Drug warfare flares up in Mexico; more than 100 killed in five days

Narcotics-related warfare has flared up in recent days in Mexico. Ten federal police officers were killed in twin ambushes in the state of Michoacan on Monday. An unknown number of gunmen were also killed or injured in the battle, but the surviving assailants carried off their wounded, as Ken Ellingwood reports in The Times. In the resort city of Mazatlan, the death toll rose to 29 on Tuesday in a shoot-out inside a prison on Monday morning (link in Spanish). Violence inside prisons in Mexico often reflects turf battles between cartels on the outside, and in this case the bloodshed is being linked to the Zetas group.

On Tuesday, federal authorities blamed the ambushes in Michoacan on La Familia, the cartel that controls trafficking in the state.

The 24-hour period between Thursday and Friday was the single deadliest day in Mexico's bloody narco wars in 19 months. Using its own tally, the daily newspaper El Universal reported that 85 people were killed across the country between Thursday and Friday night in a single-day toll that far exceeded the past record -- 58 -- since Mexican President Felipe Calderon initiated his offensive against drug traffickers. Included in the figure are 19 people killed when gunmen stormed a rehabilitation center in the northern city of Chihuahua.

Elsewhere, at least 15 people were reported killed between Sunday and Monday in the Pacific coast state of Nayarit. The daily newspaper Milenio says: "With 15 assassinations between Sunday and early Monday, added to the 13 killed on Saturday, the total is 28 dead in the state of Nayarit, a bloody weekend, unprecedented in the police history of the state."

You can see that letter at the president's website . (in Spanish)

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laplaza/2010/06/bloody-weekend-mexico-narco-warfare-violence.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LaPlaza+%28La+Plaza%29

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American was on solo mission to kill Bin Laden, Pakistani police say

Gary Brooks Faulkner, a construction worker, was arrested in a mountainous region of Pakistan, armed with a pistol, dagger, night-vision goggles and a belief that he could kill the terrorist on his own, Pakistani police say.

By Alex Rodriguez and Zulfiqar Ali

June 16, 2010

Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan

The U.S. has spent nine years and billions of dollars trying to hunt down Osama bin Laden amid the rugged, lawless badlands along Pakistani-Afghan border.

But according to Pakistani officials, Gary Brooks Faulkner thought he could get the job done himself, with a pistol, a dagger and a pair of night-vision goggles.

The construction worker, whose age was variously reported as 52 and 40, was arrested early Monday in Pakistan's Chitral region, a mountainous, forested expanse along the Afghan border. When questioned, he told authorities that he was "on a mission to decapitate Bin Laden," Pakistani police officers quoted Faulkner as saying.

Faulkner didn't get very far, they said. He had been staying at a hotel in the town of Bumburate in Chitral since June 3. Local police were providing security for him, not uncommon in regions along the border where kidnappings and killings of foreigners have occurred. But on Sunday, he sneaked out of the hotel without telling the officer who was assigned to him.

After a 10-hour manhunt, he was picked up on a mountain path as he was trying to make his way across the border and into Nuristan, an eastern Afghanistan province that abuts Chitral, according to Pakistani officials. He was moved to the northwest city of Peshawar for further questioning, they said.

Faulkner was not made immediately available to speak with the media about the Pakistani statements.

Police said Faulkner told them he was intent on scouring caves and remote villages in eastern Afghanistan for Bin Laden because he regarded the leader of the Al Qaeda terrorist network as a "constant threat to America."

The area is one of many where Bin Laden has long been rumored to be holed up. Bin Laden has been the subject of an intensive search by U.S. officials, who have offered a reward of $25 million for information leading to his capture.

According to the Associated Press, Faulkner told police that he had visited Pakistan seven times and that this was his third trip to Chitral, which is a mountainous region that attracts Western tourists and hikers. The news service reported that local police quoted Faulkner as saying, "God is with me, and I am confident I will be successful in killing him."

U.S. Embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire said the embassy had been notified of the arrest of a U.S. citizen, and was working on arranging a consular visit with that individual. Snelsire declined further comment.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pakistan-californian-20100616,0,1586755,print.story

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From the New York Times

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American Man in Limbo on No-Fly List

WASHINGTON — As a 26-year-old Muslim American man who spent 18 months in Yemen before heading home to Virginia in early May, Yahya Wehelie caught the attention of the F.B.I. Agents stopped him while he was changing planes in Cairo, told him he was on the no-fly list and questioned him about his contacts with another American in Yemen, one accused of joining Al Qaeda and fatally shooting a hospital guard .

For six weeks, Mr. Wehelie has been in limbo in the Egyptian capital. He and his parents say he has no radical views, despises Al Qaeda and merely wants to get home to complete his education and get a job.

But after many hours of questioning by F.B.I. agents, he remains on the no-fly list. When he offered to fly home handcuffed and flanked by air marshals, Mr. Wehelie said, F.B.I. agents turned him down.

“The lady told me that Columbus sailed the ocean blue a long time ago when there were no planes,” Mr. Wehelie said in a telephone interview from Cairo. “I'm an innocent American in exile, and I have no way to get home.”

Mr. Wehelie's predicament reflects the aggressive response of American counterterrorism officials to recent close calls with major terrorist plots: last year's foiled plan to blow up the New York City subway; the failed attempt to take down an airliner headed for Detroit on Dec. 25; and the fizzled car bombing in Times Square on May 1. The case also illustrates the daunting challenge, both for people like Mr. Wehelie and for their F.B.I. questioners, of proving that they pose no security threat.

