No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama bin Laden, is set to be released under the Dutton imprint of Penguin Publishing House next month. Subtitled The Autobiography of a Navy Seal, this book will be the first direct account of the events. Articles published after bin Laden’s death were accounts from officials who had debriefed the members of SEAL Team 6, not the members of the teams themselves.

The book is written by one of the navy seals who participated in the mission firsthand, under the pseudonym Mark Owen. The author was the leader of one of the teams during the mission that killed bin Laden on May 2, 2011. For their protection, the names of all of the SEALs on the mission have been changed. Scheduled television interview will feature the author in disguise, with his voice altered.

Co-author Kevin Maurer is a journalist that has worked for the Navy SEALs six times and is the author of four books.

Penguin plans on printing 300,000 copies for the release on September 11, 2012 and continuing through the holiday season. The book is expected to be a bestseller.

So far, the book is the best kept secret of the company. While described as a “blow-by-blow narrative of the assault, beginning with the helicopter crash that could have ended Owen’s life straight through to the radio call confirming Bin Laden’s death” and “an essential piece of modern history” by the publisher, other officials were caught off guard by the announcement.

John Kirby, Navy spokesman, told the New York Times that “The author did not seek Navy support/approval for this book.”

George Little, Pentagon press Secretary, told the Times that “he had not read the book and was unaware that anyone in the department had reviewed it.”

CIA spokesman Preston Golson said “As far as we can determine, this book was not submitted for pre-publication review.”

Tommy Viater, National Security Council spokesman, said “We learned about this book today from press reports,” and added, “We haven’t reviewed it and don’t know what it says.”

It is unclear whether any legal action or attempt to stop the publication will be taken as of this time. This is indeed possible: all 10,000 copies of a book by a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer who described operations in Afghanistan were destroyed before publication because the book hadn’t been reviewed by official.

The book has the potential to impact the upcoming 2012 election, putting one of President Barack Obama’s achievements in the limelight before voters cast their ballots. According to the Washington Post, it may also raise issues on their aggressive campaign toward information leaks, while supposedly allowing the press in on many secrets.

The article Navy SEAL Writes Controversial Book about Bin Laden appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

New York, U.S.A. – ”President Obama’s endorsement of an Olympic games moment of silence in honor of slain Israelis is a welcome boost to the global campaign,” said AJC Executive Director David Harris.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has rejected public commemoration of the 11 Israeli Olympians murdered by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. In 1972 members of the Israeli Olympic team were kidnapped and then killed by the Palestinian group, the Black September. The Palestinians demanded that 234 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails be released and that all the members of Germany’s Red Army Faction be put into prison. The Palestinians killed eleven Israeli victims including coaches and athletes. Five of the eight Palestinians were killed when they tried to flee after the killings and the other three were captured.

However, West German officials released the three and Israel launched ‘Operation Wrath of God’ in order to track down all of those associated with the killings and kill them. The operation was successful but also resulted in the death of an innocent Norwegian man and four bystanders.

“We (the Obama administration) absolutely support the campaign for a minute of silence at the Olympics to honor the Israeli athletes killed in Munich,” National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor told Yahoo News by email.

Obama joins the growing outcry for IOC President Jacques Rogge to reconsider its longstanding opposition to the memorial before the London Olympic Games open on July 27. The Canadian and Australian parliaments, the U.S. Senate, the German Bundestag, and others have passed resolutions urging the IOC to hold a moment of silence. In addition,140 members of the Italian parliament expressed their support for the global campaign.

“The 11 victims in 1972 were Israeli, but the Palestinian terror attack in Munich was an assault on all who came to participate peacefully in the spirit of the Summer Olympics,” Harris added. “Is a minute of silence too much to ask, given the tragedy that befell the Israeli contingent and, indeed, the entire Olympic movement?”

The article Obama Supports Honoring Munich Victims at Olympics appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

American Jewish World Service (AJWS), an international development and human rights organization, and The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), the public affairs arm of the organized American Jewish community, have spearheaded an effort to organize faith-based leaders to warn of an impending humanitarian disaster in Sudan and urge the Obama administration to step up diplomacy aimed at convincing the Sudanese government to allow international humanitarian aid into Sudan’s border regions.

Over the past five months, fighting has escalated and millions remain trapped in the conflict without access to food. The region faces famine unless the Sudanese government allows a resumption of aid.

The AJWS and JCPA released letters to Secretary Clinton signed by over 350 rabbis and Jewish leaders and 15 prominent figures from across the faith community. These faith leaders called on the Obama administration to amplify efforts to reach a negotiated solution with the Sudanese government. If an agreement cannot be reached, the faith community hopes the U.S. will develop alternative plans to ensure aid reaches at-risk civilians.

“The faith community has joined together, calling in one voice for the U.S. to use its leadership and influence to protect the Sudanese people from what appears to be intentional starvation,” said JCPA president Rabbi Steve Gutow. “This disaster is not brought by weather or accidental circumstance, but rather because available food supplies are being prevented from reaching the people of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

We will not stand idly by, watching as entire populations are denied the opportunity to live a full life. Humanitarian groups are ready and able to help, and the U.S. must ensure that they are free to do so.”

“Food is an essential human need, not a weapon of war,” said Ruth Messinger, president of AJWS. “We know that people will soon begin dying and becoming malnourished in staggering numbers. The world cannot and must not passively watch people starve as humanitarian aid supplies are being obstructed and those who wish to flee are blocked. The faith community expects our leaders in government to step up their efforts and their level of urgency to stop this preventable disaster.”

Messinger and Rabbi Gutow will meet with Samantha Power, Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs, National Security Council, to discuss the Obama administration’s efforts in the region.

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

The article Obama Administration Pushed for Urgent Action in Sudan’s Border appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.