Lebanon Accuses Israel of Violating Airspace

Lebanon is accusing Israeli warplanes of breaking the sound barrier whilst staging fake raids over southern Lebanese towns.

Israel has not responded to requests for information or a response to the accusations.

The accusation comes after Israel shot down a drone which had crossed over it's borders.

It still is unclear where the drone came from, but Hezbollah is the leading suspect.

The drone was over Israel for at least twenty minutes, before it was shot down, and is thought to have been an unarmed surveillance drone.

268,000 Honda CRVs Recalled

268,000 Honda CRVs are being recalled, due to a fire risk.

Four fires were reported when rain was able to enter the driver's side window and gain access to the master power window switch, which caused a short in the electrical system.

The recall affects CRV models 2002-2006.

Affected owners should take their vehicle to a dealer, where their switch will be inspected and repaired or replaced for free.

Iran Withdrawing Troops From Syria

Iran will be withdrawing three hundred members of the Revolutionary Guard, from Syria.

They had been aiding President Bashar al-Assad, in the civil war which seeks to end his rule.

Recent economic turbulence at home has troubled the Iranian government enough that they apparently feel the troops are more needed there.

Officially, Iran has no presence in Syria, but it has long been clear that they actually do.

As many as two thousand of the Revolutionary Guard are thought to be in Syria, and Iran has been feeding weapons and supplies to national forces.

Remembering: The Start of Operation Enduring Freedom

On October 7, 2011, President George W. Bush announced that US troops were actively engaging in war in Afghanistan.

Troops were sent there to combat the Taliban, the terrorist organization that, combined with Al Qaeda, had led operations of 9-11.

More than forty nations participated in Operation Enduring Freedom, the goal of which was to end Taliban rule of Afghanistan.

The Afghanistan war is still ongoing, with fewer and fewer countries are participating in the war, with most of the rest planning and staging their withdrawals.

Whilst the Taliban has been removed from power, their remnants wage guerrilla and terror campaigns, that have been bolstered by Al Qaeda.

2,003 US troops have lost their lives in Afghanistan, over the eleven years, with thousands of others from around the world, losing theirs as well.

SNL's Denver Presidential Debate

Last night, Saturday Night Live opened with their version of the first Presidential debate.

They managed to make the debate look even more one sided than it was.

Romney they attacked a tiny bit on his policies, exaggerating his five step plan to forty-one, and calling him a liar and flip flopper.

Obama they went after his not seeming to be there and made him look a bit stupider and a lot more out of it than he was.

49 Police Injured in Tunisia Riot

Residents in Guellala, Tunisia rioted Saturday, as they protested the reopening of a trash dump, in their area.

Hundreds of rioters attacked police when they came to stop the riot.

Forty-nine officers were injured and six police vehicles were destroyed when the mob threw rocks and gas bombs at the arriving officers.

Police reinforcements showed up, launching tear gas as they came, dispersing the riot and rescuing their comrades.

Two civilians were reportedly injured when they attempted to block the path of police, who were attempting to gain entrance to the dump.

Venezuela Voting for President

Sunday sees Venezuelans out to vote, in what is considered the biggest challenge to thirteen year President Hugo Chavez.

This election will set the presidency through 2019.

Facing the socialist Chavez is centrist Henrique Capriles, who seeks to stop the nationalization of industries, and the opening of free markets.

On Saturday, Venezuelans went through the process of getting their National IDs, which are required for voting.

The country also saw one of it's biggest grocery buying days, as many stocked up on basic foods, fearing how Chavez could react to losing the election.

Meningitis Death Toll Up to 7

Blue states received contaminated shipments.

Meningitis has now killed seven people, in Maryland, Michigan, Tennessee, and Virginia. Sixty-four people in nine states have been confirmed as having the deadly disease, with Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Ohio being the other five.

Everyone of those people received methylprednisolone acetate via a shot to their spine. The steroid, used to treat inflammation, had been contaminated with a fungus, that contained the meningitis.

Seventy-six facilities, in twenty-three states, had received shipments of the drug. They are California, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, and West Virginia.

New England Compounding Center, the pharmacy that made the injections, has voluntarily given up it's license, while the FDA investigates, and recalled all other products that they make, as a precaution.

The FDA is asking people who were given the injections to contact them by phone at 1-800-FDA-1088 or online.

Terrorist Facilitators Extradicted To New York City

BBC reports that extradition proceedings for Abu Hamza al-Masri and four other suspected Al Qaeda facilitators have completed their appeals in the UK. The five are headed to New York and are set to stand for initial arraignment in a US federal court in Connecticut within twenty-four hours.

The first pretrial hearing for Abu Hamza is set to take place in approximately three weeks, though it may be years before al-Masri faces trial on eleven counts of criminal activities to support terrorism against the US. In the meantime, Abu Hamza and his four coconspirators will be held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. The US mainstream media has spent too much time spinning Obama's campaign talking points instead of properly informing New Yorkers and gauging their reactions to news that five terrorists will be housed there instead of Camp Xray at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Abu Hamza and others are suspected of running US based websites used to fund Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and Ansar al-Sunna, among others. Ansar al-Sunna is the Al Qaeda allied terror group that conducted suicide bombings in Iraq to include the 2004 bombing of a coalition dining facility on Forward Operating Base Marez. Al-Masri also openly called for violence against the US and her allies and facilitated hostage-taking operations to support Al Qaeda.

The pursuit and extradition of Abu Hamza began in 2003 after UK Law Enforcement personnel raided his mosque in Finsbury Park over weapons allegations. the mosque was closed, but al-Masri continued to incite violence, facilitate weapons smuggling, and conduct hostage taking activities until his arrest in 2006. The US indicted Abu Hamza in 2004.

During their initial arraignment, two of the five reportedly entered "not guilty" pleas.


Original article at Mental Aikido.

Blue to Gold: USMC Sgt Camella M. Steedley

USMC Sgt Camella M. Steedley, thiry-one, of San Diego, CA, died October 3, in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
The Pentagon released the name Thursday of a thirty-one year old Camp Pendleton-based Marine killed in combat this week in Afghanistan.

Sgt. Camella M. Steedley of San Diego died October 3 supporting combat operations in Helmand Province on Wednesday, according to the Department of Defense. Her cause of death is under investigation, military officials said.

Steedley was assigned to the Combat Logistics Regiment 17, a logistics battalion of the US Marines based out of Camp Pendleton.

She enlisted in December 2011.  Sher was an air operations clerk for CLR-17.  It's not clear how Sgt. Steedley died and what led the military to investigate. Fox 5 News contacted the 1st Marine Logistics group and was told "she died while supporting combat operations".

The unit released the following statement:
The United States Marine Corps mourns the loss of one its own.  The Marines and sailors of 1st Marine Logistics Group mourn the loss of Sgt. Camella M.Steedley. Our heartfelt condolences go out to her family.