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<title>Friends of Liberty</title>
<link>http://www.friendsofliberty.com</link>
<description>Friends of Liberty</description>
<language>en-us</language>

<item>
<title>Army Admits Re-Education Camp Manual “Not Intended For Public Release”</title>
<link>http://www.friendsofliberty.com/modules.php?name=News&amp;file=article&amp;sid=4193</link>
<description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Public Affairs Director falsely claims document does not apply within U.S.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Paul Joseph Watson&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;Infowars.com&lt;br&gt;Wednesday, May 9, 2012&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px;&quot; align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs director Tiffany Wood has provided the first official response to the shocking U.S. Army document that outlines the implementation of re-education camps, admitting that the manual was &amp;ldquo;not intended for public release&amp;rdquo; and claiming that its provisions only apply outside the United States, a contention completely disproved by the language contained in the document itself.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;caption right&quot; style=&quot;outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-right: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0.8em; float: right; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; border: initial none initial;&quot; src=&quot;http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lXktMVjV9S0/T0yX7gbUTJI/AAAAAAAAD-M/_DkyHE0_rwc/s1600/yd_aciIq1p6eUPeyhFIwADl72eJkfbmt4t8yenImKBVaiQDB_Rd1H6kmuBWtceBJ.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;370&quot; height=&quot;230&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px;&quot; align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;After a reader sent Wood a link to where the manual, entitled&amp;nbsp;&lt;em&gt;FM 3-39.40 Internment and Resettlement Operations&lt;/em&gt;&amp;nbsp;(&lt;a href=&quot;http://info.publicintelligence.net/USArmy-InternmentResettlement.pdf&quot;&gt;PDF&lt;/a&gt;), can be downloaded on the&lt;a href=&quot;http://info.publicintelligence.net/USArmy-InternmentResettlement.pdf&quot;&gt;army.mil website&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(but only by military employees with special credentials), Wood responded by stating that the document should not be in the public domain.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px;&quot; align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;The document was not intended for public release,&amp;rdquo; said Wood, adding, &amp;ldquo;Any other questions regarding the&lt;br&gt;document, you will need to file a FOIA request.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px;&quot; align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;This means that either hackers have obtained access to a secure military website and downloaded the manual or it was leaked by a military employee concerned about the content of the document.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px;&quot; align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.prisonplanet.com/re-education-camp-manual-includes-rules-on-isolating-political-prisoners.html&quot;&gt;As we have exhaustively illustrated&lt;/a&gt;, the document is a training manual for U.S. Army personnel that details how to treat detainees incarcerated in prison camps both abroad and inside the United States.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px;&quot; align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;The manual outlines how officers will develop programs to &amp;ldquo;indoctrinate&amp;rdquo; &amp;ldquo;political activists&amp;rdquo; incarcerated in detention camps into developing an &amp;ldquo;understanding and appreciation of U.S. policies and actions.&amp;rdquo; The document also explains how &amp;ldquo;reeducating the I/R facility population or setting the stage for acceptance of future operations,&amp;rdquo; is the responsibility of &amp;lsquo;PSYOP&amp;rsquo; personnel within the camp.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px;&quot; align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;The document also makes clear that the internment facility is not only a re-education camp but also a forced labor camp. Page 277 of the manual states, &amp;ldquo;Detainees constitute a significant labor force of skilled and unskilled individuals. These individuals should be employed to the fullest extent possible in work that is needed to construct, manage, perform administrative functions for, and maintain the internment facility.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px;&quot; align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;The manual also directs that political activists be confined to isolation and that prisoners be silenced using by &amp;ldquo;muffling them with a soft, clean cloth tied around their mouths and fastened at the backs of their heads.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px;&quot; align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;In her email response, Wood falsely claims that, &amp;ldquo;The document is intended for operations outside of the continental United States. Depending on the nature and magnitude of an event will determine the level of U.S. military involvement.