Possible Terror Plot Update: Five Missing Afghan Students Names

UPDATE
More Details Surface on Missing Afghan Students

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Earlier today, I published a post about five Afghan students reported missing for more than a week from the campus of the University of Washington. After contacting a variety of individuals and government agency representatives, I am now able to shed more light on the matter.

At 2:52 p.m. CDT, I received some answers to a set of questions I had sent to Dr. Maria Beebe, chief of party for Afghan eQuality Alliances at Washington State University. She confirmed that the University of Washington is an alliance partner, despite the fact that the name of the school was not listed on the program's website.

She also provided the names of the missing students. They are as follows:

• Mohammed Ratib Abeer — Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Afghanistan;
• Masood Ghory — English Instructor for the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission;
• Rahmatullah Hamidi — Scientific Member for Curriculum Development, Ministry of Education;
• Numan Tarin — Senior National Coach for the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission; and
• Sayed Hashmatullah — National Consultant for the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission.

Dr. Beebe said the students were reported "missing" to local police by Ken Peavler after they did not show up in class and their roommates verified that they had not shown up in their rooms. As program manager at the Evans School of Public Affairs, Peavler's duties include keeping track of the study-abroad students.

ALSO at DBKP: Five Afghan Students Missing From University of Washington, School Bus Stolen in Delaware

Of the 38 students selected for the program, only 32 remain after one returned home to Afghanistan to deal with a family matter.

Since the Afghan eQuality Alliances program is attracting a number of applicants (250 for the next batch for 36 slots), Dr. Beebe said, program officials can be more selective and add a criteria related to their current job titles.

"So, for example, we can say only directors and assistant director levels would be considered," she explained. "At that level, we will also get the older (more mature) students who have children and will have more compelling reasons to go back to Afghanistan."

Apparently, at least five of the students were not old enough or not motivated enough to want to return.

I have yet to receive additional information from U.S. Agency for International Development or the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Developing…

Check back for more updates as they occur.

WANT MORE of Bob McCarty, "The Ultimate Blogging Machine"? Try these recent posts: * Supreme Court Chief Justice Pens ‘Mystery Novel’ * Democrat’s Message Flagged as ‘Junk Mail’

by Bob McCarty
image: dbkp file
Source: More Details Surface on Missing Afghan Students

War on Terror: Watch List Grows to One Million Names

Big Brother is watching--all one million of you.

The watch list of terrorism suspects recently passed 1 million names--which translates into about 400,000 people, according to NewsMax.

Are there really nearly a half-million terrorists among us?

The number of times we've agreed with the American Civil Liberties Union can be counted on one hand, but this appears to be one of those rare occasions: the list is too big to be effective.

The list is one of the "most effective tools" implemented after 9-11. The Bush administration disagreed. The Department of Homeland Security is like any other government bureaucracy: more interested in job security than effectiveness.

Prior to September 11, the no-fly list had just 16 people on it.

Either the DHS is so effective and have discovered 1 million (minus 16) new terrorist names in the last 7 years. Or, more likely, the list has a lot of people on it "just to be on the safe side".

Which is fine--unless your name is on the list by mistake. Which happens more frequently than is publicized.

Otherwise, how to go about checking out the 1 million? Are terrorists sprouting like weeds? Is the DHS lazy about checking out these thousands of potential terrorists? Does anyone care?

"America's new million-record watch list is a perfect symbol for what's wrong with this administration's approach to security: it's unfair, out-of-control, a waste of resources (and) treats the rights of the innocent as an afterthought," ACLU technology director Barry Steinhardt said in a release.

President George W. Bush ordered in the current list in September 2003 as a way to wrap several growing terrorism watchlists into a single government database compiled and overseen by the FBI, through a Terrorist Screening Center.

Suspected terrorists or people believed to have links to terrorism are included on the list, which can be used by a wide range of government agencies in security screening. About 50,000 individuals are included on the Transportation Security Administration "no-fly" or "selectee" lists that subject them to travel bans, arrest or additional screening.

Ted Kennedy, civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis and Cat Stevens (now Yusuf Islam) have all had their troubles with their names being on watch lists. One can understand Senator Kennedy having problems if the watch list contained names of members of Congress spouting nonsense--but Senator Kennedy a terrorist?

He's not that ambitious.

