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To: unclewest who wrote (444605)	9/5/2011 3:20:57 PM
From: FJB	Respond to of 794412

Jihadists plot to take over Libya U.S. steps up surveillance of suspects among rebels Sept. 4, 2011 washingtontimes.com Jihadists among the Libyan rebels revealed plans last week on the Internet to subvert the post-Moammar Gadhafi government and create an Islamist state, according to U.S. intelligence agencies. U.S. officials said spy agencies are stepping up surveillance of Islamist-oriented elements among Libyan rebels. A government report circulated Tuesday said extremists were observed "strategizing" on Internet forums about how to set up an Islamist state in Libya after the regime of Col. Gadhafi is defeated. "Several forum participants have suggested that, following a transitional stage, the battle should turn against secularist rebels and members of the [rebels'] Transitional National Council," the unclassified report stated. Some U.S. officials sought to play down the remarks by noting that such Internet postings are not always accurate measures of jihadist plans. The report said the jihadists' strength and influence on the ground "are uncertain at this time." However, the report said the jihadist plotting coincided with the high-profile emergence of Abu Abdallah al-Sadiq, a former leader of the al Qaeda-linked Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) and now a leading rebel. He is currently known as Abdel Hakim al-Khulidi Belhaj and led rebels in overrunning Col. Gadhafi's Tripoli compound. A U.S. official familiar with intelligence reports on the region said there are concerns that some LIFG members remain committed to al Qaeda and others may be temporarily renouncing their ties to the terrorist group for "show." "Some members of LIFG in the past had connections with al Qaeda in Sudan, Afghanistan or Pakistan, and others dropped their relationship with al Qaeda entirely," the official said. "It seems - from their statements and support for establishing a democracy in Libya - that this faction of LIFG does not support al Qaeda. We'll definitely be watching to see whether this is for real or just for show." A defense official familiar with jihadist strategy said Islamists likely will emerge in power from the turmoil expected after the demise of the Gadhafi regime and the West will be partly to blame. "We're helping pave the way for them" through NATO airstrikes and other support, he said. About 1,000 jihadists are operating covertly in Libya, Noman Benotman, a former Libyan al Qaeda member, told The Washington Times in March. According to a translation of the forum exchanges, Libyan Islamists view the fall of Tripoli to rebels as the initial phase of a battle to take over the country. Jihadists were urged to prepare for the next stage in the battle: taking on secular rebels and the interim National Transitional Council, sometimes called the Transitional National Council, the secular political organization that is mainly pro-democratic. The jihadists want to set up an Islamist state ruled by Shariah law. A jihadist writing as Asuli Mutatari, stated on the Shumukh al-Islam Network forum that "the real war will be fought after the fall of the tyrant [Col. Gadhafi] and after the establishment of a transitional democratic system." "After the awakening, we will fight those outside the [Islamic] law," he stated. Another forum posting urged Islamists to "quickly take control of cities with economic resources and strategic locations and establish Islamic courts there." A jihadist identified as Abu Abra' al-Muqadas said the National Transitional Council must be neutralized because it will never allow anyone calling for an Islamic state to be part of the new government. "They know that merely suggesting the application of Islamic law will cause Western countries to stop their support," he said. A posting by a forum member named Gullam Ashab al-Akhud said the National Transitional Council should be liquidated and replaced by a transitional council of Islamic Salafi jihadi scholars in Libya. A second Internet forum, Ana al-Muslim, quoted Ayoub al-Jaza'iry as saying that thousands of Islamists in Libya have been trained by al Qaeda and are "working silently in sleeper cells." He warned jihadists to keep a low profile to avoid alerting the United States to its power. Some of the jihadists criticized NATO military support to the rebels and said post-Gadhafi Libya should not allow outside assistance. Some also urged the assassinations of secular National Transitional Council leaders. Mohamed al-Jaza'iry stated on the Ana al Muslim Network that the next phase of the revolution should be the expulsion of foreign bases and reduction of foreign influence. "The Libyan people must ... turn their guns on the Crusader occupiers, along with collaborators and traitors," he added. The comments reflect an increase in Islamist rhetoric since the fall of Tripoli, but the number of hard-line Islamist and the extent of their influence or control is not known, the report said. A Dec. 9, 2009, cable made public by the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks revealed that the Gadhafi regime released more than 200 jihadists, including half of the imprisoned LIFG members, after they publicly renounced violence and claimed to have adopted a new code for jihad. The move was an initiative by Col. Gadhafi's son Seif al-Islam and the Gadhafi International Charity and Development Foundation. Skeptics dismissed the effort as a temporary shift in tactics for the jihadists in exchange for winning their release from detention.

