A prominent anti-gun campaigner has been stabbed to death at a flat in West Yorkshire. The body of Pat Regan, 53, was discovered at the property on Marlborough Grange in the Hyde Park area of Leeds on Sunday.
Mrs Regan, a mother-of-six, started campaigning against gun-crime after her son Danny was shot dead in 2002. Police said post-mortem tests will take place later.
A 19-year-old man, a family member, has been arrested.
Mrs Regan's son Danny became involved in criminality and was shot at his then home in Haycock, Liverpool. His killer has not been found. Following the death of her son she set up a Leeds branch of Mothers Against Guns. She had previously met government officials to discuss how to tackle the problems of gun and gang-related crime.
#6
Seems he was killed after getting involved with 'criminality'. Her killer, a family member you should note, also apparently got involved with 'criminality' as well as he killed her.
Perhaps she should have focused on making 'criminality' illegal. Or raising her kids a little better.
#14
Bright Pebbles: There is an NRA publication entitled the American Rifleman which has the "Armed Citizen" monthly column. The column documents reports of citizens defending themselves successfully with a firearm against thugs wanting to do them harm (attacking them, breaking into their home, carjacking, etc.)
#16
It's sad, really. She is one of millions of people who cannot differentiate the crime from the instrument used to commit the crime. I don't know how many times I've heard on the news or read in a newspaper the words, "This is the gun that killed my son, fiance, husband, or any name for the victim. The gun did it. I've heard people telling their children, "Guns are BAD". They are putting blame on the instrument used and not on the actual person. It's easier to demonize inanimate objects than it is people.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
06/02/2008 18:50 Comments ||
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Guns are an easy target. Focusing on the perpetrators hits too close to home or a sacred cow.
Posted by: ed ||
06/02/2008 18:55 Comments ||
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Her grandson Rakeim ....... at least it wasn't Neville.
Bo Diddley, a founding father of rock 'n' roll whose distinctive "shave and a haircut, two bits" rhythm and innovative guitar effects inspired legions of other musicians, died Monday after months of ill health. He was 79.
Diddley died of heart failure at his home in Archer, Fla., spokeswoman Susan Clary said. He had suffered a heart attack in August, three months after suffering a stroke while touring in Iowa. Doctors said the stroke affected his ability to speak, and he had returned to Florida to continue rehabilitation.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/02/2008 13:35 ||
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"Bo Diddley" - 1955
Bo Diddley bought his babe a diamond ring,
If that diamond ring don't shine,
He gonna take it to a private eye,
If that private eye can't see
He'd better not take the ring from me.
Bo Diddley caught a nanny goat,
To make his pretty baby a Sunday coat,
Bo Diddley caught a bear cat,
To make his pretty baby a Sunday hat.
Mojo come to my house, ya black cat bone,
Take my baby away from home,
Ugly ole mojo, where ya bin,
Up your house, and gone again.
Bo Diddley, Bo Diddley have you heard?
My pretty baby said she wasn't for it.
Posted by: john frum ||
06/02/2008 15:58 Comments ||
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Archer Fl? Right outside Hogtown, wonder if it was in a trailer park.
The New Yorker who caught Manny Ramirez's 500th home run says he never considered doing anything with the ball but giving it back to the Red Sox slugger. Damon Woo, 40, lives in New York but is originally from Nahant, Mass., and is a Boston Red Sox fan, which may have had something to do with his decision to promptly return the trophy to Ramirez after fighting off other fans in the stands at Baltimore's Camden Yards Saturday.
Even though he could have gotten up to $10,000 for the ball, Woo told the New York Post his status as a fan of the game trumped any financial considerations.
"You hear about the big money that some of these baseballs go for, but this was Manny's accomplishment," he told the newspaper. "Being a big baseball fan, this just felt like the right thing to do."
Woo also told the Post that his training as a Navy SEAL came in handy when he was being pummeled by other fans trying to get the ball. Ramirez said he plans to auction the ball off and donate the proceeds to a hospital charity.
Targeted brain surgery like that chosen for Sen. Edward M. Kennedy is a delicate balance removing as much of the tumor as possible without damaging the patient's ability to walk and talk. "The surgeon usually does as much as possible within the bounds of safety. We do not want to do neurological damage in an effort to remove as much of the tumor as possible," said Dr. Mark Gilbert, a brain tumor expert at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He spoke in Chicago at a conference attended by 30,000 cancer specialists featuring three hours of presentations Monday on experimental treatments for brain tumors.
Kennedy, 76, was scheduled to undergo the surgery Monday at Duke University Medical Center. He was diagnosed last month with a malignant glioma, a lethal type of brain tumor. A statement from his office said the surgery would be followed by chemotherapy and radiation.
