DHS Clarifies Laptop Border Searches

The new rules leave open the possibility that travelers may face penalties for refusing to provide passwords or encryption keys.

Really ? Well I guess that we all should just go along with this !
The Government says this is how it is ! And they , of course , believe they have the Right to do it !
Government Intrusion is way out of control , just read kyros's post At Report on Arrakis about the Obamasiah wanting control over the internet !
Go Ahead ,your more than welcome to Check my Laptop ! If you can extract it from your ASS First!

Info Week Government
The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday released new directives covering border searches of electronic devices and media, but the government's rules leave open the question of whether individuals can be compelled to provide passwords and encryption keys.

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano in a statement characterized the rules as an attempt to balance the investigatory requirements for fighting crime and terrorism with privacy and civil liberties.

In February, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to reconsider an appeals court ruling that laptops are like suitcases and can be searched at borders without reasonable suspicion.

Laptop searches remain an unusual event for travelers entering the country. More than 221 million travelers passed through U.S. ports of entry between Oct. 1, 2008, and Aug. 11, 2009, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). These entries resulted in about 1,000 laptop searches, only 46 of which were in-depth.

Nevertheless, the DHS policy of treating laptops and electronic devices as the equivalent of suitcases and backpacks in terms of border searches has alarmed business travel and privacy groups.

About two weeks ago, Nate Cardozo, open government legal fellow at the EFF, asked CPB through its online comment system, "If a CBP agent requests my password or encryption key and I refuse to provide it, will I be denied entry, will my laptop be seized, neither or both?"

Good Question!

The response, from a CPB employee identified as Frederick, was: "There is no concrete answer that can be given to your question since it is hypothetical. The outcomes you listed are possible, although a US citizen would not normally be denied entry. The actions that result from a denial to cooperate with a legal search are dependent on the applicable laws as well the discretion of the officers conducting the inspection."

Typical Bad answer full of Bullshit , from a government Agency !

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Full Circle: Move to Shift Interrogations Away From CIA Draws Pre-Sept. 11 Comparisons

"The High Value Detainee Interrogation Group (HIG) is designed to be a multi-agency group, not a sub-unit of the FBI or the Justice Department," Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said in a statement. "Thus, while the HIG will be housed administratively within the National Security Branch of the FBI, the group will be staffed by elements of the intelligence community, and will receive policy guidance and oversight from the National Security Council."

O.K. then , who ? is running the NSC , The White House ?
Might as well just stop interrogations and evidence gathering all together !
Forget that the Radical Islamists openly say that they want to kill Americans ,
forget that Baitullah mehsuds new replacement , Hakeemullah Mehsud , has vowed revenge against the U.S. for Baitullahs death !
Obviously The Obama Administration Knows better !

Fox news
Most of the details behind a White House plan to grab oversight authority over detainee interrogations still need to be ironed out, but critics already are questioning the logic behind the move to yank responsibility from the CIA and hand it to a potentially political and bureaucratic unit.

The changing landscape for how the United States handles terrorism suspects is unmistakable.

Under task force recommendations that President Obama intends to follow, a new High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group will be housed in the FBI and subject to oversight from the White House-based National Security Council.

The head of the unit, while not named, reportedly will be an FBI official and this official, the White House says, will report directly to FBI Director Robert Mueller.

Attorney David Rivkin, a former Justice Department official and frequent critic of the reversal of CIA practices, said the shift brings the fight against terrorism "full circle" to a time when it was treated largely as a criminal crackdown.

"This is a full return to Sept. 10 mentality," he said.

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Saudi Child Bride Turned Back Over to 80-Year-Old Husband

Islam allows you to be a pedophile , pretty sick , but you see these stories all the time , and nothing is ever done about it !
The girls father , along with this guy should have their "Units" removed !
this is yet another example of why Islam should be banned Everywhere !

Fox news
A Saudi Arabian father forced his 10-year-old daughter to return to her 80-year-old husband Sunday, after she was found hiding at the home of her aunt for 10 days, Arab News reported.

The young girl's husband, who denies he is 80 despite family claims, accused the aunt of violating the terms of his marriage, allowed by Sharia Law.

"My marriage is not against Sharia. It included the elements of acceptance and response by the father of the bride,” he told a local newspaper.

A member of the National Society for Human Rights said there are no regulations in place to stop the marriage of young girls, which is seen as harmful to their wellbeing.

“Such marriages are considered a gross violation of charters on the rights of children, which the Kingdom has signed and which set the age of adulthood at 18,” Maatouq Al-Abdullah told Arab News.

