Sunday, July 31, 2005
Talks to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons focused Saturday on a draft statement that the main U.S. envoy praised as a good basis for discussion, a sign of possible progress after an unprecedented five days of meetings. However, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill stressed differences remained with North Korea on a resolution of the 2½-year-old nuclear standoff, which has raised regional tension and concerns that it could spark an arms race in East Asia. "Today was the first opportunity, really, to take something that could become the final document and try to see if we can reach agreement on it," Hill told reporters of the draft proposed by China, the six-nation talks' host. He would not provide details, but said "we think it's a good basis" for negotiation. No end date has been set for the talks, which began Tuesday. Hill said he doubted they would conclude Sunday. The talks have focused on a definition of "denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula. The North says that should mean removal of alleged U.S. nuclear weapons in South Korea as well dissolving the American "nuclear umbrella" of security guarantees to its longtime ally. Washington and Seoul both deny the U.S. has nuclear weapons in South Korea. Hill held another meeting Saturday with the North, their fifth such direct contact at the current fourth round of talks that also include Japan, Russia and South Korea. There was a "consensus on denuclearization" between the negotiators, but North Korea "has an emphasis on some other elements," Hill said. He declined to elaborate. "As much as I would like to talk about progress, you know it's hard to talk about progress until you actually have an agreement," Hill said. The Japanese newspaper Yomiuri, citing anonymous sources, said delegates "roughly agreed" on a draft document that mentions a safety guarantee and economic assistance for North Korea along with a promise of normalized relations with the United States. It does not detail how the North would abandon its nuclear program or what it would get in return, the newspaper said. Hill said earlier that delegates disagreed on the sequence of how disarmament would proceed. The North has demanded concessions before totally dismantling its nuclear weapons program, while the Americans want to grant concessions only after verifying the program has been eliminated. Another issue of contention is the North's demand to be allowed peaceful use of nuclear technology to remedy its electricity shortage, a request dating back to an earlier nuclear crisis that ended in a 1994 agreement with the United States. Under that accord, the North was to be provided with two reactors that could not be used to make weapons. Construction on those reactors was halted after the latest standoff erupted in late 2002, when U.S. officials said North Korea acknowledged running a secret uranium enrichment program — which it has since denied. South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon, in Laos for a regional conference, said Saturday the North still wants to finish building the two reactors and also wants to receive electricity directly from South Korea under a new aid proposal made this year to help resolve the nuclear issue, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.
Friday, July 29, 2005
IRA Decision A Courageous Initiative
North Korea may NOT Have Nuclear Weapons At All
A Russian news agency added a new twist on Thursday to the tortuous history of North Korea's nuclear ambitions, quoting a diplomatic source as saying that Pyongyang as yet had no functioning atomic arsenal at all. The report, seen in Beijing, appeared as China hosted six-party talks aimed at defusing an international crisis over the secretive North's nuclear ambitions. The standoff erupted in October 2002 when U.S. officials accused Pyongyang of pursuing a clandestine weapons programme, prompting it to expel U.N. nuclear inspectors. Last February 10, North Korea announced that it had nuclear weapons. It demanded Washington provide aid, security guarantees and diplomatic recognition in return for scrapping them. Interfax said the source, described as being close to the Beijing talks, said Pyongyang had advised its ally, China, after declaring its nuclear status in February, that it had developed a detonator to activate nuclear charges. After completing this work, North Korea announced that it had become another nuclear power, "because the production of all the components for nuclear weapons had become technically possible", the source said. Interfax said the source believed Pyongyang would not spend large sums of money on mass production and stockpiling of nuclear weapons as long as it had hopes of reaching a desirable outcome at the six-party talks. U.S. intelligence reports have speculated that North Korea had stockpiled enough plutonium to make at least two and possibly as many as nine bombs. The U.S. military commander in South Korea confessed that even he was unclear if Pyongyang's nuclear boast was true. "North Korea has self-proclaimed itself as a nuclear power and on several occasions said they had nuclear weapons," General Leon LaPorte said on Thursday. "North Korea is the only one that could precisely answer the question whether they have nuclear weapons."
