Dinah Lord

Lockerbie Bomber Death Watch: He's still alive (evidently) and the UK government hosed the Lockerbie families

Fat, ragged and sassy with roses in his cheeks.  He's definitely wearing makeup   --->

Well, when we last checked in with Allah's handmaiden it was November 1st, it's now November 30th and according to all the major news services, the Lockerbie Bomber is still alive.  What can I say?

What I can say is that after reading all of the stuff that's been coming out about this whole deal?  There's no other way to describe how shabbily the families of the Lockerbie victims have been treated - they got hosed!

From the Scotsman:

FEARS have been raised that Kenny MacAskill unduly influenced the course of criminal proceedings by delaying key decisions over the release of the Lockerbie bomber.  As Mr MacAskill faces MSPs today to answer questions about the release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, a Lockerbie relative said it was "unclear" whether the justice secretary acted responsibly.

In a submission to Holyrood's justice committee, Matt Berkley, who lost his brother in the bombing, highlighted delays he says put pressure on the bomber to drop his appeal.

These include a 43-day wait to contact the relatives after the transfer application was made and a three-week wait to respond to Megrahi's acceptance of Mr MacAskill's invitation for a meeting.

Mr Berkley also said it was not clear the Scottish Government had "provided accurate, fair and balanced information to the prisoner".  He said Mr MacAskill appeared not to have told Megrahi the range of options he had in relation to the dropping of his appeal. "Did the justice secretary take adequate care, through promptness of action and appropriate information to the appellant, to avoid influencing the court process?" asked Mr Berkley in his submission.

A spokesman for Mr MacAskill said: "Megrahi and his legal team chose to abandon their appeal … their decision bore no relation to the release."

What about the delay, douche bag Mr. Spokesman?  [CRICKETS}

And since we're on the subject, what about this?  Lockerbie bomber linked to Libya's chemical weapons.

Warning - Chomsky Barf Alert:  British MP's, activist say Malta should defend itself on Lockerbie case.  IOW blame it on Malta.

Stinks to high heaven:  UK Shooting Party:  Lord Mandelson, Cherie Blair ... and Gaddafi's son?

British racing crew held in Iran identified.

They may have 'inadvertently strayed' into Iranian waters after experiencing mechanical difficulty - by 500 yards.

From the Daily Mail:

It appears that the high-tech yacht was swept towards Iran by strong winds after its propeller was damaged. The crew were named as Sam Usher, Olly Smith, Luke Porter and Oliver Young - and David Bloomer, who works as a radio presenter in Bahrain.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes the Brit Diplowads are furious.  Clearly, they were planning on doing a Lockerbie Bomber and cutting a double secret deal.  Sonsabi&ches.

Diplomats say they have been in 'indirect contact' with the hostages and that they are confident they are being well treated.  Privately the officials are furious that the news broke. They had hoped to keep the incident secret in order to avoid a new diplomatic incident with Iran.

Related:  Iran confiscates racing yacht and British crew.

Gatecrasher-gate just keeps getting better and better...

Now a Defense Department official is involved?

A top Defense Department official corresponded with Tareq and Michaele Salahi in an effort to get them into last week's White House state dinner, according to sources familiar with an investigation into the security breach. On Friday the couple turned over copies of the email exchange to the Secret Service investigators.

Sources said the e-mails were sent from Michele S. Jones, the special assistant to the Secretary of Defense and the Pentagon-based liaison to the White House, who lists the Salahis' lawyer, Paul W. Gardner, as one of her 50 friends on the Facebook social networking site.

Several people familiar with the Jones-Salahi correspondence argued the e-mails support the Salahis' case that they were cleared to attend Tuesday night's gala.

"There was e-mail correspondence confirming they were legitimately supposed to be there," said Casey Margenau, a close friend of the couple. "They understood they were invited."

"I did not state at any time, or imply that I had tickets for ANY portion of the evening's events," Jones said in a statement released by the White House late Monday. "I specifically stated that they did not have tickets and in fact that I did not have the authority to authorize attendance, admittance or access to any part of the evening's activities. Even though I informed them of this, they still decided to come."

Unh-huh.  Wonder why the statement was released by the White House and not the DoD?

The e-mail exchange is said to include assurances from Jones that she was trying to score an official invitation, complete with seats at the dinner, for the couple. By the time they arrived in line, the couple believed that Jones had succeeded in getting them approved only for the cocktail reception and a handshake with the president, sources said.

 <---About Miss Jones:

Jones, a former top sergeant major in the Army who endorsed President Obama and was a featured speaker at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, was appointed to her current government post in July.

According to the Army Web site GoArmy.com, Jones entered the service in 1982 and was the first woman to serve as a class president at the U.S. Sergeants Major Academy. As the 9th Command Sergeant Major of the Army Reserve, a position she held between 2002 and 2006, she visited soldiers throughout the country and at bases around the world and relayed concerns to leaders in the Army, Department of Defense and Congress.

How the Ft. Hood Jihadi's terror imam got away...

Anwar al Awlaki, the one that got away.  ---->

From ABC News:

A felony arrest warrant for radical Islamic cleric Anwar al-Awlaki was rescinded in 2002 a day before he was intercepted as a terror suspect at New York's JFK airport, forcing authorities to release him, according to sources familiar with the case.

The warrant was cancelled by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Denver, even though Awlaki was on a terror watch list, and even though the office's supervising prosecutor for terror cases -- who has now been named by President Obama as the new U.S. Attorney in Denver -- had been fully briefed on Awlaki's alleged terror ties, according to investigators.

 <---  U.S Attorney David Gaouette.

 And now this joker says he doesn't know nothin' about nothin'.  Nobody else does either.

"The agent says the supervisory assistant U.S. Attorney on the case, David Gaouette, had been fully briefed on Awlaki's suspected terrorism ties. At the time, Gaouette oversaw all terror cases in the Denver-based District of Colorado, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office.

Gaouette, an assistant U.S. attorney since 1989, was appointed this August by President Obama as the U.S. Attorney for Colorado.  When asked why Awlaki's arrest warrant had been rescinded, a public affairs officer said Gaouette was unfamiliar with the particulars of the Awlaki case, and would have to research it before he could comment.  Gaouette's office did not reply to a request for a copy of the Awlaki arrest warrant. The clerk's office for the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado was also unable to provide a copy of the warrant, citing the age of the case and the fact that the warrant was rescinded."

I'm mad as hell, too.

"Investigators are mad as hell," said Paul Sperry, "and they have a valid point in asking whether a dozen soldiers would be alive today if they'd been allowed to put the screw to Awlaki when they had the chance."

WA cop killer 'had changed' while in prison.

Details on Maurice Clemmons Arkansas parole hearing are beginning to trickle out and it sure looks like Clemmons knew just what buttons to push to ensure his release.

From the Seattle Times:

Clemmons wrote in an appeal to Huckabee that he'd been sent to prison after an extended crime spree that started in 1989 when he was a teenager — and that he was a different person now.

At the time of the crimes — which included aggravated robbery, firearms possession and burglary — Clemmons claimed he was 16 years old and had moved from Seattle to a high-crime neighborhood in Arkansas.

"I succumbed to the peer pressure and the need I had to be accepted by other youth in my new environment and fell in with the wrong crowd and thus began a seven (7) month crime spree which led me to prison," Clemmons wrote in his application to Huckabee.

Clemmons said he came from "a very good Christian family" and "was raised much better than my actions speak (I'm still ashamed to this day for the shame my stupid involvement in these crimes brought to my family name.)," he wrote.

"Where once stood a young (16) year old misguided fool, who's (sic) own life he was unable to rule. Now stands a 27 year old man, who has learned through 'the school of hard knocks' to appreciate and respect the rights of others. And who has in the midst of the harsh reality of prison life developed the necessary skills to stand along (sic) and not follow a multitude of do evil, as I did as a 16 year old child."

Clemmons added that his mother had recently died without seeing him turn his life around and that he prayed Huckabee would show compassion by releasing him.

