massive attack on oslo government buildings & youth camp kills 76

from wikipedia: The 2011 Norway attacks were a pair of terrorist attacks against the civilian population, the government and a political summer camp in Norway on Friday, 22 July 2011. The first was a bomb explosion in Regjeringskvartalet, the executive government quarter of Oslo, at 15:22 (CEST), outside the office of Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and other government buildings. The explosion killed eight people and wounded several others. The second attack occurred less than two hours later at a youth camp organized by the youth organization (AUF) of the Norwegian Labour Party (AP) on the island of Utøya in Tyrifjorden, Buskerud. A gunman disguised as a policeman opened fire at the campers, killing 68 attendees, including personal friends of Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and the stepbrother of Norway's crown princess Mette-Marit, in a backlash against the alleged islamification of Europe. The Norwegian Police Service arrested Anders Behring Breivik, a 32-year-old Norwegian man, for the mass shootings in Utøya and subsequently charged him with both attacks. The European Union, NATO and several countries around the world expressed their support for Norway and condemned the attacks.

Possible accomplices:
Several witnesses at the youth camp expressed doubt that there was only one shooter. The police have received descriptions of a second gunman, and are currently working to confirm or deny the accuracy of this new information. Due to the uncertainty surrounding these witness descriptions and the chaotic nature of the events, the police have, as a matter of precaution, yet to make an official comment on the matter. Breivik has claimed that he acted alone and that he had no accomplices. On 24 July, six more people were arrested in Oslo in connection with the attacks and then released as they are said to be no longer suspected of involvement.

norway attack update1:
attack on oslo archive from cryptogon.com*
oslo gunman claims he is a leading member of a 're-founded' knights templar*
'lone nut, tea party, freemason, cop, terrorist' kills liberal children in norway?*
link between breivik & mossad?*
second man 'seized by special forces' in norway*
survivors tell police of attacks in two different areas on utoya*
video: oslo police conducted bombing exercise days before terrorist blast*
police lower death toll in norway attacks to 76*
norway suspect appears 'calm' at hearing*

norway attack update2:
tarpley on norway terror

mexican cartel's founding members trained at fort bragg

from raw story: The US military may have inadvertently taught one of Mexico's most notorious drug cartels advanced military tactics, an al-Jazeera investigation alleges.

In the early 1990s, members of an elite Mexican military squad were trained at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in counter-insurgency and counter-narcotics techniques. Ironically, somewhere between 30 and 200 of the approximately 500 Mexican soldiers who trained there went on to form the Zetas drug cartel, al-Jazeera reports.

Craig Deare, whom al-Jazeera describes as "a former US special operations commander," told the news network that the Mexican soldiers "were given map reading courses, communications, standard special forces training, light to heavy weapons, machine guns and automatic weapons."

related update: US military unit tied to new anti-narcotics program in juárez

flashback: gangs spreading in the military

oregon county decriminalizes heroin, meth, coke, shoplifting & more

from raw story: It's crunch-time for many municipalities across the United States, but for one county in Oregon, that means a little more than in most. The district attorney in Multnomah County, the state's most populous area with over 710,000 residents, announced recently that it can no longer prosecute dozens of crimes thanks to an ever-shrinking budget.

Caught with small amounts of heroin, cocaine or methamphetamine? It's a ticket. So's a hit-and-run accident. Small-time shoplifting? You'll still get arrested, but it's still just a violation. For these and other lesser crimes, the district attorney will simply refuse to prosecute. Still, police have been directed to continue operating as normal, making arrests as they see fit, and it'll be up to the county's attorneys to decide what gets prosecuted.

In spite of the relaxed penalties for numerous crimes, chances are the drunk driver who recently rear-ended the county's sheriff will see the business end of a judge's gavel. But it might take a while: Schrunk's staff was recently cut by 27 percent, according to statements provided in a media advisory. "In a perfect world, you commit a crime, you'd be prosecuted for what it is," district attorney Mike Schrunk told The Oregonian. "[We] don't have unlimited funds."

