A British Airways passenger travelling first class has described how he woke up on a long-haul flight to find that cabin crew had placed a corpse in his row. The body of a woman in her seventies, who died after the plane left Delhi for Heathrow, was carried by cabin staff from economy to first class, where there was more space. Her body was propped up in a seat, using pillows. The womanÂ’s daughter accompanied the corpse, and spent the rest of the journey wailing in grief. "Aaaaaiiiiieeee! Mama! Mama!"
Paul Trinder, who awoke to see the body at the end of his row, last week described the journey as “deeply disturbing”, and complained that the airline dismissed his concerns by telling him to “get over it”. He can get over it. Mama won't.
“It was a complete mess — they seemed to have no proper plans in place to deal with the situation,” said Trinder, 54, a businessman from Brackley, Northamptonshire. "Mary, a lady just went titzup in row 78!"
"Oh, wot shall we do?"
The woman died during a nine-hour flight on a Boeing 747. Trinder was catching up on sleep when he was woken by a commotion and opened his eyes to see staff manueuvering the body into a seat. "[SNORP!] Whut? Whut? Whazzat?"
“I didn’t have a clue what was going on. The stewards just plonked the body down without saying a thing. I remember looking at this frail, sparrow-like woman and thinking she was very ill,” said Trinder. “She kept slipping under the seatbelt and moving about with the motion of the plane. When I asked what was going on I was shocked to hear she was dead.” "Ummm... Stewardess? Is that lady alright?"
"Oh, yes, sir! She's beyond all cares and woe!"
"I'd like another gin, please!"
The womanÂ’s daughter and son-in-law arrived soon after and began grieving. "Aaaaaiiiiieeee! Mama! Mama!"
Trinder said: “It was terrifying. I put my earplugs in but couldn’t get away from the fact that there was a woman wailing at the top of her voice just yards away. It was a really intense, primal sound. "Stewardess! I thought you said she was beyond all cares and woe?"
"Oh, she is, sir! Her daughter's not!"
“I felt helpless. Grief is a very personal thing; it’s not as if there was anything I could do or say.” "'Shuddup!' just didn't seem to set the right tone."
Trinder, chief executive of Capital Safety, which makes products for the building industry, holds a BA gold card and travels more than 200,000 miles a year with the airline. Usually not in company with stiffs, of course.
He became particularly concerned about the state of the body. “When you have a decaying body on a plane at room temperature for more than five hours there are significant health and safety risks,” he said. Oh, come on! A little rigor mortis won't hurt you. Not from three or four feet away, anyhow.
After the plane landed, those in first class remained on board for an hour before police and a coroner gave the all-clear. "Hello! I'm Dr. Quincy! Which of you is the patent?"
“The police even started interviewing me as a potential witness, although I had no idea what had happened to the woman. I just kept thinking to myself: ‘I’ve paid more than £3,000 for this’,” Trinder said. When contacted by BA about the complaint, Trinder says he was told he would not be compensated and should “get over” the incident. "You'll get over it. Just keep breathing."
BA said the dead woman was taken into first class because the rest of the plane was full. It was SRO when she kicked it?
A spokesman said: “When a customer passes away on board it is always difficult and we apologize for any distress caused.” He said there were about 10 deaths each year out of 36 million passengers. Other carriers use different procedures. Singapore Airlines has introduced “corpse cupboards” on its Airbus 340-500 aircraft. Cabin crews use the locker if there is no empty row of seats to place a corpse. "Another one, Clara!"
"Cheeze! The cupboard's gettin' pretty crowded!"
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2007 00:00 ||
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An amazing story - and a Rantburg all-time classic posting, in my view. Kudos, Fred.
#4
gorb, I believe that was the original "Vacation". I didn't see the sequels. For its genre - fairly heavy-handed farce built around the peculiar humor of Chevy Chase - it was pretty good.
I suppose all kinds of allusions to "Weekend at Bernie's" would also be appropriate here ....
#5
Problem is Rigor Mortis starts setting in at 3 hours, and gets stiffer as time goes on.
There is also the issue of bodily fuilds bein released and possible biohazards, not to metion pooling of the blood in some body regions depending on the position of the body, and that could leak as well as putresence comes to the fore in the blood-rich areas that may occur next to the very thin skin in the elderly (buttocks, hips, etc).
They would have been better off putting her into a body bag and placing her in the cargo area.
Sitting in first she was a health hazard - and it was disrepectful for them to leave a corpse on display for that long - both to the deceased, and those around.
#7
Can they even get into the cargo areas from inside the airplane? I've never heard of it being done except in Steven Segal movies and the like. :-)
On a 747, the answer is yes. What OldSpook said. The crew and the airlines are idiots. Tell the daughter to STFU, she can do her ritual wailing later. Jesus.
#8
Absolutely well spoken, Old Spook and for all the right reasons. What if the individual in question had succumbed to ebola virus? I'm sure we agree.
#9
Never mind ebola -- what if she had bird flu, or chicken pox? For that matter, it's simply rude to impose one's grief on strangers as her adult children did. I'm sure the flight staff have tranquilizers on board for use when passengers are incapable of calming themselves. Suppose the entirety of the passengers had gotten hysterical in response to the wailing?
#14
I quit flying BA in 92 when I went from Vancouver to London. The plane seating was so packed tight that there was no room for knees (sardine effect). There was no way we were going to get out of that cabin in an emergency.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/19/2007 12:21 Comments ||
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Yes sir, it's second door on the left just after row 39, then a prompt right at as you approach the Corpse Cupboard? That's right, no worries, it's unoccupied, but we've just leveled off and the evening is young.
#19
I had a friend of mine from up north that had cancer. Tried everything, no joy. So he and his wife went down to Mexico for some treatment as a last ditch effort. Was not getting anywhere, so he told his wife, "let's just go home." So they got on the Alaska Airlines jet and headed back north. He did not feel good, so he went to the bathroom. And there he died. The flight attendant noticed that the bathroom was occupied for a long time, so she tried to make contact, but no response. Got a crew member and they checked and found him deceased. So they left him in the bathroom till they landed in Seattle. Quiet, discreet, took care of the passengers in a sad situation.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/19/2007 21:43 Comments ||
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Zimbabwe's youngest opposition member of parliament, Nelson Chamisa, was assaulted yards from the departure lounge at Harare International Airport early Sunday as he was checking in for a flight to Brussels. He is now in the hospital with a cracked skull. Peta Thornycroft in Harare reports. Chamisa, the 28-year-old spokesman for Morgan Tsvangirai's faction of the Movement for Democratic Change, MDC , was due to attend a European Union-African Caribbean Pacific parliamentary forum in Brussels, which opens Monday. Members of President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zanu PF party have left Zimbabwe to attend the meeting.
Also arrested at the Harare airport was Arthur Mutambara, president of an MDC faction who was on his way to South Africa. The arrest took place Saturday, along with that of two senior opposition activists, Sekai Holland and Grace Kwinjeh. Both sustained injuries a week ago while in police custody and wanted to travel to South Africa to seek medical treatment.
An MDC official said Chamisa was attacked by a group of eight young men, one of whom wore a military-style olive green shirt, who were riding in unmarked cars. Scores of passengers and relatives of those flying to London were said to have witnessed the attack. Chamisa was beaten at a police station a week ago after he was arrested at a banned rally in Harare's Highfield township, and spent three days in hospital for injuries to the back of his head and body.
A member of parliament, Pearson Mangofa, who drove Chamisa to the airport, told reporters, "Nelson was walking from my car, parked at the entrance to the departure lounge, when these guys attacked him. I counted eight of them, and I saw one holding a metal bar. I didn't see them beating him as I was negotiating about parking my vehicle for a few minutes." He said Samosa was unconscious when he returned. With the help of bystanders, he said he put Samosa into his car and drove him to the hospital. "It was the most shocking thing," he said.
Speaking from his home Sunday, Tsvangirai, who founded the the MDC and is himself recovering from head injuries, a broken arm and body bruising he sustained a week ago while in police custody, said he was looking for help from neighboring governments. He said in a telephone interview from his home, "I am frantically trying to link up with SADC [Southern African Development Community] ambassadors to ask them to restrain a fellow member state from the bloodletting, which goes against universal conflict resolution principles."
Welshman Ncube, founding secretary-general of the MDC, has appealed to the European Union not to allow the Zanu PF delegation to attend the Brussels meeting after the opposition delegates were prevented from attending.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2007 00:00 ||
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"Dictator's Manual"
page 1 line 2 "Crush ALL opposition, Regardless of how small, Always use overwhelming force, (Example) if there are 100 Opponents, use a minimum of 1000 Combat troops, in full Arms and armor" With Tanks AND machineguns, Retch gas is essential.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/19/2007 8:12 Comments ||
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Note, Mugabe was worried enough about Brussels and the EU to want to crack this guys skull.
Police yesterday submitted charge sheet in the Rajshahi University (RU) Prof S Taher Ahmed murder case accusing six persons including pro-BNP teacher Prof Mia Mohammad Mohiuddin and RU unit Islami Chhatra Shibir president Mahbubul Alam Salehi. The other accused are Abdus Salam, Jahangir Alam, Azimuddin Munshi and Nazmul Islam.
Sub inspectors Faruk Hossain of Motihar Police Station along with Achhanul Kabir and Golam Mahfuz of Detective Branch jointly submitted the charge sheet before the chief metropolitan magistrate's court. Submission of the charge sheet was delayed due to political pressure although investigation of the murder was completed in May last year. According to the charge sheet, Mohiuddin masterminded the murder in apprehension of damages to his career by Prof Taher, a senior teacher of Geology and Mining department of RU, who detected 'plagiarism and piracy' in 10 out of total 11 research papers submitted by Mohiuddin with his promotion petition.
