'His treatment met the legal definition of torture. And that's why I did not refer the case for prosecution.' Detainee Tortured, Says U.S. Official 14 Jan 2009 The top Bush administration official in charge of deciding whether to bring Guantanamo Bay prisoners to trial has concluded that the U.S. military tortured a Saudi national who allegedly planned to participate in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, interrogating him with techniques that included sustained isolation, sleep deprivation, nudity and prolonged exposure to cold, leaving him in a "life-threatening condition." "We tortured [Mohammed al-]Qahtani," said Susan J. Crawford, in her first interview since being named convening authority of military commissions by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates in February 2007. "His treatment met the legal definition of torture. And that's why I did not refer the case" for prosecution.
One in five Guantanamo Bay detainees is on hunger strike 15 Jan 2009 Nearly a fifth of the prisoners held at Guantánamo Bay have gone on hunger strike with the aim of attracting the attention of Barack Obama, military officials have told The Times. Most of them are being force-fed. Of the 248 inmates inside the detention facility, 44 are refusing food -- but 33 of those are receiving nutrition with tubes that are forced up their noses and into their stomachs.
Judge: Rumsfeld sanctioned torture in Gitmo 15 Jan 2009 A top US official has for the first time publicly admitted that a suspect, incarcerated at the Guantanamo Bay prison was tortured. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Susan J Crawford, a judge tasked with deciding on whether Guantanamo detainees should be brought to trial, told the newspaper that she decided against prosecuting Saudi national Mohammed al-Qahtani because his interrogation met the legal definition of torture.
Evidence in Terror Cases Said to Be in Chaos 14 Jan 2009 A former military prosecutor said in a declaration filed in federal court yesterday that the system of handling evidence against detainees at Guantanamo Bay is so chaotic that it is impossible to prepare a fair and successful prosecution. Darrel Vandeveld, a former lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, filed the declaration in support of a petition seeking the release of Mohammed Jawad, an Afghan who has been held [and abused] at the military prison in Cuba for six years. Vandeveld said in a phone interview that the "complete lack of organization" has affected nearly all cases at Guantanamo Bay.
Military planners, in nod to Obama, preparing for faster Iraq withdrawal 15 Jan 2009 Military commanders are drawing up plans for a faster withdrawal of American troops from Iraq in anticipation that President-elect Barack Obama will reject current proposals as too slow, Pentagon and military officials said Wednesday... A drawdown in Iraq is seen as a prerequisite to any significant American military buildup in Afghanistan, where Obama is ready to add up to 30,000 troops over the next two years, a near doubling of the current American force there of about 31,000.
Baghdad Hit by "Sticky Bomb" Terror --Insidious explosive device makes middle-class Iraqis dread car journeys.14 Jan 2009 ...Their injuries simply indicate the growing reach of the latest weapon terrorising Baghdad: the "sticky bomb". The device gets its nickname from the adhesive tape or magnets used to attach it to vehicles. Placed near the fuel tank, it can be an effective assassination tool, creating an explosion large enough to destroy the vehicle. Dozens of Iraqis have been killed or maimed by sticky bombs in the last six months, most of them in Baghdad.
War Czar for Bush to Keep His Job 13 Jan 2009 President-elect Barack Obama will be keeping another holdover from the Bush dictatorship on his national security team -- Lt. Gen. Douglas E. Lute, who will keep his job coordinating Iraq and Afghanistan policy out of the National Security Council, according to transition officials.
Barack Obama: it is no longer important to kill Osama bin Laden 15 Jan 2009 Barack Obama last night suggested that removing Osama bin Laden from the battlefield was no longer essential and that America's security goals could be achieved by merely keeping al-Qaeda [al-CIAduh] "on the run". "My preference obviously would be to capture or kill him," he said. "But if we have so tightened the noose that he's in a cave somewhere and can't even communicate with his operatives then we will meet our goal of protecting America." His comments, in a CBS interview last night, appear to contradict Mr Obama's own statements made in the election campaign.
US anti-terror policy to focus on Pakistan: Clinton 15 Jan 2009 Pakistan and Afghanistan will be at the centre of the US radar in its "global counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism" efforts. Chary of using "war on terror" to describe the violence in Afghanistan and Pakistan, US Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton, at her Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, said elements of US power -- diplomacy, development and defence -- would be used "to work with those in Afghanistan and Pakistan who want to root out the Al-Qaeda [al-CIAduh], Taliban and other violent extremists."
