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	<title>If Bush Did It &#187; country</title>
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	<description>We would still be hearing about it!</description>
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		<title>Was Santorum Really Bashing Female Soldiers’ Emotions? He Clarifies</title>
		<link>http://www.ifbushdidit.com/2012/02/11/was-santorum-really-bashing-female-soldiers-emotions-he-clarifies/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ifbushdidit.com/2012/02/11/was-santorum-really-bashing-female-soldiers-emotions-he-clarifies/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 11 Feb 2012 07:21:33 +0000</pubDate>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ifbushdidit.com/2012/02/11/was-santorum-really-bashing-female-soldiers-emotions-he-clarifies/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ It isn't only Rick Santorum's stunning primary wins in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri and a rousing CPAC speech that have caught headlines this week. The former Pennsylvania senator also raised some eyebrows on Thursday when he said that he has "concerns about women in front-line combat." His comments, which were taken to be sexist by some, were later clarified -- but the controversy surrounding them is still swirling. "I want to create every opportunity for women to be able to serve this country, and they do so in an amazing and wonderful way and they're a great addition -- and they have been for a long time -- to the armed services of our country," Santorum said in an interview with CNN's John King on Thursday. But what came next is what stunned critics. "But I do have concerns about women in front-line combat, I think that could be a very compromising situation, where people naturally may do things that may not be in the interest of the mission, because of other types of emotions that are involved," he said . "It already happens, of course, with the camaraderie of men in combat, but I think it would be even more unique if women were in combat, and I think that's probably not in the best interest of men, women or the mission." Watch these comments, below: Critics saw these statements as saying that women are too emotional to engage in front-line combat. But on Friday, Santorum attempted to clarify his statements, saying that they were more focused upon men and their emotions than they were women. "When you have men and women together in combat, I think there's -- men have emotions when you see a woman in harm's way," he told NBC's Ann Curry  on "Today." "I think it's something that's natural, that's very much in our culture to be protective, and that was my concern." Santorum went on to decry the notion that he was saying women are too emotional. "I've never raised that as a concern," he proclaimed . "No, the issue is -- and certainly one that has been talked about for a long, long time -- is how men would react to seeing women in harm's way, or potentially being injured or in a vulnerable position, and not being concerned about accomplishing the mission." Watch him make these clarifications, below: In an interview with ABC News, he also claimed that he wasn't slamming women. "I was talking about men’s emotional issues; not women," he said . "I mean, there’s a lot of issues. That’s just one of them." Here's the ABC interview: video platform video management video solutions video player Santorum also mentioned women's physical strength in his original arguments on Thursday against their serving in increased roles on the front lines. His arguments, though, focused mainly on the lack of transportation assistance women could give, due to less strength, to injured men -- something that didn't ignite critics' interest as much as his "emotion" comments did. ]]></description>
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		<title>Appropriate? Mich. School Students Write Letters to Gov. During Class Time About Budget Cuts</title>
		<link>http://www.ifbushdidit.com/2012/02/11/appropriate-mich-school-students-write-letters-to-gov-during-class-time-about-budget-cuts/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ifbushdidit.com/2012/02/11/appropriate-mich-school-students-write-letters-to-gov-during-class-time-about-budget-cuts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 11 Feb 2012 07:20:32 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_241086" align="aligncenter" width="434" caption="Screenshot from Wallen Lake School District&#39;s website calling parent&#39;s to action."] [/caption] Like many schools throughout the state of Michigan -- and around the country for that matter -- Walled Lake Consolidated School District in Oakland County, Mich., has suffered budget cuts. With that it has called upon parents of its students to write letters to legislators and Gov. Rick Snyder's office in protest of the cuts -- but parents aren't the only ones doing the letter writing. According to Michigan Capitol Confidential, a news service from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, elementary school students spent class time writing letters voicing their dissent over the cuts to the elected officials -- and some parent's aren't happy: Walled Lake parent Ernie Hughes said he didn’t think the assignment was appropriate. “Don’t bring