Burhan Ghalioun Speaking On Behalf Of Syria's Opposition Group: End The Syria 'Killing Machine'! YES! Bashar Assad Is A SOULESS COLD BLOODED MURDERER! Re-Post From 12/2/11

UPI new

Burhan Ghalioun: End The Syria 'Killing Machine'

written by Staff

Friday December 2, 2011

PARIS - Syria's main opposition group would cut military ties to Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas if Bashar Assad is deposed and the group takes over, its leader said.

Burhan Ghalioun, the president of the Syrian National Council, said such actions would be part of a broader plan to bring Syria back into line with the region's major Arab powers, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Navi Pillay, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said this week Syria is on the verge of a civil war, with conservative estimates putting the death toll so far at 4,000 -- most of the victims anti-government demonstrators killed by the Syrian military.

Ghalioun, speaking from his home in Paris, underscored the United Nations' concerns and said the council's main goal is to ensure the safety of Syrians and put an end to violence in the country.

"Our main objective is finding mechanisms to protect civilians and stop the killing machine," the 66-year-old university professor said. "We say it is imperative to use forceful measures to force the regime to respect human rights."

The opposition intends on breaking the president's ties with Iran, with which it has worked to funnel weapons and funds to Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and the militant group Hamas in Gaza.

"There will be no special relationship with Iran," Ghalioun said in the interview. "Breaking the exceptional relationship means breaking the strategic, military alliance. After the fall of the Syrian regime, [Hezbollah] won't be the same."

Ghalioun also called for more international support for the council, including the possible establishment of a no-fly zone, The (Beirut) Daily Star reported.

Ghalioun further said an opposition-run Syria would be committed to recovering the Golan Heights, which was captured by Israel in 1967 but would pursue the objective through diplomatic channels, not armed conflict.

SYRIA: Syria Government Threatens To 'CLEANSE' Rebel Area In Homs! Bashar Assad Has Already MURDERED Over 7,500 Syrian Men, Women And Children; Shot Syrians In The Streets, Bombed Their Homes, Churches, Schools And Hospitals :*(

The Associated Press

Syria threatens to 'cleanse' rebel area in Homs

written by Ben Hubbard

Wednesday February 29, 2012

BEIRUT - The Syrian regime showed a new determination Wednesday to crush its opponents, vowing to "cleanse" a rebel-held district in the besieged central city of Homs after nearly four weeks of shelling.

Government troops massed outside the embattled neighborhood of Baba Amr, raising fears among activists of an imminent ground invasion that could endanger thousands of residents, as well as two trapped Western journalists, who have been under heavy bombardment.

A Spanish journalist who had been stuck in the area escaped Wednesday to Lebanon, the second foreign reporter to do so since a government rocket attack last week killed two of his colleagues and wounded two others.

The Obama administration summoned Syria's senior envoy in the U.S., Zuheir Jabbour, over the Homs offensive.

The State Department's top diplomat for the Mideast, Jeffrey Feltman, expressed his "outrage over the monthlong campaign of brutality and indiscriminate shelling" in Homs, according to a statement.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told members of Congress on Tuesday that Assad could be considered a war criminal.

U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said Syria had not yet agreed to allow her to into the country. Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, called that refusal "shameful."

"Rather than meeting the needs of its people, the barbaric Syrian government is preparing its final assault on the city of Homs," Rice said in a statement. "Meanwhile, food shortages are reported to be so severe that people, especially children, will soon start dying of hunger."

The U.N. and the Arab League have appointed former Secretary-General Kofi Annan as their joint envoy to Syria, but Damascus says it needs more information on his mission's goals before it will let him in.

The U.N. estimated that more than 7,500 people have been killed since the anti-Assad struggle started in March 2011, when protesters inspired by successful Arab Spring uprisings against dictators in Tunisia and Egypt took to the streets in Syria. As Assad's forces used deadly force to stop the unrest, protests spread and some Syrians took up arms against the regime.

Activists put the total death toll at more than 8,000, most of them civilians.

China urged world powers to provide humanitarian assistance to Syria, as Beijing tries to bolster diplomacy while continuing to oppose any armed intervention in the conflict.

Heightening fears of greater carnage, a Syrian official said the government was planning a major offensive against the Homs neighborhood of Baba Amr.

"Baba Amr will be under control complete control in the coming hours and we'll cleanse all the armed elements from the area," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity under government protocols.

Activists reported heavy shelling throughout Homs, raising concern that the government was preparing a ground invasion to take back the city.

Since the first week of February, government forces have showered parts of Homs with daily barrages of mortars, tank shells and rockets. The violence has caused many to flee the city of 1 million people, Syria's third-largest, while those who remain are trapped inside.

Hundreds have been killed in recent weeks, activists said, including residents who foraged for food outside their homes.

It was virtually impossible to reach anyone inside Baba Amr on Wednesday. Activists elsewhere in Homs said their colleagues based in the neighborhood had quit communicating with the outside because of fears the army would trace their satellite signals to target them.

"Today has been very scary," said activist Mulham al-Jundi, speaking from another part of Homs via Skype. "They are still killing in Baba Amr and the water and electricity have been cut to most of the city."

He and his colleague ran their computer off of a small generator to communicate with the outside, he said. Armed rebels from a loose-knit group called the Free Syrian Army had been fighting with pro-government troops on the outskirts of Homs to try to keep them from entering, but he said their inferior arms weren't much of a deterrent.

"The Free Army has been trying to defend the area with almost no ammunition for 15 days. What can a Kalashhikov do against a tank and a mortar? How can they resist?"

Many civilians had fled the city's rebel-held areas, he said, "but now those who are in are stuck. There's no way out."

Homs is about 12 miles (19 kilometers) northeast of the frontier with Lebanon, and cross-border smuggling has been key to the city's survival and to arming the rebels because of the links between Sunnis in northern Lebanon and the Sunni majority in Homs.

The city also has a minority population of Alawite Muslims, the sect to which Assad and most of his security forces belong.

The ordeal of the foreign journalists, who sneaked into Syria illegally to report on the uprising, has drawn attention to Homs' plight.

Spanish photographer Javier Espinosa crossed safely into Lebanon, according to his domestic partner, Monica Garcia Prieto. His employer, El Mundo, confirmed it.

Two French journalists, Edith Bouvier and William Daniels, remain in Baba Amr, Prieto said.

Bouvier and British photographer Paul Conroy were wounded last week in a government rocket attack on a makeshift media center that killed American-born journalist Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik. Conroy was smuggled into Lebanon on Tuesday after fleeing the neighborhood Sunday night.

Please click HERE to read the entire article...

SYRIA: "Pray For Us" Say Syrian People Defending Themselves Against Their Govt, As Army Closes In

God please put a protective hedge around the Syrian people being attacked by their government. God please send an army of angels down to defend them. AMEN. ♥

*********************************************************

Reuters news

"Pray for us" say Syria rebels as army closes in

written by Khaled Yacoub Oweis

Wednesday February 29, 2012

Heavy fighting raged near Baba Amro in Homs on Wednesday after elite Syrian troops attacked the rebel-held bastion that has endured 25 days of siege and fierce bombardment, activists said.