Accused after the Dec. 25 near-miss of failing to keep the would-be bomber off the plane to Detroit, the government's Terrorist Screening Center has since doubled the no-fly list to 8,000 names, according to a counterterrorism official who discussed the closely held numbers on the condition that he not be identified.

Counterterrorism officials have focused especially on Yemen, where the Dec. 25 bomber was trained. Traditionally, Yemen has been a popular and inexpensive place for Americans and others to study Arabic.

At least three Americans have been detained in recent weeks by the Yemeni authorities on suspicion of terrorist connections, and civil liberties advocates have identified a half-dozen Americans or legal United States residents on the no-fly list who are stranded abroad, most of them after visiting Yemen.

On Tuesday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations , a Washington-based group that has been working with Mr. Wehelie's family, wrote to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to protest what its executive director, Nihad Awad, called “apparently illegal pressure tactics” against Muslim American travelers.

“If the F.B.I. wishes to question American citizens, they should be allowed to return to the United States, where they will be able to maintain their constitutional rights free of threats or intimidation,” Mr. Awad wrote.

Mr. Awad noted that Yahya Wehelie's younger brother, Yusuf, 19, who was stopped with him in Cairo, faced a shorter but even more harrowing time in Egypt. Questioned first by the F.B.I., Yusuf was later held for three days by Egyptian security officers, blindfolded, chained to a wall and roughed up before being allowed to travel home May 12, he said in an interview.

The American Civil Liberties Union says it has been contacted by a dozen people who say they have been improperly placed on the no-fly list since December, half of them Americans abroad.

“For many of these Americans, placement on the no-fly list effectively amounts to banishment from their country,” said Ben Wizner, a senior staff attorney with the A.C.L.U. He called such treatment “both unfair and unconstitutional.”

An F.B.I. spokesman, Michael P. Kortan, said that as a matter of policy, the bureau did not comment on who was on a watch list. But he said the recent plots showed the need “to remain vigilant and thoroughly investigate every lead.”

“In conducting such investigations,” Mr. Kortan said, “the F.B.I. is always careful to protect the civil rights and privacy concerns of all Americans, including individuals in minority and ethnic communities.”

Advocacy groups say they are trying to help Americans stranded in Yemen, Egypt, Colombia and Croatia, among other countries. At least one American, Raymond Earl Knaeble IV, who studied in Yemen and is now in Colombia, was returned to Colombia by the Mexican authorities after he sought to cross the border into the United States, the groups say.

The no-fly list gives the American authorities greater leverage in assessing travelers who are under suspicion, because to reverse the flying ban many are willing to undergo hours of questioning.

But sometimes the questioning concludes neither with criminal charges nor with permission to fly. The Transportation Security Administration has a procedure allowing people to challenge their watch list status in cases of mistaken identity or name mix-up, but Mr. Wehelie does not fit those categories.

Mr. Wehelie was born and raised in the Virginia suburbs of Washington with his five siblings by Abdirizak Wehelie, 58, and Shamsa Noor, 54, Somali immigrants who met in the United States and married in 1981.

He graduated from Lake Braddock High School in Burke, Va., and briefly attended Norfolk State University. He worked in a medical lab and held other jobs, but he was arrested for marijuana possession and reckless driving, and his parents felt he was adrift, he said from Cairo.

In 2008, they insisted that he travel to Yemen, where they thought he could study Arabic, expand his horizons and perhaps find a wife. “That's the crazy thing — I was the one who made him go,” said his mother, Ms. Noor.

Mr. Wehelie studied computer science at Lebanese International University in Sana, the Yemeni capital, he said, and last year he married a Somali woman in Yemen. And in the small American expatriate community, he said, he met Sharif Mobley, the New Jersey man who was later accused of joining Al Qaeda and killing a Yemeni guard. Mr. Wehelie said their handful of encounters were brief and casual, the innocent small talk of two expatriates.

“It was just, ‘Hey, how you doing?' ” Mr. Wehelie said. The F.B.I.'s suspicions are misplaced, he said: “I'm not even a religious person. I hate Al Qaeda. I don't like anything that jeopardizes my country and my family.”

Evidently the F.B.I. is not convinced. The American authorities in Cairo canceled his passport and issued a new one Sunday with the notation, “valid only for return to the United States before Sept. 12, 2010,” Mr. Wehelie said. That is his goal, he said, but he has no idea how to get home.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/16/world/middleeast/16yemen.html?pagewanted=print

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Call Him Crazy, but bin Laden Bounty Hunter May Have Been Close

By now, you've probably heard the news : a middle-aged construction worker from Colorado was arrested in a forest in northwest Pakistan, carrying a samurai sword and a pistol, looking for Osama bin Laden.

He didn't find him.

Before you chuckle, let me just say: Whatever else we might conclude about Gary Faulkner, our arrested American bounty hunter, we should give him this: He was looking in the right place.

Or at least the place where many intelligence analysts think he is: the mountainous high-altitude district of Chitral. For me, the mere mention of the place evokes the image of the Saudi terrorist.

Last December, early on a Sunday morning, I sat at a long table in the basement of the Pentagon talking with an American military officer about the situation in Afghanistan. As the meeting ended, another man approached, wearing plain clothes and a plainer face.

“Chitral,” he said, half-smiling. “If you're looking for Osama, you might try Chitral.”

