Justice Dept. clears Virginia voter ID law !

Justice Dept. clears Virginia voter ID law 20 Aug 2012 The Department of Justice has cleared Virginia's new voter ID law to take effect for the November election. The new law -- labeled a "strict non-photo identification law" by the National Conference of State Legislatures -- expands the range of acceptable forms of identification, including some non-photo forms of ID. However, the law eliminates the option for voters to sign an affidavit if they do not have adequate ID -- currently, if voters don't have a correct form of ID they can cast a provisional ballot. [Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan know that they do and say whatever they please, as Coup 2012 is well underway. Amerikan KKKrossroads, backed by the Supreme Court, picks our leaders now. 

Nurse Who 'Saw Everything' at Hospital After 'Batman' Shootings Found Dead at 46 18 Aug 2012 Jenny Gallagher, a nurse who treated victims of the highly suspicious 'Batman' shooting in Aurora, Colorado last month, is dead at age 46. The reported cause of death: drowning. "She worked the morning after the Batman massacre in a very busy unit of the hospital - so she saw everything really, some really bad injuries," her husband Greg reportedly told Ireland's Herald earlier today... Gallagher was actually found dead ten days ago, on August 7th. Despite recent conflicting and incorrect reports about the location (multiple reports say it was in Colorado, while another says Ohio), The End Run has determined that she was actually found dead in Okoboji Lake, which is in Dickson County, Iowa, about 700 miles from her home town of Denver by car. [See also: Aurora, Colorado Shooting 'Oddities' By Lori Price.]

Syria: Barack Obama 'red line' warning over chemical weapons 20 Aug 2012 President Barack Obama has warned that the use or movement of chemical weapons by the Syrian government would be a "red line" that could trigger an American intervention. Mr Obama said that Bashar al-Assad would face "enormous consequences" if he deployed chemical weapons as he battles to put quell the 17-month [foreign-backed] uprising against his government. The threat of chemical weapons could "change the calculus" on the need to intervene, Mr Obama warned.

Obama warns Syria chemical weapons use may spark US action 20 Aug 2012 US President Barack Obama has said the use of chemical weapons by Syria would be a "red line" that would change his thinking on intervention in the crisis. He said he had "at this point not ordered military engagement". But he added: "There would be enormous consequences if we start seeing movement on the chemical weapons front or the use of chemical weapons."

Syria Rebels 'Aided By British Intelligence' 19 Aug 2012 Forces loyal to President Bashar al Assad have reportedly used helicopter gunfire and mortars in the battle for Aleppo, amid fresh claims British intelligence is helping rebel fighters to oust the Syrian leader. According to an opposition official, information on Syrian troop movements is helping rebels [aka foreign terrorists] launch successful attacks on government forces in the second city, where both sides have been locked in fierce fighting for weeks. "British intelligence is observing things closely from Cyprus," the official told The Sunday Times.

U.S. Says Iraqis Are Helping Iran to Skirt Sanctions 19 Aug 2012 When President Obama announced last month that he was barring a Baghdad bank from any dealings with the American banking system, it was a rare acknowledgment of a delicate problem facing the administration in a country that American troops just left: for months, Iraq has been helping Iran skirt economic sanctions imposed on Tehran because of its nuclear program. The little-known bank singled out by the United States, the Elaf Islamic Bank, is only part of a network of financial institutions and oil-smuggling operations that, according to current and former American and Iraqi government officials and experts on the Iraqi banking sector, has provided Iran with a crucial flow of dollars at a time when sanctions are squeezing its economy.

KBR Must Face Guardsmen's Toxic-Chromium Suit, Judge Says 17 Aug 2012 KBR Inc. must face a trial on claims that it knowingly exposed U.S. troops to toxic chromium dust in 2003 while they were guarding a company work site in Iraq, a Houston judge ruled. Dozens of U.S. national guardsmen from Indiana and West Virginia have sued the Houston-based military contractor over health problems they blame on exposure to hexavalent chromium dust, a carcinogenic orange-yellow powder used to 'fight corrosion' in water pipes.

Romney Pledges More Support for U.S. Military in Afghanistan 20 Aug 2012 The decade-long and deeply unpopular Afghanistan War re-entered the political limelight Monday when Mitt Romney and his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan,  vowed to provide troops with whatever necessary to complete their mission [securing the CIA's opium routes] there... While President Obama has advocated for some $500 billion in spending cuts at the Pentagon, Mr. Romney's budget could increase defense spending by $2 trillion over the next decade, compared to the current budget.

Taliban fire mortars at Bagram Airbase 16 Aug 2012 The Taliban claimed Wednesday to have caused damage and casualties to the foreign forces by firing mortars at the Bagram Airport. ISAF, however, said the attack did not cause any significant damage [?!?] to the facility. The Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) their fighters fired two mortars at the Bagram Airbase, the largest base of foreign forces in Afghanistan, last night. He said both the mortars landed in the base. He said fire erupted in the base after the mortars hit the facility, causing losses and casualties.

FBI probed GOP trip with drinking, nudity in Israel 19 Aug 2012 The FBI probed a late-night swim in the Sea of Galilee that involved drinking, numerous GOP freshmen lawmakers, top leadership staff - and one nude member of Congress, according to more than a dozen sources, including eyewitnesses. During a fact-finding congressional trip to the Holy Land last summer, Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-Kan.) took off his clothes and jumped into the sea, joining a number of members, their families and GOP staff during a night out in Israel, the sources told POLITICO. The Sea of Galilee, a Christian holy site, is where Jesus is said in the Bible to have walked on water.

