Terror inmates may be released in US: Intel Chief Dennis Blair

President Barack Obama's intelligence chief confirmed Thursday that some Guantanamo inmates may be released on US soil and receive assistance to return to society.

"If we are to release them in the United States, we need some sort of assistance for them to start a new life," said National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair at his first press conference.

"You can't just put them on the street," he added. "All that is work in progress."

Twenty men detained at the remote US naval base at Guantanamo Bay in southern Cuba have been cleared of terrorism charges, including 17 Chinese Uighurs ordered released by a US court in June, (Although all of them admit to receiving weapons, explosive and terrorist training in al Qaeda training camps and belonged to groups involved with attempts to disrupt the 2008 Olympics), seven years after their arrest. But the US says they may face persecution if returned to China. (Oh the horror that terrorists might face persecution!)

None of the 17 Uighurs are master terrorists on par with the likes of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. They were mostly new recruits at the time of their capture.

They are all affiliated with and/or members of a designated terrorist organization, received training at a training camp in the al Qaeda and Taliban stronghold of Tora Bora, and have admitted that they were trained by two known terrorists. And, on top of that, the group that trained them threatened to attack the Olympic Games in China last year.

"If we are to release them in the United States, we need some sort of assistance for them to start a new life," said National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair at his first press conference.

"You can't just put them on the street," he added. "All that is work in progress."

Welcome to Liberalthink 101.

You know why liberals think the way they do?

Because there never is any consequences for their actions.

Just look at Dodd, Frank and Rangle as examples. Oh wait, even better. Clinton lies to a grand jury, lies to the American people while wagging his fingers, gets impeached and instead of being disgraced he earns over a hundred million dollars for giving speeches to adoring crowds.

So when any of these people is caught in an act of terrorism or blows up a mall, a school or calling for Jihad in American mosques the administation and the Democrat party doesn't expect any real or damaging backlash.

But going back to Liberalthink 101, when these terrorists are released into the USA they will have the full protection of the Constitution. They may very well become instant celebrities. They will be surrounded by a flocked by drooling lawyers. Right out of the al Qaeda play book they will lie about their innocence and their treatment. They or their lawyers will do it on Ophra, 60 Minutes, Charlie Rose, Hardball, 20/20, Dateline, The NY Times They will make Club Gitmo the new Black Hole of Calcutta. Their assertions will be believed by a sizable portion of the American people and all this will be just as we enter the 2010 election season.

Freedom Tower name dropped for One World Trade Center. China influence?

Freedom Tower name dropped for One World Trade Center. China influence?

Maybe I am being conspiratorial. But as you read the story remember that the Chinese have signed the lease for 190,000 square feet of the building. Freedom is one of the words that is banned by Chinese internet users.

Freedom Tower name changed to One World Trade Center
BY CHAU LAM | chau.lam@newsday.com
11:08 PM EDT, March 26, 2009

The Freedom Tower is out. One World Trade Center is in.

The Port Authority, the agency that owns the building at Ground Zero, said Thursday that the signature skyscraper replacing the Twin Towers destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001, will be more commonly known as One World Trade Center.

The reason for the name swapping? One World Trade Center is more marketable, said Steve Sigmund, a spokesman for the Port Authority.

"We believe there's been a good response in the marketplace toward it," Sigmund said Thursday.

The 102-story building, under construction at the 16-acre site, was named the Freedom Tower in the first Ground Zero master plan. At the time, officials said the tallest, most symbolic of five planned towers at the site would demonstrate the nation's triumph over terrorism.

In the end, the tower's address, One World Trade Center, is the one that is easier for people to identify with, said Anthony Coscia, Port Authority chairman.

On Wednesday, the agency announced that the first commercial tenant, a Chinese real estate company, has signed a lease for space in the building. The Beijing Vantone Industrial Company has agreed to lease five floors - 64 through 69 - for nearly 21 years.

The office tower is scheduled to be completed in late 2013.

http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/friday/news/ny-nyfree2712590972mar27,0,6084299.story

So folks we are doing everything to bury the memory of 9/11.

There is no more Global War On Terror, no more Islamic Terrorists, no more Enemy Combatives and no more Freedom Tower.

The Port Authority has given China the naming rights for our symbol of our resolve in our fight against terrorism.

I'm so ashamed.

Government gone wild.

And we make fun of Hugo Chavez.

My God it is happening here and growing.

U.S. bill seeks to rescue faltering newspapers

Newspapers would still be free to report on all issues, including political campaigns. But they would be prohibited from making political endorsements.

Define political endorsement? Well that is easy. Anything that any politician considers is a determent to his campaign.

With many U.S. newspapers struggling to survive, a Democratic senator on Tuesday introduced a bill to help them by allowing newspaper companies to restructure as nonprofits with a variety of tax breaks.

"This may not be the optimal choice for some major newspapers or corporate media chains but it should be an option for many newspapers that are struggling to stay afloat," said Senator Benjamin Cardin.

A Cardin spokesman said the bill had yet to attract any co-sponsors, but had sparked plenty of interest within the media, which has seen plunging revenues and many journalist layoffs.

Cardin's Newspaper Revitalization Act would allow newspapers to operate as nonprofits for educational purposes under the U.S. tax code, giving them a similar status to public broadcasting companies.

Under this arrangement, newspapers would still be free to report on all issues, including political campaigns. But they would be prohibited from making political endorsements.

Advertising and subscription revenue would be tax exempt, and contributions to support news coverage or operations could be tax deductible.