Hon. Marion Humphrey.  Judge Humphrey has a divinity degree from Harvard and a law degree from the University of Arkansas.--->

The documents indicate Clemmons' release from prison was supported by Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Marion Humphrey, who cited Clemmons' age at the time of his crimes and called his sentence excessive. His release was unanimously approved by the parole board.

Humphrey said Monday he remembers Clemmons and believed he was genuinely remorseful and wanted to change.

"I figure young people make some mistakes," he said. Also a Presbyterian minister, Humphrey said he believes in giving people a second chance.

Humphrey in 2004 also officiated Clemmons' wedding when he married his fiance Nicole Cheryleen Smith, according to a copy of the marriage certificate.

"It would be the furthest thing from my mind that he would go out and kill four police officers, if in fact he did," Humphrey said. "Certainly if that's true, I would much rather that he'd stayed in prison... my heart goes out to the officers' families."

Mine does, too.  Especially after reading this.

P.S.  Let's not forget that the Pierce County court were the ones who granted bail to Maurice Clemmons last week despite the presence of an outstanding warrant for his arrest in Arkansas and was facing EIGHT felony charges in the state of Washington.

Update:  Pierce County's side of the story.  It's all Arkansas's fault.

Arrested on July 1 after he came to Pierce County Superior Court, Clemmons was initially held on a no-bail warrant out of Arkansas filed after he was charged in the May assault and malicious mischief case. In Pierce County, Clemmons' bail amounted to $190,000 in the cases against him, which, by then, included a second-degree child rape charge.

Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist said Arkansas withdrew the no-bail hold on July 22, enabling Clemmons to post the $190,000 bail to gain his release.

Prosecutors did not request that Clemmons' bail amount be increased, though they did argue successfully against a reduction proposed by Clemmons' attorney, Lindquist said.

"Typically, that amount would be enough to hold a defendant," Lindquist said at his office Monday. "This would all be a moot point if the no-bail hold was still in effect."

In the weeks that followed the removal of the no-bail hold, Clemmons was able to put together a bond payment and secure his release on Nov. 23. Days before his release, prosecutors had filed paperwork indicating they would seek a life-sentence against Clemmons under Washington's "three-strikes" law targeting persistent offenders.

Lindquist said whether that sentence could be imposed remained an open question, as a judge would have to agree that Clemmons' Arkansas convictions were "strike" offenses under Washington law.

Russian Train Bombing - 4 suspects now sought

Suspects sought in Russian train bombing. 

Can you believe one of them is a former Caucacus soldier who "defected to a group of Islamic terrorists"?  (Paging Major Nidal Malik Hasan.)  Hard to feature, I know.  /s

Russian police investigators said Monday they had located the hideout of four persons suspected in the train bombing- derailment at the weekend which killed 26 persons and injured 100.

A police spokesman was cited by the Interfax agency as saying a hideout had been found in a village not far from the scene and that in an attic the traces of four suspects had been discovered. The hunt for the four was now underway with the help of phantom pictures, the spokesman said, in developments three days after the late-night derailment of the Nevsky Express train on the busy St. Petersburg-Moscow line.

Moscow media, citing investigators, reported that the chief suspect being sought was a former soldier from the northern Caucasus region who had defected to a group of Islamic terrorists.

More on those Islamic terrorists:

The business daily Kommersant cited an unidentified police source as saying authorities suspect the latest bombing involved the same criminal group linked to an almost identical attack on the same track in 2007. The 2007 attack injured dozens in the train that passed over an explosive device; the motive went unexplained.

Two suspects in the 2007 blast were detained but a third, Pavel Kosolapov, a former military officer believed to have links to Chechen separatists, remains a fugitive.

<--- Recently released composite sketch.

Additional details - a woman is among the four suspects.

"According to preliminary information, four people lived in this house for some days before the attack. The DNA of four people has been found, one of which is the DNA of a woman. We have reason to think that these people are linked to the attack," the source said.

UK: Baroness Warsi gets egged by Muslims...

