Since ancient times, man claims to have seen several UFOs. Many believe such stories, while others ignore what they see as crazy. The FBI declassified a document  in 2009 that contains police reports as well as newspaper and magazine clippings on a case that – to this day – brings much controversy: the case of cattle mutilation in cities and states such as Nebraska, Oklahoma, Minneapolis, and North and South Dakota between 1974 and 1978. During these four years, around two hundred animal mutilation cases were reported in 9 states all with similar -and really weird- patterns.

These mutilations were mainly seen on bovines, but also on animals such as horses, sheep, dogs and cats. They all had strange incisions in their genital areas as well as in other body parts like the nose, lips and udders. Besides these, there was a component that added a certain mystery. The FBI declassified document says that “in some instances, the blood from the animals was completed drained.”  So, the mutilated animal capillaries were found without any blood, which would not have happened if they had been attacked by predators. Besides, what kind of predator could have surgically removed the genitals of a cow?

There was a lot of speculation about what was causing these attacks. As seen in documents of that time, veterinarians believed that it could have been the attack of other animals such as foxes. But time passed by and no one found an explanation, so the FBI began to shuffle various theories on the origin of these attacks, such as satanic cults or pranksters.

But everything changed when in Morgan County, Colorado, several people reported that they saw something that looked like a helicopter flying around the areas where dead animals were found. There were some reports that say that strange people wearing black suits were piloting those choppers.

Agent Gabriel Valdez studied one of the mutilated cows and discovered 40 cm marks that were dug into the ground where the animal was found; these marks formed a triangle shape. It seemed that an airship landed there, caught the cow,  killed her, and landed back where the dead cow was found. Below traces of an oily substance, the grass was charred and radiation levels were much higher than normal.

Several people reported that they were chased by a similar helicopter. These events began to extend to other states, so police started to consider the possibility that they were UFOs. The declassified documents feature letters from some senators to the FBI asking for help.

Things got weirder when police found other patterns in the animal attacks. For example, animals did not fight to resist. We can take a look at the cases that took place on frozen ground, where there were no footprints found around the bodies. It seemed like animals were captured from the air and then dropped from there. Even weirder is the fact that police found some cuts that implied the use of scalpel or a sort of laser.

Citizens started to get frustrated with authority and could not wait any more, so they armed themselves to protect their livestock, their families and themselves. It seems that it scared whatever was preying on the animals because the attacks stopped, but to this day no one knows what was really going on.

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The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is attempting to block a brief filed by Director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy (IRmep) Grant F. Smith in the DC Court of Appeals on February 3, 2012.  The 78-page IRmep filing asserts “AIPAC has never abandoned its original role as an arm of the Israeli government in the United States.”

Citing declassified criminal investigations, IRmep underscores the public’s interest in the outcome of the case. “AIPAC’s observable standard for employees is ‘solicit, obtain and leverage classified information without being criminally indicted.’ AIPAC is never held publicly accountable for these types of activities which harm governance and public perception of rule of law.”

Exhibits include State Department files declassified on January 20, 2012 revealing in detail how former AIPAC Director Morris Amitay endangered US national security when he obtained Department of Defense secrets in 1974.  The IRmep brief also analyzes ongoing financial damages from a 1984-1987 incident.  The FBI investigated how AIPAC acquired an International Trade Commission report full of still-classified confidential business information.

AIPAC characterized the IRmep brief as “completely inaccurate portrayals of events that occurred decades ago” but seeks dismissal on procedural grounds.

IRmep argues for its acceptance even though oral arguments begin February 14, because “AIPAC is an organization that has long ‘had it both ways’” in functioning as an agent of the Israeli government without registering, influencing funding flows to political candidates while claiming charitable tax-exempt status, and rewarding employees who obtained classified information—until they are criminally indicted.”