He muttered something else, then walked away. The man didn't identify himself, but he didn't have to. He was almost certainly an intelligence analyst. If I had to guess, I'd say, given our location, that he worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Why Chitral? Well, for one thing, it's remote. Chitral is a mountainous district of Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province, in the far end of the country, abutting an Afghan region called Wakhan, notable because it's shaped like a panhandle. In other words, it's a long way from the Federal Administered Tribal Areas, or FATA, where many other intelligence analysts believe Mr. bin Laden is probably hiding.

There is one other reason. As he walked away, my plain-faced Pentagon acquaintance said one other thing: “We have a hard time putting Predators up there.” Apparently, the drones cannot stay up long, because their bases are so far away. In a funny kind of way, he was asking for help.

Until Mr. bin Laden was thought to be hiding there, Chitral was famous for only one thing: Every July, tourists from all over gather in a town called Shandur to watch a polo match between the Chitralis and a team from nearby Gilgit. They called it “the world's highest polo match.” At 12,000 feet, it probably is.

Not many tourists go to Shandur or the rest of Chitral anymore, on account of the spread of Islamic militancy.

Back to Mr. Faulkner. Oddly enough, according to initial reports, it seems that he and his quarry have a striking number of details in common.

Meanwhile, just Monday, Mr. bin Laden put out yet another audio speech, this one on his imprisoned confederate, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. It's his 27th since 2001.

http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/15/call-him-crazy-but-bin-laden-bounty-hunter-wasnt-far-off/?pagemode=print

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How to Ruin a Good 9/11 Settlement

Washington

LAST week, lawyers for almost 10,000 policemen, firemen and other workers agreed to a $712 million fund to compensate these rescuers for illnesses sustained while responding to the devastation at the World Trade Center after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The settlement now needs the support of 95 percent of the plaintiffs to be approved. (Should it pass, I will be deciding appeals from plaintiffs disputing their awards.)

Unfortunately, the 9/11 compensation story is far from over. There is also legislation in Congress that would reopen the original Victim Compensation Fund to those who missed the previous filing deadline, a group that includes many of the plaintiffs in the proposed settlement. But by signing onto the new settlement, the plaintiffs would forgo the opportunity to participate in a new 9/11 fund if the legislation should pass.

It is doubtful they would do better by waiting for the proposed legislation. But hope springs eternal, and some plaintiffs are being told that it would be preferable to wait. If more than 5 percent agree, last week's settlement is off.

The 9/11 responders shouldn't be put in this position. Simple changes to the legislation would allow them to benefit from both programs, and thus finally receive the compensation they deserve.

The new settlement is a clear instance of justice delayed. Immediately after the 9/11 attacks, thousands of rescue workers performed the terrible but necessary task of sifting through the rubble and twisted metal in search of victims' remains. Almost 2,000 of these workers, who became ill as a result of their exposure to ash and airborne chemicals, were promptly paid by the federal Victim Compensation Fund, which Congress created just 11 days after the attacks. But others did not qualify because their physical injuries manifested themselves years later, after the statute authorizing the payments had expired.

This settlement rectifies that wrong. It will no longer be necessary for each plaintiff to spend years in court to prove that his or her illness was the direct result of exposure to ground zero debris.

The settlement isn't the only attempt to address unanswered 9/11 claims. The bill before Congress — which has been voted out of a House committee but has not been considered by the full House or the Senate — would reopen the original fund to any eligible person who claims a physical injury from exposure to the dust and debris at the World Trade Center, including Lower Manhattan residents. The legislation could affect thousands more people claiming respiratory injury because of their proximity to the site.

The plaintiffs in the settlement thus face a tough choice: accept the offer on the table or gamble that the bill will pass and they'll get a better deal.

Congress shouldn't make them take this unnecessary gamble. As with the original fund, the legislation should simply require that any money received as a result of the settlement be debited against any additional funds he or she might get from the re-opened fund.

That is the approach I followed when I administered the original 9/11 fund. In determining awards, I offset life insurance proceeds, health insurance and disability payments and other sources of income paid to victims and their families.

The 9/11 responders have waited long enough. They should be able to accept the settlement and move forward with their lives as best they can, without having to worry that they might miss out on something better.

Kenneth R. Feinberg was the special master of the federal compensation fund for victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/16/opinion/16Feinberg.html?ref=opinion&pagewanted=print

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From the White House

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Remarks by the President to the Nation on the BP Oil Spill

June 15, 2010

THE PRESIDENT:  Good evening.  As we speak, our nation faces a multitude of challenges.  At home, our top priority is to recover and rebuild from a recession that has touched the lives of nearly every American.  Abroad, our brave men and women in uniform are taking the fight to al Qaeda wherever it exists.  And tonight, I've returned from a trip to the Gulf Coast to speak with you about the battle we're waging against an oil spill that is assaulting our shores and our citizens.

On April 20th, an explosion ripped through BP Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, about 40 miles off the coast of Louisiana.  Eleven workers lost their lives.  Seventeen others were injured.  And soon, nearly a mile beneath the surface of the ocean, oil began spewing into the water.

Because there has never been a leak this size at this depth, stopping it has tested the limits of human technology.  That's why just after the rig sank, I assembled a team of our nation's best scientists and engineers to tackle this challenge -- a team led by Dr. Steven Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and our nation's Secretary of Energy.  Scientists at our national labs and experts from academia and other oil companies have also provided ideas and advice.

