government and
Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal's counterinsurgency strategy. The Marines
will quickly be followed by about 1,000 U.S. Army trainers, who
will deploy as early as February to speed the growth of the Afghan
National Army and police force, military officials said.
The revised plan, which faces a war-weary and increasingly skeptical
American public, is expected to call for 30,000-35,000 new troops
in a phased deployment over the next 12 to 18 months.
Black sites we can believe in: US Secret Prison Still Operating On
Bagram Air Base<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/29/world/asia/29bagram.html>
--While two of the prisoners were captured before the Obama
administration took office, one was captured in June of this year.
29 Nov 2009 An American military detention camp in Afghanistan is
still secretly holding inmates for sometimes weeks at a time and
without access to the International Committee of the Red Cross,
according to human rights researchers and former detainees held at
the site on the Bagram Air Base. The site, known to detainees
prisoners as the black jail, consists of individual windowless
concrete cells, each illuminated by a single light bulb glowing 24
hours a day. In interviews, former prisoners said that their only
human contact was at twice-daily interrogation sessions... While
Mr. Obama signed an order to eliminate so-called black sites run
by the Central Intelligence Agency in January, that order did not
apply to this jail, which is run by military Special Operations
forces. Military officials said as recently as this summer that the
Afghanistan jail and another like it at the Balad Air Base in Iraq
were being used to interrogate high-value detainees. And officials
said recently that there were no plans to close the jails.
Canada bill clears way to sue foreign
torturers<http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gWeYYyScu6uH5lka
kEy5S_jpOReQ> 26 Nov 2009 An opposition lawmaker unveiled Thursday
proposed legislation that would allow victims of torture to sue the
perpetrators, including foreign states and officials, in Canadian
courts. "Our present legislation criminalizes torture, war crimes,
crimes against humanity and genocide -- the most heinous acts known
to humankind," said opposition Liberal MP and former justice minister
Irwin Cotler. "But Canadian law does not allow a civil remedy for
the victims of such horrific acts. This legislation will:
address the evil of such international crimes; target the impunity
of those states and officials that perpetrate these crimes; remove
the state immunity that operates to shield the perpetrators of such
crimes; and finally allow Canadian victims to secure justice."
'Gatherings that may disturb the public order must not take place.'
Denmark approves new police powers ahead of
Copenhagen<http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/26/denmark-police-p
owers-copenhagen> --Controversial legislation gives police sweeping
powers of 'pre-emptive' arrest and extends custodial sentences for
acts of civil disobedience 27 Nov 2009 The Danish parliament today
passed legislation which will give police sweeping powers of
"pre-emptive" arrest and extend custodial sentences for acts of
civil disobedience. The "deeply worrying" law comes ahead of the
UN climate talks which start on 7 December and are expected to
attract thousands of activists from next week. Under the new powers,
Danish police will be able to detain people for up to 12 hours whom
they suspect might break the law in the near future. Protesters
could also be jailed for 40 days under the hurriedly drafted
legislation dubbed by activists as the "turmoil and riot" law. The
Danish ministry of justice said that the new powers of "pre-emptive"
detention would increase from 6 to 12 hours and apply to international
activists... The Danish police also separately issued a
statement<http://unfccc.int/files/meetings/application/pdf/cph_police_note.pd
f> in August applying new rules and regulations for protests at the
climate conference, warning that "gatherings that may disturb the
public order must not take place".
Wisconsin health officers can order guards be put on infectious
people<http://www.businessnorth.com/kuws.asp?RID=3172> --Douglas
County joins others in state with isolation and quarantine policy
27 Nov 2009 Wisconsin counties have a little-known policy that
allows forced isolation or quarantine of people using armed law
enforcement and deputized civilians. This is to help health officials
in a worst-case scenario to contain outbreaks... The policy includes
isolating people infected or even suspected of being infected with
a contagious disease such as tuberculosis or in a flu pandemic.
Douglas County Health Officer Deb Clasen says every county health
officer in the state can now order that guards be put on infectious
people. Washburn County Sheriff Terry Dryden says this is a tool
that may be needed at flu vaccination clinics as well.
'U.S. Forces--Iraq' 'Multi-National' to drop from U.S. unit names
in Iraq<http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=66344>
28 Nov 2009 One of the last vestiges of the "coalition of the
willing" [bribed] in Iraq will soon be retired. As part of a
consolidation of its command structure ahead of next years planned
troop reductions, the U.S. military will drop the "Multi-National"
name from its unit designations starting in January. Under the plan,
the top two levels of the U.S. command, known as Multi-National
Forces--Iraq and Multi-National Corps--Iraq, will be merged and
renamed U.S.
Forces--Iraq. The U.S. command that oversees training of Iraqi
forces will also fall into the new command.
