An American Congressman Fights for Gaza

Stand up and notice, an American Congressman, Brian Baird of Washington, is fighting for Gaza.

Currently Congressman Baird is in Gaza on his third trip there.

A visit to his website gives his statement on the Goldstone Report with his strong statement of why it should not be discounted by HR 867: "Israel and Gaza Deserve Better than a Misguided Resolution" Writing from his own convictions after gaining his own first hand knowledge of the situation in Gaza he wrote:

Since scarcely a dozen House Members have actually been to Gaza, what actual first-hand knowledge do the rest of the Members of Congress possess on which to base their judgment of the merits of H.Res. 867 or the Goldstone report?

What will it say about this Congress and our country if we so readily seek to block "any further consideration" of a human rights investigation produced by one of the most respected jurists in the world today, a man who led the investigations of abuses in South Africa, the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Kosovo and worked to identify and prosecute Nazi war criminals as a member of the Panel of the Commission of Enquiry into the Activities of Nazism in Argentina?

Now Congressman Baird is calling for the immediate lifting of the blockade of Gaza. But not only is he calling for this, he is also calling for a massive lift of aid to Gaza.

"We ought to bring roll-on, roll-off ships and roll them right to the beach and bring the relief supplies in, in our version of the Berlin airlift," he said, adding that the supplies could be delivered to U.N. aid agencies. (SOURCE)

In December Al-Jazeera covered Congressman Baird's and Keith Ellison's efforts. Watch closely in this video. Congressman Brian Baird of Washington stood before the House of Representatives with a poster showing dead Palestinian children. He stated, "Those children deserve someone to ask, why they died" Yes they do.................................




This is the video that Congressman Baird an Congressman Ellison presented to the New America Foundation almost a year ago





Be sure to visit Congressman Baird's website to view his videos and pictures from his trips to Gaza (at the bottom)

Indeed Congressman Baird's voice is rare as the Al-Jazeera report noted. COURAGE in the face of the Israeli lobby controlled Congress is rare!

I too am only one American.

THANK YOU Congressman Baird.

Amelia Earhart
Courage is the price that Life exacts for granting peace.

Twenty-Two Executives and Employees of Military and Law Enforcement Products Companies Charged in Foreign Bribery Scheme

Twenty-Two Executives and Employees of Military and Law Enforcement Products Companies Charged in Foreign Bribery Scheme
Defendants Arrested in Las Vegas and Miami; 21 Search Warrants Executed in United States and United Kingdom

WASHINGTON—Twenty-two executives and employees of companies in the military and law enforcement products industry have been indicted for engaging in schemes to bribe foreign government officials to obtain and retain business, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips for the District of Columbia; and Assistant Director Kevin Perkins of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. Twenty-one defendants were arrested in Las Vegas yesterday. One defendant was arrested in Miami. The indictments stem from an FBI undercover operation that focused on allegations of foreign bribery in the military and law enforcement products industry.

The 16 indictments unsealed today represent the largest single investigation and prosecution against individuals in the history of DOJ’s enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), a law that prohibits U.S. persons and companies, and foreign persons and companies acting in the United States, from bribing foreign government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. The indictments unsealed today were returned on Dec. 11, 2009, by a grand jury in Washington, D.C.

In connection with these indictments, approximately 150 FBI agents executed 14 search warrants in locations across the country, including Bull Shoals, Ark.; San Francisco; Miami; Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.; Sarasota, Fla.; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Sunrise, Fla.; University Park, Fla.; Decatur, Ga.; Stearns, Ky.; Upper Darby, Penn.; and Woodbridge, Va. Additionally, the United Kingdom’s City of London Police executed seven search warrants in connection with their own investigations into companies involved in the foreign bribery conduct that formed the basis for the indictments.

“This ongoing investigation is the first large-scale use of undercover law enforcement techniques to uncover FCPA violations and the largest action ever undertaken by the Justice Department against individuals for FCPA violations,” said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer. “The fight to erase foreign bribery from the corporate playbook will not be won overnight, but these actions are a turning point. From now on, would-be FCPA violators should stop andponder whether the person they are trying to bribe might really be a federal agent.”

“Corrupt payments to foreign officials to obtain or retain business erode public confidence in our free market system and threaten to undermine foreign governments,” said U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips. “These indictments set forth serious allegations and reflect the Department's commitment to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who try to advance their businesses through foreign bribery.”

“Investigating corruption at all levels is the number one priority of the FBI’s Criminal Division,” said Assistant Director Kevin Perkins of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “In this era of global commerce, the FBI is committed to curbing corruption at home or overseas. Companies should prosper through honest business practices, not the practice of back room deals and bribery.”

The indictments allege that the defendants engaged in a scheme to pay bribes to the minister of defense for a country in Africa. In fact, the scheme was part of the undercover operation, with no actual involvement from any minister of defense. As part of the undercover operation, the defendants allegedly agreed to pay a 20 percent “commission” to a sales agent who the defendants believed represented the minister of defense for a country in Africa in order to win a portion of a $15 million deal to outfit the country’s presidential guard. In reality, the “sales agent” was an undercover FBI agent. The defendants were told that half of that “commission” would be paid directly to the minister of defense. The defendants allegedly agreed to create two price quotations in connection with the deals, with one quote representing the true cost of the goods and the second quote representing the true cost, plus the 20 percent “commission.” The defendants also allegedly agreed to engage in a small “test” deal to show the minister of defense that he would personally receive the 10 percent bribe.

