FBI Places $50,000 Reward on American Al Qaeda Supporter

The FBI has announced a fifty thousand dollar reward for information leading to the capture of Ahmad Abousamra.

From the Boston area, Abousmara is accused of conspiracy to provide material support to Al Qaeda.

He, and coconspirator Taerk Mehanna, traveled repeatedly to Pakistan and Yemen for meetings with Al Qaeda members.

Mehanna was convicted on terrorism charges, in December 2011, and is currently serving out his seventeen year sentence.

Abousamra escaped the country, and was last seen in Aleppo, Syria.

Fire Destroys Part of Manitoba Town

Fires that began Monday afternoon were driven through Vita, Manitoba by high winds, on Tuesday.

Firefighters were forced to just stay clear as the flames moved faster than they could.

Four houses were totally destroyed, with more than twenty others damaged to varying degrees.

The fire also destroyed a bridge, which two cars crashed off of due to smoke blocking visibility.

Only minor injuries were reported in the crashes, and none for the rest of town.

So far on Wednesday, the winds have calmed down, allowing firefighters to gain the upper hand on the blazes.

Evacuations in the nearby village of Ross were lifted as the threat to them is consider to be gone.

Spirit Airlines Raising Fees For Carry Ons

Spirit Airlines has announced that they will be raising fees for carry on luggage, starting November 6.

If you pay online, the fee will be going from $30 to $35; at the check in desk, from $40 to $50; and for those who wait til the gate, from $45 to $100.

That's right, your carry on could cost you as much as one hundred dollars, if you fly Spirit Air.

As much as forty percent of the airline's revenue comes from extra fees.

They're not the only one charging for carry on luggage, Allegiant Air charges $35 for them, and other airlines around the world have begun similar fees.

Airlines that have such fees gain passengers by having the lowest ticket fares.

They also generally have the lowest customer approval ratings.

Shooting in Lakewood Leaves One Dead

A man was shot and killed in Lakewood, Colorado Tuesday night.

Police tell us that a woman was at a friend's house, when her exboyfriend showed up.

The ex refused to leave, and a fight ensued, leaving the ex dead, after the man who owned the house shot him.

Investigators are questioning the shooter, but at this point are expecting no charges to be filed, as the "Make My Day" law seems to cover the case.

Protesters Clash With Iranian Police

Hundreds of people marched on Iran's central bank, on Wednesday, to protest the failing currency.

Police clashed with the protesters and were repelled, requiring riot police to be brought in and only the use of tear gas dispersed the crowd.

Iran's money has last most of it's value, as the country reels from economic sanctions.

President Ahmadinejad claims that the country has barely noticed their effects, but clearly they're doing more than he admits.

3 Killed by Explosion in Lebanon

Three people were killed and dozens injured by an explosion in Baalbek, Lebanon, Wednesday morning.

No cause for the explosion has been listed, and Hezbollah moved into secure the area, almost immediately after the blast.

Officially the building was used to house car parts, but sources say it was a weapons depot for Hezbollah.

Baalbek is a center for weapons and drugs, in the region.

5 Killed in Turkey Due to Syrian Shelling

Five people were killed, in Turkey, Wednesday morning, when shelling from Syria struck their village.

At least a eight more were injured from the 

The shells were not meant to be aimed at Turkey, but were clearly badly aimed.

It is unclear if it was fired by national or rebel forces.

 Fire crossing the border has become more and more common.

Turkey has repeatedly warned Syria over it, but as fighting becomes heavier, along the border, it becomes more likely to occur.

Breaking addition: Turkey has fired artillery into Syria, in retaliation.

33 Killed in Suicide Blasts in Syria

At least thirty-three people were killed and more than one hundred and thirty people were wounded when four car bombs exploded in Aleppo, Wednesday morning.

Two of them struck hotels on Saadallah al-Jabri Square where state reporters and military officers were staying.

The other two hit the municipal building and chamber of commerce.

All areas around the bombs were devastated, showing much more damage than the human toll suggests.

State TV also showed the bodies of three people it described as suicide bombers, who the military had shot and killed, before they could blow their vests.

Jabhat al-Nusra, an Al Qaeda group, is considered the most likely suspects for the bombings, as they have claimed responsibility for similar attacks.

