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Chinese President Hu Tells Obama Korea Tension May Spiral Out of Control
Amplify’d from www.hapblog.com
Chinese President Hu Tells Obama Korea Tension May Spiral Out of Control
Analysts said Hu's comments showed greater urgency over the mounting tension and an attempt to avoid the perception Beijing is siding with its ally Pyongyang against the United States, Japan and South Korea.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was meeting her counterparts from Seoul and Tokyo in a series of meetings in Washington on Monday to discuss the North Korea situation.
The White House said Obama, in a telephone call with Hu, urged Beijing to work with the United States and others to "send a clear message to North Korea that its provocations are unacceptable.
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Napolitano: Expansion of "If You See Something, Say Something" Campaign to Walmart Stores Across the Nation
Amplify’d from www.dhs.gov
Secretary Napolitano Announces Expansion of "If You See Something, Say Something" Campaign to Walmart Stores Across the Nation
Release Date: December 6, 2010
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
Washington, D.C. - Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced the expansion of the Department's national "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign to hundreds of Walmart stores across the country - launching a new partnership between DHS and Walmart to help the American public play an active role in ensuring the safety and security of our nation.
"Homeland security starts with hometown security, and each of us plays a critical role in keeping our country and communities safe," said Secretary Napolitano. "I applaud Walmart for joining the ‘If You See Something, Say Something' campaign. This partnership will help millions of shoppers across the nation identify and report indicators of terrorism, crime and other threats to law enforcement authorities."
The "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign—originally implemented by New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority and funded, in part, by $13 million from DHS' Transit Security Grant Program—is a simple and effective program to engage the public and key frontline employees to identify and report indicators of terrorism, crime and other threats to the proper transportation and law enforcement authorities.
More than 230 Walmart stores nationwide launched the "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign today, with a total of 588 Walmart stores in 27 states joining in the coming weeks. A short video message will play at select checkout locations to remind shoppers to contact local law enforcement to report suspicious activity.
The public service announcement will air in all Walmart stores equipped with checkout video screens.
Over the past five months, DHS has worked with its federal, state, local and private sector partners, as well as the Department of Justice, to expand the "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign and Nationwide SAR Initiative to communities throughout the country—including the recent state-wide expansions of the "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign across Minnesota and New Jersey. Partners include the Mall of America, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, Amtrak, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, sports and general aviation industries, and state and local fusion centers across the country.
In the coming months, the Department will continue to expand the "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign nationally with public education materials and outreach tools designed to help America's businesses, communities and citizens remain vigilant and play an active role in keeping the country safe.
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Suspicious Activity – See Something, Say Something
Amplify’d from www.nationalterroralert.com
Suspicious Activity – See Something, Say Something
What To Do If You Spot Suspicious Terrorist Activity If you see suspicious behavior, do not confront the individuals involved.
Take note of the details:
S – Size (Jot down the number of people, gender, ages, and physical descriptions)
A - Activity (Describe exactly what they are doing)
L - Location (Provide exact location)
U – Uniform (Describe what they are wearing, including shoes)
T – Time (Provide date, time, and duration of activity)
E - Equipment (Describe vehicle, make, color etc., license plate, camera, guns, etc)
Suspicious activity is often recalled after an event. We must train ourselves to be on the lookout for things that are out of the ordinary and arouse suspicions.
Keep in mind, those who commit terrorist acts:Usually live among us without appearing suspicious while planning and preparing for their attack. They may be your neighbor, student or friend.
Often they will need training or equipment that will arouse suspicion.
Need to conduct surveillance on possible targets and gather information on the planned attcak location.
All of these things make terrorists vulnerable to detection, by those watching for certain characteristics.
Learn to recognize the difference between normal and abnormal behavior. It can be a fine line. Stay alert in your daily travels and routines and get to know:
- Who your neighbors are
- What cars are normally in your neighborhood
- Who regularly makes deliveries at work and in your neighborhood
Staying alert is NOT about becoming paranoid. Staying alert is being aware of one’s surroundings. Be alert to indications of possible trouble. They may include:
- A local activity that could indicate problems in your community.
- One of the clues that led to the recent break-up of a terrorist plot was that several of the cell members were spotted celebrating in an apartment complex on the anniversary of 911.
