News from the Independent Perspective
Mike Shiloh, editor

OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM            

ALLIED BOMBING OF MILITARY TARGETS IN AFGHANISTAN  RESUMED AT A STRONG PACE SATURDAY MORNING after being partially halted Friday because of the Muslim holiday. Less anti-aircraft fire was noted by residents near the fighting. The lessened bombing Friday was also meant Next targets appear to be camps housing counterattack weapons such as surface-to-air missiles and shoulder-fired weapons such as Stingers. And then there's the move on Kabul. 

THERE IS EVIDENCE THE TALIBAN HAS REPEATEDLY MASSACRED AFGHANIS to consolidate power.

THE LEADER OF THE TALIBAN'S SUBURBAN WAS REPORTEDLY BOMBED. 

A HIGH-LEVEL INTERNATIONAL MUSLIM RULING FRIDAY ENDORSED THE US ATTACKS OVER AFGHANISTAN.

THE MOVE OF GROUND TROOPS WILL LIKELY BE SOONER RATHER THAN LATER, THOUGH BRITISH OFFICIALS ARE INDICATING THAT THE DEPLOYMENT OF GROUND FORCES IN AFGHANISTAN MAY NOT HAPPEN UNTIL NEXT SPRING -- OR LATER.

US OFFICIALS ARE WORKING ON A MIDDLE EAST PEACE PLAN FEATURING A  PALESTINIAN STATE THAT INCLUDES PART OF JERUSALEM. Meanwhile, the US is said to be pressuring Israel to negotiate with the Palestinians.

PRESIDENT BUSH SAYS HE DOESN'T KNOW WHETHER TERRORIST OSAMA BIN LADEN IS DEAD OR ALIVE. At a news conference Thursday night, Bush said he and the US government are working very hard to stop bin Laden and bring him to justice. 

PROPAGANDA WAR: THE TALIBAN RULERS CLAIM MORE THAN 140 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED IN US RAIDS, including women and children.  The US doubts those figures and officials say every effort is being made to avoid civilian casualties. 

PRESIDENT BUSH SAYS THE US IS "UNITED AND STRONG" as the war on terror gets underway. "We've come a long way in one month," he said, referring to Thursday as 30-days since the 0/11 attacks, saying the US attacks on terrorism so far are going "according to plan." Calling terrorists "the evil ones," Bush said the Taliban is on the run in Afghanistan, even as Americans are getting back to normal following the shocks of 9/11. At a news conference Thursday night Bush noted that should the Taliban turn over terrorist Osama bin Laden, the US will call off attacks. "They always have a second chance."

PRESIDENT BUSH CALLED ON THE UNITED NATIONS TO HELP REBUILD AFGHANISTAN after the US finishes off the Taliban and captures Osama bin Laden. At his first prime time formal news conference Thursday night, Bush for the first time said it would be most appropriate for the UN to handle "nationbuilding" in Afghanistan. 

BUSH CALLED THE ANTI-BALLISTIC MISSILE TREATY "OUTDATED, ANTIQUATED AND USELESS," adding he looks forward to meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the treaty and Bush's plans for missile defense.

PRESIDENT BUSH CALLED ON "THE CHILDREN OF AMERICA" to raise a dollar for the children of Afghanistan, "a third of whom are orphans." He asked children to mail the dollar in an envelope to AMERICAS FUND FOR AFGHAN CHILDREN The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, DC. 

BRITISH PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR SAID THURSDAY THE ALLIES MAY BE LOSING THE PUBLIC RELATIONS WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST. What's needed, he said, is for the West to try harder to make its case against terrorism.

WHY A WAR WITH ISLAMIC EXTREMISTS? HISTORY IS THE CAUSE OF EVERYTHING, columnist Diane Alden writes.

AN AIR FORCE SERGEANT WAS THE FIRST US CASUALTY OF THE NEW WAR ON TERRORISM. It happened in a heavy equipment accident. In addition, a soldier was seriously injured in Turkey when trapped between two trucks, officials say. 

NO OFFICIAL WORD ON WHETHER RUMORS THAT TERRORIST OSAMA BIN LADEN HAS BEEN CAPUTURED ARE TRUE. 

THERE ARE US PERSONNEL ON THE GROUND IN PAKISTAN, according to Pakistani government officials.

AFGHANISTAN'S BIGGEST CITY WAS  ROCKED BY ALLIED BOMBING WEDNESDAY NIGHT.  The heaviest airstrikes yet in the four-day-old assault on the ruling Taliban were apparently aimed at finishing the crippling of airbases and some cities' infrastructure. There are reports of numerous waves of allied bombing around the city of Kabul as well as strategic targets elsewhere in Afghanistan.  And reports of casualties among the family of top Taliban leader. It's been confirmed that the US dropped a number of "bunker-buster" bombs that burrow into caves and bunkers, aimed at "smoking out" the Taliban and Osama bin Laden. The next front on the war on terrorism may be the Far East. Or, as Israeli sources indicate, it could be against anti-Semitic groups.

VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY -- RUMORED TO BE DEAD OR SICK BECAUSE HE HASN'T MADE A PUBLIC APPEARANCE IN MORE THAN A WEEK -- IS SCHEDULED TO MAKE A PUBLIC APPEARANCE OCTOBER 17TH.

NINE PEOPLE ARE DEAD AFTER THE CRASH OF A PEN AIR FLIGHT IN ALASKA. One person is said to have survived but is in critical condition. The Federal Aviation Administration is calling the crash a "major event."

NATO'S SECRETARY GENERAL IS WARNING THAT TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN ARE FACING BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS. NATO is sending warships to the Mediterranean after invoking "Rule Number Five," equating an attack on any NATO member with an attack on all nations. 

STREET PROTESTS HAVE BROKEN OUT around the world against the bombing of Afghanistan.

AL-JAZEERA -- THE TV NETWORK THAT'S CHANGING THE MIDDLE EAST.

THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION HAS RELEASED A LIST OF ITS 22 MOST WANTED TERRORISTS. 

THE STATE DEPARTMENT IS ADVISING US EMBASSIES AROUND THE WORLD TO STOCK UP on medical supplies to be used in case of anthrax attack. 

IRAQ SHOT DOWN AN UNMANNED US RECONNAISSANCE FLIGHT TUESDAY; NOW THE US IS WARNING IRAQ: BEHAVE OR WE ATTACK 

THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION IS ASKING ALL TELEVISION NETWORKS NOT TO RUN AN UNEDITED VERSION of terrorist Osama bin Laden's videotaped speech released Sunday because it could contain coded messages to terrorists.

THE WASHINGTON POST SAYS THE AFGHANI TALIBAN IS BOUGHT AND PAID FOR BY OSAMA BIN LADEN, THROUGH CHARITIES, CONTRIBUTIONS AND A LITTLE OF HIS LATE DADDY'S MONEY.

A SESAME STREET CHARACTER ON A PHOTO OF TERRORIST OSAMA BIN LADEN is puzzling many. There are undoctored photos of bin Laden posters taken by news photographers at pro-bin Laden rallies -- placards that include Bert, a famous Muppet character. No one seems to know why the puppet is included.

THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION'S RECENT DECISION TO BACK A PALESTINIAN STATE ADJACENT TO ISRAEL MAY NOT BE RELATED TO THE WAR ON TERRORISM and the coalition needed to prosecute the war. The London Financial Times reports Saudi Arabia warned Bush ten days before 9/11 that US policies toward Israel were "untenable;" that may be the cause of the sudden US policy reversal. 

A PAKISTANI GENERAL IS REPORTED TO HAVE WIRED 100-THOUSAND DOLLARS TO ONE OF THE 9/11 TERRORISTS. And the London Telegraph reports some Pakistani intelligence officials may be aiding the Afghanistan's ruling Taliban, which is now being bombarded by US-led airstrikes. 

THE TALIBAN HAS "MADE IT CLEAR" IT INTENDS TO INVADE UZBEKISTAN, which shares a northern border with Afghanistan. -- The Christian Science Monitor

WHEN NATO AWACS PLANES ARRIVE IN THE US TO PATROL THE EAST COAST, it will be the first time the US has been guarded by European troops -- in this case, Germans.

OTHER NEWS:              

ANTHRAX CASE IN NEW YORK CITY An associate of NBC-TV's Tom Brokaw is the fourth case of anthrax in America in the past week. The 38-year-old woman tested positive for cutaneous anthrax after coming down with fever and rash. Cutaneous anthrax is absorbed through the skin, as opposed to pulmonary anthrax, which is absorbed into the lungs. The unidentified woman, who works at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in the heart of Manhattan, is being treated with antibiotics and is expected to make a full recovery. She's said to have handled an envelope in late September addressed to NBC-TV anchor Tom Brokaw containing a "suspicious powdery substance" which tested negative for anthrax. One floor of the NBC News offices is reportedly closed as the FBI investigates. Anthrax is not contageous. Anthrax Q & A from ABC News

MEANWHILE, JUST BLOCKS AWAY, MORE WHITE POWDER WAS FOUND AT THE NEW YORK TIMES BUILDING. Employees are said to be safe: the powder tested negative for anthrax. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: There is a chance that the purported bioterror "attacks" are a form of distraction for law enforcement while a new, major terror attack is being mounted.

THE LOS ANGELES TIMES WAS EVACUATED BRIEFLY FRIDAY NIGHT BECAUSE A "SUSPICIOUS" POWDER WAS FOUND IN A SECTION OF THE NEWSROOM. The third floor of the downtown LA building was evacuated for about 90 minutes; no indication the substance was dangerous. 

IN RENO. NEVADA AN EMPLOYEE OF MICROSOFT IS REPORTED TO HAVE OPENED A LETTER FROM MALAYSIA CONTAINING A SUBSTANCE THAT HAS "TENTATIVELY" TESTED POSITIVE AS ANTHRAX.

BOTH THE NEW YORK TIMES LETTER AND THE NBC LETTER WERE POSTMARKED FROM ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA, according to Barry Mann at the New York FBI office. They were business-sized envelopes with no return address, postmarked on different days.

CBS HAS SHUT DOWN ITS NEW YORK MAILROOM; ABC HAS STOPPED INTERNAL MAIL DELIVERY IN NEW YORK AND WASHINGTON following the NBC-anthrax incident. 

VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY BELIEVES THERE MAY BE A CONNECTION BETWEEN ANTHRAX INCIDENTS AND TERRORIST OSAMA BIN LADEN. He made the remark on PBS' "NewsHour" Friday.

"IT'S GOT TO CAUSE CONCERN FOR OUR COUNTRY," said President Bush Friday about the latest case of anthrax. But Bush vowed more terrorist attacks "will not take this country  down."

THE FBI SAYS ITS FOUND MORE ANTHRAX SPORES IN THE AMERICAN MEDIA BUILDING IN BOCA RATON, FLORIDA. The Bureau says its too early to say if the anthrax that turned up at the offices of National Enquirer, The Globe and other tabloids is terrorism or is related to the case of anthrax in New York.

THE EDITOR OF THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER SAYS A TERRORIST WAS SEEN WITH POSSIBLE SYMPTOMS OF ANTHRAX. Mohammed Atta, one of the men believed to have crashed a hijacked plane into the World Trade Center, was spotted at a pharmacy with red hands, indicating Anthrax infection, editor Steve Coz says. Coz bluntly says his tabloid newspapers have been the targets of "the first bioterrorist attack in America." The National Enquirer is housed in the American Media building, which has been closed after three cases of anthrax were reported among employees. 

SOME 1500 FLORIDA MAIL WORKERS ARE TO BE TESTED FOR EXPOSURE TO ANTHRAX because of white powders found in envelopes. 

HOUSTON -- Seven-hundred pounds of explosives that disappeared from a warehouse have been recovered. 

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL OF TEXAS IS PROPOSING ALLOWING PRIVATE COMPANIES AND INDIVIDUALS TO SEARCH FOR OSAMA BIN LADEN.

ASHEVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA -- A shopping center was evacuated Thursday after a white substance was found by a mail carrier. 

MORE ODD WHITE POWDER AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT For the second time in three days, hazardous materials teams were at the State Department in Washington Friday but officials say it was a false alarm. 

THREE PEOPLE ARE QUARANTINED IN COLUMBUS, OHIO, after employees at the Columbus Dispatch newspaper opened at least one Halloween card containing a white powder. 

AN AMSTERDAM, NEW YORK CHAPLAIN HAS BEEN SUSPENDED AFTER A PRACTICAL JOKE in which he reportedly sent envelopes to coworkers marked "love and kisses, Jennifer Lopez" which also is said to have been marked on envelopes containing anthrax at the American Media building in Florida. 

DESPITE ALL THIS, THE THREAT OF ANTHRAX -- AND SMALLPOX AND THE USE OF ASBESTOS IN THE WORLD TRADE CENTER DISASTER --  IS OVERSTATED, says "junk science" debunker Steven Milloy.

THE HOUSE HAS PASSED PRESIDENT BUSH'S ANTI-TERRORISM BILL.

NEXT UP FOR FEDERAL HELP: INSURANCE COMPANIES -- especially if there are more terrorist attacks. 

RONALD REAGAN SURPASSED JOHN ADAMS AS THE LONGEST-LIVING PRESIDENT THURSDAY, which was The Gipper's 90th birthday.

THE DOW INDUSTRIALS REACTED TO THE NEW YORK ANTHRAX NEWS BY DROPPING MORE THAN 200 POINTS before recovering by the end of the day. The Dow closed down 65; the Nasdaq closed up just over one point.  

WHY WASN'T RADIO'S EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM (EAS) ACTIVATED AFTER THE 9/11 ATTACKS? One reason: the Office of Emergency Management in New York, which would have ordered the activation -- was located in the World Trade Center. 

RETAIL SPENDING FELL PRECIPITOUSLY FOLLOWING THE 9/11 ATTACKS.

AS MENTIONED THURSDAY HERE AT THE LATEST.NET, POLAROID IS FILING FOR BANKRUPTCY.

