Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com WASHINGTON (The Blaze/AP) — President Obama has repeatedly pledged that American military members will not be on the ground in Libya. Despite this promise, for the second time the government is admitting having personnel on the ground. Fox News has more about this former pledge: From the East Room of the White House on March 18, [Obama] said: “The United States is not going to deploy ground troops into Libya.” Several days later at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., he said: “I said that America’s role would be limited, that we would not put ground troops into Libya, that we would focus our unique capabilities on the front end of the operation and that we would transfer responsibility to our allies and partners. Tonight, we are fulfilling that pledge.” But, alas, the circumstances and the decisions surrounding them have changed. The Pentagon says it has four troops in the war-torn nation. Spokesman Capt. John Kirby confirmed that there are troops working there to assist in the rebuilding of the U.S. Embassy. According to Fox News , these unidentified individuals are working with the State Department’s chief of mission to determine how best to reopen the embassy. The building, located in Tripoli, was badly damaged during the ongoing battle between Muammar Qaddafi’s forces and the citizens who have become known as the “rebels.” On Monday, Kirby said the four include two who specialize in disposing of explosives. He says the four are not there in any offensive or defensive military capacity, but strictly to help the State Department. The first time that there was an admission of troops being sent for on-the-ground work was back in March when Marines rescued an Air Force pilot who had ejected over eastern Libya:
Read more:
Pentagon Admits Limited Military Personnel Now On the Ground in Libya
Five months ago today, my 18-year-old cousin Marizela Perez vanished from the University District in Seattle near the campus of the University of Washington, where she was a freshman. The police have made no new progress in her missing persons case. Since I last updated you in July , we’ve had no new leads or breaks — and there still has been no sign or word from Marizela. We thank everyone around the country who continues to keep their eyes and ears open — and everyone who continues to keep Marizela and her parents in their thoughts and prayers. I want to call attention again to the NAMUS database as an invaluable yet underutilized tool for families of the missing and law enforcement agencies: Families with missing loved ones have had few places to turn in their quest for answers, until now. The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) in partnership with the National Forensic Science Technology Center (NFSTC) have developed the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) — a searchable database that can provide families with hands-on access to a national database of records related to missing and unidentified persons. Launched in January 2009, NamUs (www.namus.gov) serves as a national repository for information on missing persons and unidentified remains. It is designed to facilitate the work of the diverse community of individuals and organizations who investigate missing and unidentified persons and crosses borders of states, counties, municipalities and precincts. The system reaches between different law enforcement professions and allows the general public to become actively involved. NamUs Facts * Nationwide, there are an estimated 100,000 active missing persons cases and more than 40,000 sets of human remains that have not been identified. * The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) is a free web-based tool — accessible to everyone, but geared to families of missing persons, law enforcement, medical examiners/coroners and victim advocates — to assist in solving of missing and unidentified persons cases in the United States. * Data regarding missing persons can be entered in NamUs by law enforcement professionals, missing persons clearinghouses and the general public. * Anyone can access the NamUs system to search or track cases, print missing persons posters, find resources and even map out travel routes in an effort to locate a missing person. * The system searches for potential matches between missing and unidentified cases. Potential matches are presented to law enforcement case managers for closer review. As this recent Washington Post piece on missing persons and their families spotlights, the agony of unsolved cases is shared by so, so many: Despite a handful of high-profile cases, few of those who are desperately being searched for by police and despondent family members ever make headlines. There are just so many of them — every year, hundreds of thousands simply disappear. According to the FBI’s National Crime Information Center, last year there were 692,944 new reports of individuals who were missing and not assumed to be gone by their own choice. These people, for instance, might have a mental or physical disability, or the circumstances under which they disappeared indicate that they were in physical danger, or there is a reasonable concern for their safety. Those younger than 21 are automatically counted as missing regardless of whether their absence is voluntary or not. Approximately 51 percent of those reported missing in 2010 are female, 60 percent white or Hispanic and 33 percent African-American, roughly mirroring the U.S. population, though almost 80 percent of the missing are younger than 18. If it seems like nearly 700,000 missing people in one year is a lot, it is. And these are just the cases that are reported to the federal clearinghouse. They may be gone — but they are never, ever, ever forgotten by the loved ones who continue to search, hope, pray, and yearn for their return. Emem: You are so loved. Dear Lord, bring her home. *** Missing persons flyer and background information at www.findmarizela.com Donations and tribute bracelet information here . Lahat ay magiging maayos. (“All will be well” or “Everything’s going to be okay.”)
Read this article:
Praying for Marizela: Month 5
Thomas Sawyer said a TSA agent mishandled his urostomy bag during a recent screening, after a similar incident last year when a pat-down left him soaked in urine.
Here is the original post:
Bladder Cancer Patient Says TSA Screener Mishandled His Urostomy Bag — Again
I got a sharp hit to the stomach upon seeing the news, at Bob Belvedere’s, ” NO SURPRISE: Amy Winehouse Found Dead – Overdose Suspected ,” and following the link there to Joy McCann, ” Amy Winehouse Found Dead in Her London Flat .” I wasn’t the biggest fan, but her substance abuse was troubling to me . A beautiful and talented woman, now lost to a blues singers’ ugly death. See New York Times , ” Amy Winehouse, British Soul Singer With a Destructive Image, Dies at 27 “: Amy Winehouse, the British singer who found worldwide fame with a smoky, hip-hop-inflected take on retro soul, yet became a tabloid fixture as her struggles with drugs and alcohol brought about a striking public career collapse, was found dead in her home in London on Saturday. She was 27. The cause was not immediately known. The London police said that they had been called to an address in Camden Square in northern London on Saturday afternoon and found a 27-year-old woman, who had been pronounced dead at the scene. The police did not identify the body, but according to a report by The Associated Press, the London Ambulance Service said it was Ms. Winehouse. The police said that they were investigating the circumstances of the death, but that “at this early stage it is being treated as unexplained.” Ms. Winehouse’s American record label, Universal Republic, said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened at the sudden loss of such a gifted musician, artist and performer. Our prayers go out to Amy’s family, friends and fans at this difficult time.” Instantly recognizable from the heavy makeup and high beehive hairdo she borrowed from the Ronettes, Ms. Winehouse became one of the most acclaimed young singers of the 2000s, selling millions of albums, winning five Grammy Awards and kicking off the British trend of retro soul and R&B that continues today. Yet from the moment she arrived on the international pop scene in 2007, Ms. Winehouse had an image that seemed almost defiantly self-destructive. In songs like “You Know I’m No Good,” she sang alcohol-soaked regrets of failed romances, and for many listeners the lyrics to the song “Rehab” — which won her three of the five Grammys she took in 2008 — crystallized her public persona. “They tried to make me go to rehab,” she sang, “I said, ‘No, no, no.’ ” I’ll have more later. Fausta blogs Winehouse as well. Added : Now a Memeorandum thread .
See the original post:
Amy Winehouse, 1983 – 2011
Nine years ago, I published Invasion and have since devoted extensive column, blog, and broadcast space to informing readers about America’s deportation abyss. Most of the politicians in Washington who speak about “comprehensive immigration reform” are still abjectly ignorant about the ins, outs, loopholes, and lax enforcement that characterize our chaotic, security-undermining deportation policies. It’s an endless appeals process and immigration litigation lottery played by deportable aliens and their open-borders lawyers. Capitol Hill compounds the problem with a raft of special private relief bills that protect illegal alien criminals. The Center for Immigration Studies is out with a brand new report today on deportation basics. Among the key findings: * A large percentage of aliens flee from removal proceedings – perhaps as many as 59 percent of all those released to await hearings. On a cost basis from the alien’s perspective, this makes sense. If you are in proceedings and have little chance of relief, why not treat the bond money (if it’s even required) as the cost of having been caught, and then flee, hoping to stay under the radar for as long as possible, perhaps until the next amnesty? * Though fashionable in the Obama administration, the exercise of “prosecutorial discretion” is problematic for ICE field officers. If the alien that they decline to remove goes on to commit a heinous act, they could be subject to lawsuits from victims and will be held accountable by their own agency (even if agency leadership encourages them to use the tool). * Even in today’s technology-driven world, charging an alien with immigration violations is a paperwork-intensive, cumbersome process that requires agents to fill out nearly 20 different forms each time. * ICE officers are supposed to consider two key factors in determining whether to detain or release an alien in proceedings – if the alien is a flight risk and if he is a risk to the community. The latter factor obviously is given serious consideration, but it is equally obvious from the large number of absconders that officers don’t give the same weight to the likelihood of flight, especially considering the scarcity of funded detention space. * The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provides for several types of due process for aliens, depending on their circumstances of arrival and stay. The law does not require that all removals be ordered by an immigration judge. * The option of Voluntary Return, where the alien requests to be returned home in lieu of formal removal proceedings, is not really “voluntary,” but is beneficial to the alien because it carries fewer consequences if the alien returns illegally. It also has become subject to overuse or misuse in recent years as a tool to increase the volume of removals, at the expense of more formal methods of removal that have more deterrent value. * Immigration law provides for seven ways to remove an alien, which are explained in the report. Four of these options are relatively efficient, but used less frequently. If ICE chose to expand their use, the workload of the immigration court could be reduced and the immigration enforcement system would be less dysfunctional. * The total number of apprehensions of illegal aliens by immigration enforcement agencies is less than half of what it was five years ago. For instance, the drop in apprehensions by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is often explained by improvements in border security; however, this rationale is suspect, as has been pointed out by the Rand Corp. in a study of border metrics. But ICE apprehensions also have dropped steeply, although there has been only a modest drop in the size of the illegal population inside the United States. The report comes as left-wing religious leaders continue to lobby for the DREAM Act illegal alien student bailout. Make sure you are armed with the facts to counter the emotion-driven juggernaut: As the effort to pass the DREAM Act hits its 10th anniversary, churches, synagogues and mosques around the country will devote a September weekend to teaching their congregations about the faith-based reasons to work for its passage. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., flanked by priests, bishops, rabbis, ministers and an imam, announced July 12 in a news conference at the Capitol that Sept. 23-25 will be DREAM Act Sabbath. Faith leaders said they and their fellows would devote time during or after worship services to explaining the legislation and offering testimony from young people who would be affected by it, all geared toward mustering legislative support. …Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington, said at the press conference that “these are Americans, for all practical purposes,” and that many DREAM Act supporters, who call themselves “Dreamers” risk deportation in order to advocate for the chance to become U.S. citizens through its provisions. “Why would we not want to embrace their dedication, energy, talents, and courage — characteristics that have made our nation great? It would be to our detriment to forsake them.” He said that speaking on behalf of fellow bishops, “we plan to promote the DREAM Act Sabbath.” The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, linked the effort to Scripture. “Christ himself admonished us to permit the little ones, the children, to come to him for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them.” *** Recent: Document drop: ICE memos open another door to illegal alien amnesty-by-fiat
See original here:
The truth about deportation
It’s Les Hinton. See Wall Street Journal , ” Dow Jones CEO Hinton Resigns .” And at New York Times , ” Les Hinton’s Resignation Letters to Murdoch and Journal Staff “: Dear Rupert, I have watched with sorrow from New York as the News of the World story has unfolded. I have seen hundreds of news reports of both actual and alleged misconduct during the time I was executive chairman of News International and responsible for the company. The pain caused to innocent people is unimaginable. That I was ignorant of what apparently happened is irrelevant and in the circumstances I feel it is proper for me to resign from News Corp, and apologize to those hurt by the actions of the News of the World. Continue reading Hinton’s resignation letter . And Rupert Murdoch responds, ” Murdoch on Hinton Resignation “: To Dow Jones employees, You will have just heard that I, with the heaviest of hearts, have accepted the resignation of Les Hinton. It is a measure of his integrity and the quality of his character that he felt compelled to take responsibility even though he is far from the serious issues in London. Les and I have been on a remarkable journey together for more than 52 years. That this passage has come to an unexpected end, professionally, not personally, is a matter of much sadness to me. I vividly recall an enthusiastic young man in the offices of my first newspaper in Adelaide, where Les joined the company as a 15-year-old and had the rather unenviable task of buying me sandwiches for lunch. It was clear then that Les was a remarkable talent, and that he had the ability and the energy to carry him far. Little did we both realize that we would be travel companions on a journey through the world of magazines, Hollywood, television studios, coupons and the greatest newspapers on the globe. Little did we realize that our corporate relationship would end in these circumstances. Through all of his many jobs he has displayed leadership – and that leadership has enabled us to make remarkable progress at the Dow Jones company while our competitors have been flailing because of structural change and economic crisis. Continue . Look for a thread shortly at Memeorandum . More : At New York Times , ” Executive Who Ran Murdoch Unit at Time of Hacking Quits .”
Continue reading here:
Dow Jones CEO Resigns
An editorial, at Orange County Register : The Fourth of July, Independence Day, is a good time not only for hot dogs and fireworks, but to reflect for a moment on what makes this country unique, the qualities that enabled it to become in some ways the most successful country in history, and to contemplate the extent to which those qualities still animate Americans. It has been said that the United States is the only country founded on an idea, or a set of ideas, rather than on ethnic or racial similarities, kinship, conquest or the simple fact of a relatively homogeneous group of people living in the same geographic region for centuries. Those ideas are summed up in the Declaration of Independence, the document whose signing and promulgation we celebrate. In some ways it can lay claim to being the most revolutionary public document in human history. Aspects of the idea that people are not just vassals of the powers that be, interchangeable cogs in the great machinery of society presided over by leaders who had by and large established themselves through conquest and pillage, had been growing for centuries before 1776. But the circumstances surrounding the decision of the Colonists to separate from Great Britain offered the opportunity to summarize emerging principles in a uniquely eloquent manner. “We hold these truths to be self-evident,” the Declaration proclaims, “that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” By “created equal,” of course, the founders were not so naïve as to believe that we were all equally tall, intelligent, beautiful or worthy, but that we have equal value in the sight of God or Natural Law and should receive equal treatment rather than preferences or punishment based on our status from government. Every human being has a certain inherent dignity, and decent people respect that. Check that link above for the rest. Also, from Jennifer Braceras, at Boston Herald , ” The lasting lessons of independence .” BONUS: At American Digest , ” How Beautiful We Were .”