These operations usually start with the patient heavily sedated as surgeons cut through the scalp and remove a small area of the skull bone to expose the brain. The tumor usually is not on the surface, so surgeons must choose a path through the brain to get to it, said Dr. Matthew Ewend, neurosurgery chief at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
That's way more than I wanted to know, really...
To avoid cutting through vital areas controlling speech, doctors often bring the patient back to consciousness and stimulate tissue in the planned approach with a probe. "We'll have them do language tests like hold up pictures, name objects, repeat words, hold a conversation," Ewend explained. "There's lots of local anesthesia, so this is not painful," he stressed.
Similar tests for brain areas that control movement can be done while the patient is unconscious, with a small electrical current to the brain. The patient doesn't have to be awake for doctors to see the reflex responses. Once they see a safe path, the patient is put under again while the tumor is removed. That takes about three to four hours, Ewend said.
A less common approach is totally awake surgery, with the patient just under local anesthesia. "That's the best way you can determine if you're incurring neurological impairment" as the operation proceeds, said Dr. Kevin McGrail, neurosurgery chief at Georgetown University Medical Center. "It's a safe way to do the operation, but it can sometimes be very stressful on the patient," who is aware of what's going on even though it is not painful, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/02/2008 13:32 ||
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who is aware of what's going on even though it is not painful
DAMN!!
Posted by: Mary Jo K ||
06/02/2008 17:34 Comments ||
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Unless I'd missed something, NEWS > didn't Teddy already have his surgery? I distinctly recall local TV News announc that Ted just came out of brain surgery this past weekend [Sunday AM - Guam time]???
The Office of President Bill Clinton responded with fury Sunday to a Vanity Fair article that attacks the former president and suggests he is out of control personally and consumed by cavernous narcissism. . . .
Purdum suggests that in the years since Clinton left the White House $12 million in debt, he has been caught up in a world of rich friends, adoring fans and borrowed jets. The article quotes one former aide calling Clintons current associates like billionaire Ron Burkle and movie producer Stephen Bing radioactive. The aide says Clintons associates are compounding worries that the 61-year-old former president is running with a fast crowd. . . .
Theres an anger in him that I find surprising. There seems to be an abiding anger in him, and not just the summer thunderstorms of old. He has been called into question repeatedly by top staff, a former aide to both Bill and Hillary Clinton told Purdum.
More devastating is Purdums claim that about 18 months ago, a former Clinton aide tried an intervention with the former president because he was hearing so many complaints about inappropriate behavior. According to the article, the aide believed Clinton was apparently seeing a lot of women on the road.
Purdum wrote that the aide was rebuffed by advisers close to Clinton, never got to speak directly with him, and the attempted intervention was not well received by either Clinton.
Posted by: Mike ||
06/02/2008 10:18 ||
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Interesting if Hillary's extended run at the White House kills all the good will Bill has with the left and endangers his legacy.
The office of former President Bill Clinton. More than a little Freudian slip here? We don't have a schism with two presiding rulers. There is only one President of the United States at anyone time.
SAO PAULO (AFP) - With its prodigious farm exports and its major industry making ethanol from sugarcane, Brazil is seeking to show that in the food versus biofuel debate at least in its case the two can co-exist. Maybe in Brazil, if it is a net food exporter. Is it still producing and consuming the same today as it was a few years ago? If not, it may be masking the true effect of the new ethanol markets on prices.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has challenged critics who claim biofuel production is contributing to high food prices and demand, arguing the problem lies instead in poor agricultural and distribution models. "It is not ethanol that is causing food prices to rise, because Brazil, which produces more biofuel also produces more food," he has said.
That view has support among government analysts. Whatever happened to the idea of selling your crops to the highest bidder, thereby forcing customers to match that bid? Elsewhere in the world that's a big factor for sure. Must be part of my poor agricultural and distribution model that I've got going on in my head.
The food crisis "is a problem of wealth distribution, a political problem," said Giselle Ferreira de Araujo, who works for the state National Council for Scientific and Technological Development.
Renato Maluf, the head of the government's food safety agency, said the demand driving up food prices is largely coming from China, India and other emerging economies.
But the high price of gas, which has raised transportation costs, as well as poor harvests in some parts of the world, and "speculation on food products" were also to blame, he said.
The United States had helped trigger the fears of biofuel production affecting food output by "confusing public opinion to suggest there is no difference between ethanol from sugarcane and from corn," argued Rubens Ricupero, a former head of the UN Conference on Trade and Development.
Brazil's use of sugarcane for biofuel does not replace food crops, its supporters argue, whereas the US use of corn to make its ethanol does.
Biofuel has also won backing from some environmental groups, including the WWF, which sees the carburant as a renewable energy source that can address growing worldwide demand for power.
The WWF estimates that demand for ethanol will reach 100 billion liters by 2012, and that the United States, the biggest producer, will provide 42 percent of that. Gasoline consumption, by way of comparison, was 1.24 trillion liters in 2005.
