U.S. still naked to EMP threatNew emergency plan doesn't address alarming nuclear scenario in revised disaster response
Posted: August 21, 20081:00 am Eastern
By Chelsea Schilling© 2008 WorldNetDaily
Electricity grids down, uncontrolled fires from exploding gas transport systems, no communication to call for help, no water to battle fires: It's all part of a catastrophic scenario some scientists predict could happen under an electromagnetic pulse attack – and the Department of Homeland Security's 83-page emergency plan includes no mention of EMP or how it might respond to such an attack.
When WND contacted the Department of Homeland Security, a representative explained why a course of action was not included in the National Emergency Communications Plan – a strategy that relies heavily on the ability of authorities at all levels of government to communicate using radios, computers and other electronic devices that could be disabled by an EMP attack.
"When we look at the strategic threat picture, when we look at patterns of criminal activity that all levels of government show, when we look at what is ultimately going to involve limited resources, we have to get to a point where we prioritize," DHS spokesman Russ Knocke said. "We prioritize based upon threat vulnerability and consequence. As we speak today, there's nothing in the threat picture that would suggest an imminent EMP attack."
However, Congress has expressed concern regarding the threat of EMP. A top scientist warned the House Armed Services Committee in July that America remains vulnerable to a "catastrophe" from a nuclear electromagnetic pulse attack that could be launched with plausible deniability by hostile rogue nations or terrorists.
William R. Graham, chairman of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack and the former national science adviser to President Reagan, testified before the committee and issued an alarming report on "one of a small number of threats that can hold our society at risk of catastrophic consequences."
He identified vulnerabilities in the nation's critical infrastructures, "which are essential to both our civilian and military capabilities."
Not taking the steps necessary to reduce the threat in the next three to five years "can both invite and reward attack," Graham told the committee.
Knocke said EMPs are considered in a broad federal playbook released in January for how the federal government will manage incidents of all types called the National Response Framework, or NRF.
The 90-page document includes the following:
It provides an overview of the roles, responsibilities and jurisdictions of key partners at the local, state and federal levels who implement the framework.
It emphasizes planning structures for effective response.
It offers tips for individuals and households, such as reducing hazards in and around their homes, preparing emergency supply kits, creating household emergency plans and reducing demands on land-line and cellular communications.
The NRF provides general guidelines for dealing with emergency events. However, the plan includes no mention of how the nation would respond to an EMP attack or widespread electrical and electronics failures that could effectively cut communication lines between each level of emergency responders by disabling computers, satellites, radios, radar receivers and even traffic lights and electronic ignition systems in cars.
EMP is a pulse of energy that can be produced from non-nuclear sources, such as electromagnetic bombs, or E-bombs. Some experts claim an electromagnetic pulse shock wave can be produced by a device small enough to fit in a briefcase. But the most threatening and terrifying type of EMP attack could come following a blast from a nuclear weapon 25 to 250 miles above the Earth's surface. Like a swift stroke of lightening, EMP could immediately disrupt and damage all electronic systems and America's electrical infrastructure. A detonation over the middle of the continental U.S. "has the capability to produce significant damage to critical infrastructures that support the fabric of U.S. society and the ability of the United States and Western nations to project influence and military power," said Graham.
"Several potential adversaries have the capability to attack the United States with a high-altitude nuclear weapon-generated electromagnetic pulse, and others appear to be pursuing efforts to obtain that capability," said Graham. "A determined adversary can achieve an EMP attack capability without having a high level of sophistication. For example, an adversary would not have to have long-range ballistic missiles to conduct an EMP attack against the United States. Such an attack could be launched from a freighter off the U.S. coast using a short- or medium-range missile to loft a nuclear warhead to high altitude. Terrorists sponsored by a rogue state could attempt to execute such an attack without revealing the identity of the perpetrators. Iran, the world's leading sponsor of international terrorism, has practiced launching a mobile ballistic missile from a vessel in the Caspian Sea. Iran has also tested high-altitude explosions of the Shahab-III, a test mode consistent with EMP attack, and described the tests as successful. Iranian military writings explicitly discuss a nuclear EMP attack that would gravely harm the United States. While the commission does not know the intention of Iran in conducting these activities, we are disturbed by the capability that emerges when we connect the dots."
An EMP assault could prove devastating because of the unprecedented cascading failures of major infrastructures that could result. Because of America's heavy reliance on electricity and electronics, the impact would be far worse than on a country less advanced technologically. Graham and the commission see the potential for failure in the financial system, the system of distribution for food and water, medical care and trade and production.
"The recovery of any one of the key national infrastructures is dependent upon the recovery of others," he said. "The longer the outage, the more problematic and uncertain the recovery will be. It is possible for the functional outages to become mutually reinforcing until at some point the degradation of infrastructure could have irreversible effects on the country's ability to support its population."
In an earlier report, the commission even went so far as to suggest, in its opening sentence, that an EMP attack "might result in the defeat of our military forces."
Knocke said DHS is highly concerned about the threat of nuclear attack and other disasters.
"At present, our highest priorities are things like preventing nuke attacks, as well as working with state and locals to build up their capability to prevent and respond to things like IED events or catastrophic natural disasters," he said. "As it relates to what our greatest preoccupation is, we're doing everything we can to try to prevent a nuclear or radiological attack on our soil that would have the most severe impact in terms of loss of life or economic consequence."
When WND asked Knocke if DHS has a specific strategy to deal with an EMP attack, he said, "Not as we speak today. No."
Asked if the department has considered creating a plan to address EMP threat following Congress' concern about such an attack, he replied:
"The risk picture is ever changing. There's nothing in the strategic threat picture today that tells us there's an imminent EMP threat. That could change down the road as whatever circumstances in the world evolve. So, I am not telling you that it might never be among the highest priorities. We've actually looked at this issue, and we've looked at the entire spectrum of issues that we have to contend with when it comes to homeland security. But we have to prioritize. We're not in the business of being all things to all people at all times."
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=72801

