Obama knew two hours after Beghazi that attack was not about movie: Reuters

Officials at the White House and State Department were advised two hours after attackers assaulted the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11 that an Islamic militant group had claimed credit for the attack, official emails show.

Ambassador Steven being attacked in Benghazi

The emails, obtained by Reuters from government sources not connected with U.S. spy agencies or the State Department and who requested anonymity, specifically mention that the Libyan group called Ansar al-Sharia had asserted responsibility for the attacks.

The brief emails also show how U.S. diplomats described the attack, even as it was still under way, to Washington.

U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the Benghazi assault, which President Barack Obama and other U.S. officials ultimately acknowledged was a "terrorist" attack carried out by militants with suspected links to al Qaeda affiliates or sympathizers.

Administration spokesmen, including White House spokesman Jay Carney, citing an unclassified assessment prepared by the CIA, maintained for days that the attacks likely were a spontaneous protest against an anti-Muslim film.

While officials did mention the possible involvement of "extremists," they did not lay blame on any specific militant groups or possible links to al Qaeda or its affiliates until intelligence officials publicly alleged that on September 28.

There were indications that extremists with possible al Qaeda connections were involved, but also evidence that the attacks could have erupted spontaneously, they said, adding that government experts wanted to be cautious about pointing fingers prematurely.

U.S. intelligence officials have emphasized since shortly after the attack that early intelligence reporting about the attack was mixed.

Spokesmen for the White House and State Department had no immediate response to requests for comments on the emails.

MISSIVES FROM LIBYA

The records obtained by Reuters consist of three emails dispatched by the State Department's Operations Center to multiple government offices, including addresses at the White House, Pentagon, intelligence community and FBI, on the afternoon of September 11.

The first email, timed at 4:05 p.m. Washington time - or 10:05 p.m. Benghazi time, 20-30 minutes after the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission allegedly began - carried the subject line "U.S. Diplomatic Mission in Benghazi Under Attack" and the notation "SBU", meaning "Sensitive But Unclassified."

The text said the State Department's regional security office had reported that the diplomatic mission in Benghazi was "under attack. Embassy in Tripoli reports approximately 20 armed people fired shots; explosions have been heard as well."

The message continued: "Ambassador Stevens, who is currently in Benghazi, and four ... personnel are in the compound safe haven. The 17th of February militia is providing security support."

A second email, headed "Update 1: U.S. Diplomatic Mission in Benghazi" and timed 4:54 p.m. Washington time, said that the Embassy in Tripoli had reported that "the firing at the U.S. Diplomatic Mission in Benghazi had stopped and the compound had been cleared." It said a "response team" was at the site attempting to locate missing personnel.

A third email, also marked SBU and sent at 6:07 p.m. Washington time, carried the subject line: "Update 2: Ansar al-Sharia Claims Responsibility for Benghazi Attack."

The message reported: "Embassy Tripoli reports the group claimed responsibility on Facebook and Twitter and has called for an attack on Embassy Tripoli."

While some information identifying recipients of this message was redacted from copies of the messages obtained by Reuters, a government source said that one of the addresses to which the message was sent was the White House Situation Room, the president's secure command post.

Other addressees included intelligence and military units as well as one used by the FBI command center, the source said.

It was not known what other messages were received by agencies in Washington from Libya that day about who might have been behind the attacks.

Intelligence experts caution that initial reports from the scene of any attack or disaster are often inaccurate.

By the morning of September 12, the day after the Benghazi attack, Reuters reported that there were indications that members of both Ansar al-Sharia, a militia based in the Benghazi area, and al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the North African affiliate of al Qaeda's faltering central command, may have been involved in organizing the attacks.

One U.S. intelligence official said that during the first classified briefing about Benghazi given to members of Congress, officials "carefully laid out the full range of sparsely available information, relying on the best analysis available at the time."

The official added, however, that the initial analysis of the attack that was presented to legislators was mixed.

"Briefers said extremists were involved in attacks that appeared spontaneous, there may have been a variety of motivating factors, and possible links to groups such as (al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Ansar al-Sharia) were being looked at closely," the official said.

New Square:Van Jumps Curb, Hits 5 Children

Five children were injured, some seriously, when a van jumped the curb and crashed into them as they stood on a sidewalk Monday afternoon, officials said.
The crash occurred shortly before 4 p.m. on Bush Lane in the densely populated Ramapo village. The youngsters, said to be girls ranging in age from 7 to 9, were on the sidewalk.
Three children were taken by ambulance to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla and two others were taken to Nyack Hospital, according to Ramapo police.
Ramapo Town Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence said each victim was believed to be in stable condition, and  praised the emergency responders from Hatzolah and Spring Hill ambulance units, the Hillcrest Fire and Ramapo Police departments for their quick action.
Authorities expect to release additional information regarding the incident at 7:30 p.m. this evening during a press conference at Ramapo police headquarters, St. Lawrence said.
The van, a white vehicle labeled Five Star Home Medical Supply, also crashed into an electrical transformer and brought down wires.

Castro, Putin, Chavez endorse Obama

The latest [dictator] to publicly announce his support for the commander-in-chief’s reelection bid was Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, who this week assured he’d vote for Obama if he were from the United States. The America-bashing strongman made the announcement on state-owned television, saying “Obama is a good guy” and that if Obama was from Caracas, he’d surely return the favor by voting for Chavez.

Earlier in the year the government-official daughter of Cuban military dictator Raul Castro proclaimed her country’s support for Obama during a visit to the U.S. “I believe that Obama needs another opportunity and he needs greater support to move forward with his projects and with his ideas, which I believe come from the bottom of his heart,” Mariela Castro said during a cable news interview. ...

That brings us to Russia’s Vladimir Putin, who has eliminated most elections in his country, monopolized all major media and destroyed the political party system. ... In a letter to a major newspaper, the president of a group dedicated to expanding freedom around the world points out that under Putin there has been an “across-the-board crackdown on civil society.” The piece goes on to ask: “Will Obama stand up against Putin’s abuses?” Unlikely, now that the Russian dictator has extended his endorsement.

Heshi Nussbaum was reportedly arrested again yesterday on 4 additional child sexual abuse charges.

No further information at this time....
But we ask those who were molested by the beast to come forward.

Major New Commentator from MSNBC, Lawrence O'Donnell, wants to fist fight Romney's son!

LISTEN TO TO THE RAGING LUNATIC FROM MSNBC, Lawrence O'Donnel, CHALLENGING ROMNEY"S SON TO A FIST FIGHT, 
Keep in mind that Romney's son is not in the studio.
 This bullying coward, calls Mitt Romney a liar every single day, calls him filthy rich, while he himself, O'Donell has a multi million dollar contract with MSNBC!

Whoopi Goldberg tries to play "gotcha" on Ann Romney, it backfires!

Benghazi Attack cartoon

Obama Ryan Debate!

How Hitler's PERSONAL photographer captured for history the plight of the Jews in Nazi-occupied Poland. Rare colour album depicts life in the Kutno Ghetto in 1940

* Hugo Jaeger's photographs normally celebrate the glory and triumphalism of the Third Reich

*  But in this set he depicts the tragic circumstances of Jews while allowing them to retain their humanity and dignity

* Taken in the Polish town of Kutno in 1939 and 1940 they have been released to mark the official establishment of the Warsaw Ghetto

The old man looks relaxed, almost happy chatting to the soldiers. He and most of the other Jewish citizens pictured here in 1939 and 1940, are smiling, seemingly pleased to pose for photographer Hugo Jaeger.

Yet we know, 70 years later, that these people, and thousands of others like them, were in fact prisoners, to be despised as 'rats' and 'parasites' in Nazi propaganda.

Even more surprising, Jaeger was Hitler's personal photographer, enjoying unprecedented access to the Third Reich’s upper echelon, traveling with the Fuhrer to his massive rallies and photographing him at intimate parties and during private moments.

The photos have been released to mark the official establishment of the Warsaw Ghetto in October 1940 and the entire set are on display at Life.com here.