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px;&quot; align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.infowars.com/yes-the-re-education-camp-manual-does-apply-domestically-to-u-s-citizens/&quot;&gt;As we have proven&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;using only direct quotations and screenshots from the manual, it is clearly designed to be applied both abroad and &amp;ldquo;within U.S. territory,&amp;rdquo; including against &amp;ldquo;civilian detainees&amp;rdquo; incarcerated for &amp;ldquo;security reasons, for protection, or because he or she committed an offense against the detaining power,&amp;rdquo; as part of &amp;ldquo;domestic civil support operations&amp;rdquo; involving FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px;&quot;&gt;The manual also details how prisoners will be identified by their &amp;ldquo;social security number,&amp;rdquo; another glaring confirmation that the rules apply to U.S. citizens.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px;&quot;&gt;The document makes it clear on page 193 that the rules apply to processing American detainees on U.S. soil so long as the President passes an executive order to nullify Posse Comitatus, the law that forbids the U.S. military from engaging in domestic law enforcement.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px;&quot;&gt;It is clear from Wood&amp;rsquo;s response that she has either not read the documents properly or has been directed to downplay their significance by asserting they do not apply within the United States, a claim clearly disproved by the numerous references within the manual to how its instructions can be applied as part of &amp;ldquo;domestic civil support operations.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px;&quot;&gt;Read the full email from Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs director Tiffany Wood below.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; padding-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; border: 1px solid black;&quot; src=&quot;http://static.prisonplanet.com/p/images/may2012/090512email.jpg&quot; border=&quot;1&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;541&quot; height=&quot;530&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px;&quot; align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;*********************&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px;&quot; align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://prisonplanet.com/&quot;&gt;Prison Planet.com&lt;/a&gt;. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a regular fill-in host for The Alex Jones Show and Infowars Nightly News.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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<title>US spy agency can keep mum on Google ties: court</title>
<link>http://www.friendsofliberty.com/modules.php?name=News&amp;file=article&amp;sid=4192</link>
<description>&lt;div class=&quot;yog-col yog-5u&quot;&gt;
&lt;div id=&quot;mediaarticlerelatedtemp&quot; class=&quot;yom-mod yom-art-related yom-art-related-modal&quot;&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;bd&quot;&gt;AFP&amp;nbsp;&amp;ndash; &lt;em&gt;May 12, 2012&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://ca.news.yahoo.com/photos/us-spy-agency-keep-mum-google-ties-photo-195145602.html&quot;&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;lightboxc3d1e573d5e51ec8438be055c9d0a7aa&quot; title=&quot;The top-secret US National Security Agency is not required to reveal any deal it may have with Google to help protect against cyber attacks, an appeals court ruled Friday. The US Court of Appeals in Washington upheld a lower court decision that said the NSA need not confirm or deny any relationship with Google, because its governing statutes allow it keep such information secret. (AFP Photo/Kimihiro Hoshino)&quot; src=&quot;http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/C.q2o4xcJ0tfotmOkuc9Qg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Y2g9MzA5O2NyPTE7Y3c9NTEyO2R4PTA7ZHk9MDtmaT11bGNyb3A7aD0xMTU7cT04NTt3PTE5MA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/afp.com/photo_1336765820994-1-0.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The top-secret US National Security Agency is not required to reveal any deal it may have with Google to help protect against cyber attacks, an appeals court ruled Friday. The US Court of Appeals in Washington upheld a lower court decision that said the NSA need not confirm or deny any relationship with Google, because its governing statutes allow it keep such information secret. (AFP Photo/Kimihiro Hoshino)&quot; width=&quot;190&quot; height=&quot;115&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;first&quot;&gt;The  top-secret US National Security Agency is not required to reveal any  deal it may have with Google to help protect against cyber attacks, an  appeals court ruled Friday.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The US Court of Appeals in Washington upheld a lower court decision  that said the NSA need not confirm or deny any relationship with Google,  because its governing statutes allow it keep such information secret.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The ruling came in response to a Freedom of Information Act request  from a public interest group, which said the public has a right to know  about any spying on citizens.