To: unclewest who wrote (444605)	9/5/2011 3:31:01 PM
From: Tom Clarke	1 Recommendation Respond to of 794412

youtube.com

To: unclewest who wrote (444605)	9/5/2011 4:10:22 PM
From: mistermj	3 Recommendations Respond to of 794412

Mr. Hoffa let me introduce you to the soccer moms and dads down the street...your next door neighbors and the people in your community that are sick and tired of your style of crap. If it works in (formerly?) liberal Wisconsin...it will work anywhere. What are they going to do, beat us all up? Pass it on. The signs say: Collective (the word "Bargaining" is crossed out)Bullying ...Stop Union Bullying Now! Hundreds turn out to cheer, boo action By Erin Richards of the Journal Sentinel Aug. 29, 2011 \| (1164) Comments Photo Gallery Hundreds turn out for New Berlin meeting New Berlin - In a meeting where teachers alternatively were cheered and booed, and Gov. Scott Walker's collective bargaining law was shunned and embraced, the school board meeting Monday night encapsulated the drama that continues to surround the role of teachers unions in the state. At issue was New Berlin's employee handbook, which the board approved in a unanimous vote, but not before teachers spoke about their lack of input in the new document and how the new rules could negatively affect their work and the district's reputation. The meeting was moved to the Performing Arts Center at New Berlin West Middle/High School, 18695 W. Cleveland Ave., to accommodate crowds that were expected to be much larger than normal. That's in part because of a raucous school board meeting in Greenfield last week where teachers butted heads with the administration and school board members over a new handbook and the issue of collaboration with teachers. Police were called to the scene. Districts around the state that no longer have collective bargaining agreements with educators have spent this month putting finishing touches on similar handbooks that spell out wages, work rules and benefits. Many have been approved without much fanfare. Not in New Berlin. On Monday, the auditorium was filled close to its capacity. Some attendees had to hike through athletic fields from overflow parking to get to the meeting. Squad cars were parked outside with lights flashing. Teachers and union supporters - from New Berlin and other cities - clapped and cheered for their peers. The other half of the audience appeared keen on keeping taxes low and supporting Walker. They cheered when the board approved the handbook. New Berlin Education Association President Diane Lazewski estimated 200 New Berlin teachers came out to express displeasure with elements of the handbook. She said some of those elements include a longer work day with no extra pay, a reduction in the amount of sick days teachers can accrue, and new rules regarding everything from dress codes to time for teachers to collaborate. Lazewski said she believes the changes New Berlin put in place are further-reaching than changes in other handbooks approved by Wisconsin districts. "I would be surprised to see any other handbook as punitive as ours," Lazewski said. Leslie Potter, a teacher at New Berlin West who left a mechanical engineering career to become a teacher in 1997, told the board the new rules in the handbook required her to work more hours but limited the time she could spend working with students. She also said it eliminated any reference to prep time for teachers. "The school board says that they value collaboration," Potter added. "We request that they approach this handbook in the same manner." After teachers spoke, a citizen took the microphone and said he represented the 5.5 million taxpayers in Wisconsin who were in favor of Walker doing what he was elected to do. Applause broke out in the auditorium as the teachers and union supporters sat silent. They walked out before the man was finished speaking. New Berlin School Board member Art Marquardt said the board and administration had spent considerable time on the document. He said they weren't trying to be punitive, but the environment in Wisconsin has shifted from one in which the union owned the conversation to one in which the elected representatives are now the dominant voice. That's "hard for some people to swallow," he said. In some districts working in the new Act 10 environment, where collective bargaining is now mostly limited to cost-of-living wage increases, administrators encouraged their teachers to offer input on various drafts of the handbooks in development. Other administrators have said discussing changes with teachers could fall under the definition of collective bargaining, which is now illegal under state law for most issues outside of base wage increases. According to material sent out by New Berlin's union, some of the changes in the new employee handbook include: ?A workday that's 60 minutes longer for elementary school and 30 minutes longer at the high school. ?A requirement that staff be available to students before and after student schedules for at least 30 minutes per day. ?No more pay for substitute teaching during prep time. ?No pay for attending meetings related to special education students' education plans before 5 p.m. ?$15,000 payout and age 55 retirement has been eliminated. Limitations on post-retirement health benefits. ?Cutting sick leave accrual from 60 to 45 days, and reducing the number of sick days per year. ?Twice yearly evaluations with no notice. jsonline.com