Ground Zero Mosque Opposition Signals A Troubling Trend, Says Activist

The head of a major Muslim advocacy group claims that the heated opposition to the construction of an Islamic community center near the site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks is just one sign of mounting anti-Muslim sentiment across the U.S.

“There is a growing pattern of opposing Mosques … all over America,” Mahdi Bray, the Executive Director for the Muslim American Society, said during a press conference Tuesday at the National Press Club.

Bray said that construction of mosques are being challenged in other parts of New York as well as Tennessee, Wisconsin, Alabama, Florida and California. Brady also noted that there has been in increase in vandalism among Islamic religious centers, and pointed to a botched pipe bomb that went off in a Florida mosque this May.

Brandishing a pocket-copy of the Constitution, Bray decried opponents for encroaching on the Muslim community’s religious freedoms. 

Bray was joined by a collection of inter-faith leaders, including representatives from the Jewish and Catholic faiths.

Issa Accuses White House Of Producing Propaganda, Breaking Law

Rep. Darrell Issa (D-Calif.), the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee, issued a report Monday accusing the White House of producing illegal propaganda.

“The Obama Administration frequently used federal resources to promote the President’s agenda,” the report states. “These propaganda efforts violated appropriations riders and federal law prohibiting the use of appropriated funds for publicity or propaganda purposes.”

The report cites multiple instances of federal employees using government email addresses and other public resources to highlight pieces of the White House’s agenda, including a Health and Human Services funded advertisement featuring actor Andy Griffith pitching the health care reform law.

Additionally, Issa and his staff take issue with multiple aspects of the White House’s web presence, including Recovery.gov. The report claims that information on several Obama-affiliated sites is factually inaccurate or controversial, and that both the President and the Vice President misused their clout to draw attention to the pages.


Pressure Tests Determine Oil In Annulus; Officials Debate How To Proceed

by Miles Wolf Tamboli - Talk Radio News Service

In a conference call with reporters, Friday, National Incident Commander Thad Allen reported the status of pressure tests on the Macondo deepwater well - the well responsible for the months-long oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico - which resumed Thursday after storms passed through the Gulf.

Allen told reporters that the tests had revealed, “something that is between the annulus and the reservoir that is not allowing the flow of hydrocarbons … the question is, what to do about that moving forward.” 

Crews have determined that there may be as much as 1,000 barrels of “stagnant” oil suspended in the well, which could compromise the success of the bottom kill. “Tt remains a work in progress,” said Allen; “we’re trying to assess the options that we have. Everyone is in agreement that we need to proceed with the relief well - the question is how to do that.”

There is a risk that pumping mud and cement into the bottom of the well could increase the pressure beyond the threshold of the machinery now holding the well shut. “To increase the pressure in the blowout preventer and the capping stack in excess of 7,500 PSI would put that link in between them at risk, and we’re trying to figure out what that means and how we could mitigate that risk,” said Allen. 

Officials report that they are still wholly committed to completing the relief well and executing the bottom kill, and Allen reported that despite pressure test results showing a possible situation in which conducting a bottom kill could endanger the well’s integrity, BP officials would be “delighted” to show that they could, “drill down over 17,00 feet below sea level and hit a 7-inch pipe.” 

“The relief well will be finished, and that is the end result. How it gets finished will be determined on risk mitigation and the way forward that’s being discussed right now. The relief well will be finished - we will kill the well,” Allen concluded. The well will take about 96 hours to complete once drilling has resumed, according to administration officials.

U.S. Pledges To Help Russia Fight Fires

President Barack Obama has promised to supply Russia with technical aid as the country struggles to contain a series of wildfires, according to a statement put out Friday by the White House.

During a phone call with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Thursday, Obama said that the USAID, the Defense Department, the U.S. Forest Service and the California state government will work to supply the European federation with firefighting equipment and airlift assistance.

“The American People stand with the people of Russia in this difficult time,” the White House statement reads.

The wildfires began late last month and have killed over 50 Russians.

Rubio Blasts Reid For Hispanic Comment

A prominent Hispanic Republican criticized Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) Wednesday for questioning how Latinos could side with the GOP.

Marco Rubio, Florida’s Republican Senatorial candidate, said during an interview with Fox News that the agenda the Majority Leader is setting will ultimately drive Latinos away from the Democratic party.

“The number one issue in the Hispanic community in America is economic empowerment,“ Rubio, who is of Cuban descent, said. “I believe a growing number of Hispanics will become Republicans because the agenda Reid supports kills Hispanic dreams for their children.”

During a campaign event Tuesday Tuesday, the Majority Leader said, “I don’t know how anyone of Hispanic heritage could be a Republican. OKay? Do I need to say more?”

When asked by a reporter later to clarify his remarks, Reid responded, “My comment is directed towards how anyone could support what is going on now, especially with my opponent, being in favor of Yucca Mountain, wanting to do away with Medicare and Social Security, the Department of Energy and on and on.”

Reid is running for a fifth term against Republican Sharron Angle.