I suppose it could have been worse, after all they could have been throwing stones.

From the Daily Mail:

Conservative peer Baroness Warsi of Dewsbury, named Britain's most powerful Muslim woman, has been pelted with eggs during a visit to Luton. The Baroness, 38, was taking part in a walkabout in the Muslim Bury Park area of Luton when she was confronted by a group of male protesters.

Baroness Warsi, who was hit by at least one egg, debated with the men after they accused her of not being a proper Muslim (uh-oh.  Apostasy = 'I kill you' in Islam) and supporting the death of Muslims in Afghanistan.

Baroness Warsi told the BBC that the men were "idiots who did not represent the majority of British Muslims". She said she had tried to talk to the protesters but they did not want to debate their concerns.

'I stood up to this group and said I challenge your views,' she told BBC News. 'They just weren't prepared to listen. They shouted. 'I said if you want to have this debate, listen.'

She continued with her walkabout, but with a police escort.

So how's that Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion and Social Action thing working out for you, Baroness Warsi?

Iran confiscates racing yacht and British racing crew.

They were evidently on the way to the Dubai Muscat race.

According to the Daily Mail:

"Members of Sail Bahrain were due to arrive in Dubai on November 26 on board the Kingdom of Bahrain race yacht.

The site says: 'Skippering the Kingdom of Bahrain entry is experienced offshore sailor and Team Director of Sail Bahrain, Nick Crabtree who, along with members of his shore crew, will be joined by Bahrain’s national sailing hero, Sami Kooheji and Captain Peter Gronberg, Managing Director of GAC, one of the largest shipping companies in the region and logistics partner to Sail Bahrain.'

So far the Foreign Office has refused to name any of the crew members being held.

Quiet diplomacy isn't working - and the Brits are having trouble getting their calls returned.  Looks like the Iranians are up to their old tricks.

From Sky News:

Five British sailors on a racing yacht have been detained by Iran after they may have inadvertently strayed into its waters.

The vessel, owned by Sail Bahrain and crewed by the British nationals, was stopped by Iranian naval vessels last Wednesday, said the Foreign Office.

The five are still in Iran and all are understood to be safe and well.

Their families have been informed of the incident. The yacht was on its way from Bahrain to Dubai and may have strayed inadvertently into Iranian waters.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband said UK officials "immediately contacted the Iranian authorities in London and in Tehran on 25 November, both to seek clarification and to try and resolve the matter swiftly".  He added: "Our ambassador in Tehran has raised the issue with the Iranian Foreign Ministry and we have discussed the matter with the Iranian Embassy in London.  "I hope this issue will soon be resolved. We will remain in close touch with the Iranian authorities, as well as the families."

Sky News foreign affairs editor Tim Marshall said: "The Foreign Office has tried to get these people out through quiet diplomacy, and they had some problems. "The Iranians are being hard to contact - and it has been the festival of Eid.

"The actual festival has finished but it's a little bit like the extended Christmas holidays in the Christian calendar and government can shut down for up to 6-10 days.

"The Foreign Office has had problems contacting the right people at the right level."

Washington D.C.'s As-Sabiqun Mosque wishes us a happy Eid Mubarak

I wish the FBI would investigate their a$$es.

 "... cause célèbre Islam forecasts an inevitable violent revolution between American Muslims (particularly African American Muslims) and the U.S. government"

From Counter Terrorism Blog's, Madeline Gruen:

The day after Thanksgiving, Muslims begin the celebration of Eid al-Adha, or "Festival of Sacrifice," which commemorates the end of the Hajj season, and the willingness of the Prophet Abraham to sacrifice his son to demonstrate his devotion to Allah. The morning starts with prayers, followed by visits to family and friends. During the festivities, those who can afford to sacrifice an animal as a way of paying tribute to Abraham. The meat is then distributed amongst friends and family, and a generous portion is given to the poor.

