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Al-Qaida suspect from US tricked his Yemeni guard

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-03-14T06:00:00Z

This 2002 photo provided by Roman Castro shows Sharif Mobley, 26, at a barbecue in Buena, N.J. By AHMED AL-HAJ, Associated Press Writer– Sat Mar 13, 9:35 pm ET

SAN'A, Yemen – An American al-Qaida suspect detained in Yemen fooled his hospital guards into unshackling him by asking to join them for prayers, security officials said Saturday. He then killed a guard who laid down his weapon as he went ahead at prayer time.

The new details of Sharif Mobley's failed escape attempt, obtained by The Associated Press, indicate the 26-year-old American of Somali descent has a level of training and cunning characteristic of the terror network.

The story of a young American Muslim drawn to Yemen, ostensibly to study Arabic, has once again demonstrated the reach of the country's year-old al-Qaida offshoot, which was behind the Christmas Day attempt to blow up an airliner as it approached Detroit. The suspect in that attack, a young Nigerian Muslim, went to Yemen and used Arabic study as a cover, Yemeni authorities have said.

Mobley had traveled to Yemen two years ago and was recently arrested there in a sweep that netted 10 other al-Qaida suspects.

Mobley made his bold escape attempt March 7 after being transferred from prison to a hospital in the capital, San'a, for medical treatment. He tried to shoot his way out of the hospital, killing one guard and seriously injuring another before being recaptured.

Two senior Yemeni officials involved in Mobley's case said he was being treated for complications from a metal rod implanted in his leg some time in the past. The prison doctor had asked to transfer him to the hospital where he stayed for a week.

The officials agreed to discuss details of Mobley's attempted escape on condition of anonymity because the investigation has not finished.

At the hospital, Mobley befriended his guards and asked them to teach him Arabic. He performed prayers and read the Quran with them.

Then a week ago, the officials said, Mobley asked his guard to unshackle him from his hospital bed at prayer time. The guard did and then went into a washroom ahead of Mobley to perform ritual ablutions required before the five daily prayers in Islam, leaving his gun unattended.

Mobley snatched the gun and shot the guard twice — first in the head, then in the chest — as he walked out of the washroom.

When a second guard outside heard the shots, he rushed in. Mobley shot him in the kidney and abdomen, leaving him in serious condition. Mobley was then chased around the hospital until he surrendered.

One of the senior officials said Mobley's targeting indicates he is highly trained in the use of firearms and criticized the negligence of the prison guards.

He also said Mobley had been in the high security intelligence prison after being detained a few months ago. That timeframe contradicted a statement by the Yemeni Embassy in Washington, which had said Mobley was detained earlier this month.

U.S. officials say Mobley had been a laborer at six U.S. nuclear power plants before traveling to Yemen. U.S. authorities are investigating whether he had access to sensitive information or materials that would be useful to terrorists.

He passed all necessary background checks for those jobs. On Saturday, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer called for a review of such background checks to see whether they need to be more thorough.

U.S. officials say Mobley traveled to Yemen with the goal of joining a terrorist group and that the U.S. government was aware of his potential extremist ties long before his arrest. The Yemeni officials said Mobley was not on Yemen's list of wanted militants.

U.S. intelligence officials have warned of the possibility that al-Qaida and other extremist movements overseas could be seeking to radicalize American Muslims and recruit them.

Mobley grew up in Buena, New Jersey. His parents said he is not a terrorist, though a former friend said Mobley was becoming increasingly radical in his Muslim beliefs before he moved to Yemen. His mother last spoke to him in January.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, whose leadership includes Saudis and Yemenis, took root in Yemen a year ago, taking advantage of the impoverished country's chronic instability and finding shelter among sympathetic tribes who are hostile to the weak central government.

Under U.S. pressure and with the help of American aid, training and intelligence, Yemen's government has battled the al-Qaida militants. But its forces, which are also battling a separate rebel insurgency in the north of the country, are stretched thin.

Until December's failed airliner attack, the al-Qaida affiliate had only struck inside Yemen, including deadly bombings outside the U.S. Embassy.

On Friday, a Philadelphia imam, Anas Muhaimin, said he tried to discourage Mobley from traveling to Yemen because he believed the country was unsafe. Muhaimin said the young man attended prayer services occasionally, but hadn't been to the mosque in about three years.

Obama seeks to overhaul ‘No Child Left Behind’

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-03-14T04:43:00Z

*Isn't this part of the reason Clinton didn't win the election against Obama? she wanted to put school reforms into law? The schooling was poor when G W Bush was elected and what he implicated was a way to make the schools more responsible to "teach" and not just get their pay check. Do you remember what Obama wanted to do with children at schools? (besides learn how to pledge themselves to Obama) I personally believe this article is greatly slanted. When did President Bush say he" encouraged teachers not to focus on history, art, science, social studies and other important subjects"? Yet another Obama demand on Americans to PAY UP. WHEN is Obama going to uphold to Any of his promises without that Bully tactic or "pay up' obcession ~ did you happen to see the new 'uniforms' for those schools sponsored and funded by the federal tax dollar? just asking.

ATLANTA - President Barack Obama is promising parents and their kids that with his administration's help they will have better teachers in improved schools so U.S. students can make up for academic ground lost against youngsters in other countries.

