RENO, Nevada (AP) -- The mayor of Las Vegas has suggested that people who deface freeways with graffiti should have their thumbs cut off on television. Yeah, that'll certainly give us the moral high-ground in dealing with Iran and Saudi Arabia. Nitwit!
"In the old days in France, they had beheadings of people who commit heinous crimes," Mayor Oscar Goodman said Wednesday on the TV show "Nevada Newsmakers." Goodman said the city has a beautiful highway landscaping project and "these punks come along and deface it." Try to remember that taggers basically regard a blank expanse of wall or fence the same way that a dog views a freshly mowed lawn.
"I'm saying maybe you put them on TV and cut off a thumb," the mayor said. "That may be the right thing to do." Goodman also suggested whippings should be brought back for children who get into trouble. Another panelist on the show, state university system regent Howard Rosenberg, said cutting off the thumbs of taggers won't solve the problem and Goodman should "use his head for something other than a hat rack." Actually, it would be pretty hard to hold a can of spray paint without any thumbs. So, he's wrong on that count. The "hat rack" quip makes up for it though,
#1
Lol. I kind of like the idea. At least the Mayor has stones and isn't apologizing to the cretins. There are damn few politicians around that don't pander to them and their social engineer mouthpieces. Since we're talking 'bout Vegas, I'll bet Rosenberg thinks the thugs are simply underprivileged and misunderstood, full of simmering frustration, and desperately in need of big hugs and some $ocial program$. In sum, I think he's the asshat. I'll also bet he wears a bow tie - which should a capital offense, lol.
#2
Wasn't it Indonesia where that young fellow from the States was 'cained' for spray painting something a few years back? Maybe a little ass caining first, then the the thumb treatment.
And here I was, thinking this would be about North Koreaâs latest espionage program.
Sixteen Korean kimchi products, out of 502 tested, have been found to contain parasite eggs, the health ministry and Korea Food & Drug Administration announced yesterday. The recent kimchi scare, which started after the Korean government found parasite eggs in 30 Chinese-made kimchi products in October, has induced the Chinese government to ban the import of 10 food products from Korea in apparent retaliation. Thatâs the Chinese way. Sell crappy products to people, and when youâre called on it, intimidate the victim.
However, the ministry also announced that most parasite eggs contained in both Korean and Chinese-made kimchi proved to be harmless to the human body, as they were immature and lacked parasite larvae. Youn Hee-jeong, a professor of veterinary medicine at Seoul National University, said, "People who eat kimchi containing immature parasite eggs are 100 percent safe because those eggs are excreted from the human body." The government's hasty inspection on Chinese-made and Korean kimchi products came in October after Ko Kyoung-hwa, a Grand National Party representative, warned of possible contagion in imported vegetables. However, the government announced the result of inspection without thoroughly examining whether the eggs were harmful to humans.
The Food and Drug Administration "created excessive frenzy among people because it announced the result without thorough consideration and the parasite eggs are not actually damaging," said Hong Sung-tae, a professor of medicine at Seoul National University. Authorities said nine Korean kimchi products contained dog or cat roundworm, three had unidentified parasite eggs, and four others had roundworm eggs, which were not identified as being from humans or animals. Hey! I usually have to pay extra for that.
Mr. Youn said, "The roundworm found in those four products are likely to be pig roundworm from using pig's excrement as manure, because only a limited number of Koreans [0.05 percent] have roundworm." The Korea Food & Drug Administration said it seized 472 kilograms of Korean kimchi and ordered manufacturers to sell only products without parasite eggs. The 16 domestic kimchi producers accused of producing kimchi containing parasite eggs were embarrassed at the news as most of them are small-sized manufacturers and therefore highly likely to close their business at the foreseeable flood of purchase cancellations. The companies argued the government should first establish a parasite inspection system because parasite contagion is difficult to check for with the human eye.
A manufacturer based in North Chungcheong province, said, "We will all be dead if the government just announce results like this without any proper system to inspect kimchi's safety." Large discount stores and cafeteria catering companies have already recalled kimchi supplied by the 16 manufacturers listed in the government's report. In response to the announcement by the Korean government revealing some Korean kimchi also contains parasite eggs, China's Beijing News reported, "As most ingredients for Korean kimchi are exported from China, the kimchi scare will affect both Korea and China." The newspaper, which reported about the kimchi scare for a full page, said, "Korean and Chinese kimchi are being withdrawn from high-end markets in Europe and Japan. Both countries of manufacture should maintain the good image of kimchi by keeping its quality."
The Japanese broadcast media also reported the news that Korean kimchi had been found to contain parasite eggs. That news will give a negative image of Korean kimchi to Japanese customers, said a broadcaster. The Japanese government has not announced any official reaction to the news. Last year, the Japanese government imposed a temporary ban on Korean dumplings after some were found to contain unsanitary ingredients. But, unlike China, Korea didnât immediately retaliate by placing import barriers on Japanese goods.
Some Japanese customers responded sensitively to the news by calling the Japanese branch of the Korea Agro-Trade Corporation in Tokyo. The Korea Agro-Trade Corporation said, "We will inform Japanese customers that only one out of 100 Korean exporters to Japan was found to produce kimchi containing parasite eggs, and we will immediately order the suspension of operation of that exporter." Korea's kimchi exports amounted to $120 million last year with 95 percent of that exported to Japan. Kimchi, itâs not just for breakfast anymore!
#5
So losing vital muscle/body mass vv Commie- and Norkie-beloved SOLYENT GREEN isn't enough, the starving NK masses now have to be biotic-living nests or gestation areas for fat Kim's fav buggies!?
#4
Actually, I gather that the majority of women wear ill-fitting bras because they don't have a convenient means of judging their size, and often guess wrong.
So maybe they need an inverted breast wall for women to put their breasts in to measure them. Next to each inverted set, there could be retractable straps that they could snap behind their back.
As irritable as some women get, and justifyably so, when they wear an ill-fitting bra all day, I'm surprised that nobody has built one of these things.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Arkansas football coach Houston Nutt said Casey Dick, a freshman quarterback who's seen no action in Razorback games this year because he's been redshirted, will start for Arkansas against South Carolina. Nutt said Monday that the redshirt is coming off because Dick has impressed his coaches with his passing in practices and has shown the skills to move the offense. Robert Johnson started the first seven games for Arkansas this season. Nutt said he would take the blame for Johnson's struggles as signal-caller as the Razorbacks went 0-4 in the first half of their Southeastern Conference season, 2-5 overall.
As a senior at Allen High School in Texas, Dick completed 133 of 248 passes for 14 touchdowns. He also rushed for 401 yards and eight touchdowns in his final high school year. Nutt said Dick has thrown against the Arkansas defense all season in practice and has done very well. According to Nutt, Dick has a strong arm and good instincts. The Arkansas coach said the new starter seems to have a knack for making some plays and he's going to get an opportunity to do that.
I'll start: "Nutt Pulls Johnson, Dick In Against Cocks"
Posted by: Steve ||
11/04/2005 08:27 ||
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Nutt said he would take the blame for Johnson's struggles
Hope they enjoyed theses 65 millions years...