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The appeals court agreed that the NSA can reject the request, and  does not even have to confirm whether it has any arrangement with the  Internet giant.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&quot;Any information pertaining to the relationship between Google and  NSA would reveal protected information about NSA's implementation of its  information assurance mission,&quot; Judge Janice Rogers Brown wrote in the  appeals opinion.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The non-profit Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed a  formal request to make public documents related to the dealings, and  said much of the information had already been in news media.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The request stemmed from a January 2010 cyber attack on Google that  primarily targeted the Gmail email accounts of Chinese human rights  activists...&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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<title>Facebook co-founder renounces citizenship ahead of IPO</title>
<link>http://www.friendsofliberty.com/modules.php?name=News&amp;file=article&amp;sid=4191</link>
<description>&lt;p&gt;Published May 11, 2012&lt;br&gt; FoxNews.com&lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt; Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, seen in a 2010 interview from Singapore, where he lives. (YouTube)&lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt; The Facebook page of company co-founder Eduardo Saverin, who renounced  his U.S. citizenship ahead of the social network's hotly anticipate IPO.  (Facebook)&lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt; He lived the American Dream -- and then he packed up and left.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, who made billions off the  world&amp;rsquo;s most popular social network, stands to rake in about $3.84  billion from his 4 percent share of Facebook, Bloomberg reported.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;American citizens pay several taxes, including taxes on salary and  investments. Saverin would be hit with about $600 million in capital  gains taxes whenever he sold the Facebook shares (or &quot;realized the  income,&quot; in financial speak).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But Saverin may not have to pay -- he's chosen to renounce his U.S.  citizenship for residence in Singapore, Bloomberg reported, where there  is no capital gains tax.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Tom Goodman, a spokesman for Saverin, told Bloomberg the move was &amp;ldquo;practical.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Eduardo recently found it more practical to become a resident of  Singapore since he plans to live there for an indefinite period of  time,&amp;rdquo; said Tom Goodman, a spokesman for Saverin, in an e-mailed  statement.&lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt; Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/05/11/facebook-co-founder-renounces-citizenship-ahead-of-ipo/#ixzz1ubsTxWD6&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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<title>Is This Censorship? Facebook Stops Users From Posting ‘Irrelevant' Comments</title>
<link>http://www.friendsofliberty.com/modules.php?name=News&amp;file=article&amp;sid=4190</link>
<description>&lt;p&gt;by Colleen Taylor&lt;br&gt;Tech Crunch&lt;br&gt;May 4, 2012&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;media-container media-loading&quot;&gt;&lt;img class=&quot;attachment-image wp-post-image&quot; title=&quot;Screen Shot 2012-05-05 at 4.51.28 PM&quot; src=&quot;http://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/screen-shot-2012-05-05-at-4-51-28-pm.png?w=288&quot; alt=&quot;Screen Shot 2012-05-05 at 4.51.28 PM&quot; width=&quot;288&quot; height=&quot;96&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Updated. &lt;/strong&gt;Today was just another Saturday morning in blog land when &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.crunchbase.com/person/robert-scoble&quot;&gt;Robert Scoble&lt;/a&gt;, the well-known tech startup enthusiast, went to post a comment on a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/max.woolf/posts/326466947419794&quot;&gt;Facebook post&lt;/a&gt; written by Carnegie Mellon student (and TechCrunch commenter extraordinaire) &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/max.woolf&quot;&gt;Max Woolf&lt;/a&gt; about the nature of today&amp;rsquo;s tech blogging scene. Scoble&amp;rsquo;s comment  itself was pretty par-for-the-course &amp;mdash; generally agreeing with Woolf&amp;rsquo;s  sentiments and adding in his own two cents.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But when Scoble went to click post, he &lt;a href=&quot;https://plus.google.com/111091089527727420853/posts/cdZQPUiMp9b&quot;&gt;received an&lt;/a&gt; odd error message:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;This comment seems irrelevant or inappropriate and can&amp;rsquo;t  be posted. To avoid having comments blocked, please make sure they  contribute to the post in a positive way.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Now, Facebook makes no apologies for working to create a safe and clean environment on its corner of the web by shutting down &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.insidefacebook.com/2010/09/03/prevent-friend-request/&quot;&gt;abusive or harassing behavior&lt;/a&gt;, content &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=217396028308067&quot;&gt;such as pornography&lt;/a&gt;,  or generally spamming of the system. This particular method policing  &amp;ldquo;inappropriate&amp;rdquo; comments may be new, but it would fall within the same  general realm.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But even so, this instance seems to be a very strange enactment of  any kind of Facebook policy. Scoble posted his original comment in its  entirety &lt;a href=&quot;https://plus.google.com/111091089527727420853/posts/cdZQPUiMp9b&quot;&gt;on his Google+ page&lt;/a&gt;, and it&amp;rsquo;s clear that it contains no profanity or even any obvious argumentative language.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Of course, what makes a comment &amp;ldquo;positive&amp;rdquo; or &amp;ldquo;negative&amp;rdquo; is a very  subjective thing. Since Facebook is a global site, and what is  acceptable in one culture is offensive in another, the company generally  relies on a combination of software algorithms and notifications from  other users to identify inappropriate behavior. This seems to show a  glitch in that system...&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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<title>South Korean Protests for N.Korean Defectors Sent Powerful Signal to China</title>
<link>http://www.friendsofliberty.com/modules.php?name=News&amp;file=article&amp;sid=4189</link>
<description>&lt;div id=&quot;ArticlePar01&quot; class=&quot;article&quot; style=&quot;font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:englishnews@chosun.com&quot;&gt;englishnews@chosun.com&lt;/a&gt; /  					May 01, 2012 12:38 KST&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Protests across the street from the Chinese Embassy in Seoul  that began in February against Beijing's forced repatriation of North  Korean defectors came to an end on Monday. It had been 77 days since the  protests began with a press conference by conservative Liberty Forward  Party lawmaker Park Sun-young on Feb. 13 calling on Beijing to stop the  repatriation of 24 North Korean defectors who were caught hiding in  China. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Residents of the neighborhood complained about  inconvenience as the demonstrations dragged on, and police and the  Jongno District Office also requested that they end.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;At first,  the protests did not gain much attention. Then on Feb. 21 Park began a  hunger strike and actor Cha In-pyo showed up with around 50 teenage  North Korean defectors, drawing widespread attention to the  demonstrations. Lee Ae-ran, the first North Korean defector to earn a  PhD in South Korea, took the baton from Park and carried on the hunger  strike, followed by other prominent officials.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Members of the  Christian Council of Korea, National Buddhist Council for Security of  Korea, Korean Female Lawyers' Association and Korean Medical Women's  Association also took part in the demonstrations. In March, around 500  civic groups, including the Council of North Korean Human Rights  Associations, formed a network seeking to rescue North Korean defectors  and held protest rallies at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. every day.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Soon the  world began to pay attention. On March 5, the human rights subcommittee  at the U.S. House of Representatives held a hearing on China's  repatriation of North Korean defectors, and on March 20 the House passed  a resolution opposing it. On April 10, rallies were held in 53 cities  around the world opposing China's forced repatriation of North Korean  defectors. Even the legendary 70s German pop combo Boney M took part in a  demonstration in Seoul. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;During a summit with President Lee  Myung-bak on March 26, Chinese President Hu Jintao said his government  &quot;respects [South Korea's] position. It will strive to ensure that the  issue is resolved smoothly.&quot; Soon afterward, China finally released four  North Korean defectors, including three family members of a South  Korean prisoner of war, who had been hiding in the South Korean Embassy  in Beijing since 2009.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Conservative groups have been supporting  North Korean defectors from behind the scenes while progressive groups  opposed any efforts to shed more light on the issue, claiming that would  end up causing Beijing to step up its crackdown on the defectors and  shut off existing escape routes. South Koreans had practically given up  hope that China would ever stop unconditionally supporting the North  Korean regime. But the flames that were lit in Seoul 77 days ago ended  up moving the hearts of not only South Koreans but of people around the  world and prodded China into making at least some changes. It was a  positive signal that a new strategy can make a difference for North  Korean defectors.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</description>
