4 sentenced to prison in plot to bomb U.S. targets in Germany

Authorities watching the Islamic Jihad Union cell covertly replaced the group's bomb-making material with a harmless diluted one.

The Associated Press

March 4, 2010

DUESSELDORF, Germany

Two German converts to Islam and two Turkish men were convicted Thursday in a foiled 2007 plot to attack U.S. targets in Germany and were given prison sentences as long as 12 years.

The four men, operating as a German cell of the radical Islamic Jihad Union, had plotted bombings against American citizens and facilities, including the U.S. Air Force's Ramstein base in Germany, the Duesseldorf state court found.

The case "has shown with frightening clarity what acts young people who are filled with hatred, blinded and seduced by wrong-headed ideas of jihad are prepared and able to carry out," Judge Ottmar Breidling said.

Three of the defendants -- Fritz Gelowicz, 30, and 24-year-old Daniel Schneider, both German converts to Islam, and Turkish citizen Adem Yilmaz, 31 -- were convicted of membership in a terrorist organization, while 25-year-old Turkish citizen Attila Selek was convicted of supporting a terrorist organization.

All four also were convicted of preparing explosive devices.

They had confessed during the trial, which began in April, and showed no reaction Thursday as Breidling announced the verdict in a high-security courtroom. Gelowicz and Schneider were sentenced to 12 years in prison, Yilmaz to 11 years and Selek to five.

The judge said the planned attacks could have been on a par with the 2005 London transport bombings or the 2004 Madrid train bombings.

Had they succeeded, "there would have been a terrible bloodbath with an incredibly high of number of dead and injured, above all members of the U.S. army but also civilians," Breidling said.

The defendants' goal was not only to attack Americans -- for example at pubs, discos and other public places -- but also to influence a German parliamentary vote in October 2007 on extending the country's military deployment in Afghanistan, the court found.

According to the U.S. State Department, the Islamic Jihad Union was responsible for coordinated bombings outside the U.S. and Israeli embassies in July 2004 in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent. Members have been trained in explosives by Al Qaeda instructors, and the group has ties to Osama bin Laden and fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Omar, according to the State Department.

The German cell had stockpiled 1,600 pounds of highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide, purchased from a chemical supplier, and could have mixed it with other substances to make explosives equivalent to 1,200 pounds of dynamite, German officials say.

But German authorities -- acting partly on U.S. intelligence -- had been watching them and covertly replaced the hydrogen peroxide with a diluted substitute that could not have been used to produce a bomb.

German authorities arrested Gelowicz, Schneider and Yilmaz at a rented cottage in central Germany on Sept. 4, 2007. Turkey picked up Selek in November 2007 and later extradited him to Germany.

The court found that, while the two converts to Islam had a "barely rudimentary knowledge" of the faith, they were still willing to "serve as an angel of death for Islam."

http://www.latimes.com/news/la-fgw-germany-terror5-2010mar05,0,7523118,print.story

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Among the gated enclaves, anger and fear over Chelsea King's killing

John Albert Gardner III, 30, a registered sex offender, is charged with murder. The teen's death leaves a community shaken.

By Richard Marosi and Amina Khan

March 3, 2010

Reporting from San Diego and Poway, Calif.

The joggers returned Wednesday morning to the winding trails around Lake Hodges, along with the bird-watchers and the hikers swinging their long walking sticks. They came for the same reason as always, to enjoy a rural retreat amid the bustle of suburbia.

But the park had changed. Down a worn path and around a bend was where Chelsea King, a high school senior from nearby Poway, was believed to have been attacked, killed and buried in a shallow grave. Her presumed death -- the coroner has yet to positively identify the body -- has shaken people in a place where many felt sheltered against the grimmer side of life.

"Nobody's safe. Nobody's privileged. Everybody's vulnerable," said Coleen Huang, 48, who has walked the trails for years. "This was so extreme. A girl living in a gated community. The all-American girl, attacked out in broad daylight, on a run."

At the park, at prayer vigils and at schools throughout this upscale northern San Diego County community, emotions were still raw -- a sense of anger, sadness and, most of all, shock that a sex offender tucked away in an anonymous subdivision could pierce their sense of security so profoundly.

John Albert Gardner III, 30, was charged Wednesday afternoon with murdering the straight-A student, cross-country runner and French horn player. He was also charged with assault in a December 2009 attack on a 22-year-old woman in the same park. Gardner was ordered held without bail and could face the death penalty if convicted.

The slaying has "rocked San Diego, rocked all of us. And as we move forward, we need to wrap our arms around this family," San Diego County Dist. Atty. Bonnie Dumanis said at a news conference.

Poway, a self-styled "City in the Country," is the kind of place where families move to avoid crime. The schools are among the best in the county. Narrow roads loop around the hills and gated developments that attract some of the county's wealthiest residents, including baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn and football star LaDainian Tomlinson.

Residents said that in such a close-knit community, where parents are deeply involved in the schools and people retain strong bonds after the 2007 Witch Creek wildfire, it was not a surprise that thousands turned out to help search for the 17-year-old girl. She had gone running at Rancho Bernardo Community Park, a couple of miles outside Poway.

The outpouring of support continued after the body believed to be Chelsea's was discovered Tuesday. About 5,000 people packed a prayer vigil at St. Michael Catholic Church, crying and holding candles as they listened to one of the teenager's favorite songs, “Vanilla Twilight.”

"One of the nicknames that I've always called my daughter is 'My angel,' " said Brent King, Chelsea's father, addressing the crowd. "She's my angel forever."

"We love you," someone in the crowd yelled.

A few hours later, anger spilled out.

The words "Chelseas blood is on you. Move out" had been spray-painted in red on the garage door of Gardner's mother's house in neighboring Rancho Bernardo.

San Diego police said Gardner's mother and stepfather have left the city. Many residents said the family didn't deserve any sympathy, and criticized law enforcement officials for failing to keep Gardner away from their community.

Gardner admitted assaulting and molesting a 13-year-old girl in 2000. He served five years of a six-year sentence and wore a global positioning device during his parole term, which ended in 2008. Police also suspect that Gardner might be linked to the disappearance last year of Amber Dubois, 14, last seen at a bus stop outside her high school in nearby Escondido.

Gardner's residence is in Lake Elsinore in Riverside County, according to the Megan's Law website, but last week he had been visiting his mother at her Rancho Bernardo home, just south of Lake Hodges. Some believe he may have been living with his mother, unbeknown to authorities.

The judges, prosecutors and police followed the letter of the law but failed in their moral responsibility, said James Fisher, 59, a real estate consultant who lives near the park. "We know there aren't enough people to monitor the activity of these offenders. We're not stupid, but we are extremely disturbed and frustrated."

Outside the downtown San Diego courthouse where Gardner was arraigned, protesters held up signs: "Castrate rapists." "Chelsea's Law: One Strike." "No parole for molesters."

Poway High Principal Scott Fisher said people felt that Gardner was able to spend time in the area because of a weakness in Megan's Law.

"You should be able to go out and jog at 2:30 in the afternoon in our own community. We've got to do something about this law because for our kids, their lives have changed forever," the principal said. "We think there's a loophole in that law that has got to be closed."

Light blue ribbons, a nod to King's eye color, adorned the road to the campus Wednesday. A small shrine had been created on a campus fence, with plastic cups arranged as Chelsea's initials, and flowers and votive candles placed nearby. Students, many wearing purple shirts, stopped at the shrine.

In a show of solidarity, students and school staff have worn similar-colored clothing this week, a different color each day, the principal said. Monday was blue, for King's eyes; Tuesday orange; Wednesday purple; and Thursday will be green, for Chelsea's environmentalism, he said.