Former employee Steven J. Rosen sued AIPAC and its board of directors for defamation in 2009.  AIPAC fired Rosen after FBI wiretaps alleged Rosen had received classified national defense information. Rosen was indicted for espionage in 2005 though charges were later dropped.  AIPAC claimed Rosen’s behavior “did not comport with standards that AIPAC expects of its employees.”  Rosen immediately appealed after the defamation suit was dismissed in 2011.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/speakerboehner/

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The September 11 terrorist attacks brought more than the loss of American lives, they brought considerable impact on internal affairs of the United States. The CIA’s involvement with the NYPD is considered, by many, another stain on the Agency’s long history of scandals.

The CIA has been accused of infiltrating the police department and using its resources to conduct spying operations on a domestic level, mainly targeting the Muslim community in New York City. After a thorough investigation, the Associated Press has published an article revealing the relationship between the Agency and the NYPD in the past ten years.

Work have been done on two main levels. First, a veteran CIA officer was assigned to be in charge of training a police officer who would put into practice new espionage techniques inside the police units. This action allowed the CIA to influence and reorient NYPD towards serving intelligence instead of fulfilling its normal duty as a law enforcement institution.

Secondly, a senior CIA officer was sent to work as a clandestine operative inside the police headquarters, with the main goal of supervising and watching the progression of the project. Bookstores, cafes, bars and nightclubs are some of the public places targeted by the program which consisted of citizens’ surveillance, also referred to in the AP report as “human mapping.”

The same reports said that the NYPD has sent “rakers” into minority neighborhoods to spy and gather data. Police have also used informants, referred to as “mosque crawlers,” to report on religious sermons or gatherings in mosques, even in the absence of suspicious activity.

In his comments on the issue, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, admitted that NYPD is working with the CIA, but defended its practices saying, “If there are threats or leads to follow, then the NYPD’s job is to do it. The law is pretty clear about what’s the requirement and I think they follow the law. We don’t stop to think about the religion. We stop to think about the threats and focus our efforts there.”

In a response to the report, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights organization, asked the Justice Department for an investigation into the case. CAIR attorney, Gadeir Abbas, believes that “the first amendment protects our right to associate freely with one another.”

“An investigation of a community [rather than of a crime or a particular person] unlawfully chills the rights of persons within that community. Furthermore, the Establishment Clause requires NYPD to maintain neutrality between all religions. Their intelligence unit appears to be failing to maintain that neutrality by institutionalizing suspicion of all things Islamic,” Abbas said.

Police involvement in CIA activities has blurred the lines of domestic and foreign affairs as well as the limits between local and federal jurisdiction.

Some say that the CIA’s dependence on the help of the NYPD is because of the the agency’s inexperience dealing with a domestic environment. The lack of diversity among the CIA’s personnel may also play into its inability to conduct operations independent of the police department. The NYPD has both features; a direct contact with citizens, as well as a culturally and linguistically diverse staff that more easily blends into the community.

Others are questioning why the CIA doesn’t try collaborating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) instead of NYPD. Whatever the reason, the issues surrounding privacy and freedom is not only found in the U.S. Many Arabs are currently fighting against regimes, where spying on citizens is routine. Meanwhile, many New Yorkers are unaware of the spying efforts of the CIA and police department.

Glynnis Jones / Shutterstock.com

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A federal prosecutor reported Thursday that a southeast Missouri man told his father he was guilty of murdering his own wife. Clay Waller, who was a suspect in his wife’s disappearance, told his father that he killed his wife and dumped her body in a hole, St. Louis News KSDK reported.

Jacque Waller, a 39-year-old mother of 5-year-old triplets from the southeast Missouri town of Cape Girardeau, has been missing since June 1, according to the Associated Press. Jacques family had suspected that Clay was involved in her disappearance. “It wasn’t any big shock to us. We’ve known about this for two and a half months,” said Stan Rawson, Jacque’s father.

According to KSDK, police told Jacque’s parents about Clay’s confession immediately after Clay confided in his father. Jacque’s parents said that in addition to the police telling them, Clay’s father told them directly. “He’s worried about Clay. He wants Clay to get mental help. He says the boy’s crazy. That’s what he told me,” said Mr. Rawson.

