The Talk Show American

THE TALK SHOW AMERICAN: 07/23/2006 - 07/30/2006

Saturday, July 29, 2006

Vacation July 29th Thu August 5th

Hey Folks,

Sorry but I will be on a much needed vacation from July 29th thru August 5th. I will not be posting any new stories during this time. I will also not be doing any new shows until August 7th.

Thanks for your patience and understanding and as always your loyal reader and listenership. It is greatly appreciated.

Have a great week and stay safe.

J.R.

Friday, July 28, 2006

Scientist: Inject Sulfur into Air to Battle Global Warming

One way to curb global warming is to purposely shoot sulfur into the atmosphere, a scientist suggested today.

The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. It also releases sulfur that cools the planet by reflecting solar radiation away from Earth.

Most researchers say the warming effect has been winning in recent decades.

Injecting sulfur into the second atmospheric layer closest to Earth would reflect more sunlight back to space and offset greenhouse gas warming, according to Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Germany and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego.

Crutzen suggests carrying sulfur into the atmosphere via balloons and using artillery guns to release it, where the particles would stay for up to two years. The results could be seen in six months.

Nature does something like this naturally.

When Mount Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines in1991, millions of tons of sulfur was injected into the atmosphere, enhancing reflectivity and cooling the Earth�s surface by an average of 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit in the year following the eruption.

�Given the grossly disappointing international political response to the required greenhouse gas emissions, ... research on the feasibility and environmental consequences of climate engineering of the kind presented in this paper, which might need to be deployed in future, should not be tabooed,� Crutzen said.

This proposal is detailed in the August issue of the journal Climatic Change.

J.R.s Take:

OK, let's see if I am reading this correctly:

The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. It also releases sulfur that cools the planet by reflecting solar radiation away from Earth.


So then why would there be global warming ? Wouldn't it stand to reason that if what this scientist says is true that there should be Global Cooling due to the level of sulfur that enters the atmosphere through fossil fuel emissions and not the other way around ?

And how about the method of release of MORE SULFER:

Crutzen suggests carrying sulfur into the atmosphere via balloons and using artillery guns to release it, where the particles would stay for up to two years.


Huh ? Artillery guns ? What the.....? Apparently this scientist doesn't subscribe to the well known fact that what goes up....must come down. Artillery shells shooting weather ballons !? And where does he think the expended rounds will fall, what about misses.

And some of us are seriously listening to these peoples THEORIES on global warming and taking them as Carte'Blanch.

This guy sounds like he's cukoo for Coa Coa Puffs. He gives new meaning to the phrase "Enviromental Wacko".

Military to put Cheyenne Mountain on standby ?


The military is relegating its newly renovated airspace and missile defense complex in Cheyenne Mountain to standby status - clouding the future of a Cold War nerve center touted as the most secure spot in America.

The green-jumpsuited sentries who electronically scan the skies from deep inside this granite cocoon southwest of Colorado Springs - built in the 1960s to withstand Soviet nuclear blasts - now are to blend into broader homeland defense operations under prairie skies at nearby Peterson Air Force Base.

"I can't be in two places at one time," said Adm. Tim Keating, commander of both U.S. Northern Command, set up in 2002 to fight terrorism, and North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD. Both NORAD and Northcom have their headquarters at Peterson.

U.S. strategists created the mountain complex to prevent nuclear missile and bomber attacks. But today the government's best intelligence "leads us to believe a missile attack from China or Russia is very unlikely," Keating said in an interview this week.

The emergence of varied terrorist threats such as suicide bombers "is what recommends to us that we don't need to maintain Cheyenne Mountain in a 24/7 status. We can put it on 'warm standby,"' Keating said.

Just how warm depends on money to maintain the complex, military officials said. Keating said his goal is to be able to fire up the complex in an hour.

Keating today is scheduled to announce the decision he made after consulting with military chiefs in Washington. He'll move 230 surveillance crewmembers and an undetermined number of about 700 support staffers - as quickly and inexpensively as possible. The time frame: within two years.

About 1,100 people now work in the mountain. Military leaders promised there'd be no net job loss from the move.

Hezbollah: Keep Iranian Arms Flowing Through Syria

A top Iranian envoy was in Syria on Thursday for talks on the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict, in a gathering of the Lebanese guerrilla's two key sponsors, according to Iranian news reports.

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah was taking part in the session, according to Kuwait's Al-Siyassah newspaper, known for its opposition to the Syrian regime. It said the meeting was designed to discuss ways to maintain supplies to Hezbollah fighters with "Iranian arms flowing through Syrian territories."

The newspaper said it learned of the meeting from "well-informed Syrian sources" it did not identify. It said Nasrallah was moving through Damascus with Syrian guards in an intelligence agency car. He was dressed in civilian clothes, not his normal clerical garb.

The Mehr news agency in Iran said Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, was in Damascus for meetings on the crisis, but gave no other details. Similar reports were carried by the Iranian Labor News Agency and the Fars agency.

The Kuwaiti newspaper said the Iranian official would meet with Syrian President Hafez Assad and Nasrallah.

Iran's state-run media gave no mention of Larijani's travels, and none of the reports could be independently confirmed.

Terror Expert: �We Need to Choose War!'

-- "An international peacekeeping force in Lebanon will change nothing, and we will have chosen shame.


"We [not only Israel but the threatened West] need to choose war once and for all to eradicate that system," a former terrorist told NewsMax in an exclusive interview about the current Middle East crisis.

His name is Walid Shoebat and he is a man with a tough message.

He is also a former fundamentalist Islamic terrorist who, incredibly, reformed. He is now an author, lecturer, and unabashed friend of Israel.

He travels the United States repeating, in a modern context, Winston Churchill's warning to those who would appease Hitler's evil: "We have a choice between shame and war!"

Shoebat was born in Bethlehem. As a young man, he entered the belly of the beast and became a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, participating in acts of terror and violence against Israel.

He was later imprisoned in the Russian Compound, Jerusalem's central prison, for incitement and violence against Israel.

After his release, Shoebat continued his life of violence in Bethlehem and the Temple Mount. After entering the United States, he worked as a counselor for the Arab Student Organization at Loop College in Chicago, where he persisted with his extremist activities.

But then in a life-changing event, his wife challenged him to study Israeli history and leave behind the Jew-hating indoctrination of his youth. He did and emerged from the "detoxification" experience with the fresh orientation that Israel is not a demon but simply perennially on the defensive against extremists.

The Arabic speaker, who now makes a study of the fanaticism that once enveloped his life, told NewsMax that the West had better abandon its political correctness and worries about world opinion and get down-and-dirty in the war on terrorism. And the West should start with taming the roots of that terrorism, the "mosque clergy" that preaches the hate.

"We have to treat the problem by going to the source of the problem, and that is what we are not doing," Shoebat said. "We are trying to destroy terrorist infrastructure - after it has been established. We have to look at the root causes of terrorism and the root causes spring from the mosque clergy." Shoebat explained that in his opinion there are thousands of hate-dispensing Islamic clergy, including hundreds in the United States:

"We can't touch it because we don't want to invade another religion," he lamented. "We have to treat this dogma - not as a religion - but as a political dogma."

All over the world, Shoebat wants laws enacted that just say - no more hate-mongering from so-called religious leaders: "Once a religion goes beyond its borders, it has to be treated differently. It has to be shut down. You have to arrest these clergy. You've got to throw them in jail."

Shoebat explained that in his view the offending clergy has, for example, been "schooling out" from Saudi Arabia and from the University of Egypt.

Within the context of the crisis with Israel and Lebanon, Shoebat said that Israel needed to invade the whole of Lebanon and cleanse it of the Hezbollah - once and for all.

"If you don't do that, it doesn't matter how much of a buffer zone that you establish, because you have to understand that we live in a world of technology and things get more sophisticated."

He goes on to note that Iran, a sponsor of Hezbollah, has rockets that can reach Israel as well: "Terrorists are very creative, you know. As a terrorist we were very creative. We find a different way or different method."

Shoebat said he was distressed that Israel was apparently not ready to occupy the whole of Lebanon because they are afraid of the condemnation of world community: "As long as we are worried about the feelings of the world community, we are never going to really eradicate the problem.

"We either hit them now, or we have to hit them much harder later, and it is going to be much more expensive and much more deadly."

Al-Qaida Calls For 'Holy War' Against Israel

Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader issued a worldwide call Thursday for Muslims to rise up in a holy war against Israel and join the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza until Islam reigns from "Spain to Iraq."

In the message broadcast by Al-Jazeera television, Ayman al-Zawahri, second in command to Osama bin Laden, said that al-Qaida now views "all the world as a battlefield open in front of us."

The Egyptian-born physician said that the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and Palestinian militants would not be ended with "cease-fires or agreements."

"It is a jihad (holy war) for the sake of God and will last until (our) religion prevails ... from Spain to Iraq," al-Zawahri said. "We will attack everywhere." Spain was controlled by Arab Muslims for more than seven centuries until they were driven from power in 1492.

He said Arab regimes were accomplices to Israel. "My fellow Muslims, it is obvious that Arab and Islamic governments are not only impotent but also complicit ... and you are alone on the battlefield. Rely on God and fight your enemies ... make yourselves martyrs."

He also called for the "downtrodden" throughout the world, not just Muslims, to join the battle against "tyrannical Western civilization and its leader, America."

"Stand with Muslims in confronting this unprecedented oppression and tyranny. Stand with us as we stand with you against this injustice that was forbidden by God in his book (the Quran)," al-Zawahri said.

Kamal Habib, a former member of Egypt's Islamic Jihad militant group who was jailed from 1981 to 1991 along with al-Zawahri, said the al-Qaida No. 2's outreach to Shiites and non-Muslims was unprecedented and reflected a major change in tactics.

"This is a transformation in the vision of al-Qaida and its struggle with the United States. It is now trying to unite Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims and calling for non-Muslims to join the fight," he said.

Hurricane, global-warming link full of hot air?

Studies that link global warming to an increase in hurricane ferocity might be full of hot air, according to a research paper that will be published Friday in a major scientific journal.

The paper, co-written by Chris Landsea of the National Hurricane Center in West Miami-Dade, challenges earlier findings that hurricanes have grown more powerful in the last 30 years.