The indictments charge the following executives and employees of the various companies in the military and law enforcement product industries:

* Daniel Alvirez, 32, and Lee Allen Tolleson, 25, the president and director of acquisitions and logistics at a company in Bull Shoals, Ark., that manufactures and sells law enforcement and military equipment;

* Helmie Ashiblie, 44, the vice president and founder of a company in Woodbridge, Va., that supplies tactical bags and other security-related articles for law enforcement agencies and governments worldwide;

* Andrew Bigelow, 40, the managing partner and director of government programs for a Sarasota, Fla., company that sells machine guns, grenade launchers and other small arms and accessories;

* R. Patrick Caldwell, 61, and Stephen Gerard Giordanella, 50, the current and former chief executive officers of a Sunrise, Fla., company that designs and manufactures concealable and tactical body armor;

* Yochanan R. Cohen, aka Yochi Cohen, 47, the chief executive officer of a San Francisco company that manufactures security equipment, including body armor and ballistic plates;

* Haim Geri, 50, the president of a North Miami Beach, Fla., company that serves as a sales agent for companies in the law enforcement and military products industries;

* Amaro Goncalves, 49, the vice president of sales for a Springfield, Mass., company that designs and manufactures firearms, firearm safety/security products, rifles, firearms systems and accessories;

* John Gregory Godsey, aka Greg Godsey, 37, and Mark Frederick Morales, 37, the owner and agent of a Decatur, Ga., company that sells ammunition and other law enforcement and military equipment;

* Saul Mishkin, 38, the owner and chief executive officer of an Aventura, Fla., company that sells law enforcement and military equipment;

* John M. Mushriqui, 28, and Jeana Mushriqui, 30, the director of international development and general counsel/U.S. manager of an Upper Darby, Penn., company that manufactures and exports bulletproof vests and other law enforcement and military equipment;

* David R. Painter, 56, and Lee M. Wares, 43, the chairman and director of a United Kingdom company that markets armored vehicles;

* Pankesh Patel, 43, the managing director of a United Kingdom company that acts as sales agent for companies in the law enforcement and military products industries;

* Ofer Paz, 50, the president and chief executive officer of an Israeli company that acts as sales agent for companies in the law enforcement and military products industries;

* Jonathan M. Spiller, 58, the owner and president of a Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., company that markets and sells law enforcement and military equipment;

* Israel Weisler, aka Wayne Weisler, 63, and Michael Sachs, 66, owners and co-chief executive officers of a Stearns, Ky., company that designs, manufactures and sells armor products, including body armor;

* John Benson Wier III, 46, the president of a St. Petersburg, Fla., company that sells tactical and ballistic equipment.

All of the defendants except Giordanella were arrested yesterday by FBI agents in Las Vegas. Giordanella was arrested in Miami, also by FBI agents.

Each of the indictments allege that the defendants conspired to violate the FCPA, conspired to engage in money laundering, and engaged in substantive violations of the FCPA. The indictments also seek criminal forfeiture of the defendants’ ill gotten gains.

The maximum prison sentence for the conspiracy count and for each FCPA count is five years. The maximum sentence for the money laundering conspiracy charge is 20 years in prison.

These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant Chief Hank Bond Walther and Trial Attorney Laura N. Perkins of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, and Matthew C. Solomon of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The cases were investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office squad that specializes in investigations into FCPA violations.

Read the unsealed indictments: All companies listed in parenthesis were researched by me.

* Agreed Statement of Facts

# 01/19/10 - Twenty Two Executives and Employees of Military and Law Enforcement Products Companies Charged in Foreign Bribery Scheme

* Daniel Alvirez And Lee Allen Tolleson - Indictment (ALS Technologies)
* Helmie Ashiblie - Indictment (I-Shots Shooting Sports)
* Ofer Paz - Indictment (Israel-Foreign Corrupt Policies Act, money laundering, Paz Logistics)
* Andrew Bigelow Indictment (Defense Logistics International)
* R. Patrick Caldwell And Stephen Gerard Giordanella - Indictment (Giordanella former CEO of
Protective Products of America- WEBSITE - Patrick Caldwell current CEO-sidebar: Chapter
11 proceedings and related information)

* Haim Geri Indictment (High-Tech USA)
* Saul Mishkin - Indictment (Peru, Orkil International LLC- WEBSITE)
* John M. Mushriqui And Jeana Mushriqui - Indictment (Mishriqui Consulting)
* Jonathan M. Spiller - Indictment (Jm Spiller and Assoc., former CEO of Armor Holdings Inc
which was bought out by BAE)
* John Benson Wier III - Indictment (President of SRT Supply)
* Amaro Goncalves - Indictment (Smith and Wesson Vice-President of Sales)
* David R. Painter and Lee M. Wares - Indictment (British employees of O'Gara Group-
WEBSITE)
* Israel Weisler - Indictment (US Calvary Store Inc-Kentucky, former CEO of Ayit which sold
equipment to the Israeli Defense Forces.)
* Pankesh Patel - Indictment
* John Gregory Godsey - Indictment
* Yochanan R.Cohen - Indictment (HighCom Security)

READ ALSO

Haartz: US Indicts Four Israelis in International Bribery Case

Anderson Cooper Reports More on Laura Silsby

Prior posts on Laura Silsby and cohorts:

Why is all the blame being put on Laura Silsby when her own pastor was involved?

