Flap Your Lips Friday
Posted by Michelle Moquin on September 30th, 2011
Good morning!
Lots going on as usual…
And another significant milestone for Obama.
(video not available to repost. Click here to see Obama’s announcement.)
Obama: Anwar Al-Awlaki Death A Major Blow To Al Qaeda
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama declared the killing of a fiery American-born cleric a “major blow” to al-Qaida’s most active affiliate, and vowed a vigorous U.S. campaign to prevent the terror network and its partners from finding a haven anywhere in the world.
Anwar al-Awlaki, and a second American, Samir Khan, were killed by a joint CIA-U.S. military air strike on their convoy in Yemen early Friday. Both men played key roles in inspiring attacks against the U.S., and their killings are a devastating double blow to al-Qaida’s most dangerous franchise.
Seeking to justify the targeted killing of a U.S. citizen, Obama outlined al-Alwaki’s involvement in planning and directing attempts to murder Americans.
“He directed the failed attempt to blow up an airplane on Christmas Day in 2009. He directed the failed attempt to blow up U.S. cargo planes in 2010,” Obama said. “And he repeatedly called on individuals in the United States and around the globe to kill innocent men, women and children to advance a murderous agenda.”
After three weeks of tracking the targets, U.S. armed drones and fighter jets shadowed al-Alwaki’s convoy early Friday, then drones launched their lethal strike. The strike killed four operatives in all, officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss matters of intelligence.
Al-Awlaki was targeted in the killing, but Khan, who edited a slick Jihadi Internet magazine, apparently was not targeted directly.
Al-Awlaki played a “significant operational role” in plotting and inspiring attacks on the United States, U.S. officials said Friday. Khan, who was from North Carolina, wasn’t considered an operational leader but had published seven issues online of Inspire Magazine, a widely read Jihadi site offering advice on how to make bombs and the use of weapons.
Obama praised Yemen’s government and security forces for its close cooperation with the U.S. in fighting Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, arguably the terror network’s most dangerous affiliate. With al-Awlaki’s death, Obama said AQAP remains “a dangerous but weakened terrorist organization.”
Following the strike, a U.S. official outlined new details of al-Awlaki’s involvement in anti-U.S. operations, including the attempted Christmas 2009 bombing of a Detroit.-bound aircraft. The official said that al-Awlaki specifically directed the men accused of trying to bomb the airliner to detonate an explosive device over U.S. airspace to maximize casualties.
The official also said al-Awlaki had a direct role in supervising and directing a failed attempt to bring down two U.S. cargo aircraft by detonating explosives concealed inside two packages mailed to the U.S. The U.S. also believes Awlaki had sought to use poisons, including cyanide and ricin, to attack Westerners.
The U.S. and counterterrorism officials all spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss intelligence matters.
Al-Awlaki was killed by the same U.S. military unit that got Osama bin Laden. Al-Awlaki is the most prominent al-Qaida figure to be killed since bin Laden’s death in May.
U.S. word of al-Awlaki’s death came after the government of Yemen reported that he had been killed Friday about five miles from the town of Khashef, some 87 miles from the capital Sanaa.
The air strike was carried out more openly than the covert operation that sent Navy SEALs into bin Laden’s Pakistani compound, U.S. officials said.
Counterterrorism cooperation between the United States and Yemen has improved in recent weeks, allowing better intelligence-gathering on al-Awlaki’s movements, U.S. officials said. The ability to better track him was a key factor in the success of the strike, U.S. officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters.
Al-Awlaki’s death is the latest in a run of high-profile kills for the Obama administration. But the killing raises questions that the death of other al-Qaida leaders, including bin Laden, did not.
Al-Awlaki was a U.S. citizen, born in New Mexico to Yemeni parents, who had not been charged with any crime. Civil liberties groups have questioned the government’s authority to kill an American without trial.
Awlaki’s father, Nasser al-Awlaki of Yemen, had sued President Barack Obama and other administration officials 13 months ago to try to stop them from targeting his son for death. The father, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights, argued that international law and the Constitution prevented the administration from assassinating his son unless he presented a specific imminent threat to life or physical safety and there were no other means to stop him.
But U.S. District Judge John Bates threw out the lawsuit in December, saying a judge does not have authority to review the president’s military decisions and that Awlaki’s father did not have the legal right to sue on behalf of his son. But Bates also seemed troubled by the facts of the case, which he wrote raised vital considerations of national security and for military and foreign affairs. For instance, the judge questioned why courts have authority to approve surveillance of Americans overseas but not their killing and whether the president could order an assassination of a citizen without “any form of judicial process whatsoever.”