It says those studies failed to account for technological improvements that now produce more accurate -- and often higher -- estimates of a storm's power than were available in the past.

'If you say, `Hey, the number of Category 4 and 5 storms has doubled since 1970,' you have to ask where is that coming from and can we accept that as true,'' said Landsea, one of the nation's leading hurricane researchers, who now serves as science and operations officer at the hurricane center.

His answer: Probably not, because the databases used for historical studies are so skewed.

Set for publication in Friday's edition of the journal Science, the study extends a multifaceted scientific debate that grows more heated every few months.

On one side are scientists who say they have found statistical evidence that the accumulated power of hurricanes around the world has dramatically increased in the past 30 years, largely because of global warming.

On the other side are Landsea and other scientists who say, yes, global warming is real, but its effect on hurricanes is not at all clear.

''It's the data sets that are faulty,'' Landsea said.

This branch of the debate began last August when Kerry Emanuel, a reputable climatologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, analyzed historical wind-speed reports by the hurricane center and concluded that the accumulated power of hurricanes in the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico more than doubled since 1970.

A particularly steep increase began in 1995, according to that study.

''The large upswing in the last decade is unprecedented and probably reflects the effect of global warming,'' Emanuel wrote in his report, which was published in the journal Nature.

Several other reports have pointed in the same direction, but it is important to note that all such studies focus on the power of hurricanes.

No connection has been found between global warming and the number of hurricanes. Many scientists believe that the current period of hyperactivity is caused mostly by long-term natural cycles unrelated to global warming.

Landsea agreed that the accumulated power of Atlantic hurricanes has increased, but said that was largely because the natural cycle has produced more storms. He said the accumulated power of hurricanes has remained constant elsewhere in the world, casting doubt on global warming as a cause in the Atlantic.

He and his team also agreed that global warming might be enhancing hurricane winds, but only by 1 or 2 percent, which is nearly impossible to measure and represents a much lower rate than Emanuel suggested.

More to the point, Landsea said, scientists who do not account for vast improvements in technology since the 1970s can produce flawed studies.

One example cited by Landsea focuses on a 1970 storm that killed more than 300,000 people in Bangladesh. Using the technology available at that time and place, forecasters were unable to estimate that storm's intensity. Now, with improved technology, that storm likely would be rated as the equivalent of a Category 4 or 5 hurricane.

''It's not even being counted as a hurricane,'' Landsea said. ``If you miss that one, it shouldn't be shocking if you're missing a whole bunch of others that didn't even hit land.''

In 1975, only two geostationary satellites monitored hurricanes. Now, eight more powerful satellites serve in that capacity, often prompting forecasters to produce higher wind estimates than might have been reported for a similar storm in the past.

'More satellites with improved imagery mean that you get `stronger' hurricanes without the hurricanes changing at all,'' Landsea said.

Hezbollah used civilians, mosques in attack on IDF

Hizbullah refused to allow civilians to leave their village and used mosques in their ambush on IDF soldiers at Bint Jbeil Wednesday. Names of the nine fallen soldiers were released. Morale is high.


Hizbullah stored ammunition and weapons in mosques, knowing that the IDF does not attack religious sites. Civilians were not allowed to leave so that Hizbullah could use them as cover. IDF officers said they ordered pilots not to strafe Bint Jbeil in order to spare civilian casualties.

A United Nations peace keeping officer from Canada told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. that Hizbullah used the same tactic to draw fire on the UNIFIL post which resulted in the death of four U.N. observers. "This is their favorite trick," he said. "They use the U.N. as shields."

Morale of the Golani soldiers was extremely high after the bitter battle, the fiercest in many years. One of the soldiers injured in Bint Jbeil said from his hospital bed Wednesday night, "I want to go back and fight with my comrades. Morale is totally high. [The battle] was complex, and there is fear, but we have to take the fear and turn it around."

IDF officers are trying to cool down the soldiers' enthusiasm to take over Bint Jbeil. The troops marked the Hizbullah terrorists with an "x." "Tomorrow will see their death," they said. "Tomorrow they will pay the price."

IAF knocks out Hezbollah missile command in Tyre

The IAF scored a successful direct hit Thursday against Hezbollah's missile command center deployed in Tyre, which has been primarily responsible for targeting Haifa and its surroundings. The regional command center was located on the 12th floor of a Tyre building that the IAF destroyed.

Hezbollah maintains a number of regional command centers in southern Lebanon similar to that destroyed on Thursday. The organization calls them planning units. The unit in Tyre controlled a large number of 220mm rockets manufactured in Syria, which had caused most of the Israeli civilian fatalities.

The impact of the attack on Hezbollah's bombardment capabilities against Haifa and its surroundings is not yet clear. Nevertheless, Tyre will continue to be a target for the air force.

The attack against Tyre has not affected Hezbollah's ability to launch short-range rockets against northern Israel; most of the group's rockets in southern Lebanon are of the short-range variety, about 100 of which are being launched against Israel on a daily basis, with most falling in empty fields.

It is possible that Hezbollah, under constant air force pressure, will try to carry out previous threats by its leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, and launch Zelzal-1 rockets against targets south of Haifa. The missile is capable of ranges of 125 km.