A plan to overhaul the 2002 education law championed by President George W. Bush was unveiled by the Obama administration Saturday in hopes of replacing a system that in the last decade has tagged more than a third of schools as failing and created a hodgepodge of sometimes weak academic standards among states.

"Unless we take action — unless we step up — there are countless children who will never realize their full talent and potential," Obama said during a video address on Saturday. "I don't accept that future for them. And I don't accept that future for the United States of America."

In the proposed dismantling of the No Child Left Behind law, education officials would move away from punishing schools that don't meet benchmarks and focus on rewarding schools for progress, particularly with poor and minority students. Obama intends to send a rewrite to Congress on Monday of the law.

The proposed changes call for states to adopt standards that ensure students are ready for college or a career rather than grade-level proficiency — the focus of the current law.

The blueprint also would allow states to use subjects other than reading and mathematics as part of their measurements for meeting federal goals, pleasing many education groups that have said No Child Left Behind encouraged teachers not to focus on history, art, science, social studies and other important subjects.

And, for the first time in 45 years, the White House is proposing a $4 billion increase in federal education spending, most of which would go to increase the competition among states for grant money and move away from formula-based funding.

The blueprint goes before the House Education and Labor Committee on Wednesday as Obama pushes Congress to reauthorize the education law this year, a time-consuming task that some observers say will be difficult. Committee Chairman George Miller, a Democrat from California, praised Obama's plan.

What Glenn Beck Really said. Listen

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-03-13T00:31:00Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEuAVgmWt0U&feature=player_embedded

63 suicide doses given so far under Wash. law

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-03-05T06:12:00Z

SEATTLE - The state of Washington says 63 suicide prescriptions were dispensed during the first nine months of the state's "death with dignity" act to people between the ages of 48 and 95.

The Health Department said Thursday that of the 63 who received lethal doses, 47 are known to have died.

Thirty-six of them died after taking the medications and seven most likely died from their ailment. The agency says it doesn't know the details of the other four because the death certificate or report hasn't been filed.

Under the Washington law, any patient requesting fatal medication must be at least 18 years old, be declared mentally competent, a resident of the state and have a terminal condition with six months or less to live.

Oregon and Montana also allow assisted suicides.

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Juror gets jail time

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-03-05T05:57:00Z

This, is just a step too far this woman took. Do women who Have to work have that option? take your kids with you and who does the job? The ability to have a jury is for the defense. Why would anyone give an ok to this woman or is this just another one of those "ME" people or is she looking for a money hungry lawyer to get a free $$? This, is what the people think of the courts today.

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2 Pentagon officers shot near Metro station

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-03-05T05:50:00Z

A gunman coolly drew a weapon from his pocket and opened fire at the subway entrance to the Pentagon complex Thursday evening, wounding two police officers before being shot and critically wounded, officials said.

The two officers suffered grazing wounds and were being treated in a hospital, said Richard Keevill, chief of Pentagon police. Authorities had no motive for the shooting.

The suspect, believed to be a U.S. citizen, walked up to a security checkpoint at the Pentagon in an apparent attempt to get inside the massively fortified Defense Department headquarters, at about 6:40 p.m. local time. "He just reached in his pocket, pulled out a gun and started shooting" at point-blank range, Keevill said. "He walked up very cool. He had no real emotion on his face." The Pentagon officers returned fire with semiautomatic weapons.

Early Friday morning, the medical examiner's office said suspect had died.

The assault at the very threshold of the Pentagon — the U.S. capital's ground zero on Sept. 11, 2001 — came four months after a deadly attack on the Army's Fort Hood, Texas, post allegedly by a U.S. Army psychiatrist with radical Islamic leanings. In the immediate aftermath Thursday, investigators did not think terrorism was involved but were not ruling that out and did not discuss possible motives.

President Barack Obama was "closely following the case" and getting updates from the FBI through his homeland security and counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan," White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said.

Second man questioned
Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as John Patrick Bedell, 36. They also said they were speaking with a second man, who might have accompanied the shooter, and were running his name through databases.

A man who identified himself as Bedell's father called KNX Newsradio in Los Angeles and said that his son had been slipping. He said Bedell was a grad student at San Jose State University.

The subway station is immediately adjacent to the Pentagon building, a five-sided northern Virginia colossus across the Potomac River from Washington. Since a redesign following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the Pentagon, riders can no longer disembark directly into the building. Riders take a long escalator ride to the surface from the underground station, then pass through a security check outside the doors of the building, where further security awaits.

After the attack, all Pentagon entrances were secured, then all were reopened except one from the subway, said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman. He said the subway entrance was likely to remain closed overnight at least.

Keevill said the gunman gave no clue to the officers at the checkpoint about what he was going to do.

"There was no distress," he said. "When he reached into his pocket, they assumed he was going to get a pass and he came up with a gun."

"He wasn't pretending to be anyone. He was wearing a coat and walked up and just started shooting."

Keevill added: "We have layers of security and it worked. He never got inside the building to hurt anyone."

A Pentagon official working late in the building said people inside first heard of the shooting on television. They were later told the building was locked down and to stay in place.

Then at around 7:30 p.m. local time, they heard an announcement on the public address system that they could leave through Corridor 3 — one widely used to get access to one of the parking lots.