Catholic Diocese in Dominican Republic Leased "Hotel" to Laura Silsby

Catholic Diocese in Dominican Republic Leased "Hotel" to Laura Silsby

Sometimes the irony is so thick it makes your head spin. As Central Valley Church in Idaho professed their "team" going to Haiti to set up their "new ministry opportunity" in their published news letter, the Catholic Diocese of the Dominican Republic leased their own facility to Laura Silsby to house her "orphans". Mind you, while Haiti is 85% Christian, the largest denomination being Catholic, Drew Culberth was praying because people were dying and going to hell! While most Haitians are Catholic, the "national religion" of Haiti is Voodoo. Most voodooists believe that their religion can coexist with Catholicism. Most Protestants, however, strongly oppose voodoo. Gotta' go save those HEATHENS.

So with Central Valley Baptist taking the donations in through their church tax exempt account to support the "temporary orphanage in Cabarete" and their "Dominican Republic response team" the members of the "team" snatched children from Haiti who would become their "new ministry opportunity". Meanwhile, the Catholic diocese in the Domincan Republic leased them their property for six months for ther "temporary orphanage" Full circle. Would have been pretty darn interesting arrangement if it had panned out!

With the call from Central Valley Church going out sometime before January 22 stating $10,000 had already been raised and an imediate $2000 more was needed, just how much money was going to have to continue to be raised constantly to sustain this "new ministry opportunity" with $7,000 per month needed for rent for the temporary facility alone? Needless to say, the permanent New Life Children Refuge facility was also supposed to be constructed during this time. What kind of pipe dream was this endeavor that involved scouring the streets of Haiti for orphans to fulfill their "call from God"? Did anyone ever sit down and lay the financials out? Or was prayer supposed to constantly be their source of success?

If you read Spanish, the article is HERE (hat tip to "Joe" at Baby Love Child) Here is the article run through Google translate.

PUERTO PLATA
Bishop leased to local missionary group
Manuel Gilbert - 2/6/2010
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The Education and Training Center in Cabarete that was leased to house the 33 children orphaned in Haiti.

Cabarete, Puerto Plata .- The diocese's vicar general of Puerto Plata in the Catholic Church, Francisco Hernandez Rodriguez, said Thursday that Bishop Julio César Amaro Corniel leased for six months, forty-five rooms of Education and Training Center located in the town of Cabarete on the northern province of Puerto Plata to the organization New Life Children's Refuge.

When questioned by telephone, the priest told Listin Diario that the property where until 2006 ran a three-star hotel, was converted into a school where he taught technical courses and language classes to economically disadvantaged youth and a retreat for church staff members of the Catholic flock in the country of diverse peoples. Both the school as the withdrawal are operated by the Innovation Foundation.

Similarly, the priest has revealed that Rodriguez Hernandez reports indicating that Mrs. Laura Silsby, head of the group of Americans arrested in Haiti on Saturday while riding in a bus with 33 Haitian children, aged two months and 12 years, bought land in the hamlet of Yagua Magante section of the town of Gaspar Hernandez, Espaillat province.

The link between Lavonne Laura Silsby and Bishop Julio César Corniel Amaro, was the independent estate agent, Jose Hidalgo, who said he was looking for several days in Cabarete suitable facilities to house the 33 infants, but under that there's rents are quite expensive, they resorted to the prelate who rented part of the facilities of the Center for Education and Training.

The property seller stated that the main principles of the Catholic Church hierarch of the Diocese Gaspar Hernandez, Joba Arriba, JAMA, Pedro Garcia and Puerto Plata, objected to rent the premises, under the pretext that was used for manufactured Training Center and the hotel to retreat, but to say they had the urgency of finding a place to house orphans and destitute children of Haiti, the priest agreed to rent for six months in forty-five rooms for a total of $ 7,000.00 per month.

Hill reported that after agreeing with the bishop Corniel Amaro sought the American volunteers, who accepted the premises and immediately entrusted to one of them, experts in disasters, to make a list of arrangements had to be done to leased facilities to ensure the safety of children would be housed there, including the stairs, doors and allotted an area for recreation of children.
***************************************

To add, reading the Spanish article, the facility that Silsby leased is called Centro de Capacitación in Cabarete. Noting that they teach language classes, and googling the Spanish name, I came up with this forum which mentions the Centro de Capacitación: "There are classes in Spanish available for English speakers at the Centro de Capacitación located in the old Costa Liza Hotel. I am not that familiar with Cabarete and do not know how close that would be to your resort."

View tourist sites for Costa Liza Hotel (in German, so run them through Google language tool)
HERE and HERE.

Why is all the blame being put on Laura Silsby when her own pastor was involved?

This is going to be brief (considering the massive amount of information concerning this matter), bullet point style, to make the point clear

*Every single news agency is focusing on Laura Silsby's guilt in this matter in Haiti. Bloggers and news outlets have dug up her fliers for her planned orphanage, even the incorporation papers which were filed in the state of Idaho Novemeber 24,2009

*The New York Times reports (concerning the Haitian attorney appointed to represent all ten in the matter) "When Mr. Coq was asked about the other nine Americans, he echoed their friends and relatives here: “completely innocent,” he said".

*NOW: Contrary to what is being reported, I have found THIS document dated January 21, 2001 from the Central Valley Baptist Church that Laura Silsby attended

READ:

The other is the Haitian Orphan Rescue being spearheaded through our
local church.As early as next week, we will have a brand new ministry opportunity located in theDominican Republic. Pray for our team
that is sacrificing in every way to be there. Pray for their physical safety and their emotional well-being.