They were taken in the town of Kutno, 75 miles west of the Polish capital Warsaw.

Although a staunch Nazi, Jaeger as a  photographer perhaps perceived the Polish Jews as fascinating subjects and his work depicts their tragic circumstances while at the same time allowing them to retain their humanity and dignity. 

Apart from the odd soldier, there is very little German military presence. Instead the series shows the devastation in the landscape of the German invasion of Poland, while revealing very little of the 'master race' itself.

Exactly what Jaeger had in mind is of course a matter of guesswork, but from the reactions of the people portrayed in these images in Warsaw and Kutno, there appears to be surprising little hostility between the photographer and his subjects.

Innocent victims: These young Jewish girls couldn't possibly have imagined the horrors that lay ahead as they pose outside their tent in another haunting photograph 

Ghetto boys: In their tattered rags the two boys smile for the camera, but the man in the centre, most probably their father, has a look of distrust etched across his face

Jaeger's photos made such an impression on the Führer that he announced, upon first seeing his work: 'The future belongs to color photography.'

But beyond recording Hitler’s endless travels, Jaeger also documented the progress of the Reich, including the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939. 

The Kutno pictures serve as a unique curiosity. Why, instead of focussing of the glories of the Hitler's third Reich, did a staunch Nazi like Jaeger chose to take pictures of conquered Jews? 

In June 1940, all 8,000 of Kutno’s Jews were rounded up and taken to what would be their new home - the grounds of an old sugar factory - where hundreds would die of hunger and Typhus.

Poles and Jews, friends and neighbours, were separated from one another. A Jewish council, the Judenrat, was created and tasked with forcing Jews to obey their German overlords.

While most Jaeger's photographs focus on the glory and triumphalism of the Reich, here he has chosen instead to capture the misery of the conquered people instead

With their clean clothes and hair neatly coiffured, these three young women do not, at first glance, appear anything like Jaeger's other subjects. But look closer and you find a star of David on the coat of the girl on the left

An elderly Jewish woman bends over her stove while a man, his Star of David badge clearly visible, watches over her in the Kutno Ghetto

A young woman clutches a jug as she escorts an elderly Jewish man through the Kutno Ghetto in early 1940

Despite the awfulness of her predicament, this Jewish woman manages to smile brightly for the camera as she poses for Jaeger

A lucky few managed to escape and were sheltered by their Polish friends. Most were not so lucky.

In 1942, as part of Hitler's 'final solution' the Nazis began Operation Reinhardt, the plan to eliminate all of Poland's Jews. In the spring of 1942 the Kutno Ghetto itself was 'liquidated.' The majority of its inhabitants were sent to the Chelmno extermination camp.

The unique set of pictures could have been lost forever were it not for a bottle of brandy. As the allies advanced into Germany in 1945, Jaeger hid his photographs in a leather suitcase.

He was then confronted by a group of American soldiers. Luckily they were distracted by a bottle of Cognac which they opened and shared with the photographer. 

Had they searched the case further, and found so many pictures of Hitler Jaeger would have most likely been arrested on the the spot and tried as a war criminal.

After such a close shave, Jaeger decided to bury the pictures inside 12 glass jars outside Munich. He would periodically return to their burial place to check they were safe.

In 1955, he dug them up and stored them in a bank vault. Ten years later, in 1965, he sold them to Life magazine.

Dwek Sentenced To Six Years In Prison For Bank Fraud

Just in!

The government cooperator at the center of New Jersey’s biggest corruption sting has been sentenced to six years in prison for his own crimes.

A federal judge in Newark sentenced Solomon Dwek on Thursday to five years of supervised release after he is freed from prison. And he ordered him to pay $22 million in restitution.

Dwek pleaded guilty in 2009 to bank fraud and money laundering. He faced nine to 11 years under a plea agreement.

More than 40 politicians and members of Dwek’s own Orthodox Jewish community were arrested as a result of secret videotapes he made between 2006 and 2009. Most have pleaded guilty or been convicted

Girl, 15, lashed 60 times for ‘speaking to men in the street’

A teenaged girl received 60 lashes in Timbuktu after Islamist extremists convicted her of speaking to men on the street. 

