Edelmiro Cavazos, mayor of Santiago, told a colleague that he received a threatening visit from traffickers shortly after taking office.

MEXICO UNDER SIEGE Mayor found dead three days after being kidnapped Edelmiro Cavazos of Santiago was seized at his home near Monterrey on Sunday. He might have been targeted because of his efforts to purge corrupt local police, the state governor says. By Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times August 19, 2010 Reporting from Mexico City Spiraling drug-war violence in Mexico's wealthiest region has claimed the life of a prominent mayor — kidnapped Sunday and found dead Wednesday — and prompted demands from panicked residents for army protection. Edelmiro Cavazos was mayor of Santiago, a picturesque tourist town near Monterrey, Mexico's third-largest city and an industrial hub. He was grabbed from his gated home late Sunday by at least 15 gunmen wearing uniforms of a defunct police agency who arrived in a convoy of sport-utility vehicles, with patrol lights flashing. Cavazos and a bodyguard apparently left the home to see what the members of the convoy wanted. Both were overpowered and bundled into the vehicles. The guard was released a short time later.

Cavazos' bound, blindfolded body was found dumped alongside a rural road Wednesday morning, state prosecutor Alejandro Garza said.

Cavazos, 38 and U.S.-educated, represented the conservative party of President Felipe Calderon and won election last year, ending long domination of Santiago City Hall by the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI.

Calderon condemned the "cowardly assassination" of the mayor and dispatched his top security official to the border state of Nuevo Leon, where Santiago and Monterrey are located.

State Gov. Rodrigo Medina, who arrived by helicopter at the site where the body was dumped, speculated that Cavazos might have been targeted because of his efforts to purge the notoriously corrupt local police, who are said to work on behalf of drug cartels.

Medina vowed to go after Cavazos' killers, and he urged the national government to send additional military and federal police troops to the state.

He was seconding a demand from a group of business leaders who took out full-page ads in numerous newspapers Wednesday, calling for one marine and three army battalions to be deployed to the area to combat drug traffickers who are "provoking panic, desperation and disillusion" throughout the region.

Affluent Monterrey and its surroundings have traditionally escaped much of the drug violence engulfing Mexico. But within the last year, a vicious battle between the Gulf cartel and its former paramilitary allies, the Zetas, has spilled into Monterrey and much of Nuevo Leon state.

Residents are being terrorized by kidnappings and broad-daylight gun battles. Repeatedly, gangsters have blocked main streets in Monterrey and other towns for hours to cut off their enemies or authorities.

Paralyzing the region, whose food, textile and construction industries account for 8% of Mexico's GDP, could have a disastrous effect on the national economy, experts and officials say.

"Mexico's fate is our fate, and the fate of Nuevo Leon is the fate of Mexico," Medina said.

Mauricio Fernandez, mayor of nearby San Pedro Garza Garcia, said Cavazos told him of receiving a threatening visit from traffickers shortly after taking office.

"I told him he needed to call on the army," Fernandez said in a radio interview. "He was frightened and had found a municipal government enormously in cahoots with organized crime."

Mayors, politicians and police commanders are frequent targets of cartel hit men. Mayors especially complain that they are vulnerable because they are often on the front lines of the battle but with few resources to defend themselves. They are also vulnerable to graft.

Killing Cavazos "is a direct challenge to authority," prosecutor Garza said.

This week, Garza announced the creation of police rapid-response units aimed at breaking up the street blockades set up by drug gangsters. The teams will be supported by helicopters, he said.

On Sunday alone, traffickers blocked Monterrey streets in at least 30 places. One resident wrote the Reforma newspaper a letter about getting caught in one of the blockades at 8:30 p.m. on the way home from her in-laws' house. People ran to escape their trapped cars; those not fast enough were beaten by gunmen.

"People were running and we could hear the explosions … the gunfire," the woman wrote. "Children were crying inconsolably, women were hysterical, men were carrying babies.... We were running and running and [husband] Juan was screaming at me, 'Run, don't stop, run, don't turn around, don't stop.'

"I was crying, screaming and begging for the mercy of God."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexico-mayor-20100819,0,2698704,print.story

August 19, 2010

The Fair Sentencing for Youth Act, written by state Sen. Leland Yee (D- San Francisco), would allow courts to review the cases of juveniles sentenced to life without parole after they have served 10 years and allow some to be resentenced to 25 years to life. Already passed by the Senate, the bill is scheduled to be taken up by the Assembly on Thursday. We strongly urge lawmakers to pass it.

There has been a good deal of fear-mongering about SB 399, none of it warranted. The legislation would not free juveniles who have committed serious crimes, nor would it reduce their sentences. It would not guarantee that anyone sentenced at age 14 or 15 to life in prison will go free.

What SB 399 would do is bring California into closer accord with civilized sentencing norms and standards. No other country sentences juveniles to life without parole. Yet there are at least 270 serving such sentences in California prisons; only Florida and Pennsylvania have more. And California has the worst record of racial disparity in the imposition of life without parole for teens: African Americans are sentenced at a rate 18 times higher than white youths and five times higher than Latinos. These sentences are expensive as well. Keeping the current population incarcerated for the rest of their lives will cost the state about $500 million.

SB 399 would also begin to align sentencing for juveniles with scientific evidence about their neurological capabilities. Yee, who is a child psychologist, emphasizes that the brain continues to mature well beyond adolescence, and that critical thinking skills, the ability to plan and impulse control are not fully developed before adulthood. Sentencing young offenders to life without parole ignores the fact that they do not have the cognitive abilities of adults. It also presupposes that their chances for rehabilitation are nonexistent, in defiance of knowledge that they may change as they mature.