These ministry opportunities are but a small way to help fight for life...a
battle that every Christian must engage in. The future of our culture is at
stake!

See You Sunday,
Pastor Clint

Prayer for the Haiti Team

We are in the process of sending out a team to Help with the Haiti effort.
The team will be traveling to Haiti this Saturday. There are many needs.
One of our church family has been working on building an Orphanage in
the Dominican Republic for rescued orphans from Haiti. NOW the need
is even greater. We are building a team to go now and lease a temporary building to house them until the orphanage is built.

***************************************************************

That statement does NOT say that Laura Silsby is leasing a building to house the children until the orphanage is built. It says WE are building a team to lease a temporary building (the hotel obviously). The statement clearly REFERS to Laura
Silsby's planned orphanage but also CLEARLY states that it is WE-the TEAM who is going ahead NOW. Pastor Clint wrote, "Pray for our team"

Believe me, I am not trying to take any blame away from Laura Silsby and her actions, but she didn't cook THIS plan up all on her own!

Who are the members of "our team" that Pastor Clint referred to?

The Team
Laura Silsby, Charissa Coulter, Carla Thompson, Nicole Lankford,Corinna Lankford (plus Pastor Drew went to Haiti-note that? Drew Culberth whose statement is featured on the Central Valley Baptist Idaho newsletter is a part-time youth pastor at Bethel Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas")

Furthermore, scroll down that document further and see the words of Pastor Drew (Culbert) who is also being held in Haiti. Let's read what he has to say about the opportunity that natural disasters offer:


Jesus gives us a number of essential principles here.
My comments here will focus on the issue of naturaldisasters. First, natural disasters remind us thatdeath may take place at any moment. We must
remember that God is control of all things, especially
life.

Second, natural disasters remind us that the penalty
of sin is a plague that effects us all. The question is
not, "Why did this happen in Haiti?" The question
should rather be asked, "Why did this not happen to
me?" We tend to think of ourselves as good people
who deserve the best. The reality is that we are
sinners deserving of death and hell.

Third, natural disasters remind us that we must
repent and be reconciled to God. We were created
for a relationship with the Almighty God, shouldn't we
seek to be rightly restored?

Fourth, natural disasters should challenge us in our
mission. Again, life is short. People are dying and
going to hell. Preach the gospel!

Got that? People are dying and going to HELL. They need to get down there ASAP!! Grab up as many "orphans" as you can and PREACH THE GOSPEL at their "brand new ministry opportunity located in the Dominican Republic"!!

Now let's read from the CACHE of the blog of the pastor of the other Idaho church (Eastside Baptist in Twin Falls) Pastor Paul Thompson who is also being held in Haiti. (His blog is now closed BUT there is CACHE-interestingly the blog thread titled "new-life-children-refuge-haitian.html is now even removed from cache) This post there is dated January 14, 2010 and is titled, "Haiti Response"

January 14, 2010

Haiti Response
Dear Church,
I'm heavy of heart (I feel even to the point of depression) but I'm lifted in my spirit to know that if there is any hope, any hope at all for the people of Haiti (and my neighbor for that matter) it will only come from our Lord. I have checked my passport; it is current, I will make way to the health clinic to find out what vaccinations I need, I have checked my heart to be sure I'm not responding in a simple humanitarian mindset so that when the call comes for Utah/Idaho Southern Baptist Disaster Relief to respond I will be ready, and that the greater need than what every picture reports is the great need of salvation is foremost in my mind.
I'm overcome today by the grace of God. My Hope is Built on Nothing Less!


"Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? "I tell you, no, but unless you repent , you will all likewise perish. "Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." Luke 13:2-5 (NASB)


by Paul Thompson

Someone needs to explain to me what "simple humanitarian mindset is" because I DON'T GET IT. Nope, I sure don't! Not when the plan was to scoop up 150 "orphans" and wisk them away to a HOTEL in the Dominican Republic in order to SAVE their poor little SOULS!

I simply can hardly stomach this whole CRIMINAL fiasco that these so-called "Christians" were trying to pull off. My own mind is in an absolute whirl.

IMPORTANT UPDATE!!!!!

This is Google's cache of http://www.centralvalleybaptist.com/. It ...

Jan 30, 2010 ... If you agree to pray, Jeannette will e-mail you a list of prayer ... Pastor Clint Henry, 208-888-4189. Central Valley Baptist Church ...
myweb.cableone.net/.../Haitian%20Orphan%20Rescue%20Mission.htm - Cached


While Laura Silsby claimed "tax exempt non-profit" status for her New Life Children's Refuge, the media has uncovered the obvious, the corporation was only formed Nov 24 and had not obtained this status yet. So HOW were they taking "non-profit tax exempt donations? THROUGH WEST VALLEY BAPTIST CHURCH!!!!

HOW YOU CAN HELP!!!

Urgent and Immediate Needs

Finances:

• Support the Temporary Orphanage in Cabarete, Dominican Republic
• Support a Response Team to Dominican Republic $1500.00 each

Both of these are tax deductable donations that need to be given through

Central Valley Baptist Church. Write on the Memo Line: Haitian Orphans.

FURTHERMORE; a look at the sidebar states that Carla Thompson holds the title, MISSION COORDINATOR. Carla Thompson now has signed a note given to NBC news stating they had been lied to by Laura Silsby. But I ask, WHO holds the position and responsibilty for missions done by West Valley Baptist? Laura Silsby or Carla Thompson?