OFFICIALS IN THE UKRAINE ADMIT "ACCIDENTALLY" SHOOTING DOWN A RUSSIAN AIRLINER, killing 70 people last Thursday, the British Mirror reports.

IN A COPYRIGHT COLUMN AT WORLDNETDAILY.COM, REED IRVINE NOTES THE ODD SIMILARITIES between the downing of a Russian airliner last week, likely by a surface-to-air missile during Ukrainian military exercises -- and TWA Flight 800 off the coast of Long Island five years ago, while the US Navy was conducting military exercises nearby. 

THE FBI SAYS MORE TERROR ATTACKS ARE LIKELY OVER "THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS." The FBI Thursday faxed to news organizations  a notice that "Certain information, while not specific as to target," gives the government reason to believe there will be more terrorist attacks on US interests both at home and abroad over "the next several days." 

The FBI has again asked police and law enforcement to be on the the highest alert.

And the FBI is calling on all people to report any unusual or suspicious activity to local law enforcement or the FBI.

At a news conference Thursday night, President Bush said the warning is a result of a "general threat against America."

"I want to use this as an opportunity to tell the American people not to use this as a chance to pick on people who don't look like you," Bush added. But anything suspicious at all should be reported. "If you see someone acting suspiciously outside a petrochemical plant, report it."

This is the first time the FBI has put out such a public statement. The Bureau says it will notify Americans of any "credible" information about any upcoming attacks. The warning is the result of information received since Monday, officials say.

Should Americans be scared by the FBI warning? "No," President Bush said Thursday night. "I think the American people understand that they need to know" about possible threats. "The American people have got to go about their business."

New concrete barriers were put in place around congressional offices Wednesday; concrete planters were set up around the US Capitol. 

The terrorist threat remains through the weekend. 

THE FBI HAS NAMED WATER SUPPLIES AS LIKELY TERRORIST TARGETS.  MEANWHILE, THE CONTROLLING ENTITIES OF US DRINKING WATER FACILITIES ARE ASK444 TERRORIST ATTACK. The USDA and the FDA are coordinating efforts to prevent or handle such an attack. 

THE AL-QAIDA TERRORIST NETWORK SAID THURSDAY THAT THE US MUST EXPECT MORE HIJACKED-PLANE ATTACKS unless it pulls out of attacks on Afghanistan.

EGYPTIAN POLICE SAY THEY'VE FOILED A PLOT BY TERRORISTS SIMILAR TO THAT OF 9/11 -- THIS TIME SIMULTANEOUS ATTACKS ON "VARIOUS WORLD CAPITALS" WERE TARGETS. Twelve  people have been arrested in connection with the plot, including two pilots who trained in flight school with one of the 9/11 World Trade Center hijackers. -- Al Mussawar, as reported in the New York Post

SOME OF THE MONEY USED TO FUND TERRORISTS CAME FROM AFGHANI SYMPATHIZERS IN THE US who thought their money was going for Afghani relief.

BIN LADEN'S MONEY -- COMES FROM HONEY. 

US RAILROADS HAVE RESUMED SHIPPING HAZARDOUS MATERIALS -- on a limited basis. 

SOME PEOPLE, INCLUDING MEMBERS OF THE NEW YORK ARAB-AMERICAN COMMUNITY, HEARD RUMORS OF AN UPCOMING TERRORIST ATTACK ON NEW YORK CITY IN THE DAYS BEFORE 9/11, investigators say, including a high school freshman who pointed toward the World Trade Center and told the class, "Do you see those two buildings? They won't be there next week."

A VERY RARE DUST STORM IS ENGULFING THE SURFACE OF MARS, NASA reports. What's so rare? This storm seems to cover the entire planet and has raised surface temperatures as much as 50-degrees.

GENERAL ELECTRIC - OWNED NBC HAS AGREED TO BUY SPANISH LANGUAGE TV NETWORK TELEMUNDO in a nearly two-billion-dollar stock and cash deal.

THE "STAR SPANGLED BANNER" IS THE NUMBER ONE SONG THIS WEEK. 

TEXAS RESEARCHERS SAY THEY'RE JUST WEEKS AWAY FROM AN ANTIDOTE TO ANTHRAX Two University of Texas professors, who've been working for five years on ways to defend against biological and chemical warfare, believe they've found an antidote to anthrax toxins, but say they need another few weeks of experiments to confirm the ability of the antidote to overcome the blood toxins produced by the bacteria. 

CALIFORNIA OFFICIALS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT A MISSING 35-GALLON DRUM OF COMBUSTIBLE POWDER USED IN MAKING ROCKET FUEL. 

A FORMER HIGH-RANKING ENERGY DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL IS BLAMING SECURITY LAPSES BY THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION FOR THE 9/11 TERRORIST ATTACKS. 

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