politics into the school and use the kids as pawns,” Hughes said. Michigan Capitol Confidential has more on the letter writing, which was confirmed by the school on Thursday: The students were told the best letters would be forwarded to the governor. One parent said the teachers prepped the students with what the budget cuts entailed because some weren’t aware. Students also were asked to speak in front of their classmates about why they didn’t like the budget cuts. Parents' weren't the only ones disagreeing with the use of classtime to write such letters: District Spokesman Judy Evola said in an email it wasn’t appropriate for the elementary age students to write the letters. “The District neither supports this writing assignment or believes it was age appropriate for elementary students," she said. "Further, Walled Lake Schools does not blame the governor for the decisions to cut positions and programs in the district for the current year or for the past five years.” “It’s completely inappropriate to use students in this way,” [Michael Van Beek, director of education policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy,] wrote in an e-mail. “But if teachers are going to force them to write letters, maybe they should address those letters to union bosses and school board members who maintain and defend an unsustainable cost structure that forces schools to reduce the level of services they can provide to students and taxpayers.” Here are a few comments on the article: The Michigan Capitol Confidential reports that the school district did have to layoff some teachers due to the budget cuts but Evola is reported as saying the school is committed to "living within our means." Still, as the publication points out, the school's website says that cutting funding is "not acceptable" and that the district will be taking action "either by calling or emailing" to protest current and prevent proposed cuts. At the same time, Snyder announced earlier this week that with some surplus state money, he wants schools to compete for more funding -- a growing trend -- based on performance. With Michigan heading into a new budget year without the chronic deficits that plagued it for the past 10 years, Snyder wants to reward schools for how well they educate, not for merely having the best and brightest students. Several states have tied financial incentives to standardized test scores, but Snyder's plan is somewhat different. "This year we had a surplus, so we had a lot of requests for funding," Snyder said. "But good budgeting isn't about taking that surplus and giving everyone a little bit more money ... (it's about) rewarding success and results." While critics praised Snyder for spending more on education, they argued his plan leaves schools without the resources to make the improvements he wants. "Any money that will be funneled back to our schools is, of course, a step in the right direction," said state Rep. Ellen Cogen Lipton, the top Democrat on an education spending subcommittee. "However, these funds will only provide the bare minimum in restoring the drastic and unnecessary attack on our children's education that left our schools to increase class sizes and without money for books, teaching materials and support staff." The Associated Press contributed to this report.  Do you think students should be allowed to use class time to write letters to legislative officials? ]]></description>
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		<title>Limbaugh on So-Called HHS ‘Accommodation’: There‘s no ’Compromise,‘ It’s all BS!</title>
		<link>http://www.ifbushdidit.com/2012/02/11/limbaugh-on-so-called-hhs-accommodation-theres-no-compromise-its-all-bs/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 11 Feb 2012 07:16:57 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[Earlier today, The Blaze’s Billy Hallowell reported the following: This afternoon, President Obama announced the “accommodation” his administration plans to offer church-affiliated groups. Speaking from the White House, he explained that, under the new plan, universities and institutions connected with faiths that oppose contraception and associated services will not have to directly offer them. Obama said that the new-and-improved birth control, sterilization and abortion-inducing drug policy will protect religious liberties, while assuring women’s access to contraception  reports the AP . And although major media outlets were calling the president’s decision a “cave,” some critics believe that he's simply applying the unconstitutional mandate to a different entity, namely, insurance companies. “Everybody's reporting that Obama's caving on this mandate that the Catholic services provide abortion and all. There's not a cave here!” conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh said Friday afternoon. “There may be an accommodation, but there's no big cave-in here. It's still the government mandating this stuff happen. They're just changing the provider. It's not done by the church. He says he gave them a way out of it by mandating the insurance companies do it, but that's not the point here.” He continued: So everywhere I'm reading that Obama is caving on the mandate in Obamacare that Catholic churches -- well, not churches, but the schools and hospitals are mandated to provide