- Previous activity or crimes.
- Controversial issues being debated.
- Suspicious thefts.
It is impossible to identify a terrorist by
- Appearance
- Nationality
- Language
You CAN only identify a terrorist threat by observing or hearing about suspicious activity that may lead to a criminal act.
Identifying suspicious activity is not a difficult science. Rely on your judgment. Your suspicion of a threat could be confirmed with only one incident or it could take a series of incidents. Your suspicions will need to be based on:
- Experience
- Judgment
- Common sense
Review some possible suspicious activity.
Here is just one example:
Unusual Interest in High Risk or Symbolic Targets
Maybe you are at a high profile location or, perhaps a National Monument and you notice a person nearby taking several photos. That’s not unusual. But then you notice that the person is only taking photos of the locations surveillance cameras, entrence crash barriers and access control procedures. Is that normal for a tourist? Not.
The following should cause a heightened sense of suspicion:
- suspicious or unusual interest
- surveillance (suspicious in nature)
- inappropriate photographs or videos
- note-taking
- drawing of diagrams
- annotating maps
- using binoculars or night vision devices
Unusual or suspicious activity does not necessarily mean that terrorist activity is happening, but be aware of the following suspicious behaviors:
- Individuals acting furtively and suspiciously
- Individuals avoiding eye contact
- Individuals departing quickly when seen or approached
- Individuals in places they don’t belong
- A strong odor coming from a building or vehicle
- An overloaded vehicle
- Fluid leaking from a vehicle, other than the engine or gas tank
- Over dressed for the type of weather
Fraudulent Identification
Many of the 9/11 terrorists were in the country illegally and using fraudulent IDs. Altering or using false government identification in any way and for any purpose is against the law.
Read a recent news article we featured discussing this.
Fraudulent ID’s include:
- drivers license
- social security card
- passport
- birth certificate
- INS identification
If you believe someone is using or has altered government identification, please notify the law enforcement authrities. Do NOT request to see another person’s ID when not appropriate. Allow law enforcements to do the investigating.
Terrorists, when not acting alone, need to meet with their conspirators and often times work within a cell. Pay attention to visitors and guests that
- arrive and leave at unusual hours
- try not to be noticed
- act in a suspicious manner
- park an unusual distance from the meeting
- have an unusual number of unrelated people living together
- Not all people who maintain privacy are terrorists. But people intent on doing illegal acts want to be left alone.
Some signs that may raise your suspicions.
- they only let you into the apartment or house with plenty of prior notice
- they change the locks often
- they keep certain rooms off limits
- they cover tables and other pieces of furniture
- they never allow maid service in a hotel room
- they only take hotel room service outside the door
- they only accept deliveries at the hotel’s front desk or outside a closed door
Deliveries are a common method for terrorists to carry out their attacks. Be aware of:
- a vehicle with hazardous material parked or driving in an inappropriate area
- unusual deliveries of chemicals or fertilizer
- unattended bags or boxes in a public access place
- fire extinguishers that may have been moved or tampered with
- unusual or unexpected mail
Unusual Purchases or Thefts
Terrorists need supplies to carry out their attacks and accomplish their goals.
Pay attention to purchases, rentals or thefts of:
- police, security, public utility, mail carrier, or airline uniforms and equipment
- explosives
- weapons
- ammunition
- propane bottles
- toxic chemicals
- vehicles able to contain or haul hazardous materials
Additional suspicious activity may include:
- Someone bragging or talking about plans to harm citizens in violent attacks or who claims membership in a terrorist organization that espouses killing innocent people.
- Suspicious packages, luggage, or mail that have been abandoned in a crowded place like an office building, an airport, a school, or a shopping center.
- Suspicious letter or package that arrives in your mailbox. (Stay away from the letter or package and don’t shake, bump or sniff it; wash hands thoroughly with soap and water.
- Someone suspiciously exiting a secured, non-public area near a train or bus depot, airport, tunnel, bridge, government building, or tourist attraction.
- Any type of activity or circumstance that seems frightening or unusual within the normal routines of your neighborhood, community, and workplace.
- Someone unfamiliar loitering in a parking lot, government building, or around a school or playground.
- Anyone asking a lot of questions ‹ especially concerning routes or loads or drop-off times.
