Anarchists claim sabotage of train tracks in NYC

On October 17th, people calling themselves “New York Anarchists” claim to have sabotaged railroad tracks leading into and out of New York City.

According to WSQT “Direct Action Radio”, the action was in “retaliation” for the jailing of three people in Seattle “for refusing to snitch on Occupy activists and/or anarchists” who were “opposing the very corporations these railroads serve”.   The three people in question were called before a grand jury and given a grant of immunity from prosecution, but refused to testify and were charged with civil contempt of court. One has been released yesterday, the two others are still in jail.

Here is the radio statement.

WSQT phrased this action as “yet another of a long line of punitive strikes against corporate capitalism in retaliation for the grand jury”   They stated that the “warriors who carried out this mission” posted the following communique on Anarchist News.

To our comrades enduring repression in the Northwest, you are not alone. In the early morning hours of October 17th, we sabotaged the operation of three sets of train tracks leading in and out of New York City. This action was undertaken in solidarity with Leah-Lynn Plante, Matthew Kyle Duran, Katherine Olejnik, and all of our other comrades in the Northwest. To those who are staying strong in these trying times, may this action be an expression of our deepest love. To those who seek to put them in cages, may this action be an expression of our deepest hatred.
DEATH TO CAPITAL
DEATH TO THE STATE
LONG LIVE ANARCHY

- New York Anarchists

It is not clear what this alleged “sabotage” is supposed to have involved and Citizen Journalist has not been able to confirm that anything actually took place.  If anything was done, it apparently wasn’t sufficient to even make media.  On September 17th, the anniversary of OWS,  anarchists claim to have tied a copper wire from one track to another, disrupting a switch relay, and incapacitating a track north of new York City. That also has not been confirmed.

Was President Obama told who debate questioners would be?

There has been a lot flying in the Twitterverse about whether the “undecideds” at the second presidential debate at Hofstra University may have been plants.

We’ll wait till we see more evidence.

But this video raises an interesting question.

We are led to believe that the candidates do not know the people asking the questions.

In the video, at around 1:06:35, Candy Crowley says that we have a question coming from Kerry Ladka.  Then you see President Obama move directly toward Kerry Ladka and say “Hi Kerry”. Then realizing his mistake, he starts to cover up, looking around as though he is looking for the questioner. Then when Kerry Ladka stands and begins, Obama asks him his name, as though he didn’t know it, to again put distance from his earlier mistake.

Crazed “feminists” attack Catholics who defend their church from defacement in Argentina

Here is insane view of the actions of a mob.

About 500 angry, pro abortion feminists attending the “National Women’s Encounter” conference in Posadas, surrounded the nearby cathedral, intent upon defacing the church. Several of the local Catholics locked arms in front of the church to prevent them from defacing it.   The feminists then attacked and abused Catholics, spray painting them, spitting on them, screaming at them, taunting and otherwise abusing them. They also spray painted the cathedral with anarchist and pro abortion phrases.

Some took pictures and posed laughing in front of the abused Catholics.  The Catholics locked arms and continued to pray the Rosary as they were abused.

It is not clear where the police were.  There have been similar actions before from prior National Women’s Encounter events elsewhere in the country, including in 2010, when they vandalized buildings and seriously injured one person.

Vigilante response to Black Bloc anarchists of Occupy Oakland?

After the latest Occupy vandalism march on October 8th, it looks like some may just be fed up.

This flyer was apparently being distributed in Oakland.

Speculation among Occupy Oakland participants is rampant as to who might be behind the flyer, everything from aggrieved community member to a COINTELPRO plot by police.

But the most common guess is unhappy Occupy member.

Schisms have exploded over the past week between various elements of Occupy Oakland, with elements threatening each other, saying things like “we will hunt you down” and “no love all bullets and body bags”.  See more here. Within the schism is an undercurrent of race, with disturbance being expressed by people of color over the “white” nature of such groups as the Oakland Commune.

The flyer itself doesn’t read as though it were a mere aggrieved citizen.

- it cites the date of October 25th. That is the day when Occupy is planning a big action and a possible re-occupation, something the normal citizen probably wouldn’t know.

- it appears to be calling on Occupy to “beat the shit out of anarchists”.

