Neo Nazis Infiltrating US Military in Iraq

In 2006 the Intelligence Report revealed that white supremacists and neo-Nazi skin heads were taking advantage of lowered recruitment standards to infiltrate the US armed forces. Men like Matt Buschbacher and Forrest Fogart were well established neo Nazis before joining elite units in the US military.

Ten years ago Pentagon leaders tightened recruitment policies regarding members from extremist movements after the Oklahoma City bombing, which was committed by decorated Gulf War combat veteran Timothy McVeigh, and the murder of a black couple by members of a skinhead gang in the elite 82nd Airborne Division.

Since the rule changes, large numbers of neo-Nazis and skinhead extremists continued to quietly infiltrate the military, but enlistment became easier after the Iraqi war, when Military recruiters and base commanders who came under intense pressure to fill the ranks, began to look the other way.

One might wonder why a neo-Nazi would want to join the US Military. There is, apparently, no better place to learn the art of destruction. For instance the soldiers, who join the MOS units, or Military Occupational Specialty units, learn how to disarm Improvised Explosive Devises (IEDs), those nasty devices that explode all over Iraq. Apparently, the training to disarm these devices first entails learning to build one. The perfect skill for someone who believes, as one neo Nazi web poster and recent MOS recruit professed "Once all the Jews are gone the world will start fixing itself."

Forty members of Congress urged former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to launch a full-scale investigation and implement a zero-tolerance policy toward white supremacists in the military. U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, an Alabama Republican, wrote in a separate open letter to Rumsfeld. "We witnessed with Timothy McVeigh that today's racist extremist may become tomorrow's domestic terrorist."

Unfortunately, neither Rumsfeld nor his successor, Robert Gates, enacted any sort of systemic investigation or crackdown to week out neo Nazi extremists, nor has there been any attempt by Military commanders to weed out extremists already recruited. New evidence suggests that the problem has grown as enlistment rates have continued to plummet, with the military accepting even lower quality of soldiers.

A new FBI report (PDF) indicates that white supremacist leaders are recruiting active-duty soldiers and combat veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan to join the white supremacist movement.

The report indicates that neo-Nazi leaders are targeting active duty military personnel without documented white supremacist histories or identifying tattoos to infiltrate the military as “ghost skins” in order to recruit and receive training specialized training that will ultimately benefit the movement.

The army is currently investigating several crimes, including homicide, committed by several members of white extremist neo-Nazi groups. No official action is being taken to restrict the number of neo-Nazi’s that enlist in the armed services.
Sources: .David Holthouse, Hate Watch

Lynchings Tied to Sorcery and Penis Theft

Several attempted lynchings this week in the Congo were tied to rumors of penis theft by black magic. Thirteen suspected sorcerers are accused of using black magic and curses to steal or make the penises of several men disappear. Reports of penis snatching is not uncommon in the superstitious West Condo were rumors of sorcery are frequent topics of radio call in programs, and neighborhood gossip.

Fourteen victims accused the sorcerers of stealing or shrinking their penises by touching them on the arm during bus or taxi rides, and then extorting money for a cure. In response, several of the victims attempted to lynch the offending sorcerers. “You just have to be accused of that, and people come after you…” said Kinshasa’s police chief, Jean-Dieudonne Oleko, “We've had a number of attempted lynchings.”

It might sound like a joke, but not to the victimized men, who are completely convinced that their penises are gone, or that they are impotent, despite the fact that there is no rational evidence or proof. When one is dealing with sorcery, apparently, no amount of rationality will override the evidence provided by fear.

Sources:
Joe Bavier: Reuters: http://uk.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUKL2290323220080422?sp=true

Sense of Fair Play tied to Serotonin Levels

Are you a person that gets really combative and aggressive, or grouchy when you don’t eat? Are you one of those people who are uncomfortable in social situations, or who are unusually sensitive to being treated unfairly? It turns out your serotonin levels may contribute to more than just depression or compulsive disorders. In a new Science study, UCLA and Cambridge researchers report that people with low serotonin levels were found to be more sensitive to being treated unfairly.

A new study, published in the June 6 issue of Science suggests that the neurotransmitter serotonin, which has long been known to act as “…a chemical messenger between nerve cells…” and has been recognized to play “… a critical role in regulating emotions such as aggression during social decision-making…” is also responsible for turning on the brains “reward circuitry.”

The study suggests that the “human brain responds to being treated fairly the same way it responds to winning money and eating chocolate; being treated fairly turns on the brain's reward circuitry.”

The study involved 20 subjects who were each presented with several offers, some skewed and some fair, for dividing sums of money. If they declined the offer neither they, nor the person making the offer would receive anything. After this round of initial offers and responses were recorded, participants were given a drink that “significantly reduced” their serotonin levels before a second round of offers began.

The study discovered that participants rejected 82 percent of the unfair offers when their serotonin levels were reduced as compared to only rejecting 67 percent of the unfair offers when their serotonin levels were normal. The report concluded that people with low serotonin levels were more likely to reject unfair offers.