As a result of these efforts, we've directed BP to mobilize additional equipment and technology.  And in the coming weeks and days, these efforts should capture up to 90 percent of the oil leaking out of the well.  This is until the company finishes drilling a relief well later in the summer that's expected to stop the leak completely. 

Already, this oil spill is the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced.  And unlike an earthquake or a hurricane, it's not a single event that does its damage in a matter of minutes or days.  The millions of gallons of oil that have spilled into the Gulf of Mexico are more like an epidemic, one that we will be fighting for months and even years. 

But make no mistake:  We will fight this spill with everything we've got for as long as it takes.  We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused.  And we will do whatever's necessary to help the Gulf Coast and its people recover from this tragedy. 

Tonight I'd like to lay out for you what our battle plan is going forward:  what we're doing to clean up the oil, what we're doing to help our neighbors in the Gulf, and what we're doing to make sure that a catastrophe like this never happens again. 

First, the cleanup.  From the very beginning of this crisis, the federal government has been in charge of the largest environmental cleanup effort in our nation's history -- an effort led by Admiral Thad Allen, who has almost 40 years of experience responding to disasters.  We now have nearly 30,000 personnel who are working across four states to contain and clean up the oil.  Thousands of ships and other vessels are responding in the Gulf.  And I've authorized the deployment of over 17,000 National Guard members along the coast.  These servicemen and women are ready to help stop the oil from coming ashore, they're ready to help clean the beaches, train response workers, or even help with processing claims -- and I urge the governors in the affected states to activate these troops as soon as possible. 

Because of our efforts, millions of gallons of oil have already been removed from the water through burning, skimming and other collection methods.  Over five and a half million feet of boom has been laid across the water to block and absorb the approaching oil.  We've approved the construction of new barrier islands in Louisiana to try to stop the oil before it reaches the shore, and we're working with Alabama, Mississippi and Florida to implement creative approaches to their unique coastlines. 

As the cleanup continues, we will offer whatever additional resources and assistance our coastal states may need.  Now, a mobilization of this speed and magnitude will never be perfect, and new challenges will always arise.  I saw and heard evidence of that during this trip.  So if something isn't working, we want to hear about it.  If there are problems in the operation, we will fix them. 

But we have to recognize that despite our best efforts, oil has already caused damage to our coastline and its wildlife.  And sadly, no matter how effective our response is, there will be more oil and more damage before this siege is done.  That's why the second thing we're focused on is the recovery and restoration of the Gulf Coast. 

You know, for generations, men and women who call this region home have made their living from the water.  That living is now in jeopardy.  I've talked to shrimpers and fishermen who don't know how they're going to support their families this year.  I've seen empty docks and restaurants with fewer customers -– even in areas where the beaches are not yet affected.  I've talked to owners of shops and hotels who wonder when the tourists might start coming back.  The sadness and the anger they feel is not just about the money they've lost.  It's about a wrenching anxiety that their way of life may be lost. 

I refuse to let that happen.  Tomorrow, I will meet with the chairman of BP and inform him that he is to set aside whatever resources are required to compensate the workers and business owners who have been harmed as a result of his company's recklessness.  And this fund will not be controlled by BP.  In order to ensure that all legitimate claims are paid out in a fair and timely manner, the account must and will be administered by an independent third party. 

Beyond compensating the people of the Gulf in the short term, it's also clear we need a long-term plan to restore the unique beauty and bounty of this region.  The oil spill represents just the latest blow to a place that's already suffered multiple economic disasters and decades of environmental degradation that has led to disappearing wetlands and habitats.  And the region still hasn't recovered from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  That's why we must make a commitment to the Gulf Coast that goes beyond responding to the crisis of the moment. 

I make that commitment tonight.  Earlier, I asked Ray Mabus, the Secretary of the Navy, who is also a former governor of Mississippi and a son of the Gulf Coast, to develop a long-term Gulf Coast Restoration Plan as soon as possible.  The plan will be designed by states, local communities, tribes, fishermen, businesses, conservationists and other Gulf residents.  And BP will pay for the impact this spill has had on the region.  

The third part of our response plan is the steps we're taking to ensure that a disaster like this does not happen again.  A few months ago, I approved a proposal to consider new, limited offshore drilling under the assurance that it would be absolutely safe –- that the proper technology would be in place and the necessary precautions would be taken.

That obviously was not the case in the Deepwater Horizon rig, and I want to know why.  The American people deserve to know why.  The families I met with last week who lost their loved ones in the explosion -- these families deserve to know why.  And so I've established a National Commission to understand the causes of this disaster and offer recommendations on what additional safety and environmental standards we need to put in place.  Already, I've issued a six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling.  I know this creates difficulty for the people who work on these rigs, but for the sake of their safety, and for the sake of the entire region, we need to know the facts before we allow deepwater drilling to continue.  And while I urge the Commission to complete its work as quickly as possible, I expect them to do that work thoroughly and impartially.       

One place we've already begun to take action is at the agency in charge of regulating drilling and issuing permits, known as the Minerals Management Service.  Over the last decade, this agency has become emblematic of a failed philosophy that views all regulation with hostility -- a philosophy that says corporations should be allowed to play by their own rules and police themselves.  At this agency, industry insiders were put in charge of industry oversight.  Oil companies showered regulators with gifts and favors, and were essentially allowed to conduct their own safety inspections and write their own regulations.  

