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Gordon Brown invoked the memory of the death of his daughter in a desperate bid to convince his critics today that he understood the grief of families whose sons have died in action in Afghanistan. Admitting he was shy, Brown gave an extraordinary personal confession at a Downing Street press conference after the Sun published extracts from a phone conversation between him and Jacqui Janes, the mother of a soldier, Jamie, killed in Helmand five weeks ago. She had been enraged by a handwritten letter from Brown which misspelt her name, and appeared to contain numerous other spelling errors. A...

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is under fire over his hand-written letter to a grieving mother who lost her son in Afghanistan. In the letter, which Jacqui Janes sent to tabloid newspaper The Sun, Mr Brown misspells her name and makes at least 20 other spelling errors. Mrs Janes said it was an insult to her son. When the Prime Minister called her to apologise, she recorded the conversation and maintained her rage. Her son, Jamie Janes, joined the Grenadier Guards shortly after his 16th birthday and was on his second tour of Afghanistan when he was killed by a...

On October 15th, local ACORN spokesman David Lagstein was the special guest of the East County Democrat Club in El Cajon, CA. Lagstein is ACORN’s chief organizer in the San Diego area. The meeting was held at Coco’s Restaurant, a very public venue. Because of ACORN’s close ties to the Democrat party, Mr. Lagstein clearly felt he was among friends. These two clips suggest the investigation of ACORN announced by California Attorney General Jerry Brown already has a pre-determined outcome. Lagstein notes that the Attorney General is a “political animal.� He states that he has been in communication with Brown’s...

Kenny Gamble is best known for being "the architect of the Philly Soul Sound."...But Gamble is also the architect of a planned stealth Islamist enclave in Philadelphia where he is better known in Muslim circles as Brother Luqman Abdul Haqq. Gamble has admitted that he intends to bring about the Muslim community in South Philadelphia through his "Universal Companies" and proclaims that his state and federally subsidized funded building endeavors are part of an Islamist blueprint, "We are not down here just for Universal-we are down here for Islam." In 1975 after a personal crisis Gamble converted to Islam and...

DETROIT – Federal authorities say a leader of what they describe as a nationwide radical Sunni Islam group has been fatally shot during an FBI raid in the Detroit area. The U.S. attorney's office in Detroit says Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah refused to surrender during an FBI raid Wednesday and was killed in an exchange of gunfire. ..conspiracy to commit several federal crimes, including illegal possession and sale of firearms and theft from interstate shipments.

October 28, 2009 Note: The following text is a quote: Eleven Members/Associates of Ummah Charged with Federal Violations One Subject Fatally Shot During Arrest United States Attorney Terrence Berg, Eastern District of Michigan, Andrew G. Arena, Special Agent in Charge (SAC), Federal Bureau of Investigation, (FBI), Detroit, Michigan, and Police Chief Warren Evans, Detroit Police Department (DPD), Detroit, Michigan announced a federal complaint was unsealed today charging Luqman Ameen Abdullah, a.k.a.Christopher Thomas, and 10 others with conspiracy to commit several federal crimes, including theft from interstate shipments, mail fraud to obtain the proceeds of arson, illegal possession and sale of...

Is it personal? Does the US president just dislike the British prime minister? Do Barack Obama and Gordon Brown need (special) relationship counselling? I ask because Barack Obama’s apparent reluctance to attend the Copenhagen summit on climate change in December is something of a personal blow to Gordon Brown. The PM has made very clear that he wants the President to attend. Indeed, last week he was practically pleading. Mr Brown’s spokesman this morning is keeping up appearances: “He was and is keen for other leaders to be there.” But Downing Street is clearly resigned to disappointment. This isn’t the...

CINCINNATI -- A man claiming to be Meatloaf was arrested Sunday after trying to take the wheel of a taxi cab. Eric Brown Police said Eric Brown grabbed the wheel of the taxi, while the car was traveling on Interstate 75. Brown was dressed in a vampire costume and was wearing make-up, which made him resemble the musician and actor. Brown was charged with disorderly conduct while intoxicated.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline)-Former U.S. President Bill Clinton's endorsement of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom for California governor won't likely hurt his rival Attorney General Jerry Brown's campaign, a leading analyst said Tuesday. On Monday, the former president in Los Angeles endorsed Newsom in the 2010 Democratic primary for governor. In making his endorsement, Clinton did not mention Brown, whom he had battled for the 1992 Democratic U.S. presidential nomination.

Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy had a behind-the-scenes row with Barack Obama over last week's announcement about a secret uranium enrichment plant in Iran. The President is believed to have angered the European leaders by insisting on delaying a joint press conference until after he had chaired a meeting of the UN Security Council. Mr Obama is said to have been worried the announcement would undermine the impact of his session on nuclear non-proliferation. Details of the disagreement appeared to explain why Mr Brown and Mr Sarkozy, the French president, took a harder line on Iran than the American leader...

The paper, Women in Power: Milestones, listed 28 of the most significant events between 1907 and 2008 involving women on the political stage. The milestones included the election of the first female Head of Government – Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka in 1960 and Britain's first woman councillor Reina Emily Lawrence in 1907. The document, produced by the Equality Office which is run by Miss Harman, the deputy leader of the Labour Party, highlights the role of Nancy Astor who was the first woman to take her seat in parliament in 1919, the election of Dianne Abbott...

Crime | Government | Wildfires | Education | Roman Polanski | Traffic | Westside L.A. NOW Southern California -- this just in « Previous Post | L.A. NOW Home | Next Post » Jerry Brown files papers to explore run for governor September 29, 2009 | 5:42 pm Jerry Brown dropped the fiction that he was seeking reelection as state attorney general and filed papers today to explore a run for governor, a job he first won in 1974 and has for months been fighting hard, if quietly, to recapture. Brown’s move was born of necessity: Contributions to candidates for...

With Labour trailing the Conservatives in the polls and the Government facing accusation of having run out of steam, the Prime Minister urged his party to “stand and fight and win.” He also insisted he will not bow to calls for him to quit, describing himself as “the guy who doesn’t take no for an answer.” In his speech to the Labour conference in Brighton, Mr Brown accepted that Labour facing an uphill struggle at the election, but insisted that the party still has a chance of winning and taking a fourth term.

Downing Street was involved in a heated row with the BBC last night over the corporation’s “astonishing” questioning of the Gordon Brown's health. Andrew Marr, the BBC’s main political presenter, shocked the Prime Minister during a live television interview on the opening day of Labour’s annual conference in Brighton by asking whether he took pills to help him “get through". Mr Brown’s aides last night said they were amazed that despite issuing denials to an internet rumour in recent weeks, specifically to the BBC, Mr Marr went ahead and still asked the question. Mr Marr told Mr Brown that he...

Barack Obama Rebuffs Gordon Brown As 'Special Relationship' Sinks To New LowGordon Brown has been snubbed repeatedly by Barack Obama during his trip to the United States, as the fall-out from the release of the Lockerbie bomber appeared to have left "the special relationship" at its lowest ebb for nearly 20 years. By Andrew Porter, Political Editor in New York Published: 11:49PM BST 23 Sep 2009 British officials made five attempts to secure official talks with the US President and even agreed to a policy change in an attempt to land a joint appearance between the two leaders, said diplomatic...

The juxtaposition on our front page this morning is striking. We carry a photograph of Acting Sgt Michael Lockett - who was killed in Helmand on Monday - receiving the Military Cross from the Queen in June, 2008. He was the 217th British soldier to die in the Afghan conflict. Alongside the picture, we read that the Prime Minister was forced to dash through the kitchens of the UN in New York to secure a few minutes “face time” with President Obama after five requests for a sit-down meeting were rejected by the White House. What are we to make...

Barack Obama snubbed five separate requests from UK PM Gordon Brown for a private meeting during his U.S. trip. Instead, the Prime Minister was reduced to meeting the President in a bizarre 'kitchen summit' at the UN building after Mr Obama turned down British plans for a series of joint announcements between the two leaders. Washington's snubs are in stark contrast to planned one-on-one meetings with the leaders of China, Russia and Japan. Diplomats revealed that Downing Street had to 'beg' for a meeting with Mr Obama to secure high profile backing for his economic and climate change plans. But...

The prime minister is to tell the United Nations that he is willing to cut the UK's fleet of Trident missile-carrying submarines from four to three. Gordon Brown will make the offer at a meeting of the UN Security Council over halting the spread of nuclear weapons and reducing existing stockpiles. The proposed cuts come as the government searches for ways to reduce the massive deficit in public finances. However Number 10 said keeping the UK's nuclear deterrent was "non-negotiable". At the UN meeting, Mr Brown will call for all nations to come together to achieve the long-term ambition of...

Philip Pullman / Bishop David McGough Related articles: The Divinity of ChristHow to Talk to an Atheist about ChristianityBiblical Book Names & AbbreviationsSt. Cyprian, Bishop, Martyr Birmingham, England, Sep 15, 2009 / 03:04 am (CNA).- Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham David McGough has criticized a new book by the atheist author Philip Pullman, saying that his contention that St. Paul invented the divinity of Jesus would not be held by any respectable scholar of Scripture.Pullman’s upcoming book, titled “The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ,” claims that St. Paul transformed the character of Jesus and bestowed divine attributes to...

The real mystery surrounding Dan Brown's sequel to The Da Vinci Code doesn't involve Catholic cults or revisionist Christianity. It's whether the return of Robert Langdon can help publishers drag themselves up from one of the lower circles of economic hell. The Lost Symbol goes on sale Tuesday, six years after The Da Vinci Code sold 80 million copies in 51 languages, and booksellers and publishers are hoping its appearance will inspire Brown's fans to pick up a little something extra. Maybe the new Edward Kennedy memoir True Compass, which goes on sale Monday. ``We're hoping the book drives people...

Labour MPs, including cabinet ministers, will take a quick look at the headlines this morning and think: right, that’s it. Several simultaneous stories smash a hole in the Prime Minister’s defence of his handling of the Lockerbie affair. The Sunday Telegraph reveals that “the British, Scottish and Libyan governments connived to free Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds”. Libya paid for medical advice that allowed the Scots to free the bomber. The Sunday Times claims that Brown “personally vetoed an attempt to force Colonel Muammar Gadaffi to compensate IRA bomb victims because it might have jeopardised British oil deals...

President Obama and the US Secretary of State fuelled a fierce American backlash against Britain, claiming Abdelbaset Al Megrahi should have been forced to serve out his jail sentence in Scotland – but a senior Whitehall aide said their reaction was ‘disingenuous’. British officials claim Mr Obama and Mrs Clinton were kept informed at all stages of discussions concerning Megrahi’s return. The officials say the Americans spoke out because they were taken aback by the row over Megrahi’s release, not because they did not know it was about to happen. ‘The US was kept fully in touch about everything that...

GORDON Brown is heading for a crushing defeat at the next election with voters believing he is failing our troops in Afghanistan, a vital Sun poll reveals today. Tory David Cameron will sweep to power with a 96-seat Commons majority, the survey predicts. Seven in ten voters think Mr Brown's government is doing a "very bad" or "fairly bad" job of supporting Our Boys in the Afghan conflict. In a further blow to the PM, twice as many voters believe Britain's armed forces would be better off in Mr Cameron's hands than Mr Brown's. Our poll also reveals 51 percent...

The British government decided it was “in the overwhelming interests of the United Kingdom” to make Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber, eligible for return to Libya, leaked ministerial letters reveal. Gordon Brown’s government made the decision after discussions between Libya and BP over a multi-million-pound oil exploration deal had hit difficulties. These were resolved soon afterwards. The letters were sent two years ago by Jack Straw, the justice secretary, to Kenny MacAskill, his counterpart in Scotland, who has been widely critizised for taking the formal decision to permit Megrahi’s release.

A conference like the recent on in Aosta offers plenty of opportunity to listen in on fascinating conversations, one of which had to do with what would happen if we found a brown dwarf closer to the Earth than the Centauri stars. The general consensus was that such a find would be a powerful stimulus to the public imagination and would probably result in renewed interest in getting to and exploring such a place. A boon, in short, for all our interstellar efforts, an awakening to a new set of possibilities.But if there were a brown dwarf that close,...

Gordon Brown faced fresh questions tonight after it emerged that he discussed with Colonel Gaddafi detailed conditions for the Lockerbie bomber's return nearly six weeks ago, while senior Labour figures warned of an economic backlash from angry Americans "costing our country dear". Downing Street released the text of a cordial letter sent to the Libyan leader on the day that Abdulbaset al-Megrahi was released, asking that the event be kept low key because a "high-profile" ceremony would distress his victims and their families.

Senator's health-care meeting criticized Friendly groups got more notice, records suggest Saturday, August 15, 2009 3:11 AM By Jack Torry THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH An aide to Sen. Sherrod Brown points to critics in the audience as proof it wasn't stacked. In the aftermath of Sen. Sherrod Brown's appearance on health-care reform Wednesday at Ohio State University, a number of people complained that Brown made little effort to advise area residents he would be there talking about the nation's hottest topic. That apparently was not a problem for supporters of Brown, who had ample notice that the senator would hold a...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - After more than five years, the Pentagon revealed why it is holding a Saudi nicknamed "the Professor" at Guantanamo Bay, saying he once lived with a Sept. 11 conspirator and received a stipend from Osama bin Laden. Shaker Aamer's lawyer denies the allegations, made after British Prime Minister Gordon Brown last week requested the release of the Saudi, who has been an unofficial leader among the detainees, and four other former residents of Britain. The Bush administration, which has been urging other nations to accept Guantanamo prisoners amid international pressure to close the military jail,...

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Kenneth Gladney to Tour U.S. Soon to Discuss Individual Rights in New Educational Program, "Project Liberty" St. Louis, Missouri August 11, 2009 -- Kenneth Gladney thanks everyone for their outpouring of support and well wishes. After he recovers from his injuries, Kenneth plans to travel across the country to promote Project Liberty, a new educational program designed to teach America's youth about their fundamental rights under the Constitution. Kenneth inform young people about his experiences on the fateful night of August 6, 2009 at Rep. Russ Carnahan's town hall meeting in South St. Louis and...

The Tories snatched an astonishing victory in a key by-election today, producing a humiliating result that will pile more pressure on Gordon Brown. They triumphed in Norwich North with a massive majority of 7,348 after a 16 per cent swing in the vote in the first litmus test of public opinion since the expenses scandal. The scale of their win in the once-safe Labour seat far exceeded expectations and will buoy David Cameron as the main parties prepare for a general election next year.

What's the best way to stay out of Obama's crappy hospitals in the future? Stay healthy! EC interviews author, patriot, dietician, and now radio host Kevin Brown. You can listen to him every Saturday on Liberty Works Radio Network at noon EDT.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown warned in an interview on the eve of today's G8 summit that the world is now facing a “second wakeup call” – a crisis of growth and employment as severe as the credit crisis of the past year.

Erratic price movements in such an important commodity are cause for alarm. For two years the price of oil has been dangerously volatile, seemingly defying the accepted rules of economics. First it rose by more than $80 a barrel, then fell rapidly by more than $100, before doubling to its current level of around $70. In that time, however, there has been no serious interruption of supply. Despite ongoing conflict in the Middle East, oil has continued to flow. And although the recession and price rises have had some effect on consumption, medium-term forecasts for demand are robust. The oil...

DETROIT (AP) - A former aide to U.S. Rep. John Conyers has been arrested in Africa after skipping his sentencing on a federal fraud conviction, federal authorities said. DeWayne Boyd, 49, formerly of Detroit, was arrested Friday in Accra, Ghana, said Daniel D. Roberts, special agent in charge of the FBI's Detroit Field Office. Boyd is a former aide to Willie Brown when he was the speaker of the California Assembly. Boyd was arrested on a warrant for failing to appear at the April sentencing hearing on convictions of mail fraud, making false declarations under oath, making false statements to...

We’re listening... Share your personal story about how our economic crisis is hitting your home. How are you and yours coping? Please make your voice heard, in words or video. Don’t forget to sign our Born Again American pledge and print out your personalized copy of the Declaration of Independence. Born Again American is committed to the rebirth and re-expression of citizenship through informed and thoughtful activism. It is an initiative of Declare Yourself, a national non-partisan, non-profit (501(c)3) organization dedicated to increasing young voter participation and civic involvement. Declare Yourself’s on-line voter registration tool has been used by almost...

The planet is a strange place these days where hyped political rhetoric continues to grow ever more bizarre. Take, for example, the recent comments by Adam Reilly in his article, "The Blessing of Abortion."

Plans to sweep away 1,000 years of history by replacing the House of Lords with an elected senate will be unveiled within weeks. Gordon Brown vowed yesterday to complete reform of the Lords, which has been stalled for several years. The Prime Minister will seek agreement from other parties on a move to a wholly or largely elected second chamber. The move would mean hundreds of peers being axed and elections introduced to the upper house for the first time.

Gordon Brown today gave his personal backing to a written constitution and laid the groundwork for a possible referendum on introducing proportional referendum. The Prime Minister set out his plans for a historic shift in the voting and political system as he sought to relaunch his troubled premiership. After seeing off a concerted attempt to force him out of Number 10, Mr Brown promised

The Prime Minister last night saw off a concerted attempt to make him quit by promising to change his leadership style. In an unprecedented humiliation for a serving Premier, several former ministers demanded his head at a make-or-break meeting of Labour MPs. They said Gordon Brown was leading the party to disaster after it suffered its worst poll results since 1910, gaining just 15 per cent of the vote in the European elections. But former Labour leader Lord Kinnock rode to the Prime Minister's rescue, telling MPs that disunity would cost the party the next General Election. The majority of...

In an embarrassing disclosure, a draft of the final communiqué to be signed off by world leaders at the end of the one-day gathering on Thursday appeared in the German magazine Der Spiegel. There were suspicions that the leak was a deliberate act of sabotage by sources within the German government, where Chancellor Angela Merkel is adopting a more cautious approach to fiscal moves to boost the national economy than Mr Brown, who will chair the summit. A Downing Street spokesman said the leak was an "old document with out of date figures" and that the £1.4 trillion was an...

Banks need family values, says Gordon Brown in extraordinary sermon to the City ahead of G20 By James Chapman Last updated at 1:59 AM on 31st March 2009 'Rise to the challenge': Gordon Brown will urge banks to abide by the same values we celebrate in everyday lives Gordon Brown will today make an extraordinary appeal for family values to be applied to the financial system. The Prime Minister will use a speech at St Paul's Cathedral to insist the first test of this week's G20 summit will be if it can agree to clean up banks across the world....

Hazel Blears, James Purnell, John Hutton and Caroline Flint all claimed that they were working alone when they handed in their resignations to Number 10. But The Sunday Telegraph can disclose that they were part of a group of Blairites that met secretly for months and tried to co-ordinate last week’s resignations. Their intention was to force Mr Brown to stand down in favour of Alan Johnson, the then Health Secretary. Mr Brown faced fresh embarrassment last night after a leaked email showed that Lord Mandelson said the Prime Minister was “self conscious”, “insecure” and “angry”. The Prime Minister faces...

Tony Blair believes Gordon Brown's political future is doomed because of 'the darkness in his heart' and his 'lies' - and feels Mr Brown has no one to blame but himself. The former Prime Minister's devastating verdict on his successor is a blow to Mr Brown's hopes of surviving further moves to topple him, expected this week. Publicly, Mr Blair has kept out of the row. However, The Mail on Sunday can disclose that privately he shares the view held by Labour rebels that Mr Brown will lead the Party to a disastrous defeat at the next Election. ..................................................

Gordon Brown is facing a 48-hour fight for survival after an unprecedented wave of senior ministerial resignations, catastrophic election results and a series of demands for his resignation overshadowed his emergency reshuffle. After being snubbed for a promotion, Caroline Flint, the Europe Minister, delivered the most personal attack yet on the beleaguered Prime Minister, accusing him of using her as "female window dressing" and of operating a "two-tier Government". In a move designed to maximise the damage to Mr Brown, she announced she was quitting his Government just as he faced the cameras to insist he would not walk away...

As the chances of Mr Brown surviving faded after the decision of the Work and Pensions Secretary to time the announcement of his departure as polls for European and local elections closed, the monarch will now consult her most senior advisers if Mr Brown loses his fight to stay in office. While the Queen still technically has the power to dissolve Parliament, in reality she only advises her prime ministers. It would be unprecedented for a second prime minister to move into 10 Downing Street without a general election. ..............................................

Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell has resigned from the Cabinet and called on Gordon Brown to quit. Mr Purnell said he no longer had confidence in the Prime Minister and said he should step down for the good of the Labour Party. It comes as polls closed in the local council and European elections. In a resignation letter released to several newspapers, Mr Purnell said Mr Brown's continued leadership makes a Conservative victory more, not less, likely.

Labour MPs Calling For Brown To Go An email is circulating among Labour MPs encouraging Gordon Brown to step down as Prime Minister. Sky News has obtained a copy of the email which says: Dear Gordon, Over the last 12 years in government, and before, you have made an enormous contribution to this country and to the Labour Party, and this is widely acknowledged. However we are writing now because we believe that in the current political situation, you can best serve the Labour Party and the country by stepping down as party leader and prime minister. And so allowing...

[snip] Final paragraph: All must agree that the die is cast and a hard judgment made. Otherwise progressive politics will be dragged down at a general election in May 2010 that could lead to a much bigger defeat than Labour suffered in 1979. That might bring a chance for other parties to take it forward, as the Liberal Democrats are trying to do in this election. But they are not placed to enter government. Labour has a year left before an election; its current leader would waste it. It is time to cut him loose.

British Prime Minster Gordon Brown, speaking on crime for the first time in nearly two years, announced plans Tuesday to clamp down on rampant organized crime. The Times of London disclosed a month ago that police had identified 2,800 organized crime gangs, almost three times more than had been previously divulged. The Times reported increasing concern over the inability of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) to reduce big organized crime. "We face new kinds of crime, especially knife crime, organized crime, e-crime and identity theft, and now the new challenge of preventing what happened in previous recessions, where burglary...

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul arrive at 10 Downing Street in London, to meet Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Tuesday May 12, 2009. Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown, right, greets, Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, at 10 Downing Street, London, Tuesday, May 12, 2009 U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (R) and Iraqi parliament speaker Ayad al-Samarai hold a news conference in Baghdad May 10, 2009. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi talks during a news conference in Washington, DC. Pelosi has arrived in Baghdad...