LUCKNOW, India - This was no one-night stand. Scientists in India say they have discovered two fossils fused together in sexual union for 65 million years.
WARNING: If an erection lasts more than 60 million years, seek immediate medical attention
The findings were published in the October edition of the Indian journal "Current Science," which said it was the first time that sexual copulation had been discovered in a fossil state, according to the Press Trust of India news agency. But voyeurs will need a microscope to view the eternal lovers.
The fossils are tiny swarm cells, a stage in the development of the fungus myxomycetes, also known as slime molds. The cells reproduce by "fusing," Ranjeet Kar of the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany in Lucknow reportedly told PTI. Once the cells fuse, long, threadlike appendages known as flagella, are lost, he said.
Finding the fossils in a fused position and with their flagella shed, is evidence that the two cells were having sex, Kar said. "The sexual organs being delicate and the time of conjugation short lived, it is indeed rare to get this stage in the fossil state," the study said.
The cells were discovered in a 30-foot deep dry well in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
A chief constable has condemned the portrayal of Muslims in a police magazine cartoon, describing it as offensive and sacrilegious.
The Police Federation magazine cartoon shows officers taking their shoes off outside a mosque, as a bearded man escapes clutching bags of explosives.
Bedfordshire's chief constable Gillian Parker has written to complain. The magazine's editor has apologised and said there was no intention to cause offence. The cartoon was seen by Bedfordshire Police as an attempt to mock the force's advice to officers to remove their shoes before entering Muslim properties.
Ms Parker wrote: "The stereotypical portrayal of religious communities and the use of places of worship in a sacrilegious manner are bound to offend.
EFL.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
11/04/2005 11:32 ||
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Sent the Victor Davis Hanson article to the chief constable.
President Alejandro Toledo of Peru has signed a law that redraws the sea border with Chile, deepening a row between the two Latin American nations. The bill, approved by Congress unanimously on Thursday, grants Peru 37,900 sq km (14,600 sq miles) of fishing waters in the Pacific Ocean. Chile currently controls the area, and says the law violates treaties signed in the 1950s. It has launched a diplomatic campaign against the move.
Members of Congress in Peru's capital, Lima, say the new law will lay the groundwork for the country to negotiate a new sea border. We are not seeking any sort of confrontation here, nor do we want to separate ourselves from the peaceful and respectful line of international law," Congressman Pedro Morales was quoted as saying by the AP news agency.
The legislation uses a technical formula established by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Peruvian officials say.
The current border, set in the 1950s, is a horizontal line that starts close to the edge of the nations and cuts west across the Pacific. Peru's proposed solution is a south-western sloping line that follows the two countries' diagonal border into the ocean. Top Chilean officials have described the new law as illegal. President Ricardo Lagos had earlier said Santiago "will continue to exercise full sovereignty" over the area.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/04/2005 09:02 ||
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Venezuela's president, an outspoken critic of a U.S.-sponsored free trade arrangement for Latin America, prepared to address thousands of like-minded protesters Friday at a rally coinciding with the start of a regional summit.
President Bush has hoped to promote the Free Trade Area of the Americas at the 34-nation Summit of the Americas beginning Friday. The deal proposed by Washington would break down trade barriers from Alaska to the tip of South America.
Leaders attending the two-day summit had agreed ahead of time to focus on creating jobs and reducing poverty. In recent days, however, their attention has shifted to the free trade issue and the sparring between the U.S. and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a leftist whose government has used his country's vast oil wealth on social programs for the poor.
Washington maintains the proposed accord, which has stalled amid opposition by several Latin American countries, is vital to creating jobs and increasing wealth in the region.
'What we're looking to do is find ways to unlock some of these economies so they get the kind of investment they need, they get the kind of trade they need and they have the flexibility within their labor markets to generate employment,' Thomas Shannon, assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere, said Thursday.
Chavez has said free trade is being forced on Latin American countries and the deal would only help the rich. Instead, he has pushed for an anti-FTAA deal based on socialist ideals.
Chavez has strained relations with Washington and regularly claims the United States is trying to overthrow his government, an accusation U.S. officials dismiss. He has used Venezuela's oil wealth to push for regional solidarity, offering fuel with preferential financing to various Caribbean and Latin American countries.
Venezuela is a member of Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and the world's fifth largest oil exporter as well as a major supplier to the U.S. market.
Bush and Chavez both arrived in Argentina for the summit on Thursday, the same day Venezuela staged a mock U.S. invasion of its own territory. The event is the latest exercise intended to prepare soldiers and civilian volunteers for what Chavez says is a possible attack by American troops.
Though U.S. officials deny any such plan, Chavez says it is best to be ready.
With tensions rising between the two nations, Chavez and Bush will likely see each other Friday at the summit's inauguration _ after Chavez addresses the rally of mostly anti-Bush protesters. The two leaders are not scheduled to meet one-on-one, but they will both be at the same sessions.
Chavez has joked about whether Bush is afraid of him, saying he might sneak up and scare the U.S. president at the summit.
Jose Miguel Insulza, secretary-general of the Organization of American States which organized the summit, said he was disappointed by attention to the free trade deal.
'This is not a summit about the FTAA,' a frustrated Insulza told reporters.
But Bush seems to be winning over supporters. A high-ranking Brazilian official, who said he was not authorized to give his name, told reporters 28 of the 34 countries participating in the summit had agreed to relaunch trade talks as early as April.
Meanwhile, some 10,000 demonstrators were planning to march 30 blocks Friday to the stadium where Chavez was scheduled to speak.
'We're going to say 'No to Bush' and 'No to FTAA,'' said the Argentine labor leader Juan Gonzalez. 'We don't have any confidence in anything he might propose here. Whatever it is will only prolong hunger, poverty and death in Latin America.'
More than 8,000 security forces were dispatched to maintain order ahead of the summit. Navy ships sailed along the coastline and helicopters clattered overhead. Most summit hotels were in a section of the city that has been cleared of pedestrians and traffic and surrounded by guards.
Cuban President Fidel Castro was snubbed by the summit's organizers, but though their country was not invited, the communist island's Parliamentary speaker Ricardo Alarcon showed up in Mar del Plata anyway.
'They are going to take a good photo with Bush, have lunch, eat dinner, and gab some more. What is happening over there is a plan that does no good for the people of the Americas,' he said.
Costa Rican President Abel Pacheco and his Mexican counterpart Vicente Fox said Thursday they would focus bilaterally on the search for regional solutions to high oil prices. Fox also complained of resistance to accept what he called 'the freedom' of workers to migrate across borders, and said Mexico would bring up the immigration issue at the Americas Summit this week. Socialistas. I hope there will be giant puppets and pink tanks. It's just not a proper WankFest without 'em.
#1
But Bush seems to be winning over supporters. A high-ranking Brazilian official, who said he was not authorized to give his name, told reporters 28 of the 34 countries participating in the summit had agreed to relaunch trade talks as early as April.
Looks like Bush is gaining more political momentum. Is this the week when Reid & Pelosi finally cook their engine blocks, or just more gaskets?