Mohiuddin then hired Salehi for murdering Taher and in return, he promised Salehi to ensure good results in Masters, MPhil, PhD and appointment as a teacher at the university. Mohiuddin also persuaded Salam, Nazmul and Jahangir with personal computers and jobs at the university, the charge sheet also said. Prof Mohiuddin and Salehi, both are now freed on bail from the High Court (HC). Salehi went into hiding after obtaining the bail. Prof Taher was killed on February 1 in 2005 and his body was found in a sewer pit behind his home on RU campus on February 3.
Prof Mohiuddin, Jahangir, Salam and Nazmul were arrested within a week of the murder. The three arrested accused killers and five among 48 witnesses provided judicial confessions and statements confirming Mohiuddin and Salehi's involvement in the murder, which was executed by Jahangir, Salam and Nazmul.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2007 00:00 ||
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The army-led joint forces arrested ex-BNP lawmaker from Sherpur-3 constituency Mahmudul Haq Rubel from his West Kafrul residence in the capital yesterday morning. The crack forces also arrested Rubel's younger brother Mahbubul Alam Rupam, a contractor, during the raid on the house at around 5:00am. Rubel and Rupam were later handed over to Kafrul police.
Officer-in-Charge of Kafrul Police Station Abdul Khaleque filed a General Diary (GD) accusing Rubel of earning crores of taka in cooperation with his brother Rupam through extortions and tender manipulations. In the GD, Rubel was also accused of holding a rally in Sherpur town on March 9 night along with the leaders and activists of Sherpur district Jubo Dal and Chhatra Dal violating emergency rules.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2007 00:00 ||
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Police yesterday pressed charges against Tarique Rahman, eldest son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, and his close aide Mian Nuruddin Apu in connection with a case filed for extorting Tk 1 crore from a construction firm owner.
The charges of extortion brought against Tarique and Apu were primarily proved and they should be tried under the Speedy Trial (Law and Order Disruption) Act, the investigation officer (IO) of the case said in the charge sheet. Tarique, also senior joint secretary general of BNP, allegedly used to pull rank on the administration and always seemed beyond the reach of law enforcers during the BNP-Jamaat government's rule. He was arrested at his mother's cantonment residence in a midnight raid on March 8 and is now in Dhaka Central Jail while Apu is still at large.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2007 00:00 ||
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... extorting Tk 1 crore ...
And we all know you can't do that except by yanking a few feet of wire out of the socket.
Fidel Castro will return to CubaÂ’s presidency on April 28, eight months after stepping aside temporarily following an operation, BoliviaÂ’s leader Evo Morales was quoted in media reports Sunday.
According to Morales, Castro, 80, will resume official functions on the occasion of the third anniversary of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, or ALBA, a regional cooperation mechanism joining Venezuela, Cuba and Bolivia. The commemoration of the two events “will be the occasion to attend the return of our brother Fidel to Cuba’s presidency. The presidents of six countries will participate,” said Morales, according to the newspaper reports.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2007 00:00 ||
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SCOOP.NZ > Council On Hemispheric Affairs [COHA] - Cuba Reports > A CONSTRUCTIVE PLOT TO RETURN GUANTANAMO BAY [TO CUBA]. USA slowly losing its moral, statutory, and or diplom right and authority to keep Gitmo Bay under US control, i.e. THE BASE NOT ONLY THE DETENTION CENTER.
Russia's Federal Agency on Military-Technical Cooperation (FSVTS) denied the rumors published by Indian newspapers that two nuclear submarines of project 971 Shchuka-B (NATO’s reporting name Shark) would be leased to India. However, it is noteworthy that there have been too many technical details in the published rumors which make it possible to assume that “there is no smoke without fire”, as they say in Russia. In particular, Indian sources claim that India and Russia have already signed the leasing agreement on the delivery of the two subs, having indicated even the sum of the contract - $ 350 million ($35 million for one submarine annually). Allegedly the contract was signed on January, 26th, 2007 during the visit of the President of the Russian Federation V.Putin to New Delhi.
Of course, officials confirm such deals only after they really take place. In spite of the official denial there are few facts that are too obvious to deny. First of all the work on the subs the construction of which had been suspended many years ago and they were “conserved” till better days has been resumed. Secondly it is out of the question to assume that these relatively old submarines could be built for the Russian Navy, which badly awaits new models. And finally India has the precedent of using leased Russian nuclear sub (project 670-A K-43 renamed into Chakra, 1988-1991). So logically it is very easy to assume that the breakthrough in the Russian-Indian military-technical cooperation includes also this point. There are enough representatives of the industry and politicians in Russia who would favor such a deal with India.
With no official confirmation this matter remains as a test for analytical abilities of different observers. At the moment it looks that there are more “for” points than “against”. It is, probably, more easy to predict high chances of the Russian diesel subs (Amur-1650) in the Indian market. In 2005 India bough license manufacturing of 6 French Scorpen subs. This year New Delhi is going to announce the tender on delivering six more subs of the same class. Keeping in mind the policy of India to diversify the suppliers of arms it is quite predictable that Amurs, which are at least as good as Scorpens, are number one choice.