- it also claims to be from “DOOM” (Defend our Oakland Movement). Could mean just defend Oakland, or alternatively, defend our Oakland Movement(indicating involvement).

- it has a clear grievance against the “caucasian” nature of Occupy anarchists, echoing some of the underlying issues expressed in the schism talk.

Whoever it is, one would hope that this doesn’t indicate a ratcheting up of the violence in Oakland.

Occupy Anarchist smash up in Portland, Oregon

Members of Occupy Portland and others were part of a group of around 50 people who damaged several businesses including 4 banks and a Walgreens in SE Portland on Thursday.

After arranging the action on Facebook, the group  met at 8:30 pm at SE 35th & Taylor and shortly thereafter,  began throwing rocks and smashing windows of businesses. Police began receiving calls, including that bottles were being thrown as people, according to NWCN, who also interviewed one man who was nearly hit in the head by an object.

Wells Fargo, Umpqua, Chase and US Bank all had their windows broken. The Walgreen’s store on Southeast Cesar Chavez Boulevard and Southeast Belmont Street also was vandalized.  It was reported that the vandals also walked into traffic and blocked vehicles.

According to KATU, Virginia Suftin said she saw about 50 people headed her way. “I heard the noise and the glass shattering as I was walking to my apartment,” she said. “and they threw a rock right at the bank. They had a huge banner that said ‘no prisons, hug cats? And a bunch were wearing ski masks,”  Suftin recalled.  An anarchist report indicates the banner read: “BURN THE PRISONS, HUG CATS. YOLO (A) ACAB”.  ACAB means “All Cops are Bastards”.  According to the same report, they pulled news paper boxes and other items into the streets to block being followed and chanted ”GIVE NO F–KS TAKE NO ORDERS, SMASH THE PRISONS AND THE BORDER!” Here is another account by an Occupier who “observed” the march 

By the time police arrived, most of the people had dispersed. No arrests have been made, police said.

Here is video made by BareItorBearIt of some of the damage. The video also notes how this action was advertised on the Occupy Portland Facebook and notes who said they would be attending. Citizen Journalist has confirmed that in fact it was indeed advertised, and is still in fact up on their Facebook, although the names of those attending appear now to have been erased.

Despite this, Occupy disavowed the action, telling KATU that the event was not sanctioned, organized or affiliated with them. “The action last night was not an Occupy Portland action or march” a spokesperson said.

This particular action was reportedly in response to the jailing of three people for refusing to testify in response to grand jury subpoenas, despite being granted immunity from prosecution. Since a grand jury, by its very nature, is secret to protect the integrity of pending investigations, it is not clear what information is being sought from these three. Supporters of those jailed contend the three are being held purely for their anarchist views. This was disputed by a spokesperson for the US Attorney’s Office,  Emily Langlie, stating people were not being  investigated for political views. She also noted that grand juries can consider many cases, not just one, and that she cannot comment on the ongoing investigations.

Mother of slain State Dept official told attack was about the video, wants answers

The mother of slain State Department official Sean Smith appeared on CNN begging for answers, asking what happened to her son in Benghazi.

She says all the officials she met with told her the attack was about the anti-Islam video and that she still is not sure what happened to her son or how he died.

 

 

COOPER: So you don’t even know the cause of death?

SMITH: I don’t even know if that’s true or not. No, I don’t. I don’t know where. I look at TV and I see bloody hand prints on walls, thinking, my God, is that my son’s? I don’t know if he was shot. I don’t know — I don’t know. They haven’t told me anything. They are still studying it. And the things that they are telling me are just outright lies.

That Susan Rice, what — she talked to me personally and she said, she said, this is the way it was. It was — it was because of this film that came out.

COOPER: So she told you personally that she thought it was a result of that video of the protest?

SMITH: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. In fact all of them did. All of them did. Leon Panetta actually took my face in his hands like this and he said, trust me. I will tell you what happened. And so far, he’s told me nothing. Nothing at all. And I want to know.

Al Qaeda video of earlier attack on US Consulate in Benghazi on June 6, 2012

Prior to the September 11, 2012 attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, in which four Americans were killed, there were two other bombings at the consulate, one on April 6 (when two former security guards hurled improvised explosives at the building) and another on June 6. See more on the threats and subsequent investigation here.

This video  purports to show some of the attack on June 6.  The video was discovered by the SITE Intelligence Group, an organization which monitors online terrorist activity.

