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

From the Los Angeles Times

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

North Korea fires on South Korean island

Numerous casualties are reported as artillery rounds strike the island. South Korean troops return fire.

By John M. Glionna and Ethan Kim, Los Angeles Times

November 23, 2010

Reporting from Seoul

North Korea on Tuesday fired dozens of artillery rounds onto a populated South Korean island, apparently causing numerous casualties after Pyongyang claimed Seoul was readying for "an invasion," according to media reports here.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak called an emergency session of his national security council in an underground bunker at the presidential residence late Tuesday to devise a response to the attack, which occurred near the disputed western border between north and south.

The South Korean military was placed on its highest alert with fighter jets sent into the air, after officials confirmed that one marine was killed and three others "severely" wounded, according to Seoul television reports. Ten soldiers suffered minor injuries and two civilians were among the casualties.

South Korean soldiers returned fire but it was not clear whether any North Koreans were killed or injured.

The South Korean military was conducting drills near Yeonpyeong island when the North opened fire about 2:30 p.m. Seoul time, officials said. Pyongyang had earlier sent letters to Seoul that it considered the exercises "preparation for an invasion," which South Korea denied, officials said.

Lee said he was trying to prevent the exchange of artillery fire between North and South Korea from escalating into a greater conflict, Yonhap news reported.

In a statement, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said, "The North's firing comes as the South Korean forces conducted a routine drill in waters near the island."

A spokeswoman for Lee said the Seoul government was looking into the motive behind the sudden attacks.

"Our Navy was conducting a maritime exercise near the western sea border today. North Korea has sent a letter of protest over the drill. We're examining a possible link between the protest and the artillery attack," said Kim Hee-jung, the spokeswoman.

Analysts said tensions in recent months had reached the breaking point.

"The artillery fire stems from mistrust between the South and North Korean militaries," said Yang Moo-jin, professor at University of Korean Studies in Seoul.

"The continued hostile relations have escalated to this tension. Seoul has maintained that the drill near the island is a routine exercise while Pyongyang claims it's a precursor to an invasion."

TV stations interrupted regular programming to interview eyewitnesses on Yeonpyeong island, where flames caused by exploding shells were moving toward houses, several of which were also on fire.

It was not clear whether the structures suffered a direct hit.

The YTN television network reported that between 1,200 and 1,300 people live on the island.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-korea-shelling-20101123,0,7003277,print.story

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

South Koreans puzzle over motives behind North Korea's attack

Amid the speculation is fear that cooler heads will not prevail in the response to the deadly shelling of an island.

By John M. Glionna and Ethan Kim

Los Angeles Times Staff Writers

November 23, 2010

Reporting from Seoul

Seoul residents expressed growing alarm late Tuesday after a deadly North Korean artillery attack on a South Korean island, leading many to try to make sense of Pyongyang's latest provocation.

"It has finally come to this, the very day we all feared," said Douglas Shin, a Seoul activist. "This is real confrontation. If it goes a few notches higher, I'm worried that cooler heads will not prevail, and that there will be no point for standing down."

As South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and his security chiefs huddled in an underground bunker to devise a response, several academics and former lawmakers called for caution.

"Civilian casualty is of grave concern and the Seoul government should firmly denounce the North's action," said Chung Young-chul, a professor at Sogang University's Graduate School of Public Policy. "Having said that, South Korea shouldn't react emotionally, and further conflict should be avoided. We're not yet sure of the exact cause of the provocation."

The attack has further unsteadied nerves on an already tense Korean peninsula. In recent days, North Korea claimed that it was building a new uranium enrichment facility at its main atomic plant. Last month, amid lavish public spectacle, Kim Jong Il introduced his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, as heir apparent in the impoverished nation of 24 million.

Seoul also claims that North Korea is responsible for the torpedoing of a southern warship in March that killed 46 crewmen. Pyongyang has denied the allegation.

Shin said he believed that North Korea's move was designed to help consolidate its military. "They are getting more confident and this move seems to be an internal consolidation of power," he said. "They're escalating their domestic phobia against an invented enemy. It's always against the name of the U.S. but in this case it's South Korea, which they call the U.S. puppet regime."

Others believe that North Korea was rallying public support behind Kim Jong Un.

"The North Korean government is trying to strengthen internal unity and solidify Kim Jong Un's succession by creating tension among its people," said Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University in Seoul.

He said there was a message intended for the international community as well.

"Pyongyang is using shock treatment," said Kim. "The North is sending a clear message to the international community and especially the United States that there remains tension on the Korean peninsula."

But one former South Korean lawmaker said the "berserk" attempt to draw the U.S. into bilateral talks with North Korea would not work.

"It's pure brinksmanship against the U.S. and South Korean governments," said Lee Dong-bok, who is also a former negotiator with Pyongyang.

"I see this as a last-ditch effort to engage Washington and Seoul. They want to return to negotiations but they want to do it on North Korean terms."

Lee predicted that North Korea's move would backfire: "They're overstepping. Now the ball is in the court of Washington and Seoul. How are they going to respond?

"I don't think they're going to come back with the kind of blind offensive that North Korea is looking for. President Lee Myung-bak is already calling for calm. The response is going to be more measured."

One North Korea-watcher said Pyongyang might have thought that it needed to further drive home the point that it was a nation capable of both developing nuclear power and using force when it believed it necessary.

Yang Moo-jin, professor at University of Korean Studies in Seoul, said North Korea apparently didn't believe that the international community took the development of a new uranium enrichment facility seriously, and decided on a more straightforward message of aggression.

"North Korea didn't get the desired effect when it made its nuclear facility public. South Korea didn't back down from its hard-line policy," he said. "On the contrary, Seoul and Washington have in the past come out strong on the North's provocative actions. Pyongyang wants to stir up tensions on the Korean peninsula."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-korea-shelling-react-20101123,0,6098348,print.story

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

TSA aims to ease passengers' worries

Most people won't be subjected to full-body scans or pat-downs at airport security, the government says in an effort to counter widely circulated Internet videos of screenings gone wrong.

By Michael A. Memoli and Catherine Saillant, Los Angeles Times

November 22, 2010

Reporting from Washington and Los Angeles

As the busy Thanksgiving travel days approach, government officials went on the offensive Monday to quell passenger complaints about full-body scans and aggressive pat-downs at airports, saying the hype swirling around a few highly publicized cases does not reflect the reality of the new safety inspections.

In the first two weeks after the enhanced screening measures began Nov. 1, the Department of Homeland Security said about 700 of an estimated 28 million airline passengers lodged complaints with the Transportation Security Administration.

The TSA released a public service announcement Monday with advice for travelers, emphasizing that the pat-downs are rare — involving 3% of all airline passengers — and that travelers can request that they be done in a private room.

Of the passengers asked to submit to a full-body scan, 1% have chosen to instead undergo a pat-down, which includes TSA agents using their hands to check sensitive areas such as the groin and bra area.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa sought to reassure the flying public Monday by stepping into a body scan machine at Los Angeles International Airport. As Villaraigosa raised his arms, a screener in another room peered through his dark suit and peach tie for contraband.

Within five seconds, his screening was done. He urged those thinking of opting out for reasons of privacy or modesty to reconsider.

"That's the wrong way to go," the mayor said as cameras rolled. "We all have to recognize that these are different times. … And that's why these layers of security are being installed."

Despite the efforts, the government was still facing formidable opposition in the form of widely circulated Internet videos. In one video, TSA agents at the Salt Lake City airport were performing a pat-down on a young boy after his father decided to remove the boy's shirt. In another widely-seen YouTube clip, San Diego native John Tyner warns agents not to "touch my junk" as he refuses to submit to either a full-body scan or a pat-down.

The protesters found some sympathetic listeners on Capitol Hill. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (R- Maine) sent TSA chief John Pistole a letter requesting information about the training officers received before the pat-downs began. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R- Utah) called for an investigation into the Salt Lake City incident.

A loose network of groups opposed to the new rules are urging air travelers to opt out of full-body imaging machines Wednesday — among the busiest travel days of the year — in an effort to create delays in security lines. TSA officials said they would have extra workers on duty to deal with any slowdowns.

Yet passengers, despite worries about screeners seeing images of their naked bodies or harm from the machine's radiation, are overwhelmingly choosing to go through the body scanners instead of opting for the pat-down, said Randy Parsons, TSA federal security director for LAX.

Since late October, just two LAX passengers have opted for the alternative pat-down screening — out of an estimated 80,000 to 90,000 people who daily pass through security, Parsons said.

Meanwhile, an ABC News/Washington Post poll released Monday found that Americans supported use of full-body screening machines by a 2 to 1 ratio, but were evenly divided about pat-downs. Sixty-eight percent of respondents said it was more important to investigate possible terrorist threats than to protect personal privacy.

In Washington, Pistole said his agency was constantly working to "blend privacy and security," responding to travelers' concerns while still confronting threats such as last year's Christmas Day would-be bomber. In that case, authorities said a Nigerian man was able to board a plane carrying PETN, a powdered explosive that he hid in his underwear as he passed through a metal detector. Pistole said the new guidelines were developed to address that vulnerability in airport screening.

Federal officials have emphasized that under the new policy, most passengers will continue to pass only through metal detectors. A smaller group will be asked to submit to a body scan. Only passengers who refuse the body scan or trip the alarm on the metal detector will be asked to undergo a pat-down.

TSA agents can allow passengers who trip the metal detector to check again for any metal and pass through the detector again.

With the body scanners, the TSA uses software and other technology that blurs the faces of passengers or doesn't pick up facial features.

In terms of radiation exposure, the energy is thousands of times less than that of a cellphone transmission, federal officials said.

The scanners do not store the images.

Even as it stood by the new policies, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the Obama administration was constantly reevaluating security techniques, saying they "have to evolve."

"Our goal must be to maximize protection and security and minimize inconvenience and invasiveness," Gibbs said. "It's not an easy task."

The TSA intended to put the new rules in place over time, but Pistole accelerated the plan after the package-bomb plot in October, when terrorists put printer cartridges filled with PETN in packages sent from Yemen, intending for the bombs to explode on cargo planes as they flew over the U.S.

Pistole said he overruled a recommendation from his aides for a public relations effort to explain the enhanced screening.

"That was my decision," said Pistole, who said he did not want to give too much information to would-be attackers.

"We know that [Al Qaeda members] have visited the TSA website," Pistole said.

Also, he said, members of Al Qaeda have visited the body scanner manufacturer's website to check the technical specifications.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-tsa-pat-downs-20101123,0,1787971,print.story

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

White House defends body scanners and pat-downs

The techniques are necessary to protect the public against current terror threats, the administration says, trying to quell complaints before the busy Thanksgiving travel season.

Michael A. Memoli and Brian Bennett, Tribune Washington Bureau

November 22, 2010

Reporting from Washington

The White House on Monday defended the use of body scanners and aggressive pat-downs to screen air travelers as necessary against current terror threats as officials sought to quell a firestorm of complaints before the busy Thanksgiving travel weekend.