Posted by: John Frum ||
03/19/2007 07:57 ||
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The phrase “there is no smoke without fire” when discussing Russian submarines may not be the most comforting choice of words.
#2
The NATO name for Project 971 boats is Akula which mean shark. Not to be confused with the Russian Akula that NATO calls Typhoon. General purpose attack sub. If memory serves, they were famous for being fast and noisy.
Nuke boats are blue water boats. I bet China is more interested in this than Pakistan.
#3
I'd much rather see Russian nuke boats with Indian crews than Russian nuke boats with Russian crews, given the way things have been going in Russia lately.
Posted by: Mike ||
03/19/2007 10:25 Comments ||
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WS5086 - the "Akula" class fast attack submarine is not only very fast, it's very quiet - one of the quietest submarines Russia has every built. They would be a SUBSTANTIAL increase in the technological capabilities of the Indian navy, and would make ANYONE in the region very uncomfortable - especially China. I think this is a direct reaction to the possibility of Chinese Navy vessels having port access to Pakistani military ports. Someone just used a knight to take the opponent's queen - WITHOUT a sacrifice.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/19/2007 14:12 Comments ||
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lol glenmore, how very true, and given the all the shit india buys from the us why not try out one of our maybe not new but older model subs.I just don't think you get me on a Russian anything!
India is set to launch its first nuclear submarine later this year which if successful will put the country in an extremely exclusive club.
The project codenamed the Advanced Technology Vessel has been crawling since the 1970s.
Reports now indicate that India has overcome the biggest problem or miniaturisation of a nuclear power plant that is to be mounted on a submarine hull.
There are whispers of Russian assistance with the mini nuclear plant that has been reportedly tested and validated at Kalpakkam.
The vessel will be launched in Vishakapatnam and sea trials for this submarine are slated to begin by 2010, and are expected to be fully operational by 2012.
The vessel displaces 6, 500 tonnes and can stay submerged for upto 100 days. Armed with guided missiles, it will have a crew of 70 people.
The last time the Indian Navy operated a nuclear submarine was in the late 1980s, when it leased a Russian Charlie class vessel.
India is also in negotiations to acquire two Russian-made nuclear submarines of the Akula class.
Posted by: John Frum ||
03/19/2007 15:57 Comments ||
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Doh! Whease Flolump5086 was me. Sumbitchin' cookie monster.
Apparently suffering from early morning confusion between the Akula and the other starts-with-an-A sub, the titanium hulled Alpha. Thanks for the correction, OP.
Defence Minister Brendan Nelson today gave his seal of approval to Australia's new $6 billion F/A-18F Super Hornet program - after a joy flight in one of the super machines. Dr Nelson turned top gun for the day, hitching a ride in a current generation Block One Hornet owned and operated by the US navy, at the Australian International Airshow at Melbourne's Avalon airport today.
Earlier this month, Australia announced it would buy 24 next generation Block Two Super Hornets under a deal worth up to $6 billion with the first aircraft due to begin service in three years' time.
Dr Nelson said today the multibillion-dollar deal would allow the retirement of the RAAF's ageing fleet of F-111 strike bombers, which entered service in 1973. "In purchasing the Super Hornet squadron, it means we retire the risk of Australia not having full air combat capability in the transition into the Joint Strike Fighter and we'll also fly these Super Hornets through the next decade," Dr Nelson said. "Australia will continually have 100 aircraft - this is an extremely capable aircraft.
"It's not just the capability of the aircraft, it's the sensors, the radar system, its ability to collect the intelligence and process it, and all of the network that supports and surrounds our air combat capability."
With a technology known as electronic attack, the new jets will have the ability to steer enemy missiles onto false targets and to feed hostile radars with erroneous information. And, unlike older aircraft fitted with mechanically steered radars, the new jets also feature an electronically steered radar, able to track targets at ranges up to three times that of conventional radars, according to the Australian Defence Force.
#3
They're also carrier-capable, should Australia ever decide to replace the one they retired 20-odd years ago. I think Australia is making some excellent choices lately.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/19/2007 14:15 Comments ||
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#4
Problem is there is nothing in the inventory anymore like the 'vark. No such animal as a medium bomber any more, much less a medium fast penetration bomber.
But of all the airframes available, the F/A-18F is a good one now that it has longer legs. Plus these will remain viable as fighters and strike aircraft for longer than the F-16.
#5
It's not just the airframe. The Aussies are buying top-of-the-line systems, including a new RWR. Though I take the "steer enemy missiles onto false targets" part with just a touch of salt.
#6
OS, while I like the avionics, the 'longer legs' of the super hornet are really only what the navy wanted when they bought the original (another topic for another time).the interoperational bonus the new bird gives is a plus, but is that the key? For a country as big as Australia, you want endurance. Every wing station you tie up with a drop tank is one less station that can carry ordnance. I believe the tanker capability of the RAAF is limited, only a few KC-130s and maybe a KC-767 or two. the 'vark is big and old but it does have legs. and it recently went through a modernization wrt avionics. That's all I'm saying.
