Family of late Polish president accuses Moscow of crash plot

The family of late Polish president Lech Kaczynski who died with 95 others in an April 2010 air crash in western Russia said on Monday that Moscow may have plotted to assassinate him.

6:01PM GMT 17 Jan 2011

 

"Today the hypothesis of an assassination plot against the Polish president is more plausible than ever," Marcin Dubieniecki, the husband and lawyer of the late Kaczynski's only child, daughter Marta, told Polish media on Monday.

"There are many things indicating that (the Russians would have wanted) to assassinate Lech Kaczynski," Ms Dubieniecki told Poland's commercial TVN24 news channel.

Kaczynski was known for his deep suspicion of Poland's Soviet-era master Moscow and for holding a staunch policy line against Russian moves in the region.

According to Ms Dubieniecki, Moscow may have been motivated by "the possible re-election of president Lech Kaczynski, revenge for (his backing) Georgia and by Russian interests in relations between Moscow and the European Union."

In its final report issued last Wednesday in Moscow, Russian investigators blamed the catastrophe on the incompetence of the plane's Polish pilots and pressure from senior officials on the flight to land despite dangerous weather warnings.

Ms Dubieniecki accused Russian investigators of ignoring an attempt by Polish pilots to regain altitude and abort the landing 22 seconds prior to the crash.

The attempt "failed because the crew was misinformed about the plane's altitude and about the position of the landing course and path," Ms Dubieniecki charged.

The Russian crash report stirred controversy in Poland, with liberal Prime Minister Donald Tusk saying Poland would present its own version after he termed the Russian findings "incomplete".

Meanwhile Kaczynski's surviving twin and conservative opposition leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said Moscow's report "made a mockery of Poland."

The report clears local air traffic controllers and the technical condition of the regional airport in Smolensk of having been a factor in the crash.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Polish counterpart Bronislaw Komorowski pledged on Friday to continue dialogue.

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New Provincial Named for California Province of the Society of Jesus

Los Gatos, CA—Fr. Michael F. Weiler, S.J., has been appointed by Fr. General Adolfo Nicolás, S.J, as the next provincial of the California Province of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). Fr. Weiler succeeds Fr. John McGarry, S.J., who has served as provincial of the California Province since 2005. Fr. Weiler will take office on the Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola, July 31, 2011.

Fr. Weiler currently serves as Director of Novices and Superior of Ignatius House Novitiate, a position he has held since 2005.

Fr. Weiler is a graduate of Bellarmine College Preparatory, Loyola Marymount University, Gonzaga University, Jesuit School of Theology, and California School of Professional Psychology. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1975, was ordained in 1988 and received his final vows in 2005. Following ordination, Fr. Weiler served as an associate pastor at Dolores Mission in Los Angeles and then as an instructor in counseling psychology and a psychologist at Santa Clara University.

For more information about the California Province of the Society of Jesus, see www.jesuitscalifornia.org, or contact the Advancement Office at advancement@calprov.org.

Years of harassment by Feds may have lead to threats

Vincent McCrudden - CEO  of Alnbri Management, LLC has been arrested for alledgedly making threats against federal regulators.

The article in the Long Island Press reads,

"FBI agents arrested Vincent McCrudden, 49, of Long Beach, Thursday at Newark Liberty International Airport as he returned from Singapore. Federal prosecutors believe McCrudden had been there for the past several months.

He is accused of threatening 47 employees of the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission and other agencies. Many of the messages included profanity laced tirades against the regulators, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Central Islip.

McCrudden was ordered held without bail at an initial court appearance Friday. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Jan. 27.

“Although bad tempered and at times ill-mannered, he is a good and decent man. He does not pose a true threat to anyone,” said defense lawyer Bruce Barket. “Vulgar language, bad use of metaphors and very poor timing are not crimes.”

Prosecutors said that in addition to death threats posted on his website, McCrudden posted a $100,000 reward seeking personal information about several government officials.

“In this day and age, there is no such thing as an idle threat,” U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch said in a statement. “Those who threaten injury or worse to the lives of others will be promptly investigated and vigorously prosecuted.”

The threats against the regulators followed a a CFTC civil enforcement lawsuit filed against McCrudden in December, prosecutors said. The complaint alleged McCrudden has been the subject of various enforcement or disciplinary proceedings over several years.

But even before the CFTC action, he allegedly sent an email to an employee of the National Futures Association, stating: “It wasn’t ever a question of if I was going to kill you, it was just a question of when. And now, that question has been answered. You are going to die a painful death.”

His website also allegedly included an “execution list” with the names of 47 current and former federal regulators, prosecutors said, including the chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Commission.


But Mr. Vincent McCrudden  States on his web site:

     Mr. McCrudden worked on Wall Street for over 20 years. He started his career on the floors of the New York Commodity Exchange executing orders for some of the largest institutions in the world including hedge funds and Commercial & Investment Banks. He then ran Global Desks in such areas as Foreign Exchange, Credit Derivatives & Equity Derivatives. He taught derivatives courses at the New York Institute of Finance.

