Intimidation…vandalism…assault…rape…murder. These are crimes by anyone’s definition. But add an element of bias against the victims—because of their race or religion, for example—and these traditional crimes become hate crimes.

And based on data from the FBI’s Hate Crime Statistics report for 2010, the 6,628 hate crime incidents reported to us by our law enforcement partners stayed consistent with the 6,604 incidents reported in 2009.

Today, we’re releasing on our website the full 2010 report, which contains information about the types of biases that motivate hate crimes, the nature of the offenses, and some information about the victims and offenders. It also breaks down hate crimes by jurisdiction and includes data by state and by agency.

The hate crimes report is fairly reflective of the country—agencies that participated in the Uniform Crime Reporting Hate Crime Statistics Program effort in 2010 represented more than 285 million people, or 92.3 percent of the nation’s population, and their jurisdictions covered 49 states and the District of Columbia. Of the 14,977 agencies that submitted data, 1,949 reported that hate crime incidents had occurred in their jurisdictions.

Here are some of the report’s highlights:

• Law enforcement reported 8,208 victims of hate crimes—a “victim” can be an individual, a business, an institution, or society as a whole.

• Of the 6,628 hate crime incidents reported to us for 2010, nearly all (6,624) involved a single bias—47.3 percent of the single-bias incidents were motivated by race; 20 percent by religion; 19.3 by sexual orientation; 12.8 percent by an ethnicity/national origin bias; and 0.6 by physical or mental disability.
• As a result of the 2009 Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crime Prevention Act, the FBI is implementing changes to collect additional data for crimes motivated by a bias against a particular gender or gender identity, as well as for hate crimes committed by or directed against juveniles.
• A reported 4,824 offenses were crimes against persons—intimidation accounted for 46.2 percent of these offenses; simple assault for 34.8 percent; and aggravated assault for 18.4 percent.
• There were 2,861 reported offenses of crimes against property—the majority (81.1 percent) were acts of destruction/damage/vandalism.
• Of the 6,008 known offenders, 58.6 were white and 18.4 percent were black.
• 31.4 percent of reported hate crime incidents took place in or near homes.

The FBI takes its role in investigating hate crimes very seriously—it’s the number one priority of our civil rights program. “Almost a fourth of our 2010 civil rights caseload involved crimes motivated by a particular bias against the victim,” said Eric Thomas, our civil rights chief in Washington, D.C., “and we frequently worked these cases with state and local law enforcement to ensure that justice was done—whether at the state level or at the federal level.”

This report, and the FBI’s hate crime data collection effort as a whole, would not have been possible without the support of national and state criminal justice organizations and the thousands of law enforcement agencies nationwide whose officers investigate, identify, and report hate crimes to us.

Source: FBI

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has publicly burnt 4,688.48kg of narcotic drugs seized by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) Commands. The Chairman/Chief Executive of the anti-drug Agency, Ahmadu Giade and the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Senator Bala Mohammed led other local and international stakeholders in setting the forfeited drugs worth over 350 million naira ablaze in line with a Federal High Court order.

According to the NDLEA Chairman, the destruction exercise is timely as it will translate into a drug free society in the FCT and other parts of the country. “The destruction exercise is in obedience and compliance with court order. Very shortly, a total of 4,723.617kg of narcotics shall be reduced to ashes. This is timely as we approach the end of year season. The breakdown shows that cannabis is the largest with 4,558.381kg; cocaine and heroin are next with 129.602kg and psychotropic substances 495grammes” Giade stated.

FCT Minister in his remarks stated that the government’s desire is not only to build infrastructures in the FCT but to protect lives and property through effective drug control. “The priority of the FCT administration is not only to provide infrastructure and make the city one of the best in the world but we are also concerned about the protection of lives and property of all residents. We shall continue to support the NDLEA and assist in effective drug control. I call on others to contribute their quota because it is a collective responsibility” Bala urged.

Giade in his keynote address said that the Agency derives inspiration from outstanding international achievements. In his words, “the removal of Nigeria in 2010 from the drug Majors List by the United States government after 17 years is a great motivation to us. Drug barons work against the interest of the State. They are always looking for opportunities to exploit. We are therefore determined to frustrate all their criminal plans. We would not relent until illicit drugs are eradicated from our society. The Agency will continue to increase its intelligence management capacity. As we celebrate the past achievements, we would expand our scope in the days ahead” Giade promised.

He pointed out that the Agency’s mission is to overrun and decimate drug trafficking cartels. “We suppress criminal activities through regular drug seizures, arrests and prosecution. Our mission is to overrun and decimate drug trafficking cartels. We celebrate these seizures because the possible consequences on health, economy, security and culture if the drugs are left in circulation had been averted. Apart from the huge monetary loss to drug trafficking cartels, it has also translated into protection of FCT residents and the larger society” Giade stated.

