Tag Archives: New York Times

Poll: Opposition to War in Afghanistan Grows to 69%

Published on Tuesday, March 27, 2012 by Common Dreams

Support for the war is dwindling among Republicans and Democrats, poll finds

  – Common Dreams staff

A new New York Times/CBS News poll shows that support for the US War in Afghanistan has reached an all-time low. The poll, conducted between March 21-25, revealed that of those surveyed, 69 percent opposed the war in Afghanistan. This is up from 53 percent just four months ago.

US soldiers near the site of a suicide attack in Afghanistan. A new poll shows that opposition to the war is growing in the United States. (AFP Photo/Jangir)   The opposition to the war has increased among Democrats and Republicans. Of Republicans polled, 60 percent said the war was going somewhat or very badly, compared with 40 percent in November. Among Democrats, 68 percent said the war was going somewhat or very badly, compared with 38 percent in November.

“The poll comes as the White House is weighing options for speeding up troop withdrawals and in the wake of bad news from the battlefield, including accusations that a United States Army staff sergeant killed 17 Afghan civilians and violence set off by the burning last month of Korans by American troops,” the New York Times reports.

* * *

Support for Afghan War Drops Sharply, Poll Finds (New York Times)

The survey found that more than two-thirds of those polled — 69 percent — thought that the United States should not be at war in Afghanistan. Just four months ago, 53 percent said that Americans should no longer be fighting in the conflict, more than a decade old.

The increased disillusionment was even more pronounced when respondents were asked their impressions of how the war was going. The poll found that 68 percent thought the fighting was going “somewhat badly” or “very badly,” compared with 42 percent who had those impressions in November.

The latest poll was conducted by telephone from March 21 to 25 with 986 adults nationwide. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.

The Times/CBS News poll was consistent with other surveys this month that showed a drop in support for the war. In a Washington Post/ABC News poll, 60 percent of respondents said the war in Afghanistan had not been worth the fighting, while 57 percent in a Pew Research Center poll said that the United States should bring home American troops as soon as possible. In a Gallup/USA Today poll, 50 percent of respondents said the United States should speed up the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Negative impressions of the war have grown among Republicans as well as Democrats, according to the Times/CBS News poll. Among Republicans, 60 percent said the war was going somewhat or very badly, compared with 40 percent in November. Among Democrats, 68 percent said the war was going somewhat or very badly, compared with 38 percent in November. But the poll found that Republicans were more likely to want to stay in Afghanistan for as long as it would take to stabilize the situation: 3 in 10 said the United States should stay, compared with 2 in 10 independents and 1 in 10 Democrats.

Republicans themselves are divided, however, over when to leave, with a plurality, 40 percent, saying the United States should withdraw earlier than the end of 2014, when under an agreement with the Afghan government all American troops are to be out of the country.

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Police agencies in the United States to begin using drones in 90 days | Deep Green Resistance News Service

Thanks to Steve – Laura

By Watertown Daily Times

Coming soon to the skies above you — drones, drones and more drones.

And all giving police and who knows who else the chance to peek into your backyard.

Legislation just signed by President Obama directs the Federal Aviation Administration to open the skies to remotely controlled drones within the next three years. It will begin in 90 days with police and first responders having authority to fly smaller drones of less than 4.4 pounds at altitudes under 400 feet. Gradually, all drones are to be allowed by Sept. 30, 2015.

The use of drones had been restricted out of civilian aviation safety concerns created by a sky full of drones flown by untrained operators in the same space as aircraft. But that was overridden by successful lobbying of drone makers and customers who will reap the financial benefits for commercial purposes. “The market for drones is valued at $5.9 billion and is expected to double in the next decade,” the New York Times reported.

They can be used by real estate agents to snap aerial photos. But then, given costs and ease of use, what will stop a member of the paparazzi or any other prying photographer from using them to get more personal snapshots? The Times report said a $300 drone can be flown from an iPhone.

The planned expansion extends the militarization of law enforcement that has been going with the adaptation of military technology and strategies to civilian law enforcement. Police see several advantages to drones over other surveillance.

The pilotless craft cost less, are cheaper to operate and can remain airborne longer. They can be used as a crimefighting tool to patrol from the skies. Authorities can monitor traffic, search remote areas for missing persons or watch criminal suspects. But, then, police can watch a political rally, silently from 30,000 feet overhead.

