Supreme Court Upholds 2nd Amendment
June 26th, 2008 . by HSLEADER
‘No immunity’ for Iraq contractors
June 17th, 2008 . by HSLEADER
From Al Jazeera
Al-Maliki had said last week that talks with the US on the long-term pact had reached a “dead end”
A controversial deal on the long-term US military presence in Iraq will not include immunity for US contractors working in the country, the Iraqi foreign minister has said.
Speaking exclusively to Al Jazeera, Hoshyar Zebari said on Monday that the US had accepted the demand and it would be stated explicitly in the agreement.
“There would be no immunity whatsoever for private contractors because of what we’ve gone through with them in the past and because of the sensitivities for the Iraqi people,” he said.
Wounded Independent Contractors Are Recognized
June 16th, 2008 . by HSLEADER
From Blackwater Release, By Dana C. Richardson
The Blackwater Worldwide Defense of Liberty Medal recognizes employees and independent contractors of Blackwater Worldwide and other Prince Group companies who are killed, wounded or have demonstrated extraordinary bravery and courage in the service of their country.
On May 23rd 2008, Blackwater Worldwide held the first of a series of award ceremonies aimed to honor the dedication and service of Blackwater personnel wounded in action. 10 private security contractors received recognition during the ceremony at Blackwater Worldwide Headquarters in Moyock, North Carolina. Erik Prince, CEO and founder of Blackwater, presented medals and an award certificate to each contractor. More than 300 people attended this ceremony including Blackwater employees, special guests, community members, along with medal recipient’s friends and family members. The guest of honor was WWII veteran, Lt Col. Richard Suehr and his wife Ruth Suehr. The event was a quiet one as this was not a public recognition of sacrifice as the names of the recipients that were honored were not released to the media.
Erik Prince presented “The Blackwater Worldwide Defense of Liberty Medal” to each of the ten independent contractors. The front of the medal features the Blackwater logo, which exemplifies Blackwater’s core values and principles, surrounded by the inscription “Service in Defense of Liberty.” The back of the medal is a rendition of the central stained glass window of the Blackwater Chapel, depicting Michael the Archangel with the raised sword, stepping on the head of evil personified, with the inscription, “Sérviam,” which is Latin for “I will serve.” The Blackwater Worldwide Defense of Liberty Medal recognizes employees and independent contractors of Blackwater Worldwide and other Prince Group companies who are killed, wounded or have demonstrated extraordinary bravery and courage in the service of their country. The medal symbolizes the extraordinary fidelity and essential service of those employees and independent contractors who are an integral part of our nation’s “Total Force,” regardless of whether or not they serve under the Department of Defense and who otherwise contribute to the defense of liberty. “I thank each and every one of you for your many sacrifices and for your distinguished, selfless service,” Erik Prince stated.
These men exhibited extraordinary heroism and sustained serious injury while serving under contract to the United States government and Blackwater Worldwide. Part of their citation read, “Their gallantry, leadership and commitment to mission accomplishment greatly contributed to the success of America’s diplomatic and military efforts to defeat terrorism worldwide. Their services and sacrifices are in keeping with the finest traditions of national service and reflect distinct credit and honor upon their selves, their family, Blackwater Worldwide, The United States of America, and their fellow teammates.” After the ceremony, guests and employees talked and shook the hands of the men who were wounded, offering their words of thanks for their sacrifices. Several award recipients stated they felt honored to be able to come home alive, and served their country. Others stated that it was nice to receive recognition for their battle wounds, but they would rather be with their teams overseas and serve their country again.
Freedom and liberty are not innate rights; they are great gifts that have to be earned, protected and defended at all costs.” President Bush once stated, “….men who knew the cost of freedom and were willing to pay that cost so others could live free.” More than 750 contractors have been killed in Iraq, according to Department of Labor statistics, and almost 8,000 injured. The figures include Americans, Iraqis and other nationalities employed under U.S. government contracts. Many served side by side with American troops, lived in the same harsh conditions, and braved small arms and mortar fire along with roadside bombs. Wounded contractors and military soldiers have similar problems dealing with injuries that include searing grief, difficult recoveries and unanswered questions.
Hometown Grieves Loss of FBI Agent Killed on Duty
June 7th, 2008 . by HSLEADER 
From NYTimes.com, by Richard G. Jones, photo: Robert Stolarik
POTTSTOWN, Pa., April 12 — A bagpipe wailed. A siren droned. Police motorcycles revved. And within moments a procession was under way to carry Barry Lee Bush — the F.B.I. agent who was killed last week while staking out bank robbers in central New Jersey — to his final rest.