The photo of Chelsea used on fliers was taken the day she disappeared by her friend Jade Gurule, also 17, who has the same birthday as Chelsea, July 1. "Birthday twins," Jade called them.

The photo was for a class assignment. Jade said she wanted to use Chelsea because "she's gorgeous: bright blue eyes and an amazing smile."

During the shoot, Jade said, Chelsea was "a little awkward, like she is in real life. But completely natural."

Jade said the campus seems empty without her: "We feel broken. We are numb. It hurts to cry. I can't get any more out."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-chelsea-king4-2010mar04,0,7325341,print.story

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sex offender pleads not guilty in slaying of Chelsea King

A registered sex offender pleaded not guilty to the killing of Chelsea King, a 17-year-old last seen jogging near a San Diego County lake.

In 2000, Gardner pleaded guilty to molestation charges involving a 13-year-old girl.

He served five years of a six-year prison term and wore a global-positioning system tracking device until 2008, when his parole term ended.

A dive team found King's body on a tributary of Lake Hodges in a wooded area that had been the focus of an extensive search since Saturday, after a shoe was found there. A diver working his way up the tributary saw debris about 10 feet from the water. That discovery led to the grave.

The site is about half a mile from the parking lot at Rancho Bernardo Community Park, where King had left her car before heading out on the trail.

San Diego County prosecutors said Gardner could be eligible for the death penalty with the charges filed today. The office will decide at a later date whether to seek the death penalty.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/03/registered-sex-offender-pleads-not-gulity-in-slaying-of-chelsea-king.html#more

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'The world has changed,' Poway official says as town mourns Chelsea King

The Poway City Council cut short its regular meeting Tuesday evening so that those present could attend a candlelight vigil for Chelsea King, whose body was believed to have been found in a shallow grave near the lakeside park where the teenager had gone running last week.

"Poway is a tiny town. We are 50,000 now. When things like that happen, it rocks the soul of the community," Councilmember Betty Rexford said Wednesday.

She said the community has been grappling for some time with the issues that come with urban growth.

"They call it a city in the country," Rexford said.

When she moved to Poway 40 years ago, there was only one traffic light, she said. Children could enjoy the lake and trails in relative safety. Now, she said, parents are wondering whether they should allow their children to go to the mall alone.

"The world has changed," said Rexford, who worries about her two teenage granddaughters. "It is kind of scary that as a society we have to be looking over our shoulders all the time."

But she said the community had rallied around King's family. Already a city with a strong volunteer tradition, she said thousands helped search for the 17-year-old Poway High School senior.

"It does your heart good that you have a community that, when something happens to their own, they come together," she said. "It was just an outpouring of love and support."

Authorities have linked the suspect in the case, John Albert Gardner III, a 30-year-old registered sex offender, to an attack in December on another young female jogger in the same park.

"I think right now people are numb," Rexford said. "They don't know what to do. But everyone is angry."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/03/the-world-has-changed-poway-official-says-as-town-mourns-chelsea-king.html#more

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Wall Street Journal

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bullying Declines Among Children

NEW YORK—A national survey found there's been a sharp drop in the percentage of America's children being bullied or beaten up by their peers.

The survey's authors said it may be evidence anti-bullying programs at thousands of schools are having an impact.

The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Justice and was conducted by the University of New Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center. It found the percentage of children who reported being physically bullied over the previous year had declined from nearly 22% in 2003 to under 15% in 2008.

Professor David Finkelhor was the lead author of the study. He noted anti-bullying programs spread following the 1999 Columbine High School shootings in Colorado.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703862704575099934228842778.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5#printMode

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From Fox News

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pakistan's Army takes control of al-Qaeda cave network on Afghan border

Pakistani forces have taken control of a warren of caves that served until recently as the nerve centre of the Taleban and al-Qaeda and sheltered Ayman al-Zawahiri, the second-in-command to Osama bin Laden.

“It was the main hub of militancy where al-Qaeda operatives had moved freely,” Major-General Tariq Khan, the Pakistan regional commander, said as he gave journalists a tour of Damadola yesterday.

The village, nestling among snow-capped peaks in the Bajaur region along the Afghan border, has been fought over for 16 months. It is the first time that the Pakistani Army has set foot in the village, which had long been dominated by the insurgents operating on the both sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

“Al-Qaeda was there. They had occupied the ridges. There were 156 caves designed as a defensive complex,” said General Khan, head of the Frontier Corps responsible for Pakistan's counter-insurgency campaign in the region. He said that his forces had killed 75 foreign and local militants and cleared a zone up to the Afghan border, and that the campaign against the insurgents was in its final stage.

The army began operations in Bajaur in August 2008 and claimed victory in February last year, only for the insurgents to seep back when the Government's focus switched to Pakistani Taleban fighters in the Swat Valley and South Waziristan.

Journalists were shown caves strewn with blankets and pillows, left in haste as the army approached in January. The village has been largely destroyed by the fighting.

A large mud compound on a hilltop was once believed to be the hideout of al-Zawahiri, one of the world's most wanted terrorists, who was the subject of a $25 million (£18 million) bounty. “He has been spotted here by the local residents in the past,” said Colonel Nauman Saeed, an army commander.

Al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian doctor, narrowly escaped when missiles fired by a CIA drone struck a house in Damadola in January 2006.

According to officials he and some other al-Qaeda operatives had been attending a dinner but left just before the attack. The ruins of the house hit by the missiles were still present.

Pakistani officials and local residents said that al-Zawahiri had even married a local girl. “He would regularly travel between Bajaur and the Afghan province of Kunar,” Colonel Saeed said.

While the military has been showing off its gains many Taleban fighters and their leaders — including the main regional commander, Faqir Mohammad, have escaped the sweep and may try to return as they have done before. “I would give you a rough estimate that about 25 per cent must have gone across the border; another 10 or 15 per cent might have melted back into the areas of Swat, where they had come from,” General Khan said. “A substantial amount of them have been killed, but that is just an estimate.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article7047285.ece?print=yes&randnum=1267714966000

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

New Files Like 'Gold Dust' in Search for Madeleine McCann

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

A newly released file on the highly-publicized disappearance of British girl Madeleine McCann is "gold dust" and could lead to a breakthrough in the case, her parents' spokesman told Sky News.

McCann spokesman Clarence Mitchell said the family is disturbed that information on possible sightings of Madeleine is only now emerging, after sitting in a box since 2008 when the case was closed by Portuguese police.

SLIDESHOW: Where Is Madeleine McCann?

"The McCanns have been tearing their hair out for a long time, they're very frustrated this information has been sitting in a file since July 2008," Mitchell told Sky News.

The files reportedly contain hundreds of pages of information, including CCTV images of a young girl with an appearance similar to Madeleine being led into a New Zealand supermarket in 2007, according to Sky News.

Madeleine was three years old when she disappeared from her family's rented lodging in Portuguese resort town, Praia da Luz, on May 3, 2007. Her parents were eating dinner with friends nearby.

The new evidence became public after several newspapers applied to the state prosecutor in the Algarve, Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt said.

One report allegedly mentions a British man named "George" who spotted a young, seemingly distressed blonde girl being dragged along a road to Faro airport in Portugal on the night Madeleine went missing, Sky News reported.

Another report allegedly details how a young girl who looked like Madeleine was seen being held at gunpoint on a French motorway by a half-naked man in August 2008, according to Sky News.

"This information is gold dust to them. Kate and Gerry need all of it and they want a full review of all the information it contains," Mitchell told Sky News.

"Our investigators are working at times with one hand tied behind their back.