Israel Air Force warplanes fired more than 30 missiles at suspected Hezbollah hideouts in hills and mountainous areas in southeastern Lebanon Thursday night and Friday. The day before, the IAF scored a direct hit against Hezbollah's missile command center deployed in Tyre, which was responsible for firing rockets on the Haifa area.

The IDF believes that at least 200 Hezbollah operatives have been killed since the fighting began more than two weeks ago, a military source said Friday.

IAF warplanes struck three buildings in a village near the market town of Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon as they renewed attacks on suspected Hezbollah targets Friday, killing a Jordanian citizen and a Lebanese couple and wounding nine people, including four children, Lebanese security officials said.

Hezbollah used U.N. as 'shield'

The United Nations post in Lebanon at the center of controversy over a deadly Israeli attack likely was being used as a "shield" by Hezbollah to fire rockets into the Jewish state, according to a former U.N. commander in Bosnia.

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan has accused Israel of deliberately targeting the post where four officials of the world body were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of El Khiam Tuesday night.

But retired Maj.-Gen. Lewis MacKenzie points to an e-mail by one of the observers killed in the attack that backs Israel's claim that it was targeting Hezbollah, reported the CanWest News Service of Canada.

The dead observer, Maj. Paeta Hess-von Kruedener, wrote an e-mail last week to the Canadian television network CTV that alluded to Hezbollah's tactics.

"What I can tell you is this, we have on a daily basis had numerous occasions where our position has come under direct or indirect fire from both (Israeli) artillery and aerial bombing.

"The closest artillery has landed within 2 meters (sic) of our position and the closest 1000 lb aerial bomb has landed 100 meters (sic) from our patrol base. This has not been deliberate targeting, but rather due to tactical necessity."

MacKenzie said Hess-von Kruedener was indicating Israeli strikes were aimed at Hezbollah targets near the post, the Canadian news service reported.

"What that means is, in plain English, 'We've got Hezbollah fighters running around in our positions, taking our positions here and then using us for shields and then engaging the (Israeli Defence Forces)," he said.

McKenzie said this indicates Hezbollah purposely set itself up near the U.N. post, a tactic he observed in previous international missions. McKenzie was the first U.N. commander in Sarajevo during the Bosnia civil war, CanWest reported.

The U.N. has claimed there was no Hezbollah activity in the area of the strike.

From his U.N. post, however, Hess-von Kruedener wrote he had a view of the "Hezbollah static positions in and around our patrol Base."

"It appears that the lion's share of fighting between the IDF and Hezbollah has taken place in our area," he wrote, noting later it was too dangerous to venture out on patrols.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Jury reaches verdict in Yates murder retrial

After deliberating nearly 12 hours in Andrea Yates� murder retrial, jurors the jury has reached a verdict in the murder retrial of Andrea Yates, accused of drowning her children in a bathtub.

The announcement of the verdict is expected within the next few minutes.

On Tuesday, the jury � evenly split men to women � had asked to review the state�s definition of insanity Wednesday morning. Texas law says someone can be found insane if because of a severe mental illness that person does not know the crime is wrong.

In Yates� first murder trial, in 2002, the jury deliberated about four hours before finding her guilty. That conviction was overturned on appeal.

Yates, 42, has again pleaded innocent by reason of insanity. She is charged in only three of the deaths, which is common in cases involving multiple slayings.

Tuesday afternoon, the jury had asked for one more hour to deliberate but then sent another note to the judge rescinding that request. State District Judge Belinda Hill said the note read: �We need some sleep.�

UPDATE:JURY FINDS ANDREA YATES, ACCUSED OF DROWNING HER CHILDREN, NOT GUILTY
BY REASON OF INSANITY

Same-sex marriage ban upheld in State of Washington

The Washington Supreme Court today upheld the state's 1998 ban on same-sex marriage � a ruling decried by gay activists but heralded by supporters of traditional marriage.

The decision came as a sobering defeat for gays and their advocates, who'd hoped the court would strike down the so-named Defense of Marriage Act � DOMA � which restricts marriage to one man and one woman.

Writing for a 5-4 majority, Justice Barbara Madsen said DOMA is constitutional because in establishing DOMA:

"the legislation was entitled to believe that limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples furthers procreation, essential to the survival of the human race and furthers the well-being of children by encouraging families where children are reared in homes headed by children's biological parents."


As such, DOMA does not violate the state Constitution's privileges and immunities clause of the state Constitution, which requires that any benefit granted to one group must be granted equally to all.

"Allowing same sex couples to marry does not, in the legislature's view, further these purposes," she wrote.


Read majority opinion in marriage case

Saddam: If Convicted, Just Shoot Me

A thinner but combative Saddam Hussein returned to court Wednesday for the first time since his hunger strike and hospitalization, complaining he had been forced to attend the proceedings and asking to be executed by firing squad if the court sentences him to death.

"I was brought against my will directly from the hospital," Saddam told the chief judge. "The Americans insisted that I come against my will. This is not fair."

He asked the court to execute him by firing squad - "not by hanging as a common criminal" - if it convicts him of all charges and sentences him to death.

"I ask you being an Iraqi person that if you reach a verdict of death, execution, remember that I am a military man and should be killed by firing squad," he said.