But also alarming is the danger of escalating their use to include weapons. Drone builders are researching the use of nonlethal weapons such as tear gas, tasers and stun guns fired from a drone, and lethal weaponry can be an easy next step on the slippery slope.

The drones will add to the erosion of privacy that has come with the ubiquitous cameras and global positioning systems that can monitor our whereabouts.

The new law is concerned with safety in establishing guidelines and training requirements for operators. It will be up to governments and even the courts to enact constitutional safeguards on their use.

From Watertown Daily Times:http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20120226/OPINION01/702269975/1036/opinion

For another source, see the New York Times, “Drones With an Eye on the Public Cleared to Fly“

Police agencies in the United States to begin using drones in 90 days | Deep Green Resistance News Service.

Campaign Aide to City Comptroller Held in Finance Case

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/29/nyregion/lius-campaign-treasurer-arrested-on-fraud-charges.html?_r=2&emc=na

The campaign treasurer for City Comptroller John C. Liu was arrested on Tuesday as a part of a widening investigation into Mr. Liu’s fund-raising practices

The treasurer, Jia Hou, faces charges of fraud and obstruction of justice for what federal prosecutors say was her role in funneling illegal campaign money to Mr. Liu by using straw, or phony, donors.

Ms. Hou’s arrest was the first time that a member of Mr. Liu’s inner circle had been implicated in the case. Ms. Hou has worked for Mr. Liu since 2010 and her father is a prominent and longtime supporter of Mr. Liu.

According to the complaint filed by Preet Bharara, United States attorney for Manhattan, Ms. Hou, together with an unknown number of co-conspirators, helped direct at least 40 fraudulent donations to Mr. Liu’s campaign. That money positioned Mr. Liu to receive public matching funds from the city under New York’s generous campaign financing program.

The same scheme was described when authorities arrested Xing Wu Pan, a fund-raiser for Mr. Liu, and accused him of helping an undercover agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who was posing as a businessman, to circumvent campaign contribution limits. Mr. Pan was arrested in November and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and attempted wire fraud.

Ms. Hou, 25, was charged with the two fraud counts. But she was also charged with obstruction of justice, suggesting that the campaign had not fully cooperated with investigators.

Ms. Hou was arrested by F.B.I. agents on Tuesday morning in Queens, and was expected to appear in federal court later in the day.

In a statement, Mr. Bharara called Ms. Hou “a central figure in a coordinated scheme to break the city’s campaign finance laws.” He said those laws “are not optional.”

Her lawyer, Martin B. Adelman, said he had not yet seen the complaint, but indicated that she would vigorously contest the charges.

“She is a wonderful young woman, an idealist,” he said.

The arrest is the latest political blow for Mr. Liu, a popular Democrat from Flushing, Queens, who has been struggling to respond to questions raised by The New York Times in October about the legitimacy of contributions to his campaign and whether some of the donors had been reimbursed for their contributions.

In Mr. Pan’s case, the complaint refers in several instances to two of Mr. Liu’s campaign aides who were in attendance at an Aug. 17 fund-raiser where the undercover F.B.I. agent met Mr. Liu. One aide was Ms. Hou; the other has not been identified.

Janice K. Fedarcyk, the director of the New York office of the F.B.I., said the intent of the city’s campaign finance laws was “in part to limit the influence of wealthy contributors on political campaigns.”

“In a very real sense,” she said, “Hou is accused of undermining the democratic process.”

Spanish duke subpoenaed in fraud case

Thanks to Pat ~ Laura
Published: Feb. 24, 2012 at 7:50 PM,

MADRID, Feb. 24 (UPI) – The husband of Spain’s Princess Cristina will be the first royal in the country’s modern history to appear in court as part of a fraud investigation.

Inaki Urdangarin, 44, a commoner who became duke of Palma after a 1997 marriage, was subpoenaed by a judge investigating whether he and his business partners channeled millions of dollars in public funds into private companies, The New York Times reported Friday. He will appear in court Saturday.