Currently, the United States produces 28 billion liters of ethanol, followed by Brazil with 22 billion liters.
The WWF did note, however, that sugarcane fields tended to occupy areas once given over to cattle-raising, and even though it rated that factor as insignificant, it did warn that some ancillary effect of displaced ranchers moving into the Amazon, contributing to deforestation, could occur.
Eduardo Leao, the executive director of the Unica federation covering the sugarcane industry, said ethanol production uses just 1.0 percent of Brazil's total arable land. Meanwhile, the country's food production had doubled in the past decade.
The country has 355 million hectares of farmable land, of which sugarcane used to make ethanol fills 3.4 million hectares. Another 105.8 million hectares remained available, which "allows us to increase ethanol production without affecting the environment or food," said Unica president Marcos Jank.
Investment in Brazilian sugarcane processing factories is expected to top 23 billion dollars over the next four years. There are already 22 plants controlled by foreign capital, out of a total 412, and their number is expected to rise to 31 within five years.
The ethanol boom has had repercussions for land prices. A hectare of arable land is now fetching an average 4,135 reals, 16 percent more than a year ago.
Amnesty International has also criticized the sugarcane industry for using "forced labor," though Unica has dismissed that as "wrong and out of context."
#1
The food crisis "is a problem of wealth distribution, a political problem"
Oh, then I take it a wealth redistribution program, perhaps administered by the UN, is the solution? Take from whitey in del Norte and bank with us so we can take our share before paying the reparations due to all the peons of the ages?
#3
Here in Australia the sugar cane farmers are going broke. The price they are receiving for sugar is less than the production costs (which are escalating rapidly - especially fertilizer and labour).
#4
Australia should get a hint and protect their strategic sugar cane growers by rationing the amount of cheap sugar allowed into the country. Saves on tooth decay too. A nice side effect will be the Australian sugar lobby protecting all and sundry consumers against low prices.
Posted by: George Smiley ||
06/02/2008 23:25 Comments ||
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Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe flew into Rome for a global food summit on Sunday, his first official trip abroad since elections condemned by Western and opposition leaders as fraudulent. The unexpected presence of Mugabe, accused by domestic critics of running down agriculture and causing food shortages in his own country, could offer a rare opportunity for direct contacts with Western leaders. But Zimbabwean state television, announcing his departure, made no suggestion of bilateral talks.
It's also an opportunity for a coup.
Mugabe, facing a June 27 presidential run-off against Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, arrived at Rome airport with his wife and a large delegation of officials. He made no comment to reporters.
The European Union has a travel ban on the veteran leader, facing new criticism over an alleged security crackdown against the opposition, because of his human rights record. Since the FAO summit is taking place under a United Nations umbrella, however, the Rome meeting would be open to him.
Around 60 heads of state and government, including Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who will be making his first trip to Western Europe as Iran's president, are expected to meet in Rome from June 3-5 to discuss global problems of poverty and malnutrition caused by steep rises in food prices.
In 2005 Mugabe attended the FAO's 60 anniversary celebrations where he railed against U.S. President George W. Bush and then British Prime Minister Tony Blair, calling them "international terrorists" and comparing them to Adolf Hitler.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/02/2008 00:00 ||
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So, P.N.G. him.
Alternatively, don't let him return.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
06/02/2008 9:26 Comments ||
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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who will be making his first trip to Western Europe as Iran's president
Swiss voters have rejected a controversial proposal to give individual communities the authority to award Swiss passports to immigrants, preliminary results indicated on Sunday. The first eight cantons or federal states to publish the results unanimously claimed voters had rejected a proposal by the Swiss Peoples Party (SVP) that the naturalisation of immigrants be decided by a popular vote in the area where the immigrant lives. This procedure was banned five years ago after a number of communities repeatedly blocked passport applications. The SVP plastered the country with posters showing yellow and black hands grabbing at Swiss passports and sent out leaflets reporting various crimes allegedly committed by immigrants who had been granted Swiss citizenship in the run up to the referendum. The results of the remaining 18 cantons will be released on Sunday.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/02/2008 00:00 ||
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Granting individual communities the right to allow illegal immigrants into that community is suicide. Islamists demand that followers section off a sector within a community in the West and Muslims are to populate within that sector. Once they become a majority within that sector, they then expand that sector until they have a chunk under their complete control.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/02/2008 00:00 ||
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IRAN-DAILY > looks like BERLUSCONI is contemplating calling in the army for trash collection and escort - article isn't clear as to any anti-Mafia utility???
A really interesting theory about the alleged Michelle Obama tape, which could explain a lot, from the liberal blog Booman Tribune. Michelle, offering a speech critical of President Bush, offers a refrain of "why'd he" the words "why did he" mushed together that sounds like "whitey" on the tape.
Apparently, if the tape ever comes to light, her words will sound something like:
Whitey cut folks off Medicaid?