Hoekstra Receives 110th CongressFriend of Homeschooling Award
By William A. Estrada, Esq.Director Federal Relations August 15 2008
Rep. Pete Hoekstra receives the 110th Congress Friend of Homeschooling Award from Will Estrada, director of HSLDA’s Department of Federal Relations.On July 31, 2008, HSLDA’s Federal Relations staff presented Representative Pete Hoekstra (MI) with the 110th Congress Friend of Homeschooling Award. Since 1998, HSLDA has presented the award to members of Congress in recognition of their efforts to protect parental rights, homeschool freedom and limited government during each session of Congress.
The award is usually given at HSLDA’s Legislative Summit for homeschool leaders held every other year in Washington, D.C. However, Mr. Hoekstra was managing the floor during debate about the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that night, and could not attend.
Representative Hoekstra has been a tireless friend of homeschoolers since he was elected to Congress in 1993, and especially in the 110th Congress. In April, 2007, he successfully introduced a procedural motion on the House floor to strike language in H.R. 362 which would have moved federal education policy in the direction of national standards and curriculum. He introduced H.R. 1539, the “A PLUS Act,” which would substantially decrease the federal government’s role in education. He has additionally been the lead sponsor of the Parental Rights Amendment.
“Homeschooling serves as a worthwhile option for parents to assume a direct role in the education of their children,” Hoekstra said. “It can be a positive experience that enables children to realize a successful future.”
“Representative Hoekstra’s support for homeschoolers is unparalleled in Congress,” said Mike Smith, president of HSLDA. “The representative has been instrumental in the success of homeschoolers in fighting discrimination by the military for those enlisting, and for fair treatment for those enrolling in college. He has been tireless in working to eliminate unequal treatment for homeschoolers by the Social Security and Veterans Affairs administrations. At the same time, he has been at the forefront in advocating for the position that Congress does not have any authority over private and homeschools. Congressman Hoekstra is truly a hero to homeschoolers everywhere.”
Past recipients of HSLDA’s Friend of Homeschooling award include Representative Marilyn Musgrave (CO), Representative John Hostettler (IN), Senator John Ashcroft (MO), and others.
http://www.hslda.org/default.asp?bhcp=1

