police state updates: badger denial, reliant mermaid & more

iowa air natl guard to hold extensive training aug11-sep4
from lexisnexis: The Iowa Air National Guard and various active duty units will participate in a joint training event, Badger Denial, August 10-September 4 in Des Moines, Iowa and northwest Iowa. The Air Guard's participation in the Global War on Terror requires joint reconnaissance and combat support missions. These types of missions, and certain Close Air Support operations, require lower altitudes not currently available in Military Operating Areas (MOAs).

army chinook chopper lands in kentucky soybean field
from chicago tribune: National Guardsmen from Iowa are trying to fix an Army helicopter that landed in a western Kentucky soybean field after problems arose with its hydraulic system. Chief Warrant Officer Nick Von Muenster of the Iowa National Guard told The Gleaner of Henderson that the Chinook was headed to Fort Campbell, where the crew of five were supposed to train. Iowa National Guard public affairs officer Maj. Mike Wunn said the crew decided to land Sunday afternoon so they didn't risk more problems with the helicopter. Another Chinook landed in the Henderson County field Monday with guardsmen and parts to fix the first helicopter. Land owner David Alexander said losing some of his soybeans is "worth the excitement."


defense event in valley points up readiness
from arizona republic: The arm of the U.S. government that's responsible for knocking off threats to the country gets together in Phoenix this week to talk about topics such as natural resources and sustainability. The Department of Defense holds a get-together every two years called Sustaining Military Readiness Conference. The Pentagon uses the sessions to try to forge partnerships with people, organizations and governments that neighbor military installations. The idea: Military readiness depends as much on its ability to train its troops and effectively run its bases as it does on the number of troops and the amount of hardware. The last conference was in Orlando. The latest one is in Phoenix. It kicks off today and runs through Friday at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel.

airlines to require more passenger data

idf to train with US & turkey militaries
from jpost: The Navy will conduct a joint drill with the US and Turkish navies next week, the IDF announced in a statement Tuesday. The drill will take place in the eastern Mediterranean and will be hosted by Turkey. In the exercise, dubbed Reliant Mermaid X, the three navies will rehearse naval rescue missions and work to improve their level of coordination. Reliant Mermaid X will include search and rescue simulations, quick response to naval emergencies, humanitarian aid in real time and evacuation of 'wounded' personnel from the waters. Eight ships, four helicopters and three search and rescue aircraft from the three countries will participate in the drill. The Israel Navy will be represented by the Lahav and Sufa warships as well as a navy helicopter.

service members train to respond to domestic emergencies
from sofmag: U.S. Army North’s Task Force 51 arrived at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., July 31 for Vibrant Response 2009. The exercise will focus primarily on responding to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive incidents and is designed to confirm the readiness and abilities of incoming units that will fall under the CBRNE Consequence Management Response Force effective Oct. 1. The 167th Theater Support Command, an Alabama National Guard unit based out of Fort McClellan, Ala., welcomed Operational Command Post 1 upon its arrival with a series of informative inprocessing briefings... The civilian agencies will not be participating in the exercise. However, if a real-world catastrophe were to occur, Joint Task Force 51 would work with multiple civilian agencies, to include the Federal Emergency Management Agency. During Vibrant Response, U.S. Army North will play its part as the Army Service Component and Joint Force Land Component Command for U.S. Northern Command.

biometrics to ensure parents leave with the right kids

dining facility keeps 'vibrant response' fueled up
from dvidshub.net: Long days at the office with never ending meetings or long days outside with hard physical activities can leave a service member exhausted both physically and mentally, but three times a day you can relax and unwind as you refuel at the dining facility. Soldiers and civilians who work at Tice Hall in the battle command training center dining facility are doing their part in keeping service members well fed and hydrated during the 2009 Vibrant Response exercise at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., Aug. 1-9. "We are conducting 24-hour food operations to support this exercise," said Army Master Sgt. Robert Keppler, chief food service advisor, 35th Infantry Division. "We are here to provide the participants with quality, nutritious food."