Serotonin levels can fluctuate in regard to how regularly we eat, since “the essential amino acid necessary for the body to create serotonin can only be obtained through diet…” which suggests that a person’s perception of fairness can also fluctuate. What I view, for instance, as fair on the day I have three full meals, may differ from the day I skip breakfast.

It seems the study proves that the human sense of fairness is not based on rational processes, and unlike the solid mathematical formulas we learn, fairness is a fluid and fluctuating process that flows with the levels of our brain chemistry.

Sources:
UCLA Eureka Alert: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/uoc--sma060608.php
Science: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1155577
About.com: http://depression.about.com/b/2008/06/10/serotonin-levels-related-to-sense-of-fairness.htm

Anti-Christ Misses Day in Divorce Court

Anti-Christ Misses Day in Divorce Court
Luis De Jesus Miranda, minister of the Miami Growing in Grace church, gained international notoriety in 2004 by declaring himself to be Jesus Christ, and then later claiming to be the Antichrist. He maintains that he is the Second Coming and that his teachings supersede those of Jesus.

His powerful and charismatic influence over the congregation of Growing Grace was in evidence when they all showed up in mass recently, to get the numbers 666 tattooed on their bodies, in honor of their “messiah.” At home, he had a dutiful and obedient wife who lovingly washed his feet and clipped his toenails to show her devotion, but that all came to an end in one of the most unspiritual of places, a divorce court.

The Miami Herald reported in June that the minister was forced, for the first time, to give testimony revealing how he paid personal expenses with donations to his tax-exempt church. Following the testimony the judge in their divorce case sent a transcript of the hearing to federal prosecutors, saying he felt "ethically compelled" to bring the fiscal abuses to their attention and, it was not long after that de Jesus disappeared.

This week the minister was declared in contempt of court for failure to pay alimony to his soon-to-be ex-wife. Their divorce trial went ahead without him, with wife Josefina de Jesus Torres alleging abuse, abandonment and infidelity. Torres backed up her claims of infidelity with descriptions of how, during their marriage, de Jesus cast her off for another woman in Houston -- a woman his inner circle now calls his ``wife.''

Torres also claimed to be abused when her husband pushed her against a fence on one occasion, and emotionally abused her on others by threatening to send ''angels of destruction'' to her and her children.

She's seeking half of both the Growing in Grace church assets and his personal property, which her attorneys argue are the same because they claim de Jesus controls the church's finances, all of which, Torres claims add up to $2.2 million.
De Jesus claims poverty, and his daughter, JoAnn de Jesus, the ministry's finance manager, testified that because of a drop in donations, due to all the publicity surrounding the divorce, the church is two months behind on the rent at its Doral headquarters, and she is hoping for ''a miracle'' that will allow them to stay. Several church members implied that Torres' statements criticizing de Jesus in the press played a role in the financial problems.

De Jesus' tax attorney testified that, based on his interactions with an Internal Revenue Service investigator, he believes a fraud investigation is under way. A spokeswoman for the IRS said she could not confirm or deny the existence of an inquiry.

De Jesus and his followers have been fighting back, outside the court room. Recently they sent a video to supporters showing a woman, who claims she was Torres’ lesbian lover when Torres met de Jesus, and who suggests Torres set out to entrap de Jesus for his money. There is no corroboration for the claim on the video, but the attack smacks of political smear campaigns used in Republican Party politics.
Meanwhile, Torres reports receiving threats from various church members while those same Growing Grace members say they have spoken to de Jesus but have no idea where he is. For an anti-Christ he’s keeping a remarkably low profile these days.

Sources:
Miami Herald: http://www.miamiherald.com/1060/story/654101.html
Miami Herald: http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/654335.html

UN Accuses US Coalition Troops in Afghanistan of Killing 90 Civilians

AP-Kabul
The United Nations announced today that it has found “convincing evidence” 90 civilians, including 60 children were killed by US coalition troops and Afghan forces in western Afghanistan.

The U.N. findings were based on eyewitness testimony of villagers and meetings with Afghan officials. No photo or other evidence was provided.

Associated Press released several photos of civilians injured, however, including one of Zinat Gul, 24, who was allegedly wounded by the U.S. air strike in Shindand district. She was photographed while lying in a hospital bed in Herat, east of Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday, Aug. 25, 2008



Afghan President, Hamid Karzai's in a harshly worded statement called for a negotiated end to "air strikes on civilian targets, uncoordinated house searches and illegal detention of Afghan civilians.”

The U.S. coalition reported killing 25 militants and five civilians in an operation in Shindand district of Herat province on Friday.

U.S.-led coalition troops, which were supporting Afghan commandos during the raid, said they believe that 25 militants, including a Taliban commander, and five civilians were killed during the Friday raid in Azizabad village of Herat province. The top coalition commander in the country has ordered an investigation.

Karzai's statement appears to condemn the actions of both international forces operating in Afghanistan: the U.S.-led coalition, which conducts Special Forces counterterrorism operations and trains the fledgling Afghan army and police, and the U.N.-mandated NATO-led force tasked to provide security for the war-ravaged nation.



The UN accusation will likely fuel tensions among the various military groups in Afghanistan.

