Mood:  loud

Speaker Pelosi to Monitor Your Church

Nancy Pelosi hasn’t been Speaker of the House for two weeks yet and there is already proposed legislation which would be the most significant encroachment ever into the affairs and ability of churches and other organizations to communicate. Under the guise of lobbying reform, Speaker Pelosi and others have proposed legislation greatly expanding the scope of lobbying regulation which would have a significant impact on churches, pastors, religious denominations, public interest organizations, civic organizations and other nonprofit groups. Even private individuals who voluntarily pay for media to distribute important messages to the general public on political matters would be impacted.

So draconian is the proposed Lobbying Reform Bill that it would actually impose registration and reporting requirements on churches and other nonprofit organizations. This is because the definition of “lobbyist” and “lobbying firms” includes specifically grassroots-organizing efforts. Under this broad-based regulatory scheme that Nancy Pelosi is advocating, many churches, especially larger churches with TV and radio ministries, would be subject to registration as a lobbying organization. Failure to comply with these lobbying requirements could result in fines and even criminal sanctions. Churches and their pastors who address the social issues of the day and encourage members and non-members alike to mobilize for action, including communications with Congress, would be required to make certain initial and quarterly disclosures to the United States Congress about their activities.

Under the House version of the Bill, a church or organization would be considered a “grassroots lobbying firm” subject to this law if the group attempted to influence the general public to voluntarily contact federal officials in order to express their own views on a federal issue. Furthermore, many large churches and ministries utilize mass media to communicate their message. Under this House Bill by Nancy Pelosi, these communications, as long as they are directed to at least one person who is not a member of the church, would fall under this new Bill. Finally, if the church spends an aggregate of only $50,000 or more for such efforts in a quarterly period, they are now required to register as lobbyists. Many ministries spend $50,000 or more a month for air time.

This attempt to slip in this onerous requirement on churches and other organizations must be stopped. The rationale behind Speaker Pelosi and others’ desire to silence churches is obvious. Pastors addressing the moral issues of the day have been able to mobilize tens of thousands of individuals to speak out on various issues. But under this proposed legislation, if a church or denomination spent $50,000 of its own resources on air time to encourage people to support the confirmation of federal judicial nominees or to lend its support to a federal marriage amendment, then that church or denomination would be classified as a grassroots lobbying firm. This is one of the most significant violations of free exercise of religion and the freedom of political speech in our Nation’s history. Some have said that this plan is the most comprehensive regulation of political speech that has ever been put forward by Congress.

As one of the lawyers who argued against the campaign finance law at the Supreme Court of the United States, I can tell you that this increased government regulation of churches is not only unwarranted but also unwise. In my argument before the Court, I asserted that a prohibition on minors contributing to a political campaign was unconstitutional, and that students have fundamental rights of freedom of speech and freedom of association. A unanimous Supreme Court agreed with me. The same is true here. Lobbying reform can be put forward without impacting the ability of pastors and churches to speak out on the moral issues of the day, which is part of their prophetic responsibilities. The First Amendment of the Constitution provides for the right of the citizens to “petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Previous lobbying legislation recognized this right to petition the government and specifically carved out exceptions in the law. Unfortunately and not surprisingly, Speaker Pelosi’s proposals have no such protection for the ability of our citizens to petition the government. In essence, this proposed legislation attempts to override the United States Constitution.

This is not the way our Republic is structured. Congress has no authority to amend our United States Constitution on its own accord. If the Freedom of Speech and the Free Exercise of Religion Clauses mean anything, they mean that church leaders and other citizens have the right to address the moral issues of the day and encourage participation of the citizenry in support of or opposition to legislative initiatives. Nancy Pelosi’s proposed legislation would have stopped Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from gathering support for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In fact, as he addressed the social issues from the pulpit of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA, he might well have had to register as a lobbyist.

What we need to do now is exercise our existing First Amendment rights of freedom of speech, freedom of association and the ability to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Our grievance is simple: Congress cannot silence churches and other organizations from grassroots involvement in critical issues of our day. Let us now petition the government aggressively and support an amendment to this proposed legislation by Senators Bennett, McConnell, Kyl, and Cornyn that would eliminate the provisions of this lobbying reform dealing with grassroots efforts. This way we can ensure that churches and many other public interest organizations would not have to register as lobbyists.