- Recruiters should be alert for unusual employment applications. Don’t assume it couldn’t be an inside job.
- A trucker returning to his or her vehicle from a restaurant or truck stop should make sure no one is loitering around the truck. Watch out for walk-arounds.
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Gallup: Approval Rating For The Last Nine Presidents
Amplify’d from www.hapblog.com
Gallup: Approval Rating For The Last Nine Presidents
gallup.comPRINCETON, NJ -- Of the nine U.S. presidents who have served in the past 50 years, John F. Kennedy continues to earn the highest retrospective job approval rating from Americans, now 85%. Ronald Reagan ranks second, with 74%. While these presidents' ratings are largely unchanged from 2006, Bill Clinton's rating has improved, putting him in third place, while Jimmy Carter, at 52%, has dropped from third to sixth. Richard Nixon remains the lowest rated
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Big Sis & Wal-Mart: 'If you see something, say something'
Amplify’d from newsofthenorth.net
Big Sis & Wal-Mart: 'If you see something, say something'
More formally known as Secretary of
the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Janet Napolitano is coming to a Wal-Mart near you. It’s not enough that we’re being x-rayed or fondled at the
airport as terror suspects in violation of our Fourth Amendment right
against unreasonable search and seizure.Now Bis Sis wants shoppers to report
“suspicious activity” – two words that are open to much interpretation.
Here, according to the “National
Terror Alert
Response Center”
(I know, I never heard of it either), are the scores of things we ought to be
on the lookout for: clickNapolitano has just announced an expansion
of the so-called DHS national “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign in
hundreds of Wal-Mart stores across the country. She says the new partnership
between DHS and Wal-Mart is all about keeping us safe and secure.“Homeland security starts with
hometown security, and each of us plays a critical role in keeping our country
and communities safe,” said Big Sis. “I applaud Wal-Mart for joining the ‘If
You See Something, Say Something’ (IYSSSS) campaign. This partnership will help
millions of shoppers across the nation identify and report indicators of
terrorism, crime and other threats to law enforcement authorities.”In the so-called “war on
terrorism,” there’s a new quiver in the arrow. Now when the old guy or gal at
the door greets you with the customary “welcome to Walmart,” you can respond by
saying, “I saw someone in the parking lot who looks weird.” Assuming the greeter gets the message, you can then
move on knowing you’ve done your civic duty and shop worry-free.The “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign
was first implemented in New York City, the nation's Nanny State capital that has already banned short-term apartment rentals, bake sales in schools,
cellphones in theaters and public schools,
trans-fat in restaurants and is pushing to outlaw salt.Thanks to a $13 million grant from
DHS (taxpayer money), the New York City Metropolitan
Transportation Authority’s IYSSSS is
described as an “effective program to engage the public and key frontline
employees to identify and report indicators of terrorism, crime and other
threats to the proper transportation and law enforcement authorities.” For 13 mil, you better have something good to say.Now, more than 230 Wal-Mart stores
nationwide climb onto the snitching bandwagon with IYSSSS, with a total of 588 Wal-Mart
stores in 27 states joining in coming weeks. Big Sis says a short video
message will play at select checkout locations to remind shoppers to contact
local law enforcement to report suspicious activity.Over the past five months, DHS says it has has worked with “federal,
state, local and private sector partners,” as well as the Department of
Justice, to expand the “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign. Others
joining in include the Mall of America, the American Hotel
& Lodging Association, Amtrak, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit
Authority, sports and general aviation industries, and state and local fusion
centers across the country.
Napolitano says that in the coming
months, DHS will go national with IYSSSS to “help America’s businesses, communities
and citizens remain vigilant and play an active role in keeping the county
safe.” Pretty soon, everyone will have their eyes open and ears out for "suspicious activity." All that remains are Orwellian "tele-screens" to monitor our every move and utterance.I realize I leave myself open to a charge of paranoia. Perhaps warranted. I concede that an unclaimed bag at an airport or on
a train reasonably raises a red flag and there are other signs of
obvious “suspicious activity.” Common sense, however, tries to prevail. We are told by DHS that it’s “impossible” to
tell a terrorist by “appearance, nationality or language.” This is known as
“profiling” in politically correct America and not legally sanctioned – so far. Many traveling Americans identify with Juan Williams, who was fired from National Public Radio for expressing heightened fears of seeing someone in "Muslim garb." Face it, burkas and turbans make some people nervous if not "suspicious."Then again, what “suspicious
activity” occurs at the airport that allows the government goons to keep
grabbing crotches without probable cause? There is none. Yet the groping and
full-body x-rays are here to stay.Now another layer of "security" has been added. Next time you’re in Wal-Mart, whose
partial slogan is to “live better,” remember to be on your best behavior.