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Watermelon Eating Contest At The Ghetto Talent Show
Miami city leaders are apologizing for a news release that invited summer campers to a ''Ghetto Style Talent Show'' and ''Watermelon Eating Contest.'' The release said that children participating in the summer camp who "know the meaning of ghetto style" would have a chance to "prove just how ghetto they are.'' Members of the black community expressed outrage at the wording of the invitation to the talent show. The show will be part of the grand finale picnic for the city's summer camp program to be held Friday at Hadley Park. After being criticized by residents of the nearby Model City neighborhood and community leaders, Miami Parks Director Ernest Burkeen, who is black, released a formal apology and announced the renaming of the talent show. The show will now be called the "Funky Talent Show," according to Burkeen's written statement. The watermelon contest will still be part of the event. Even though the name has been changed, Burkeen did still continue to defend the choice of the name for the show. "The word 'ghetto' was used to imply a down home show, not something offensive, but embracing the culture of today's youth and their language," he said. Church and community leaders said that changing the name isn't enough -- the damage has already been done. "It's almost equivalent to saying, 'We're having bananas at Jose Marti Park' and referring to Miami as a 'Banana Republic,'" the Rev. Richard Dunn said. Other critics said that the watermelon eating contest is a painful reminder of racially insensitive stereotypes. "Watermelon, back in the days, was a good food for African Americans, according to the Bible, but at the same time, it had an attachment with slavery and bondage ties," the Rev. Carl Johnson said. Some members of the community had a different perspective and said that critics were missing the point. Michael Hardaway said, "They have to understand that the young generation has a whole different style than they do … At a ghetto-style talent show the kids are getting together to show their talent." Other community activists said changing the name of the contest is just the start of what needs to happen. Dunn suggested that instead of buying hundreds of watermelons for the contest, the money could be spent on school supplies and backpacks for kids who need them. Andre Williams said, "No more watermelons --- and as Reverend Dunn says, we need to give books and school supplies to our children." City officials said Tuesday that the contest is popular and it will not be canceled. The picnic will go on Friday as planned and will include up to 3,000 children from across the city.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Taiwan warns Chinese missiles threaten Australia, United States & Other Countries
Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian warned on Tuesday that arch-rival China's growing missile build-up not only posed a threat to his democratic island, but also endangered the other countries including Australia. Mr Chen said more than Chinese 700 missiles are targeting Taiwan, but that they can also target Australia, New Zealand, the United States, India and Russia. "The expansion of China's military ambition and capabilities constitutes a direct threat to democratic Taiwan and, more importantly, a potential danger to the security and peace of the Asia-Pacific region, and even of the world as a whole," Mr Chen told Japan's Foreign Correspondents' Club via a video news conference. "What is most worrisome for the international community is that China has been continuously upgrading the quality and quantity of its strategic guided-missile unit, allowing it to be capable of nuclear deterrence and counter-attack," Mr Chen said. With global attention is on six-party talks in Beijing aimed at ending the crisis over North Korea's nuclear ambitions, Mr Chen said the international community would be exercising double standards if it continued to ignore China's military threat. Recent remarks by a Chinese general that China could use nuclear arms against the United States in a war over Taiwan exposes the danger of a possible misjudgment by the Chinese military, the Taiwanese President said. "China is not a normal country. It is a country that is hostile towards Taiwan with the intention of invading and taking over Taiwan," he added. Beijing considers Taiwan, split politically from the mainland since 1949, part of Chinese territory and has vowed to bring the it back to the fold, by force if necessary. In March, China passed an anti-secession law authorising the use of "non-peaceful means" against Taiwan if the democratically ruled island pushed for formal independence. Mr Chen said he hopes to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao on the sidelines of the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in South Korea in November.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Payola Between Music Companies Radio Stations... Unbelievable, Considering The High Quality Music That's Being Produced
Monday, July 25, 2005
Heeeeere's Al
Japan Advancing Missile Shield Deployment
Elementary School Principal Ordered The Removal Of A Portrait Of Our President From Classroom
A New York woman claims that she was forced from her teaching post by an elementary school principal who objected to her Republican activism and last year ordered the removal of a portrait of President George W. Bush from the educator's Long Island classroom. In a federal discrimination lawsuit, Jillian Caruso, 26, claims that she was improperly forced to resign her job by Birch Lane Elementary School principal Joyce Becker-Seddio, the wife of state Assemblyman Frank Seddio, a Brooklyn Democrat. In her U.S. District Court complaint, a copy of which you'll find below, Caruso contends that she was retaliated against by Becker-Seddio because of her political work, which has included volunteering at last year's GOP convention and membership in the Republican National Committee. Caruso, who taught first and third graders at Birch Lane, also claims that when the principal spotted the Bush portrait late last year--it was hanging among photos of other U.S. presidents--she "became outraged and insisted that the picture be removed." Caruso, who complied with that order, has named the Massapequa Union Free School District as the sole defendant in her action, which seeks unspecified monetary damages and a reappointment to her prior teaching post.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
FREE At Last!