#3
"....thousands of protesters" - from both CNN, MSNBC and FNC, barely looks like 500 let alone 1000. Methinks these protesters are yet another group of Lefties-Socialists-Commies-Anarchists whom demand Argentina be invaded and saved by Dubya. I can't think of any era in world military and political history where whole regions or many states demand to be attacked and invaded by their alleged, surreal ideo "enemy", in order to destroy said enemy!?
#4
watched the "riots" on Fox this afternoon - there were more cameramen and photographers surrounding and encouraging those few smashing windows and burning phone booths....pathetic. Reporters and photogs become agitators. Expect to see some capped when the violence turns nasty - they deserve it
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/04/2005 20:46 Comments ||
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Wonder if...It's made out of PEOPLE!
Pyongyang, November 3 (KCNA) -- The botanical health food "Royal Blood-Fresh" exhibited by the Korea Pugang Pharmaceutical Corporation was popular among Korean and foreign visitors to the First Pyongyang Autumn International Commodity Fair held some days ago. It is a kind of health food which is made with the help of high technology according to secret prescriptions used in royal palaces of Korea. I don't want to know...
It has proved very efficacious against limb-numbing, hemiplegia, speech impediment, vertigo, headache, thrombosis, high- or low-blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, angina pectoris and other diseases. It is also good for preventing aging. As long as it's efficacious, that's good enough for me. And thanks to KCNA, I know what efficacious means.
Han Yong Gon, manager of the corporation, told KCNA that the 20-year long clinical test shows 95 percent of efficacy among the Korean and foreign patients who take the health food. We grind up the 5% who didn't like it to make more.
"Royal Blood-Fresh" was awarded a WIPO gold medal at the 7th National Exhibition of Inventions and New Technologies in April Juche 91 (2002) and highly appreciated at various international shows. Big seller on Halloween I'll bet.
Prof. and Dr. Isam Hasanacha of the Pharmaceutical Faculty of Damascus University in Syria said that the three-year examination over the "Royal Blood-Fresh" shows that the health food is stronger than other medicines in dissolving substances causing thrombosis and free from side-effect. No other medicines can compare with it, he added. Wonder if it's efficacious in preventing multiple gunshot wound suicides of Syrian government officials?
It is exported to more than 20 countries including China, Russia, Germany, Canada, New Zealand, Britain and Syria. The Ugarit Corporation of Syria manufactures the "Royal Blood-Fresh" with the raw material imported from Korea under the license of the Korea Pugang Corporation. Soon to be fortified with actual pieces of the Assad family...
#2
It has proved very efficacious against limb-numbing, hemiplegia, speech impediment, vertigo, headache, thrombosis, high- or low-blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, angina pectoris and other diseases. It is also good for preventing aging.
And the proving was done using the scientific method?
Stagiaires -- interns -- also took to the streets. Wearing white masks and bearing banners ("no contract, no salary, no rights"), they marched on Tuesday for steady wages and benefits in their internships, claiming companies were getting around labor laws by taking so many of them on. In other words, they want a proper job, as opposed to, well, a stage, which they choose to take, presumably voluntarily. A nationwide strike of interns is scheduled for November 14.
So the revolt of the well-educated, middle-class youth is on. By definition, internships give young people a taste of the working world. In France, an "intern strike" thus makes perfect sense because the country's workers have made an art out of striking. Meanwhile, French police were bracing yesterday for an eighth consecutive night of violence in the poor projects of Sainte-Denis.
#6
I've been searching through the Kamasutra for half an hour and still can't find the "intern position". Please elaborate.
Posted by: Dar ||
11/04/2005 14:34 Comments ||
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In the Name of Stalin-Mao = Jefferson-Madison, and GOD = Great He-She/It, Clintonian Fascist = Comunist Amerika demands that you stop = go on, D*** YOU, in the name of the Law = Mafia!?
Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges of lying to the FBI and a grand jury about his conversations with reporters in the CIA leak investigation, and his lawyer promised to fight the accusations in a trial that could bring government secrets into open court. "With respect, your honor, I plead not guilty," I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby told U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton during his 10-minute arraignment, his first court appearance after being indicted on five felony counts Friday. Under federal sentencing guidelines, legal experts estimate that he faces a probable sentence of two to five years if convicted.
Libby, 55, entered the courthouse on crutches because of a foot injury but came with a show of legal strength: Theodore V. Wells Jr. and William Jeffress Jr., two nationally prominent white-collar criminal defense litigators he had recently hired for his defense. Libby resigned as Cheney's chief of staff last Friday, the same day that he was indicted on five counts of obstructing justice, perjury and making false statements in the two-year investigation of whether officials illegally disclosed the identity of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame to the news media.
"Mr. Libby today has pled not guilty to each and every count of the indictment," Wells told a throng of reporters outside the courthouse. "He has declared to the world he is innocent. . . . He has declared he plans to fight the charges."
A trial in the matter would probably require senior administration officials to testify about their private conversations in the summer of 2003. That was when the administration grappled with how to react to the public criticism of its rationale for invading Iraq leveled by former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, and when the name of his wife, Plame, was leaked to journalists.
Wells, a partner in the New York firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, is best known for his courtroom prowess. He recently represented Philip Morris against a Justice Department racketeering lawsuit that is awaiting a judge's ruling, and won acquittals for former agriculture secretary Michael Espy and former labor secretary Raymond Donovan. Jeffress, also a highly soughtdefense lawyer, won a plea bargain for a Rite Aid executive accused of accounting fraud in 2003 and acquittals for a number of public officials accused of vote-buying, money laundering and perjury, many of them in Louisiana. He works at the firm of Baker Botts LLP, where Bush family friend and former secretary of state James A. Baker III is a senior partner.
Both the prosecution and the defense in Libby's case told Walton yesterday that they expect a complex case that will be drawn out by pretrial evidentiary battles before the judge can even consider setting a trial date.
Now, the real fun begins
Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald warned that much of the evidence against Libby involves classified material concerning national security.
Really? I thought it was just about who told who about Valerie first? After all, her so-called cover is blown, what else is there?
Libby's lawyers must first obtain security clearances just to read the evidence Fitzgerald has gathered and to prepare their defense.
Jeffress said that there could be numerous First Amendment "issues" that may produce "protracted litigation" and delay the case. Libby's lawyers are expected to seek to review the notes, records and source information of several reporters who may be called as witnesses, several defense lawyers said, and the likely resistance from reporters and their news organizations could provide delays that help the defense.
Remember, pretty much the whole case against Libby is that he sez he learned about Plame from a reporter, and the reporters say it was the other way around.
Standing in the Ceremonial Courtroom usually reserved for weighty oral arguments before the appeals court, Libby told the judge yesterday that he was waiving his right to a speedy trial because of those complexities.
Michael J. Madigan, a former prosecutor and now a well-known criminal defense lawyer at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, praised both Wells and Jeffress as excellent choices for Libby, but he said they are joining the case with "one hand tied behind their back" because of what has already transpired in the investigation. They enter the case "with Libby having given two different statements to the FBI and testifying twice to the grand jury, in which he contradicts three reporters and four or five of his friends in the administration," Madigan said. "If I was entering the case, I would not be really happy to have that situation."