Chief Judge Raouf Abdel-Rahman reminded Saddam that the trial was still under way and that the court had not reached a verdict. Executions in Iraq are normally by hanging.

Anti-Americanism prompts push for "citizen diplomacy"

With anti-American sentiment at unprecedented levels around the world, Americans worried about their country's low standing are pushing a grassroots campaign to change foreign perceptions of the United States "one handshake at a time."

The idea is to turn millions of Americans into "citizen diplomats" who use personal meetings with foreigners to counter the ugly image of the United States shown in a series of international public opinion polls. They show widespread negative attitudes not only toward U.S. policies but also toward the American people and, increasingly, even American products.

To stem the relentless decline of America's international standing -- a dramatic change from the almost universal sympathy for the country immediately after the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington --leaders of more than 30 civic organizations formed a "Coalition for Citizen Diplomacy" two years ago.

The coalition, a loose alliance of national, state and community groups, held its first national summit in July in Washington, where speakers deplored the sorry state of the U.S. image but expressed hope that individual action and international people-to-people exchanges could go a long way toward improving things.

"Citizen diplomacy is the concept that the individual citizen has the right and the responsibility to help shape U.S. foreign relations one handshake at a time," said Sherry Lee Mueller, one of the coalition's leaders.

"Whether you are student sitting next to a foreign scholar at your university, an athlete playing abroad, an elected official welcoming counterparts, a rock star or a business representative overseas, you are a citizen diplomat and can make a life-changing difference."

Not even the most optimistic delegates to the Washington meeting, billed as the first of its kind, thought citizen diplomacy could soon reverse a trend that has accelerated sharply under President George W. Bush, many of whose foreign policy decisions have been criticized as unilateralist and arrogant.

Border Patrol Reports Fewer Arrests

The number of illegal immigrants caught trying to sneak into the United States has dropped since President Bush ordered the military to help tighten the border, the head of the Border Patrol said Tuesday.

Officials surmise that part of the reason is that fewer people are even attempting to enter the states because they're discouraged by the ramp-up in efforts against them.


Immigrant rights advocates think the migrants may just be shifting entry points, crossing at more remote and dangerous areas.

Whichever it is, Border Patrol chief David V. Aguilar reported a 45 percent decline in the number of people arrested along the U.S.-Mexican border, when considering the 69 days before Bush's mid-May announcement to the 69 days after.


Some 4,500 National Guardsmen are in place in California, New Mexico, Texas and Arizona, with the rest due Aug. 1, said Blum.

Their arrival so far has freed 250 border agents from support duties, a number expected to grow ultimately to about 580.

"It's positive, it's real," Aguilar said of the effects of the effort.


The reported 45 percent decline was to 166,299 arrests from May 16 to July 23 this year, compared with 302,447 arrests in the same period last year, Friel said.

"We have more eyes and ears on the border, more agents and apprehensions are down," he said. "I think it's logical to say that we are gaining control of that piece of the border," Friel said. "Something's going on."



That's a much greater decline than normally seen in the summer months when southern temperatures rise dangerously and discourage some people from making the trip, officials said. The seasonal decrease was 27 percent last year and 29 percent in 2004, said Customs agency spokesman Michael Friel.


Aguilar spoke at a press conference with Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard, which is sending some 6,000 troops to help with logistics, communications and other duties and thus free up border agents to do more enforcement work.

"We are becoming more efficient," Aguilar said of the operation since troops began arriving.

Missile-defense ready by fall

The U.S. military hopes to complete work this fall on a plan mapping out how regional commanders will be able to use the fledgling U.S. missile defense system, a top general said on Tuesday.

Lt. Gen. Larry Dodgen, commander of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defend Command, told industry executives and congressional aides he expected the so-called "concept of operations" to be done by October or November.

He said it marked the first time the military had tried to draft such a plan for a specific capability across the military's regional commands.


Dodgen hailed a recent successful test of a missile-shield component built by Lockheed Martin Corp. to shoot down a ballistic missile in the last minute or so of its flight.

The so-called Terminal High Altitude Area Defense weapon system, or THAAD, "exceeded its objectives" in the long-planned test at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, Lockheed said in a statement earlier this month.

Dodgen agreed, saying the THAAD missiles would "pay for themselves many times over."

He also mentioned plans to deploy missile interceptors in Japan, and said officials were still weighing where to place interceptors in Europe.

The United States last month activated its ground-based interceptor missile-defense system ahead of a test-launch of North Korean missiles on July 5.

The United States has built up a complex of interceptor missiles, advanced radar stations and data relays designed to detect and shoot down an enemy missile, but tests of the system have had mixed results. It is based on the concept of using one missile to shoot down another before it can reach its target.

The United States has installed nine interceptors in silos at XXXXXX and XXXXXX. In addition, U.S. Navy vessels with long-range tracking and surveillance capability ply the Sea of Japan.

Dodgen said further improvements would include placement of additional interceptor missiles, more sensors and further development of the system's capabilities, including better defenses against cruise missiles.