"Pray for the Free Syrian Army. Do not be miserly in your prayers for them," opponents of President Bashar al-Assad said in a statement, as diplomats spoke of his brother's feared 4th Armoured Division mounting a drive to "finish off" the rebels.

The motley band of army deserters and desperate insurgents who call themselves the Farouq Brigade of the Free Syrian Army have sworn to fight to the last man, one activist from Baba Amro told Reuters. Others, though, said some of the unit's leaders had already made their escape from the shattered neighborhood.

The 4th Armoured Division commanded by Maher al-Assad, the president's younger brother, has a reputation for ruthlessness burnished during the past year of revolt and forged in history.

Drawn from the Alawite sect to which the Assads belong, it is hated by many in the Sunni majority who recall the role its predecessor units played in massacring many thousands of Sunni Islamists at Hama in 1982 on the orders of Assad's father Hafez.

Details from Homs were sketchy but as Syria refused to allow a visit to the country by a senior U.N. humanitarian envoy, Valerie Amos, a senior Western diplomat told Reuters: "All the signs out of Homs are that they're trying to finish it off.

"They clearly feel that letting her in now would be devastating for their image - as indeed it would be."

Communicating over the Internet, the Baba Amro activist, who calls himself only Ahmed and who said he had just left the area, said: "We call on all Syrians in other cities to move and do something to lift the pressure off Baba Amro and Homs.

"They should act quickly."

Homs, a symbol of opposition to Assad in a nearly year-long revolt, was without power or telephone links, Ahmed said.

JOURNALIST ESCAPES

Spanish reporter Javier Espinosa, one of several Western journalists trapped in Baba Amro for a week, crossed to Lebanon on Wednesday, an activist said, following the escape on Tuesday of wounded British photographer Paul Conroy.

Still in Homs were French journalists William Daniels and Edith Bouvier, who was wounded in a February 22 bombardment which killed veteran Sunday Times war correspondent Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik. Their bodies remain there.

YouTube footage posted by activists showed army trucks and tank carriers on a highway, purportedly heading for Homs.

"I am appalled by reports that the Assad regime is preparing a full-scale land assault on the people of Homs," Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague said, calling instead for immediate access for humanitarian groups to provide aid.

Reports from the city could not immediately be verified due to tight government restrictions on media work in Syria, where Assad is facing the gravest challenge of his 11-year rule.

A spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, Hicham Hassan, said the violence in Homs was making the humanitarian situation more difficult.

"This makes it even more important for us to repeat our call for a halt in the fighting," he told Reuters in Geneva.

SHELLING, SNIPERS

Activists say hundreds of civilians have been killed in besieged opposition districts of Homs, including at least 20 on Tuesday. Shells and rockets have been crashing into Baba Amro since February 4. Army snipers pick off civilians who venture out.

The ICRC said its Syrian Red Crescent affiliate had established 10 distribution and first aid points in Homs, but had been unable to operate in Baba Amro because of the violence.

Troops also bombarded the besieged town of Rastan, 20 km (13 miles) north of Homs, and several people were killed when a shell hit a house, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Activists said troops and pro-Assad militiamen had also attacked the town of Helfaya, an opposition stronghold near Hama, detaining people and raiding and burning houses.

YouTube footage posted by activists showed crowds of people in the nearby town of Kernaz protesting in solidarity with Helfaya. Demonstrators danced, waved pre-Baathist era Syrian flags and chanted: "God support your oppressed subjects."

Troops and militiamen launched a security sweep in the eastern Damascus suburb of Harasta, where telephone services have been cut off for the past month, activists said.

The United Nations says Assad's security forces have killed more than 7,500 civilians since the revolt began last March. Syria's government said in December that "armed terrorists" had killed more than 2,000 soldiers and police during the unrest.

U.N. humanitarian chief Amos said she was "deeply disappointed" Syria refused to let her visit the country, where she had hoped to assess the emergency relief needs in besieged towns. "Given the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation, with an increasing need for medical assistance, food and basic supplies, improving access, so that assistance can reach those in urgent need, is a matter of the highest priority," she said.

Please click HERE to continue reading...

IRAN: Supreme Leader Orders Revolutionary Guards To Guarantee Ahmadinejad DOES NOT Win Reelection! Wow! Keep Praying Folks!

H/T Weasel Zippers

The Telegraph UK

Iran's Supreme Leader 'orders Revolutionary Guards' to guarantee election

written by Con Coughlin

Sunday February 26, 2012

At a meeting called last week by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, the leaders of the Revolutionary Guards and the volunteer Basij militia were urged to use the same tactics employed during the controversial 2009 presidential election contest.

On that occasion widespread vote-rigging led to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad being elected to serve a second four year term, a result that produced nationwide anti-government protests.

Mr Khamenei has since fallen out with Mr Ahmadinejad in a bitter dispute over the future role of the presidency in Iranian politics.

As a consequence Mr Khamenei is now urging the Revolutionary Guards to ensure his Conservative Front wins the majority of seats in Friday’s parliamentary seats at the expense of Mr Ahmadinejad’s supporters.

During the meeting, which was attended by Ali Larijani, the chairman of the Iranian parliament and a close ally of the Supreme Leader, Mr Khamenei repeatedly referred to the president’s followers as the “deviant movement”, and insisted that they take all necessary measures to prevent Mr Ahmadinejad’s followers from winning the elections.

According to Iranian opposition sources, Mr Khamenei warned that his supporters also needed to maintain a constant check on the activities of the leaders of Iran’s Green Movement, Mir Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Kharroubi, who unsuccessfully stood against Mr Ahmadinejad in the 2009 presidential election.

Opposition activists claim Mr Khamenei told his supporters that they needed to be on their guard against the possibility that pro-democracy forces unleashed by the recent wave of Arab revolts could spread to Iran. “The regime is up to all its old tricks and is trying to rig the election,” said an Iranian activist.

Iran’s parliamentary elections are taking place against a backdrop of mounting international pressure over Iran’s controversial nuclear programme. Last week officials at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna said Iran had failed to cooperate with a team of nuclear inspectors sent to Tehran to clear up questions about possible military aspects of its nuclear programme.

Mr Khamenei and his advisors believe this week’s parliamentary elections will provide the regime with greater legitimacy in its stand-off with the West over its nuclear programme, and for that reason they are anxious to ensure that there is both a high turn out for the elections and a comprehensive factory for the Conservative Front.

The Council of Guards, the body controlled by Mr Khamenei which is responsible for safe-guarding the principles of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, has already vetted the names of all those putting themselves forward for election to ensure that only regime loyalists are approved.

The Revolutionary Guards and Basij have now been tasked with making sure that Iranians only vote for those candidates who support Mr Khamenei, and not Mr Ahmadinejad.

