US pledges Cobra gunships to Lebanon against Syrian invasion threat
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report
October 6, 2008, 11:08 PM (GMT+02:00)
US Cobras for Lebanon
DEBKAfile’s military sources report that the US decided to withdraw Cobra military helicopters for the Lebanese army from emergency stores in Jordan after Lebanese prime minister Fouad Siniora alerted Washington to Damascus’ plot for a large-scale terror attack or assassination to drum up a pretext for invading northern Lebanon.
The decision was taken in talks between Lebanese government and military leaders with deputy secretary of state David Hale and assistant defense secretary Mary Beth Long, who arrived in Beirut Saturday, Oct. 5.
The helicopters are intended to impress on Damascus that the US will intervene militarily if the Syrian troops massed on the North Lebanese border cross over.
Tuesday, Oct. 7, a Lebanese military delegation will visit Jordan to inspect the Cobras stored there after fighting in Iraq. They will have to work out how to transport them to Lebanon, either 1) transported disassembled aboard large American transport planes via Israeli air space over the Mediterranean to Lebanon; or
2) have American pilots fly them by the same path; or by the slowest route 3)
loaded in parts aboard a freighter at Jordan’s Red Sea port of Aqaba, then carried through Suez to the Mediterranean.
According to our military sources, the US has promised Cobra flight training for Lebanese air crews. Until they are ready, the gunships will be flown by civilian fliers from the Middle East with military backgrounds.
DEBKAfile reported earlier that Siniora and Lebanese president Michel Suleiman complained to the two US envoys that Washington’s efforts to draw Damascus out of the Iranian orbit were throwing Lebanon to the wolves. The US also faced losing its foothold in the country. The prime minister said a tip-off he received uncovered a Syrian conspiracy to stage a major terrorist operation or assassinate a Lebanese figure of equal rank to the former prime minister Rafiq Hariri, whose murder in 2005 left Damascus under grave suspicion. The consequent turmoil in Beirut would trigger the Syrian incursion.
Two brigades of the 4th Syrian Mechanized Division, numbering up to 10,000 men have been poised on the Lebanese border since last month and are now on combat readiness.
(DEBKAfile first disclosed this Syrian troop concentration on Sept. 20 and again on Sept. 27. For the second article, Click HERE)
Damascus has accused the pro-West majority leader Saad Hariri (son of the dead politician) of organizing 45 extremist Islamic organizations, mostly Salafi, in northern Lebanon and establishing similar fronts in Sidon and the Ain Hilwa Palestinian camp in the south. As the pretext for a military invasion of northern Lebanon, Bashar Assad’s emissaries claim that these fronts pose a threat to Syria’s national security and Hizballah’s position in the country.
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Lebanese prime minister alerts US to Syrian terror plot as pretext for invasion
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report
October 6, 2008, 10:36 AM (GMT+02:00)
Syrian troop deployment on Lebanese border
Damascus is plotting a large-scale terror attack or the assassination of a Lebanese figure to drum up another pretext for invading northern Lebanon, according to Lebanese prime minister Fouad Siniora. Reporting this, DEBKAfile’s Beirut sources disclose that two senior US officials, deputy secretary of state David Hale and assistant defense secretary Mary Beth Long, were sent post haste to Beirut in response to this warning, arriving on Oct. 5.
Sinora told them that “Syria is turning the Al Kebir River (which marks the Syrian-North Lebanese border) from a Blue Line to a Red Line.”
He was joined by Lebanese president Michel Suleiman in charging that Washington’s efforts to draw Damascus out of the Iranian orbit threatened to throw Lebanon to the wolves and the loss of America’s foothold in Beirut. The prime minister said the tip-off he received uncovered a Syrian conspiracy to stage a major terrorist operation or assassinate a Lebanese figure of equal rank to the former prime minister Rafiq Hariri whose murder in 2005 left Damascus under grave suspicion. This time, Syria might be cunning enough to single out a pro-Syrian Lebanese politician to avoid suspicion. The consequent turmoil in Beirut would be the trigger for the Syrian incursion.
Two brigades of the 4th Syrian Mechanized Division, numbering up to 10,000 men, have been poised on the Lebanese border since last month and are now on combat readiness.
