Who's To Blame?

Theres been so much talk about the economy lately, that I've been digging through stuff, looking for an answer. Out of no-where an old friend of mine sent me an article that was written in 1999 by an economy writer at the NY Times by the name of Steven Holmes. What came out of it was quite interesting.

You see, in 1999 with the foundation of the National Economic Council, under then President Clinton, Freddie and Fannie weren't doing sub-prime loans. But that year the new economic council and the President decided that owning a home was not a privilege but the right of all Americans. While that sounds nice, its just not true. While I believe all Americans should have the opportunity to own a home that does not change the fact that they should have their personal economic situation postured to undergo such a life change.

Instead though, Freddie and Fannie started doing the sub-prime loans. Banks to keep up with one another started giving more and more out, knowing that Freddie and Fannie were right there to buy them up. The caution that this article advised was that during flush economic times this was not a problem. But, if we were to move into much harder times, then it could cause the entire banking and investment industry to go bankrupt.

Since then, there has been general discussion on whether to modify and or put more restrictions back on the lending process and the mortgage exchange process between banks. Unfortunately it was never seriously heeded and never seriously talked about to the point of taking action.

Who's to blame? Well I think that there's enough to go around. Its not just the government. Its not just the lenders. Its not just the CEO's or the individual loan applicants. But more importantly now though, is how do we get out of this mess. Congress needs to pass a bill now. It needs to cover how we are going to fix this, where the money is going, how it is going to be used, what the purpose of it is, and how we are going to prevent this from happening again.

Most importantly though, it needs to be done now.

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

Today's News Update 30 September 2008 Update One

Update as of 1300 Eastern Time:

Bottom Line Up Front:
1. Iran

From Fox News (Iran):

As Somali pirates brazenly maintain their standoff with American warships off the coast of Africa, the cargo aboard one Iranian ship they commandeered is raising concerns that it may contain materials that can be used for chemical or biological weapons.

Some local officials suspect that instead of finding riches, the pirates encountered deadly chemical agents aboard the Iranian vessel.

On Aug. 21, the pirates, armed with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades, stole onto the decks of the merchant vessel Iran Deyanat.

They ransacked the ship and searched the containers. But in the days following the hijacking, a number of them fell ill and died, suffering skin burns and hair loss, according to reports.

The pirates were sickened because of their contact with the seized cargo, according to Hassan Osman, the Somali minister of Minerals and Oil, who met with the pirates to facilitate negotiations.

"That ship is unusual," Osman told the Long War Journal, an online news source that covers the War on Terror. "It is not carrying a normal shipment."

The pirates reportedly were in talks to sell the ship back to Iran, but the deal fell through when the pirates were poisoned by the cargo, according to Andrew Mwangura, director of the Kenya-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Program.

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

Today's News Update 30 September 2008

Update as of 0800 Eastern Time:

Bottom Line Up Front:
1. Bailout
2. IAEA and Iran
3. Pakistan
4. Afghanistan

From Fox News (Bailout):

Top congressional and White House officials, stunned when the House of Representatives rejected a massive rescue plan for the U.S. economy, scrambled to structure a new bailout proposal that would attract reluctant lawmakers and still soothe the unnerved financial markets.

"Doing nothing is not an option" House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said after seeing the $700 billion emergency package for the nation's financial system fail 228-205 on Monday.

With the House not scheduled to meet again until Thursday, congressional leaders and Bush administration officials promptly sought to assess what types of changes could win over enough votes to guarantee success. President George W. Bush planned to make a statement on the rescue plan at 8:45 a.m. EDT Tuesday.

The outcome of Monday's vote fed a huge sell-off in the stock market, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average into its biggest single-day plunge, dropping 777 points. The carnage spread Tuesday to Asia, with all major stock markets in the region tumbling sharply amid heightened fears of a broader global financial crisis.

The House vote and the market's terrified reaction shook Washington and New York centers of power, but no immediate solution seemed at hand.

The bill's failure came despite furious personal lobbying by President Bush and support from House leaders of both parties.

But the legislation was highly unpopular with the public, ideological groups on the left and the right organized against it, and Bush no longer wielded the influence to leverage tough votes. Even pressure in favor of the bill from some of the biggest special interests in Washington, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Realtors, could not sway enough votes.

From CNN (Bailout):

U.S. stocks were poised for a rebound after a record selloff that followed Congressional rejection of a $700 billion Wall Street bailout package.

Stock futures pointed to gains early Tuesday, after a record 777-point drop in the Dow Jones industrial average Monday that marked the worst percentage drop for stocks since the 1987 crash. Futures are an indication of how the markets are expected to open, based on the difference between current and future levels.

That sharp slide continued in Asian markets Tuesday, although most of the indexes closed off their low of the day. Still Japan's Nikkei lost 483 points, or 4%, while Australia's markets fell 4.3% and Taiwan's stocks retreated 3.6%.

But Hong Kong's Hang Seng index closed narrowly higher. And Europe's major indexes were mixed in early trading, with Germany's Dax lower while London's FTSE and the Paris CAC both narrowly higher.

However, numerous market analysts agreed the gains in the market Tuesday were likely to be more modest than suggested by the early reading on the U.S. futures.

"What we're seeing here today is a little bit of bargain hunting or short covering, at least for the moment," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Avalon Partners. "But this is a very tough situation. Major declines like yesterday generally don't end up reversing the next day."

From Fox News (Iran):

A six-year probe has not ruled out the possibility that Iran may be running clandestine nuclear programs, the chief U.N nuclear inspector said Monday, urging Iran to reassure the world by ending its secretive ways.

Europe also urged Tehran to fully cooperate with a U.N probe that is trying to assess all of its past and present nuclear activities. An EU statement on the opening session Monday at the International Atomic Energy Agency's 145-nation conference declared: "The international community cannot accept the prospect of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons."

Iran, along with ally Syria, figures directly at the Vienna conference because they are among four nations seeking their geographic region's nomination for a seat on the IAEA's decision-making 35-nation board.

Iran's bid is strategic. Tehran is running to counteract a U.S. push to have Afghanistan or Kazakhstan elected over Syria, which is under IAEA investigation for allegedly hiding a secret nuclear program, including a nearly completed plutonium producing reactor destroyed last year by Israel.

If the regional group does not agree on a candidate, the conference will be asked to vote on which nation should take the board seat.

From CNN (Pakistan):

Pakistan has named a new chief for its main intelligence service, an agency whose loyalties in the war on terror have long been a concern to the United States.

Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shujaa Pasha, previously the director general of military operations, was named the new head of Inter-Services Intelligence, according to an army statement late Monday.

The statement listed several other new postings in what appears to be a major shake-up of the military leadership.

In his most recent capacity, Pasha would have overseen Pakistan's military offensives against insurgents in Pakistan's northwest, pockets of which have turned into bases for Taliban and al Qaeda militants involved in attacks on American and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Pasha replaces Lt. Gen. Nadeem Taj, who was in the position about a year after being appointed by former President Pervez Musharraf.

Musharraf, a former army chief and U.S. ally, was forced to quit the presidency in August amid threats of impeachment by the fledgling civilian government.

From NY Times (Afghanistan):

As the Afghan war intensifies and American commanders call for increased troop levels, President Hamid Karzai said on Tuesday that he had sought the intercession of the Saudi royal family to bring the resurgent Taliban to peace negotiations.

But there was no immediate indication that the Taliban was ready to talk or that negotiations had begun.

Mr. Karzai was delivering a message to Afghans marking the Muslim holiday of Eid-al-Fitr. Standing in the grounds of the presidential palace he said Afghan envoys had been to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan but have been unable to start negotiations with the increasingly assertive Taliban.

“The reality is that for the last two years, we have been sending letters and messages to the king of Saudi Arabia,” Mr. Karzai said, “and we had urged him as a leader of the Islamic world — for us he is considered as leader of the Islamic world — to help us for security, peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan and for good relations in the region.”

“There has been no negotiation and nothing done yet. If any negotiation happens, it should be inside our country,” he said.

Mr. Karzai was speaking as the conflict assumes ever more dire proportions. The death toll among foreign troops in Afghanistan climbed to its highest level in seven years and militant operations have spread from Afghanistan into Pakistan, confronting American strategists with increasingly complex calculations and deadly encounters.

More to follow:

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

Today's News Update 29 September 2008

Update as of 0800 Eastern Time:

Bottom Line Up Front:
1. Bailout Plan
2. Venezuela
3. Afghanistan Female Police Director Killed
4. Radar to Israel

From Fox News (Bailout):

Less than an hour before the House takes up the new $700 billion financial bailout bill, President Bush moved to assure Americans that the plan is good for the country.

"I'm confident that this rescue plan along with other measures taken by the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve will begin to restore strength and stability to America's financial system and overall economy," Bush said in a four-minute speech Monday morning at the White House. "And I'm confident in that in long run, America will overcome these challenges and remain the most dynamic and productive economy in the world."

Bush urged Congress to pass the bailout bill the leading lawmakers fashioned in marathon weekend bargaining, saying it is needed to "keep the crisis in our financial industry from spreading" across the economy.

Bush argued that jittery U.S. taxpayers will benefit from a number of safeguards that lawmakers wrote into the pending legislation during weekend negotiations on Capitol Hill, including checks and balances on the operation of the program.

The president spoke shortly after two leading players in the Hill bargaining went on television news shows to urge passage, even as both acknowledged the necessity of this action represents a sad day for the nation.

From CNN (Bailout):

President Bush expressed support Monday for the bill that would put up as much as $700 billion to rescue the nation's troubled financial system.