Jay Alan Sekulow is Chief Counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice.
Townhall.com ~ Jay Sekulow ** Speaker Pelosi to Monitor Your Church

What happened to the libtard's vaunted seperation of church and state? I guess the libiots want to keep the church out of the state but keep the church under the thumb of the state. Or maybe it would really separate the church from the state, because the church would have no influence on the state... Kind of a reverse Bill of Rights thing.

I wonder which way the Black Caucus is going to go on this one, given that most of their constituents are churchgoing Baptists and those churches get out the vote down south. This is just another step in the Demented-crats' assault on the First Amendment. What a bunch of hypocrits; the libtards seem to believe in free speech only for themselves.

Grass roots usually apply to the conservative movement because the liberal machine is well oiled with money. That's what Puglosi and the other socialists are seeking to stem.

Does this mean we will finally get serious about monitoring the terrorist recruiting activities at the mosques in America? Don't count on it... When black churches and mosques pontificate, that's just cultural diversity!

Posted by yaahoo_ at 4:03 PM EST

Updated: Saturday, 13 January 2007 4:12 PM EST

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Liberals' attempts to silence me

By Melanie Morgan -- Archive

The week that was provided interesting examples of how desperate and pathetic liberals have become.

Their lust for political power, after having suffered one election defeat after another, has become so great that they don't seem to be trying too hard to hide the ugly aspects of liberalism. Now that they've won control of Congress, liberals feel emboldened to reveal their true selves.

Protesting the peanut farmer
Not that it should surprise anyone, but 14 advisory board members at the Carter Center resigned in protest yesterday, no longer able to tolerate the pro-Palestinian bias of the disgraced former president.

In their letter of resignation, the board members wrote of Carter, "You have clearly abandoned your historic role of broker in favor of becoming an advocate for one side."

No kidding.

The question then remains, how can honest journalists and political leaders in the free world continue to legitimize Jimmy Carter after he has proven time and again that he is on the wrong side in the struggle for freedom and liberty.

In Iran, Carter chose the wrong side. In North Korea, Carter chose wrong. In Iraq, Carter chose wrong. In Cuba, Carter chose wrong. In Israel and the Palestinian territories, Carter chose wrong.

Are there any terrorists, despots or dictators that Jimmy Carter has met that he wouldn't embrace? Can you think of one? Just one brutal, murderous tyrant who Jimmy Carter stood up to and said, "You are no friend of mine"?

Liberal hot air
On another front, reaction continues to pour in from my column last week, which exposed the blatant move by The Weather Channel to advocate a liberal stand on global warming.

Environmental activists are furious that I mocked the failed prediction by climatologists and weather forecasters about the 2006 hurricane season. The global warming crowd promised a devastating year of powerful cyclones fueled by the warming of the earth. As it was, not one single hurricane struck the United States during the entire hurricane season.

I pointed out that this was just one example of why listening to people who have been proven wrong about forecasts time and again, and letting them dictate how we lived our lives, was insane.

I suggest everyone read this copy of the June 24, 1974, article in Time magazine where the junk science crowd in climatology beat their chests about the coming ice age. The article is literally titled, "Another Ice Age." Now, just 30 years (and no ice age) later, they say the earth is heating up and the ice caps are melting.

How many times will these people be proven wrong about global warming before brave politicians stand up and confront those who are trying to engage in social engineering?

Liberal activists have been organizing online campaigns to flood The Weather Channel with letters denouncing me. In copies of the e-mails and letters sent to me, environmental activists have noted that this winter has been unseasonably warm and that this serves
as further proof of global warming.

Have I got bad news for the junk science crowd. AccuWeather has just issued a report called "Winter to Come With a Vengeance" announcing that "those who think that winter 2006-2007 is going to remain mild are in for a shock." Read the report for yourself.

By the way, this upcoming cold snap (which is already being felt today in the West) is a short-term weather variation, just as the recent warm temperatures along the East Coast have been. But arm yourself with this information the next time someone tries to use a warm spell as evidence for the junk science behind the global warming propaganda.

Silencing conservatives on the airwaves
A final thought for this week is a personal one.

I've been the target, as have a number of other conservative talk-radio hosts, of an effort by liberal bloggers to get me fired for engaging in what these far-left activists are calling "hate speech."