"Any leads must come through Portugal but they must come to Kate and Gerry," Mitchell was quoted by Sky News.

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,587799,00.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Afghan Officials Say Former Gitmo Detainee Now a Taliban Commander

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan — 

A man freed from Guantanamo more than two years ago after he claimed he only wanted to go home and help his family is now a senior commander running Taliban resistance to the U.S.-led offensive in southern Afghanistan, two senior Afghan intelligence officials say.

Abdul Qayyum is also seen as a leading candidate to be the next No. 2 in the Afghan Taliban hierarchy, said the officials, interviewed last week by The Associated Press.

The story of Abdul Qayyum could add to the complications President Barack Obama is facing in fulfilling his pledge to close the prison at Guantanamo by sending some prisoners back to their home countries or to other willing nations, while putting others on trial.

U.S. intelligence asserts that 20 percent of suspects released from the Guantanamo Bay prison have returned to the fight and the number has been steadily increasing.

Qayyum's key aide in plotting attacks on Afghan and international forces is another former Guantanamo prisoner, said the Afghan intelligence officials as well as a former Helmand governor, Sher Mohammed Akundzada. Abdul Rauf, who told his U.S. interrogators he had only loose connections to the Taliban, spent time in an Afghan jail before being freed last year.

He rejoined the Taliban, they said. Akundzada said he warned authorities against releasing both him and Qayyum.

Like Qayyum, Rauf is from Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. During the Taliban's rule, which ended in late 2001, Rauf was a corps commander in the western province of Herat and in the Afghan capital, Kabul, said Akhundzada.

The intelligence officials were interviewed in Helmand, where the Taliban control several districts, and spoke on condition of anonymity lest they attract the militia's attention.

They said Qayyum was given charge of the military campaign in the south about 14 months ago, soon after his release from the Afghan jail to which he had been transferred from Guantanamo. That includes managing the battle for the town of Marjah, where NATO troops are flushing out remaining militants.

Qayyum, whose Taliban nom de guerre is Qayyum Zakir, is thought to be running operations from the Pakistani border city of Quetta. A Pakistani newspaper report that he was recently arrested was denied by Abdul Razik, a former governor of Kajaki, Qayyum's home district, which is under extensive Taliban control.

One of the intelligence officials also questioned the report. He said a house Qayyum was in was raided about two weeks ago and three assistants were arrested but he escaped. A week ago he was seen in Pishin, a Pakistani border town about 30 miles (50 kilometers) from Quetta, the official said.

"He's smart and he is brutal," said Abdul Razik. "He will withdraw his soldiers to fight another day," he said, referring to the Marjah campaign.

Qayyum, who is about 36 years old, is close to the Taliban's spiritual leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar. He has been tipped as a candidate to replace the militia's second-in-command, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who was among several Taliban leaders arrested recently in Pakistan.

A Taliban commander in the 1990s who was notorious for brutality and summary executions, Qayyum was captured in the 2001 U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan and taken to Guantanamo. According to interrogation transcripts, he identified himself to his American captors by his father's name, Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul, and said he had been conscripted by the Taliban but left at the first opportunity.

According to a military transcript of his subsequent hearing, he said, "I want to go back home and join my family and work in my land and help my family." In December 2007 he was among 13 Afghan prisoners released to the Afghan government and held in Pul-e-Charkhi jail, on the eastern edge of the Kabul.

A year later he was set free, despite warnings he would return to the Taliban, said Sher Mohammed Akundzada, the former governor of Helmand province, where the battle for Marjah was waged.

Afghanistan's deputy attorney general said Qayyum went before an Afghan court, which ruled he had served his time. The U.S.-backed Afghan government generally gets a promise from former Guantanamo prisoners that they won't join the armed opposition. Qayyum made no such promise.

"The court decided time served was enough," said Faqir Ahmed Faqiryar. "When the court is involved there is no need to promise anything."

Abdul Razik, who knows the family well, said he wrote to Qayyum's father warning him to keep his son under control. "He told me, 'I have no control over him.' "

Through interviews from Kabul to Helmand province, the AP traced Qayyum's steps from the Afghan prison, across the border into Pakistan, through Peshawar to Quetta, back into Afghanistan to his village of Soply, and then to Quetta again.

A loner who trusts few people, his only company was a driver known to the Taliban and who has since been arrested, Razik said.

In Soply, his native village in Helmand, Qayyum stayed for two days with his sister, according to a neighbor who saw him outside the house and was quickly warned to "say nothing." He returned to Quetta, from where he oversees four southern provinces: Helmand, Kandahar, Uruzgan and Zabul, said Sharifuddin, a former Taliban official who lives near Soply, Qayyum's village. His information was confirmed by Razik and the intelligence officials interviewed by the AP.

"From his houses in Quetta he appoints the (Taliban) governors, the district governors," Sharifuddin said. "Nothing happens in these provinces without his approval."

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,587898,00.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4 Philadelphia Social Workers Convicted of Fraud in Starvation Death Case

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

PHILADELPHIA  — 

Four social workers were convicted Wednesday of fraud for submitting phony paperwork for visits they never made to a disabled teenage girl who weighed only 42 pounds and was covered in maggot-infested sores when she was found dead in her home.

A federal jury in Philadelphia convicted the employees of now-defunct MultiEthnic Behavioral Health Inc. of defrauding the city of millions of dollars by not visiting the family of Danieal Kelly, 14, and other needy households, then creating paperwork that claimed they did.

Kelly, who had cerebral palsy, weighed less than half her expected weight when she was found dead in 2006, an expert witness for the prosecution testified.

Company co-founders Mickal Kamuvaka, 60, and Solomon Manamela, 52, and former caseworkers Julius Juma Murray, 52, and Miriam Coulebaly, 41, were all convicted of conspiracy, lying to federal agents and multiple counts of health care fraud and wire fraud.

"Danieal Kelly paid the ultimate price for these defendants' fraud, and we hope that this is some measure of justice for her and the other children who were the victims, really, of this fraud," Assistant U.S. Attorney Bea Witzleben said.

Kamuvaka still faces trial on a state charge of involuntary manslaughter in Kelly's death. Murray, the caseworker assigned to the family, also faces an involuntary manslaughter trial and is being held pending trial this month on federal immigration charges.

Defense attorneys for Kamuvaka and Manamela argued that they were victims of "renegade" employees. Kamuvaka's attorney, William Cannon, said his client was "very disappointed" by the verdict. Manamela's attorney, Paul J. Hetznecker, acknowledged "significant" mismanagement but said his client was dedicated to social work.

Manamela, whose attorney argued that it was possible for his client to have made the required visits to Kelly's home but still to have missed evidence of her condition, declined to comment. Coulibaly, who had no direct role in the Kelly case, also declined to comment on the verdict.

Kelly's mother, Andrea, is serving 20 to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to third-degree murder.

The four are scheduled for sentencing in June. Prosecutors said sentencing guidelines indicate Kamuvaka could be sentenced to about nine to 11 years or more in prison, while Manamela could get a term of eight to 10 years. Coulibaly could face about six or seven years and Murray four or five years in prison, prosecutors said.

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,587904,00.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From MSNBC

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Missing teen's father sees ‘eerie' link to murder

When a registered sex offender was arraigned Wednesday for the murder and sexual assault of a 17-year-old California girl, one of the spectators in the courtroom was the father of another teenage girl from the same area who has been missing for just over a year.

Maurice Dubois knows that the accused murderer of 17-year-old Chelsea King, 30-year-old John Albert Gardner III, could also be responsible for the February 2009 disappearance of his daughter, Amber. He hopes that's not the case.

“Seeing what this monster is capable of, we don't want any connection to Amber,” Dubois told TODAY's Meredith Vieira Thursday via satellite from San Diego.

