July
1-15 Stories
Bush
Back Home and Fighting a New Threat to Sovereignty
After Meeting with Foreign leaders at the G-8 Summit
in Canada, the President is faced with a new problem: the International
Criminal Court.
Sunday, the United States vetoed
a 6-month UN extension to continue peacekeeping in Bosnia, which
would place U.S. citizens under the jurisdiction of the International
Criminal Court. Effective July 1st, any person in any country
in which the ICC treaty has been ratified is subject to the
court’s power, whether or not that person is a citizen of a
ratifying country. (Full
Story)
Egyptian
Commits Act of Terror at Los Angeles World Airport
At
11:32 am 4th of July, an Egyptian man entered the Los Angeles
World Airport armed with 2 guns and a knife and systematically
killed Vicky Chen, a 25 year old El Al employee, Ya’akov Aminov,
47, a married father of 8, and wounded several others at the
El Al area.
Witnesses
say that the ‘Arab looking man was wearing black pants, and
a brownish-tan shirt’. Eyewitnesses report that the man went
to the El Al ticket counter and said some angry words, which
could not be heard, and the next thing they saw was the man
firing a gun "point blank" at a female employee. "He
just murdered her…!" one witness recounted. He then
turned around and started shooting into the crowd; within seconds
security guards surrounded him. (Full
Story)
LA
Judge Dismisses Terror Case, Law Enforcement’s Hands Could Become
Tied
(AP) U.S. District Court Judge
Robert Takasugi said that unconstitutional measures were used
to put the case together. In throwing out the 59-count
indictment, Takasugi wrote that the government’s system for
designating a group as a terrorist organization violated the
defendants’ rights to due process. The designation thus cannot
be used in the criminal prosecution, the judge said. (Full
Story)
U.S.
– Afghan Investigation Find 15-ton Cache of Munitions
A
team of American and Afghan investigators has arrived at the
site of an alleged friendly fire accident in Oruzgan Province.
Marine Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold, operations director for the
Joint Staff, didn’t confirm media reports that 40 civilians
had been killed in an errant bomb strike on an Afghan wedding
in the province July 1.
U.S. officials have said coalition
forces were operating in Oruzgan July 1 looking for suspected
Taliban members believed to be hiding in the area. U.S. Air
Force B-52 bombers and AC-130 gunships had struck several ground
targets, including anti aircraft artillery sites that were engaging
the aircraft over Oruzgan Province. (Full
Story)
Police
Smash Huge Internet Porn Network
(Reuters)
– European police have swooped on a suspected Internet child
pornography ring with raids in seven countries, the European
Union’s police agency Europol said. Police seized suspects,
computers, CDs and videos in raids in Belgium, Britain, Germany,
Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. (Full
Story)
U.S.
Troops Continue Bosnia Mission, Despite ICC Concerns
U.S.
troops will continue performing U.N. peacekeeping missions in
Bosnia despite senior DoD officials’ concerns about the lack
of legal protections for American troops under the recently
established International Criminal Court.
Established
July 1, the ICC was formed to prosecute war criminals and dictators
alleged to have committed genocide, war crimes and crimes against
humanity. Some 138 countries signed on to create the organization,
which is to be based in The Hague, the Netherlands. (Full
Story)
Agency:
‘Excellent Judgment’ Stopped Drunken Pilots
(Reuters) – The transit security agency formed after the Sept.
11 attacks on the United States heaped praise on Tuesday on
Miami airport workers credited with stopping two allegedly drunken
pilots from taking off in a commercial plane full of passengers.
The security screeners alerted authorities that they smelled
alcohol on the pilot and co-pilot of an America West jetliner.
(Full
Story)
Congressman
Condemns EU – Iran Deal
Congressman
Brad Sherman, a member of the House International Relations
Committee and its Subcommittee on Europe, sent a letter to the
15 European Union Member Ambassadors to the United States expressing
his great disappointment that European Union foreign ministers
had agreed on mid-June to negotiate trade agreements with Iran
without strict conditions.
The
government in Iran, which the U.S. Department of State recently
identified as the #1 state sponsor of terrorism, devotes significant
resources toward the development of missile technology and nuclear
weapons. Sherman argues that were Iran to succeed in developing
weapons of mass destruction, American cities would most certainly
be in danger and that financing the Iranian regime is not an
appropriate activity for those who are friends of America (Full
Story)
July
15-31 Stories
U.S.
HHS Promotes Grants to Help Communities Create Volunteer Medical
Reserve Corps
Washington:
"Following the September 11 tragedy, many health professionals
wanted to volunteer to help," U.S. HHS Secretary Thompson
said. "While well-trained in their individual professions,
they were not necessarily trained to respond in an emergency.
Moreover, existing structures weren’t fully adequate to absorb
these volunteers and to use their expertise as effectively as
possible. The Medical Reserve Corps will enable local officials
to strengthen their community’s ability to respond effectively."