Beware of dressing, looking or acting "suspicious." Someone will be watching waiting to say “something.”
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Frankenbombers: Al Qaeda hopes to surgically implant bombs into thugs
Amplify’d from www.nydailynews.com
Frankenbombers are 'new kind of terrorism': Al Qaeda hopes to surgically implant bombs into thugs
BY James Gordon Meek
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON - Jihadis bent on concocting a "new kind of terrorism" are brainstorming how to surgically implant explosives to make undetectable Frankenbombers.
"What is your opinion about surgeries through which I can implant the bomb ...inside the operative's body?" an apparent mad surgeon recently asked an online forum used by Al Qaeda affiliates.
He called on bombmakers and doctors to cook up the perfect solution to murder "larger numbers of unbelievers and apostates."
"I am waiting for the interaction of the experienced brothers to connect the two sciences together and produce a new kind of terrorism, Allah willing," he wrote, according to a translation by terror experts at the SITE Intelligence Group.
The scheming comes amid controversy over body scanners and pat-downs in airports that some Americans complain are too invasive. The ideas for a "surgically booby-trapped martyrdom seeker" were chillingly concise for the doctor of death monitored by SITE.
Stitching a bomb into the abdominal cavity made of plastic or liquid explosives - such as semtex or PETN - was judged the best method.
"It must be planted near the surface of the body, because the human body absorbs shocks," advised one terrorist.
Prior to the attempted destruction of a Detroit-bound flight last Christmas by accused underwear bomber Farouk Abdulmutallab, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula almost assassinated a Saudi prince with a bomb believed to have been concealed inside a body cavity; it was recently clarified that it was the first attempt at an explosive hidden in undies.
Unproven body cavity bombs worry security agents, though "no one has figured out how to actually do it," said a counterterror official.
Last month, Transportation Security Administration chief John Pistole said his agency wouldn't do cavity checks because secondary screening procedures and technology can find fuses and detonators, which must be outside the body.
"You have to have some external device to cause that initiation," he said. "That's what the advanced imaging technology machine will pick up: any anomaly outside of the body."
Still experts worry about the doctors among the terrorists' ranks and their willingness to kill. Al Qaeda's No. 2 is Ayman al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian doctor, and last year a Jordanian doctor known as "Abu Dujana al-Khorasani" killed seven CIA officers in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan.
"In the same way that drug smugglers have placed bags of narcotics in the body cavities of animals and had people ingest condoms filled with drugs, it would not be out of the realm of Al Qaeda operational planners to conceive of such a technique," said Mark Rossini, a former senior FBI counterterror agent. "No technique is off-limits to Al Qaeda to achieve its destructive goals."
The Frankenbomber
Are you worried that suicide bombers may one day be able to hide explosives inside their bodies?
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New Kind of Terrorism: Al Qaeda Hopes To Surgically Implant Explosives into the Body
Amplify’d from www.hapblog.com
New Kind of Terrorism: Al Qaeda Hopes To Surgically Implant Explosives into the Body
nydailynewsJihadis bent on concocting a "new kind of terrorism" are brainstorming how to surgically implant explosives to make undetectable Frankenbombers.
"What is your opinion about surgeries through which I can implant the bomb ...inside the operative's body?" an apparent mad surgeon recently asked an online forum used by Al Qaeda affiliates.
He called on bombmakers and doctors to cook up the perfect solution to murder "larger numbers of unbelievers and apostates."
"I am waiting for the interaction of the experienced brothers to connect the two sciences together and produce a new kind of terrorism, Allah willing," he wrote, according to a translation by terror experts at the SITE Intelligence Group.
The scheming comes amid controversy over body scanners and pat-downs in airports that some Americans complain are too invasive. The ideas for a "surgically booby-trapped martyrdom seeker" were chillingly concise for the doctor of death monitored by SITE.
Stitching a bomb into the abdominal cavity made of plastic or liquid explosives - such as semtex or PETN - was judged the best method.
"It must be planted near the surface of the body, because the human body absorbs shocks," advised one terrorist.
In the same way that drug smugglers have placed bags of narcotics in the body cavities of animals and had people ingest condoms filled with drugs, it would not be out of the realm of Al Qaeda operational planners to conceive of such a technique," said Mark Rossini, a former senior FBI counterterror agent. "No technique is off-limits to Al Qaeda to achieve its destructive goals
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Chesapeake Woman Pleads Guilty in Foreclosure Rescue Mortgage Fraud Scheme
Amplify’d from norfolk.fbi.gov
NORFOLK, VA—Shanita Lacy, age 34, of Chesapeake, Virginia, pleaded guilty today in Norfolk federal court to conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain home mortgages.
Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after Lacy's plea was accepted by United States Senior District Judge Henry Coke Morgan, Jr. Lacy faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of $1,000,000 when she is sentenced on March 18, 2011.
According to court documents, Lacy admitted that, during 2007 and 2008, she conspired with others to fraudulently obtain eight mortgage loans worth $1,549,170. Through her Virginia Beach business known as Clean Slate Financial Services, Lacy targeted homeowners in financial distress with false promises of credit repair and action to enable them to save their homes from foreclosure. Lacy then oversaw the sale of the homes at inflated prices to straw buyers, who Lacy helped to obtain mortgage loans based upon falsified income and down payment data. At or soon after the closings, Lacy liquidated and made off with the homeowners' equity. Soon thereafter, the straw buyers defaulted on the mortgage loans and the homes were foreclosed upon.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. Krask is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.uspci.uscourts.gov.
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Maryland Trucker Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Transporting an 11-Year-Old Girl to Have Sex
Amplify’d from baltimore.fbi.gov
GREENBELT, MD—U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. sentenced Elmer Zelaya-Robles, age 42, of Grand Prairie, Texas, who worked for a Maryland trucking company and at times resided with a relative in Virginia, today to 20 years in prison followed by supervised release for life for transporting an 11-year-old girl from Maryland to engage in sex.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein, Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Chief Roberto L. Hylton of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
According to Zelaya-Robles’ plea agreement, the parents of an 11-year-old girl living in Prince George’s County, Maryland reported their daughter missing on February 13, 2010. At approximately 2:00 that morning, Zelaya-Robles had picked up the girl at her parents’ home. Zelaya-Robles, an El Salvadorean citizen, had been a friend of the child’s family.
That day, Zelaya-Robles drove the child by car from Prince George’s County to Arlington County, Virginia. Zelaya-Robles and the child entered a tractor trailer truck. Zelaya-Robles had sexual intercourse with the child in the sleeper area of the truck. Zelaya-Robles and the child left Virginia for Texas in the truck. While driving to Texas, Zelaya-Robles stopped at a truck stop and purchased coffee and two boxes of condoms. Zelaya-Robles had sexual intercourse with the child at least one more time.
That same day, the child contacted her mother by telephone, and stated that she was with Zelaya-Robles. Zelaya-Robles contacted the child’s father by telephone, and stated that he was in love with the child. Zelaya-Robles apparently had been talking to the child on the phone for about a year, and planned with the child to reside in Dallas, Texas. The child’s family told Zelaya-Robles to return their daughter and that they had contacted the police. Thereafter, Zelaya-Robles made several calls to arrange to cross the border into Mexico and reside in El Salvador.
After an AMBER Alert was broadcast, a Tennessee highway trooper spotted the truck and followed it to a truck stop in Jackson, Tennessee. The trooper stopped the vehicle. When asked if he had anyone riding with him, Zelaya-Robles stated that his daughter was with him. The trooper found the child in the sleeper area of the tractor trailer and arrested Zelaya-Robles.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov. Details about Maryland’s program are available at www.justice.gov/usao/md/Safe-Childhood/index.html.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the FBI and Prince George’s Police Department for their work in this investigation, as well as Prince George’s County Assistant State’s Attorney Renee Battle-Brooks and the Tennessee Highway Patrol for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacy Dawson Belf and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney LisaMarie Freitas, who prosecuted the case.
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