‘Eerie similarities'
Amber was 14 when she disappeared in Escondido, Calif., near San Diego. Despite massive searches and a $100,000 reward, neither she nor her body has been found, and no one has been charged in her disappearance.

Among the sex offenders registered in the area whom police say they interviewed was Gardner.

Dubois holds out hope that Amber is still alive. But he admitted to Vieira that there are what he called “eerie similarities” between the two girls.

“Both girls are 5-5, both girls are 130 pounds, both white, both beautiful girls,” Dubois said. He also pointed out the geographic proximity: “The location of the two — less than seven and a half miles between the two incidents. So, yeah, in the back of our head, we are kind of concerned that there is a connection.”

Chelsea King had gone for a jog in a park in Rancho Bernardo, another town in the San Diego area. When she didn't come home on time, her father went looking for her. He found her car, but not his daughter.

Gardner was arrested Sunday. When King's body was found Tuesday in a shallow grave, Gardner was charged with murdering her while either committing or attempting to commit rape. Investigators told reporters that they grabbed Gardner when they got a DNA match to semen found in the victim's underwear. Gardner was also charged with a separate assault with attempt to commit rape on another female jogger in December.

Gardner pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail.

Community outrage
Dubois said he went to the arraignment to show support for the King family, and also because Gardner may be connected to Amber's disappearance.

“We really wanted to show our support for the entire King family,” Dubois said. “We also don't know if there is any link between Mr. Gardner and Amber. If there is, I want to be there for every moment of his trial.”

Dubois said that when he first heard of King's disappearance, he didn't immediately connect it to Amber's case. But when the body was found and details emerged, it struck home.

“It was sickening to us. It just all turned right back to home,” he told Vieira.

The case has prompted outrage in the area. Gardner struck a plea bargain in May 2000 on a charge of sexually molesting a 13-year-old female neighbor. He pleaded guilty and was given a six-year prison term, of which he served five years. He could have been sentenced to 11 years.

When King's body was found and Gardner charged, the court-appointed psychiatrist who examined him 10 years ago expressed his anger that the court showed so much leniency to Gardner.

Dr. Matthew Carroll had urged the maximum sentence allowed by law. He said in court documents that Gardner was a “continued danger to underage girls in the community” and an “extremely poor candidate” for treatment.

Dr. Mark Kalish, who shares an office with Carroll, said his colleague was saddened and angered by the news about Gardner, feeling his advice had been ignored.

“He didn't want there to be any ambiguity or doubt about his assessment. He laid it out there and he was essentially ignored by the district attorney's office,” Kalish said. “How much bigger a red flag could Dr. Carroll have raised?”

‘Stay strong'
The community outrage manifested itself Wednesday in a message that was spray-painted on the garage of the home of Gardner's mother. It said: “Chelseas blood is on you. Move out.”

Meanwhile, Dubois is left to continue to hope that Amber is still alive somewhere. He devotes all his time to the case and has a Web site with information and pictures.

“It's a nightmare that you just want to end,” he said. “You think that there's going to be a silver lining at the end of this, but every day just seems to drag out longer and longer.”

Vieira asked him what he would say to his daughter if she is alive and listening somewhere.

“Amber, if you can hear me, sweetheart, please keep in mind that your family loves you so much,” he said. “Stay strong, stay faithful and please believe that we are going to find you one day. We'll have you home with us.”

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/35705202/ns/today-today_people/print/1/displaymode/1098/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Woman arrested in missing baby Gabriel case

TEMPE, Ariz. - A woman who wanted to adopt an Arizona baby missing for more than a month was arrested Tuesday, but police said she was not connected to the boy's disappearance and that she and her husband likely don't know where the boy is.

Tammi Smith, 37, was taken to Tempe police headquarters and was expected to be booked into Maricopa County jail on charges of custodial interference, conspiracy to commit custodial interference and forgery, Lt. Mike Horn said.

He said the charges stem from Smith's repeated and apparently desperate attempts to adopt 8-month-old Gabriel Johnson, not from the boy's Dec. 26 disappearance in San Antonio.

"I am innocent, and God is with me," a handcuffed Smith told television reporters as she was taken in for booking.

Tammi and Jack Smith of Scottsdale had been considered "persons of interest" for weeks in the investigation into the disappearance, but Horn said that's no longer the case.

He said that all of his agency's leads into the disappearance have been turned over to San Antonio police, which is conducting its own investigation.

Jack Smith told The Associated Press that police crossed the line by arresting his wife and trumped up charges against her.

"It's clear that we had nothing to do with this, and why they're trying to make a case against my wife, I don't know," he said. "We have done nothing wrong."

Efforts to adopt Gabriel

Police say Gabriel's mother, 23-year-old Elizabeth Johnson, drove Gabriel to San Antonio from Tempe, stayed about a week, then took a bus to Florida without him. She was arrested Dec. 30 in Florida and is charged in Arizona with kidnapping, child abuse and custodial interference.

She has refused to say where the baby is, but told Gabriel's father she killed him and threw his body in a trash bin. She also has said she gave the baby away to a couple in San Antonio, but police said she was vague in describing who they were.

The Smiths had sought to adopt Gabriel from Johnson, who gave the couple temporary guardianship over him for about 10 days in December before she picked him up and left Arizona.

In a Tuesday court document detailing the charges against Tammi Smith, police describe for the first time the lengths to which she went to adopt Gabriel.

Before Johnson left Arizona with Gabriel, those efforts included repeated phone calls and text messages to his father, Logan McQueary, pressuring him to relinquish his parental rights to the Smiths, according to the probable-cause statement.

Horn said Smith also tried to recruit male acquaintances to get them to put their name on a document seeking to have McQueary submit to a DNA test. The document required the name of a potential father, and when Smith couldn't get anyone to agree to it, she forged her cousin's name, Horn said.

After Johnson and Gabriel left the state, Smith sent a text message Dec. 27 to McQueary asking him if they could meet the following day, according to the document

"I'm afraid she'll be gone forever, cause she doesn't want to go to jail for kidnapping," she wrote. "The only way she'll come back is if my attorney faxes the signed papers to her so she won't get in trouble, and Gabriel b w/us."

Landfill may be searched for boy's body

Smith also tried to change court jurisdiction over Gabriel to Tennessee in an apparent last-minute plan to get Johnson to take the boy there and adopt him out without needing McQueary's approval, thus clearing the way for the Smiths, Horn said.

And on Jan. 4, Smith suggested in a voicemail to the judge in the boy's custody case that he give the Smiths guardianship because Johnson wouldn't return to Arizona with him unless she knew he would be "safe," according to the document.

Police say Smith told them to what other lengths she would go to get Gabriel.

"Tammi Smith stated she was going to use her attorney's help to pressure Logan to pay previous child support, current child support and be responsible for visitation," according to the document. "Tammi stated due to the above listed pressure the hope was that Logan would release his custodial rights and the adoption could proceed."

Jack Smith said his wife wrote down her cousin's name on a court document for a paternity test "as a joke" and because she was rushed by a court employee.

"We didn't think it was a big deal," he said.

With the case now shifting to San Antonio, speculation continues that police there will search a landfill for the boy's body. Managers of a San Antonio landfill have blocked off an area that might be searched for the baby, but police said they hadn't yet searched the site and decline to say whether they plan to do so.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/35208375/ns/today-today_people/print/1/displaymode/1098/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who killed college student Morgan Harrington?

Someone abducted and murdered her 20-year-old daughter, police believe, but Gil Harrington doesn't really care about punishing the perpetrator. She just wants a killer taken off the streets before he can cause another parent the pain she has felt.

