Thursday, February 03, 2005
Judicial Watch on Kerry and Chertoff
From the Desk of Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton:
Dear Friends and Supporters:
I sent a letter to Sen. John F. Kerry asking him to keep his word to the American public and sign a federal form authorizing the release of all of his military records. On Sunday, Jan. 30, 2005, during an appearance on the NBC News show "Meet the Press," moderator Tim Russert three times asked Sen. Kerry if he would sign an SF 180 allowing release of all of his military records. On the third attempt Sen. Kerry answered Mr. Russert plainly: "Yes, I will." [Click here to read a transcript of the "Meet the Press" show.] In a Feb. 2 letter hand delivered to Sen. Kerry's Capitol Hill office, I asked him to execute the SF 180 immediately and thereby put to rest the controversies surrounding his service as a U.S. Navy officer. [Click here to read the letter.]
Judicial Watch requested Aug. 2, 2004, release of Sen. Kerry's military service records under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. Navy Personnel Command withheld 31 pages of documents because Sen. Kerry refused to sign an SF 180. The records pertained to: "Personnel service jackets and service records; and correspondence and records in both automated and non-automated form concerning classification, assignment, distribution, promotion, advancement, performance, recruiting, retention, reenlistment, separation, training, education, morale, personal affairs, benefits, entitlements, discipline and administration of naval personnel." Sen. Kerry has yet to come clean with the American people. We hope he will finally keep his promise to release his military records.
Judge Michael Chertoff, who is the nominee for secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, has had a distinguished career, serving as a U.S. attorney for New Jersey, assistant U.S. attorney general and, now, judge on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Despite that resume, we have some concerns about his fitness for office. We sent a letter Tuesday to Sens. Susan Collins and Joe Lieberman, the chairman and ranking minority member, respectively, of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, raising several questions about Judge Chertoff's role with a government operative who has connections to our client Peter Paul. We have asked the committee to investigate this matter before confirming Judge Chertoff. [Click here to read the letter.] In 2001, Judicial Watch and Peter Paul provided information to Judge Chertoff in his capacity as head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division about criminal activities of Stanley Myatt, a confidential government informant. (At that same time, we told Judge Chertoff of the Clintons' campaign finance irregularities related to the Hollywood tribute that Peter produced and underwrote.) Also, Mr. Myatt may have worked on behalf of the New Jersey U.S. attorney's office while Judge Chertoff was there. This is a serious matter. Mr. Myatt threatened Peter's life when he found out about his and our meeting with Judge Chertoff. But to our knowledge, the Justice Department did - and has done - nothing about Mr. Myatt. We hope the homeland security committee won't be as lax when it comes to looking into Judge Chertoff's background, but we are not encouraged. The committee has yet to contact us about Judge Chertoff.
A reminder to join Judicial Watch Director of Investigations and Research Chris Farrell Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m. in our "Full Disclosure" Internet chat room to discuss topical issues of the day. Just click on the "Full Disclosure" link on the Judicial Watch Internet site at www.judicialwatch.org.
Tom FittonPresident
Dear Friends and Supporters:
I sent a letter to Sen. John F. Kerry asking him to keep his word to the American public and sign a federal form authorizing the release of all of his military records. On Sunday, Jan. 30, 2005, during an appearance on the NBC News show "Meet the Press," moderator Tim Russert three times asked Sen. Kerry if he would sign an SF 180 allowing release of all of his military records. On the third attempt Sen. Kerry answered Mr. Russert plainly: "Yes, I will." [Click here to read a transcript of the "Meet the Press" show.] In a Feb. 2 letter hand delivered to Sen. Kerry's Capitol Hill office, I asked him to execute the SF 180 immediately and thereby put to rest the controversies surrounding his service as a U.S. Navy officer. [Click here to read the letter.]
Judicial Watch requested Aug. 2, 2004, release of Sen. Kerry's military service records under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. Navy Personnel Command withheld 31 pages of documents because Sen. Kerry refused to sign an SF 180. The records pertained to: "Personnel service jackets and service records; and correspondence and records in both automated and non-automated form concerning classification, assignment, distribution, promotion, advancement, performance, recruiting, retention, reenlistment, separation, training, education, morale, personal affairs, benefits, entitlements, discipline and administration of naval personnel." Sen. Kerry has yet to come clean with the American people. We hope he will finally keep his promise to release his military records.