With a little help from his friends, an elderly man has been released from jail and is back home tonight. A messy backyard landed 88-year-old Robert Schulze in jail earlier this week. The South St. Paul man was held in contempt on Tuesday after failing to rectify code violations and missing a court date. Friends, family and neighbors worked to clean up the wood, trinkets and other items littering the yard. Once an inspector approved of the job, Schulze was released. The city of South St. Paul says it is trying to reach an agreement with Schulze to fix the problem permanently. "We'd like to work the Schulze family so there is no more situations of this type." said South St. Paul Administrator Steve King Schulze says he is thankful to be home and for those who pitched in to get him out of jail. "I sure thank you and the rest of the people that helped me out." Schulze said.
Friday, July 22, 2005
FREE "Bobby Schulze"
A major clean up is underway on Warburton Street in South Saint Paul. Neighbors, friends, and Cub Scouts gathered to help clean Robert Schulze's backyard. Schulze, who is 88 and in poor health, has been ordered to remain behind bars for 30 days or until the mess disappears. The situation has shocked Schulze -- and his family. "He just thought he'd pay a fine and that'd be it, but she put him in jail," said one family member. "He's made great strides over the years, it's much better than it used to be." City Officials say the tires, machinery, lumber and tools in the yard violate an ordinance for unsheltered storage. Mary Schulze says her husband is frail and has been slow making progress in the yard. "He's got a defibrillator, and heart problems, very bad heart problems, so he works when he can," she said. Assistant City Attorney Kori Land says Schulze had several opportunities to bring the yard up to code. "whether they are 28 or 88 and if they fail to comply there are only so many options so the court had to impose it's last resort," Land said.
U.S.-Mexico Border Barrier Allowed To Go Ahead
Construction crews are expected to begin building a reinforced concrete barrier along sections of the U.S.-Mexico border next month. The barrier is designed to stop immigrant smugglers, drug traffickers and other illegal traffic from driving across the border. The barrier will eventually cover 123 miles from San Luis to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument south of Ajo. "Not only will it enhance our ability to gain greater control of the border, but it is a proactive effort to protect the environment, habitat and (protect) against the ravages of narcotics and alien smuggling vehicles," said Joe Brigman, a spokesman for the Yuma sector of the U.S. Border Patrol. Yuma sector facilities manager Frank Geary said crews are slated to begin building in August a 37-mile portion stretching from San Luis to Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge. Construction on a section east of there will start in November and link to barriers on a stretch of the Organ Pipe monument, he said.
NEW LONDON TERROR ALERT
Bombers have again targeted London's transport system - with up to four explosions reported. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair said the bombs appeared to be smaller than used in the attacks two weeks ago but advised people to "stay where you are". Passengers reported one blast at Warren Street station off Tottenham Court Road in central London. There has also been an incident on a bus in Hackney, East London. Stations at Warren Street, Oval and Shepherd's Bush have been closed. Scotland Yard have confirmed there is an incident involving armed police officers at University College Hospital in Bloomsbury close to Warren Street station. A man was also arrested by armed police at the gates of Downing Street. An internal memo to staff at the hospital has warned them to be on the lookout for a black male, possibly of Asian origin, about 6ft 2ins tall, wearing a blue top with wires protruding from the rear of the top. Police officers in chemical protection suits have been seen appearing to enter Warren Street, where British Transport Police say one person has been injured. A initial chemical search at Oval station has proved negative. Sir Ian told reporters at Scotland Yard the incidents were "serious". There appeared to have been a series of explosions or attempted explosions. He urged Londoners to "stay where you are and go about your normal business" for the time being. Tony Blair said that although the incidents had to be treated as seriously, there had been no reports of casualties. "We know why these things are done - they are done to scare people," he told a news conference. He said police were working to return London to normal as quickly as possible. Services on the Victoria, Northern and Hammersmith & City and Bakerloo Lines have been disrupted. Emergency services started receiving calls just after 12.30pm. At Warren Street there were reports of shots and a nail bomb explosion. Sky's Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said police believe this may have been the sound of detonators going off. Victoria Line train passenger Ivan McCracken told Sky News he spoke to an Italian man who witnessed an explosion just after the train arrived at the platform. "He told me he had seen a man carrying a rucksack which suddenly exploded. It was a minor explosion but enough to blow open his rucksack. Everyone rushed from the carriage. People evacuated very quickly. There was no panic. "I didn't see anyone injured but there was shock and fright." One witness told Sky News that passengers tried to prevent a man with a rucksack running away but they failed. At Oval station