“I am concerned and determined that he be caught for safety reasons, because this was not the first bad thing that this man did. Abduction and murder is not your entry level into a life of crime,” Harrington told TODAY's Meredith Vieira Friday via satellite from her home in Roanoke, Va. “He's done bad things before. He's upped his game, and he's likely to do something bad again unless we catch him.”

‘Horrific three months'

Gil and her husband, Dan Harrington, were speaking out three days after the skeletal remains of their daughter, Morgan, were discovered in a pasture some 10 miles from Charlottesville, Va. Three months earlier, on Oct. 17, 2009, Morgan had gone to Charlottesville with friends to attend a Metallica concert.

Somehow, she got separated from the rest of her group and found herself outside the arena during the concert without her ticket or car keys. Unable to get back in, she called her friends and told them not to worry about her; she'd find her own way home.

When Morgan did not return home by the next morning, her parents called police. But in three months of investigation, the best they could do is put a hitchhiker meeting Morgan Harrington's description on a bridge seven miles from where her body was finally found.

“This has been a horrific three months,” Dan Harrington said. “This is not the end that we wanted, but closure is really important. There is some peace, but we're very sad. Obviously, we would like our daughter to be alive.”

‘Lovely bones, lovely girl'

For Gil Harrington, the discovery means an end to the waking nightmares she had lived with, imagining that her daughter might be alive and suffering unspeakable horror at the hands of her abductor. Police believe now that Morgan Harrington died not long after she went missing.

“It has been like a wound, a huge wound, but until this point it had been a festering wound that could not heal,” Gil told Vieira. “We still have healing to do, but it's possible because having recovered our daughter's body gives us peace. I know that no one is hurting her now; she's beyond pain.”

The Harringtons were able to view the remains, which Gil described as “lovely bones” — a reference to the best-selling book by Alice Sebold about a murdered 14-year-old girl. The book has been made into a movie.

“I have reviewed images of my daughter from her prenatal ultrasounds to looking at her empty eye sockets of her cranium,” Gil said calmly. “Yes, I have seen lovely bones. Lovely girl.”

Killer at large

The pasture where the body was found is in a remote part of a farm that is not easy to get to by car. The location makes the Harringtons believe that someone local who was familiar with the area committed the crime. And that person is still at large.

“I've said all along that someone local did this,” Dan Harrington said. “Someone has to be comfortable with knowing the area, knowing where to go. Particularly in this situation, where Morgan was found — there's absolutely no way that a stranger to the area would know this. It is someone who lives in the Charlottesville area. To me, it's frightening in the sense the community needs to be aware that there's a perpetrator out there who needs to be caught.”

“Dan wants justice and punishment of this man. I really care little about either one of those things. I know he will receive the punishment that he is due, at some point. I am concerned and determined that he be caught for safety reasons,” added Gil. The Harringtons were uncommonly close to their daughter, who had spent the day leading up to the concert with her mother deciding what to wear and what makeup to use. The next day, the college student had planned to study math with her father.

Finding meaning in tragedy

When Morgan went missing, her parents discovered that while there are great resources to support the families of missing children in this country, there is almost nothing to help the families of missing adults. The only resource is the National Center for Missing Adults, which lost its federal funding in 2007, Dan Harrington said.

“We are a prime example of the pain and the difficulty that families have after someone goes missing. There's no template,” he told Vieira. “Law enforcement, communities, parents don't know what to do.”

The Harringtons recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with their senators from Virginia and other lawmakers to lobby for funding for the center and increased resources for families like themselves.

“We no longer have a missing daughter, but we want Morgan's life to be honored and we want her death to not be just another person dying,” Dan Harrington told Vieira. “We want something good to happen for Morgan's life.”

If you have information for police about what happened to Morgan Harrington, please call 434-352-3467.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/35141340/ns/today-today_people/print/1/displaymode/1098/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the White House

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remarks by the President to the Business Roundtable

St. Regis Hotel, Washington, D.C.

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Thank you, Ivan, for the terrific introduction, which was short and that's how I like it. (Laughter.)  I want to thank John for the great work that he's been doing with our team.  And thank you all.  Welcome to Washington.  It is wonderful to be back here with the men and women of the Business Roundtable. 

Over the last year, we've worked together on a number of issues –- from economic recovery and tax policy to education and to health care.  And more often than not, we've found common ground.  This is important, because we meet at a time, as all of you are aware, a time of great economic anxiety and sharp political divisions.  We're still emerging from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.  Eight million Americans have lost their jobs over the last two years.  Home values in too many parts of the country have plummeted.  And too many businesses are still reluctant to invest and expand. 

And what's more, this recession follows what some have called the “lost decade” -– a decade in which the average family income fell while the costs of health care and tuition skyrocketed; a decade in which a continued erosion of America's manufacturing base hollowed out many communities around the country and put too many good jobs out of reach.

It's no wonder, then, that people are frustrated.  They're frustrated with government and they're frustrated with business. They're angry at a financial sector that took exorbitant risks by some in pursuit of short-term profits, and they're angry at a government that failed to catch the problem on time.  They're angry at the price they paid to prevent a financial meltdown that they didn't cause, and they're angry that recovery in their own lives seems to be lagging the recovery of bank profitability.  They're angry at the lobbyists who use their influence to put their clients' special interests ahead of the public interest.  And although both parties are predictably scrambling to align themselves with people's frustrations, neither the usual answers from the left or the right seem to be inspiring much confidence. 
So we've got some big challenges ahead.  And I think all of us know that we can't meet them by returning to the pre-crisis status quo -– an economy that was too dependent on a housing bubble, on consumer debt, on financial speculation, and on growing deficits.  That's not sustainable for American workers, and it's not sustainable for American businesses. 

Instead, we need an economy where we borrow less and produce more.  We need an economy where we generate more jobs here at home and send more products overseas.  We need to invest and nurture the industries of the future, and we need to train our workers to compete for those jobs.

And nations around the world, from Asia to Europe, have already realized this.  They're putting more emphasis on math and science.  They're building high-speed railroads and expanding broadband access.  They're making serious investments in clean energy because they want those jobs.  These countries know what's required to compete in the 21st century.  And so do we.  As I said in the State of the Union, I do not accept second place for the United States of America. 

We did not achieve global leadership in the last century by luck or by happenstance.  We earned it by working together to define our own destiny and seize the future.  And to maintain our leadership in this new century, we must summon that same resolve.

A thriving, competitive America is within our reach -- but only if we move forward as one nation; only if we move past the old debates and the crippling divides between left and right, between business and labor, between private enterprise and the public sector.  Whatever differences we have in this country, all of us have a stake in meeting the same goal, which is an America in which a growing prosperity is shared widely by its people.

So today I want to spend most of my time talking about the specific steps we need to take to build this more competitive America.  But before I do, I want to talk a little bit about the relationship between business and government in promoting economic growth.

Now, contrary to the claims of some of my critics and some of the editorial pages, I am an ardent believer in the free market.  I believe businesses like yours are the engines of economic growth in this country.  You create jobs.  You develop new products and cutting-edge technologies.  And you create the supply chains that make it possible for small businesses to open their doors.  So I want everyone in this room to succeed.  I want your shareholders to do well, I want your workers to do well, I want you to do well -- because I firmly believe that America's success in large part depends on your success internationally.

Now, I also believe this:  Government has a vital, if limited, role to play in fostering sustained economic growth and creating the foundations for you to succeed.  Throughout our history, government has done so in three ways.

First, government has set up basic rules of the marketplace –- from the enforcement of contracts and managing the money supply, to maintaining airline safety standards and creating federal deposit insurance.  And on balance, these rules have been good for business, not bad, for they ensure honest competition and fair dealing and a level playing field.

Second, only government can make those investments in common goods that serve the general welfare but are too expensive for any individual or firm to purchase on their own.  Our Armed Forces is the most obvious example.  But government has also built infrastructure – from roads and ports to railways and highways that enabled commerce and spurred entire industries.  Government has invested in basic research that led to new crop yields for farmers and the Internet.  Government has invested in our people, through land grant colleges and the GI Bill. 

And finally, government has also provided a social safety net to guarantee a basic level of security for all our citizens. Now, this last role has been obviously a source of great controversy over the last several decades.  But I think most Americans and most business leaders would agree that programs like Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid and unemployment insurance haven't just saved millions from poverty, they've helped secure broad-based consensus that is so critical to a functioning market economy.

Now, the Business Roundtable has always understood that in each of these instances, government hasn't stepped in to supplant private enterprise, but to catalyze it, to create the conditions for entrepreneurs and new businesses to adapt and to thrive. 

But I take the time to make these points because we've arrived at a juncture in our politics where reasonable efforts to update our regulations, or make basic investments in our future, are too often greeted with cries of "government takeover" or even "socialism."

Not only does that kind of rhetoric deny our history, but it prevents us from asking hard questions about the right balance between the private and public sectors.  Let me give you some examples.  Too little investment in a competitive infrastructure or an education system that works for our children and we risk falling behind countries that are making these investments right now.  On the other hand, if we just throw money at poorly planned projects or failing schools, then we'll remain in debt to those same countries for decades to come. 

If we don't pass financial reform, we can expect more crises in the future of the sort that we just saw.  On the other hand, if we design the new rules carelessly, they could choke off the supply of capital to businesses and families.  If we allow our safety net to be weakened, or lose a sense of fairness in our tax code, then we can expect more anger and frustration from citizens across the political spectrum.  And at the same time, if an exploding entitlement state is gobbling up more and more of our tax dollars, there's no way we'll retain our competitive edge. 

So rather than hurling accusations about big-government liberals or mean-spirited conservatives, we're going to have to answer those tough questions.  And getting that balance right has less to do with big government or small government than it has to do with smart government.  It's not about being anti-business or pro-government; it's about being pro-growth and pro-jobs.  And while there are no simple formulas or bumper-stickers that can encapsulate all the work that has to be done here, I do want to discuss a few specific areas where we have to get things right.

Now, our first and most immediate task is to complete the economic recovery by taking additional steps to bolster demand and keep credit flowing.  Along with our efforts to unfreeze credit and stabilize the housing market, the Recovery Act helped to do this, and it's one of the main reasons our economy has gone from shrinking by 6 percent to growing by nearly 6 percent. 

But we need to do more.  We should make it easier for small businesses to get loans, and give them a tax credit for hiring new workers or raising wages.  We should invest in infrastructure projects that lead to new jobs in the construction industry and other hard-hit businesses.  And we should provide a tax incentive for large businesses like yours to invest in new plants and equipment.  That would make a difference now.  

And we need businesses to support these efforts.  The Business Roundtable supported the Recovery Act, and for that I'm grateful.  But I think one of the reasons businesses haven't been as vocal about their support is a belief that extraordinary measures like the Recovery Act or our financial stability plan somehow represent a lasting increase in government intervention. So let me assure you, let me be clear, they do not. 

One year ago, we were looking at the possible end of General Motors.  Today, GM has increased production, is paying us back ahead of schedule.  Yesterday, we learned they're hiring 1,200 more workers in their Lordstown, Ohio plant.  One year ago, there was a chance we would lose most of the $700 billion we were given to rescue the financial system.  Today, most of that money has been repaid.  The financial fee we've proposed would recover the rest and close the books on government's involvement.  

And let me say a word about compensation here.  Most Americans -- including myself -- do not begrudge reasonable rewards for a job well done.  What's outraged people are outsized bonuses at firms that so recently required massive public assistance.  Once that money is fully repaid, I don't believe it's appropriate for the government to be in the business of setting compensation levels.  I do believe that shareholders should have a say in compensation packages given to top executives, and that those packages should be based on long-term performance instead of short-term profits.  And I think that's particularly important in the financial industry, where reckless risks in pursuit of short-term gain helped create a crisis that engulfed the world economy.   

But here's the larger point that I'm trying to make.  The steps we took last year were about saving the economy from collapse, not about expanding government's reach into the economy.  The jobs bill working through Congress right now are similarly designed to be targeted and temporary.  And I'm pleased that a few hours ago the Senate just passed a series of tax cuts for small businesses that hire more workers.  This is an important step forward in putting more Americans back to work as soon as possible. 

Now, the larger question is this:  Beyond the immediate requirements of recovery, how do we lay the foundation for a more competitive America?  How do we help you succeed?  Now, I believe it starts with investments in innovation, in education, and a 21st century infrastructure.  To build the infrastructure of tomorrow, we're investing in expanded broadband access and health information technology, clean energy facilities and the first high-speed rail network in America. 

To spur the discovery of services and products and industries we have yet to imagine, we're devoting more than 3 percent of our GDP to research and development -– an amount that exceeds the level achieved at the height of the space race.  We've also proposed making the research and experimentation tax credit permanent –- a tax credit that helps companies like yours afford the high costs of developing new technologies and new products. 

To train our workers for the jobs of tomorrow, we've made education reform a top priority in this administration.  We are not interested in just putting more money into our schools; we want that money moving toward reform.  And last year we launched a national competition to improve our schools based on a simple idea:  Instead of funding the status quo, we will only invest in reform –- reform that raises student achievement and inspires students to excel in math and science, and turns around failing schools that steal the future of too many young Americans. 

I just met this week with the nation's governors, and education reform is one of those rare issues where both Democrats and Republicans are enthusiastic.

And to achieve my goal of ensuring America again has the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020, I'm urging the Senate to pass a bill that will make college more affordable by ending the unnecessary taxpayer subsidies that go to financial intermediaries for student loans.  It's a bill that will also revitalize our community colleges, which this organization has recognized are a career pathway to the children of so many working families. 

And just as government needs to support young people eager to learn, I'm very pleased to see that the business community has already begun to bet on the next generation of American talent.  Just yesterday, 17 high-tech companies announced plans to hire over 10,000 college graduates this year.  That's good news.  That's the kind of partnership that we need.

Finally, we're investing in innovation that will lead to a more efficient, affordable and consumer-friendly federal government.  Almost all of you have harnessed new technologies to build thriving businesses and provide better services to your customers.  There's no reason government shouldn't do the same, and give taxpayers a better bang for their buck.

With new technology, we're creating a single electronic medical record for our men and women in uniform that will follow them from the day they enlist until the day that they are laid to rest.  We're cutting down the time it takes to get a patent approved by cutting out unnecessary paperwork and modernizing the process.  And my Secretary of Commerce, Gary Locke, is here today, and is doing an outstanding job leading that effort.  We're working to give people the chance to go online and book an appointment at the Social Security office or check the status of their citizenship application –- services countless businesses already provide.  Government should be doing the same.

So in all of these areas -– in infrastructure, in research, in education, and in government reform -– we're making investments that will lead to new products and services that will help America compete on the world stage.  It means increases in productivity and increases in efficiency, and that's where we're going to need to be competitive.

Now, winning that competition also means we need to export more of our goods and services to other nations -– something that supports more jobs here in the United States of America.  Unfortunately, the federal government has not done a great job advocating for companies' exports abroad.

That's why, in the State of the Union, I set a goal of doubling our exports over the next five years, an increase that will support 2 million jobs.  And to help me meet this goal, Gary Locke recently announced that we're launching a National Export Initiative where the federal government will significantly ramp up its advocacy on behalf of U.S. exporters.  We're substantially expanding the trade financing available to exporters, including small and medium-sized companies.  And while always keeping our security needs in mind, we're going to reform our export controls to eliminate unnecessary barriers.  So some of the sectors where we have a huge competitive advantage in high-tech areas, we're going to be able to send more of those products to markets overseas.  And we're going to pursue a more strategic and aggressive effort to open up new markets for our goods. 

Now, I know that trade policy has been one of those longstanding divides between business and labor, between Democrats and Republicans.  To those who would reflexively support every and any trade deal, I would say that our competitors have to play fair and our agreements have to be enforced.  We can't simply cede more jobs or markets to unfair trade practices.  At the same time, to those who would reflexively oppose every trade agreement, they need to know that if America sits on the sidelines while other nations sign trade deals, we will lose the chance to create jobs on our shores.  In other countries, whether China or Germany or Brazil, they've been able to align the interests of business, workers, and government around trade agreements that open up new markets for them and create new jobs for them.  We must do the same.  And I'm committed to making that happen.

That's why we launched the Trans-Pacific Partnership to strengthen our trade relations with Asia, the fastest-growing market in the world.  That's why we will work to resolve outstanding issues so that we can move forward on trade agreements with key partners like South Korea and Panama and Colombia.  And that's why we will try to conclude a Doha trade agreement –- not just any agreement, but one that creates real access to key global markets. 

A competitive America is also America that finally has a smart energy policy.  We know there's no silver bullet here.  We understand that to reduce our dependence on oil and the damage caused by climate change, we're going to need more production in the short term, we're going to need more efficiency, and we need more incentives for clean energy. 

And already, the Recovery Act has allowed us to jumpstart the clean energy industry in America -– an investment that will lead to 720,000 clean energy jobs by the year 2012.  To take just one example, the United States used to make less than 2 percent of the world's advanced batteries for hybrid cars.  By 2015, we'll have enough capacity to make up to 40 percent of these batteries.  

We've also launched an unprecedented effort to make our homes and businesses more energy efficient.  We've announced loan guarantees to break ground on America's first new nuclear plant in nearly three decades.  We're supporting three of the largest solar plants in the world.  And I've said that we're willing to make tough decisions about opening up new offshore areas for oil and gas development.  So what we're looking at is a comprehensive strategy, not an either/or strategy but a both/and strategy when it comes to energy.   

But to truly transition to a clean energy economy, I've also said that we need to put a price on carbon pollution.  Many businesses have embraced this approach -- including some who are represented here today.  Still, I am sympathetic to those companies that face significant potential transition costs, and I want to work with this organization and others like this to help with those costs and to get our policies right. 

What we can't do is stand still.  The only certainty of the status quo is that the price and supply of oil will become increasingly volatile; that the use of fossil fuels will wreak havoc on weather patterns and air quality.  But if we decide now that we're putting a price on this pollution in a few years, it will give businesses the certainty of knowing they have the time to plan for the transition.  This country has to move towards a clean energy economy.  That's where the world is going.  And that's how America will remain competitive and strong in the 21st century.

We will also be more competitive if we address those costs and risks that are preventing our economy from reaching its full potential.  I'll list three critical areas:  outdated financial regulations, crushing health care costs, and a growing deficit.

Right now we have a financial system with the same vulnerabilities that it had before this crisis began.  And as I said in the State of the Union, my goal is not to punish Wall Street.  I believe that most individuals in the financial sector are looking to make money in an honest and transparent way.  But if there aren't rules in place to guard against the recklessness of a few, and they're allowed to exploit consumers and take on excessive risk, it starts a race to the bottom that results in all of us losing. 

And that's what we need to change.  We can't repeat the mistakes of the past.  We can't allow another AIG or another Lehman to happen again.  We can't allow financial institutions, including those that take your deposits, to make gambles that threaten the whole economy.  What does that mean?  It means we've got to ensure consolidated supervision of all institutions that could pose a risk to the system.  It means we have to close loopholes that allow financial firms to evade oversight and circumvent rules of the road.  It means that we need more robust consumer and investor protections.

And I ask the Business Roundtable to support these efforts. There are lobbyists on the Hill right now trying to kill reform by claiming that it would undermine businesses outside of the financial sector.  That is not true.  This is about putting in place rules that encourage drive and innovation instead of shortcuts and abuse.  And those are rules that will benefit everybody.

Now, another undeniable drag on our economy is the cost of health care.  And I appreciate the willingness of the Business Roundtable to work with us on health care reform.  When you've had concerns about specific measures or policies, we've listened and in many cases we've made changes.  But I know that there are many who have been skeptical of our reform efforts -- because in the wake of extraordinary measures that we took to rescue our economy, it's been an easy political tactic to characterize any effort at health reform as a “big government takeover.”

But let's look at the truth, because the truth is just the opposite.  We have not called for the elimination of private insurance.  We have not -- we've been extraordinarily careful not to in any way undermine the employer-based system.  What we've called for is an insurance exchange where individuals and small businesses can pool together in order to get a better deal from their insurance companies.  In return for getting more customers, we would require insurance companies not to discriminate on the basis of preexisting conditions or arbitrarily jack up premiums. 

We've also incorporated almost every serious idea from across the political spectrum about how to contain the rising costs of health care.  As a result, our proposal would reduce the deficit by as much as a trillion dollars over the next decades, and would directly affect your bottom lines -- each and every one of you who are already providing insurance to your employees -- by a significant amount.

All these steps would provide more certainty for your businesses, not less.  Because there's no certainty in a future where premiums rise without limit; there's certainly no certainty where companies are forced to drop coverage or cut back elsewhere.  That can't be good for business.  Our proposal contains good ideas from Democrats and Republicans and health care experts across the spectrum. 

And tomorrow, I look forward to a good exchange of ideas at the Blair House with some of the legislative leaders.  And I hope everyone comes with a shared desire to solve this challenge, not just score political points.  And I hope the roundtable supports our efforts to finally pass reform that works for the American people and for American businesses.

Now, one of benefits of health care reform is that by bringing down the cost of Medicare and Medicaid, it would significantly reduce our deficit.  And I know this is an issue of great concern to many of you.  My OMB Director, Peter Orszag, will be here soon to give you the scary numbers.  I promise you this is on my mind each and every day. 

I walked into office facing a massive deficit, most of which was the result of not paying for two wars, two tax cuts, and an expensive prescription drug program.  Keep in mind the budget was balanced; in fact, we were running a surplus in 2000.  When we walked in, we had a deficit of $1.3 trillion and projected debt over the course of a decade of $8 trillion.  The lost revenue from this recession put us in an even deeper hole.  And the steps we took to save the economy from depression last year have necessarily added to the deficit -- about $1 trillion, compared to the $8 trillion that we inherited. 

Now, I've said we intend to pay for what we added.  So my administration is doing what families and businesses all across the country are doing during these difficult times -- we're tightening our belts and making tough decisions.  We're investing only in what we need and sacrificing what we can do without.  We've gone line by line through the federal budget and identified more than 120 programs for elimination -- a total of $20 billion in savings just for next year.  Starting in 2011, I've proposed a freeze on non-security discretionary government spending for three years -- something that was never enacted in the last administration. 

I'm also grateful that Congress responded to my request and restored a simple budgeting rule that every family and business understands, called pay as you go.  And I've established a bipartisan fiscal commission that will provide a specific set of solutions by the fall to deal with our medium- and long-term deficit.