Speaking at the White House, Bush called the proposed measure "an extraordinary agreement to deal with an extraordinary problem."

The bill is scheduled for a House vote later Monday, with Senate action seen on Wednesday, after bipartisan, round-the-clock negotiations throughout the weekend.

Bush said the bill would "help keep the crisis in our financial system from spreading throughout the economy."

He urged House members to support it, saying, "A vote for this bill is a vote to prevent economic damage to you and your community."

Addressing the $700 billion cost, Bush said that "much, if not all, of the taxpayer funds we invest will be paid back."

From Fox News (Venezuela):

President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that Russia will help Venezuela develop nuclear energy — a move likely to raise U.S. concerns over increasingly close cooperation between Caracas and Moscow.

Chavez said he accepted an offer from Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for assistance in building a nuclear reactor.

"Russia is ready to support Venezuela in the development of nuclear energy with peaceful purposes and we already have a commission working on it," Chavez said. "We are interested in developing nuclear energy."

Putin offered Chavez assistance in developing nuclear energy during a meeting in the Russian city of Novo-Ogaryovo last week. The prime minister did not specify what kind of cooperation he could offer Venezuela, but Russia is aggressively promoting itself as a builder of nuclear power plants in developing nations.

Russia has ramped up its cooperation with Venezuela since last month's war with Georgia, which badly damaged Moscow's already strained ties with the West, particularly the United States.

From CNN (Afghanistan):

Two gunmen on a motorbike shot and killed a high-ranking woman police official in Afghanistan's largest southern city Sunday, while a suicide bomber killed three police and three civilians in the same region.

Malalai Kakar was traveling from her home in Kandahar city to the office Sunday when she was shot, said Zalmai Ayubi, spokesman for the Kandahar provincial governor. Her son, 18, was wounded in the attack, he said.

Kakar, 41, was the head of the department of crimes against women in Kandahar city, Ayubi said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility.

Militants frequently attack projects, schools and businesses run by women. The hard-line Taliban regime, which was ousted in the 2001 U.S.-led invasion, did not allow women outside the home without a male escort.

President Hamid Karzai condemned the assassination, as did the European Union, which said it was "appalled by the brutal targeting" of Kakar.

From NY Times (Israel):

The United States Army has deployed an advanced American radar system on Israeli soil, an official here said Sunday, allowing early detection of incoming ballistic missiles and enhancing Israel’s defensive capability against any potential attack by Iran.

The system will be operated initially by an American crew.

No official announcement has been made by either the Americans or the Israelis about the arrival of the system. The Israeli Army said in a statement that while it “enjoys longstanding strategic cooperation” with all branches of the American military, it is not its practice to discuss details of the bilateral activities.

But an official confirmed a report on Friday in Defense News, a weekly American newspaper published by The Army Times, saying that the radar system had been flown to Israel in parts over the past week and was being installed in the Negev Desert. The official, who did not want to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the news media, added that it would serve not only Israel, but the United States, too.

Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary, said: “We are committed to working with the Israelis to enhance their defenses but don’t talk about specific equipment of weapons systems we may provide.”

More to follow:

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

The Eagle

On Friday I wrote an article called The Bear Awakening. It was centered around what is going on with Russia and how will the next generation, that does not remember the USSR handle this? One of the comments raised a very good issue about moral decay within a society. While I don't think we have reached that critical mass yet, there is a lesson from history that we must look and take caution with.

The Greek Philosopher and Historian Thucydides wrote a book called, "The Peloponnesian War." In addition to being the writer of this book he is also considered to be the father of political thought within International Relations and the Realist Political School.

I am not going to go into all the gory details, but some background is needed to understand the context of what I am going to say. Many thanks to DR. Bowie PHD and LTC (Ret) for helping me understand this complex issue. Most of my ideas were shaped on this by one of his lectures.

Most of the Greek Classics (Illiad, Oddysey) as we were taught in school were based upon one thing. The idea that Greek Society was a liberal democratic based society where the good of the individual citizen was cherished above all. If you were a good farmer, took care of your family, helped the city state grow then you were prosperous. If you took off on adventures then life didn't go so well for you. Your boat sank, your crew got turned into pigs, and your wife cheated on you.

The Greeks had just thrown back the Persians into what we now call Asia Minor. This great victory solidified two distinct ways of doing business within Greece. There was the Athenian way, that spread out, establishing trade and colonies within the Delian League, and in many regards became very decadent in their hubris and greed. The other side of the coin was the Spartans, that continued to embrace the "traditional" Greek values of hard working small farms, and what we would call today a citizen soldier with their Peloponnesian League. These two sides were inevitably brought into a conflict that would become the Peloponnesian Wars, a war that would destroy everything they held dear.

The Athenians within this war and even before it, began to become more and more imperialistic. They gained more colonies, and when a colony or a neutral body would not go along with them, they brutally put them down. Usually murdering all of the men, and selling the women and children into slavery. This went counter to everything that they had written on and professed to be. Their very core values were truthfully falling apart. This culminated in the Melian Situation, where a neutral island argued that they should not be invaded since they were neutral and wanted to be friendly to both Athens and Sparta. The Athenian response was no, and they massacred them. This led to the school of thought that was embraced in detail years later by Machiavelli in his Realist Political Theory of Might makes Right.

But this is not really the lesson. The lesson was that the greed, and hubris for more power led to a decay within Athenian Society that led to their eventual downfall. The word mercenary was once a dirty word to the Greeks since soldiers fought for their land and what was right and just. Mercenaries only fought for money. But during the war, Athens hired more and more mercenaries to defend them and to carry out their most brutal attacks. In truth the once proud streets of Athens, the streets seen within antiquity as the birthplace of democracy, became home to beggars, prostitutes, mercenaries, and other dens of decrepit behavior.

Is their a parallel from Athens to America.....no....not yet. But do I believe that this lesson from history should be remembered by all Americans always....yes. It is not enough to say, I'm an American, I'm a citizen of America. You must earn that, you must help your country, and serve your country. To quote JFK, "Do not ask what your country can do for you, but rather what can you do for your country."

If we ever forget who we are, and what we stand for, then yes we are lost. But we are not there yet. We must always remember that we stand for truth and justice, that we stand for all the oppressed people that have no voice, that we bring compassion and care to the sick and dying, and to the oppressor, we are a mighty sword that will enact vengeance upon them for their transgressions upon the weak.

Are we Athens....no....We are America....and we will not repeat their mistake.

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

The Bear Awakening?

For many Americans, they have grown up in a world where there is no unified conventional armed menace that sets the stage for a bi-polar super-power world. I know in a discussion with my own son the other day, granted he's eight, but he made the comment isn't Russia a friend? But as we look at this time gap, there is truly an entire generation of American Citizens who do not remember pre-Glasnost Russia or as it was called the USSR. Since the "Wall" came down in the late 1980's a minimum of 18 years has gone by. That means for a person born in 1985, there is no real memory of a USSR.

I know for myself personally that when I came in the military in 1997, we were not training to fight the Russians, we were training to fight a conventional threat mixed with an insurgent based threat. I don't remember the days of REFORGER exercises in Europe or Bright Star in Egypt. For the last seven years of my career I have been tied up with Iraq and Afghanistan, as many of our soldiers have. I will always vividly remember during a jump exchange with the Russian Airborne, having multiple glasses of beer one night with my Lieutenant counterpart from Russia. In the middle of talking, he stated, "One day we may once again face one another, and try to kill one another, but tonight we drink." I thought at the time it was true, but such a slight probability and possibility.

Now I am not so sure. What does the future hold? Well to be very honest, I don't know for sure. I do know what is currently going on. Russia is arming Iran and helping them progress in their nuclear ambitions. Russia's Navy is once again trying to take to the high seas and become a true blue water Navy once more. Russia is making arms deals and diplomatic deals with Venezuela. Russia is trying to re-exert influence over the Caucasus Region.

Is this truly the Bear Awakening? Is this the signs of a re-emergence of a super-power status from Russia? I truly think that is the goal here. The question becomes how will this new generation handle this problem, and will it be any different from the last? Or more honestly are we going to have a choice, or are we going to have to confront this awakening out of necessity?

I truly hope my friend was wrong in that discussion over a beer, but I no longer think it is such a slight probability and possibility.

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

Today's News Update 26 September 2008

Update as of 0900 Eastern Time:

Normally I don't delve into the financial world's dealings, but I believe this has reached a point where it is imperative news and effects national security. So with that being said you will be seeing more about this situation within my news updates and my commentaries on them.

Bottom Line Up Front:
1. Bailout Talks
2. WaMu
3. Pakistan
4. Somali Pirates Sieze Ship with Tanks
5. Russia / Venezuela

From Fox News (Bailout):

The fate of the Bush administration's $700 billion Wall Street's bailout package was thrown into doubt Thursday evening, after congressional leaders left a landmark White House summit on the economy hurling accusations at each other and declaring there was no deal.

Congressional leaders continued into the evening negotiating the proposed bailout of the financial industry with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's participation, but the negotiators ended the night without a deal.

The summit at the White House, which included Barack Obama and John McCain, was intended to be a consensus-building exercise — one of the final stops on the rocky road to approving the controversial rescue package. Congressional leaders just hours earlier had announced they had reached an agreement in principle on the rescue package.

But as Obama and McCain left, officials and aides who had attended the meeting said the summit ended on a very low note.

"This meeting ended bad — real bad," one source told FOX News. Others described the tone as "angry" and "heated," saying Democrats were upset with House Republicans in particular who would not drop their opposition to the administration's proposal.

