The Senate ratified the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as New START, by a vote of 71 to 26, easily clearing the threshold of two-thirds of senators present as required by the Constitution for treaty ratification.
The final vote came after Senate Democrats accepted two amendments designed to placate Republicans who had qualms about the treaty. The amendments, which passed on voice votes with bipartisan support, emphasized the administration's commitment to a limited missile-defense program and to continued funding to modernize the aging U.S. nuclear weapons complex.
The amendments were to the resolution of ratification accompanying the treaty, a nonbinding statement that codifies the Senate's understanding of the pact but does not directly affect its language. Republican efforts to alter the treaty language were defeated, with supporters of the pact arguing that such changes would have forced new negotiations with Moscow and effectively killed the treaty.
Thirteen Republicans joined all of the Senate's Democrats in voting for ratification, helping to exceed the 67 votes required. Three senators - all Republicans - were not present.
In a floor speech shortly before the ratification vote, Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), the Foreign Relations Committee chairman who shepherded the treaty through the Senate, implored senators to put politics aside and take a broad view. "This is one of those rare times in the United States Senate . . . when we have it in our power to safeguard or endanger human life on this planet," he said. "More than any other, this issue should transcend politics. . . . More than at almost any other time, the people of the world are watching us because they rely on our leadership."
Kerry also chided Republicans who had argued against taking up New START ratification so close to Christmas, thus delaying their departures for the holidays. "The question is not whether we get out of here for a holiday; the question is whether we move the world a little more out of the dark shadow of nuclear nightmare," he said.
Kerry said after the vote: "The winners are not defined by party or ideology. The winners are the American people, who are safer with fewer Russian missiles aimed at them." He said the treaty's impact "will echo around the world," showing that the United States remains determined to work with Russia and other countries to reduce the global threat from nuclear weapons.
"With this treaty, we send a message to Iran and North Korea that the international community remains united to restrain the nuclear ambitions of countries that operate outside the law," Kerry said.
New START cleared a key hurdle in the Senate on Tuesday, advancing to a final vote with a margin that appeared to guarantee ratification and a major foreign-policy victory for President Obama. Senators voted 67 to 28 to invoke "cloture" to limit further debate and move to the ratification vote, with 11 Republicans joining all 56 Democrats present in the chamber.
The stakes were high: Defeat of the pact would have severely damaged Obama's global standing, hampering his ability to negotiate other treaties, and would have dealt a major setback to the president's "reset" of relations with Russia.
"It's one of those things in life where failing to get it would be more important than actually what you get with it," said George Perkovich, a scholar on nuclear nonproliferation at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Sen. Jim DeMint, R-SC, says Federal Communications Commission should be renamed the "Fabricating a Crisis Commission," following a vote by the panel's three Democrats to approve proposed rules that amount to a hostile takeover of the Internet by a government agency acting illegally.
The proposal - misleadingly described by proponents as an attempt to insure "net neutrality" by guaranteeing equal access to the Internet - was introduced a year ago by Julius Genachowski, President Obama's appointee as FCC chairman.
A federal court has ruled that the commission has no authority to regulate the Internet, and a bipartisan group of senators and representives warned Genechowski not to attempt to impose a regulatory regime on the Internet earlier this year.
The move's legality was even questioned by FCC Commissioner Michael Copp, one of the Democrats who voted today with Genachowski, saying he considered voting against the proposal because it lacks a sufficiently defensible legal basis to survive a court challenge promised by major Internet Service Providers like Verizon, Microsoft, and AT & T.
But legal challenges by industry are likely to be much less of a problem for the Genachowski-led takeover than efforts in Congress to stop the FCC in its tracks.
That's clearly what DeMint has in mind, as he said in his statement released today following the FCC action:
“The Obama Administration has ignored evidence that this federal takeover will hang a millstone of regulatory and legal uncertainty around the neck of a vibrant sector of our economy.
"Proceeding on its own liberal whims rather than facts, this FCC has chosen to grant itself broad authority to limit how businesses can bring the internet to consumers in faster and more innovative ways.
“Americans loudly demanded a more limited federal government this November, but the Obama Administration has dedicated itself to expanding centralized government planning. Today, unelected bureaucrats rammed through an internet takeover, even after Congress and courts warned them not to.
“To keep the internet economy thriving, this decision must be reversed. Regulatory reform will be a top priority for Republicans in the next Congress, and I intend to prevent the FCC or any government agency from unilaterally burdening our recovering economy with baseless regulation.
"In order to provide the stability businesses need to grow, I will work with my fellow senators to see passage of my FCC Act, which would ensure that the FCC can only use its rulemaking powers where there is clear evidence of a harmful market failure, as well as the REINS Act, which would add the accountability of a Congressional vote before any government agency’s proposed major regulations may be finalized.”
If the FCC plan somehow manages to survive, it will almost certainly do for First Amendment liberties and the Internet what it did for them in regulating broadcast television and radio. Former CBS News president Fred Friendly's landmark book, "The Good Guys, the Bad Guys and the First Amendment," describes in great detail how the Kennedy and Johnson administrations used the FCC to silence conservative critics.
Editor's Note: The following report is excerpted from Jerome Corsi's Red Alert,
the premium online newsletter published by the current No. 1
best-selling author, WND staff writer and senior managing director of
the Financial Services Group at Gilford Securities.
The United Nations is now joining the Obama administration and
Democratic commissioners on the FCC in an attempt to regulate the
Internet, Jerome Corsi's Red Alert reports.
"The U.N. is reacting to concerns of member governments,
including the United States, that the Internet has made companies like
WikiLeaks possible, while the FCC is more concerned about conservative
news outlets on the Internet that are increasingly undermining
government attempts to control the news through sympathetic mainstream
media outlets," Corsi wrote.
"What is at stake is the future of electronic free-speech
rights, as governments around the world realize how much less control
government authorities have with a robust and critical press able to
operate freely on the Internet."
Australia's ItNews.com reported that the U.N. is considering whether to set up an inter-governmental working group to "harmonize" global efforts by policymakers to regulate the Internet.
The U.N. claims authority to regulate the Internet under a U.N. Economic and Social Council resolution passed in July that invited the U.N. secretary-general to begin discussions on coordinating government efforts to regulate the Internet on a global basis.
"Obviously, the U.N. is uncomfortable with anything like the Internet that the globalists cannot control," Corsi wrote.
Meanwhile, the FCC is preparing in its Dec. 21 meeting this week to vote on a proposal called "net neutrality."
For more information on the "net neutrality" rules and government attempts to regulate the Internet, read Jerome Corsi's Red Alert, the premium, online intelligence news source by the WND staff writer, columnist and author of the New York Times No. 1 best-seller, "The Obama Nation."
Red Alert's author, who received a doctorate from Harvard in political science in 1972, is the author of the No. 1 New York Times best-sellers "The Obama Nation" and (with co-author John E. O'Neill) "Unfit for Command." He is also the author of several other books, including "America for Sale," "The Late Great U.S.A." and "Why Israel Can't Wait." In addition to serving as a senior staff reporter for WorldNetDaily, Corsi is a senior managing director in the financial-services group at Gilford Securities.
Barack Obama may not be fully versed in baseball – last spring he stumbled and couldn't provide a single name when asked his favorite White Sox player growing up – but there are some in baseball who say they know about him.
"He was not born here," Orioles slugger Luke Scott told David Brown of Yahoo sports in an interview posted online yesterday.
"That's my belief. I was born here. If someone accuses me of not being born here, I can go – within 10 minutes – to my filing cabinet and I can pick up my real birth certificate and I can go, 'See? Look! Here it is. Here it is.' The man has dodged everything. He dodges questions, he doesn't answer anything. And why? Because he's hiding something."
Scott continued, "You know what? People who have bad intentions, people that are deceivers or are not of honor and integrity – that's how they act. I've seen it in every – it doesn't matter what level. It can be in politics, it can be in business, it can be in sports, it can be in the construction field. Doesn't matter. It's all the same attitude. It's the same thing." See THE BIG LIST of eligibility 'proofers', WND's compilation of questions raised by public personalities and influential leaders.
He said, "People who tell the truth, they're very easy to ... their actions prove it. Something as simple [as] providing a birth certificate. Come on. If you're born here, there's plenty of documents. But you know what? There's no documentation of him. No legal documentation of him. There's been lie after lie after lie exposed, but people put it under the carpet. Hence, the problem we have in this country."
Wrote Brown, "Scott's opinion about the president's birthplace – while certainly not unique – was a stunning climax to a friendly and frank 20-minute Answer Man session that spanned his enthusiasm for baseball, hunting, firearms, personal responsibilities and smaller government. … Scott used to come to the ballpark packing heat. Now sporting an offseason beard but no noticeable firearm, Scott came out guns blazing, figuratively ..."
WND has reported on multiple legal challenges to Obama over his status as a "natural born citizen." The Constitution, Article 2, Section 1, states, "No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President."
Some of the lawsuits question whether Obama actually was born in Hawaii, as he insists. If he was born out of the country, Obama's American mother, the suits contend, was too young at the time of his birth to confer American citizenship to her son under the law at the time.
Other challenges have focused on Obama's citizenship through his father, a Kenyan subject to the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom at the time of his birth, thus making him a dual citizen. The cases contend the framers of the Constitution excluded dual citizens from qualifying as natural born. Get the most comprehensive special report ever produced on the Obama eligibility issue.
Further, others question his citizenship by virtue of his attendance in Indonesian schools during his childhood and question on what passport did he travel to Pakistan three decades ago.
Adding fuel to the fire is Obama's persistent refusal to release documents that could provide answers and his appointment of lawyers to defend against all requests for his documentation. WND also has reported that among the documentation not yet available for Obama includes his kindergarten records, Punahou school records, Occidental College records, Columbia University records, Columbia thesis, Harvard Law School records, Harvard Law Review articles, scholarly articles from the University of Chicago, passport, medical records, files from his years as an Illinois state senator, his Illinois State Bar Association records, any baptism records and his adoption records
It was in April when Obama was being interviewed about Chicago baseball, and he was asked by interviewer Rob Dibble, "Having played with the White Sox for a short time, I know how the Cubs fans and White Sox fans go back and forth. Who was one of your favorite White Sox players growing up?" According to the Sun Times, Obama responded, "You know uh ….. I … I thought that … uh …. you know … the truth is a lot of the Cubs I like too! But, uh … I did not become a Sox fan until I moved to Chicago. Because I uh …. I was growing up in Hawaii so I ended up actually being an Oakland A's fan."
Scott had no such hesitation when interviewed by Brown.
"There needs to be accountability for the truth. I don't care if you're the president of the United States, you need to be held accountable. If you're involved in treacherous acts, or you're saying things that are against, or are selling out our country, you should be brought to trial," he said.
"I mean, no one's above the law. There's a lot of people that fought for their country and that's not something to be taken lightly. They gave their life, everything they had, they gave their lives, to give us what we have. That's why I'm so passionate about my beliefs – because someone died. They gave their life, their blood was spilled, so I had an opportunity to chase a dream and play baseball for a living."
Brown added an editor's note in his report of Scott's comments with a posting of the computer-generated image of a Hawaiian "Certification of Live Birth" that Obama's campaign posted online during the 2008 presidential race to try to answer questions about his eligibility.
However, Hawaii officials have confirmed that such documents have been made available to those not even born in the state. Obama's actual long-form birth certificate that would include a doctor's name and a hospital location, never has been released.
Brown brought up the subject, asking Scott how the president is doing.
"Obama does not represent America," Scott said. "Nor does he represent anything what our forefathers stood for. This country is basically built on an attitude. It's a way of life. It's not because you're born here. It's not that you're supposed to take from those who have and give to those who haven't. That kills a country. It killed Russia.
"I have friends of mine who are in the ministry who [work] in churches in Russia. If they can describe [the country] in one [phrase], it's 'messed up beyond repair,'" Scott said.
"That's what communism does. Cuba, Venezuela. People are trying to escape these lands like a plague. What would make a human being swim 90 miles in shark-infested waters on a raft made of tires and planks? To leave their culture, their family, their language, their way of life. Everything they've ever known. What would make someone do that?" he continued.
"You don't see people in America doing that. There's no one here in America swimming the Pacific Ocean – or the Atlantic, or the Caribbean – to leave this place. The reason why is because of the freedom. Freedom for a man to mark out his own destiny. It's not, 'Hey, you have so much.' Hey, that person worked for that. That's not to be taken and given to someone who didn't put in the time, the effort, and do his part.
"Obama, he doesn't represent that. He represents, 'Hey, everyone. Give me votes and I'll give you stuff.' And there's even people on TV who [are asked], 'Hey, who you voting for?' 'I'm voting for Obama.' 'Why?' 'So I can get more free stuff,'" Scott said
After revealing himself as a “birther”, the outfielder Luke Scott said that he did not believe that President Obama was born in the United States.
After he was interviewed by David Brown of “Big League Stew” of Yahoo, Scott said that he didn’t think Obama was born in the country.
Even though Scott knows that the President has circulated his official birth certificate around, he still believes he was not born in the U.S. Scott claims that because the President constantly dodges questions about his citizenship status, he must therefore not be a native citizen.
Scott believes that the President is in fact hiding something about himself and that he probably isn’t really from the U.S.
After the player ranted about the President not being from the U.S, he then took time to thank those who sacrificed their lives so he could play the game he loves.
He says because those people risked their lives and died for their country, he can now play baseball and fulfill his ultimate dream. Although some still believe the President is from Kenya, most have moved on and accepted that he is in fact a native citizen.
Congressional Prayer Caucus have written to President Obama asking him to correct a speech he gave in Indonesia incorrectly replacing the nation's motto of "In God We Trust" with "E pluribus unum."
The letter also cites a series of situations in which Obama has failed to include the reference to the "Creator" when quoting the Declaration of Independence. WND has reported on numerous situations where the president quotations have left out references to God or the Creator. Classic book on USA's Christian heritage: New edition of 100-year-old treasure reveals nation's true religious history
In the newest development, U.S. Rep. J. Randy Forbes of Virginia and 42 bipartisan members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus have dispatched a letter over Obama's statement to a Jakarta audience that "E Pluribus unum" is the national motto.
Actually, it's "In God We Trust."
"For the president of the United States to incorrectly state something as foundational as our national motto in another country is unacceptable," said Forbes. "The president is the primary representative of our nation to the world, and whether mistake or intention, his actions cast aside an integral part of American society."
He said, "President Reagan once warned that 'If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.'"
It was during Obama's expedition to the Far East when he went to Jakarta on Nov. 10. Speaking at the University of Indonesia, Obama said:
I believe that the history of both America and Indonesia should give us hope. It is a story written into our national mottos. In the United States, our motto is E pluribus unum – out of many, one. Bhinneka Tunggal Ika – unity in diversity. We are two nations, which have traveled different paths. Yet our nations show that hundreds of millions who hold different beliefs can be united in freedom under one flag. And we are now building on that shared humanity – through young people who will study in each other's schools; through the entrepreneurs forging ties that can lead to greater prosperity; and through our embrace of fundamental democratic values and human aspirations.
The letter explains that "In God We Trust" has been foundational throughout the history of the United States, from presidential proclamations to engravings in both House and Senate chambers. In 1956, Congress passed and President Eisenhower signed into law establishing "In God We Trust" as the official national motto of the United States.
"'E pluribus unum' is not our national motto," the letter, dated yesterday, said. "As members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, a bipartisan group of members of the United States House of Representatives, we are dedicated to preserving America's religious heritage and protecting our religious liberty."
Signing the document were Reps. J. Randy Forbes of Virginia, Mike McIntyre of North Carolina, Paul Broun of Georgia, Steve King of Iowa, John Shadegg of Arizona, Louie Gohmert of Texas, Donald Manzullo of Illinois, John Boozman of Arkansas, Joseph Pitts of Pennsylvania, David Reichert of Washington, Gregg Harper of Mississippi, Jason Chaffetz of Utah, Robert Aderholt of Alabama, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania, Steve Austria of Ohio, Jeff Miller of Florida, Mike Pence of Indiana, Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, Scott Garrett of New Jersey, Joe Wilson of South Carolina, Doug Lamborn of Colorado, John Kline of Minnesota, Phil Roe of Tennessee, Peter Roskam of Illinois, John Carter of Texas, K. Michael Conaway of Texas, W. Todd Akin of Missouri, Zach Wamp of Tennessee, Randy Neugebauer of Texas, Todd Tiahrt of Kansas, Robert Wittman of Virginia, Vernon Ehlers of Michigan, Tom Price of Georgia, Spencer Bachus of Alabama, Roscoe Bartlett of Maryland, Mike Rogers of Alabama, Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, Thaddeus McCotter of Michigan, Trent Franks of Arizona, Phil Gingrey of Georgia and Michele Bachmann of Minnesota,
The letter also noted that on Oct. 18 during a fundraiser Obama omitted the "Creator" from a reference to the Declaration of Independence.
"Once may be a mistake. But twice is a pattern. These omissions and inaccuracies are a part of a larger pattern we are seeing with the president where he is inaccurately reflecting America and undercutting important parts of our nation's history," said Forbes. "Trust in God is embedded in the fabric of society and history in the United States.
"If we allow these threads to be pulled, we will begin to unravel the very freedoms that birthed America," he said.
It was martial arts champion, actor and WND columnist Chuck Norris who noted Obama actually has omitted "Creator" seven times in just the past few months:
His research lists the following:
On Oct. 21, 2010, at a rally for Sen. Murray in Seattle, Wash.:
"None of us would be here if it weren't for that extraordinary leap of faith that had been taken. Thirteen colonies deciding to start a revolution based on an idea that had never been tried before – a government of and by and for the people. A government based on the simple proposition that all men are created equal. That we're endowed with certain inalienable rights."
On Oct. 18, 2010, at a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee dinner in Rockville, Md.:
"It has to do with this idea that was started by 13 colonies that decided to throw off the yoke of an empire, and said, 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that each of us are endowed with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.'"
On Oct. 17, 2010 at a reception for Gov. Ted Strickland in Chagrin Fall, Ohio.:
"The idea of America has never been easy. The notion of 13 colonies coming together and overthrowing the greatest empire in the world, and then drafting a document that says, we find these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, endowed with certain inalienable rights – that's hard."
On Sept. 22, 2010, at a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee dinner in New York, N.Y.:
"And what was sustaining us was that sense that – that North Star, that sense that, you know what, if we stay true to our values, if we believe that all people are created equal and everybody is endowed with certain inalienable rights and we're going to make those words live, and we're going to give everybody opportunity, everybody a ladder into the middle class,…"
On Sept. 15, 2010, at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute's 33rd annual awards gala in Washington, D.C.:
"But over the centuries, what eventually bound us together – what made us all Americans – was not a matter of blood, it wasn't a matter of birth. It was faith and fidelity to the shared values that we all hold so dear. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, endowed with certain inalienable rights: life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
On Sept. 11, 2010, at the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Va.:
"For our cause is just. Our spirit is strong. Our resolve is unwavering. Like generations before us, let us come together today and all days to affirm certain inalienable rights, to affirm life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
On Sept. 10, 2010, at the president's press conference at the White House:
"With respect to the mosque in New York, I think I've been pretty clear on my position here, and that is, is that this country stands for the proposition that all men and women are created equal; that they have certain inalienable rights – one of those inalienable rights is to practice their religion freely."
When WND's correspondent at the White House, Les Kinsolving, raised the question about the omissions, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said, "I haven't seen the comments, Lester, but I can assure you the president believes in the Declaration of Independence." In a second commentary on the subject, Chuck Norris continued, "The truth is, if you want an accurate religious history of America, you're no longer going to get it from our president, our progressive society or secular schools, at least not without unbiased trained teachers or the induction of a religious curriculum that hasn't tampered and twisted history."
At the time the declaration was adopted, however, the concept of all being created "equal" was a rare idea.
The Declaration states: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
One of the incidents is on tape, with the reference appearring shortly past the 22-minute mark:
Contrail was recorded in this image by KCBS-KCAL in California
The Department of Defense is slamming the door on questions about
the mysterious contrail filmed Nov. 8 by a KCBS television crew near
Los Angeles after questions were raised about a warning from the
National Geo-Spatial Intelligence Agency that there could be missiles
fired in that area at that time.
The official government position has been that the contrail,
which appears to have been made by a single source, was from a jet
passing by.
And the refusal to provide answers to specific questions
suggests a cover-up of potential secret missile testing in the area –
contrary to official jet contrail explanation.
For weeks, experts have examined the billowing plume and the
single-source white-hot exhaust which they contend was from a missile,
not a jet.
It was in Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin intelligence report
where the story was broken that several experts who examined the video
of the mysterious contrail confirmed it was not from a jet but a
missile.
The experts who examined the video have had extensive
experience working with missiles and computer security systems for
various sensitive agencies of the U.S. government.
Sign up for Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin and keep on top of the latest developments around the globe.
They even went so far as to suggest that the missile may have
been shot from a submerged Chinese nuclear submarine, coinciding with
an increasing level of confrontation between the United States and
China and designed to send a message to Washington:
But it was in late October that the NGA issued the maritime
warning for the Eastern North Pacific off California about
"intermittent missile firing operations." While the notice gave time
frames and days of the week as well as areas for missile firings, there
was no specified time limit as to when they would end.
"Intermittent missile firing operations 00001Z to 2359Z daily Monday thru Sunday in the Naval Air Warfare Center Sea Range," the warning said. "The majority of missile firings take place 1400Z to 2359Z and 0001Z to 0200Z daily Monday thru Friday."
The contrail sighting by the KCBS television crew occurred during these time periods.
Karen Sinn of the NGA told WND that the NGA only issued the missile launch advisory as a courtesy for its customer, the Naval Air Warfare Center Sea Range at Point Mugu in California.
Point Mugu, which is located some 50 miles northwest from Los Angeles, is a massive facility that includes a weapons division and the Sea Range Operational Area, comprised of the main base complex at Point Mugu which includes the Laguna Peak complex, the offshore islands and the adjacent 36,000 square nautical miles of controlled operational air space.
At the Naval Air Warfare Center Sea Range, spokeswoman Becky Hall was asked by WND whether the sighting of the contrail occurred during the period of the NGA warning, and did the coordinates mentioned in the warning notice conform to the area in which the contrail was sighted.
She also was asked whether the Navy, in fact, had launched any missiles in the area during the warning period.
Hall, however, refused to answer any of the questions or make any comment on its warning issued through the NGA.
"I am sorry to say that I will be unable to help you with this request (for information)," she told WND, and referred the inquiry to the press desk of the Office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon.
At the time of the sighting of the contrail, the Department of Defense said that it had checked with all the services involved with missiles and dismissed the contrail as coming from a jet, and not a missile.
At the Pentagon, Lt. Col. Robert Ditchey from the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs reaffirmed DOD's original statement by saying that inquiries were made with each of the services and the Department of Homeland Security which includes the Federal Aviation Administration and it was concluded that there were no launches that day.
When told about the NGA notice, however, he admitted to WND that he was unaware of it and asked for a copy which was sent to him for comment.
But in a followup e-mail, he merely said that "NGA provided a report back on 10 Nov during the initial media coverage, that their Maritime Watch Desk had no information that would link the NAVAREA XII 453/2010 warning to the contrail reported in the media.
"All DOD entities with rocket and missile programs reported no launches, scheduled or inadvertent, during the time period in the area of the reported contrail," Ditchey said.
"In addition, the FAA ran radar replays from Monday afternoon (of Nov. 8) of a large area west of Los Angeles," he added. "Those replays did not reveal anything unusual. The FAA also did not receive reports of any unusual sightings from pilots who were flying in the area Monday afternoon."
But Ditchey referred only to the NGA warning notice which he wasn't aware of until it was brought to his attention. In addition, he would not address the fact that the NGA had issued the warning at the request of the Naval Air Warfare Center Sea Range at Point Mugu, even though he was informed of that development.
Ditchey also refused to comment on whether the Naval Air Warfare Center Sea Range, in fact, had conducted any missile launches at the time of the contrail sighting. According to the initial report in G2 Bulletin, the situation sparked several provocative questions about the government's official response.
"The question that still must be answered is why NORAD's muted response was simply that North America was not threatened, and later our government approved the lame excuse that the picture recorded was simply an aircraft leaving a contrail," said retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Jim Cash.
A former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and commander of an F-15 squadron and an F-16 wing, Cash was assigned to NORAD as an assistant director of operations at the Cheyenne Mountain complex near Colorado Springs, Colo., and is fully knowledgeable of NORAD procedures.
"There is absolutely no doubt that what was captured on video off the coast of California was a missile launch, was clearly observed by NORAD, assessed by a four-star general in minutes, and passed to the president immediately," he said.
Even more ominously, cautioned Cash: "We must question the timing of this shot across our bow. The president was abroad being diplomatic, which means trying to placate China which is becoming overly concerned with our handling a totally out-of-control deficit in spending."
Also, Wayne Madsen, a former naval officer who has worked at the National Security Agency and the Naval Data Automation Command, said the inability to pick up what he described as a Chinese Jin-class submarine-launched ballistic missile isn't the first time U.S. Navy anti-submarine warfare sensors have failed.
Madsen, who today is an investigative journalist, said the Pentagon is working "overtime with the media and on the Internet to cover up the latest debacle. However, even some reporters who cover the Pentagon full-time are beginning to question the Pentagon's version of events ... over the skies west of Los Angeles."
Editor's Note: The following report is excerpted from 