Whitey let New Orleans drown?
Whitey do nothing about Jena?
Whitey put us in Iraq for no reason?
...when the intended message is,
Why'd he cut folks off Medicaid?
Why'd he let New Orleans drown?
Why'd he do nothing about Jena?
Why'd he put us in Iraq for no reason?
Or so we will be told. The irony is, if the latter interpretation is accurate, we still have a potential first lady accusing her husband's predecessor of "letting" New Orleans drown. . . .
ANOTHER UPDATE: Readers point out that whether this is a question ("Why'd he") or a statement ("whitey") should be fairly clear from the intonation of the sentence, if we ever get to hear the audio of the tape. The pitch usually increases for a question, and decreases for a statement.
Interesting theory, but until we have the audio, we don't know.
I trucked over to Booman Tribune just to see what was there, and man! you oughtta read the comment threads! The amount of rage the Obamamaniacs have for Larry Johnson, the No Quarters blog, and anyone else who still refuses to support His Most Excellent Obamaness is just astounding:
Larry Johnson started his blog in support of Valerie Plame and against the Bush administration. He's been very outspoken against the Bushies. He and Susan said they'd support the Democratic candidate before the race came down to Clinton and Obama. So, no I don't understand their animosity. It's senseless. . . . I NEVER trusted Larry. I DID trust SusanHu because I had met her through the Dean campaign. But I saw what she did with that anti-Muslim cartoon here and was disgusted. . . . Larry is scum of the earth. . . . I'm ashamed to have ever been affiliated with NQ. I thought we were working together to stop the Bushies and to stop a repeat through McCain. Oh, it's horrible. . . .
I'm think it's racism. I've seen them post a black panther video with the speaker saying we have to kill all the white people, and trying to link it to Obama. Now they're saying Michelle is on camera saying kill whitey. . . . I think they perceived Hillary as being the woman destined to hold the office first among women. Racism has a lot to do with the reaction for some of them, but I sense many just want to make racist comments in order to say something they believe will be hurtful to Obama and his supporters. . . .I think there's a difference between being a racist and letting yourself stoop to using coded racist rhetoric to court racists or borderline racists. Hillary's done some of that, and I don't believe she is racist. . . .
There's a little pushback from the Hillarians:
self-righteousness if you did not have the Vanity Fair hit piece relying on Monica Lewinsky's intuition about Bill Clinton's affair with Walter Mondale's daughter (yes, you read that right) on the front page. BooMan, stay above it or wallow, but don't wag you finger at others from the slime.
The stewing is seasoned with a pinch of paranoia:
The CIA's function is to protect the wealth of the very rich through its "irregular" nature as a spy organization. If that requires an assassination, that what the CIA has done. Coups, supporting the vilest regimes around the world. But the dividing line between over there and over here has long ago been crossed. Larry Johnson was given a few "anti-CIA" scraps and sent to live amongst the Left. Now he's revealed himself, supporting the candidate in the Democratic Party that best represents the interests of the corporatocracy. Racism is a tool. The bizarre uber-gender identification is a ploy. And when H. Clinton couldn't win, and when her bag of "oppo research" wasn't enough to sink Obama, it was necessary for Clinton to push her campaign past all reasonability in order to bloody Obama, just like Rush. If Johnson, or Marsh, were really good Democrats they would be pulling together behind the nominee. They aren't Democrats at all.
There's also this little "reality-based" gem:
there's a main-belt asteroid named Rubicon, so i decided to check political astrology using Sabian Symbols (sometimes they tell an interesting story):
{Ascendant} Aquarius 7° In a fantasy presented by the children of an exclusive school a huge egg cracks to reveal a cherubic miss + {#22996 De Boo} Aquarius 27° In the quiet of the afternoon in the cool of an art connoisseur's library is an old pottery bowl with fresh violets + {#6615 Plutarchos} Pisces 30° Nathaniel Hawthorne's conception of the Great Stone Face has been brought to fruition in a huge mountain carving + {#334 Chicago} Aries 21° A pugilist flushed with life and strength is entering the ring + {#3130 Hillary} Aries 23° A woman clothed in the delicate tints of early summer is seen carrying a heavy and valuable yet veiled burden + {#18458 Caesar} Gemini 28° A man is leaving a courtroom with mixed feelings of relief & determination; he has just passed through bankruptcy + {#11302 Rubicon} Scorpio 12° A brilliant assembly of dignitaries is seen on a highly polished dance floor; it is an important embassy ball + {#8603 Senator} Scorpio 28° A pageant of fairyland is made visible to mortal eyes; the king of the little people is welcomed to his domain.
{#1376 Michelle} Pisces 16° In the sacred quiet and afternoon half-lights of the museum a young art student drinks in pure inspiration + {#37452 Spirit} Taurus 8° A sleigh with all the suggestive warmth of the winter season speeds over ground on which the snow is yet to fall + {#39382 Opportunity} Gemini 3° An etching or rare beauty displays a charming court life at the garden of the Tuileries under Louis XIV.