Defendants in perjury cases often say they simply forgot about other conversations or had flawed recollections. But that strategy looks less promising for Libby, several lawyers said, because he has already given such categorical testimony suggesting that he had detailed memories of specific events. For example, Libby told the grand jury that he learned about Plame working at the CIA from NBC reporter Tim Russert in July 2003. But Fitzgerald charges that Libby learned about Plame from Cheney, the CIA and the State Department a month earlier.
"It would be difficult now to say that you didn't recall certain things when you've already testified that you did remember them," Madigan said.
Criminal defense lawyers, judges and prosecutors said the major strength of Fitzgerald's case is that he has the testimony of several administration officials who contradict Libby's accounts. Fitzgerald has also warned White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove that he remains under investigation and could face criminal charges for false statements, sources close to Rove said.
Un-named mysterious sources
Libby's next court date was set for Feb. 3, by which time Walton said he hopes the defense would have obtained the proper security clearances and been able to review the government's evidence.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/04/2005 13:34 ||
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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) â A new judge was selected to preside over Rep. Tom DeLay's conspiracy and money laundering trial Thursday, after a GOP judge became the second to step away from involvement in the case because of political contributions he has made.
Administrative Judge B.B. Schraub, a Republican who was to have selected the judge for the case, withdrew after Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle filed a request to have him removed. Two days earlier, District Judge Bob Perkins was removed from the case at DeLay's request because of his contributions to Democrats.
Schraub asked Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson to name a judge to preside over DeLay's trial. Jefferson selected semi-retired Senior Judge Pat Priest of San Antonio, a Democrat. Earle, however, filed a motion requesting Jefferson be removed from the case moments after Jefferson's office distributed a letter naming Priest to the job. The validity of Priest's assignment by Jefferson was not immediately clear.
State documents examined by The Associated Press show that Jefferson's 2002 campaign treasurer, Bill Ceverha, also was the treasurer of DeLay's Texans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee. The PAC is a codefendant in DeLay's case. Ceverha was a defendant this spring in a civil trial brought by Democrats who lost state legislative races to Republicans in 2002. Jefferson also was elected to his seat with the help of a $25,000 donation from the Republican National State Elections Committee, a group at the heart of the money laundering charge against DeLay. And he received $2,000 from a DeLay-run PAC whose executive director is a co-defendant.
Lawyers on both sides in DeLay's case have argued that political contributions by judges have harmed at least the appearance of impartiality. But in a state where judges are elected and free to contribute to candidates and political parties, it could be a challenge to find a judge who meets both sides' definition of impartial.
The more senior the judge, the longer he's been running for office, the more he's been involved in politics, etc, etc..
Prosecutors believe Schraub to be "completely fair and impartial, with a sterling reputation of honesty and integrity," Earle wrote. "However, as the recusal of Judge Perkins reflected, such is unfortunately no longer the standard in our state for the judiciary."
DeLay is charged with illegally funneling corporate campaign contributions to Republican candidates for the 2002 legislative races. The Texas Republican was forced to step down as House majority leader after being indicted. DeLay attorney Dick DeGuerin agreed that the system of electing partisan judges is flawed but criticized Earle for setting the current situation in motion.
Earle argued that Schraub was objectionable because he has given money to GOP candidates including Gov. Rick Perry, an ally in DeLay's successful effort to redraw congressional districts to benefit Republicans. DeLay's contributions to Texas Republicans helped the GOP win control of the Texas House in 2002. Then, in a series of special sessions called by Perry, the GOP pushed through a redistricting plan crafted by DeLay that helped get more Republicans elected to Congress in 2004.
In his request for Schraub's removal, Earle said Schraub's financial support of Perry reveals that the judge "agrees in principle with Perry's agenda regarding Tom DeLay's redistricting map." Prosecutors also suggested that Schraub appears politically indebted to Perry, who appointed him as administrative judge and can reappoint him in January.
Schraub, 76, has also contributed to George W. Bush's campaigns for governor and president. DeLay objected to Perkins, a Democrat, because he has contributed to Democratic candidates such as John Kerry and the liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org.
The judicial wrangling is "a great shame," said Charles Silver, a legal ethics professor at the University of Texas Law School. "It says that the judges who we elect can't be trusted to apply the law neutrally in cases that in some way, shape or form bear on their political beliefs," Silver said. "If that's true, we really need to revamp the whole system."
Posted by: Steve ||
11/04/2005 12:17 ||
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So now Earle's demanding that a Democrat judge not be allowed to hear the case because he was assigned by a Republican?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
11/04/2005 15:30 Comments ||
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RC Not all Democrats drink the KoolAid and I bet this Judge has more in common with Republicans than Democrats. This is an old Democrat and probably a conservative one to boot. Earle is worried that the judge will take one look at his "evidence" and toss the whole thing out. His case is really that weak.
A Texas county official said Thursday he would not prosecute presidential adviser Karl Rove after investigating whether he voted illegally in the state.
Dems to cry foul in 5..4..
Kerr County Attorney Rex Emerson said he made the decision after reviewing a report from the county sheriff, who examined documents from Texas, Washington and Florida and interviewed several witnesses. "The facts indicate that Mr. and Mrs. Rove are Texans living in Washington, D.C., during Mr. Rove's service to the federal government," Emerson said in a statement. Emerson said there was no evidence of dual voting or falsified applications involving Rove, White House deputy chief of staff, and his wife, Darby.
Rove's voting habits became an issue after The Washington Post reported in September that Rove received a homestead tax deduction on his Washington residence, while also claiming an exemption for a Texas residence he later sold. Washington changed its homestead exemption law to restrict the tax break only to people who voted in the district and took blame for failing to inform Rove of the change in the law. Rove reimbursed the district about $3,400. Rove is registered to vote in Kerr County, where his residence includes two cottages that are part of a bed-and-breakfast. He also recently built a home in Florida.
A Kerr County resident complained in a letter about Rove, which triggered the county attorney's investigation of whether Rove and his wife had violated the Texas Election Code, a misdemeanor. The Texas secretary of state has said that Texans who have moved out of state can vote in the state if they intend to return someday. Before moving to Washington, Rove had lived in Texas since the 1970s and worked on former President George H.W. Bush's campaign. He also helped President George W. Bush get elected Texas governor in 1994 and again in 1998 before leading his presidential campaigns in 2000 and 2004.
Rove remains under investigation by a federal grand jury in the CIA leak case in Washington. Or not, depending on which leak you prefer
Posted by: Steve ||
11/04/2005 10:27 ||
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Yes, this is an editorial, but it contains information I was not even aware of. It appears to me hardly anyone reported this motion, and it may be because of the embarassment this information could cause for the press and their leftist political allies.
Edited for the first part...
Apart from Scooter Libby, the biggest loser by far in the Patrick Fitzgerald probe has been the press. The "leak" investigation that every liberal editorial board demanded has already sent one reporter to jail, and the damage is only going to get worse.