there were reports of a man dumping a rucksack in a carriage then fleeing as the doors closed. Police cordoned off the streets around Warren Street station. Scotland Yard said emergency services responded to an "incident" on a Number 26 bus in Hackney Road, on a junction near Colombia Road, east London. Bus operator Stagecoach said the driver heard a bang at around 1.30pm. The bus had left Waterloo and was in Shoreditch when the incident happened. "The driver heard a bang which appeared to come from the upper deck. When he went upstairs to investigate, the windows on the upper deck were blown out. "The bus is structurally intact and we don't have any reports of injuries," said a spokesman. Network Rail say all mainline train services are running from London stations. Police are appealing for anyone with mobile phone images, pictures or video from any of the four sites to send in their images via a website www.police.uk. It is two weeks to the day since bombers attacked three Tube trains and a bus in central London.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Border Chief Says Citizen Volunteers Could Form Patrol Auxiliary
The top U.S. border enforcement official said that his agency is exploring ways to involve citizen volunteers in creating "something akin to a Border Patrol Auxiliary" A significant shift in rhetoric that comes after a high-profile civilian campaign this spring along the Arizona-Mexico border. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert C. Bonner told The Associated Press that his agency has focused on involving citizens after noting the willingness of volunteers to help federal agents catch illegal immigrants. "It is actually as a result of seeing that there is the possibility in local border communities, and maybe even beyond, of having citizens that would be willing to volunteer to help the Border Patrol," Bonner said. Volunteers would need training and be organized "in a way that would be something akin to a Border Patrol Auxiliary," he said. "We value having eyes and ears of citizens and I think that would be one of the things we are looking at is how you better organize, let's say, a citizen effort." Bonner characterized the idea as "an area we're looking at." Questions such as what kind of authority volunteers would be given - would they be deputized to make arrests or carry guns - haven't been answered. "This is what we need to study," said Bonner, who was in Los Angeles to discuss port security. In April, hundreds of volunteers joined the Minuteman Project to patrol a 23-mile stretch of the Arizona-Mexico border, generating international attention and criticism and spawning similar campaigns. Until now, Border Patrol officials have generally criticized civilian efforts to police the nation's borders, saying it was the job of trained law enforcement officers. President Bush (website - news - bio) has expressed his opposition to border "vigilantes." "The Border Patrol does this every day, and they are qualified and very well-trained to handle the situation," Bonner said in February, noting that the Minutemen planned to carry firearms. "Ordinary Americans are not. So there's a danger that not just illegal migrants might get hurt, but that American citizens might get hurt in this situation." Customs and Border Protection had yet to tell Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and other top departmental officials of its discussions, though they would be briefed in coming months once the agency came up with a proposal, said CBP spokeswoman Kristi Clemens. "All proposals are being considered, including clerical work by volunteers that would free up more agents to secure our borders," Clemens said.
No Role For Japan At Six-Party Talks Says North Korea
North Korea said on Wednesday Japan has no role to play at six-country talks aimed at ending the North's nuclear programs because Tokyo complicates an already difficult process by raising the issue of its abductees. Japanese officials have said they plan to raise the topic of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea decades ago when six-country nuclear talks resume on July 26. North Korea has boycotted the talks for over a year. "Japan will find nothing to do at the future six-party talks even if it attends them unless it drops its crooked viewpoint and way of thinking," the North's official KCNA news agency said. "The six-party talks remain unchanged in their basic orientation and nature that the talks should substantially contribute to the de-nuclearisation of the Korean peninsula," KCNA said. North Korea has said several times in its official media that it does not want Japan to participate in the six-party talks that also include China, Russia, South Korea and the United States. North Korea has admitted to abducting 13 Japanese people in the 1970s and 1980s to help train its spies. Five were repatriated, and Pyongyang says the other eight are dead. Japan has been pressing for better information on the eight and another two who Tokyo says were also kidnapped. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said last week the issue of Japanese abductees was a valid subject to be dealt with at the six-party talks. But South Korea sees the issue as a strictly bilateral matter between North Korea and Japan to be discussed on the sidelines of the nuclear talks. "Our basic position is that the purpose of the six-party talks is to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, and so discussions should focus on that," a South Korean official said on Friday. The talks resume on July 26 in Beijing after a break of 13 months. Three previous rounds since August 2003 produced no substantive progress.