Israeli army masses along Lebanon border 14 Jan 2009 Israel deploys military units along the border with Lebanon amid growing concerns that the assault on Gaza was the onset of a multi-front war. Nineteen days after the start of the Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip, the Lebanese daily Al Safir reported Wednesday that southern Lebanon had witnessed the build-up of Israeli armored vehicles - tanks, military vessels and Apache helicopters - along the border.
Gaza: Residents waving white flags 'shot dead as they flee their homes' 14 Jan 2009 Israeli forces said they had pushed deeper into Gaza City amid heavy fighting, with some units within a mile of the densely populated urban centre. Terrified residents were said to be fleeing from many homes which had been set alight. At least three Palestinians in Gaza were shot dead yesterday after Israeli soldiers fired on a group of residents leaving their homes on orders from the military and waving white flags, according to testimony taken by the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem.
'Israel should stop using phosphorus' 14 Jan 2009 Human Rights Watch has renewed its call for a halt in Israel's use of white phosphorus ammunitions in the heavily-populated Gaza Strip. "This is a chemical compound that burns structures and burns people," said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch (HRW) at a Washington press conference on Wednesday.
Israel indicts two Iran TV journalists for reporting on Gaza ground invasion 14 Jan 2009 Israeli authorities on Tuesday indicted two journalists working for an Iranian television station on charges they passed classified information to the enemy. The indictment says the two Palestinian journalists reported the beginning of Israel's ground incursion into Gaza on Jan. 3 while the information was still subject to military censorship.
Army suicides rise as time spent in combat increases 13 Jan 2009 The Marine Corps reported 41 actual or suspected suicides in 2008, a 20% increase over 33 in 2007. In 2007, the Army counted 115 suicides, the most since tracking began in 1980. By October 2008, that record had been surpassed with 117 soldier suicides. Final numbers for 2008 have not been released.
Veterans exposed to incorrect drug doses 14 Jan 2009 Patients at Veterans Affairs health centers around the country were given incorrect doses of drugs, had needed treatments delayed and may have been exposed to other medical errors due to software glitches that showed faulty displays of their electronic health records. The glitches, which began in August and lingered until last month, were not disclosed by the Veterans Affairs Department to patients even though they sometimes involved prolonged infusions of drugs such as heparin, which in excessive doses can be life-threatening, according to internal documents obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act.
An invisible epidemic --The far-reaching, untold effects of contaminated water in Jacksonville, N.C. 12 Jan 2009 ...The key to their health problems was a town three states away with the same name: Jacksonville, N.C., home of the Marine Corps' Camp Lejeune. Over four decades, an estimated 500,000 citizens and soldiers were exposed to drinking water tainted by chemicals used at a dry-cleaning establishment near the 246-square-mile training base. The government has known about the water pollution for more than a quarter-century.
UN finds 217 sex abuse claims against blue helmets 14 Jan 2009 A United Nations probe collected 217 allegations of abuse of girls and women by peacekeepers in eastern Congo, from sex with teenagers in the back room of a liquor store to threats of "hacking" victims for cooperating with investigators... Details of alleged incidents dating back to 2004 are summarized in a "strictly confidential" 17-page document.
Bush Declares State of Emergency for Inauguration 13 Jan 2009 President [sic] Bush has declared a state of emergency for the District during the Inauguration Jan. 17-21, Press Secretary Dana Perino said. The move will allow the federal government to provide funding to District government agencies, which have been swamped with planning and paying for security and transportation needs.
Obama-Bush officials conduct war games 13 Jan 2009 Top officials from the incoming Obama administration are at the White House for several hours Tuesday, spending time with their counterparts in the Bush regime to discuss and then simulate how to handle a terrorist attack inside the U.S.
Kansas officially named as site of $650 million biodefense laboratory 12 Jan 2009 Kansas gained final approval Monday for a $650 million federal biodefense laboratory that officials heralded for its potential to protect destroy the food supply and boost the state's economy. Last month, Kansas emerged as the top recommendation for the planned National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. On Monday, Jay Cohen, undersecretary for science and technology for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, made the pick official.
Texas ponders suing over decision to put biothreat lab in Manhattan 14 Jan 2009 Texas officials are considering suing the Department of Homeland Security over its decision to award the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility to Kansas. Among key points being raised is that Texas wasn't able to respond to a Homeland Security request to meet certain state infrastructure investments because legislators weren't in session.
DARPA Commissions National Cyber Range 14 Jan 2009 Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $5.4 million contract for the initial development phase of the National Cyber Range (NCR) by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Department of Defense's central research and development organization. The program is part of the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative, a major government-wide effort to increase the nation's defenses 'against' electronic attack.
