Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government
14 Aug 2008 http://www.legitgov.org/ All items are here:

http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news '51 souls on board.' FAA
Tapes Reveal Drama of Obama Jet Incident --Audio Contradicts FAA
Account of "No Emergency" 14 Aug 2008 The incident involving Sen.
Barack Obama's campaign plane last month was much more serious than
the airline or the Federal Aviation Administration said, according
to FAA control tower tapes obtained by ABC News. At the time, an
FAA spokesperson said the pilot did not declare an emergency and
the airline owner, Midwest Airlines, said safety "was never an
issue." The tapes show otherwise. Just 41 seconds after discovering
he no longer had full control of the plane's up and down movements,
the pilot told an FAA air traffic controller "at this time we would
like to declare an emergency and also have CFR [crash equipment]
standing by in St. Louis." ...Asked by the St. Louis tower controller
which runway he wanted to land on, the pilot responded, "Well, which
one is the longest?" The pilot then reported, "We have Senator Obama
on board the aircraft and his campaign." Unbeknownst to the pilot,
an emergency evacuation slide had inflated inside the tail of the
jet, affecting control cables there. As tension mounted and the
pilot rapidly descended from 32,000 feet, he was asked how many
were on the jet. "51 souls on board," he responded.

Obama pilots asked for emergency equipment in event of crash landing
14 Aug 2008 The unexpected landing of Sen. Barack Obama's plane was
indeed an emergency despite earlier efforts to downplay the incident,
ABC News' Investigative team reported Thursday. Audio tapes of the
plane landing on July 7 in St. Louis revealed that the pilots
declared the situation an emergency.

The pilots also asked that the emergency equipment at the airport
be deployed in the event of a crash landing. According to the ABC
News unit, the Federal Aviation Administration now says its original
statements were incorrect.

Navy relieves commander of air recon squadron 13 Aug 2008 The
commander of a Navy air reconnaissance squadron that provides the
president and the defense secretary the airborne ability to command
the nation's nuclear weapons has been relieved of duty, the Navy
said Tuesday. Cmdr. Shawn Bentley was relieved of duty Monday by
the Navy for loss of confidence in his ability to command, only
three months after taking the job. Capt. Brian Costello, commander
of the Navy's Strategic Communications Wing One, removed Bentley
from command, said Lt. Cmdr. Charlie Brown, a spokesman for the
Naval Air Forces. The primary duty of the squadron, nicknamed the
"Ironman," is to provide communication with ballistic missile
submarines, Brown said. It is also one of three squadrons that
provides airborne communications for the president and defense
secretary to command and control the nation's nuclear submarines,
bombers and missile silos, according to the Wing's official Web
site. [See: Minot AFB Clandestine Nukes 'Oddities'.]

US boasts of laser weapon's 'plausible deniability' 12 Aug 2008 An
airborne laser weapon dubbed the "long-range blowtorch" has the
added benefit that the US could convincingly deny any involvement
with the destruction it causes, say senior officials of the US Air
Force (USAF). The Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) is to be mounted
on a Hercules military transport plane. Cynthia Kaiser, chief
engineer of the US Air Force Research Laboratory's Directed Energy
Directorate, used the phrase "plausible deniability" to describe
the weapon's benefits in a briefing on laser weapons to the New
Mexico Optics Industry Association in June. John Corley, director
of USAF's Capabilities Integration Directorate, used the same phrase
to describe the weapon's benefits at an Air Armament Symposium in
Florida in October 2007. As the term suggests, "plausible deniability"
is used to describe situations where those responsible for an event
could plausibly claim to have had no involvement in it.

US jail guards in Iraq abuse case 13 Aug 2008 Six US sailors working
as prison camp guards in Iraq face courts martial for abusing
detainees torturing prisoners, the US Navy said. Eight detainees
were allegedly sealed in a pepper spray-filled cell at Camp Bucca
in southern Iraq. And it is claimed that two detainees were beaten,
although suffered no broken bones, the US Navy said.

The six sailors are charged with assault and will face courts martial
at Camp Bucca within the next 30 days, Navy 5th Fleet spokeswoman
Cmdr Jane Campbell said.

FBI to get freer rein to look for terrorism suspects 13 Aug 2008
Attorney General Michael Mukasey confirmed plans Wednesday to loosen
post-Watergate restrictions on the FBI's national security and
criminal investigations, saying the changes were necessary to improve
the bureau's ability to detect terrorists. Mukasey said he expected
criticism of the new rules because "they expressly authorize the
FBI to engage in intelligence collection inside the United States."
However, he said the criticism would be misplaced because the bureau
has long had authority to do so.

US warns against Israeli plan to strike against Iran's nuclear
facilities --Bush was presented with list of desired military
hardware 13 Aug 2008 The US has refused an Israeli request for
military hardware to assist with a strike against Iran's nuclear
facilities, while warning against any such plan, according to a
report today. Israel presented its list of desired military hardware
and other backup for the strike during President [sic] George Bush's
visit to Jerusalem in May, the Israeli newspaper, Ha'aretz, said.

U.S. puts brakes on Israeli plan for attack on Iran nuclear facilities
13 Aug 2008 The American administration has rejected an Israeli
request for military equipment and support that would improve
Israel's ability to attack Iran's nuclear facilities... The Americans
viewed the request, which was transmitted (and rejected) at the
highest level, as a sign that Israel is in the advanced stages of
preparations to attack Iran.

Russia: Georgia can 'forget' regaining provinces 14 Aug 2008 The
foreign minister of Russia said Thursday that Georgia could "forget
about" getting back its two breakaway provinces, and the former
Soviet republic remained on edge as Russia sent tank columns to
search out and destroy Georgian military equipment.

Israel predicted Georgia and Russia headed for war in 2007 14 Aug
2008 Israel decided to scale back its arms deals with Tblisi in
late 2007 because it believed Georgia was heading toward an armed
conflict with Russia. The defense and foreign ministries started
ordering military exports to Georgia be cut last year, thwarting a
major deal for Israeli-made Merkava tanks.

Georgia president denies Israel halted military aid 14 Aug 2008
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili denied on Wednesday night
that Israel has suspended its military aid to the country. "I haven't
heard anything about that, and I haven't had time to think about
that issue for some days," he told Haaretz. Saakashvili said he is
aware of problems with supplying the pilotless drones that his army
ordered from Israeli companies, but not of the stopping of any other
shipments of military aid.

U.S.: Russia should face consequences for crisis --Gates rips
'aggressive posture' in [US-backed] Georgia, says pullback apparently
starting 14 Aug 2008 U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said
Thursday that Moscow should face unspecified consequences for
Russia's "aggressive posture" in the crisis-addled former Soviet
republic of Georgia, but that the Pentagon does not want a new Cold
War with Russia. "We have been pretty restrained in this,"

Gates told reporters, but added that the conflict could damage
U.S.-Russia relations for years to come.

U.S., Poland Reach Agreement on Missile Defense 14 Aug 2008 The
U.S. and Poland signed a preliminary accord today that will allow
for 10 U.S.

interceptor missiles to be based in the eastern European country,
completing a 'defense' system that Russia opposes. The U.S. has
agreed to [bribe Poland] Polish requests including modernization
of its armed forces in exchange for the location of the missiles,
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in an interview with private
broadcaster TVN24 this evening.

Put a fork in it, Bush. Taleban at Kabul's doorstep 13 Aug 2008 It
is just an hour's drive south-west of Kabul on Afghanistan's main
highway before you start to see dramatic evidence of how the
'insurgency' is closing in on the capital. The UN produces internal
"accessibility" maps which colour code areas by level of risk. A
comparison between 2005 and June 2008 shows the dramatic deterioration
of security in such a short space of time. Almost half the country
is now "extremely risky" for UN staff - a classification that did
not even appear on the map legend three years earlier.