The move by liberal activists to silence conservative radio hosts comes after the failure of the left-wing Air America radio network. Given that liberalism couldn't compete and win in the marketplace of ideas, liberals now want to silence conservative radio hosts.

One anonymous online blogger compiled audio clips edited to make it look like I was calling for the murder of Nancy Pelosi, when I did no such thing. (You can listen for yourself and understand how they are now trying to impugn my credibility by misrepresenting my words).

One blogger called for fining me and my station $325,000 for each "offense" so as to shut down our station. Another liberal blogger is lining up activists to do a drill to get Congress to pass a new Fairness Doctrine. Another blogger said they were going to work until they got me "off the air."

I've been on the air for 12 years at KSFO radio in San Francisco -- one of the highest-rated talk-radio stations in the nation.

Every day for four hours I sit behind a radio microphone, fighting for a better America that promotes freedom, liberty, security, honesty and integrity. That calculates to be about 1,200 minutes every week. That's a total of more than 60,000 minutes each year for 12 years.

Over the course of all these years, I have of course said things I regretted, or worded things in a way I wished I hadn't. When that happens I've retracted the statement and made a public apology, such as I did concerning comments made about Sen. Barrack Obama. You should read my statement on this matter here.

Despite the efforts by liberal censors to silence me, I will never back away from what I believe in: a strong national defense, respect for the men and women of the United States military, a secure border and enforcement of our nation's immigration laws, lower taxes, less government regulation in our lives and in business, respect for the values of decency, honesty and morality.

Any efforts to silence me are just further proof of how desperate and pathetic liberals have become.

Get Melanie's brand new book, "American Mourning: A Story of Two Families" – the whole truth about Cindy Sheehan

Melanie Morgan is chairman of the conservative, pro-troop non-profit organization Move America Forward and is co-host of the "Lee Rodgers & Melanie Morgan Show" on KSFO 560 AM in San Francisco. Morgan is co-author of "American Mourning," which reveals shocking new revelations about anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan.
World Net Daily.com ~ Melanie Morgan ** Liberals' attempts to silence me

Posted by yaahoo_ at 1:14 AM EST

Updated: Saturday, 13 January 2007 1:29 AM EST

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New York City Radio Ratings, WOR, WABC

BIG APPLE SHOWDOWN

Winners, Losers In NYC Ratings War

With New York City's all- important Fall 2006 Arbitron ratings data now released, some radio talkers are celebrating victories, while others are likely crying in their martinis (or whatever it is talk hosts drink these days).

Thanks to our fantastic multitude of sources, your Radio Equalizer has obtained the data and here are some highlights:

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Nobody's even coming close to the noon- 6pm double- feature of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity on WABC. In fact, both were up slightly in the key 25-54 demographic, crushing competition from WOR and Air America Radio.

The ongoing war between WOR's Michael Savage and WABC's Mark Levin has the latter winning this round by a strong margin, though Savage is facing longer odds on a weak station.

WOR's already flimsy programming lineup plunged to new depths this time, with Savage's program producing the only strong results. Sean Hannity is beating WOR's Ellis Henican and Lynne White show by a factor of 14!

Mornings on WOR, the Station That Refuses To Succeed, are also in horrible shape, dropping a further 17% to a level so low, it barely registers in the ratings. WOR truly defines failure in radio broadcasting, falling another 33% overall in the main 25-54 listener demographic.

While crushing WOR, WABC is also very soft in morning drive, with Curtis & Kuby suffering another big drop: down 19% in the key demo. They represent WABC's weakest link by far. We wonder if changes are on the way in this slot.

Now heard on WWRL, what's left of Air America Radio found relative share strength only during Al Franken's noon-3 shift (though Rush crushed him with numbers 260% higher) and Rachel Maddow's new night shift. She may prove to be a better evening host than morning drive personality.

Will these results bring changes to New York City's talk radio landscape? As Big Apple talk radio has been troubled for a long time, we sure hope so. It's getting pretty boring out there.

Technorati tags: talk radio new york city air america wabc wor wwrl liberal talk radio sean hannity rush limbaugh al franken rachel maddow

The Radio Equalizer ~ Brian Maloney ** New York City Radio Ratings, WOR, WABC

Posted by yaahoo_ at 5:53 PM EST

Updated: Friday, 12 January 2007 6:14 PM EST

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Deficit Falls to Lowest Level in 4 Years

WASHINGTON -- The federal deficit has improved significantly in the first three months of the new budget year, helped by a continued surge in tax revenues.