What are Pastor Clint AND Carla Thompson, "MISSIONS COORDINATOR" asking for? MONEY to be run through the CHURCH'S account to achieve tax exemption for New Life Children's Refuge.

Rescue Team Needs $2000 in 24 hours Greetings!

We need to raise $2,000 in the next 24 hours for our Haiti Rescue Team. We have already had $10,000 committed to this mission. Please help us! Call the church office and bring your gift in right now! Some of the team members have already left today and more team members will be heading out Friday and Saturday. The need is immediate! You may be able to make a large contribution or a small contribution. This will take all of us working together!!

--From Pastor Clint

We have sent a team to Haiti to assist with the relief effort. There are many needs. One of our church family has been working on building an Orphanage in the Dominican Republic for rescued orphans from Haiti. NOW the need is even greater. We are sending a team now and leasing a temporary building to house them until the orphanage is built. Ask God what you can do to help. PRAY? GIVE? GO?

--From Carla Thompson

Contact Information

New Life Children Refuge:
Laura Silsby,
Executive Director and Founder
Cell: 208-861-7879 Email: laura.s317@yahoo.com

Charisa Coulter,
VP and co-founder
Cell: 208-340-8856 Email: charisacoulter@yahoo.com

Website under construction: newlifechildrensrefuge.org

Central Valley Baptist Church
Carla Thompson,
Missions Coordinator 208-407-0269

Pastor Clint Henry, 208-888-4189

Central Valley Baptist Church
600 N. Ten Mile
Meridian, Idaho 83642

To read more, I suggest reading two excellent essays, "Naivete and Best Intentions or Trafficing in Children for Religious Purposes" by Jodi Jacobson and also "Haiti and the Evangelist Shock Doctrine" by Mamiel

Ask yourselves, why is the mainstream media not reporting that it was the pastor of the Central Valley Baptist Church itself who asks that OUR TEAM be prayed for and then the same CHURCH document states "WE are building a team to go now and lease a temporary building to house them until the orphanage is built" and instead are putting all the blame on Laura Silsby? She certainly IS culpable, but so is the PASTOR and anyone else in that church who had a damn thing to do with this! Is she going to end up being the sacrificial lamb in this? Again, do not think I am taking ANY blame away from her, I am just asking a very direct question BASED on what that church document states. The media is reporting that they are holed up in their church not answering questions. I wonder why! There had been talk about bringing the ten back to the US for trial. I say they broke the law in Haiti, all TEN need to be tried there, but anyone and everyone HERE who had anything to do with aiding and abetting this venture needs to be investingated here to the full extent of the law.

Edited to add: "Prosecuting missionaries, good for Haiti, families and church" by Fritz Gutwein, Baptist minister, a therapeutic foster and adoptive parent as well as co-director of the Quixote Center and coordinator of their Haiti Reborn program.

Gaza Kids Are Calling For Obama

The lyric writer :
Dr. Akram Habeeb
Prof. Assistant of American Literature in Gaza University

Senior composer:
Mr. Kalid Jouda, a teacher of English in Gaza

Composer and Singer:
Mr. Ahmad bu Amsha, the music
teacher at the American School in Gaza

Child singer :
A boy named, Balsam Al Astal,
13 year Kid from Khnyounis refugee camp

Child singer:
Suhad Faress,
a 15 year girl from Gaza high school

Grahphic Designer
Sameh AbuWarda,
a 21 year student of English at the
Islamic University of Gaza

2009/2010

Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee and your computer

OK, so I'm surfing the internet and I stumble upon this article from the New York Daily News,
"Pope Benedict to Priests, for God's sake blog!" Wha wha WHAT? OK, wait a minute here, is this for real? Yep is sure is. So let's check out the links

OOH, there's a Facebook application. Let's see what THAT is:

Allow Access?

Allowing Pope2You access will let it pull your profile information, photos, your friends' info, and other content that it requires to work.

I do not THINK so! Sorry folks, but as a Catholic when you go to confession your confession stops with the PRIEST. He doesn't ask you to give him your profile information, your friend's info or "other content" whatever THAT is and then enter it into a data base!

OMG you can get Vatican News on your IPhone. I thought that was the American Express card you were never supposed to leave home without. No wait, that used to be a St. Christopher you wore as a necklace to keep you safe. Boy times sure have changed!

Don't miss the full text of "The priest and pastoral ministry in the digital world, new media and the service of the Word" and the Vatican youtube channel.





OK, if you're reading here and want to leave a comment I'd be really interested in what your opinion of this is. I'm a Catholic myself who hasn't attended mass in a year. Hearing Pope Rottweiler read his dispassioned announcement of this initiative doesn't exactly inspire me except to yearn for an older time. Maybe that's just me.

Benedict XVI: New Technologies Are a Resource for the Faith

University of Buffalo in Collaboration with King Saud University Developing Breast Cancer Vaccine

Breast cancer vaccine being developed

BUFFALO, N.Y., Jan. 22 (UPI) -- Researchers at the University at Buffalo and King Saud University in Saudi Arabia said they are working together to develop a breast cancer vaccine.

Kate Rittenhouse-Olson, professor of biotechnical and clinical laboratory sciences at the University at Buffalo, is collaborating with Adel Almogren, a professor at King Saud University, who worked with Rittenhouse when he was a graduate student at the University at Buffalo.

Their work, published in the journal Neoplasia, resulted in groundbreaking research on development of a novel vaccine immunotherapy approach that may be able to decrease the tumor burden in cancer patients by blocking cancer metastasis, the researchers said.

