Link: http://www.nbcactionnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=0fdb5281-8ea3-40ef-892f-b08fb6519952

LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. -- A man who spent five years behind bars after a detective accused him of sexual abuse now wants the detective fired.

Ted White, formerly of Lee's Summit, convinced a federal jury that the detective, Richard McKinley, violated his civil rights. White found out McKinley had been having an affair with his wife, which White believes led to the abuse accusations, according to court documents.

Thursday, White went before the Lee's Summit City Council to demand action against the detective. The city responded by saying it has the detective's employment status under review. Mayor Karen Messerli did not attend the council meeting, even though White had agreed to address her over the issue.

A federal jury awarded White $16 million over the wrongful conviction. The city will have to pay $14 million of the total award, if McKinley does not win an appeal. My god, five years of an innocent man's life and $16 million dollars lost and they still haven’t fired this despot cop.

Link: http://www.aclu.org/safefree/torture/37818prs20081119.html

The American Civil Liberties Union released Department of Defense documents today that provide further evidence that prisoner abuse in U.S. detention facilities in Iraq was systemic. The documents, obtained as part of an ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit, also show that Army investigations of abuse in Iraq were compromised by missing records, flawed interviews and problems with witness recollection.

"The Bush administration created a climate in which abuse was tolerated even when it wasn't expressly endorsed," said Jameel Jaffer, Director of the ACLU National Security Project. "With a new administration entering the White House, we should remember that the tone set by senior military and intelligence officials has very real implications for what takes place in U.S. detention facilities overseas. The new administration should make clear from the outset that it won't turn a blind eye to torture and abuse."

Link: http://plasma-lamp.blogspot.com/2008/11/obama-ignored-congratulations-to.html

Elected U.S. President Barack Obama has ignored wins in the elections of Russia. President Dmitry Medvedev has not been among the world leaders that Senator Democrat called with gratitude for the congratulations, said "RBC daily" referring to the agency Associated Press. In addition, Obama and Medvedev did not meet in Washington at the summit on the economic crisis.

According to the AP, Obama has contacted the leaders of nine countries: Australia, Britain, Germany, Israel, Canada, Mexico, France, South Korea and Japan. In particular, during talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy Obama has agreed to hold "soon" face-to-face meeting to discuss global financial crisis and political situation.

- At the summit "a big twenty" Medvedev and Obama did not meet

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper also congratulated Senator with the victory and expressed confidence that closer U.S. and Canada in overcoming the financial crisis.

Recall, Medvedev sent a greeting telegram Obame immediately after the elections in the USA, 5 November. In addition, during a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in Moscow, Medvedev expressed hope that the new U.S. president will be able to build a solid foundation for relations between the two countries.

Link: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/nov/06111306.html

MOSCOW, Russia, November 13, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A young man dressed in military gear attacked a Moscow abortion clinic in an attempt to stop his girlfriend from undergoing an abortion, Interfax reported Nov. 8. Identified as ‘Alexander’, the student from the Ulyanovsk region burst into the hospital clinic wearing camouflage gear from his army service and carrying what appeared to be a grenade and a pistol. According to reports, the man took a nurse hostage and ordered her to take him to the operating room, arriving just before the doctors began the abortion. Begging his girlfriend not to have the abortion, he threatened the doctors, ordering them to release the girl. The man was restrained by guards and taken to a local police station. His grenade was discovered to be a plaster cast, while the pistol was an air gun. In his defense the man said he had not intended to do anything wrong, but that he loved Tatiana, the girl, and wanted to marry her and raise a child. He was released without charges. The couple married. Their child will be born next spring.

Washington D.C., America, November 13, 2006 A young man dressed in military gear attacked a Washington abortion clinic in an attempt to stop his girlfriend from undergoing an abortion. Identified as ‘Alexander’, the student from a mid western university burst into the hospital clinic wearing camouflage gear from his army service and carrying what appeared to be a grenade and a pistol. According to reports, the man took a nurse hostage and ordered her to take him to the operating room, arriving just before the doctors began the abortion. Begging his girlfriend not to have the abortion, he threatened the doctors, ordering them to release the girl. Police arrived and ordered the distraught student to lay down his weapon and give up. When Alexander hesitated police snipers shot him in the head seriously wounding him and accidentally wounding a nurse. The student's grenade was discovered to be a plaster cast, while the pistol was an air gun. Police said: "A tragedy was narrowly avoided, had they arrived any later innocent people could have been hurt. The police responded in in the only way they could have under the circumstances." Alexander died of his wounds the following day. Had he lived he would have faced many years in federal prison for acts of domestic terrorism. Tatiana, went back to the doctor and had the abortion. She has since joined the U.S. Army and is now serving in Iraq.

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7738489.stm

Despite its looks, Buran was not a facsimile of the US shuttle. Some 20 years ago, on 30 September 1988, many readers of the Pravda newspaper - the official mouthpiece of the Soviet communist party - could not believe their eyes. Published somewhat inconspicuously on the second page, there was a photo depicting the familiar shape of the US space shuttle, but with Soviet insignia on its wings. Finally, years of rumours about a Soviet "copy" of the shuttle had been confirmed. However, the official Soviet press was quick to point out that despite its superficial resemblance to the US counterpart, the Russian shuttle, dubbed Buran or "snowstorm", was better and more capable. Within days, the new ship got a chance to prove it. On November 15, 1988, as snowy clouds and winds were swirling around Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Buran orbiter, attached to its giant Energia rocket, thundered into the gloomy early morning sky. They obliterated this crowning achievement of the Soviet space programme. Three hours and two orbits later, the 100-tonne bird glided back to a flawless landing just a few miles from its launch pad.

Link: http://www.aclu.org/safefree/torture/37721prs20081107.html

Photos Depict Abuse At Facilities In Afghanistan And Iraq

NEW YORK – The Bush administration petitioned a full appeals court late Thursday to reconsider a decision ordering the Defense Department to release photographs showing detainee abuse by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. In September, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ordered the government to release the photos as part of an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit seeking information on the abuse of prisoners held in U.S. custody overseas.

"This petition is a transparent attempt to delay accountability for the widespread abuse of prisoners held in U.S. custody abroad by keeping the public in the dark," said Amrit Singh, staff attorney with the ACLU. "These photographs demonstrate that the abuse of prisoners held in U.S. custody abroad was not aberrational and not confined to Abu Ghraib, but the result of policies adopted by the highest-ranking officials in the administration. The immediate release of these photos is critical to bringing an end to the Bush administration's torture policies and for preventing prisoner abuse in the future." ► Judge asks media whether to release Guantanamo Bay 'torture' evidence ► Judge Opens First Habeas Corpus Hearing on Guantánamo Detainees

Link: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article21324.htm

A leading Russian political analyst has said the economic turmoil in the United States has confirmed his long-held view that the country is heading for collapse, and will divide into separate parts.

Professor Igor Panarin said in an interview with the respected daily Izvestia published on Monday: "The dollar is not secured by anything. The country's foreign debt has grown like an avalanche, even though in the early 1980s there was no debt. By 1998, when I first made my prediction, it had exceeded $2 trillion. Now it is more than 11 trillion. This is a pyramid that can only collapse."

The paper said Panarin's dire predictions for the U.S. economy, initially made at an international conference in Australia 10 years ago at a time when the economy appeared strong, have been given more credence by this year's events. ►Colossal Financial Collapse The Truth behind the Citigroup Bank "Nationalization"

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