MSNM Estatic: Israeli troops suffer heavy casualties

14 Israeli soldiers reportedly killed in Lebanon

Hezbollah inflicted heavy casualties on Israeli troops as they battled for a key hilltop town in southern Lebanon for a fourth day Wednesday, with as many as 14 soldiers reported killed.

Israel has faced fiercer resistance than expected as it advances across the border in its two-week campaign against the Islamic militant group.

There were conflicting reports about the casualty toll in the fourth day of fighting.

Al-Arabiya, a Dubai-based satellite TV channel, said 14 Israeli soldiers had been killed. Hezbollah�s chief spokesman Hussein Rahhal said of the battle, �What I can tell you is that 13 Israelis have been burned alive in their tanks on our land.�

If confirmed, it would be the largest death toll suffered by the Israeli military in a single attack since the offensive began two weeks ago.

The Israeli military said there were 20 Israeli casualties, but it would not say if any soldiers had been killed.

Israeli TV reported 13 casualties, but was not more specific. Israel Radio said �at least 10 Israeli soldiers had been hit� in heavy fighting against 200 Hezbollah guerrillas in the town. The radio did not specify if any Israelis were killed.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Peace prize winner 'could kill' Bush

NOBEL peace laureate Betty Williams displayed a flash of her feisty Irish spirit yesterday, lashing out at US President George W.Bush during a speech to hundreds of schoolchildren.
Campaigning on the rights of young people at the Earth Dialogues forum, being held in Brisbane, Ms Williams spoke passionately about the deaths of innocent children during wartime, particularly in the Middle East, and lambasted Mr Bush.

"I have a very hard time with this word 'non-violence', because I don't believe that I am non-violent," said Ms Williams, 64.

"Right now, I would love to kill George Bush." Her young audience at the Brisbane City Hall clapped and cheered.


"I don't know how I ever got a Nobel Peace Prize, because when I see children die the anger in me is just beyond belief. It's our duty as human beings, whatever age we are, to become the protectors of human life."

Ms Williams was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 30 years ago, when she circulated a petition to end violence in Northern Ireland after witnessing British soldiers shoot dead an IRA member who was driving a car. He veered on to the footpath, killing two children from one family instantly and fatally injuring a third.

Free to Fly the Flag at Condos

President Bush on Monday signed a bill that would bar condominium and homeowner associations from restricting how the American flag can be displayed.

Sponsored by Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., the resolution would prohibit those groups from preventing residents from displaying an American flag on their own property.

It was passed unanimously by both the House and the Senate.

"Americans have long flown our flag as an expression of their appreciation for our freedoms and their pride in our nation," Bush said in a statement. "As our brave men and women continue to fight to protect our country overseas, Congress has passed an important measure to protect our citizens right to express their patriotism here at home without burdensome restrictions."

Vindicated Soldiers Coming Home

Roni Lynn, 21, of South Williamsport, the wife of 21-year-old National Guardsman Spc. Nathan B. Lynn, who had been accused of unlawfully killing an Iraqi civilian, said Sunday that charges have been dismissed against him and he may be home as early as this week.

The commanding officer, a general, signed off on the recommendation Friday, she said.

As for Melissa Ortiz, 36, wife of National Guard Sgt. Milton Ortiz Jr., 36, of Old Lycoming Township, she said her husband told her not to worry. He was facing minor �non-judicial� punishment � an official reprimand expected to be handed down Thursday.

The sergeant is accused of conspiracy in connection with Lynn�s case and of threatening another Iraqi. If Thursday�s proceeding goes as expected, he would be eligible to return home afterward, his wife said.

The military acted in both cases on the recommendation of the investigating officer, Army Lt. Col. John W. McClory. He found that Lynn �did nothing wrong� in shooting Iraqi civilian Gani Ahmad Zaben while on patrol in Ramadi the night of Feb. 15, according to The Associated Press.

An Article 32 hearing, similar to a grand jury hearing in civilian court, took place last Tuesday and Wednesday.

The soldiers, who belong to Co. B, 1st Battalion, 109th Mechanized Infantry Regiment, based at 1307 Grove St., could have faced courts-martial.

Lynn was charged with voluntary manslaughter and conspiracy to obstruct justice. His wife said the accusations made him second-guess himself as he continued to go out on patrols.

��Nate questioned himself constantly,�� his wife said. ��He was putting himself at risk and all the other soldiers that were with him.��

McClory determined Lynn had sufficient reason to believe Zaben was armed, and acted within accepted rules of engagement. Roni Lynn said her husband was on patrol in the darkness, thought Zaben was armed with an AK-47 assault rifle and believed he was a threat.

The charges against Lynn were dismissed ��without prejudice.�� That means they may be refiled if additional evidence is found, according to Barron�s Law Dictionary.

Ortiz was charged with threatening and assaulting Saad Jassem Muhamed in early March by allegedly pressing an unloaded firearm against his head in Ramadi. Ortiz denies putting a gun to the Iraqi�s head, Melissa Ortiz said.

She said her husband told her the Iraqi lied about having weapons in the house.

��He needed to find the truth from this man� but questioned him lawfully, she said.

Ortiz was also charged with obstructing justice. He and another soldier allegedly put an AK-47 near Zaben�s body to make it appear he was an insurgent.

McClory concluded that Lynn did not play a role in placing the rifle near Zaben�s body. There has been no official determination of any role Ortiz may have played.