Afghan Presidential spokesman, Humayun Hamidzada, said Tuesday that the statement was issued after Afghan officials "lost patience" with foreign forces, and the killings and detentions of civilians during raids in remote villages.

"We do not want international forces to leave Afghanistan until the time our security institutions are able to defend Afghanistan independently," Hamidzada clarified to reporters Tuesday, “but the presence of those forces has to be based "within the framework of Afghan law with respect to international law," Hamidzada said.
Hamidzada also pointed out that "Afghanistan of 2001 is different from Afghanistan today," He said the government has not discussed any timetable for the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan.

Capt. Mike Windsor, a spokesman for the NATO-led force, said the force had seen media reports about the government's decision but had not received "any official notification so far." He pointed out that NATO's "mission is based on a U.N. mandate and carried upon the invitation of the Afghan government."

White House spokesman Tony Fratto told reporters Monday that foreign forces in Afghanistan "take every precaution to try to avoid innocent civilian casualties." He said as far as the attack in question, the Defense Department believes "it was a good strike."

The decision also comes a year ahead of Afghanistan's presidential elections amid growing criticism that Karzai's government is unable to contain the insurgency and deal with the deep-rooted corruption that afflicts officials in the government.
Karzai has said he will run in the election. No date has been set yet.


Sources:
Yahoo: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080826/ap_on_re_as/afghanistan
Salon: http://www.salon.com/wires/ap/world/2008/08/26/D92Q046G1_afghanistan/index.html

Rangers Remove Snacks Dragons get Cranky

The Wall Street Journal, now owned by Fox News media mogul Rupert Murdoch, is blaming environmental policies for increased attacks by Komodo dragons against humans living and working in Komodo National Park, on the Komodo Island in the Flores Sea.

Humans have traditionally left deer and sheep offerings for the carnivorous lizards, the largest in the world, but recent laws banning such offerings have, in the words of one villager, made the dragons “angry with us.”
Park, officials curtailed the sheep sacrifices (performed mainly for tourists) and deer hunting, on the advice of American environmental agencies, saying a healthy deer population is vital to the dragons’ survival. What The Wall Street Journal failed to emphasize was that the increased human population within the park, where there is roughly twice as many humans to the 2,500 dragons, is largely to blame for the increase in attacks. The official Komodo Park website, lists under threats, humans and human activities, like tourism and fishing, as the biggest threats to the islands ecosystems and biodiversity.

While neo conservative forces would like us to believe that conservation is behind global warming and species extinction, all we have to do is take a look in the mirror to find those truly responsible.

Sources:
Newser: http://www.newser.com/story/35695/treats-banned-komodo-dragons-get-nasty.html
Komodo National Park: http://www.komodonationalpark.org/
World Zoo: http://www.zoo.org/komodo/index.html

Gang Members Kill Suspected Gay Member

Two members of a Baltimore-area gang have been charged with killing a fellow gang member they believed was gay.

While MI5 in the UK is actively recruiting gays and lesbians, and the states of California and Massachusetts in the US are allowing them to marry, there are harsh reminders, on a deplorably regular basis, that being gay in our society, is still one of the most dangerous and hated incarnations one can be.

While I think Lesbian, Gay, and Transgender, and Bisexual people would make excellent spies because we are extremely adept at covertly infiltrating society and maneuvering our way through life without being detected, I seriously doubt anyone who doesn’t have to live that way would really risk the danger involved in choosing such a closeted life style.

In May, 18 year old Steven Parish, of Baltimore, Maryland was maneuvering through his life in the machismo environment of the notorious Bloods gang, when his secret identity was uncovered. According to court charging documents, filed August 14th, Steven Hollis and Juan Flythe believed Parish was gay when they found suspicious text messages on Parrish’s cell phone, and became concerned that a gay member would make the gang seem weak.
The autopsy report showed that Parrish died as a result of blunt-force and stabbing injuries. He also suffered a stab wound to the chest and 50 superficial cuts.“Like most hate crimes,” said Dan Frumansky, executive director of Equality Maryland, “the graphically violent details of this incident are a jarring reminder to us all that we live in a culture where being perceived as LGBT for some people is a crime above all others.”
The Baltimore Sun reported that on the day before Parrish’s death, several gang members met at Parrish’s house, where they conferred about finding “gay” text messages on his phone. It was determined at that meeting, according to police documents, “…that Steven Parrish ‘had to go.”

We have no idea what text messages set this horrible tragedy in motion, but we have heard this story, in various iterations, over and over again. A group of friends, acquaintances, etc. discovers one of their members is gay and must be eradicated from the group before further contamination occurs. We hear statistics every day about how dangerous it is to be a black male in this country, about how young black men are more likely to be shot by a gun than any other group. We forget, I think, that LGBT are members of every other group, making it exponentially more dangerous be gay.

Sources:
The Washington Blade: http://www.washblade.com/2008/8-22/news/localnews/13131.cfm
Govt Bulletin on Gun Victims:http://www.ovc.gov/publications/bulletins/gun_7_2001/gun2_2_01.html\
FBI Report on Hate Crimes:http://www.lambda.org/ncavp_hc_2003.pdf