Other crimes which the county will adjust to violation level include trespassing on non-commercial property, "theft or forgery in the second degree," harassment, interfering with a police officer, interfering with public transportation, resisting arrest (non-injury) and criminal mischief in the second degree. The district attorney's full memorandum was available online (PDF link) at time of publication.

In spite of the budgetary rue, Multnomah County is one of only a few in the nation that is piloting a program that affixes GPS tracking bracelets to youths convicted of gang-related crimes: a practice widely criticized by civil rights groups.

most of US want afghanistan pullout deadline; congress says no

from allgov: A strong majority of Americans believe the war in Afghanistan is going badly and want Washington to establish a timetable for bringing home U.S forces. But despite negative opinions about the war among voters, Congress continues to oppose setting any limits on when the U.S. should pull out of the conflict.

A new CBS News poll found 62% of Americans are unhappy about the war, up from 49% in May. Only 23% say they are willing to have troops remain in Afghanistan for one or two more years, and 54% think leaders should start a countdown for withdrawing U.S. soldiers. Forty-four percent disapprove of President Barack Obama’s handling of the war, while 43% approve it.

media/memes: obamavision, tv twilight & the end of the road

abc announces oprah-obama christmas special*
nbc's obamavision: '30 rock' offers up more gore*
washington post shutters all US bureaus outside capital*
vatican sinks teeth into vampire film 'twilight'*
mpaa says copyright-treaty critics hate hollywood*
gang was killing people for fat, attempting to sell it to cosmetic companies*
study: many day cares showing tv to tots*
rihanna's 'russian roulette': or, what's wrong with the entertainment industry*
celebrities lead charge against scientology*
'the road': bleak & unforgettable*
godless 'road' offers bleak worldview*
jim corr is better suited to celtic crooning than new world order conspiracy theories*

previous media/memes post:
content is king & corporate schemes

the murder of william bennett, part4: ashes to ashes

slaying victim's ashes laid rest
from loudoun times: William Bennett's family received a bit of closure Oct. 19, when he was laid to rest in Arlington Cemetery in a 9 a.m. full military ceremony. The Ashburn resident, 57, was slain earlier this year. The private inurnment was followed by a two-hour memorial service at Fort Myer, which nearly 100 guests attended. Bennett and his wife, Cynthia, Potomac Station residents, were attacked March 22 in Lansdowne during an early morning jog. Bennett was slain and his wife severely beaten. She attended Monday and continues to recover. Bennett was a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army and decorated Special Forces officer. “It was very moving," said a Potomac Station neighbor of the Bennetts who attended the memorial service but did not want his name printed. Kraig Troxell, spokesman for the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, said investigators from the case also attended. Sheriff Steve Simpson also was present. Suspects in the attack have been arrested and are being held awaiting trial.

related updates collected since may '09:
mcdonnell says he'll target gangs*
suspect charged in middleburg business burglaries*
1st faceoff for atty gen candidates references bennett murder*
uncle of alleged lansdowne attacker arrested*
teen says he witnessed fatal beating, helped destroy evidence*
loudoun teen indicted on murder charges in death*
2 of alleged lansdowne attackers indicted*
shannon unveils plan to fight gangs*
charges against teen murder suspect may change*
indictments against 17yr-old stand*

flashbacks: the death of william bennett, part1:
cia, contract killers, kosovo & questions,
updates on murder of william bennett, part2 &
the murder of william bennett, part3: arresting developments

murder/mayhem: balloon boy, bodies, lawyers & lies

body on los angeles balcony mistaken for halloween decoration*
balloon boy case bursts open in US*
dc mom convicted of murdering 4 daughters could walk free*
pilot tried to save haber, controversial wolf biologist, after cessna crash in washington state*
pagans gang member dies in wv jail*
scotland aquarium worker bitten by shark*
judge dreadful killer a hero: austrian dad kills judge & a senior politician that molested his 3yr old daughter*
7 killed, 20 injured in puerto rico bar shooting*
authorities tentatively identify body as missing florida girl*
wv woman lied in high-profile torture & race case*
phoenix police seek man who ran over daughter w/ car because she was 'too westernized'*
1000s say 'i do' in global mass moonie wedding*
16yr old australian girl makes sailing around the world bid*
soupy sales: pie-splattered comedian & legendary tv host, dies at 83*
polanski undergoing medical treatment: lawyer*
polanski may consent to US extradition to face charges*
flashback: interview w/ peter levenda on the polanski polemic*