All this bill offers juveniles is the possibility of a future, a chance at a chance. An offender who has served 10 years could ask a judge to reexamine his case. Even if a judge does resentence the offender, he must serve 25 years total before he is eligible for a parole board hearing. And parole need not be granted.

Not all youthful offenders should be released. Some will mature during their incarceration, repent their crimes and gain a moral compass. Others will not. But it is cruel to reject all hope and unjust to deny all discretion.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-sentencing-20100819,0,7665657,print.story

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From the New York Times

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Civilians to Take U.S. Lead After Military Leaves Iraq

WASHINGTON — As the United States military prepares to leave Iraq by the end of 2011, the Obama administration is planning a remarkable civilian effort, buttressed by a small army of contractors, to fill the void.

By October 2011, the State Department will assume responsibility for training the Iraqi police, a task that will largely be carried out by contractors. With no American soldiers to defuse sectarian tensions in northern Iraq, it will be up to American diplomats in two new $100 million outposts to head off potential confrontations between the Iraqi Army and Kurdish pesh merga forces.

To protect the civilians in a country that is still home to insurgents with Al Qaeda and Iranian-backed militias, the State Department is planning to more than double its private security guards, up to as many as 7,000, according to administration officials who disclosed new details of the plan. Defending five fortified compounds across the country, the security contractors would operate radars to warn of enemy rocket attacks, search for roadside bombs, fly reconnaissance drones and even staff quick reaction forces to aid civilians in distress, the officials said.

“I don't think State has ever operated on its own, independent of the U.S. military, in an environment that is quite as threatening on such a large scale,” said James Dobbins, a former ambassador who has seen his share of trouble spots as a special envoy for Afghanistan, Bosnia, Haiti, Kosovo and Somalia. “It is unprecedented in scale.”

White House officials expressed confidence that the transfer to civilians — about 2,400 people who would work at the Baghdad embassy and other diplomatic sites — would be carried out on schedule, and that they could fulfill their mission of helping bring stability to Iraq.

“The really big picture that we have seen in Iraq over the last year and a half to two years is this: the number of violent incidents is significantly down, the competence of Iraqi security forces is significantly up, and politics has emerged as the basic way of doing business in Iraq,” said Antony J. Blinken, the national security adviser to Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. “If that trend continues, and I acknowledge it is an ‘if,' that creates a much better context for dealing with the very significant and serious problems that remain in Iraq.”

But the tiny military presence under the Obama administration's plan — limited to several dozen to several hundred officers in an embassy office who would help the Iraqis purchase and field new American military equipment — and the civilians' growing portfolio have led some veteran Iraq hands to suggest that thousands of additional troops will be needed after 2011.

“We need strategic patience here,” Ryan C. Crocker , who served as ambassador in Iraq from 2007 until early 2009, said in an interview. “Our timetables are getting out ahead of Iraqi reality. We do have an Iraqi partner in this. We certainly are not the ones making unilateral decisions anymore. But if they come to us later on this year requesting that we jointly relook at the post-2011 period, it is going to be in our strategic interest to be responsive.”

The array of tasks for which American troops are likely to be needed, military experts and some Iraqi officials say, include training Iraqi forces to operate and logistically support new M-1 tanks, artillery and F-16s they intend to acquire from the Americans; protecting Iraq's airspace until the country can rebuild its air force; and perhaps assisting Iraq's special operations units in carrying out counterterrorism operations.

Such an arrangement would need to be negotiated with Iraqi officials, who insisted on the 2011 deadline in the agreement with the Bush administration for removing American forces. With the Obama administration in campaign mode for the coming midterm elections and Iraqi politicians yet to form a government, the question of what future military presence might be needed has been all but banished from public discussion.

“The administration does not want to touch this question right now,” said one administration official involved in Iraq issues, adding that military officers had suggested that 5,000 to 10,000 troops might be needed. “It runs counter to their political argument that we are getting out of these messy places,” the official, speaking only on condition of anonymity, added. “And it would be quite counterproductive to talk this way in front of the Iraqis. If the Iraqis want us, they should be the demandeur.”

The Obama administration had already committed itself to reducing American troops in Iraq to 50,000 by the end of August, a goal the White House on Wednesday said would be met. Administration officials and experts outside government say, however, that carrying out the agreement that calls for removing all American forces by the end of 2011 will be far more challenging.

The progress or difficulties in transferring responsibility to the civilians will not only influence events in Iraq but will also provide something of a test case for the Obama administration's longer-term strategy in Afghanistan.

The preparations for the civilian mission have been under way for months. One American official said that more than 1,200 specific tasks carried out by the American military in Iraq had been identified to be handed over to the civilians, transferred to the Iraqis or phased out.

To move around Iraq without United States troops, the State Department plans to acquire 60 mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, called MRAPs, from the Pentagon; expand its inventory of armored cars to 1,320; and create a mini-air fleet by buying three planes to add to its lone aircraft. Its helicopter fleet, which will be piloted by contractors, will grow to 29 choppers from 17.

The department's plans to rely on 6,000 to 7,000 security contractors, who are also expected to form “quick reaction forces” to rescue civilians in trouble, is a sensitive issue, given Iraqi fury about shootings of civilians by American private guards in recent years. Administration officials said that security contractors would have no special immunity and would be required to register with the Iraqi government. In addition, one of the State Department's regional security officers, agents who oversee security at diplomatic outposts, will be required to approve and accompany every civilian convoy, providing additional oversight.

The startup cost of building and sustaining two embassy branch offices — one in Kirkuk and the other in Mosul — and of hiring security contractors, buying new equipment and setting up two consulates in Basra and Erbil is about $1 billion. It will cost another $500 million or so to make the two consulates permanent. And getting the police training program under way will cost about $800 million.

Among the trickiest missions for the civilians will be dealing with lingering Kurdish and Arab tensions. To tamp down potential conflicts in disputed areas, Gen. Ray Odierno , the senior American commander in Iraq, established a series of checkpoints made up of American soldiers, Iraqi Army troops and pesh merga fighters.

But those checkpoints may be phased out when the American troops leave. Instead, the United States is counting on the new embassy branch offices in Mosul and Kirkuk. Administration officials had planned to have another embassy branch office in Baquba, but dropped that idea because of spending constraints.

“They will be eyes and ears on the ground to see if progress is being made or problems are developing,” Mr. Blinken said.

But Daniel P. Serwer, a vice president of the United States Institute of Peace, a Congressionally financed research center, questioned whether this would be sufficient. “There is a risk it will open the door to real problems. Our soldiers have been out there in the field with the Kurds and Arabs. Now they are talking about two embassy branch offices, and the officials there may need to stay around the quad if it is not safe enough to be outside.”

Another area that has prompted concern is police training, which the civilians are to take over by October 2011. That will primarily be done by contractors with State Department oversight and is to be carried out at three main hubs with visits to other sites. Administration officials say the program has been set up with Iraqi input and will help Iraqi police officers develop the skills to move from counterinsurgency operations to crime solving. The aim is to “focus on the higher-end skill set,” Colin Kahl, a deputy assistant secretary of defense, told reporters this week.

But James M. Dubik, a retired Army three-star general who oversaw the training of Iraqi security forces in 2007 and 2008, questioned whether the State Department was fully up to the mission. “The task is much more than just developing skills,” he said. “It is developing the Ministry of Interior and law enforcement systems at the national to local levels, and the State Department has little experience in doing that.”

Mr. Crocker said that however capable the State Department was in carrying out its tasks, it was important for the American military to keep enough of a presence in Iraq to encourage Iraq's generals to stay out of politics.

“We need an intense, sustained military-to-military engagement,” he said. “If military commanders start asking themselves, ‘Why are we fighting and dying to hold this country together while the civilians fiddle away our future?', that can get dangerous.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/world/middleeast/19withdrawal.html?_r=1&ref=world&pagewanted=print

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Xavier Alvarez falsely claimed to have been a U.S. Marine and Medal of Honor recipient.

Stolen Valor Act Is Declared Unconstitutional by Circuit Court By JAMES DAO Criminalizing speech is a tricky business, but Congress seemed to think it had found the right balance in 2006 when it overwhelmingly enacted the Stolen Valor Act, which made it a crime simply to lie about having received a military medal or service badge. Therese Tran/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin Xavier Alvarez falsely claimed to have been a U.S. Marine and Medal of Honor recipient. But the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit begs to differ. In a decision released on Tuesday, the three-judge panel, based in San Francisco, declared the law unconstitutional because it infringed on the defendant's freedom of speech, even if it was false. That defendant, Xavier Alvarez, had claimed to be a Marine and a winner of the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award. He was neither. In a 2-to-1 ruling, the appellate court said that if the law were held constitutional, many everyday lies could become criminal acts. “There would be no constitutional bar to criminalizing lying about one's height, weight, age, or financial status on Match.com or Facebook, or falsely representing to one's mother that one does not smoke, drink alcoholic beverages, is a virgin, or has not exceeded the speed limit while driving on the freeway,” Judge Milan D. Smith, Jr., wrote for the majority. “The sad fact is, most people lie about some aspects of their lives from time to time.”

The majority also found that there was no malice intended or harm done, since Mr. Alvarez uttered his fabrication during introductory remarks before the Three Valley Water District board of directors in California, of which he was a new member. (Mr. Alvarez, the judges noted, had also at various times claimed to have played hockey for the Detroit Red Wings and to have rescued the American ambassador during the Iranian hostage crisis.)

“We have no doubt that society would be better off if Mr. Alvarez would stop spreading worthless, ridiculous and offensive untruths,” the ruling said. “But, given our historical skepticism of permitting the government to police the line between truth and falsity, and between valuable speech and drivel, we presumptively protect all speech, including false statements.”

In his dissenting opinion in the case, Judge Jay S. Bybee asserted that no proof of harm was needed to limit Mr. Alvarez's untruthful speech. “Such false representations not only dishonor the decorations and medal themselves, but dilute the select group of those who have earned the nation's gratitude for their valor,” Judge Bybee wrote.

Representative John T. Salazar, a Democrat from Colorado who introduced the bill in 2005, said he was disappointed with the court's ruling. In a statement, Mr. Salazar said, “I am confident that upon appeal to the Supreme Court their misguided decision will be overturned. We live in a society that wants to honor our nation's veterans.” He added, “As long as I am in Congress, I will not give up the effort to protect their honor. These fake heroes use lies to claim undeserved federal veterans benefits and defraud their communities into believing they are someone they are most certainly not for personal gain.”

All three judges were nominated by Republican presidents.