"We may have gone backward," another source said.

From CNN (WaMu):

JPMorgan Chase acquired the banking assets of Washington Mutual late Thursday after the troubled thrift was seized by federal regulators, marking the biggest bank failure in the nation's history and the latest stunning twist in the ongoing credit crisis.

Under the deal, JPMorgan Chase will acquire all the banking operations of WaMu, including $307 billion in assets and $188 billion in deposits.

To put the size of WaMu in context, its assets are equal to about two-thirds of the combined book value assets of all 747 failed thrifts that were sold off by the Resolution Trust Corp. - the former government body that handled the S&L crisis from 1989 through 1995.

In exchange, JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500) will pay approximately $1.9 billion to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Separately, JPMorgan announced plans to raise $8 billion in additional capital through the sale of stock as part of the deal.

The acquisition is JPMorgan Chase's second major purchase this year following the mid-March acquisition of investment bank Bear Stearns, a deal that was also engineered by the government.

"We think it is a great thing for our company," JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon said in a conference call with investors late Thursday night.

From Fox News (Pakistan):

Pakistan warned U.S. troops not to intrude on its territory Friday after the two anti-terror allies traded fire along the Afghan border, straining already tense ties.

Thursday's five-minute clash came at a time the United States is stepping up cross-border operations in the frontier region, known as a haven for Taliban and Al Qaeda militants.

The clash — the first serious exchange with Pakistani forces acknowledged by the U.S. — follows a string of other alleged border incidents and incursions that have angered many Pakistanis.

Speaking in New York, Pakistan's president tried to play down the incident, saying only that "flares" were fired at foreign helicopters that he said strayed into his country from Afghanistan.

U.S. and NATO military officials said the ground troops and helicopters were in Afghan territory.

Pakistani government spokesman Akram Shaheedi urged U.S.-led coalition forces "not to violate territorial sovereignty of Pakistan as it is counterproductive to the war on terror."

"It has been Pakistan's policy that we will not allow anyone to violate our sovereignty, and we will continue to defend our territorial sovereignty," he said Friday.

From NY Times (Somali):

A Ukrainian ship captured by Somali pirates en route to Somalia is carrying at least 30 tanks, a regional maritime organisation said on Friday.

Ukrainian news agency Interfax-Ukraine also said the ship, operating under a Belize flag, had a military cargo "including about 30 T-72 tanks".

That would be a significant and potentially dangerous seizure in Somalia, where Islamist insurgents have been battling the government and its Ethiopian military allies for nearly two years.

Although the subject of a U.N. arms embargo, the Horn of Africa nation is awash with arms.

Reports that tanks had been taken by pirates also raised questions about their original planned destination.

"Some say it was carrying about 38 tanks, others say 30," said Andrew Mwangura, of the Mombasa-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme.

"In the past, military equipment has come through Mombasa on its way to south Sudan, but we have not seen any south Sudanese officials at the port waiting. And anyway, there is an arms embargo for Sudan."

From Fox News (Russia / Venezuela):

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says relations with Latin America will be a foreign policy priority for the Russian government.

Putin, who is meeting with visiting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, says Russia is willing to discuss further military contacts with Venezuela and help it develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Chavez said during Thursday's meeting that close ties between Venezuela and Russia would strengthen a multi-polar world.

Chavez' visit takes place as a Russian naval squadron sails to Venezuela, across the Caribbean Sea from the United States, in a pointed response to what the Kremlin portrays as threatening U.S. encroachment near its own borders.

From NY Times (Russia / Venezuela):

Russia will loan Venezuela $1 billion for arms purchases and military development, a Kremlin spokesman said Friday, the second day of a visit here by resident Hugo Chávez aimed at tightening a relationship that has caused increasing discomfort in the West.

Mr. Chávez , who is on his second visit to Russia in two months, met with Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin on Thursday, and on Friday traveled to the southern city of Orenburg near the border with Kazakhstan to meet with President Dmitri A. Medvedev.

A Kremlin statement released Thursday night said Mr. Putin and Mr. Chávez had spoken on enhancing economic cooperation and trade in commercial goods as well as military technologies.

The $1 billion loan will help finance programs related to military-technical cooperation, the statement said. The Kremlin spokesman, who spoke anonymously under normal diplomatic ground rules, would not elaborate on the details of the deal.

More to Follow:

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

News Update 25 September 2008 Update One

Update as of 1300 Eastern Time:

Pakistan Forces fire on US Helicopters.

From Fox News:

Pakistani troops fired on U.S. helicopters patrolling eastern Afganistan Thursday, the Pentagon said, adding that it expects an explanation from Pakistani officials.

Two American OH-58 reconnaissance helicopters, known as Kiowas, were on a routine afternoon patrol in the eastern province of Khost when they received small arms fire from a Pakistani border post, said Tech Sgt. Kevin Wallace, a U.S. military spokesman. There was no damage to aircraft or crew, officials said.

"They did not cross the border and they did not fire back," Wallace said.

The Pakistani military disputed that assertion, saying its troops fired warning shots when the two helicopters crossed over the border — and that the U.S. helicopters fired back.

"When the helicopters passed over our border post and were well within Paskitani territory, own security forces fires anticipatory warning shots. On this, the helicopters returned fire and flew back," a Pakistani military statement said.

Pakistan's new president said that his military fired only "flares" at foreign helicopters that he claimed had strayed across the border from Afghanistan into his country.

From NY Times:

Pakistani troops fired at American reconnaissance helicopters patrolling the Afghan-Pakistan border Thursday, heightening tensions as the U.S. steps up cross-border operations in a region known as a haven for Taliban and al-Qaida militants. Pakistan's president said only ''flares'' were fired.

Two American OH-58 reconnaissance helicopters, known as Kiowas, were on a routine afternoon patrol in the eastern province of Khost when they received small arms fire from a Pakistani border post, said Tech Sgt. Kevin Wallace, a U.S. military spokesman. There was no damage to aircraft or crew, officials said.

''They did not cross the border and they did not fire back,'' Wallace said.

The Pakistani military disputed that assertion, saying its troops fired warning shots when the two helicopters crossed over the border -- and that the U.S. helicopters fired back.

''When the helicopters passed over our border post and were well within Paskitani territory, own security forces fires anticipatory warning shots. On this, the helicopters returned fire and flew back,'' a Pakistani military statement said.

In New York, Pakistan's new president, Asif Ali Zardari, said his military fired only ''flares'' at foreign helicopters that he claimed had strayed across the border from Afghanistan.

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

Today's News Update 25 September 2008

Update as of 0900 Eastern Time:

Bottom Line Up Front:
1. Economy
2. Pakistan
3. Russia

From CNN (Economy):

U.S. President George W. Bush, saying "our entire economy is in danger," urged Congress to approve his administration's $700 billion bailout proposal.

"We're in the midst of a serious financial crisis, and the federal government is responding with decisive actions," Bush said in a televised address Wednesday night from the White House.

Bush pointed out that the collapse of several major lenders was rooted in the subprime mortgage market that thrived over the past decade.

He said passage of the $700 billion bailout proposal was needed to restore confidence in the market.

"I'm a strong believer in free enterprise, so my natural instinct is to oppose government intervention," he said. But "these are not normal circumstances. The market is not functioning properly. There has been a widespread loss of confidence.

"Without immediate action by Congress, America can slip into a major panic."

If Congress fails to approve the rescue plan, the nation could face a "long and painful recession," Bush said.

"The plan is big enough to solve a serious problem," Bush said.

From Fox News (Pakistan):

Pakistan's new president said he was trying to convince his country to support the war against Islamic extremists, after a group that claimed responsibility for the Marriott Hotel bombing threatened more attacks.

The attack in the capital Islamabad and the new threats underscored the danger Islamist militants pose to Pakistan, where Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters have established bases in tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan.

The U.S. has pushed Pakistan to crack down on the northwest bases, even launching its own attacks, but those American strikes have outraged a population already unhappy with Pakistan's alliance with the United States.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari told reporters Wednesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York that international support for Pakistani anti-terror efforts was important, but that unilateral U.S. strikes undermined efforts to win "hearts and minds."

"There is the physical (security) dimension, there is the economic side," Zardari said, according to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan. "The idea is to increase acceptance of the fight inside Pakistan and outside Pakistan, and we are striving to improve on this idea."

From NY Times (Russia):

As Russia’s neighbors urged the United Nations to stand up to a newly aggressive Moscow, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with her Russian counterpart on Wednesday in an effort to restore battered relations and find common ground on restraining the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea.

Leaders of the small, relatively new democracies that were once part of the Soviet bloc, who were clearly unnerved when Russia sent troops into Georgia last month, called on the United Nations not to sit on its hands just because Russia was a permanent member of the Security Council.

Victor A. Yushchenko, the president of Ukraine, told the General Assembly that his country condemned Russia’s action and he hinted that Ukraine would not succumb to Russian intimidation over its ambition to join NATO.

“It is essential to turn down blackmailing and threatening vocabulary,” Mr. Yushchenko said.

He said Ukraine opposed all acts of aggression in the region, as well as Russia’s recognition of independence for the two separatist Georgian enclaves, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The “renewal of the rhetoric of the cold war provokes our deep concern,” Mr. Yushchenko said.

President Lech Kaczynski of Poland, who called Russia “our big neighbor,” urged the United Nations not to allow “some countries” to interpret international law on their own. In another allusion to Russia, Mr. Kaczynski suggested that Europe find other energy sources because “certain states use energy supplies in order to achieve political goals

More to follow:

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

Today's News Update 24 September 2008

Update as of 0800 Eastern Time:

Bottom Line Up Front:
1. North Korea
2. Pakistan
3. India and Terrorism

From Fox News (North Korea):

North Korea barred U.N. nuclear inspectors from its main nuclear reactor on Wednesday and within a week plans to reactivate the plant that once provided the plutonium for its atomic test explosion, the chief U.N. nuclear inspector said.

The North ordered the removal of the U.N. seals and surveillance equipment from the Yongbyon reactor, a sign it is making good on threats to restart a nuclear program that allowed it to conduct a test explosion two years ago.

But the North's moves could be motivated by strategy as well. It could use the year it would take to restart the North's sole reprocessing plant to wrest further concessions from the U.S. and other nations seeking to strip it of its atomic program.

Coming amid reports that that leader Kim Jong Il suffered a stroke, the nuclear reversal has fueled worries about a breakdown of international attempts to coax the North out of its confrontational isolation with most of the rest of the world.

North Korea officials have "informed the IAEA inspectors that they plan to introduce nuclear material to the reprocessing plant in one week's time," said a statement citing Mohamed ElBaradei, the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

From CNN (Pakistan):

Pakistani security forces say they have recovered the wreckage of a U.S. drone that crashed inside Pakistan after flying across the border from Afghanistan.

The incident comes amid tension Washington and Islamabad over missile strikes from U.S. drones at suspected militants on the Pakistan side of the border.

But U.S. officials in Washington and Afghanistan denied a drone had crashed in Pakistan Tuesday.

"We've have had queries both yesterday and today about what you're talking about, but we have no reports of a downed plane," military spokesman Capt. Scott Miller told CNN Wednesday.

The Pakistani military said the drone crashed "apparently due to malfunctioning" at a village near the border region of Angoor Adda on Tuesday night.

The U.S. Embassy had no comment, spokesman Lou Fintor said Wednesday.

The Angoor Adda region is in South Waziristan, a region of northwest Pakistan where drones have fired missiles several times this year at suspected al Qaeda and Taliban targets.

The United States is the only nation with forces in the region that is known to be able to launch missiles from the small, quiet and deadly drones.

U.S. attacks inside Pakistan has infuriated Islamabad, which sees such raids as a violation of its sovereignty.

From The NY Times (India):

India, the world’s largest democracy, is reeling from four bomb attacks in four months, the latest in the heart of the capital on Sept. 13. How to deal with that threat has moved front and center in the campaign for the national election early next year.

The main opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, or B.J.P., has called the administration “soft” on radical Islamist organizations and unable to protect citizens from wanton strikes.

“Save India” will be the party’s campaign theme, Arun Jaitley, one of the party’s top strategists, said in an interview last week as other B.J.P. leaders rallied near the site of one of the most recent bombings. “How do you save India from this kind of terrorism?” Mr. Jaitley asked. “The core issue will be terrorism.”

The government is scrambling to defend its record, even as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh acknowledges “vast gaps” in intelligence gathering on terrorist networks operating in this large, fractious country.

The latest attacks have drawn attention to a larger and more dangerous problem: a feeble criminal justice system that offers no protection for witnesses and has a paucity of police officers, and in which suspects of terrorism and other crimes are regularly killed in skirmishes with law enforcement authorities, rather than tried in courts of law.

India’s fight against terrorism is complicated by a political landscape in which parties vie for Hindu and Muslim voters’ loyalty. In addition to the radical Islamist groups blamed for the bombings, there are radical Hindu organizations that have been accused most recently of deadly attacks on Christians in several states. Maoist rebels and ethnic separatist guerrillas in the northeast have also made attacks.

Still, the blasts that shook the capital on Sept. 13 have placed the greatest pressure on Mr. Singh’s administration, if only because they struck popular shopping and entertainment districts.

Five bombs exploded in three corners of the city, killing 24. The police responded by stepping up security in bazaars, combing Muslim-majority areas and, last Friday, engaging in a shootout with a young man they described as the mastermind of the three most recent blasts.

The New Delhi bombing was the latest in a deadly string of attacks. In late July, the western city of Ahmedabad was struck by back-to-back blasts, first on busy streets, then at the hospital where the wounded were taken. In all, 52 people died.

More to follow:

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

Iran comes to the UN

Well I must admit Russia has picked a great partner nation to sell weapons and equipment to. Iran's President Ahmadinejad today addressed the United Nations General Assembly and had some very interesting things to say, as is always the case. Actually, I'd called them idiotic extremist rhetoric but that's beside the point.

From Fox News:

From CNN:

Here was one of my favorite quotes, "a few bullying powers" of trying to thwart the country's nuclear programs and vowed to defend Iran's right to peaceful nuclear power.

Well let me think about this one. You have been offered every imaginable action by the EU and the US, the IAEA, and the UN in general to come clean, and show what you have. You refuse to, and plainly speaking, that is one underhanded, and two convinces me that you are hiding something. Beside the fact that you are a state sponsor of terrorism and I'm quite sure, even if it were for peaceful means, which its not, terrorists very quickly would find themselves in possession of nuclear material.

But then you follow up your comments by stating that the American Empire is falling, that we are responsible for the global economic decline, and that Israel was dwelling in a cesspool of its own making and decline. Wow, that doesn't sound like angry rhetoric at all, and it doesn't sound like someone who wants to work with the UN and IAEA to show that their nuclear program is on the level.

But his final comments were what really hit home, as to just how insane this man is. American soldiers are a brutal occupying force in Iraq according to him. Lets think about this for a minute. Since we stepped foot in Iraq, American Soldiers have done nothing but sacrifice their lives, their friends, and their time with their families to help the Iraqi Government, Security Forces, and People have a freely elected government and stand on their own two feet.

The people that have been attempting to prevent this and killing massive amounts of Iraqi Civilians most of the time are special units trained in Iran and equipped with Iranian weapons and equipment. To make matters worse, Iran has also armed anyone that is willing to fight American Forces and Iraqi Forces, to include Al Qaeda. If you want to talk about massive civilian casualties, lets discuss any one of the market suicide bombers that killed hundreds and were armed and trained in Iran.

So answer me this question; on one side you have a country trying to offer a helping hand at the cost of its own money, equipment, and most importantly its young men and women's lives. On the other hand you have a country offering death and destruction and extremism. Who is the oppressor? (Hint....its not us)

I wouldn't be as worried about him right now if it were not for the news about Russia striking arms and equipping deals with him. In essence helping him gain more military power, and arm the insurgents in Iraq with better weapon systems to use against us. Yes, it will only be a matter of time, before Russian weapons are being used in Iraq by the insurgents to try to kill American Soldiers. Courtesy of the Russian's who claim they are just looking out for their national interests. Thanks, you just made your intentions very clear to me.

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

News Update 23 September 2008 Part Two

Update as of 0900 Eastern Time:

From Fox News (Russia) :

Russia flexed its muscles in America’s backyard Tuesday as it sent one of its largest warships to join military exercises in the Caribbean. The nuclear-powered flagship Peter the Great set off for Venezuela with the submarine destroyer Admiral Chabanenko and two support vessels in the first Russian naval mission in Latin America since the end of the Cold War.

“The St Andrew flag, the flag of the Russian Navy, is confidently returning to the world oceans,” said Igor Dygalo, a spokesman for the Russian Navy. He declined to comment on Russian newspaper reports that nuclear submarines were also part of the expedition.

The voyage to join the Venezuelan Navy for operations came only days after Russian strategic nuclear bombers made their first visit to the country. Hugo Chavez, the President, said then that the arrival of the strike force was a warning to the U.S. The anti-American Venezuelan leader is due to visit Russian President Dmitri Medvedev in Moscow this week as part of a tour that includes visits to Cuba and China.

Peter the Great is armed with 20 nuclear cruise missiles and up to 500 surface-to-air missiles, making it one of the most formidable warships in the world. The Kremlin has courted Venezuela and Cuba as tensions with the West soared over the proposed U.S. missile shield in Eastern Europe and the Russian invasion of Georgia last month.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said recently that Russia should “restore its position in Cuba” — the nation where deployment of Soviet nuclear missiles in 1962 brought Russia and the United States to the brink of nuclear war.

Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin made clear that Russia would challenge the U.S. for influence in Latin America after visits to Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba last week. He said: “It would be wrong to talk about one nation having exclusive rights to this zone.”

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

Today's News Update 23 September 2008

Update as of 0800 Eastern Time:

Bottom Line Up Front:
1. Pakistan
2. Iran at UN
3. Georgia


From Fox News (Pakistan):

Security forces backed by helicopter gunships and artillery killed more than 60 insurgents in northwest Pakistan in offensives aimed at denying Al Qaeda and Taliban militants safe havens, officials said Tuesday.

The attacks come amid intense U.S. pressure on Pakistan to crack down on militants blamed for attacks both at home and on coalition forces in neighboring Afghanistan.

A truck bombing over the weekend at a luxury hotel in the capital Islamabad that killed 53 people underscored the threat extremists pose to the nuclear-armed nation.

More than 50 of the alleged insurgents, along with one soldier, died in clashes since Monday in the Kohat region, which borders Pakistan's semiautonomous tribal areas, army spokesman Maj. Murad Khan said.

He said the military had retaken control of a key mountain tunnel from the insurgents.

In the nearby Bajur tribal region, security forces killed at least 10 militants during an ongoing offensive there, government official Iqbal Khattak said.