When Ken Salazar became my Secretary of the Interior, one of his very first acts was to clean up the worst of the corruption at this agency.  But it's now clear that the problem there ran much deeper, and the pace of reform was just too slow.  And so Secretary Salazar and I are bringing in new leadership at the agency -- Michael Bromwich, who was a tough federal prosecutor and Inspector General.  And his charge over the next few months is to build an organization that acts as the oil industry's watchdog -- not its partner. 

So one of the lessons we've learned from this spill is that we need better regulations, better safety standards, and better enforcement when it comes to offshore drilling.  But a larger lesson is that no matter how much we improve our regulation of the industry, drilling for oil these days entails greater risk.  After all, oil is a finite resource.  We consume more than 20 percent of the world's oil, but have less than 2 percent of the world's oil reserves.  And that's part of the reason oil companies are drilling a mile beneath the surface of the ocean -- because we're running out of places to drill on land and in shallow water. 

For decades, we have known the days of cheap and easily accessible oil were numbered.  For decades, we've talked and talked about the need to end America's century-long addiction to fossil fuels.  And for decades, we have failed to act with the sense of urgency that this challenge requires.  Time and again, the path forward has been blocked -- not only by oil industry lobbyists, but also by a lack of political courage and candor.  

The consequences of our inaction are now in plain sight.  Countries like China are investing in clean energy jobs and industries that should be right here in America.  Each day, we send nearly $1 billion of our wealth to foreign countries for their oil.  And today, as we look to the Gulf, we see an entire way of life being threatened by a menacing cloud of black crude.

We cannot consign our children to this future.  The tragedy unfolding on our coast is the most painful and powerful reminder yet that the time to embrace a clean energy future is now.  Now is the moment for this generation to embark on a national mission to unleash America's innovation and seize control of our own destiny.

This is not some distant vision for America.  The transition away from fossil fuels is going to take some time, but over the last year and a half, we've already taken unprecedented action to jumpstart the clean energy industry.  As we speak, old factories are reopening to produce wind turbines, people are going back to work installing energy-efficient windows, and small businesses are making solar panels.  Consumers are buying more efficient cars and trucks, and families are making their homes more energy-efficient.  Scientists and researchers are discovering clean energy technologies that someday will lead to entire new industries. 

Each of us has a part to play in a new future that will benefit all of us.  As we recover from this recession, the transition to clean energy has the potential to grow our economy and create millions of jobs -– but only if we accelerate that transition.  Only if we seize the moment.  And only if we rally together and act as one nation –- workers and entrepreneurs; scientists and citizens; the public and private sectors.  
When I was a candidate for this office, I laid out a set of principles that would move our country towards energy independence.  Last year, the House of Representatives acted on these principles by passing a strong and comprehensive energy and climate bill –- a bill that finally makes clean energy the profitable kind of energy for America's businesses. 

Now, there are costs associated with this transition.  And there are some who believe that we can't afford those costs right now.  I say we can't afford not to change how we produce and use energy -– because the long-term costs to our economy, our national security, and our environment are far greater. 

So I'm happy to look at other ideas and approaches from either party -– as long they seriously tackle our addiction to fossil fuels.  Some have suggested raising efficiency standards in our buildings like we did in our cars and trucks.  Some believe we should set standards to ensure that more of our electricity comes from wind and solar power.  Others wonder why the energy industry only spends a fraction of what the high-tech industry does on research and development -– and want to rapidly boost our investments in such research and development.   

All of these approaches have merit, and deserve a fair hearing in the months ahead.  But the one approach I will not accept is inaction.  The one answer I will not settle for is the idea that this challenge is somehow too big and too difficult to meet.  You know, the same thing was said about our ability to produce enough planes and tanks in World War II.  The same thing was said about our ability to harness the science and technology to land a man safely on the surface of the moon.  And yet, time and again, we have refused to settle for the paltry limits of conventional wisdom.  Instead, what has defined us as a nation since our founding is the capacity to shape our destiny -– our determination to fight for the America we want for our children.  Even if we're unsure exactly what that looks like.  Even if we don't yet know precisely how we're going to get there.  We know we'll get there.   

It's a faith in the future that sustains us as a people.  It is that same faith that sustains our neighbors in the Gulf right now.        

Each year, at the beginning of shrimping season, the region's fishermen take part in a tradition that was brought to America long ago by fishing immigrants from Europe.  It's called “The Blessing of the Fleet,” and today it's a celebration where clergy from different religions gather to say a prayer for the safety and success of the men and women who will soon head out to sea -– some for weeks at a time. 
The ceremony goes on in good times and in bad.  It took place after Katrina, and it took place a few weeks ago –- at the beginning of the most difficult season these fishermen have ever faced. 

And still, they came and they prayed.  For as a priest and former fisherman once said of the tradition, “The blessing is not that God has promised to remove all obstacles and dangers.  The blessing is that He is with us always,” a blessing that's granted “even in the midst of the storm.” 

The oil spill is not the last crisis America will face.  This nation has known hard times before and we will surely know them again.  What sees us through -– what has always seen us through –- is our strength, our resilience, and our unyielding faith that something better awaits us if we summon the courage to reach for it.

Tonight, we pray for that courage.  We pray for the people of the Gulf.  And we pray that a hand may guide us through the storm towards a brighter day.  Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-nation-bp-oil-spill

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The White House Asks: How do you make a difference?

Despite difficult economic times, the number of Americans volunteering in communities across the country has increased at the fastest rate in six years, according the Corporation for National and Community Service's annual Volunteering in America report released today. The research, produced by the Corporation as part of its efforts to expand the reach and impact of America's volunteers, is the most comprehensive data on volunteering ever assembled.