govt case against north carolina 'jihadists' falls apart

vt & wv governors oppose dod emergency powers
from thehill: A bipartisan pair of governors is opposing a new Defense Department proposal to handle natural and terrorism-related disasters, contending that a murky chain of command could lead to more problems than solutions. Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas (R), chairman of the National Governors Association, and Vice Chairman Gov. Joe Manchin (D) of West Virginia penned a letter opposing the Pentagon proposal, which they said would hinder a state's effort to respond to a disaster. Current law gives governors control over National Guard forces in their own states as well as any Guard units and Defense Department personnel imported from other states. The letter comes as the Pentagon proposes a legislative fix that would give the secretary of Defense the authority to assist in response to domestic disasters and, consequently, control over units stationed in an affected state.

why is natl guard recruiting for 'internment' cops?

uk national id card cloned in 12 minutes
from computer weekly: The prospective national ID card was broken and cloned in 12 minutes, the Daily Mail revealed this morning. The newspaper hired computer expert Adam Laurie to test the security that protects the information embedded in the chip on the card. Using a Nokia mobile phone and a laptop computer, Laurie was able to copy the data on a card that is being issued to foreign nationals in minutes. He then created a cloned card, and with help from another technology expert, changed all the data on the new card. This included the physical details of the bearer, name, fingerprints and other information. He then rewrote data on the card, reversing the bearer's status from "not entitled to benefits" to "entitled to benefits". He then added fresh content that would be visible to any police officer or security official who scanned the card, saying, "I am a terrorist - shoot on sight." According to the paper, Home Office officials said the foreign nationals card uses the same technology as the UK citizens card that will be issued from 2012. Guy Herbert, general secretary of privacy lobby group NO2ID, said it was a mistake to assume that the Home Office cared about the card, or identity theft or citizens' benefit. He said the Home Office wanted the central database to record citizens' personal details in one place for official convenience. "It is that database which will deliver unprecedented power over our lives to Whitehall and make the Home Office king in Whitehall. The card is an excuse to build the database. If the card is cancelled it already intends to use passports as a secondary excuse," he said. Home Office officials said they were working on a response to the story, and would issue a statement later today.

all cars would carry gps to track miles under oregon bill*
flashback: oregon eyes taxing vehicles per mile by satellite*

video: outrage over ohio police tazing elderly alzheimer's patient

video captures mom tased at traffic stop*

police state usa: pandemic drills, cog, corruption & surveillance

'vigilant guard' managers put the kaboom in terrorism exercises
from national guard bureau: KaBOOM! Exercise managers for the Vigilant Guard homeland security exercise here added realism Sept. 16 by blowing up balloons filled with explosive gas. KaPOW! They tested the balloons today. Tomorrow the noisemakers will prompt police swat teams to move in on a suspected fake terrorist hideout at a hotel. Along with phony blown up cars, it’s all been fabricated by the National Guard’s civilian exercise managers. Vigilant Guard began here Sept. 12 with a regional tabletop exercise at the Guam Guard’s Joint Forces Headquarters. It continues through this week, culminating with a simulated terrorist attack on the island’s Tumon Beach, which is a popular tourist and vacation spot.

atf missing 418 laptops & 76 guns
from ap: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) lost 76 weapons and hundreds of laptops over five years, the Justice Department reported Wednesday (3.4mb PDF), blaming carelessness and sloppy record-keeping. Thirty-five of the missing handguns, rifles, Tasers and other weapons were stolen, as were 50 laptops, the internal audit found. Two of the stolen weapons were used in crimes. The audit by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine found "inadequate" oversight of weapons and laptops resulted in "significant rates of losses" at the ATF.

oklahoma firefighters team up with wmd unit for drill
from kten: Wednesday in Ardmore, The National Guard's 63rd Weapons Of Mass Destruction Team out of Norman, paired up with local emergency responders to conduct a mock drill. The drill involved a chemical release in The Ardmore Convention Center with a large group of people inside. KTEN's Hailee Holliday reports.


burlington participates in pandemic experiment
from wcax: Burlington is one of nine test markets in the country taking part in a flu pandemic preparation exercise. The experiment will focus on prevention - like hand washing - and what to do in case of an outbreak. Health authorities say preparing is crucial because it's not a question of if we will have another major flu outbreak, but when.