Posted by: Mike ||
06/02/2008 12:09 ||
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LOL. That "astrology reading" is either sublimely brilliant satire (see "Sabian Symbols") or pure, undiluted moonbat guano.
I'm leaning toward the first interpretation, but you never know these days. I mean, The Onion has sounded all too plausible on many occasions.
With barely a whimper a few weeks after its big launch, David Brocks much-hyped Progressive Media USA has collapsed, thrown under the bus by Team Obama.
Two weeks ago the ambitious 501(c)(4) group, which vowed to spend $400 million trashing John McCain, quietly announced it would "dramatically scale back its efforts in deference to the wishes of the [Democratic] partys presumptive nominee," the Washington Posts Chris Cillizza reports.
So much for Brocks claim that the George Soros-sponsored group would be independent and nonpartisan. Being utterly Clinton-tainted, I can see why the Obama people would react to this like a vampire reacts to garlic.
#1
"America is the greatest sin against God" - Rev. Michael 'Vanilla Ice' Pfleger
"Freedom is not only a gift, but also a summons to personal responsibility. Americans know this from experience â almost every town in this country has its monuments honoring those who sacrificed their lives in defense of freedom, both at home and abroad. The preservation of freedom calls for the cultivation of virtue, self-discipline, sacrifice for the common good and a sense of responsibility towards the less fortunate...
America has traditionally shown herself generous in meeting immediate human needs, fostering development and offering relief to the victims of natural catastrophes. I am confident that this concern for the greater human family will continue to find expression in support for the patient efforts of international diplomacy to resolve conflicts and promote progress. In this way, coming generations will be able to live in a world where truth, freedom and justice can flourish â a world where the God-given dignity and rights of every man, woman and child are cherished, protected and effectively advanced.
Mr. President, dear friends: as I begin my visit to the United States, I express once more my gratitude for your invitation, my joy to be in your midst, and my fervent prayers that Almighty God will confirm this nation and its people in the ways of justice, prosperity and peace. God bless America!" - His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. extracted from his recent April speech at the White House.
Someone didn't read the letter from senior management.
#2
They need to relocate this idiot to a nice rural small parish, instead of letting him grandstand for his large liberal Chicago parish (how those people can call themselves Catholics is beyond me).
#3
They need to relocate this idiot to a nice rural small parish
Getting him out of the limelight would be a good thing for the Church, but he wouldn't last a nanosecond in rural America. Most folks there, Catholic or not, lean towards the view expressed in P2k's Pope quote.
From higher electric bills to more expensive gasoline, the possible economic cost of tackling global warming is driving the debate as climate change takes center stage in Congress. Legislation set for Senate debate Monday would require a reduction in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from power plants, refineries, factories and transportation. The goal is to cut heat-trapping pollution by two-thirds by midcentury.
With gasoline at $4 per gallon and home heating and cooling costs soaring, it is getting harder to sell a bill that would transform the country's energy industries and as critics will argue cause energy prices to rise even more.
Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Connecticut independent who is a leading sponsor of the bill, says computer studies suggest a modest impact on energy costs, with several projections for continued economic growth. Sponsors says the bill also offers billions of dollars in tax breaks to offset higher energy bills.
The debate on global warming is viewed as a watershed in climate change politics. Yet both sides acknowledge the prospects for passage are slim this election year. Several GOP senators are promising a filibuster; the bill's supporters are expressing doubt they can find the 60 votes to overcome the delaying tactic.
Only a few senators now dispute the reality of global warming. Still, there is a sharp divide over how to shift lessen the country's heavy dependence on coal, oil and natural gas without passing along substantially higher energy costs to people.
The petroleum industry, manufacturers and business groups have presented study after study, based on computer modeling, that they say bear out the massive cost and disruption from mandating lower carbon emissions.
Environmental groups counter with studies that show modest cost increases from the emission caps provide new incentives to develop alternative energy sources and promote energy efficiency and conservation.
"This debate is going to be mostly about costs," says Daniel Lashoff, director of the Climate Center at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "But we want to make sure in that debate we don't forget that the cost of inaction on global warming would be much higher than the cost of the emission reductions called for in this bill."
The proposal would cap carbon dioxide releases at 2005 levels by 2012. Additional reductions would follow annually so that by 2050, total U.S. greenhouse emissions would be about one-third of current levels. The bill would create a pollution allowance trading system. That would generate billions of dollars a year to help people offset expected higher energy costs, promote low-carbon energy alternatives and help industries deal with the transition. Part of the $6.7 trillion projected to be collected from the allowances over 40 years would go toward $800 billion in tax breaks to offset people's higher energy costs. Which encourages less scrupulous countries to start polluting at an incredible rate so they'll have lots of expensive credits to sell to countries who actually have an economy.
These reductions "will not only enable us to avoid the ravages of unchecked global warming, but will create millions of new jobs," contends Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, who heads the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Productive jobs, or jobs that merely redistribute money like prostitution?
The legislation is not as strong as some Democrats, including presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, would like. They want cuts in CO2 emissions of 80 percent by 2050.
Others lawmakers believe the bill goes too far, too fast. They fear it will outpace development of the technology needed to make the shift from fossil fuels, causing energy prices to soar.
Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the likely GOP presidential nominee, recently announced a less ambitious plan to cut greenhouse emissions 60 percent by 2050. He has not said whether he will support the Senate bill, although he favors a cap-and-trade approach.
A separate GOP proposal, from Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio, would set milestones for carbon dioxide reductions over the next 20 years. It would allow for mandates after that time once a clearer picture develops about new, low-carbon energy technologies. Senators advocating aggressive action on climate change say that would be too late to avert the worst effects of global warming.
Also in dispute is the distribution of pollution allowances. Many Democrats, including Clinton and Obama, want to auction all allowances. The Senate bill would give about half of them to states, municipalities and affected industries. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, said he will try to get that changed so that none goes to what he considers to be special interests. Why don't you make sure it doesn't go to what I consider to be special interests?
Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., also wants most, if not all, the allowances auctioned and the money going out in checks to anyone earning $150,000 or less, or $300,000 for couples.
#2
I don't think any of the major enviro groups, nor AlGore, endorse the Lieberman-Warner bill (although all are in favor of rapidly cutting CO2 emissions).
Maybe we should amend L-W to require the President to reduce the gravitation constant (to save on gasoline by reducing vehicle weight). Then Congress could say, "hey look we in the Legislative Branch did our job, it's that clown in the White House who let us down".
#3
to make clear, this is a domestic trading system, to reduce overall US GHG output, its not directly connected at this point to an international trading system.
And the offset taxbreaks would be given regardless of energy consumption, so as not to change incentives.
IIUC the enviros dont like the bill cause it gives out some free credits to utilities et al, instead of auctioning all the credits. I think thats a reasonable approach to getting political support, but some folks are purists.
#4
I has many 1000s of tons of credits for sale cheeep. They are left over from the Lafayette Land Grant, I came thru them honestly. Let's work a deal.
I can e-mail a suitable certificate with 48 hours of your deposit. Note I want biodegradeable US 100s.
Posted by: George Smiley ||
06/02/2008 23:29 Comments ||
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I see this as flawed, except perhaps to protect existing homes until they no longer habitable. I don't want to see people building in risky areas simply because cheaper-than-indicated insurance is available. The economy would lose useful productivity to increased rebuilding efforts (which in a perfect world should never be necessary). Seems like just another thinly veiled Dem attempt to buy votes.
As hurricane season begins, Democrats in Congress want to nationalize a chunk of the insurance business that covers major storm-damage claims.
The proposal -- backed by giant insurers Allstate Corp. and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., as well as Florida lawmakers -- focuses on "reinsurance," the policies bought by insurers themselves to protect against catastrophic losses. The proposal envisions a taxpayer-financed reinsurance program covering all 50 states, which would essentially backstop the giant insurers in case of disaster.
This would prevent encrusted lawyers and corrupt politicans in, say, Mississippi, from violating the law, the courts and plain commen sense to seize money from insurers and distribute amongst their friends. No wonder they support it.
The program could save homeowners roughly $500 apiece in annual premiums in Florida, according to an advocacy group backed by Allstate and State Farm, the largest writers of property insurance in the U.S.
Continued on Page 49
#2
Yeah, that 10.5 Billion in Katrina aid certainly demonstrated a need for even more of the Treasury to teach people to (a) build in better locations, (b) build to strict standards for the environment, (c) make sure they're covered by their existing insurance, by saying "it doesn't matter", Uncle Sugar is here to take care of you [because you're so small and just a victim and must be taken care of because you're only 3/5th a human, except when it comes to vote me back into office]. Here, let me put these chains on you for your own protection.
Isn't this just another form of corporate welfare. They get the easy, money generating income [non-major storm damage] from insurance farming and the public gets stuck with the deficit income insurance tab, major storm damage part? The Donks don't grasp this is one of their fundamental argument against vouchers for education, that the private schools would get all the good and easy to educate kids and the public system would be left with the antisocial and 'challenging' dregs left overs? Remember, it's not about principles, its about POWER. Must be a lot of 'campaign contributions' coming in from the insurance industry this election cycle.
#3
The proposal -- backed by giant insurers Allstate Corp. and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., as well as Florida lawmakers
If the Insurance companies are behind it, they stand to profit greatly, no other reason.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/02/2008 14:25 Comments ||
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#4
Uh, No. Either you got hurricane insurance when you bought your house, or you didn't. If you did and got wiped out, then get a clue. And a bus ticket away. You already got your cash out.