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TTP threaten to avenge Baitullah's death

Well , Well ! I guess that the Taliban are a little upset !
I say , Too Bad Bitches ! go ahead with your stupid ass threats , make a move we will see it ! and you will receive some good ole American Firepower ! Just like Baitullah !

Dawn.com
PESHAWAR: Pakistan's Taliban have threatened to avenge the death of their leader in a US missile strike, as experts warned Wednesday of possible attacks by a new leadership keen to prove its strength.

Hakimullah Mehsud late Tuesday declared himself new chief of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militia, confirming for the first time that Baitullah Mehsud was killed this month.

‘We will take revenge and soon. We will give our reply to this drone attack to America,’ Hakimullah Mehsud told AFP.

On Wednesday another Taliban leader, Wali-ur Rehman, backed Hakimullah’s claim and said he had been appointed rebel chief in the insurgent stronghold of South Waziristan.

‘Myself and the whole of the Taliban movement announced its support for Hakimullah. He is now our new head,’ said Rehman.

‘All the Taliban are united. There are no differences among us... We will continue our struggle against the enemy and our main enemy is America and all those who support, help and side with America against Muslims.’—AFP

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Proof That the Loch Ness Monster Exists?

I'm convinced ? Well not quite , this thing looks more like a giant squid than anything else but what the hell ! It's better than talking about Ted Kennedy Dying !

Fox news

This amazing image on Google Earth could be the elusive proof that the Loch Ness Monster exists.

Sun reader Jason Cooke spotted "Nessie" while browsing the Web site's satellite photos.

The shape seen on the surface of the 22-mile Scottish loch is 65ft long and appears to have an oval body, a tail and four legs or flippers.

Some experts believe Nessie may be a Plesiosaur, an extinct marine reptile with a shape like the Google image.

"This is really intriguing. It needs further study," said researcher Adrian Shine, of the Loch Ness Project.

Sightings have been claimed for centuries.

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Pakistani Taliban confirm leader is dead:

Well it is finally official , Baitullah mehsud is dead ! continue celebrating !
we just have to wait a little longer to find out what happened at the meeting to elect the new leader , who if anyone was killed .
Great news we already new about !

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani Taliban militants have for the first time confirmed that their leader, Baitullah Mehsud, has been killed, the BBC reported on Tuesday.

Pakistani and U.S. officials have been saying for days that Mehsud was killed in a U.S. missile strike in his South Waziristan stronghold near the Afghan border on August 5, but the Taliban have been denying it.

The BBC said on its website two Taliban commanders loyal to Mehsud, Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali-ur-Rehman had confirmed that Baitullah Mehsud had been killed.

Pakistan and U.S. officials have been saying the militants appeared to be in disarray since Mehsud's death, with reports of infighting between factions vying to take command.

Analysts saw the Taliban's earlier denials that Mehsud was dead as an attempt to hide divisions over who should take charge of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or Taliban Movement of Pakistan, alliance of militant factions.

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Chechen rebels order separatist leader death

"The court has ruled that the killing of this apostate is a duty for Muslims." It did not say what court had issued the ruling.

The court does not have to !
it just has to make the decision , it is up to the islamic clones to do the rest !

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Chechen rebels called on Tuesday for prominent separatist leader Akhmed Zakayev to be killed, saying he had abandoned Islam by recognizing the legitimacy of the restive region's Kremlin-backed government.

Zakayev, who lives in London, represents the moderate wing of the separatist movement and has clashed with radical Islamist insurgents in Russia's southern republic of Chechnya.

Islamist rebel website www.kavkazcenter.com said Zakayav had recognized the authority of Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed leader of the region.

"Public remarks show that he (Zakayev) has fallen away from Islam," the website said, adding that Doku Umarov, Chechnya's most wanted separatist leader, was behind the order.

"The court has ruled that the killing of this apostate is a duty for Muslims." It did not say what court had issued the ruling.

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Bodies of suspected Taliban found in Pakistan's Swat

O.K. so some bodies are being dumped in the fields of swat valley ! They have a pretty good idea they are bad guys !
Is this not a good thing ?

MINGORA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Villagers in Pakistan's Swat valley have found the bodies of 14 suspected militants, reviving concern about extra-judicial killings after a successful army offensive against Taliban militants.

The military went on the offensive in the Taliban bastion of Swat, northwest of Islamabad, in late April and has killed or driven hundreds of al Qaeda-linked insurgents out of the former tourist valley.