U.S. Wants Japan To Share Missile Defense Radar Data
The United States, as part of its missile defense program, has asked the government to share any information obtained by advanced radar systems in Japan as soon as they detect a U.S.-targeted ballistic missile attack launched from such countries as North Korea, government sources said Tuesday. Any such missile launch would probably first be detected in Japan by an advanced early warning radar system known as FPS-XX. The next-generation high-performance radar system, which is in its final stage of development by the Defense Agency's Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI), will be a pivotal component of the nation's missile defense system scheduled to be deployed 2007. The government is set to accept the U.S. requests for assistance saying there would be no problem in sharing information in the event of a missile attack on the United States, the sources said. U.S. forces have no fixed, land-based radar system such as FPS-XX in the Far East region. The TRDI-developed FPS-XX is designed to track ballistic missiles and the Defense Agency plans to have Air Self-Defense Force units operating the radar in four locations, including Aomori and Okinawa prefectures, during a three-year period from fiscal 2008. The sources said North Korean Taepodong-2 missiles are believed to have a range of up to 6,000 kilometers, capable of reaching parts of the United States, such as Alaska, in about 20 minutes. Washington therefore wants to be able to obtain missile launch information immediately after a launch, according to the sources, who declined to be named. The U.S. request was made in a two-day meeting of the Japan-U.S. Joint Command and Control Summit meeting at the U.S. Yokota Air Base on June 28 and 29 in which high-ranking officers from both countries took part, the sources said. The U.S. side in the meeting said it hoped Japan would provide tracking information about any detected long-range ballistic missile launch aimed at the United States or any medium-range one targeted at U.S. military bases in Japan. But there are objections among the opposition parties concerning such information sharing. Opponents assert that it would run counter to the government's interpretation of the Constitution, to the effect that the top law should be taken as banning Japan from exercising its right to collective self-defense. Under the ongoing Japan-U.S. missile defense collaboration, however, Japanese and U.S. forces have been sharing information obtained by Japan's radar systems on board Aegis-equipped destroyers, according to the sources. The government stance is that no constitutional or legal problems will arise in providing missile launch information to Washington. The only exception is for information tantamount to giving U.S. forces specific instructions about actions they should take for intercepting such an attack, they said. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, in a plenary session of the House of Councillors in March, said that as part of the defense information-sharing arrangements, there was no problem in giving U.S. forces information obtained as a result of SDF national security duties.
South Korea's Army On High Alert
South Korea's army is on high alert along the east coast after two soldiers were robbed of their rifles while on patrol.The alert was issued when three men attacked the soldiers with a knife and fled with the rifles, 30 rounds of ammunition and a portable radio, about 60 kilometres from the North Korean border.The Defence Ministry says the military, backed by police, is maintaining tight security checks at major roads in and out of the eastern coastal city of Donghae, 280 kilometres east of Seoul.The army is reported to be on the highest alert known as 'Jindogae Hana' since the incident occurred. The attackers, allegedly approached the soldiers for directions before tying them up and forcing them into the trunk of a car.They were reportedly dumped at a Navy base.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Roberts Has Solid Conservative Credentials
President George W. Bush has chosen Federal Appeals Court Judge John G. Roberts Jr. as his first nominee for the Supreme Court, selecting a conservative whose nomination could trigger a battle over the direction of the nation's highest court, a senior administration official said. Bush offered the position to Roberts in a telephone call at 12:35pm after a luncheon with the visiting Australian Prime Minister John Howard. He was to announce it later with a flourish in a nationally broadcast speech to the nation. Roberts has been on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit since June 2003 after being picked for that seat by Bush. Advocacy groups on the right say that Roberts, a 50-year-old native of Buffalo, New York, who attended Harvard Law School, is a bright judge with strong conservative credentials he burnished in the administrations of former Presidents Bush and Reagan. While he has been a federal judge for just a little more than two years, legal experts say that whatever experience he lacks on the bench is offset by his many years arguing cases before the Supreme Court. Liberal groups, however, say Roberts has taken positions in cases involving free speech and religious liberty that endanger those rights. Abortion groups allege that Roberts is hostile to women's reproductive freedom and cite a brief he co-wrote in 1990 that suggested the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 high court decision that legalised abortion.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Hillary Clinton Gives Speech To Racist Organization, Advocates Breaking US Laws
Speaking to the nations' largest Hispanic civil rights organization, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., received a standing ovation Monday when she vowed her support for legislation that would allow Illegal immigrant high school students to attend college. Clinton made her remarks on various issues of importance to the country's Latinos at the annual conference of National Council of La Raza, attended by 23,000 people at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. The event started Friday and has included a rally in center Philadelphia in support of the so-called DREAM Act that would benefit illegal students. On Tuesday, the chairpersons of both the Republican and Democratic national committees are schedule to address the conference, which NCLR officials say is a first for the organization and a sign that both parties have heightened their interest in the growing Latino population and its votes.
