More Back-Door Fairness Doctrine, Government Motors, Israel, Iran, Pakistan, Stolen Nitrate Fertilizer

1) 31 horsemen of talk radio's apocalypse? (More on Back-Door Fairness Doctrine) The Federal Communications Commission has announced the roster of a new advisory committee on "diversity" in communications, a move many critics have warned would mark the beginning of government regulation of talk radio and a reinstallation of the "Fairness Doctrine" by another name.  As WND reported, a think tank headed by John Podesta, co-chairman of Obama's transition team, mapped out a strategy in 2007 for clamping down on conservative talk radio by requiring stations to be operated by female and minority owners, which the report showed were statistically more likely to carry liberal political talk shows.  Therefore, the report concluded, the best strategy for getting equal time for "progressives" on radio lies in mandating "diversity of ownership" without ever needing to mention the former FCC policy of requiring airtime for liberal viewpoints, known as the "Fairness Doctrine." Now, Michael J. Copps, acting chairman of the FCC has announced that the "Commission's Advisory Committee on Diversity for Communications in the Digital Age" will meet at the FCC headquarters on May 7 with a purpose closely paralleling step one of Podesta's plan for "balancing" talk radio. …And President Obama, while he has eschewed support for the "Fairness Doctrine" by name, has made statements in speeches and on the White House website that read as through they were taken directly from Podesta's plan for using "diversity" to make radio more "fair." See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=96797 2) GM Offers U.S. a Majority Stake General Motors Corp. outlined a new turnaround plan that would leave the U.S. government controlling the auto maker, as it set up a showdown with bondholders that could determine whether the company lands in bankruptcy court.   Under the plan, GM is asking the Treasury Department for an additional $11.6 billion in loans, on top of the $15.4 billion it has already received. It envisions giving the government at least half ownership of the company as payment for half of the loans. At the same time, GM said it would use stock instead of cash to pay off half the $20.4 billion it owes a United Auto Workers fund to cover retiree health care. That stock would leave the union owning about 39% of GM. …So, when the deal is completed, GM will be 89 percent owned by the government and the union. See: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124083476254259049.html#mod=todays_us_nonsub_page_one And: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=96419 3) U.S. sending missiles to Arab states Concern over potential Israel-Iran conflict cite The United States quietly is providing advanced Patriot missile systems and other defensive technologies to Arab countries in the Persian Gulf in anticipation of any retaliatory response from Iran should Israel launch a military strike against its nuclear facilities, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=96762 4) Gaza militants fire mortar shells on Israel Gaza City - Palestinian militants fired a volley of mortar shells at Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip on Saturday, Palestinian and Israeli sources said. …Israeli police said two shells landed in an uninhabited area, without causing any casualties or damage. The attack followed air strikes by Israeli warplanes on Friday against two smuggling tunnels along Gaza's border with Egypt after militants fired a rocket at Israel. Militants in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip have fired about 200 rockets at Israel since the end of Israel's massive offensive against the impoverished territory in December and January, according to the Israel army. See: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=123&art_id=nw20090502103424276C482637 5) Taliban terror holds 2,000 villagers as human shields TALIBAN militants who have seized swathes of North West Frontier Province in Pakistan have inflicted a reign of terror on villagers, landowners and the police, using kidnapping, looting, pillaging and murder to impose their will. See: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6211511.ece 6) Iranian jets 'hit' Iraqi Kurd areas Iranian helicopters have attacked three Kurdish villages in northern Iraq in an apparent cross-border raid targeting Kurdish separatists, according to an Iraqi Kurdish border guard official. .."After the (initial) attacks, three Iranian helicopters attacked these areas again. "This is the first time they have used helicopters." …The air raid, if confirmed, would be the first by the Iranian air force on the region. See: http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2009/05/200952122842742602.html 7) Petraeus: Next Two Weeks Critical to Pakistan's Survival Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command, has told U.S. officials the next two weeks are critical to determining whether the Pakistani government will survive, FOX News has learned. "The Pakistanis have run out of excuses" and are "finally getting serious" about combating the threat from Taliban and Al Qaeda extremists operating out of Northwest Pakistan, the general added. But Petraeus also said wearily that "we've heard it all before" from the Pakistanis and he is looking to see concrete action by the government to destroy the Taliban in the next two weeks before determining the United States' next course of action, which is presently set on propping up the Pakistani government and military with counterinsurgency training and foreign aid. See: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/30/petraeus-weeks-critical-pakistans-survival/ 8) 1,000 Pounds of Nitrate Fertilizer Stolen in Alabama; Police Searching for Burglars Burglars targeted a Tuscumbia business early Thursday morning. What's most alarming is what the thieves took from business. The stolen property is potential dangerous material. Approximately 1,000 pounds of high-grade nitrate fertilizer was taken from Greens Keepers on Gann Boulevard in Tuscumbia. The company handles fertilization and weed control for residential and commercial lawns. The owner, John Wagner, says he's been in business for twelve years and nothing like this has ever happened. …Wagner worries that having the large amount of fertilizer in the wrong hands could lead to something very dangerous. "It could potentially be made into a bomb," says Wagner. See: http://www.whnt.com/news/shoals/whnt-fertilizer-stolen-from-greens-keepers,0,2442663.story