About HSLDA
Home School Legal Defense Association is a nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms. Through annual memberships, HSLDA is tens of thousands of families united in service together, providing a strong voice when and where needed.
HSLDA advocates on the legal front on behalf of our members in matters which include conflicts with state or local officials over homeschooling. Each year, thousands of member families receive legal consultation by letter and phone, hundreds more are represented through negotiations with local officials, and dozens are represented in court proceedings. HSLDA also takes the offensive, filing actions to protect members against government intrusion and to establish legal precedent. On occasion, HSLDA will handle precedent-setting cases for nonmembers, as well.
HSLDA advocates on Capitol Hill by tracking federal legislation that affects homeschooling and parental rights. HSLDA works to defeat or amend harmful bills, but also works proactively, introducing legislation to protect and preserve family freedoms.
HSLDA advocates in state legislatures, at the invitation of state homeschool organizations, by assisting individual states in drafting language to improve their homeschool legal environment and to fight harmful legislation.
HSLDA advocates in the media by presenting articulate and knowledgeable spokesmen to the press on the subject of homeschooling. HSLDA staff members are regularly called upon for radio, television, and print interviews, and their writings are frequently published in newspapers and magazines across the country. HSLDA’s own bimonthly magazine, The Home School Court Report, provides news and commentary on a host of current issues affecting homeschoolers. And its two-minute daily radio broadcast, Home School Heartbeat, can be heard on nearly 500 radio stations.
HSLDA advocates for the movement by commissioning and presenting quality research on the progress of homeschooling. Whether it’s in print, from the podium, or on the air, HSLDA provides insightful vision and leadership for the cause of homeschooling.
Home School Legal Defense Association . . . tens of thousands of American families working through more than 50 dedicated staff members to preserve each other’s right to homeschool . . . together, “Advocates for Family & Freedom.”
Frequently Asked Questions

Who we are
1. What is the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)?
HSLDA is a nonprofit national membership organization of families who homeschool their children. HSLDA is organized as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, tax-exempt organization under the rules of the IRS.
The Federal Relations Department (formerly known as the National Center for Home Education) is a department of Home School Legal Defense Association that focuses on federal legislation, grassroots lobbying, and research.

2. Where is HSLDA located?
We are located in Purcellville, Virginia, about 40 minutes west of Washington, D.C.

3. Where does the membership money go?
We are a nonprofit organization, so membership fees go to our operational expenses. No profits inure to the benefit of any employees or board members. (See Mission of HSLDA.)

4. Is HSLDA a Christian organization?
Yes; however, HSLDA’s mission is to protect the freedom of all homeschoolers. Although our officers and directors are Christians, HSLDA membership is not limited to religiously based homeschoolers. We respect parents' rights to make the appropriate choices for the upbringing of their children. We have no agenda to make all public and home-based classrooms religious or conservative. Our primary objective is to preserve the fundamental right of parents to choose home education, free of over-zealous government officials and intrusive laws. We do put on a national conference annually and invite the board members of state organizations with whom we have worked for many years. Most, if not all, of those organizations have Christian leaders, but many serve all homeschoolers regardless of religious affiliation, as we do.

Relationships:
5. What is HSLDA’s relationship to the Home School Foundation (HSF)?
The Home School Foundation is a related organization of HSLDA. HSF was founded by HSLDA to provide assistance to homeschooling families in need, preserve parental freedoms, promote homeschooling, and support like-minded organizations. (See HSF’s home page for more information.)

6. What is HSLDA’s relationship to Patrick Henry College (PHC)?
HSLDA’s board of directors founded PHC as a college that emphasizes the apprenticeship model of education and will positively impact our culture.
Patrick Henry College opened its doors on September 1, 2000 to prepare and develop leaders who will fight for the principles of liberty and our home school freedoms through careers of public service and cultural influence. The College's distinctives include a deliberate outreach to home schooled students; practical apprenticeship methodology; financial independence; a general education core based on the classical liberal arts; a dedication to mentoring and discipling Christian students; and a community life that promotes virtue, leadership, and strong, life-long commitments to God, family and society.
The College’s board of trustees is completely separate and distinct from HSLDA’s board of directors and the College operates independently of HSLDA. Michael Farris is chancellor of the College, and is General Counsel of HSLDA directing litigation and federal legislative efforts.
Although Patrick Henry College and HSLDA are separate and distinct organizations, our board’s purpose for founding the College remains the same and HSLDA continues to support Patrick Henry College financially and structurally. Specifically, HSLDA donates use of facility space and a portion of the revenue earned from advertising, publications, and interest income to the College. This support is based upon our belief that it is not enough to rely solely on the defense of homeschooling in the courts and in the legislatures in order to maintain our freedom to homeschool and control the upbringing of our children in the future. We must be proactive in providing virtuous leaders in government and other key spheres of influence in order to preserve our freedoms.(See also Michael Smith’s Washington Times op-ed "A New Generation of Moral Leadership")

7. What is HSLDA’s relationship with local and state homeschool organizations?
While HSLDA has no official relationship with any local or state homeschool groups, we do provide groups the opportunity to offer HSLDA membership at a discount to their families. Additionally, we work closely with many groups to monitor legislation that may impact homeschooling.