Yet even as it stood by the new policies, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said, the Obama administration constantly is reevaluating security techniques, saying they "have to evolve."

"Our goal must to be maximize protection and security and minimize inconvenience and invasiveness," Gibbs said, adding, "It's not an easy task."

Speaking with reporters on Monday morning, TSA administrator John Pistole expressed his "willingness to assess our current screening as part of an ever-evolving security plan."

"I recognize we do things in a partnership with the American people," he said.

The stepped-up security measures were launched 17 days ago and were attacked immediately by critics who argue the procedures are an unnecessary violation of privacy. A handful of videos on YouTube of passengers subjected to the pat-downs, which include TSA agents using their open hands to search the clothed genital areas of passengers, have drawn huge web traffic, further escalating controversy.

On Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, a grassroots protest movement seeks to create long delays in airport security lines by asking air travelers to "opt out" of advanced full-body imaging machines. Transportation Security Administration officials said they will have extra workers on duty to deal with any slowdowns.

Federal officials have started to answer critics with statistics they say show most passengers see enhanced screening as a necessary inconvenience. The handful of web videos do not put the new techniques in proper context, they say.

The Department of Homeland Security said that of the estimated 28 million people who flew during the first two weeks of the new security measures, TSA received fewer than 700 complaints. Of all the passengers who were asked to submit to a full body scan, only 1% have chosen to opt out and instead undergo a pat-down.

Federal officials have emphasized that most passengers will continue to pass only through metal detectors. A smaller group will be asked to submit to a body scan. But only passengers who refuse the body scan or trip the alarm on the metal detector will be asked to agree to a pat-down.

TSA agents also have the discretion to allow passengers who trip the metal detector to check again for any metal on them and pass through the detector again — instead of being subjected to a pat-down — and the practice is common.

The TSA released its own public service announcement today with advice for travelers, emphasizing that the pat-downs are rare and that travelers can request that they be done in a private room.

TSA also has continuously reiterated that the body scanner images are transmitted to a separate room where they are viewed by an agent who cannot see the identities of the passengers; the faces on the nude images are blurred and the scans are erased after the passenger clears screening.

Yet given the furor, Pistole acknowledged that the TSA needs to take into account both security and privacy to "be the least invasive as possible" but must still be able to thwart attempts like that of the Christmas Day bomber, which spawned the new rules. A Nigerian man was able to board a Detroit-bound airliner carry PETN, a powdered explosive, on his body and through a metal detector.

The plot failed because the man accidentally lit himself on fire as he tried to detonate the powder as the plane was on its final approach in Detroit.

TSA intended to put the new rules in place over time, but Pistole accelerated the plan after an October package-bomb plot launched in Yemen attempted to ship packages filled with bombs containing PETN to Chicago. The bombs were meant to explode on cargo planes in the air over the U.S.

Pistole said his agency continues to ask the question, "What can we best do to blend privacy and security?"

"Everyone on a plane wants to know that the person next to them has been screened yet everyone wants their privacy as well," said Pistole.

Speaking at an event at a Trenton train station, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said: "As we move forward, of course we will listen to concerns, of course we will make adjustments and changes when called upon."

Gibbs, who said he himself has been through a full body scanner, noted how security has evolved in response to new threats.

"Just in the past few weeks alone, we've seen an effort by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to bring down an airplane using explosives in cargo," he said. "So we must do everything that we can to protect the public."

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-tsa-screening-20101122,0,3053833.story

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

Helmet face shield could reduce troop brain injuries

Findings of a study by MIT engineers might contribute to a future redesign.

By Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times

November 22, 2010

The much-maligned combat helmet worn by U.S. soldiers and Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan sustained another blow Monday as engineers from MIT reported that the headgear, as currently designed, did little to protect troops from blast-related brain injury.

But the research team identified a design change that could substantially improve the helmet's ability to reduce the risk of concussion: a face shield capable of deflecting the rippling force of an explosion away from the soft tissues of the face.

With a shield in place, "you actually do mitigate the effects of the blast quite significantly," said Raul Radovitzky, lead author of a study published Monday in the online version of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The report is not the first to identify the shortcomings of the military's so-called advanced combat helmet. A study published in August used computer simulations to determine that when blast waves roll over the helmet, the internal pads that are designed to cushion the wearer's head actually stiffen and transfer concussive energy to the skull and brain, increasing the likelihood of injury.

The new Massachusetts Institute of Technology study contradicted those findings, reporting instead that the helmet doesn't contribute to brain injury when it is hit by the concussive blast waves of an improvised explosive device.

Radovitzky and colleagues from the MIT Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies in Cambridge, Mass., and the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., also relied on computer simulations to gauge the effect of a blast directly in front of a soldier on the "intracranial contents" of a helmet-encased head.

Radovitzky said that in fashioning a computer model of the brain, his team used assumptions about the brain's structure, density and position within the skull that were more refined and realistic than those used by the authors of the August study.

One of the authors of that report, physicist Eric G. Blackman of the University of Rochester, called the new finding "important."

"I think it will turn out to be a consideration in the future redesign of helmets," Blackman said.

Traumatic brain injury, often called TBI or concussion, has become one of the most distinctive and intractable wounds sustained by troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The armed services have diagnosed more than 188,000 cases among troops who have served in the Middle East.

Many experts think the true toll is far higher, because the effects of brain injury can be easy to miss. The Rand Corp. has estimated that as many as 320,000 service members may have suffered brain injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Brain injuries from explosions during combat appear similar to those that occur in car accidents, falls and sporting events. In most cases, a soldier close to an explosion is thrown against a wall or to the floor, causing "brain whiplash," said neurosurgeon Jam Ghajar, president of the Brain Trauma Foundation.

But for many troops, brain trauma appears to occur without a direct blow to the head. That mystery has left most experts guessing how, exactly, the damage occurs.

Some speculate that concussive waves of energy pass through the skull and knock the brain around within its cavity. Others suggest an explosion hits the chest with a powerful jolt, setting off sudden changes of blood flow and pressure that harm the brain. An explosion's light, heat, chemical byproducts or even a sudden surge of electromagnetic energy could possibly disturb and damage the brain.

Running experiments on humans is impractical — hence the need for sophisticated computer simulations. Until medical experts understand how bombs hurt brains, though, the value of those simulations is limited.

"While the work of Radovitzky and others is compelling, these computational models are just that — models," said Dr. Kenneth C. Curley, director of neurotrauma research for the U.S. Army's Medical Research and Materiel Command at Ft. Detrick, Md. "Models are only as precise as the data available to drive them."

http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-military-helmet-20101123,0,3178096,print.story

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

Partnership seeks help for homeless youths

At least 4,200 people under 25 are homeless on any given night in L.A. County, a Hollywood group's report says.

By Alexandra Zavis, Times Staff Writer

November 23, 2010

Nearly a third of young people living on the streets of Hollywood say they have encountered major hurdles trying to put a roof over their heads, according to a new study that urges policy-makers to invest in services for homeless youth.

"It's money now or it's money later," said Arlene Schneir, associate director of the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and co-chairwoman of the Hollywood Homeless Youth Partnership.

Members of the partnership, which produced the study released Wednesday, said young people need housing options that are stable, supportive and appropriate to their level of development. But researchers found that homeless youths face high rents, long waits and cumbersome applications for the few housing programs available to them, and if they do get a spot, there are stiff penalties for breaking the rules.

The eight service organizations belonging to the partnership acknowledge that expanding resources now may be challenging. They are competing for scarce dollars at a time when demand for assistance is growing because of the poor economy. But they say the investment will pay off if young people don't become chronically homeless, joining a population that makes heavy use of hospital emergency rooms, the criminal justice system and other expensive services.

At least 4,200 people under age 25 are homeless on any given night in Los Angeles County, according to a 2009 count conducted by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

Jevon Wilkes, a 21-year-old communications major at Cal State Channel Islands, landed on the streets at 14 after clashing with his grandmother. For months, he slept on the pavement in front of her downtown apartment building. The hardest part, he said, was the cold.

His life turned around when school officials discovered he was homeless and referred him to the Los Angeles Youth Network. The organization offered him a bed in an emergency shelter, then found him a place in a group home.

"I had angels in the City of Angels," Wilkes said.

Hollywood is a magnet for homeless youth, who tend to avoid the intimidating streets of skid row. In the winter and spring of 2007, researchers surveyed 389 youths in residential programs, shelters, drop-in centers and on the streets. The next year, they conducted 53 in-depth interviews and 19 focus groups with young homeless people.

The study found that most of the homeless youths in Hollywood were men between the ages of 18 and 25. About a quarter were minors, 32% were females and 5% identified themselves as transgender.

About 40% reported their sexual orientation as gay, lesbian, bisexual or questioning, compared to 10% or less of the general population.

When asked about race, 42% said they were African American and 24% Latino. That is a shift from the early 1990s, when more than half the homeless youths in Hollywood identified themselves as white.

Service providers in the neighborhood say they have been seeing more African American youths from South Los Angeles and fewer whites from outside the county than in previous decades.

The average age at which these young people leave their homes is 14. The study identified two main reasons: family breakdowns and failures in the system designed to provide a safety net for young people.

Of those surveyed, 78% listed family reasons: a parent in jail, physical or sexual abuse, heavy drinking or drug use. Nearly half had interacted with child protective agencies, and 69% had a history with the juvenile or criminal justice systems.

The report praised county officials, business leaders, faith-based and community organizations for developing innovative solutions for the chronically homeless. But it said programs and policies aimed at adults need to be adapted for young people.

It recommended funding a variety of housing options, saying some young people need the structure and support offered by transitional living arrangements, while others need more flexibility as they overcome substance abuse and mental health problems.

In addition to housing, the report said more services were needed to help homeless youths connect to caring adults, build life skills, complete their education and find jobs. It also said better strategies were needed to prevent young people from entering the foster care and juvenile justice systems and to prepare them for independence when they leave.

The report urged public and private agencies to coordinate their programs, to include homeless youths in decision making and to lobby for a greater share of federal funding.

"This is not an insurmountable and intractable problem," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who attended a meeting to discuss the report's findings. "All we need to do is put our minds to it."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-homeless-youth-20101123,0,6081289,print.story

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

Nuclear blinders

North Korea's newly revealed nuclear facility should surprise no one, and Washington must no longer be played for a fool. The U.S. should work with China on reunifying the Korean peninsula.

By John R. Bolton

November 23, 2010

"Stunning" was how Siegfried Hecker, former head of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, described North Korea's new uranium-enrichment facility. While more sophisticated and extensive than previously believed, this plant is entirely consistent with 15 years of sustained effort by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to perfect its nuclear weapons program.