contraceptives and abortion-related services that they religiously disagree with. "What's happened here is that Obama's caved! He has seen, he has heard, and now he's gonna shift that burden to the insurance companies!" … My point here is, ladies and gentlemen, we are losing freedom and liberty inch by inch. It's not being taken -- well, in some cases it is, but in most cases it's not being taken from us in giant grabs. It's little by little by little such that people don't even see it. It doesn't even register. Limbaugh then addressed an AP report that claimed religious employers would not have to cover birth control for their employees. "The administration instead will demand that insurance companies will be the ones directly responsible for providing free contraception," the AP reported. Limbaugh was beside himself. “And we're supposed to applaud this? We're supposed to think that we have emerged with a big victory here? Obama can mandate that we buy insurance, and now Obama can mandate what insurance companies must offer -- and after mandating what insurance companies must offer, then Obama can mandate what insurance companies can charge for it?” Limbaugh asked. So what was his take away from this supposed “cave”? “Freedom doesn't mean anything to this guy! Freedom doesn't mean anything to this regime or this administration. To me, this is breathtaking. This is an incredible sight to behold here,” Limbaugh said. “Since when does a president have the power to threaten to issue a rule gutting religious liberty? That's the first thing.” Limbaugh then went on to explain that he believes all of this “kerfuffle” between the Catholic Church and the Obama administration has been by design. “And, by the way, I don't think any of this a mistake. I don't think this religious kerfuffle is something that they overreached on,” Limbaugh explained. “I think roiling this country and distracting people, setting up these extreme things like this and then walking them back to create the illusion, ‘Okay, you know what? We're not gonna take your freedom,’ it's all BS, folks.” Hear Limbaugh explain the so-called "compromise" via Daily Rushbo : “So here we have again from the top,” Limbaugh continued, “Obama's gonna offer a compromise proposal said to be respectful of religious concerns. He started this. He started it by demanding that Catholic organizations provide birth control and other abortion-related services.” “That's unconstitutional. He cannot do it. There is an appropriate uproar. The regime says, ‘Okay, we'll walk it back and then we'll make the insurance companies do it.’ He's still getting everything he wants! He's getting mandated federal funding of abortion services -- and, in the process, trampling all over the Constitution. The right to religious liberty in this context is unequivocal in our country. It's in the Constitution!” Read the full transcript of Limbaugh’s opening monologue here. ]]></description>
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		<title>‘Live Action’ Advocate Lila Rose: ‘Unfortunately Media Coverage’…Would Have Readers Believe that ‘Women’s Health‘ is Synonymous With&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://www.ifbushdidit.com/2012/02/11/live-action-advocate-lila-rose-unfortunately-media-coveragewould-have-readers-believe-that-womens-health-is-synonymous-with/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 11 Feb 2012 07:16:25 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[ Author:  Lila Rose  is president of  Live Action . Last weekend’s Super Bowl football game was a good metaphor for the fast-paced, ever-changing news on the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s decision to defund Planned Parenthood. First, the country’s largest breast cancer charity announced that the nation’s biggest abortion chain would no longer be eligible for grant money. A mere 48 hours later, after a blistering assault from Planned Parenthood allies and media elites, Komen apologized and revised its new grant-making policy. Now, their future relationship with Planned Parenthood remains ambiguous, and Karen Handel, their pro-life Vice President has resigned, demonized by pro-Planned Parenthood media. It’s easy to get lost in the back-and-forth of the action and overlook the real significance of some of the “plays,” and even “touch downs,” we witnessed. Since its founding in 1982, the Komen Foundation has raised close to $2 billion to pay for breast cancer screenings, prevention programs, research, education, advocacy, and treatment. Since Planned Parenthood’s inception, they have killed over 5 million unborn children, raking in well over $2 billion from abortion alone. In fact, in just the last year, Planned Parenthood committed over 320,000 abortions, which now account for over 40% of its clinic revenue. Taxpayers, through the government, also give over $1 million per day to Planned Parenthood. And there is a small detail the media completely missed: Planned Parenthood does not do mammograms, the very valuable tool used to screen for breast cancer. My organization, Live Action, called dozens of Planned Parenthoods asking for an appointment for a mammogram and each and every time we were referred elsewhere. The organization has since admitted they don’t perform mammograms at any of their facilities. The abortion