#290 (8/13) - That's Outrageous! (8/12)

[FYI - My GENday is Sept. 19th. When is YOURS]

Iraq to Release Accused Killer of U.S. Troops - Newsmax.com; Sunday August 12, 2012

[NOTE: Because he is himself a Shiite, it has long been feared that the Iraq President would show favor to the Shiite government of Iran. Here may be another evidence of that. It doesn't help that our government has done nothing to prevent such things as this from happening. - Stan

Iraqi authorities have dropped charges against a high-profile Shiite terrorist accused of murdering American troops and are set to release him, as a Republican critic charges the Obama administration with botching the case.

Ali Musa Daqduq, a Lebanese national and one of the most senior Hezbollah figures ever to be in U.S. custody, was allegedly a key link between Hezbollah, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, and violent Shiite groups held responsible by the United States for deadly attacks on American troops.

Daqduq is suspected in the 2007 killings of five American soldiers in Karbala by assailants wearing American-style fatigues. He was in U.S. hands until late last year when he was handed over the Iraqi authorities, CNS News reported.

At the time Republican Sens. John McCain, Mitch McConnell, and Lindsey Graham and independent Sen. Joe Lieberman said they were “deeply concerned that Daqduq will never have to answer for his involvement in killing U.S. citizens, that he could be released from Iraqi custody for political reasons, and that he would then return to the fight against the United States and our friends.”

A U.S. military commission subsequently filed charges against Daqduq, including counts of murder and terrorism, and lodged a formal extradition application. But Iraqi courts dropped charges against him and last week the country’s Central Criminal Court tossed out the extradition request, according to CNS.

In a speech on the Senate floor on Thursday, Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama said: “The administration had years to transfer Daqduq to our detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, but because the president seemed to lack the political will to do so — I think because of campaign promises he improvidently made — one of the most dangerous, reprehensible terrorists ever in our custody will likely be allowed to go free.”

Obama as commander-in-chief “has a duty to those magnificent troops who have answered his call to go into harm’s way to execute U.S. policy,” Sessions stated. “Part of that duty is not to give away what they have fought and bled for. That includes not giving up prisoners whom these soldiers have, at great risk and effort, captured.

“With strong action we may be able to ensure that Daqduq is not released, that he is able to be tried for the murders he committed and the American soldiers he killed.”

Matthew Levitt of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy said: “Baghdad wants to balance its relationships with Iran and Washington, and this case stands at the crux of the two. Accordingly, Washington must make clear at the highest levels of the Iraqi government that there will be tangible consequences to summarily freeing an Iranian proxy with American blood on his hands.”

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$14 Billion in Jobless Benefits Overpaid in ’11
Newsmax.com; Sunday, August 12

The unemployment insurance system in America suffers the second highest rate for “improper payments” of any federal program, behind the National School Lunch Program, and overpayments topped $14 billion last year alone.

The overpayments accounted for 11 percent of all jobless benefits paid out by the federal government and states in 2011, according to reports from the U.S. Labor Department.

Of the overpaid funds, most end up in the hands of three types of people: those who aren’t actively searching for a job, those who quit voluntarily, and those who continue to collect after returning to work. All are ineligible for benefits.

A small number of cases constitute deliberate fraud of the system, using fake documents or identities, often involving prison inmates, illegal immigrants or even deceased persons, CNN Money reported.

“Unemployment checks are going to graveyards,” Vice President Joe Biden said in September as the federal and state governments launched an effort to stem the overpayments and collect those already made.

The Labor Department estimates that half of its overpayments are recoverable, but historically only about a quarter of the recoverable overpayments have actually been collected.

When the government finds an overpayment, it often sends a letter demanding that the claimant return the funds. Government attorneys can also seek to recoup the money by setting up payment plans, garnishing wages, or deducting money from income tax refunds. Punishment can also include probation, but jail time is rare.

Last year there were about 2,700 convictions for fraud related to unemployment benefits, according to CNN Money.

Among the states, Indiana was the worst offender for overpayments, dishing out more improper payments in 2011 than correct ones.

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