Indeed, media reports about a new enrichment plant surfaced as early as February 2009. Moreover, just a week before Hecker's announcement, North Korea confirmed it was building a larger nuclear reactor at Yongbyon. Pyongyang's prior effort (in Syria) to replace its existing but aged reactor was frustrated when Israel bombed it in September 2007.

Seoul's minister of defense is so concerned, he has suggested deploying U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea for the first time in two decades. The size and scope of the North's just-revealed facilities will not, however, surprise anyone except those still entranced by the myth that North Korea will voluntarily negotiate away its nuclear weapons. Though our intelligence is imperfect, Pyongang almost certainly embarked on illicit uranium enrichment even before the ink dried on the Clinton administration's prized 1994 Agreed Framework. That deal was one of several North Korean pledges to denuclearize, in exchange for tangible benefits from the outside world — every one of which Pyongyang has violated.

The North may once again be testing America's strategic patience. We must avoid repeating our recent errors. After U.S. intelligence agencies unanimously concluded in mid-2002 that Pyongyang was preparing an industrial-scope enrichment program, the Bush administration decided to confront the North. At a key meeting in October 2002, the North defiantly admitted it was engaged in enrichment. Unfortunately, the U.S. response was to launch the hapless negotiations known as the six-party talks, providing cover for the North's continued progress on nuclear weapons.

Worse, in President George W. Bush's second term, an assertive group of deniers in the State Department and the intelligence community claimed or implied that North Korea did not have a substantial or ongoing uranium-enrichment program. They denied that the North Koreans had conceded as much in 2002 and that there was sufficient evidence of a continuing program. The intelligence community downgraded its confidence level in its earlier conclusion, not because of contradictory information but because it had not subsequently acquired significant new data. State Department negotiators scorned the idea that the North had a serious enrichment capability.

All of this was done to support a passion for negotiation, hoping Pyongyang would yet again pledge to denuclearize. But denying and minimizing the threat of enrichment for most of the last decade was well wide of reality. When the North announced after its second nuclear detonation in May 2009 that it was "beginning" an enrichment program, Pyongyang was simply bringing into the open activity almost certainly begun 15 years before. The North had once again successfully played Washington for a fool.

We must avoid these grievous errors going forward, not only regarding North Korea but also Iran, whose involvement with Pyongang on ballistic missiles and probably nuclear weapons is long-standing. There is substantial reason for concern that Tehran's capabilities and its penchant for cooperating with the North exceed U.S. intelligence estimates. Moreover, the spinning of North Korea-related intelligence in recent years bears an uneasy similarity to the famously distorted 2007 National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's nuclear weapons program. Such politicization of intelligence provides a clear basis for high-priority investigations by the incoming Congress.

Moreover, North Korea's newly evident capabilities should give the Senate pause before it succumbs to President Obama's pressure to ratify the New START arms control treaty this year. New START is myopic in focusing only on parity with Russia, because Washington has far broader global responsibilities for friends and allies under our nuclear umbrella that Moscow does. Equally dangerous are China's growing strategic nuclear capabilities. Add to that list the inevitable Middle East proliferation if Iran gets nuclear weapons and outliers like Venezuela and Myanmar potentially embarking on nuclear weapons programs. This is hardly the time to limit the U.S. nuclear arsenal, let alone in a binding treaty like New START.

The last thing Washington should do now is resurrect the failed six-party talks or start bilateral negotiations with the North. Instead, serious efforts need to be made with China on reunifying the Korean peninsula, a goal made ever more urgent by the clear transition of power now underway in Pyongyang as Kim Jong Il faces the actuarial tables. North Korea's threat will only end when it does, and that day cannot come soon enough.

John R. Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the author of "Surrender Is Not an Option: Defending America at the United Nations ."

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-bolton-northkorea-20101123,0,2752647,print.story

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

Out of wedlock, out of luck?

The Supreme Court should rule that unwed fathers, like unwed mothers, can pass their U.S. citizenship on to children born outside the country.

November 23, 2010

The Constitution makes clear that a child born in the United States is a citizen of the United States. But it is silent on the subject of children born to Americans outside the country. This month, the Supreme Court heard arguments about a tiny subset of this group — children born to an American parent not only out of the country but also out of wedlock — and the conditions under which they may become citizens.

The problem facing the court is that existing law blatantly discriminates against men, making it substantially more difficult for unmarried fathers to pass along their citizenship to children born abroad than it is for unmarried mothers to do so. But there's no reason — other than outdated gender stereotypes — for an American mother to have stronger rights than an American father. The court should strike down this unfair law.

Ruben Flores-Villar, born out of wedlock in Mexico but raised in San Diego by his American father, faced deportation after entering the United States illegally. He insisted that he couldn't be deported because he was a U.S. citizen. But federal law at the time of his birth granted citizenship to foreign-born, out-of-wedlock children of male U.S. citizens only if the father had resided in the United States for 10 years before the child's birth, including five years after the father's 14th birthday — a requirement Flores-Villars' father failed to satisfy.

By contrast, a female U.S. citizen hoping to pass along citizenship to an out-of-wedlock child born abroad needed only to have lived in the United States continuously for one year any time before the child's birth. (The law has been modified but still discriminates against unwed fathers.) This disparity is a relic of a time when it was assumed that mothers always had a closer connection than fathers to their children.

The Obama administration argued to the Supreme Court in favor of preferential treatment for unwed mothers, saying it serves the purpose of reducing the number of "stateless" children because other countries would be unlikely to grant citizenship to out-of-wedlock children. But the same argument supports making it easier for unwed fathers to be able to pass along citizenship to their children.

Some justices seemed inclined to uphold the law because of Congress' traditional discretion over matters of immigration and naturalization. But neither the law involved in Flores-Villar's case nor the current version can be reconciled with the constitutional guarantee of "equal protection of the laws." The court should rule that unwed mothers and unwed fathers be treated identically. Then Congress should go further and abolish all distinctions in the law, treating children born out of wedlock and children of married couples the same.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-citizens-20101123,0,4385396,print.story

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

From the New York Times

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

Taliban Leader in Secret Talks Was an Impostor

KABUL, Afghanistan — For months, the secret talks unfolding between Taliban and Afghan leaders to end the war appeared to be showing promise, if only because of the appearance of a certain insurgent leader at one end of the table: Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour, one of the most senior commanders in the Taliban movement.

But now, it turns out, Mr. Mansour was apparently not Mr. Mansour at all. In an episode that could have been lifted from a spy novel, United States and Afghan officials now say the Afghan man was an impostor, and high-level discussions conducted with the assistance of NATO appear to have achieved little.

“It's not him,” said a Western diplomat in Kabul intimately involved in the discussions. “And we gave him a lot of money.”

American officials confirmed Monday that they had given up hope that the Afghan was Mr. Mansour, or even a member of the Taliban leadership.

NATO and Afghan officials said they held three meetings with the man, who traveled from in Pakistan, where Taliban leaders have taken refuge.

The fake Taliban leader even met with President Hamid Karzai, having been flown to Kabul on a NATO aircraft and ushered into the presidential palace, officials said.

The episode underscores the uncertain and even bizarre nature of the atmosphere in which Afghan and American leaders search for ways to bring the nine-year-old American-led war to an end. The leaders of the Taliban are believed to be hiding in Pakistan, possibly with the assistance of the Pakistani government, which receives billions of dollars in American aid.

Many in the Taliban leadership, which is largely made up of barely literate clerics from the countryside, had not been seen in person by American, NATO or Afghan officials.

American officials say they were skeptical from the start about the identity of the man who claimed to be Mullah Mansour — who by some accounts is the second-ranking official in the Taliban, behind only the founder, Mullah Mohammed Omar. Serious doubts arose after the third meeting with Afghan officials, held in the southern city of Kandahar. A man who had known Mr. Mansour years ago told Afghan officials that the man at the table did not resemble him. “He said he didn't recognize him,” said an Afghan leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The Western diplomat said the Afghan man was initially given a sizable sum of money to take part in the talks — and to help persuade him to return.

While the Afghan official said he still harbored hopes that the man would return for another round of talks, American and other Western officials said they had concluded that the man in question was not Mr. Mansour. Just how the Americans reached such a definitive conclusion — whether, for instance, they were able to positively establish his identity through fingerprints or some other means — is unknown.

As recently as last month, American and Afghan officials held high hopes for the talks. Senior American officials, including Gen. David H. Petraeus, said the talks indicated that Taliban leaders, whose rank-and-file fighters are under extraordinary pressure from the American-led offensive, were at least willing to discuss an end to the war.

The American officials said they and officials of other NATO governments were helping to facilitate the discussions, by providing air transport and securing roadways for Taliban leaders coming from Pakistan.

Last month, White House officials asked The New York Times to withhold Mr. Mansour's name from an article about the peace talks, expressing concern that the talks would be jeopardized — and Mr. Mansour's life put at risk — if his involvement were publicized. The Times agreed to withhold Mr. Mansour's name, along with the names of two other Taliban leaders said to be involved in the discussions. The status of the other two Taliban leaders said to be involved is not clear.

Since the last round of discussions, which took place within the past few weeks, Afghan and American officials have been puzzling over who the man was. Some officials say the man may simply have been a freelance fraud, posing as a Taliban leader in order to enrich himself.

Others say the man may have been a Taliban agent. “The Taliban are cleverer than the Americans and our own intelligence service,” said a senior Afghan official who is familiar with the case. “They are playing games.”

Others suspect that the fake Taliban leader, whose identity is not known, may have been dispatched by the Pakistani intelligence service, known by its initials, the ISI. Elements within the ISI have long played a “double-game” in Afghanistan, reassuring United States officials that they are pursuing the Taliban while at the same time providing support for the insurgents.

Publicly, the Taliban leadership is sticking to the line that there are no talks at all. In a recent message to his followers, Mullah Omar denied that there were any talks unfolding at any level.

“The cunning enemy which has occupied our country, is trying, on the one hand, to expand its military operations on the basis of its double-standard policy and, on the other hand, wants to throw dust into the eyes of the people by spreading the rumors of negotiation,” his message said.

Despite such statements, some senior leaders of the Taliban did show a willingness to talk peace with representatives of the Afghan government as recently as January.

At that time, Abdul Ghani Baradar, then the deputy commander of the Taliban, was arrested in a joint C.I.A.-ISI raid in the Pakistani port city of Karachi. Although officials from both countries hailed the arrest as a hallmark of American-Pakistani cooperation, Pakistani officials have since indicated that they orchestrated Mr. Baradar's arrest because he was engaging in peace discussions without the ISI's permission.

Afghan leaders have confirmed this account.

Neither American nor Afghan leaders confronted the fake Mullah Mansour with their doubts. Indeed, some Afghan leaders are still holding out hopes that the man really is or at least represents Mr. Mansour — and that he will come back soon.

“Questions have been raised about him, but it's still possible that it's him,” said the Afghan leader who declined to be identified.