Former Edwards County Deputy Sheriff Gilmer Hernandez was sentenced to 12 months plus one day by Federal Judge Robert T Dawson....
Hernandez was convicted December 1, 2006 for violating the civil rights of an illegal alien when the Suburan in which she was hiding attempted to flee a traffic stop made by then-Deputy Hernandez. Hernandez fired his handgun at the Suburban's tires and a bullet fragment struck the illegal alien in the mouth.
A new video clip attacking Hillary Clinton as "Big Brother" has cemented the internet as the new battleground in the 2008 US presidential race. Launched on YouTube, the sophisticated underground advertisement parodies Senator Clinton's presidential campaign and urges voters to support her rival, Barack Obama. The pair are in a fierce battle for the Democratic presidential nomination. Experts believe the 74-second pitch could become a watershed moment in 21st-century political campaigning, and the beginning of the end of traditional advertising.
While the creator remains a mystery, the clip remixes director Ridley Scott's groundbreaking 1984 advertisement that introduced Apple computers to the world during the 1984 Super Bowl. In the new video, Senator Clinton's "let the conversation begin" address is played on a widescreen TV to a futuristic audience of zombie-like followers. Her words drone in the background as she is portrayed as a Big Brother-style dictator. A blond athlete then hurls a sledgehammer towards the screen, smashing the senator's image.
The words then appear: "On Jan. 14, the Democratic primary will begin. And you'll see why 2008 won't be like 1984". The words are followed by an updated Apple symbol -- transformed into an O -- and Senator Obama's website address, BarackObama.com.
Senators Obama and Clinton both used the internet to announce their launches of exploratory committees, the first step to running for president. It meant they could directly speak to voters. Now the internet is breaking fresh ground in advertising and reaching out to younger audiences.
And the younger audience is reaching back. I don't think they're going to like it
YouTube was used widely in last year's US congressional elections to show campaign gaffes. And rival website MySpace is showing pages of 10 US presidential candidates after yesterday launching a channel devoted to politics, civic groups, and charitable missions.
Obama spokesman Bill Burton said the team was not connected with the "Hillary 1984" video. "It's somebody else's creation," he said. Mr Burton declined to comment on its content. But he did say it showed "there is a lot of energy for Senator Obama on the web, in communities all over the country . . . and frankly, that energy will manifest itself in a lot of ways".
Peter Leyden, director of San Francisco-based think tank the New Politics Institute, said the "Hillary 1984" video represented a "new era, a new wave of politics". "It's not about Obama. It's about the end of the broadcast era," Mr Leyden said. But others argue the advertisement is a guerilla way of using outside activists to influence campaigns and anonymously attack opponents.
Veteran San Francisco advertising expert Bob Gardner said the video was "very powerful" in its efforts to call for a generational change in politics. "It puts Hillary spouting cliche nonsense to the drones -- while a fresh face breaks through," Mr Gardner said. "It's old versus new."
Eric Jaye, a San Francisco political consultant, said the advertisement was beneficial to the Obama campaign. "They get to call Hillary Clinton a pabulum-spewing pseudo-fascist, without having to own it."
Posted by: Steve ||
03/19/2007 11:44 ||
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Cool ! The democrat voters march in lock step to get their voting orders, while a free spirit, (perhaps Seafarious) does an olympic hammer throw into Hillary's right nostril.
Gotta love it.
#4
Holy crap! This is off the reservation Internet and onto TV.
My local NBC affiliate just covered it tonight on their 11 pm news. I can't imagine they found it on their own. (Got home too late to see the 6 pm news, so don't know if they covered it there, too, and I NEVER watch the national news, so dunno where else it was broadcast.)
I thought I heard a high-pitched scream north of here (Va.) .... :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/19/2007 23:25 Comments ||
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On the night of April 14, 2005, Deputy Sheriff Hernandez was on routine patrol. In the stillness of the vast desert night, a speeding Surburban ran through a red light, and Deputy Hernandez stopped the vehicle. Investigators say that, as he walked to the driver's side, the vehicle peeled away, almost running over his foot. The lawman fired several shots -- one of which blew out the rear tire, just like in the movies.
The vehicle stopped, and eight or nine illegal immigrants jumped out and took off running into the sagebrush. According to reports, one illegal immigrant, a woman named Marcela Rodriguez Garcia, remained in the back seat of the car. She was hit by one of the bullets, and it shattered some of her teeth. She was treated at the hospital, and was released to the care of her husband. Deputy Hernandez reported the incident to his supervisors, who -- according to procedure -- called the state to investigate.
But within days, the federal government was investigating too. The Mexican consulate had sent a letter to local and federal law enforcement officials in Texas demanding a full investigation...