That operation, which began in early August, has won praise from U.S. officials worried about rising violence in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but has triggered retaliatory suicide bombings elsewhere in Pakistan.

From NY Times (Iran / UN):

Iran's president blamed U.S. military interventions around the world in part for the collapse of global financial markets and said the campaign against his country's nuclear program was solely due to the Bush administration ''and a couple of their European friends.''

The interviews of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, before his speech to the United Nations on Tuesday, came after the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned that he could not determine whether Iran is hiding some nuclear activities.

Last year, thousands rallied at the United Nations to protest Ahmadinejad's speech. When Ahmadinejad was ushered to the podium of the General Assembly to speak, the U.S. delegation walked out, leaving only a low-ranking note-taker to listen to his speech.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Ahmadinejad said the collapse of global financial markets was due in large part to U.S. military interventions abroad.

''Problems do not arise suddenly,'' he said. ''The U.S. government has made a series of mistakes in the past few decades. The imposition on the U.S. economy of the years of heavy military engagement and involvement around the world . . . the war in Iraq, for example. These are heavy costs imposed on the U.S. economy.

''The world economy can no longer tolerate the budgetary deficit and the financial pressures occurring from markets here in the United States, and by the U.S. government,'' he added.

In a separate interview with National Public Radio, Ahmadinejad said he does not want confrontation with the United States. He said he wants diplomatic relations to develop between the two countries and was willing, for example, to cooperate on upholding security in Iraq.

From Fox News (Georgia):

Georgia said Tuesday it shot a Russian drone over its territory near the breakaway province of South Ossetia.

Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said the pilotless aircraft was shot down by Georgian police officers Monday near Tsiteliubani, a village near the central city of Gori and close to the separatist region of South Ossetia. He said Tuesday fragments of the plane would be shown to the media.

Russia's Defense Ministry dismissed the report as a "provocation."

Tensions remain high after last month's war between Russia and Georgia. Moscow has kept nearly 8,000 troops in Georgia's two separatist areas — South Ossetia and Abkhazia — and plans to station them there indefinitely.

In addition, one Georgian police officer was killed and three others wounded Sunday by fire from separatist Abkhazian fighters. Another two Georgian officers were wounded Monday when they went to the area to investigate and stepped on a land mine.

Russia has pledged to withdraw its forces from Georgian areas outside South Ossetia and Abkhazia once 200 European Union observers are in place. The EU mission is to deploy by Oct. 1.

More to follow:

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

Pakistan

Over the last week or so we have had some very good discussion back and forth with Jerjes about the situation in Pakistan and the FATA Region. I hope that he is able to hop on and read this, and let me know what he thinks. I hope all is well with you my friend. Many of you have commented or emailed me asking questions, and this is just the world according to Bryan, but this is what I honestly think needs to happen.

First and foremost, unilateral action by us across the border is not a long term fix to the problem. Yes, if there is a high value target sitting right there playing the you cant get me game, I'm fully in support of a raid to grab him, especially if there is no Pakistan Military forces in the area. Let's just think about this for a second, if Osama Bin Laden was right there, a mile away, would you say, no, lets not get him. Of course not, its in both nation's interest to capture him. The same goes for his first tier deputies.

Secondly, the question remains, during these air strikes, when civilian casualties are claimed, how many of these were actually insurgents in their normal clothes? They dont wear uniforms like an actual military force does. How many were claimed to be civilians by other insurgents themselves since the reporting from this area is far from "fair and balanced?" How much of this is a concerted information operation campaign to sway people to their side?

I'm not saying that it hasn't happened, but first reports many times are wrong, and people need to realize that, and wait for all the facts to come out. Within the military we go to extraneous lengths to limit or reduce civilian casualties and or collateral damage to zero. Sometimes it unfortunately doesn't work, and trust me it pains us to the very core of our being when it does occur. But, do not take every report at face value, wait for all the facts to come out.

With that being said, a comprehensive plan needs to be achieved between the US / ISAF, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. There needs to be a set rules of engagement / policy, and strategy on going forward that all partners are completely bought into. The right of "hot pursuit" needs to be clearly articulated as do the duties of each side for policing its border. There also needs to be defined allocated force ratios for areas, that work in concert with one another on both sides of the border.

The government of Pakistan also needs to think very carefully about two items. The first is the ISI. It has long been rumored to be directly aiding the insurgent elements, most notably the Taliban. Now, from news reports I have seen over the last few months, there seems to be irrefutable evidence that this is the case. Pakistan needs to deal with this issue. The ISI is cultivating groups that in truth are just as much a danger to the sovereign government of Pakistan as they are to Afghanistan and the world in general.

The second part is that Pakistan needs to acknowledge that this is a regional problem that includes them. Lately there has been rhetoric from Pakistan stating that this is an Afghan problem and they must deal with it. That Pakistan saw no issues, and it was an internal domestic Afghan issue. That is simply not the case, and before any worth-while ways are made forward in this area, this opinion must be changed, and changed publicly.

I hope that many of the diplomatic overtures that seem to be ongoing currently, are going in this direction. I've worked with the Pakistani Military and known many Pakistan Citizen's over the years. They are a great country. But this is something that we must all work together on. It can not be something that is done one week, but not the next. It needs to be a comprehensive long term plan, that will bring these extremist elements to their knees once and for all.

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

Today's News Update 22 September 2008

Update as of 0900 Eastern Time:

Bottom Line Up Front:
1. North Korea
2. Pakistan
3. Iran

From Fox News (North Korea):

The head of the U.N. nuclear agency said Monday that North Korea has asked his agency to remove its seals from the Yongbyon nuclear reactor.

The move raised concerns that the North may be preparing to restart its mothballed nuclear program. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei said authorities in Pyongyang say they only want to carry out unspecified tests that will not involve nuclear materials.

North Korea said last week it was making "thorough preparations" to restart Yongbyon, which it began disabling last year under a now-stalled disarmament-for-aid deal.

The announcement, the communist regime's first confirmation it has started undoing the dismantlement, came amid reports that leader Kim Jong Il suffered a stroke, news that fueled worries about instability in North Korea.

North Korea pledged to disable its nuclear program as a step toward its eventual dismantlement in return for diplomatic concessions and energy aid equivalent to 1 million tons of oil under a disarmament accord in February 2007 with South Korea, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan.

From CNN (Pakistan):

Pakistan's president, prime minister and other Cabinet members were supposed to have been at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad when a massive truck bomb detonated outside, killing 57 and injuring 266, Pakistan's head of the Interior Ministry Rehman Malik said Monday.

Malik said their planned dinner was changed at the last minute, although did not say how far in advance it had been planned.

The Speaker of the House, Fahmida Mirza, had planned the event for ministers, the president, their guests and various foreign dignitaries.

But at the last minute, President Asif Ali Zardari asked that the event be transferred to the Prime Minister's compound, Malik told reporters during a handover service for Czech Ambassador Ivo Zdarek, who died in the blast.

On Sunday Malik called the massive blast "the biggest attack, volume-wise" in Pakistan in seven years, based on the quantity -- 600kg -- and type of explosives used.

Two American military personnel who worked for the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad were among those killed, the U.S. military said. A Lithuanian Pakistan was also among the fatalities, police superintendent Sheikh Zubair told CNN Sunday. The injured included 11 foreigners, Malik said.

No arrests have been made in connection with the attack. But Malik said suspicion is falling on militants in Pakistan's tribal regions.

"I am not in a position to tell you who has done it, but (in) all the previous investigations, all the roads have gone to South Waziristan," he said Sunday.

South Waziristan is one of seven agencies of Pakistan's tribal areas where Taliban and al Qaeda militants are active.

From NY Times (Iran):

The U.N. nuclear watchdog chief on Monday rejected Iran's argument that an investigation into its atomic program threatened its national security, telling Tehran he could ensure confidentiality if it cooperated.

The watchdog believes Iran is withholding information needed to explain "serious" intelligence material from 10 countries that it has pursued projects to build an atomic weapon.

"(We do) not seek to 'pry' into Iran's conventional or missile-related military activities. Our focus is clearly nuclear material and activities," International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said.

"We need, however, to make use of all relevant information to be able to confirm that no nuclear material is being used for nuclear weapons purposes," he added in a speech at the start of a meeting of the IAEA's board of governors in Vienna.

"I again urge Iran to show full transparency and to implement all measures required to build confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear program at the earliest possible date," he told delegates.

A September 15 IAEA report detailed Iranian non-cooperation with agency requests for documents and access to sites to back up Iran's denials of the allegations. Senior U.N. officials said the IAEA had "reached gridlock" with Iran.

More to follow:

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

Idiots of the Week

Well I must admit this one was a hard one to call. But as I thought about it more, the answer slowly became clear, clear like mud, but that's beside the point. Lets review the facts real quick:

1. Russia sells weapons and equipments to Iran
2. Russia trying to work more with Venezuela.
3. Russia still in violation of the cease-fire they signed in Georgia.
4. Iran acting like their normal ludicrous selves.
5. Venezuela acting like their normal ludicrous selves.

I guess the only thing out of the ordinary is that they are all working together publicly.

More to follow on this one, but I believe the uni-polar world we have enjoyed during the last decade is becoming a bi-polar world again. If Russia is truly pursuing this course of action, and allying themselves with the enemies of the free world, then they truly have chosen their side.

For that reason, the Government of Russia is the idiot of the week.

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

Today's News Update 21 September 2008

Update as of 1000 Eastern Time:

Bottom Line Up Front:
1. Pakistan
2. Iran
3. Russia

From CNN (Pakistan):

A small explosion erupted inside a truck before the larger, deadly explosion that ripped through the Marriott Hotel in the Pakistani capital, according to security video released Sunday by Pakistani authorities.