Under somber skies, hundreds of officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, police departments as far away as Michigan and state and federal governments gathered at the Hill School here to remember Mr. Bush’s life, mourn his death and offer his family the universal embrace of law enforcement. Among the 3,000 mourners were Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales; the F.B.I. director, Robert S. Mueller III; and Gov. Jon S. Corzine of New Jersey.
In a eulogy, Mr. Mueller called Mr. Bush, the 51st agent to be killed on duty, one of the agency’s finest and “a model of everything the badge should represent.”
FBI Releases Preliminary Statistics for Law Enforcement Officers Killed in 2007
May 16th, 2008 . by HSLEADER
From FBI Release
According to preliminary statistics released today by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), 57 law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty during 2007. Geographically, 31 of the victim officers were killed in the South, nine in the West, nine in the Midwest, and seven in the Northeast. One officer was slain in Puerto Rico. The total number of officers killed is nine higher than in 2006.
By circumstance, 16 deaths occurred as a result of ambush situations, 16 died during arrest situations, 11 were killed while handling traffic pursuits/stops, six died responding to disturbance calls, three while investigating suspicious persons/circumstances, three during tactical situations, one while conducting investigative activities, and one while handling and transporting prisoners.
A breakdown of weapons used in these slayings revealed that firearms were used in the majority of incidents. Of the 55 officers killed with firearms, 38 were killed with handguns, nine with shotguns, and eight with rifles. Two officers were killed with vehicles.
At the time they were killed, 35 law enforcement officers were wearing body armor. Eleven officers fired their weapons, and 14 of the slain law enforcement officers attempted to fire their weapons. Four officers had their weapons stolen, and two officers were slain with their own weapons.
The 57 law enforcement officers were killed in 51 separate incidents in 2007. Fifty of the 51 incidents have been cleared by arrest or exceptional means.
In addition to the officers who were feloniously killed, 83 law enforcement officers were accidentally killed in 81 separate incidents while performing their duties in 2007. This number is 17 higher than the previous year’s number.
The FBI will release final statistics in the Uniform Crime Reporting Program’s annual report, Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, which will be published on the Internet in the fall of this year.
Anti-Gun Legislator Wrong, Guns OK In Virginia Restaurants
May 15th, 2008 . by HSLEADER
From Examiner.com, by Matthew Barakat
Reston, VA - The patrons at Champps, an upscale restaurant and bar chain, were eating ribs and drinking beer on a recent Saturday when customer Bruce Jackson stood up and made an announcement: He was armed, and so were dozens of other patrons.
The armed customers stood up in unison, showing off their holstered pistols and revolvers. Jackson said a word or two about the rights of gun owners to carry firearms in Virginia, then thanked everyone for their attention and sat down.
The diners returned to their burgers and Budweisers.
The Virginia Citizens Defense League organized the gathering at Champps to prove a point: that the presence of armed customers in northern Virginia restaurants would elicit little more than shrugs.
A Courageous Marina Litvinenko Takes Up Husband’s Cause
April 25th, 2008 . by HSLEADER
From HSLEADER.com, by John Taylor
Washington - Marina Litvinenko, the widow of Alexander “Sasha” Litvinenko, gave a long overdue talk to the attendees of GovSec on Thursday on behalf of her late husband. Mr. Litvinenko was scheduled to address GovSec in 2007, when he was assassinated in November 2006 with tea poisoned with polonium-210.
Mrs. Litvinenko gave an emotional account of her husband’s legacy as an FSB whistle-blower, who exposed conspiracies and corruption at the highest levels of the Kremlin, and the terrible circumstances surrounding his murder. She also said she is frustrated with the Russian government’s stonewalling of England’s extradition request for the suspected assassin.
The assassination, which took place during a meeting in London, left a radioactive trail that British investigators said traced back to Andrei Lugovoi, a Russian businessman and former KGB officer. In July 2007, Russia formally denied a British extradition request for Lugovoi and in December 2007 he was elected to the Russian Parliament.
Mrs. Litvinenko was joined by a panel of outspoken critics of President Putin’s Kremlin that included: Oleg Kalugin (a former KGB Major General who now lives in the US), Paul Joyal (an expert on Russia who was shot in Maryland four days after claiming the Kremlin was involved in the Litvinenko assassination) and Alex Goldfarb (the Chairman of the Litvinenko Justice Foundation).