Thanks to the disastrous New York Times legal strategy, the D.C. Circuit of Appeals dealt a major blow to a reporter's ability to protect his sources. Prosecutors everywhere will now be more inclined to call reporters to testify, under threat of prison time. And if Mr. Libby's case goes to trial, at least three reporters will be called as witnesses for the prosecution. Just wait until defense counsel starts examining their memories and reporting habits, not to mention the dominant political leanings in the newsrooms of NBC, Time magazine and the New York Times. "Meet the Press," indeed.
Rather than join this parade of masochism, we thought we'd try to speed things along, as well as end one of the remaining mysteries in the probe. That's why Dow Jones & Co., this newspaper's parent company, filed a motion late Wednesday requesting that the federal district court unseal eight pages of redacted information that Mr. Fitzgerald used to justify throwing Judith Miller of the New York Times in the slammer.
The pages were part of Judge David Tatel's concurring opinion in the ruling against Ms. Miller and Time magazine's Matthew Cooper. Judge Tatel said the eight pages showed that, with his "voluminous classified filings," Mr. Fitzgerald had "met his burden of demonstrating that the information [sought from the reporters] is both critical and unobtainable from any other source."
The pages remain sealed, but now that Mr. Fitzgerald has indicted Mr. Libby and said "the substantial bulk" of his probe is "completed," there's no reason to keep those pages secret. The indictment itself discloses the nature and "major focus" of Mr. Fitzgerald's grand jury probe, including the fact that Valerie Plame worked for the CIA. The special counsel's own extensive public discussion of the facts in the case should also have vitiated any protection from disclosure under grand jury rule of evidence 6(e). Future prosecutors and judges trying to decide whether to throw a reporter in jail should be able to inspect the evidence in this case, which will be an influential precedent.
#2
I understand The New York Times is bring back veteran, Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Jayson Blair to assist with thier failing legal and public relations strategies.
A march of 10,000 anti-Bush protesters, led by the footballer and television host, Diego Maradona, and addressed by Hugo Chavez, the firebrand President of Venezuela, is threatening to overshadow the start of a pan-American summit in Argentina today.
The protesters, marshalled by 8,000 troops and police officers who have been despatched to the resort of Mar de Plata to provide security for the conference, will hold a "Peopleâs Summit" in the hours before the official talks begin. The demonstration will criticise a free trade initiative which President Bush is expected to put before the Summit of the Americas in favour of more programmes to fight poverty and create jobs. Argentina is still suffering from the largest debt default in history in 2001.
'Cos free trade is not related in any way to job creation or poverty reduction. Ev'rybody knows that.
Mr Chavez, an vehement critic of Mr Bush who models himself on the great South American liberators, Simon Bolivar and Che Guevara, will address the protest before attending the formal opening of the summit, where he has joked that he will sneak up on Mr Bush to frighten him.
Continued on Page 49
#3
"Our respective governments have very different visions for the hemisphere," said Tom Shannon, the chief US diplomat for the Western Hemisphere, on board Air Force One."
#6
Those blue tatoos and coordinated turquoise outfit are very macho. I bet Heraldo is salivating. Photo caption reads.... no, no, no, no more beans and burritos please. Did Maradona actually EAT Hugo and Fidel?
WASHINGTON (AP) - Already under fire, reporters protecting their sources' identities are facing further challenges in the CIA leak case and in a lawsuit brought by former nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee.
Those calls for a "shield law" should reach a fever pitch.
A lawyer for Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff has said First Amendment issues could become important in the criminal prosecution of I. Lewis Libby on charges of obstruction, perjury and lying to the FBI.
In Lee's lawsuit, reporters lost a round this week as the ex-scientist continued his effort to find out who in the government told journalists he was under suspicion of passing nuclear secrets to China. Lee was never charged with espionage. A federal appeals court refused to consider the reporters' appeal, and a request to the Supreme Court to hear the case would be the next step.
News organizations are still pondering recent punishments given to journalists who defied court orders. New York Times reporter Judith Miller spent 85 days in jail in the CIA leak probe, and TV reporter Jim Taricani spent four months in home confinement. He refused to disclose the source of a videotape that showed a public official taking a cash bribe. In the CIA leak probe, Miller went to jail for refusing Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's demands that she disclose her conversations with Libby. She eventually relented and testified that he told her about the CIA status of the wife of Bush administration critic Joseph Wilson.
And I still refuse to believe she went to jail to protect a source in the Bush administration
Now that Fitzgerald has his criminal case, it's Libby's turn to decide how much information he needs from journalists.
"It would not surprise me: Instead of Fitzgerald coming after reporters, now we have Libby coming after reporters," said Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. "Here comes the defense asking about all sorts of things that" Fitzgerald agreed he wouldn't ask them about. "As well, there's nothing to say Libby wouldn't come up with other journalists as witnesses that he would want to subpoena," said Dalglish.
Heh heh heh. They wanted a trial sooooo badly, too. Heh.
St. John's University law professor Michael Simons says Libby's right to a fair trial may entitle his lawyers on cross-examination to find out whom else - in or out of government - reporters spoke to about the identity of covert CIA officer Valerie Plame.
Double heh
In 1972 the Supreme Court held that reporters, like other citizens, have a duty to provide grand juries with information relevant to criminal investigations. Regarding trials, lower courts at the state and federal levels have ruled that if certain criteria are met, journalists can also be subpoenaed to testify, and often the party issuing the subpoena in a criminal case is the defendant.
In the Lee lawsuit, the ex-scientist's efforts to find out the identities of the reporters' sources "goes to the heart" of his case, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled in June. On a 4-4 vote, the full appeals court refused Thursday to consider the reporters' arguments. A majority of the 10-member court must agree in order for a case to be heard.
Lee was fired from Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico when his name surfaced in the news media as a suspect in an espionage probe. After nine months in solitary confinement, he pleaded guilty to a count of downloading nuclear weapons data to portable tapes. His treatment drew an apology from a federal judge, who said the case had embarrassed the nation and every citizen.
A different federal judge has cited reporters in Lee's lawsuit for contempt of court for refusing to reveal their sources and has ordered fines of $500 per day. The penalty has been placed on hold while appeals are under way. The reporters in the case are H. Josef Hebert of The Associated Press, James Risen of The New York Times, Robert Drogin of The Los Angeles Times and Pierre Thomas, formerly of CNN. Thomas is now with ABC.
Posted by: Steve ||
11/04/2005 15:47 ||
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From East Asia Intel, subscription
WASHINGTON â Growing economic and military links between China and Egypt "indicate a geopolitical dimension," which could include nuclear cooperation in the future. Somehow I do not find that reassuring, given the history of the Chicom assistance given to the Paks.
The Jamestown Foundation said in a new report that Egypt plans to expand Chinese military and other relations as part of the Arab state's strategic option to reduce dependency on the United States. The Washington-based group said that Egypt and China already cooperate on strategic issues in Africa and the Middle East. Cooperate on strategic issues in Africa and the ME? Like, meaning taking gifts and bribes from the Chicoms? It just goes to show that you cannot by friendship with billions of dollars.