"We really don't know anything, just that we can leave now through that corridor," one official said on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak about the incident.

Obama aides near reversal on 9/11 trials

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-03-05T05:37:00Z

*Step down Obama. how does a man look at himself in the mirror when he can't even walk in his own shoes. We ask again, Who are you devoted to because it doesn't look like you're devotion stands with Americans.

The administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said the president's legal advisers are finalizing their review of the cases of Mohammed and four alleged co-conspirators. Asked about the process, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said that "no decisions have been made."

Privately, administration officials are bracing for the ire of disappointed liberals and even some government lawyers should the administration back away from promises to use civilian courts to adjudicate the cases of some of the 188 detainees who remain at Guantanamo.

'A sad day'
Marine Col. Jeffrey Colwell, acting chief defense counsel at the Defense Department's Office of Military Commissions, said it would be a "sad day for the rule of law" if Obama decides not to proceed with a federal trial. "I thought the decision where to put people on trial -- whether federal court or military commissions -- was based on what was right, not what is politically advantageous," Colwell said.

Administration officials said that an announcement could come soon and that they hoped to finalize their plans before Obama leaves for Indonesia on March 18.

Holder announced last November that Mohammed and his co-defendants would be tried in a federal court in Lower Manhattan, hailing it as a "significant step forward in our efforts to close Guantánamo and to bring to justice those individuals who have conspired to attack our nation and our interests abroad."

There is more...

Long-term pot use can double risk of psychosis

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-03-02T06:26:00Z

Young people who smoke marijuana more prone to delusions, study says

LONDON - Young people who smoke cannabis or marijuana for six years or more are twice as likely to have psychotic episodes, hallucinations or delusions than people who have never used the drug, scientists said on Monday.

The findings adds weight to previous research which linked psychosis with the drug — particularly in its most potent form as "skunk" — and will feed the debate about the level of controls over its use.

Despite laws against it, up to 190 million people around the world use cannabis, according to United Nations estimates, equating to about 4 percent of the adult population.

John McGrath of the Queensland Brain Institute in Australia studied more than 3,801 men and women born between 1981 and 1984 and followed them up after 21 years to ask about their cannabis use and assessed them for psychotic episodes. Around 18 percent reported using cannabis for three or fewer years, 16 percent for four to five years and 14 percent for six or more years. For most of the study, researchers didn't measure the frequency of cannabis use among subjects, but rather whether they used at all.

"Compared with those who had never used cannabis, young adults who had six or more years since first use of cannabis were twice as likely to develop a non-affective psychosis (such as schizophrenia)," McGrath wrote in a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry journal.

They were also four times as likely to have high scores in clinical tests of delusion, he wrote, and a so-called "dose-response" relationship showed that the longer the duration since first cannabis use, the higher the risk of psychosis-related symptoms.

More potent form carries seven times the risk
A study by British scientists last year suggested that people who smoke skunk, a potent form of cannabis, are almost seven times more likely to develop psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia than those who smoke "hash" or cannabis resin.

Previous studies had also suggested smoking cannabis can double the risk of psychosis, but the British study was the first to look specifically at skunk. Skunk has higher amounts of the psychoactive ingredient THC which can produce psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions and paranoia.

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Doctors hastened dying kids’ death, say parents

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-03-02T06:02:00Z

*Now they do studies on death to children instead of comfort during times of sickness? First the old, now the children. Doesn't surprise me it comes from Chicago.

CHICAGO - It's a situation too agonizing to contemplate — a child dying and in pain. Now a small but provocative study suggests that doctors may be giving fatal morphine doses to a few children dying of cancer, to end their suffering at their parents' request.

A handful of parents told researchers that they had asked doctors to hasten their children's deaths — and that doctors complied, using high doses of the powerful painkiller.

The lead author of the study and several other physicians said they doubt doctors are engaged in active mercy killing. Instead, they speculate the parents interviewed for the study mistakenly believed that doctors had followed their wishes.

A more likely scenario is that doctors increased morphine doses to ease pain, and that the children's subsequent deaths were only coincidental, said lead author Dr. Joanne Wolfe, a palliative pain specialist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital in Boston.

The American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and most other mainstream doctor groups oppose mercy-killing but say withholding life-prolonging treatment for dying patients can be ethical....

...Dr. Walter Robinson, an ethicist and associate pediatrics professor at Vanderbilt University, said many doctors lack expertise in treating dying children's pain, and many also worry about using opiates including morphine to treat children's pain because there's an unreasonable fear of addiction.

"The lesson we should learn from the paper is the need for expert pain control. That ought to be available in every children's hospital and to every child with a life-limiting illness," Robinson said.

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Iraq to reinstate 20,000 Saddam-era army officers

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-28T14:49:00Z

BAGHDAD – Iraq on Friday reinstated 20,000 former army officers dismissed after the U.S.-led invasion, a landmark gesture at reconciliation ahead of the March 7 elections.

It's a move designed to allay some of the bitterness that still rankles Iraq — years after the Bush administration first made the controversial decision to dismantle Saddam Hussein's army.

The 20,000 returnees are the largest known group to rejoin the officer corps.

The timing of the announcement also raised suspicions that Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his allies were just currying favor ahead of the election for a new, 325-seat parliament.

News of the reinstatement was followed by a U.N. announcement that Iraq was gaining momentum with its bid to end U.N. sanctions imposed after Saddam's army invaded Kuwait in 1990. The U.N. Security Council pledged "to review, with a view toward lifting" the sanctions once Iraq's safeguards against acquiring weapons of mass destruction are shown to be sufficient.

The 2003 order by Iraq's then-American governor L. Paul Bremer to dissolve Saddam's 400,000-strong army, the largest in the Middle East on the eve of the 2003 invasion, is widely seen as a key factor that fed the alienation many Sunnis felt toward the new Iraq.

That rancor fueled a Sunni insurgency that broke out later that year and still claims lives in Iraq.

Sunnis dominated Saddam's regime, and many top military officers came from the community.

Jobless and angry, some from the old army took their expertise in explosives, urban warfare and military tactics to the insurgency, seeking an income for their families or revenge against the Americans and their Iraqi allies.

The disbanding of the army, along with the looting of the army's bases and depots across much of Iraq, is widely blamed for the torturously slow pace of forming, equipping and training the country's new army.

Defense Ministry Spokesman Mohammed al-Askari denied Friday's announcement was linked to the election, insisting funding for the 20,000 positions is only now available.

"This measure has nothing to do with elections, rather it is related to budget allocations," said al-Askari, who did not provide a breakdown of the ranks of the officers being reinstated.

Critics, however, said the sudden return of their jobs might influence the votes of the reinstated officers.

"No doubt, this move is related to the elections and it aims at gaining votes," said Maysoun al-Damlouji, a candidate from a secular bloc led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, a fierce critic of al-Maliki.

The skepticism underscored just how bitter feelings have become between Iraq's factions ahead of the election. Many had hoped the vote would be a chance to move past the Shiite-Sunni divisions that have tormented Iraq since Saddam's ouster nearly seven years ago, but instead, the sectarian mistrust has become more stark.

Al-Maliki angered Sunnis after a Shiite-led commission barred 440 candidates — most Sunnis — from running because of suspected ties to Saddam's former ruling Baath Party.

A Defense Ministry statement said the rehired personnel would be reinstated by Sunday, but a senior Iraqi military official said absorbing so many could take weeks or months to complete.

In recent years, thousands of officers from the disbanded army have trickled back to service in an ongoing process of reintegration. The official said a ministry committee has been screening officers for ties to Saddam's regime or involvement in atrocities or war crimes.

He said reinstatements were strictly based on the army's present requirements and mainly benefited officers from the rank of colonel down. U.S. commanders have in the past pointed out that Iraq's new army, which is at least 300,000-strong, desperately needed mid-ranking and experienced noncommissioned officers.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

The United States hopes a transparent and credible election will bolster national reconciliation efforts and pave the way for its combat forces to go home by the end of August and the rest by next year's end.

Regardless of the motive, reinstating the large group of officers would help reconciliation. Al-Maliki has raised Sunni resentment with his relentless denouncements of Baathists in Iraqi politics. But many were allowed to return to government service in 2008, and al-Maliki has also shown flexibility when it comes to the military.

Al-Maliki's Shiite-dominated government has already reinstated many Sunni officers as top commanders in the new army. It also waived "de-Baathification" rules and reinstated generals — Sunnis and Shiites — who once held senior positions in Saddam's ruling party.

Pelosi Says...

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-28T14:30:00Z

Pelosi says GOP has hijacked 'tea party' movement

WASHINGTON – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is questioning whether the conservative "tea party" coalition truly represents a grass-roots movement.

In a broadcast interview, Pelosi calls tea party voters the "astroturf" movement. She says many of those voters have good intentions but that the Republican Party has hijacked the movement for its gain.

The San Francisco Democrat says the tea party coalition shares some common ground with Democrats, such as their dislike of special interests in Washington. She cited public disdain for the recent Supreme Court ruling on campaign finance that allows companies and unions to spend freely on ads that promote or target particular candidates by name.

Pelosi spoke in an interview with ABC's "This Week" that was airing Sunday.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is questioning whether the conservative "tea party" coalition truly represents a grass-roots movement.

Pelosi spoke in an interview with ABC's "This Week" that was airing Sunday

Pelosi to Dems: back health bill even if it hurts

WASHINGTON – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged her colleagues to back a major overhaul of U.S. health care even if it threatens their political careers, a call to arms that underscores the issue's massive role in this election year.

Lawmakers sometimes must enact policies that, even if unpopular at the moment, will help the public, Pelosi said in an interview being broadcast Sunday the ABC News program "This Week."

"We're not here just to self-perpetuate our service in Congress," she said. "We're here to do the job for the American people."

It took courage for Congress to pass Social Security and Medicare, which eventually became highly popular, she said, "and many of the same forces that were at work decades ago are at work again against this bill."

It's unclear whether Pelosi's remarks will embolden or chill dozens of moderate House Democrats who face withering criticisms of the health care proposal in visits with constituents and in national polls. Republican lawmaker unanimously oppose the health care proposals, and many GOP strategists believe voters will turn against Democrats in the November elections.

Record-breaking storm buries Northeast

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-27T21:58:00Z

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Northeast slammed;
1 million lose power

Storm knocks out power across the region, causes travel chaos. Story | Video | Slideshow: White week

Snowstorm slams New York

Wicked winter adds to economy’s woes

Girls Scout cookies recalled - Lemon creams

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-27T21:36:00Z

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UPDATE: Chili earthquake

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-27T21:27:00Z

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Puerto Rico declares dengue fever epidemic

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-27T21:13:00Z

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Health officials in Puerto Rico have declared an epidemic of dengue fever.

Health Secretary Lorenzo Gonzalez says 210 cases have been confirmed for January, more than triple the number in the same month of 2007. That year proved the worst for the U.S. Caribbean territory in nearly a decade, with 11,000 cases.

Dengue is a tropical virus spread by mosquitoes that has no vaccine. It generally causes fever, headaches and extreme joint and muscle pain. Most sufferers recover within a week.

Pelosi still hopeful health care can be passed

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-27T20:58:00Z

WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the health care plan that President Barack Obama is promoting should be the basis for Congress to move forward and at last pass a bill overhauling the system.

Pelosi said she thought the White House summit was useful and she said she would be happy to accommodate Republican ideas when the issue returns to the House floor. But she also said "we're going to pass health care reform" and that there will be no turning back.

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What ever happened to United we stand? This perpetual 'bully' tactics and separation of who represents ALL the people has diminished. Ashes to Ashes.

AZ Rep: Slavery was better for blacks

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-27T20:38:00Z

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Rachel Maddow show? Perfect "show" because she sure knows how to twist a statement. Ever notice when someone like her says something there is no consequence yet when someone makes a statement to say babies were more protected in the past, Rachel twists those words?
When's the last time you had to prove you are a citizen? I do. Every time I deal with the government. You have great blinders as do some of the government reps and that's what they are, workers for the people.
Rachel, are you saying that 'black' babies should be aborted? Are you saying that anyone can step in to be President as long as he's a bee charmer? Well heck, if these were the times of Hitler, he'd taken over America... The land of the free.
Rachel, get with the program.- Just sayin -

White House social secretary to step down

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-27T20:32:00Z

WASHINGTON -White House social secretary Desiree Rogers is stepping down three months after an uninvited couple crashed the Obama administration's first state dinner and she was heavily criticized for allowing it to happen.

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama issued a statement thanking their longtime friend from Chicago for "the terrific job she's done" organizing hundreds of events during her little more than a year on the job.

They indicated no reason for the departure, effective sometime next month after a transition period.

Rogers, 50, told the Chicago Sun-Times on Friday that she was leaving because she had achieved a major goal of the Obamas: turning the White House into the "people's house" by opening it up to many of those who normally do not get to visit.

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*I've never seen so many that stepped down or dismissed other than in this administration. Have you?

Hawaii blasts sirens, warns of possible tsunami

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-27T20:21:00Z

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Huge earthquake off Chile sends potentially deadly waves across the ocean

Eugene Tanner / AP

Dean Collins, of Anderson, S.C., ties down his luggage on the roof of a sport-utility vehicle in front of a hotel early Saturday morning, Feb. 27, in the Waikiki area of Honolulu. Collins said he and his wife, Barbara Collins, and friends checked out early due to a tsunami warning.

EWA BEACH, Hawaii - A tsunami triggered by the Chilean earthquake raced across the Pacific Ocean on Saturday, threatening Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast as well as hundreds of islands from the bottom of the planet to the top.

Sirens blared in Hawaii to alert residents to the potential waves. Nine small planes equipped with loudspeakers flew along the shoreline, warning beachgoers. On several South Pacific islands hit by a tsunami last fall, police evacuated tens of thousands of coastal residents.

The first waves in Hawaii were expected to hit shortly after 11 a.m. Saturday (4 p.m. EST; 2100 GMT) and measure roughly 8 feet (2.5 meters) at Hilo. Most Pacific Rim nations did not immediately order evacuations, but advised people in low-lying areas to be on the lookout.

MSNBC News

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-22T20:10:00Z

Obama unveils $1 trillion health plan

NYT: Hacking puts China's elite in new light

Iran to build nuke sites 'inside mountains'

Lawmakers: Toyota misled public on recalls

Hidden taxes you pay every day

Credit card reform may be a shock to some

Obama unveils health plan

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-22T19:36:00Z

*When reading the proposal, keep in mind that tax laws are extensive. This "outline" is vague. Do you really understand what this means? A true government control that can wipe out independent insurance options. Do YOU know tax laws?

Obama unveils health plan | Details (.pdf)

10 tips on mortgages for 2010

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-22T19:05:00Z

*Don't forget the bank bailouts and why!! The first one Obama supported was for the poor and now they lost their homes because they could not pay. Took down the poor. This is aimed at the lower-middle class,.. going to take them down and leave them homeless next? What's your opinion? Full Story

5. FHA requirements

With so many borrowers unable to meet today's stricter lending requirements, FHA-backed loans have become increasingly popular. Today, the FHA guarantees nearly 30% of new home mortgages. That's a stunning increase from 2006, when the agency backed roughly 3% of new home loans.

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Will Home Buyer Tax Credit Bankrupt FHA?

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Go to CNBC

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Meanwhile, the agency's finances have deteriorated considerably. The seasonally adjusted delinquency rate for FHA loans increased from about 13% in the third quarter of last year to 14.36% in this year's third quarter. At the same time, the agency's capital reserve ratio dipped below the level that Congress mandates.