The prosecution did not return calls about whether it plans to appeal the ruling.

The Ninth Circuit's ruling comes just a month after a federal judge in Colorado dismissed charges under the Stolen Valor Act against a man who had falsely claimed to be a decorated Marine, Richard Strandlof. In that case, United States District Judge Robert E. Blackburn also found that the law unconstitutionally abridged freedom of speech.

http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/18/stolen-valor-act-is-declared-unconstitutional-by-circuit-court/?pagemode=print

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Haley Paisley, 10, with a photo of her uncle John McGraham, a mentally ill homeless man who was killed in LA.

Killings of Homeless Rise to Highest Level in a Decade By ERIC LICHTBLAU WASHINGTON — Killings of homeless people have risen to their highest level in a decade, with 43 people killed last year and many more injured in often brutal attacks that are raising concerns among law enforcement officials, rights advocates and politicians, according to new data due to be released this week. The rise in killings, from 27 in 2008, comes as many state and local governments are wrestling with the problem of what to do with the growing number of people forced onto the streets by economic woes. Some states and cities are moving to prosecute violence against the homeless as a hate crime, while others have taken a different tack by imposing tougher measures to prevent people from living on the streets in the first place. Cases compiled and analyzed by the National Coalition for the Homeless , an advocacy group based in Washington, showed homeless people doused with gasoline and set on fire, attacked with bottles, metal pipes and baseball bats, and sprayed with pepper spray, often for the sport of it. An advance copy of the report was provided to The New York Times. Because the F.B.I. does not track crimes against the homeless as part of its routine crime reporting, the data from the coalition is considered the most definitive study of the problem. A bill pending in Congress from Senator Benjamin L. Cardin, Democrat of Maryland, would require the F.B.I. to begin tracking data on crimes against the homeless, and Mr. Cardin plans to lead a hearing next month in the Senate on the country's rising homeless problem, including violence against those living on the streets. “The homeless are among our nation's most vulnerable, but increasingly they find themselves the target of violent crime simply because they are homeless,” Mr. Cardin said. “This behavior should not and cannot be tolerated in our society.”

Criminologists and others who worked on the study said they believed the rise in fatal attacks has been fueled by a combination of factors. Among them are tough economic times, the popularity of amateur Web videos on “bum fights” and on-line games that glorify and trivialize attacks, an increase in gang initiations involving the homeless, and municipal crackdowns on homeless encampments that have bred hostility.

“It's a very troubling trend,” said Neil Donovan, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. “We're seeing a level of hatred building to the point that it's deadly now.”

The data on deadly attacks against the homeless runs counter to national trends in other areas of crime.

The F.B.I. reported in May that violent crime nationwide declined 5.5 percent last year from the year before. The data from the homeless coalition found that fatal attacks on the homeless rose 59 percent in that same time span, to 43. The number of fatalities last year was more than three times the number documented four years earlier and the highest number seen by the homeless coalition since 2000.

Brian Levin, a criminologist who assisted in the study and runs the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University , San Bernardino, said the number of homeless people who died last year in attacks far exceeded the total of all other traditional, protected classes of hate crime victims, based on factors like gender, race and ethnicity.

Harassment and violence toward the homeless, many of them mentally ill, have become “pervasive and routine” in some sub-cultures, particularly among young men and teenagers, he said.

In an April 2009 case in Redding, Calif., that is included in the report, three teenage boys were accused of beating a homeless man to death and smashing his skull with metal pipes and makeshift bats after they had discussed a plan the day before at a local fast-food restaurant to beat up a “bum.”

Since 1999, the coalition's report documented more than 1,000 acts of violence against homeless people, including 291 deaths, although the authors caution that many crimes against the homeless go unreported because of mistrust of the police.

Concerns about the violence have spurred legislative initiatives in a number of cities and states. Since May, Florida and Rhode Island have joined Maine and Maryland in passing legislation that expands protection for the homeless as hate crime victims, and the District of Columbia and Los Angeles County have done so as well. Seven other states, including California and New York, are considering similar measures.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/us/19homeless.html?ref=us&pagewanted=print

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From the Chicago Sun Times

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By JANE MICHAELS

Increased flooding, traffic, noise and lights are among the concerns Willowbrook area residents have over plans for a mosque and complex on 91st Street west of Route 83.

"I'm not opposed to a mosque going in or any religious institution," said William Gerow, who's lived for 12 years in the Jaime Lane subdivision, which backs up to the mosque property.

"I am concerned about its size. The scope of the project is out of scale and character with the neighborhood."

The Muslim Education Cultural Center of America, which operates a mosque at 720 E. Plainfield Road in Willowbrook, proposes to build a three-story mosque with an adjoining gymnasium and weekly religious school on 4.7-acres along the north side of 91st Street.

"The neighbors have clearly stated that flooding is a problem in the area," said Mark Daniel, Elmhurst attorney for the Muslim group. "We don't disagree. We'll solve the problem."

The center proposes to use permeable pavement on the north side of the complex to drain storm water into the soil below or into three large underground storage tanks, Daniel said.

The tanks will release water slowly through a small, 2 1/2-inch pipe on the northwest edge of the complex, he said.

"That will substantially reduce the rate of flow down to about one-sixth," Daniel said, referring to the volume of storm water runoff currently affecting Jaime Lane homeowners. "It will absolutely make it better."

