Drone Strikes and the Boston Marathon Bombing

News Link  •  Obama Administration


04-23-2013  •  Robert Wright via The Atlantic 

  In 2011, after President Obama used a drone to kill Anwar al-Awlaki, the American citizen who was recruiting jihadists from his perch in Yemen, many hailed the assassination as a powerful blow against terrorism.
"The death of al-Awlaki is the last nail in the coffin of the al Qaeda brand,"wrote Lisa Merriam (a "brand consultant") in a piece for Forbes. "Yes, bombs are what we think of when we think of al Qaeda, but powerful bombs require a powerful brand. The al Qaeda brand has been the key to raising awareness, raising an army of recruits, raising money, and raising terror. Now that the brand is dead, all of those goals are out of reach."
Tell that to the people of Boston. The more we learn about the Boston Marathon bombing--and the accused bombers, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev--the more reason there is to doubt the wisdom of Obama's drone-heavy approach to fighting terrorism. Not only did his hundreds of drone strikes fail to prevent the bombing; they've probably made this kind of terrorism--home-grown terrorism, committed by longtime residents of America--more likely.

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Reported by Freedomsphoenix Reader 2

Boston Mobster Whitey Bulger May Have Written Memoirs

By Allan Lengel

Well, William Shakespeare he may not be.

But apparently Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger — accused of killing 19 people — was into writing.
The Boston Globe reports that he may have written two memoirs that the feds may use against him in trial, now set for November. He’s charged with racketeering and killing 19 people.

“It is unclear at this juncture whether (Bulger) authored this document,” prosecutors wrote, according to the Globe.

The Globe reported that the feds seized a memoir “My Life in the Iris Mafia Wars” in 1995 at his South Boston residence.

And last year, when they arrested Bulger, 82, and his girlfriend Catherine Greig, 60, in Santa Monica, Calif., the feds seized a second document “which appears to be autobiographical,” the Globe reported.
To read more click here.

Trial Date Set for Mobster “Whitey” Bulger

By Allan Lengel

And now for the moment all the followers of Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger have been waiting for.
Bloomberg news reports that the federal trial for Bulger,82, who was on the lam for 16 years, has been set for Nov. 5 in Boston. He is accused of killing at least 19 people.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler set the trial date over the objections of Bulger’s court-appointed attorney, J.W. Carney Jr., according to Bloomberg news.

Bloomberg reported that “prosecutors have inundated him with 580,000 pages of documents and 921 tapes of secret wiretaps related to the 48-count racketeering indictment.”

“We can’t possibly be ready,” Carney told the judge. His client didn’t attend today’s hearing.

Mobster “Whitey” Bulger Traveled to Boston, Las Vegas and Mexico While on the Lam

By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com

More is coming out about the adventures of mobster James “Whitey’’ Bulger, who was captured last week after 16 years on the lam.

The Boston Globe reports that during those 16 years he returned to Boston in disguise and “armed to the teeth’’ several times “to take care of some unfinished business.’’  The paper cited government documents filed Monday.

The paper reported that Bulger, who is charged with 19 murders,  refused to say who he came to see or when, but  former associates said he returned at least twice during the first year on the lam.
Bulger also told FBI agents he also visited  Las Vegas and Mexico, and  stashed money with people he had trusted, according to the Globe.

Prosecutors are arguing that Bulger’s lifestyle indicates that he can afford to pay for his defense, the Globe reported. When authorities busted him they found more than $800,000 stashed in his apartment.

Ex-U.S. Attorney Chris Christie Routinely Exceeded Hotel Costs at Taxpayer Expense, IG Report Finds

By Allan Lengel

As a U.S. Attorney in New Jersey who crusaded against corruption, Chris Christie — now the New Jersey governor –  routinely stayed in expensive hotels at taxpayer expense, far exceeding the government allowance, according to a Justice Department Inspector General report released Monday.

The report, which looked at the travel of all 208 U.S. Attorneys from 2007 to 2008, found that Christie and four others routinely exceeded the government rate for lodging without justification or proper documentation. But it noted that Christie, who was U.S. Attorney from 2002 to 2008, was the biggest violator of the five.
The Inspector General  did not name the U.S. Attorneys, but the website Main Justice identified “U.S. Attorney C” in the report as Christie.

“After reviewing the travel documents and interviewing the U.S. Attorney’s secretary, we found insufficient justification for exceeding the government rate with respect to 14 of the 15 trips,” the report said of Christie.
“These 14 vouchers exceeded the government rate by $19 to $242 per night, for a total of $2,176 (excluding taxes for domestic travel). U.S. Attorney C’s lodging costs exceeded the government rate by more than $100 per night on 9 of the 14 vouchers.”

The report said Christie — considered a rising star in the Republican party –  stayed at the  Nine Zero Hotel in Boston for $449 per night and the $475-per-night Four Seasons Hotel in Washington at a cost of more than double the government rate for those cities.

On Christie, the report said: “The U.S. Attorney’s secretary told us that she routinely called hotels to seek the government rate. However, she also said that the U.S. Attorney selected his hotel if he was familiar with the city and that she would seek a recommendation for a “decent” hotel if he was not.
“The secretary told us that if the recommended hotel did not offer the government rate, she would consider other hotels but also take into account the time of the meeting and the distance from the hotel to the meeting site. The secretary stated that the U.S. Attorney normally stayed at the hotel closest to or at the location of his meetings.”

“The justification for his stay at the Four Seasons Hotel (at a rate of $475 per night) was an early morning speech at the hotel. We do not believe this was a suitable justification for exceeding the government rate, particularly by such a large amount, if lodging at the government rate was available at a hotel within a reasonable distance from that hotel.”