The video was released by the “Brigades of the Imprisoned Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman” which takes responsibility for the attack.  According to SITE, the Brigades group reported in a communiqué posted on jihadist forums on June 11 that its fighters planted an explosive in the wall of the consulate, the blasting of which injured a number of guards (official accounts do not include any injuries).   The jihadist group added that the attack came in response to the drone strike on al-Qaeda official Abu Yahya al-Libi in North Waziristan, and also in response to American drones flying in Libyan skies.  The Wall St. Journal reported last month that this explosion blew a hole through the perimeter barrier of the consulate, one source noting the resultant crater was so big that “40 men could walk through it”.  An Obama administration official characterized this attack as “mild”, compared to that of 9/11/12.  The official said that on 9/11,  “We faced a coordinated, military-style assault.  We’ve never seen that kind of attack before,” this official added.

The attack on June 6th followed the June 5th announcement by the  US of  al-Libi’s death, claiming  his death as a “major blow” to Al Qaeda.

The video begins with a canned clip of Osama Bin Laden speaking, then follows with a speaker from “as-Sahab”, the PR arm of Al Qaeda.  There is then a short clip of the alleged explosion being set off, followed by the leader of Al Qaeda, Ayman Al Zawahiri, haranguing the United States, referencing September 11, 2001 and the attack on the World Trade Center.

The June 6th attack specifically references the drone strike on al-Libi in Pakistan. Al-Libi was from Libya and it has been speculated the September 11 attack in Benghazi may have been further revenge for his death, as well as marking the anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001. Al Qaeda acknowledged al-Libi’s death when they released a eulogy for him on September 10th.

What is also of note is the reference to the “Brigades of the Imprisoned Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman”.  The Sheikh is Egyptian, and part of the reason for the “protest” in Egypt on September 11, 2012  was to agitate for his release from the US to Egypt.  He is being held in a prison in North Carolina, after conviction for plotting the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993 and has become a focus of such groups as Al Qaeda. There had also been speculation that President Obama was in negotiations to send him back to Egypt.  One of the people agitating for his release was the brother of Ayman al Zawahiri,  Mohammed al Zawahiri, one of the organizers of the “protest” on September 11, in Egypt, according to the Weekly Standard.

The ongoing investigation into the Benghazi attack- “capabilities in place” to retaliate, “hold up is in Washington”

Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens.

US Consulate in Benghazi on fire.

Asharq Al-Awsat, an international Arabic daily based in London, has provided a little more of a window into the investigation than MSM has been providing in the United States.  The daily describes some of the suspects and their connection to Al Qaeda.

Asharq Al-Awsat  noted:

-sources close to the FBI investigation into the attack also informed Asharq Al-Awsat that primary evidence in the case has been lost or compromised after the Libyan authorities failed to secure the scene of the crime over a period of two weeks.

-Libyan authorities arrested 8 suspects in connection with the attack

-The FBI team is reportedly made up of between 20 and 25 agents, in addition to around 10 “Delta Force” soldiers providing security.

-Sources close to the FBI investigation into the Benghazi attack informed Asharq Al-Awsat that this is focusing on three suspects with alleged ties to the Al Qaeda terrorist  network.

The first of the three suspects is known as “Juma”, a resident of the Libyan port city of Derna. He is reportedly a leading member of the Libyan Islamist “Ansar al-Sharia” militia that advocates the implementation of Islamic Sharia law across the country. This suspect is also reportedly a former detainee of Guantanamo Bay and is believed to have tried to contact Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. He disappeared from Derna just days after the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi.

The second suspect is known as “Bu Kitf”, a former inmate of Gaddafi’s prisons and a leading member of the “17 February” battalion, which was responsible for providing security to the US consulate.

The third suspect is known as “Abu Ahmed”, also a former prison inmate released following the Egyptian revolution and the ouster of the Mubarak regime. The Americans believe that the Egyptian national sent a message to Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri last July asking permission to form an Al Qaeda branch in Egypt.

-The source also revealed that the Egyptian authorities had failed to provide any information or cooperation with the Americans regarding this suspect. The Egyptian authorities failed to respond to an Asharq Al-Awsat request for comment on this issue.