"Toward this end, while Beijing has pursued closer economic ties with Cairo, growing political and military relations with Egypt indicate a geopolitical dimension that is leading to a strategic partnership between the two countries," stated the report, "Down the River Nile: China Gains Influence in Egypt." So Egypt is looking for another sugar daddy with less strings attached?
The report said Egypt has provided China with expanded access to the Suez Canal, the report said. In 2002, a Chinese guided missile destroyer and a supply ship crossed the Suez Canal and docked in the Egyptian port city of Alexandria.
The next step in Chinese-Egyptian cooperation could be in the nuclear field, the report said. China has already offered nuclear cooperation to several Middle East states, including Algeria and Iran. I swear, that between the Russians, Chicoms, Iranians, and all the nutcase govts in the ME, that within a decade it will be a radioactive, smoking hole. The ME govts think that possessing nukes is the ticket to worldwide respect. And where are the LLL anti-nuke moonbats? **crickets chirping**
Authored by Chris Zambelis, the report said China has been helping Egypt's military and energy programs as part of bilateral trade expected to reach $2 billion this year. Zambelis said the two countries have embarked on several joint oil and natural gas exploration ventures while exchanging high-level military officials.
The report cited an Egyptian-Chinese partnership to produce K-8E air trainers for the Egyptian air force. The China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corp., or CATIC, has partnered with Egypt's AOI Aircraft for joint production of the aircraft, which the report said "indicates closer ties between both countries' defense industries and military."
"China's ties to Egypt extend far beyond the energy and trade spheres and include a geopolitical dimension that is leading to a strategic partnership â some aspects of which conflict with Washington," the report said. "Indeed, Egypt continues to enjoy close political, military and economic relations with the U.S. and is counted as one of Washington's leading allies in the region." Leading allies cost to the US is $2 billion/year.
Despite close political ties with Beijing, Egypt does not plan to abandon its military relationship with the United States, the report said. They naturally would not want to part with the bennies.
Cairo receives nearly $2 billion in annual aid from the United States, $1.3 billion in military assistance.
"Sino-Egyptian cooperation extends to military affairs in the form of regular high-level contacts between Beijing and Cairo, a relationship that stems from the NAM [non-aligned movement]," the report said. "So far, these contacts reaffirm the growing strategic partnership both countries have built in the political and economic spheres but have yet to translate into more tangible results such as the sale of modern weapons systems, as Washington remains the primary source for Egypt's armed forces," it said.
"China's history of nuclear cooperation in the region may portend closer ties with Egypt in this area, if Cairo decides on such a course of action," the report said. "Egypt has already approached China and Russia in 2002 for assistance in the development of a nuclear reactor in Alexandria." Bushehr in the Med.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
11/04/2005 13:15 ||
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EFL - RTWT
Itâs a strain being a Mexican diplomat in the United States these days, as the plaintive expression on Mario Velázquez-Suárezâs dignified features suggests. Diplomacy may be the art of lying for oneâs country, but Mexican diplomacy requires taking that art to virtuosic heights. Sitting in his expansive office in Mexicoâs Los Angeles consulate, Deputy Consul General Velázquez-Suárez gamely insists that he and his peers observe the diplomatic duty not to interfere in Americaâs internal affairs, including immigration matters. âImmigration is an internal discussion,â he says. âWe have to respect that regardless of whether it pleases us.â
Well, at least one part of the deputy consul generalâs statement is true: immigration is an âinternal discussion.â The decision about who can enter and permanently reside in a country is central to its identity. The rest of his statement, though, is utterly false. Mexican officials here and abroad are involved in a massive and almost daily interference in American sovereignty. The dozens of illegals milling in the consulateâs courtyard as Velázquez-Suárez speaks, and the millions more radiating outward from Los Angeles across the country, are not a naturally occurring phenomenon, like the tides. They are there thanks in part to Mexicoâs efforts to get them into the U.S. in violation of American law, and to normalize their status once here in violation of the popular will. Mexican consulates are engineering a backdoor amnesty for their illegal migrants and trying to discredit American immigration enforcementâactivities clearly beyond diplomatic bounds.
Mexicoâs governing class is not content simply to unload the victims of its failed policies on the U.S., however. It also tries to ensure that migrants retain allegiance to La Patria, so as to preserve the $16 billion in remittances that they send to Mexico each year. Mexican leaders have thus tasked their nationâs U.S. consulates with spreading Mexican culture into American schools and communities. Given the American publicâs swelling anger about illegal immigration, itâs past time for Washington to tell Mexico to cease interfering and for the Bush administration to start enforcing the law.
Just how shameless is Mexico in promoting illegal entry into the U.S.? For starters, it publishes a comic bookâstyle guide on breaching the border safely and evading detection once across. Mexicoâs foreign ministry distributes the GuÃa del Migrante Mexicano (Guide for the Mexican Migrant) in Mexico; Mexican consulates along the border hand it out in the U.S. The pamphlet is also available on the website of the Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior, or IME (Institute for Mexicans Abroad), the cabinet-level agency that promotes Mexicanismo in the U.S.
Nodding to U.S. law, the guide does briefly remind readers that âmechanisms for legal entryâ into the U.S. exist and are the surest way to get in. But the book primarily consists of âpractical adviceâ for entering illegally: do drink salt water and cross when the heat is lowest; donât wear heavy clothing when fording a river. Do keep your coyote in sight; donât send your children across the border with strangersâa Mexican variation on the usual parental advice. And donât âthrow rocks or objects at officials or at patrols since this is considered a provocation by those officials.â (This last piece of advice clearly hasnât taken hold: attacks on the border patrol have steadily increased in number and viciousness.)
The guideâs recommendations on how to avoid detection once in the U.S. are equally no-nonsense: do keep your daily routines stable, to avoid calling attention to yourself; donât engage in domestic violenceâthe Marvel comicâtype illustration shows a macho man, biceps bulging, socking a woman a big one in the jaw. Donât drink and drive because it could result in deportation if youâre arrested.
Mexico backs up the publication with serious resources for the collective assault on the border. An elite law enforcement team called Grupo Beta protects illegal migrants as they sneak into the U.S. from corrupt Mexican officials and criminalsâessentially pitting two types of Mexican lawlessness against each other. Grupo Beta currently maintains aid stations for Mexicans crossing the desert. In April, it worked with Mexican federal and Sonoran state police to help steer illegal aliens away from Arizona border spots patrolled by Minutemen border enforcement volunteersâdemagogically denounced by President Vicente Fox as âmigrant-hunting groups.â
Disseminating information about how to evade a host countryâs laws is not typical consular activity. Consulates exist to promote the commercial interests of their nations abroad and to help nationals if they have lost passports, gotten robbed, or fallen ill. If a national gets arrested, consular officials may visit him in jail, to ensure that his treatment meets minimum human rights standards. Consuls arenât supposed to connive in breaking a host countryâs laws or intervene in its internal affairs.....
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/04/2005 12:12 ||
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#1
Sold out to the Mexicans, the Chinese, the Saudis ...