Briton among three female aid workers killed in Afghanistan --Agency
halts its programme after three deaths 14 Aug 2008 A Briton was
among three women aid workers killed yesterday in an ambush by
Taleban gunmen in one of the worst attacks on foreign civilians in
Afghanistan in recent years. The body of Jacqueline Kirk and the
two other women, as well as their Afghan driver, were found riddled
with bullets in the province of Logar, about 50km (30 miles) south
of the capital, Kabul.

US terror expert points to new al Qaeda leaders [LOL! I guess they
can't keep re-killing 'al-Qaeda' number twos] 14 Aug 2008 A noted
US-based terrorism analyst has claimed that Al Qaeda [al-CIAduh]
is exploiting the recent [US-engendered] political turmoil in
Pakistan to strengthen its foothold along the country's border with
Afghanistan. He has said that al Qaeda had strengthened its safe
haven in Pakistans tribal areas by deepening its alliances with
Pakistani militants and pushing many elements of Pakistani government
authority from the area. [See: Musharraf "misappropriated" US aid
worth $700 M: Zardari 10 Aug 2008. See: Al-Qaeda No. 2 May be
Injured, Possibly Re-killed --Ayman al-Zawahiri 'died' in February
2006, but may be critically wounded or possibly re-killed. By Lori
Price 02 Aug 2008. See:

Al-Qaeda expert re-killed by CIA --Abu Khabab al-Masri 'died' in
January 2006 and again on Monday. By Lori Price 30 Jul 2008.]

U.S. court rules Saudi Arabia immune in 9/11 case 14 Aug 2008 The
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, four princes and other Saudi entities are
immune from a lawsuit filed by victims of the September 11 attacks
and their families alleging they gave material support to al Qaeda
[al-CIAduh], a federal appeals court ruled on Thursday. The ruling
by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan upheld a 2006
ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Casey dismissing a claim
against Saudi Arabia, a Saudi charity, four princes and a Saudi
banker of providing material support to al Qaeda before the September
11 attacks.

#1 on reddit.com (14 Aug.) Exclusive: Attorney: 'DC Madam' left
instructions if 'ever found dead of apparent suicide' By Lori Price
10 Aug 2008 10 Aug 2008 Citizens For Legitimate Government has
learned that Deborah Jeane Palfrey's lawyer, Montgomery Blair Sibley,
has intervened to stop a lawsuit seeking to prevent the Tarpon
Springs, Florida, Police Department from releasing information
requested by Sibley pertaining to the investigation of Jeane's
death. Sibley told CLG, "Jeane was very clear with me that if she
was ever found dead of an apparent suicide, I was to make sure that
all the evidence was publicly disseminated so that it could be
independently evaluated."

Hair Samples in Anthrax Case Don't Match --Strands From Mailbox in
Princeton Are Not From Ivins, Investigators Say 14 Aug 2008 Federal
investigators probing the deadly 2001 anthrax attacks recovered
samples of human hair from a mailbox in Princeton, N.J., but the
strands did not match the lead suspect in the case, according to
sources briefed on the probe. FBI agents and U.S.

Postal Service inspectors analyzed the data in an effort to place
Fort Detrick, Md., scientist Bruce E. Ivins at the mailbox from
which bacteria-laden letters were sent to [Democratic] Senate offices
and media organizations, the sources said.

FBI, Terrorism Task Force investigating Denver hotel death 13 Aug
2008 The FBI is investigating the death of an Ottawa man in a
downtown Denver hotel room from apparent cyanide poisoning. Saleman
Adbirahman Dirie, 29, had been dead several days when he was found
in a fourth-floor room of the Burnsley Hotel on Monday morning. A
container of white powder was found near his body. A hazardous
materials team removed the bottle of white powder from Room 408.

Authorities are still trying to determine if it's cyanide. The FBI
and other governmental agencies, including the Joint Terrorism Task
Force, are assisting in the investigation. Hazardous materials
assistance has included the Colorado State Patrol and the Colorado
National Guard.

