The FBI rounded up a network of deep-cover Russian spies last year after the group came close to placing an agent near a Cabinet official in the Obama administration, a senior FBI counterspy said Monday as the bureau released once-secret documents on the case. Last year? What did Obama know and when did he know about it?
"These 10 Russian officers were sent to the U.S. on a specific mission to get close to U.S. policymakers and leaders in our government," he said, Couldn't they just renew old campus ties?
noting that one had developed a friendship with someone close to a Cabinet official. The FBI did not identify the official, but other U.S. officials said it was Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Just trying to renew an old friendship...
Mrs. Clinton's spokesman at the time the case broke sought to distance her from the case, but did not deny that she was the person mentioned in court papers. "There is no reason to believe that the Secretary of State was a special target of this spy ring," he said. Why would they target Hilly? They had several pipelines higher than that!
He said a key break in the case developed in the mid-2000s after the FBI was able to decipher coded electronic communications between Moscow and the deep-cover spies. The communications were used to unravel the network, ending the FBI probe that began more than a decade ago. So the probe began under that other guy? That previous President who was voted out in disgrace? The one it ws OK to portray as the victim of a violent crime? The worst President since Clinton?
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/01/2011 06:05 ||
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Looks like RB kids have no sense of humor.
A 10-year-old Aiken trick-or-treater pulled a gun on a woman who said she would take his candy on Halloween.
According to a police incident report, the 28-year-old victim told authorities she recognized some boys from her neighborhood while they were trick-or-treating about 6:30 p.m. Monday near Schroeder and George streets and jokingly told them she would take their candy.
One 10-year-old in the group of about 10 juveniles responded with “no you’re not …” and then pointed a 9 mm handgun at her.
According to Aiken Public Safety Lt. David Turno, the clip was not in the gun at the time, but the boy did have a loaded clip in his possession.
The boyÂ’s brother, also 10, told authorities he also had a gun. The second weapon was recovered Tuesday morning.
The boy who pulled the weapon was brought to the police station where he was turned over to the custody of his parents.
Turno said the boys got the weapons from their grandfather without permission.
The posterized image of a rotting, undead Obama with a bleeding, large-caliber hole an inch above his right eye prompted Democrats to cry foul and Virginia's Republican governor to denounce it as "shameful and offensive."
Loudoun County GOP chairman Mark Sell said that the graphic was "a light-hearted attempt to inject satire humor into the Halloween holiday." So maybe it was in poor taste. There is no pic at the link, either. Wasn't it "free speech" when Bush was portrayed that way?
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/01/2011 05:48 ||
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In the Halloween-themed mailer, several pieces of zombie art are spaced apart by defaced portraits of President Obama and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). Both bizarre portraits were part of a mass email sent out by the Loudoun County GOP, intended to solicit attendance at a local fair. “We are going to vanquish the zombies with clear thinking conservative principles and a truckload of Republican candy,” it reads.
The Pelosi pic looks like the botox deflated. Several other articles did not have the picture, leaving it to the reader's immagination.
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/01/2011 6:39 Comments ||
Top||
#2
No outcry when they had painting of Bush being assassinated... so fuck off you stupid, hypocritical wankers. Before I mistake you for a mindless zombie.
#4
Lets be clear here. It is different when a citizen does this kind of thing and when an elected official does. A County GOP Chairman should damn well know better in todays day and age and it doesn't matter if the Democrats did it as well.
#5
I don't agree with the Obama image - you should honor at least the office (if not the man in it) same as I would disagree with the cited Bush images (where I did respect the man in the office).
Besides its not realistic - One of the main ways to kill a zombie is to shoot them in the head.
The Pelosi image however looks so real it's creepy....
Nearly half of China's wealthiest citizens are considering emigrating, with the United States and Canada the most popular destinations, according to a new report from the authors of China's rich list.
The survey by the Bank of China and the Hurun Report, which publishes luxury magazines and runs a research institute, found that 46 percent of Chinese with assets worth more than 10 million yuan ($1.6 million) were considering moving abroad.
Another 14 percent had already begun the process, it said. Many said they were seeking a better education for their children and cited concerns about the security of their assets in China.
Nearly a third of the respondents said they already had investments overseas, in many cases to enable them to emigrate. Some countries offer residency to foreign citizens who are prepared to invest large sums.