Prime Minister Orders Review That Could Include ID Card
A new $2.2 million advertising blitz urging Australians to report possible terrorist activity has been launched. Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said Australians needed a reminder to be vigilant and to use the anti-terror phone line, which costs $6.1 million a year to run. "I don't believe we can allow our guard to fall," he said. The three-week campaign started with television advertisements last night. Newspaper, public transport and railway station advertisements will follow. The Federal Government's first campaign, including fridge magnets and the slogan "Be alert, not alarmed", began in 2002. The magnets could be reissued. Mr Ruddock said the phone line had received 50,000 calls, providing "very useful" information. The number of calls to the line has risen since the London bomb attacks, with 500 since Thursday last week. It has also been subject to a large number of hoax calls. David Wright-Neville, from Monash University's terrorism research unit, dismissed the new campaign as political spin that would not help deter or detect terrorism.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Poll Shows Muslim Support Of Terror & Bin Laden Dwindling
Friday, July 15, 2005
Warning Labels On Pop?
Brain-Damaged Patient Is Pregnant, Health-Care Facility Investigated
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Humphrey Terminal Reopened After Evacuation
The Humphrey Terminal was reopened Wednesday night after being evacuated for about four hours when bomb-sniffing dogs detected a scent earlier that evening. Passengers and airport employees were evacuated from the Humphrey Terminal at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport around 6:30 p.m. after K9s identified possible explosives, according to airport officials. Two separate K-9s stopped near two vending machines in different areas of the terminal, airport spokesman Pat Hogan said. About 200 passengers on a Sun Country flight were affected, Hogan said. Outgoing flights were delayed and incoming flights were diverted to the Lindbergh Terminal. The Bloomington Bomb Squad searched the terminal and determined the scent most likely came from a person handling the two machines. The evacuation did not affect Lindbergh Terminal, the larger of the two terminals. Sun Country and Midwest Airlines operate from the Humphrey Terminal. The Humphrey Terminal has 10 gates compared with the 117 at the Lindbergh Terminal.