Where we stand:
8. Why does HSLDA support efforts to constitutionally define marriage as between a man and a woman?
The following answer is an excerpt from a letter written by HSLDA Chairman of the Board and General Counsel Mike Farris:
. . . We are a Christian organization (see answer to question number 4 above). This colors our way of thinking about many things. Fundamentally, it is reflected in what we believe is truth.
All truth is God's truth. Man's knowledge is limited. We think we know something only to find that future generations have found that we really didn't know what we are talking about.
The truth is that God created the family. It is God's view of the family that is reflected in our western civilization and in our law until very recently. If we tear down this God-based view of the family, then all of the God-based principles in our society are ultimately at risk.
The reason we have parental rights is because our law assumes that God gave children to parents, not the state. If we eliminate the assumption of God from our law, parental rights and human rights themselves are impossible.
I was in the Soviet Union in 1988 arguing for parental rights and religious freedom with the government of the USSR. They asked, "Where are such rights based in any international legal document?"
I answered, "If rights are based on man-made documents they are not rights, they are privileges. What man makes, man can change."
Only if rights come from God is it illegitimate for man to take another's rights.
It is impossible to say that the God of the Bible would sanction rights of homosexual marriage. Thus, there is no such right in a God-based theory of rights. Any man-made theory of rights is no theory at all. ... HSLDA is not willing to move into an era of human privileges. We believe this would jeopardize our liberty to teach our children at home and bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Blessings,
Michael Farris

9. Does HSLDA seek to control the public debate of homeschool issues nationwide?
While we are actively engaged in public debate regarding homeschooling, we do not seek control of the public discussions surrounding homeschooling. Our communications goal regarding mainstream media is simply to promote, honestly and fairly, the merits of home education, for the good of homeschoolers universally. We also generally promote awareness of legal and legislative issues impacting homeschool families. In order to provide timely information to media on demand, HSLDA has employed a professional director of media relations. We view media work as integral to a serious organizational effort to inform the general public about the many positive aspects of homeschooling. In recent years, the media have shown particular interest in our studies on the effectiveness of homeschooling. The hundreds of news stories referring to these studies have been good for all homeschoolers, not just members of HSLDA.

10. Does HSLDA promote exclusively Christian homeschool support organizations?
We do not. Over 500 support groups participate in our group discount program. Religion is not a criterion for participation. We work in conjunction with secular and religious groups alike to promote and protect home education freedoms.

11. What is HSLDA's position on charter schools and public school independent study programs?
The mission of Home School Legal Defense Association has always been to defend the rights of families who desire to privately homeschool their children. Homeschooling through charter schools or public school independent study programs is actually a form of public education, and thus falls outside of HSLDA's mission. It is our longstanding policy not to accept as HSLDA members families whose children are enrolled in such a public school option.
Parents have the right to choose whatever form of education they wish for their children. However, we urge those considering charter schools or public school independent study programs to count the cost, making sure they are fully informed.
To date, most charter school programs and all public school independent study programs have been enacted with restrictions regarding religious education. This means that it is unethical and possibly illegal for any religious education to occur during the process of teaching any academic subject through these programs. For example, religious content in a history or English class covered by the official program would be a statutory violation. (This would not be a constitutional violation by the parents—only the government can violate the Constitution. The Constitution has been interpreted to permit but not require states to fund religious education as a component of a broad general program. This means that whatever the state statutes say is binding. If the statutes ban religious instruction in programs funded by the government, then program participants—including homeschooling parents—who teach religious content are violating the law.)
Keep in mind that programs receiving government funding can be directly regulated by governmental standards. For example, teaching homosexuality as an acceptable alternate lifestyle may well soon become a universal requirement for public schools—including charter schools and public school independent study programs.
We understand that the financial pressures faced by families today make publicly subsidized educational programs very attractive. But if accepting government subsidies forfeits your right to teach your children in the way you desire, that price is very high indeed.
HSLDA support tax deductions for all educational expenses, similar to deductions for charitable giving or educational tax credits. But even tax deductions would be unacceptable if the mechanisms adopted allow any governmental interference or regulation of content in homeschool programs. Both HSLDA's experience and the combined history of our nation and western civilization continually demonstrate that with government funding comes government regulation. The price is too high.

12. What is HSLDA’s position on access to public school facilities and activities?
HSLDA’s board of directors has remained steadfast in focusing our resources on maintaining and advancing the freedom of homeschoolers from public school oversight. Therefore, the board will not allow HSLDA to use our resources to force public school districts to allow homeschool children access. Recently, several states have enacted legislation requiring public school access for homeschoolers. HSLDA takes a neutral position when legislation of this kind is introduced, unless the legislation would impose additional regulations on all homeschool students not participating in the public schools.

13. What is HSLDA’s position on homeschool students’ use of special education and related services benefits through the public schools?
Special education refers to instruction or assistance in traditional academic areas such as math, language arts, etc. Related services, on the other hand, are aids to a child—like speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. These services indirectly improve a child’s ability to learn, but are separate from traditional academic curricula. HSLDA believes the parent whose child receives related services at the public school is still a home educator.
HSLDA will assist homeschool families seeking related services that have been denied because of homeschooling. We view this as a basic fairness issue in that homeschool students in private school states are entitled to related services according to the U.S. Department of Education, but those in homeschool states are not. HSLDA will not assist homeschool students to obtain access to special education in the public school (see number 6, above, for the reason).

14. Is HSLDA politically active?
HSLDA's mission is to protect and advance the liberty of parents to educate their children at home. Membership dues will never be used for any other purpose.
However, few of us homeschool just for the sake of homeschooling. We homeschool our children because we believe it is the best path for their own future and for the impact that they can have on our nation and the generations that follow. Yes, we want our children to have excellent skills and godly character. But skills and character are designed to equip our children to accomplish great things for God and for the good of our nation.
To help our member families equip the next generation for active, effective citizenship, HSLDA founded Generation Joshua in 2004. A division of HSLDA, Generation Joshua is funded by direct contributions and by Generation Joshua's own modest membership dues. Generation Joshua is not funded by HSLDA membership dues. Please visit Generation Joshua's website at www.generationjoshua.org.
Generation Joshua has three main components, each designed to teach homeschooled teens important aspects of civic involvement: (1) civics education, (2) nonpartisan political activity, such as voter registration drives, and (3) active involvement in the campaigns of a few candidates prayerfully selected by HSLDA's board of directors for their character and their positions on issues of importance to our members.
All candidate campaign activity is funded by HSLDA-PAC, an affiliated federal political action committee created by HSLDA in accordance with federal law. Under federal law, HSLDA may endorse federal candidates in communications to our members and we may solicit our members for contributions to HSLDA-PAC. These PAC contributions will be used to place Generation Joshua teens on selected federal campaigns under the direction and guidance of Generation Joshua staff.
Our children will not grow into leaders just because we hope for that result. They will become leaders who do great things for our nation only if we give them vision and a hands-on opportunity to learn.

15. What does HSLDA’s Federal Relations Department Do?
What does HSLDA’s Federal Relations department (formerly National Center for Home Education) do? The Federal Relations Department supports state homeschooling leaders and HSLDA members by keeping watch and taking quick action on national homeschool issues. (See the Federal Relations home page for more information.)

16. Does HSLDA take a position on the United Nations?
We do not have an official position regarding the United Nations. However, it is accurate to say that we’ve become more and more concerned about the sovereignty of the United States vis-à-vis the United Nations as expressed by its policies on religious liberty, human rights, children’s rights, and the family. The UN Treaty on the Rights of the Child is an example of the UN’s view of the family. We oppose the UN Treaty on the Rights of the Child because it would strip parents of much of their authority to educate, train, and nurture their children according to the dictates of their conscience.

17. Does HSLDA take a position regarding gun ownership?
We do not take a position on gun ownership. In 12 states, homeschoolers operate as private schools under the private school law of that state. Many states and the federal government have laws that make it illegal to have a gun within 1,000 feet of any school. After concerns expressed by member families who live within 1,000 feet of a school and own guns, we asked the United States Attorney General’s Office whether this law applied to private homeschools or not. The United States Attorney General’s Office has indicated that the law does not apply to these private homeschool situations.