In its monthly budget report, the Treasury Department said Friday that the deficit from October through December totaled $80.4 billion, the smallest imbalance for the first three months of a budget year since The budget year ends Sept. 30.

Tax collections are running 8.2 percent higher than a year ago while government spending is up by just 0.7 percent from a year ago. Last year's spending totals were boosted by significant payments to help the victims of the Gulf Coast hurricanes.

The Treasury said for December, the government actually ran a surplus of $44.5 billion, the largest surplus ever recorded in December and a gain that reflected a big jump in quarterly corporate tax payments.

The $80.4 billion deficit for the first three months of the current budget year was down 32.6 percent from the imbalance for the same period a year ago of $119.4 billion.

For the year, analysts are still forecasting that the deficit will worsen from last year's total of $248.2 billion, which had been the lowest in four years.

The Congressional Budget Office is forecasting that the deficit for the 2007 budget year will rise to $286 billion, an increase of 15.2 percent from last year, but that figure could be lowered when the CBO releases its revised estimate later this month.

The Bush administration is currently even more pessimistic, predicting a deficit for 2007 of $339.2 billion, but that figure will also be revised when the administration releases its new budget request to Congress on Feb. 5.

Bush, who took office while the country was running record surpluses, saw the deficit hit an all-time high in dollar terms of $413 billion in 2004.

President Bush has said his new budget will outline a path to eliminate the deficit completely by 2012.

For the first three months of the current budget year, revenues total $573.5 billion, an increase of 8.2 percent from tax collections in the same period a year ago. Outlays totaled $653.9 billion, up 0.7 percent from a year ago.

On the Net: Federal budget

Breitbart.com ~ Associated Press - Martin Crutsinger ** Deficit Falls to Lowest Level in 4 Years

Posted by yaahoo_ at 4:23 PM EST

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Lawyer Arrested for Kissing Employee  

WATERBURY, Conn. -- A criminal defense attorney has been arrested on a disorderly conduct charge involving kissing as a crime.

Ralph Crozier, 55, of Southbury was arrested Thursday for kissing a female judicial marshal at Waterbury Superior Court on Dec. 22.

Crozier said state police investigators told him the marshal did not invite him to kiss her, which was why criminal charges were filed.

"This is the biggest baloney I've ever seen in my life," Crozier said Thursday. "How many tens of thousands of people in Connecticut wished their co-workers and friends 'Merry Christmas' the day before Christmas?"

The incident was captured on security video.

Crozier said the video will prove he meant nothing sexual by the kiss, which he described as a peck on the cheek. He says the incident is an example of political correctness run amok.

"It was a Christmas greeting. I had no intention to annoy or harass anybody," Crozier said. "Every one of us knew we were on camera. This was a peck on the cheek. That was the extent. There was nothing here that was weird or sexual."

The arrest warrant affidavit is sealed until Jan. 24, when Crozier is scheduled to be arraigned at the Waterbury courthouse. He is free on a $10,000 bond.

Information from: Republican-American

Beitbart.com ~ AP ** Lawyer Arrested for Kissing Employee

I'm betting it all comes down to money or politics. Sounds like this lady needs a full body condom. Anything any person of responsibility does can and will be used against him in a court of lawlessness.

Posted by yaahoo_ at 3:23 PM EST

Updated: Friday, 12 January 2007 3:57 PM EST

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Nato Forces in Afghanistan claimed yesterday to have thwarted a major Taliban border incursion from Pakistan by killing up to 150 insurgents in a night-time operation.

As part of what was thought to be a precursor to a Taliban spring offensive, Nato officials said that two columns totalling some 200 insurgents crossed into the Afghan border province of Paktika on Wednesday night.

Pakistani forces were informed of the movement of Taliban fighters and the Pakistani military claimed that it bombed and destroyed trucks used by the Taliban on its side of the border.

If so, it was the first military action by the Pakistani military since the government signed a peace deal with militants last year. US military commanders say border incursions have increased threefold since the deal.

The fighting took place as the British commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, Gen David Richards, visited the Pakistani capital to co-ordinate military strategy between Nato, Afghan and Pakistani forces.

Pakistan has come under criticism from Nato commanders for not doing enough to stem Taliban "infiltration". Pakistan denies the charge.