High inflation and the difficulty of investing overseas were also cited in the survey, which took in 980 people in 18 Chinese cities. The problem with all repressive systems... the most productive have the resources and the will to flee. And usually do. Any bets on where most of these people are headed... especially once one repressive President is removed in '12?
#3
They are only good for America if they leave their Chinese government and military connections behind. They seldom do that.
I once saw a rather amazing book, whose title escapes me, about one extended Chinese family that was completely woven into the fabric of government, military, and business throughout SE Asia.
They had commanding generals in the armies of four countries, hundreds of billions of dollars spread throughout their ranks, and generally owed loyalty only to their family.
#5
Is the book you're thinking of The Soong Dynasty? About Mme Chang Kai-shek and her sisters and other dynasts?
The Soong Dynasty is a bunch of BS. The author, a left-wing nutjob, makes up stuff as he goes along. Like Upton Sinclair, he's a fabulist who's garnered an uncritical and undeserved audience, even among conservatives.
#6
How're ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm
Once they've seen Paree?
The cadres can't grasp the concept that in order for their economy to succeed, they cannot limit the free exchange of ideas. You cannot simultaneously have propaganda and progress.
And, as I have noted here before, Chinese parents are getting fed up with the govt butting into the very basic personal issue of how many children to have, and the educational system is a mind-numbing rat race.
#7
The cadres can't grasp the concept that in order for their economy to succeed, they cannot limit the free exchange of ideas. You cannot simultaneously have propaganda and progress.
Actually, it's quite possible. Korea and Taiwan were dictatorships that advanced much further than today's China before they were pressured by the US into becoming democracies. Singapore has the highest non-oil-related per capita income in Asia, and is arguably a dictatorship despite regular elections, because of press controls and out-of-control defamation suits (adjudicated by tame judges) by the ruling party against political opponents than bankrupt the opposition.
And, as I have noted here before, Chinese parents are getting fed up with the govt butting into the very basic personal issue of how many children to have, and the educational system is a mind-numbing rat race.
The rich have the option of enrolling their children in private schools for expatriate children. They can also have as many children as they want, since the $15K per-child fine is nugatory for even a millionaire.
The real problem is that their wealth can be confiscated at any time. For many businessmen, doing business profitably in China involves breaking a lot of laws. Chinese laws are both arbitrary and capricious, moderated somewhat by a lack of enforcement. However, when the heat is turned up on a given individual, all of his assets are on the line.
#8
For the rich, the advantage of the Chinese system is that they can buy prestigious degrees for their children relatively cheaply. Stateside, it's possible to buy an admission, but only via a massive donation to the school. Graduation from an elite school stateside is not only not guaranteed, it's made more difficult by the language barrier.
I'm hearing about the frustration with the school system from Chinese I know here, including teachers who come here to learn a way of teaching that doesn't involve stuffing one's head with info and spitting it out on the test and then forgetting it the next morning. The parents are also frustrated with the pressures the kids have to endure, no matter whether in public or private school. I've heard them spout plenty of bile about the One Child Policy, too.
I hadn't finished reading The Soong Dynasty; given your info I don't need to.
I suspect I have trained and met more brilliant young Chinese finance professionals than you and most other people ever have, and have closer relationships. Unfortunately I have a lot of difficulty convincing my students who have gone to grad school or to work in the US to come back to China. They all say they will but almost none ever do.
Even with the recession in the US and a booming economy in China, many young Chinese
prefer seeking opportunities here in the US.
[One Pakistan] Members of the Upper House Monday strongly condemned the derogatory remarks against President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari ... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ... by the Punjab Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif during a public rally held on Friday in Lahore.
The Senate resumed its session with Deputy Chairman Mir Jan Muhammad Jamali in the chair.
Rising on a point of order Sabir Baloch condemned the derogatory remarks against the President made by Shahbaz Sharif. He said Asif Ali Zardari is an elected President and part of the by making such remarks the Punjab Chief Minister insulted the Constitution and the Parliament.
Salahuddin Dogar said Punjab Chief Minister speech was against the Constitution and the democratic norms.
Raja Zafar-ul-Haq said Shahbaz Sharif talked against corruption and demanded action against the corrupt people but in reaction PML (N) offices in Sindh were burnt. He said this is very undemocratic. He said accountability bill lying in the Senate should be passed at the earliest so that across the board accountability should be carried out.