18. Does HSLDA take a position on the use of Social Security numbers?
We do not have a position. However, some of our member families object to obtaining Social Security numbers for their children in order to get a dependent’s deduction on their income tax return. Until several years ago, the IRS would accept alternative forms of identification to obtain the deduction. However, the law has now changed to allow ONLY a Social Security number to be used as the identification required for a deduction. The National Center for Home Education is discussing with members of Congress the possibility of introducing a bill that would again allow families to use alternative forms of identification to obtain the deduction.


FDA: Irradiating spinach, lettuce OK to kill germs August 21, 2008 - 3:07pm
By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Consumers worried about salad safety may soon be able to buy fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce zapped with just enough radiation to kill E. coli and a few other germs.
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday will issue a new regulation allowing spinach and lettuce sellers to take that extra step, a long-awaited move amid increasing outbreaks from raw produce.
It doesn't excuse dirty produce, warned Dr. Laura Tarantino, FDA's chief of food additive safety. Farms and processors still must follow standard rules to keep the greens as clean as possible _ and consumers, too, should wash the leaves before eating.
"What this does is give producers and processors one more tool in the toolbox to make these commodities safer and protect public health," Tarantino said.
Irradiated meat has been around for years, particularly ground beef that is a favorite hiding spot for E. coli. Spices also can be irradiated.
But the Grocery Manufacturers Association had petitioned the FDA to allow a list of fresh produce and other foods to be irradiated as well _ starting with leafy greens that have sparked numerous recent outbreaks, including E. coli in spinach that in 2006 killed three people and sickened nearly 200.
The industry group wouldn't name salad suppliers ready to start irradiating. But it expects niche marketing to trickle out first _ bags of spinach and lettuce targeted to high-risk populations such as people with weak immune systems "who right now may be afraid to eat uncooked produce," said GMA's chief science officer Robert Brackett.
"It's one big step forward in improving the safety of fresh produce," he added.
A leading food safety expert said irradiation indeed can kill certain bacteria safely _ but it doesn't kill viruses that also increasingly contaminate produce, and it isn't as effective as tightening steps to prevent contamination starting at the farm.
"It won't control all hazards on these products," cautioned Caroline Smith DeWaal of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
She questioned why the FDA hasn't addressed her agency's 2006 call to require growers to document such things as how they use manure and ensure the safety of irrigation water. Irrigation is one suspect in this summer's nationwide salmonella outbreak attributed first to tomatoes and then to Mexican hot peppers.
"We are not opposed to the use of irradiation," DeWaal said. But, "it's expensive and it doesn't really address the problem at the source."
Won't zapping leafy greens with X-rays or other means of radiation leave them limp? Not with today's modern techniques and the right dose, the FDA decided.
The FDA determined that irradiation can kill E. coli, salmonella and listeria, as well as lengthen the greens' shelf life, without compromising the safety, texture or nutrient value of raw spinach lettuce.
E. coli actually is fairly sensitive to radiation, while salmonella and listeria require more energy. While irradiation doesn't sterilize, the FDA ruled that food companies could use a dose proven to dramatically reduce levels of those germs, a dose somewhat lower than meat requires.
But consumers shouldn't consider irradiation a panacea, either. While E. coli and salmonella tend to affect more people and make bigger headlines, consumer advocate DeWaal has found that norovirus contamination is a leading cause of produce outbreaks.
The irradiation rule goes into effect Friday. The FDA still is considering industry's petition to allow irradiation of additional produce. The grocery manufacturers group will push for other greens, such as Romaine lettuce, to be next, so that producers could irradiate bags of salad mixes.
While irradiated foods initially caused some consumer concern, FDA's Tarantino stressed that the food itself harbors no radiation.
"There is no residue, there's nothing left and certainly no radioactivity left," she said.
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=111&sid=1464143

Is Norway putting relations with Russia in jeopardy?
In the wake of the South Ossetia crisis, a number of Norwegian politicians now openly admit they fear conflicts with Russia in the North. Meanwhile, economic, human and defence relations with between the two countries are closer than ever.
Norwegian defence officials have repeatedly said that cooperation with Russia is developing positively. Similarly, political contacts between Oslo and Moscow are getting better and better. Over the last couple of years, both Moscow and Murmansk have been promoted as vital power centres for Norwegian business.
Still, a number of prominent Norwegian politicians now cast doubt over future relations with the Russian neighbour.
Norwegian hardliners
As reported by BarentsObserver last week, leader of the Norwegian Conservative Party, Ms. Erna Solberg, sees the Russian intervention in Georgia as evidence of Russia’s Great Power aspirations – aspirations which could eventually pose a threat against Norwegian positions in the High North.
Member of the Norwegian Parliament Defence Committee, Mr. Per Ove Width, goes even further, saying that he does “not exclude the possibility of a direct attack on Norway”. The representative of the rightist Progress Party says to newspaper Aftenposten that a conflict between Norway and Russia could develop following dangerous situations in fisheries or the oil and gas industry.
-And the Russians do not hesitate to use force, diplomacy comes afterwards, Mr. Width adds.
Even former foreign minister Jan Petersen from the Conservative Party now say that the developments in the Caucasus shows that Russia is willing to use force to achieve political gains and that this use of force could be used “unexpectedly”.
Ally of USA
The Norwegian statements, all from the political opposition, come in a situation when Norway’s long-time ally USA are about to bring freeze political relations with Russia. State Secretary Rice in a statement last week said that Russia might not be able to restore its reputation on the international arena, RIA Novosti reports.
At the same time, the Wall Street Journal writes that the USA might increase its defence budgets following the South Ossetia conflict.
Meanwhile, politicians both in Brussels and several of the biggest European countries have taken a softer approach, highlighting the devastating effect of isolating Russia.
Barents Sea
Potentially, the colder relations between Russia and its western neighbours could have negative effects also in the European High North. Standing on the threshold of an economic and industrial boost, the Norwegian-Russian borderlands would suffer heavily from a return towards less contacts and openness.
Only more cross-border cooperation, investments and contacts can help Russia integrate in European affairs. Processes like the establishment of visa-free travel and facilitated labour movement must be continued despite the problems in the Caucasus.
http://www.barentsobserver.com/is-norway-putting-relations-with-russia-in-jeopardy.4501964-28235.html

Russia sends aircraft carrier to Syria
The Russian aircraft carrier “Admiral Kuznetsov” is ready to head from Murmansk towards the Mediterranean and the Syrian port of Tartus. The mission comes after Syrian President Bashar Assad said he is open for a Russian base in the area.
The “Admiral Kuznetsov”, part of the Northern Fleet and Russia’s only aircraft carrier, will head a Navy mission to the area. The mission will also include the missile cruiser “Moskva” and several submarines, Newsru.com reports.President Assad in meetings in Moscow this week expressed support to Russia’s intervention in South Ossetia and Georgia. He also expressed interest in the establishment of Russian missile air defence facilities on his land.The “Admiral Kuznetsov” also last year headed a navy mission to the Mediterranean. Then, on the way from the Kola Peninsula and south, it stopped in the North Sea where it conducted a navy training exercise in the immediate vicinity of Norwegian offshore installations
http://www.barentsobserver.com/index.php?cat=58932