giant isn’t even allowed to conduct mammograms - the most they can do are manual breast exams and if a low-income woman needs one of those, the federal government pays for it. Planned Parenthood does not need Komen’s money, they need Komen’s credibility, which, ironically is now in the gutter because it was destroyed by Planned Parenthood. The abortion giant’s reputation has suffered heavily because of several investigations on the state level and now on the federal level. In just the last year, Live Action’s undercover footage revealed Planned Parenthood workers in seven clinics aiding and abetting the sex trafficking of young girls. Before that, they were caught on tape refusing to comply with mandatory reporting laws on child rape and abuse. Before that they were taped excitedly taking money earmarked to abort black babies. Contrast this reputation with the pretty pink ribbons and millions of men and women racing to find a cure for breast cancer. Whose side do you want to be on? The enormous hypocrisy that envelops Planned Parenthood is astounding, perhaps only surpassed by the media’s love of covering up the abortion giant’s offenses against women and children or their inaccurate reporting of what Planned Parenthood actually does for breast cancer screenings. Planned Parenthood is the offensive and corrupt organization, not the Komen Foundation. The Komen Foundation is not under investigation for possible criminal activity - that would be Planned Parenthood’s claim to fame. Yet somehow Planned Parenthood has the nerve to viciously attack Komen for refusing to fund their breast cancer screening referral program. Several Komen officials have been truthfully surprised at the backlash regarding their initial decision to defund Planned Parenthood. They were the targets of a mafia-style shakedown because they didn’t want the drama that came with funding the nation’s largest abortion provider. And it was Komen’s right to do so as a private non-profit giving money away in grants. Unfortunately media coverage of the entire fiasco would have readers believe that “women’s health” is synonymous with “abortions” when in reality they are two very separate entities and Komen--rightly--wanted to keep it that way. Planned Parenthood is nothing more than union thugs who want to be viewed through rose, errr, pink-colored glasses. Don’t be fooled.]]></description>
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		<title>Military Intervention in Syria</title>
		<link>http://www.ifbushdidit.com/2012/02/10/military-intervention-in-syria/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ifbushdidit.com/2012/02/10/military-intervention-in-syria/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>TwilaManozca764</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[From Michael Weiss, at The New Republic , " Break the Stalemate! A Blueprint For a Military Intervention in Syria ": In the past several weeks, the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and other independent rebel brigades have made great strides: They have “liberated” key cities such as Zabadani, 20 miles outside of Damascus; set up checkpoints in restive areas throughout the country; and even begun to seize a few tanks and armored vehicles. For a network of ragtag militias, armed mainly with AK-47s and RPGs that defecting soldiers have given or sold them, the rebels have impressively taken the fight right up to Bashar al-Assad’s doorstep. But the rebels can only go so far. “If no one helps us, we can hit the regime painfully but we can’t topple it, not [when it has] jets and tanks,” Alaa al-Sheikh, the spokesman for the Khaled Bin Waleed Brigade in Rastan, told me. This is a fair precis of the current situation in the nearly year-long Syrian uprising, in which the Assad regime has killed 7,000 people and dispossessed and imprisoned tens of thousands more. The rebels are waging a guerrilla war of attrition designed to exhaust Assad’s army and security forces rather than defeat them: They hope that if and when external help comes, they can make quick work of whatever regime elements remain. In that way, it would be a mistake to describe the crisis in Syria simply as a humanitarian catastrophe. It is also a military stalemate—one that the West can decisively break in favor of anti-Assad forces by offering them military assistance. Going to war is a dangerous and risky business, and critics of Western intervention in Syria have understandably focused on three main hazards: the proliferation of jihadist groups, regional destabilization, and the rise of sectarianism (particularly between the Sunni majority and the Christian and Alawite minorities). But the worst fears of what might happen following an intervention have already come to pass and only threaten to grow worse with continued inaction. Continue reading . And here's Weiss' blueprint for intervention, " Intervention in Syria? An Assessment of Legality, Logistics and Hazards ." The Los Angeles Times has an editorial out today opposing intervention, " Avoiding the Syria Trap ." Check the arguments there. It's obvious that "diplomacy" won't work. And if the U.S. did intervene it would be against the wishes of Russia and China, and the West could risk a new Islamist regime coming to power in Damascus. But in the absence of regime change, it's likely that Assad will continue to massacre his own people. There are no good options here. ]]></description>