The women said they were kept abreast of developments by their husbands� attorneys and their husbands and have not communicated with Army officials.

��It�s outrageous,�� Roni Lynn said of the allegations. ��How can you second-guess a soldier risking his and all the other soldiers� lives?�� she asked.

A member of the Judge Advocate General�s office initially cleared Lynn of the February shooting but the charges were refiled by someone in his chain of command, she said.

��He worked hard with his lawyer,�� she said, referring to Capt. James Culp. Lynn spent many days preparing his case with Culp, who was in Texas when he was assigned the case.

Culp told the Washington Post it was rare for an Article 32 investigating officer to recommend dismissal of all charges. Culp said the result vindicates the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Lynn and Ortiz� commanding officer, Capt. Luis Gansell, filed the charges and testified by phone at the Article 32 hearing, William Lynn said.

Gansell �believed Nathan did nothing wrong,�� Lynn said. When asked at the hearing why he decided to file charges of voluntary manslaughter and conspiracy, Lynn said, Gansell responded it was ��done to try and get Nathan to talk about somebody else.��

��They charged my son with manslaughter to flip on somebody else,�� Lynn said. When asked who it was, Lynn said ��Ortiz.��

��But he didn�t know anything about Ortiz or what Ortiz did in March. They messed with that kid�s life on a ploy, basically,�� Lynn said.

��It is more of a personality conflict than a military conflict,�� Melissa Ortiz said.

She said she isn�t pleased with mainstream media coverage of the incident. ��They made it seem like he (Zaben) was outside his house doing gardening.��

Roni Lynn said reports Zaben was shot outside his house aren�t precise. Lynn told his wife Zaben lived a little less than two miles from the houses where the night patrol was taking place. Lynn was told Zaben�s uncle ordered Zaben to carry a gun. Zaben�s uncle was a sheik in the tribe in the town. The sheik told his nephew when he was outside at night he should always have his gun, William Lynn said.

��I pray for the families of those who have accused because all will come to light and the truth shall prevail,�� Ortiz� wife said.

��I am thankful to all the soldiers who stood by Milton, knowing he was willing to give his life for anyone in that unit,�� she said. ��Unfortunately, there were some who were not willing to do the same for him.��

Monday, July 24, 2006

Democrats Snub New Hampshire Primary

Nevada will now beat New Hampshire's primary.

That's the biggest change coming from the Democratic Party's decision to alter the presidential nominating calendar, a move that came in response to worries that a lack of racial and geographic diversity in the early primary season was hurting the party's fortunes.

On Saturday, the Democratic National Committee bumped New Hampshire from second place in the nominating process. Nevada's caucuses were placed between the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. South Carolina also rose in prominence: Its primary will come after New Hampshire but before Feb. 5, when any state can schedule a vote.

The changes, by the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee, are the first significant calendar restructuring in years.

"Today we begin the initial steps of electing a Democratic president," Alexis Herman, secretary of labor during the Clinton administration and a co-chair of the Rules and Bylaws Committee, told the Washington Post.

The choices of Nevada and South Carolina came after months of lobbying by the 11 states (as well as the District of Columbia) that applied to the committee to be considered for early voting status.

Critical Democratic constituencies such as blacks and Hispanics have clamored for a major role in early primary voting, arguing that Iowa and New Hampshire are hardly reflective of a diverse electorate.

Iowa's population is 95 percent white, New Hampshire's is 96.2 percent, according to the latest Census numbers.

According to the Post, Nevada had long been considered the front-runner for the caucus slot, because it carried the strong backing of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., as well as the majority of the organized labor movement -- one of the party's most influential voting blocs.

South Carolina, too, had been the favorite to secure the post-New Hampshire primary spot thanks to its successful handling of the 2004 Democratic presidential primary as well as its substantial black population, one of the main criteria given by the committee in its consideration.

According to the Baltimore Sun, the panel's decision will be presented to the full Democratic National Committee when it meets in Chicago on Aug. 19. The recommendations are typically ratified.

However, it remains unclear whether New Hampshire will abide by the committee's decision. Under state law, no similar contest can be placed within seven days of the Granite State primary -- a near-certainty given the constraints of the new nominating calendar.

Iran soldiers killed in Lebanon

The bodies of Iranian Revolutionary Guard soldiers who were killed by the Israeli army in Lebanon have been transported to Syria and flown to Tehran, senior Lebanese political sources told WorldNetDaily.

The information was confirmed by Israeli and Egyptian security officials. It follows scores of reports the past few days Iranian soldiers have been aiding Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon in their attacks against Israel, including help with the firing of rockets into Israeli population centers.

The Lebanese sources said between six and nine deceased Iranian Revolutionary Guard soldiers were brought in trucks last week into Syria for flight back to Iran. They said the bodies were transported along with the tens of thousands of Lebanese civilians fleeing the country into Syria.

Israeli security officials said they have "concrete information" hundreds of Iranian soldiers stationed at Hezbollah positions in Lebanon have aided in efforts to fire missiles into the Jewish state.

The Israeli officials said Iranian guards directed the firing two weeks ago of a radar-guided C�802 missile that hit an Israeli navy vessel off the coast of Lebanon, killing four soldiers. Israel says Iran acquired the missile from China.