     Mr. McCrudden is a former soccer player at the University of Rhode Island, and then played professionally for the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Minnesota Strikers of the NASL. He also was an amateur boxer and has raised money over the years for the NYPD for slained [sic] and disabled officers.  He has two beautiful children.

     Mr. McCrudden has spent the past 13 years and counting combating a colluded Government attempt to discredit and harrass Mr. McCrudden through repeated bogus procedures. Mr. McCrudden has sought relief by suing multiple agencies and officials for $1 Billion. But this has not stopped certain higher ranking officials because they know that Judges are Government employees too. In order to stop the libel, slander and harrassment at the hands of these entities, and with no available forum in the US justice system, Mr. McCrudden has started a process to enact payback for years of Government abuse. As a twice survivor of the WTC bombings, Mr. McCrudden knows all too well what the Government can do in the "name of public interest". Mr. McCrudden believes the 23 friends he lost on 9-11-2001 would have had their full support. Wake up my fellow citizens and middle class and go look into the mirror, because you my friends are the face of the new Al Qaeda! Civil disobedience can be a start for justice. Its us (middle class) against them (Government officials and the Bourgeosie).  Start acting now before its too late!

     Government employees should be individually accountable and not be able to hide behind the veils of their entities. If they are sued for bad behaviour, they should have to use their own resources and money like any other citizen.

So what's the story? Government corruption, intimidation and harassment? Or is this man doing what people sometimes do and try and hide from their crimes by making accusations against the government? By what I've read he seems very angry and appears to believe he's truly being harassed. If convicted he faces up to five years in prison for each of the two counts.

Additional Links:

Here's The "Execution List" Posted By The Crazed Money Manager Who Threatened To Kill 47 SEC, CFTC And FINRA Members

and

Vincent McCrudden

Spanish king Juan Carlos to visit Russia in February



King Juan Carlos and President Dmitry Medvedev

 King Juan Carlos of Spain is expected to visit Russia on February 25, Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez said on Monday.

The king will visit St. Petersburg, accompanied by the country's foreign minister and industry minister, Jimenez said at a meeting with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov.

Juan Carlos is expected to meet with top executives of leading Russian companies, she added.

Zhukov recalled that 2011 is the Year of Spain in Russia and the Year of Russia in Spain.

"It is very nice that the Year of Russia in Spain and the Year of Spain in Russia is starting against the backdrop of very good ties between our countries, both on the political and economic level," he said.

MOSCOW, January 17 (RIA Novosti)

Stephen Hawking With Pope Benedict at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences

Pope Benedict "blesses" Stephen Hawking at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the Vatican, 2008

Video:

Pope picks Protestant to head Vatican's sciences academy

By The Associated Press (CP) – 6 hours ago

VATICAN CITY — The pope has picked a Protestant to head the Vatican's sciences academy.

Benedict XVI chose Werner Arber, a Swiss molecular biologist who shared the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1978, as president of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. A Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Ciro Benedettini, said Sunday it is the first time a non-Catholic heads the academy in its four centuries of history.

The academy help pontiffs understand scientific advances in fields ranging from genetics to nuclear physics. Arber became a member in 1981. Other non-Catholics who have been prominent academy members, but not president, include Rita Levi Montalcini, an Italian Jew and 1986 Nobel winner for medicine.

From wiki: "He is member of the World Knowledge Dialogue Scientific Board and of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences since 1981. Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as President of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences on January 2011, making him the first Protestant to hold the position.^[2]"

Jesuits take D.C.

Don't forget, this isn't just talking about Roman Catholics. This is just individuals who graduated from a Jesuit University or College. Roman Catholics make up a much bigger percentage than this. This page is a mirror of this blog (it's been scrubbed from the internet)


Fifty-three members of the 112th Congress are alumni of the nation's twenty-eight Jesuit colleges and universities.  Thirty-five attained graduate or professional degrees from Jesuit universities. Twelve serve in the Senate and forty-one in the House.

Here are the Senators:

• John Barrasso, (R-WY) Appointed 2007, Elected 2008, B.A. Georgetown University (1974) and M.D. Georgetown University (1978)
• Scott Brown, (R-MA) Elected 2010, J.D. Boston College (1984)
• Robert P. Casey, Jr., (D-PA) Elected 2006, B.A. College of the Holy Cross (1982)
• Richard J. Durbin, (D-IL) Elected 1996, B.S.F.S. Georgetown University (1966) and J.D. Georgetown University (1969)
• Michael (Mike) Johanns, (R-NB) Elected 2008, J.D. Creighton University (1974)
• John F. Kerry, (D-MA) Elected 1984, J.D. Boston College (1976)
• Patrick J. Leahy, (D-VT) Elected 1974, J.D. Georgetown University (1964)
• Mark Steven Kirk, (R-IL) Elected 2010, J.D. Georgetown University (1992)
• Robert Menendez, (D-NJ) Appointed & Elected 2006, B.A. Saint Peter's College (1976)
• Barbara A. Mikulski, (D-MD) Elected 1986, B.A. Loyola University Maryland (1958)
• Lisa Murkowski, (R-AK) Appointed 2002, Elected 2004, B..A. Georgetown University (1980)
• Jim Webb, (D-VA) Elected 2006, J.D. Georgetown University (1975) 

Jesuit alumni also serve as House leaders.  Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) graduated from Xavier University and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) graduated from Georgetown.  You can see the rest of the house alumni by following the link.

Georgetown University leads the way with eighteen alumni, followed by Boston College (7), and the College of the Holy Cross (4).  Four schools (Creighton University, Fordham University, Marquette University, and the University of Detroit Mercy) each have 3.

Not bad. Unfortunately, neither my alma mater not current employer make the list.

At least another thirty alumni serve in the Obama administration including

• Department of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates (Georgetown University, 1974, PhD)
• Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet A. Napolitano (Santa Clara University, 1979, BA)
• Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Leon E. Panetta (Santa Clara University, 1960, BA)
• White House Chief of Staff William Daley (Loyola University Chicago, 1970, BA)

A few questions come to mind.

First, how does the percentage of Jesuit alumni serving in Congress today compare to previous sessions?  Is ten percent high? low?

Second, do individuals interested in public service choose to attend Jesuit colleges and universities or does the Ignatian experience cause them to pursue a life of public service?  Maybe we're doing something right.

Finally, how important is the Jesuit alumni network (current and former congressmen) in getting elected?  Are members of congress, in any way, more likely to work with each other because of their shared college experiences?  

You can see a global list on Wikipedia that includes Externado San Jose and UCA alumnus Mauricio Funes.

Tony Alamo grovels to three Presidents in new public display of duplicity and hypocrisy



Picture from Tony Alamo's web site

 Tony Alamo is squirming like a worm caught in the hot sun and has published on his web site three letters to the current and two former Presidents of the United States.

Although in the past 30 years he has blamed all Presidents and Government agencies for being papal puppets, accusing Bill Clinton of being a crypto Catholic and blaming Bush for 9/11 and a papal inquisition in Iraq Alamo is now stating that they are doing a work of God.

He says of Bill Clinton, "Clinton, my friend, I know how much time you dedicate to our country. I know you made a lot of sacrifices. God will always bless you for what you did for our country." He continues, "Never before did our people enjoy happiness and economic prosperity as they did while you were our president. You made a lot of progress on the home front. You were faced with tough issues on the international front, such as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. As a believer in Jesus Christ, I truly believe you, as a mediator in these negotiations, did more than any other person in this conflict. Things did not work well in the pursuit of peace, despite your best efforts to mediate a solution, and the breakdown of Camp David led to the bloodshed in the Holy Land, the land of Christ."

This is easy for Tony Alamo to do isn't it? Now that he's in the federal pen with a 175 year sentence. Who cares how much heat and suspicion and anger he has brought on his followers by his insistent flooding of every major city in this country with his "gospel" tracts which blamed the government for every major news event from the JFK assassinations to 9/11. And saying that all government agencies were simply extensions of the Pope in Rome.

http://www.alamoministries.com/content/english/Gospel_literature/another_pearl_harbor.html

Tony Alamo 'Enforcer' Found Dead

Tony Alamo 'Enforcer' Found Dead

KSPR - Alicia Agent - ‎1 hour ago‎

A man connected to convicted child molester and evangelist Tony Alamo has been found dead after Fort Smith police had been searching for him for two years. ...

Wanted Man Affiliated With Tony Alamo Ministries Found Dead

KHBS-KHOG Northwest Arkansas - ‎1 hour ago‎

Fort Smith Police say FBI notified them that John Erwin Kolbeck was found dead in Kentucky. More FORT SMITH, Ark. -- Fort Smith police said the Federal ...

Jesuit display of Leadership

A print of Jim Sinegal, president and CEO of Costco, is carried into the Jesuit's Seattle University Alumni and Admissions building to be installed in the space’s Mission in Action gallery. The gallery, open to the public, features images shot by staff photographer Chris Joseph Taylor that showcase and celebrate the accomplishments of students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the university who make a difference on campus, in the community and beyond. Check out the images in the A&A Building, on the corner of 12th and Marion.

The Jesuit School of Law's annual Red Mass

click here to see larger photo

The School of Law’s annual Red Mass honored the contributions of the legal community, and a special ceremony afterward honored the memory of the late Norm Maleng, longtime King County Prosecutor. Professor from Practice John McKay, Mike McKay, Maleng’s son, Mark, and widow, Judy Maleng, Dean Annette Clark and President Stephen Sundborg, S.J., gather in front of a painting of St. Thomas More, patron of statesman, politicians, judges and lawyers. The painting was a gift from the firm McKay Chadwell PLLC.

Learn more about Red Mass and view photos from the event.

Here is my extensive info in regards to who Thomas More was and what the Red Mass is really all about!

And here is an additional page I put together on the subject.