But with the regime firmly controlling all aspects of the election campaign there are fears that many Iranians will simply boycott the election as a way of registering a protest vote. This includes the millions of Iranians who support Iran’s Green Movement, which has been brutally suppressed since the disputed 2009 election, with many of the movement’s leaders either being killed or imprisoned.

IRAQ: Govt Officials Say They Will NOT Back Syrian Regime "At Any Cost" YAY!

France24 news

Iraq says will not back Syrian regime "at any cost"

written by AFP staff

Monday February 27, 2012

Baghdad supports the aspirations of the Syrian people and will not back the Damascus regime "at any cost," a Saudi newspaper on Monday quoted a high-ranking Iraqi official as saying.

"We do not support the Syrian regime at any cost," Iraqi national security advisor Faleh Fayad told Al-Riyadh daily. "We support reform and Syrians must have the political freedom to choose who rules them."

"We stand completely with the aspirations of the Syrian people," he said. "We cannot hope for freedom and democracy (for ourselves) while denying" Syrians this right.

"But frankly, we have not seen a scenario for resolving" the crisis in Syria, Fayad said.

Arab League member states voted in November to suspend Syria's participation in the pan-Arab bloc because of the violence, but Iraq has shied away from imposing punitive measures.

"Everybody is aware of the past problems between Iraq and Syria... from which Syria was affected by armed and terrorist groups that infiltrated via the Syrian border," Fayad told the newspaper, during a visit to the Sunni-dominated kingdom.

Syria shares a roughly 600-kilometre (372-mile) border with Iraq, more than half of it with the Sunni-majority Anbar province that was once an insurgent stronghold.

Assad is a member of the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, while the majority of Syrians, and of his opponents, are Sunni Muslims.

Iraq, by contrast, is governed by majority Shiite Muslims, but has a substantial Sunni Arab minority.

"What we see today is an escalation that will lead to civil war that is starting to emerge... We have completely supported the Arab Initiative on Syria," which envisages Assad stepping down, Fayad said.

But he echoed warnings earlier this month by Iraq's deputy interior minister Adnan al-Assadi that weapons were being smuggled across the border to opponents of Assad's regime.

The Syrian opposition, meanwhile, accuses Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr of sending fighters to back Assad's troops.

More than 7,600 [Syrian men, women and children (emphasis mine)] people have been [MURDERED (emphasis mine)] killed in violence across Syria since anti-regime protests erupted in March 2011, according to human rights groups.

Obama's Secret Wars: How The President's Drone War Is Backfiring! EXCELLENT PIECE!

Foreign Policy news

The Obama Doctrine: How The President's Drone War Is Backfiring

written by David Rhohde

Wednesday February 29, 2012

When Barack Obama took the oath of office three years ago, no one associated the phrase "targeted killing" with his optimistic young presidency. In his inaugural address, the 47-year-old former constitutional law professor uttered the word "terror" only once. Instead, he promised to use technology to "harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories."

Oddly, technology has enabled Obama to become something few expected: a president who has dramatically expanded the executive branch's ability to wage high-tech clandestine war. With a determination that has surprised many, Obama has embraced the CIA, expanded its powers, and approved more targeted killings than any modern president. Over the last three years, the Obama administration has carried out at least 239 covert drone strikes, more than five times the 44 approved under George W. Bush. And after promising to make counterterrorism operations more transparent and rein in executive power, Obama has arguably done the opposite, maintaining secrecy and expanding presidential authority.

Just as importantly, the administration's excessive use of drone attacks undercuts one of its most laudable policies: a promising new post-9/11 approach to the use of lethal American force, one of multilateralism, transparency, and narrow focus.

Obama's willingness to deploy lethal force should have come as no surprise. In a 2002 speech, Illinois state senator Obama opposed Bush's impending invasion of Iraq, but not all conflicts. "I don't oppose all wars," he said. "What I am opposed to is a dumb war." And as president, in his December 2009 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Obama warned, "There will be times when nations -- acting individually or in concert -- will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified." Since then, he has not only sent U.S. forces into Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, but also repeatedly approved commando raids in Pakistan and Somalia and on the high seas, while presiding over a system that unleashed hundreds of drone strikes.

THE BACKLASH FROM drone strikes in the countries where they are happening is not the only worry. In the United States, civil liberties and human rights groups are increasingly concerned with the breadth of powers Obama has claimed for the executive branch as he wages a new kind of war.

In the Libya conflict, the administration invoked the drones to create a new legal precedent. Under the War Powers Resolution, the president must receive congressional authorization for military operations within 60 days. When the deadline approached in May, the administration announced that because NATO strikes and drones were carrying out the bulk of the missions, no serious threat of U.S. casualties existed and no congressional authorization was needed. "It's changed the way politicians talk about what should be the most important thing that a nation engages in," said Peter W. Singer, a Brookings Institution researcher. "It's changed the way we in the public deliberate war."

Last fall, a series of drone strikes in Yemen set another dangerous precedent, according to civil liberties and human rights groups. Without any public legal proceeding, the U.S. government executed three of its own citizens. On Sept. 30, a drone strike killed Anwar al-Awlaki, a charismatic American-born cleric of Yemeni descent credited with inspiring terrorist attacks around the world. Samir Khan, a Pakistani-American jihadist traveling with him, was killed as well. Several weeks later, another strike killed Awlaki's 16-year-old son, Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, also a U.S. citizen. Administration officials insisted a Justice Department review had authorized the killings but declined to release the full document.

"The administration has claimed the power to carry out extrajudicial executions of Americans on the basis of evidence that is secret and is never seen by anyone," said Jameel Jaffer, deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union. "It's hard to understand how that is consistent with the Constitution."

After criticizing the Bush administration for keeping the details of its surveillance, interrogation, and detention practices secret, Obama is doing the same thing. His administration has declined to reveal the details of how it places people on kill lists, carries out eavesdropping in the United States, or decides whom to detain overseas. The administration is also prosecuting six former government officials on charges of leaking classified information to the media -- more cases than all other administrations combined.

Administration officials deny being secretive and insist they have disclosed more information about their counterterrorism practices than the Bush administration, which fiercely resisted releasing details of its "war on terror" and established the covert drone program in Pakistan. Obama administration officials say they have established a more transparent and flexible approach outside Pakistan that involves military raids, drone strikes, and other efforts. They told me that every attack in Yemen was approved by Yemeni officials. Eventually, they hope to make drone strikes joint efforts carried out openly with local governments.

For now, keeping them covert prevents American courts from reviewing their constitutionality, according to Jaffer. He pointed out that if a Republican president followed such policies, the outcry on the left would be deafening. "You have to remember that this authority is going to be used by the next administration and the next administration after that," Jaffer said. "You need to make sure there are clear limits on what is really unparalleled power."

Retired military officials warn that drones and commando raids are no substitute for the difficult process of helping local leaders marginalize militants. Missile strikes that kill members of al Qaeda and its affiliates in Pakistan and Yemen do not strengthen economies, curb corruption, or improve government services. David Barno, a retired lieutenant general who commanded U.S. forces in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005, believes hunting down senior terrorists over and over again is not a long-term solution.