drive-through clinic offers booster shots targeting hepatitis a
from buffalo news: There were no burgers or fries at this drive-through. This weekend, hepatitis A booster shots are being given out drive-through style at the Amherst Highway Garage. On Saturday, hundreds of people rolled down their windows and pulled up their sleeves to receive the booster shot in their arms — without leaving their cars. “We’ve had minivans with entire families pull up and single cars, too,” said Daniel Neaverth, Erie County deputy commissioner of emergency medical services. By 3 p. m., more than 300 people had participated... The idea was to administer the shots in the most efficient way possible. But it also served as an exercise in giving out mass doses of a vaccine in the event of a pandemic outbreak or a biological attack. Neaverth said Erie County is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “City Readiness Initiative.” Participants are encouraged to develop new ways to administer medicines to the masses.

military aircraft to conduct training exercises over washdc
from wtop: If you see and hear military aircraft overhead Wednesday and Thursday, it's just an exercise. The North American Aerospace Defense Command starts conducting a two-day exercise in the D.C. area Wednesday. The exercise, a series of training flights, is designed to hone NORAD's intercept and identification operations. Civil Air Patrol and Coast Guard helicopters will participate in the exercise. The training flights were occur during late night and early morning hours. In the event of inclement weather, NORAD will run the exercise on the next clear day until the exercise has been completed.

nation inadequately prepared for severe pandemic
from govtech: States are making significant progress toward safeguarding their citizens against an influenza pandemic, but the nation as a whole remains inadequately prepared for a severe pandemic outbreak according to a new report by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center). The report, Pandemic Preparedness in the States: An Assessment of Progress and Opportunity (412kb PDF), presents an overall appraisal of the current level of pandemic preparedness in the states and offers recommendations for improvement in five areas. "Even though this issue largely has fallen off the public's radar, states recognize that successfully managing a pandemic outbreak requires a sustained effort to combat the threat in all sectors of the economy and in society as a whole," said Chris Logan, program director of the NGA Center's Homeland Security and Technology Division. "The conclusions of this report serve a vital national service: they demonstrate both the extent of our readiness as well as the gaps in our current preparedness."

neocon think tank says US still lacks good continuity plan
from aei: Seven years is a long time, but the enormity and depravity of the acts are fresh. Nonetheless, one would think that seven years is enough time for even a slow-moving political system to create basic insurance to prevent the kind of chaos and injury to the American constitutional system that would come with another, more successful, attack on official Washington. Never mind. In one of the more shameworthy lapses in our dysfunctional government, especially in Congress, nothing constructive has been done to protect our elections, our legislative branch, our presidential succession process or our Supreme Court from the consequences of the kind of terrorist attack that every expert we have believes is quite likely to occur in the future... The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 has no relevance to the challenges and potential disasters of 2008 and beyond... We are approaching an inauguration that will be historic in many ways--and also the single most vulnerable day for our constitutional system. The plans to ensure that the worst-case scenario there will not turn into an even worse scenario for the country and its future? Zero. Happy seventh anniversary.

mass surveillance plan fast-tracked by the nypd
from antifascist calling: Last month Antifascist Calling reported on a scheme by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to encircle Manhattan with thousands of surveillance cameras and sensors that would photograph all vehicles entering the city. Information captured by this intrusive system would be stored in a huge database for an undisclosed period of time. That plan is now moving forward with a vengeance.

new york offers 'enhanced' rfid driver’s licenses
from times union: Starting Tuesday, New Yorkers will be able to buy new driver's licenses containing a radio chip that will let them travel between the U.S. and Canada or Mexico without a passport. The new Enhanced Drivers License, which will cost an additional $30 on top of the standard $50 license fee, also will allow those on boats or ships to travel to Bermuda and Caribbean nations without a passport. Starting in June, federal law will dictate that passports or other proof of citizenship - or an enhanced license - will be needed to visit neighboring countries, including Canada and Mexico. "This is an opportunity for individuals, at their option, to get through the borders more quickly," said Ken Brown, a spokesman for the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

mukasey's justice dept codifies cointelpro into fbi 'ground rules'
from 9/11 blogger: Every once in a while, the Washington Post actually prints something of note. Yesterday, they published this article, Rule Changes Would Give FBI Agents Extensive New Powers. Previously, the FBI was required to have a case before they started screwing around with you. Under Mukasey's "New Rules", we now have a situation ripe for abuse. The Justice Department is currently working out the wording for placing "undisclosed participants" in organizations... Just in time for the November elections.