The group of Taliban fighters had assembled in the mountainous terrain of North Waziristan and were seen by American reconnaissance units as they dismounted from lorries before filing over the border at two points.

As they entered Bermal district on the Afghan side of the border at 7pm they were attacked by American Apache assault helicopters firing air-to-surface missiles and 30mm machinegun rounds.

Attack aircraft then dropped a mixture of 500 to 1,000lb bombs on the two groups. The co-ordinated air and ground strikes just 1.2 miles inside Afghan territory were reported to have all but annihilated the Taliban force. The Afghan army reported that the Taliban dead, their weapons and ammunition littered the site of the fighting with blood trails apparently showing where wounded men were carried back towards the Pakistan border.

A Nato spokesman said there were no reports of civilian casualties. A purported spokesman for the Taliban, Mohammad Hanif, denied that any Taliban were involved in the fighting and claimed all those killed were civilians.

The fighting, although not continuous, lasted for nine hours as Apache aircraft tracked the disintegrating columns as fighters fled into the mountainous terrain.

"We think that we killed at least 130 fighters from what we have been able to ascertain through visual recognition," said Lt Col Paul Fitzpatrick, a spokesman for US forces in Kabul. "We are very confident we did heavy damage on these two columns," he added.

Col Fitzpatrick said there were several US bases and outposts within walking distance of the Taliban fighters.

"It was a bold attack which they did not have the opportunity to pull off," he said.

Pressure has been mounting on Pakistan to do more to tackle the cross-border movement of insurgents. As Pakistan claimed to have destroyed the lorries used by the Taliban on its side of the border, the US assistant secretary of state, Richard Boucher, continued his policy of gentle pressure on Islamabad's military regime.

"Pakistan is a very important ally in the fight against terrorism," he said. "There are successes on both sides of the border, there are strong commitments on both sides of the border to deal with extremism... there are also challenges on both sides of the border.

"It is clear to me none of us will be safe unless we deal with both sides of the border... we are all in this together."

American and Nato officials maintain that Pakistan's president, Gen Pervez Musharraf, cannot be pushed too hard to crack down on Islamic radicals for fear of provoking a violent backlash. Gen Richards said: "Today in Afghanistan the number of incidents have declined dramatically from the highs of the last summer. The reduction is to a degree the result of Pakistan army activity and we are the beneficiaries of that."

But he added that the 1,553 miles of rugged frontier still posed a big challenge.

The bloodshed was the result of violence of unprecedented severity for Afghanistan's traditionally quiet winter months.

It is thought to be the most intense fighting since the end of Operation Medusa, a major Nato offensive in the first half of September against Taliban forces in the southern province of Kandahar in which Nato claimed to have killed as many as 500 insurgents.

Yesterday's fighting contrasts with previous years when Taliban activity greatly reduced during the winter months as militants reorganised and rearmed ahead of the launch of their traditional spring offensive.

Nato commanders are braced for a major escalation in Taliban activity across the south of the country this spring with reports that the Taliban has new stockpiles of weapons and ammunition prepared along the border and is fired with renewed confidence after a year that saw the heaviest fighting in Afghanistan since 2001, and as many as 4,000 people killed, many of them Taliban fighters.

Uk Telegraph ~ Isambard Wilkinson, Tom Coghlan ** Taliban invaders ambushed in the mountains

Posted by yaahoo_ at 2:40 PM EST

Updated: Friday, 12 January 2007 2:51 PM EST

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GOP hits Pelosi's 'hypocrisy' on wage bill

House Republicans yesterday declared "something fishy" about the major tuna company in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco district being exempted from the minimum-wage increase that Democrats approved this week.

"I am shocked," said Rep. Eric Cantor, Virginia Republican and his party's chief deputy whip, noting that Mrs. Pelosi campaigned heavily on promises of honest government. "Now we find out that she is exempting hometown companies from minimum wage. This is exactly the hypocrisy and double talk that we have come to expect from the Democrats."

On Wednesday, the House voted to raise the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour.

The bill also extends for the first time the federal minimum wage to the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands. However, it exempts American Samoa, another Pacific island territory that would become the only U.S. territory not subject to federal minimum-wage laws.