Posted by: Ho Chi Glager5496 ||
03/19/2007 00:00 ||
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Well, at least, they can't accuse him of racism.
#2
You know its crap like this, the Fed involved and coddling Mexico really pisses me off. Its this issue, as well as general fecklensess in domestic policy and politics, that is slowly but surely turning me solidly against Bush. The kowtowing to Mexico in this case and the Ramos case, and the slandering of th Minutemen, and the complete craven cowardice and lack of balls when it comes to putting up a real fence that we need - those make me truly despise George W. Bush. He has NO integrity when it comes to border security and coddling Mexico. No personal integrity whatsoever, as shown by his words, his repeated inaction and the government's runaway actions against those who try to enforce the border.
Dubya, if it werent for the war, I'd be calling for you to drop dead so someone with guts (Cheney) could take over.
Its just getting that bad down here on the border, and I'm damn tired of Bush making it worse.
But with the R's in congress too gutless to act, and the D's aiding and abetting the criminals, then who else can we call on?
The President is supposed to lead, damn it, and President George W Bush has refused to lead at all on this issue, to the detriment of law enfiorment and the border areas. He has, in fact, made it worse with his talk of amnesty, and his refusal to take concrete steps on building permanent physical barriers on the border.
When the nuke goes off that smokes Dallas, or Denver, or Chicago, and it came across smuggled from Mexico, it will fall on Bush's head because he was too politically craven to do what was needed to secure our borders. And thats no consolation to those who will die, nor to the depression it will kick of in our economy and all the misery that will cause. All because one man, when presented with the opportunity to act, to lead from the bully pulpit, simply refused.
#5
To hell with illegal aliens. But I don't want cops firing at people who are running away. Shooting instructors told me the importance of straight shooting, and the absolute imperative in preventing stray bullets. How was the officer's life in danger?
#6
I read the article as saying that Mrs. Garcia stayed in the car because she'd been hit by one of the bullets the Deputy shot to stop the car, not that he shot her in the back as she was running away to avoid arrest. It seems to me that in such a situation all the illegals, particularly the driver of the car, are complicit in her injury because they did not comply with the lawful demand of a law enforcement officer, while they were engaged in the commission of a crime. I hope Deputy Sheriff Hernandez (note the name -- no possible claims of racism here!) appeals this all the way to the Supreme Court, because this sentence is bloody nonsense.
#8
I think Sneaze has got it right. The problem was firing at the fleeing car, unless they were shooting at him as they drove off...
I remember in "It's A Wounderful Life", Jimmy Stewart running away when the policeman (Bert?)Ward Bond tells him to stop. Bert blazes away on a busy street at Christmas time. Seemed a bit out of place, even the first time I saw it.
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/19/2007 7:45 Comments ||
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#9
Officer observes traffic light violation and pulls over vehicle. Normal traffic stop, no gunfire expected or employed.
Officer walks up to vehicle and driver tears off. Abnormal response strongly indicating crimes way beyond normal traffic violation are in play. Likelihood of further crimes and danger to community is high. Shooting out a tire or otherwise stopping the vehicle is safer for everyone than engaging in a high-speed chase - including safer for the woman who got her teeth busted. NOT pursuing the vehicle would be dereliction of police duty. Give Hernandez a medal, not a sentence.
#10
The problem comes when the Feds got involved at the behest of MEXICAN officials. The locals were doing their duty.
And no its not hate for Bush. Its disgust at his inaction. Period. He had a great chance to shape the debate and to put in the thing that woudl have stopped this sort of thing: a fence, and enforcable border. My CINC does have the right ideas in Iraq now that he has "found his Grant" in Petreaus (and changed the stupid ROE that were hobbling people there), what makes me angry and disgusted is that he is not doin the same thing here on equally vital issues.
If you have a beef with me on calling the President on this issue, start citing facts instead of namecalling (Bush Hatred, etc). Otherwise, if thats the way you want to do it, Daily Kos is full of people who work that way and you probably belong there with that style of argumentation. Facts are: Bush opposed the "Fence First" and thats why we have these issues in the border areas and border towns; Bush seems extraodinarily sensitive to Mexico's desires to the dertimetn of our own citizens given the federal governmnet's actions whenever the Mexicon government sends them a letter.
I'm say thing's bad - if you think it's good then say why.
#11
I agree with OldSpook. The State department should have told the Mexican Goveernment to butt out. It's not their business.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
03/19/2007 11:34 Comments ||
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#12
The thing that really bothers me is that the President, through inaction, makes the ROE in Iraq so restrictive that we can't win. Well, our troops keep going and winning, though it costs them more in lives and injuries.
Meanwhile, while our troops and covert people are all over the world are risking their lives fighting the enemy, our government is leaving the back door open at our southern border.
At first look, this looks stupid. On second look, this looks like we are accommodating the Mexican government, drug cartels, and politicians from both parties, who all have a stake in the status quo.