Justices Say Evidence Is Valid Despite Police Error --5-to-4 opinion likely to alarm those who fear that high court is looking for ways to narrow reach of exclusionary rule 15 Jan 2009 The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the conviction of an Alabama man on drug and weapons charges, emphasizing that the exclusionary rule, which generally bars prosecutors from using evidence obtained by the police through improper searches, is far from absolute.
Judge Orders Search of Administration Appointees' E-Mails 14 Jan 2009 A federal judge this morning ordered the president's [sic] executive office to undertake a comprehensive search for millions of senior appointees' e-mails that have been inaccessible and possibly 'missing' since 2005. District Court Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr. demanded that officials search computer workstations, preserve thumb drives and examine e-mail archives created or retained by White House employees from 2003 to 2005, the period in which a records gap exists.
Obama's Treasury pick faces delay as questions mount 15 Jan 2009 The Senate confirmation hearing of Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner was delayed Wednesday until the day after President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration, meaning that the nominee's troubled tax history will prevent Obama from having his full economic team in place right away.
Bank of America to Get Billions More From Treasury 14 Jan 2009 The Treasury Department plans to invest billions of dollars in Bank of America to help the company absorb troubled investment bank Merrill Lynch, according to two people familiar with the matter, The Post's Binyamin Appelbaum reports. The new investment, which is expected to be announced next week, is in addition to $25 billion the government already has invested in Bank of America, including $10 billion specifically in connection with the Merrill Lynch deal.
Economic stimulus expected to deliver billions to government contractors By Courtney E. Howard 08 Jan 2009 President-elect Obama's economic stimulus package will provide billions of dollars in contract opportunities to government contractors, according to Input. The package, which is likely to approach $1 trillion in spending over the next two years, is expected to contain over $350 billion in spending for projects related to infrastructure improvement, electronic health records, green initiatives, and modernization of schools.
Gannett to Furlough Workers for Week 15 Jan 2009 The Gannett Company, the nation's largest newspaper publisher, said on Wednesday that it would force thousands of its employees to take a week off without pay in an effort to avoid layoffs. Gannett, which owns 85 daily newspapers across the United States including its flagship USA Today, said it could not say exactly how many people would be required to take time off, or how much money the company would save.
U.S. Economy: Retail Sales Decline for a Record Sixth Month 14 Jan 2009 Sales at U.S. retailers fell more than twice as much as forecast in December as job losses and the lack of credit led Americans to cut back on everything from car purchases to eating out. The 2.7 percent slump marked the sixth straight month of declines, the longest string since comparable records began in 1992, the Commerce Department said today in Washington.
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Previous lead stories: Bush, Obama teams hold disaster drill 13 Jan 2009 Senior officials in the Bush regime and members of President-elect Barack Obama's team were at the White House Tuesday teaming up for a rehearsal of how to handle a hypothetical terrorist attack on American cities. During the drill, they will respond to a scenario in which transportation facilities and other targets are hit with explosive devices. The exercise is part of an effort to smooth the transition from the Bush to Obama administrations without jeopardizing the nation's preparedness in the event of a terrorist attack, pandemic or 'natural' disaster.
Guantanamo Bay Prisoners Could Be Arraigned Before Inauguration Day 13 Jan 2009 The suspected 'Sept. 11 conspirators' held at the Guantanamo Bay prison could be arraigned the day before Inauguration Day, sources tell FOX News, even though President-elect Barack Obama is planning to order the facility shut down. This means some prisoners could enter guilty pleas the day before Obama is sworn into the office and two days before the president-elect is expected to issue an executive order shutting down Guantanamo.
'I think that Gaza is now being used as a test laboratory for new weapons.' Israel testing 'extremely nasty' weapon: Norwegian doctors 13 Jan 2009 Israel is testing a new "extremely nasty" type of weapon in Gaza, two medics charged as they returned home to Norway on Monday after spending 10 days working at a hospital in the war-torn Palestinian territory. "There's a very strong suspicion I think that Gaza is now being used as a test laboratory for new weapons," Mads Gilbert told reporters at Oslo's Gardermoen airport, commenting on the kinds of injuries he and his colleague Erik Fosse had seen while working at the Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
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CLG Managing Editor: Lori Price. CLG Founder and Chair: Michael Rectenwald, Ph.D. Copyright © 2009, Citizens For Legitimate Government ® All rights reserved.