the murder of william bennett, part3: arresting developments

flashbacks: the death of william bennett, part1: cia, contract killers, kosovo & questions & updates on murder of william bennett, part2

alleged gang members arrested in lansdowne murder [apr27]
from nbcwashington: Two men have been arrested and two more are being held in the murder and brutal attack of William Bennett of Lansdowne. The suspects are allegedly members of - or associated with - an established criminal street gang, but the crimes against the Bennetts don't appear to be a part of a gang initiation or specific gang-ritual, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said. "They [the Bennetts] were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time," Loudoun Sheriff Stephen O. Simpson said. Two of the men - Darwin G. Bowman, 18, of Annandale, VA, and an unidentified 17-year-old male from Sterling, VA - have been charged with capital murder, a charge made in crimes that usually show motive. A third man, Anthony R. Roberts, 20, of Middleburg, VA, is currently being held on burglary charges; he is also expected to receive the same murder charge. A fourth suspect, an unidentified 18-year-old man from Sterling, VA, is also being held in custody on unrelated charges. The motive behind the March 22 attacks was robbery, according to officials. A white panel van seen in the area of the attacks was key to breaking the case; it had also been spotted during a gang-on-gang assault in Sterling on February 28. All suspects are currently being held without bond. Further charges for the attack of Cynthia Bennett, who remains hospitalized, are pending, as are more arrests.

sheriff expects at least 5th suspect in lansdowne homicide [apr28]

from nbcwashington: The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office expects at least one more arrest in the death of William Bennett and brutal beating of his wife in Lansdowne despite four arrests... Investigators have executed 20 search warrants and conducted at least 100 interviews, but more police work is ahead of them. "We feel fairly confident that there's probably a fifth person, maybe a sixth, but we're not as confident on that," Sheriff Steve Simpson said... The motive behind the March 22 attacks was robbery, according to officials. "Well it is hard for us to grasp something like that, but we don't think like they do," Simpson said. "Violence is their way of life. It's a sign of authority, it's a sign of power, it's a sign of control. So violence is second nature. So to them it's nothing, probably. To most normal decent people, it shocks them beyond belief."

and here are many more updates from the loudoun independent:
sheriff urges calm after mass email in lansdowne case [mar25]*
more theories than answers [apr2]*
condition of lansdowne assault victim improving [apr7]*
'benefit for bennett' reward fund [apr23]*
arrests made in the lansdowne murder [apr25]*
video: sheriff simpson addresses the public [apr25]*
delay in bowman plea for lansdowne murder [apr27]*
public safety meeting tonight in lansdowne [apr30]*
leesburg police seek information on leesburg gun burglary [may5]*
video1/video2: plowman & fisher go on the record about lansdowne attack [may6]*
tip of the iceberg? [may13]*
suspect in lansdowne attack charged with middleburg burglaries [may18]*

plus a few other odds & ends:
the death of william bennett: cia, contract killers, kosovo & questions* [reposts]
the curious murder of cia targeter william bennett*

update: the murder of william bennett, part4: ashes to ashes

the death of william bennett: cia, contract killers, kosovo & questions

update: the murder of william bennett, ex-cia contractor [apr16]

...former cia contractor beaten to death while jogging in dc suburbs w/ his wife ... thanks to cryptogon, we'll start at the beginning...