Looking at this open back door policy, one would think that the President is incompetent or stupid. I cannot believe that. But then the President sends down some National Guard troops and gives the country a bone, then to have the NGs outgunned and hobbled by ROE, well then one must ask the question of why.
Is the President compromised by something or someone that he must do something so idiotic? Two good Border Patrolmen are in Federal Prison because of politics. This Texas Sheriff may be joining them.
Dems are talking of impeachment for Iraq. I am not advocating it, but I would say that leaving our southern border open to druggies, illegals, and potential terrorists is a deriliction of duty and is an impeachable offense.
OldSpook---I am as mad as hell about this! The President, Republican Party, and the Federal Government has let the country down. I see no answers from them. I see none from the Dems for sure. That just leaves the people.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/19/2007 12:40 Comments ||
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#13
it'sore or less the attorney general in that part of the country who is going after the lasw enforcement, on the other hand bush could start handing out pink slips but then he would have the ACLU up his ass
#14
What OldSpook said. I want to respect and admire George Bush but his position WRT amnesty, illegal immigration and the border stinks of corruption. What's worse is that no major contender to take his place is saying what I want to hear about it. The only exception is Duncan Hunter and I'm afraid he hasn't reached the "major" phase yet. Just no way in hell will I vote for Guilliani, Romney or McCain because of this issue. If it takes four years of Hillary for the Republicans to get wise about the border then so be it. I just pray that our republic can survive four years of Hillary.
#16
Well one candidate has it right. Fred Thompson.
"We woke up one day after years of neglect and apparently discovered that we have somewhere between 12 million and 20 million illegal aliens in this country. So it became an impossible situation to deal with.
I mean, there's really no good solution. So what do you do? You have to start over. Well, I'm concerned about the next 12 million or 20 million. So that's why enforcement, and enforcement at the border, has to be primary."
#19
If the phalkin borders were closed these things wouldn't happen, and the police would not be put in such positions involving international politics. Bush is intent on selling out America in this regard. Any republican promising to reverse this trend and arm the border patrol, and excuse them for shooting illegals gets my vote.
Too much McCainism (lets be nice to everybody) going on here. Let's be bastards, kick ass and take names. No more wussies, Bushie !
Gilmer Hernandez sentenced to 12 months plus one dayBy Joe Hyde Publisher South West Texas Live
Former Edwards County Deputy Sheriff Gilmer Hernandez was sentenced to 12 months plus one day by Federal Judge Robert T Dawson.
World Net Daily
Investigators had no plans to bring charges against Texas Sheriff's Deputy Gilmer Hernandez until the Mexican government intervened and demanded it, the officer's supervisor told WND.
Sheriff Don Letsinger of Rocksprings, Texas, said the Texas Rangers were not going to recommend prosecution, but federal law enforcement took over the case in response to the Mexican government's intervention.
NOTE: The Mexican Consulate Had No Interest in Seeing Mexican Nationals Held Accountable For the Laws They Were Breaking By Being in the US Illegally and For Attempting to Flee the Traffic Stop.
Posted by: Ho Chi Glager5496 ||
03/19/2007 20:28 Comments ||
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PPP Chairwoman Benazir Bhutto has instructed her party not to take part in street protests organised by the MMA. She also instructed her party leaders to remain in the country and not attend the all parties conference in London called by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. She issued her instructions before the announcement from London that the conference had been put off in view of the situation in Pakistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
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#1
ex-ISI chief Hamid Gul...
These anti-Perv protests draw the best people..
Posted by: John Frum ||
03/19/2007 6:43 Comments ||
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#2
Posted by: John Frum ||
03/19/2007 6:44 Comments ||
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PERTH, Scotland -- In a formal invitation sent to former Vice-President Al Gore's Tennessee address and released to the public, Lord Monckton has thrown down the gauntlet to challenge Gore to what he terms "the Second Great Debate," an internationally televised, head-to-head, nation-unto-nation confrontation on the question, "That our effect on climate is not dangerous."
Monckton, a former policy adviser to Margaret Thatcher during her years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, said, "A careful study of the substantial corpus of peer-reviewed science reveals that Mr. Gore's film, An Inconvenient Truth, is a foofaraw of pseudo-science, exaggerations, and errors, now being peddled to innocent schoolchildren worldwide."
Monckton and Gore have once before clashed head to head on the science, politics, and religion of global warming in the usually-decorous pages of the London Sunday Telegraph last November.
Monckton calls on the former Vice President to "step up to the plate and defend his advocacy of policies that could do grave harm to the welfare of the world's poor. If Mr. Gore really believes global warming is the defining issue of our time, the greatest threat human civilization has ever faced, then he should welcome the opportunity to raise the profile of the issue before a worldwide audience of billions by defining and defending his claims against a serious, science-based challenge."