If you didn't buy insurance then while i may have some empathy, I feel that you just cannot legislate stupidity out of existence. This is nothing more (IMHO) than a governmental-sized, hot cup of McCoffee in the crotch payout program.
Which is why we should have been pushing harder for nuclear and drilling long ago.
DOHA, Qatar (AP) -- U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Sunday that there was no quick fix to high oil prices, which he called an issue of supply and demand. And a politically motivated Congress.
Paulson said inflation in the Gulf is "significant" but suggested that Gulf countries pegging their currencies to the weak dollar was not the only reason for it. He said it was a "sovereign decision" by each country whether it wants to de-peg its currency from the dollar.
Speaking to reporters in the tiny Gulf nation of Qatar, Paulson also acknowledged the U.S. economy was experiencing a "downturn" and reiterated that a strong dollar was in the U.S. interest.
The Treasury chief was in the Mideast to deliver a message to officials of Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing nations that soaring oil prices are putting a burden on the global economy. He is urging the countries to open up their oil markets to investment that can boost yields, exploration and production.
With oil at record-high prices, Paulson said there is "no quick fix" because it is an issue of supply and demand. Global demand remains strong while "production capacity has not seen new development," Paulson said. "I don't see a lot of short-term answers," he added.
He said he would like to see "increased investment throughout the world in oil and gas and alternative sources of energy."
On Wednesday, David McCormick, Treasury's undersecretary for international affairs, said that Paulson will not make any specific request for nations to boost their production.
On a trip to the Middle East earlier this month, U.S. President George W. Bush failed to win the help he sought from Saudi Arabia to relieve skyrocketing gas prices. Saudi officials said they already were meeting the needs of their customers worldwide and there was no need to pump more. True.
Paulson met with the top political and finance officials in Qatar, a day after he visited Saudi Arabia.
He said the weak dollar is not the only reason for high inflation in Gulf countries. "The peg serves this country and the region well," Paulson said, referring to Qatar.
He cited the example of Kuwait, which de-pegged from the dollar a year ago and is still combatting inflation. Kuwait was the first country in the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Saudi Arabia, to shun its peg with the dollar by allowing the dinar to float against a basket of currencies. But other Gulf countries including Qatar and the booming United Arab Emirates are believed to be considering the move.
Saudi Arabian Finance Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf said Saturday his country has no intention of depegging its currency from the weakening U.S. dollar. He spoke following a meeting with Paulson.
The dollar's decline has pushed up the cost of imports into the Gulf, fueling inflation. It has also watered down the benefit of record oil prices. He said the U.S. economy is going through an economic downturn and "welcomes investment from this part of the world."
Iran was also a focus of Paulson's meetings in the Gulf. He said the U.S. was making it more difficult for terrorists to move money around. "What we found is that Iranian banks have been aggressive and disruptive in moving money through financial systems," he said.
He warned Iran that it is isolating itself from financial sectors and investment banks that they would like to do business with. There is "plenty of evidence to indicate that many banks are not willing to do business with Iran," Paulson said. "That sends a message to Iran. If you want to be a rogue state, carry on the way you are. If you want to be part of (the) legitimate financial system and global community, then don't isolate yourself with your actions." Assuming that this is high on their list of things they care most about, of course.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/02/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
It wasn't Rove, et al who leaked Valerie Plame's name. It was that gossipy idiot over at the CIA. He finally admitted it after Scooter Libby was convicted and sentenced for not admitting to things he hadn't done. If a little housewife in the wilds of the Midwestern exurbs knows that much than surely Mr. McClellen, who for so long strode the halls of power, should know it, too. Which makes his protests at this late date more than a little disingenuous.
#6
Scooter Libby was not convicted for leaking Valerie Plame's name. He wasn't even charged for it.
He was charged with and convicted for perjury: lying to the FBI agents and prosecutors. And he did, and he got caught, and he deserved to be convicted.
Richard Armitage should have been charged, but that wouldn't have fitted the NYT narrative. So he got to skate, as did Colin Powell.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/02/2008 15:03 Comments ||
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#7
McClellan is getting schooled by Novak today.
I think only now he is realizing how much of an idiot he has made of himself at the urgings of Soros' minions.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/02/2008 00:00 ||
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Obamistake is searching for the approval of a father--the father he never had, which is why he only identifies with the black "mistreatment" crap. This is his motivation and what he is really so passionate about. It's sad, except that this empty, existential search will enable him to take the country down with his dysfunctional priorities, if elected.
Trinity isn't too worried. They know he'll be back (later), and will keep up his friendships privately.
Hillary Rodham Clinton scored an easy victory in today's Puerto Rico primary, a widely expected win that underscores the advantage she has enjoyed among Latino voters over Democratic rival Barack Obama. Nearly complete returns from Puerto Rico showed Clinton with better than a 2-1 edge among the island's Democratic voters, leading 68% to 32%.