Gerow said he's satisfied the mosque project won't exacerbate flooding problems on his block, except for his neighbor's yard, where the small pipe is expected to drain on the way to three retention ponds to the north. Residents surrounding those ponds are leery of the mosque's effect on flooding, he said.

Craig Rohner, whose lot will be where the underground storage tanks drain, said he's concerned about the erosion of his property, overloading retention ponds to the north and the loss of 100-year-old trees on the mosque property bordering his land.

"When I moved here 23 years ago, it was a nice, quiet environment with deer, skunks and raccoons. I've enjoyed that country living," Rohner said. "All that will be destroyed with a parking lot, lights and possibly noise."

Daniel said the Muslim group, which owns the unincorporated property zoned for residential use, seeks a conditional use permit from the DuPage County Zoning Board to operate a religious institution.

A hearing on granting the conditional use permit began Aug. 12 and will reconvene at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 30 at the county complex, 421 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton.

Daniel said the mosque likely wouldn't increase traffic in the area during rush hour or school hours when students are arriving or dismissed from Anne M. Jeans Elementary School, 16W631 91st St.

"The hours are different at the mosque," he said.

The busiest days are Fridays, when 150 to 180 members might arrive in the early afternoon during the summer for about a half hour; a maximum of 120 members would attend on Friday afternoons during other seasons.

The mosque is designed to hold a maximum of 600 worshippers. Membership is about 250 to 300 people from Burr Ridge, Hinsdale, Willowbrook and Darien. The complex has approximately 230 parking spaces.

http://www.pioneerlocal.com/burrridge/news/2607502,burr-ridge-mosque-081710-s1.article

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August 19, 2010

BY REBECCA SANTANA

EDITOR'S NOTE: The 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division was officially designated the last combat brigade to leave Iraq under Obama's plan to end combat operations in Iraq by Aug. 31. Associated Press writer Rebecca Santana joined the troops on their final journey out of the country.

KHABARI CROSSING, Kuwait -- As their convoy reached the barbed wire at the border crossing out of Iraq on Wednesday, the soldiers whooped and cheered. Then they scrambled out of their stifling hot armored vehicles, unfurled an American flag and posed for group photos.

For these troops of the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, it was a moment of relief fraught with symbolism. Seven years and five months after the U.S.-led invasion, the last American combat brigade was leaving Iraq, well ahead of President Obama's Aug. 31 deadline for ending U.S. combat operations there.

When 18-year-old Spc. Luke Dill first rolled into Iraq as part of the U.S. invasion, his Humvee was so vulnerable to bombs that the troops lined its floor with flak jackets.

Now 25 and a staff sergeant after two tours of duty, he rode out of Iraq this week in a Stryker, an eight-wheeled behemoth encrusted with armor and add-ons to ward off grenades and other projectiles.

"It's something I'm going to be proud of for the rest of my life -- the fact that I came in on the initial push and now I'm leaving with the last of the combat units," he said.

He remembered three straight days of mortar attacks outside Najaf in 2003, so noisy that after the firing ended, the silence kept him awake at nights. He recalled the night skies over the northern city of Mosul being lit up by tracer bullets from almost every direction.

The U.S. presence is far from over. Scatterings of combat troops still await departure, and some 50,000 will stay another year in what is designated as a noncombat role. They will carry weapons to defend themselves and accompany Iraqi troops on missions (but only if asked). Special forces will continue to help Iraqis hunt for terrorists.

So the U.S. death toll -- at least 4,415 by Pentagon count as of Wednesday -- may not yet be final.

The Stryker brigade has lost 34 troops in Iraq. It was at the forefront of many of the fiercest battles, including operations in Baghdad and Diyala province, an epicenter of the insurgency, during "the surge" of 2007.

Before the Aug. 31 deadline, about half the brigade's 4,000 soldiers flew out like most of the others leaving Iraq, but its leadership volunteered to have the remainder depart overland.

U.S. commanders say it was the brigade's idea, not an order from on high. The intent was to keep additional firepower handy through the "period of angst" that followed Iraq's inconclusive March 7 election.

It took months of preparation to move the troops and armor across more than 300 miles of desert highway through potentially hostile territory.

The Strykers left the Baghdad area in separate convoys over a four-day period, traveling at night because the U.S.-Iraq security pact -- and security worries -- limit troop movements by day.

For Dill, who reached Kuwait with an earlier convoy, the withdrawal engendered feelings of relief. His mission -- to get his squad safely out of Iraq -- was accomplished.

Standing alongside a hulking Stryker, his shirt stained with sweat, he acknowledged the men who weren't there to experience the day with him.

"I know that to my brothers in arms who fought and died, this day would probably mean a lot, to finally see us getting out of here," he said.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/world/2615682,CST-NWS-iraq19.article

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From Google News

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by Thomas M. Defrank , Kenneth R. Bazinet and Kenneth Lovett

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Thursday, August 19th 2010, 4:00 AM

Appearing on CNN 's " Larry King Live ," Paterson said moving the planned Park51 project farther away from Ground Zero would be a "noble gesture" on the part of the developers while at the same time it would foster a better understanding of Islam.

"It's my firm belief that if we talk about perhaps maybe some way of working this out which would be suitable for both parties, it would be a great day for this country," the governor said.

Meanwhile, President Obama says he had no second thoughts about wading into the flap - even though polls show he's out of touch with voters on the issue.

"The answer is: No regrets," Obama told reporters yesterday after a town hall-style meeting on the economy in Ohio .

A new Gallup Poll found 37% of Americans disapprove of Obama's comments supporting Muslims' right to build the mosque and only 20% approve.

New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan said he backed the idea of finding a compromise site. Dolan and Paterson recalled Jewish concerns when Carmelite nuns moved into a building near Auschwitz , the Nazi death camp, in 1984. Pope John Paul II interceded and asked the nuns to move. "Keep the idea, move the address," he said. "It worked there, might work here."

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/08/19/2010-08-19_gov_new_spot_would_be_magic_moment_in_history.html

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From the White House

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The Affordable Care Act is working to help bring down the cost of prescription drugs for seniors enrolled in the Medicare Part D prescription drug program and today, we got more good news for our seniors.

This afternoon, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that Medicare prescription drug plan premiums for 2011 will stay similar to rates beneficiaries are currently paying this year. The average premiums in 2010 were $29 per month -- in 2011 we expect average monthly premiums to be just a dollar more. All beneficiaries should check to make sure that the plan offerings that will be available in 2011 are right for them when information on those plans becomes available in October.

While there has been almost no change in premiums for 2011, people with Medicare will see big improvements in drug coverage next year. Under the Affordable Care Act, they will see lower prescription drug costs, if they fall into the coverage gap or "donut hole."   This year, people with Medicare who are in the donut hole are receiving one-time $250 rebate checks . Next year, they will receive 50% discounts on brand-name drugs and in each year their costs will be reduced even more until the donut hole is closed in 2020 - meaning that after 2020 there will be no more coverage gap, and people with Medicare will just pay their normal cost-sharing amount until they reach the annual out-of-pocket limit.

And just like President Obama promised -- guaranteed benefits for the seniors and persons with disabilities who rely on Medicare won't change.

The Affordable Care Act was designed to strengthen the Medicare program and ensure that it will continue to provide health security to our seniors for many years to come. Today's announcement -- just like the recent news that the Affordable Care Act will help extend the life of the trust fund by 12 additional years -- is good news for them and their children.

The Affordable Care Act also means less disruption for people with Medicare. Low-income seniors often have to change prescription drug plans every year to find a plan with no premium. Now, more beneficiaries with limited income will be able to keep their plan if they want to while continuing to have a wide range of plans to choose from if they want to change plans.

General information about premiums and benefits for each Part D and Medicare Advantage (MA) plan will be announced in September on www.cms.gov , and more detailed information to help beneficiaries review their plan options will be available in October at www.medicare.gov . In addition, each autumn, the comprehensive Medicare & You handbook and other program updates are mailed directly to beneficiaries' mailboxes with important information about health plans, prescription drug plans, and rights and protections to help people with Medicare, their families and caregivers review coverage options. And more information on how the Affordable Care Act will continue to strengthen and improve Medicare is available at www.HealthCare.gov , a new web portal.

Kathleen Sebelius is Secretary of Health and Human Services

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/08/18/seniors-already-seeing-lower-prescription-drug-costs

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Ending the War in Iraq

Earlier today, President Obama sent a message to the White House email list about ending our combat mission and drawing down the number of troops in Iraq.  Check out the email below.  You can sign up to receive periodic updates from the President and other senior administration officials here.

Good afternoon,

Shortly after taking office, I put forward a plan to end the war in Iraq responsibly. Today, I'm pleased to report that -- thanks to the extraordinary service of our troops and civilians in Iraq -- our combat mission will end this month, and we will complete a substantial drawdown of our troops.

Over the last 18 months, over 90,000 U.S. troops have left Iraq. By the end of this month, 50,000 troops will be serving in Iraq. As Iraqi Security Forces take responsibility for securing their country, our troops will move to an advise-and-assist  role. And, consistent with our agreement with the Iraqi government, all of our troops will be out of Iraq by the end of next year. Meanwhile, we will continue to build a strong partnership with the Iraqi people with an increased civilian commitment and diplomatic effort.

A few weeks ago, men and women from one of the most deployed brigades in the U.S. Army, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, returned home from Iraq. The Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden were at Fort Drum to welcome the veterans home and spoke about their personal experiences as a military family:

Our commitment to our troops doesn't end once they come home -- it's only the beginning.  Part of ending a war responsibly is meeting our responsibility to the men and women who have fought it. Our troops and their families have made tremendous sacrifices to keep our nation safe and secure, and as a nation we have a moral obligation to serve our veterans as well as they have served us.

That's why we're building a 21st century Department of Veterans Affairs.  We've made one of the largest percentage increase in the VA's budget in 30 years, and we're dramatically increasing funding for veterans' health across the board. In particular, we're delivering unprecedented resources to treat signature wounds of today's wars—Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Our sacred trust to take care of our veterans goes beyond simply healing the wounds incurred in battle. We must ensure that when our veterans leave the Armed Forces, they have the opportunities they need to further their education and support their families.  Through the Post-9/11 GI Bill, some 300,000 veterans and families members have pursued a college degree.  Others are taking advantage of job training and placement programs.

My Administration will continue to do our part to support the brave men and women in uniform that have sacrificed so much.  But supporting our troops and their families is not just the job of the Federal Government; it's the responsibility of all Americans.

As we mark this milestone in the Iraq war and our troops continue to move out of Iraq, I hope you'll join me in thanking them, and all of our troops and military families, for their service.