(Full
Story)
Turkey
and U.S. Department of Defense Sign Joint Strike Fighter Agreement
Under
Secretary for Defense Industries Ali Ercan of the Turkish Ministry
of Defense and Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology
and Logistics Edward C. "Pete" Aldridge met to sign
a $175 million memorandum of understanding (MOU) for Turkish
partnership in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) systems development
and demonstration (SDD) phase. (Full
Story)
Chinese
Military Power Secret, but Growing
A report to Congress detailing the military power of the People’s
Republic of China is filled with words and phrases like "approximately,"
"roughly," "likely" and "is believed
to be."
This is because despite tremendous
strides in economic growth, the Chinese government is still
extremely secretive and opaque about military matters.
"The official Chinese military
budget is $20 billion," said a defense official. "But
the actual money invested could be as much as four or five times
greater. The $20 billion is just a start." (Full
Story)
Operations
Continue in Eastern Afghanistan
U.S. and coalition troops continue the painstaking process of
searching eastern Afghanistan for al Qaeda and Taliban fighters,
Combined Joint Task Force 180 officials said July 18.
Operation Mountain Lion continues
in the region with U.S. and coalition forces finding ammunition
caches and a Soviet-era armored personnel carrier. They have
not found any terrorists. Task force officials noted the area
is honeycombed with natural caves and manmade tunnels, many
cleverly disguised. (Full
Story)
Poland’s
Leader Defends Protection of Freedom
Poland’s leader, President Kwasniewski and First Lady visited
with U.S. President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush last week
in upbeat meetings, black tie dinner, and a speaking event at
Oakland University in the State of Michigan.
Peace and alliance was foremost
on their minds, "Poland is steadfast ally of America",
said President Kwasniewski. "Whether in the Balkans or
in Afghanistan, Polish and American soldiers cooperate everywhere
where the peace is threatened and human rights are violated.
Together we have undertaken a decisive fight against global
terror. We shall not allow madmen to threaten our values."
(Full
Story)
Spanish
Clash Over Island Takeover
On Thursday
July 11th, 12 Moroccan soldiers, known as the royal gendarme,
landed on the tiny island of Perejil at the mouth of the Mediterranean,
200 yards from the shore of Morocco. According to reports, the
Moroccan flag was raised a day before Mohammed VI’s public wedding
celebrations. And on July 17th, Spanish gunboats, submarines,
attack helicopters, and Legionaries rushed to the scene in order
halt any further activity.
A heated dispute over the football
field sized island soon embroiled into a 10-day standoff, which
caused Secretary of State Colin Powell to strike a deal between
the two countries and pushed all parties off the island and
into agreement for talks. For 3 Centuries Spain has claimed
the area around Ceuta and Melilla, which in the 1500’s was a
hotbed for fighting Berber pirates. However, when Morocco gained
independence in 1956, the Muslim country claimed the island,
as well as several others in the area and renamed it "Leila"
or "Night". (Full
Story)
Spy
Museum Reveals Espionage Gadgets, Tactics
(Reuters)
– The mayor wore a disguise, agents in black trenchcoats crept
down the building’s brick face, and with the cut of a ribbon
the "Top Secret" banner tore away to unveil the International
Spy Museum which opened its doors to the public on Friday.
Displayed
inside were espionage tools like the KGB’s single-shot lipstick
pistol known as "the kiss of death," bugging devices
that turned progressively smaller through time, and CIA briefcase
recorders so bulky in the early Cold War years that it was hard
to imagine how they went undetected. (Full
Story)
Pentagon
Memorial Design Competition Draws Global Interest
Artists,
architects, sculptors and students from 43 states, a dozen prestigious
academic institutions and two dozen countries are interested
in designing the Pentagon Memorial.
Students at Columbia, Harvard,
Princeton and Yale Universities, the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology and the University of California want to create
a lasting, physical tribute to those who died in the Sept. 11
terrorist attack. International inquiries so far have come from
Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia,
Israel, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Panama and the West Indies. (Full
Story)
"Russia
and the United States both face new and different security challenges"
Washington
D.C. – In testimony before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee
on the Moscow Treaty, US Secretary Rumsfeld spoke on the importance
of Russian and US relations, especially in terms of defeating
global terror, "In this century, Russia and the United
States both face new and different security challenges, not
exactly the same, but certainly the threats of terrorism and
fundamentalism and the spread of weapons of mass destruction
to rogue states are common. The difference is that these are
threats our two nations have in common and that we can face
together rather than threats from each other.
It means that we’ve entered a
period when cooperation will be increasingly important to our
security and our prosperity. We can work together to stop the
spread of weapons of mass destruction into the hands of terrorists."
(Testimony
for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee regarding the Moscow
Treaty)
British
Report Blames Rifle Problem
(AP)
– An official inquiry into the fault-prone assault rifle used
by British troops in Afghanistan has blamed soldiers for not
cleaning and maintaining the weapon correctly, a newspaper reported
Sunday.
The
government has come under pressure to scrap the modified SA80-A2
rifle after troops reported it had misfired and jammed during
anti-terrorist operations. (Full
Story)
More
Life Lost Since July 18th Terror Attacks
Another
Russian immigrant to Israel died from wounds suffered during
the terror attack in Tel Aviv on July 18th. Thirty-three-year-old
Dmitri lost his fight for life at Ichilov Hospital on Thursday
leaving behind his 9 year old son Dennis and his wife Helena.
Dmitri worked for an air conditioning company, he had immigrated
to Israel with his family three years ago, his brothers arrived
from Russia last Wednesday to be by Dmitri’s side.
Even
as terror victims are dying in hospitals from attacks the week
before, more youngsters were among victims killed this week
by Palestinian terrorists. A two-year-old child, was killed
with her family when terrorists staged a surprise shooting attack
as the family was driving near Hebron. (Full
Story)
Moscow
Treaty Reflects New Relationship
The
United States and Russia are moving toward dramatically reducing
their nuclear arsenals and clearing the way for a new relationship,
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Capitol Hill today.
The
two countries are basing relations on cooperation rather than
fear of mutual annihilation, the secretary told the Senate Armed
Services Committee this morning. He discussed the national security
implications of the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty that
President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed May
24 in Moscow. Bush is seeking Senate ratification of the treaty.
(Full
Story)
U.S.
Forces Find More Weapons in Southeast Afghanistan
Anti-terror
activity is still high in Afghanistan as another large weapons
cache is discovered. During a press briefing to disclose the
find, a question was asked about the July 1, US defense attack,
where reports revealed that al Qaeda leader Mullah Mohammed
Omar had been seen in that proximity prior to the incident.
Air
Force Brig. Gen. John W. Rosa, said the "operation was
part of an overall larger operation throughout the country where
we are searching, attempting to locate and eradicate the Taliban
and al Qaeda. As you know, the Oruzgan Province, where this
incident happened, is Omar’s homeland. He’s from that area.
To say that this operation was targeted to get Omar, I think,
would be — would be an overstatement." (Full
Story)
Ashcroft
Says Terrorism-Drug Trafficking Link ‘Shocking’
Federal
law enforcement officials have developed a "most wanted"
list of terrorist organizations heavily involved in drug trafficking.
"America
is beset by evil, be it the scourge of illegal drugs or the
persistent threat of terror," and each American "holds
the power and bears the responsibility of America’s defense,"
Attorney General John Ashcroft said July 30 at the 20th anniversary
conference of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task
Force.
Earlier
this year, Ashcroft asked law enforcement officials for a list
of the organizations responsible for the U.S. drug supply. What
the list revealed, he said, "is shocking." (Full
Story)
Miracles
in Somerset, PA
SOMERSET,
Pennsylvania — As the 9th coal miner, Mark Popernack, was rescued
out of a flooded mine shaft at 2:43am, elation, gratitude and
cheers of relief erupted. Governor Mark Schweiker declared,
"when we band together there’s no stopping Americans in
what can be accomplished. Whether it’s repelling international
terrorism or bringing 9 of our guys to the surface here in Pennsylvania.
It certainly makes me proud…proud to be an American."
As
the miners were pulled out of the cold, flooded mine shaft,
they were greeted with cheers from the crews who were thrilled
to see each man arrive safely. Crews and volunteers had been
working around the clock to save the nine men.
Ron
Chad, a fellow miner, explained the events that took place Wednesday
which led to the cooperative rescue efforts. The team of 9 had
hit a wall of water, and it started flooding the mine…(Full
Story)
New
Terrorist MO Kills 7, Including 5 Americans at Hebrew University
Jerusalem
— Americans Janice Ruth Coulter, 36, of New York; Benjamin
Blutstein, 25, of Susquehanna Township, Pennsylvania; Marla
Bennett, 24, of San Diego; and David Gritz, 24, who holds dual
American-French citizenship were murdered in the terrorist attack
Wednesday at the Hebrew University, Mount Scopus. Among the
wounded were foreign nationals from South Korea, Japan, Great
Britain, Italy and Turkey. Janice Ruth Coulter, a well liked
and respected Assistant Director of Graduate studies at the
University’s New York office, had been escorting American students
in Israel. She was supposed to return to Brooklyn on Sunday,
a day before her 37th birthday.
The popular Hebrew University
is also frequented by American dignitaries each year and attracts
students from around the world. It’s known as a safe haven of
sorts, as Arabs and Jews and people from around the world come
to enjoy the location, education and camaraderie. (Full
Story)