Iraq War was legal but not
'legitimate'<http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/11/28/iraq-war-was
-legal-but-not-legitimate-115875-21856547/> 28 Nov 2009 The Iraq
War was legal but not "legitimate" for a democratic country, Britain's
former UN ambassador said yesterday. Sir Jeremy Greenstock told the
Iraq inquiry that the 2003 invasion did not have the backing of the
UN or the majority of British people, "so there was a failure to
establish legitimacy". He said he believed the US and the UK could
establish legality under UN resolutions if Iraq was shown to have
breached disarmament rules. But a "final" verdict was never likely
to be made. [Right, just as the 9/11 terror attacks were carried
out by Bush<http://www.legitgov.org/9_1_1_oddities.html>, to establish
the legitimacy of his p_Residency. --LRP]
US lamestream media *finally* reports Chilcot inquiry: UK diplomat:
US was 'hell bent' on Iraq
invasion<http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h3md2ReGxE9CkpczxP
ehN4pM-z7gD9C7VRD01> 27 Nov 2009 The United States was "hell bent"
on a 2003 military invasion of Iraq and actively undermined efforts
by Britain to win international authorization for the war, a former
British diplomat told an inquiry Friday. Jeremy Greenstock, British
ambassador to the United Nations from 1998 to 2003, said that
President [sic] George W. Bush had no real interest in attempts to
agree on a U.N. resolution to provide explicit backing for the
conflict. The ex-diplomat, who served as Britain's envoy in Iraq
after the invasion, said serious preparations for the war had begun
in early 2002 and took on an unstoppable momentum.
Gordon Brown announces timetable for Helmand handover to Afghan
control<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/6678695/Go
rdon-Brown-announces-timetable-for-Helmand-handover-to-Afghan-control.html>
28 Nov 2009 The countdown to handing back Helmand province to Afghan
control began yesterday when Gordon Brown announced a detailed exit
timetable. In a surprise move, the Prime Minister said two key
districts of Helmand, where more than 200 British troops have been
killed, could be handed back by the end of next year. Mr Brown will
also formally commit to sending 500 more troops this week taking
Britain's military presence in the country to 9,500.
Governor of Afghanistan's Kandahar survives
bomb<http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSISL535406._CH_.2400>
27 Nov 2009 The governor of Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province
survived a bomb strike on his motorcade while heading to prayers
for the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday on Friday, a spokesman said. The
bomb shattered a window of the car that Governor Tooryalai Wesa was
travelling in, but he was unhurt, spokesman Zalmai Ayoubi said.
Three bodies recovered from Afghan helicopter
crash<http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jB4w113K6AI4FoP7Tl1z
eZ5p4UVw> 27 Nov 2009 A US Air Force rescue team Friday recovered
the bodies of three crew from the wreck of a helicopter that crashed
in remote mountains in eastern Afghanistan. The three were believed
to be Ukrainians reported missing after their helicopter disappeared
in bad weather late Monday, US Air Force rescue team members said.
The missing aircraft was operated by Supreme Global Services
Solutions, according to NATO's International Security Assistance
Force (ISAF).
Israeli agents operating at international
airports<http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=570743> 28 Nov 2009
Israeli spies have been found to be posing as airport security
guards at international terminals, subjecting unsuspecting travellers
to illegal interrogations and strip searches. A television network
covering southern Africa recently aired a report, after an extensive
undercover investigation, that revealed an elaborate Israeli secret
service operation being carried out at Johannesburg International
Airport.
Germany, UK warn Iran to accept West
offer<http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=112362§ionid=351020104> 28
Nov 2009 In what appears to be a last-ditch effort to force Tehran
into accepting an IAEA draft proposal on fuel supply, Germany and
Britain warn that world patience is running out with Iran. One day
after World powers threw their weight behind a draft resolution
condemning Iran's nuclear program, German Foreign Minister Guido
Wersterwelle said that although time is pressing, the West "still
has its hand extended" for the Tehran government.
US, Israel welcome IAEA resolution against
Iran<http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=112342§ionid=351020104> 27
Nov 2009 The US and Israel welcome a decision by the UN nuclear
watchdog to censure Iran over the construction of its Fordo enrichment
plant. "Our patience and that of the international community is
limited, and time is running out," White House spokesman Robert
Gibbs said in a stern warning to Tehran.
Bomb suspected as Russian train crash kills
39<http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/bomb-suspected-as-russian-t
rain-crash-kills-39-1830041.html> 28 Nov 2009 At least 39 people
were killed and nearly 100 injured when a Russian express train
came off the rails late last night in what the head of the national
railway company said could have been a bomb attack. The Nevsky
Express, carrying 661 passengers from Moscow to St Petersburg, was
derailed at 9:34 p.m. (1834 GMT) near the village of Uglovka about
200 miles north of Moscow.