As-Sabiqun, a Washington, DC-based extremist group, plans to divert the focus of the festivities away from the themes of generosity and sacrifice by distributing a leaflet  (shown above) at morning prayers that portrays Major Nidal Hasan (who opened fire on soldiers at Ft. Hood, killing 13 and wounding 30 others) as a victim of the "Zionist American" government that is employing a program of "psychological warfare" to "oppress Muslims."

This is a clear example of what the Center for Terrorism Research at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies has termed "Cause Célèbre Islam."

Cause célèbre Islam forecasts an inevitable violent revolution between American Muslims (particularly African American Muslims) and the U.S. government. As-Sabiqun is one of the most visible and vocal groups that typifies cause célèbre Islam. Publicly, As-Sabiqun's founder, leader, and imam, Abdul Alim Musa, does not appear to share religious wisdom or guidance.  Rather, his constant theme is that of threats and harassment against Muslims by the U.S. government. The most recent issue of the CTR Vantage covers cause célèbre Islam; its origins and its current manifestations.

The leaflet As-Sabiqun intends for distribution at holiday celebrations tomorrow refers to President Obama as "Judas Goat" - suggesting that he is a puppet who leads Muslims to the slaughterhouse. The leaflet also declares that As-Sabiqun charges the U.S. government with "high crimes and treason." The ultimate purpose of the leaflet is the raise money for As-Sabiqun to transform its old masjid facilities into the "Islamic Institute for Counter Zionist American Psychological Warfare" - framing it as something of a headquarters from which they can launch a counter-attack on the U.S. government in the war they perceive is being waged against them.

As-Sabiqun is not a large organization, however, many group adherents are former convicts who converted to Islam while in prison. It is unlikely As-Sabiqun will launch an attack, but Musa's rhetoric is reminiscent of former UK-based clerics, such as Abu Hamza al-Masri, Omar Bakri Mohammed, and Abdullah al-Faisal, all of whom played a direct role in radicalizing individuals who committed terrorist attacks, and some who played roles in major terrorist plots. Unfortunately, the U.K. government did not act to remove these clerics from positions where they could influence young British Muslims until they had already planted a seed, which continues to spread. Many in the U.K. dismissed al-Masri, Bakri Mohammed, and al-Faisal as buffoons who had marginal influence and little credibility. As-Sabiqun and its leader Abdul Alim Musa could be viewed in much the same way. However, Musa travels around the country to speak at mosques and to student organizations at large American universities. The distribution of the Eid al-Adha leaflet may be a small drop in the bucket among many cumulative drops.

Let's keep an eye on this one, possums.  He sounds too much like Luqman Abdullah Ameen to take lightly.

WA cop killer search/standoff continues.

Update - 6:15 pm MST: Clemmons: “watch TV tomorrow, I’m going to shoot some cops,” according to the investigators.

Update - 5:55 pm MST: Clemmons family may be helping him avoid capture

"The sources said they suspect Maurice Clemmons' friends and family are trying to throw investigators off his trail as the 37-year-old tries to avoid capture. Ever since Clemmons was named as a suspect in the fatal shooting of the Lakewood officers, police agencies have been inundated with calls and tips. (more than 500 so far) Detectives said they now believe some false leads came from people trying to buy Clemmons time by keep search teams busy." 

Update - 3:30 pm MST:  BOLO alert from the Seattle Times Twitter feed.  Cancelled,  The car has been located and had been sold two months ago.  (Gee, now I wonder how Judge Humphrey feels.)

Police are looking for the wife of suspected cop killer Maurice Clemmons, and have told officers to be on the lookout for her car, possibly headed to Arkansas. Notice went out about 12:15 p.m. for officers to be on the lookout for a green 1997 Mazda Millenia with Washington license plate 208-SSX, registered to Clemmons' wife, Nicole Cheryleen Smith.

Update - 1:00 pm MST: Still in pursuit - hope it's not a wild goose chase.  "An alert was issued this morning to law enforcement in Eastern Washington saying that the suspect in Sunday’s murder of four police officers may be in a car heading east on Interstate 90"

Update - 11:40 am MST: Hot pursuit yields no trace of suspect.