The researchers said they are perfecting the vaccine in an animal model for ultimate use in humans.

"This is a very promising vaccine target, because if we are successful, it could be important to breast, colon, bladder and prostate cancer patients," Rittenhouse-Olson said in a statement.

Rittenhouse-Olson, her husband James Olson, a UB professor of pharmacology and toxicology, and colleagues Susan Morey and Jamie Heimburg-Molinaro were invited to visit Riyadh and to meet the Saudi king, known in his country as The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah ibn Abdulaziz Al Saud, who presented them with gold medals engraved with images of King Saud University.

"He is very interested in cancer research and education," Rittenhouse-Olson said.

Source

Prince Nayef Received Award From UNWRA, WOOPTY DOO

I just came across this report on the Saudi Embassy site from Dec. 19 stating that UNWRA presented the Distinguished Donor Award to Prince Nayef of Saudi Arabia. The amount given on his orders to UNWRA by the Saudi Committee for the Relief of the Palestinian People according to this report was "since 2005 a total of 17.4 million. The donations for Gaza alone in 2009, 10 million" (is this 10 million in 2009 a part of the total of 17.4 mil since 2005? It seems so)

This is CHICKEN FEED to Prince Nayef on a personal level alone, not to mention tossing in all the rest of the royals. Remember his wife Maha Al-Sudairi? Six months ago the creditors caught up with her at her hotel in Paris, the George V of course. She owed 510,000 euros ($823,956) to luxury jewellers Chaumat and 70,000 euros ( $100,282) to a lingerie shop alone. The total she was said to have owed to creditors for God knows what was 13 MILLION euros ($18,623,800)

Gee, she did more shopping (surely over a shorter period of time-and she's just ONE royal) than the Saudi Committee for the Relief of the Palestinian People donated to UNWRA, in four years! Am I supposed to be impressed? NOT.

For the record, THIS report dated June 15, 2009 on the Saudi Embassy site gives a break down (as of that date) of total Saudi donations to Palestine. It's interesting indeed where the Saudis have prioritized and targeted their donations.

Note: this blogger just finds it disgusting donating this award to Prince Naif whose wife shops til she drops. Hope he felt proud receiving it. Also note, this was the first time this award was given by UNWRA.

From the UNWRA website:

UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions. The Agency’s core budget for 2010-2011 stands at $1.23 billion. In 2009, emergency appeals for the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon amounted to $827.4 million.

Princess Maja you should be absolutely ashamed of yourself, and so should all you other personal spending professionals in the royal family. Add in the non-royals too! Let's see any one of you walk in the shoes of a Palestinian in Gaza for even ONE day. You'd all be pooping your britches and whipping out your American Express Black Cards to get yourselves outta there.

What the Hell is going on in Yemen and what does it have to do with Iran?

Nothing in the Middle East comes easy, nor is full and accurate coverage of events there usually easy to come by.

Note: the following is not meant to give answers, but rather to raise questions, what the Hell is going on in Yemen and what does it have to do with Iran? As it turns out, there is a marked confluence of events that may very well be connected.

What is occurring now in Yemen is the latest in subterfuge vis a vis Middle East turmoil.

Looking back over the last few months, Yemen first came on the US news scene regarding the Fort Hood shooting. It was explained to the American public, that Dr. Hassan, the Muslim psychiatrist due to be deployed to Afghanistan who went berserk killing 13 military personnel, had been in email contact with a radical Muslim (American born) cleric in Yemen, Anwar Al-'Awlaki. Thus far, the American public has been told that the correspondence had been tracked by government authorities, but was deemed to fall within the purvue of Dr. Hassan's "research". CBS News however reports differently as to the nature of this email correspondence between Dr. Hassan and the imam. What we do know, is that for some reason these emails, whatever their nature, did not cause the authorities to call Dr. Hassan in for any sort of questioning. The result was tragedy. What *some* are insisting was not the action of a lone man gone berserk, but part of a larger terror attack on the US. This being said without any proof whatsoever being given to us by our government.

The next time for Yemen to appear on the US news radar concerned a cruise missile attack on "Al Qaeda" forces in Yemen ordered by Obama. (although Yemen insists their air force carried out the strikes) Referring to Glenn Greenwald's Dec. 21st article in Salon:

In addition to our occupation of Iraq, war escalation in Afghanistan, and secret bombings in Pakistan, President Obama late last week ordered cruise missile attacks on two locations in Yemen, which "U.S. officials" say were "suspected Al Qaeda hideouts." The main target of the attacks, Al Qaeda member Qasim al Rim, was not among those killed, but: "a local Yemeni official said on Sunday that 49 civilians, among them 23 children and 17 women, were killed in air strikes against Al-Qaeda, which he said were carried out 'indiscriminately'." Media reports across the Muslim world -- though, not of course, within the U.S. -- are highlighting the dead civilians from the U.S. strike (one account from an official Iranian outlet began: "U.S. Nobel Peace Prize laureate President Barack Obama has signed the order for a recent military strike on Yemen in which scores of civilians, including children, have been killed, a report says").