Homeland Suckyourity: Cuban migrants went undetected for hours at
Turkey Point<http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/1355002.html>
--More than 30 Cubans were dropped off close to the 'heavily guarded'
[Yup, in quotes] Turkey Point nuclear power plant and remained
undetected until they called for help hours later. 28 Nov 2009 More
than 30 Cubans, dropped off by a smugglers' speedboat, spent up to
eight hours on the off-limits grounds of the Turkey Point nuclear
power plant on Thanksgiving Day, then called the plant's nuclear
control room to say they were by the cooling canals. The utility,
which boasts of tight security in the area, did not address why its
security personnel apparently did not become aware of the Cubans'
presence on Turkey Point for up to eight hours.
White House gatecrashers got all the way to the
president<http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article
6936332.ece> 29 Nov 2009 Michelle and Barack Obamas first state
dinner at the White House will be remembered for its gatecrashers.
The White House has been forced to admit that Michaele and Tareq
Salahi, the Virginian couple auditioning for a television reality
show, not only brazenly walked through layers of security to attend
the event but actually met the president. A photograph released by
the White House showed Michaele shaking hands with a beaming Obama
as her husband looked on. It prompted an abject apology from the
secret service.
Secret Service apologizes for ticketless couple's
access<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/27/AR2009
112702650.html> --Questions linger over checkpoint breakdowns at
White House dinner 28 Nov 2009 The White House said late Friday
that Michaele and Tareq Salahi, the Virginia couple auditioning for
a Bravo reality show, not only got past layers of experienced,
executive-branch security but also shook the president's hand in
the Blue Room of the White House during the Obamas' first state
dinner... The security breach has caused hand-wringing inside the
White House, bewilderment among Tuesday night's guests -- and late
on Friday, prompted an
apology<http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/documents/Statement.p
df> from the Secret Service.
Anti-WTO protesters smash windows, burn cars in
Geneva<http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fgw-wto-29-2009nov29,0
,632506.story> 28 Nov 2009 Anti-capitalism protesters smashed the
windows of banks, shops and cafes in central Geneva and set cars
on fire on Saturday during a demonstration against the World Trade
Organisation. A Reuters reporter at the scene said some demonstrators
were breaking the windows of every building they passed and setting
off fireworks in the main shopping street.
Computer hacker Gary McKinnon to be extradited to
US<http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/26/computer-hacker-gary-mckinnon-
extradition> --Alan Johnson quashes last-ditch attempt to halt
extradition 26 Nov 2009 Computer hacker Gary McKinnon, who has
Asperger's syndrome, is at serious risk of suicide, relatives said
today, after the home secretary rejected a last-ditch attempt to
prevent his extradition to the US. In a letter today Alan Johnson
ordered McKinnon's removal to the US on charges of breaching US
military and Nasa computers, despite claims by his lawyers that
extradition would make the 43-year-old's death "virtually certain".
U.S. journalist grilled at Canada border
crossing<http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/11/26/bc-amy-go
odman-border-incident.html> --Officials demanded to know what she
would say publicly about 2010 Olympics 26 Nov 2009 U.S. journalist
Amy Goodman said she was stopped at a Canadian border crossing south
of Vancouver on Wednesday and questioned for 90 minutes by authorities
concerned she was coming to Canada to speak against the Olympics.
Goodman says Canadian Border Services Agency officials ultimately
allowed her to enter Canada but returned her passport with a document
demanding she leave the country within 48 hours.
Police accused of preventing suspects accessing
lawyers<http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/police-accused-of-prev
enting-suspects-accessing-lawyers-1828748.html> 27 Nov 2009 Defendants
are being denied a fair trial because police pressure deters them
from being represented by a lawyer after their arrest, a survey
reveals today. Solicitors questioned by the National Audit Office
(NAO) say they believe that the reason half of all suspects do not
use their free services is a direct result of the action - or
inaction - of the police.
FDA OKs Novartis Vaccine Against Seasonal Flu In Fast
Review<http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20091127-708513.html>
27 Nov 2009 The Food and Drug Administration approved a new Novartis
AG flu vaccine, Agriflu, in an accelerated process Friday. The
vaccine to prevent disease caused by influenza virus subtypes A and
B is for people age 18 and older. It does not prevent the H1N1
virus, also known as swine flu. The Swiss drug maker... on Tuesday
opened a vaccine-manufacturing plant in North Carolina designed to
make [deadly] flu vaccines without relying on decades-old technology
that employs millions of chicken eggs to grow viruses. [See: New
US vaccine production techniques: Genetically modified insect cells,
E. coli, caterpillar
ovaries<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/23/AR200
9112302277.html> 24 Nov 2009 Spurred by $487 million in federal
funding, a sprawling new vaccine factory is opening in North Carolina
Tuesday that will produce shots using dog cells instead of chicken
eggs.]