pair were attacked on morning stroll [mar22]
from washington post/loudoun extra: A Loudoun County couple out for their routine early-morning walk over the weekend might have been randomly attacked by as many as three assailants in the Lansdowne area, the county sheriff said yesterday. William Bennett, 57, was found dead before 6 a.m. Sunday [mar22] along Riverside Parkway near Rocky Creek Drive by a sheriff's deputy investigating a report of a suspicious vehicle in the area. His wife, Cynthia, 55, was found critically injured about 30 minutes later across the road, beyond a bloodied white fence in a muddy ditch, Simpson said.

authorities eager to interview cynthia bennett [mar24]

slain man had been contractor for cia [mar25]
from washington post/loudoun extra: A Loudoun County man slain while out for an early morning walk with his wife worked as a contractor at the Central Intelligence Agency for several years until 2000, the CIA confirmed yesterday, and investigators said they want to meet with agency officials to learn more about the nature of his work. The sheriff said his officers have not determined a motive for Sunday's attack, in which William Bennett, 57, was killed and his wife, Cynthia, 55, was critically injured. The assault might have been random, but deputies have not ruled out the possibility that they were targeted. "We're just trying to find out if there's anything in his background that could have led to this," Loudoun Sheriff Stephen O. Simpson said. "We do that with anybody; it's not just because he's with the government. You talk with family. You talk with friends. You talk with co-workers. You look for enemies."

massive turnout for lansdowne murder meeting [mar26]

fbi helps loudoun county sheriff with ex-cia slaying [mar30]
from nbc washington: The FBI has joined the investigation into the death of a Loudoun County man who used to be a contractor for the CIA. Agents are checking to see if William Bennett has any enemies from his CIA days, sources said. Deputies found Bennett's body in a grassy area next to Riverside Parkway early on March 22. His wife, Cynthia Bennett, was found injured nearby. She was airlifted to an area hospital, where she remains in critical condition. The couple may have been attacked by three people seen driving suspiciously in the area in a white-panel van, investigators said. The Bennetts were wearing jogging outfits. Investigators still do not know the motive for the attack or whether it was gang-related or random. They also don't know if the attack took place were the couple was found or if the bodies were moved to that location. What they do know is that William Bennett was a CIA contractor until 2000. He was involved in a mistaken bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade in May 1999 during the conflict with Kosovo, according to intelligence sources. Three people were killed and 20 injured in that bombing. The CIA later took responsibility. Bennett was one of the officials who helped identify targets in Belgrade, according to a retired senior intelligence officer.

and so, could all of this be related to this:
belgrade death squad leader 'was top cia agent'

nau updates: borderwars, extradition & internment

mexican drug violence spills over into the US
from ap: Just as government officials had feared, the drug violence raging in Mexico is spilling over into the United States. U.S. authorities are reporting a spike in killings, kidnappings and home invasions connected to Mexico's murderous cartels. And to some policymakers' surprise, much of the violence is happening not in towns along the border, where it was assumed the bloodshed would spread, but a considerable distance away, in places such as Phoenix and Atlanta. Investigators fear the violence could erupt elsewhere around the country because the Mexican cartels are believed to have set up drug-dealing operations all over the U.S., in such far-flung places as Anchorage, Alaska; Boston; and Sioux Falls, S.D. "The violence follows the drugs," said David Cuthbertson, agent in charge of the FBI's office in the border city of El Paso, Texas.

mexico drug gangs threaten cops on radio, kill them
from reuters: Mexican drug gangs near the U.S. border are breaking into police radio frequencies to issue chilling death threats to cops which they then carry out, demoralizing security forces in a worsening drug war. "You're next, bastard ... We're going to get you," an unidentified drug gang member said over the police radio in the city of Tijuana after naming a policeman. The man also threatened a second cop by name and played foot-stomping "narcocorrido" music, popular with drug cartels, over the airwaves. "No one can help them," an officer named Jorge said of his threatened colleagues as he heard the threats in his patrol car. Sure enough, two hours later the dead bodies of the two named policemen were found dumped on the edge of the city, their hands tied and bullet wounds in their heads.