[Terrorism Screening Center spokeman, Chad Kolton], cited a report last year by the Government Accountability Office that said there was general agreement within the federal government that the watch list had helped to combat terrorism.

"The list is very effective. In fact it's one of the most effective counterterrorism tools that our country has," he said.

About 400,000 individuals are included on the list, about 95 percent of whom are not U.S. citizens or residents, Kolton said. The watch list also includes separate entries with aliases, fake passports and fake birth dates, bringing the total number of records to more than 1 million, he said.

TSA spokeman Christopher White said Kennedy and Lewis were never on the list, and that problems they reported were due to their misidentification with names properly on it.

One of the least effective ways of identifying ineffective government programs would be to survey government bureaucrats; yet, "general agreement within the federal government" that the list is effective seems to indicate the use of that benchmark.

When new government agencies or programs or regulations or laws are proposed, critics rightly point out the bad things that can happen with nearly all things government. Proponents pooh-pooh the critics' claims, many times calling them preposterous.

It's not that poorly-constructed government programs, agencies, regulations or laws start out as being malicious--it's that they become that way due to the very inefficiencies of large government.

The watch list is a perfect example of this.

The watch list is "very effective"--unless your name mistakenly winds up on it.

1 million names on the watch list and the refusal to profile targeted groups of air travelers--while there are thousands of unknown persons passing through a still-unsecured southern border--makes no sense.

Except to those running government bureaucracies.

by Mondoreb
image: propaganda posters
Source:
* Terror Watch List: Over 1 Million Names and Growing
* U.S. Terrorism Watch List Tops 1 Million

Larry Sinclair: The Name Game

It must be very confusing for Larry Sinclair's mailman.

While perusing some documents from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, a list of the known names used by Larry Sinclair was discovered--a long list.

Fourteen, to be exact.

Sinclair has repeatedly that he "has nothing to hide". If that's the case, why the need for so many names? Most men have one; women two or three if they get married or re-married. Why so many names?

Larry Plays the Name Game




At yesterday's press conference, Sinclair claimed three legal names he's used. Are the rest of the names listed on the CBI document illegal names?

We were only aware (and Larry had only claimed in posting on his site) three of the following fourteen names.

[NOTE: It appears that #1 and #6 are the same name, but we're listing what appeared in the CBI documents.]

Known names of Lawrence Wayne Sinclair

1 Sinclair, Larry Wayne
2 Sinclair, Larri Ashaiti
3 Avila, Larye Vizgua

4 Adams, Larye Vizcarra Availa
5 Silvas, Larye Ashaili
6 Sinclair, Larry Wayne

7 Silvas, Larye Ashaiti
8 Gahanan, Mohammed
9 Gahahan, Mohammed Fatha

10 Avilaadams, Larye Vizcaua
11 Avila, Larye Vizcaua
12 Sinclair, Lari Ashaiti
13 Avila, Larye Vizcarra
14 Sinclair, Lawrence Wayne

Why so many names?

We're sure it has to do with Larry Sinclair's stated occupations: fraud, drug running and trafficking in Mexican illegals.

We're also sure that having fourteen names/aliases doesn't render a person unbelievable. We're also sure that many of the people clinging to the hope that Larry Sinclair is telling the truth about his gay-sex-and-drug party with Barack Obama, might not hand over their personal info, if such a man happened to show up at their door--especially, one that had been arrested and jailed for credit card fraud.

Might not a man with fourteen names be a man with something to hide?

Such as his real name?

by Mondoreb
Sources:
* politico
* se18locksmith

DBKP Today in History: January 24, 2008

WAR, TERRORISM, DISASTERS, QUITTERS, BEER, BUCKETS, PATENTS, SOCIETIES, GOLD, SNACKS, NAMES, TELESCOPES, APPLE, LOOK OUT, CHECK, PRO WRESTLING, MAINSTREAM MEDIA, POLITICIANS, JEWS, SCIENCE, MURDER, HEART ATTACK, STOCKS, BEATEN, ASSASSINATIONS, EXECUTIONS, POPES, BUREAUCRACY, SPORTS, BORN, BIRTHDAYS, DEATH



1908 is considered the starting date of the Boy Scouts movement in England, under the aegis of Robert Baden-Powell.

WAR!

1943 President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Churchill concluded a wartime conference in Casablanca, Morocco.

1943 Hitler orders nazi troops at Stalingrad to fight to death.

TERRORISM

1977 5 lawyers murdered by fascist in Madrid.