The girl, believed to be 15 years old, was allegedly caught speaking with men by Ansar Dine, the militant Islamist group who control Timbuktu and much of northern Mali. 

One resident claimed the girl was warned repeatedly by the Islamists to stop what she was doing, but persisted in talking to men in public.

Ousmane Maiga, a Timbuktu resident, said: ‘The Islamists said that the girl was warned five times by Islamist police but she continued to speak to men in the street. 

‘After the hearing, the Islamists gave 60 lashes to the girl. The population did not turn out in large numbers to attend this flogging.’

The public whipping took place at around 11am local time in front of the new headquarters of the Islamic police in downtown Timbuktu, next to Independence Square.

Ansar Dine (Defenders of Faith) is the most prevalent of a number of Al-Qaeda-linked groups that have seized northern Mali after a power vacuum opened by a military coup in the south in March.

The groups have since been imposing Sharia law throughout the territory and intend on imposing the strict Islamic laws across Mali.

In an incident in July, a man was lashed 40 times by Ansar Dine after being accused of drinking alcohol.

'After the hearing, the Islamists gave 60 lashes to the girl. The population did not turn out in large numbers to attend this flogging'

- Ousmane Maiga, Timbuktu resident

'A young man has just been lashed 40 times for drinking alcohol. The whipping took place in the Timbuktu market,' a resident of Timbuktu told reporters.

The man was later treated in hospital for his injuries.

A man and woman accused of having a child out of wedlock were given 100 lashes each in Timbuktu on June 20.

Ansar Dine has also destroyed all the city's bars.

The group also demolished many of the ancient city’s shrines to Muslim saints, as the jihadists believe they should not be seen as idols.

Another Islamist group, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), has burnt cigarettes, whipped smokers and forbidden people to play football or watch television in territories under its control, provoking violent protests in May in the northern city of Gao.

The Islamist movement in the north of the country was recently found to be recruiting and paying up to 1,000 children from rural towns to fight in their militia.

Prominent Israeli Posek "no prohibition in using Iphone"

Prominent dati leumi posek Rabbi Shlomo Aviner Shlita was asked for a p’sak regarding smartphones; asked if one is compelled to use a kosher phone. The rav’s words were aired on Yeshivat Machon Meir’s internet shiurim broadcasts.

The rav explained that SMS text messages and internet connectivity are helpful to many people. He feels there is no prohibition in using either of these services.
“It is certainly preferable to have a kosher phone but this is a chumra and not obligatory. One who feels a non-kosher phone is a michshol must prohibit himself from using such a device” the rav stated.
Rabbi Avider continued by explaining there are things the Torah did not prohibit but if a person realizes such a device will cause him to stumble, such a person must set restrictions into place to avoid falling due to this michshol.

The man who fell to earth, 24 miles, 4 minutes, 834 MPH

Amnon Yitzchok uses IPhone despite Rabbinical Ban!

A prominent Israeli rabbi who urged his followers to destroy their smartphones has come out with a statement explaining how he himself was photographed using an iPhone last week.

by Sandy Eller

Pictures that have been circulating on Facebook and Whatsapp show Rabbi Amnon Yitzchak in a car on Chol Hamoed Succos holding the very device he banned, but a statement that was released  on R’ Yitzchak’s site, www.shofar.tv, explains that R’ Yitzchak received permission to use the device from R’ Aharon Leib Shteinman.

“HaRav Amnon Yitzchak shlita is against iPhones and similar devices,” reads the official statement on Shofar.  “The uneducated are asking how is it that R’ Amnon Yitzchak has an iPhone?  It should be known that the Gadol Hador HaGaon R’ Aharon Leib Shteinman gave a personal heter to the Rav and his staff, in response to a query posed in this matter by R’ Yehuda Leibowitz, to use iPhones for kiruv purposes.  Anyone who casts suspicions after his Rav is as if he is casting suspicion on the shechina.”