Bacterial Disease Linked to H1N1 Flu Worries
CDC<http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/URItheFlu/17199> 25
Nov 2009 The CDC is warning about a "worrisome" rise in the incidence
of pneumococcal disease associated with the [lab-generated] pandemic
H1N1 flu. "We're seeing increases in serious pneumococcal infections
around the country," Anne Schuchat, MD, director of the CDC's
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said at
a briefing today.
The right reform for the
Fed<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/27/AR2009112
702322.html> By Ben Bernanke 29 Nov 2009 Our [The Fed] financial
statements are public and audited by an outside accounting firm;
we publish our balance sheet weekly; and we provide monthly reports
with extensive information on all the temporary lending facilities
developed during the crisis. Congress, through the Government
Accountability Office, can and does audit all parts of our operations
except for the monetary policy deliberations and actions covered
by the 1978 exemption. The general repeal of that exemption would
serve only to increase the perceived influence of Congress on
monetary policy decisions, which would undermine the confidence the
public and the markets have in the Fed to act in the long-term
economic interest of the nation.
[Resign *now.*]
Bloomberg Spent $102 Million to Win 3rd
Term<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/28/nyregion/28spending.html>
28 Nov 2009 To eke out an election victory over the citys low-key
comptroller, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg spent $102 million of his
own fortune -- or about $174 per vote -- according to data released
Friday, making his bid for a third term the most expensive campaign
in the citys history. Mr. Bloomberg, the wealthiest man in New York
City, shattered his own records: He poured $85 million into his
campaign in 2005 (or $112 per vote) and $74 million into his first
bid for office in 2001 ($99 per vote).
Canadian researcher says arctic ice is
thinning<http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gTEP6o9TmljWrpL0TZ
wKgcR9PwIQD9C85B7O1> 27 Nov 2009 The permanent Arctic sea ice that
is home to the world's polar bears and usually survives the summer
has all but disappeared, a Canadian researcher said Friday. University
of Manitoba Arctic researcher David Barber said experts around the
world believed the ice was recovering because satellite images
showed it expanding, but the thick, multiyear frozen sheets have
been replaced by thin ice that cannot support the weight of a polar
bear.
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Previous lead stories: Signed In Blood: 2002 Blair-Bush Texas meeting
sealed Iraq
fate<http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/11/27/signed-in-blood-1158
75-21853811/> 27 Nov 2009 Saddam Hussein's fate as Iraqi leader was
sealed at a secret meeting between Tony Blair and George Bush in
2002, it was claimed yesterday. The former Prime Minister allegedly
"signed in blood" Britain's support for an attack on Baghdad when
he got together with the US president [sic] at his Texas ranch. And
Mr Blair deliberately linked Saddam to al-Qaeda in a bid to strengthen
the case to topple Saddam, despite there being no evidence, the
Iraq War inquiry heard. Former British Ambassador to the US Sir
Christopher Meyer told the hearing the PM suddenly appeared to agree
to the case for a regime change in Iraq after his Bush meeting.
Talking about the meeting with Mr Bush, Sir Christopher said: "To
this day I am not entirely clear what degree of convergence was,
if you like, signed in blood at the Crawford ranch."
Former top official 'can't say' if Afghans
tortured<http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2009/11/26/11944821-sun.html>
26 Nov 2009 There is "no evidence" Canadian detainees transferred
to Afghan jails were tortured, but Canada didnt monitor them during
2006 and part of 2007 and reports of prison abuse were common, a
senior diplomat told a committee of MPs Thursday. Under intense
questioning by opposition MPs, David Mulroney said he couldnt
guarantee that no detainee transferred by Canadians had been
mistreated. Nor could he say with complete certainty that an Afghan
prisoner who described to Canadian diplomats how he had been tortured,
whipped with cables and shocked with electricity, had not been
handed over by Canadians to Afghan authorities. "I cant say whether
he was or wasnt,"
Mulroney said.
Because China did *such* a terrific job with the drywall, powdered
milk and pet food: China State Construction nets $100m US subway
deal<http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2009-11/24/content_9028469.htm>
24 Nov 2009 China State Construction Engineering Corp, the largest
contractor in China, has bagged a subway ventilation project worth
about $100 million in New York's Manhattan area, marking the
construction giant's third order in the United States' infrastructure
space this year. The contract was given to China Construction
American Co, a subsidiary, the Wall Street Journal quoted a source
as saying. "The new project, along with the $410-million Hamilton
Bridge project and a $1.7-billion entertainment project it won
earlier this year, signals China State Construction's ambition to
tap the American construction market," said Li Zhirui, an industry
analyst at First Capital Securities.
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