lieberman wins: youtube bans videos that incite violence
from washington post: The video-sharing service YouTube is banning submissions that involve "inciting others to violence," following criticism from Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) that the site was too open to terrorist groups disseminating militant propaganda. The company earlier this year removed some of the videos that Lieberman targeted, many of which were marked with the logos of al-Qaeda and affiliated groups. But the company refused to take down most of the videos on the senator's list, saying they did not violate the Web site's guidelines against graphic violence or hate speech. Now that videos inciting others to violence are banned, more videos by the terrorist groups in question may be removed. "YouTube reviews its content guidelines a few times a year, and we take the community's input seriously," YouTube spokesman Ricardo Reyes said. "The senator made some good points."

military industrial complex 2.0
from information clearinghouse: Seven years into George W. Bush's Global War on Terror, the Pentagon is embroiled in two big wars, a potentially explosive war of words with Tehran, and numerous smaller conflicts – and it is leaning ever more heavily on private military contractors to get by. Once upon a time, soldiers did more than pick up a gun. They picked up trash. They cut hair and delivered mail. They fixed airplanes and inflated truck tires. Not anymore. All of those tasks are now the responsibility of private military corporations. In the service of the Pentagon, their employees also man computers, write software code, create integrating systems, train technicians, manufacture and service high-tech weapons, market munitions, and interpret satellite images. People in ties or heels, not berets or fatigues, today translate documents, collect intelligence, interpret for soldiers and interrogators, approve contracts, draft reports to Congress, and provide oversight for other private contractors. They also fill prescriptions, fit prosthetics, and arrange for physical therapy and psychiatric care. Top to bottom, the Pentagon's war machine is no longer just driven by, but staffed by, corporations.

photo ticket cameras to track drivers nationwide
from the newspaper: Private companies in the US are hoping to use red light cameras and speed cameras as the basis for a nationwide surveillance network similar to one that will be active next year in the UK. Redflex and American Traffic Solutions (ATS), the top two photo enforcement providers in the US, are quietly shopping new motorist tracking options to prospective state and local government clients. Redflex explained the company's latest developments in an August 7 meeting with Homestead, Florida officials.

smile for the cameras
from willamette week: Portland Public Schools is giving the bus company that schleps around students $18,000 to buy 20 digital cameras to monitor rider behavior on district buses. The school board OK’d the expenditure at its Sept. 15 meeting on top of the district’s $58 million contract with Laidlaw Transit, now doing business as First Student. Andy Leibenguth, of the district’s transportation office, says no incident precipitated the camera purchase. The district isn’t targeting a specific route; it plans to rotate the cameras, which will supplement the 15 cameras First Student already uses.

collateral 45: to secede, or not to secede

from collateral news: What can you do if you disagree with the course the U.S. has taken and what if you believe this course cannot be changed? Right, you secede - as a small group of Vermonters is doing.

news on the march

US says it will increase efforts against 'tax defiers'
from new york times: If you think paying taxes is unfair, illegal or unconstitutional, then watch out - the Justice Department is after you. Just as the Internal Revenue Service is getting into its perennial tax-season tough talk, Justice Department officials weighed in Tuesday with a vow to ramp up efforts against “tax defiers.”

texas woman threatens bank tellers with morgellons
from alice echo news: A woman claiming to have Morgellons, a skin disease, drove through the Wells Fargo motor bank downtown and threatened the tellers by rubbing the bank canister on her sores and sending it through the tube. "A customer went through the drive-thru and threatened the bank staff to give them a contagious disease," said investigator David Valadez with the police department.

venezuela axes 'the simpsons' as bad for kids
from reuters: Venezuela has forced U.S. cartoon "The Simpsons" off its airwaves, calling the show a potentially bad influence on children, and filled its morning slot with reruns of the beach-and-bikini show "Baywatch."