In the face of mounting political pressure, the Obama administration has announced steps that may make it more difficult for some borrowers to obtain mortgages backed by the agency. These include raising the minimum FICO score, increasing upfront cash requirements and possibly charging higher insurance premiums.

"We want to ensure that we are able to continue to support the housing market in the short term and provide access to homeownership over the long-term, while minimizing the risk to the American taxpayer," Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan said in written testimony to a congressional committee.

Millions of unemployed face years without jobs

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-22T04:41:00Z

*California is quite confused- How can it's governor say one thing yet proof is in the numbers? Makes a person want to go hmmm. Are these temporary jobs or government jobs? Is the magic word multibillion-dollar shortfall if the Obama stimulus doesn't go through?

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a moderate Republican whose state is facing a multibillion-dollar shortfall, disagreed. "Anyone who says (the stimulus) hasn't created a job, they should talk to the 150,000 people who have gotten jobs in California," he said on ABC's This Week.

"I find it interesting," Schwarzenegger added, "that you have a lot of the Republicans running around and pushing back on the stimulus money and saying this doesn't create any new jobs, and then they go out and they do the photo ops, and they are posing with the big check."
-----------
Economists fear recovery will leave more behind than in past recessions

BUENA PARK, Calif. - Even as the American economy shows tentative signs of a rebound, the human toll of the recession continues to mount, with millions of Americans remaining out of work, out of savings and nearing the end of their unemployment benefits.

Economists fear that the nascent recovery will leave more people behind than in past recessions, failing to create jobs in sufficient numbers to absorb the record-setting ranks of the long-term unemployed.

Call them the new poor: people long accustomed to the comforts of middle-class life who are now relying on public assistance for the first time in their lives — potentially for years to come.

Yet the social safety net is already showing severe strains. Roughly 2.7 million jobless people will lose their unemployment check before the end of April unless Congress approves the Obama administration’s proposal to extend the payments, according to the Labor Department.

Here in Southern California, Jean Eisen has been without work since she lost her job selling beauty salon equipment more than two years ago. In the several months she has endured with neither a paycheck nor an unemployment check, she has relied on local food banks for her groceries.

She has learned to live without the prescription medications she is supposed to take for high blood pressure and cholesterol. She has become effusively religious — an unexpected turn for this onetime standup comic with X-rated material — finding in Christianity her only form of health insurance.

“I pray for healing,” says Ms. Eisen, 57. “When you’ve got nothing, you’ve got to go with what you know.”

Warm, outgoing and prone to the positive, Ms. Eisen has worked much of her life. Now, she is one of 6.3 million Americans who have been unemployed for six months or longer, the largest number since the government began keeping track in 1948. That is more than double the toll in the next-worst period, in the early 1980s.

Latest News: Fox News

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-18T21:35:00Z

URGENT: Pilot dies after flying single-engine plane into building that houses IRS offices

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-18T21:29:00Z

URGENT: Pilot dies after flying single-engine plane into Austin, Texas, building that houses IRS offices as officials probe whether it was intentional. | White House: 'Does Not Appear' to Be Terrorism | MAP | VIDEO | FAST FACTS | SLIDESHOW
• Troubling Portrait Emerges of Pilot Who Crashed Into Building | RAW DATA: Pilot's Suicide Manifesto | WATCH LIVE
• LIVESHOTS: Fishel on F16s Patrolling the Skies | VIDEO: Crash Scene | At the Scene? Send Photos, Videos to uReport

RushLimbaugh.com

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-18T21:16:00Z

February 17, 2010

The Stimulus Worked? Barack Obama and The Big Lie (Rush 24/7 Members: Listen)

» ABC on Obama's First Year: Cutbacks, Tax Increases That ''Aren't Even Imaginable''

» AP: "Alarming" Homelessness Under Obama. People Out on Streets for First Time.

Our Mission Statement: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

We have the Constitution and the Declaration. You can't improve on Madison, Jefferson, and Adams. Stop trying to be the smartest Republican in the room. (Rush 24/7 Members: Listen)

» Some of the Competing Statements: Mount Vernon » McCain » Sharon » Tea Party

Joe Biden is the Soul of Nitwit, Says Obama-Controlled Government is Dysfunctional

Can you imagine being the Democrats who run Congress hearing that they suck?

"It's obvious that Obama still thinks he can dupe the dumb masses, just as he did --

and just as he knows he did -- during the campaign of 2008. It was a giant dupe." -Rush

Obama Denies Porkulus Waste? The Senate Minority Has the Truth Right Here.

The Obama Administration Will Not Give Up the Global Warming Lie

Trillions of dollars in fraud for a hoax. They're not going to give up on enriching themselves.

Bayh, Bayh: Yet More Evidence of Obama's Secret Plan to Retire Limbaugh

Liberals agree with Rush: Democrats had 60 votes and couldn't get jack done.

"George W. Bush took the unemployment rate down to 4.7%. It started skyrocketing up the moment Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats took control of the House in 2007." -Rush

A Big Obama Backer: Did Obama Incite Left-Wing Alabama Professor to Murder?