Because newspaper profits have been falling in recent years, "no substantial loss of federal revenue" was expected under the legislation, Cardin's office said in a statement.

Cardin's office said his bill was aimed at preserving local and community newspapers, not conglomerates which may also own radio and TV stations. His bill would also let a non-profit buy newspapers owned by a conglomerate.

"We are losing our newspaper industry," Cardin said. "The economy has caused an immediate problem, but the business model for newspapers, based on circulation and advertising revenue, is broken, and that is a real tragedy for communities across the nation and for our democracy.

Newspaper subscriptions and advertising have shrunk dramatically in the past few years as Americans have turned more and more to the Internet or television for information.

In recent months, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Rocky Mountain News, the Baltimore Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle have ceased daily publication or announced that they may have to stop publishing.

In December the Tribune Company, which owns a number of newspapers including The Baltimore Sun, The Chicago Tribune and The Los Angeles Times filed for bankruptcy protection.

Two newspaper chains, Gannett Co Inc and Advance Publications, on Monday announced employee furloughs. It will be the second furlough this year at Gannett.

*
There is one main reason why newspapers are going out of business.

They are going out of business because the majority of Americans are rejecting their political slant. They are no longer trusted. Even in liberal bastions like San Francisco their liberal newspaper the Chronicle is going out of business because there isn't enough liberals to keep it alive.

It isn't the internet that is doing them in. It isn't talk radio that is doing them in. It is their liberalism that is doing them in.

The majority of Americans reject them and seek out other news outlets.

Today, here in Chicago they made the decision to raise the price of their newspaper from .50 cents to .75 cents because not enough people are buying it. So with the natural intuitive of a liberal they figure the way to fix it is to raise the price.

Just like liberals believe that raising taxes will fix everything they raise the price of their rag and believe that more people will buy it.

I damn sure don't fear liberals because they are smarter than me. I fear them because they are just so stupid and there are so many of them.

There is a reason that God didn't put signs at the edges of cliffs. But we had to screw that up.

Canada to take a year off from war on terror

Military will need break when Afghan mission ends: Canadian army chief

The military may need a one-year break from operations starting July 2011 when the Afghanistan mission winds down, the head of Canada's army said Monday.

Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie told the Senate defence committee Monday that the Canadian Forces have been strained by the mission that began seven years ago and need time to regroup.

But some equipment apparently isn't even being used.

There are 40 Leopard 2 battle tanks sitting unused in a Montreal warehouse and another 40 stored somewhere in Europe awaiting the federal government to hire a firm to refurbish them, Leslie said.

The tanks need to be outfitted with heavy armour to resist roadside bomb blasts.

The slightly used tanks have been in storage in Montreal since last November after Canada bought 100 surplus tanks from the Netherlands in 2007.

The Canadian army had borrowed 20 Leopard A6Ms from Germany in the summer of 2007 to quickly replace its own nearly 30-year-old Leopard tanks, which were not suited for use in Afghanistan.

The German loaners were returned once the newer Dutch tanks were delivered.

"Until such time as the contract is let and they're actually delivered from the manufacturer, who is going to refurbish them, into the hands of the army, they don't belong to the army," Leslie said outside the committee room.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay said the government intends to get the Leopard 2's into action expeditiously, though he didn't elaborate.

"Clearly the intention is to get those into theatre as quickly as possible. So we're determining how to do that," he said.

"Those Leopard tanks are lifesavers. They are game changers, and we want to get those tanks where they can be used to save lives and to further the aims of the mission."

Neither the Public Works Department, which is responsible for awarding government contracts, nor the Defence Department were immediately available to comment on the tanks.

Most military base equipment out of service

Earlier, Leslie told senators that more than 70 per cent of equipment used on military bases across Canada to train soldiers before they deploy to Afghanistan is out of service at any given time.

Vehicles aren't being repaired because the military lacks skilled mechanics and technicians, he said. And as more vehicles break down, he added, fewer are available for soldiers to train on before deploying to Afghanistan.

Citing figures from last month, Leslie said 33 per cent of the army's light-armoured vehicles (LAVs) are out of service, along with 76 per cent of its Coyotes, 100 per cent of its tracked light-armoured vehicles (TLAVs), 73 per cent of its Bisons and 71 per cent of its Leopard tanks.

"This situation is extremely serious because the number and types of equipment that have to be repaired and replaced continues to increase at a rapid pace, and their use is much greater than planned when they were originally purchased," Leslie said.

He said the military is now using all its equipment in "extremely demanding" conditions and so time-consuming maintenance and repair is needed.

Leslie called on Ottawa to cut some of the red tape that often bogs things down.

"We have to eliminate process," he said. "Or reducing the amount of paperwork and the decision time and the decision cycles… to fix equipment that's broken."

The liberals must be envious that we don't have a military just like this.

It fits into my theory that liberals believe that if you don't have a powerful military then you can't project military might and thus you have to rely on diplomacy solely.

It doesn't matter if diplomacy fails because the underlining rule is war is bad and if you don't have an army you can't participate in war and by not having a military that can project it's power no one will feel threaten and everyone will like us.

I wonder if Mr. Obama will initiate a study to find out what Canadians are doing and insure that we follow their example.

And as someone said before about NATO, they have been minor characters in the defense of their own countries since the end of WW2 and instead have used their money and resources to prop up their socialist lifestyles.

I love how the Democrats have insisted that the Iraqis step up to the plate in a very and almost impossible short timetable when they never demanded that Europe do the same in the forty five since VE day.