Abdul Rahim Mandokhel said using foul language should be stopped immediately and all the political parties should focus on highlighting their manifestos and policies.
Hafiz Rashid Ahmad said FATA people are being killed in drone attacks and demanded that these attacks should be stopped. He said attention should be given on development of FATA like other parts of the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/01/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly and PML-N stalwart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Monday that the "Zardari group" had taken the country to a situation from which no single party could steer it out.
When asked if the PML-N would contact other parties to broaden its anti-government campaign, Chaudhry Nisar, who was addressing a presser, said: "There is a need to prepare ground rules first. If the parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F and Pakistain Tehrik-i-Insaaf, agree to that with the sole aim of saving Pakistain then the PML-N will welcome them."
When requested to elaborate, he said the political parties should keep other issues aside and prepare the ground rules not for acquiring power, but for saving Pakistain and resolving people's problems.He did not give a categorical reply to the question whether the PML-N which, according to some political experts, is facing a political isolation, planned to invite other parties to join the anti-government movement.
Although the PML-N leader, as usual, lambasted President Zardari and the policies of the present government, the main target of his criticism were PTI chief Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who isn't your heaviest-duty thinker, maybe not even among the top five... and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. ...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead...
Unlike his other party colleagues, Chaudhry Nisar acknowledged that the cricketer-turned politician had managed to arrange a good show in Lahore on Sunday, but said conclusions could not be drawn on the basis of just one public meeting. He said politics was not a twenty-twenty cricket match. "You cannot bring about revolution in the country by gathering people from different cities in one city. You cannot change politics with just one public meeting," he said.
Responding to Imran Khan's allegations in the cricketing language, he said his party was ready to face Imran's bowling. But he warned the PTI chairman to be ready to face "bouncers and googlies" when the PML-N would start bowling.
"We are ready to face your bowling provided you follow the rules and don't resort to ball-tampering," he said.
The PML-N leader alleged that Imran Khan's cricketing career was full of incidents of "ball-tampering and betting".
About Imran Khan's remark that he would bowl out two players with one ball, Chaudhry Nisar said Mr Khan should know that under the rules one could not get two wickets in one ball.
"If you want to do politics like cricket we are ready for it, but we will not allow you to change ground rules in connivance with umpires," he said.
Referring to gossips doing the round in political circles that the PTI is being supported by the military establishment, the PML-N leader said people were talking that "umpires are in league with you".
He condemned attacks on PML-N's offices in Sindh and alleged that President Zardari was trying to convert politics into a war.
He said the success of PML-N's public meeting had upset the PPP which had started using un-parliamentary language against the party leadership.
Responding to Federal Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan's statement that a "psychic patient" was ruling the Punjab, he said his party also had the right to ask about the medical certificate submitted by President Zardari's lawyer in a Swiss court about his mental illness.
The PML-N leader also lashed out at the MQM for organising a rally in support of President Zardari. He recalled that the same party had arranged rallies in support of Gen Musharraf, but said the party did not come to the aid of the former military dictator when he was in deep trouble. He asked as to why the MQM did not hold a rally in support of Gen Musharraf when he was facing the threat of impeachment. Instead, he said, the MQM silently abandoned Musharraf's boat and landed in Zardari's ship.
Chaudhry Nisar said he was surprised that the PPP and the MQM were targeting only the PML-N despite the fact that Imran Khan had levelled similar allegations of corruption against President Zardari in his public meeting.
In response to a question, he said Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... and Shahbaz Sharif had already declared their assets and Imran Khan also should disclose details of his assets and the source of money he was getting for arranging public meetings.
The PML-N leader also dispelled a perception that his party had launched the movement in an attempt to remove the government before next year's Senate elections. He said his party was not worried about the possible outcome of the Senate polls scheduled in March.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/01/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] A man killed his wife and three other relatives with the help of accomplices in Ayyaz Wala village overnight, Lakki police said on Sunday.
Anwar, a resident of Dallokhel village, had gone to his in-laws house in Ayyaz Wala to bring back his estranged wife, Farah Naz.
Her refusal infuriated Anwar who, along with two people accompanying him, allegedly opened fire on her and other inmates of the house.
Farah Naz, her brother Irfanullah and aunt Kaneeza Bibi died instantly while her mother Nawab Bibi sustained critical wounds and died on way to Lakki city hospital.
