FBI Issues Alert: U.S. Military Families Being Frightened By Middle Eastern Men

August 5, 2015

By Lorra B.

In Colorado and Wyoming the FBI have issued alerts warning all law enforcement agencies that U.S. Military families are being approached by Middle Eastern men.

“In one case last May the wife of a military member was approached in front of her home by two Middle Eastern males,” according to CBSDenver. “The men stated that she was the wife of a U.S. interrogator. When she denied their claims the men laughed.”

To say she was frightened may be an understatement. Eventually the men left the area but, according to the report, were seen on several occasions in that same area.

It has been reported that incidence like this had also happened in Wyoming thorough out the month of June.

“On numerous occasions, family members of military personnel were confronted by Middle Eastern males in front of their homes,” reports CBS. “The males have attempted to obtain personal information about the military members and family members through intimidations. Those family members reported feeling scared” and understandably so.

Being aware of the incidents, Colorado’s Department of Homeland Security has been urging that any suspicious activities seen by military families be reported immediately to the FBI.

The FBI refuses comment at this time.

By Lorra B.

BREAKING: Boston Bombing Case: Jury Reaches Verdict in Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Trial

April 8, 2015

Pundit From Another Planet:

BOSTON — The jury has reached a verdict in the Boston Marathon bombing trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev after two days of deliberations, the U.S. attorney’s office announced Wednesday.

The statement, posted on Twitter by the federal prosecutor’s office, did not indicate when the jury would announce the results.

“Seventeen of the counts carry the death penalty. Fifteen of the counts contain a series of subclause questions that jurors must take up one by one and try to answer unanimously.”

Federal Judge George O’Toole met earlier with attorneys for both sides for about 30 minutes to address the questions raised by the seven-woman, five-man jury, which deliberated for more than seven hours Tuesday before ending the day without a verdict.

“The jury’s last question sought clarification on the difference between aiding and abetting. Twenty-five of the 30 counts charge Tsarnaev with aiding and abetting, sometimes in conjunction with a broader charge.”

The charges against Tsarnaev — totaling 30 counts — fall into four main categories. Twelve pertain to two pressure-cooker bombs used at the marathon on April 15, 2013, when three people died and more than 260 were injured. Three other charges deal with conspiracy; another three cover the fatal shooting on April 18, 2013, of MIT security officer Sean Collier.

The final 12 address what happened after Collier’s murder, including a carjacking, robbery and use of improvised explosives against Watertown, Mass., police officers.

Seventeen of the counts carry the death penalty. Fifteen of the counts contain a series of subclause questions that jurors must take up one by one and try to answer unanimously.

“Can a conspiracy pertain to a sequence of events over multiple days or a distinct event?”

If Tsarnaev is found guilty, the second phase of the trial will consider whether he should be sentenced to death or life in prison without parole.

O’Toole began Wednesday’s proceedings by reading the jurors’ questions, one of which had two parts, and delivering his answers.

“Can a conspiracy pertain to a sequence of events over multiple days or a distinct event?” was the first question.

“Duration is a question of fact for you to determine,” O’Toole told the jury. It could be limited to one event or apply to more than one. Tsarnaev is charged with conspiracy in three counts, all of which name four victims who were killed during the week of April 15, 2013.

Jurors also asked whether they need to consider all the subclauses in each count, or if reaching unanimity on the overall question of guilt for that count is sufficient.

O’Toole said they must consider every subclause only if they determine Tsarnaev is guilty on that charge.

For example, if they find him guilty of using a pressure-cooker bomb outside the Forum restaurant near the marathon finish line, they must proceed to answer five more questions, including whether he caused — or aided and abetted in causing — the deaths of Lingzi Lu and Martin Richard.

If they find him not guilty on a particular count, then they can move on. In the jury verdict form, 15 of the 30 counts contain a series of subclause questions. The fact that they’re asking about protocol for subclauses suggests they’ve reached a decision on one or more of the counts.

The jury’s last question sought clarification on the difference between aiding and abetting. Twenty-five of the 30 counts charge Tsarnaev with aiding and abetting, sometimes in conjunction with a broader charge.

“Aiding and abetting is a single concept,” O’Toole told the jury….(read more)

USAToday

More at Pundit From Another Planet

Disclaimer: This article was not written by Lorra B.

101st Returns Home From Liberia and Ebola Mission

March 3, 2015

Fox News:

A small number of U.S. troops will remain in Liberia to build on major gains in combating the Ebola virus following the return of more than 1,000 troops from the 101st Airborne Division, the Pentagon said Friday.

The 101st ended its mission in Liberia, where Ebola cases and transmission rates have fallen dramatically since the first U.S. servicemembers deployed to the country to fight the disease in September. Members of the 101st were expected to return to the U.S. in April.

The returning troops will have to undergo a 21-day “controlled monitoring,” or quarantine, period before they will be allowed contact with their families and others, said Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary.

Kirby said about 100 people, consisting of American troops, civilians and contractors, will remain in Liberia after April to provide engineering, medical training and facilities support in the continuing effort to contain the virus. In January, the Pentagon put the cost of the U.S. military’s work in Liberia at nearly $400 million.

Earlier, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was welcomed by an honor cordon at the Pentagon and met with Defense Secretary Aston Carter to thank the military for its efforts in her country.

History’s worst Ebola epidemic began in West Africa early last year, hitting hardest in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

At one point, the Centers for Disease Control projected that the region could have 1.6 million Ebola cases by mid-January, but the efforts of local governments backed by the U.S. military, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the World Health Organization and a range of non-governmental organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, combined to contain the virus.

Through Feb. 25, the CDC reported a total of 23,825 cases of Ebola in West Africa and 14,263 deaths.

In Sierra Leone, the CDC reported steep declines in case incidents while also warning that transmission remains widespread. Guinea also had declines in case incidents, the CDC said, and in Liberia “transmission continues at very low levels, with only one new case reported in the week up to February 22.”

Sirleaf met with President Obama at the White House, and both pledged continued work to bring reports of new Ebola cases down to zero.

“Our job is not yet done, and neighboring countries like Guinea and Sierra Leone are still somewhat behind the progress that’s been made in Liberia,” Obama said

More at Fox News: