Scott Spiegel

“A gunman has been shot dead by police after taking a number of hostages at the Discovery Channel headquarters in Maryland, U.S., after his idea for a television show was rejected…

“A website registered under the name of James Lee contained demands that Discovery air programming urging people to stop having babies…

“‘Civilization must be exposed for the filth it is,’ says the site, http://savetheplanetprotest.com.

“‘Saving the Planet means saving what’s left of the non-human Wildlife by decreasing the Human population. That means stopping the human race from breeding any more disgusting human babies!’ it says…

“He said he was inspired by ‘Ishmael’, a novel by environmentalist Daniel Quinn and by former Vice President Al Gore’s documentary ‘An Inconvenient Truth’.”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1308138/Eco-terrorist-James-Jay-Lee-shot-dead-Discovery-Channel-HQ.html

“As President Obama prepares to tie a bow on U.S. combat operations in Iraq, Congressional Budget Office numbers show that the total cost of the eight-year war was less than the stimulus bill passed by the Democratic-led Congress in 2009.

“According to CBO numbers in its Budget and Economic Outlook published this month, the cost of Operation Iraqi Freedom was $709 billion for military and related activities, including training of Iraqi forces and diplomatic operations.

“The projected cost of the stimulus, which passed in February 2009, and is expected to have a shelf life of two years, was $862 billion.”

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/08/30/cbo-years-iraq-war-cost-stimulus-act/

“Top Democrats are growing markedly more pessimistic about holding the House, privately conceding that the summertime economic and political recovery they were banking on will not likely materialize by Election Day…

“In two close races, endangered Democrats are even running ads touting how they oppose their leadership…

“In some races, endangered Democrats are trying to carve out their own separate identities from the national party — even if that means bashing Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi…

“Indiana Rep. Joe Donnelly, a second-term congressman, is airing a new TV ad in his South Bend-area district pointing out that he voted against ‘Nancy Pelosi’s energy tax on Hoosier families…’

“It’s a spot that is strikingly similar to one Pennsylvania Rep. Jason Altmire is running, which features supporters praising the second-term Democrat for ‘stand[ing] up’ to Obama and Pelosi.”

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=ABEF4646-18FE-70B2-A8627E91170C1A5F

“The more we learn about the developer the less likely it seems the mosque will get off the ground.

“The NY Post reports that Gamal has a signficant unpaid tax bill:

“‘Sharif El-Gamal, the leading organizer behind the mosque and community center near Ground Zero, owes $224,270.77 in back property tax on the site, city records show.

“‘El-Gamal’s company, 45 Park Place Partners, failed to pay its half-yearly bills in January and July, according to the city Finance Department.

“‘The delinquency is a possible violation of El-Gamal’s lease with Con Edison, which owns half of the proposed building site on Park Place. El-Gamal owns the other half but must pay taxes on the entire parcel…

“‘The utility said it would have to review any possible lease violations.’”

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/08/cordoba_mosque_developer_tax_d.html

“Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (I) is walking back comments he made in an interview earlier today about the recently enacted healthcare law…

“Crist told a local TV station Friday that he would have voted in favor of President Obama’s healthcare proposal were he in the Senate. That was a reversal of his previous position against the healthcare law.

“‘I would have voted for it,’ Crist said in the interview…

“But now, Crist says he ‘misspoke’ in that interview. His campaign sent out a statement Friday afternoon clarifying Crist’s position on the healthcare law.

“‘If I misspoke, I want to be abundantly clear: the health care bill was too big, too expensive, and expanded the role of government far too much,’ Crist said in a statement. ‘Had I been in the United States Senate at the time, I would have voted against the bill because of unacceptable provisions like the cuts to the Medicare Advantage program.’”

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/116145-crist-says-he-misspoke-on-healthcare-

“The US warned Lebanon that if it did not prevent any recurrence of the border-fire incident that occurred earlier this month, the IDF would destroy the Lebanese Armed Forces within four hours…

“IDF Lt.-Col. (res.) Dov Harari, 45, was killed and Capt. (res.) Ezra Lakia was seriously wounded, as well three LAF soldiers and one Lebanese journalist killed, when both sides exchanged fire after IDF soldiers attempted to cut down a tree on the Israeli side of the border…

“UNIFIL later confirmed that the IDF troops were on the Israeli side of the border when the incident occurred, contradicting LAF claims that Lebanese sniper fire directed at the Israeli troops had been justified by an incursion upon Lebanese territory.”

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=186197

“Palestinians torched half a dozen vehicles in East Jerusalem on Thursday and threw stones and firebombs at Israeli police after Jewish settlers approached a mosque, local residents and police said…

“Local residents said settlers tried to reach a spring, which religious Jews view as a biblical site, by crossing through a mosque courtyard.

“Israeli police said Palestinians then took to the streets in violent demonstrations, throwing rocks and firebombs at police and vehicles, burning six cars.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE67P08V

“President Obama’s decision to restart Middle East peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians next week creates a big opportunity for him, but also huge risk, experts on the region say.

“By kicking off the process now, Obama gives Israel an incentive to extend its moratorium on West Bank settlements…

“Obama plans to meet separately Sept. 1 with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas before the two sit down together with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton the next day…

“Netanyahu told his Cabinet on Sunday that any deal must recognize Israel as the national state of the Jewish people. It also must provide for Israel’s security and end all armed conflict…

“The concept of renewed negotiations is unpopular in Ramallah, particularly with no permanent freeze on Israeli housing settlements in the West Bank…

“‘When they reach an impasse, and they will, the expectation will be that the president has to come in and fix these things…  Does he really understand what he’s getting himself into?’”

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-08-23-peacetalks23_ST_N.htm?csp=34

“Palestinians are threatening to walk away from new peace talks if Israel renews settlement construction…

“Last week US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton invited Israelis and Palestinians to Washington for the first peace talks in 20 months…

“The Israeli government has been imposing a temporary reduction in building on occupied land for nine months now…

“Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering whether or not to renew construction.

“He is under considerable pressure from right wing members of his cabinet to do so…

“That would mean Palestinians walking away from negotiations, if they are good to their word.

“That would make this the shortest lived peace process in living memory.”

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Palestinians-Threatening-To-Walk-Away-From-Peace-Talks-If-Israel-Renews-Settlement-Construction/Article/201008415703218?f=rss

“Israel’s prime minister spelled out his opening position for the new round of Mideast peace talks set to begin next week, insisting Sunday on key security conditions and saying an agreement would be ‘difficult but possible.’

“Benjamin Netanyahu said a future Palestinian state would have to be demilitarized, recognize Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people and respect Israel’s vital security interests. Some of his demands have already been rejected by the Palestinians…

“[I]n the past he has said that Israel would have to maintain a presence along the West Bank’s border with Jordan to prevent arms smuggling. The Palestinians, who claim all of the West Bank as part of their future state, reject any Israeli presence…

“In Israel, the news of the renewal of peace talks was greeted with scant interest. One leading daily paper, Maariv, mentioned it Sunday only on page 10.

“One commentator, Nahum Barnea of the daily Yediot Ahronot, wrote that after 17 years of peace talks interspersed with violence Israelis had little optimism left.

“‘We’ve seen that movie. We’ve seen it again and again and again. It is hard to believe that this time it is going to have a happy end,’ he wrote.”

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ioi_0jtO9RjMwPNRoXNCndRPRq3gD9HOLL3G0