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		<title>Iran Vows to Hit Back at Any Country That Stages an Attack</title>
		<link>http://www.ifbushdidit.com/2012/02/05/iran-vows-to-hit-back-at-any-country-that-stages-an-attack/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:29:34 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_236974" align="alignright" width="327" caption="AP"] [/caption] TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran will target any country where an attack against it is staged, a senior Guard commander warned Sunday, the latest Iranian threat tied to growing tensions over its nuclear program and Western sanctions. Gen. Hossein Salami, deputy commander of the elite Revolutionary Guard, Iran's most powerful military force, did not elaborate. His comments appeared to be a warning to Iran's neighbors not to let their territory or airspace be used as a base for an attack. "Any place where enemy offensive operations against the Islamic Republic of Iran originate will be the target of a reciprocal attack by the Guard's fighting units," the semiofficial Fars news agency quoted Salami as saying. The Revolutionary Guard started maneuvers in the country's south on Saturday, following naval exercises near the Strait of Hormuz , a vital oil export route, additional muscle flexing by Iran to ward off the prospect of a military strike against its nuclear facilities. Iran has threatened to close off the strait if Western sanctions limit Iranian oil exports. The U.S. and its Western allies charge Iran is producing atomic weapons. Iran says its program is meant to produce fuel for future nuclear power reactors and medical radioisotopes needed for cancer patients. Israel and the U.S. have said that all options remain open, including military action, if Iran continues with its uranium enrichment program. U.S. officials have indicated they are concerned that Israel might launch a strike in the spring . Israel considers Iran an existential threat because of its nuclear and missile programs and repeated references by Iranian leaders to Israel's destruction. On Friday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called Israel a "cancer" that must be removed. Iran has been enriching uranium to less than 5 percent for years, but it began to further enrich part of its uranium stockpile to nearly 20 percent a year ago, saying it needs the higher grade material to produce fuel for a Tehran reactor that makes medical radioisotopes. Weapons-grade uranium is usually about 90 percent enriched. Iran says the higher enrichment activities - to nearly 20 percent - will be carried out at Fordo, built underground to protect it from airstrikes. These operations are of particular concern to the West because uranium at 20 percent enrichment can be converted much more quickly for use in a nuclear warhead than uranium enriched to only 3.5 percent. A high-level inspection team from the International Atomic Energy Agency was in Iran last week but did not visit its nuclear facilities. In November, the U.N. watchdog agency issued a report drawing on 1,000 pages of intelligence. It stated then for the first time that some of the alleged experiments can have no other purpose than developing nuclear weapons. "The information indicates that Iran has carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device," the report stated. Iran denounced the IAEA report, saying the agency has discredited itself by siding with "absurd" U.S. accusations. Tehran said the allegations were based on "fabricated documents."]]></description>
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		<title>Egypt Putting 19 Americans, Including Transportation Sec’s Son, on Trial Over Funds</title>
		<link>http://www.ifbushdidit.com/2012/02/05/egypt-putting-19-americans-including-transportation-secs-son-on-trial-over-funds/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ifbushdidit.com/2012/02/05/egypt-putting-19-americans-including-transportation-secs-son-on-trial-over-funds/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:29:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
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		<category><![CDATA[egypt]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ifbushdidit.com/2012/02/05/egypt-putting-19-americans-including-transportation-secs-son-on-trial-over-funds/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[[caption id="attachment_236995" align="alignleft" width="303" caption="Sam LaHood, son of Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood, is one of 19 Americans Egypt will put on trial over funds. (AP)"] [/caption] CAIRO (AP) -- Ignoring a stern U.S. threat, Egypt on Sunday referred 43 NGO workers, including 19 Americans, to trial before a criminal court for allegedly using illegal foreign funds to foment unrest. (Related: Transportation Sec. LaHood: Son Feels ‘Safe’ Despite Being Detained in Egypt ) The decision marked a sharp escalation of the dispute between Cairo and Washington over Egypt's crackdown on U.S.-funded groups promoting democracy and human rights. The two countries have been close allies for more than three decades, but the campaign against the organizations has angered Washington, and jeopardized the $1.5 billion in aid Egypt is set to receive from the U.S. this year. On Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned Egypt's foreign minister that failure to resolve the dispute may lead to the loss of American aid. The Egyptian minister, Mohammed Amr, responded Sunday by saying the government cannot interfere in the work of the judiciary. "We are doing our best to contain this but ... we cannot actually exercise any influence on the investigating judges right now when it comes to the investigation," Amr told reporters at a security conference in Munich, Germany. Among the Americans sent to trial is Sam LaHood, the head of the Egypt office of the Washington-based International Republican Institute and the son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood . Five Serbs, two Germans and three non-Egyptian Arab nationals are also among those referred to trial. All 43 have been banned from leaving the country. A date has yet to be set for the start of the trial. The Egyptian investigation into the work of NGOs in the country is closely linked to the political turmoil that has engulfed the nation since the ouster nearly a year ago of Hosni Mubarak, a close U.S. ally who ruled Egypt for nearly 30 years. The generals who took power after Mubarak's fall have accused "foreign hands" of being behind protests against their rule and frequently depict the protesters as receiving funds from abroad in a plot to destabilize the country. Those allegations have cost the youth activists that spearheaded Mubarak's ouster support among a wider public that is sensitive to allegations of foreign meddling and which sees a conspiracy to destabilize Egypt in nearly every move by a foreign nation. But Sunday's decision to refer the 43 to trial raises questions about the Egyptian military's motive to allow the issue to escalate so much that the valuable $1.3 billion it gets annually be placed in jeopardy. Washington also is set to give Egypt $250 million in economic aid this year. The U.S. assistance has allowed the Egyptian military to replace its relatively antiquated Soviet-era weaponry with modern and sophisticated arms, ranging from fighter-bombers and transport aircraft to tanks and personnel carriers. The aid is closely but informally linked to Egypt's continued adherence to its 1979 peace treaty with Israel, Washington's closest Middle East ally. Already, Egyptian authorities are preventing at least six Americans - including LaHood - and four Europeans from leaving the country, citing a probe opened last month when heavily armed security forces raided the offices of 17 pro-democracy and rights groups. Egyptian officials have defended the raid as part of a legitimate investigation into the groups' work and funding. Also Sunday, security officials said Mubarak, 83, would shortly be moved to a prison for the first time since his arrest last April. Mubarak has since his arrest been kept in custody in a hospital at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh and later at an army's medical facility east of Cairo. They said Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim pledged in a meeting on Sunday to upgrade the medical facility in Tora prison south of Cairo in "record time," but did not set a date for the move. Mubarak is on trial on charges of complicity in the killing of hundreds of protesters during the 18-day uprising that forced him to step down. The officials also said that around 50 former regime insiders held at Tora would be dispersed to five different jails in the greater Cairo area within the next 48 hours. They include Mubarak's two sons, businessman Alaa and one-time heir apparent Gamal, two former prime ministers and the former speakers of parliament's two chambers. The decision to move Mubarak and spread the regime officials appeared to be a concession by the military to pro-reform activists who complain that the ruling generals led by Mubarak's defense minister for 20 years were treating the ousted leader with reverence and turning a blind eye to former regime officials clustered in Tora to use supporters to undermine security.]]></description>
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		<title>Excitable Andy Revkin And NY Times: You Tea Partiers See UN Black Helicopters In Green Projects</title>
		<link>http://www.ifbushdidit.com/2012/02/05/excitable-andy-revkin-and-ny-times-you-tea-partiers-see-un-black-helicopters-in-green-projects/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ifbushdidit.com/2012/02/05/excitable-andy-revkin-and-ny-times-you-tea-partiers-see-un-black-helicopters-in-green-projects/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:22:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>TiredOfIt</dc:creator>
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		<category><![CDATA[across-the-country]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ifbushdidit.com/2012/02/05/excitable-andy-revkin-and-ny-times-you-tea-partiers-see-un-black-helicopters-in-green-projects/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s like all you Tea Partying climate realists are conspiracy nuts or something (via Tom Nelson) Said story: Activists Fight Green Projects, Seeing U.N. Plot Across the country, activists with ties to the Tea Party are railing against all sorts of local and state efforts to control sprawl and conserve energy. They brand government action for things ]]></description>