"How do you get beyond this attrition warfare?" he asked me. "I don't think we've answered that question yet."

Ron Paul: Restore the American Republic to the American People 2/28/12 BTW, Ron Paul Doesn't Need TELEPROMPTERS. He Speaks From The Heart!

Ron Paul Endorsed by Vermont State Rep. Tom Burditt

MarketWatch news

Ron Paul Endorsed by Vermont State Rep. Tom Burditt

written by Staff

Tuesday February 28, 2012

LAKE JACKSON, Texas (BUSINESS WIRE) - 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul received today the endorsement of Vermont state Rep. Tom Burditt. Rep. Burditt is a freshman in the Vermont House and an active Tea Party member. He represents the towns of West Rutland, Clarendon, Ira and Proctor.

In endorsing the 12-term Congressman from Texas, Rep. Burditt offered the following statement:

"Ron Paul is a defender of freedom.

"We are in a time when the government is crossing the line from regulation to oppression, and Ron Paul is the sole voice that reminds us what the founders meant when they spoke of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

"Ron Paul desires for this nation the freedom to act, the freedom to succeed, and the freedom to fail, without an over-intrusive government there to impede us, or offer us so-called help.

"Ron Paul's plan is not to have a government that exists to coddle us and support us, or to invest in markets and industries it deems noble for the time being.

"Ron Paul's plan is to allow the individual to find his or her own success, for the individual is the most valuable commodity this nation has.

"For this, and more, I endorse Ron Paul for the Presidency of the United States."

Rep. Burditt is a resident of West Rutland, an independent-thinking Republican, and a small business owner whose family's ancestral ties to the Green Mountain State have unfortunately been diluted. His past affiliations include serving as a board member of the Rutland County Pro-Business Coalition, a select board member of the Town of West Rutland, and varsity wrestling coach at Rutland High School from 1997-2001.

A political novice although engaged in business and civic activities, he ran on a platform of helping his fellow Vermonters face the challenge of hardworking Vermont families leaving the state in search of opportunity. His other main issues include job retention, curtailing the state's high tax burden on individuals, improving educational outcomes, and establishing in the state a friendlier business jurisdiction vis a vis the region.

A key driver of Rep. Burditt's entrance into the political arena was when his children moved to Seattle, Washington because of the dearth of opportunity in Vermont. His descendants came to America in 1653 and to Vermont in 1796. He is the youngest of eight siblings and the last man standing in Vermont as his siblings move to different parts of the country seeking opportunity.

Rep. Burditt is a proud lifelong resident of the state and a graduate of Rutland Senior High School. He describes himself an "extremely proud" father of two children and three grandchildren.

Republican Party Presidential Primaries, 2012 FYI: This Is Still ONLY The Beginning With ONLY 10 States; 302 Delegates Counted So Far! It Takes 1,144 Delegate Votes To Win.

Republican Party Presidential Primaries, 2012

[source: wikipedia]

The 2012 Republican presidential primaries are the selection processes in which voters of the Republican Party will choose their nominee for President of the United States in the 2012 presidential election.

There are 2,286 delegates. It takes 1,144 delegate votes to win.

Superdelegates

According to the Republican National Committee's Council's Office, there are 132 superdelegates in 2012, delegates whose votes are not bound by their state's results. As only 6% of the total delegates, the Republican superdelegates are not expected to have the same impact the Democratic superdelegates had on the 2008 primary. Of the 132 superdelegates, as of December 27, 2011, 12 had endorsed Romney, 3 had endorsed Perry, and 1 had endorsed Santorum.

Convention

The 2012 Republican National Convention is scheduled to take place the week of August 27, 2012 in Tampa, Florida, one week before the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Date of caucuses

The 2012 Iowa Republican caucuses were originally scheduled to begin on February 6, 2012, much later than the date in 2008, which almost immediately followed the beginning of the year in January 2008. On September 29, 2011, the entire schedule of caucuses and primaries was disrupted, however, when it was announced that the Republican Party of Florida had decided to move up its primary to January 31, in an attempt to bring attention to its own primary contest, and attract the presidential candidates to visit the state. Because of the move, the Republican National Committee decided to strip Florida of half of its delegates. Also as a result, the Iowa Republican Party, along with New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada then sought to move their caucuses back into early January. All but Nevada, who agreed to follow Florida, confirmed their caucus and primary dates to take place throughout January, with Iowa deciding to hold their contest on January 3, 2012.

NH will be penalized from 23 delegates to 12, SC from 50 to 25, FL from 99 to 50, AZ from 58 to 29 and MI from 59 to 30.

Tue., January 3, 2012 Iowa: nonbinding caucus; 28 delegates

Tue., January 10, 2012
New Hampshire: semi-closed primary; 12 delegates

Sat., January 21, 2012 South Carolina: open primary; 25 delegates

Tue., January 31, 2012 Florida: closed primary; 50 delegates

Sat., February 4, 2012 Nevada: binding caucus; 28 delegates

February 4–11, 2012 Maine: nonbinding caucus; 24 delegates

Tue., February 7, 2012
Colorado: nonbinding caucus; 36 delegates

Minnesota: caucus; 40 delegates

Tue., February 28, 2012
Arizona: semi-closed primary; 29 delegates

Michigan: open primary; 30 delegates

***********************************************************

THE FOLLOWING STATES HAVE YET TO VOTE!

