In The News: Thanks this morning to ChrisM, my MP3Angel, for supplying the news and commentary audio files. » The Republicans will introduce "Cut, Cap, and Balance" on the floor of the Senate this morning. Cut expenses, Cap future spending, and Balance the budget... The bill has so many 'poison pills' in it that it will never pass, and even if it did the president says he will veto it. It is essentially an attempt to get the Republican economic platform written into law and the constitution. More in the commentary. » A senior ATFE official has rolled over on his higher ups claiming they fully supported the operation allowing the smuggling of weapons to the drug cartels in Mexico "So they could be tracked"... As if the ATFE actually HAS the capability of tracking anything in Mexico. A long history of slaughtered, tortured, and mutilated informers and agents testify to the contrary. The gent who spoke to congress also said agency officials were 'dissuaded' from blowing the whistle on lame-brain schemes like this... Per Associated Press:

The operation was designed to track small-time gun buyers up to major weapons traffickers along the Southwest border. Critics estimate that 1,800 guns targeted in the operation are unaccounted for and that about two-thirds of those probably are in Mexico. Fast and Furious is one of thousands of U.S. law enforcement investigations launched since 2006 aimed at stemming the flood of weapons across the Southwest border. At a congressional hearing a month ago, three ATF agents said they were repeatedly ordered to step aside while gun buyers in Arizona walked away with AK-47s and other high-powered weaponry headed for Mexican drug cartels. So far, 20 small-time gun-buyers have been indicted, but the investigation is still under way. Melson told the congressional investigators that after the criticism emerged he assigned a task force of agents to review the operation and he personally read all the operations' investigative reports that pertained to one defendant. "I read through those and found ROIs (reports of investigation) that indeed suggested that interdiction could have occurred, and probably should have occurred, but did not occur," Melson said. [AP via Google]

Meanwhile, at the Just-Us Department. The person accused of the Anthrax attacks on congress and elsewhere in the wake of 9/11 is having the evidence against him re-examined... posthumously:

Justice Department lawyers contradict FBI findings in anthrax case By Mike Wiser, Greg Gordon and Stephen Engelberg McClatchy Newspapers, ProPublica and Frontline WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has called into question a key pillar of the FBI's case against Bruce Ivins, the Army scientist accused of mailing the anthrax-laced letters that killed five people and terrorized Congress a decade ago. Shortly after Ivins committed suicide in 2008, federal investigators announced that they'd identified him as the mass murderer who sent the letters to members of Congress and the news media. The case was circumstantial, with federal officials arguing that the scientist had the means, motive and opportunity to make the deadly powder at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Md. Now, however, Justice Department lawyers have acknowledged in court papers that the sealed area in Ivins' lab — the so-called hot suite — didn't contain the equipment needed to turn liquid anthrax into the refined powder that floated through congressional buildings and post offices in the fall of 2001... [In Full @ McClatchy]

» The Space Shuttle has un-docked from the International Space Station for the last time and is expect to return to Earth on Thursday morning. They left a year's worth of 'groceries' and an American flag... the same one that traveled on the first Shuttle flight. » California's Attorney general has OK'd a petition that opposes the sales tax on Internet sales in the state. It will need a half million signatures by next February to qualify it for a referendum vote. » The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant WILL NOT be allowed to continue operating while a court case regarding it's continued operations without state permitting is underway. » The Taliban in Afghanistan is going after government officials and tribal leaders known to cooperate with the Karzai government as promised in their Spring Offensive statement. Most recently ANOTHER Opium grower-related adviser to president Karzai, member of Afghan parliament, is assassinated.

KABUL — A senior adviser to Afghan President Hamid Karzai and a member of parliament were killed Sunday night in Kabul, dealing a blow to an administration still reeling from last week’s assassination of Ahmed Wali Karzai, the president’s half brother. The attack took place in the apartment of Jan Mohammad, a Karzai adviser and former governor of Uruzgan province, according to an Afghan security official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Three gunmen wearing explosives killed Mohammad and Hashem Watanwal, a parliament member and Karzai ally from Uruzgan. Several security guards were also killed, according to the official, who did not say whether the men were shot or killed in an explosion. The Taliban, through spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid, quickly asserted responsibility for the attack. “We’ve been following Jan Mohammed for a long time to carry out such an attack,” Mujahid said. [More @ The WaPo]

From Wikipedia

"Khan became governor of the Orugzan province in 2002. He was replaced by Maulavi Abdul Hakim Munib on March 18, 2006, at the request of the Dutch government, who led NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Oruzgan. The Dutch didn't want to cooperate with a man who had a reputation of long-standing corruption, involvement with drugs and incompetence. He then moved to Kabul..." [In Full]

In OTHER News: California prisoners at Pelican Bay and Corcoran SHU among others reject the state's offer as their hunger strike enters it's 3rd week. Some of the prisoners are seriously ill due to the strike. Meanwhile:

California Prisons Bar Media Access to Hunger Striking Prisoners A California prison spokesman told the Times the state was restricting media access “due to security and safety issues.” ...Ohio State University law professor Douglas Berman counters that security issues likely do not justify restricting access to every one of the striking prisoners. [In Full H/t: Findlaw]

Speaking of imprisonment and police states, next year there's going to be a NATO conference in Chicago, and Chicago is getting ready.

NATO Summit: Chicago Trains 13,000 Police For Mass Arrests By Frank Main Chicago Sun-Times/Global Research o o o Joe Iosbaker, spokesman for the United National Antiwar Committee, said Thursday that he was scouting marching routes to McCormick Place, where he said the city might host the summits...“People are saying this will be larger than our RNC protest, which drew 30,000 people,” Iosbaker said, referring to the 2008 Republican National Convention held in St. Paul, Minn About 50 groups have pledged their support for the demonstrations against NATO and will hold a planning meeting in Chicago on Aug. 28, Iosbaker said. Battle lines between protesters and the police are already being drawn for the NATO and G-8 summits that Chicago will host next spring... [More]

This is Razer Raygun saying 'Happy Motoring America...' Enjoy it while you can. Remember... They only call it "Class War" when you fight back:
[Democratic National Convention 1968] (And DO try to keep your government from killing all the 'dusky natives' in the meantime OK?) -30-
Creative Commons Copyright Courtesy of Cabale News Service, KPIG Radio, and KVMR Radio. Listen to KVMR Recorded & transcribed by Razer Raygun @ Razed By Wolves Postings Auntie Imperial and Razer Raygun Have Done Lately Are [Here] The Consolidated Items Listing in RSS format [Here] Travus T. Hipp Fan Page @ Facebook (unaffiliated) In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 and The Berne Convention on Literary and Artistic Works, Article 10, the news clippings, audio, and images used in this posting are made available without profit for research and educational purposes.

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