ADDIS ABABA - An Ethiopian court spared former Marxist dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam from the death penalty on Thursday, sentencing him to life in prison for genocide during a 17-year rule stained by Red Terror purges.
It is unlikely Mengistu, now nearing 70, will serve any prison time after the government in Zimbabwe, where he has been exiled for 16 years, said it would not extradite him.
Birds of a feather, professional courtesy, etc.
After a 12-year trial, Mengistu was found guilty in absentia last month of killing thousands of people during his years in power, which began with ousting Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974 and included war, brutal purges and famine.
Considering the age of the accused ... and the state of their health ... the court has rejected the prosecutions call for the death penalty and passed life imprisonment, a panel of judges told the court in Addis Ababa.
Since when should the defendant's health matter? If he's alive before, he'll be dead after.
The court also decided that passing the death sentence on people who are aged and suffering from sickness could not be considered as jurisprudence but rather as a vendetta. The prosecution said it had appealed against the sentence.
Mengistu fled to Zimbabwe in 1991 after he was toppled by guerrillas led by now Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
Zimbabwes acting Minister of Information and Publicity Paul Mangwana said the sentence does not change anything. He still remains our guest. We do not have any request for extradition as far as I know, he added.
"And we don't want to establish any precedents."
Some in Ethiopia criticised the sentence. As a Christian, I forgive, but as an Ethiopian and a victim of the Dergs nightmarish rule, I will never forget it, said Mulugeta Asrat, whose father was killed by Mengistus Derg junta. Todays sentence makes a mockery of justice. Mengistu no doubt will be opening a bottle in Zimbabwe.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/12/2007 00:00 ||
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The Zimbabwean government refused again Thursday to consider extraditing former Ethiopian dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam following his sentencing in absentia by a court in Addis Ababa to life in prison for genocide. Ethiopian prosecutors had demanded the death penalty for Mengistu, whose Marxist government carried out political purges that killed thousands of Ethiopians.
Mengistu now lives in Zimbabwe, where he fled in 1991 after his ouster by rebels loyal to Ethiopia's current prime minister, Meles Zenawi. Acting Information Minister Paul Mangwana told Agence France Presse that comrade Mengistu still remains a special guest of the Zimbabwean government. He added that the former Ethiopian ruler had helped in Zimbabwe's liberation struggle.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
comrade Mengistu still remains a special guest of the Zimbabwean government.
In other words, he still has a butt-load of money.
(SomaliNet) Guinea-Bissaus ex Prime Minister, Carlos Gomes Jr. has sought refuge at a UN office in the country to escape arrest, shortly after he alleged that the countrys president, Joao Bernardo Vieira, was responsible for the death of a former military commander.
Guinea-Bissau's Interior Minister ordered for Gomes arrest after his statement. However, he managed to escape to safety to the UN offices. According to his spokesperson, Oscar Barbosa, Gomes arrest would have been illegal. "He's the president of a political party. His attempted detention is unacceptable," Barbosa told AP.
Gomes alleged that Vieira is behind the killing of militants responsible for his 1999 overthrow. Vieira was overthrown in 1999, only to recover power over Guinea Bissau in 2005. Lat week, Mohaed Lamine Sanha, a former military officer was murdered. This sparked off Gomes comments.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Christ, he overthrew a government. You can't expect him to do that without killing a few people. That goes without saying. You'd never get a good coup going that way.
The president Thursday declared a state of emergency, stepped down as interim leader of Bangladesh's caretaker government and postponed this month's elections following violent protests by a key political alliance that has said it would boycott the vote. President Iajuddin Ahmed said in a televised speech that the balloting, which had been scheduled for Jan. 22, would be delayed, and he did not give a new date. "It's not possible to hold the elections on schedule. We need a flawless voter list to ensure that the elections are free, fair and credible," Ahmed said.