Russians dig in but still promise Georgia pullout
By MIKE ECKEL, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 6 minutes ago
GORI, Georgia - Russian forces lingered deep in Georgia on Thursday, digging trenches and setting up mortars a day before Kremlin officials promised to complete a troop withdrawal from this former Soviet republic.
But a top Russian general said it could be 10 days before the bulk of the troops left, and the mixed signals from Moscow left Georgians guessing about its intentions nearly a week after a cease-fire deal.
Strains in relations between Russia and the West showed no improvement. NATO, Moscow's Cold War foe, said Russia had halted military cooperation with the alliance, underscoring the growing division in a Europe that had seemed destined for unity after the Soviet Union collapsed.
Western leaders remained adamant that Russia remove its troops and do it quickly. "The withdrawal needs to take place, and needs to take place now," Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the White House's National Security Council, said in Crawford, Texas.
While refugees from the fighting over the South Ossetia region crammed Georgian schools and office buildings, a scattering of people left in a half-empty village said they were badly in need of basics.
"There is no bread, there is no food, no medicine. People are dying," said Nina Meladze, 45, in the village of Nadarbazevi, outside the key crossroads city of Gori. She said she stayed because she could not leave elderly relatives behind while other villagers fled to the capital, Tbilisi.
She said the village has been virtually abandoned since the war broke out. "I cannot go on like this anymore, I cry every day," she said.
Russian troops still controlled nearby Gori, which straddles Georgia's main east-west road, and the village of Igoeti about 30 miles west of Tbilisi. On the road between Gori and Tskhinvali, South Ossetia's battered capital, Russian soldiers built high earthen berms and strung barbed wire in at least three spots.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev promised earlier that his forces would pull back as far as South Ossetia and a surrounding security zone by Friday.
Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov reiterated that late Thursday, saying the troops would begin pulling back toward South Ossetia on Friday morning and be finished by day's end.
But the commander of Russian land forces, Gen. Vladimir Boldyrev, said it would take about 10 days for troops not involved in manning the security zones to complete their withdrawal to Russia, moving "in columns in the established order."
That suggested Russian soldiers could still be holding territory in Georgia up to the end of August.
The European Union-sponsored cease-fire says both Russian and Georgian troops must move back to positions they held before fighting broke out Aug. 7 in South Ossetia, which has close ties to Russia. The agreement says Russian forces also can be in a security zone that extends 4.3 miles into Georgia from South Ossetia.
Russian troops are also allowed a presence on Georgian territory in a security zone along the border with Abkhazia, another separatist Georgian region, under a 1994 U.N.-approved agreement that ended a war there.
Around Georgia's main Black Sea port city of Poti — outside any security zone — signs seemed to point to a prolonged presence. Russian troops excavated trenches, set up mortars and blocked a key bridge with armored personnel carriers and trucks. Other armored vehicles and trucks parked in a nearby forest.
Officials in Poti said the city had been looted by the Russians over the past week. Associated Press journalists saw Russian troops carry tables and chairs out on armored personnel carriers Thursday as residents protested. An AP photographer and TV crew were briefly detained by armed soldiers near Poti, who seized their digital memory cards and videotapes.
Poti Mayor Vano Taginadze said Russian troops were setting up new roadblocks and "moving around in the city and looking and searching in different places." Residents in Poti demonstrated against the Russian presence, waving red-and-white Georgian flags and banners and shouting "Russian occupants go home" in English.
Some Russian troops and military vehicles were on the move, including 21 tanks an AP reporter saw heading toward Russia from inside South Ossetia. Elsewhere, tanks, armored personnel carriers and trucks were seen moving in both directions on the road from Gori to Tskhinvali.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner hailed the report of tank movements.
"We are waiting ... for the Russians to respect their word," Kouchner told reporters in Paris. "We waited twice with dashed hopes. This time, it appears that there is at least the beginning of a fulfillment."
Outside the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali, several ethnic Georgian villages were burning Thursday — many days after fighting ended — and bore evidence of destruction from looting. Some Ossetians said they were not prepared to live alongside ethnic Georgians anymore.
"It's not they, it's we who will erase them from the face of Earth," said Alan Didurov, 46.
Renowned conductor Valery Gergiev, who is Ossetian, led a requiem concert for the dead Thursday night in Tskhinvali — part of an effort to win international sympathy for Russia's argument that its invasion was justified by Georgia's attempt to regain control of South Ossetia by force.
"We want everyone to know the truth about the terrible events in Tskhinvali ... with the hope that such a thing will never again happen on our land," Gergiev said before the concert, held in front of the badly damaged South Ossetian legislature before a crowd flanked by two armored personnel carriers.
In a move sure to heighten tensions, a U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer loaded with humanitarian supplies headed toward Georgia through Turkey's straits between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. It was the first of three U.S. warships carrying blankets, hygiene kits and baby food to Georgia.
Paul Farley, a spokesman at the U.S. naval base in Crete, said all three would reach Georgia "within the next week." He did not give their exact destination.
The United States has carried out 20 aid flights to Georgia since Aug. 19. The U.N. estimates 158,000 people have fled their homes.
"We anticipate staying as long as there is need and helping to set up the economy, because it's very important that the economy begins to take on its normal aspects. But it depends on our ability to do full assessments throughout Georgia," Henrietta Fore, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, told reporters Thursday in Washington.
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Associated Press writers Bela Szandelszky and Raul Gallego in Poti, Sergei Grits in Igoeti, Christopher Torchia in Gori, Yuras Karmanau in Tskhinvali, and Jim Heintz, David Nowak, Maria Danilova, Jill Lawless and Steve Gutterman in Moscow contributed to this report.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080822/ap_on_re_eu/georgia_russia