#2
I understand that out here in SoCal, some of the illegals have discovered that they can come out ahead by filing taxes and getting "earned income tax credits".
#3
Thanks frank..bit depressing eh, been going on way too long. Being a citizen demands Vigilance 24/7/365. At least you, Kathy McD and the rest of us here get it.
money-voting-networking-baggering pols-don't hire illegals etc, do the best you can.
thank you.
Posted by: Red Dog ||
11/04/2005 20:31 Comments ||
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#2
There are lots of middle class blacks who can think very well for themselves in Maryland. A lot of them may do so in this election. And then the Dems will have only the unions and perverts left.
#4
Delegate Salima Siler Marriott, "....Because he is a conservative, he is different than most public blacks, and he is different than most people in our community"
Ole Salima is right on! It's not about black, it's all about the gravy train and the fact Steele isn't riding it or pulling it! Oh, but I thought we liked "different, diversity, etc."
#6
I see an odious plot hatched by the makers of Oreo cookies.
Steele has a spine of steel. And you can bet it's all about race for some black donks. It used to be the white bigots; now it's a select number who are black bigots.
Posted by: Captain America ||
11/04/2005 18:49 Comments ||
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#7
I see an odious plot hatched by the makers of Oreo cookies.
Steele has a spine of steel. And you can bet it's all about race for some black donks. It used to be the white bigots; now it's a select number who are black bigots.
Posted by: Captain America ||
11/04/2005 18:49 Comments ||
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Liberian runoff elections are scheduled for the 8th
. . .
Mr. Weah warned that the press had to be mindful of its important role in society, saying if elected he will reciprocate. âWhat bad you write about me I will have reciprocation if I win the election.â
The CDC leader said as captain of the national soccer team, the press wrote âgood thingsâ about him; but today they are writings negative things.
Ironically, the presidential contender told supporters in Saclepea: âFor Liberia to be freed is left with you.â
. . . Just what a failed state needs
Posted by: James ||
11/04/2005 10:10 ||
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#1
Come on George, lighten up mun! You're sounding just like Sammy and Charles.
(Washington) A man who had sex with women and teenage girls without warning them he had the AIDS virus was sent to prison Thursday by a judge who labeled him a "violent, self-absorbed outlaw." That's the nice way of putting it. Sundiata Basir, 34, was sentenced to 21 years and eight months by District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Robert I. Richter. The judge told Basir he "knowingly put uncountable people at grave risk." Basir, huh? Sounds like a redneck from the Piney Woods of East Texas...
Prosecutors said Basir learned he was HIV-positive in January 1996 but had unprotected sex with several partners over the years, never telling them about his illness. When some of them asked, he lied. What a despicable ass. They need the Death Penalty.
Among the victims were a 15-year-old girl and Basir's wife, who was then 17. Basir pleaded guilty to first-degree child sexual abuse in the former case, and second degree cruelty to children in the latter. He also pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated assault in the case of a woman he had a long-term relationship with who later became HIV-positive. Perhaps there's someone in the slammer with nothing to lose who'll do what this jurisdiction hasn't the stones to do: kill this fuck.
Prosecutors said they were able to identify seven victims, but believe there may be others. Prison's far too good for him. It's obvious he'll probably cost 10x as much to keep alive as the average prisoner, since he'll have to be given the latest treatments, lots of Doc time, etc. With this conviction I'm sure he shot straight onto the ACLU's short list of Assholes We'll Assist Cuz We're Assholes, Too. Far beyond the cost of incarcerating this monster is the utterly heinous nature of his crimes. Kill it.
The temperature here is a sticky 35C and the backdrop is rubber plantations. Welcome to Moscow.
Moscow, Kerala, that is - a village in the southern Indian state given its name by local communists, inspired by Soviet Russia.
Lenin, Stalin, Brezhnev and Khrushchev recently gathered here along with Natasha, Tereshkova and Anastasya. Gorbachev failed to show. In fact, there are six Lenins, two Gagarins and two Pushkins - Indians given Russian names, meeting here to chew the fat on the personalities after whom they were named.
There is a lot of excitement in this rubber growing belt as a van carrying the "personalities" reaches Moscow. One Lenin, 25, has studied law and is now doing his masters in social work. His parents are staunch communist supporters. "I am proud to have this name. I have travelled to different parts of India and never come across another Lenin," he says. Until now.
Lenin's parents are staunch communists and their enthusiasm for communism saw them name their son after the Bolshevik leader.
Schoolteacher, Gagarin, 45, says he was named after the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, because he was born in the same year as the historic voyage. Gagarin says his name inspired him to a keen interest in astronomy.
More than 30 people from Kerala assembled at the meeting organised by Trivandrum's Russian Cultural Centre. Ratheesh Nair, the director, says he decided to organise the meeting when his friends told him about the village called Moscow.
Young Tereshkova studies in grade seven and is proud of her name. She says her parents gave her the name of a former Russian queen. (In fact, it is the name of the first woman in space.)
One of the two Pushkins had little idea about the Russian author after whom he was named. He seems a little lost when asked to speak to the gathering. But, the second Pushkin, a bank employee, was up to date with information about the Russian writer.
VG Pushkin says that as a child he was embarrassed by his name. His friends had names like Sathish, Unni and Ramesh. "It was only later that I realised the importance of having such a name," he says. "None of the 25,000 in my bank has a non-Indian name. I am well known because of this name."
Kerala is one of two Indian states with considerable backing for communist parties. It was the first Indian state to elect a communist government, in the 1950s.
The worldwide surge of communism saw many in India seek inspiration from Russian leaders. It was then that this tiny village in Kottayam district saw its name changed to Moscow.
Most of the people with Russian names were born in the Cold War decades. But one of them, local bus driver Khrushchev, says he has given his own children Indian names. "My wife does not like such names and she is a staunch believer in Lord Krishna. She persuaded me to give my daughters and son typical Kerala names," he said.
Pushkin also gave Indian names to his daughters. "I feel ashamed of not showing enough courage like my father. My daughters are called Lakshmi and Reshma," he says.
The fascination for naming children after Russian leaders has declined since the collapse of the Soviet state. Many still name their sons after Lenin but Brezhnevs, Stalins and Khrushchevs have become a rarity.
Posted by: john ||
11/04/2005 07:55 ||
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An American expatriate who set up Web sites offering to help people make arrangements to kill themselves in Cambodia has shut the sites down, saying Friday he hoped to avoid problems with the authorities.
Roger Graham said he voluntarily shut down the sites, which promoted Cambodia as a destination for foreigners to come for suicide, but also suggested they might find life more worth living there. 'There is so much noise now that the authorities might cause me more trouble,' he said by telephone from Kampot province in southwestern Cambodia.
The Web sites, which had noted that euthanasia was 'not illegal in Cambodia,' were not available Friday. 'You are going to die anyway, so why not in Cambodia?' said one of the sites, which also offered a rationale for suicide and links to purchase books on the subject.