U.S. officials have said they believe al-Awlaki inspired the actions of Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Hasan, who is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in the attack at Fort Hood, Texas.
In New York, the Pakistani-American man who pleaded guilty to the May 2010 Times Square car bombing attempt said he was inspired by al-Awlaki after making contact over the Internet.
Al-Awlaki also is believed to have had a hand in mail bombs addressed to Chicago-area synagogues, the packages intercepted in Dubai and Europe in October 2010.
Al-Awlaki’s death “will especially impact the group’s ability to recruit, inspire and raise funds as al-Awlaki’s influence and ability to connect to a broad demographic of potential supporters was unprecedented,” said terrorist analyst Ben Venzke of the private intelligence monitoring firm, the IntelCenter.
But Venzke said the terror group al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula will remain the most dangerous regional arm “both in its region and for the direct threat it poses to the U.S. following three recent failed attacks,” with its leader Nasir al-Wahayshi still at large.
Al-Awlaki wrote an article in the latest issue of the terror group’s Internet magazine, justifying attacking civilians in the West. It’s titled “Targeting the Populations of Countries that Are at War with the Muslims.”
Al-Awlaki served as imam at the Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Falls Church, Va., a Washington suburb, for about a year in 2001.
The mosque’s outreach director, Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, has said that mosque members never saw al-Awlaki espousing radical ideology while he was there and that he believes Awlaki’s views changed after he left the U.S.
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…and lots happening here as well.
This is our local news:
Doug spent a good part of the day in SF participating in a peaceful protest with other locals, supporting “Occupy Wall Street”. I couldn’t download Doug’s footage of the event but here’s the local write. Perhaps Doug and Lewis will share their experiences with us. Lewis, with respect to your comment: My thoughts as well.
Occupy Wall Street Movement Spreads Nationwide, Ends Up in San Francisco
By Elisha Maldonado, political reporter | September 30, 2011 10:55 AM EDT
Their goal was this: ‘Move in’ and Occupy Wall Street for a little bit, flood lower Manhattan with peaceful protestors and fill it with bedding and kitchens and demonstration signs. Their motive was to show that ‘We the 99% are fed up with the greed and corruption of the 1%.”
Their goal was this: ‘Move in’ and Occupy Wall Street for a little bit, flood lower Manhattan with peaceful protestors and fill it with bedding and kitchens and demonstration signs. Their motive was to show that ‘We the 99% are fed up with the greed and corruption of the 1%.”
An Occupy Wall Street march resulted in an officer using pepper spray on four demonstrators police corralled behind an orange net.
The impetus propelling them forward is a disdain for corporate greed, repeated bail outs, tax breaks for the 1 percent, terrible government policy, and the corruption of the Federal Reserve. Initially, the call was for 20,000 people to descend onto Wall Street and occupy it for an indeterminable amount of time, but while there are significantly less than 20,000 in New York, Occupy offshoots have begun to spring up across the country.
Nearly 200 San Franciscans surrounded the Bank of America building in the center of the Financial District Thursday afternoon, rallying against the aforementioned bank bailouts, and yelling “Why is life a bitch? Cause we don’t tax the rich!”
The protest, at the start, was peaceful, and included families, children, dogs and music, The Huffington Post reported. Mayoral candidate and city Supervisor John Avalos opened the march with a speech attacking big banks.
“Have you ever felt like you’ve been had?” he asked the crowd. “That’s why this building right here is a symbol of the incredible greed and wealth that has accumulated into fewer and fewer hands.
“And how do they stay wealthy? They took our tax dollars,” Avalos continued. “They got bailed out.” He then urged the crowd to withdraw their money from national banks and invest in small, community-like banks.
The demonstrators marched down Montgomery Street to Charles Schwab, surrounding the building and baffling employees inside, and again, chanting, “Charles Schwab, give us our money back” and “Who bailed the banks out? We bailed the banks out.”
The San Francisco crowd ended the day at a Chase Bank on Market Street, where, reportedly, tensions began to rise; six demonstrators walked into the branch and staged a sit-in in the lobby. They were arrested, and eventually released, after they refused requests to leave.
Occupy Wall Street official began Sept. 17 in a park in downtown Manhattan.
The movement, which is an offshoot of online magazine AdBusters, is angered by what it calls the principle of “profit over and above all else.” This, they say, has dominated America’s economic policies and the way in which Americans view culture and humanity.
Posts on the Web site compare the group’s efforts to those used in pro-democracy movements across the Middle East, known as the Arab Spring.