Clay initially denied any involvement in his wife’s disappearance and said that authorities were on a “witch hunt” to accuse him. In July, Waller told the Southeast Missourian, that he thought his wife had been abducted off of Interstate 55, where her blue Honda Pilot was found abandoned in the hours after she was discovered missing.

Since her disappearance, authorities and volunteers have looked for Jacque Waller. Hundreds of people have searched ponds, woods, and construction sites where Clay worked, the AP reported. According to KSDK, Clay is currently in jail on federal charges of making a death threat online to his sister in law, Cheryl. He also faces other charges on stealing and harassment.

Chief James Humphreys said he’s still in the process of building that case of Jacque’s disappearance. 

”We haven’t found Jacque. We haven’t found our victim. We’re going to focus on that before we go forward with prosecutors for charges,” said Chief Humphreys. Clay’s confession is helpful to the search party’s efforts.

They now have a better idea of which areas to search in. “The comment is helpful because it makes us think that she’s on land, not water,” said Lt. David James. On August 17, an article on Gather.com reported that a team of divers searched a nearby pond for Jacque’s body. The massive body of water measured nearly 40 feet deep.

As the search for her body continues, Clay remains locked behind bars. Authorities say he is due back in court on Monday.

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The US Homeland Security Department has acknowledged a ‘credible and specific’ report that al Qaeda is planning to blow up infrastructure in New York on the anniversary of the national tragedy that struck the United States 10 years ago on September 11.

New York’s mayor Michael Bloomberg told the press that the intelligence of the threat was uncorroborated but because of the nature of the situation, nobody was willing to take chances. “We know the terrorists regard the anniversary as an opportunity to strike again. We do live in a world where we must take these threats seriously,” Bloomberg said according to British newspaper The Guardian.

Intelligence agencies are behind the warning. To the Huffington Post, a US intelligence official said, “US counterterrorism entities have been alert for any leads, and for the first time we’ve received specific and credible – but unconfirmed – threat information linked to the 9/11 anniversary.

Any and all leads related to possible plots are of course being run to ground, and the US will bring every resource to bear to ensure the security of the American people.” The assistant director of the FBI in New York, Janice Fedarcyk, told The Guardian that initial suspicion was raised during the raid at Abbottabad, Pakistan that killed Osama Bin Laden.

The obtained intelligence showed that al-Qaida had an interest in several important dates – including 9/11. President Barack Obama has requested redoubled effort from the counter-terrorism forces in order to clarify the nature of the threat and Fedarcyk was sure to stress that “sometimes this reporting is credible and warrants intense focus, other times it lacks credibility and is highly unlikely to relate to real plots that are underway.”

Citizens of New York will have to deal with tightened security around the city. Sky News reports that extra police will carry out checks on cars around tunnels and bridges while there will be more bag inspections on the subway and more resources put into radiation and bomb monitoring.

Mayor Bloomberg said that while the authorities are taking additional measures to protect the city in anticipation of the weekend, he would like New Yorkers to go about their business as usual. “The best thing we can do to fight terror is to refuse to be intimidated by it.

For the past 10 years we have not allowed terrorists to intimidate us, we have lived out lives without fear and we will continue to do so,” said Bloomberg.
Ryan Rodrick Beiler / Shutterstock.com

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The FBI announced on Thursday that it will launch a probe into News Corporation, Fox News parent company, after the phone hacking scandal that has rocked the media world. Allegations have begun to surface that News Corp. hacked into private citizens’ voicemail including victims of 9/11. The public outrage has been loud and clear demanding an investigation into Rupert Murdoch’s giant media empire.

U.S. Senators Jay Rockefeller, Barbara Boxer, Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg (all Democrats) have called for various investigations. “My bet is we’ll find some criminal stuff,” Senator Rockefeller told CNN. “This is going to be a huge issue.”