Can We Sue Algore for Fraud? He Lied and Lied and Lied About a Warming Earth

Hope! The American Economy Will Uptick (Rush 24/7 Members: Listen)

More F-ing R-Word Controversy: Sarah Palin on O'Reilly's Show

Rush quoted Rahm Emanuel AFTER he called liberal's "f-ing r-words," you T-words.

"The future of this country needs to focus on telling and teaching as many people about ideology and liberalism. All we have to do is take the past year of the Obama administration and say, 'This is what you're going to get every time you elect a Democrat. Any Democrat.'" -Rush

Identity Theft - Leader Receives 309 Years

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-18T21:05:00Z

Identity Theft
Leader Receives 309 Years
The leader of an identity theft scheme received the longest white collar crime sentence in the history of the Middle District of Louisiana after engaging in multiple frauds.

This information has recently been updated, and is now available.

Berg to Attend CPAC 2010 in Washington, DC 2/18 to 2/20

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-18T20:57:00Z

For Immediate Release: – 02/18/2010
For Further Information Contact:
Philip J. Berg, Esquire
555 Andorra Glen Court, Suite 12
Lafayette Hill, PA 19444-2531
Cell (610) 662-3005
(610) 825-3134
(800) 993-PHIL [7445]
Fax (610) 834-7659

philjberg@obamacrimes.com

Berg to Attend CPAC 2010 in Washington, DC 2/18 to 2/20
* * *
Berg States that Announcement of
“Birth Certificate March on Washington”
to Demand Obama Resign
forced Obama to address the issue at

National Prayer Breakfast
* * *
Date for March to be Announced Soon
and
Urgent Need for Funds

(Lafayette Hill, PA – 02/18/10) – Philip J. Berg, Esquire, the first Attorney who filed suit against Barack H. Obama challenging Senator Obama’s lack of “qualifications” to serve as President of the United States stated that “WE THE PEOPLE” by and through Philip J. Berg and Obamacrimes.com forced Obama to address the issue at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, February 4, 2009 ! Obama, in part of his speech referred for the first time since the question of his being “Constitutionally eligible” stated,

“But surely you can question my policies without questioning my faith, or, [pause] for that matter,my citizenship.“ [Laughter and applause.] [emphasis added]

Berg said, “I knew that if we continued our efforts, those of obamacrimes.com, to expose Obama not being ‘Constitutionally eligible’ to be President, as this is the greatest ‘HOAX’ in the history of our country, that being over 230 years and the fact that Obama’s actions are a fraud !”

The actual words stated by Obama:

“Civility also requires relearning how to disagree without being disagreeable; understanding, as President [Kennedy] said, that “civility is not a sign of weakness.” Now, I am the first to confess I am not always right. Michelle will testify to that“. [Laughter.]

“But surely you can question my policies without questioning my faith, or, [pause] for that matter, my citizenship.” [Laughter and applause.] [emphasis added]

Berg said, “WOW, it is about time ! This is great. Our announcement of the ‘Birth Certificate March on Washington’ demanding Obama resign as President as he is ‘Constitutionally ineligible’ to be President was the Press Release that caused Obama to react.”

Berg stated, “Because of the response to date, shortly, we will announce the date for the “Birth Certificate March on Washington.”

Further, “We need Funds ASAP to be able to publicize the March and start to arrange specifics for the ‘Birth Certificate March on Washington.’ Go to obamacrimes.com to make your contribution.”

Berg is requesting all citizens of the United States to email, fax or mail a “copy” of their Birth Certificate that will be presented to Obama demanding that Obama resign because he has failed to produce his long form [vault] Birth Certificate and other citizenship documents [Obama, an Indonesian Citizen ?] to show he is “Constitutionally eligible” to be President. Please redact any personal information that you wish.

Berg related an email he received. A woman from Texas told me she registered her thirteen [13] year old nephew for school. When registration was finished, her nephew asked the Principal, “Can I ask you a question?” The Principal said, “Yes.” Her nephew said, “How come I had to show my Birth Certificate to register for school, but Obama did not have to show his to be President ?”

Berg said, “That email motivated me to continue to expose Obama for the fraud he is !”

Berg continued, “Since the Courts are taking their time to get to the point of allowing ‘Discovery,’ it is time to motivate the citizens of the United States for a ‘Peaceful Revolution’ to expose the ‘HOAX’ of Obama, the biggest ‘HOAX’ in the history of our country, in over 230 years !”

Email = philjberg@obamacrimes.com
Fax = (610) 834-7659
Mail = Obamacrimes
555 Andorra Glen Court, Suite 12
Lafayette Hill, PA 19444-2531

Berg said, “Then, we will be preparing them to deliver to Obama demanding that he resign from the Office of President as he has not proven that he is “Constitutionally eligible” to be President and that Obama has not produced legal documents to show he legally changed his name from his ‘adopted’ name of ‘Barry Soetoro’ from Indonesia.

I am proceeding for the 305 + million people in ‘our’ U.S.A., for ‘our’ forefathers and for the 3.2 million men and women that have died and/or been maimed defending our Constitution with our ‘Peaceful Revolution’ to prove that Obama is not Constitutionally qualified/eligible to be President.”

Berg continued, “I still have cases pending in the Federal Courts. Go to obamacrimes.com to see the status of each case.”

Berg concluded, “I will be attending the CPAC 2010 Convention in Washington, DC from Thursday, 2/18 to Saturday, 2/20 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) will be helpful for me to spread the message that Obama is a fraud, a phony and Obama has put forth the biggest ‘HOAX’ in the history of our great nation,”

Phil Berg will be available for Press Interviews at CPAC 2010 – Contact Phil at cell (610) 662-3005.

For copies of all Press Releases and Court Pleadings, go to:

obamacrimes.com

Charity Fraud: Religious and charitable organization

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-18T20:49:00Z

Charity Fraud
Local Employee Sentenced
A former IT manager of a religious and charitable organization defrauded the organization of more than half-a-million dollars.

You are subscribed to St. Louis Top Stories and/or St. Louis Press Releases for Federal Bureau of Investigation. This information has recently been updated, and is now available.

Know the TRUTH about the Government Healthcare Bill

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-05T07:44:00Z

*i did not read the documents however,..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcBaSP31Be8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS3yAo0CXzc&feature=response_watch

Obama Denies Flyover for Troops - America, United We Stand (without Obama)

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-04T22:33:00Z

*Obama gave America a lecture about respecting Ramadan and yet he did this? Did he do this? If so, he should be charged with treason for his devotion to another country. Think about it. Obama and his family made a mockery of the church when they dressed inappropriately (clown like)for going to a Christian Service.
He does his destruction of American tradition - Why was this all hushed?

Obama Denies Flyover for Troops

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zGMuN_Ep38

Barack Obama Mocks Jesus Christ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6RfZU0GIlY&NR=1

Obama Denies Flyover for Troops

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-04T22:33:00Z

Confusion the winner in Ill. governor primaries

ro@teaminfidel.ws (TI-Moderator) — 2010-02-03T23:44:00Z

*would you vote for anyone who Obama supports like a noone named Raja who wants the office that controls the writing/signing of checks? It may be a great reflection upcoming of failings of Obama as well.

CHICAGO – The primary election that was expected to launch a political battle in President Barack Obama's home state instead left Democrats and Republicans squabbling amongst themselves Wednesday over governor's races that were virtually tied.

Gov. Pat Quinn claimed victory in the Democratic primary over Comptroller Dan Hynes, despite a margin of less than 1 percent. Though Obama called Quinn to offer his congratulations, Hynes has refused to concede.

"It's time to end the fighting," Quinn said as he thanked voters at a Chicago train station. "I don't believe we are benefiting in Illinois, certainly in the Democratic party, by having fighting."

On the Republican side, Sen. Bill Brady led by just a few hundred votes over Sen. Kirk Dillard. Dillard said a victory by Brady, a downstate conservative with little support in the Chicago area, would hurt the GOP's chances of reclaiming the governor's office.

"If he's the nominee, he'll have a much, much more difficult time than me beating Pat Quinn," Dillard said Wednesday at a Republican "unity" breakfast.

Illinois Republicans hope to capture the governor's post as well as Obama's former Senate seat by exploiting Democratic turmoil and scandal, including the arrest and ouster of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. GOP victories in an increasingly Democratic state would be another blow to Obama, already stinging from the Republican victory in a Massachusetts special election for Edward Kennedy's former Senate seat.

The Senate primary produced no surprises. State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, an Obama friend and former banker, captured the Democratic nomination. Five-term U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk was the Republican pick.

For governor, it was a different story.

One or both of the races could wind up going to a recount. Illinois law doesn't require recounts in close races, so the candidates would have to decide whether to request one and cover the costs.

Quinn is trying to win the governor's office on his own merits after inheriting it a year ago when Blagojevich was ousted, partly over allegations that he tried to sell Obama's former Senate seat.

Two months ago, Quinn appeared set to easily win the nomination. But he was weighed down by the baggage of his two campaigns with Blagojevich, his support for a major tax increase and a botched program that granted early release to some violent prison inmates.

The race became a dead heat with Hynes, and the two traded bitter accusations of incompetence and dirty campaign tactics.

Hynes campaign manager Michael Rendina said the nomination could hinge on how many absentee and provisional ballots remain to be counted.

Absentee ballots can trickle in for the next two weeks. In addition, Illinois lets people vote despite questions about their registration status; now officials must decide which of those provisional ballots are valid. In some cases, ballots weren't automatically recorded and must be counted by hand.

"What's important now is that everyone take a deep breath and make sure every vote is counted," Rendina said. "There's no hurry."

Quinn stopped short of asking Hynes to concede, saying that's up to the comptroller. He also said he had no preference on an opponent in November and called Brady and Dillard "nice guys."

Dillard, who lives in the Chicago suburbs, has positioned himself as a pragmatist who can get things done in an often-paralyzed state Capitol. Brady focuses more on his conservative credentials and absolute opposition to raising taxes to bail out a state government facing the worst budget crisis in its history.

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Latest News: Fox News

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RushLimbaugh.com

Identity Theft - Leader Receives 309 Years

Berg to Attend CPAC 2010 in Washington, DC 2/18 to 2/20

Charity Fraud: Religious and charitable organization

Know the TRUTH about the Government Healthcare Bill

Obama Denies Flyover for Troops - America, United We Stand (without Obama)

Obama Denies Flyover for Troops

Confusion the winner in Ill. governor primaries

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