The arena of the glittering "Second Great Debate" will be the elegant, Victorian-Gothic Library of the Oxford Museum of Natural History, which was the setting for the "Great Debate" between the natural scientist T. H. Huxley and Bishop "Soapy Sam" Wilberforce on the theory of evolution, following the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species. Lord Monckton says he chose this historic venue "not only because the magnificent, Gothic architecture will be a visually-stunning setting for the debate but also because I hope that in this lofty atmosphere the caution and scepticism of true science will once again prevail, this time over the shibboleths and nostrums of the false, new religion of climate alarmism."
Lord Monckton's resounding challenge to Al Gore reads as follows --
"The Viscount Monckton of Brenchley presents his compliments to Vice-President Albert Gore and by these presents challenges the said former Vice-President to a head-to-head, internationally-televised debate upon the question, 'That our effect on climate is not dangerous,' to be held in the Library of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History at a date of the Vice-President's choosing.
"Forasmuch as it is His Lordship who now flings down the gauntlet to the Vice-President, it shall be the Vice-President's prerogative and right to choose his weapons by specifying the form of the Great Debate. May the Truth win! Magna est veritas, et praevalet. God Bless America! God Save the Queen!"
#2
The former Presidential candidate has also been called to testify in front of two Congressional committees Wednesday, according to Drudge:
Rep. John Dingell's [D-MI] Energy & Commerce Committee in the morning and Sen. Barbara Boxer's [D-CA] Environment & Public Works Committee in the afternoon. And, not only is Rep. Dingell skeptical about global warming, but he's also invited Dr. Bjorn Lomborg, Adjunct Professor, Copenhagen Business School, to appear at the hearing. Lomborg is author of the book 'The Skeptical Environmentalist.' The Oscars may well be the high point of the poor man's life.
#3
Could it really be a sign of hope for the human race that GW hokum went from global juggernaut to global joke in such short order?
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/19/2007 14:46 Comments ||
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#4
tw, I don't hold much hope for the Congressional hearings to accomplish anything. The Goracle will posture and rant; I can't see CongressCritters actually asking him any hard questions.
I would look forward to the Second Great Debate, except that I would expect that Gore will somehow get out of it. He could claim that Lord Monckton is just out for publicity, or that he is in the pay of the oil companies, or whatever.
#5
You all may not understand. Debating at Oxford is a full contact sport. They still study debates that happened there over a hundred years ago.
If Gore declines, it will be like backing out of a duel, but will be called "intellectual cowardice", and will ruin the credibility of scientists who back Gore.
The same if he loses. It is really a lion's den for him.
#2
Actually AIDS arrived in Afghanistan courtesy of the Taliban. They made women stop working or going to school.
With so many women widowed, the only way they could support their families was prostitution. The men from the Minstry of Vice and Virtue were some of the main customers for these women.
Needless to say, they didn't care about protecting the women from STD.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
03/19/2007 15:51 Comments ||
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#3
Also remember that millions were in refugee camps outside of Afghanistan, where they probably got the disease.
actually, as I remember it from a lecture, the merciful Allah only requires 80-100 lashes for unmarried men who agree not to do it again (at least in two of the judicial schools)while, yes, married men do get the death penalty
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
A British Airways passenger travelling first class has described how he woke up on a long-haul flight to find that cabin crew had placed a corpse in his row. The body of a woman in her seventies, who died after the plane left Delhi for Heathrow, was carried by cabin staff from economy to first class, where there was more space. Her body was propped up in a seat, using pillows. The womanÂ’s daughter accompanied the corpse, and spent the rest of the journey wailing in grief.
Zimbabwe's youngest opposition member of parliament, Nelson Chamisa, was assaulted yards from the departure lounge at Harare International Airport early Sunday as he was checking in for a flight to Brussels. He is now in the hospital with a cracked skull. Peta Thornycroft in Harare reports. Chamisa, the 28-year-old spokesman for Morgan Tsvangirai's faction of the Movement for Democratic Change, MDC , was due to attend a European Union-African Caribbean Pacific parliamentary forum in Brussels, which opens Monday. Members of President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zanu PF party have left Zimbabwe to attend the meeting. 
The army-led joint forces arrested ex-BNP lawmaker from Sherpur-3 constituency Mahmudul Haq Rubel from his West Kafrul residence in the capital yesterday morning. The crack forces also arrested Rubel's younger brother Mahbubul Alam Rupam, a contractor, during the raid on the house at around 5:00am. Rubel and Rupam were later handed over to Kafrul police. 
Police yesterday pressed charges against Tarique Rahman, eldest son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, and his close aide Mian Nuruddin Apu in connection with a case filed for extorting Tk 1 crore from a construction firm owner.
Fidel Castro will return to CubaÂ’s presidency on April 28, eight months after stepping aside temporarily following an operation, BoliviaÂ’s leader Evo Morales was quoted in media reports Sunday.
Defence Minister Brendan Nelson today gave his seal of approval to Australia's new $6 billion F/A-18F Super Hornet program - after a joy flight in one of the super machines. Dr Nelson turned top gun for the day, hitching a ride in a current generation Block One Hornet owned and operated by the US navy, at the Australian International Airshow at Melbourne's Avalon airport today. 