The Saturday suicide truck bombing killed at least 57 people, including a Czech diplomat, and wounded between 150 and 230 others, police Superintendent Sheikh Zubair said.

The Pakistani Interior Ministry showed the video at a news conference. Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that based on the quantity of explosives inside the truck, "this is the biggest attack, volume-wise," in seven years.

No arrests have been made in connection with the attack, Malik said.

In the video, a large truck crashes into a security gate, sending one security officer scurrying for safety. As security guards approach the truck, the top of the vehicle explodes and the security guards flee.

A small cloud of smoke appears above the truck. Minutes later, it's engulfed in flames. One of the security guards tries to put out the fire with a hand-held fire extinguisher, to no avail. The guards then walk away, and the camera freezes on the burning truck.

From NY Times (Pakistan):

A huge truck bomb exploded at the entrance to the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad on Saturday evening, killing at least 53 people and wounding at least 266, according to the acting interior minister.

The blast, one of the worst acts of terrorism in Pakistan’s history, went off just a few hundred yards from the prime minister’s house, where all the leaders of government were dining after the president’s address to Parliament.

The toll was expected to grow because of reports that people had been trapped inside the six-story hotel, which has been a favorite meeting spot of both foreigners and well-connected Pakistanis in the heart of the capital. The building was quickly engulfed in flames and continued to burn for hours Saturday night.

Among the dead were the Czech ambassador, two American citizens and a Vietnamese woman. Some 11 other foreigners were injured. Rescuers brought at least five more bodies out of the burnt hotel on Sunday.

The bomb left a vast crater, 40 feet wide and 25 feet deep, at the security barrier to the hotel. Witnesses said security guards were buried under a mound of rubble. Cars across the street from the hotel were mangled, and trees on the street were charred and stripped of their branches. The blast shattered windows in buildings hundreds of yards away.

Witnesses said they dragged dozens of bodies from the lobby of the hotel and an adjacent parking lot, including those of a number of foreigners. Sean McCormack, a spokesman for the State Department, issued a statement saying at least one American citizen was killed and several others were injured.

From Fox News (Iran):

Hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday that Iran's military will "break the hand" of any aggressor that target his country's nuclear facilities.

Addressing a military parade broadcast live on state television, he said: "If anyone allows himself to commit even a tiny offense against Iran's legitimate interests, borders and sacred land, our armed forces will break his hand before he pulls the trigger."

The phrase "legitimate interests" is Iranian parlance for the country's nuclear program, which the West says is a cover for a nuclear weapon program. Iran, which denies the charge, already is under three sets of sanctions by the U.N. Security Council over its nuclear program.

Washington and its Western allies are pushing for quick passage of a fourth set of sanctions to underline the international community's resolve.

But Ahmadinejad said Sunday that sanctions only help Iran achieve self-sufficiency.

"Those who once imposed sanctions, today should open their eyes and see our nation's technical achievements."

Both the United States and its ally Israel say they support a diplomatic solution to the nuclear standoff with Iran but cannot rule out the military option.

From Fox News (Russia):

President Dmitry Medvedev said Friday that Russia would not yield to Western pressure or be pushed into isolation over the war in Georgia.

Medvedev's comments appeared to be a response to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who warned Russia on Thursday that its policies have put it on a path to isolation and irrelevance.

Medvedev dismissed a claim that Russia was sliding back to authoritarianism.

"They are, in fact, pushing us onto the development track that is based not on normal and civilized cooperation with other countries, but on autonomous development behind thick walls and an 'iron curtain,"' Medvedev said at a meeting with non-governmental organizations. "This is not our track, and it makes no sense to return to the past."

In addition, he vowed that Russia would set its own course.

"No new outside factors, let alone outside pressure on Russia, will change our strategic course," Medvedev said.

"We will continuously strengthen our national security, modernize the military and increase our defense capability to a sufficient level," he said. "And we will determine what level is sufficient proceeding from the current situation; it can't be measured once and for all."

More to follow:

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

Why are we paying for this?

As we wind down September and move into October, the temperature outside is falling, and the debates are heating up. Both sides right now are claiming the other is going to raise taxes. That the other man is the wrong man to fix the economic situation. That they will lower taxes. Well that all sounds well and good, but we are forgetting a very very important organization, called the US Congress. Last time I checked the Constitution, approving bills especially ones that deal with money expenditures, and the budget is the domain of the US Congress.

That information being said, I became very curious about some things. Everyone right now is screaming about the deficit and our debt. One side is screaming that it is Iraq and Afghanistan that put us in this position. Well that's not true, there is a host of things that put us in this position. The first really strange one, is that we funded development in "certain" countries. These countries did just that with our money and together with outsourcing and our own corporations farming out production to them made them even more powerful. Now, it is these banks in these countries that are under-writing our debt.

So to break this all down, we gave people X money, they used it, got economically much more powerful, and then have loaned that money back to us at a higher interest rate. Am I the only one that thinks this is really wrong? Especially with the fact that since WW2 the only country that ever has paid back their loans from us is Japan?

With this question in my mind, I went to the Congressional Budget Office Webpage, and started looking through all the appropriation bills from this last year. I'm far from done with this, and I hope to have a complete roll up by next week of what I have found but here's just some useful juicy tidbits.

There is a bill that has been approved and put into effect that will deliver 45 Million dollars of our money to Eastern Europe and Russia to help fund small businesses. Now Eastern Europe I understand, but RUSSIA? Isn't this the same country that we have been dealing with in Georgia for the last 2 months? By the way, this bill was approved about 3 months ago.

Another one that I just loved, was appropriation of money to Africa. In one bill it was almost 500 Million dollars. Where normally there would be specifics on the bill, it just said, put into a general fund. Lets not mince words here, there is a great deal of corruption in the governments of Africa. To give 500 million dollars into a general fund, with no specifics just says, bye bye money, to me.

Like I said earlier, I'm not done with my research yet, but there is more then just two of these bills. So far Ive found 19 that sent my head spinning. This is why, every time I hear on the news the rhetoric of cut taxes, or raise taxes, we need to look inside first and sweep out our own house. There is a lot of wasteful spending going on, that I'm pretty sure, when I add it up, would make a serious dent in our debt.

Beyond that, we talk about education, poverty in America, our economic situation, infrastructure development, alternative energy development, well here's the money to do that. You don't need to raise taxes, we have the money, we just have to be smart about our money and spend it the way the American people really want it spent and need it spent.

More to follow as I complete my research.

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

Today's News Update 19 September 2008

Update as of 0900 Eastern Time:

Bottom Line Up Front:
1. Pakistan
2. North Korea
3. Russia

From CNN (Pakistan):

Pakistan's newly elected president, Asif Ali Zardari, will meet with President Bush next week on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, the White House announced Thursday.

"The two leaders will discuss efforts to strengthen the bilateral relationship and build a long-term partnership based on common values," said Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino.

Zardari is the widower of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated last year. He was sworn in as Pakistan's president earlier this month after his predecessor, U.S. ally Pervez Musharraf, resigned following nine years of rule.

Tuesday's meeting in New York will come amid tensions between the two countries over the battle against Taliban and al Qaeda remnants in Pakistan's tribal region, which borders Afghanistan.

The U.S. military sent ground forces into South Waziristan earlier this month without Islamabad's permission. The attack followed an order by President Bush earlier this year authorizing U.S. special forces to carry out ground assaults inside Pakistan without seeking Islamabad's permission.

The Pakistani government responded harshly to the incursion. Last week Pakistan's military chief, Gen. Parvez Kayani, announced that no foreign forces will be allowed to conduct operations inside Pakistan in light of the "reckless" U.S. military ground operation.

Kayani said Pakistan's "territorial integrity ... will be defended at all cost and no external force is allowed to conduct operations ... inside Pakistan."

From Fox News (North Korea):

North Korea said Friday it was undertaking "thorough preparations" to restart its nuclear reactor, accusing the United States of failing to fulfill its obligations under an international disarment-for-aid pact.

It was the first time the North has confirmed it has begun reversing what it has done so far to roll back its nuclear program, though it has warned it would do so in anger over Washington's failure to remove it from the U.S. terrorism blacklist.

"We are making through preparation for restoration works" at the Yongbyon nuclear complex, Pyongyang diplomat Hyun Hak Bong told reporters. He did not say when Yongbyon would be operating again.

Hyun spoke to reporters in the border village of Panmunjom inside the Demilitarized Zone before sitting down for one-day talks Friday with South Korean officials on sending energy aid to the North as part of the six-party disarmament deal.

The landmark 2007 pact — made with the United States, China, South Korea, Russia and Japan — called on Pyongyang to disable its nuclear program in a step twoard its dismantlement in exchange for the equivalent of 1 million tons of energy aid.

From CNN (Russia):

Russia's policies are putting it on a path to isolation and irrelevance, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday.

Rice also said that Moscow's other behavior, including using oil and gas as a weapon, threatening countries with nuclear attack, selling arms to rogue states and political persecution of journalists and dissidents, paints a picture of "a Russia increasingly authoritarian at home and aggressive abroad."

Her comments came in a speech on the state of relations between Washington and Moscow.

While the United States has taken issue with Russia's behavior for some time, Rice called its invasion of Georgia last month a "critical moment for Russia and the world."

She warned that Moscow's international standing following the Georgia conflict is at a post-Cold War low.