A new voter list had been among the key demands of a major political alliance that has orchestrated paralyzing protests and strikes in recent months, alleging Ahmed's administration favored its rivals and saying it would boycott the vote. Ahmed's removal as head of the caretaker government was the alliance's other main demand. "I've decided to step down as the chief adviser of the caretaker government and I will, in a couple of days, appoint a new interim leader to hold an election in which all parties will be able to participate," Ahmed said in a televised speech.
"I'm going, I'm going. Don't shoot!"
In the meantime, one of his advisers, Fazlul Haque, would serve as the Keeper of the Shutter Gun head of the caretaker government, he said. Ahmed said he would remain Bangladesh's president, a largely ceremonial role. The state of emergency raised concern in a country with a history of military rule. Two presidents had been slain and 19 other coup attempts failed in Bangladesh since it gained independence from Pakistan in 1971.
Under the constitution, the state of emergency suspends the fundamental rights of citizens. The country's eight private television stations were told by the information ministry to suspend news programming and relay bulletins from state-run television, according to the stations' broadcasts. "The restriction will be effective until further order from the ministry," Khairul Alam Mukul, a news editor at the private NTV television center told The Associated Press.
Indefinite night curfew was imposed for the capital, Dhaka, and more than 60 other cities and towns, state-run TV reported. The curfew will remain in force each night from 11 p.m. until dawn, the station reported, quoting an announcement from the president's office. Troops had already been deployed for election duties.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2007 00:00 ||
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Posted by: Mark E. ||
01/12/2007 8:45 Comments ||
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#3
Import them? Can't the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea State Agricultural and Industrial Animal Husbandry Committee for the Production of Food and Tree Bark and Grass Sandwiches for the Consumption of the People actually create them from scratch?
Sounds like that Juche shit isn't all it's cracked up to be...
#5
At the rate the NorKs are shrinking, in a fair fight, I'd put my money on the giants rabbits.
Posted by: ed ||
01/12/2007 10:16 Comments ||
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#6
Two reactions:
1. Nork of the Lepus?
2. "Well, that's no ordinary rabbit! . . . That's the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent you ever set eyes on! . . . Look, that rabbit's got a vicious streak a mile wide! It's a killer! . . . He'll do you up a treat, mate. . . . He's got huge, sharp-- eh-- he can leap about-- look at the bones, man!"
Posted by: Mike ||
01/12/2007 10:30 Comments ||
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#7
The only problem is that such huge rabbits consume vast quantities of food themselves as they grow.
Let 'em eat snakes. Video link with audio
#10
The way people carry on about the "Giant Rabbit" you'd think it was some kind of weird species. It's just a Swamp Rabbit, everybody who's hunted rabbits around where I live knows about swamp rabbits. If you've never seen one before I must admit they seem a little alarming. Especially if you see your first one in the wild.
#11
"Vast quantities of food" > so the solution aggravates = resolves, i.e. aggrasolves, accept = reject i.e. acceptaject = rejectacept, the problem? Monty Python + Holy Grail???
Opinion Research Corporation, a leading provider of global market research and consulting services, today announced the establishment of a formal polling partnership with CNN, one of the world's most respected and trusted sources for news and information. The CNN Poll will become the CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll.
"Opinion Research Corporation's reputation for independent, objective analysis and its excellent reputation in the industry make the firm the ideal polling partner for CNN," said Sam Feist, CNN's Political Director. "As the network gears up to offer the most in-depth and expansive coverage of the 2008 election, Opinion Research Corporation will be a key part of giving viewers the accurate and relevant information they demand to help them make decisions..." Opinion Research was purchased last year by InfoUSA. InfoUSA is controlled by a hard-core Clintonista named Vinod Gupta. Gupta is a major Clinton/DNC donor and fundraiser, and Lincoln Bedroom guest. He has recently spent large sums to establish two Clinton-worship centers in India - "The Bill Clinton Science and Technology Center" and "The Hillary Rodham Clinton Mass Communication Center". Yep, fair and balanced.
No source URL! Please provide a source or risk your fine work being deleted. AoS.
House Republicans yesterday declared "something fishy" about the major tuna company in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco district being exempted from the minimum-wage increase that Democrats approved this week.
"I am shocked," said Rep. Eric Cantor, Virginia Republican and his party's chief deputy whip, noting that Mrs. Pelosi campaigned heavily on promises of honest government. "Now we find out that she is exempting hometown companies from minimum wage. This is exactly the hypocrisy and double talk that we have come to expect from the Democrats."
On Wednesday, the House voted to raise the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour. The bill also extends for the first time the federal minimum wage to the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands. However, it exempts American Samoa, another Pacific island territory that would become the only U.S. territory not subject to federal minimum-wage laws.
One of the biggest opponents of the federal minimum wage in Samoa is StarKist Tuna, which owns one of the two packing plants that together employ more than 5,000 Samoans, or nearly 75 percent of the island's work force. StarKist's parent company, Del Monte Corp., has headquarters in San Francisco, which is represented by Mrs. Pelosi. The other plant belongs to California-based Chicken of the Sea.
"There's something fishy going on here," said Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, North Carolina Republican. yes, get used to it
During the House debate yesterday on stem-cell research, Mr. McHenry raised a parliamentary inquiry as to whether an amendment could be offered that would exempt American Samoa from stem-cell research, "just as it was for the minimum-wage bill."
A clearly perturbed Rep. Barney Frank, the Massachusetts Democrat who was presiding, cut off Mr. McHenry and shouted, "No, it would not be."
"So, the chair is saying I may not offer an amendment exempting American Samoa?" Mr.
"The gentleman is making a speech and will sustain," Shouldn't that be refrain?
Mr. Frank shouted as he slammed his large wooden gavel ... he said wood
... against the rostrum.
Some Republicans who voted in favor of the minimum-wage bill were particularly irritated to learn yesterday -- after their vote -- that the legislation did not include American Samoa. maybe if you had of read the thing first, you guys are slow learners
"I was troubled to learn of this exemption," said Rep. Mark Steven Kirk, Illinois Republican. "My intention was to raise the minimum wage for everyone. We shouldn't permit any special favors or exemptions that are not widely discussed in Congress. This is the problem with rushing legislation through without full debate." Do'nt like it? Quit fighting amongst yourselves. Quit fighting with the President and start working with other Republicans. These guys will be easy to pick off only if you get together as a party.
A spokeswoman for Mrs. Pelosi said Wednesday that the speaker has not been lobbied in any way by StarKist or Del Monte.
#4
One of the biggest opponents of the federal minimum wage in Samoa is StarKist Tuna, which owns one of the two packing plants that together employ more than 5,000 Samoans, or nearly 75 percent of the island's work force. StarKist's parent company, Del Monte Corp., has headquarters in San Francisco, which is represented by Mrs. Pelosi. The other plant belongs to California-based Chicken of the Sea.
#6
It's fishy, all right. I'm waiting with baited breath for Pelosi to tip the scales and get her bass kicked. I hope the media takes the bait and fillets her, instead of floundering around like a fish out of water.
Posted by: Mike ||
01/12/2007 13:08 Comments ||
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#7
Ima having a nasty flashback Mike. Glad Dave D. is a mod now.
#9
The blame will end up on some staffer, who "accidentally deleted Samoa during the final writing of the bill, because 'America' had been accidentally deleted earlier by another, unknown, staff member".
Apparently the future library site is occupied by a condo development, and the residents are being evicted by federal agents on extremely short notice. One of the holdouts sez his home was burgled and only personal papers were taken. I am NOT a fan of eminent domain abuse, and IMO this is a good example. Surely there must be *some* acreage *somewhere* in Texas where the only evictees would be scorpions.
#2
He says SMU has offered him $75 a square foot for his property and that isn't enough.
Then the Court will decide the 'fair' value. Eminent domain doesn't just take your property, it pays you a fair value, and in the case of highway departments, must help you relocate to 'comarable and decent' housing. Sometimes this results in a considerable upgrade for the less-well-to-do, because "comparable" was not "decent".
This is SMU (Southern Methodist University) in the pretty-well-off suburb of University Park/Highland Park surrounded by Dallas. SMU can't expand at all without tearing something else down. I suspect they wanted a new library and were pleased to put the Bush name on it.
I DO believe taking property to build a private venture so that it will result in more tax revenue is an abuse of the power of eminent domain.
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/12/2007 7:18 Comments ||
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#3
I agree, but if you are tearing down a total shitbox that isn't fit for human habitation anyway then maybe there is some sense to it.
#4
Surely there must be *some* acreage *somewhere* in Texas where the only evictees would be scorpions.
If ever any building was meant to be located in a mosque conversion this is it. I would especially enjoy wiping my feet at the door and munching on pork scratchings during my tour.
#5
How can a private entity (SMU) evict people? By that, I mean, it's not Eminent Domain per se, because it's not a gov't entity doing it. And, who's the judge who allowed the evictions to continue? I'm all for a Presidential Library there at SMU, but NOT this way.
It reads somewhat that the others did NOT own these condos (rentals?) except the one guy. Maybe all the other owners sold out and left him holding his? I'm more o.k. with that, with the condition that they give him FAIR MARKET VALUE for it. But, why are Federal agents evicting people unless the legal battle went to a Federal Court level? Not enough detail there to know how this should be solved.
Posted by: BA ||
01/12/2007 10:43 Comments ||
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#6
BA, it's not imminent domain, but it's not a pretty story. A synopsis of a Dallas Observer column:
Six years ago University Gardens was 'a thriving, genteel little community' of 374 units on 12.5 acres. Then SMU, for what ever reason, decided to acquire the land. One provision of the bylaws of the condominium association allowed anyone who owned 75% of the units to force the owners of the other 25% to sell. After a few legal rounds SMU won in the courts.
In the end, all of the owners except Vodicka sold out to SMU in a settlement of SMU's lawsuit against them.
The possibility of placing the Bush library on this same ground gives these moral issues fresh resonance.
Sen. Christopher Dodd's image as a Northeast liberal could pose a hurdle in his longshot bid for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. The Connecticut senator will be running in the turbulent wake of another prominent New England liberal, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.
Kerry's losing 2004 campaign embittered some Democrats who contend he squandered a prime chance for his party to capture the White House. Those bad feelings have lingered as the 2008 contest begins to unfold. "The party just nominated a New England liberal whose campaign was a failure," said Dante Scala, an associate professor of politics at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire who wrote "Stormy Weather," a book about the state's primary. "That's going to be one strike against" Dodd.
Dodd brushed aside any suggestion that his Northeast liberal roots could hurt his candidacy. "It's a false assumption," Dodd said in a telephone interview Thursday with The Associated Press. "People don't think in those terms... Most Americans don't care about these labels we put on."
Most voters are more concerned about bread-and-butter issues such as health care and jobs, not political labels, said Dodd, a five-term senator. "The overwhelming number of people want to know what you can do to put the country back on track," Dodd said. "They don't care about labels." That's what Dukakis kept saying. And he didn't even resemble a frog.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
"Waitress Sandwiches for everybody! An' another double Chivas for my good buddy Ted!"
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
01/12/2007 2:21 Comments ||
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#2
Dodd was the Dem point man against President Reagan's anti-Communist moves in Central America. He is a Jimmy Carter clone.
#3
Check out what Imus had to say to Dodd yesterday (partial):
IMUS: I would to Charles last night, I was talking with him -- about you and I said what happens if Senator Dodd is ahead in these polls. And this comes (INAUDIBLE). I'll keep this brief, but it comes back to me.
I said what do I do then because I still got to get by the fact that he screwed Joe. You know, I'm still sore about that. So how do I get by that?
DODD: I'm sure you can. Joe and I are getting by it so I'm sure you can too.
IMUS: I've urged Joe not to get by it. I've urged Joe to get even with you.
DODD: No, no, listen, Joe and I talk -- we talked yesterday. In fact, I talked to all the other candidates, I reached them, the people who are thinking of running or who have already declared and let them know what I was going to do.
I know that's sort of old-fashioned, but I believe in courtesies and calling people so they don't get blindsided by news. And when I talked to Joe, listen, I remember 2000, I worked with him, I nominated him to be vice president, I was his honorary chairman to be president of the United States when he was running himself in 2004 and we have got a good, strong relationship.
Obviously last summer and fall was a very awkward time for both of us to put it mildly. But we're working on that, we're bringing it back. I was honored to walk him down the aisle if you will in the Senate the other day when he was sworn in again for a new term in the Senate and that relationship is strong and will survive what happened last summer and fall.
IMUS: Well, I can't believe it. I mean, how did you have the nerve -- maybe you would be a good president because if you've got the guts to do that, after what you did to him to walk him down the aisle. You are unbelievable, Senator Dodd.
Posted by: BA ||
01/12/2007 10:44 Comments ||
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#7
"People don't think in those terms... Most Americans don't care about these labels we put on."
Why yes Senator, name calling and labels are for the shallow minded.
"My objection isnt that hes been a bully, but that hes been an ineffective bully."
Sen. Christopher Dodd
Democrat from Connecticut, at the Senate Foreign Relations confirmation hearing for U.N. Ambassador John Bolton
#1
There is soon going to be a big uptick in fatalities, as the Tet season is about to begin, and millions of people in SE Asia and Oceania are going to want to eat chicken.
#4
Since there is no immunity, it only takes a fraction of the normal amount of virus to cause infection. Remember also that they use live or recently dead birds, and pluck and gut them at home, which spreads contamination all over the place. They also don't thoroughly cook the bird.
Though with one mutation, birds won't really be needed any longer. They will just help it spread further and faster.
Oh, and use the "two echoes" rule with influenza. That is, it comes in waves, followed by 'breaks' in the outbreak. However, in truth, the wave that is seen is the *second* "echo" of the actual contamination. So when you see a wave of disease, it is actually the wave that happened two waves ago. The disease has already spread far beyond what you see.
#5
The feline infections in Asia and Europe are related to eating sick birds. Cookins, according to WHO, kills the virus. The slaughter and prep process is the presumed point of infection for most humans. The guano, however, appears to hold active virii for two weeks or more.
Keep in mind that the Indonesian government has no abilitiy to accurately test for avian flu. Tests are run abroad, including many at a US Naval facility in Egypt.
WHO has not, as of 19:00 this date, posted anything about clusters or additional deaths. They report 2 cases in Indonesia, with one death. China is reporting their last case of 2006 has recovered and gone home.
#6
As a comparison, in the United States, during the week ending January 6, 2007, 6.9% of all deaths were due to pneumonia and influenza. Centers for Disease Control
Part of a jetliner's tail, food trays and shards of fuselage were pulled from the sea in northeastern Indonesia, officials said Thursday, more than a week after the plane disappeared in a storm with 102 people on board. No survivors or bodies were recovered, but the news brought some comfort to family members of missing passengers.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2007 00:00 ||
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[Statement from Dan Totten, president of the Boston Newspaper Guild]
Earlier today, Boston Globe representatives of the New York Times Co. met with executive committee members of the Boston Newspaper Guild confirming plans for a new round of employee buyouts and job outsourcing.
Rather than leading our industry by example and competing vigorously with a creative business plan, New York has chosen to reduce staff and outsource in order to go along with the status quo. These actions are repulsive given the fact that the New York Times preaches ethics at every turn, and routinely lectures the nation on how to treat working Americans.
Once again, the Times Co. is standing true to a "Do as we say, not as we do" mentality. While the Boston Newspaper Guild recognizes a decline in revenue at the Boston Globe and throughout the industry, we disagree with the methods that New York employs to combat these circumstances.
I think I speak for a lot of NRO readers when I say that the NYT Co. should save these people's jobs, even if it means firing Paul Krugman. . . . and Maureen Dowd, and Frank Rich, and Chris Hedges, and Ellen Goodman, and Pinch Sulzberger, and . . .
Posted by: Mike ||
01/12/2007 13:00 ||
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#1
Savor the hypocrisy:
ahhhh mighty tasty Mike, more pop corn with hot sauce!
NEW YORK (AP) -- Oil plunged below $52 a barrel Thursday to its lowest price since May extending a sharp decline that has been led by dampened heating oil demand, but which could save consumers money on a more widely used fuel: gasoline.
Crude oil has tumbled by 15 percent so far this year in a huge sell- off that was kicked off by investment funds last year, and then stoked by a historically warm U.S. winter that has left supplies of heating fuel barely touched.
On Thursday, trading was choppy, with crude declining in pre-market electronic trading, rising to nearly $55 a barrel in morning trading, and then plummeting to settle below $52. Factors that could cause oil to rise again are the possibility of escalating tension in the Middle East, growing global energy demand, violence in Nigeria and production cuts by OPEC.
Light, sweet crude for February delivery dropped $2.14 to settle at $51.88 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after dropping as low as $51.80. It was the lowest settlement price since May 27, 2005 when the front-month crude contract closed at $51.85.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday that it expects warmer-than-normal weather in the Northern United States to continue through March. This winter has caused a glut in petroleum products; on Wednesday, U.S. government data showed big increases in domestic gasoline and heating oil inventories.
Adding to the price slide Thursday was the resumption of oil shipments through Belarus to other parts of Europe, and the belief that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries won't announce another production cut just yet to stall the market's drop. Many traders suspect that OPEC isn't even complying with the cuts they've already announced.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/12/2007 00:00 ||
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How did Bush/Chaney/Halliburton let this get out of control? Anybody know to what the leftist loonies attribute the 'loss of control'?
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/12/2007 7:20 Comments ||
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#2
Chavez and Putin fighting the imperialist invaders and championing the rights of the downtrodden everywhere with cheap gas?
#3
A couple of reasons. First when oil prices were going to $75/barrel, it was commodities traders who were stashing oil on every floating tanker to artificially decrease supply. Available storage ran out and with a mild winter decreased demand. In addition, a few weeks ago there was talk that the Saudis were gonna crash oil prices to put the hurt on Iran. That started the sell it or lose it stampede by the oil traders. Expect the Iranians to rattle sabers and attack Iraqi oil exports to try to raise prices.
Posted by: ed ||
01/12/2007 10:10 Comments ||
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#4
Wouldn't low oil prices be a great time to start a new conflict in the MidEast?
#5
Hokay, help me out here. Warmer temps have caused a reduction in the amount of fuel used so far this winter. But wait a minute, I thought that Algore said that CO2 emissions caused global warming, and since emissions have been less this winter, doesn't this mean that the earth should be cooling? Hmmm...inconvenient truth...bs...
Posted by: ET ||
01/12/2007 14:28 Comments ||
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#6
It's obvious the prices are dropping because the Dumbocrats have taken power and put a stop to the profiteering by the evil oil companies.
(Sadly, I am sure many would believe this statement.)
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.
(SomaliNet) Guinea-Bissaus ex Prime Minister, Carlos Gomes Jr. has sought refuge at a UN office in the country to escape arrest, shortly after he alleged that the countrys president, Joao Bernardo Vieira, was responsible for the death of a former military commander. 
The president Thursday declared a state of emergency, stepped down as interim leader of Bangladesh's caretaker government and postponed this month's elections following violent protests by a key political alliance that has said it would boycott the vote. President Iajuddin Ahmed said in a televised speech that the balloting, which had been scheduled for Jan. 22, would be delayed, and he did not give a new date. "It's not possible to hold the elections on schedule. We need a flawless voter list to ensure that the elections are free, fair and credible," Ahmed said. 
Sen. Christopher Dodd's image as a Northeast liberal could pose a hurdle in his longshot bid for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. The Connecticut senator will be running in the turbulent wake of another prominent New England liberal, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. 
NEW YORK (AP) -- Oil plunged below $52 a barrel Thursday to its lowest price since May extending a sharp decline that has been led by dampened heating oil demand, but which could save consumers money on a more widely used fuel: gasoline.
