It would appear that a nerve has been exposed and touched...interesting watching Obamamaniacs rally to this thread...

I should disclose that I have not read either book...and have no intention of doing so, ever. The one passage, and I don't have the correct wording at hand so please allow some flexibility...where Mr. Obama states he gravitated towards Marxists, naturally gravitated, and other radicals...that is enough for me to form an opinion that I need read no more of his writings.

 cc_rider wrote: 
A marketing ploy.

 musik_knut wrote: 
So what does this article mean to infer? That Obama is anti-American? A security threat? Is he dangerous? Why is this news?

 cc_rider wrote: 

Great question. Apparently those in prison, in this case, a supermax, are treated differently than the general population. Perhaps the books in question are readily available to those incarcerated in lower level prisons?

 Atman wrote: 

Sounds like an endless drone about 9/11...and how it might have been ignored, at least, the very vague, nonspecific threats crossing the wires...

 musik_knut wrote: 
If the FBI feels the book endangers National Security, why is it readily available to any non-incarcerated terrorist? If the books do indeed pose a threat (I don't know if they do or not, and the FBI seems disinclined to cite specifics), why are they still available? I'm pretty sure Amazon will still sell you a copy, no background check required.

 musik_knut wrote: 
Oh, speaking of guidance, how long have those books been out?

And how long did the FBI know about the potential 9/11 threat and ignored it? 

 Atman wrote: 

I won't insult you...you insulted yourself...

 hippiechick wrote: 

We don't limit to the general population, that which they can read...keep in mind, the prisoners in question are housed in a supermax...they are not forgers or scam artists...they are seen as threats to this country and its people. You would have to question The FBI on this...what comprises their 'guidance'...

 musik_knut wrote: 
Au Contraire.

Those jackbooted thugs (FBI) are just the 'muscle' for the PIC, dupe-bag.

Sorry about the insult, I don't really mean it, I just thought of it, and it seemed so cute, please forgive, or respond with something cleverly insulting to me if you like, just trying to have fun here (claws retracting, or, if you like, clause retracting). 

 musik_knut wrote: 
Uh, then why weren't they pulled from the shelves of B&N?

 hippiechick wrote: 
hc,
Yea, that's the ticket. Of course, The FBI just nilly willy determines what might breach National Security...the guards did not make any determination on the two books in question, The FBI did by means of guidance.

 Atman wrote: 

It seems you miss the salient point: a determination made by The FBI...

 cc_rider wrote: 

It could/would have fit WTF? I post it so that others might draw their own conclusions. I doubt The FBI has gone over the edge...

 musik_knut wrote: 
Imagine the Prison Industrial Complex determining our political policies....

Oops, too late! 

 cc_rider wrote: 
Maybe it's because his books might give the prisoners HOPE and the guards don't want that.

 musik_knut wrote:  Should this be in WTF? Kinda makes you wonder what the FRACK is going on: either Barack Obama revealed security secrets in TWO widely available books, or the FBI has lost its marbles. Hmmm...

Audacity of Nope: Supermax Prison Calls Obama Books Objectionable
Prison officials, citing guidance from the FBI, determined that passages in "Dreams from My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope" contain information that could damage national security.

McLEAN, Va. - The federal government's most secure prison has determined that two books written by President Barack Obama contain material "potentially detrimental to national security" and rejected an inmate's request to read them.

Ahmed Omar Abu Ali is serving a 30-year sentence at the federal supermax prison in Florence, Colo., for joining Al Qaeda and plotting to assassinate then-President George W. Bush. Last year, Abu Ali requested two books written by Obama: "Dreams from My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope."

But prison officials, citing guidance from the FBI, determined that passages in both books contain information that could damage national security.

A prison spokeswoman referred questions to the FBI, where a spokeswoman was looking into the matter Thursday evening.

The documents detailing the prison's rejection of Obama's books are included in court papers for a resentencing hearing scheduled later this month for Abu Ali, a U.S. citizen.

The rejection is just one indication of the harsh conditions imposed on inmates at the supermax prison, according to Abu Ali's lawyer, Joshua Dratel.

"Imagine an existence controlled by characters created by Louis (sic) Carroll, and that would approach that which Mr. Abu Ali faces each day for the duration of his sentence," Dratel wrote.

Abu Ali requested the books in August, before Obama was elected. In a short, handwritten note on a prison complaint form, Abu Ali argues that the two rejections "violate my 1st amend. rights."

The rejections, as well as other restrictions on family visits, prompted a hunger strike by Abu Ali that has since ended, Dratel wrote.

Prison officials cite specific pages - but not specific passages - in the books that they deem objectionable. They include one page in Obama's 1995 book, "Dreams from My Father," and 22 separate pages in his policy-oriented 2006 book, "The Audacity of Hope." It was not immediately obvious what passages might have been deemed problematic, though nearly half of the pages cited are in a chapter devoted to foreign affairs.

Supermax inmates, including convicted Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui and "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski, are housed under the most severe restrictions in the federal prison system. Inmates typically are kept in their cells in solitary confinement 22 or 23 hours a day.

Abu Ali will be resentenced July 27, following an appellate court ruling that U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee improperly deviated from sentencing guidelines that recommended a term of life in prison.

 

4:30 pm PT

Environment Canada has issued an official tornado watch weather warning for the city Calgary.

The federal weather agency reports that conditions are favourable for the development of funnel clouds or weak tornadoes.

"An unstable airmass combined with plenty of available moisture could create severe thunderstorms this afternoon over east central Alberta. Environment Canada meteorologists will watch these areas and issue severe thunderstorm warnings if necessary," the warning on the Environment Canada website advises.

Negularons.