Senator Frank Lautenberg wrote a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder and asked for the Department of Justice to investigate New Corp. for possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA.) Senator Boxer has also requested the FCPA to investigate.

Even some Republicans are beginning to throw Murdoch under the proverbial bus. Rep. Peter King (R-NY), who is not known for his impartiality, wrote a letter to FBI Director Robert Mueller. In it, he compared Murdoch’s brand of “fair and balanced” journalism to a criminal enterprise. “According the recent reports, journalists working for the News of the World solicited a New York police officer to gain access to the content of private phone records of 9/11 victims,” wrote King. “It is revolting to imagine that members of the media would seek to compromise the integrity of a public official for financial gain in the pursuit of yellow journalism,” He also said the allegations, could merit “felony charges.”

News Corp. continues to do damage control. The company is no longer trying to acquire controlling interest in British Sky Broadcasting. In England, the public outcry over the hacking scandal was even more boisterous than in the United States. Parliament also voted unanimously to disapprove the takeover forcing News Corp. to abandon their bid. News Corp. will likely have to give up all of their U.K. newspapers now that most of their advertisers are jumping ship.

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Six individuals are charged in South Florida and Pakistan for conspiring to provide financing to murder, maim and kidnap persons overseas as well as providing financing to the Pakistani, Taliban- a designated foreign terrorist organization.  South Florida U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer announced all six defendants would be charged on four-count indictments.

The defendants charged: Hafiz Muhammed Sher Ali Khan, 76, a U.S. citizen resident of Miami;  his son Irfan Khan, 37, a U.S. citizen resident of Miami;  and one other son, Izhar Khan, 24, a U.S. citizen resident of North Lauderdale, Fla.  Three other individuals also charged residing in Pakistan,  Faisal Ali Rehman, Alam Zeb and Amina Khan.  Amina Khan is daughter of Khan and her son Alam Zeb is Khan’s grandson.

Hafiz Khan and Izhar Khan were arrested by FBI agents in South Florida and are schedule to appear in federal court in Miami at 1:30 p.m. Monday, May 16, 2011.  Irfan Khan was arrested in Los Angeles and is expected to make an appearance in court the same day.   The remaining defendants are at large in Pakistan.  If convicted for each count of the indictment-could face 15 years in prison.

The FBI in collaboration with the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) had been investigating from around 2008 through November 2010 suspicious bank accounts and wire transfers from the U.S. to the Pakistani Taliban.  The funds were intended to buy guns to sustain militants, their families and support terrorism.

According to the allegations the defendants provided money and financial services to support the Pakistani, Taliban.  As of December 2007, the Pakistani-based terrorist organization was formed by an alliance of radical Islamist militants.  The U.S. State Department designated the Pakistani Taliban as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality act on August 12, 2010.  In Afghanistan, the Pakistani Taliban has ties to both al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer stated, “Despite being an Imam, or spiritual leader, Hafiz Khan was by no means a man of peace. Instead, as today’s charges show, he acted with others to support terrorists to further acts of murder, kidnapping and maiming. But for law enforcement intervention, these defendants would have continued to transfer funds to Pakistan to finance the Pakistani Taliban, including its purchase of guns. Dismantling terrorist networks is a top priority for this office and the Department of Justice.”

“Today terrorists have lost another funding source to use against innocent people and U.S. interests. We will not allow this country to be used as a base for funding and recruiting terrorists,” said John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Miami Office. “I remind everyone that the Muslim and Arab-American members of our community should never be judged by the illegal activities of a few.”