The Afghan leader said negotiators had urged the man claiming to be Mr. Mansour to return with colleagues, including other Taliban leaders whose identities they might also be able to verify.

The meetings were arranged by an Afghan with ties to both the Afghan government and the Taliban, officials said.

The Afghan leader said both the Americans and the Afghan leadership were initially cautious of the Afghan man's identity and motives. But after the first meeting, both were reasonably satisfied that the man they were talking to was Mr. Mansour. Several steps were taken to establish the man's real identity; after the first meeting, photos of him were shown to Taliban detainees who were believed to know Mr. Mansour. They signed off, the Afghan leader said.

Whatever the Afghan man's identity, the talks that unfolded between the Americans and the man claiming to be Mr. Mansour seemed substantive, the Afghan leader said. The man claiming to be representing the Taliban laid down several surprisingly moderate conditions for a peace settlement: that the Taliban leadership be allowed to safely return to Afghanistan, that Taliban soldiers be offered jobs, and that prisoners be released.

The Afghan man did not demand, as the Taliban have in the past, a withdrawal of foreign forces or a Taliban share of the government.

Sayed Amir Muhammad Agha, a onetime Taliban commander who says he has left the Taliban but who acted as a go-between with the movement in the past, said in an interview that he did not know the tale of the impostor.

But he said the Taliban leadership had given no indications of a willingness to enter talks.

“Someone like me could come forward and say, ‘I am a Talib and a powerful person,' ” he said. “But I can tell you, nothing is going on.”

“Whenever I talk to the Taliban, they never accept peace and they want to keep on fighting,” he said. “They are not tired.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/23/world/asia/23kabul.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=print

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

Former Nazi Guard, 89, Dies Before Trial in Germany

BERLIN — A former Nazi guard accused of aiding in the murder of 430,000 Jews at the Belzec death camp — and of personally shooting dead 10 people — died in his home near Bonn before he could stand trial next year, German court officials announced Monday.

The former guard, Samuel Kunz, 89, died on Nov. 18 while under indictment on charges related to his actions at the death camp, in occupied Poland, from January 1942 through July 1943. A statement by the district court in Bonn, where Mr. Kunz was to go on trial, said the death certificate was presented on Monday to the prosecutors in Dortmund and to the court.

“At least he was exposed and charged, and that is a measure of justice,” Efraim Zuroff, the lead Nazi hunter for the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said from his office in Jerusalem. “His family knows. His neighbors know. The whole world knows who he was and what he did.”

Mr. Kunz's death served as the latest reminder that time is forcing shut a door in history. And it comes amid a growing sense of concern within the Jewish community here that remembering the Holocaust will become less of a priority as there are fewer of the living with direct experience of the Third Reich and its crimes.

“It is certainly true that time is running out, considering the age of the people,” said Thomas Will, deputy director of the Central Office for the Investigation of Nazi Crimes, in Ludwigsburg, near Stuttgart. “There are people older than Mr. Kunz who are still fit to stand trial. But it is true, of course, we are already approaching the end of our activity in the coming years.”

In April, the Wiesenthal Center had listed Mr. Kunz as the third-most-wanted living Nazi after identifying him while examining records in connection with the prosecution of John Demjanjuk, 90. Mr. Demjanjuk has been the subject of more than three decades of legal proceedings and is on trial in Germany on charges of having aided in killing nearly 30,000 Jews as a death camp guard. The proceedings have often been delayed because of Mr. Demjanjuk's poor health.

“It is an extreme disappointment that Kunz could escape his just punishment through his death,” said Stephan Kramer, spokesman for the Central Council of Jews in Germany. “The proceeding was by no means about revenge, but about justice.”

Mr. Kunz was an ethnic German born in a small village on the Volga River in Russia. He served in the Red Army, was captured by the German Army and was given the choice of either staying a prisoner of war or cooperating with the Nazis.

His indictment said he chose to cooperate. A statement issued by the Bonn court said that in 1943 Mr. Kunz shot and killed eight wounded prisoners at the bottom of a trench. That same year, the charges said, Mr. Kunz shot down two people who tried to flee from trains taking prisoners to a death camp.

Mr. Zuroff, of the Wiesenthal Center, said that for decades after the war, Germany's unofficial policy was to prosecute only German nationals and officers. He said that made sense in the post-war years when it was impractical for the government to try to charge the large numbers involved with the Nazi murder industry.

But in recent years, he said, German prosecutors have shown a desire and willingness to go after even low-ranking and nonnative Germans who had a hand in killing or leading victims to their death, like Mr. Kunz. He named at least three people living in Germany who he hopes will face prosecution for their Nazi-era actions.

“Old age should not afford protection to people who committed such heinous crimes,” he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/23/world/europe/23nazi.html?ref=world&pagewanted=print

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

Lessons of Hate at Islamic Schools in Britain

LONDON — A British network of more than 40 part-time Islamic schools and clubs with 5,000 students has been teaching from a Saudi Arabian government curriculum that contains anti-Semitic and homophobic views, including a textbook that asks children to list the “reprehensible” qualities of Jews, according to a BBC documentary broadcast on Monday.

The 30-minute “Panorama” program quoted the Saudi government-supplied textbook as saying that Jews “looked like monkeys and pigs,” and that Zionists set out to achieve “world domination.” The program quoted a separate part of the curriculum — for children as young as 6 — saying that someone who is not a believer in Islam at death would be condemned to “hellfire.”

The program said the textbooks had been obtained by an “undercover” Saudi Arabian researcher who asked for them during a visit to one of the Saudi-backed schools and clubs, which meet in the evenings and on weekends in a network that is linked to the cultural bureau of the Saudi Embassy in London.

On Monday, the embassy did not respond to requests for comment, but Saudi officials quoted by the BBC disavowed direct responsibility for the schools and clubs and described the teachings cited in the program as having been “taken out of their historical context.”

One of the textbooks, according to the BBC program, prescribed execution as the penalty for gay sex, and outlined differing viewpoints as to whether death should be by stoning, immolation by fire or throwing offenders off a cliff. Another set out the punishments prescribed by Shariah law for theft, including amputation of hands and feet. A BBC video accompanying an article on the program's Web site showed a textbook illustration of a hand and a foot marked to show where amputations should be made.

Michael Gove, the education minister in the government of Prime Minister David Cameron, said on the program that the government would not tolerate “anti-Semitic material of any kind in English schools.” He elaborated in interviews with British newspapers, saying there was also no place in British schools for teachings against gay men and lesbians. But Mr. Gove appeared to be at pains not to allow the issue to develop into a confrontation with Saudi Arabia.

“Saudi Arabia is a sovereign country,” he said in a statement issued as the program was broadcast. “We have no desire or wish to intervene in the decisions that the Saudi government makes in its own education system. But we are clear that we cannot have any anti-Semitic material of any kind being used in English schools.”

Mr. Gove added that Ofsted, the government-appointed agency with oversight of education and children's services, would be “reporting to us shortly” on measures to tighten oversight of part-time schools, whose teaching is currently free of the controls imposed on full-time schools.

“Panorama,” which first appeared on the BBC nearly 60 years ago, is described by the corporation as the world's longest-running current affairs documentary program. Other “Panorama” investigative programs in recent years have focused on the Vatican 's restrictive rules for dealing with accusations of child molestation by priests, the Pentagon's inability to account for billions of dollars spent in Iraq, and a pattern of alleged bribes and kickbacks among coaches and scouts in English professional soccer.

Neal Robinson, a theology professor at Leeds University who has written widely about the Koran and Islamic teachings, said in the BBC program that the material cited from the textbooks was taken from ancient texts, and added: “To present it cold, as it is here, as part of the teaching of Islam, is not wise. In the wrong hands, yes, I think it is ammunition for anti-Semitism.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/23/world/europe/23britain.html?ref=world&pagewanted=print

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

Criticism Sharp After NATO Official Portrays Kabul as Safe for Children

KABUL, Afghanistan — NATO 's senior civilian representative here provoked sharp criticism from children's advocates on Monday after he said Kabul was safer for children than many Western cities.

“In Kabul and the other big cities, there are very few of these bombs,” the representative, Mark Sedwill, told an interviewer for a BBC children's television program that was broadcast on Monday. “The children are probably safer here than they would be in London, New York or Glasgow or many other cities.”

“Most children can go about their lives in safety,” Mr. Sedwill added. “It's a very family-orientated society. So it is a little bit like a city of villages.”

Children's advocates were quick to dispute his characterization. Peter Crowley, Unicef 's Afghanistan representative, said the agency continued to regard Afghanistan “as being one of the worst countries in the world to be a child.”

“Afghanistan has the highest infant mortality rate in the world, and one in five children dies before the age of 5,” Mr. Crowley said.

Mr. Sedwill served as the British ambassador here before taking over as NATO's top civilian official in January.

As word of his remarks spread around Kabul, Mr. Sedwill sent out an e-mail statement that tried to reframe his comments.

“I was trying to explain to an audience of British children how uneven violence is across Afghanistan,” he said. “In cities like Kabul where security has improved, the total levels of violence, including criminal violence, are comparable to those which many Western children would experience. For most Afghans, the biggest challenges are from poverty — the absence of clean water, open sewers, malnutrition, disease — and many more children are at risk from those problems than from the insurgency.”

But the clarification appeared not to alter the jarring nature of his comments.

At the Aschiana Children's Shelter in downtown Kabul, which provides schooling and social services to homeless and street children, 277 children — most under 12 — share three unheated classrooms and use floors for desks. The shelter can no longer afford to provide meals.

“More than 60 to 70 percent of these children are victims of the war in different ways,” said Raziya Forogh, a teacher who was instructing 25 boys in math on Monday. “And they have all been victims of crimes. Here, everything is possible to happen to a child when he is working on the streets. To say they are no worse off than children in London is illogical.”

Another teacher at the shelter, Abdul Bari Daad Khan, who had a class of 35 girls, said that Western children would in most cases not hear bombs go off in their neighborhoods, which had happened to his students repeatedly. “When suicide bombers hit the shopping center near here, all of the children were screaming, and two of them fainted,” he said.

Naziya, 11, said she had heard explosions “many times,” but was much more bothered by the frequent beatings by shopkeepers who were angry at her for selling plastic shopping bags for about a dime in front of their businesses.

While levels of insurgent violence are much lower in the capital than other parts of the country, crime is severe in impoverished neighborhoods.

Bismullah, a 7-year-old boy who sells chewing gum on the street, stood up in class and recalled the time he was attacked by an older boy, who stole his earnings of about $4. “I asked an old guy for help, and he caught him and beat him, but then he took my money.”

The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission says such episodes are increasingly common. A new report by the commission noted what it said was a worrying increase in violence against children as well as child labor in all Afghan provinces.