The report found that 63.4 million Americans volunteered last year, giving more than 8.1 billion hours of volunteer service worth an estimated $169 billion. We're interested in how you are making an impact in your communities. The White House and GOOD ask:

How do you make a difference?

Tell us on Facebook , Twitter or LinkedIn . We look forward to hearing from you will feature some of your responses on the blog.

Read the complete report at VolunteeringInAmerica.gov and visit Serve.gov to find local opportunities, do-it-yourself toolkits to find and fill local needs, and stories of service from people all across the country.

Please note that the username, personal identifier or icon affiliated with responses may be posted on the White House blog.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/06/15/white-house-asks-how-do-you-make-a-difference

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From the Department of Homeland Security

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Secretary Napolitano Announces New Standards for Private Sector Preparedness

June 15, 2010

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
202-282-8010

Washington, D.C.—Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced the adoption of the final standards for the Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Accreditation and Certification Program (PS-Prep)—a major milestone in DHS' implementation of a program recommended by the 9/11 Commission to improve private sector preparedness for disasters and emergencies.

"Private organizations across the country—from businesses to universities to non-profit organizations—have a vital role to play in bolstering our disaster preparedness and response capabilities," said Secretary Napolitano. "These new standards will provide our private sector partners with the tools they need to enhance the readiness and resiliency of our nation."

PS-Prep is a partnership between DHS and the private sector that enables private entities to receive emergency preparedness certification from a DHS accreditation system created in coordination with the private sector.

The standards—developed by the National Fire Protection Association, the British Standards Institution and ASIS International—were published for public comment in the Federal Register in Oct. 2009.  The adoption of the final standards was published in a Federal Register notice today following a series of regional public meetings and the incorporation of public comments.

DHS will continue to accept comments on PS-Prep, the three adopted standards, and/or proposals to adopt any other similar standard that satisfies the target criteria of the December 2008 Federal Register notice which announced the program.

Comments may be submitted to http://www.regulations.gov or FEMA-POLICY@dhs.gov , in Docket ID FEMA-2008-0017.

For more information, visit http://www.fema.gov/privatesectorpreparedness/ .

http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1276616888003.shtm

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While this photo does not represent modern safe rooms, this interior room that survived the 1974 tornado in Xenia, Ohio, reminds us just how critical safe rooms could be

Resilient Homes: Last Room Standing Changing hearts and minds about safe rooms June 15, 2010 For 18 horrific hours on April 3, 1974, the largest and most cataclysmic tornado on record for a single 24-hour period took North America by storm. Actually, it was 148 tornadoes, which spun through and sacked 13 states and one Canadian province, ravaging some 900 square miles and killing 148 people. An iconic photo snapped in the tragedy's aftermath speaks the proverbial thousand words: amid trees knocked down like matchsticks and houses crushed like eggshells, one thing remained intact, standing erect and defying nature's wrath: an interior bathroom, whose walls had not been connected to the rest of the house. This image demonstrates how a single room can withstand the wrath of a tornado and serve as a safe haven.

Today, a consortium of government officials and academics works to raise awareness about the life-saving capabilities of storm shelters.

The team is a who's who of researchers and atmospheric scientists and includes the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) ; the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ; the Southeast Region Research Initiative (SERRI) ; the Walt Disney World Resort ; the International Code Council (ICC) ; the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes ; and the Oak Ridge National Lab .

The focus of their activity is a pilot project called the Resilient Home Program , which is funded in part by S&T's Infrastructure and Geophysical Division . The program incorporates newly revised guidance from FEMA on designs for basement, in-ground, and above-ground safe rooms; and an ICC standard, which specifies requirements for the design and construction of such sanctuaries.

The program takes place in the American Southeast, a region that draws tornadoes with a frequency and fury that rival the famous “tornado alley” of the Midwest. Making matters worse, the Southeast is a magnet for nocturnal storms, which strike between sunset and sunrise and often double the fatalities of their daytime counterparts. Furthermore, the Southeast's population is particularly vulnerable to disasters, with large numbers of seniors and mobile homes.

Last year, tornadoes pummeled homes and farms in 18 FEMA-declared disasters, stretching from Florida, through the South, and up into Illinois. So far this year, tornadoes have been a part of six more disasters, most recently in Oklahoma and Mississippi. On May 10, 2010, at least 22 tornadoes tore through the Sooner State on a single day, ripping off metal roofs and killing several people. In the Magnolia State, an unusually high number of homes in the storm's path—more than half—were destroyed on April 24. Each flattened wood frame left behind a reminder about the need for a pocket of space that can turn back a howling twister.

And the tornado season is far from over.

“The Resilient Home Program isn't a 30-page report that winds up in a binder on a bookshelf,” says S&T program manager Mike Matthews. “It's a roll-up-your-sleeves collaboration among many different entities — homeowners, builders, and insurers — that will help to fortify people's homes, lives and communities.” As Matthews sees it, the sooner families can return to their homes, the faster a community can recapture its vitality.

To meet these goals, the team is undertaking a two-part process. First, the research: Why do some homeowners opt for safe rooms while others go without? Then the outreach: Use these findings to communicate with the public and the construction and insurance industries.

The team surveyed 822 homeowners in seven states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The online forms asked participants a battery of questions about their knowledge of and interest in safe rooms. “The more we understand about how people perceive safe rooms, the more success we'll have in increasing their number,” says Matthews.