"Russia's invasion of Georgia has achieved -- and will achieve -- no strategic objective," Rice said. "Russia's leaders will not accomplish their primary war aim of removing Georgia's government. And our strategic goal now is to make it clear to Russia's leaders that their choices are putting Russia on a one-way path to self-imposed isolation and international irrelevance."

The United States and Europe will stand up to Russia and not allow it to bully or threaten its neighbors, she said.

From NY Times (Russia):

With NATO divided over how to respond to a newly assertive Russia, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Thursday that he would urge alliance ministers meeting here to adopt a cautious and deliberate approach that would reassure newer members along the Russian border without provoking hostilities.

Mr. Gates has said he does not anticipate any armed Russian incursions into the territory of NATO member countries, but said Moscow was more likely to pursue strategies of “pressure and intimidation,” including restricting its supplies of oil and gas, on which Europe depends.

Mr. Gates made his comments as the Russian president, Dmitri A. Medvedev, struck a conciliatory tone in Moscow, saying he hoped that Russia and the United States could find a way to improve relations.

At the same time, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gave a tough speech to the German Marshall Fund in Washington, saying the West must stand up to the Kremlin’s “bullying.” And European security officials walked away from talks with Russia about a proposal to place observers in South Ossetia, the breakaway Georgian enclave, over Moscow’s refusal to allow the observers to enter the territory.

More to follow:

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

Humor in the News 18 September 2008

Well first of all I would like to apologize for being so absent lately. Had a lot of personal issues pop up such as spraining my knee. Lot of pain, but nothing broken or torn, so Motrin is the word of the day:)

Beyond my physical woes over the last three days I found this tonight, and it just made me laugh, made me laugh quite a bit actually:)

From Fox News:

Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad challenged the U.S. presidential candidates to a debate when he is in New York for the U.N. General Assembly next week, Agence France Presse reported Thursday.

The Iranian leader also dismissed Western threats over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

"I am ready for a debate with the U.S. presidential candidates over global issues in the presence of the media at the U.N. headquarters,” Ahmadinejad said at a press conference in Tehran. "I have no plans in my schedule to meet with U.S. politicians.”

The outspoken president caused a storm of controversy during a visit last year to Columbia University.

"Last year, I said I was ready to meet with [President George W.] Bush. But now he is at the end of his term and [a meeting] will not impact our relations and future," Ahmadinejad told AFP.

John McCain has blasted Democrat rival Barack Obama for offering to negotiate with leaders of other countries with whom the U.S. has strained relations.

In the past, Ahmadinejad has come under fire worldwide for his comments on the destruction of Israel, his "suspicions" of the Sept. 11 terror attacks and his belief that homosexuals deserve to be executed and/or tortured.

Wouldn't this be akin to a college professor debating quantum physics with a grade schooler? All that I have ever heard spewed from Ahmadinejad's mouth is angry rhetoric that does nothing but inflame any half-way intelligent person with an IQ over, oh lets say, 10.

Fox News summed it up well. Here is a man who says homosexuals should be executed, Israel destroyed and all Jewish people killed, and that he wished 9-11 were more "successful." This is a person, who stays in power by using sheer brute force and terror to intimidate his opponents. Its very easy to win an election when only people stating that they will vote for you aren't beaten to a pulp.

First off I wouldn't lower myself to even dignifying his pitiful existence by debating him, but watching McCain or Obama take him apart publicly still might be very amusing.

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

Today's News Update 18 September 2008

Update as of 1100 Eastern Time:

Bottom Line Up Front:
1. Embassy Attack
2. Gate's on Afghanistan
3. Iraq

From CNN (Embassy):

Non-essential U.S. Embassy officials are being urged to leave Yemen after it was revealed that an American woman was among those killed in Wednesday's attack.

The attack killed six Yemeni police and four civilians after suspected al Qaeda-linked insurgents disguised as Yemeni forces bombed the outer wall of the embassy in Sanaa. They then opened fire on Yemeni authorities.

The death of the American woman was confirmed on Thursday by deputy U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood.

Six attackers -- including one wearing a suicide vest -- were also killed, according to Mohammed al-Basha, spokesman at the Yemeni Embassy in Washington.

Yemeni forces have reportedly rounded up at least 25 suspects connected to the attack.

Diplomatic sources told CNN Thursday they are aware of the reports. They noted that usually after such incidents, Yemeni security forces cast a broad net "bringing in the usual suspects, and then nothing comes out of it."

The State Department issued a similar directive in April after attacks against the embassy and a residential compound. That order was lifted last month, but has again been re-instated.

In a travel warning issued Thursday, the State Department said it would not authorize any travel outside the capital city of Sanaa, and asked U.S. citizens to defer all non-essential travel into the country.

From Fox News (Afghanistan):

The Bush administration is considering changing its war strategy in Afghanistan in light of rising levels of violence and an increasingly complex insurgent threat, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.

"You have an overall approach, an overall strategy, but you adjust it continually based on the circumstances that you find," Gates said in an interview with a group of reporters at a London hotel. "We did that in Iraq. We made a change in strategy in Iraq and we are going to continue to look at the situation in Afghanistan."

Pressed for more details about the review of Afghan strategy, Gates would say only, "We're looking at it."

Gates visited Afghanistan on Wednesday and flew to London for NATO consultations.

He did not reveal whether the White House has launched a formal review of its war strategy. But his remarks indicated that the administration sees a need to make some adjustments as progress there remains slow.

The Joint Chiefs chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, told a House committee last week that he had commissioned a study of Afghan strategy to incorporate the complexities presented by rising unrest and insurgent activity in Pakistan. Mullen also publicly questioned whether the United States is winning in Afghanistan.

From CNN (Iraq):

A U.S. military helicopter crashed in southern Iraq early Thursday morning, killing all seven U.S. soldiers on board, the military said.

Officials have not determined the cause of the crash, but do not suspect hostile activity.

"Based on our initial reports, it is accurate to characterize this as an accident," said Maj. John Hall, a U.S. military spokesman.

The CH-47 Chinook was part of a four-aircraft convoy that was flying from Kuwait to Balad in northern Iraq. The chopper went down about 62 miles (100 km) west of Basra.

The other helicopters in the convoy did not sustain damage, Hall said.

The names of the soldiers were not released pending notification of next of kin.

The CH-47 Chinook is primarily used for transporting troops, supplies and artillery.

Meanwhile, two parked car bombs detonated in western Baghdad Wednesday in quick succession, killing eight people and wounding 25, an Interior Ministry official said.

More to follow:

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

Flash Traffic 17 September 2008

Update as of 0900 Eastern Time

Bottom Line Up Front:
1. US Embassy attacked in Yemen

From Fox News (Embassy Attack):

A car bomb blast and several other explosions at the front gate of the U.S. Embassy in Yemen's capital killed six Yemeni guards and four civilians Wednesday, officials said. No American personnel were reported injured.

Several "secondary explosions" followed the first blast, the embassy said in a statement. A Yemeni security official said the compound was hit by two car bombs, followed by heavy gunfire that lasted about 10 minutes.

Ryan Gliha, a spokesman for the embassy, told The Associated Press by telephone that several nearby homes were badly damaged. Gliha, speaking from inside the large, heavily guarded compound, could not immediately say whether the embassy suffered any damage.

The Islamic Jihad of Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they did it as result of U.S.-Yemen ties and cooperation. Internet forums also cited religious leaders that in the last few weeks called for jihad to start in Yemen.

One source told FOX News the apparent attack on the embassy in Yemen did not "happen in a vacuum." In the last two months, Yemen has broken up or arrested members of a significant number of cells — some related to Al Qaeda.

From CNN (Embassy Attack):

Suspected Al Qaeda disguised as security forces launched an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Yemen's capital, Sanaa Wednesday killing 10 Yemeni police and civilians, officials said.

The attack involved two car bombs, a spokesman for Yemen's embassy in Washington said. Six attackers, including a suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest, were also killed in the attack, Mohammed al-Basha said.

Senior State Department officials said no U.S. Embassy employees were killed in blasts, which witnesses said created a fireball that shook nearby buildings.

The heavily fortified compound in the capital of Yemen -- the ancestral home of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden -- has previously been targeted in attacks.

The U.S. official told CNN that the attackers initially opened fire outside the embassy's security gate, then there was the main explosion followed by a secondary explosion.

Those killed include six Yemeni policemen and four civilians, he said, noting that the number of wounded is unclear.

Yemen believes al Qaeda is responsible for the attack, al-Basha said. Media reports said Islamic Jihad in Yemen -- which is affiliated with al Qaeda -- has claimed responsibility for the attack, but CNN could not independently confirm those reports.

Trev Mason, a British national who lives near the embassy, said he saw "a massive fireball" near compound.

"We heard the sounds of a heavy gun battle going on," he told CNN. "I looked out my window, and we saw the first explosion going off -- a massive fireball very close to the U.S. Embassy.

"The gun battle went on for a further 10 to 15 minutes, followed by two further loud explosions."

The first explosion happened about 9:15 a.m. Wednesday (0615 GMT/2.15 am ET) and was followed by several secondary blasts, said U.S. Embassy spokesman Ryan Gliha

More to follow:

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

News Update 16 September 2008

News Update on Pakistan as of 1300 Eastern Time:

From Fox News:

Top U.S. Military Officer Adm. Mike Mullen has flown to Pakistan for an unannounced visit with senior leaders amid Pakistani orders to fire on U.S. troops conducting cross-border raids from Afghanistan, Reuters reported.

"The chairman is in Pakistan today for meetings with senior civilian and military leaders," Navy Capt. John Kirby, spokesman for the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Reuters.