(DEBKAfile first disclosed this Syrian troop concentration on Sept. 20 and again on Sept. 27. For the second article,
Click HERE))
Damascus has complained to Beirut and Washington that the pro-Western majority leader Saad Hariri (son of the dead politician) has organized 45 extremist Islamic organizations, most Salafi, in northern Lebanon and established similar fronts in Sidon and the Ain Hilwa Palestinian camp in the south. Bashar Assad’s emissaries claim that these fronts were established to threaten Syria’s national security and curb Hizballah’s burgeoning strength.
Adding to the rising tension around Lebanon, the UNIFIL commander in south Lebanon has alerted the commanders of the multinational contingents to prepare for Israel to pull out on Nov. 21 from the northern part of Ghajar, the village split in two by the Lebanese-Israeli border.
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BAILOUT WILL NOT WORK - READ DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER 28
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Tel Aviv jittery after Asia, European, Russian markets plunge Monday
DEBKAfile Special Report
October 6, 2008, 1:05 PM (GMT+02:00)
In the first session since the US $700 bn bailout plan was enacted, London’s FTSE dropped more than 6 percent, French stocks plummeted by 6 percent, the German DAX by 5.3 percent and Russia's ruble-denominated MICEX stock market was suspended after more than a15 per cent decline. After the Nikkei earlier slid by more than 5 percent, the Japanese central bank pumped $9.5 bn into the financial system.
Tel Aviv’s shock decline of 6-10 percent Sunday, especially of corporate bonds -although arrested Monday - convinced prominent Israeli economists of the need for the government to ditch its static policy and budget for an emergency rescue plan.
Defense minister Ehud Barak, in coalition negotiations with Kadima leader Tzipi Livni, urged her to take the helm and support a plan to revive economic momentum before a serious recession took hold in partnership with the central bank and the Histadrut Trade Unions Federation.
The Federation’s Secretary General, Ofer Eini, warned that the job market is collapsing and the government must guarantee pension funds and savings to protect workers who are fired or retire.
The IMF chief has urged the European Union to work out a collective response to the crisis after several governments went their own way. German chancellor Angela Merkel offered extensive protection to savers and bank deposits, although she qualified an earlier blanket plan. The UK government promised to take over the stocks of troubled banks and financial institutions. It is under pressure to follow Ireland which has guaranteed all saving and pension fund accounts.
French banks threw their support behind a joint Belgian-Luxembourg decision to bail out Fortis while the Iceland government is racing against time to salvage its biggest bank Kaupthing and smaller firms. Their collapse would ripple across the North Sea to undermine several big British High Street companies, including the big pub chain Mitchells & Butlers and Debenhams department stores, in which Iceland financial institutions are invested.
Credit and economic slowdown worries caused oil to drop to under $86 per barrel Monday.
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3 in 5 voters: Boot every congressman
59 percent say they'd kick out all members of House, Senate
Posted: October 05, 2008
9:29 pm Eastern
© 2008 WorldNetDaily
If given the choice, a new poll reveals, 59 percent of Americans would sweep Capitol Hill clean of the current batch of senators and representatives to elect an entirely new Congress.
Only 17 percent of those polled said they would be willing to keep the current Legislature.
Rasmussen Reports conducted the national telephone survey on the heels of Congress passing a widely unpopular financial bailout bill, revealing a significant amount of voter dissatisfaction with the nation's current legislators.
The polling firm records a mere 30 percent of voters approved of the bailout, while 45 percent were opposed, and yet Congress passed it, leaving behind some highly critical voters.
The new poll shows only 23 percent of Americans have even a little confidence in the ability of Congress to address the nation's economic problems, and 76 percent doubt that most federal legislators even understand bills before they vote on them.
Further, less than half (49 percent) believe the current Congress is any more capable than a group of people plucked from the phone book, and nearly a third (33 percent) think the phone book congress would do a better job.
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TO SEE HOW HOUSE MEMBERS VOTED FOR BAILOUT GO TO
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2008/roll674.xml
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HOMELESSNESS IN AMERICA
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (AP) -- The number of homeless families in Massachusetts has surged -- a spike that has overwhelmed the state's shelter capacity and forced it to again place homeless families in motels.