While warning drug barons to be prepared for fierce offensive in the days ahead, the NDLEA boss also appealed to members of the public not to abdicate their drug control responsibilities. “No effort shall be spared by the Agency in bringing drug dealers to justice. Neither the barons nor their accomplices shall be spared. Consistent with our practice, more drug barons shall be exposed, prosecuted and dispossessed of all ill-gotten wealth. While we rely on our intelligence gathering network, your assistance will be highly cherished. If you observe or suspect illicit drug activities in your neighbourhood, report to us immediately. It is part of your civic responsibility. We shall treat such information confidentially, professionally and act immediately to protect lives and property”

Giade thanked the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR for his political will to eradicate illicit drugs in our society. The Agency also expressed appreciation for the support given to the Agency by the FCT Authority and other stakeholders.

The Peoples Democratic Party’s [PDP]  musical chairs in the Niger Delta State of Bayelsa appears a never ending episode as the Jonathan led PDP recently announced through its National Working Committee it has denied/disqualified the incumbent Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva and three others from contesting in the PDP gubernatorial exercise scheduled for November 19, 2011. The Jonathan led PDP disqualification announcement came 24 hours following the flag off of Gov Timipre Sylva’s campaign for the PDP primary election.

Information available to 247ureports.com through impeccable sources close to the activities in the Presidency reveal that there appears more than meets the naked eye in the imbroglio unfolding between the President and Bayelsa State. Information has it that the refusal of ‘certain’ candidates from participating in the PDP primaries rests principally on the politics of 2016 in Bayelsa State.

Our source revealed that President Goodluck Ebelemi Jonathan’s interest in the ongoing tussle for the PDP gubernatorial ticket has to do with his prefered choice for the governor’s seat come 2016.  The President, according to our source, wants the current Petroleum Minister, Mrs Diezani Allison Madueke  to mount the seat of Governor come 2016 in Bayelsa State – for reasons that are not clear.

As gathered, the President who remains hurt and somewhat vengeful over the role played by the Bayelsa State governor during the period when the Late President Yar’Adua was ill and admitted to a hospital outside the country, fears that Governor Timipre Sylva, if allowed to hold on to the PDP gubernatorial ticket, may win the general elections, and may not hand over to his [Jonathan] preferred choice for the seat in 2016. Our source indicates that the President had sought hard promises from Gov Timipre Sylva that he will ensure that the Petroleum Minister takes over in 2016 – of which Gov Timipre Sylva obliged and pledged to ensure the Petroluem Minister gets a smooth path to achieving her aspiration. But the Presiency could not bank their trust on the Governor. The source also points to the President’s refusal to allow the NWC of the PDP to clear the likes Ben Bruce and Timi Alaibe as symptomatic of the same fear of not handing over to the Petroleum Minister come 2016.

247ureports.com is not certain the reasons for the President’s determination to clear the way for the Petroluem Minister to mount the revered seat in Bayelsa come 2016 but unconfirmed sources in Bayelsa State indicate that the Presidency is interested in providing immunity cover for the Federal Minister.

Stay Tuned.

Kurt Nimmo
Infowars.com
November 13, 2011

The man who may push the world into a catastrophic war, Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, is more popular than Obama according to a Greenberg Quinlan Rosner poll.

“52.3 percent of Americans rate Netanyahu positively, compared to 51.5 percent for Obama. Other polls have Obama’s approval ratings even lower, while Netanyahu has been consistently winning praise,” reports Israel Today magazine.

The Washington Examiner called the polling firm to confirm and request the full data, including the margin of error, but as of yesterday had not heard back from Greenberg Quinlan Rosner.

It is difficult to believe 52.3 percent of Americans even know who Netanyahu is. He isn’t, after all, Justin Bieber.

Netanyahu and his political party, Likud, have pushed for an attack on Iran for years.

Netanyahu has repeatedly emphasized that he wants to launch a military strike on Iran, notes Norman Solomon. “This is the Israeli government’s primary obligation,” Netanyahu said. “If it is not done by the current government, I plan to lead the next government to stop the Iranians.”

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“The specter of Netanyahu and Ahmadinejad fueling each other’s madness as heads of state is frightening. In such a circumstance, the primary danger of conflagration would come from nuclear-armed Israel, not nuclear-unarmed Iran,” Solomon adds.

As Paul Craig Roberts noted back in 2009, Netanyahu and the Likudites in Israel know that if they attack Iran, the United States will get involved in short order due to its shared relationship and determination to kill Muslims. The “ironclad agreement between Israel and Washington to war against Muslim peoples is far stronger than the connection between the American public and the American government,” Roberts notes.