Javed Khan, a relative of the dear departed, told police in the FIR that he was watering fields near the house of his uncle, Rehmatullah, when he heard shots and rushed to the uncle`s house. Mr Khan told police the main gate of the house was bolted from inside and her aunt Nawab Bibi was crying for help.
"I entered the house by scaling the wall and found Farah Naz, Kaneeza Bibi and Irfanullah dead while the maimed Nawab Bibi was lying on the ground," he said.
According to him the injured Nawab Bibi told him that Anwar came with two accomplices, armed with Kalashnikov rifles, and tried to take away Farah Naz without her consent.
"On her refusal, he and his accomplices sprayed us with bullets, killing Farah Naz, Kaneeza Bibi and Irfanullah instantly," the complainant Javed quoted Nawab Bibi as saying.
Police tossed in the clink the main accused Anwar and started investigation after registering a case in Lakki Marwat cop shoppe.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/01/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
opened fire on her and other inmates of the house.
[Dawn] Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who isn't your sharpest bulb on the tree, maybe not even among the top five... surprised his detractors on Sunday by holding a massive public meeting, described by political observers as one of the biggest rallies held in Lahore over the past two decades. And in a hard-hitting speech he asked the rulers to declare their assets and threatened a civil disobedience movement and a countrywide blockade if they did not do so.
"Declare your assets or face the wrath of people," the Pakistain Tehrik-i-Insaaf chief roared.
He said declaration of politicians' assets was necessary for a transparent governance. If politicians did not do so, the PTI would set up a commission to prepare a list of politicians and their assets and take it to court, he said.
Mr Khan laid out his "plan to save the country' as his supporters, including a large number of youths and women, raised enthusiastic slogans.
Caravans of youths from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... also attended the meeting in the vast Minar-i-Pakistain ground.
Imran Khan said the PTI would never use the army against its own people nor would ever beg for aid. "Jinnah would have
never begged and Imran will rather die than beg," he said.
Though there was nothing new in the speech or the plan, the large meeting helped his party to maintain the momentum it had built with a series of rallies in Punjab and other areas.
Mr Khan said the PTI would end corruption, declare an education emergency, improve tax collection, pursue an independent foreign policy, bring Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... into the mainstream national politics, end the war on terror and protect rights of minorities and women.
He said most of the crises in the country were a result of corruption of the ruling elite.
Once it is taken up by an independent election commission and judiciary, the rest will be easy. "Pakistain is losing over Rs3,000 billion a year in tax corruption. If it can be tapped, the country does not need foreign aid. Once the government wins the confidence of people, economic woes would simply go away."
Mr Khan said a country that had "over 180 billion tons of coal reserves could not in any way be called an energy starved state". There is an equally great potential in hydro-electric resources.
"If the PTI can run thermal units even at 70 per cent of their installed capacity, currently running at 25 to 30 per cent, the country will have no energy crisis," he said.
On foreign policy, he said the focus should be on "independence, not slavery: the PTI will want friendship with everyone, including the Americans, but on the basis of equality. The Americans will be told that Pakistain cannot fight their war and Pakistain Army cannot do its bidding.
"Ties with China will form the cornerstone of PTI's foreign policy. I am leaving tonight for China at the invitation of the Chinese government and friendship with them will be pursued to the fullest."
In a bid to dispel a perception of belonging to the 'ultra right wing' he said the PTI would "declare an education emergency for women; they will be educated and their right to property will be ensured as enshrined in Islamic laws. The minorities should rest assured that the PTI will stand for them once in power".
He said drone attacks were part of the problem rather than a solution. "They are feeding terrorism. The PTI believes that they are pushing over one million armed Pakhtuns to the other side of the divide. Once Pakistain quits the US-sponsored war on terror, these one million armed tribal people will take care of militancy and terrorism in their areas. It is simply a matter of making the right choices."
He said: "The Lahorites are slow to wake up, but once they do, as they are now, they are unstoppable." He urged the people to "mobilise themselves to save the country".
He concluded his speech by warning both President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari ... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ... and Pakistain Mohammedan League-N chief Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... that "change is not only imminent but already under way and the corrupt will not find a place now to hide".
Posted by: Fred ||
11/01/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
If Paque history is any indication, the dude's posterior is fescue.
[An Nahar] Officials from 60 countries including Hillary Clinton ... sometimes described as America's Blond Eminence and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another Henry Clay ... , Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales and Chinese technology firms gather in London Tuesday to discuss the benefits and security risks of cyberspace.