“On the 17th of September, we want to see 20,000 people flood into lower Manhattan, set up beds, kitchens, peaceful barricades and occupy Wall Street for a few months,” one statement read. “Like our brothers and sisters in Egypt, Greece, Spain and Iceland, we plan to use the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic of mass occupation to restore democracy in America. We also encourage the use of nonviolence to achieve our ends and maximize the safety of all participants.”
The San Francisco chapter has been operating less publicly, not counting Thursday’s event, but its official Web Site said the activists have been holding general assembly meetings each evening in Justin Herman Plaza every day since New York‘s protests began.
On Sept. 24, at least 80 protesters involved with the movement were detained near Union Square in Manhattan; some accusing the police officers of using overly aggressive tactics as they fought to control the demonstrators who left their camp near Wall Street to march up Broadway. Police say the arrests were mostly for blocking traffic; charges included disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
It’s unclear exactly what the protesters will ask for in exchange for leaving Wall Street.
“More than having any specific demand, per se, I think the purpose of Sept. 17, for many of us who are helping to organize it and people who are coming out, is to begin a conversation, as citizens, as people affected by this financial system in collapse, as to how we’re going to fix it, as to what we’re going to do in order to make it work for us again,” said Justin Wedes, an event organizer.
The rally itself was first called for by Adbusters in July.
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Readers: So…What’s happening in your town? Flap your lips…Blog me.
Zen Lill: Looking forward to hearing about your experience during the LA walk this weekend. I would be hpppy to publish any and all pictures you take :) With all of the popularity you have in your town ZL, I would expect you would be running this show.
Change.org: Thanks for posting. Your link didn’t work so I am including it here for my readers to click and sign. I signed.
Mike: How wrong they are but they are certainly going to make a huge effort to convince people. Like you said, this is only the beginning. We have our work cut out for us.
Peace out.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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September 30th, 2011 at 10:20 am
I’m trying to get hold of Warren Buffet, see if he’ll come meet me there : ) – ZL
September 30th, 2011 at 12:03 pm
Since it is Flap Your Lips Friday, I will flap about a recent scientific observation. Physicists at the CERN lab near Geneva say they have observed subatomic particles moving faster than the speed of light. If confirmed, it would defy Einstein and upend our understanding of physics. It’s one of the cornerstones of physics — Nothing travels faster than the speed of light.
But now a team of experimental physicists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN, says that one exotic particle can — the Neutrino.
The CNGS project sent muon neutrinos from CERN to the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS), 732 km away in Italy. The neutrinos seemed to get there too soon. 60 nanoseconds too soon. Faster than the speed of light. That slight edge has enormous implications for our understanding of the laws of nature.
All of special relativity would be wrong. Referring to Einstein’s 1905 theory establishing that light travels at a constant speed, regardless of how fast an observer is traveling, and that nothing in the universe can go faster than it.
If you have particles traveling faster than the speed of light, you can in principle go back in time.
Some aliens feel that the measurement is faulty because humans may be measuring the Neutrinos emitted by the cloaking devices from the ships that follow their test patterns to discover worm holes.
If humans are measuring the Neutrinos escaping from the faulty cloaking devices those neutrinos are traveling faster than light. That speed is a result of entering and exiting worm holes which utilize a function of time to accomplish this feat.
That is essentially what the aliens were talking about. On Thursday, September 22, Prism princess, Urte #22 and 11ok6ruk #23 discuss this matter.
#23 writes: “Working with the TAO affords, those willing to be patient, an opportunity to have unfettered access to certain corriders of time free expanse travel.”
“We thank the TAO for sharing their resources and knowledge of the Grid”… etc.
HOWIE
September 30th, 2011 at 12:24 pm
I was with the group of 300 protesters that surrounded Chase Bank on Market St. There was a small group of people, (who were later peacefully arrested,) that staged a sit in in the lobby of the bank to support a customer who was not receiving any assistance in a home modification. At the 5pm hour it began to get a bit frazzled. The police force became much more pronounced to make sure things stayed peaceful at the end of the workday hustle. That energy helped to stimulate those protesters who wanted to be angry. The bank has three street openings, and all were blocked. There were police meandering through the crowd and some were asking legitimate issue questions.
The crowds later marched down Market St. to the Ferry Building Plaza to end the scheduled protest at 6PM. There were three to four main banks targeted for this first SF protest of Occupy Wall Street.