Carmen Enriquez, national television’s royal correspondent for nearly two decades, said the investigation has hurt the image of the monarchy. Continue reading →

~Radio Ann With A Message from The Council of 12~ Just Do It~

[Hello. This is Ann. Would someone like to chat with me today?]
Yes. Hello, Ann. This is the Council of Twelve. We are here to say hello to you this fine day. We always enjoy our little talks. Thank you for inviting us in to your life today.
[Thank you! You are always welcome to visit me.]
Good! What would you like to discuss?
[There is an article today in The New York Times about the search for ETs. Is this part of a trickle of information about disclosure?] Continue reading →

Federal Agents Helped Major Drug Trafficker Move Millions in Cash – New York News – Runnin’ Scared

Investigators with the Drug Enforcement Agency helped a Mexican narcotics kingpin transfer million of dollars in illegal cash profits, the New York Times reports today.

The DEA program recalls a similar, much smaller scale operation first reported in the Voice last month in our article about government informant Angel Perez. The Voice article disclosed that Perez convinced U.S. Immigration and customs agents to move $500,000 in cash from the Dominican Republic to Miami and Puerto Rico. But, somehow, the smuggling operation didn’t result in any arrests or even the identification of the source of the money.

The Times report, meanwhile, says that DEA agents got involved in the illegal scheme back in 2007 to infiltrate and take apart drug organizations in Mexico. The agents also helped the kingpin, Harold Mauricio Poveda-Ortega, move a big shipment of cocaine from Ecuador through Dallas to Madrid. DEA agents posed as pilots offering to ship cocaine for $1,000 a kilo. Continue reading →

Paul Adams: 2012: Evidence Suggests Defeat for the New World Order | The 2012 Scenario


2012: Evidence Suggests Defeat for the New World Order

Paul Adams, J.D., Activist Post, January 9, 2012

Thanks to Galactic Free Press

http://www.activistpost.com/2012/01/2012-evidence-suggests-defeat-for-new.html

“We are grateful to The Washington Post, The New York Times, Time magazine, and other great publications whose directors have attended our meetings and respected their promise of discretion for almost forty years. It would have been impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subject to the bright lights of publicity during those years.” – David Rockefeller, at a 1991 Bilderberg meeting Continue reading →

24 hours to save our democracy

SIGN PETITION, click here:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/democracy_trumps_austerity/?cl=1444333917&v=11511

In 24 hours, our leaders may wave through a terrifying Merkel/Sarkozy plan that would abolish our right to choose sane economic policies. But, together, we can stop our leaders trashing our democracy and our jobs.

Panicked by big banks, Europe’s governments want to change our constitutions and the EU treaty to permanently ban vital public spending. This is nuts: in the 1930s such spending was precisely what allowed Europe and the US to escape the Great Depression. Europe needs to toughen up and regulate the banks, not tie our governments’ hands to make them happy. Continue reading →

David Wilcock: New Fulford Interview Transcript: Old World Order Nearing Defeat

New Fulford Interview Transcript: Old World Order Nearing Defeat

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Written by David WilcockMonday, 31 October 2011 19:07

On October 13, 2011, Benjamin Fulford gave another revealing interview. As a public service, we have transcribed it and summarized the greater context we have been sharing here — so these world-defining events will be easier to follow and document as we proceed.
Transcript and Commentary by David Wilcock, New York Times best-selling author of “The Source Field Investigations”

QUITE A REMARKABLE STORY

I have carefully followed the Benjamin Fulford story since he first emerged on the Internet a few years ago — and have interviewed him several times now myself.
It is quite a remarkable tale — wherein a former Asia-Pacific bureau chief for Forbes Magazine stumbles into the dark world of international finance and control, and ends up becoming a key player in opposing it.
Fulford discovered this quasi-governmental group had genocidal plans for humanity — and were siphoning off massive amounts of money from the Japanese economy that could have been used to end poverty and environmental destruction.
He was then contacted by positive Asian secret societies who have been resisting the Old World Order. Now, with an English-speaking Westerner they could trust, these people were able to get the truth out to the Western world.
Since these early days, their alliance has grown dramatically — to the point now that apparently 100 different countries are aligned in their efforts to overthrow the Old World Order and restore peace and prosperity to the people of this planet.
It is not easy for these resistance groups to communicate publicly, due to the extensive use of murder, threats, bribery and blackmail by the Old World Order. As soon as anyone sticks their neck out, their head could easily get chopped off.