Police Brutally beat innocent Jewish man! Video

A shocking video was uploaded to the internet showing New York City police officers severely beating a Jewish man.
 Last week, police were called on a man who was sleeping in the living room of Aliyah Center on East New York Avenue. The caller may have mistakenly believed that the homeless man, Ehud H. Halevi, was lurking in the center of the property without permission. Aliyah is a synagogue and an outreach center for troubled youth in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. Two officers from the 71st precinct, one male and one female, came and woke the man. Confused as to why he was being harassed by the police, the man refused officers' attempts to escort him out, insisting he had permission to be there and asked the police to allow him to prove it. His request was rejected as they proceeded to arrest him. When he resisted arrest, the officer became enraged and began beating the defenseless man. As you can see in the video below, the officer assumed a boxing stance and then staggered to his victim, punching him everywhere. Over the next couple of minutes the man was also pepper-sprayed and beaten with a baton by the officer, while posing no danger to the welfare of officers. After about two minutes of the sadistic beating, the officers are joined by a squadron of officers, when he was finally handcuffed and arrested. It was confirmed that the man had permission to live at the center and it is unknown who called the police. The man was charged with assaulting a police officer, a felony which carries a sentence of five years in prison upon conviction. Other charges include, trespassing, resisting arrest and harassment. He has been released on bail.

Rebbitzen Pinto tries to commit sucide!

Popular rabbi to the rich Rabbi Yehoshua Pinto and his wife are in the hospital after the rabbi’s wife attempted to commit suicide earlier today, according to reports.

Deborah Pinto, wife of Rabbi Yehoshua Pinto, who are suspected of bribing a senior police officer, tried today to commit suicide by taking an overdose of pills. Both were arrested on Thursday for questioning and were released with restrictive conditions, she was taken to the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer.

"We pray for the wellbeing of the Deborah along with her thousands of followers," the statement by Rabbi Pinto said. "The lawyers warned the authorities about the situation. Unfortunately they did not care. We are sure that she will soon recover and tell investigators her story, and then they will understand that she is completely innocent of any wrongdoing."

After hours of additional interrogation Rabbi Pinto was taken to the hospital and is staying with his wife. The rabbi, who is under house arrest, received special permission to stay with his wife. Many other associates and family members arrived at the hospital.

An investigation against Rabbi Pinto and his wife began a few weeks after the Pintos allegedly offered the police investigations division chief, Brigadier General, the amount of hundreds of thousands of dollars in return for his information about a police investigation. The officer reported that the head of the Investigations Department, General Yoav Segalovitch, responded to the offer in order to gather evidence against him. Police appointed a special unit on this case due to the

sensitive matter.

On Thursday, it was decided to move on to the investigation to the rabbi himself. The rabbi and his wife returned on Thursday from the U.S. and the moment they arrived they were taken for questioning in Ramle, where investigators arrested them on the bribe allegations. In addition, the police charged the rabbi and his wife, with money laundering. They have denied the allegations against them. At the end of the investigation they was a hearing before a judge, where police asked that they be released under restrictive conditions and subject to the deposit of a million dollars each and be forbidden to leave the country for six months.

Liberal Conservative Jews walk out on Rep Michelle Bachman on Yom Kippur

Rabbi Michael Siegel

Jews attending synagogue prayer services during Yom Kippur staged a walkout after Michele Bachmann suddenly appeared.

A week after the Representative Michele Bachmann made the controversial appearance in a Chicago synagogue on Yom Kippur, the chief rabbi of the congregation, and the man who introduced Bachmann during the service, spoke about appearance.

Rabbi Michael Siegel of Anshe Emet Synagogue in Lake View North Broadway saluted the politician, a standard measure for public officials attending the services. However, it did not take not long for the attacks to pour in, not only against Bachmann, but against Rabbi Siegel, too.

According to Siegel, he knew the political appearance might ruffle some feathers, but he hoped that the focus of the synagogue will remain on Yom Kippur.