I think it was effective to get the local juices going, and it was a peaceful demonstration. My primary issue with the protest coordinators was their need in creating a true cohesive message that can help build a unity of protest throughout a confused and fired up community, as it is heading to become nationwide. As an example, the protesting done in front of Charles Schwab, and chanting “give us our money back” makes no sense, since Schwab didn’t take bailout funds. The banks of Wells Fargo, B of A, Chase, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and more (list here – http://money.cnn.com/news/specials/storysupplement/bankbailout/ ) Don’t get me wrong, I am not stating that Schwab does or does not do fraudulent or illegal business practices, I’m simply trying to keep the message and the meaning behind the emotion of the protest on point. Only then will things become most effective, as a nation of people rising.
There are a lot of people who are protesting the banks and their actions that have taken down the global economy and taken prisoner the american middle and working class through the tax burden that is now on the shoulders of the people. While these people scream and yell of the actions of these banks, they continue to bank at a guilt as charged financial institution that is on the list provided. If you really want to see a change, if you bank with any of the listed banks, leave them immediately for an independent community bank, Co-op, or Credit Union. If you have a mortgage or home loan with one of these institutions, then take what you can from them and move them.
Bank of America has decided to charge $5 to its users when they decide to use their debit card. Leave them today! You will pay otherwise! Think of someone stealing your car right in front of your eyes, AND you have to buy AND pump them a full tank of gas…
September 30th, 2011 at 2:44 pm
What Doug suggests is viable and could be effective if enough people rallied – move your money to a local credit union (or similar) today. Hit them where it hurts – their bottom line. I moved my money after a 25 year relationship with Wells Fargo. It feels good to support the local community too.
Happy Friday all!
/SB
September 30th, 2011 at 4:14 pm
I’m moving it all manana to a nice well funded small bank in Palos Verdes… I already have one account there, why not all of them…that’s just blatant thievery and yes, we can boycott that one! I’m happy to. Catch you on the flip…getting into downtown and getting parked ought to be a funfest, check in Sunday, wish me luck! – ZL
October 1st, 2011 at 7:07 am
Social Butterfly, I think you have the right idea. I have been with Bank of America 32 years. After reading your post. I went in and closed my relationship with that bank. I am now with a local Credit Union.
It feels good to take a stand.
Jackie
October 1st, 2011 at 7:09 am
274
No. 274 of 365
On Halloween,
help your kids make Carol Browner and Al Gore horror masks—on unbleached, recycled, Fair Trade paper, obviously—then encourage them to go ’round bugging the hell out of your liberal neighbors by shaking a begging bowl and yelling: “Cap ‘n trade! Cap ‘n trade!”
October 1st, 2011 at 7:13 am
People who are temporarily in a bad mood are more vigilant and make fewer mistakes than people in a good mood.
Personal interviewed Joe Forgas, PhD, professor, University of New South Wales, Australia, and leader of a series of studies published in Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
October 1st, 2011 at 7:20 am
Howie,
You are the reason I tune in. I devour everything about space. My dogs and I belong to friends of aliens club. We haven’t met any aliens(at least that we know) but we want to.
You are the Boss Howie. We would love to me you.
Pennsylvania says Hi
Larry
October 1st, 2011 at 7:21 am
That Health Info entry must be a joke. Whose going to make themselves gloomy to think cleary?
October 1st, 2011 at 7:29 am
Michelle, do they pay you to allow them to put that silly stuff on you site. “Gloomy people think better? Where they having a slow day?
These are the kinds of people who take the money from whatever,or whoever is willing to pay them to push whatever health idea they want pushed.
Form now on I will take what that title posts with that check and see philosophy.
Mindy
October 1st, 2011 at 7:31 am
Now that’s a novel way of looking at the Neutrino discovery. Coming from Howie, I think the scientist had better take a second look.
Victor
October 1st, 2011 at 7:31 am
How is it possible for anyone to be grumpy in 2011? We pay more than we earn (ones who are fortunate to have a job), our political choices are lame, and the only people who make any money are our illustrious Congress and Senate!
October 1st, 2011 at 7:36 am
You may be able to more vigilant by being gloomy, but the damage to your body resulting rise in blood pressure and the stress will kill you faster. So your major accomplishment will be to be more alert about your dying faster than anyone around you.
Duh.
October 1st, 2011 at 7:47 am
Michelle, I didn’t answer right away I did my homework and I net searched everything I could to doscover out why Joe Fargas came to that conclusion with the information he had.
The guy has no common sense is my conclusion.
I have had the pleasure of reading your blog for 3 plus years. However, this is my first time commenting, except for the yearly congratulations to you for a job well done.
I have lots of time on my hands so I research most of the claims made on your blog. Howie’s is my favorite because I have yet to prove him wrong. I felt compelled to comment on this one from “Health Info” because it was so idiotic.
Aaron