From their answers, certain patterns emerged. For instance, homeowners are well-aware that safe rooms can save their lives. Yet they see little value in investing in something that would be used so little or perhaps not at all. For that kind of cash (about $10,000), they'd rather buy a home theater or remodel their kitchen. So the team decided to brand safe rooms as a home-furnishing project—something fun rather than a necessary evil. After all, from bathrooms to bedrooms to boardrooms, there's a reality show on remodeling it.

The messaging was refined in March in focus groups with remodelers and builders. Further creative honing has continued in recent months via interviews with consumers and meetings with insurers to identify incentives that will defray construction costs. In the meantime, the team is engaged in good old public relations, promoting Resilient Homes via TV segments, partnerships, speeches, workshops, demos—and articles like this one.

http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/gc_1276203905125.shtm

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From the Department of Justice

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For the first time in its history, the Department of Justice today observed June 15 as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day to raise awareness about the vulnerability of the elder population to abuse and violence. World Elder Abuse Day, first celebrated in 2005, is organized by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division Tony West and Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Director Susan B. Carbon participated today in events in Anaheim, Calif., and Washington, D.C. The events are part of the Justice Department's year-long commemoration of the 15 th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

The U.S. Bureau of the Census predicts that by 2030, the population over age 65 will double to more than 70 million people and older people will make up almost 20 percent of the population. According to the best available estimates, between 1 and 2 million Americans age 65 or older have experienced abuse; and for each reported case about five more cases go unreported. Unfortunately, as the number of older individuals increases, so does the number of potential victims of elder abuse.

The Department of Justice funds programs throughout the country that provide communities with training and resources to combat elder abuse and serve survivors in later life. OVW has provided more than $25 million in funding to 75 communities since 2002 through its Abuse in Later Life Program. Also since 2002, the Office of Justice Programs has awarded more than $6.7 million to 20 programs.

This morning, OVW Director Carbon and Counsel to the Associate Attorney General Mala Adiga joined Anaheim Chief of Police John Welter; the Anaheim Family Justice Center; the University of California, Irvine's Elder Abuse Forensic Center; the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL); Human Options (the local victim service provider); and the Archstone Foundation for a discussion about promising practices and community collaborations towards working with elder abuse survivors. NCALL also announced the release of the film, Walking in Our Shoes, an OVW-funded national training video produced through a grant to the National District Attorney's Association on elder abuse.  The film features an introduction from The View's Barbara Walters, a member of the Justice Department's “Join the List” campaign, a group of more than 100 celebrities including actors, musicians and athletes, who have lent their names to the department's effort to raise awareness.

In Washington, D.C., the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services (HHS) sponsored a World Elder Abuse Awareness Day event featuring Assistant Attorney General West, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs Mary Lou Leary and HHS Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary on Aging Cindy R. Padilla. Kathleen Quinn from the National Adult Protection Services Association, King County (Washington State) Prosecutor Page Ulrey and Bob Blancato from the Elder Justice Coalition also participated.

On Sept. 14, 2009, the Justice Department marked the 15 th anniversary of President Bill Clinton's signing of VAWA and the creation of OVW. The department has initiated a year-long effort to raise public awareness, build stronger coalitions among federal, state, local and tribal communities, and redouble efforts to end domestic and dating violence, sexual assault and stalking, for men, women and children across the country. 

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/June/10-ag-698.html

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From the FBI

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Twenty-Seven Members of American Outlaw Association Motorcycle Gang Indicted
National President, Other Leaders and Members Charged with Racketeering, Attempted Murder, and Other Violent Crimes

The National President and 26 other members and associates of the American Outlaw Association (Outlaws) motorcycle gang have been indicted by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia. The 12-count indictment—which was returned on June 10, 2010, but unsealed today—charges that the men participated in a criminal enterprise that engaged in a wide range of crimes, including attempted murder, kidnapping, assault, robbery, extortion, witness intimidation, narcotics distribution, illegal gambling, and weapons violations.

Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Rich Marianos, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' (ATF) Washington Field Division, made the announcement today after the indictment was unsealed and the defendants were placed in custody.

“Today's arrests of the national president and leadership of the American Outlaws Association mark another aggressive attempt by the Department of Justice to dismantle what the indictment alleges to be a gang whose entire environment revolves around violence,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride.

“This is another example of what ATF does best,” said Acting SAC Rich Marianos. “Our agents work day in and day out with our law enforcement partners fighting violent crime so our citizens can feel safer in their communities and homes.”

The indictment alleges that the Outlaws motorcycle gang is a highly organized criminal enterprise with a defined, multi-level chain of command, which is overseen by Jack Rosga, aka Milwaukee Jack, 53, Milwaukee, Wis., who served as the Outlaws National President. Leaders and members in multiple states are charged in the indictment, including Wisconsin, Maine, Montana, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Virginia. Under Rosga's leadership, the enterprise is alleged to have engaged in violent racketeering activities with the intent to expand its influence and control various parts of the country against rival motorcycle gangs, particularly the Hells Angels.

According to the indictment, the Outlaws planned multiple acts of violence against rival motorcycle gangs, including shows of force at the Cycle Expo in 2006, Dinwiddie Racetrack in 2008, Cockades Bar in 2009, Daytona Bike Week in 2009, and the Easyrider Bike Expo in 2010. The indictment alleges that in the Cockades Bar show of force, members of the Pagans Motorcycle Club joined the Outlaws in the assault against rival gangs.