But as the army finishes up its searches and residents displaced by the fighting return home, bodies of suspected Taliban members have been turning up.

Fourteen bodies were found late on Monday dumped in fields on the outskirts of Charbagh town, villagers and district officials said.

"The bodies were lying in different fields and had bullet wounds," said Wali Khan, a teacher in the town.

Earlier, about 18 bodies were found in different parts of Swat and the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said it suspected security agencies had carried out extra-judicial killings.

"We call for a proper investigation to find out who killed them, who were the dead, whether they were militants, innocent people or by-stander," said I.A. Rehman, secretary general of the rights group.

"We've already demanded an investigation but nothing has happened. It's a serious matter and must be looked into."

The military has denied any involvement in the killings.

"This could be a result of revenge by the local people," said military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas. "It could be a reaction to all that happened to the people in Swat."

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Karzai calls on Afghans to defy Taliban and vote

In a series of statements on Wednesday the Taliban said they had infiltrated 20 suicide bombers into Kabul and would close all the country's roads, taking no responsibility for the deaths of anyone who defied them to go to the polls.

It is Statements like this that should encourage the Afghan People to make it to the Polls !
And also should encourage everyone in Afghanistan to help exterminate the Taliban from existence !

KABUL (Reuters) - President Hamid Karzai called on Afghans to defy Taliban threats and vote, hours before polls opened in an election on Thursday that could prove the toughest test yet of his own mandate and his nation's fragile democracy.

Nearly as much as it is a test for Karzai, the election is also a high political hurdle for U.S. President Barack Obama, who has ordered a massive troop build-up this year as part of a strategy to reverse Taliban gains.

Afghan streets were tense with police on round-the-clock shifts. Karzai insisted the Taliban, stronger than at any time since they were toppled in 2001, would fail in their pledge to disrupt the country's second-ever presidential vote.

"Enemies will do their best, but it won't help," he told reporters late on Wednesday.

"I hope that tomorrow our countrymen, millions of them, will come and vote for the country's stability, for the country's peace, for the country's progress."

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Building block of life found on comet

Another Piece of the Puzzle To life outside our Planet Has been found !
It was an Amazing feat , that the microscopic particles were even Captured in the First place !
But now we have a little more evidence that life Exists elsewhere !

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The amino acid glycine, a fundamental building block of proteins, has been found in a comet for the first time, bolstering the theory that raw ingredients of life arrived on Earth from outer space, scientists said on Monday.

Microscopic traces of glycine were discovered in a sample of particles retrieved from the tail of comet Wild 2 by the NASA spacecraft Stardust deep in the solar system some 242 million miles (390 million km) from Earth, in January 2004.

Samples of gas and dust collected on a small dish lined with a super-fluffy material called aerogel were returned to Earth two years later in a canister that detached from the spacecraft and landed by parachute in the Utah desert.

Comets like Wild 2, named for astronomer Paul Wild (pronounced Vild), are believed to contain well-preserved grains of material dating from the dawn of the solar system billions of years ago, and thus clues to the formation of the sun and planets.

The initial detection of glycine, the most common of 20 amino acids in proteins on Earth, was reported last year, but it took time for scientists to confirm that the compound in question was extraterrestrial in origin.

"We couldn't be sure it wasn't from the manufacturing or the handling of the spacecraft," said astrobiologist Jamie Elsila of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, the principal author of the latest research.

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Mexico cartels go from drugs to full-scale mafias

Now beating people up , is more lucrative than selling drugs ? If only Mexico's Citizens were allowed to be Armed !

El Paso Times
CIUDAD HIDALGO, Mexico -- Shopkeepers in this pine-covered mountain region easily recite the list of "protection" fees they pay to La Familia drug cartel to stay in business: 100 pesos a month for a stall in a street market, 30,000 pesos for an auto dealership or construction-supply firm.

First offense for nonpayment: a severe beating. Those who keep ignoring the fees - or try to charge their own - may pay with their lives.

"Every day you can see the people they have beaten up being taken to the IMSS," said auto mechanic Jesus Hernandez, motioning to the government-run hospital a few doors from his repair shop.

Mexican drug cartels have morphed into full-scale mafias, running extortion and protection rackets and trafficking everything from people to pirated DVDs. As once-lucrative cocaine profits have fallen and U.S. and Mexican authorities crack down on all drug trafficking to the U.S., gangs are branching into new ventures - some easier and more profitable than drugs.