“The two great murderous, refugee-producing countries are the U.S. and Israel. Between them, they have murdered and dislocated millions of people who were a threat to no one,” Roberts writes elsewhere. “No countries on earth rival the U.S. and Israel for barbaric, murderous violence.”

“The military/security complex that rules America, together with the Israel Lobby and the banksters, needs a long list of dangerous enemies to keep the taxpayers’ money flowing into its coffers.”

“Israel is now ruled by the most nationalist, racist, and fanatical government it has ever had,” Ran HaCohen wrote in 2009 when “the rogue triumvirate of Netanyahu, Barak, and Lieberman” reined supreme. “Make no mistake: Netanyahu is a man of the occupation, as he always has been.”

In a perverse sort of way, this highly suspect poll makes sense. After all, millions of Americans not only rushed to the polls and voted for Obama, many of them experienced a delusional fervor bordering on schizophrenia during his campaign.

This occurred despite the obvious fact the Democrat Party is the mirror refection of the Republican Party and both enthusiastically support never-ending war and mass murder extending back to Democrat Lyndon Baines Johnson.

Bill Clinton oversaw the murder by starvation and disease of more than a half million Iraqi children, a record trumped by Republican George W. Bush, who as commander in chief managed to slaughter more than a million Iraqis and an undetermined number of Afghans and Pakistanis. Obama is adding exponentially to the pile of rotting flesh. He has moved the operation into Africa.

Netanyahu has the blood of Palestinian children on his hands, but that does not stand in the way of his popularity – again, if we can believe this poll – here and in Israel, the land of colonial mass psychosis.

Maybe Wilhelm Reich was right when he said the people suffer from a spiritual and psychological flaw because they invariably support and worship the most brutal and venal of leaders from Hitler to Stalin and Mao.

Rival militias have clashed on the outskirts of the Libyan capital for a fourth day in the deadliest and most sustained violence since the capture and killing of Muammar Gaddafi last month.

The fighting, which has killed at least 13 people since late last week, raised new concerns about the ability of Libya’s transitional government to disarm thousands of fighters and restore order after an eight-month civil war.

Libya’s interim leader, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, said his National Transitional Council brought together elders from the feuding areas — the coastal city of Zawiya and the nearby tribal lands of Warshefana — over the weekend and that the dispute has been resolved. “I want to assure the Libyan people that everything is under control,” he said Sunday.

However, as he spoke, fighting continued.

Heavy gunfire and explosions of rocket-propelled grenades were heard over hours Sunday (overnight, NZ time) in the area between the Warshefana lands, about 30 kilometres west of Tripoli, and Zawiya, another 15km to the west. White smoke rose into the air.

At one point, the two sides were battling for control of a major military camp of the ousted regime, said a fighter from Tripoli. The camp, once a base of elite forces commanded by one of Gaddafi’s sons, Khamis, is located on a highway midway between Tripoli and Zawiya.

In all, at least 13 people were killed in the fighting, including four from Zawiya and nine from Warshefana, according to gunmen and a hospital doctor in Warshefana. More than 100 people from Warshefana were wounded since Saturday, said Dr. Mohammed Sawan, adding that casualties stemmed from gunshots as well as shrapnel from rockets and mortar shells.

The reason for the initial clash remains unclear, though accusations have been flying, including that some of the Warshefana had links to the old regime. At one point last week, fighters from Zawiya entered Warshefana and seized weapons. In retaliation, Warshefana fighters set up random checkpoints and fired at the main highway.

On Sunday evening, dozens of Warshefana fighters assembled and said they would march on Zawiya. “We’ll be in Zawiya tonight,” they chanted before moving toward the city, armed with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades.

Zawiya fighters, meanwhile, manned roadblocks on the outskirts of their city at intervals of about 200 metres. Groups of jumpy armed men, some brandishing RPGs, crowded around the checkpoints. Fighters searched trunks of cars and checked IDs.

Abdul-Jalil said the NTC has established a committee to address the grievances of both sides. He said the fighting was sparked by young men behaving irresponsibly, but he did not elaborate.

Since the October 20 death of Gaddafi, there have been a number of violent clashes between fighters, including a deadly shootout at a Tripoli hospital. Residents of the capital have also become increasingly annoyed with fighters from other areas of Libya who have taken over prime locations in the city, including a gated seaside resort village.

Despite the growing tensions, Abdul-Jalil and other NTC leaders have said they cannot disarm the fighters quickly.

Noting high unemployment among the armed men, Abdul-Jalil said the new government must offer alternatives first, including jobs, study and training.