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		<title>Syria Releases Abu Musab al-Suri, Mastermind of London&#8217;s 7/7 Terrorist Attacks</title>
		<link>http://www.ifbushdidit.com/2012/02/05/syria-releases-abu-musab-al-suri-mastermind-of-londons-77-terrorist-attacks/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ifbushdidit.com/2012/02/05/syria-releases-abu-musab-al-suri-mastermind-of-londons-77-terrorist-attacks/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>BennyCarlob</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ifbushdidit.com/2012/02/05/syria-releases-abu-musab-al-suri-mastermind-of-londons-77-terrorist-attacks/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[At Telegraph UK , " Syria releases the 7/7 'mastermind’ ": The alleged terrorist mastermind behind the July 7 London bombings is reported to have been freed from a Syrian jail by President Bashar Assad's regime . Abu Musab al-Suri had been held in Syria for six years after being captured by the CIA in 2005 and transported to the country of his birth under its controversial extraordinary rendition programme. But he is now said to have been released as a warning to the US and Britain about the consequences of turning their backs on President al-Assad’s regime as it tries to contain the uprising in the country. Al-Suri, also known as Mustafa Setmariam Nasar, was al-Qaeda’s operations chief in Europe and has been accused of planning the London bombings, in which four British-born terrorists detonated three bombs on the Underground and another on a bus, killing 52 people and injuring more than 700 others in 2005. More at the link . ]]></description>
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		<title>U.S. Military Silences Catholic Chaplains From Speaking out Against Obama Admin Ruling</title>
		<link>http://www.ifbushdidit.com/2012/02/04/u-s-military-silences-catholic-chaplains-from-speaking-out-against-obama-admin-ruling/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ifbushdidit.com/2012/02/04/u-s-military-silences-catholic-chaplains-from-speaking-out-against-obama-admin-ruling/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:48:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ifbushdidit.com/2012/02/04/u-s-military-silences-catholic-chaplains-from-speaking-out-against-obama-admin-ruling/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Scroll down for an update to this story: Last Sunday, Catholic priests across the country read an open letter to their parishioners. The letter condemned the Department of Health and Human Services’ decision to force religious employers to cover the cost of contraception and abortion-inducing drugs in its employees' health-care coverage. The letter argued that the faithful could not and must not in good conscience comply with the HHS’ “unjust law.” However, Catholic chaplains in the U.S. military were "forbidden" from reading this letter. After Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who is in charge of Catholic military chaplains, sent out the letter to be read at Sunday masses, the Army's Office of the Chief of Chaplains sent out another communication "forbidding Catholic priests to read the letter, in part because it seemed to encourage civil disobedience, and could be read as seditious against the Commander-in-Chief,” Business Insider 's Michael Dougherty reports. Military officials felt that "the letter contained language that might be misunderstood in a military setting," according to Kathryn Jean Lopez of National Review Online , and the Army asked that the letter not be read from the pulpit. "Instead, the letter would have been referenced in announcements and made available in the back of the chapel for the faithful, if they wished, as they departed after the Mass," Lopez writes. Despite these instructions, some chaplains read the letter anyway. Business Insider reports: More than one Catholic chaplain who spoke to us off the record confirmed that many chaplains disobeyed this instruction and read the letter anyway. Others sought further instructions from their Archbishop. Some reasoned that because the letter was not "politically driven," and that it only sought to reaffirm Catholic teachings on sexual ethics and the "sanctity of life," they would risk punishment and disobey instructions, one source involved told The Blaze. Anticipating repercussions for reading the letter, a confidential letter was sent to the chaplains instructing them to contact the Military Archdiocesan lawyer in case of more interference or any punishment (via BI): The Archdiocese believes that any attempt to keep a chaplain from freely teaching and preaching the Catholic faith, for which you were endorsed, is a violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution.  If any of you are in any way punished or slated for punitive action, I ask that you kindly call our Archdiocesan Attorney, John L. Schlageter, Esq….he will immediately place you into contact with a Religious Freedom Law Firm that will be most willing to take your case free of charge. Here is the Archdiocese for Military Services account of what happened regarding the letter, its public reading, and a newly-edited, government-approved version to be released (via National Review Online ): On Thursday, January 26, Archbishop Broglio emailed a pastoral letter to Catholic military chaplains with instructions that it be read from the pulpit at Sunday Masses the following weekend in all military chapels. The letter calls on Catholics to resist the policy initiative, recently affirmed by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, for federally mandated health insurance covering sterilization, abortifacients and contraception, because it represents a violation of the freedom of religion recognized by the U.S. Constitution. The Army’s Office of the Chief of Chaplains subsequently sent an email to senior chaplains advising them that the Archbishop’s letter was not coordinated with that office and asked that it not be read from the pulpit.  The Chief’s office directed that the letter was to be mentioned in the Mass announcements and distributed in printed form in the back of the chapel. Archbishop Broglio and the Archdiocese stand firm in the belief, based on legal precedent, that such a directive from the Army constituted a violation of his Constitutionally-protected right of free speech and the free exercise of religion, as well as those same rights of all military chaplains and their congregants. Following a discussion between Archbishop Broglio and the Secretary of the Army, The Honorable John McHugh, it was agreed that it was a mistake to stop the reading of the Archbishop’s letter.  Additionally, the line: “We cannot — we will not — comply with this unjust law” was removed by Archbishop Broglio at the suggestion of Secretary McHugh over the concern that it could potentially be misunderstood as a call to civil disobedience. The AMS did not receive any objections to the reading of Archbishop Broglio’s statement from the other branches of service. Update : The decision to forbid the chaplains from reading the letter is an odd one. This is not the first time that the question of religious liberty and freedom of speech in the military has been brought up. In fact, the Pentagon was once sued by The Becket Fund for having issued gag orders against a Catholic priest and Jewish rabbi for being vocal supporters of H.R. 1122 (the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 1997). The Becket Fund argued in court that the gag order "violated their First Amendment rights under the Free Exercise Clause, the Free Speech Clause, and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, 42 U.S.C. 2000bb, et . seq ," according to Free Preach . The court agreed with The Becket Fund that the gag order was unconstitutional: What we have here is the government's attempt to override the Constitution and the laws of the land by a directive that clearly interferes with military chaplains' free exercise and free speech rights, as well as those of their congregants. 962 F. Supp. at 165. Free Preach writes: In particular, the court rejected all of the arguments advanced by the government to support their censorship of speech from the pulpit. For example, the government argued that it was not an important part of the plaintiffs' religion to urge their congregations to contact Congress about particular moral or political issues. The court soundly rejected that argument, holding that it was not the role of the government "to determine whether encouraging parishioners to contact Congress [about a particular issue like] the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act is an 'important component' of the [plaintiffs'] faiths." Id . at 161. Moreover, the court held that "[e]ncouraging parishioners to contact Congress" about legislation addressing moral issues related to religious faith "appears to be no less important to the [plaintiffs' faith] than other religiously-motivated activity courts have held to be important enough to a religion such that its prohibition amounts to a substantial burden." Id . The government then argued that the chaplains' contemplated speech was "not religious" but merely "political." The court rejected this argument also, holding that "it is not the role of this Court to draw fine distinctions between degrees of religious speech and to hold that religious speech is protected but religious speech with so-called political overtones is not." Id . at 164. Finally, the court held that any interests advanced by the government for their censorship policy were "outweighed by the . . . chaplains' right to autonomy in determining the religious content of their sermons." Id . at 162. It is imperative to note that these same interests would likely be asserted by the government in the private freedom-to-preach context as well, and similar reasoning to reject such would apply. To summarize the holding: The State cannot interfere with the right of religious leaders to preach from the pulpit on political issues, even if those ministers are in the military [emphasis added]. Now, all that being said, and the legal and constitutional precedent having been set, the question is this: on what grounds did the U.S. military have right to forbid those chaplains from reading an open letter from the Archbishop during Sunday Mass? This is a breaking story. Updates will be added as they become available. ]]></description>
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