Judge Michael Chertoff, who is the nominee for secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, has had a distinguished career, serving as a U.S. attorney for New Jersey, assistant U.S. attorney general and, now, judge on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Despite that resume, we have some concerns about his fitness for office. We sent a letter Tuesday to Sens. Susan Collins and Joe Lieberman, the chairman and ranking minority member, respectively, of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, raising several questions about Judge Chertoff's role with a government operative who has connections to our client Peter Paul. We have asked the committee to investigate this matter before confirming Judge Chertoff. [Click here to read the letter.] In 2001, Judicial Watch and Peter Paul provided information to Judge Chertoff in his capacity as head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division about criminal activities of Stanley Myatt, a confidential government informant. (At that same time, we told Judge Chertoff of the Clintons' campaign finance irregularities related to the Hollywood tribute that Peter produced and underwrote.) Also, Mr. Myatt may have worked on behalf of the New Jersey U.S. attorney's office while Judge Chertoff was there. This is a serious matter. Mr. Myatt threatened Peter's life when he found out about his and our meeting with Judge Chertoff. But to our knowledge, the Justice Department did - and has done - nothing about Mr. Myatt. We hope the homeland security committee won't be as lax when it comes to looking into Judge Chertoff's background, but we are not encouraged. The committee has yet to contact us about Judge Chertoff.
A reminder to join Judicial Watch Director of Investigations and Research Chris Farrell Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m. in our "Full Disclosure" Internet chat room to discuss topical issues of the day. Just click on the "Full Disclosure" link on the Judicial Watch Internet site at www.judicialwatch.org.
Tom FittonPresident
News and Opinions
News and Opinions
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Tuesday, February 1, 2005
JERUSALEM — Israeli officials said Cairo has ignored numerous appeals to stop overflights by Egyptian aircraft into Israel's air space.
The officials said the Egyptian intrusions were raising tension within the Israel Air Force due to concerns one of intruding aircraft could be a suicide plane filled with explosives.
"We tried to talk to them once or twice and nothing has changed," an official said. "These aircraft are entering our air space on an increasingly frequent basis."
Officials said most of the Egyptian air traffic that entered Israeli air space were passenger jets from Cairo to Amman, Middle East Newsline reported. They said the Egyptian aircraft entered Israeli air space near the southern port city of Eilat.
Over the last three years, the Israel Air Force has trained to intercept or shoot down unidentified planes that enter Israeli air space. Officials cited an Al Qaida plot — said to have been nixed by Osama Bin Laden — to commandeer a Saudi warplane and crash into an Israeli city.
The air force has deployed improved Hawk MIM-23B surface-to-air missile batteries in the Eilat area. The air force has also bolstered surveillance of Egypt and Saudi Arabia and placed aircraft on alert for interception missions.
Copyright © 2005 East West Services, Inc.
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Tuesday, February 1, 2005
JERUSALEM — Israeli officials said Cairo has ignored numerous appeals to stop overflights by Egyptian aircraft into Israel's air space.
The officials said the Egyptian intrusions were raising tension within the Israel Air Force due to concerns one of intruding aircraft could be a suicide plane filled with explosives.
"We tried to talk to them once or twice and nothing has changed," an official said. "These aircraft are entering our air space on an increasingly frequent basis."
Officials said most of the Egyptian air traffic that entered Israeli air space were passenger jets from Cairo to Amman, Middle East Newsline reported. They said the Egyptian aircraft entered Israeli air space near the southern port city of Eilat.
Over the last three years, the Israel Air Force has trained to intercept or shoot down unidentified planes that enter Israeli air space. Officials cited an Al Qaida plot — said to have been nixed by Osama Bin Laden — to commandeer a Saudi warplane and crash into an Israeli city.
The air force has deployed improved Hawk MIM-23B surface-to-air missile batteries in the Eilat area. The air force has also bolstered surveillance of Egypt and Saudi Arabia and placed aircraft on alert for interception missions.
Copyright © 2005 East West Services, Inc.
FOXNews.com
The was posted elsewhere:
"Re: Economist: Five million reasons to worry [on
> Germany's unemployment]
>>
> With unemployment so high, I wonder why they continue their "guest worker" programs.
For the same reason you see Mexican workers picking strawberries and lettuce and cotton and tomatoes and all the other crops along California's immense San Joaquin Valley: there is some work the pampered locals simply don't want to do.
The locals might do the work, if the wages hadn't been artifically depressed by illegals. Many of the jobs that are being lost in America are not to migrant farm workers, but to factory, construction and restaurant work. Chavez argues for control of the borders so that legal migrants would not have their wages undercut by illegals."
My comment:
The issues are complex, but one clear insight can be drawn: IF we open our borders to all "cheap" labor, then welfare for unemployed American workers should be reduced to the point where offered wages lure them away from taxpayer supported early retirement.
Carl S. Webber
http://artbycsw.blogspot.com/
http://4veritas.blogspot.com/
"Re: Economist: Five million reasons to worry [on
> Germany's unemployment]
>>
> With unemployment so high, I wonder why they continue their "guest worker" programs.
For the same reason you see Mexican workers picking strawberries and lettuce and cotton and tomatoes and all the other crops along California's immense San Joaquin Valley: there is some work the pampered locals simply don't want to do.
The locals might do the work, if the wages hadn't been artifically depressed by illegals. Many of the jobs that are being lost in America are not to migrant farm workers, but to factory, construction and restaurant work. Chavez argues for control of the borders so that legal migrants would not have their wages undercut by illegals."
My comment:
The issues are complex, but one clear insight can be drawn: IF we open our borders to all "cheap" labor, then welfare for unemployed American workers should be reduced to the point where offered wages lure them away from taxpayer supported early retirement.
Carl S. Webber
http://artbycsw.blogspot.com/
http://4veritas.blogspot.com/
Telegraph | News | Georgia's PM dies with friend from 'gas poisoning'
Telegraph | News | Georgia's PM dies with friend from 'gas poisoning':
"Georgia's PM dies with friend from 'gas poisoning'
(Filed: 03/02/2005)
Georgia's prime minister, Zurab Zhvania, has been found dead from apparent gas poisoning, the ex-Soviet state's interior minister has said.
His bodyguards broke through a window early this morning after Mr Zhvania failed to respond to his telephone, Russia's Interfax news agency said.
Zurab Zhvania's body was found in the flat of a friend, who also died. He was found in the apartment of a friend Raul Yusupov, deputy governor of a Georgian region, who also died. No foul play is suspected."
(story continues - follow the url.)
"Georgia's PM dies with friend from 'gas poisoning'
(Filed: 03/02/2005)
Georgia's prime minister, Zurab Zhvania, has been found dead from apparent gas poisoning, the ex-Soviet state's interior minister has said.
His bodyguards broke through a window early this morning after Mr Zhvania failed to respond to his telephone, Russia's Interfax news agency said.
Zurab Zhvania's body was found in the flat of a friend, who also died. He was found in the apartment of a friend Raul Yusupov, deputy governor of a Georgian region, who also died. No foul play is suspected."
(story continues - follow the url.)
Telegraph | News | Blair hit by rising outrage at house arrest
Telegraph | News | Blair hit by rising outrage at house arrest:"Blair hit by rising outrage at house arrest
By George Jones
(Filed: 03/02/2005)
Tony Blair was trying last night to prevent his anti-terrorism policy from unravelling as a cross-party alliance of MPs mobilised to block plans to detain British and foreign terrorist suspects under house arrest without trial.
In a conciliatory move, the Prime Minister agreed to a request from Michael Howard, the Conservative leader, for talks on a compromise after the Tories said they would oppose the house arrest plans."
By George Jones
(Filed: 03/02/2005)
Tony Blair was trying last night to prevent his anti-terrorism policy from unravelling as a cross-party alliance of MPs mobilised to block plans to detain British and foreign terrorist suspects under house arrest without trial.
In a conciliatory move, the Prime Minister agreed to a request from Michael Howard, the Conservative leader, for talks on a compromise after the Tories said they would oppose the house arrest plans."
FT.com / World / Europe - Iran and China linked to Ukraine missiles
A note from Benjamin Franklin:
"I agree to this Constitution with all its faults, if they are such:
because I think a General Government necessary for us, and there is no Form of Government but what may be a Blessing to the People if well-administered; and I believe farther that this is likely to be well administered for a Course of Years and can only end in Despotism as other Forms have done before it, when the People shall become so corrupted as to need Despotic Government, being incapable of any other."
CAn anyone supply the source? -csw
"I agree to this Constitution with all its faults, if they are such:
because I think a General Government necessary for us, and there is no Form of Government but what may be a Blessing to the People if well-administered; and I believe farther that this is likely to be well administered for a Course of Years and can only end in Despotism as other Forms have done before it, when the People shall become so corrupted as to need Despotic Government, being incapable of any other."
CAn anyone supply the source? -csw