The officials said the Iranian soldiers' duties include keeping custody of long-range missiles within Hezbollah's arsenal, including Zalzal rockets which are said to have a range of 125 miles, placing Tel Aviv within firing range.

Jordanian officials told WND they are "100 percent sure" Iranian Revolutionary Guard unit soldiers have fired rockets into Israel. They also said the Syrian army has provided Hezbollah with intelligence information on the locations of strategic Israeli targets to aid in Hezbollah rocket fire.

A Ba'ath party official operating out of the Golan Heights told WND he has information Iranian soldiers have been firing rockets into Israel.

A senior Egyptian security official told WND it would be "very logical" if Iranian Revolutionary Guard soldiers have been helping Hezbollah fire the rockets.

Israel has long maintained Iranian Revolutionary Guard units have traveled regularly to south Lebanon to help train local Hezbollah fighters in terrorist tactics and to fortify Hezbollah positions along Israel's northern border

At times, Revolutionary Guard soldiers could be seen operating openly at Hezbollah outposts in plain view from the Israeli side, military officials say.

Iran and Syria are the largest financial sponsors of Hezbollah. Israel says many Hezbollah rockets were made in or upgraded by Iran.

Earlier, Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mark Regev said Israel has information Hezbollah was trying to transfer the two soldiers it kidnapped to Iran.

IDF: Terrorists running out of rockets

IDF Military Intelligence (MI) believes the army has 10 days left before diplomatic pressure puts an end to Operation Change of Direction against Hizbullah, The Jerusalem Post learned on Sunday.

In addition, MI - reflecting its latest strategic assessment - believes that the Islamist group has already been dealt a severe blow by the IDF operation launched 12 days ago, and that within a month it will run out of Katyusha rockets to fire at Israel.

Hizbullah is organized along military lines, with regional commands in southern, northern and central Lebanon. The unit in the south, called the "Katyusha Unit" by the IDF, consists of some 1,000 fighters who have been responsible for most of the rocket attacks on communities north of Acre and Amiad.

The unit has been able to recruit reserves, but MI has noticed that it has run into difficulty convincing members of the terror group who reside in northern Lebanon to travel south to participate in the fighting.

Once the unit exhausts the missiles currently in its possession, it will, MI believes, have difficulty acquiring more, since most of the roads and supply routes have been destroyed by the IDF. Several Syrian and Iranian attempts to send supplies to Hizbullah have been thwarted by the IDF.

North of the Litani River, Hizbullah operates a unit called the "medium-range rocket unit" believed to be responsible for firing Katyushas at Haifa and Israel's northern coast. Most of that unit's missiles were supplied by Syria prior to the current conflict.

This unit is also believed to have an arsenal of long-range rockets - Iranian-made Fajr 5 and Zelzal missiles capable of reaching targets 200 km. away.

Slain G.I.'s Mother spurs anti-war T-shirt ban

A woman whose Marine son died while serving in Iraq is fighting to keep his name off anti-war T-shirts.

Judy Vincent learned last year that Cpl. Scott Vincent's name is among about 1,700 included on a T-shirt being sold by an Arizona man over the Internet. The front of the shirt reads "Bush Lied" and the back reads "They Died."

The woman, whose son was killed in April 2004, pushed for Oklahoma legislators to pass a law that makes it a misdemeanor to use a soldier's name or likeness for advertising purposes without consent. The law goes into effect this November.

The shirt vendor, Dan Frazier of Flagstaff, Ariz., issued an open letter to family members praising the soldiers' bravery and sacrifice, but said he would not stop selling the merchandise.

Arabs press Syria to end Hezbollah support

Mideast diplomats were pressing Syria to stop backing Hezbollah as the guerrillas fired more deadly rockets onto Israel's third-largest city Sunday. Israel faced tougher-than-expected ground battles and bombarded targets in southern Lebanon, hitting a convoy of refugees.

With Israel and the United States saying a real cease-fire is not possible until Hezbollah is reined in, Arab heavyweights Egypt and Saudi Arabia were pushing Syria to end its support for the guerrillas, Arab diplomats in Cairo said.

A loss of Syria's support would deeply weaken Hezbollah, though its other ally, Iran, gives it a large part of its money and weapons. The two moderate Arab governments were prepared to spend heavily from Egypt's political capital in the region and Saudi Arabia's vast financial reserves to break Damascus from the guerrillas and Iran, the diplomats said.

Syria said it will press for a cease-fire to end the fighting � but only in the framework of a broader Middle East peace initiative that would include the return of the Golan Heights. Israel was unlikely to accept such terms but it was the first indication of Syria's willingness to be involved in efforts to defuse the crisis.

BBC Admits Many Lebanese Casualties are Terrorists

The British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) has admitted that many of the victims of Israeli retaliation in Lebanon are terrorists and not innocent civilians. A BBC reporter said he saw Hizbullah terrorists using a private home and added, "It is difficult to quantify who is a terrorist and who is a civilian."

Media reports have emphasized that Israeli air strikes have killed more than 350 Lebanese civilians, prompting accusations that the IDF is carrying out "collective punishment" on the country.