Still, Puerto Rico, which had 55 pledged delegates at stake, did not deliver enough support to Clinton for her to overtake Obama in the race for the Democratic nomination. And only two primaries remain, Tuesday's contests in South Dakota and Montana, states too small by themselves to turn the race in Clinton's favor.
BAGHDAD - The Iraqi Ministry of Refugee Affairs has earmarked 195 million dollars to repatriate Iraqi refugees from abroad, it was reported Sunday. The daily Al Sabah newspaper, citing government sources, said that the move came in talks between the ministry and the prime minister's office on a proposal to repatriate all Iraqi refugees.
The ministry had previously consulted with international medical organisations on conducting an assessment of the refugees' intentions about returning to Iraq, especially those in Syria and Jordan. So far, the ministry has registered the return of some 10,000 Iraqi refugees, with 6,000 residing in Baghdad.
Sources said that 94 per cent of the Iraqi refugees stated that they would only want to return to Iraq if the security situation had improved and job opportunities were available. Official statistic put the number of Iraqi refugees at more than 4 million, with half of them located in Syria and more than 1.25 million refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt.
Meanwhile, sources said that the ministry has established two new units to receive applications of refugees wishing to return. The ministry will cover all expenses of the refugees' return, exempt them from customs and provide them with financial aid as compensation for their having had to flee the country.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/02/2008 00:00 ||
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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.
Targeted brain surgery like that chosen for Sen. Edward M. Kennedy is a delicate balance removing as much of the tumor as possible without damaging the patient's ability to walk and talk. "The surgeon usually does as much as possible within the bounds of safety. We do not want to do neurological damage in an effort to remove as much of the tumor as possible," said Dr. Mark Gilbert, a brain tumor expert at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He spoke in Chicago at a conference attended by 30,000 cancer specialists featuring three hours of presentations Monday on experimental treatments for brain tumors.
Theres an anger in him that I find surprising. There seems to be an abiding anger in him, and not just the summer thunderstorms of old. He has been called into question repeatedly by top staff, a former aide to both Bill and Hillary Clinton told Purdum.
Swiss voters have rejected a controversial proposal to give individual communities the authority to award Swiss passports to immigrants, preliminary results indicated on Sunday. The first eight cantons or federal states to publish the results unanimously claimed voters had rejected a proposal by the Swiss Peoples Party (SVP) that the naturalisation of immigrants be decided by a popular vote in the area where the immigrant lives. This procedure was banned five years ago after a number of communities repeatedly blocked passport applications. The SVP plastered the country with posters showing yellow and black hands grabbing at Swiss passports and sent out leaflets reporting various crimes allegedly committed by immigrants who had been granted Swiss citizenship in the run up to the referendum. The results of the remaining 18 cantons will be released on Sunday.
I'm think it's racism. I've seen them post a black panther video with the speaker saying we have to kill all the white people, and trying to link it to Obama. Now they're saying Michelle is on camera saying kill whitey. . . . I think they perceived Hillary as being the woman destined to hold the office first among women. Racism has a lot to do with the reaction for some of them, but I sense many just want to make racist comments in order to say something they believe will be hurtful to Obama and his supporters. . . .I think there's a difference between being a racist and letting yourself stoop to using coded racist rhetoric to court racists or borderline racists. Hillary's done some of that, and I don't believe she is racist. . . .
{Ascendant} Aquarius 7° In a fantasy presented by the children of an exclusive school a huge egg cracks to reveal a cherubic miss + {#22996 De Boo} Aquarius 27° In the quiet of the afternoon in the cool of an art connoisseur's library is an old pottery bowl with fresh violets + {#6615 Plutarchos} Pisces 30° Nathaniel Hawthorne's conception of the Great Stone Face has been brought to fruition in a huge mountain carving + {#334 Chicago} Aries 21° A pugilist flushed with life and strength is entering the ring + {#3130 Hillary} Aries 23° A woman clothed in the delicate tints of early summer is seen carrying a heavy and valuable yet veiled burden + {#18458 Caesar} Gemini 28° A man is leaving a courtroom with mixed feelings of relief & determination; he has just passed through bankruptcy + {#11302 Rubicon} Scorpio 12° A brilliant assembly of dignitaries is seen on a highly polished dance floor; it is an important embassy ball + {#8603 Senator} Scorpio 28° A pageant of fairyland is made visible to mortal eyes; the king of the little people is welcomed to his domain.
BAGHDAD - The Iraqi Ministry of Refugee Affairs has earmarked 195 million dollars to repatriate Iraqi refugees from abroad, it was reported Sunday. The daily Al Sabah newspaper, citing government sources, said that the move came in talks between the ministry and the prime minister's office on a proposal to repatriate all Iraqi refugees.
