Another Energy Company Goes Belly-Up

Beacon Power Corporation, which received $39 million in government loans through the same program that Solyndra used, has file Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This company was developing energy storage using "flywheels".

According to the company's CEO, the "capital intensive" business did not attract enough in investments or make enough to sustain business.

For more information, click here.

Cain's Former Secretary Talks about Cain and the Allegation of Sexual Harassment

In a recent article in "The Weekly Standard", Herman Cain's former executive assistant, Sibby Wolfson, speaks out against the allegation of sexual misconduct made by two female employees when Cain was head of the National Restaurant Association.

Wolfson, when asked if Cain ever acted in a way that could be construed as sexual misconduct, said, "No, God, no."

Those who know Cain have said that it would be completely out of character for him to do anything that would remotely look like sexual harassment.

For the full article, click here.

2 Women Accused Cain of Inappropriate Behavior

According a recent article in Politico, 2 women accused Herman Cain of inappropriate behavior during his tenure as the head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s. The 2 women had complained to colleagues and senior officials about his behavior. Finally, they left their positions with the trade association.

Over the past 10 days, Cain and his campaign repeatedly declined to answer these allegations.

For more details, click here.

Eric Holder to Testify on Fast and Furious

In a recent CBS article, Eric Holder will be appearing before the House Judiciary Committee on December 8th, to answer questions about the gunrunning program, "Fast and Furious".

Judiciary Committee member and head of the House Oversight Committee Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) had requested that Holder appear, in part to dig deeper into when-he-knew-what about ATF's so-called "gunwalking" operation Fast and Furious.

For more information including the memos, click here.

Plans for Troop Buildup in the Persian Gulf

The Obama Administration is now looking at plans to increase troop buildups in the Persian Gulf to respond to Iraq's security needs or the need of military confrontation with Iran.

Since the announcement of troop withdrawals from Iraq by President Obama, this plan has moved up in priority.

Since the Obama administration and Iraq will not allow any US troops to remain the country, the Pentagon needs to consider alternatives should a military need arise to quickly deploy troops in response to aggression.

It is thought that the troops would be station in Kuwait.

For more information, click here.

The Continuing Gang Threat

Gangs are expanding, evolving, and posing an increasing threat to U.S. communities.

That’s the bottom line of the just-released 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment, and it probably doesn’t come as a great surprise to anyone who follows the news or is active in their community.

This latest assessment—prepared by the National Gang Intelligence Center—builds on the gang-related trends and criminal threats identified in the 2009 assessment. The findings in the 2011 report are based on data from federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and corrections agencies as well as open source information.

The key findings from the 2011 assessment:

• There are approximately 1.4 million active street, prison, and outlaw motorcycle gang members in more than 33,000 gangs operating in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. (Those numbers reflect an increase from 2009 figures, due primarily to more comprehensive reporting from law enforcement and enhanced gang recruiting efforts.)
• Gangs are responsible for an average of 48 percent of violent crime in most jurisdictions and up to 90 percent in several others.
• Gangs are increasingly engaging in non-traditional gang-related crimes like alien smuggling, human trafficking, and prostitution, as well as white-collar crimes like counterfeiting, identity theft, and mortgage fraud….primarily due to the high profitability and much lower visibility and risk of detection and punishment than drug and weapons trafficking.
• Gang members are acquiring high-powered, military-style weapons and equipment, which poses a significant threat because of the potential to engage in lethal encounters with law enforcement and citizens alike.
• Gangs are becoming increasingly adaptable and sophisticated, employing new and advanced technology—including social networking websites—to carry out criminal activity discreetly and connect with other gang members, criminal organizations, and potential recruits around the country and around the world.

Millionaire Filmmaker Michael Moore Speaks to "Occupy Wall Street" protesters in Oakland, CA

On Friday, millionaire filmmaker Michael Moore visited and spoke to the protesters after the mayor, Jean Quan, had fielded questions from reporters on the clashes between the police and protesters.

Moore flew in to speak with the "Occupy Oakland" protesters. He spoke near 30 tents that have gone up after the police on Tuesday had removed protesters.

Moore said, "I’m looking at the mosaic of the country right here in Oakland."

He went on further and said, "This weekend in Oakland will stand out as a watershed moment. Something good will come out of this movement.”

For more information, click here.