White House Defense Crumbling in Leak Case

The evidence prosecutors have assembled in the CIA leak case suggests Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff sought out reporters in the weeks before an undercover operative's identity was compromised in the news media, casting doubt on one of the White House's main lines of defense. And in a new twist, presidential political adviser Karl Rove has testified that it's possible Libby was his source before Rove talked to two reporters about the CIA operative.

In light of all the disclosures, "it's going to be as difficult for the defense to prove the theory that the White House got the information from reporters as it is for Fitzgerald to prove that the White House leaked the information about Wilson's wife," said Washington-based white-collar defense attorney James D. Wareham.

Source: AP: San Francisco Gate

Tom DeLay Mug Shot

Suitable for Framing

Web Site of the Day: Fresh Media

Fresh Media

Christian Coalition Leader Molested Kids

After news broke that local law enforcement officials were investigating complaints that Louis Beres, longtime chairman of the Christian Coalition of Oregon, had molested three female family members when they were pre-teens, The Oregonian in Portland went out and interviewed Beres' family members.

Two of the alleged molestations occurred decades ago and likely would not result in criminal charges because state law limits prosecution of certain crimes. But one case may fall within statutory timelines. It involves a female family member who was allegedly molested by Beres when she was in elementary school, authorities said.

Source: Editor & Publisher

UK SAS Troops Arrested as Iraqi Insurgents

Two British commandos, members of the secretive SAS were arrested by Iraqi police yesterday in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. The two men, dressed in Arab garb and driving an unmarked car, drew the attention of police.

British forces using tanks broke down the walls of Basra jail to free two service personnel arrested for firing on Iraqi policemen. Defence secretary John Reid has defended the actions of the British forces.

The MoD refused to comment after officials said that they were undercover officers dressed as Arabs.

Sources: PEJ News, Manchester Evening News, ePolitix.com

One Billion US Dollars Missing in Iraq

One billion dollars has been plundered from Iraq's defence ministry in one of the largest thefts in history. The money, intended to train and equip an Iraqi army, was instead siphoned abroad in cash and has disappeared.

Most of the money was supposedly spent buying arms from Poland and Pakistan. The contracts were peculiar in four ways. According to Mr Allawi, they were awarded without bidding, and were signed with a Baghdad-based company, and not directly with the foreign supplier.

Source: Independant Online

Pastor: God Destroyed New Orleans

Is the recent hurricane something to celebrate? Reverend William Shanks, pastor of the New Covenant Fellowship of New Orleans seems to think so;

"New Orleans now is abortion free. New Orleans now is Mardi Gras free. New Orleans now is free of Southern Decadence and the sodomites, the witchcraft workers, false religion - it's free of all of those things now" said Rev. Bill Shanks, pastor of New Covenant Fellowship of New Orleans, and he continued; "One Category 5 hurricane coming up the river will take care of all Sodomite marriages ... I believe this will open the floodgate for God to bring judgment on our land."

Source: Workbench, Agape Press

Homeland Security bans Red Cross

As the National Guard delivered food to the New Orleans convention center yesterday, American Red Cross officials said that federal emergency management authorities would not allow them into New Orleans.

"The Homeland Security Department has requested and continues to request that the American Red Cross not come back into New Orleans," said Renita Hosler, spokeswoman for the Red Cross.

Calls to the Department of Homeland Security and its subagency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, were not returned yesterday

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

New Orleans: Rescue or Combat Operation?

According to the Army Times, combat operations are underway on the streets "to take this city back" in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. While some fight the insurgency in the city, other carry on with rescue and evacuation operations. Helicopters are still pulling hundreds of stranded people from rooftops of flooded homes.

"This place is going to look like Little Somalia," Brig. Gen. Gary Jones, commander of the Louisiana National Guard’s Joint Task Force told Army Times Friday as hundreds of armed troops under his charge prepared to launch a massive city-wide security mission from a staging area outside the Louisiana Superdome. "We’re going to go out and take this city back. This will be a combat operation to get this city under control."

Source: Army Times

Halliburton Whistleblower Demoted

(Associated Press) Bunnatine H. Greenhouse, who had been the Corps of Engineers' top procurement official since 1997 and publicly criticized the Pentagon's decision to award Halliburton Co. a no-bid contract for work in Iraq, has been demoted. "Her removal will send a message to all concerned that if they dare stand up to corrupting influences within the Army contracting world their careers will be destroyed," her attorney, Michael D. Kohn, wrote in the letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Kris Kolesnik, executive director of the National Whistleblower Center, which is advising Greenhouse on contacts with members of Congress and the news media, said in an interview that Kohn was informed by the Pentagon's Inspector General's office that it is still preparing a report based on Greenhouse's allegations.

Source: MSNBC

Ariel Sharon's Son Indicted

Omri Sharon, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's son and close adviser, is to stand trial in the "shell companies" campaign funding affair, following the filing of an indictment against him Sunday morning at the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court.

One of the intriguing questions the trial will illuminate is whether any new evidence against Ariel Sharon might arise that could persuade Mazuz to indict him as well. This is theoretically possible.

Sources: Haaretz, CNN

File FCC Complaint Against 700 Club

The FCC has defined profanity as including language that "denote[s] certain of those personally reviling epithets naturally tending to provoke violent resentment or denoting language so grossly offensive to members of the public who actually hear it as to amount to a nuisance." Using this test, Pat Robertson's broadcast clearly violates the community standards issue.

If you are outraged about Pat Robertson's broadcast where he advocated using international political assassination and want to file an FCC complaint against Mr. Robertson and/or the Christian Broadcasting Network, go to the Christian Broadcasting Network web site and get the broadcast information for your area for the 700 Club and then visit the Federal Communications Commission's web site to lodge an actual complaint.

You may also file a complaint via e-mail at fccinfo@fcc.gov or by calling:
1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or
1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) TTY.