“Mr. Sedwill should come to the Human Rights Commission and consider the reports we receive on a daily basis,” said Hussein Mushrat, the report's author. “Children are not safer here.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/23/world/asia/23afghan.html?ref=world&pagewanted=print

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

At a Checkpoint, Terror Fears and Testy Travelers

BALTIMORE

Behind an unmarked door, in a cluttered break room of half-eaten lunches and morale-boosting posters, a dozen Transportation Security Administration officers listened to their airport supervisor deliver another much-needed pep talk that contained the reminder: “I get paid to be paranoid, and so do you.”

The supervisor, Philip Burdette, the federal security director at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, quickly addressed the recent criticism that the agency's stepped-up security measures had gone too far; that passing through a checkpoint for a routine flight to Newark was now like entering a maximum-security prison for a protracted stay.

“Pat-downs have changed because of what?” he asked, searching for answers that might then be shared with inquisitive, even annoyed, passengers.

“Threat?” someone softly volunteered.

“Threat,” Mr. Burdette agreed. “Especially after Abdulmutallab.” That is, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian whose alleged attempt last Christmas to blow up a Detroit-bound airplane with plastic explosives hidden in his underwear has transformed air travel in the United States.

The supervisor moved on to discuss reports of an organized opt-out day on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, one of the year's busiest for travelers. Some protesters — who seem to be grossly overestimating the patience of their fellow passengers — plan to disrupt the flow at checkpoints by choosing the slower, more deliberate pat-downs instead of passing through the full-body scanners, which critics consider to be too invasive.

“That's their right,” Mr. Burdette said. “I don't know if it's 10 people or 10,000 people. Just be professional. Assume you're being videotaped.”

With that, Mr. Burdette reminded everyone to remain vigilant, wished them a “good shift” and opened the unmarked door to a pre-holiday flow of travelers oblivious to the many worries for their safety.

It can be argued that the T.S.A. has failed in customer relations, that in its zeal to anticipate every conceivable threat, it has forgotten to take a deep breath and calmly explain why it does what it does to us — for us.

For example, the agency recently intensified its pat-down procedures, but, for what it says are security reasons, has declined to answer basic questions that might allay concerns that the new pat-downs are glorified grope sessions. How are these different from the old pat-down procedure? No comment. How are the officers trained to conduct these pat-downs? No comment.

The void created by the unanswered questions is filled, then, by libertarian complaints about privacy and “Saturday Night Live” skits that mock front-line transportation security officers for following government orders, while administrators far removed from checkpoints in Baltimore and Seattle, Miami and Green Bay, Wis., struggle to make the right moves in a high-stakes game of Risk.

Patrick Smith, who writes the “Ask the Pilot” column for Salon.com, is among many who argue against treating people as potential terrorists — “bullying people,” he says — simply because they want to fly. He said the T.S.A. should streamline its checkpoint operations and reallocate officers to conduct more thorough scanning of luggage for bombs and explosives.

“We can't protect ourselves from every conceivable threat, and we need to acknowledge that,” Mr. Smith said. “There's always going to be a way for a resourceful enough perpetrator to skirt whatever measures we put in place.”

But Mr. Burdette said this type of thinking reflected post-Sept. 11 amnesia. He said each security measure, from the new pat-down procedures to the increased use of body scanners, was driven by intelligence, not by a desire to create busywork.

Mr. Burdette, 41, is a former Marine and counterterrorism investigator who keeps his hair short and his dark-blue suits crisp. As the supervisor of the 700 or so officers at B.W.I. who screen as many as 40,000 travelers a day — of whom fewer than 3 percent request pat-downs — he takes the morale of his troops seriously, and resents any smirking dismissal of them as burger-flippers in toy-cop uniforms.

This perception was once so pervasive, and the officers were feeling so beleaguered, that two years ago the T.S.A. changed their uniform shirts to blue from white, and issued gold badges to replace their badge-shaped patches. The agency also began an internal campaign called I.G.Y.B. — for “I've Got Your Back.”

For government benefits and a salary that starts at $12.85 an hour, these unarmed officers swallow the irritation of others, apply security methods that intensify by the day, stifle the awkwardness they might have about touching other people — oh, and be on alert for bombs, liquid containers holding more than 3.4 ounces, sharp objects, explosive ingredients and the next Abdulmutallab.

“I want them to think Abdulmutallab with every pat-down,” Mr. Burdette said.

He walked down an airport corridor, past a shoeshine booth and a Dunkin' Donuts, to the security checkpoint at Concourse A, where these extraordinary times continued to make their rude intrusion upon the day's ordinary rhythms: shoes off; empty pockets; raise hands. It is the surrender of certain dignity in the quest for increased security.

The many people in line, grim-faced but uncomplaining, were met first by Jennifer Adams, 33, who assessed each traveler with a smile and a subtlety that suggested she was merely an official greeter. She joined the T.S.A. eight years ago, after earning a college degree in communications management, and has risen to become a supervisory behavior detection officer.

What does that mean?

“I'm entrusted to report here and protect the homeland,” she said.

“Give a real answer,” Mr. Burdette advised.

“I look for anomalies in the behaviors of the flying public,” Ms. Adams said. A coat too heavy for the season. Averted eyes when asked about carry-on luggage. “Anything that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up,” she said.

Behind Ms. Adams stood another officer, Tradonna Pritchard, 23, who repeatedly but patiently instructed people to empty their pockets and, please, “remove your outer garments.”

Behind Ms. Pritchard loomed a full-body scanner, on the other side of which stood another officer, Kristin Wade, 27, wearing a wireless earphone that linked her to an officer in an enclosed booth who studied the scanner's transmitted images. If that officer spotted a shadow that shouldn't be there, he would notify Ms. Wade, who would then conduct a targeted pat-down for what is invariably a set of keys or a cellphone.

Four years ago, Ms. Wade was working as a waitress and a bartender. Now, she said, “I just try to stay alert and mitigate any threats that I see.”

Working beside and around Ms. Wade were nearly two dozen other officers, including a bomb analyst named Robert Poe, 60, who has some hearing loss from his years as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist with the Army, and Patrick Simmons, 50, who drives 100 miles to work every day from his home in Delaware.

Mr. Simmons said complaints from travelers had grown in proportion with the increase in security measures. But people understand, he said, “as long as you explain things to the public in a calm voice.”

He described himself as a former emergency medical technician and volunteer firefighter who is reminded of our collective vulnerability every time he crosses the seemingly endless Chesapeake Bay Bridge. “It could happen anywhere,” he said, the meaning of “it” crystal clear.

Yes, Mr. Simmons said, he has heard some travelers dismiss him as nothing more than an overpaid security guard. But he is proud to wear the T.S.A. badge. And while he harbors no desire at all to pat you down, he will. It's his job.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/23/us/23land.html?ref=us&pagewanted=print

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

Guilty Verdict in Chandra Levy Murder Case

WASHINGTON — A jury convicted a Salvadoran immigrant of killing Chandra Levy, the government intern whose relationship with Gary A. Condit ended his Congressional career and made her disappearance a national media sensation.

Ingmar Guandique, a 29-year-old illegal immigrant, was convicted of first-degree murder in the killing of Ms. Levy, 24, who vanished on May 1, 2001. Her body was found a year later in Rock Creek Park here.

Investigators initially focused on Mr. Condit, a Democrat who represented California's 18th Congressional District. But they eventually concluded that he was not involved, and the case went cold. The negative publicity hurt the re-election bid of Mr. Condit, who was married at the time.

Mr. Condit, who now lives in Arizona, has refused to say whether he had an extramarital affair with Ms. Levy. He has long denied any involvement in her death.

The case dragged on for years with no leads but was resurrected in 2009, when investigators charged Mr. Guandique, who was serving time for attacks on other women in the same park around the time Ms. Levy disappeared.

Speaking outside the courthouse on Monday, the District of Columbia police chief, Cathy L. Lanier, said investigators and detectives never gave up. The case had put intense pressure on the Police Department, though it was eclipsed by the Sept. 11 attacks and the Washington-area sniper shootings.

“It's not like it is on TV,” Chief Lanier said. “Cases can be very complicated,” she said, adding that detectives “can sometimes discover things that were not discoverable at the beginning.”

At the heart of the prosecution's case was testimony from an inmate, Armando Morales. He had served time with Mr. Guandique and said Mr. Guandique had confessed to killing Ms. Levy.

At the time of the trial, which lasted about a month, Mr. Guandique was serving sentences for attacks on women in the park in May and July of 2001. Women from those attacks testified. In each case, he grabbed the victim from around the neck at knifepoint, the United States attorney's office in the District of Columbia said, but the women struggled and escaped.

The women's testimony seemed to have been persuasive for jurors in a trial that otherwise offered little in the way of forensic evidence.

“It would have been hard for anyone in that courtroom not to be moved,” said Susan Kelly, a juror, referring to the testimony of the women joggers.

Mr. Guandique's sentence was coming to a close for those crimes, and he was due to be released at the end of this year. Now he faces 30 years to life for the conviction in Ms. Levy's case, which includes kidnapping and attempted robbery counts.

“Today's verdict sends a message that it's never too late for justice to be served,” said Ronald C. Machen Jr., the United States attorney for the District of Columbia.

Judge Gerald I. Fisher of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia set Mr. Guandique's sentencing for Feb. 11.

Susan Levy, Ms. Levy's mother, exhaled audibly as Judge Fisher repeated the verdict, craning her head to get a glimpse of Mr. Guandique, whose face remained expressionless. He was wearing a blue turtleneck to cover gang tattoos, a gray sweater vest and headphones that translated the proceedings into Spanish.

“The result of this verdict may be guilty,” Ms. Levy said shortly after the verdict, “but I have a life sentence of a lost limb missing from our family tree.”

Defense lawyers argued during the trial that Mr. Morales was trying to get in the good graces of prosecutors, according to The Associated Press, and that his account was concocted.

There were no eyewitnesses or DNA evidence linking Mr. Guandique to Ms. Levy, and the only piece of actual proof — DNA on Ms. Levy's running tights — did not belong to Mr. Guandique.

The Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, which represented Mr. Guandique, did not return calls for comment. Mr. Condit's lawyer, Bertram Fields, responded to calls on Monday.

“Who gives him his career back?” Mr. Fields said. “That career has been destroyed and his life turned upside down, and that will never change.”

Mr. Condit was a seven-term representative and a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He sued several journalists over their coverage and “had a successful outcome” in at least one case, Mr. Fields said. He declined to provide details, citing a nondisclosure agreement in the case.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/23/us/23levy.html?ref=us&pagewanted=print

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

From the Chicago Sun Times

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

Off-duty cop shot to death on Southwest Side

November 23, 2010

BY ROSEMARY SOBOL

An off-duty Chicago Police officer was found shot to death inside his SUV on the Southwest Side Monday night, authorities said.

The 15-year police veteran who was currently assigned to the SWAT team had not been identified pending family notification, Police Supt. Jody Weis said at a midnight news conference.

“I've been here too many times,” a weary Weis said at police headquarters.

Weis did not give additional information, saying that detectives had only begun their investigation.

The shooting is an apparent homicide, according to a source.

The male officer, who was in his 40s, was inside his personal vehicle when he was gunned down in the 2900 block of West Seipp Street, sources said.

The officer's gun was missing, a source said.

An anonymous caller told police they heard eight shots fired shortly after 6:30 p.m. and saw someone running away from an SUV at the Seipp address, police said.

Late Monday, squad cars surrounded the scene where authorities towed away the SUV.

Weis urged anyone who had information about the shooting to call 312-745-8380.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/2915722,off-duty-cop-shot-dead-112210.article

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

TSA boss warns about travel security protests

AIRPORT SECURITY | Says they could 'tie up people who want to go home'

November 23, 2010

BY KIM JANSSEN

A planned protest against tougher airport screening pat-downs Wednesday could "tie up people who want to go home and see their loved ones" on the busiest travel day of the year, the nation's aviation security chief acknowledged Monday.

Transportation Security Administration boss John Pistole said there's the "potential" for slowdowns if large numbers of Thanksgiving travelers boycott new body scanners at airports, forcing TSA staff to carry out far more of the new, more rigorous pat-downs.

The low-level X-ray body-scanners, which see through traveler's clothes to produce an anonymized digital image of their "naked" body, were installed at O'Hare airport in March but Wednesday is likely to be the first time many Chicagoans encounter them.

Passengers who "opt out" of the scans face a far slower enhanced pat-down that includes a security worker touching their buttocks and groin.

The TSA says the methods are necessary to combat threats such as those posed by the so-called "underwear bomber" Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab who allegedly tried to blow up a plane bound for Detroit on Christmas Day last year.

But a growing campaign against the technology has spread online as the scanners have been installed at airports nationwide, fueled by a series of viral videos. They include a video of a young shirtless boy resisting a pat-down at Salt-Lake City's airport on Friday, a video of Oceanside, Calif., man John Tyner warning a San Diego TSA worker, "If you touch my junk, I'll have you arrested," and an interview with a 61-year-old bladder cancer survivor who said a rough pat-down at Detroit Metropolitan Airport left him soaked in urine.

A fourth video, which had more than 320,000 views, shows a 500-foot-long security line snaking through Terminal 2 at O'Hare last Tuesday.

Protesters behind Wednesday's "National Opt Out Day" hope to cause similar chaos.

Travelers at O'Hare Monday seemed resigned to the added intrusion to their privacy, saying they understood the thinking behind it.

"I'm not a fan, but it's not that much worse than X-raying my bags," said Kelsey Glenn, 16, who was returning to San Francisco.

More than 99 percent of travelers asked to use the X-ray scanners agree to do so, Chicago TSA spokesman Jim Fotenos said.

But while an ABC poll showed two-thirds of Americans support the use of the full-body X-ray scanners, it suggested fewer than half back aggressive new pat-down procedures. Opposition to both rises among frequent flyers, the poll showed.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the government is "desperately" trying to maximize security while minimizing invasiveness and that the policies are evolving.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/2915872,CST-NWS-airport1123.article

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

Charges: Cop, drug dealer were partners

As a police informant, dealer was paid $700,000 by city to turn in his rivals

November 23, 2010

BY FRANK MAIN

A Chicago Police officer was a partner in crime with his informant -- a drug dealer who has allegedly killed at least two people and was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars by the city for information that led to arrests of his rivals, according to law-enforcement sources and an indictment unsealed Monday.

Glenn Lewellen, who retired in 2002 after about 16 years on the force, participated in a major drug enterprise headed by Saul Rodriguez, prosecutors said.

Rodriguez, accused of murders in 2000 and 2001, was Lewellen's confidential informant for years, sources said. As a police informant, Rodriguez was paid more than $700,000 by the city in exchange for information that often led to competitors getting locked up, sources said.

Lewellen, 54, committed serious crimes for the 35-year-old Rodriguez's drug business, prosecutors said. For instance, he was involved in a 2003 kidnapping in which cash and 100 kilograms of cocaine were ripped off, according to the indictment. Lewellen allegedly "held himself out as a police officer when obtaining wholesale quantities of cocaine in the Chicago area," the indictment said.

Lewellen, of Las Vegas, tipped off Rodriguez's alleged drug ring about federal investigations, the indictment said.

Lewellen also is accused of giving false testimony in a 1999 narcotics trial of a man who was convicted and sentenced to more than 17 years in prison. In May, authorities learned of the false testimony and obtained a court order to vacate Refugio Ruiz's conviction, the indictment said. Ruiz has since been freed.

The case stemmed from a drug sting Lewellen and his partner conducted on July 8, 1999. The officers said they caught Ruiz with a bag containing 10 kilograms of cocaine worth $1.25 million in the parking lot of an apartment building in Aurora.

Ruiz's post-conviction attorney, Daniel Eli Radakovich, said he will consider a lawsuit against the city on his client's behalf. Ruiz's marriage fell apart while he was in prison, Radakovich said. Ruiz lives in Aurora with a sister and works in the construction business, his lawyer said.

Lewellen was arrested Friday by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and charged with racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute cocaine and obstruction of justice for concealing the activities of the alleged drug operation.

Sources said it's hard to believe Lewellen became a cop in the first place. He was in the Air Force before joining the police department in 1986, but records show he was discharged for stating he was homosexual. When police officials asked about his discharge, he said he lied to get out of the Air Force and was not really gay, records show.

Lewellen, described by a source as a hardcore gambler, is among three new defendants in a drug conspiracy case that began last year with charges against Rodriguez and five other defendants. They allegedly distributed wholesale quantities of cocaine and heroin to customers in the Chicago area and elsewhere between 1999 and 2009, officials said.

As part of the conspiracy, Rodriguez and Manuel Uriate, 33, of Watsonville, Calif., allegedly murdered Juan Luevano on June 3, 2000, in Cicero and Michael Garcia on May 31, 2001, in Chicago. The drug operation is linked to six kidnappings involving 13 victims between 2003 and 2007, according to the indictment.

Federal authorities are seeking the forfeiture of $9.4 million in cash, $426,000 in jewelry, six properties, three cars and two handguns from the defendants.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/2915854,CST-NWS-kidnapcop1123.article

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

Health-care reform prescription: 80%, or else

November 23, 2010

BY MONIFA THOMAS

As part of national health care reform, health insurers will soon have to spend at least 80 to 85 percent of insurance premiums on medical care to policyholders or else offer rebates under new rules announced Monday.

Starting next year, the "medical loss ratio" rule requires small insurance plans to spend 80 cents of each premium dollar on medical services and improving health care quality.

Larger plans will have to put at least 85 cents of every dollar toward medical care.

Insurers that can't meet these requirements will have to provide rebates to consumers starting in 2012, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Monday.

As many as 9 million Americans could be eligible for rebates in 2012, with average rebates totaling $164 per person in the individual market, Health and Human Services estimates.

The new spending requirements will help "guarantee that consumers get the most out of their premium dollars" by limiting insurers' ability to pass their marketing and administrative costs on to policyholders, Sebelius said, noting that "in today's market, some insurers spend as little as 60 percent" on medical care.

Sebelius said the new regulations, which were based on recommendations made last month by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, balance consumer protection with the need to minimize disruptions to the insurance market.

But the insurance industry warns the new rules will threaten competition and disrupt coverage for millions of Americans if individual and small group insurers are not given more time to meet the requirements.

"Mini-med" plans that allow employers to offer health plans at a low cost to both employees and the company won't be subject to the new rule in 2011. And insurers with fewer than 1,000 enrollees will not be required to provide rebates.

http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/health/2915796,CST-NWS-health1123.article

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

Serial killers largely prey on women

FBI data reveal female victims make up 70 percent of total

November 23, 2010

BY THOMAS HARGROVE

America's serial killers prey on women -- to an extent only hinted at by Hollywood films and best-selling novels.

According to never-before-released FBI data, women accounted for 70 percent of the 1,398 known victims of serial killers since 1985. By comparison, women represented only 22 percent of total homicide victims.

The FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP), based in Quantico, Va., released the data at the request of Scripps Howard News Service.

FBI agent Mark Hilts, head of the bureau's Behavioral Analysis Unit No. 2 that profiles serial killers, said a large number of serial killers act with a sexual motive.

''Sex can be a motivation, but it's a motivation in conjunction with anger, power, control,'' Hilts said. ''Most serial killers derive satisfaction from the act of killing, and that's what differentiates them'' from those who kill to help commit or conceal another crime.

The Justice Department defines a serial killer simply as someone who kills two or more people in separate incidents.

The FBI has been compiling victim data for 25 years. It also released information showing that nearly half of the victims of known serial homicides were in their 20s and 30s, although people of every age and from every region of the country have been victims.

''We look at homicides and attempted homicides. We look at sexual assaults. We look at unidentified human remains cases where homicide is suspected," said special agent Michael Harrigan, who headed ViCAP from 2007 to 2010 and agreed to release the data.

''We catalog this in a database ... to try to identify serial killers or serial offenders that transcend jurisdictional boundaries.''

New York leads in a grim statistic: It has had 137 victims of serial murder since 1985. Illinois has 74, Indiana 41 and Wisconsin has 21.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/2916248,CST-NWS-serial1123.article

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

Overbundling sleeping infant increases chance of death

When the weather gets cold, it's common for parents to put a few extra blankets or heavier clothing on their infants before bed to keep them warm. But federal health officials warned that overbundling can cause infants to overheat, increasing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS.

The National Institutes of Health recently issued a reminder to parents and caregivers that SIDS deaths are more common during the colder months, in part because infants are sensitive to extremes in temperature and cannot regulate their body temperature as well as adults.

Sleeping in multiple layers of heavy clothing or a room that is too warm can cause them to overheat. Babies in danger of overheating feel hot to the touch.

SIDS is the third-leading cause of infant deaths in the United States. It claimed more than 2,300 lives in 2006.

Dr. Alan E. Guttmacher, director of the NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, advised parents and caregivers to "dress infants in light clothing for sleep and keep rooms at a temperature comfortable for adults."

He also noted that "the single most effective way to reduce the risk of SIDS is to always place infants to sleep on their backs, for naps and at night."

According to the NIH and the American Academy of Pediatrics, parents should also:

Put infants to sleep on a firm surface, not a pillow, quilt or sofa.

Keep loose objects, such as stuffed toys and comforters, out of the crib.

Avoid smoking around the infant.

http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/health/2916252,CST-NWS-SIDS1123.article

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

From the Department of Homeland Security

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

Secretary Napolitano and Senator Lautenberg Announce Expansion of the "If You See Something, Say Something" Campaign Across New Jersey

November 22, 2010

Trenton, N.J. - Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and Senator Frank Lautenberg today joined New Jersey State Police Deputy Superintendent of Homeland Security Lt. Col. Jerome Hatfield to announce the state-wide expansion of DHS' national "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign across New Jersey - raising public awareness and strengthening security throughout the state as the busy holiday season commences.

"Homeland security begins with hometown security, and everyone has a role to play in keeping our country safe and secure," said Secretary Napolitano. "Expanding the 'If You See Something, Say Something' campaign across New Jersey will help ensure citizens know how to identify and report indicators of terrorism, crime and other threats to the proper law enforcement authorities."

"Terrorists are looking for any way possible to harm Americans, cause destruction and wreak havoc," said Senator Lautenberg, Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee. "During this busy travel season, it is especially critical that New Jerseyans be vigilant and mindful that the fight against terrorism begins with each of us. Everyone must step up and speak up."

The "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign—originally implemented by New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority and funded, in part, by $13 million from DHS' Transit Security Grant Program—is a simple and effective program to engage the public and key frontline employees to identify and report indicators of terrorism, crime and other threats to the proper transportation and law enforcement authorities.

This state-wide expansion will bring the "If You See Something, Say Something" message to residents of New Jersey, as well as travelers and visitors during the busy holiday season—utilizing advertisements on New Jersey public transit throughout the state, as well as in movie theaters, gas stations and on local radio stations in the Atlantic City and Trenton, N.J. areas.

The expansion of the "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign throughout New Jersey also leverages the state's active participation in the national Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) initiative—an administration effort to train state and local law enforcement to recognize behaviors and indicators related to specific terrorist threats and related crime—and underscores DHS' continued commitment to working with and providing resources to the state and local law enforcement community while engaging the public in identifying and reporting suspicious activity.

Since the beginning of the summer, DHS has worked closely with its state, local and private sector partners to expand the "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign to communities throughout the country—launching new partnerships with organizations including the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), Amtrak, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), the general aviation industry and state and local fusion centers.

In the coming months, the Department will continue to expand the "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign nationally with public education materials and outreach tools designed to engage America's businesses, communities, and citizens to remain vigilant and play an active role in keeping the county safe.

For more information, visit www.dhs.gov

http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1290448189598.shtm

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

From ICE

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

ICE takes down Puerto Rican drug lord, dismantles largest drug trafficking organization in the Caribbean

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrested this morning Jose Figueroa-Agosto (46), the leader of the largest drug trafficking organization in the Caribbean, and 12 other members of his organization.

The defendants were charged in a 12-count indictment with conspiracy to import narcotics into the United States, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, and money laundering.  The indictment also seeks to forfeit the proceeds obtained as a result of such offenses, up to an amount of one $100 million

According to the indictment, from 2005, the defendants conspired to import multi kilogram quantities of cocaine into Puerto Rico from places outside of the United States, mainly the Dominican Republic, all for significant financial gain and profit.  The defendants also conspired to possess with intent to distribute the multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine in Puerto Rico.  Co-conspirators assumed various roles within the drug trafficking organization in order to further the object of the conspiracy, including but not limited to leaders, transporters, and facilitators.

The leaders of this organization included José David Figueroa-Agosto, aka Junior Capsula, José Miguel Marrero Martell, aka. Pito Nariz, Jorge Luis Figueroa-Agosto and Eddy Brito.

It is alleged that the co-conspirators would smuggle hundreds of kilograms of cocaine into Puerto Rico from the Dominican Republic in private vessels.  The narcotics would be distributed in Puerto Rico and the Continental United States, and part of the drug proceeds would also be smuggled from Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic in bulk cash quantities.

The indictment further alleges that transporters of the organization were responsible for the transportation of narcotics into Puerto Rico on board the private motor vessels.  Many of the transporters purchased luxury motor vessels in order to transport the narcotics into Puerto Rico.  The following co-conspirators acted as transporters in this organization: Diego Pérez Colón, Sixto Boschetti Dávila, Kareem Boschetti Dávila, Elier Martínez Delgado, Rafael Molina Padró, Ivan Crespo Talavera, Raúl González Díaz, Carlos Torres Landrúa, Hector Ramos Rosado, Jonathan Vega Berrios, and Joel Vega Berrios.  Gerardo Amaro Rodríguez acted as a facilitator assisting with the placement, layering and integration of the organization's narcotics proceeds within legitimate economic and financial systems.

The defendants would attempt to create the appearance that their narcotics proceeds were legitimate by purchasing assets through the use of "straw owners" or "jockeys."  The defendants and their co-conspirators would purchase assets, utilize nominee bank accounts to deposit narcotics proceeds, and make payments for services with cash and money orders.  This would be done in order to conceal the true ownership of the assets, conceal the source of the funds, and avoid tracing by financial institutions and civil and criminal authorities, thereby protecting their interest in the properties. 

Defendant José Figueroa Agosto is charged under the Continuing Criminal Enterprise statute, Title 21, United States Code (USC), Section 848.  The charges set forth in count three of the indictment indicate that from 1994, continuing up to and until July 17, 2010, in the District of Puerto Rico, New York, Venezuela, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, on the high seas, José Figueroa-Agosto occupied a position of organizer, supervisor and manager in a  criminal enterprise, which involved the possession with intent to distribute and the importation of cocaine, and from which continuing series of violations, he obtained substantial income and resources.

On July 17, 2010, José Figueroa-Agosto was arrested in Puerto Rico after being a fugitive since Nov. 1999 when he utilized false documents to escape from a Puerto Rico correctional facility.  He was subsequently charged with fraudulently obtaining a passport to travel to the Dominican Republic. As charged in the indictment, he continued his criminal enterprise of drug trafficking. At the time of his arrest, convicted felon Figueroa Agosto was also arrested in possession of a firearm for which charges are included in the indictment.

José Figueroa-Agosto is also indicted in a second superseding indictment for conspiracy to import more than 2,100 kilograms of cocaine into Puerto Rico between the years 2000 and 2001.

The indictment also includes money laundering allegations from in or around September 2005 to December 2007.  It was part of the manner and means of the conspiracy that the defendants would acquire vessels with illegal proceeds for use in drug and currency smuggling ventures between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. They would also transfer ownership or loan the vessels amongst themselves in furtherance of the drug trafficking activities.

"Drug trafficking organizations must be aggressively attacked and dismantled at every level - from the street dealer to the international supplier and drug lord," said ICE Director John Morton. "Through the coordinated efforts of ICE and our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, we have effectively eradicated the drug trafficking organization of the largest drug distributor in the Caribbean, responsible for bringing significant quantities of drugs into our communities.  Those involved in drug trafficking should know that the Caribbean is no longer an option to transship narcotics into the United States."

"During the continuing criminal enterprise, the leader of which was José Figueroa Agosto, defendants smuggled, purchased and distributed large quantities of cocaine and heroin into our community.  Figueroa Agosto, along with his co-conspirators, made profits, invested the profits in furtherance of their criminal enterprise, laundered the profits and bought vessels and real estate properties, while he was a convicted felon on the run," said Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. "This group caused a significant amount of damage in our communities and neighboring countries; we can feel safer today because we have dismantled a very powerful international drug trafficking organization."

 If convicted, the defendants face a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life with fines of up to $4 million. Figueroa-Agosto is facing a mandatory life sentence if found guilty of the continuing criminal enterprise charge.

http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1011/101121sanjuan.htm

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

ICE removes terrorist to Pakistan

MIAMI - A Pakistani national convicted for conspiracy to levy war against the U. S government through terrorism was removed Thursday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Miami.

Hamad Riaz Samana, 26, was admitted to the United States at Los Angeles, CA as a lawful permanent resident on Aug. 5, 2000. After Samana admitted membership in the JAM'IYYAT UL-ISLAM IS-SAHEEH cell during an FBI interview, he was arrested on Aug. 2, 2005.

On Aug. 31, 2005, Samana was indicted for terrorism-related conspiracy charges, and 11 counts of robbery. Subsequently, on Aug. 17, 2009, Samana was convicted in the Central District of California for conspiracy to levy war against the U. S government through terrorism and sentenced to 70 months in federal prison.

On Aug. 30, Samana entered ICE ERO custody after he was served with a notice to appear charging him as removable on several grounds, including under section 237(a)(2)(D)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as an alien convicted of a crime relating to treason and sedition. On Sept. 30, Samana was ordered removed to Pakistan by an immigration judge.

"ICE removals of identified terrorists and those individuals that have intent to do harm against the United States are critical in securing America's borders and safeguarding the country," said Marc Moore, field office director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Miami. "ICE prioritizes the arrest and removal of convicted criminal aliens and those who are a threat to the national security of the United States and as a result, our communities are safer and more secure."

Upon his Nov. 18 arrival in Pakistan, Samana was turned over to Pakistani law enforcement.

http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1011/101122miami.htm

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

ICE arrests 18 in operation targeting sex offenders in Georgia

ATLANTA - The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) administratively arrested 18 aliens in Georgia, Tuesday through Thursday, including sex offenders and other serious at-large criminal aliens. The arrests were conducted as part of Operation SOAR (Sex Offender Alien Removal), an operation targeting at-large criminal aliens that are removable due to their convictions for sexual offenses.

Three of the most egregious offenders arrested during the operation include:

• A 34-year-old Mexican permanent resident convicted of two counts of sexual battery in the Superior Court of Appling County, Ga. He is being held in ICE custody and is pending removal proceedings.
  
  
• A 47-year-old Nicaraguan national convicted of a hit and run in California Superior Court, West Covina, Calif.; driving under the influence in Colquitt County, Georgia State Court; driving with a revoked/suspended license in Wayne County, Georgia State Court; and sexual battery on a person under age 16 in Colquitt County, Georgia Superior Court. He is being held in ICE custody pending his removal.
  
  
• A 35-year-old Mexican national convicted of driving under the influence in Tifton, Georgia Municipal Court; driving under the influence and fleeing from police in Tifton, Georgia Municipal Court; and child molestation in McIntosh County, Georgia Superior Court. He is being held in ICE custody pending his removal.

"ICE uses its unique immigration authorities to identify and arrest those who present a threat to our community," said Felicia Skinner, field office director for ICE ERO in Atlanta.

This enforcement initiative was a part of ongoing operations being conducted in Georgia in an effort to locate criminal aliens living within the community and pose a threat to public safety.

ICE was assisted by Georgia law enforcement officials from the Appling County Sheriff's Office in Baxley, Bulloch County Sheriff's Office in Statesboro, Rabun County Sheriff's Office in Clayton, McIntosh County Sheriff's Office in Darien, and the Georgia Department of Corrections.