Sat., March 3, 2012 Washington: binding caucus; 43 delegates

Tue., March 6, 2012
Alaska: binding caucus; 27 delegates

Georgia: open primary; 76 delegates

Idaho: binding caucus; 32 delegates

Massachusetts: semi-closed primary; 41 delegates

North Dakota: nonbinding caucus; 28 delegates

Ohio: open primary; 66 delegates

Oklahoma: closed primary; 43 delegates

Tennessee: open primary; 58 delegates

Vermont: open primary; 17 delegates

Virginia: open primary; 50 delegates

March 6–10, 2012 Wyoming: nonbinding caucus; 29 delegates

Tue., March 10, 2012
Kansas: binding caucus; 40 delegates

U.S. Virgin Islands: caucus; 9 delegates

Tue., March 13, 2012
Alabama: semi-closed primary; 50 delegates

American Samoa: caucus; 9 delegates

Hawaii: binding caucus; 20 delegates

Mississippi: open primary; 40 delegates

Sat., March 17, 2012 Missouri: binding caucus; 52 delegates

Sun., March 18, 2012 Puerto Rico: binding caucus; 23 delegates

Tue., March 20, 2012 Illinois: open primary; 69 delegates

Sat., March 24, 2012 Louisiana: open primary; 46 delegates

Tue., April 3, 2012
Maryland: closed primary; 37 delegates

Texas: open primary; 155 delegates

Washington, D.C.: closed primary; 19 delegates

Wisconsin: open primary; 42 delegates

Tue., April 24, 2012
Connecticut: closed primary; 28 delegates

Delaware: closed primary; 17 delegates

New York: closed primary; 95 delegates

Pennsylvania: closed primary; 72 delegates

Rhode Island: semi-closed primary; 19 delegates

Tue., May 8, 2012
Indiana: open primary; 46 delegates

North Carolina: semi-closed primary; 55 delegates

West Virginia: semi-closed primary; 31 delegates

Tue., May 15, 2012
Nebraska: semi-closed primary; 35 delegates

Oregon: closed primary; 29 delegates

Tue., May 22, 2012
Arkansas: open primary; 36 delegates

Kentucky: closed primary; 45 delegates

Tue., June 5, 2012
California: top two primary; 172 delegates

Montana: semi-closed primary; 26 delegates

New Jersey: closed primary: 50 delegates

New Mexico: closed primary: 23 delegates

South Dakota: closed primary: 28 delegates

Tue., June 26, 2012 Utah: closed primary; 40 delegates

To be announced
Guam: nonbinding caucus; 9 delegates

Northern Mariana Islands: nonbinding caucus; 9 delegates

Rasmussen Natl Poll Reported Today: Ron Paul Beats President Obama In A Head-To-Head Matchup By 43 To 41 Percent. I'd Say This Reveals Ron Paul Is The Most ELECTABLE! Ron Paul's Support Is GROWING Each Day Appealing To FREEDOM LOVING Americans!

Take a good look at the political wheel to the left. The way I see it, 20% of Americans are extreme far-left progressives and will support President Obama no matter what kind of oppressive legislation he signs into law. Another 20% of Americans are extreme far-right progressives and supported former President Bush no matter what oppressive legislaton he signed into law. Obama, Romney, Santorum and Gingrich all support the Patriot Act, the TSA groping, the Military Commissions Act, ENDLESS WARS and the NDAA harmful provision that gives the U.S. President the power to indefinitely detain Americans considered "terrorists" in the eyes of the government WITHOUT DUE PROCESS. Ron Paul is the ONLY presidential candidate who has staunchly opposed these laws and voted against them.

Well, I am a Capitalist with a Heart who values my FREEDOM. That would make me a CENTRIST. I am appealing to the 60% of Americans who are Center, Center-Left and Center-Right. This next presidential election hinges on your full support. How much do you value your FREEDOM? Do you want more of the same? or are you ready to make a statement LOUD AND CLEAR?

I am supporting Dr. Ron Paul because he is the only candidate who says what he means and means what he says. He is a man of principle and integrity. There is nothing shallow about him. He doesn't flip-flop on issues like everyone else in politics. He understands finance and economics. He genuinely cares about protecting and defending our individual liberties, property rights and wants to prevent future generations from going down the road to serfdom. He has never kowtowed to the establishment or special interest groups like everyone else in politics. If you value your FREEDOM as much as I do and want to keep it, then I encourage you to visit Ron Paul's Presidential Campaign website for more information.

Don't believe the media hyping up Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. This national poll was not strictly republican voters. This national poll included independents and democrats. I know that Ron Paul would defeat President Obama by a large margin because so many independents and democrats are extremely disappointed in President Obama and are tired of the same bs being served up. This republican primary race is far from over and those of you in the remaining 40 states and 5 U.S. territories can make all the difference in the world. So please, let your VOICE BE HEARD and get involved. Our free and prosperous future depends on it.

**********************************************

Christian Science Monitor

Ron Paul poll shocker: He beats Obama head-to-head

written by Peter Grier

Tuesday February 28, 2012

At the moment, Ron Paul bests President Obama in a head-to-head matchup by 43 to 41 percent, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll released Tuesday.

How about this for a poll shocker: While everybody in US politics has been preoccupied with the Michigan primary, Ron Paul has sneaked up on President Obama and for the first time leads the incumbent in a head-to-head survey.

That’s right, leads – as in, ahead of, out front, winning, and so forth. According to a Rasmussen Reports poll released Tuesday, at the moment Representative Paul bests Mr. Obama in a head-to-head matchup by 43 to 41 percent.

The same poll has Mitt Romney tied with Obama, at 44 percent each. Rick Santorum is three points behind the president, according to Rasmussen, and Newt Gingrich is 10 points behind.

Wow. Paul is outperforming all the other GOP candidates, by this measure. His campaign is spinning this as evidence he’s the most electable of all.

“In order to win back the White House, Republicans must nominate a consistent candidate that offers something besides the status quo. Ron Paul is that candidate,” said national campaign chairman Jesse Benton in a statement on the Rasmussen results.

Well, we hate to be the bearer of cold water, but we’ve got a couple of comments to make on this.

First, one poll does not a white-haired Texas libertarian president make. As we said, this is the only head-to-head matchup to this point that shows Paul beating Obama. The RealClearPolitics rolling average of such polls still has Paul behind by a little over seven points.

Plus it’s, you know, hypothetical. Paul is not actually running against Obama at the moment. And the polls that have to do with him getting to that point aren’t so positive at the moment.

In the RealClearPolitics poll average of the four GOP contenders, Paul remains in fourth, as the choice of 12 percent of Republican voters. He’s not outperforming that figure in any big March 6 Super Tuesday states, either. In Ohio, he’s at 10.7 percent. In Georgia, he’s at 8.8 percent. He’s doing a bit better in Tennessee, at 15 percent in a recent Vanderbilt University poll, but that’s still good for only third place.

Of course, there is always the chance that Paul can take a few delegates in Tuesday’s Michigan primary. State rules allocate two delegates to the winner of each congressional district, and it’s possible that Paul could win in districts that include the University of Michigan and Michigan State. (He’s big with young people, in case you didn’t know.)

And the Washington caucuses are March 3. They’ll be another test of Paul’s strategy of focusing his energy, money, and organization on caucus states.

USA: Obama Administration Approves Plan To Shoot Barred Owls To Save Spotted Owls!!! >:/

The Washington Post

Obama administration plan would kill rival bird to save spotted owl

written by Associated Press staff

Tuesday February 28, 2012

WASHINGTON — To save the imperiled spotted owl, the Obama administration is moving forward with a controversial plan to shoot barred owls, a rival bird that has shoved its smaller cousin aside.

The plan is the latest federal attempt to protect the northern spotted owl, the passive, one-pound bird that sparked an epic battle over logging in the Pacific Northwest two decades ago.

The government set aside millions of acres of forest to protect the owl, but the bird’s population continues to decline — a 40 percent slide in 25 years.

A plan announced Tuesday would designate habitat considered critical for the bird’s survival, while allowing logging to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and to create jobs. Habitat loss and competition from barred owls are the biggest threats to the spotted owl.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar called the draft plan “a science-based approach to forestry that restores the health of our lands and wildlife and supports jobs and revenue for local communities.”

By removing selected barred owls and better managing forests, officials can give communities, foresters and land managers in three states important tools to promote healthier and more productive forests, Salazar said.