Sincerely,
President Barack Obama

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/08/18/ending-war-iraq

SAN ANGELO, Texas-On Tuesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began using a new biometric information-sharing capability in five more Texas counties - Borden, Gaines, Mitchell, Scurry and Sterling counties - that helps federal immigration officials identify aliens, both lawfully and unlawfully present in the United States, who are booked into local law enforcement's custody for a crime. This capability is part of Secure Communities - ICE's comprehensive strategy to improve and modernize the identification and removal of criminal aliens from the United States.

Previously, fingerprint-based biometric records were taken of individuals charged with a crime and booked into custody and checked for criminal history information against the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). Now, through enhanced information sharing between DOJ and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), fingerprint information submitted through the state to the FBI will be automatically checked against both the FBI criminal history records in IAFIS and the biometrics-based immigration records in DHS's Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT).

If fingerprints match those of someone in DHS's biometric system, the new automated process notifies ICE. ICE evaluates each case to determine the individual's immigration status and takes appropriate enforcement action. This includes aliens who are in lawful status and those who are present without lawful authority. Once identified through fingerprint matching, ICE will respond with a priority placed on aliens convicted of the most serious offenses first-such as those with convictions for major drug offenses, murder, rape and kidnapping.

"The Secure Communities strategy provides ICE with an effective tool to identify criminal aliens in local custody," said Secure Communities Executive Director David Venturella. "Enhancing public safety is at the core of ICE's mission. Our goal is to use biometric information sharing to remove criminal aliens, preventing them from being released back into the community, with little or no additional burden on our law enforcement partners."

With the expansion of the biometric information sharing capability to these 5 Texas counties, ICE is now using it in 193 Texas jurisdictions. Across the country, ICE is using this capability in 553 jurisdictions in 29 states. ICE plans to be able to respond to leads generated through the biometric information sharing capability nationwide by 2013.

"The Scurry County Sheriff's Office is pleased to work side by side with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and assist them in the removal of Criminal Aliens who victimize our communities," said Scurry County Sheriff Darren Jackson. "Like all groups of people, there are honest hard-working people who are in our country legally and do not pose a danger to citizens, and we appreciate and respect their contributions to our communities. This program targets those who violate the laws of this Country and State and create a burden for the local taxpayers. We believe that by working with ICE to remove this group of individuals from our communities we can truly make our streets and neighborhoods a safer place to live."

Since ICE began using this enhanced information sharing capability in October 2008, immigration officers have removed from the United States more than 10,800 criminal aliens convicted of Level 1 crimes, such as murder, rape and kidnapping. Additionally, ICE has removed more than 27,000 criminal aliens convicted of Level 2 and 3 crimes, including burglary and serious property crimes, which account for the majority of crimes committed by aliens. ICE does not regard aliens charged with, but not yet convicted of crimes, as "criminal aliens." Instead, a "criminal alien" is an alien convicted of a crime. In accordance with the Immigration and Nationality Act, ICE continues to take action on aliens subject to removal as resources permit.

The IDENT system is maintained by DHS's US-VISIT program and IAFIS is maintained by the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS).

"US-VISIT is proud to support ICE, helping provide decision makers with comprehensive, reliable information when and where they need it," said US-VISIT Director Robert Mocny. "By enhancing the interoperability of DHS's and the FBI's biometric systems, we are able to give federal, state and local decision makers information that helps them better protect our communities and our nation."

"Under this plan, ICE will be utilizing FBI system enhancements that allow improved information sharing at the state and local law enforcement level based on positive identification of incarcerated criminal aliens," said Daniel D. Roberts, assistant director of the FBI's CJIS Division. "Additionally, ICE and the FBI are working together to take advantage of the strong relationships already forged between the FBI and state and local law enforcement necessary to assist ICE in achieving its goals."

For more information, visit www.ice.gov/secure_communities

http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/1008/100817sanangelo.htm

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From the FBI

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Clayton County Police Officer Charged with Federal Corruption, Narcotics, and Firearms Violations and Stealing from Motorists

Officer Used His Position to Protect Drug Deals and Violate Drivers' Constitutional Rights

ATLANTA, GA—JONATHAN S. CALLAHAN, 27, of Atlanta, a patrol officer with the Clayton County Police Department, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of accepting money to use his law enforcement position to protect illegal drug transactions, possessing a stolen firearm, and stealing personal property from drivers during traffic stops. CALLAHAN made an initial appearance today before United States Magistrate Judge C. Christopher Hagy.

United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said, “As a police officer, Officer Callahan took an oath to serve and protect the public. Instead, he abandoned that oath and used his position to protect drug dealers and steal from the citizens he was sworn to protect. Fortunately, thousands of dedicated law enforcement officers in Northern Georgia work tirelessly and honorably to keep us safe. We owe it to each of them to vigorously prosecute those who violate their oath and break the law.”

FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Lamkin said, “The egregious acts such as those alleged in the indictment of Officer Callahan can often erode the public's trust in its law enforcement officers, noting that law enforcement officers are expected to serve and protect the public, not prey on them. It is for this reason that the FBI places a high priority on such investigations. The FBI asks that anyone with information regarding public corruption matters contact its Atlanta FBI Office at (404) 679-9000.

Clayton County Police Department Interim Chief Timothy R. Robinson said, “When I was named Interim Chief, I was tasked with bringing leadership and direction to the department in order to achieve and maintain organizational discipline and professionalism. The actions alleged in this indictment are despicable. Officer Callahan was sworn to uphold the law, not break it. This case serves as a reminder that no one is above the law. I have no tolerance for officer misconduct and will continue to hold all members of the Clayton County Police Department to the highest standards. Simply stated, officer misconduct will not be tolerated.”