Report Uncovers VA Corruption -- House To Investigate

Eric Shinseki, the "Beret General", now failing to oversee the VA he heads.

The Veterans Administration's Inspector General conducted an investigation into possible fraud, waste, and abuse involved in two professional development conferences in Orlando, FL in 2011. The investigation was initiated over a five million dollar price tag associated with the conference. What the IG discovered was much more.

It turned out the conference, as well as a couple of planning conferences prior to the main one, cost over $6.2M, far exceeding authorized expenditures. That sum is $1.2M beyond the $5M reported to congress. In addition, incomplete accounting and poor receipt management indicates that number may be lower than the true cost to taxpayers. This is taxpayer money that was directed for the service and care of our republic's military veterans and their families. So, this excess represents a theft from two key demographics: Military Veterans and US Taxpayers.

During the investigation, the VA-IG also uncovered systematic graft and corruption among eleven senior VA administrators who accepted "inappropriate gifts" that serve as graft or bribery. They accepted free meals, room upgrades, free massages, and other items of "significant monetary value". Taking such gifts is a violation of federal law and a criminal offense.

Details within the report draw concern for potential other incidents of waste and fraud VA officials may be committing against our veterans and our taxpayers. For instance, a "motivational" video used to introduce the training conference was produced for over $49,000. That video featured an actor doing a parody of George C. Scott's portrayal of General George S. Patton.

Other indicators of abuse and corruption include "special contribution awards" to VA workers totaling $43,018.

The compiled total of extraneous expenses at the conferences is currently estimated at $762,000. Examples:

$280,000+ in lodging expenditures above the agreed upon contract with Mariott

$154,000+ in unauthorized travel pay given to private contractors

$97,900+ in excessive and unauthorized promotional items

The House [of Representatives] Veterans Affairs Committee (HVAC) is conducting its own review and investigation of the findings in the report. 

The average disability stipend for a veteran rated at 100% disabled is approximately $20,000 a year. Consider how many disabled veterans this wasted tax money could have actually helped instead of being wasted by these leeches.

The waste itself raises eyebrows. However, this executive branch bureaucratic department wasted this money during times when our national debt is exceeding our GDP, government spending is out of control, and many Americans are calling for decreased and more responsible spending. After the GSA conference debacle reported earlier this year, the combination indicates wanton waste in this current presidential administration. It is unethical, immoral, and intentionally destructive to our nation.

The IG places the blame directly on the causes of poor leadership and a lack of supervisory oversight. However, those the IG names as responsible are likely just scapegoats with the systemic problem reaching higher up the chain. After all, they are just following the examples of their appointed and elected leaders.

Punctuating this waste, however, is another key detail of  the VA-IG report. Many of the names associated with the corruption are redacted. This begs the questions:  "Who are they protecting? What are they hiding?".  On could reasonable conjecture that this corruption goes to the top, to Clinton and Obama's shining star, Eric Shinseki, who ordered the investigation. Perhaps this leads even higher, to the one who has refused to reign in spending or enforce accountability, Barack Obama.

Original article at Mental Aikido.

Review: Salman Rushdie's Joseph Anton

Freedom of expression is a fundamental value and is in no way comparable to violence against others, author Salman Rushdie said during his latest book launch on Tuesday. The book, entitled Joseph Anton, is a memoir of the nine years he spent in hiding after Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issued a death warrant against him in 1989. Khomeini accused the British-Indian of blasphemy following the release of his novel The Satanic Verses.

Rushdie, an atheist, touched upon what he deems to be inappropriate reactions to the expression of free speech:

''The pope gets ridiculed every day, but you don't see Catholics organizing terrorist attacks around the world. I don't like the word Islamophobia. We must distinguish between attacking ideas and attacking people.

The response to words must always be more words. People are using offense as an excuse for revenge. But there is no intrinsic right to not be offended, it's absurd.''

The title of his latest literary contribution is a composite of the names of his two favorite authors, Joseph Conrad and Anton Chekhov. It is also the alias he adopted upon going into hiding.

Aside from writing books from a variety of genres, Rushdie has also been knighted. Be sure to check out his complete bio on Wikipedia.