Anonymous launches DDOS attacks in the name of Julian Assange --@AnonIRC: 'The website of the UK Ministry of Justice is down.' 20 Aug 2012 Anonymous targeted United Kingdom government websites today in a show of solidarity with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who is fleeing London to Ecuador for fear of being extradited to the United States. The hacker collective famous for using distributed denial of service attacks to make a political point allegedly attacked the U.K. Justice Department website, along with British Prime Minister's website "Number 10." Other reports included attacks on the Department of Work and Pensions. Anonymous used the hash tag "#OpFreeAssange," referencing the founder of Wikileaks who was taken into custody in the U.K. for sex-crime allegations in Sweden.

Assange urges US to end 'war on whistleblowers' 20 Aug 2012 WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has urged the US to end its "witch-hunt" as he used an appearance at the Ecuadorean embassy to thank supporters. Assange thanked the nation of Ecuador for taking a "stand for justice" in giving him political asylum, while warning that the US risked shunting the world into an era of journalistic oppression. He appeared on the balcony of the South American country's embassy in London, where he has been taking refuge for two months as he seeks to avoid extradition to Sweden to face questioning on sexual assault allegations.

Assange to Speak Amid Extradition Stand-Off 19 Aug 2012 WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is due to face the world's media as the diplomatic stand-off between Britain and Ecuador over his fate continues. Assange has been holed up at the Ecuadorian embassy in central London for two months to avoid extradition to Sweden where he is wanted for questioning over alleged sexual misconduct - claims he denies. He is due to make his first public statement since Ecuador announced it had granted him asylum last week, but the Foreign Office has refused to grant him safe passage out of the UK and he will be arrested if he sets foot outside the embassy.

'You don't know who you're dealing with': Ecuador President warns Britain off 'grotesque' threat to storm embassy over Julian Assange 18 Aug 2012 The diplomatic row over Julian Assange escalated last night when the President of Ecuador warned Britain that any attempt to storm its embassy in London would destroy relations between the two countries. Rafael Correa used his weekly address to the nation to deliver his strongest warning to Britain yet, describing the UK's stance as 'grotesque' and 'intolerant'. He said if British police 'violated Ecuador's diplomatic mission' in London it would destroy ties between the two countries.

Huckabee to Akin: 'Horrible' rapes created some extraordinary people By James Rainey 20 Aug 2012 The man trying to provide Rep. Todd Akin the softest possible landing after the congressman's foolish comments about pregnancy and rape was former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a strong supporter of Akin during his run to represent Missouri in the U.S. Senate. In the furor over Akin's remarks and increasing pressure for him to drop out of his race against Sen. Claire McCaskill, Huckabee used his syndicated radio program Monday to give the embattled [Republican] candidate a safe venue to express remorse and his determination to remain in the race. Huckabee also took the opportunity to cast the best possible light on Akin's awkward position. The former Arkansas governor and onetime GOP presidential contender suggested a couple of cases in which he suggested that rapes, though "horrible tragedies," had produced admirable human beings.

Akin Says He Won't Drop Out of U.S. Senate Race in Missouri 20 Aug 2012 Republican Todd Akin said he won’t drop out of the Missouri Senate race even as he apologized to those who'd been "hurt" by his assertion yesterday that "legitimate rape" rarely leads to pregnancy. "This was a very, very serious error," Akin said today in an interview with former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee on the former Republican presidential candidate's radio show. "I feel just as strongly as ever that my background and ability will be a big asset in replacing Claire McCaskill." Several Republican lawmakers have called for Akin to leave the Senate race.

Republican congressman says 'legitimate rape' does not cause pregnancy 19 Aug 2012 Republican congressman Todd Akin has sparked fury by claiming that victims of "legitimate rape" rarely get pregnant. Representative Todd Akin, a Missouri congressman who is also his party's nominee for the US Senate, said that "from what I understand from doctors" women's bodies naturally reject pregnancies that result from rape. The six-term representative made the comments as he argued that abortion should be illegal even in cases of rape or incest.

Augusta National adds first two female members --9/11 co-conspirator and Iraq war architect Condoleezza Rice asked to join club 20 Aug 2012 For the first time in its 80-year history, Augusta National Golf Club has female members. The home of the Masters has invited former Secretary of State [war criminal] Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina financier Darla Moore to become the first women in green jackets when the club opens for a new season in October. Both women have accepted.

Conservation officers find more polar bear dens near Manitoba-Ontario boundary 20 Aug 2012 Manitoba conservation officials have stumbled across a pleasant surprise -- a large number of polar bear dens along the Hudson Bay coast near the Ontario boundary. The dens lie in an area southeast of Wapusk National Park and east of the Nelson River. It's a region along the southern end of the polar bear's range and not as well-known as Wapusk, Churchill and other areas to the north. But the area's polar bears are threatened by a shrinking feeding season. The amount of time every year that ice covers that stretch of Hudson Bay, allowing the bears to hunt seals, has been reduced by three weeks. That makes it harder for female bears to gain enough weight to give birth.