ICE encourages the public to report suspicious criminal activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE . This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com

http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1011/101122atlanta.htm

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

14 arrested in Rhode Island prostitution investigation

NORTH SCITUATE, R.I. - On Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010, members of the Rhode Island State Police Detective and Patrol Bureaus, special agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations, officers with the ICE Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations and the Providence Police Department executed state court-authorized search warrants as part of a six-month investigation of a house of prostitution being operated in Providence, R.I. The warrants culminated in arrests of fourteen people linked to pandering or permitting prostitution, procuring sex for money and prostitution.

At approximately 7:45 p.m., a search warrant was executed by the Rhode Island State Police Tactical Team at the house of prostitution located at 33 Ida Street, 1st Floor, Providence. After the search of the premises and arrest of two suspected female prostitutes and two suspected male panderers/ security guards, the Rhode Island State Police conducted began a sting operation at the house. Utilizing undercover troopers as female prostitutes and male panderers/security guards, the Rhode Island State Police continued the operation of the prostitution house and received numerous male customers.

Upon the agreement by the male customers to pay money for a sexual act they were placed under arrest.

The following is a list of the people arrested, the charges they face, and the bail that was set after being processed and arraigned before a Justice of the Peace at Rhode Island State Police Headquarters:

• Teofilo Sarcedo, age 47, of 21 Jillson Street, Providence, RI, for Identity Fraud/Theft, and Pandering or Permitting Prostitution, and as an Illegal Re-entry after Deportation. Mr. Sarcedo was the "ringleader" of the entire operation. Bail was set at $10,000 personal recognizance (PR) and he was turned over to ICE.
• Eloida Mejia, age 20, of 2268 Washington Street, Apartment Twelve, Bronx, NY, for Prostitution. Bail was set at $1000 PR.
• Dania Mejia-Ruiz, age 35, of 3250 5th Avenue, Apartment Two, Minneapolis, MN, for Prostitution. Bail was set at $1000 PR.
• Hugo Gomez-Alvizures, age 28, of 41 Henry Street, Central Falls, RI, for Pandering or Permitting Prostitution. After Mr. Gomez-Alvizures was transported to State Police Headquarters it was determined that he was an undocumented illegal alien. Bail was set at $10,000 PR and he was turned over to ICE.
• Jose Perez, age 62, of LKA 33 Ida Street, Providence, RI, for Pandering or Permitting Prostitution. Bail was set at $1000 PR.
• Marco Calderone, age 36, of 1752 Cotting Avenue, Apartment Two, Marlborough, MA, for Procurement of Sexual Conduct for a Fee and an active warrant for deportation. Bail was set at $10,000 PR and he was turned over to ICE.
• Socorro Tino-Vicente, age 18, of 909 County Street, Apartment One, New Bedford, MA, for Procurement of Sexual Conduct for a Fee and an active warrant for deportation. Bail was set at $10,000 PR and he was turned over to ICE.
• Yohan Natareno, age 26, of 235 Union Avenue, Providence, RI, for Procurement of Sexual Conduct for a Fee. After Mr. Natareno was transported to State Police Headquarters it was determined that he was an undocumented illegal alien. Bail was set at $10,000 PR.
• Ramiro Luarca Argueta, age 22, of 89 Sterling Avenue, Providence, RI, for Procurement of Sexual Conduct for a Fee. After Mr. Argueta was transported to State Police Headquarters it was determined that he was an illegal alien. Bail was set at $1000 PR.
• Laurencio Hernandez, age 25, of 50 Fletcher Street, Apartment Three, Central Falls, RI, for Procurement of Sexual Conduct for a Fee. After Mr. Hernandez was transported to State Police Headquarters it was determined that he was an illegal alien. Bail was set at $1000 PR.
• Hermelindo Chocj-Itiaz, age 37, of 263 Laurel Hill Avenue, Providence, RI, for Procurement of Sexual Conduct for a Fee. After Mr. Chocj-Itiaz was transported to State Police Headquarters it was determined that he was an illegal alien. Bail was set at $1000 PR.
• Juan Lopez, age 35, of 30 Barbara Street, Apartment One, Providence, RI, for Procurement of Sexual Conduct for a Fee. After Mr. Lopez was transported to State Police Headquarters it was determined that he was an illegal alien. Bail was set at $1000 PR.
• Jesus Montezuma, age 31, of 138 Lincoln Avenue, Central Falls, RI, for Procurement of Sexual Conduct for a Fee. After Mr. Montezuma was transported to State Police Headquarters it was determined that he was an illegal alien. Bail was set at $1000 PR.
• Baboucarr M. Gaye, age 31, 249 Japonica Street, Apartment Two, Pawtucket, RI, for Procurement of Sexual Conduct for a Fee. Bail was set at $1000.00 PR.

Additional arrests may result as this investigation continues.

http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1011/101122nscituate.htm

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

2 Rhode Island men sentenced to 60 months in federal prison;

ordered to pay restitution to victim exploited by child pornography

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Two men who were arrested in May 2009 for on-line trading of child pornography as the result of an undercover operation initiated by the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (RI ICAC) and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) have been sentenced to 60 months in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution to the victim of a series of child pornography videos.

Jon H. Roberts, 47, of Glocester, R.I., was sentenced today to 60 months in prison, to be followed by lifetime supervised release with strict guidelines. He was also ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution to the victim in the "Vicky" child pornography series and a $5,000 fine.

John G. Hathaway, 34, of Warwick, R.I., was sentenced last Monday to 60 months in federal prison followed by lifetime supervised release with strict guidelines. He was ordered to pay $4,000 in restitution to the victim in the "Vicky" child pornography series.

The sentences, which were imposed by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith, were announced by U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha, Rhode Island State Police Superintendent Colonel Brendan P. Doherty and Special Agent in Charge of ICE HSI in Boston Bruce M. Foucart. Foucart oversees ICE HSI throughout New England.

"The sentencing of these two child predators should serve as a stern warning to other would-be child predators," said ICE HSI Special Agent in Charge Foucart. "Since 2007, ICE HSI has been proud to partner with the Rhode Island ICAC Task Force. Identifying and investigating those who victimize our children is one of the most important responsibilities we have, and that is why ICE HSI will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners at the ICAC to identify child predators and bring them to justice."

U.S. Attorney Neronha commented, "As I have said in the past, there is no more important objective in law enforcement than the protection of this nation's children. Every time a person trades in child pornography, he or she re-victimizes a child. I am therefore particularly gratified that these two individuals have been ordered to pay restitution to the child portrayed in the pornography they traded."

Colonel Doherty added, "This is another example of good work and collaboration among state, local and federal partners in combating this disturbing crime."

At the time of Robert's guilty plea in June 2010, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Rogers told the court that Roberts had begun downloading child pornography approximately ten years ago. Within the past five or six years, Roberts began using a peer-to-peer file sharing program known as Limewire to download files and images of children under the age of twelve engaged in sexually explicit conduct. A forensic examination of the defendant's computer revealed that he had downloaded at least thirty-eight child pornography videos.

At the time of Hathaway's guilty plea in June 2010, Assistant U.S. Attorney Rogers told the court that a forensic examination of Hathaway's computer revealed that he possessed at least 160 videos containing images of children under the age of twelve engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Hathaway also used Limewire to download child pornography files.

A third person, Robert M. Lopes, 43, of Coventry, R.I., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in June to one count each of receipt and distribution of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 5, 2011.

Nine other defendants arrested in the May 2009 ICAC sweep are facing prosecution in the state courts by the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office.

Also participating in the investigation were ICE HSI, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), and the Rhode Island Department of the Attorney General.

The Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is a Department of Justice grant-funded program administered by the Rhode Island State Police Computer Crimes Unit, comprised of five State Police Detectives, a Detective from the Providence Police Department, West Warwick Police Department, Coventry Police Department and an agent from Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE). The objective of the RI ICAC is to form strong working relationships between local, state and federal law enforcement in order to effectively and efficiently prevent, detect, investigate, and prosecute online child exploitation and child pornography crimes.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders, and child sex traffickers.

ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE . This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com

http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1011/101122providence.htm

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

From the FBI

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

Latest Hate Crime Statistics

Reported Incidents, Number of Victims Decrease

November 22, 2010

Just in the past month, three men were indicted in New Mexico for assaulting a disabled Navajo man one individual was sentenced for putting a hangman's noose on the house of a Honduran immigrant in Louisiana; and another man was sentenced for burning a predominately African-American church in Massachusetts.

All three of these incidents were investigated by the FBI as federal hate crimes, the number one priority of our civil rights program. Another FBI priority is the annual collection and public reporting of hate crimes…in order to help the nation get a more accurate accounting of the problem.

Today, we're releasing here on our website the latest figures on bias-motivated crimes in our Hate Crime Statistics, 2009 report.

While the number of law enforcement agencies submitting data to us increased—topping off at 14,222—the number of hate crime incidents reported for 2009 (6,604) was down from 2008. The number of reported victims (8,336) has also gone down. (“Victims,” in this case, can be individuals, businesses, institutions, and society as a whole.) 

Some of the general findings include:

Victims

• 61.1 percent of all hate crimes were committed against persons, while 38.1 percent were crimes against property.
  
  
• Of the 4,057 victims of racial bias, 71.5 percent were victims because of an offender's prejudice against blacks.
  
  
• Of the 1,575 victims of anti-religious hate crimes, 71.9 percent were victims because of an offender's anti-Jewish bias.

Offenders

• Of the 6,225 known offenders, 62.4 percent were white, 18.5 percent were black, and 7.3 percent were groups of individuals of various races. The race was unknown for 10.2 percent of offenders, and other races accounted for the remaining offenders.
  
  
• Of the 5,136 offenders who carried out crimes against persons, 40.3 percent committed simple assaults, 34.6 percent intimidated their victims, and 23.5 percent committed aggravated assaults. Murders and rapes were committed by 1.2 percent of the offenders.

Crime locations

• 31.3 percent of hate crime incidents—whether motivated by racial, religious, sexual orientation, ethnicity/national origin, or disability bias—happened in or near victims' homes.
  
  
• 17.2 percent took place on highways, roads, alleys, or streets.

Read the entire report for more details on victims, offenders, and crime locations, as well as state aggregate totals and individual agency breakdowns of bias-motivated crimes submitted to the FBI.

Update on last year's new hate crime legislation: The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crime Prevention Act adds two new categories to our list of biases—actual or perceived gender and gender identity. Our Uniform Crime Reporting Program staff continues to work toward expanding its training for state and local law enforcement on reporting these new categories of biases, and then on incorporating them into our future publications. 

In addition to releasing hate crime statistics yearly, the FBI remains committed to protecting individual civil rights and investigating hate crimes. Special Agent Cynthia Deitle, who heads up our civil rights program in Washington, D.C., says, “During 2010, the FBI devoted additional resources to combat hate crime in those cities most at risk for bias-motivated violence. Working in collaboration with state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as our non-governmental partners, we are confident we can mitigate the risks and impact hate crimes have on individuals and communities.”

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2010/november/hate_112210/hate_112210

.