August 13, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

A pair of nuclear-powered Russian attack submarines has been patrolling off the eastern seaboard of the United States in recent days, a rare mission that has raised concerns inside the Pentagon and intelligence agencies about a more assertive stance by the Russian military. The episode has echoes of the cold war era, when the United States and the Soviet Union regularly parked submarines off each other’s coasts to steal military secrets, track the movements of their underwater fleets - and be poised for war.

But the collapse of the Soviet Union all but eliminated the ability of the Russian Navy to operate far from home ports, making the current submarine patrols thousands of miles from Russia more surprising for military officials and defense policy experts. The submarines are of the Akula class, a counterpart to the Los Angeles class attack subs of the United States Navy, and not one of the larger submarines that can launch intercontinental nuclear missiles.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/05/world/05patrol.html?_r=3

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August 13, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

It’s official. The U.S. is no longer engaged in a “war on terrorism.” Neither is it fighting “jihadists” or in a “global war.” President Obama’s top homeland security and counterterrorism official took all three terms off the table of acceptable words inside the White House during a recent speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. “The President does not describe this as a ‘war on terrorism,’” said John Brennan, head of the White House homeland security office, who outlined a “new way of seeing” the fight against terrorism.

The only terminology that Mr. Brennan said the administration is using is that the U.S. is “at war with al Qaeda.” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in March that the administration was not using the term “war on terror” but no specific directive had come from the White House itself. Mr. Obama himself used the term “war on terror” on Jan. 23, his fourth day as president, but has not used it since.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/aug/06/white-house-war-terrorism-over/?feat=home_headlines

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August 13, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

An American man was found guilty on Wednesday by a federal jury in Atlanta of supporting terrorism as part of a small militant cell based in the southern U.S. city. Ehsanul Sadequee, 23, was convicted on four counts of providing material support to terrorism and faces prison time at his sentencing scheduled in October. Another member of the cell was convicted in June on similar charges.

Prosecutors said during the trial that Sadequee went to Canada to meet other militants and also traveled to Bangladesh with the aim of joining a militant training camp. He acknowledged he had spent time discussing “jihad,” posting messages on Islamist militant websites and watching videos designed to curry support for militant violence. But he argued that the fact no violent acts were committed showed he was not serious.

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE57B46G20090812

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August 7, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

‘Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.’ We have heard that many times. What is also the price of freedom is the toleration of imperfections. If everything that is wrong with the world becomes a reason to turn more power over to some political savior, then freedom is going to erode away…. Ultimately, our choice is to give up Utopian quests or give up our freedom. This has been recognized for centuries by some, but many others have not yet faced that reality, even today. If you think government should ‘do something’ about anything that ticks you off, or anything you want and don’t have, then you have made your choice between Utopia and freedom.” –economist Thomas Sowell

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August 4, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

 A 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck in the Gulf of California approximately 75 mi/120 km northeast of San Isabel, Mexico, at 1759 UTC on 3 August 2009. The quake was preceded five minutes earlier by a 5.8 magnitude quake in the same area. It was also followed by two earthquakes measuring 5.0 and 5.9 on the Richter scale that occurred approximately 30 and 40 minutes later, respectively. The magnitude 5.9 tremor occurred in an area closer to the coast of the Baja Peninsula, approximately 70 mi/110 km north-northwest of San Isabel. The 6.9 magnitude quake was felt as far away as Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Diego, where high-rise office buildings reportedly shook; in San Diego, the city hall was evacuated. There were no reports of injuries or significant damage. The closest large population center to the epicenter is Santa Isabel, where the quake was felt at a magnitude of less than 4.8.

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August 4, 2009 by Tim McDowell.

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