No Firm Answers in Suspected Cyanide Poisoning Death --With DNC
Less Than Two Weeks Away, FBI Joins Denver Police in Investigation
13 Aug 2008 With less than two weeks before the Democratic National
Convention comes to Denver, the city is on edge after a Canadian
man was found dead of possible cyanide poisoning in his hotel room
there. Police discovered Saleman Abdirahman Dirie's body Monday
morning in the Burnsley Hotel, about four blocks from the Colorado
state capitol. Not far from Dirie's body, investigators found a jar
containing a white powdery substance consistent with cyanide. The
medical examiner's office performed an autopsy Tuesday. The FBI
joined the Denver police to investigate the case. The city has been
conducting anti-terror drills to prepare for the more than 40,000
people expected to flood Denver for the DNC, where Barack Obama is
scheduled to accept the party's nomination for president. [Right,
it's the 'prepare for' (Remember the 9/11 'anti'-terror drills?)
that gets us every time! Hopefully, the f*ckers won't *go live.*
--LRP]

Pound of cyanide found in room where man died 13 Aug 2008 About a
pound of highly toxic sodium cyanide was found in a hotel room where
a man's body was discovered, authorities said Wednesday. The Denver
medical examiner was still awaiting test results to determine what
killed Saleman Abdirahman Dirie, of Ottawa. Dirie's body was found
Monday in The Burnsley All Suite Hotel. Fire officials said they
found a bottle of the white powder in Dirie's room. Police said
Wednesday it was cyanide. Cyanide can be mixed with certain acids
to produce extremely lethal cyanide gas, according to the Department
of Justice.

Investigators have not said how long Dirie had been in Denver or
whether anyone [such as Cheney's anthrax henchmen?] had accompanied
him. [The Burnsley All Suite Hotel is listed in the '2008 DNC
Accomodations Guide' under 'Denver Hotels, Rentals, Working Space
and Temporary Headquarters for 2008 DNC visitors.' It's 1.74 miles
from Denver's INVESCO Field at Mile High, where Barack Obama is
scheduled to accept the Democratic nomination for president.]

'Authorities haven't said why he was in Denver.' Cyanide poisoning
probed in Denver 13 Aug 2008 Denver police say they have found no
evidence of terrorism in cyanide poisoning of a visitor [Saleman
Abdiraham Dirie] less than two weeks before the Democratic National
Convention. ABC's "Good Morning America"

reported Wednesday that while investigators haven't found indications
that foul play or terrorism were involved in Dirie's death, the FBI
has joined the case. Cyanide is a fast-acting poison that can be
used as an ingredient in a chemical weapon.

Clinton adviser: She never pushed for convention compromise 14 Aug
2008 A source close to Hillary Clinton insists the former presidential
contender never pushed Barack Obamas campaign to allow her supporters
to place her name into nomination at the Democratic convention, and
approached his team only when her camp grew "worried" over news
that rising resentment among her most loyal supporters might lead
to chaos in Denver.

Clinton to get roll call at convention 14 Aug 2008 Democrats
officially will choose Barack Obama to run against Republican John
McCain this fall. But in an emblematic move meant to heal divisive
primary wounds, Hillary Rodham Clinton's name also will be placed
in nomination alongside his during the traditional state-by-state
delegation roll call vote at the Democratic National Convention in
Denver.

Jackson Browne Files Suit Against McCain, RNC for Copyright
Infringement and False Endorsement 14 Aug 2008 Renowned songwriter
and liberal political activist Jackson Browne has filed a lawsuit
today against Senator John McCain and the Republican National
Committee in the United States District Court in Los Angeles,
California. The lawsuit stems from a recent television commercial
for Senator McCain's presidential bid that incorporates the song
'Running On Empty,' a song written by and famously associated with
Mr. Browne, it was announced today by Browne's attorney, Lawrence
Y. Iser. In addition to a claim for copyright infringement, the
suit alleges that by using a song famously associated with Mr.
Browne, Senator McCain and the Republican Party violated the United
States Lanham Act by falsely suggesting that Mr. Browne is associated
with and endorses Senator McCain's candidacy.