-Barak Barfi, research fellow at the New America Foundation, stressed that “there was a significant failure in American security.” He added “I think that the Americans believe that Abu Ahmed is responsible for the explosion at the Benghazi consulate…with the participation of Libyans from the Ansar al-Sharia group.”

The three suspects mentioned in detail by Asharq Al-Awsat do not appear to have been part of the eight arrested in Libya.  The US State Department has identified Yemen based Ansar al-Sharia as an alternative name for Al Qaeda operating in the Arabian Peninsula.

Two suspects were also arrested trying to enter Turkey last week.  The suspects, identified as Tunisians, were detained late Wednesday as they attempted to enter the country with fake passports, Kanal D said.

Meanwhile, testimony continued this week before Congress on the circumstances leading up to the attack.

According to CBS News,  a State Department officer told House Committee panel members there were 13 separate specific threats made against the consulate during the six months before the attack. Those threats included a threat against both the Consulate and Ambassador Stevens made on Facebook. One post included mention of the route which Stevens took to jog each morning.

There were also two separate bombings on the consulate - one on April 6 (when two former security guards hurled improvised explosives at the building) and another on June 6.

Lt. Col. Andrew Wood told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that U.S. security was so weak that in April, only one U.S. diplomatic security agent was stationed in Benghazi.  Security Officer Eric Nordstrom also told committee members that repeated requests had been made for increased security, requests that were denied. He said his requests for more security were blocked by a department policy to “normalize operations and reduce security resources.” He stated that Charlene Lamb, the deputy assistant secretary for international programs, wanted to keep the number of U.S. security personnel in Benghazi “artificially low”.

It has been over a month since the attack, yet there has been no response as yet from the United States.

Three U.S. officials told The Daily Beast that the U.S. military has the special-operations forces and other assets in place to begin going after individuals in Libya.

“At this point, the capabilities are in place,” one U.S. intelligence officer said. “The holdup is in Washington.”

Occupy the Cayman Islands with fund raised money

Lee Camp

Negin Farsad

Justin Wedes

Here’s a funny Occupy story, although perhaps it’s not funny in the way Occupy would like to think.

They  had a recent fundraiser in NYC on October 2.

What was that fundraiser for? Was it for money for the poor? Helping someone save their home from foreclosure?

It was to send two Occupy members to the Cayman Islands.

Yes, that’s right. Send them to the Cayman Islands.

Well, what are they being sent to the Cayman Islands for?  Negin Farsad and Lee Camp, two Occupy comedians are being sent there to “report on the infamous tax havens that Mitt Romney and other millionaires use”.  They are also accompanied by Justin Wedes, a spokesperson for Occupy Wall St, who is the main voice @OccupyWallStNYC.  It is unclear who is paying for him to be there.

Let’s look at some of the wonderful things they have discovered in the Cayman Islands so far:

This was the first place I looked for Romney's money for #OpCaymans - my feet did not detect anything. ow.ly/i/10uGj

—
Negin Farsad (@neginfarsad) October 09, 2012

Here's the view where I'm sitting right now. A perfect backdrop for hunting down tax dodgers.. #OpCaymans http://t.co/xV29iWht

—
Justin Wedes (@justinwedes) October 09, 2012

A follower comments on their hard hitting investigation:

They must have found a pub....I mean a clue or something by now :-) #OpCaymans #wingingit

—
Lucy Dyer (@Biscuit_Angel) October 09, 2012

Here is a recording of their first day debriefing

It is gratifying that they have discovered that the Cayman Islands doesn’t have taxes and that people legally invest there.

Perhaps tomorrow they can report on the water temperature -oh wait, they already did that:

I'm in the Cayman Islands and the water is really warm. Thank you and good night.

—
Negin Farsad (@neginfarsad) October 09, 2012

Sweet deal if you can get it.

Obama links himself to MLK: “A Legacy of Hope”

Obama supporters and protesters were out in last night in San Francisco as he visited the Civic Center, trying to raise money for his campaign.

Among the items being sold was a button with the faces of both Martin Luther King and Barack Obama, and what appears to be a background of the Lincoln Memorial,  with the caption “A Legacy of Hope”.

The button is being held by an Occupy live streamer who was upset what he saw as the presumption of Obama to so link himself to Martin Luther King.

The button then had an unhappy encounter with the Occupier’s foot on the Obama face: