[An Nahar] A 51-year-old man who set himself alight in St Peter's Square in Vatican City earlier this week died of his injuries in hospital on Sunday, local media said.
The man was rushed to Rome's Sant'Eugenio hospital with third-degree burns over his upper body on Thursday after he poured petrol over himself and set fire to his clothes with a lighter, in shocking footage caught on closed-circuit television.
A Jesuit priest at the scene threw his coat over the man before two public security officers were able to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher.
Police said the man left a note on the ground nearby with his daughter's phone number.
The married father worked as a cleaner in a nearby Vatican-run hospital and was understood to have had family problems and health issues.
The last self-immolation in St Peter's Square was in 1998 when a 40-year-old Italian gay man set himself on fire in a protest against the Catholic Church's stance on homosexuality.
He died of his wounds a few days later.
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12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Two months before Rio's famed Carnival gets under way, a samba school said it was looking for dancers "without silicone breast implants" and would offer a free costume in exchange.
The school wants to recruit 20 dancers "with beautiful and natural" breasts "whatever the size," the news website G1 reported Friday, citing Paulo Menezes, Carnival producer for the Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel samba school.
In this tropical country where the female body is flaunted, plastic surgery is very common.
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Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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I know a 51 year old Brazilian lady who Samba'd when she was young and can still rhythm to Samba. True samba is a most unusual dance rhythm. It keep her in peak condition. She still works out sometimes 3 hours a day. Incredibly beautiful and fit for women her age.
[Tolo News] President Barack Obama Why can't I just eat my waffle?... warned South Sudan on Saturday that Washington and its allies would cut aid to the country over any attempted military coup, amid growing fears of civil war.
And top US diplomat John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry
Continued on Page 49
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12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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#2
If Stalin hadn't executed the designer of the K-7 we would never have won the Cold War. Srsly. Awesome CG. Think of how many Russer paratroopers could have held on to the wings.
#3
"Any effort to seize power through the use of military force will result in the end of longstanding support from the United States and the international community."
Don't believe me? Just ask Egypt. Wait...hold on..whaszat Val...mumble mumble...oh never mind.
#5
Does he even know the definition of coup? ( think Egypt)
But then again, he might just think it is a '32 Ford 3 window the Beach Boys sing about....
[An Nahar] The U.N. humanitarian chief in South Sudan warned Sunday the country has "unraveled" after a week of violence that has transformed a power struggle within the ruling party into a quasi-civil war.
The world's youngest nation, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after decades of combat, is falling apart under the pressure of rebel groups seizing towns and oil fields and militias from the country's two largest tribes massacring one another after a fall-out between the President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar.
"It would have been have been difficult one week ago to imagine that things would have unraveled to this extent," said Toby Lanzer, South Sudan humanitarian coordinator for the the United Nations
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Northern end is lookin' a might frayed, too. Thank goodness the UN is on the scene!
KHARTOUM -- He sat among tens of thousands of terrified people crammed into the United Nations compound, most of them women and children, taking notes about their desperate rush to safety. Like them, he had come seeking protection.
They came to my house, the man, Biel Boutros Biel, a human rights activist, said of the South Sudanese security forces. I knew they were coming after me.
After President Salva Kiir announced that his government had headed off a coup attempt by his former vice president last week, South Sudan was tossed into uncertainty and upheaval. Hundreds are believed to have been killed in the capital, Juba, with thousands more fleeing into the bush to escape the violence.
The former vice president, Riek Machar, has denied any involvement in a coup attempt, accusing the president of using the unrest as a pretext to crack down on his opponents. But while both sides debate what ignited the fighting, the aftermath has taken on a life of its own, revealing longstanding tensions in a fledgling new nation that international officials worry could ultimately tear it apart.
Events are unfolding fast. United States aircraft sent to evacuate Americans came under fire on Saturday, wounding four soldiers. Rebels are believed to have taken control of some of the countrys oil fields and alliances are shifting.
Like many conflicts in this tenuous nation, the fighting has taken on an ethnic dimension, human rights workers say. Mr. Machar, the former vice president removed over the summer when Mr. Kiir summarily dismissed his entire cabinet, is a Nuer. The president belongs to the majority Dinka ethnic group.
In the capital, South Sudanese forces have targeted members of the Nuer ethnic group, killing many and detaining others, including soldiers, lawmakers and students, rights workers and refuge seekers say.
But outside the capital, in Jonglei State, the reverse has occurred as well, with Nuer militiamen targeting Dinka, descending on United Nations compounds where thousands of civilians have fled for safety and carrying out attacks on oil facilities that have resulted in what the Security Council called the heavy loss of life among workers.
Other observers have said that politics, not ethnicity, are driving the conflict.
It is a power struggle, said Zacharia Diing Akol, an analyst at the Sudd Institute in Juba. Ethnicity is an afterthought.
South Sudan became independent in 2011 when it broke away from its neighbor to the north, Sudan, after decades of civil war. Now, critics accuse South Sudans president, Mr. Kiir, of being an autocrat who oversees a government marred by corruption, mismanagement and a lack of freedom.
Opponents of Mr. Machar, on the other hand, see him as an opportunist who changed sides during the civil war against Sudan to gain advantages for himself and his fellow Nuer. Mr. Machar, a British-educated former rebel with a Ph.D., was a senior member of the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army, the military wing of the party Mr. Kiir now leads, as it battled Sudans government in Khartoum. He split from the movement in 1991 and formed his own group, which signed a peace agreement with the Sudanese government in 1997.
During this period, Mr. Machars group fought against the South Sudanese rebels. But he later defected from Khartoum and rejoined the Southern rebel forces. When South Sudan seceded in 2011, Mr. Machar was made vice president until Mr. Kiir fired him along with the entire cabinet in July.
The United Nations said that the upheaval in recent days had forced 20,000 people to seek refuge at its compound in Juba, raising humanitarian concerns.
Diplomats have responded with great concern. On Friday, the United Nations Security Council issued a statement expressing grave alarm and concern regarding the rapidly deteriorating security and humanitarian crisis in South Sudan resulting from the political dispute among the countrys political leaders, which threatens serious implications for the long-term security and stability of South Sudan, as well as for the neighboring countries and other peace and security challenges in the region.
There are fears that the growing instability will have an impact on an already delicate economy. About 200 oil workers in Unity State to the north have sought refuge at a United Nations base there, and the Chinese oil company operating there, CNPC, has begun removing its workers.
A descent into civil war in South Sudan would have serious local and regional consequences.
No, really?
In the coming days, refugees are likely to reach Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia, said Casie Copeland of the International Crisis Group. South Sudan has become a critical player in the broader East African economy, with substantial regional and international investment.
Many groups have called for greater international involvement. The international community needs to double down on diplomatic engagement to facilitate a political resolution to the crisis, said Akshaya Kumar, Sudan and South Sudan policy analyst at the Enough Project.
But at the United Nations compound in Juba, Mr. Biel remained skeptical about a quick resolution. If I was at home, I would not be alive, he said. The whole nation is now suffering.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
I say it's an inevitable consequence of soft-power, reset, hopey-changey politics.
That, and 50 years of me, me, ME!
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/23/2013 7:32 Comments ||
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The African Union called on Saturday for an immediate ceasefire in South Sudan, where U.N. staff say hundreds of people have been killed in nearly a week of fighting. In a statement, it described the killing of U.N. peacekeepers and civilians at a U.N. camp as a war crime.
Fighting that began on Sunday in the capital Juba has swiftly spread to other parts of the country, fuelled by ethnic divisions between the main Nuer and Dinka tribal groups.
The African Union said in a statement that its chairwoman, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma "calls for an immediate humanitarian truce for the Christmas season, as a sign of a commitment by all concerned to the well-being of the people of South Sudan".
The United Nations has said that about 2,000 ethnic Luo Nuer youths overran a U.N. base in Akobo on Thursday, killing two Indian peacekeepers and at least 11 Dinka civilians who had sought refuge at the base.
The African Union said Dlamini-Zuma was "extremely saddened by the killing of innocent civilians and United Nations peacekeepers in Bor, in the Jonglei State of South Sudan. She condemns these killings as a war crime".
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12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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Former South Sudan Vice-President Riek Machar has said rebel troops have captured the key oil-producing state of Unity and control much of the country. Mr Machar also confirmed to the BBC that the forces fighting the government were under his command.
The country has been in turmoil since President Salva Kiir correctly as it turns out accused Mr Machar a week ago of attempting a coup.
The BBC's former Sudan correspondent James Copnall says the situation now looks very much like civil war.
Brilliant, Mr. Copnall, brilliant...
At least 500 people have been killed since the fighting began with the government struggling to keep control of the capital, Juba.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on both men to "find a political way out of this crisis".
"I demand that all political, military and militia leaders stop hostilities and end the violence against the civilians," he said. "I call on them to do everything in their power to ensure that their followers hear their message loud and clear."
Attaboy, Ban, now go do lunch...
The former vice-president is now a serious military rival for President Salva Kiir - after years of political clashes. Residents of Bentiu, the capital of Unity state, say Gen James Koang has announced on local radio that he is in charge - and that he is loyal to Riek Machar. So Mr Machar's claim that his troops have taken Bentiu as well as Bor seems to be true.
In addition, a well-connected security source, and a local resident, both say Mr Machar's men have taken at least some of Unity state's oilfields.
This is a huge economic blow for the government. However, it would be premature to say Mr Machar controls all of Jonglei and Unity.
In addition, the government is clearly trying hard to win Bor back. That means that in the short term the fighting is likely to intensify.
World Christian leaders have called for a ceasefire in South Sudan, where the population is mainly animist or Christian. The Vatican and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, issued a joint statement calling for the country's weak and poor to be "spared the trauma of conflict".
"Let us not yield to fratricidal tendencies in the name of our ethnic differences (which is what God created us to be)," they said.
Unity, a state on the border with Sudan, produces much of South Sudan's oil, which accounts for more than 95% of the country's economy.
I don't know that there's anything at all in South Sudan worth the life of a single American soldier. Someone is going to have to convince me.
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12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] The head of Egypt's constitutional drafting committee, Jerry Lewis doppelgänger Amr Moussa ... who was head of the Arab League for approximately two normal lifespans, accomplishing nothing that was obvious to the casual observer ... , said that he is not willing to run in upcoming presidency elections, expressing his support for Egypt's military chief, Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, if he runs.
"Amr Moussa supports the will of the majority of having chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi as the president of the country, so he decided that he is not willing to run this year for president," Yara Khalaf, a spokesperson for Moussa, told Al-Ahram Online.
Khalaf said Moussa's team will publish updates if he changes his mind. Another spokesperson, Ahmed Kamel, added that Moussa has declared this many times in blurbs that he will not run for president.
During a recent panel hosted by the Ministry of Youth, Moussa said "If Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi refuses to run [for the presidency], we will urge him to do so."
While El-Sisi had initially announced that he would not seek power, he has more recently said that the possibility is open.
A number of campaigns have sprung up to pressure the general to run for president in elections expected in the first half of 2014.
Moussa, who came fifth in Egypt's first post-revolution presidential election in June 2012, also headed of the 50-member committee tasked in August with amending the 2012 constitution drafted under the rule of ousted president Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... .
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] About a dozen soldiers have been convicted of sexual violence and murder in the volatile east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...formerly the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Zaire, and who knows what else, not to be confused with the Brazzaville Congo aka Republic of Congo, which is much smaller and much more (for Africa) stable. DRC gave the world Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Mobutu, followed by years of tedious civil war. Its principle industry seems to be the production of corpses. With a population of about 74 million it has lots of raw material... , where government troops have battled to clamp down on several gangs, a local justice official said Sunday.
The latest convictions including death penalties were handed down on Saturday. Since December 2, a total of 19 people -- 15 soldiers and four civilians -- have gone on trial in Sake, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) northwest of Goma, the capital of restive North Kivu province.
The civilians were accused of "participating in an insurrectional movement" for supporting two local militias, said Christophe Ndibeshe, the provincial justice minister, adding that only one defendant has been acquitted.
"Among the remaining 18, four have received death sentences and the others jail terms of between seven to 15 years," Ndibeshe told Agence La Belle France Presse.
He said two soldiers got death sentences for sexual violence -- one for rape and the other for having taken part in the rape of a four-year-old girl.
Capital punishment was also handed down to another soldier who killed his bodyguard and to a civilian for his involvement in the insurgency.
Ndibeshe said some of the soldiers were convicted for violent acts committed in Sake in November 2012, when the Congolese army stopped the advance on Goma by the now-defunct M23 rebel movement.
In Goma, another trial has been under way of some 30 soldiers, including officers, accused of war crimes and rape in 2012 in the Minova region of South Kivu province.
A United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... investigation said "135 cases of sexual violence, as well as other serious human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions... violations including murders and massive looting (were) perpetrated by the soldiers" between November 20 and 30 in and around the city of Minova.
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12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] King of the Arabians, Sheikh of the Burning Sands Abdullah ... Fifth out of 37 sons of King Abdulaziz to ascend to the throne. He is, after his half-brothers Bandar and Musa'id, the third eldest of the living sons of Abdul Aziz ibn Saud. Abdullah's mother is from the Rashid clan, longtime rivals of the Saud. He has 6 sons and 15 daughters and about $20 billion. His youngest son is just seven years old... on Sunday appointed his son Prince Mishaal as governor of Mecca Province, one of the most prominent jobs in the country, the latest move in a rolling reshuffle of senior ruling family members over the past two years.
He replaces Prince Khaled al-Faisal, who has been made education minister, a move that may revive stalled educational reforms aimed at reducing the influence of religious conservatives, Saudi analysts said.
The appointments were announced in a royal decree carried by state media in the world's top oil exporter, where moves among senior princes are closely watched for their impact on the country's opaque succession process.
Since 2011, a series of deaths, retirements and promotions mean most top government positions held by princes, plus the three top provincial governor jobs, have switched hands after decades with little change.
Analysts have said the changes reflect a desire by King Abdullah, who is thought to be 90, to establish his sons and other allies in key positions for the future.
"Appointing a son of the king to one of the major governorates in the kingdom is noteworthy. He is giving his sons a big chance to have a place in the succession process," said Khaled al-Dakhil, a Saudi political scientist.
He has appointed his son Miteb as minister of the Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... n National Guard, his son Abdulaziz as deputy foreign minister and his son Turki as deputy Riyadh governor.
Mishaal, the new Mecca governor, was previously governor of Najran province on the border with Yemen.
The job of Mecca governor carries big administrative responsibilities because the province has a large population, as well as symbolic importance through its guardianship of Islam's holiest site and hosting of the annual haj pilgrimage.
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12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Colombia's battle against leftist FARC guerrillas has been secretly aided by a U.S. intelligence program that helped government forces hunt down and assassinate rebel leaders, the Washington Post reported Sunday.
The secret CIA program -- separate from the $9 billion U.S. aid package dubbed Plan Colombia, which launched in 2000 -- was initially authorized by president George W. Bush around the same time.
President Barack Obama We're gonna punish our enemies and we're gonna reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to us... has continued the assistance, the Post reported, citing its interviews with more than 30 current and former officials from both the United States and Colombia.
The covert program works in two ways: the U.S. provides intelligence to help locate the FARC leaders, and it furnishes a special GPS guidance kit that helps convert standard bombs into highly-precise smart bombs.
It was thanks to U.S. information that the FARC number two, Raul Reyes, was found and killed in 2008, the report said, noting that the CIA program had helped Colombia eliminate "at least two dozen rebel leaders".
The Reyes operation was carried out on March 1, 2008, in neighboring Ecuador.
"To conduct an Arclight airstrike meant a Colombian pilot flying a Colombian plane would hit the camp using a U.S.-made bomb with a CIA-controlled brain," the Post said, adding that the United States justified the incursion in another sovereign country's territory as self-defense for Colombia.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Leftist FARC gorillas get zapped...quite effectively , apparently.
A nice happy thought for two day before Christmas. I want to thank you for this splendid story. Never liked Leftists, won't miss them. The CIA has my thanks. Columbia when all the Cocaine comes from ( do we get ANYthing else from there?) probably thanks them too. Leftist goons out in the triple top canopy with their bowl of stewed monkey disappearing in a flash and a loud BANG. Its a very nice thought. "at least two dozen FARC leaders killed" Makes me smile and eat a cookie and pour myself a glass of Sherry. Thank you Rantburg, for the Cheer.
And thousands and thousands of Moslems doing their "jacket Wallah" best to kill EACH OTHER day after day after day.
Yeahhh.Tis the Season. Hum a few bars with me....
Oh, and Obama is not smiling and the Unaffordable Care Act is in meltdown. Its a good Christmas...
[Al Ahram] Thousands erupted into the streets of Istanbul on Sunday to protest against the government over a corruption scandal that has led to multiple arrests and exposed a rift between Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and an influential US-based Mohammedanholy man.
Twenty-four people, including the sons of two ministers and the head of state-owned Halkbank, have been formally charged in connection with the corruption inquiry that Erdogan has called a "dirty operation" to undermine his rule.
In response, Erdogan has sacked or moved to different posts about 70 coppers, including the powerful head of Istanbul's force, in a widening crackdown on the force that launched the investigation.
Erdogan drew thousands of cheering supporters when he toured the north of the country on Sunday.
But in Istanbul, anti-government demonstrators flooded into Kadikoy Square, where a protest against government urbanisation plans had been scheduled to take place, before they were largely dispersed by police firing teargas and water cannon.
"Everywhere is (Erdogan's) AK Party, everywhere is corruption," they chanted, a reference to the slogan of summer anti-government protests that centred on Istanbul's Taksim Square, "Everywhere is Taksim, everywhere is resistance".
As in the case of the summer protests, the fiercest since he came to power in 2002, Erdogan has pointed to foreign hands in the crisis.
"They are setting wicked and dark traps in our country, using their local pawns to disrupt Turkey's unity and integrity," Erdogan said in the Black Sea city of Giresun on Sunday.
The Economy Minister and Interior Minister, whose sons were among the 16 enjugged Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! on Saturday, echoed Erdogan on Sunday, saying via Twitter and the media that the allegations were part of 'big trap'.
[Al Ahram] Turkey's interior affairs minister has offered his resignation to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan over a massive corruption and bribery scandal that has resulted in the arrest of his son and 23 other people.
The Turkish leader, however, again dismissed the scandal Sunday as a shadowy international plot against his government, while Turkish authorities pressed ahead with a purge of the police officials allegedly investigating the case.
Twenty-four people -- including Interior Minister Muammer Guler's son, the son of Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan and the head of the state-owned Halkbank -- have been tossed in the calaboose Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! and accused of taking or facilitating bribes. Newspaper reports say police seized millions of dollars in cash stashed in shoe boxes from the bank chief's home.
The probe poses a strong challenge to Erdogan's long-time Islamic-led government, which weathered a wave of nationwide protests against its rule this summer.
In an interview with the state-run Anadolu Agency, Guler denied any wrongdoing and said there was "nothing I cannot account for."
He had offered to resign and told the Turkish leader he was "prepared to be sacked" by him, and was awaiting his decision on the issue, Guler said.
Erdogan was already expected to reshuffle his Cabinet this week to replace three ministers who are running for mayoral posts during local elections set for March. Reports said he would expand the Cabinet changes to include Guler and other ministers implicated in the scandal.
Police in Istanbul on Sunday clashed with a group of protesters denouncing the scandal, firing water canons and tear gas at a group who hurled rocks at them, the Dogan news agency reported. Hundreds of people took part in the demonstration.
Turkish commentators say the investigation and the arrests are the result of a power struggle between Erdogan's government and an influential Islamic movement led by the U.S.-based holy man Fethullah Gulen, which is widely believed to hold sway within Turkey's police and judiciary.
Some 25 police chiefs were removed from senior positions at the Istanbul police headquarters, the Anadolu Agency reported Sunday, in addition to dozens of others dismissed from posts since the probe was launched earlier in the week. Analysts said the dismissals were a government attempt to purge the police force of Gulen's followers.
Opposition parties have accused Erdogan of trying to whitewash the scandal.
Authorities on Sunday also began barring news hounds from entering police buildings unless invited for news conferences, Anadolu reported, drawing protests from journalism groups, which said the move amounted to a censorship of the scandal.
In a speech Sunday at the Black Sea coastal city of Giresun, Erdogan rejected any attempts at a cover-up.
"We would bring anyone stealing from the state to justice, even if it were our brothers," he said.
But he repeated his claim that the probe was instigated by "international dark circles" inside Turkey, mirroring a tactic his government used during the summer protests to deflect criticism to foreign forces bent on harming Turkey.
"We will break the hands that set dirty traps to drag Turkey into turmoil," Erdogan said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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Mods - it appears that everything after "Continued from Page 3" is a duplicate from above. Yet the (apparent) error is not visible in the comments screen. Very odd.
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/23/2013 7:59 Comments ||
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It appears someone fixed it, Bobby. It works for me now.
[NY Times] In one of the more provocative moves of Thailand's monthlong political crisis, antigovernment protesters marching through Bangkok on Sunday vowed to disrupt the coming elections in their campaign to rid the country of its most influential political family.
As tens of thousands of protesters rallied at several points in Bangkok, the capital, the main protest leader, Suthep Thaugsuban, instructed his followers to gather outside the building where the governing party of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and other smaller parties had planned to register for the Feb. 2 national elections.
"If you want to register, you will have to walk past our feet," said Mr. Suthep, who vowed to organize more protests if necessary.
"We will shut down the country; we will block everyone casting ballots," he said.
The dueling realities of Thailand's grinding political turmoil were vividly on display on Sunday. As protesters massed in Bangkok and blocked major intersections, Ms. Yingluck was hundreds of miles away in friendly territory among adoring crowds in northeastern Thailand, the power base of her party, a vast region with a population that rivals Bangkok's.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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[Forbes] I think we can safely call Cracker Barrel's response to the Phil Robertson scandal a clusterduck.
For those sensible souls not following the saga as closely as I am: the Southern restaurant chain became the first major retailer to pull some Duck Dynasty products off its shelves on Saturday in response to cast member Robertson's now-notorious anti-gay GQ interview.
Cue a barrage of tweets, emails, and calls from Duck Dynasty fans to the powers that be at Cracker Barrel, not to mention threats of a boycott.
I wonder if there wasn't also a significant number of people who are just fed up with political-correctness' fascism?
Now, a day later, the 625-outlet comfort food chain has capitulated and will resume selling Duck Dynasty products. Here's their statement, dated Sunday:
Dear Cracker Barrel Customer:
When we made the decision to remove and evaluate certain Duck Dynasty items, we offended many of our loyal customers. Our intent was to avoid offending, but that's just what we've done.
You told us we made a mistake. And, you weren't shy about it. You wrote, you called and you took to social media to express your thoughts and feelings. You flat out told us we were wrong.
We listened.
Today, we are putting all our Duck Dynasty products back in our stores.
And, we apologize for offending you.
We respect all individuals [sic] right to express their beliefs. We certainly did not mean to have anyone think different [sic].
We sincerely hope you will continue to be part of our Cracker Barrel family.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
A little upscale for me, but I'll go for a breakfast visit. What do the habitues recommend? I am looking at the double meat breakfast, which looks ER inducing. Maybe with a side of steak.
#2
They have a good Biscuit and Gravy with fine Coffee. Its just off the Freeway heading through Atlanta for Florida. A welcome break in your driving. I hate whiny Liberals and PC fairy wanks, they can do their breakfast eat at a Gay bar...and enjoy some warm sausage and two big eggs.
Then they can go back up to New York and squat. I like the Duck family. And I like values that stand up and say it out loud.
Its IS time someone told the fudgepackers where to go.
#3
Someone has a fatal misunderstanding of their customer base and needs replacement for the overall long term good of the company before they have another opportunity to mortally wound it with a second 'brilliant' piece of PR.
#6
Cool, as long as you own the company. Of course if you don't own the company you might find difficulties.
Also would you hire an Nova Scotian? I am very wary of them, for reasons best kept to myself. Not fond of most out islanders actually, they make me tense. They smell funny and their food sucks. Don't get me started out them Stavanger types.
#7
This might have something to do with their response:
During the 1990s, the company was the subject of controversy for its official stance against gay and 1esbian employees and for discriminatory practices against African American and female employees. The company's treatment of minority customers was also criticized; patrons complained of racially segregated seating and service quality. Following an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice and the implementation of non-discrimination policies, the company has focused on improving minority representation and civic involvement, particularly in the black community. Company shareholders added sexual orientation to the company's non-discrimination policy in 2002.
Frankly, I don't give a damn who runs corporate and its restaurants or serves my food, as long as they don't do knee-jerk responses that alienate their supposed target-customer base. That's what they did this time; it makes them look like frauds and poseurs.
#10
Purely business, this decision would be up there with Ford's CEO openly dumping on the Mustang. If I had any financial interest I would dump it like last night's turned dinner. In fact, probably too late.
And for the record, his statement was not anti-gay - he was asked a question and gave an answer, and not really too craste for an outdoorsman, that is to say he didn't go out of his way to force his opinions onto people.
Like what GLAAD and CBRL tried to do. And for CBRL to get something so wrong, I would have to wonder how much else they are getting wrong. Not interested in being part of that family. All they had to do was nothing, and instead they did the exact opposite. The food is mediocre at best, what they offer is ambiance, an hour to escape from the road trip. You basically walk into a gift shop to await seating. That gift shop, by virtue of its products, help set the mood just like a chianti bottle with a candle would in an Italian Restaurant. Now if people decide to spend their money there on a little relaxation they will be forced to consider this topic, which detracts from the experience.
#11
Cracker Barrel is waffling on the Duck Dynasty kerfuffle? Cracker Barrel was boycotted by the gays as far back as the early 90's over alleged discrimination in the workplace and in hiring. This may have been like the boycott of Chick-Fil-A. It resulted in a counter-protest and Chick-Fil-A ended up doing very well by the counter-protest. Business increased considerably.
#12
Cool, as long as you own the company. Of course if you don't own the company you might find difficulties.
Also would you hire an Nova Scotian? I am very wary of them, for reasons best kept to myself. Not fond of most out islanders actually, they make me tense. They smell funny and their food sucks. Don't get me started out them Stavanger types.
Well, of course I would have to own the company! Goes without saying now, doesn't it?
Novies? Well...you have to make that decision on a case by case basis. The Newfies on the other hand. I give them a wide berth. The food does suck, but, you get accustomed the the "Islander" smell by and by.
Stavanger types? No, I won't get you started about them. Never!
#13
This is what free speech is. The duck man says what he wants. If A&E doesn't like it they are free to cancel his show. If I don't like that I'm free not to watch A&E. If CB doesn't like the duck man's comments they are free to pull duck merchandise from their shelves. If CB customers don't like that they are free to take their business elsewhere. That's freedom. Same thing with Martin Bashir, Alec Baldwin and MSLSD. Same with David Letterman and his jokes about the Palin girls. I never watch him anymore. Same with the Dixie Chicks. Say whatever you want. Carry or cancel whatever shows you want on your cable channel. Stock whatever products you want on your shelves or pull them off of your shelves.
I'm just a little tired of hearing about it is all. They got a whole week's worth or stories about an offhand comment and I thought it was tiresome from the git go.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
12/23/2013 14:19 Comments ||
Top||
#14
I noticed today that JC Penney has Duck Dynasty ties on display next to the latest Jerry Garcias. In case anyone is in need if a last minute gift in either direction.
#18
I agree with what Abu Uluque said.
And I don't wear neckties, Garcia or Duck. My brain needs all the blood flow it can get.
And Thing, BC is way too close to Seattle for comfort.
#19
BC is way too close to Seattle for comfort
Yeah, so if a sanity check is in order, for me it's easier to go North than South. BC ain't bad, but they laugh at our water that we call beer, eh?
#20
This isn't about just the duck man. It is about the big picture. Chick-fil-a, Hobby Lobby, airforce career types suddenly being dishonorably discharged because of their faith by the Glaad types in command, memorial crosses.
There is no changing channels anymore.
And when they finish off the Christian faith, next they came for... . And finally there was no one left to stand up for you.
#21
I'm just a little tired of hearing about it is all. They got a whole week's worth or stories about an offhand comment and I thought it was tiresome from the git go.
The perpetually-offended with lawyers at the ready don't get tired of it.
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
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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.
[An Nahar] Two months before Rio's famed Carnival gets under way, a samba school said it was looking for dancers "without silicone breast implants" and would offer a free costume in exchange.
[Tolo News] President 
Jerry Lewis doppelgänger Amr Moussa
King of the Arabians, Sheikh of the Burning Sands Abdullah
In response, Erdogan has sacked or moved to different posts about 70 
[Al Ahram] Turkey's interior affairs minister has offered his resignation to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan over a massive corruption and bribery scandal that has resulted in the arrest of his son and 23 other people.
[Forbes] I think we can safely call Cracker Barrel's response to the Phil Robertson scandal a clusterduck.
