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busting into the boys' club of Chinese politics.
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Armed posse patrols Oregon timber country in place of sheriff's patrols
• O'BRIEN, Ore. (AP) -- There's no room in the county jail for burglars and thieves. And the sheriff's department in a vast, rural corner of southwest Oregon has been reduced by budget cuts to three deputies on patrol eight hours a day, five days a week.
• But people in this traditionally self-reliant section of timber country aren't about to raise taxes to put more officers on the road. Instead, some folks in Josephine County, larger than the state of Rhode Island, are taking matters into their own hands -- mounting flashing lights on their trucks and strapping pistols to their hips to guard communities themselves. Others have put together a virtual neighborhood watch, using Facebook to share tips and information.
• "I believe in standing up for myself rather than waiting for the government to do something for me," said Sam Nichols, a retired marina manager.
• Nichols has organized a posse of about a dozen fed-up residents who have started patrolling the small community of O'Brien, which has about 750 residents.
• "We call ourselves the CAC Patrol, Citizens Against Crime," he said.
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In aiding Syrian rebels, Sunni Muslim town in Lebanon deepens rift with Shiite neighbors
• ARSAL, Lebanon (AP) -- This Lebanese border town has become a safe haven for war-weary Syrian rebels, a way station for wounded fighters and home to hundreds of frightened Syrian refugee families.
• Residents of Arsal, a Sunni Muslim town of 40,000, say they have strong motives to help those trying to topple Syria's regime: they themselves were harassed and abused by it during three decades of de facto Syrian control of Lebanon.
• But in siding with the rebels, many of them fellow Sunnis, Arsal is also deepening rifts with its Shiite Muslim neighbors in the Bekaa Valley that runs along Lebanon's eastern border with Syria. Large areas of the scenic valley are controlled by Hezbollah, the powerful Shiite militia that is supporting and -- according to the U.S. and the Syrian opposition -- also fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces.
• For now, Lebanon's rival political and religious groups have largely tried to keep (Continued on page 38)
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