Of course, as many of you have reminded us, budget cuts aren't the only step we've proposed this year to help bring down the deficit, which brings me to everybody's favorite topic -- taxes.  You'll notice I've saved the best for last.  Now, I want to set the record straight on this issue, because it's been one of the largest sources of tension between our administration and the business community. 

During the campaign, I promised a tax cut for 95 percent of working Americans.  I kept that promise.  We've provided over $150 billion in tax cuts to small businesses and to families.  We haven't raised anybody's income taxes by a single dime.  This year, I expect to sign into law another $70 billion worth of business tax cuts for 2010 and 2011 -– a more than 10 percent cut in corporate taxes.  Now, that may not jibe with what you're hearing or what you're reading, but those are the facts.  They're indisputable.   

Now, I've also made two other promises during the campaign. I promised that folks making over $250,000 a year -- meaning everybody in this room plus me -- would go back to paying the marginal tax rates they did in the 1990s -– a time when businesses did pretty well; a lot of millionaires were made.  I'm not doing this to be punitive or because I love paying taxes.  I'm doing it because at a time of two wars and massive deficits, I can't justify continuing to give millionaires or billionaires big tax cuts.   

The other promise I made during the campaign was to ensure that our tax code doesn't provide relief and a competitive advantage to companies that move jobs and investment outside of the United States relative to companies that are investing here in the United States. 

Now, a number of you have made the point that we shouldn't discourage anyone from keeping headquarters and operations in America and that we have to balance your needs to compete overseas.  I'm sympathetic to that.  And after listening to you, we've made some modifications to our proposal.  But as President of the United States, my interest is to reward –- or at least not disadvantage –- companies who are creating more jobs and doing more business within the borders of this country.  That's not anti-business; it's pro-America.  And I don't apologize for it. 

On all these issues -– from education to health care to taxes -– my first question can't be, “Is this good for business?” or “Is this good for labor?”  It can't be, “Is this good politics?”  “Are folks going to tag me as a liberal or a conservative?”  The only question I have to ask myself is, “Is this good for America?  Does it help us compete?  Does it grow our economy?  Does it create jobs for middle-class and those trying to join the middle class?  Is it fostering innovation and creating new business opportunities?”  That's my job as President.

Having said that, I also know that government can't meet all of these challenges on its own.  Ultimately, the success of this economy is going to depend on you and people like you all across the country.  And it's going to depend on our workforce and our families. 

You know, when it comes to education, we need parents who are willing to read to their children and help with their homework -- regardless of how much government is going to reform the school system -- if we're going to compete.  When it comes to energy, we need consumers who are willing to buy more efficient appliances and automobiles, and conserve where they can.  And when it comes to an economy that works for every American, we need business leaders like you who understand that private enterprise also entails some public responsibility.

Andy Grove, who most of you know was the CEO of Intel, once gave an interview where he said, “Those of us in business have two obligations in my opinion.  The one that's undebatable is that we have a fiduciary responsibility to…the shareholders who put us in our place.  There's another obligation that I feel personally,” is what Mr. Grove said, "given that everything I've achieved in my career and a lot of what Intel has achieved in its career were made possible by a climate of democracy, an economic climate and investment climate provided by our domicile, the United States."

Now, it's undoubtedly in the short-term interests of individual corporations at any given moment to pay less in taxes, to deal with fewer regulations -- I understand that.  But it's in the long-term interest of all companies to do business in a nation that maintains the world's best research facilities and universities; a nation with public schools that graduate highly skilled, highly educated young people; a nation with functioning railways and airports; a nation that's not dragged down by crushing debt; a nation in which families are getting good jobs, and when they work hard they can support those families.

If you pay your workers a salary they can raise a family on, they're going to feel more loyalty to your company.  And if we have rules of the road that guard against recklessness in our financial system, it will protect the interests of everyone from the wealthiest CEOs to the lowest-paid workers.  If we give that kid in the Bronx a world-class education, it doesn't just benefit that child; it benefits the company that might hire him down the road and it benefits the country that child lives in.  To put it simply, we are all in this together. 

I am a big booster of each and every one of you.  And I will go to bat for you every time as you compete in a tough international environment.  But we're going to have to do this together.  And we face some very big challenges right now.  The only way we're going to get through them -- and the only way we ever have -- is if we align the interests of workers and businesses and government around a common purpose; if we all pick up an oar and start rowing in the same direction. 

At a time of such economic anxiety, it's tempting, and maybe it's easier, to turn against one another and to find scapegoats to blame.  So politicians can rail against Wall Street or against each other, and businesses can fault Capitol Hill, and all of it makes for easy talking points and good political theater.  But it doesn't solve our problems.  It doesn't move us forward.  It just traps us in the same debates and divides that have held us back for a very long time and forced us to keep on punting down the road the same problems we've been facing for decades.

And I believe we can't afford that kind of politics anymore. Not now.  But we know the way forward, and we know what the future can be.  And I am confident we can get there.  And I'm confident because we have the hardest-working, most productive citizens in the world.  I'm confident because our universities and research facilities are second to none.  And I'm confident because of the caliber of the leaders and businesses represented in this room.

We're not going to agree on every single issue, we're not going to support the same policies every time, but I promise I will never stop listening to your concerns and your ideas, and I will never stop rooting for your success -- because we are in this together.  And whether we rise or fall as a nation doesn't depend on some economic forces that are beyond our control.  It depends on us -- on the ingenuity of our entrepreneurs, the determination of our workers, and the strength of our people. 

I've always believed in that strength and I remain extraordinarily hopeful about our future.  So thank you very much, everybody.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-business-roundtable

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Department of Homeland Security

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Secretary Napolitano Launches National Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign Challenge

March 3, 2010

San Francisco - Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today unveiled DHS' National Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign Challenge—a new initiative that calls on cybersecurity experts and individuals across the country to develop innovative new ways to enhance public awareness about the importance of safeguarding America's computer systems and cyber networks from attacks by terrorists and criminals.

"All Americans have an important role to play in securing our computer systems and cyber networks," said Secretary Napolitano. "We are challenging our nation's best and brightest to utilize their expertise and creativity to devise new ways to engage the public in the shared responsibility of safeguarding our cyber resources and information."

The Challenge invites cybersecurity experts and members of the public alike to submit creative ideas for improving the public's cybersecurity awareness and cyber literacy. Proposals must be submitted by April 30 via www.dhs.gov/cyberchallenge , and winners will collaborate with the Department to develop and launch the National Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign.

Secretary Napolitano announced the initiative during her remarks at RSA Conference in San Francisco, where she emphasized her commitment to partnering with her colleagues in Congress, the private sector and across the Obama administration to clarify and strengthen public and private sector cybersecurity and cyber resiliency—including more strongly aligning the Department's cyber and physical infrastructure protection efforts and making DHS a clearer focal point for cybersecurity within the federal government.

In her remarks, Secretary Napolitano stressed the Department's dedication to recruiting and retaining the talented cybersecurity employees needed to confront terrorist and criminal threats and underscored her continued commitment to supporting the latest cybersecurity innovations—including the ongoing deployment of the EINSTEIN system to better identify malicious cyber activity, enhance situational awareness and improve cybersecurity support across government.

Secretary Napolitano also highlighted DHS' close collaboration with the private sector to protect the nation-s critical infrastructure and cyber networks—including the current development of a National Cybersecurity Incident Response Plan; the training of more than 14,000 critical infrastructure protection professionals through the Control Systems Security Program; and regular consultation with cybersecurity stakeholders across the country.

For National Cyber Security Awareness Campaign Challenge rules and additional information, visit  www.dhs.gov/cyberchallenge .

http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1267661486687.shtm

.