The Pakistan's military ordered its forces Tuesday to take the offensive if U.S. troops launch another air or ground raid across the Afghan border, an army spokesman said Tuesday.

The orders, which come in response to a highly unusual Sept. 3 ground attack by U.S. commandos, are certain to heighten tensions between Washington and a key ally against terrorism. Although the ground attack was rare, there have been repeated reports of U.S. drone aircraft striking militant targets, most recently on Sept. 12.

Pakistani officials warn that stepped-up cross-border raids will accomplish little while fueling violent religious extremism in nuclear-armed Pakistan. Some complain that the country is a scapegoat for the failure to stabilize Afghanistan.

Pakistan's civilian leaders, who have taken a hard line against Islamic militants since forcing Pervez Musharraf to resign as president last month, have insisted that Pakistan must resolve the dispute with Washington through diplomatic channels.

More to follow:

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

Today's News Update 16 September 2008

Update as of 0800 Eastern Time:

Bottom Line Up Front:
1. Ike
2. Pakistan
3. NATO and Georgia


From Fox News (Ike):

Tens of thousands of residents first hunkered down to wait for Hurricane Ike's brutal punch. Those survivors on the wrecked Texas coast must now wait again — for food, water and ice, for the electricity to return to their homes, for that first hot meal and shower.

For some, the wait could be days. For others, it could be weeks.

"A good bath would be nice: have the fire department swing by and spray us down," said Carlos Silliman, 48, as he sat on a picnic bench in front of his Galveston Island home, where 18 inches of water flooded his garage and ruined a freezer full of venison. "I'm ready to have a cold beer and read the paper."

For most, such luxuries are far beyond the horizon. Many service stations have no gasoline, and some major highways remain under water. More than 30,000 evacuees are still living in nearly 300 public shelters, and roughly 2 million people in Texas alone are without power.

From CNN (Ike):

President Bush heads to hurricane-ravaged south Texas on Tuesday with a message that the federal government will be there with aid and support.

"My message will be that we hear you, and we'll work as hard and fast as we can to help you get your lives back up to normal," Bush said Monday.

With Bush on the way to Texas, city leaders in Galveston were urging those who rode out the storm on the barrier island to leave immediately.

There's not enough clean drinking water to serve the needs of the 15,000 to 20,000 people who stayed on the island, City Manager Steve LeBlanc said Monday, and there would be a "downward spiral if everybody started coming back."

The city's resources are "stretched to the max," and it could be a month before electricity is restored. The cleanup will be massive, he said, and the city is "unsafe."

"Sometimes the aftermath of the storm is worse than the storm itself," Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas said. "There's nothing to come here for right now. ... Please leave."

From Fox News (Pakistan):

Pakistan's military has ordered its forces to open fire if U.S. troops launch another air or ground raid across the Afghan border, an army spokesman said Tuesday.

The orders, which come in response to a highly unusual Sept. 3 ground attack by U.S. commandos, are certain to heighten tension between Washington and a key ally against terrorism.

Pakistan's civilian leaders have protested the raid but say the dispute should be resolved through diplomatic channels.

However, army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas told The Associated Press that after U.S. helicopters ferried troops into a militant stronghold in the South Waziristan tribal region, the military told field commanders to prevent any similar raids.

"The orders are clear," Abbas said in an interview. "In case it happens again in this form, that there is a very significant detection, which is very definite, no ambiguity, across the border, on ground or in the air: open fire."

U.S. military commanders accuse Islamabad of doing too little to prevent the Taliban and other militant groups from recruiting, training and resupplying in Pakistan's wild tribal belt.

From CNN (Georgia):

NATO's chief said Tuesday the Western alliance will continue its expansion despite Russian opposition and warned Moscow that it has no veto on Georgia's bid to become a member.

In a strong message of support for Georgia after its debilitating war with Russia, NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said "the road to NATO is still wide open" and Russia could not break the alliance's ties with the former Soviet republic through military action.

"The process of NATO enlargement will continue, with due caution but also with a clear purpose -- to help create a stable, undivided Europe," he said in a speech at Tbilisi State University during a two-day visit.

"No other country will have a veto over that process, nor will we allow our strong ties to Georgia to be broken by outside military intervention and pressure," he said. "Georgia has a rightful place in this Europe."

De Hoop Scheffer condemned Russia's recognition of the two separatist regions in Georgia, saying its sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected. He also called on Moscow to tone down its rhetoric in the wake of the war.

Reflecting NATO's precarious position, however, he said NATO is "not in the business of punishing Russia" and does not want to be. "Punishing Russia is not the way forward. The way forward, really, is to help Georgia," he said.

De Hoop Sheffer said NATO would not accept Russian demands that it choose between Russia and Georgia.

More to follow:

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content

Today's News Update 15 September 2008

Update as of 0900 Eastern Time:

Bottom Line Up Front:
1. Ike
2. Iraq
3. Pakistan


From Fox News (Ike):

As teams continued the biggest search and rescue operation in Texas history, a new phase of the disaster wrought by Hurricane Ike was only beginning as thousands of people faced long stays in crowded shelters because their homes were damaged or destroyed.

The death toll from Ike rose to 28, but many of those were far to the north of the Gulf Coast as the storm slogged across the nation's midsection, leaving a trail of flooding and destruction.

Glass-strewn Houston was placed under a weeklong curfew, and millions of people in the storm's path remained in the dark.

Rescuers said they had saved nearly 2,000 people from waterlogged streets and splintered houses by Sunday afternoon. Many had ignored evacuation orders and tried to ride out the storm. Now they were boarding buses for indefinite stays at shelters in San Antonio and Austin.

From CNN (Iraq):

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Sunday ordered security forces to "find the perpetrators" who abducted and killed four Iraqi journalists in the northern city of Mosul.

Al-Maliki called Saturday's killings a "heinous crime" and called on the security forces to bring the killers "to justice for the punishment they deserve."

The four employees of Iraqi satellite TV station Al-Sharqiya were abducted and killed Saturday as they videotaped a program that airs during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

The show, called "Your Iftar Is On Us," helps poor Iraqi families during Ramadan, which ends September 29 or 30. Iftar is the meal that breaks the Ramadan daily fast.

U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker said the United States "strongly condemns" the attack, and praised al-Maliki's move to investigate "this reprehensible crime."

"The strength and vitality of a free press is the hallmark of an open and democratic society," Crocker said in a written statement. "Over the past few years, more than 200 journalists in Iraq have given their lives in the pursuit of truth ...

From NY Times (Iraq):

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates landed here Monday declaring that the mission in Iraq had now transformed into one of expanding upon recent security gains, even as the number of American troops decreased.

In an unannounced trip to Iraq, his eighth as defense secretary, Mr. Gates cautioned that significant risks remained. He said Iraqi, American and allied forces must sustain combat pressure on Sunni terrorists and Shia insurgents. And he called on the central government in Baghdad to move forward with provincial elections and other steps to achieve political reconciliation.

“There are still people who would like to see this fail,” Mr. Gates said enroute to Iraq.

Mr. Gates said that pro-government forces must “insure that Al Qaeda isn’t given the opportunity to regather its strength,” and he stressed that equal effort must be given to suppressing Shia special militia groups.

Iraqi army and police forces have taken control of the security mission in 11 Iraqi provinces, and Mr. Gates said more were likely to be handed over to local army and police by the end of the year.

As an increasing number of Iraqi security units take the leading role, Mr. Gates said, American troops would transition to support and “over-watch.”

In describing the challenge of the months ahead, Mr. Gates said the central question is “how do we preserve the gains that have already been achieved, and expand upon them, even as the numbers of U.S. forces are shrinking?”

From Fox News (Pakistan):

Pakistani security forces killed 16 suspected militants and wounded 25 others Sunday in a besieged tribal region — the latest round of a military offensive with no end in sight, officials said.

More than 100 people, most of them militants, have been reported killed in the fighting in the Bajur tribal area in the past five days. The region, which borders Afghanistan, is a suspected hide-out of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri.

The latest clashes also come amid tension between the U.S. and Pakistan over American incursions aimed at eradicating militants in the Muslim nation's territory.

Security forces used helicopter gunships, fighter jets and heavy artillery to attack suspected militant positions Sunday in the Loi Sam, Rashakai, Tang Khata and Gollokass areas of Bajur, said Iqbal Khattak, a government official who provided the death and wounded tolls.

The government said late last month that it would cease military operations in Bajur for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but reserved the right to retaliate against insurgent activities.

Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said factors including persistent militant mortar attacks and threats to pro-government tribes prompted the military to restart its operation.

From NY Times and Reuters (Pakistan):

Firing by Pakistani troops forced two U.S. military helicopters to turn back to Afghanistan after they crossed into Pakistani territory early on Monday, Pakistani security officials said.

The incident took place near Angor Adda, a village in the tribal region of South Waziristan where U.S. commandos in helicopters raided a suspected al Qaeda and Taliban camp earlier this month.

"The U.S. choppers came into Pakistan by just 100 to 150 meters at Angor Adda. Even then our troops did not spare them, opened fire on them and they turned away," said one security official.

The U.S. and Pakistani military both denied that account, but Angor Adda villagers and officials supported it.

Pakistan is a crucial U.S. ally in its war on terrorism, and its support is key to the success of Western forces trying to stabilize Afghanistan. But Washington has become impatient over Islamabad's response to the threat from al Qaeda and Taliban fighters in Pakistan's tribal regions on the border.

More to follow:

God Bless America

Bryan Sphere: Related Content