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<title>1 year after Usama bin Laden raid, no answers from Pakistan</title>
<link>http://www.friendsofliberty.com/modules.php?name=News&amp;file=article&amp;sid=4188</link>
<description>&lt;p&gt;Published May 01, 2012&lt;br&gt; Associated Press&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Usama bin Laden was killed by CIA-led Navy SEALS on Sunday night at his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, ending the U.S.' decade-long search for the Al Qaeda leader.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;ABBOTTABAD, Pakistan &amp;ndash;  One year since U.S. commandos flew into this Pakistani army town and killed Usama bin Laden, Islamabad has failed to answer tough questions over whether its security forces were protecting the world's most wanted terrorist.  Partly as a result, fallout from the raid still poisons relations between Washington and Pakistan, where anti-American sentiment, support for Islamist extremism and anger at the violation of sovereignty in the operation can be summed up by a Twitter hashtag doing the rounds: 02MayBlackDay.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Pakistani government initially welcomed the raid that killed bin Laden in his three-story compound, but within hours the mood changed as it became clear that Pakistan's army was cut out of the operation. Any discussions over how bin Laden managed to stay undetected in Pakistan were drowned out in anger at what the army portrayed as a treacherous act by a supposed ally.  That bin Laden was living with his family near Pakistan's version of West Point -- not in a cave in the mountains as many had guessed -- raised eyebrows in the West.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Pakistani army was already accused of playing both sides in the campaign against militancy, providing some support against Al Qaeda but keeping the Afghan Taliban as strategic allies.  A week after the raid, President Barack Obama said bin Laden had a &quot;support network&quot; in Pakistan and the country must investigate how he evaded capture. Pakistan responded by announcing the formation of a committee to investigate bin Laden's presence in Pakistan as well as the circumstances surrounding the U.S. raid.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Soon after it began its work, the head of the committee said he was sure that security forces were not hiding bin Laden. Other statements since then have also suggested the report will be more of a whitewash than a genuine probe.  Last week, committee spokesman retired Col. Mohammad Irfan Naziri said its findings were being written up but they might not be released publicly.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&quot;We're disappointed,&quot; said a U.S. official about the investigation. &quot;They promised to do it, but they haven't yet.&quot;  The public line of the Obama administration is that no evidence has emerged to suggest bin Laden had high-level help inside Pakistan. Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence agency said bin Laden's long and comfortable existence in the country was an &quot;intelligence failure.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But suspicions have increased following recent disclosures by one of bin Laden's wives in a police interrogation report that the Al Qaeda leader lived in five houses while on the run and fathered four children, two of whom were born in Pakistani government hospitals.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&quot;I just find the idea that he lived in a place like Abbottabad without the ISI's knowledge strains credibility,&quot; said Shawn Gregory, director of the Pakistan Security Research Unit at Bradford University in the U.K. &quot;It is ridiculous that he wasn't being protected.&quot;  Since the raid, Pakistan has tried to close one of the most notorious chapters in its history.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The three-story compound in Abbottabad that housed him for six years was razed by bulldozers in a surprise, nighttime operation. Just last week, his three wives and 11 daughters, children and grandchildren were deported to Saudi Arabia; their side of the story is unlikely to be told anytime soon...&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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<title>Dirty Rotten Stinky Cheeses (&amp; The Wines That Love Them)</title>
<link>http://www.friendsofliberty.com/modules.php?name=News&amp;file=article&amp;sid=4187</link>
<description>&lt;div class=&quot;author&quot;&gt;by Bob Blumer&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;author&quot;&gt;Magazine Issue: U.S. Vol. 3.6&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;img src=&quot;http://www.winexmagazine.com/images/3point6/small/sg2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;and the wines that love them&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If the thought of cheese conjures up images of bland snack food  hermetically sealed in cellophane sheets, cardboard tubes or aerosol  cans, it's time to wake up and smell the aromas. There's a universe of  cheese out there that'll either completely disgust you or change your  life. Yah baby, I'm talking about stinky cheeses, the bacterial  mutations covered in festering mold. The kind that if you get them just  ripe enough they ooze like slime and emit aromas that make your dirty  socks smell like the latest Calvin Klein fragrance by comparison. In  other words, cheese nirvana. Like glistening pearls in barnacle-covered  oyster shells, stinky cheeses offer a gastronomic bonanza to those who  can get past the appearance -- and of course the nearly toxic fumes. The  reward for perseverance is a decidedly unstinky taste sensation that  saturates every last taste bud with a robust, creamy -- yet tangy --  fusion of flavors.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I was introduced to the world of stinky fromage during a wine trip to  Bordeaux. In no time, I found myself neglecting the elaborate  multi-course meals in order to save room for the cheese service that  inevitably follows every grandiose French dinner. Years later, my true  stinky cheese epiphany happened at Mraz + Sohn, a restaurant in Vienna,  Austria. After a sumptuous meal, I bolted for the cheese cart to survey  the odoriferous delicacies. Half-jokingly I asked the waitress where the  really, really stinky cheeses were. Without missing a beat, she pulled  out a drawer to reveal the holy grail of mold-covered, runny cheeses.  The motley assemblage looked as threatening as it did appealing. The  uninitiated might have turned and run, but I asked for a taste of each,  along with a glass of Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet-Shiraz (my server's  recommendation). The gloriously pungent French cheeses, alongside a wine  exploding with ripe supple fruit, created a spine-tingling culinary  orgasm. It was the closest I've ever come to a perfect marriage of food  and wine.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In my never-ending quest to help you get a lot out of life, regardless  of what your lot in life is, I set out to learn why the artisan cheeses  eaten in Europe are so different from what we've all grown up to accept  as cheese in America.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I soon discovered that the nose-numbing smell and moldy rind that're the  hallmarks of stinky cheese are the result of polycultures and bacteria  that form on the outer skin of the cheese as it ripens. As it's aged,  the cheese skin absorbs the earthiness of the damp cellars, and the mold  that develops on the rind, called Bacillus linens, generates an  ammonia-like smell. Some of the finished cheeses are also &quot;washed&quot; in  locally produced spirits, such as marc, a rough Burgundian brandy, which  ferments the natural fats and adds another layer of complexity to the  already heady aromas.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There's another element that contributes to the difference between  European and American cheeses, although there are dissenting opinions as  to its importance. In America, most cheeses are required by law to be  pasteurized, a process that heats the milk to 161 degrees Fahrenheit,  thus killing potentially dangerous bacteria (and unfortunately some of  the flavor). In France, where cheese isn't required to be pasteurized,  the milk is heated to a lower temperature, which preserves the integrity  of the raw ingredients. Of course the quality of the milk itself,  determined by what the cows graze on, is also a key factor. Then there's  the issue of making the cheese to suit the taste of the consumer.  European cheeses are crafted to meet European tastes, which tend to be  bigger, bolder and less convenience-driven. Most French cheeses imported  to America, such as familiar cheese-tray staples like brie and  camembert, conform to American regulations and tastes. This double fault  produces much milder cheeses. They may be French, but they're not  Frrrrench.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There's no question that stinky cheese is an acquired taste. But if you  hold your nose and take the leap, you may never wrestle with a  cellophane wrapper again.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;the ultimate stinky cheese list&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Epoisses&lt;/em&gt; - Burgundy&lt;br&gt; &lt;em&gt;Le Cados&lt;/em&gt; - Normandy&lt;br&gt; &lt;em&gt;Ami du Chambertin&lt;/em&gt; - Burgundy&lt;br&gt; &lt;em&gt;Chablis&lt;/em&gt; - Burgundy&lt;br&gt; &lt;em&gt;Camembert au Calvados&lt;/em&gt; - Normandy&lt;br&gt; &lt;em&gt;Muenster&lt;/em&gt; - Alsace&lt;br&gt; &lt;em&gt;Appenzeller&lt;/em&gt; - Switzerland&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;wine and stinky cheese pairing&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It takes a big wine to stand up to a stinky cheese. To play it safe,  select powerful reds with lots of body. Well-structured wines, such as  big California cabs and French Bordeaux, are safe bets. The Australian  Penfolds cabernet-shiraz blend that rocked my world is a perfect example  of a more supple, less tannic wine with enough intensity to meet its  match. If you're adventurous, you can dabble in the art of regional  pairings (i.e., Burgundies with Burgundian cheeses and gewurztraminer  with Alsatian muenster). Select the biggest wines each region has to  offer...&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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<title>&quot;What Would Larry [McDonald] Have Said/Done?&quot;:</title>
<link>http://www.friendsofliberty.com/modules.php?name=News&amp;file=article&amp;sid=4186</link>
<description>
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&quot;We have &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_boxes_of_liberty&quot;&gt;four boxes&lt;/a&gt; with which to defend our freedom: the soap box, the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box.&quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_McDonald#cite_note-jpoz-36&quot;&gt;[37]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_McDonald#cite_note-37&quot;&gt;[38]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&quot;[T]he drive of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockefeller_family&quot;&gt;Rockefellers&lt;/a&gt; and their allies is to create a one-world government, combining  super-capitalism and Communism under the same tent, all under their  control&amp;nbsp;... Do I mean conspiracy? Yes I do. I am convinced there is such  a plot, international in scope, generations old in planning, and  incredibly evil in intent.&quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_McDonald#cite_note-38&quot;&gt;[39]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_McDonald#cite_note-39&quot;&gt;[40]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;(Speaking of &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carroll_Quigley&quot;&gt;Carroll Quigley&lt;/a&gt;, a history professor at &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgetown_University&quot;&gt;Georgetown University&lt;/a&gt;:)  &quot;He says, Sure we've been working it, sure we've been collaborating  with communism, yes we're working with global accommodation, yes, we're  working for world government. But the only thing I object to, is that  we've kept it a secret.&quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_McDonald#cite_note-40&quot;&gt;[41]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&quot;I personally believe that we don't need a lot more laws, I think  we've got far too many laws on the books now, that's part of the  problem.&amp;nbsp;... we don't need &lt;em&gt;more&lt;/em&gt; government, &lt;em&gt;more&lt;/em&gt; laws; we  need a lot less. I'm up there [in Washington, D.C.] trying to dismantle a  lot of this giant government.&amp;nbsp;... when you 'pass a law' with the  current attitude in the Congress what do you get in a law today? You get  either more spending, or more taxes, or more controls.&amp;nbsp;... which do you  want? Do you want more spending? I think we've got too much. Do you  want more taxes? I think we're taxed too heavily now. Do you want more  controls over your life? Does anybody say 'Hey look, I really believe  the federal government needs to control me. I want to be a slave. Please  tell me how to run every facet of my life.' I don't hear many people  saying that. I think most people say 'I think it's time we get the  government off our backs, and out of our pockets.'&quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_McDonald#cite_note-passing_laws-12&quot;&gt;[13]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&quot;The complexity of social organization does not change. Our  technologically sophisticated industrial society is more complex than  the agrarian society of America in the eighteenth century. In this  regard, that was 'a simpler world.' But the complexities of politics (&lt;em&gt;politics&lt;/em&gt; here meaning the &lt;em&gt;science of governing&lt;/em&gt;)  do not change much. The basic political problems confronting the  Framers of our Constitution were as complex as our political problems  today&amp;mdash;perhaps more so, because they were striking off into the dangerous  unknown, whereas all we need do is return to the fine highway we were  once on.&quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_McDonald#cite_note-41&quot;&gt;[42]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
Quotes about McDonald
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&quot;There is a real question in my mind that the Soviets may have actually murdered 269 passengers and crew on the &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Air_Lines_Flight_007&quot;&gt;Korean Air Lines Flight 007&lt;/a&gt; in order to kill Larry McDonald.&quot; &amp;ndash; &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Falwell&quot;&gt;Jerry Falwell&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Post&quot;&gt;The Washington Post&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;, September 2, 1983&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&quot;He was the most principled man in Congress.&quot; &amp;ndash; &lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Paul&quot;&gt;Ron Paul&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Philadelphia_Inquirer&quot;&gt;The Philadelphia Inquirer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;</description>
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<title>Chuck Grassley: Colombian prostitutes or Russian spies?</title>
<link>http://www.friendsofliberty.com/modules.php?name=News&amp;file=article&amp;sid=4185</link>