The indictment states that in October 2009, Rosga allegedly directed members of the Outlaws to retaliate against the Hells Angels for their attack on two Outlaws members, which resulted in the alleged attempted murder of a Hells Angels member in Canaan, Maine. The victim was seriously injured from gunshot wounds. Following Outlaw tradition, the two Outlaw members who carried out the attack allegedly received new patches indicating they had performed a violent act on behalf of the Outlaws.

In November 2008, Outlaws members are charged in the indictment of assaulting a black male at the Hard Times Café in Fredericksburg, Virginia, for no other reason but his race, and then intimidating witnesses and instructing fellow Outlaws members to lie to obstruct law enforcement's investigation of the assault.

The indictment also includes allegations of the Outlaws regularly distributing and using narcotics, engaging in illegal gambling activities, and the regular use of firearms and other dangers weapons.

If convicted, the defendants face years in prison.

The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Washington Field Division; the FBI's Washington Field Office; the Virginia State Police; the Chesterfield County Police Department; and numerous law enforcement partners throughout the country. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter Duffey and Dennis Fitzpatrick and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Kaplan on behalf of the United States.

Those charged in the indictment include:

• Jack Rosga, aka “Milwaukee Jack,” 53, serves as the National Boss of the Outlaws organization and is also a member of the Gold Region, Milwaukee Wisconsin Chapter.
  
  
• Joseph Allman, 46, is an Outlaws member in the Red region and holds a position in the Maine Chapter, previously serving as President and Enforcer.
  
  
• John Banthem, aka “Bull,” 46, is an Outlaws member in Montana and is the president of a new prospect chapter in Montana.
  
  
• Thomas Benvie, aka “Taz,” 41, is an Outlaws member in the Red region and currently serves as President of the Maine Chapter.
  
  
• William Davey, aka “Rebel,” 46, is an Outlaws member in the Copper Region and was formerly the Chapter Enforcer in the Ashville, North Carolina.
  
  
• Mark Jason Fiel, aka “Jason,” 37, is a former Outlaws member in the Copper Region and a former leader in the Manassas/Shenandoah Valley Chapter.
  
  
• Mark Steven Fiel, aka “Snuff,” 59, is an Outlaws member in the Copper Region and serves as President of the Manassas/Shenandoah Valley Chapter.
  
  
• Chris Gagner, 37, is an Outlaws member in the Copper Region and serves as the President and Treasurer of the Asheville, North Carolina Chapter.
  
  
• Harold Herndon, aka “Lil' Dave,” 48, is an Outlaws member and is currently the Copper Region Vice President and member of the Lexington, North Carolina Chapter.
  
  
• Mark Lester, aka “Ivan,” 55, is an Outlaws member in the Knoxville, Tennessee Chapter and is served as the Boss of the Grey Region until early 2010.
  
  
• Brett Longendyke, 32, is an Outlaws member in the Copper Region and serves as the Manassas/Shenandoah Valley Chapter Enforcer.
  
  
• David Lowry, aka “Little David,” 49, is an Outlaws member and currently the Copper Region Boss and member of the Charlotte Chapter.
  
  
• Michael Mariaca, aka “M & M,” 50, is an Outlaws member and serves as the President of the Rock Hill, South Carolina Chapter and Copper Region Enforcer.
  
  
• Thomas Mayne, aka “Tomcat,” 59, is an Outlaws member in the Red Region and serves as the regional treasurer. Mayne formerly served as the Red Region Enforcer.
  
  
• Harry Rhyne McCall, 53, is an Outlaws member in the Copper Region, Lexington, North Carolina Chapter.
  
  
• Michael Pedini, aka “Madman,” 39, is an Outlaws member in the Red Region and a former Enforcer in the Northern Maine Chapter.
  
  
• Thomas Petrini, aka “Jo Jo,” 48, is a former Outlaws member in the Copper Region, Manassas/Shenandoah Valley Chapter.
  
  
• Michael Smith, 51, is an Outlaws member in the Copper Region and serves as the President of the Hickory, North Carolina Chapter.
  
  
• Mark Spradling, aka “Lytnin,” 52, is an Outlaws member and serves as Treasurer of the Copper Region.
  
  
• Christopher Timbers, aka “Alibi,” 37, is an Outlaws member in the Manassas/Shenandoah Valley Chapter of the Copper Region.
  
  
• James Townsend, aka “Vern,” 44, is an Outlaws member and President of the Lexington, North Carolina Chapter.
  
  
• Leslie Werth, aka “Les,” 47, is an Outlaws member and currently is the Vice President of the Rock Hill, South Carolina Chapter. Werth served as the Copper Region Boss until October 17, 2009.
  
  
• Brian McDermott, 50, is an Outlaws member of the Copper Region's Hickory, North Carolina chapter.
  
  
• Charles Love, aka “Chuck” and Rebar,” 49, is a member of the Pagans Motorcycle Club from Amelia, Virginia.
  
  
• William Powell, aka “Torch,” 49, is a member of the Pagans Motorcycle Club from Lynchburg, Virginia.
  
  
• Charles Barlow, aka “Chuck,” 43, is a member of the Pagans Motorcycle Club from Chesterfield, Virginia.
  
  
• Dennis Haldermann, aka “Chew Chew,” 45, is a member of the Pagans Motorcycle Club from Chesterfield, Virginia.

The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae . Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on pacer.uspci.uscourts.gov .

http://washingtondc.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel10/wfo061510.htm

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