The new plan, which replaces a 2008 Bush administration plan that was tossed out in federal court, affects millions of acres of national, state and private forest land in Washington, Oregon and Northern California.

The plan to kill barred owls would not be the first time the federal government has authorized killing of one species to help another. California sea lions that feast on threatened salmon in the Columbia River have been killed in recent years after efforts to chase them away or scare them failed.

The U.S. Agriculture Department kills thousands of wild animals each year — mostly predators such as coyotes — to protect livestock. Other animals, including bears, wolves and raccoons also are killed through the program.

The latest plan for spotted owls was accompanied by a presidential memorandum directing Interior to take a number of steps before the plan is finalized, including providing clear direction for how logging can be conducted within areas designated as critical habitat and conducting an economic analysis at the same time critical habitat areas are proposed.

Officials acknowledge that the plan to kill barred owls creates an ethical dilemma, but say an experiment on private land in northern California has shown promising results. Spotted owls have returned to historic territories after barred owls were removed.

Salazar and other officials stressed the new plan’s job-creation component, noting that for the first time logging would be allowed in areas designated as critical habitat for the owl. Previous plans had prohibited logging in areas designated as critical habitat.

“Appropriate timber harvests consistent with ecological forestry principles (should) be encouraged,” the Interior Department said in a statement.

The American Forest Resource Council, a timber industry group, was skeptical that so-called ecological logging would produce a significant amount of timber or jobs. At the same time, the plan has the potential to double the amount of acres designated as critical habitat, said Tom Partin, the group’s president.

Please click HERE to read the entire article...

U.S.: Obama Administration Spends $750,000 On Soccer Field For Gitmo Detainees AKA "Terrorists"! What A JOKE-r!

BIG Peace

Obama Admin Spends $750K On Soccer Field For Gitmo Detainees

written by Ben Shapiro

Tuesday February 28, 2012

President Obama pledged to shut down Guantanamo Bay at the very outset of his administration; within two days of his inauguration, he issued an executive order to close the facility within a year. We are now three years into the Obama Administration, and Gitmo is still open.

But not only is Gitmo still open, it’s getting an upgrade: a new soccer field costing $750,000 for detainee use. Not only did the Obama Administration spend that cash, they organized a media tour to show that Camp Gitmo is now Club Med. This isn’t the first recreation facility at Gitmo; it’s actually number three. And now the detainees – yes, these are terrorists and terrorist supporters – can now spend up to 20 hours a day in the park.

Why, it’s enough to drive you to quit your job and join Al Qaeda, just for the benefits America will provide you. As Fox News notes, “Detainees like Usama bin Laden’s personal cook and his driver are spending less time in prison than American citizens prosecuted in federal courts on lesser charges.”

President Obama’s new midnight basketball plan for stopping terrorism is bound to fail. But it’s all for PR anyway – it’s designed to show our enemies how much we care about them, and to buy European support for our anti-terrorism policy. Otherwise, why spend $750,000 on a facility that was supposed to be abandoned years ago?

U.S.: Colorado welfare debit cards used at casinos, strip clubs

Denver Post

Colorado welfare debit cards used at casinos, strip clubs

written by Jeremy Jojola

Tuesday February 28, 2012

Debit cards issued to provide assistance to welfare recipients were used to withdraw cash at ATMs in strip clubs, casinos, bingo halls and amusement parks, a 9News investigation found.

As a result, more than $1 million in welfare funds goes to ATM owners and banks through transaction fees every year.

"When you see the type of obvious abuses that you've shown, it says there are people on welfare that should not be," said Jon Caldara of the conservative watchdog group Independence Institute.

The 9News investigation included the review of 222,000 transactions involving Colorado Quest cards, the state-issued debit cards welfare recipients use to access cash at ATMs. The transactions occurred during a six-month period in 2011 involving a total of $8.1 million in ATM withdrawals.

While state law bans welfare transactions at liquor stores, casinos and bingo halls, it does not at strip clubs.

But the 9News investigation found numerous examples of cash withdrawals at businesses where transactions are banned — and numerous examples of high ATM fees ultimately paid by the state even where transactions are allowed.

For example, 9News calculated that more than $40,000 was withdrawn from ATMs in metro-area liquor stores between May 1 and Nov. 30.

"I think it's wrong," said Steve Ziporlin, who works at a grocery store near Josh Liquor. "The money is supposed to be used for groceries and sundries."

9News found numerous transactions at ATMs in casinos in Black Hawk.

"The state is giving them money, and to come up here and play with it, I think that's defeated them and their families," Pat Schmidt said as she left a casino. "It comes out of our pocket."

The 9News investigation also found transactions at Elitch Gardens, at Disneyland and Universal Studios in California, at a liquor store in Los Angeles, and at ATMs along the Las Vegas strip.

At strip clubs, where transactions are not banned by state law, 9News found numerous transactions, including 14 at Shotgun Willie's in Glendale for a combined amount of $1,500.

Taxpayers also covered the $6.50 ATM fee for each withdrawal.

Out of the 222,000 transactions reviewed by 9News, 80 percent occurred at ATMs that applied a fee to accounts, resulting in about $540,000 in fees.

The local banking industry says the fees are the cost of doing business.

"Annual maintenance on such a machine will be $12,000 to $15,000 per year. That's a lot of money that you have to recover," said Don Childears, president of the Colorado Bankers Association.

The Colorado Human Services Department began sending out updated fliers to welfare recipients to help them avoid surcharges on their accounts.

"The primary beneficiaries of these benefits are kids," said State Rep. Dan Pabon, D-Denver, who saw his bill killed in 2011 that would have strengthened laws against using the debit cards at strip clubs. "If there's money being pulled out at liquor stores and casinos, it makes you wonder if those benefits are going to the people that they should."

Other lawmakers said it's unfair to block welfare access at certain ATMs.

"If you place some of the limits you talk about, you place recipients at a further disadvantage," said state Sen. Betty Boyd, D-Lakewood. "Why is it that the 'haves' are always suspect of and stereotyping the 'have-nots'?"

Julie Kerksick of Colorado's Health and Human Services Department oversees the state's welfare programs. She said it's impossible to monitor every single welfare transaction but that her department is trying to curb the abuse.

"We have fewer than 1 percent of all transactions that are out of compliance," Kerksick said. "That tells me businesses are cooperating, but it also tells me that most individuals who are receiving these benefits are using them appropriately."

A new federal law signed by President Barack Obama on Wednesday will force states to ban all such transactions within the next two years or face losing federal funding.

U.S.: Former Detroit Treasurer Indicted For Alleged Kickbacks Costing City Pension Funds $84 MILLION

Detroit Free Press

Ex-Kilpatrick appointee indicted, ready to fight, his attorney says

written by Tresa Baldas

Tuesday February 28, 2012

Jeff Beasley, a former city official and fraternity brother of ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick who was indicted today in a pension fund scheme, is ready for a fight, according to his lawyer.

“Jeffrey has always maintained his innocence, and there will be a number of witnesses who line up with him at trial to prove his innocence,” Beasley’s lawyer, Wally Piszczatowski told the Free Press today, noting he had not yet seen the indictment.

“I think it’s very interesting that only one person got indicted when there are 10 and 11 members of the respective (pension) boards on which he sat,” said Piszczatowski, convinced that others cut a deal in the case to save themselves. “I haven’t seen the witness list, but but I can bet that everybody who was testifying against Jeffrey before the grand jury is looking for, or has gotten, some kind of deal. Their testimony is bought and paid for.”

Beasley, Detroit’s former treasurer who was appointed by Kilpatrick, was indicted on charges he and others took bribes and kickbacks in a scheme that bilked $84 million from two Detroit pension funds. He took the bribes in exchange for approving more than $200 million in investments by the two City of Detroit pensions, the indictment said.

The bribes, the indictment said, came in all forms: cash, travel, meals, golf clubs, drinks, gambling money, hotel stays, entertainment, Las Vegas concert tickets, limos, and private plane flights.

"This is another example of a once-trusted public official abusing their power for personal gain,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Andrew Arena, who warned public corruption remains a high priority for the federal agency. “The FBI remains dedicated to rooting out this type of corruption and reminding public officials they serve the citizens, not themselves."

According to the indictment, the bribes, which were paid to Beasley and his co-conspirators, came from individuals who had business before the General Retirement System and the Police and Fire Retirement System of the City of Detroit.

As city treasurer, Beasley was a member of the boards of trustees of the two pension systems, and he had a responsibility to make decisions on investments pending before the boards in the best interests of the retirees and beneficiaries, authorities said.

Beasley’s bribery scheme cost the two Detroit pensions more than $84 million in losses, the indictment said.

A federal grand jury issued the six-count indictment on Jan. 18, although it wasn’t unsealed until today.

According to the indictment, between January 2006 and September 2008, when Beasley served on the boards of trustees of the two pension funds, he conspired with others to defraud current and retired City of Detroit employees who contributed to the two pension funds. The indictment alleges Beasley deprived the employees of their right to honest services, including their right to Beasley's service as a pension fund trustee, free of bribery and corruption.

Longtime police and fire trustee George Orzech said Beasley’s tenure marked a time when the board had “gone bad for a small period of time.”

“There’s no way to stop a trustee if they’re going bad,” Orzech said. He said trustees have a “trusted spot” and city workers, retirees and the disabled depend on that trust. “That’s a trust placed on you to do the best you can with what you’ve got,” he said.

The indictment alleges Beasley personally pocketed more than $100,000 in cash from people having business before the two pension funds. Another part of the scheme included demands by Beasley and others that individuals having business before the pension funds contribute tens of thousands of dollars to the Kilpatrick Civic Fund to receive approval for their investment requests, the indictment said.

Beasley also is charged with five counts of extortion or attempted extortion, accused of extorting more than $10,000 in cash from persons doing business before the two pension funds at a "birthday party" in his honor.

Specifically, the indictment said, Beasley demanded $250,000 from the owner of an investment company in exchange for Beasley's support of $44 million in investment funds from the two pension funds. Beasley also demanded and received $20,000 from Marc Andre Cunningham, a former Kilpatrick aide who acted as a consultant for a communications company that received $30 million in investment funds from the two pension funds, the indictment said.

Beasley and his co-conspirators demanded and received trips, private plane flights, and lavish entertainment from an investment manager of the Police and Fire Retirement System who managed more than $150 million in properties owned by the system, the indictment said.

If convicted, Beasley faces up to 20 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine on each of the six extortion counts.

The indictment also seeks forfeiture of more than $225,000 in unlawful payments received by Beasley and his co-conspirators.

"Employees of the City of Detroit are entitled to honest services from the trustees of their pension funds. We will prosecute public officials who abuse their positions of trust to personally enrich themselves at the expense of the people they were intended to serve," said U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade.

In October, the Free Press published excerpts from a five-hour deposition from a civil suit involving the pension funds, in which Beasley took the Fifth Amendment more than 450 times. He refused to answer questions about whether he took bribes or kickbacks, including Super Bowl tickets, a cruise and free condo stays, in exchange for his support of any pension deals. He wouldn’t even say how he met Kilpatrick, much less answer questions about whether he encouraged an Alabama businessman to donate $100,000 to Kilpatrick’s defense fund in exchange for a political favor.

Please click HERE to continue reading article...

JAPAN: 880,000 Public Sector Govt Employee Pensions Hit By Japan Investment Scandal

France24 news

880,000 pensions hit by Japan investment scandal

written by AFP staff

Tuesday February 28, 2012

A growing scandal around an investment company that has lost $2.3 billion has affected pensions for up to 880,000 people, Japan's government said Tuesday.

AIJ Investment Advisors has reportedly been lying to clients for years, boasting of annual returns of up to 240 percent while in fact 185 billion yen in pension investments has melted away.

The company's operations were suspended last week and the government ordered a probe of 260 asset management firms nationwide after allegations that most of the money in its care had disappeared.

The scandal has shocked Japan, where a rapidly ageing middle class population is increasingly looking to private pension funds, while the state retirement pot also struggles due to gross mismanagement of its own.

The government said Tuesday that the 185 billion yen was from 84 separate pension funds, and affected 540,000 employees who were saving for retirement, as well as more than 340,000 people already drawing their pensions.

Most of the 84 funds entrusted fractions of their savings to AIJ, but 13 funds had a quarter of their investments exposed to AIJ, the health ministry said.

The company, which was set up in 1989, has consistently reported healthy returns on investments since the start of the last decade, but financial regulators now say the bulk of the money it looked after is gone.

It was not known whether the money was lost due to market turbulence or because the firm diverted it for other purposes.

The head of the Financial Services Agency (FSA), Shozaburo Jimi, said he had ordered investigations into the assets of 260 investment management firms.

"We will put all of our efforts in to clarify the facts of the AIJ case. We will get to the truth and draft ways to prevent similar incidents in the future," he told a press conference.

Exact details of how much has been lost were not available as the FSA said it was unable to comment on an ongoing investigation.

The case, however, has further highlighted the gap between what the greying nation needs and its creaking public pension system, run by a government already saddled with debt worth double the nation's GDP.

The state borrows money to finance roughly a half of its annual budget, amid dwindling tax income due to two decades of economic stagnation and a shrinking workforce caused by population decline.

GREECE: S&P Has Downgraded Greece To "SD", Meaning It Believed The Country Has Undergone A Selective Default.

The Telegraph UK

S&P downgrades Greece: the full text

written by Staff

Monday February 27, 2012

S&P has downgraded Greece to "SD", meaning it believed the country has undergone a selective default. Here are the rating agency's reasons for the move.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services lowered its "CC" long-term and "C" short-term sovereign credit ratings on the Hellenic Republic (Greece) to "SD" (selective default).

Our recovery rating of "4" on Greece's foreign-currency issue ratings is unchanged. Our country transfer and convertibility (T&C) assessment for Greece, as for all other eurozone members, remains "AAA".

We lowered our sovereign credit ratings on Greece to "SD" following the Greek government's retroactive insertion of collective action clauses (CACs) in the documentation of certain series of its sovereign debt on February 23, 2012. The effect of a CAC is to bind all bondholders of a particular series to amended bond payment terms in the event that a predefined quorum of creditors has agreed to do so.

In our opinion, Greece's retroactive insertion of CACs materially changes the original terms of the affected debt and constitutes the launch of what we consider to be a distressed debt restructuring. Under our criteria, either condition is grounds for us to lower our sovereign credit rating on Greece to "SD" and our ratings on the affected debt issues to "D".

As we have previously stated, we may view an issuer's unilateral change of the original terms and conditions of an obligation as a de facto restructuring and thus a default by Standard & Poor's published definition. Under our criteria, the definition of restructuring includes exchange offers featuring the issuance of new debt with less-favorable terms than those of the original issue without what we view to be adequate offsetting compensation. Such less-favorable terms could include a reduced principal amount, extended maturities, a lower coupon, a different payment currency, different legal characteristics that affect debt service, or effective subordination.

We do not generally view CACs (to the extent that they are included in an original issuance) as changing a government's incentive to pay its obligations in full and on time. However, we believe that the retroactive insertion of CACs will diminish bondholders' bargaining power in an upcoming debt exchange. Indeed, Greece launched such an exchange offer on February 24, 2012.

If the exchange is consummated (which we understand is scheduled to occur on or about March 12, 2012), we will likely consider the selective default to be cured and raise the sovereign credit rating on Greece to the "CCC" category, reflecting our forward-looking assessment of Greece's creditworthiness. In this context, any potential upgrade to the "CCC" category rating would inter alia reflect our view of Greece's uncertain economic growth prospects and still large government debt, even after the debt restructuring is concluded.

If a sufficient number of bondholders do not accept the exchange offer, we believe that Greece would face an imminent outright payment default. This is because of its lack of access to market funding and the likely unavailability of additional official financing.

The revised financial assistance program provided by most of the eurozone governments and the Stand-By Credit Arrangement with the International Monetary Fund are predicated on a successful exchange offer.

Our T&C assessment for Greece, as for all other eurozone members, is "AAA". A T&C assessment reflects our view of the likelihood of a sovereign restricting non-sovereign access to foreign exchange needed to satisfy the non-sovereign's debt-service obligations. Our T&C assessment for Greece expresses our view of the low likelihood of the European Central Bank restricting non-sovereign access to foreign currency needed for debt servicing.

If Greece were to withdraw from eurozone membership (which is not our base-case assumption) and introduce a new local currency, we would re-evaluate our T&C assessment on Greece to reflect our view of the likelihood of the Greek sovereign and its central bank restricting non-sovereign access to foreign exchange needed for debt service. Contrary to the current case, in this scenario, the euro would be a foreign currency, and the Bank of Greece would no longer be part of the European System of Central Banks. As a result, under our criteria, the T&C assessment can be at most three notches above the foreign-currency sovereign credit rating.

HAPPY Tuesday!!! :)

This Is My Wish For You... ♥

This is my wish for you:

Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, Love to complete your life.

My Wish... ♥

I heard this song for the first time last year and was touched by the beautiful lyrics. So with that being said, this is my wish for you! :)

My Wish ~ by Rascal Flatts

I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,

And each road leads you where you want to go,

And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,

I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.

And if one door opens to another door closed,

I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,

If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

But more than anything, more than anything,

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,

Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,

You never need to carry more than you can hold,

And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,

I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,

Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,

All the ones who love you, in the place you left,

I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,

And you help somebody every chance you get,

Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,

And you always give more than you take.

But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,

Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,

You never need to carry more than you can hold,

And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,

I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,

Yeah, this, is my wish.

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,

Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,

You never need to carry more than you can hold,

And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,

I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,

Yeah, this, is my wish.

This is my wish

I hope you know somebody loves you

May all your dreams stay big

President Obama’s Escalating Drone War

The Daily Caller

Obama’s escalating drone war

written by Michael Bastasch

Thursday February 16, 2012

A new investigative report from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, and published in conjunction with the London Sunday Times, has discovered that a legally dubious Central intelligence Agency drone campaign in Pakistan has killed dozens of civilians who were acting as rescuers to drone strike victims, and others who were attending funerals.

There has been little coverage of the numbers of civilians killed in the United States because the operations were carried out by the always secretive CIA. And U.S. officials are often skeptical of claims made by journalists who have numbers at the ready, because information from reporters in Pakistan is often sketchy and contradictory — and typically dangerous to obtain.

The investigative report relied on detailed research involving interviews with eyewitnesses to drone attacks, including wounded Pakistanis and family members of those who were killed.

Research indicates that since President Obama took office in 2009, there have been 260 strikes by unmanned drones in Pakistan, a substantial increase over drone strikes by the Bush administration.

The report’s authors note that “between 282 and 535 civilians have been credibly reported as killed including more than 60 children.” They also claim at least fifty civilians were killed when “they had gone to help victims,” and more than twenty died as the result of “deliberate strikes on funerals and mourners.”

Between May 2009 and June 2011, news media reported on at least fifteen drone attacks on rescuers. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism found credible evidence that civilians were killed in ten of those fifteen attacks.

One such incident occurred in North Waziristan in May 2009, when Taliban militants had gathered in the village of Khaisor and were preparing to attack U.S. forces across the Afghan-Pakistani border. They were struck by a missile from a U.S. drone before the Taliban attack could begin, killing about a dozen people and causing civilians to rush out and retrieve the dead and wounded.

Two more missiles, also launched by drones, then struck as the rescuers were retrieving the dead and wounded, killing many more.

At least 29 people were killed in the two attacks. Even though they were militarily successful, locals say six civilian villagers died that day.

Another incident occurred in June 2009 when the CIA killed Khwaz Wali Mehsud, a mid-ranking Pakistan Taliban commander. His death was meant as bait in order to bring out Baitullah Mehsud, then Taliban’s notorious leader in Pakistan. The CIA planned to launch an attack while he attended Wali Mehsud’s funeral.

About 5,000 people attended that funeral, including Taliban fighters and civilians. U.S. drones attacked, killing 83 people including as many as 45 civilians. The dead reportedly included ten children and four tribal leaders.

Baitullah Mehsud escaped the attack unharmed, but was killed six weeks later by the CIA.

One of the most devastating incidents, according to the report, came in March 2011 after Pakistan released CIA contractor Raymond Davis. On the following day a drone strike killed 42 people in North Waziristan, an attack which Pakistani officials saw as retaliation. The commander of the Pakistani forces in that area said, “I was sitting there where our friends say they were targeting terrorists and I know they were innocent people.”

Many legal experts find the lack of transparency regarding these drone troubling. The increasing use of drones to strike targets is also affecting Libya, Yemen and Somalia. Some international legal experts have called the strikes “state-sanctioned extra-judicial executions.”