<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;This is less about prostitution than the president&amp;rsquo;s safety, Charles Grassley said.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;By MACKENZIE WEINGER&lt;br&gt;Updated: 4/24/12 3:48 PM EDT&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Colombian prostitutes entangled in the Secret Service sex scandal could have been Russian spies, Sen. Chuck Grassley suggested Tuesday.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;We&amp;rsquo;re looking at something that is very, very serious when national security might not be protected properly,&amp;rdquo; Grassley told Radio Iowa. &amp;ldquo;Who knows who might be using prostitutes? The Russians are famous for that to get information out of us.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In a letter last night, the Iowa Republican called on the White House to answer questions about an internal review that cleared the advance team of any involvement in the scandal. Secret Service agents and military personnel are accused of bringing prostitutes back to their hotel before President Barack Obama&amp;rsquo;s trip to Cartagena, Colombia, earlier this month.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;You find a lot of problems come from a culture within the agency,&amp;rdquo; Grassley said on Radio Iowa. &amp;ldquo;Now, I don&amp;rsquo;t think the Secret Service would have that sort of a culture, but this may be the tip of an iceberg.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This is less about prostitution than the president&amp;rsquo;s safety, he added.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;The issue here isn&amp;rsquo;t just people messing around with prostitutes, the issue is the security of the president of the United States and the issue is any national security implications that it might have because of the secrecy and the documents and things of that nature,&amp;rdquo; Grassley said.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0412/75534.html#ixzz1t2YbR71n&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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<title>IRS Travel Ban: Revoking Citizenship By Stealth</title>
<link>http://www.friendsofliberty.com/modules.php?name=News&amp;file=article&amp;sid=4183</link>
<description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Provision that allows feds to suspend passports of accused tax delinquents expected to pass Congress&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Paul Joseph Watson &amp;amp; Alex Jones&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt; Infowars.com&lt;br&gt; Monday, April 16, 2012&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;Efforts to pass a bill that would allow the IRS to deny  travel rights to U.S. citizens who the feds merely claim owe $50,000 or  more in delinquent taxes represents a de facto move to revoke the  citizenship of Americans without due process and in complete violation  of the Constitution.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;caption right&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px;&quot; src=&quot;http://www.france-amerique.com/articles/images/2009/01/57-46.main.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;370&quot; height=&quot;240&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;Thanks to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a recently  passed Senate bill, the suitably Orwellian entitled &amp;lsquo;Moving Ahead for  Progress in the 21st Century Act&amp;rsquo;, includes a provision that allows the  federal government to revoke passports of Americans accused of owing  back taxes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;The legislation now moves to the Congress where, despite  a Republican majority, the IRS provision is expected to be retained in  the final version of the bill because it will raise an estimated $750  million dollars over ten years.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;There is no requirement that the tax payer be guilty of  or even charged with tax evasion, fraud, or any criminal offense &amp;mdash; only  that the citizen is alleged to owe the IRS back taxes of $50,000 or  more,&amp;rdquo; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.thedailyeconomist.com/2012/03/bill-in-congress-could-suspend-your.html&quot;&gt;reports the Daily Economist.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;Empowering the IRS to deny fundamental rights on a whim is completely illegal and unconstitutional.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;There are also numerous Supreme Court precedents protecting these same rights,&amp;rdquo; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.opednews.com/articles/Pay-Your-Taxes-Or-Lose-You-by-Jack-Swint-120412-225.html&quot;&gt;writes Jack Swint&lt;/a&gt;.  &amp;ldquo;Furthermore, the law appears to violate Article I, Section 9,  paragraph 3 of the United States Constitution, which forbids &amp;ldquo;Bills of  Attainder&amp;rdquo;, which are laws providing for the punishment of an individual  without benefit of judicial process.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;It takes away your right to enter or exit the country  based upon a non-judicial IRS determination that you owe taxes,&amp;rdquo;  Constitutional Attorney Angel Reyes &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/2012/04/05/owe-irs-youre-not-going-anywhere/&quot;&gt;told FOX Business&lt;/a&gt;.  &amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s a scary thought that our congressional representatives want to  give the IRS the power to detain US citizens over taxes, which could  very well be in dispute.&amp;rdquo;...&lt;/p&gt;</description>
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