texas crafts plan for mexico collapse
from el paso times: Texas officials are working on a plan to respond to a potential collapse of the Mexican government and the specter of thousands fleeing north in fear for their lives after recent reports indicated the country could be on the verge of chaos. "You hope for the best, plan for the worst," Katherine Cesinger, spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Perry, said last week. "At this point, we've got a contingency plan that's in development." Late last year the U.S. Department of Defense issued a report that listed Pakistan and Mexico as countries that could rapidly collapse. The report came after similar alarms sounded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and former U.S. drug czar Barry McCaffrey. "I think their fears are well-grounded," Texas Homeland Security Director Steve McCraw told lawmakers recently at a border security briefing.

internment camps readied for mass illegal influx?
from paul joseph watson: The news that Texas officials are working on contingency plans to deal with a sudden influx of illegal aliens following a collapse of the Mexican government has sparked fears that FEMA detention camps, the expansion of which is the subject of current legislation in Congress, are being readied to detain thousands of illegals as well as American citizens. According to an Elpaso TImes report, “Texas officials are working on a plan to respond to a potential collapse of the Mexican government and the specter of thousands fleeing north in fear for their lives after recent reports indicated the country could be on the verge of chaos.” “You hope for the best, plan for the worst,” Katherine Cesinger, spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Perry, said last week. “At this point, we’ve got a contingency plan that’s in development.” Texas Homeland Security Director Steve McCraw stated that a “preliminary plan” was in place that dealt only with “law enforcement concerns” and did not address “humanitarian needs”. Such a plan is likely to include designated internment locations, including “national emergency centers” to be located on military installations for the purpose of to providing “temporary housing, medical, and humanitarian assistance to individuals and families dislocated due to an emergency or major disaster,” the expansion of which under FEMA is codified under HR 645, otherwise known as the National Emergency Centers Act.

army deserter returns from canada
from ap: Sporting a dragon tattoo on his forearm and skulls on both biceps, Cliff Cornell's tough exterior dissolves into tears as he reflects on his return to the Army four years after he fled to Canada to avoid the war in Iraq. "I'm nervous, scared," Cornell said, wiping puffy eyes beneath his sunglasses Monday at a Savannah hotel after a three-day bus ride from Seattle. "I'm just not a fighter. I know it sounds funny, but I have a really soft heart." Cornell, 29, of Mountain Home, Ark., planned to turn himself in to military police today at nearby Fort Stewart, where he'll likely face criminal charges for abandoning his unit before it deployed to Iraq in January 2005. He said he fled because he doesn't think the war has improved the lives of Iraqis, and he couldn't stomach the thought of killing. "During my training, I was ordered that, if anyone came within so many feet of my vehicle, I was to shoot to kill," said Cornell, who enlisted in 2002 but never deployed to war. "I didn't join the military to kill innocents."

nazi hatemonger bites the dust & 2 others plot to kill

from winter patriot: The right-wing Austrian politician Jörg Haider has been killed in a car crash. Too bad. Even though Haider was a Nazi sympathizer who was popular for his racist policies, his obituary (written by Matt Schudel) in the Washington Post tries hard to portray him as a respectable and successful figure, even while mentioning a few of his career low-lights. This tells you everything you need to know about the Washington Post...

[Update: Apparently I am in the minority ... of something or other! You can read some differing views here, courtesy of Kenny's Sideshow... and there's more here at Winter Patriot dot com, courtesy of McJ.]

haider 'was double speed limit'
from bbc: Austrian far-right politician Joerg Haider was driving at twice the speed limit when he died in a crash early on Saturday, court officials have said. Mr Haider, 58, was travelling alone at 142km/h (88mph) in a 70km/h zone when his Volkswagen Phaeton V6 crashed. The accident occurred south of Klagenfurt, the capital of Carinthia, where he was the provincial governor. He was leader of the Alliance for Austria's Future, and was known for his anti-immigration and anti-EU policies. Mr Haider had crashed shortly after leaving a nightclub. However, prosecutor Gottfried Kranza would not say whether Mr Haider's body had tested positive for alcohol.