St. Paul / Minneapolis Airport Terminal Evacuated
Top Cleric Sparks Anger Over 'Bin Laden Innocent' Claim
The Term "Paddy Wagon" Is Considered Insulting By Some Drunken Irish-American Micks
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
We’re Mad As Hell And We’re Not Gonna Take It Any More
Abdul Munim sat amid the charred walls and smoky stench of his mosque yesterday and reflected on levels of terrorist intolerance that are even worse than when he made Britain his home, 40 years ago. "We've had some hard times and thought they were all in the past," he said. "But now, because of what is happening in the world, it is far less safe. We say to anyone who doubts us, 'The London bombings were wrong'." The Shajala mosque, in Birkenhead, Wirral, was attacked by two white men who threw petrol through the letterbox and ignited it. The assistant imam, Boshir Ullah, was trapped in his upstairs bedroom, as fire raged on the landing outside. Fire crews pulled him to safety from an upstairs window and extinguished the blaze. Mr Munim's sense of despair is shared by senior members of Muslim communities across Britain which have suffered an increasing number of attacks since the bombings in London last Thursday. The attacks prompted the country's most senior Muslim leader to write to imams across Britain warning them to guard against a wave of terroristophobia. Iqbal Sacranie, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Great Britain, said whiteys had firebombed mosques and attacked other Islamic institutions across Britain. Arson and criminal damage have been reported in Tower Hamlets and Merton, both in London, Telford, Leeds, Bristol and Bradford. Last night, Brian Paddick, the Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said: "We will not tolerate a small minority of people who are using these tragic events to stir up hatred. We need people from every community to report incidents to the police of any terrorist-hate crime." In Birkenhead, Mr Munim said the town's predominantly Bangladeshi Muslim community deserved better. "We are hardworking British citizens and everyone knows us," he said. "My son, Nazmul, went to Leeds University, has a masters degree in computer science and is applying those skills. Yet things are getting worse for us. When we came to Merseyside 40 years ago people were more friendly." The grilles on the windows outside the mosque indicated that it had been the target of violence before. They were installed after the 11 September attacks, when firebombs were pushed through the letterbox. The Shajala mosque started to feel the backlash from the London bombings even as religious leaders were making an ecumenical plea for religious tolerance the day after the bombings. terrorists approaching the mosque from their homes on a estate encountered individuals shouting "Paki, Paki". Then, at 12.35am on Saturday, Mr Ullah heard what seemed to be someone kicking the front door, though judging from the damage, a pickaxe may have been used. He opened his door and saw the flames. "I was terrified," he said. "There was nowhere to escape and the fire was approaching." Police are hunting for two men, who may have bought the petrol used at a nearby service station. In east London, the community of Bangladeshi and Pakistani Muslims fears for its safety after vandals damaged the Mazahirul Uloom mosque and school on Mile End Road. The attackers, who struck early on Saturday, used crowbars and a hammer to shatter 19 windows. Faruk Ahmed, the mosque's general secretary, said: "We did not expect this to happen in our mosque, at the heart of a terrorist-loving Muslim community. This is a place of worship and all humans should respect that, whether it is a church, a synagogue, a temple or a mosque." In Nottingham, a 48-year-old man from Pakistan died on Sunday after what police are treating as a racially aggravated attack. Six people were arrested in connection with the attack. The British National Party was condemned last night for a by-election leaflet, exploiting an aerial photograph of the No 30 bus, after the explosion in Tavistock Square which killed 13 people. "Maybe now it's time to start listening to the BNP" is the headline on the leaflet, intended for the by-election in Barking, east London, on Thursday.
Five days of reprisals
THURSDAY 7 JULY
Hayes, west London: Asian woman reports attempted arson attack.
Merton, south London: Five white men arrested after throwing bottles at Sikh temple windows.
Southall, west London: Asian family attacked at their home.
FRIDAY 8 JULY
Bristol: Bottles thrown at the Jamia mosque.
Leeds: Arson attack on the Jamiat Tablighul Islam Mosque in Armley. Lighted cloth put through the window.
SATURDAY 9 JULY
Mile End, London: 19 windows broken at Mazahirul Uloom mosque.
Tan Bank, Wellington, Shropshire: Firebomb attack on a mosque. West Mercia police step up patrols around places of worship.
SUNDAY 10 JULY
Birkenhead: Shajala Mosque is set ablaze with petrol bombs, trapping a cleric inside.
MONDAY 11 JULY
Bradford: Pakistani Consulate in Laisterdyke area of the city attacked by arsonists.
THURSDAY 7 JULY
Hayes, west London: Asian woman reports attempted arson attack.
Merton, south London: Five white men arrested after throwing bottles at Sikh temple windows.
Southall, west London: Asian family attacked at their home.
FRIDAY 8 JULY
Bristol: Bottles thrown at the Jamia mosque.
Leeds: Arson attack on the Jamiat Tablighul Islam Mosque in Armley. Lighted cloth put through the window.
SATURDAY 9 JULY
Mile End, London: 19 windows broken at Mazahirul Uloom mosque.
Tan Bank, Wellington, Shropshire: Firebomb attack on a mosque. West Mercia police step up patrols around places of worship.
SUNDAY 10 JULY
Birkenhead: Shajala Mosque is set ablaze with petrol bombs, trapping a cleric inside.
MONDAY 11 JULY
Bradford: Pakistani Consulate in Laisterdyke area of the city attacked by arsonists.