'ruthlessness gene' discovered
from nature news: Selfish dictators may owe their behaviour partly to their genes, according to a study that claims to have found a genetic link to ruthlessness. The study might help to explain the money-grabbing tendencies of those with a Machiavellian streak - from national dictators down to ‘little Hitlers’ found in workplaces the world over.

activists want screeners on camera
from washington times: Religious, minority and civil rights activists are asking Homeland Security officials to screen their own airport screeners using video cameras to check whether passengers are being subjected to bias or profiling. "We believe such controls are critical to ensuring that our nation's [screeners] are focused squarely on security threats and not distracted by any personal bias," the organizations said in a letter...

US irked by iran's joining of shanghai cooperation organization
from press tv: The US says it will use all means to prevent Iran's influence in the region including its membership in Shanghai Cooperation Organization... Washington would not remain silent if there were signs the grouping was evolving in the direction of forming a military cooperation.

army conduct waivers double
from stars & stripes: The percentage of recruits requiring a waiver to join the Army because of a criminal record or other misconduct has more than doubled since 2004 to one for every eight new soldiers, USA Today reported...

40 nasa workers on same floor have cancer
from newsnet5: There are 40 cases of cancer among people who work in the same building at NASA Glenn Research Center. Dozens of the employees fear that their cancer was triggered by years of working in the developmental engineering building, NewsChannel5 reported... "What we've seen in the way of cancer here has just been astronomical on this third floor alone and we're just a little scared," said Dennis Pehotsky, of the Lewis Engineers and Scientists Association.

washington licenses to get rfid
from jerome corsi: The state of Washington announced a pilot project to introduce a driver's license "enhanced" with a radio frequency identification, or RFID... the enhanced license is intended to be an alternative way of complying with the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative mandated by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.

continuity of government & the 'endgame' scenario
from global research: Back in 1987 during joint congressional hearings into the Iran-Contra affair, Rep. Jack Brooks (D-TX) asked Lt. Col. Oliver North, Reagan's point-man on the National Security Council:

Since those 1987 hearings, the "arrangements" alluded to by Sen. Inouye about this prickly topic, Continuity of Government (COG), have yet to result in an open hearing before relevant congressional committees. Why?

dhs wants permanent checkpoint in vermont
from wcax: Homeland Security wants to build a permanent immigration checkpoint in central Vermont. An exact location has not been revealed, but officials say it would be similar to this one that used to be on Interstate 91 in Hartford. Agents use the check points to search for illegal immigrants, drugs smugglers and terrorists.

dhs ponders microwave raygun missile defences at airports
from the register: The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will consider fitting high-power microwave electropulse rayguns at US airports, in order to defend against the threat of terrorists firing portable anti-aircraft missiles at airliners. American defence heavyweight Raytheon would partner with Israel's Rafael and Kongsberg of Norway to provide the technology, according to a report in Flight International. The proposed kit is known as "Vigilant Eagle", and is competing for DHS securo-dollars with defensive systems that could be fitted to the airliners themselves - for instance BAE Systems' JetEye.

study shows high levels of toxic chemical in wv residents' blood
from ap: Thousands of West Virginia and Ohio residents have elevated levels of a chemical used to make the nonstick coating Teflon, according to preliminary data from a study... DuPont agreed to fund health screenings for up to 70,000 residents who claimed releases of the chemical C8 from the Washington Works plant near Parkersburg had contaminated public and private wells.

kucinich wins congressional primary

from ap: Dennis Kucinich may not be a presidential contender, but he is still a winner among his Cleveland constituents. The Ohio liberal won 50 percent of the vote in a five-way Democratic congressional primary Tuesday, beating back critics who said he ignored business at home to travel the country in his quest to be president... In Vermont, voters in one community approved a measure calling for the arrest of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.