Pelosi warns Lieberman for undercutting Obama 14 Aug 2008 House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi blasted Sen. Joe LieberBush [R-Israel] on
Wednesday for making what she called "totally irresponsible" remarks
about Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and warned
that the Senate might retaliate by revoking Lieberman's committee
chairmanship. Campaigning for Republican John McCain in York, Pa.,
on Tuesday, Lieberman appeared to question Obama's patriotism when
he called the election a choice "between one candidate, John McCain,
who has always put his country first, worked across party lines to
get things done, and one candidate that has not."

US supreme court kicks Exxon Valdez case back to California court
-- Including interest would bring payout to nearly $1bn --San
Francisco court to determine total punitive damages 13 Aug 2008
Once again, plaintiffs who have been waiting for a payout in the
Exxon Valdez lawsuit will have to continue their wait. The US supreme
court yesterday declined to decide whether Exxon Mobil Corp should
pay interest on punitive damages, which would nearly double the
$507m award punishing the company for its role in an oil spill that
leaked 11m gallons of crude oil into the fishing waters of Prince
William Sound.

US mission to Arctic will lay claim to gas reserves 13 Aug 2008
Canada and the US are teaming up to for a research mission to the
Arctic continental shelf as part of their [illegal] bid to lay claim
to the vast oil and natural gas reserves believed to lie beneath
the Arctic Ocean floor. A US Coast Guard cutter will set out on
Thursday on a three-week trip to map a relatively unexplored area
known as the Chukchi borderland, about 600 miles north of Alaska.

Thousands rally to mark 'death' of Australian river 10 Aug 2008
Thousands of people rallied in southern Australia Sunday to protest
the dwindling water levels in one of the country's greatest rivers,
claiming the loss was causing an environmental disaster. The
5,000-strong crowd gathered near the mouth of the 2,530 kilometre
(1,569 mile) Murray to hold two minute's silence to mark the 'death'
of the river, which forms part of Australia's most important
agricultural region.

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Previous lead stories: Gunman Kills Arkansas Democratic Party
Chairman 13 Aug 2008 Bill Gwatney, the chairman of the Arkansas
Democratic Party, was shot in his office in Little Rock Wednesday
morning and died a few hours later, police officials said. The
officials said a single gunman fired three shots at Mr.

Gwatney, a former state legislator, in the partys headquarters a
few blocks from the state Capitol and then drove away. The suspect,
driving a Chevrolet pickup truck, was chased south for about 25
miles by police officers and was shot after he was stopped [!],
said Lt. Terry Hastings of the Little Rock Police Department.

Reuters caught with 'fake' pictures from Georgia --Media war against
Russia 10 Aug 2008 This morning one can read on the BBC news site
-- Reuters agency posts horrible pictures of Russian bombardments
of allegedly civilian residential buildings. But what if you take
a closer look? [See: A Georgian man cries next to his brother's
body in the town of Gori, 80 km (50 miles) from Tbilisi, August 9,
2008. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili. Here he is again, alone still
with some clothes on, or may be he got changed. The man in the
checkered shirt keeps returning!]

New bird flu threat could be H9N2, researchers say --U.S. scientists
'tinker' with H9N2 virus, a more virulent and pathogenic strain
--Team also mixed H9N2 with an H3N2 virus 13 Aug 2008 Countries
around the world may be preparing for a possible H5N1 bird flu
pandemic, but another strain called H9N2 also poses a threat to
humanity, researchers reported on Tuesday. Tests on the H9N2 strain
of the virus show it is capable of infecting and spreading with
very few changes, a team from the University of Maryland, St. Jude's
Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, and elsewhere reported.
Most influenza experts agree that a pandemic of some kind of flu
is inevitable. [That's because the US is creating it.] Maryland's
Daniel Perez and colleagues tinkered with the H9N2 virus and tested
it in ferrets, animals whose biology is very close to humans when
it comes to flu. A single mutation made H9N2 more virulent and
pathogenic, and also helped it transmit more easily from one ferret
to another, they reported in their study.

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CLG Newsletter editor: Lori Price, Manager. Copyright ) 2008,
Citizens For Legitimate Government . All rights reserved. CLG Founder
and Chair is Michael Rectenwald, Ph.D.