One of the biggest opponents of the federal minimum wage in Samoa is StarKist Tuna, which owns one of the two packing plants that together employ more than 5,000 Samoans, or nearly 75 percent of the island's work force. StarKist's parent company, Del Monte Corp., has headquarters in San Francisco, which is represented by Mrs. Pelosi. The other plant belongs to California-based Chicken of the Sea.

"There's something fishy going on here," said Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, North Carolina Republican.

During the House debate yesterday on stem-cell research, Mr. McHenry raised a parliamentary inquiry as to whether an amendment could be offered that would exempt American Samoa from stem-cell research, "just as it was for the minimum-wage bill."

A clearly perturbed Rep. Barney Frank, the Massachusetts Democrat who was presiding, cut off Mr. McHenry and shouted, "No, it would not be."

"So, the chair is saying I may not offer an amendment exempting American Samoa?" Mr. McHenry pressed.

"The gentleman is making a speech and will sustain," Mr. Frank shouted as he slammed his large wooden gavel against the rostrum.

Some Republicans who voted in favor of the minimum-wage bill were particularly irritated to learn yesterday -- after their vote -- that the legislation did not include American Samoa.

"I was troubled to learn of this exemption," said Rep. Mark Steven Kirk, Illinois Republican. "My intention was to raise the minimum wage for everyone. We shouldn't permit any special favors or exemptions that are not widely discussed in Congress. This is the problem with rushing legislation
through without full debate."

A spokeswoman for Mrs. Pelosi said Wednesday that the speaker has not been lobbied in any way by StarKist or Del Monte.

Click-2-Listen

Washington Times ~ Charles Hurt ** GOP hits Pelosi's 'hypocrisy' on wage bill

Now y'all give Puglosi a break. I'm sure that Charlie The Tuna is extremely intimidating and confrontational, the bastard.
"NO BLOOD FOR BIG TUNA" "TOO BIG TUNA SAMOANS ARE 2ND CLASS CITIZENS" "SORRY CHARLIE, NO MINIMUM WAGE FOR YOU!"
"Pelosi lied, Samoans died!" Got to get those slogans going.

Barney "My Boy Lollipop" Frank had a hissy-fit... It sure didn't take long for the libtard Demented-crats to give us fodder. The corruption and hypocrisy they've already displayed for all, so soon into their reign, is breathtaking. Gonna be an interesting few years. I just hope that the Reps finally grow the cajones to call 'em on it, loudly and often.

Posted by yaahoo_ at 1:37 PM EST

Updated: Friday, 12 January 2007 7:15 PM EST

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Staff sergeant relieved of duties after posing for Playboy

SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- An Air Force staff sergeant who posed nude for Playboy magazine has been relieved of her duties while the military investigates, officials said Thursday.

In February's issue, hitting newsstands this week, Michelle Manhart is photographed in uniform yelling and holding weapons under the headline "Tough Love."

The following pages show her partially clothed, wearing her dog tags while working out, as well as completely nude.

"This staff sergeant's alleged action does not meet the high standards we expect of our airmen, nor does it comply with the Air Force's core values of integrity, service before self, and excellence in all we do," Oscar Balladares, spokesman for Lackland Air Force Base, said in a statement.

Manhart told Playboy that she considers herself as standing up for her rights.

"Of what I did, nothing is wrong, so I didn't anticipate anything, of course," Manhart, 30, told The Associated Press. "I didn't do anything wrong, so I didn't think it would be a major issue."

Manhart, who is married with two children, joined the Air Force in 1994, spending time in Kuwait in 2002. She trains airmen at Lackland.

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Michelle Manhart Pictures ----- Michelle Manhart MySpace Pictures

CNN.com ~ Associated Press ** Staff sergeant relieved of duties after posing for Playboy

Posted by yaahoo_ at 12:31 PM EST

Updated: Friday, 12 January 2007 12:55 PM EST

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U.S. warns about Canadian spy coins

WASHINGTON -- Money talks, but can it also follow your movements?

In a U.S. government warning high on the creepiness scale, the Defense Department cautioned its American contractors over what it described as a new espionage threat: Canadian coins with tiny radio frequency transmitters hidden inside.

The government said the mysterious coins were found planted on U.S. contractors with classified security clearances on at least three separate occasions between October 2005 and January 2006 as the contractors traveled through Canada.

Intelligence and technology experts said such transmitters, if they exist, could be used to surreptitiously track the movements of people carrying the spy coins.

The U.S. report doesn't suggest who might be tracking American defense contractors or why. It also doesn't describe how the Pentagon discovered the ruse, how the transmitters might function or even which Canadian currency contained them.

Further details were secret, according to the U.S. Defense Security Service, which issued the warning to the Pentagon's classified contractors. The government insists the incidents happened, and the risk was genuine.

"What's in the report is true," said Martha Deutscher, a spokeswoman for the security service. "This is indeed a sanitized version, which leaves a lot of questions."

Top suspects, according to outside experts: China, Russia or even France -- all said to actively run espionage operations inside Canada with enough sophistication to produce such technology.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service said it knew nothing about the coins.

"This issue has just come to our attention," CSIS spokeswoman Barbara Campion said. "At this point, we don't know of any basis for these claims." She said Canada's intelligence service works closely with its U.S. counterparts and will seek more information if necessary.

Experts were astonished about the disclosure and the novel tracking technique, but they rejected suggestions Canada's government might be spying on American contractors. The intelligence services of the two countries are extraordinarily close and routinely share sensitive secrets.

"It would seem unthinkable," said David Harris, former chief of strategic planning for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. "I wouldn't expect to see any offensive operation against the Americans."

Harris said likely candidates include foreign spies who targeted Americans abroad or businesses engaged in corporate espionage. "There are certainly a lot of mysterious aspects to this," Harris said.

Experts said such tiny transmitters would almost certainly have limited range to communicate with sensors no more than a few feet away, such as ones hidden inside a doorway. The metal in the coins also could interfere with any signals emitted.

"I'm not aware of any (transmitter) that would fit inside a coin and broadcast for kilometers," said Katherine Albrecht, an activist who believes such technology carries serious privacy risks. "Whoever did this obviously has access to some pretty advanced technology."

Experts said hiding tracking technology inside coins is fraught with risks because the spy's target might inadvertently give away the coin or spend it buying coffee or a newspaper. They agreed, however, that a coin with a hidden tracking device might not arouse suspicion if it were discovered in a pocket or briefcase.

"It wouldn't seem to be the best place to put something like that; you'd want to put it in something that wouldn't be left behind or spent," said Jeff Richelson, a researcher and author of books about the CIA and its gadgets. "It doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense."

Canada's largest coins include its $2 "Toonie," which is more than 1-inch across and thick enough to hide a tiny transmitter. The CIA has acknowledged its own spies have used hollow, U.S. silver-dollar coins to hide messages and film.

The government's 29-page report was filled with other espionage warnings. It described unrelated hacker attacks, eavesdropping with miniature pen recorders and the case of a female foreign spy who seduced her American boyfriend to steal his computer passwords.

In another case, a film processing company called the FBI after it developed pictures for a contractor that contained classified images of U.S. satellites and their blueprints. The photo was taken from an adjoining office window.

On the Web: CIA hollow coin

Yahoo News ~ Associated Press - Ted Bridis ** U.S. warns about Canadian spy coins

Sounds like something on "24".

Sounds alot worse than the worthless AAFES gift certificate 'coins' made of cardboard (called Pogs) they give you as change over there.

Posted by yaahoo_ at 3:04 PM EST

Updated: Thursday, 11 January 2007 3:48 PM EST

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Just passing, the best comet for 32 years

This is the spectacular view of the brightest comet for 32 years. And suitably for a phenomenon once seen as a portent of doom, it was spotted over World's End.

Comet McNaught, which is set to shine brighter than the planet Venus this weekend, was caught on camera at sunset when it is at its best.

The newly discovered comet, first observed in Australia last August, is three times more dazzling than Hale-Bopp in 1997.

It is officially the brightest since Comet West in 1975.

Tomorrow the star will sweep within 15.8 million miles of the sun and continue glowing until Monday.

It is visible to the right of Venus soon after sunset and also in the dawn sky to the south-east.

"Make an effort even if the weather prospects look poor," said Nick James of the British Astronomical Association.

"You will need a clear western horizon and should start looking as soon as the sun sets. The comet should be obvious and the tail will be pointing almost straight up from the horizon."

Scotsman Robert McNaught discovered the comet - his 31st - at Siding Spring Observatory in New South Wales.

Its orbit is bringing it closer to the sun than Mercury.

Reader comments -- UK Daily Mail ** Just passing, the best comet for 32 years

Posted by yaahoo_ at 12:39 PM EST

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