According to the indictment, the Pakistani Taliban has committed remorseless violence acts against Pakistan, allies, U.S. and enforcement of strict Islamic law known as Sharia.  Countless suicide bombings resulting in the death of civilians, Pakistani Police, army, government personnel, and other brutal acts of murder, kidnapping and maiming.  The indictment alleges that defendant Khan supported the Pakistani Taliban through a madrassa or Islamic school.  Khan alleged to use the madrassa as shelter and has sent children from the madrassa to train to kill Americans in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for attacks against U.S. interests, including the December 2009 attack bombing at a U.S. military base in Khost, Afghanistan.  Along the Pakistan border seven U.S. citizens were killed.  An April 2010 suicide bomb killed six Pakistani citizens at the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar.  On May 1, 2010, Faisal Shahzad attempted to detonate an explosive device in New York City’s Times Square.  Lastly, the most recent devastating suicide attack on May 13, 2011 killed 80 people at a military training facility in northwest Pakistan.  The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility.

The allegations in the indictments recorded conversations in July 2009 between Khan and Irfan plotting an attack on the Pakistani assembly that resemble the September 2008 suicide bombing of the Islamabad Marriott Hotel in Pakistan.  On September 2010 another recorded conversation, Hafiz Kahn provided information to a Pakistani Taliban militant in Karachi that the mujahideen in Afghanistan had killed seven American soldiers and declared his wish that God kills 50,000 more.

In closing, Mr. Ferrer noted, “Let me be clear that this is not an indictment against a particular community or religion. Instead, today’s indictment charges six individuals for promoting terror and violence through their financial and other support of the Pakistani Taliban. Radical extremists know no boundaries; they come in all shapes and sizes and are not limited by religion, age or geography.”

An indictment is only an accusation and a defendant are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

(Sources: Federal Bureau of Investigation Miami Field Office)

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Since the late 2008,when the program Secure Communities initiated,there has been confusion about its enforcement and its interpretations.

Documents containing hundreds of messages, mostly copies of emails sent between officials of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and public relations advisers from early 2009 and the present time,show all the uncertainty and the misunderstanding created by this obscure and vague program.

“I’m totally confused now. I’ve got so many versions of the opt-out language I don’t know what’s current and what’s not. It seems like we have different language for different purposes and it’s confusing. Can we put this on today’s agenda to talk about?”

This is one of the emails,written on June 2010 by a member of the ICE staff who expressed his perplexity on the question,and it is just one of the many collected by the National Day Labourers Organizing Network with the help of the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Cardozo School of Law.

Secure Communities is a program wanted by the Obama administration to enforce the laws of immigration and crime and,by 2013 it should be spread to all local jurisdictions in any states. It consists of a collaboration between the state and the local police. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) databases are put at their disposal to check either the criminal records and the immigration history of those immigrants who are arrested.

Since the program started in 2008 has led to the deportation of about 58.300 immigrants with criminal convictions but, groups of immigrants advocacy opposing to the program say that in reality it has led to the unjust deportation of thousands of illegal immigrants with no criminal records or of people arrested just for minor traffic infractions, tearing established families apart.

According to ICE are 39 the states where Secure Communities is at the present time. Still many states are opposing the enforcement of the program. New Jersey, the state with the nation’s sixth largest immigrant population, is one of those refusing to join it and also supporting the protest against the inefficiency of Secure Communities.

The confusion is mostly related to the fact that it’s not clear whether the program is voluntary or mandatory. Can the local law enforcement agencies opt out of it or not?

Over these years the responses of ICE have been different and conflicting, changing every time. There isn’t any legal and official mandate that indicates the program enforcement is mandatory, but DHS decided in October 2010 that local jurisdictions could not opt out of Secure Communities, giving no clear explanations about the legality of this imposition. Thus the doubts about the constitutionality of making the program mandatory are still strong.

Moreover even at the technical level it is totally confusing how exactly should the criminal identification process work. The FBI databases are shared with the DHS databases now,so apparently there is no way, technically, to limit the ICE’s filtering by the local jurisdiction, even if those refuse to participate to the program.

Highlighting all these problems due to the conflict and the obscurity of the program,the immigration advocates oppose strongly Secure Communities, pointing the question that immigration is a federal problem and any state should enforce specific federal laws and, especially should be free to opt out of the program.

So can a state law so vague and confusing be enforced obligatory by every local jurisdiction?

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