Meanwhile, the provincial governor, Put Chandarith, said Friday his office filed a defamation lawsuit against Graham with the provincial prosecutor, accusing the American of tarnishing the image of his province. The governor threatened to revoke Graham's license to run a coffee house in the provincial capital, also called Kampot, about 80 miles southwest of the capital, Phnom Penh.
Graham came to Cambodia in 2003 from Paradise, Calif., where he said he founded the Assisted Euthanasia Society of Paradise. 'I believe in a person's right to choose the time, place and manner of their death,' he said Wednesday. I would be happy to assist him in his demise.
House Republicans are looking closely at ending birthright citizenship and building a barrier along the entire U.S.-Mexico border as they search for solutions to illegal immigration. A task force of party leaders and members active on immigration has met since the summer to try to figure out where consensus exists, and several participants said those two ideas have floated to the top of the list of possibilities to be included either in an immigration-enforcement bill later this year or in a later comprehensive immigration overhaul.
"There is a general agreement about the fact that citizenship in this country should not be bestowed on people who are the children of folks who come into this country illegally," said Rep. Tom Tancredo, Colorado Republican, who is participating in the "unity dinners," the group of Republicans trying to find consensus on immigration.
Birthright citizenship, or what critics call "anchor babies," means that any child born on U.S. soil is granted citizenship, with exceptions for foreign diplomats. That attracts illegal aliens, who have children in the United States; those children later can sponsor their parents for legal immigration.
Most lawmakers had avoided the issue, fearing that change would require a constitutional amendment -- the 14th Amendment reads in part: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."
But several Republicans said recent studies suggest otherwise.
"There's been recent scholarship that says we can do it by statute, and we ought to try," said Rep. Jeff Flake, Arizona Republican, who usually finds himself on the opposite side of immigration issues from Mr. Tancredo. "How in the world can you explain that's a good policy to have? It simply doesn't promote respect for the rule of law," Mr. Flake said.
Several lawmakers said the U.S. and Mexico are the only major Western countries to have birthright citizenship. Most European countries have moved away from birthright citizenship in recent decades. "I am as surprised as anyone that this thing has got legs," Mr. Tancredo said, adding that he views it as a major step forward for the immigration debate. "This is the issue that motivated me to deal with immigration."
While some members said it could be part of an immigration bill later this year, Rep. Dan Lungren, California Republican, said it will take longer to drum up public support for such a major change, though he backs ending the policy. "Some of us believe we have depreciated the value of citizenship," he said.
Meanwhile, the idea of a fence or other barrier also is gaining support. At this week's "unity dinner," House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, Illinois Republican, said he supports a barrier system of fences in some places and electronic surveillance or vehicle barriers in others, one participant said. Mr. Hastert's spokesman said the speaker would not talk about the private meetings.
Border barriers received a big boost yesterday when Rep. Duncan Hunter, California Republican and chairman of the Armed Services Committee, announced a broad enforcement bill with a fence as its centerpiece. "The fence works," Mr. Hunter said. He led the fight earlier in this Congress to complete a 14-mile section of fence near San Diego, and he and other members said the success there gives the idea momentum. "Those who say the fence won't work, frankly, don't have experience with fences," said Rep. Geoff Davis, a Kentucky Republican who is supporting Mr. Hunter's bill.
But Mr. Flake and fellow Arizona Republican Rep. Jim Kolbe, who both support legalizing illegal aliens and raising legal immigration levels by 400,000 per year, said a fence would not work. Mr. Flake said it would not affect those illegal aliens -- about half of the total immigrant population -- who came to the United States on legal temporary visas and have overstayed. He also said he does not want it to sap energy from a comprehensive solution. "My fear is people will say let's build a fence and put off any guest-worker, border enforcement, interior enforcement for years," he said.
Rep. John Shadegg, the Arizona Republican who runs the dinners, said they are reaching some areas of consensus, though he would not specify and said committee chairmen would have to write the eventual bill. But he said the effort has convinced the White House to do more to enforce the borders -- something he said was reflected both in President Bush's remarks upon signing the homeland security spending bill and in congressional testimony by the Homeland Security secretary. Mr. Shadegg said the group has talked about border barriers and electronic surveillance, and said he is a fan of using unmanned aerial vehicles to patrol the border, particularly because they can track criminal behavior, which is crucial in establishing a chain of evidence to convict drug or alien smugglers. At last. Thanks, Tom.
#1
There are enough crazies in La Raza and MEChA who dream of Aztlan that I worry about the safety of Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo. El Cajon is too close to the border for comfort.
#2
Tancredo and Hunter are good guys. It'll be interesting to see if some of the invertebrate Repubs (like 1/2 of the gang of 14) in the Senate will go along.
Posted by: mac ||
11/04/2005 8:35 Comments ||
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#4
House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, Illinois Republican, said he supports a barrier system of fences in some places and electronic surveillance or vehicle barriers in others, "The fence works," Mr. Hunter said.
Yes Duncan, "The Fence Works." Sears is running a big sale on chain link. http://www.sears.ca/e/hc/fencing.htm Wonder if it would be too insulting to ask them WHO they think funds hospital delivery costs. I'm sure someone in Arizona, Texas, or Mexifornia could come up with the figures.
#5
I don't mind birthright citizenship nearly as much as dual citizenship. You're one or the other. If somebody wants to exercise their citizenship in another country, that's it, they're not American. And if you leave for a certain period, say two years, and don't come back, don't expect the light to be on.
#6
I'm honestly surprised someone hasn't created an international citizenship deal for all the Tranzi's out there. You know UN citizenship, citizen of the world. It'd be about as useful as dual citizenship (that is it would be useless) and would look good from up high on your pedistool and all.
#7
You're one or the other. If somebody wants to exercise their citizenship in another country, that's it, they're not American.
You'd be surprised how many people would swear 1000 oaths, renounce 1000 citizenships, sign 1000 documents, and still crap on the flag when it's conveniant for them. The only way to assuage your fears, would be to stop immigration. People keep dual citizenships for economic reasons, most notable, to collect retirement benefits from their country of origin.
Posted by: Rafael ||
11/04/2005 13:04 Comments ||
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#8
Yep...*gloating* ...Duncan's my congressman...EC and Santee too, RWV.
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/04/2005 14:16 Comments ||
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#9
They keep dual citizenships because they're allowed to. If the law were changed, they'd have to pick one or the other.
#10
The solution is simple: for infants to be automatic citizens, their parents should be legal citizens, legal immigrants, or recognized refugees. I'm interesed on others' thoughts about the babies of H1-Bs.
#11
BAR -- I like your idea. For H1-B's, I'd make it dependent on the rules of their parent's home country. If they give the children of their nationals born outside of their territory citizenship, then they don't get US citizenship. If for some reason the parent's home country doesn't grant citizenship to children born overseas, then the US will.
I can't imagine there are many cases where the US would be granting citizenship to H1-B children.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
11/04/2005 14:35 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
A march of 10,000 anti-Bush protesters, led by the footballer and television host, Diego Maradona, and addressed by Hugo Chavez, the firebrand President of Venezuela, is threatening to overshadow the start of a pan-American summit in Argentina today.