We knew it was coming. I’ve warned for years about illegal alien amnesty by executive fiat and the backdoor sabotage of immigration enforcement by this administration — and every one preceding it over the last two decades. I’ve also reported on how Congress issues individual deportation waivers to illegal aliens. And I’ve spotlighted the deadly “13 strikes you’re out” policies of border-state prosecutors. On Friday, in another trademark Obama document dump, ICE issued a memo that pushes the perpetually-rejected DREAM Act for illegal alien students. As immigration lawyer Michelle Scopellite explained to me: “In essence, what this means is that if someone, is not a major criminal and is in removal proceedings, ICE officers are now to release them or terminate proceedings if they are involved in a lawsuit or fighting for union ideals. This appears to be another attempt by the Obama admin. to side-step immigration law through administrative acts. My partner and I are just returning from the AILA conference where, we were more than likely, the only Republicans in attendance and the director of DHS and the ICE Director, both discussed this memo and it received rave reviews from the liberal wing of AILA.” There are actually two documents in the hopper, a more detailed six-page prosecutorial discretion memo and shorter policy summary: Read the documents for yourselves right here: Prosecutorial Discretion Morton Second Memo June 17 2011 Prosecutorial Discretion Morton Memo June 17 2011 Here are the categories that Morton flags for “particular care and consideration” — e.g., amnesty: * the person’s length of presence in the United States, with particular consideration given to presence while in lawful status; * the circumstances of the person’s arrival in the United States and the manner of his or her entry,particularly if the alien came to the United States as a young child; * the person’s pursuit of education in the United States, with particular consideration given to those who have graduated from a U.S. high school or have successfully pursued or are pursuing a college or advanced degrees at a legitimate institution ofhigher education in the United States; * whether the person, or the person’s immediate relative, has served in the U.S. military, reserves, or national guard, with particular consideration given to those who served in combat; * the person’s criminal history, including arrests, prior convictions, or outstanding arrest warrants; * the person’s immigration history, including any prior removal, outstanding order of removal, prior denial of status, or evidence offraud; * whether the person poses a national security or public safety concern; * the person’s ties and contributions to the community, including family relationships; * the person’s ties to the home country and * the person’s age, with particular consideration given to minors and the elderly; * whether the person has a U.S. citizen or permanent resident spouse, child, or parent; * whether the person is the primary caretaker of a person with a mental or physical disability, minor, or seriously ill relative; ; * whether the person or the person’s spouse is pregnant or nursing; * whether the person or the person’s spouse suffers from severe mental or physical illness; * whether the person’s nationality renders removal unlikely; * Whether the person is likely to be granted temporary or permanent status or other relief from removal, including as a relative of a U.S. citizen or permanent resident; * whether the person is likely to be granted temporary or permanent status or other relief from removal, including as an asylum seeker, or a victim of domestic violence, human trafficking, or other crime; and * whether the person is currently cooperating or has cooperated with federal, state or local law enforcement authorities, such as ICE, the U.S Attorneys or Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, or National Labor Relations Board, among others. More from Kris Kobach via Neil Munro: “They’re pushing the [immigration] agents to be even more lax, to go further in not enforcing the law,” said Kris Kobach, Kansas’ secretary of state. “At a time when millions of Americans are unemployed and looking for work, this is more bad news coming from the Obama administration… [if the administration] really cared about putting Americans back to work, it would be vigorously enforcing the law,” said Kobach, who has helped legislators in several states draft local immigration-related laws. …The primary document was the six-page “prosecutorial discretion” memo, which provided new reasons for officials to not deport illegal immigrants. “When weighing whether an exercise of prosecutorial discretion may be warranted for a given alien, ICE officials, agents and attorneys should consider all relevant factors, including, but not limited to – the circumstances of the person’s arrival in the United States … particularly if the alien came to the United States as a young child; the Person’s pursuit of education… .. whether the person, or the person’s immediate relative, has served in the U.S. military,” said the memo. “The factors are extremely broad and very troubling … [it] look like a stealth DREAM Act enforcement through non-enforcement,” said Kobach. The deportation abyss deepens again. Remember: It ain’t over ’til the alien wins.
Visit link:
Document drop: ICE memos open another door to illegal alien amnesty-by-fiat