About 10 a.m. officers raced to Jose Rizal Park in Beacon Hill after someone reported seeing Clemmons there. By 10:30, officers had walked the park with police dogs and were confident Clemmons wasn't there, either.

Update - 11:20 am MST: A moving tribute to the fallen officers can be found here.   For example: Mark Renninger was an "accomplished SWAT team tactitian", Greg Richards was "a drummer in a rock band", Ronnie Owens was the "laid back, dirt bike riding one" and Tina Griswold was "a proud member of the Olympic Tea Party movement". Please take a moment to read about them and remember their service.

Update - 11:10 am MST: Live press conference on KOMO featuring Lakewood PD officers and local officials.

Update - 9:58 am MST: The reward for information leading to the capture of Maurice Clemmons has been increased to $125,000.   Toll free tip line 866-977-2362. Locals call Crimestoppers at 253-591-5959

Update - 9:45 am MST: Heads up.  "University of Washington police have alerted students to an unconfirmed report that the suspect in the Lakewood police shootings may have been sighted on or near the campus in Seattle. Cmdr. Jerome Solomon says someone reported that Maurice Clemmons was seen getting off a bus about 7 a.m. Monday near the university's hospital. He says police are checking the area."

Update - 8:55 am MST: Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer is now reporting that the handgun used in yesterday's slayings has been recovered. The neighborhood remains under lockdown conditions and the Seattle PD has assumed command of the search for Clemmons.

Update - 8:27 am MST:  The News Tribune is reporting that suspect Clemmons has not been found in the Leschi neighborhood home referenced below - neighborhood remains in lockdown and the search continues.

Update - 7:50 am MST:  Per KOMO News SWAT teams have now entered the house.  Maurice Clemmons is now officially considered to be a suspect and the standoff at the home in the Leschi neighborhood continues where authorities believe the suspect may already be dead.

From KIRO News:

Maurice Clemmons is now officially a suspect in the killing of four Lakewood officers, and Pierce Co. Sheriff Det. Ed Troyer says he may be dead.

Troyer told KIRO 7 that Clemmons has been upgraded from a "person of interest" to a "suspect" because investigators now have evidence he was wounded during the Sunday morning attack at a Parkland coffee shop.  Troyer says Clemmons may have died from those wounds.

Seattle Police spokesman Jeff Kappel says the suspect is at the scene of a standoff in Seattle's Leschi neighborhood.

Troyer says several other people have already been detained and more may be taken into custody in Seattle and Pierce County.

Governor Huckabee's statement regarding the incident.  It's all the system's fault, man.

The senseless and savage execution of police officers in Washington State has saddened the nation, and early reports indicate that a person of interest is a repeat offender who once lived in Arkansas and was wanted on outstanding warrants here and in Washington State. The murder of any individual is a profound tragedy, but the murder of a police officer is the worst of all murders in that it is an assault on every citizen and the laws we live within.

Should he be found to be responsible for this horrible tragedy, it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington State. He was recommended for and received a commutation of his original sentence from 1990, this commutation made him parole eligible and he was then paroled by the parole board once they determined he met the conditions at that time. He was arrested later for parole violation and taken back to prison to serve his full term, but prosecutors dropped the charges that would have held him. It appears that he has continued to have a string of criminal and psychotic behavior but was not kept incarcerated by either state. This is a horrible and tragic event and if found and convicted the offender should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Our thoughts and prayers are and should be with the families of those honorable, brave, and heroic police officers.

About Governor Huckabee's record of clemency.

The one-time Republican presidential contender granted twice as many pardons and commutations as the previous three governors of Arkansas combined, The Associated Press reported in 2007. In all, he issued 1,033 pardons and commutations during more than 10 years as governor — an average of about one every four days.

About Clemmons:

Clemmons was released from jail in Pierce County six days ago after posting bond. He’d spent the past several months in jail on a charge of child rape. His release came even though he faced seven additional felony charges in Washington state.

Related:  WA:  4 police officers shot and killed in brutal ambush.  (liveblogging events)