Comparing the WMD-like lethality of polonium-210 to that of anthrax, the panel said the hubris of what they called a “nuclear attack in a Western country” being executed in such a brazen manner was meant to send a clear signal that corrupt elements within Russia’s leadership will do anything to protect their power.
Mrs. Litvinenko said, “If they went to such lengths to get rid of my husband, imagine what they would do if their larger interests are at stake.”
During her presentation, Mrs. Litvinenko said that despite warnings to temper his criticisms, her husband continued to publish hard hitting investigative reports based on information he developed from his personal intelligence network.
Mrs. Litvinenko said she will continue her husband’s work and seek justice in his murder through the Litvinenko Justice Foundation (http://www.litvinenko.org.uk/). She said that as he was dying, Mr. Litvinenko had predicted that she would travel the world to carry on his work.
Finally, the panel expressed disappointment that as the trail of the investigation was leading right to the doorsteps of the Kremlin that President Bush continued to meet with Putin and praise his presidency. They also praised the U.S. House of Representatives for recently passing a resolution calling for justice in the Litvinenko case. A similar resolution is making its way through the Senate.
In closing, Mrs. Litvinenko said that despite her personal loss and the politics involved, she wishes only the best for the people of Russia and hopes recently elected President Medvedev will distance himself from Putin’s legacy of repression.
Random Search Stops $600 Million In Trade Secrets Bound For China
April 8th, 2008 . by HSLEADERFrom InformationWeek, by Thomas Claburn
The feds have indicated a software engineer who was flying to China with confidential technical documents, a thumb drive, four external hard drives, 29 recordable compact discs, and a videotape.
A former software engineer for a telecommunications company based near Chicago was indicted for allegedly stealing trade secrets worth an estimated $600 million and trying to take the documents to China.The FBI said Wednesday that Hanjuan Jin of Schaumburg, Ill., a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in China, was stopped at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Feb. 28, 2007, in a random search.
According to an affidavit filed by FBI special agent Michael R. Diekmann, Jin was traveling on a one-way ticket to Beijing at the time. She declared that she had $10,000 in U.S. currency in her carry-on luggage. Customs and Border Protection officers found about $30,000 in cash.
Iraq, 5 Years Later: ‘Ryan Missed Out On Something Spectacular’
April 4th, 2008 . by HSLEADER
From Rocky Mountain News, by David Montero (Photo: Barry Gutierrez)
The baby without the father is not quite a year old now and has dad’s easy-going nature and smile.
“The baby is a joy,” said grandmother Dana Baum. “Leia is the happiest thing that ever walked - or is about to walk. Then there are times when I hold her and my heart breaks because I feel so much that Ryan missed out on something spectacular.”
Sgt. Ryan John Baum, a 27-year-old Army Ranger and combat medic, died from wounds he suffered during a battle near Karmah, Iraq, last May 18.
The Lost Art of War
February 11th, 2008 . by HSLEADERHollywood’s anti-American war films don’t measure up to the glories of its patriotic era.
(In Sands of Iwo Jima (1949), John Wayne’s Sergeant Stryker (center) must steep himself in violence, and make physical and spiritual sacrifices, to defend civilization.)
Hollywood has gone back to war. And this time, it’s appalling. All autumn long, the film industry released movies about America’s battle against global jihad. With one exception—the competent actioner The Kingdom—each of these movies distorted an urgent, ongoing historical enterprise through the lens of a filmmaker’s unthinking leftism. Redacted, Rendition, In the Valley of Elah, and Lions for Lambs characterize our soldiers and government agents as rapists, madmen, murderers, torturers of the innocent, or simply victims caught up in a venal and bloodthirsty American foreign policy. All this at the very moment when our real-life soldiers and agents are risking, and sometimes losing, their lives fighting the most hateful and cancerous worldview since Nazism.
But I guess that’s showbiz.
Needless to say, it wasn’t always thus. During World War II, Hollywood stars like James Stewart and directors like Frank Capra enlisted in the military to combat dictators as willingly as Sean Penn and Michael Moore now tootle down to Venezuela and Cuba to embrace them. More to the point, yesteryear’s studio heads—many of them conservative Republicans—worked in cooperation with a Democratic administration to produce top-notch entertainment supporting the war effort. The result was not only rousing combat tales like 1943’s Sahara, Bataan, and Action in the North Atlantic—all still watchable today—but also some of the finest motion pictures ever made: 1942’s Casablanca and Mrs. Miniver, for instance, and the terrific yet all-but-forgotten They Were Expendable (1945). It was one of the film industry’s finest hours.