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Chavez says Obama "lost in space" on Latin America

Oh Hugo , You so funny ! Obama is not just lost in space when it comes to Latin America , He is lost in space when it comes to America Also !
But at least , Unlike you , He is not lost in Uranus !

CARACAS (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama is "lost in the Andromeda" galaxy on Latin American policy, his chief critic in the region, Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, said on Sunday, while demanding the closure of U.S. military bases.

Last week Obama said critics of U.S. involvement in Latin America who are now asking Washington to do more to restore the ousted president of Honduras "can't have it both ways."

"We are not asking you to intervene in Honduras, Obama. On the contrary, we are asking that "the empire" get its hands off Honduras and get its claws out of Latin America," Chavez said in a rambling weekly television and radio show.

"President Obama is lost in the Andromeda Nebula, he has lost his bearings, he doesn't get it," he said.

Chavez repeated an accusation that the United States had prior knowledge of the coup that deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya on June 28 and the military plane that flew Zelaya out of the country had used a U.S. base in Honduras.

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Distress in Dearbornistan !

This is a video from Answering Muslims
I Am in no way a religious person , I believe you should keep you beliefs in religion to yourself , I in no way side with these guys they just happened to make an awesome video , These guys were in Dearbornistan Michigun (not far from my home town )for the Arab fest 2009 , both muslim Arabs and Christian Arabs alike were present ( Though the Christian side was severely discriminated against , Kept to an out of the way corner ) It is an amazing video that shows how incredibly angry Muslims are , and how Irate they get when confronted with a question ! I find it disturbing that this happened near my home , The Arab Muslims in this part of town are very snobbish , arrogant , and all around rude when dealing with non muslims ( I know from experience ) and this video is all the proof you need !

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http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\08\14\story_14-8-2009_pg7_17

For being a religious and peaceful people , there sure is a lot of Killing amongst themselves , of course you can credit 99% of it to those crazy ass Taliban Guys !

Daily Times
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly was informed on Thursday that 2,686 people lost their lives in 1,367 terrorism incidents across the country during 2008-09.

The data, tabled by Interior Minister Rehman Malik, revealed that the NWFP remained the worst affected province where 544 terrorist incidents took place in one year. Around 1,285 people lost their lives in the attacks besides causing property loss of Rs 2.15 billion.

The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) fell prey to 380 terrorist incidents in which 723 people lost their lives. The militancy-torn region also suffered Rs 7.119 billion property losses, highest across the country.

In Balochistan 337 people died in 331 incidents besides a property loss of Rs 35 million. Around 67 incidents took place in Punjab where 240 people were killed. Sindh witnessed 36 terrorist incidents due to which 28 people died.

Nine such incidents occurred in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) where 73 people lost their lives. The capital also suffered property losses of more than Rs 12 million.

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RIP LES PAUL !

An Incredible loss to the Music World , Les Paul , With his own two hands changed the way the world listened to music , His creations in their look , feel , and sound , are responsible for some of the best music ever recorded !
Play on Mr. Paul !

If Les Paul would have ever cranked it up , And played some hard rock he would have blown everyone Away , But in his smooth style he had He was untouchable !
AP
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Les Paul, who pioneered the solid-body electric guitar later wielded by a legion of rock 'n' roll greats, died Thursday of complications from pneumonia. He was 94. According to Gibson Guitar, Paul died at White Plains Hospital. His family and friends were by his side.

As an inventor, Paul also helped bring about the rise of rock 'n' roll with multitrack recording, which enables artists to record different instruments at different times, sing harmony with themselves, and then carefully balance the tracks in the finished recording.

The use of electric-amplified guitars gained popularity in the mid-to-late 1940s, and then exploded with the advent of rock in the mid-'50s.

"Suddenly, it was recognized that power was a very important part of music," Paul once said. "To have the dynamics, to have the way of expressing yourself beyond the normal limits of an unamplified instrument, was incredible. Today a guy wouldn't think of singing a song on a stage without a microphone and a sound system."

"Without Les Paul, we would not have rock and roll as we know it," said Terry Stewart, president of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. "His inventions created the infrastructure for the music and his playing style will ripple through generations. He was truly an architect of rock and roll."

A tinkerer and musician since childhood, he experimented with guitar amplification for years before coming up in 1941 with what he called "The Log," a four-by-four piece of wood strung with steel strings. He felt a solid body would give the instrument a different sound from a traditional hollow guitar with an electrical pickup added to it.

"I went into a nightclub and played it. Of course, everybody had me labeled as a nut." He later put the wooden wings onto the body to give it a tradition guitar shape.

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