"Come in, you are safe."

It truly is sad when the people of a government are being intimidated so much that they can't report that their people are being tortured.

"Come in, you are safe," along with "Long Live the Islamic State," is what was scribbled on the walls of a newly found torture chamber in Iraq. Food wrappers, plastic soda cans, electric wires, chains hanging from the ceilings, swords on the floors, etc. were all found in the dirt floor cell. This room was hidden in Muqdadiyah which is about 60 miles north of Baghdad. Many of the swords, beds, and weapons that were used in the torture chamber are still covered in blood. According to U.S. Army Major General Mark P. Hertling, there were nine graves that contained the bodies of 26 people. Judging from the bodies, it was said that they were about 6-8 months old and the troops said that it was hard to identify them because of the advanced decomposition. This chamber is assumed to have been in use for over a year.

(http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071221/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_torture_
chamber;_ylt=AsDySdzbncEdqvqkrdEXc7es0NUE)

The chamber was found somewhere between December 8-11 when troops conducted an operation and the troops who found the chamber killed 24 people who they thought were terrorists and arrested 37 people who were under suspicion. There was enough evidence to prove that people have been intimidated, tortured, and murdered in this room. They found mines, pipe bombs, grenades, and 130 pounds of homemade explosives. What's also shocking is that the people of the village said that they knew about the torture chamber but were to afraid to report it because they were too intimidated by the extremists.

(http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/12/19/iraq.torture.complex/
index.html?eref=rss_world)

Five men arrested for Malibu fire

Playing with fire is dangerous.

On Thursday, December 11, 2007, five men were arrested because they were thought to have created a fire in Malibu that destroyed fifty homes. The fire caused over $100 million in damages. Surveillance videos, receipts, and food wrappers were used in order to track down the men who the police thought were responsible. The men are: B. Anderson (age 22), W. Coppock (age 23), B. Franks (age 27), E. Ullman (age 18), and Dean Lavorante (age 19). L.A. County Sheriff, Lee Baca, said that there was enough evidence to show that these men were the ones who started a campfire at a popular party spot (which was in a cave) and caused the fire on Thursday. Arson detective Irma Gonzales said that 12 people had been partying in the cave and did nothing to stop or warn other about the fire. Apparently, "they just drove off." Bail ranges from around $240,000- $265,000.
(http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071214/ap_on_re_us/malibu_fire;_ylt=AurzckIy_vqqCwajCY7kGAZvzwcF)

All five men are from the Los Angeles area and are charged with three felonies (including two arson-related charges). Each one counts for 2 to 4 years in prison. The fire engulfed about 5,000 acres and destroyed over 80 buildings. Also, the fire forced approximately 15,000 people to evacuate their homes. The men are scheduled to make their first court date on Monday.
(http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/12/14/malibu.fire/index.html)

Bush's new mortgage rate freeze plan

The Bush Administration announces their plans of helping those who are in financial dilemmas.

On Thursday, December 06, 2007, the Bush Administration have revealed their plan to freeze interest rates for five years for some homeowner’s who are having trouble paying for their subprime mortgages. It is expected for these rates to heavily increase in the following months. “We should not bail out lenders, real estate speculators or those made the reckless decision to buy a home they knew they could never afford. But there are some responsible homeowners who could avoid foreclosure with some assistance,” says Bush. He says that approximately 1.2 million people may be eligible to receive this aid and it may eventually help 300,000 families. The plan would apply to homeowners who got adjustable-rate subprime mortgages between Jan. 1, 2005, and July 31 of this year and are facing a sharp jump in their rates before July 31, 2010.

(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/06/AR2007120600246.html?nav=rss_email/components)

Most of the homeowner’s who may be eligible for this type of assistance would be those who have enough money to pay for their mortgages at low rates but do not have enough money to afford to pay for the monthly increase in their payments. However, Republican lawmakers and their aides were skeptical about this plan because it might anger the homeowners who went through the trouble to stay out of payment issues. And now, the government was helping those who made negligent decisions and bought homes that were far beyond their means. I believe that this plan is fair only in some cases. For families who have trouble with their income and payments should go through an application process so that only the most eligible of the eligible can receive this financial help. And only those who obviously have not made any irresponsible decisions should be able to obtain aid from the government.

(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2007/12/06/AR2007120600246.html?nav=rss_email/components)