For many people, the mere assertion by anonymous U.S. Government officials that these attacks targeted "suspected al-Qaeda sites" will be sufficient to deem them justified. All credible reports confirm that there is indeed a not insignificant Al Qaeda presence in Southern Yemen, so that claim, at least, seems at least grounded in reality. Yet arguments about justification to the side for the moment, here we have yet another violent attack by the U.S. which -- even under the best-case scenario -- has killed more Muslim civilians than it did "Al Qaeda fighters," and failed to kill the main target of the attack. When it comes to undermining Al Qaeda -- both in Yemen and generally -- isn't it painfully obvious that the images of dead Muslim women and children which we constantly create -- and which we again just created in Yemen -- will fuel that movement better than anything else we can do?

Next item in the news regarding Yemen: the Yemeni air force WITH the aid of US and Saudi intelligence engaged in a bomb attack in which the Dec 24th headlines read, "Sources: Air Strike in Yemen May Have Killed Imam Who Inspired Fort Hood Shooter, Two Top Al Qaeda" This was indeed big news which inspired many in the media to call the entire incident a mini-911, "terrorist attack"(Fort Hood)--this time we got the bad guy. Only as it turns out, the bad guy, Imam Anwar Al-'Awlaki wasn't struck after all according to his family. He's still out there. (so is Osama Bin Laden)

Next, give Yemen only one day to appear in our news again with the apparent "terrorist plot" on board an airliner by a man who has "confessed" he was acting on Al Qaeda's orders. As it turns out, our government alreaddy *knew* about this 23 yr old's suspicious activities prior to this plane incident (just as they knew about Dr. Hassan's email correspondence with the radical imam in Yemen) Apparently after Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab's father, a well known Nigerian banker, visited the US embassy in Nigeria in November asking for help in finding his son because of his fears of him going radical, Umar had been placed in the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment (TIDE) but did not make the cut to go on to be placed on the no-fly list. His visa to the US had not been revoked according to Ian Kelley, State Department Spokesman because...........

The secretary of state can unilaterally revoke a visa but usually does that for foreign policy and diplomatic, not national security, reasons, Kelley said.

"This has to be done in consultation with other agencies," Kelley said.

So much for that official statement. Al Qaeda has taken credit for the failed bomb attempt aboard the "jihadi express"(so called by the right wing). It just so happens the plot was *planned* by two former GITMO detainees. On another odd note, this news report states that the explosives on the suspect would have been extremely difficult to ignite.

Introduced after World War I, PETN is in the same chemical family as nitroglycerin and among the most powerful of explosives. It was the same explosive that Richard C. Reid tried to detonate in his shoes during an American Airlines flight in December 2001.

But one characteristic of PETN is that it does not easily detonate, and that apparently thwarted Mr. Abdulmutallab, officials said. Dropping it or setting it on fire will not typically detonate it, explosive experts said.

Usually, a shock wave from a blasting cap or an exploding wire detonator is needed to set off PETN. Mr. Abdulmutallab was reported to have used a syringe to try to inject a liquid into the explosive.

“It sounds like he was trying to cause a chemical reaction that would initiate it, and that didn’t work out so well,” said Jimmie C. Oxley, an explosives expert and professor of chemistry at the University of Rhode Island

.

Boy that sure was a dud of a plan by Al Qaeda if you ask me.

Update: Wednesday Dec 30: The Statesman.com has a statement from Dutch Interior Minister Guusje Ter Horst on the explosive which would be plane blower upper Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab used:

Ter Horst said Abdulmutallab apparently assembled the explosive device, including 80 grams of PETN, in the aircraft toilet, then planned to detonate it with a syringe of chemicals. She said the explosives appeared to have been professionally prepared and had been given to Abdulmutallab, but did not elaborate.

"If you want to detonate it, you have to do that another way than he did. That is why we talk about amateurism," she said.

So I guess his bosses for the terrorist organization that took down the Twin Towers and piloted a plane into the Pentagon have fallen down on the job this time. Those "professionals" that prepared it left out the proper directions. Thank God. Kismet.

Moving on, which for a moment means looking slightly back. In this case to Obama's Nobel Prize acceptance speech in Oslo which noted that Yemen has become a new front on the war on terror. Yes, Yemen has indeed become a focus. Just this Sunday Senator Joe Lieberman went on FOX News calling for the United States to do all it can possibly do, pull out the stops when it comes to fighting the "war on terror" in Yemen.

So what else is going on in Yemen that the US media is NOT reporting widely if at all?

Little at all is being reported that the Saudi military has been engaging in ground and air attacks on Houthi rebels in Yemen, accusing them of being backed by Iran. Who are the Houthi rebels? They are Shiaa who have been fighting in opposition to the Yemeni government who the Houthi claim have been discriminating against them for years.

In June 2004, the Houthis, a group of rebels in the Sa'dah governorate of northwest Yemen, began taking up arms against the Yemeni national army. They claimed, and continue to claim, to be defending their own specific branch of Shia Islam -- Zaydism -- from a Yemeni regime they say is too dependent on its northern neighbor, Saudi Arabia, and its partner in the war on terrorism, the United States. Yemen's political and military leaders have labeled the Houthis a terrorist group supported by Iran. This smoldering civil war attracted little outside attention until last month, when, on November 5, Saudi Arabia sent its warplanes to bomb Houthi positions around the border, both on Saudi territory and inside Yemen. It was Saudi Arabia's first cross-border military intervention since the Gulf War in 1991. (Source)

Just how far has Saudi involvement gone in fighting the Houthis? From a Dec 23 AFP report:

Fighting between Saudi forces and the rebels kicked off on November 3, when the kingdom accused the rebels of killing a border guard and occupying two villages in its territory.

Saudi jets began bombing rebel positions the following day.

Prince Khaled said on Tuesday that the fighting has killed 73 Saudi soldiers, wounded 470 and left 26 missing.

So, as you are reading here are you beginning to see the implications of what is going on in Yemen? That as the US is ratcheting up it's involvement there, Saudi Arabia which has not been a nation to become involved militarily directly is now doing so in Yemen because they claim that there is a threat to their southern border by rebels backed by Iran? Do you understand that Saudi Arabia is flying US jets piloted by US trained pilots targeting Yemeni SHIAA rebels whom they claim are Iranian backed? Are you understanding that not only has Israel been rattling it's sabers against Iran for quite a while but many in our own government have been rattling their sabers at Iran also? Which is it? Al-Qaeda (the Saudi regimes arch enemy) or Iranian backed rebels who are the target of Saudi Arabia? Which is it, Al-Qaeda or Iranian backed rebels who are the target of the US? Is it both? Why hasn't OUR media reported what is going on there YET? Is this a conditioning process the American public is going through to prepare us for further deployment of our troops elsewhere in the Middle East or a strike on Iran?

NO strike on Iran by either Israel or the US can be undertaken without Saudi cooperation. Keep that in mind.

On a slightly different note, as 175,000 Yemenis have been forced from their homes due to the strife in their country, UNDispatch ominously opines:

This sudden escalation alarmed analysts in the United States and the European Union, as well as those in the Middle East. The conflict, they fear, could evolve into a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which perceive themselves as the contemporary standard-bearers of the Shia and Sunni branches of Islam, respectively. Equally worrying is that the latest attack could further destabilize the already fragile Yemeni state, which is confronted by a series of crises and a structural inability to govern its territory and population. In recent years, Yemen has rightfully gained a reputation as a safe haven for violent groups linked to al Qaeda.

"Proxy war" or build up to what the hawks have long been calling for: just more reasons given to attack Iran which again could never occur without Saudi cooperation.

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TUESDAY DEC.29th UPDATE: If the following is true this situation on the Saudi-Yemeni border perpetrated by who the Saudis deem are IRANIAN backed rebels is a friggin POWDER KEG!!!

Houthis seize full control of Saudi border post

Houthi fighters in northern Yemen say they have seized control of a Saudi military post along the border between the two countries where Saudi and Yemeni forces are waging a campaign to uproot them.

According to a report released by Hezbollah's al-Manar television network, Houthis have seized "full control of the Al-Jamrah Saudi military post" as well as weapons, communication material, military vehicles and surveillance equipment.

The report added that the northern Yemen's Shia fighters overran the Saudi post on Monday and forced soldiers to flee. The post is said to be located in close proximity to al-Khoba in Saudi Arabia's southern province of Jizan. Read further>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

AGAIN a strike on Iran by either Israel or the United States CANNOT occur without Saudi cooperation. What kind of mood do you think the Saudis are in if an act of war-the seizing of their military post within their borders has been accomplished by the Houthis who are supposedly Iranian backed?

Their mood would certainly be worse than it was in July when the article "The Houthi Thorn" was published in Asharq Alawsat!

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I wondered how long it would take for someone high up in Israel to jump in. Here we go, Danny Ayalon, former ambassador to the US and current Israeli Deputy Interior Minister writes for Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

Hamas is almost exclusively supported by Iranian funds, training, and equipment. The same is true of Hizbullah and other terror organizations through which Iran is seeking to undermine Sunni governments in the region. So to achieve better prospects for dialogue with Palestinians - without the threats of terror, extremism, and incitement - it is critically important to curb local Iranian influence. Indeed, today all the worst threats to the Middle East originate in Iran. Lebanon is a case in point. The most urgent threat to the Lebanese people comes not from Israel or the West, but from Hizbullah - an Iranian organ which represents Iranian interests, not Lebanese ones. Other countries in the region are similarly affected. Large terror rings operated by Hizbullah have been discovered in Egypt, Morocco, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia.

Yes, that is the problem Mr. Ayalon. Israeli policy has nothing to do whatsoever with the Palestinian issue, it is IRAN who is the Middle East boogy man. Hizbullah in your crosshairs again heh? Itching to make that strike on Iran you have been salivating over for eons now? Pleased as pie that Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam is using their military to plummet Shiaa Houthis in Yemen? Waiting for them to allow their airspace to be used by you?

Here's an interesting article in YNet, conveniently it leaves Saudi Arabian military involvement in Yemen out of the report. Toss in some hasbara concerning the plane plot as well which is totally contradicted by explosive experts.

The fears stem from the fact that the terror group was able to develop explosives capable of blowing up a plane out of common liquid materials that are difficult to detect.

Hello YNet-guess you missed the memo on that "professionally prepared" explosive that couldn't be detonated with LIQUID. Good to know though that the radio station funded by the US Congress reports AQ in Lebanon now too.

*****Angry Arab News December 9: Notice that Naharnet and NowHariri peddles and highlight daily Israeli propaganda stories. What could be one of those reports AAN is referring to? Secret Meeting in Yemen between Iran, Houthi, Hizbullah Officials.

Yes, it's all coming together in a neat package with the bow being tied.

Edit to add: September 16,2009 General James B. Smith was sworn in as the US ambassador to Saudi Arabia. His joint experience includes serving as the CSAF chair at the National War College and as vice director of operations for North American Air Defense Command (source). He was serving as International Business Development Executive for Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems when Obama appointed him to be ambassador to Saudi Arabia, to which Raytheon has been providing weapons and services since 1966 (source)