According to United States Attorney Yates, the indictment and information presented in court: On three separate occasions between August 6-13, 2010, CALLAHAN, while on duty, was paid to aid and abet others in possessing with intent to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine. The indictment further charges that on July 15, 2010, CALLAHAN, while on duty as a patrol officer, allegedly stole two firearms from a motorist CALLAHAN had stopped for a traffic violation. The next day, again while on duty, CALLAHAN stole United States currency from another driver who was also stopped for a traffic violation. The indictment alleges that both thefts violated the drivers' constitutional right to be free from an unreasonable seizure by a police officer. The indictment also charges that on August 17, 2010, CALLAHAN was in possession of a stolen firearm.

Each charge of attempting to aid and abet others in possessing with intent to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000. Each charge of accepting money to use his law enforcement position to protect illegal drug transactions carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to 250,000. The charge of possession of a stolen firearm carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Each charge of deprivation of civil rights by stealing property from a driver carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.

Members of the public are reminded that an indictment contains only allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government's burden to prove the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Clayton County Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorney Brent Alan Gray is prosecuting the case.

http://atlanta.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel10/at081810.htm

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From the DEA

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Leader of Half the World's Cocaine Supply Sentenced to 29 Years in Proson

FARC Associate Conspired to Import Tons of Cocaine into the US

AUG 17 -- (Manhattan, NY) JOHN P. GILBRIDE, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's New York Field Division ("DEA") and PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ERMINSO CUEVAS CABRERA, a/k/a "Mincho," a top associate of the narco-terrorist organization Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or "FARC") was sentenced today by United States District Judge THOMAS F. HOGAN in the District of Columbia federal court to 29 years in prison for conspiring to import ton-quantities of cocaine into the United States.

According to the Indictment and evidence presented at trial: The FARC is a Colombian narco-terrorist group and a U.S. State Department-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.

The FARC, which occupies large swaths of territory in Colombia, is a hierarchical organization which, at its height during the time of the conspiracy, was comprised of 12,000 to 18,000 members. At the lowest level, the FARC is made up of 77 distinct military units, called Fronts, organized by geographical location. These in turn are grouped into seven "blocs." The

FARC is led by a seven-member Secretariat and a 27-member Central General Staff, or Estado Mayor, responsible for setting the cocaine policies of the FARC. The FARC is responsible for the production of more than half the world's supply of cocaine and nearly two-thirds of the cocaine imported into the United States, and is the world's leading cocaine manufacturer. The FARC initially involved itself in the cocaine and cocaine paste trade by imposing a "tax" on individuals involved in every stage of cocaine production. Later, in the 1990s, recognizing the profit potential, FARC leadership ordered that the FARC become the exclusive buyer of the raw cocaine paste used to make cocaine in all areas under FARC occupation.

In the late 1990s, the FARC leadership met and voted unanimously in favor of a number of resolutions, including resolutions to: expand coca production in areas of Colombia under FARC control; expand the FARC's international distribution routes; increase the number of crystallization labs in which cocaine paste would be converted into cocaine; appoint members within each Front to be in charge of coca production; raise prices that the FARC would pay to campesinos (peasant farmers) from whom they purchased cocaine paste; and mandate that better chemicals be used to increase the quality of cocaine paste.

In late 2001 or early 2002, the FARC leadership met and further resolved, among other things, to: increase cocaine trafficking routes overseas, including to the United States; establish better ways to exchange cocaine and cocaine paste for weapons; and to pay more to campesinos for cocaine paste. CUEVAS CABRERA, 49, worked as the chief of cocaine manufacturing for the FARC's 14 Front. CUEVAS CABRERA's brother, FABIAN RAMIREZ, served as Commander of the Southern Bloc of the FARC and was the head of the 14 Front. CUEVAS CABRERA was extradited to the United States on September 19, 2007. On April 13, 2010, after a two-month trial, a jury found CUEVAS CABRERA and his co-defendant, JUAN JOSE MARTINEZ VEGA, a/k/a “Chiguiro,” guilty of one count of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States and one count of conspiring to distribute cocaine with the knowledge and intent that it would be imported into the United States.

The evidence at trial established that, in his capacity as the 14 Front's chief of cocaine manufacturing, CUEVAS CABRERA directed the weekly production of thousands of kilograms of cocaine at hidden jungle laboratories controlled by the FARC and coordinated the sale and transportation of this cocaine. In total, from approximately 1998 through 2004, CUEVAS CABRERA conspired with others to manufacture and distribute literally tons of cocaine in Colombia, which he knew and intended would be imported into the United States.

The investigation resulting in these charges was led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, working with the New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force (which consists of agents and officers of the DEA, the New York City Police Department, the United States Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforce Office of Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the New York State Police), the DEA's Bogotá, Colombia, Country Office, and the Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Section of the Department of Justice's Criminal Division. The investigation, conducted under the auspices of the Department of Justice's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program, involved unprecedented cooperation from the Colombian government.

Mr. BHARARA praised all the law enforcement partners involved in the investigation, and thanked the Criminal Division's Office of International Affairs, as well as the Criminal Division's Judicial attachés in Bogotá for their involvement in the extradition process.

This case is being prosecuted in the District of Columbia by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. Assistant U.S. Attorneys PABLO QUIÑONES and RANDALL JACKSON of the Office's Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit are in charge of the prosecution.

http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/states/newsrel/2010/nyc081710.html

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