update: austrian officials fear neo-nazi 'pilgrimage' for haider's funeral
from scotsman: Austrian officials are hoping the family of far-right extremist Joerg Haider will hold a private funeral to prevent neo-Nazis turning any public burial into a pilgrimage of hate. Vienna has announced that public buildings in the capital will be draped in black flags when the body of Mr Haider, 58, is interred. However, yesterday it was still unclear whether national government representatives would be attending any funeral or remembrance service for Mr Haider, who died in a car crash early on Saturday morning. Mr Haider courted controversy by praising aspects of the Third Reich and was a hero of ultra-rightists across Europe.

update2: nazi symp haider had his last drink in a gay bar
from scotsman: The funeral takes place of the Austrian far-right leader Jörg Haider today amid revelations over a private life that could have destroyed his public comeback. Not only did the Austrian extremist die with three times the legal drink-drive alcohol limit in his blood, but he had his final drinks in a gay bar. He was dogged by allegations throughout his career that he was a closet homosexual and it has now been revealed that he spent the last part of his last night drinking in a gay club, Stadtkrämer. Although seemingly happily married with two daughters, affluent – his salary as governor of the province of Carinthia was more than £13,000 a month – and poised once more to become a power broker after success for his party in Austria's recent general election, Mr Haider seemed to have the self-destruct gene that has laid politicians low in many countries.

update3: austrian politico admits affair with right-wing haider
from queerty: The truth comes out! Twenty-seven year old Austrian politician Stefan Petzner admitted this week to having a long-term affair with his recently deceased boss, Jörg Haider... Though it's long been rumored, the murmurs of Haider's homo ways were revived last week after photographers spotted him at a gay bar just minutes before he was involved in a fatal car crash. Taking Haider's spot as leader of the ultra-right Alliance for the Future of Austria this week, Petzner told a radio host that he and Haider began their relationship a few years ago, but promises that Haider's wife knew about their goings on - and didn't give a hoot... Other sources claim, however, that Mrs. Haider hated that the men spent so much time together. Meanwhile, Alliance leaders have canceled Petzner's planned interviews in hopes that the scandal will blow over, a prospect that's looking less and less likely.

and in other nazi-news...

2 nazis convicted in plot to kill deputy
from ap: Two officers of the white supremacist Aryan Brotherhood of Texas have been convicted of conspiracy to murder a former Otero County sheriff's deputy and distribute methamphetamine. Prosecutors alleged Robert Guyton "Krusty" Cook and Samuel Zachary Arrington were involved in arranging meetings to set up a revenge hit on former Deputy Billy Anders because he'd killed an Aryan Brotherhood leader near Cloudcroft in December 2004. Jurors convicted the pair Tuesday but hung on charges against a third Aryan Brotherhood member, James Curtis Thompson, one of the group's five top generals.

geopolitiks: drugwars, radar & private military

drug violence kills at least 49 in tijuana this week
from ap: Police have found nine more bodies dumped around the Mexican border city of Tijuana... More than 400 people have been killed in drug-related violence in the city across from San Diego, California, this year, including at least 49 this week... Execution-style killings, beheadings and shootouts have soared across Mexico since the army and federal police intensified their fight against the drug trade nearly two years ago.

reports link karzai’s brother to afghan heroin trade
from nytimes: When Afghan security forces found an enormous cache of heroin hidden beneath concrete blocks in a tractor-trailer outside Kandahar in 2004, the local Afghan commander quickly impounded the truck and notified his boss. Before long, the commander, Habibullah Jan, received a telephone call from Ahmed Wali Karzai, the brother of President Hamid Karzai, asking him to release the vehicle and the drugs, Mr. Jan later told American investigators, according to notes from the debriefing obtained by The New York Times. He said he complied after getting a phone call from an aide to President Karzai directing him to release the truck. Two years later, American and Afghan counternarcotics forces stopped another truck, this time near Kabul, finding more than 110 pounds of heroin. Soon after the seizure, United States investigators told other American officials that they had discovered links between the drug shipment and a bodyguard believed to be an intermediary for Ahmed Wali Karzai, according to a participant in the briefing. The assertions about the involvement of the president’s brother in the incidents were never investigated, according to American and Afghan officials, even though allegations that he has benefited from narcotics trafficking have circulated widely in Afghanistan.

pakistan's frontier turns into war zone
from iht: War has come to Pakistan, not just as terrorist bombings, but as full-scale battles, leaving Pakistanis angry and dismayed as the dead, wounded and displaced turn up right on their doorstep. An estimated 250,000 people have now fled the gunship helicopters, jets, artillery and mortar fire of the Pakistani Army, and the assaults, intimidation and rough justice of the Taliban who have dug into Pakistan's tribal areas.

blackwater machine gun found in raid on iraqi insurgents
from abcnews: An M4 machine gun sent to Iraq by the Blackwater private security firm somehow disappeared from the company's storage facility in Baghdad and was later discovered during a US military operation, apparently against suspected insurgents, people familiar with the situation have told ABC News. The incident, in 2006, has been kept secret until now but it raised more questions about Blackwater's operations in Iraq.

US radar in israel might be trained on russia
from israel today: A Time Magazine article citing Israeli military officials suggests a sophisticated long-range American radar system about to be deployed in Israel may be less about providing early warning of an Iranian missile attack, and more about hemming in Russia. The radar base will be the first permanent deployment of foreign troops on Israeli soil in the country's short 60-year modern history. Initial reports were that Washington offered the early-warning radar to Israel as compensation for not supporting plans to preemptively attack Iran's nuclear facilities.

US radar in israel: what's it for, really?

martial law, arkansas: crimewave brings 24hr lockdown

from kthv: Authorities say in an attempt to stop the violence, a neighborhood on the Westside of Helena-West Helena is under a 24-hour, non-stop curfew that could be extended for days.

It's a tale of two cities. The result of what police are calling a small gang turf war. Neighbors Mary Stevens, Flora Commons and Antone Johnson live in the middle of it. "They've been shooting for three or four nights," says Commons. "It's time to put a stop to all the crime. You can't sleep at night because people are shooting and you want to know where the bullet is going to go next," says Johnson.



Mayor James Valley says the impacted area is violence-prone. So from South Sebastian to Fourth Street and Anderson to Garland Street, no one is allowed out. He says it's, "...to curtail some of the general mayhem we've been experiencing, particularly the gun shots," says Valley. "Nobody can walk down the street and be safe, that is, be free from police interference," says Valley.

gangs spreading in the military

(well, i guess you'll have that when you actively recruit them...)

from cbs: Evidence of gang culture and gang activity in the military is increasing so much an FBI report calls it "a threat to law enforcement and national security." The signs are chilling: Marines in gang attire on Parris Island; paratroopers flashing gang hand signs at a nightclub near Ft. Bragg; infantrymen showing-off gang tattoos at Ft. Hood.

"It's obvious that many of these people do not give up their gang affiliations," said Hunter Glass, a retired police detective in Fayetteville, North Carolina, the home of Ft. Bragg and the 82nd Airborne. He monitors gang activity at the base and across the military.

"If we weren't in the middle of fighting a war, yes, I think the military would have a lot more control over this issue," Glass said. "But with a war going on, I think it's very difficult to do." ...

The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command reported 61 gang investigations and incidents last year, compared to just 9 in 2004. But army officials point out less than 1 percent of all its criminal investigations are gang related...

The rise in gang activity coincides with the increase in recruits with records. Since 2003, 125,000 recruits with criminal histories have been granted what are known as "moral waivers" for felonies including robbery and assault.

watch the cbs video here & read part2 of this report: Are Gang Members Using Military Training?

'aryan brotherhood'

from national geographic: The Aryan Brotherhood, (also known as the AB or The Brand) is a prison gang numbering about 15,000 members in and out of prison. In March 2006, four leaders of the Aryan Brotherhood were indicted for numerous crimes, including murder, conspiracy, drug trafficking, and racketeering. According to the FBI, the gang is responsible for up to 20% of murders in the federal prison system.