The U.S. Secretary of State is among up to 900 delegates attending the two-day conference, although few expect unity from participants who often disagree on what exactly the opportunities and challenges presented by cyberspace are.
The broad agenda covers everything from access to the Internet, the economic impact of cyberspace, its social benefits -- including fuelling democracy movements such as the Arab Spring -- and cyber-crime and security.
Commentators have expressed skepticism that the varying interests of Europe and the United States on the one hand and Russia and China on the other can be reconciled, particularly on issues such as freedom of speech online.
China is also a source of tension, being blamed for many of the cyber-attacks that are troubling world governments, including a massive global spying campaign identified in August. Beijing strongly denied No, no! Certainly not! any involvement.
"International diplomacy like this among states and private stakeholders is important and will bring needed attention to these issues," Adam Segal and Matthew Waxman of the Council on Foreign Relations wrote recently.
"But the London summit is also likely to expose major faultiness, not consensus, on the hardest and most significant problems."
The analysts noted that the security priority of Western states was to protect their networks from attacks, while China and Russia emphasized the security of information, which requires controlling content.
British officials insist they have no ambition to create a treaty or new laws, particularly on the issue of international security, which will be discussed behind closed doors on Tuesday afternoon.
They say the meeting is simply about "starting a debate" between interested parties across the world, and note that several countries have already agreed to host a follow-up conference within the next 12 to 18 months.
Cyber security has already been discussed under the auspices of the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... and NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A single organization with differing goals, equipment, language, doctrine, and organization.... , while the United States and Australia agreed in September that a cyber-attack in either country would trigger a joint response.
But officials believe this is the first conference of its kind to look at all aspects of cyberspace with input from wide range of players, including a group of 25 young people who will explain what the Internet means for them.
Other participants include Internet pioneers Google ...contributed $814,540 to the 2008 Obama campaign... , Facebook, Microsoft ...producers of Windows, Office, and the late Microsoft Bob, contributed $852,167 to the 2008 Obama campaign... and Chinese video sharing site Tudou.com, as well as cyber-crime agencies, computer security firms and government representatives from Russia to South Korea.
Iran has not been invited, despite being the target of the malicious Stuxnet worm last year which attacked its uranium enrichment plant in the central city of Natanz, prompting Tehran to point the finger at arch-foes the U.S. and Israel.
Foreign Secretary William Hague, who will host the meeting, said it would "discuss ideas and expected behavior in cyberspace".
The idea was to "bring together the major actors in cyberspace and to launch an inclusive dialogue on how, collectively, we should respond to the challenges and opportunities which the development of cyberspace presents", he said.
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11/01/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
..and security risks of cyberspace.
Ah, yes. They want to TSA the internet. Bet on it.
#4
Nimble: For Joe to tell Arizonans to pack iron would make people think he'd lost his mind. Many would probably take him seriously, and would assume belt fed or high explosive rounds or something. "Is a Ma Deuce big enough? My cousin has a ZSU-23-4 he'll loan me, but only if it's zombies or aliens, like a couple-a years back."
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
The FBI rounded up a network of deep-cover Russian spies last year after the group came close to placing an agent near a Cabinet official in the Obama administration, a senior FBI counterspy said Monday as the bureau released once-secret documents on the case.
Nearly half of China's wealthiest citizens are considering emigrating, with the United States and Canada the most popular destinations, according to a new report from the authors of China's rich list.
Asif Ali 
[Dawn] Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly and PML-N stalwart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Monday that the "Zardari group" had taken the country to a situation from which no single party could steer it out.
Unlike his other party colleagues, Chaudhry Nisar acknowledged that the cricketer-turned politician had managed to arrange a good show in Lahore on Sunday, but said conclusions could not be drawn on the basis of just one public meeting. He said politics was not a twenty-twenty cricket match. "You cannot bring about revolution in the country by gathering people from different cities in one city. You cannot change politics with just one public meeting," he said.
Punjab
Nawaz Sharif
A man killed his wife and three other relatives with the help of accomplices in Ayyaz Wala village overnight, Lakki police said on Sunday.
[Dawn] 
Hillary Clinton
"International diplomacy like this among states and private stakeholders is important and will bring needed attention to these issues," Adam Segal and Matthew Waxman of the Council on Foreign Relations wrote recently.