1987 gunmen in Lebanon kidnapped educators Alann Steen, Jesse Turner and Robert Polhill and Mitheleshwar Singh. (All were eventually released).

DISASTERS

1939 30,000 killed by earthquake in Concepcion Chile.

1993 Polish ferry boat John Heweliusz sinks, 52 killed.

QUITTERS

1913 Franz Kafka stops working on "Amerika"; it will never be finished.

BEER

1935 1st canned beer, "Krueger Cream Ale", is sold by Kruger Brewing Co in Richmond VA.

BUCKETS

1956 96.5 cm precipitation at Kilauea Plantation, Hawaii (state record).

PATENTS

1899 Rubber heel patented by Humphrey O'Sullivan.

SOCIETIES

1839 Charles Darwin elected member of Royal Society.

1900 Newcastle Badminton Club, world's oldest, formed in England.

GOLD

1848 James W. Marshall discovered a gold nugget at Sutter's Mill in northern California, a discovery that led to the gold rush of '49.

SNACKS

1922 Christian K. Nelson of Onawa, Iowa, patented the Eskimo Pie.

NAMES

1924 the Russian city of Petrograd (formerly St. Petersburg) was renamed Leningrad in honor of the late revolutionary leader. (However, it has since been renamed St. Petersburg).

TELESCOPES

1764 Governor Winthrop Telescope, is destroyed in a Harvard fire.

APPLE

1984 Apple Computer Inc unveils its Macintosh personal computer.

LOOK OUT

1978 a nuclear-powered Soviet satellite, Cosmos 954, plunged through Earth's atmosphere and disintegrated, scattering radioactive debris over parts of northern Canada.

CHECK

1961 Lazard Brithers Ltd draw a check for $334,867,807.68.

PRO WRESTLING

1963 Buddy Rogers & Lou Thesz wrestle in Toronto, Rogers becomes WWF wrestling champ & Thesz becomes NWA champ.

1983 Hulk Hogan pins the Iron Sheik for World Wrestling Federation title.

1988 1st WWF Royal Rumble - Hacksaw Jim Duggan wins.

MAINSTREAM MEDIA

1964 CBS purchases 1964 & 1965 NFL TV rights for $28.2 million.

1975 "Hot l Baltimore" situation comedy premieres on ABC TV.

POLITICIANS

2007 The Democratic-controlled Senate Foreign Relations Committee dismissed President Bush's plans for a troop buildup in Iraq as "not in the national interest" of the United States.

JEWS

1656 1st Jewish doctor in US, Jacob Lumbrozo, arrives in Maryland.

1943 Jewish patients/nurses/doctors incinerated at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

SCIENCE

1958 After warming to 100,000,000º, 2 light atoms are bashed together to create a heavier atom, resulting in 1st man-made nuclear fusion.

MURDER

1994 Michalis Vranopoulos head of Greek state bank, murdered at 48.

HEART ATTACK

1991 George Gobel comedian, dies of a heart attack at 71,

STOCKS

1994 Dow Jones closes above 3,900 for 1st time (3,914.48).

BEATEN

1970 James "Shep" Shepherd rocker (Shep & Limelites), beaten to death.

ASSASSINATIONS

1639 George Jenatsch Grisons leader, assassinated.

EXECUTIONS

1547 Henry Howard Earl of Surrey, executed for treason.

1989 confessed serial killer Theodore Bundy was put to death in Florida's electric chair.

POPES

1998 Pope John Paul II, delivering blunt political messages during his visit to Cuba, called for the release of "prisoners of conscience" and respect for freedom of expression, initiative and association.

BUREAUCRACY

2003 The new Department of Homeland Security officially opened as its head, Tom Ridge, was sworn in.

2003 Connecticut became the first state to take part in the U.S. government's plan to inoculate a half-million health care workers against smallpox. (Only four doctors agreed to be vaccinated that first day.)

SPORTS

1947 NFL adds 5th official (back judge) & allows sudden death in playoffs.

1952 1st NFL team in Texas, Dallas Texans formerly New York Yankees.