Gov. Chrisite’s press secretary Mike Drewniak did not immediately return a call Tuesday morning to ticklethewire.com for comment.  In a New York Time’s story, he declined comment and a spokesman referred to previous comments he made during his campaign.

”I had to go someplace for part of my job. We tried to get the government rate. We couldn’t. So my only alternative would have been to not go,”  Christie said during the campaign in October 2009, according to the Associated Press.
Read report

Celtics vs Lakers Final Score Game 1 NBA Finals!

LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics in tonight’s Celtics vs Lakers Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Final score of the Celtics vs Lakers game 1 tonight was 89-102.




Top performers tonight were Boston’s Pierce with 21 Pts, 8 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Blk and Los Angeles’ Gasol with 23 Pts, 12 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk.



The Lakers were ahead on scoring all four quarters tonight. Top numbers for Boston were Pierce with 21, Garnett with 14, Rondo with 13, and Allen 12. Top numbers for Los Angles were Bryant with 27, Gasol with 23, and Artest with 12.



Celtics were 42% on shooting, 10% on 3 points, and 83% from the foul line. Lakers on the other hand were 47% on shooting, 29% on 3 pointers and 77% at the foul line.



Kobe Bryant told press after tonight’s the following “Our intent was to get the ball, rebound the ball, and keep offensive on.” When asked about potential distractions like Chris Rock tonight, Kobe said “Nothing else matters. Our attention is critical.”

Game 2 is Sunday night back at Staples Center, tipoff shortly after 8 pm EST 5 pm PST.

LeBron scores 21 in 1st, finishes with 38 as Cavs coast to 124-95 victory over Boston

LeBron scores 21 in 1st quarter, finishes with 38


BOSTON — LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers only needed one quarter to elbow their way back into the lead of their Eastern Conference semifinal with the Boston Celtics.

James scored 21 of his 38 points in the first quarter to help Cleveland beat Boston 124-95 on Friday night, handing the Celtics their worst home playoff loss ever and taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals.

“It started with me tonight. Everyone else saw my aggression and took advantage of it,” James said. “I think rest helped me; rest helped all of us, and we were able to put together a complete game for the first time in these playoffs.”

Showing no ill-effects of an elbow problem that was the talk of Cleveland during the three-day layoff since a Game 2 loss at home, James finished with eight rebounds and seven assists. The 21 points in a quarter was a franchise postseason record.

“I know I’m going to hear a lot about the elbow, but I’m here to play basketball and give our team a chance to win,” James said. “We knew how important it was to come out and play aggressively after giving away Game 2.”

Antawn Jamison had 20 points and 12 rebounds for Cleveland, while Shaquille O’Neal added 12 points and nine rebounds.

Rajon Rondo, who had 19 assists in Boston’s Game 2 victory on Monday, had 18 points and eight assists.

The Celtics missed 10 of their first 13 shots, hitting just 27 percent in the first quarter to spot Cleveland a 21-point lead. The Cavaliers shot 67 percent from the field in the first — and 59 percent for the game — and Boston was never able to recover. The Celtics’ previous worst home playoff loss was 97-70 to Indiana on May 7, 2005, in Game 7 of the first round.

“It was great to see LeBron set the tone from the jump,” Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. “And the rest of the team followed.”

Game 4 is Sunday, and the Celtics need a victory to split their home games and assure themselves of another.

James wore a black sleeve on his right elbow, which became a concern after he shot a free throw left-handed in the closing minutes of Cleveland’s first-round playoff clincher against Chicago. But he went 8 of 10 from the field in the first quarter — most of them mid- to long-range jumpers — and after that it didn’t matter.

“I think he’s healthy,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who has been dismissive of James’ injury. “His elbow looked very good tonight. So enough with the elbow injury. I think we can go ahead and focus on basketball.”

James headed to the bench to rest his strained and bruised elbow with 5:41 left in the game. For 45 minutes afterward, he had it wrapped in ice.

“I had it going, we had it going,” he said, “and I wasn’t tired.”

The Celtics had high hopes for an upset of the top-seeded Cavaliers after taking Game 2 104-86 in Cleveland to swipe the home-court advantage. But Cleveland earned it back in Game 3, needing just one quarter to silence the Boston crowd that grew even more downcast when the Red Sox and Bruins also fell behind early — and then lost.

“There was no reason for me as a leader to be angry,” James said. “We played awful in Game 2, and I knew how important the next game was. I know how important the whole series is.”

The fans booed when Boston left the court at halftime down 65-43. And they cleared the building midway through the fourth, when Rivers pulled his starters and James headed to the bench to rest his strained and bruised right elbow.

“That was embarrassing. That’s embarrassing when you lose at home like that,” said Paul Pierce, who scored 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting and didn’t make his first basket until midway through the second quarter.

“We just let our guard down. … You’ve got to know the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to come in here with all the urgency in the world. They took the fight to us early, and we didn’t respond to it.”

James scored eight straight points to make it a 10-point lead midway through the first, and seven points during an 11-0 run that made it 36-15 with 19 seconds left in the quarter. Cleveland led by 24 points in the second quarter, 30 in the third, and never by less than 20 in the entire second half.

“He was playing H-O-R-S-E,” Rivers said. “We were awful. We just didn’t play with the same intensity they did. They played with a Game 7 mentality.”

Notes: The national anthem was sung by sandal-wearing Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir. … The Celtics had a moment of silence for Bobby Vines, a 45-year-old sales account executive who died after a lifelong battle with sickle cell anemia. … The NBA record for points in a quarter of a playoff game is held by Sleepy Floyd, who had 29 in 1987 for Golden State. … James reached 2,000 playoff points in his career.