The number of homeless families living in Massachusetts motels skyrocketed in September 2008.
Driving the increase is the sour economy, rising energy costs, escalating unemployment and shortage of affordable housing. For the first time, the state is tracking how many families are winding up homeless due to foreclosures.
"You're seeing a perfect storm," said Robyn Frost, executive director of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless.
The upswing is also putting pressure on a landmark initiative by Gov. Deval Patrick to virtually end homelessness in Massachusetts in the next five years.
In just the past 12 months, the number of homeless families living in Massachusetts motels has skyrocketed from 17 in September 2007 to 550 in September 2008. That's on top of another 1,800 or so families in shelters.
The Department of Transitional Assistance first began placing families in motels in 1999 when its shelters reached capacity. Over the next five years, the state used 97 motels around the state to house families.
Don't Miss
By August 2004, the state was able to eliminate the need for motels after launching an initiative that included the creation of self-sufficiency plans for each family, hiring case managers and increasing shelter capacity.
Gov. Patrick is hoping to end homelessness in Massachusetts by coming up with better ways to detect when individuals and families are on the verge of falling into homelessness -- and move in swiftly with aid and support. The plan hinges on the increased use of vouchers.
The economic downturn is making those goals harder to meet. "This is going to make it more difficult," said state Rep. Byron Rushing, a supporter of the plan.
Massachusetts isn't alone. Advocates for the homeless say that while statistics are still sketchy, many areas are reporting increases in the number of homeless families.
"Right now we're at the point where communities are holding the line or seeing increases," said Mary Cunningham, a senior research associate at The Urban Institute. "Family budgets are really tight and when you add on other costs, that can push them into homelessness."
A spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance said the state started using motels again in September 2007 when the agency reached its capacity in family shelter units.
Under Massachusetts law, the state is required to find shelter for every eligible family seeking it. With the current demand exceeding shelter capacity, the state turned to motel rooms, with the ultimate goal of moving families into permanent housing.
As of midweek there were 588 families in 29 hotels across the state.
To help move families out of motels, the state has begun identifying vacant public housing units. It's also working with families to help increase their income and offer employment and training support, according to DTA spokeswoman Jennifer Kritz.
The state is also starting to track foreclosures as a cause for homelessness. That typically occurs when a multifamily home or apartment building is foreclosed on and the tenants are evicted, sometimes losing their security deposit in the process, making it harder to come up with the rent for a new apartment.
Frost said the state should focus on creating more housing vouchers to get homeless families into permanent homes quickly.
"If people are permanently housed, kids get education and parents can keep their jobs," she said. "Without vouchers you're going to continue to see this storm."************************************************************************************
TRAIL OF TERROR
Islamic takeover of U.S. already under way
Expert warns 'mainstream media' providing 'talking points' of Arab countries
Posted: October 03, 2008
8:31 pm Eastern
© 2008 WorldNetDaily
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An expert on terrorism is warning the United States should be fighting Islamization, which she believes already is under way. And author Brigitte Gabriel should know: She watched it happen in her native Lebanon.
"Lebanon used to be the only majority Christian country in the Middle East," Gabriel told radio talk show host Andrea Shea King in a recent hour-long interview "Most people today do not know that. We were the majority, the Muslims were the minority, but as the years went by, the Muslims became the majority because of their birth rate, but also because of our open-border policy.
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'Prophets of doom' say crisis warnings unheeded
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Washington (AFP) Oct 2, 2008
The so-called "doomsday" economists long derided by the mainstream say the current financial maelstrom was inevitable, but debate is still raging on how the US economy will emerge from the crisis.
The analysts who had sounded warnings about economic imbalances for at least the past two years argue that their forecasts are now coming true, and that things could get worse, despite reassurances from mainstream economists.
"Even though there were extraordinary excesses and imbalances in the US economy and financial system coming into the spring of 2007, mainstream forecasters believed things would still work out OK because they had done so previously," said Michael Panzer, a former securities trader and author of a 2007 book aptly called "Financial Armageddon."
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