BORN

1862 Edith Wharton[-Jones] US, novelist (Ethan Frome, Age of Innocence, House of Mirth)

BIRTHDAYS

Actor Ernest Borgnine is 91. Evangelist Oral Roberts is 90. Actor Jerry Maren ("The Wizard of Oz") is 89. Actor Marvin Kaplan ("Top Cat") is 81. Cajun musician Doug Kershaw is 72. Singer-songwriter Ray Stevens is 69. Singer-songwriter Neil Diamond is 67. Singer Aaron Neville is 67. Actor Michael Ontkean is 62. Actor Daniel Auteuil is 58. Country singer-songwriter Becky Hobbs is 58. Comedian Yakov Smirnoff is 57. Bandleader-musician Jools Holland is 50. Actress Nastassja Kinski is 49. Rhythm-and-blues singer Theo Peoples is 47. Country musician Keech Rainwater (Lonestar) is 45. Comedian Phil LaMarr is 41. Olympic gold-medal gymnast Mary Lou Retton is 40. Rhythm-and-blues singer Sleepy Brown (Society of Soul) is 38. Actor Matthew Lillard is 38. Actress Merrilee McCommas is 37. Actor Ed Helms is 34. Actress Tatyana Ali is 29. Actress Mischa Barton is 22.

DEATH

41 Caligula [G C Germanicus], Roman emperor (37-41), assassinated at 28

1965 Winston Churchill died in London at age 90.

1986 L[aFayette] Ron[ald] Hubbard author/founder of Scientology (Dianetics,Death Quest), dies at 74

1993 retired Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall died in Bethesda, Md., at age 84.

January 24, the 24th day of 2008. There are 342 days left in the year.

compiled by Mondoreb
[image:
Sources:
* Today in History
* Today in History



Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

Mohammed Now Second Most Popular Name for Baby Boys in Britain

In a battle between Harry Potter and the Prophet Mohammed, the Prophet scores a knock-out.

The battle is being waged in hospitals all over Great Britain and the name "Harry" is taking a beating.

In a ranking of the most popular baby names for boys in the U.K., "Mohammed" now ranks second; "Harry" is a distant fifth.

"Jack" remains the most popular British name for baby boys: it's been the 13th year in a row that the name has topped the baby name popularity charts.

But its days at the top of the list may be numbered.

It's multiculturalism and Islam's rise in Britain, as measured on the list of baby boy names and their popularity.

In a reflection of the increasing influence of Islam, figures released yesterday showed the most popular spelling of the name - Mohammed - had climbed five places to 17th in the annual list of top baby names.

However, when the seven other spellings of the name are taken into account, the total comes to 6,347 babies, making it the second most popular name of the year - up from 5,936 last year.

Although Jack topped the list with 6,772 babies, that figure fell 156 on last year, meaning if the trends were repeated next year, Mohammed and its variant spellings would be the most popular choice in England and Wales.

The other spellings are Muhammad, Mohammad, Muhammed, Mohamed, Mohamad, Muhamed and Mohammod.

The last national census in 2001 put the UK Muslim population at 1.6million, but this will have grown substantially in the past five years.

The official figures from the Office for National Statistics tally with a similar survey on baby names published by Bounty, the parenting club, earlier this week.

In the baby girl name department, no such shift has been noticed.

They confirmed Grace was the most popular name given to girls, beating last year's top name, Olivia, into third place.

These were separated by Ruby which is believed to have been given a boost by singer Charlotte Church, who picked the name for her daughter who was born in September.

The rest of the top five was made up by Emily, which rose one place to number four and Jessica, which was last year's number three.

The power of celebrity was also reflected in the top 50. Jayden was the highest new entry for boys at 32, up from 68 last year, while Ava moved up 23 places in the girls' rankings to 41.

Jayden's rise could be attributed to Jaden Smith, son of movie star Will Smith, who appeared alongside his father in The Pursuit of Happyness.

Ava's surge in popularity is believed to be influenced by Myleene Klass, who named her daughter Ava in August.

An ONS spokesman also said Leona almost trebled in popularity, with 238 babies given the name in 2007, following Leona Lewis winning last year's X Factor show.

As well as Ava, Summer also entered the girls' top 50 this year, rising 15 places to 44, replacing Anna and Paige, which dropped out of the list.

Cultural shifts are measured by many factors.

The popularity of the name "Mohammed" for baby boys is but one.

It's rare when a statistic not makes a comment on culture, but also helps forecast the future.

The list of popular baby boy names provides one such rare statistic.

by Mondoreb
[image: evening standard]
Source: Evening Standard: Mohammed Now Second Most Popular Boy's Name in Britain




Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.