 "I think you have to be living under a rock not to know that Congresswoman Bachmann is in the news quite frequently, and is considered by many to be a polarizing figure in the country," Siegel said. "For those who are concerned about LGBT issues, abortion rights, things of that nature, she certainly is in the radar screens of many people.

"So when I heard that she was coming, I knew it would be a topic of discussion on the Yom Kippur, the focus of the day should not have been on Michele Bachmann though."

"To see some of the comments regarding the visit of Congresswoman Bachmann, it hurts more than others were hurt by the visit."
Siegel said he has been reaching out to community members in person to have a face to face conversation about why the politician was recognized. He is also hoping to send a correspondence to the congregation in the future to address the issue.

CNN's view of the mid-east

East Ramapo Parent that complained about frum people using the public school as a shortcut is a SEX OFFENDER!

Keith Meyers

One of the parents who earlier this week confronted trespassers at an East Ramapo elementary school to highlight the dangers of failing to secure school borders is a Level 1 sex offender. 
Keith Meyers, 47, of Spring Valley pleaded guilty in 1999 to a misdemeanor count of attempted possession of a sexual performance of a child less than 16 years of age, officials at the state Division of Criminal Justice Services said Friday. Meyers told Journal News reporter Mareesa Nicosia of his status, but the information was not included in a story on Page One Wednesday.
Level 1 is the lowest of the state’s three designations, and Level 1 offenders are considered at low risk of repeating their crimes. There are no local laws prohibiting Level 1 offenders who have successfully completed their probation from being on school grounds, said Patricia Gunning, chief prosecutor for the Special Victims Unit of the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office. Though registered with the state for a 20-year period, Level 1 offenders are not listed on the state’s sex offender website. About eight parents patrolled the grounds of Grandview Elementary for two hours Tuesday, confronting walkers as they took a shortcut through the property.Most of the men and women cutting across the school’s expansive back lawn were Orthodox or Hasidic Jews observing the festival of Sukkot, a time when they typically do not drive.
Joseph Gestetner, a Spring Valley man who writes in the local community and maintains a popular blog, questioned the motives of the parents who patrolled the school and confronted the men and women while they were observing the religious festival.
“There’s a saying in the Talmud that somebody who has failure tends to project that failure on to other people,” said Gestetner, who has a child in an East Ramapo private school.
“Being that he was the guy over there rushing over to people on a Tuesday afternoon in the rain with nothing else on his mind other than wondering if there’s an Orthodox pedophile running around, you have to look at your own books. We did and this is what we found,” he said. “We showed a bad lapse in judgment,” said CynDee Royle, editor and vice president/news for The Journal News. “The information on Mr. Meyers’ criminal history should have been included, particularly in a story about parents’ fears concerning sex offenders being on school grounds.”
Meyers said Friday he had done nothing wrong and was well within his rights stepping onto school district property to support a group of concerned parents working toward school safety. “I’m a parent and a taxpayer and I have a right to be there,” he said. “For this to be the lightning rod and focus of this, I’m desperately afraid this is going to take attention away from the real problem.”
State officials said Meyers was sentenced to three years’ probation following the 1999 conviction and that he has served his time. Meyers will remain a Level 1 offender until 2019.
Meyers’ picture and offender status are listed on the East Ramapo School District website.
Superintendent of Schools Joel Klein said he could not comment on the matter because of a pending lawsuit filed by several of the parents who patrolled the school.“Because I’m named in legal action on this, I really can’t talk about it,” Klein said.
After receiving a complaint about Meyers’ presence at the school, the Ramapo Police Department contacted staff at The Journal News on Friday seeking information regarding the incident. Asked later about their investigation, police offered no comment.
Meyers said he has not been contacted by local authorities.
In February 2011, Meyers filed suit against the Village of Spring Valley, the Spring Valley Police Department and several department officers claiming that his rights had been violated during a 2010 incident at his home.
On Feb. 19, 2010, according to a complaint filed by Meyers’ attorney in U.S. District Court, police used a Taser on Meyers, striking him in the back while he was waving a broomstick at a process server who had driven away from his home.
Meyers suffered several broken ribs and a concussion during the incident, according to the complaint.