While Obama has an Islamic heritage and makes his love for Muslims quite clear, he has been and remains a professed Christian. Those Americans (20 percent) who believe Obama is a Muslim are not psychopaths, as his former pastor and mentor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, calls them. ‘Ignoramuses’ is what I would call them.
WRIGHT: OBAMA MUSLIM MYTH BELIEVERS ‘PSYCHOPATHS’
During fiery sermon in Little Rock, US president's former pastor says the enemy 'will surround you with psychopaths who will say you ain't really a Baptist'
Associated Press
August 29, 2010
President Barack Obama's controversial former pastor is referring to people who wrongly believe Obama is Muslim as "psychopaths."
The Rev. Jeremiah Wright delivered a fiery sermon Sunday at the New Millennium Church in Little Rock that largely criticized supporters of the Iraq war.
Wright also defended the church's pastor, former Arkansas Court of Appeals Judge Wendell Griffen, for speaking out against the war.
Wright's only reference to Obama came when he compared Griffen's opponents to those who incorrectly think Obama is Muslim. The president is Christian.
Wright says the enemy "will surround you with psychopaths who will criticize you ... and say 'you ain't really a Baptist' and say 'the president ain't really a Christian, he's a Muslim."
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
BOLTON FAVORS THREE-STATE SOLUTION
John Bolton, former U.S. Ambassador to the UN, does not believe the Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations can succeed and suggests that a three-state solution is the best way to go. While Bolton’s solution would benefit Palestinians much more than a two-state solution, they will never agree to be absorbed by Jordan and Egypt, nor would Jordan and Egypt ever want to take in the troublesome Palestinians. Besides all that, the real goal of the Palestinians is a one-state solution, the destruction of Israel.
From IsraelNationalNews.com:
PA-ISRAEL TALKS ‘DOOMED TO FAIL’
Regarding the direct talks between Netanyahu and Abbas scheduled to begin this week, Bolton said, "One of the reasons why I think these talks are inherently doomed to failure is because there is no one in the PA who can commit to the hard decisions and concessions that have to be made during negotiations, or carry through with them; Israel will not and should not talk to Hamas, and so the bottom line is that the Obama Administration has wasted 19 months of effort that will actually leave the region less stable than it was to begin with."
"The talks will almost certainly fail," Bolton predicts, and concludes that having them in the first place is a very short-term victory for the US, leaving both the US and Abbas weaker than they were before, and the entire region less stable.
THE THREE-STATE SOLUTION
Bolton does not favor the two-state solution, partly because Hamas, which runs Gaza, and Fatah, which runs the PA areas in Judea and Samaria, are barely on speaking terms. "For the benefit of the Palestinian people and the security of Israel," he says, "there should be a 3-state solution: Gaza should be given back to Egypt, tying it into a real economy there and rendering it much better off. Then parts of the West Bank should [somehow] be relinked to Jordan for the same objective. This would give Palestinian families a viable economic future. Let’s give up on this messianic idea of a political state [instead of the Palestinian Authority], which has resulted only in the Palestinian people being used by other elements."
From IsraelNationalNews.com:
PA-ISRAEL TALKS ‘DOOMED TO FAIL’
Regarding the direct talks between Netanyahu and Abbas scheduled to begin this week, Bolton said, "One of the reasons why I think these talks are inherently doomed to failure is because there is no one in the PA who can commit to the hard decisions and concessions that have to be made during negotiations, or carry through with them; Israel will not and should not talk to Hamas, and so the bottom line is that the Obama Administration has wasted 19 months of effort that will actually leave the region less stable than it was to begin with."
"The talks will almost certainly fail," Bolton predicts, and concludes that having them in the first place is a very short-term victory for the US, leaving both the US and Abbas weaker than they were before, and the entire region less stable.
THE THREE-STATE SOLUTION
Bolton does not favor the two-state solution, partly because Hamas, which runs Gaza, and Fatah, which runs the PA areas in Judea and Samaria, are barely on speaking terms. "For the benefit of the Palestinian people and the security of Israel," he says, "there should be a 3-state solution: Gaza should be given back to Egypt, tying it into a real economy there and rendering it much better off. Then parts of the West Bank should [somehow] be relinked to Jordan for the same objective. This would give Palestinian families a viable economic future. Let’s give up on this messianic idea of a political state [instead of the Palestinian Authority], which has resulted only in the Palestinian people being used by other elements."
WE'RE NOT TO BLAME, IT'S GARRIDO'S FAULT
Another bureaucratic whitewash. If any reprimands will ever be issued, it will be the lowly parole agents who will get them, not that they don’t deserve them. In my professional opinion, supervision and management are just as culpable in this mess as the fuck-up agents and should be disciplined accordingly.
Here is a case in which there was a lack of supervision, first by the parole agents, second by their immediate supervisors and then by the immediate supervisors of the immediate supervisors. I know of several police agencies in which the immediate supervisor will be disciplined the same as the officer (or supervisor) who fucked up unless he can document that he offered the kind of supervision that should have prevented the misconduct. That policy has led to closer supervision and far fewer fuck-ups.
"CRIMINALS WILL DO TERRIBLE THINGS"
CDCR: Phillip Garrido’s parole oversight aftermath still under review
By Jeff Doyle
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
August 30, 2010
SACRAMENTO, CA – Exactly 365 days after Jaycee Lee Dugard was rescued from 18 years in captivity, no one from the agency responsible for overseeing her accused captor and rapist has been held accountable.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation was ultimately in charge of overseeing Philip Garrido, but failed to do so many times, according to a report from the State Inspector General.
"This department has enormous empathy for the victim," said Terri McDonald, the chief deputy secretary for adult operations at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, who oversees prisons and parole.
… McDonald said she didn’t agree that her department failed 90 percent of the time.
"I don’t agree there’s a 90 percent failure rate in anything," McDonald said. "I wouldn’t put a failure rate on it."
As for reprimands for agents assigned to Garrido, McDonald said none were issued…
Asked about whether systematic failures, partial or complete, caused the Garrido surveillance lapse, McDonald said, "I don’t know that systematic failure is a fair term. I think that we learned from what we did and from there we’re going to continue to improve."
"I think that we continue to do better as we learn from the information," McDonald said.
While McDonald admitted not everything was handled properly…
"I’ve never said nothing is wrong nor has the department said nothing is wrong," McDonald said. "We did our own internal review and we do one on every incident that occurs."
…McDonald pointed out no matter how hard they try, criminals will do terrible things.
"We ask for understanding and (community members) working with us when that occurs to help us remove them from the communities in general," she said…
Better training will begin soon, McDonald said. A new field training agent program has been established and they’re using photos from the Garrido home in that training…(Full text and video at News10.net)
Jeff’s comments follow:
Sometimes, it’s better to stay mum. After reading the attached article and reviewing the painful video, it couldn’t be clearer this was one of those times.
In the interest of staying on message, CDCR again opted to send a spokesperson with no corrections experience–It’s called consistency.
But, again, "no comment" would have been much less damaging than the piffle flowing from McDonald’s lips.
Hell, even Forest knew when to run.
And Bob Walsh says:
I guess paying $20 million and saying you are sorry means you don’t have to do anything else about it.
Here is a case in which there was a lack of supervision, first by the parole agents, second by their immediate supervisors and then by the immediate supervisors of the immediate supervisors. I know of several police agencies in which the immediate supervisor will be disciplined the same as the officer (or supervisor) who fucked up unless he can document that he offered the kind of supervision that should have prevented the misconduct. That policy has led to closer supervision and far fewer fuck-ups.
"CRIMINALS WILL DO TERRIBLE THINGS"
CDCR: Phillip Garrido’s parole oversight aftermath still under review
By Jeff Doyle
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
August 30, 2010
SACRAMENTO, CA – Exactly 365 days after Jaycee Lee Dugard was rescued from 18 years in captivity, no one from the agency responsible for overseeing her accused captor and rapist has been held accountable.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation was ultimately in charge of overseeing Philip Garrido, but failed to do so many times, according to a report from the State Inspector General.
"This department has enormous empathy for the victim," said Terri McDonald, the chief deputy secretary for adult operations at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, who oversees prisons and parole.
… McDonald said she didn’t agree that her department failed 90 percent of the time.
"I don’t agree there’s a 90 percent failure rate in anything," McDonald said. "I wouldn’t put a failure rate on it."
As for reprimands for agents assigned to Garrido, McDonald said none were issued…
Asked about whether systematic failures, partial or complete, caused the Garrido surveillance lapse, McDonald said, "I don’t know that systematic failure is a fair term. I think that we learned from what we did and from there we’re going to continue to improve."
"I think that we continue to do better as we learn from the information," McDonald said.
While McDonald admitted not everything was handled properly…
"I’ve never said nothing is wrong nor has the department said nothing is wrong," McDonald said. "We did our own internal review and we do one on every incident that occurs."
…McDonald pointed out no matter how hard they try, criminals will do terrible things.
"We ask for understanding and (community members) working with us when that occurs to help us remove them from the communities in general," she said…
Better training will begin soon, McDonald said. A new field training agent program has been established and they’re using photos from the Garrido home in that training…(Full text and video at News10.net)
Jeff’s comments follow:
Sometimes, it’s better to stay mum. After reading the attached article and reviewing the painful video, it couldn’t be clearer this was one of those times.
In the interest of staying on message, CDCR again opted to send a spokesperson with no corrections experience–It’s called consistency.
But, again, "no comment" would have been much less damaging than the piffle flowing from McDonald’s lips.
Hell, even Forest knew when to run.
And Bob Walsh says:
I guess paying $20 million and saying you are sorry means you don’t have to do anything else about it.
Monday, August 30, 2010
FATHERING KIDS AS IF YOU'RE WATERING PLANTS
Athletes: Not only cheating, but fathering too. Oh well, it's just role models at work.
8 KIDS WITH 6 MOMS? NFL STAR IS SHAMEFUL
By Mitch Albom
Jewish World Review
August 30, 2010
It is already one of the most embarrassing video clips in sports history, and it has nothing to do with dropped passes or missed dunks. It is footage of New York Jets defensive back Antonio Cromartie, a 26-year-old man, trying to list the names of his children.
Cromartie, in the HBO reality series "Hard Knocks," sits on the field, counting his kids on his fingers. At times he seems to struggle remembering them, and he skips one of their names altogether.
Then again, who could blame him? He has, by his own count, fathered eight children, apparently with six different women. Only at the end of his list does he say, "And I have my newborn with my wife."
So Cromartie is the new face of irresponsible fatherhood. But while he has more than earned the honor (the Jets, according to reports, had to front him $500,000 for paternity suits), he is hardly alone.
Fathering kids as if you're watering plants is a growing problem in the sports world, particularly in African-American circles. And if we are gong to talk about this issue, we need to drop our sensitivities toward this fact.
No, African Americans aren't the only ones having kids out of wedlock. But, yes, the news is worst in that community, where, in recent data from the National Center for Health Statistics, 72 percent of new babies were born out of wedlock, versus 28 percent among whites and 17 percent among Asians. This is not in the skin. It is not about color. It's about culture.
And if the culture doesn't change, neither will the pattern.
A BUSY YEAR OF PROCREATING
Cromartie, in listing his offspring on "Hard Knocks," mentions four who are around age 3. I'll never understand men who father kids as if opening Starbucks franchises. But four in one year?
That's unforgivable. Obviously, Cromartie enjoys his sex, but is it a sin to take precautions? Or does he think his seed is so special he needs to procreate on a quarterly basis?
And what about the women involved? Are they that naive? Or do some figure the fastest route to a sports star's wallet is through the delivery room?
Both parties ignore the well-documented consequences of absent fathers. Lack of guidance, discipline or demonstration of the love and respect needed in a marriage. Crime rates, dropout rates, violence rates -- all are higher for kids without fathers. It's not like this is a secret.
Yet the situation repeats, over and over. It is simply cruel. How will children ever learn their way out of the cycle? If we, in the 21st century, have fostered a culture where "baby mama" is an acceptable term, we have little to be proud of.
"A house without a father is a challenge," Bill Cosby once wrote. "A neighborhood without fathers is a catastrophe."
A PROBLEM FOR OUR SOCIETY
Travis Henry, the former NFL running back, reportedly has fathered at least 11 children with 10 different women. Evander Holyfield, the boxing champ who claims to be a man of G0d, fathered two children with two women a month apart -- while being married to another.
Now comes Cromartie -- on prime-time TV -- to again demonstrate how flippant fatherhood can be. He actually has the nerve to tell the camera, "Soon as you leave (work) and get home you got to be that father figure."
He is not a father figure.
But, sadly, a white columnist bemoaning this issue won't change it in the black community. An older couple wagging fingers won't make young people listen. Critics may be dismissed with "it's not your place to say anything."
But it is my place and it is your place, black or white or brown, because we share this country, and playing Johnny Appleseed to kids you won't tend to makes our country a more difficult place. That holds for Antonio Cromartie or Kevin Federline.
Cromartie's video is now the butt of endless Internet jokes. And almost unbelievably, Cromartie has complained only that HBO didn't show another clip in which he recited his children's names faster.
Hey, Antonio. It isn't how fast you remembered the kids. It's how fast you created them. And there's nothing funny about your story. It's sad. Really sad.
8 KIDS WITH 6 MOMS? NFL STAR IS SHAMEFUL
By Mitch Albom
Jewish World Review
August 30, 2010
It is already one of the most embarrassing video clips in sports history, and it has nothing to do with dropped passes or missed dunks. It is footage of New York Jets defensive back Antonio Cromartie, a 26-year-old man, trying to list the names of his children.
Cromartie, in the HBO reality series "Hard Knocks," sits on the field, counting his kids on his fingers. At times he seems to struggle remembering them, and he skips one of their names altogether.
Then again, who could blame him? He has, by his own count, fathered eight children, apparently with six different women. Only at the end of his list does he say, "And I have my newborn with my wife."
So Cromartie is the new face of irresponsible fatherhood. But while he has more than earned the honor (the Jets, according to reports, had to front him $500,000 for paternity suits), he is hardly alone.
Fathering kids as if you're watering plants is a growing problem in the sports world, particularly in African-American circles. And if we are gong to talk about this issue, we need to drop our sensitivities toward this fact.
No, African Americans aren't the only ones having kids out of wedlock. But, yes, the news is worst in that community, where, in recent data from the National Center for Health Statistics, 72 percent of new babies were born out of wedlock, versus 28 percent among whites and 17 percent among Asians. This is not in the skin. It is not about color. It's about culture.
And if the culture doesn't change, neither will the pattern.
A BUSY YEAR OF PROCREATING
Cromartie, in listing his offspring on "Hard Knocks," mentions four who are around age 3. I'll never understand men who father kids as if opening Starbucks franchises. But four in one year?
That's unforgivable. Obviously, Cromartie enjoys his sex, but is it a sin to take precautions? Or does he think his seed is so special he needs to procreate on a quarterly basis?
And what about the women involved? Are they that naive? Or do some figure the fastest route to a sports star's wallet is through the delivery room?
Both parties ignore the well-documented consequences of absent fathers. Lack of guidance, discipline or demonstration of the love and respect needed in a marriage. Crime rates, dropout rates, violence rates -- all are higher for kids without fathers. It's not like this is a secret.
Yet the situation repeats, over and over. It is simply cruel. How will children ever learn their way out of the cycle? If we, in the 21st century, have fostered a culture where "baby mama" is an acceptable term, we have little to be proud of.
"A house without a father is a challenge," Bill Cosby once wrote. "A neighborhood without fathers is a catastrophe."
A PROBLEM FOR OUR SOCIETY
Travis Henry, the former NFL running back, reportedly has fathered at least 11 children with 10 different women. Evander Holyfield, the boxing champ who claims to be a man of G0d, fathered two children with two women a month apart -- while being married to another.
Now comes Cromartie -- on prime-time TV -- to again demonstrate how flippant fatherhood can be. He actually has the nerve to tell the camera, "Soon as you leave (work) and get home you got to be that father figure."
He is not a father figure.
But, sadly, a white columnist bemoaning this issue won't change it in the black community. An older couple wagging fingers won't make young people listen. Critics may be dismissed with "it's not your place to say anything."
But it is my place and it is your place, black or white or brown, because we share this country, and playing Johnny Appleseed to kids you won't tend to makes our country a more difficult place. That holds for Antonio Cromartie or Kevin Federline.
Cromartie's video is now the butt of endless Internet jokes. And almost unbelievably, Cromartie has complained only that HBO didn't show another clip in which he recited his children's names faster.
Hey, Antonio. It isn't how fast you remembered the kids. It's how fast you created them. And there's nothing funny about your story. It's sad. Really sad.
CULTURE OF CHEATING
Centurion took my tongue-in-cheek post on Rusty Hardin’s defense of Roger Clemens, NEW STANDARD FOR EVIDENCE OF INNOCENCE (8-29-10), a bit too seriously.
In taking issue with my post, Centurion said:
__Somehow I can't get all that excited about athletes using performance enhancing drugs. They've been doing it for years and will continue to do so.
__Meanwhile, Iran is on the verge fo developing Nukes, they have a delivery system, North Korea has Nukes, Israel, our only friend in the mid east is being cut loose by our present administration and are about to be wiped off the map, our Southern border is a joke where illegals line up to cross like kids waiting to get on a ride at Disneyland. I could go on of course...
__So a few athletes cheating to build up their bodies to overperform...you'll have to forgive me my lack of outrage. I don't condone it, but I just can't get all that excited about it.
Centurion has a very good point. In the scope of national and international concerns, cheating by athletes seems rather insignificant. But does that mean he shouldn’t get all that excited about it? No, not at all! Quite to the contrary, I think he and every other American should get excited whenever role models cheat.
What Clemens and other prominent athletes have done is symptomatic of America’s culture of cheating.
Public school teachers, in fear of losing their jobs, help students cheat on standard performance tests. Most high school kids and college students fee it’s okay to cheat on exams. Many college students copy someone else’s work to turn in as their own. Many Americans cheat on their income taxes. Many investors have been cheated by stockbrokers and investment banks through frequent trades made solely to earn the traders more sales commissions.
Accounting firms have been complicit in the cheating by corporations to make their current and projected earnings look much better – Enron immediately comes to mind. Mortgage banks have qualified homebuyers by helping them cheat with their income statements. Cheating is endemic in the sales of cars, jewelry and other high-dollar consumer items.
The criminal justice system is not exempt from cheating. Prosecutors often withhold evidence from the defense that casts doubt on the accused’s guilt. Court appointed defense attorneys often cheat their indigent clients out of a good defense. In civil cases, the use of dirty tactics to win cases are a form of cheating. And, I’m sorry to say, there are those cover-ups of wrongdoing by cops.
If we don’t get excited about cheating by ‘role model’ athletes, we might as well turn a blind eye toward all the other forms of cheating. A nation in which cheating has become a way of life is a nation that has lost its way. A culture of cheating is not what America’s founding fathers envisioned.
In taking issue with my post, Centurion said:
__Somehow I can't get all that excited about athletes using performance enhancing drugs. They've been doing it for years and will continue to do so.
__Meanwhile, Iran is on the verge fo developing Nukes, they have a delivery system, North Korea has Nukes, Israel, our only friend in the mid east is being cut loose by our present administration and are about to be wiped off the map, our Southern border is a joke where illegals line up to cross like kids waiting to get on a ride at Disneyland. I could go on of course...
__So a few athletes cheating to build up their bodies to overperform...you'll have to forgive me my lack of outrage. I don't condone it, but I just can't get all that excited about it.
Centurion has a very good point. In the scope of national and international concerns, cheating by athletes seems rather insignificant. But does that mean he shouldn’t get all that excited about it? No, not at all! Quite to the contrary, I think he and every other American should get excited whenever role models cheat.
What Clemens and other prominent athletes have done is symptomatic of America’s culture of cheating.
Public school teachers, in fear of losing their jobs, help students cheat on standard performance tests. Most high school kids and college students fee it’s okay to cheat on exams. Many college students copy someone else’s work to turn in as their own. Many Americans cheat on their income taxes. Many investors have been cheated by stockbrokers and investment banks through frequent trades made solely to earn the traders more sales commissions.
Accounting firms have been complicit in the cheating by corporations to make their current and projected earnings look much better – Enron immediately comes to mind. Mortgage banks have qualified homebuyers by helping them cheat with their income statements. Cheating is endemic in the sales of cars, jewelry and other high-dollar consumer items.
The criminal justice system is not exempt from cheating. Prosecutors often withhold evidence from the defense that casts doubt on the accused’s guilt. Court appointed defense attorneys often cheat their indigent clients out of a good defense. In civil cases, the use of dirty tactics to win cases are a form of cheating. And, I’m sorry to say, there are those cover-ups of wrongdoing by cops.
If we don’t get excited about cheating by ‘role model’ athletes, we might as well turn a blind eye toward all the other forms of cheating. A nation in which cheating has become a way of life is a nation that has lost its way. A culture of cheating is not what America’s founding fathers envisioned.
ONLY 17.7 PERCENT OF PALESTINIANS SUPPORT A TWO-STATE SOLUTION
Mr. Obama, please take note: For Israel, there will be no partner in peace! A vast majority of your ‘moderate’ Palestinian friends are determined to destroy the Jewish state.
POLL: PALESTINIANS WILL STILL SEEK ISRAEL’S DESTRUCTION, EVEN AFTER PEACE
Israel Today
August 29, 2010
The most recent poll of Palestinian Arabs revealed that even if US President Barack Obama gets Israel and the Palestinians to sign a peace deal, the violent efforts to destroy the Jewish state will not end.
Obama is set to host the renewal of direct peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in Washington on Thursday. Based on the Obama Administration's view that PA leader Mahmoud Abbas and most of the Palestinians living under his rule are "moderates," a true and genuine peace is within reach.
But the Arab World for Research & Development (AWRAD) based in the de facto Palestinian capital of Ramallah showed in its August 8-14 survey that Obama's view is way off base.
AWRAD asked a random sampling of Palestinian Arabs to rank various aspects of the peace process from "essential" to "unacceptable."
Nearly 73 percent of respondents said it is either essential, desirable or acceptable to use violence against Israeli Jews in order to obtain an independent Palestinian state. That view is a direct violation of the Israeli-Palestinian peace accords.
Furthermore, an overwhelming 78.2 percent of respondents said that eventually establishing "Palestine" from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea (which includes all of Israel) is "essential." Another 12.5 percent said that goal is "desirable." Only 17.7 percent said a two-state solution is "essential."
Regarding Jerusalem (presumably before the full takeover of Israel), 84.1 percent said it is essential and 10.3 percent said it is desirable for the entire city (including the Jewish-dominated western half) to be surrendered to the Palestinians.
Seventy-five percent of respondents said it is "unacceptable" that a future Palestinian state will be demilitarized as Israel is demanding.
Even if Israel meets all the Palestinian demands and conditions, a 42.3 percent plurality said Palestinians and Israelis will not coexist in peace. That makes sense, considering that most Palestinians will still be seeking the destruction of the Jewish state.
POLL: PALESTINIANS WILL STILL SEEK ISRAEL’S DESTRUCTION, EVEN AFTER PEACE
Israel Today
August 29, 2010
The most recent poll of Palestinian Arabs revealed that even if US President Barack Obama gets Israel and the Palestinians to sign a peace deal, the violent efforts to destroy the Jewish state will not end.
Obama is set to host the renewal of direct peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in Washington on Thursday. Based on the Obama Administration's view that PA leader Mahmoud Abbas and most of the Palestinians living under his rule are "moderates," a true and genuine peace is within reach.
But the Arab World for Research & Development (AWRAD) based in the de facto Palestinian capital of Ramallah showed in its August 8-14 survey that Obama's view is way off base.
AWRAD asked a random sampling of Palestinian Arabs to rank various aspects of the peace process from "essential" to "unacceptable."
Nearly 73 percent of respondents said it is either essential, desirable or acceptable to use violence against Israeli Jews in order to obtain an independent Palestinian state. That view is a direct violation of the Israeli-Palestinian peace accords.
Furthermore, an overwhelming 78.2 percent of respondents said that eventually establishing "Palestine" from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea (which includes all of Israel) is "essential." Another 12.5 percent said that goal is "desirable." Only 17.7 percent said a two-state solution is "essential."
Regarding Jerusalem (presumably before the full takeover of Israel), 84.1 percent said it is essential and 10.3 percent said it is desirable for the entire city (including the Jewish-dominated western half) to be surrendered to the Palestinians.
Seventy-five percent of respondents said it is "unacceptable" that a future Palestinian state will be demilitarized as Israel is demanding.
Even if Israel meets all the Palestinian demands and conditions, a 42.3 percent plurality said Palestinians and Israelis will not coexist in peace. That makes sense, considering that most Palestinians will still be seeking the destruction of the Jewish state.
FROG FIGHTER JETS SHOCK AND AWE FARMER'S FOWL
FARMER SUES FRENCH MINISTRY OF DEFENSE AFTER TWO LOW-FLYING FIGHTER PLANES ‘FRIGHTEN 4,800 CHICKENS TO DEATH’
By Peter Allen
Mail Online
August 27, 2010
A French farmer is suing his country’s Ministry of Defense after two low-flying fighter jets caused 4,800 of his chickens to drop dead.
Etienne Le Mehaute said there was an 'almighty din' when the planes passed over his farm in Pelguien, Brittany, on Tuesday afternoon.
'We were having lunch when there this enormous roar of engines,' said Mr. Le Mahaute. ‘We could feel the shockwaves down our back.
‘The chickens were absolutely terrified and thousands dropped dead. We piled their bodies up and there were some 4,800 who did not pull through.’
Mr. Le Mehaute, who has around 68,000 birds in total, wants £12,000 from the MoD for his loss.
MoD spokesman Frederic Solano has confirmed two jets were in the area at the time, but denied they broke low-flying regulations. He said an investigation into the deaths had been launch.
The British government regularly pays out compensation to civilians who complain about noisy military jets.
Last year defense chiefs paid out £42,000 to a Staffordshire farmer whose chickens laid fewer eggs because they were frightened by the Red Arrows display team.
And another £117,000 was handed over to a Yorkshire racehorse owner after the animal injured itself when it was spooked by jets.
A total of £7.6million has been paid out in damages over the past four years because of military noise pollution, according to official documents released earlier this year.
By Peter Allen
Mail Online
August 27, 2010
A French farmer is suing his country’s Ministry of Defense after two low-flying fighter jets caused 4,800 of his chickens to drop dead.
Etienne Le Mehaute said there was an 'almighty din' when the planes passed over his farm in Pelguien, Brittany, on Tuesday afternoon.
'We were having lunch when there this enormous roar of engines,' said Mr. Le Mahaute. ‘We could feel the shockwaves down our back.
‘The chickens were absolutely terrified and thousands dropped dead. We piled their bodies up and there were some 4,800 who did not pull through.’
Mr. Le Mehaute, who has around 68,000 birds in total, wants £12,000 from the MoD for his loss.
MoD spokesman Frederic Solano has confirmed two jets were in the area at the time, but denied they broke low-flying regulations. He said an investigation into the deaths had been launch.
The British government regularly pays out compensation to civilians who complain about noisy military jets.
Last year defense chiefs paid out £42,000 to a Staffordshire farmer whose chickens laid fewer eggs because they were frightened by the Red Arrows display team.
And another £117,000 was handed over to a Yorkshire racehorse owner after the animal injured itself when it was spooked by jets.
A total of £7.6million has been paid out in damages over the past four years because of military noise pollution, according to official documents released earlier this year.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
WHAT'S HAPPENED TO AMERICA?
Here are the comments Jeff Greenfield made on today’s CBS Sunday Morning:
KATRINA: HOW IT CHANGED THE PSYCHE OF AMERICA
Jeff Greenfield Says Americans’ Sense of What Kind of Nation We Are Was Upended by Gov’t Response to Catastrophe
(CBS) You can measure the cost of Katrina in lives and treasure. But there is another cost of that disaster, less obvious, but in one sense, just as damaging: What it did to America's sense of what kind of country we are.
Our very beginnings defined us as a "can-do" people: We literally conceived a new nation, and then set out to conquer a continent.
We defined rights as individuals, but we worked together to raise a neighbor's barn, or to link a continent with rail.
We were oceans apart? Build a [Panama] canal.
Did a mighty river plague us with floods and droughts? Dam it up with the biggest public works project in history. And that same Hoover Dam provided the power to the California defense plants that helped win a world war.
We were hungry for homes of our own? Build them by the millions in the suburbs, and link them to work with 60,000 miles of interstate highways.
Should our reach exceed our grasp? But the moon itself was in our grasp. And we led the way in making the world a click of the finger away.
And we were rich enough, powerful enough, to lead when disaster struck others: Herbert Hoover became a hero after the First World War by leading a massive relief effort in Europe.
After the Second World War, America sent everything from CARE packages to billions of dollars to put Europe's ravaged economies back on their feet.
The Berlin airlift of 1948 saved that beleaguered city; and Americans joined the Peace Corps decades later. And in the 21st century, this nation was half the world away when the tsunami struck Indonesia.
But when Katrina hit . . . nothing - not our wealth, our strength, our impulse to lend a hand - could prevent disaster. The experts warned this could happen; our leaders promised mobilization; and a major American city drowned.
Katrina, I think, was a portent that one of this country's most basic articles of faith was now in doubt. The failure to keep New Orleans from being overwhelmed by floodwaters was almost a precursor of our failure to keep our economy safe from near-collapse.
As much as any event in recent history, Katrina triggered a question we are still asking: "What has happened to our country?"
KATRINA: HOW IT CHANGED THE PSYCHE OF AMERICA
Jeff Greenfield Says Americans’ Sense of What Kind of Nation We Are Was Upended by Gov’t Response to Catastrophe
(CBS) You can measure the cost of Katrina in lives and treasure. But there is another cost of that disaster, less obvious, but in one sense, just as damaging: What it did to America's sense of what kind of country we are.
Our very beginnings defined us as a "can-do" people: We literally conceived a new nation, and then set out to conquer a continent.
We defined rights as individuals, but we worked together to raise a neighbor's barn, or to link a continent with rail.
We were oceans apart? Build a [Panama] canal.
Did a mighty river plague us with floods and droughts? Dam it up with the biggest public works project in history. And that same Hoover Dam provided the power to the California defense plants that helped win a world war.
We were hungry for homes of our own? Build them by the millions in the suburbs, and link them to work with 60,000 miles of interstate highways.
Should our reach exceed our grasp? But the moon itself was in our grasp. And we led the way in making the world a click of the finger away.
And we were rich enough, powerful enough, to lead when disaster struck others: Herbert Hoover became a hero after the First World War by leading a massive relief effort in Europe.
After the Second World War, America sent everything from CARE packages to billions of dollars to put Europe's ravaged economies back on their feet.
The Berlin airlift of 1948 saved that beleaguered city; and Americans joined the Peace Corps decades later. And in the 21st century, this nation was half the world away when the tsunami struck Indonesia.
But when Katrina hit . . . nothing - not our wealth, our strength, our impulse to lend a hand - could prevent disaster. The experts warned this could happen; our leaders promised mobilization; and a major American city drowned.
Katrina, I think, was a portent that one of this country's most basic articles of faith was now in doubt. The failure to keep New Orleans from being overwhelmed by floodwaters was almost a precursor of our failure to keep our economy safe from near-collapse.
As much as any event in recent history, Katrina triggered a question we are still asking: "What has happened to our country?"
NEW STANDARD FOR EVICENCE OF INNOCENCE
Even if you’re not a baseball fan you’ve got to know that Hall of Fame bound (?) pitcher Roger Clemens has been indicted by a federal grand jury on six counts charging him with perjury, making false statements and obstruction of Congress. If convicted on all counts, he could face a $1.5 million fine and up to 30-years in prison.
Until a federal judge issue a gag order in the Clemens case, his lead liar (lawyer) made daily pronouncements that Roger never used any performance enhancing drugs and that his client was looking forward to having his day in court. Rusty Hardin's last statement before the gag order shut him up set a new standard for evidence of innocence.
Here is what Roger’s lead liar said:
__Sometime I want somebody, though, to maybe ask the question, ‘Isn’t his continued insistence at the risk of going to the penitentiary evidence that he didn’t do it?’ Isn’t that evidence maybe that he didn’t?
So according to Hardin we now have a new standard for evidence. If someone charged with a crime continues to insist over and over again that he didn’t do it, his repetitious denials must be considered evidence that he’s innocent. Now you know why Rusty is considered one of Texas’ top three criminal liars.
Thanks to Hardin’s new standard, we will be able to close down all but four or five prisons in this country. Why? Because almost all prison inmates insist every day that they ‘didn’t do it.’ Based on this new evidence of innocence, we’re going to have to release almost all prison inmates in the U.S.
My suggestion would be to have only one federal prison and, for state prisoners, to have one prison on the East Coast, preferably near the nation’s capital, and one prison each for the Midwest, the South, and the West.
Thanks to Rusty Hardin’s new standard of evidence, all the states can now breathe a sigh of relief. Their budget shortfalls will be all but wiped out. And they can also eliminate those costly DNA tests. Now why wasn’t Barry Scheck that brilliant with the Innocence Project?
Until a federal judge issue a gag order in the Clemens case, his lead liar (lawyer) made daily pronouncements that Roger never used any performance enhancing drugs and that his client was looking forward to having his day in court. Rusty Hardin's last statement before the gag order shut him up set a new standard for evidence of innocence.
Here is what Roger’s lead liar said:
__Sometime I want somebody, though, to maybe ask the question, ‘Isn’t his continued insistence at the risk of going to the penitentiary evidence that he didn’t do it?’ Isn’t that evidence maybe that he didn’t?
So according to Hardin we now have a new standard for evidence. If someone charged with a crime continues to insist over and over again that he didn’t do it, his repetitious denials must be considered evidence that he’s innocent. Now you know why Rusty is considered one of Texas’ top three criminal liars.
Thanks to Hardin’s new standard, we will be able to close down all but four or five prisons in this country. Why? Because almost all prison inmates insist every day that they ‘didn’t do it.’ Based on this new evidence of innocence, we’re going to have to release almost all prison inmates in the U.S.
My suggestion would be to have only one federal prison and, for state prisoners, to have one prison on the East Coast, preferably near the nation’s capital, and one prison each for the Midwest, the South, and the West.
Thanks to Rusty Hardin’s new standard of evidence, all the states can now breathe a sigh of relief. Their budget shortfalls will be all but wiped out. And they can also eliminate those costly DNA tests. Now why wasn’t Barry Scheck that brilliant with the Innocence Project?
Saturday, August 28, 2010
HEALTH CARE REFORM
My friend Jay wrote:
Let me get this straight.
We're going to be "gifted" with a health care plan we are forced to purchase and fined if we don't, written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that hasn't read it but exempts themselves from it, to be signed by a president who also smokes, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, to be overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's broke.
What the hell could possibly go wrong?
Let me get this straight.
We're going to be "gifted" with a health care plan we are forced to purchase and fined if we don't, written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that hasn't read it but exempts themselves from it, to be signed by a president who also smokes, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, to be overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's broke.
What the hell could possibly go wrong?
FAMILY TIME FOR MOM AND THE KIDS
Quality time for kids with their mom is what social workers like to see.
JOYCE ESPINOSA: THE FAMILY THAT LIFTS TOGETHER STICKS TOGETHER
By John Nova Lomax,
Houston Press Hair Balls
Aug. 27 2010
And they say that not enough families are spending time together and sharing family activities...
Last week, a 42-year-old Webster mom was arrested along with her two teenaged kids after the threesome walked out of a Friendswood HEB [a grocery supermarket] with $700 worth of food, toys, and booze. Fun for the whole family!
An off-duty Waller County deputy happened to be on the scene, and store employees asked him to help them detain Joyce Espinosa, the Mom of the Year candidate and her two sticky-fingered offsrping -- a boy of 17 named John Espinosa and a younger girl who was not named.
But when the cop asked them to stop, they piled in the family car and sped off, eventually reaching speeds of over 70 mph. The deputy gave chase in his unmarked car and maintained contact with Friendswood police, who pulled over the car on FM 528.
Mama Espinosa was charged with theft of under $1,500, which is normally a misdemeanor, but is a felony in her case, as she has multiple previous convictions, not to mention others for drugs, auto theft and robbery. According to courthouse records, she has since been sentenced to about a year in Galveston County Jail. John Espinosa got hit with a felony theft charge; little sister was delivered to juvenile authorities
JOYCE ESPINOSA: THE FAMILY THAT LIFTS TOGETHER STICKS TOGETHER
By John Nova Lomax,
Houston Press Hair Balls
Aug. 27 2010
And they say that not enough families are spending time together and sharing family activities...
Last week, a 42-year-old Webster mom was arrested along with her two teenaged kids after the threesome walked out of a Friendswood HEB [a grocery supermarket] with $700 worth of food, toys, and booze. Fun for the whole family!
An off-duty Waller County deputy happened to be on the scene, and store employees asked him to help them detain Joyce Espinosa, the Mom of the Year candidate and her two sticky-fingered offsrping -- a boy of 17 named John Espinosa and a younger girl who was not named.
But when the cop asked them to stop, they piled in the family car and sped off, eventually reaching speeds of over 70 mph. The deputy gave chase in his unmarked car and maintained contact with Friendswood police, who pulled over the car on FM 528.
Mama Espinosa was charged with theft of under $1,500, which is normally a misdemeanor, but is a felony in her case, as she has multiple previous convictions, not to mention others for drugs, auto theft and robbery. According to courthouse records, she has since been sentenced to about a year in Galveston County Jail. John Espinosa got hit with a felony theft charge; little sister was delivered to juvenile authorities
HOW A PROSPECTIVE POLICE CAREER WENT TO POT
It looks like this guy’s prospective police career went to pot, but here is one cop’s comment: He could always go to Chicago and apply there. No pesky tests or anything like that....
UTAH MAN CAUGHT SELLING POT TO PAY FOR POLICE ACADEMY
Also arrested for possessionof a stolen firearm and for possession of pills and drug paraphernalia
By Sheena McFarland
The Salt Lake Tribune
August 27, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — While police officers arrest pot dealers fairly frequently, Orem police officers heard a pretty unusual reason for the illegal activity during an arrest this weekend.
The 20-year-old man said he was dealing the drugs in order to save up for the police academy.
"It's probably not the first time this has happened, but this is the first time I've heard of someone admitting it," said Orem Sgt. Craig Martinez. "Most drug dealers wouldn't say they were trying to save up to become a cop."
The man was arrested after Orem police were told he was dealing drugs and obtained a search warrant for his home. He was arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a controlled substance for pills he had and possession of drug paraphernalia.
He is in the Utah County Jail on an $1,850 bond.
UTAH MAN CAUGHT SELLING POT TO PAY FOR POLICE ACADEMY
Also arrested for possessionof a stolen firearm and for possession of pills and drug paraphernalia
By Sheena McFarland
The Salt Lake Tribune
August 27, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — While police officers arrest pot dealers fairly frequently, Orem police officers heard a pretty unusual reason for the illegal activity during an arrest this weekend.
The 20-year-old man said he was dealing the drugs in order to save up for the police academy.
"It's probably not the first time this has happened, but this is the first time I've heard of someone admitting it," said Orem Sgt. Craig Martinez. "Most drug dealers wouldn't say they were trying to save up to become a cop."
The man was arrested after Orem police were told he was dealing drugs and obtained a search warrant for his home. He was arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a controlled substance for pills he had and possession of drug paraphernalia.
He is in the Utah County Jail on an $1,850 bond.
JUST DESERVES FOR A LAWYER BITCH
Even though it happened over nine years ago, you may remember that this bitch of a lawyer and her lawyer husband stood by without lifting a finger and watched as their dogs mauled a neighbor - the women's lacrosse coach at St. Mary's College – to death.
DOG MAULING MURDER CONVICTION UPHELD
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
August 24, 2010
A state appeals court ruled Friday that the murder conviction of attorney Marjorie Knoller for the death of her neighbor, Diane Whipple, was appropriate.
Superior Court Judge James Warren had reduced Knoller’s second-degree murder conviction to involuntary manslaughter. Paco’s readers will probably recall that Knoller’s 140 pound Presa Canario killed Whipple in the corridor of their apartment building. Judge Charlotte Woolard reinstated the second-degree murder conviction and sent Knoller back to the slammer. In a 3-0 ruling the First District Court of Appeal said that Knoller knew the dog was dangerous and also knew she could not physically control the animal. The court found that she acted with "conscious disregard for human life." Her lawyer has vowed to appeal to the state supreme court, and to the federal courts if necessary.
Knoller’s husband Robert Noel was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the same case.
Mrs Knoller is believed to have had an unusually strong personal attachment to the male dog, Bane, who was the primary attacker of Whipple, though the female dog, Hera, may have also taken part.
Clicking here will link to a SFGATE (Chronicle) story on this subject.
DOG MAULING MURDER CONVICTION UPHELD
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
August 24, 2010
A state appeals court ruled Friday that the murder conviction of attorney Marjorie Knoller for the death of her neighbor, Diane Whipple, was appropriate.
Superior Court Judge James Warren had reduced Knoller’s second-degree murder conviction to involuntary manslaughter. Paco’s readers will probably recall that Knoller’s 140 pound Presa Canario killed Whipple in the corridor of their apartment building. Judge Charlotte Woolard reinstated the second-degree murder conviction and sent Knoller back to the slammer. In a 3-0 ruling the First District Court of Appeal said that Knoller knew the dog was dangerous and also knew she could not physically control the animal. The court found that she acted with "conscious disregard for human life." Her lawyer has vowed to appeal to the state supreme court, and to the federal courts if necessary.
Knoller’s husband Robert Noel was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the same case.
Mrs Knoller is believed to have had an unusually strong personal attachment to the male dog, Bane, who was the primary attacker of Whipple, though the female dog, Hera, may have also taken part.
Clicking here will link to a SFGATE (Chronicle) story on this subject.
Friday, August 27, 2010
MEXICO: WHAT'S THE REAL PROBLEM?
Yesterday we learned the shocking news that Mexican gangsters murdered 72 Central and South American migrants near San Fernando, 85 miles south of Brownsville, Texas. The 58 men and 14 women had hoped to cross the Texas border into the United States. The victims, all of whom had been shot, were slaughtered by Mexico’s notorious Zeta Gang.
Mexico has long been plagued by deadly clashes between heavily armed drug cartels. Those clashes take thousands of lives every year. There are lots of kidnappings for ransom. Gangsters kill hundreds of political office holders, judges, police officials and news reporters. And there are many cops and other government officials on the payrolls of the cartels.
So what is behind these spate of killings and corruption? Mexican and American officials would have us believe that the trafficking in and use of illegal drugs are to blame. Mexican officials go even further than that by blaming the existence of the gangs, the attendant violence, and the corruption on the insatiable hunger of Americans for Marijuana, Heroin, Cocaine, Meth, and other illegal drugs.
A desperate President Felipe Calderon has suggested that Mexico should consider the legalization of drugs. When he made his proposal - The Economist (8-14-10) entitled it THINKING THE UNTHINKABLE - Felipe must have flipped out under the influence of some funny tobacco smoke. With the huge demand for recreational drugs by Mexico’s northern neighbor, the drug cartels are not going to go away just because the country legalized drugs.
Let’s suppose that both Mexico and the United States legalized drugs. Would that cause the demise of Mexican drug cartels? No way Jose! Remember that the end of Prohibition in the U.S. did not bring about the demise of the Mafia. The drug cartels, just like the Mafia, would simply find some other criminal enterprises by which they can enrich themselves. The gangs are not about to go away because drugs are not the real problem behind Mexico’s violence.
The real problem is the deep socioeconomic chasm that divides Mexican 'haves' and 'haves not.'. Our southern neighbor has a small number of extremely wealthy people and a small middle class. The overwhelming majority of Mexicans are dirt poor and live in abject poverty. Whenever any country has a divide between the poverty-stricken masses and a small well-off ruling class, it will have an insurgency – in Mexico it’s in the form of gangs and in other countries it’s Marxist militias.
So, until Mexico’s socioeconomic chasm is bridged, it will continue to be plagued by deadly gang warfare, corruption, kidnappings and by the killings of office holders, judges, police officials and news reporters. Drugs are not the real problem and Calderon is just a dumb Mexican who is not smart enough to realize that the legalization of drugs probably won’t make a peso’s worth of difference.
Mexico has long been plagued by deadly clashes between heavily armed drug cartels. Those clashes take thousands of lives every year. There are lots of kidnappings for ransom. Gangsters kill hundreds of political office holders, judges, police officials and news reporters. And there are many cops and other government officials on the payrolls of the cartels.
So what is behind these spate of killings and corruption? Mexican and American officials would have us believe that the trafficking in and use of illegal drugs are to blame. Mexican officials go even further than that by blaming the existence of the gangs, the attendant violence, and the corruption on the insatiable hunger of Americans for Marijuana, Heroin, Cocaine, Meth, and other illegal drugs.
A desperate President Felipe Calderon has suggested that Mexico should consider the legalization of drugs. When he made his proposal - The Economist (8-14-10) entitled it THINKING THE UNTHINKABLE - Felipe must have flipped out under the influence of some funny tobacco smoke. With the huge demand for recreational drugs by Mexico’s northern neighbor, the drug cartels are not going to go away just because the country legalized drugs.
Let’s suppose that both Mexico and the United States legalized drugs. Would that cause the demise of Mexican drug cartels? No way Jose! Remember that the end of Prohibition in the U.S. did not bring about the demise of the Mafia. The drug cartels, just like the Mafia, would simply find some other criminal enterprises by which they can enrich themselves. The gangs are not about to go away because drugs are not the real problem behind Mexico’s violence.
The real problem is the deep socioeconomic chasm that divides Mexican 'haves' and 'haves not.'. Our southern neighbor has a small number of extremely wealthy people and a small middle class. The overwhelming majority of Mexicans are dirt poor and live in abject poverty. Whenever any country has a divide between the poverty-stricken masses and a small well-off ruling class, it will have an insurgency – in Mexico it’s in the form of gangs and in other countries it’s Marxist militias.
So, until Mexico’s socioeconomic chasm is bridged, it will continue to be plagued by deadly gang warfare, corruption, kidnappings and by the killings of office holders, judges, police officials and news reporters. Drugs are not the real problem and Calderon is just a dumb Mexican who is not smart enough to realize that the legalization of drugs probably won’t make a peso’s worth of difference.
SAUDI CARPENTERS
SAUDI COUPLE HAMMER 24 HOT NAILS INTO THEIR MAID AFTER SHE COMPLAINED OF HEAVY WORKLOAD
Mail Online
August 27, 2010
A Saudi couple tortured their Sri Lankan maid by hammering 24 hot nails into her after she complained of her heavy workload.
X-rays showed the brutal result after the nails were hammered into the hands, legs and feet of LT Ariyawathi, a 49-year-old mother-of-three.
Mrs Ariyawathi had returned to Sri Lanka on Friday after five months in Saudi Arabia.
Her family took her to the hospital after it became clear she was in massive amounts of pain.
It was then that doctors discovered the 1in to 2in nails inside her body. One had been hammered in over her eyes, officials said.
Mrs Ariyawathi told a local newspaper that her employers tortured her with the nails as punishment.
'They (employer and his family) did not allow me even to rest. The woman at the house had heated the nails and then the man inserted them into my body,' she was quoted as saying in the Lakbima, a newspaper published in local Sinhalese language.
She told the paper that she went to Saudi Arabia in March and was paid only two months' salary, with her employer withholding three months' salary to buy an air ticket to send her home.
Dr HKK Satharasinghe said X-rays show Mrs Ariyawathi has 24 nails and needles in her body. Some of her wounds have healed over, he said but she finds it difficult to walk because she has two nails in her knee and two in her ankles.
Another needle is in her forehead, and the rest are in hands, he said.
'Her condition is stable, but we are giving antibiotics and painkillers,' Dr Satharasinghe said, adding that doctors will begin removing the remaining nails tomorrow.
Kalyana Priya Ramanayake, media secretary of the Sri Lankan Foreign Employment Bureau, said: 'The landlord and the wife of the landlord hammered 24 nails into her when she complained of the heavy workload.'
He added that Mrs Ariyawathi had been too afraid to complain about the abuse to Saudi authorities, fearing that her employers might not let her return home. She also did not report the abuse to Sri Lankan officials, until she was hospitalised.
Around 1.4 million, mostly maids, were employed in the Middle East with 400,000 working in Saudi Arabia alone. Many have complained of physical abuse or harassment.
Saudi's foreign embassies report thousands of complaints each year from domestic workers forced to work 15-20 hours a day for seven days a week, who are denied their salaries, denied food and drink and sometimes even subjected to sexual abuse.
Recourse to justice is poor too with obstacles such as lack of access to interpreters, legal aid, or their consulates which means few migrants successfully pursue criminal cases against abusive employers.
Successful legal action by migrant workers is rare and often migrants are deported before they can pursue their case.
In 2008 authorities deported Keni binti Carda, an Indonesian domestic worker, before she could formally complain about her employers causing her severe burns and prying out her teet
Mail Online
August 27, 2010
A Saudi couple tortured their Sri Lankan maid by hammering 24 hot nails into her after she complained of her heavy workload.
X-rays showed the brutal result after the nails were hammered into the hands, legs and feet of LT Ariyawathi, a 49-year-old mother-of-three.
Mrs Ariyawathi had returned to Sri Lanka on Friday after five months in Saudi Arabia.
Her family took her to the hospital after it became clear she was in massive amounts of pain.
It was then that doctors discovered the 1in to 2in nails inside her body. One had been hammered in over her eyes, officials said.
Mrs Ariyawathi told a local newspaper that her employers tortured her with the nails as punishment.
'They (employer and his family) did not allow me even to rest. The woman at the house had heated the nails and then the man inserted them into my body,' she was quoted as saying in the Lakbima, a newspaper published in local Sinhalese language.
She told the paper that she went to Saudi Arabia in March and was paid only two months' salary, with her employer withholding three months' salary to buy an air ticket to send her home.
Dr HKK Satharasinghe said X-rays show Mrs Ariyawathi has 24 nails and needles in her body. Some of her wounds have healed over, he said but she finds it difficult to walk because she has two nails in her knee and two in her ankles.
Another needle is in her forehead, and the rest are in hands, he said.
'Her condition is stable, but we are giving antibiotics and painkillers,' Dr Satharasinghe said, adding that doctors will begin removing the remaining nails tomorrow.
Kalyana Priya Ramanayake, media secretary of the Sri Lankan Foreign Employment Bureau, said: 'The landlord and the wife of the landlord hammered 24 nails into her when she complained of the heavy workload.'
He added that Mrs Ariyawathi had been too afraid to complain about the abuse to Saudi authorities, fearing that her employers might not let her return home. She also did not report the abuse to Sri Lankan officials, until she was hospitalised.
Around 1.4 million, mostly maids, were employed in the Middle East with 400,000 working in Saudi Arabia alone. Many have complained of physical abuse or harassment.
Saudi's foreign embassies report thousands of complaints each year from domestic workers forced to work 15-20 hours a day for seven days a week, who are denied their salaries, denied food and drink and sometimes even subjected to sexual abuse.
Recourse to justice is poor too with obstacles such as lack of access to interpreters, legal aid, or their consulates which means few migrants successfully pursue criminal cases against abusive employers.
Successful legal action by migrant workers is rare and often migrants are deported before they can pursue their case.
In 2008 authorities deported Keni binti Carda, an Indonesian domestic worker, before she could formally complain about her employers causing her severe burns and prying out her teet
LADIES, THIS WILL CURL YOUR HAIR!
SEVEN REASONS WHY YOUR HAIR STYLIST HATES YOU
By Richard Connelly
Houston Press Hair Balls
Aug. 26 2010
Okay, we admit it -- we don't really care who cuts our hair. But we drafted someone who does, to find out the inner secrets of the scissors-wielding fraternity.
She talked to one of the best hair stylists in Houston, and learned things that made her hair curl -- and turned her brown eyes blue -- the Seven Reasons Why Your Hair Guru Hates You:
1. You've got damaged hair as wiry as those copper-pot scrubbers you find in Mexican food markets, and you insist on getting color again, like Newton's law of gravity will be recalled. To top it off (and you really should use a scarf to top it off by now), you expect it to be healthy with grocery store products, not the high-end salon potions I so wisely offer.
2. I always consult with the client first about hair color before I do anything else, and it's always the ones who haven't washed their hair in a week who want you to touch it.
3. Time-traveling clients: They'll bring in a picture from like 15 years ago and say, "Make me look like that" and you can barely see the picture. It's too dark or it's blurry and you can't even tell if it's them in the picture!
4. Speaking of the damned products, you out-and-out ask me to tailor a hair-product regime for you -- and then have the audacity! girlfriend! to go elsewhere so you can buy them cheaper. I gave you my time and expert opinion to come up with your ultimate "prescription."
5. It doesn't bother me when guys hit on me, but it does when they're married! One customer was always saying dirty things to me and was full of suggestions like, "You can lean your breasts on my head" during a haircut -- like that'll make the haircut zip along easier. And I do his wife's hair too! She is a sharp cookie and just has to know what a dog he is.
6. And the stay-at-home moms! All they talk about is their kids. I'm a captive audience you know, but that doesn't mean you have to yak on about soccer shit. You can tell they never get out much. And what if I want to get married? You're just rubbing it in.
7. And it goes without saying: Tipping is not, as a wise person once said, a city in China.
By Richard Connelly
Houston Press Hair Balls
Aug. 26 2010
Okay, we admit it -- we don't really care who cuts our hair. But we drafted someone who does, to find out the inner secrets of the scissors-wielding fraternity.
She talked to one of the best hair stylists in Houston, and learned things that made her hair curl -- and turned her brown eyes blue -- the Seven Reasons Why Your Hair Guru Hates You:
1. You've got damaged hair as wiry as those copper-pot scrubbers you find in Mexican food markets, and you insist on getting color again, like Newton's law of gravity will be recalled. To top it off (and you really should use a scarf to top it off by now), you expect it to be healthy with grocery store products, not the high-end salon potions I so wisely offer.
2. I always consult with the client first about hair color before I do anything else, and it's always the ones who haven't washed their hair in a week who want you to touch it.
3. Time-traveling clients: They'll bring in a picture from like 15 years ago and say, "Make me look like that" and you can barely see the picture. It's too dark or it's blurry and you can't even tell if it's them in the picture!
4. Speaking of the damned products, you out-and-out ask me to tailor a hair-product regime for you -- and then have the audacity! girlfriend! to go elsewhere so you can buy them cheaper. I gave you my time and expert opinion to come up with your ultimate "prescription."
5. It doesn't bother me when guys hit on me, but it does when they're married! One customer was always saying dirty things to me and was full of suggestions like, "You can lean your breasts on my head" during a haircut -- like that'll make the haircut zip along easier. And I do his wife's hair too! She is a sharp cookie and just has to know what a dog he is.
6. And the stay-at-home moms! All they talk about is their kids. I'm a captive audience you know, but that doesn't mean you have to yak on about soccer shit. You can tell they never get out much. And what if I want to get married? You're just rubbing it in.
7. And it goes without saying: Tipping is not, as a wise person once said, a city in China.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
MY FINAL TRIP TO COSTCO
Yesterday I was at my local COSTCO buying a large bag of Purina dog chow for my loyal pet, Molson, the Wonder Dog and was in the checkout line when a woman behind me asked if I had a dog. What did she think I had, an elephant?
So since I'm retired and have little to do, on impulse I told her that no, I didn't have a dog, I was starting the Purina Diet again... I added that I probably shouldn't, because I ended up in the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IV’s in both arms.
I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way that it works is to load your pants pockets with Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry. The food is nutritionally complete so it works well and I was going to try it again. (I have to mention here that practically everyone in line was now enthralled with my story.)
Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care because the dog food poisoned me. I told her no, I stepped off a curb to sniff an Irish Setter's ass and a car hit us both.
I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack he was laughing so hard.
Costco won't let me shop there anymore.
Better watch what you ask retired people. They have all the time in the world to think of crazy things to say.
So since I'm retired and have little to do, on impulse I told her that no, I didn't have a dog, I was starting the Purina Diet again... I added that I probably shouldn't, because I ended up in the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IV’s in both arms.
I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way that it works is to load your pants pockets with Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry. The food is nutritionally complete so it works well and I was going to try it again. (I have to mention here that practically everyone in line was now enthralled with my story.)
Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care because the dog food poisoned me. I told her no, I stepped off a curb to sniff an Irish Setter's ass and a car hit us both.
I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack he was laughing so hard.
Costco won't let me shop there anymore.
Better watch what you ask retired people. They have all the time in the world to think of crazy things to say.
THIS IS THE GUY THAT OBAMA HAS JUST SENT ON A GOOD WILL TRIP TO THE MIDDLE EAST
Another good reason to believe that the funding for the Ground Zero mosque will come from Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries that are funneling money to Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. And by sending this ‘moderate’ Islamic cleric to the Middle East as an ambassador of good will, Obama is giving us another example of how he is reaching out to the Muslim World.
Our political leaders, both Democrats and Republicans, keep assuring us that Islam is a ‘Religion of Peace.’ Why won’t they admit that Islam is at war with the West? The Islamization of Europe is already well under way. Perhaps Islamophobia isn’t all that bad since our grandkids could wake up one morning in the UNITED ISLAMIC STATES OF AMERICA.
ISLAMIC CLERIC BEHIND GROUND ZERO MOSQUE SAYS U.S. HAS KILLED MORE INNOCENT CIVILIANS THAN AL QAEDA
By Daniel Bates
Mail Online
August 25, 2010
The Islamic cleric behind plans for a mosque at Ground Zero in New York has claimed that the U.S. is worse than Al Qaeda.
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf said that America was more culpable than the terrorist organization because U.S.-led sanctions were responsible for the death of half a million Iraqi children.
'We tend to forget, in the West, that the United States has more Muslim blood on its hands than Al Qaeda has on its hands of innocent non-Muslims,' he said.
The comments, made in an interview in 2005, have been highlighted this week on a conservative American blog.
Rauf is the driving force of plans to put a £70million mosque two blocks away from where the Twin Towers once stood.
His comments raise further questions over whether or not funding for the project will come from regimes that back terrorists, something the mosque leaders have refused to rule out. Rauf's comments drew condemnation from Debra Burlingame, head of 9/11 Families for a Strong America, who said they left her feeling disgusted.
'This man is out there preaching politics and advancing anti-American propaganda,' she said.
Our political leaders, both Democrats and Republicans, keep assuring us that Islam is a ‘Religion of Peace.’ Why won’t they admit that Islam is at war with the West? The Islamization of Europe is already well under way. Perhaps Islamophobia isn’t all that bad since our grandkids could wake up one morning in the UNITED ISLAMIC STATES OF AMERICA.
ISLAMIC CLERIC BEHIND GROUND ZERO MOSQUE SAYS U.S. HAS KILLED MORE INNOCENT CIVILIANS THAN AL QAEDA
By Daniel Bates
Mail Online
August 25, 2010
The Islamic cleric behind plans for a mosque at Ground Zero in New York has claimed that the U.S. is worse than Al Qaeda.
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf said that America was more culpable than the terrorist organization because U.S.-led sanctions were responsible for the death of half a million Iraqi children.
'We tend to forget, in the West, that the United States has more Muslim blood on its hands than Al Qaeda has on its hands of innocent non-Muslims,' he said.
The comments, made in an interview in 2005, have been highlighted this week on a conservative American blog.
Rauf is the driving force of plans to put a £70million mosque two blocks away from where the Twin Towers once stood.
His comments raise further questions over whether or not funding for the project will come from regimes that back terrorists, something the mosque leaders have refused to rule out. Rauf's comments drew condemnation from Debra Burlingame, head of 9/11 Families for a Strong America, who said they left her feeling disgusted.
'This man is out there preaching politics and advancing anti-American propaganda,' she said.
IF HE WASN'T ABOUT TO RETIRE, HE'D BE FIRED
FORGET OBAMA’S PLANNED WITHDRAWAL, U.S. TROOPS WILL HAVE TO STAY IN AFGHANISTAN FOR YEARS SAYS TOP MARINE COMMANDER
Mail Online
August 25, 2010
Afghanistan will not be secure enough for American forces to leave for a number of years, a top U.S. Marines commander has claimed.
The assessment of the war's progress by Commandant General James Conway will make bleak reading for Barack Obama, who planned a withdrawal due to start in July next year.
Conway also said intelligence intercepts suggest that Taliban fighters have been encouraged by the talk of the United States' beginning to withdraw troops next year.
'In some ways, we think right now it's probably giving our enemy sustenance,' Conway said of the 2011 deadline.
'We think that he may be saying to himself . . . "Hey, you know, we only have to hold out for so long."'
Conway, known for his candid speech, is planning to retire in autumn after 40 years in the Marines.
Speaking at the Pentagon, he said: 'Though I certainly believe some American unit somewhere in Afghanistan will turn over responsibilities to Afghan security forces in 2011, I do not think they will be Marines.'
Noting that Helmand and Kandahar are considered the 'birthplace' of the Taliban, Conway said, 'I honestly think it will be a few years before conditions on the ground are such that turnover will be possible for us.'
Mail Online
August 25, 2010
Afghanistan will not be secure enough for American forces to leave for a number of years, a top U.S. Marines commander has claimed.
The assessment of the war's progress by Commandant General James Conway will make bleak reading for Barack Obama, who planned a withdrawal due to start in July next year.
Conway also said intelligence intercepts suggest that Taliban fighters have been encouraged by the talk of the United States' beginning to withdraw troops next year.
'In some ways, we think right now it's probably giving our enemy sustenance,' Conway said of the 2011 deadline.
'We think that he may be saying to himself . . . "Hey, you know, we only have to hold out for so long."'
Conway, known for his candid speech, is planning to retire in autumn after 40 years in the Marines.
Speaking at the Pentagon, he said: 'Though I certainly believe some American unit somewhere in Afghanistan will turn over responsibilities to Afghan security forces in 2011, I do not think they will be Marines.'
Noting that Helmand and Kandahar are considered the 'birthplace' of the Taliban, Conway said, 'I honestly think it will be a few years before conditions on the ground are such that turnover will be possible for us.'
PREDICTING WHAT CRIME WILL BE COMMITTED WHERE, BY WHO AND WHEN
This would really play havoc with Kookfornia’s early prison releases and its diminished parole supervision policies.
COMPUTERIZED PREDICTION OF FUTURE CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR?
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
August 24, 2010
The technofreaks in D. C. now seem to sort-of honestly believe they have a computer program that can reasonably accurately predict future crimes.
Earlier incarnations of the program have been used in Baltimore and Philadelphia and were limited to prediction of murders by people on parole or probation. The latest version, being field-tested in D.C., is thought to be able to predict other crimes as well.
The theory used complex computer algorithms and predictive analytics. Some variations are tied in to surveillance systems and can predict when a crime is about to occur by the movements and actions of people being observed. (Any decent human operator can do that.)
Similar programs are being used by government agencies to monitor Twitter accounts, blogs and websites for information.
Clicking here will link to a somewhat disturbing article from Prison Planet on this subject.
COMPUTERIZED PREDICTION OF FUTURE CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR?
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
August 24, 2010
The technofreaks in D. C. now seem to sort-of honestly believe they have a computer program that can reasonably accurately predict future crimes.
Earlier incarnations of the program have been used in Baltimore and Philadelphia and were limited to prediction of murders by people on parole or probation. The latest version, being field-tested in D.C., is thought to be able to predict other crimes as well.
The theory used complex computer algorithms and predictive analytics. Some variations are tied in to surveillance systems and can predict when a crime is about to occur by the movements and actions of people being observed. (Any decent human operator can do that.)
Similar programs are being used by government agencies to monitor Twitter accounts, blogs and websites for information.
Clicking here will link to a somewhat disturbing article from Prison Planet on this subject.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
DANGER ON THE HORIZON
Here’s a real wake-up call for America.
THE CHINA CHALLENGE: IS THE U.S. MILITARY UP TO SNUFF?
By Peter Brookes
politicalmavens.com
August 25, 2010
The Pentagon’s just-released report to Congress on Chinese military power is alarming for two reasons: First, Beijing’s military buildup continues; second, the modernization of our armed forces may come up short of what’s needed to meet the China challenge.
While the outcome of these troubling trends can’t be foretold, there are solid reasons for worry about America’s power and position in the Pacific Ocean in the years to come.
The People’s Liberation Army clearly is developing doctrines and deploying capabilities for throwing its weight around in the Pacific and beyond. The Pentagon paper talks of Chinese "power-projection," "anti-access" and "area-denial" strategies and forces, all aimed at keeping America at bay in Asia, should Beijing decide to do so.
The report notes, for instance: "China has the most active land-based ballistic- and cruise-missile program in the world" and is sending to sea cruise missiles on ships and intercontinental-range missiles aboard subs.
Of particular concern to our Navy is China’s development of an anti-ship ballistic missile with a maneuverable warhead and range of more than 1,000 miles. This DF-21 variant is a "carrier-buster" and a threat our navy has never faced.
Beijing’s robust building program has made it the largest naval force in Asia, outstripping the likes of Japan and South Korea, the region’s other major military powers.
Now, the Defense Department tells us, China has an aircraft-carrier R&D program under way. Beijing could start building its own carrier by the end of 2010, capable of handling fixed-wing aircraft.
When that ship hits the water, we’ll no longer be the only flattop navy in the "Pac."
On the aviation front, China is adding advanced aircraft to its inventory, allowing Beijing to create turbulence far from its air space. Notably, it’s upgrading its bomber fleet, arming it with long-range cruise missiles.
All this muscling-up isn’t likely to end soon. Beijing upped defense spending nearly 8 percent this year, after two decades of double-digit hikes. China’s new position as the world’s second-largest economy will help.
Unfortunately, these dizzying developments come as the US defense establishment debates the future. After nearly nine years of war, some expect demands for a "peace dividend" — meaning cuts in the Pentagon budget even deeper than what are already in the pipeline. Others are pushing for maintaining a heavy emphasis on counter-terror/insurgency operations — a focus that inevitably diverts money from the resources needed for conventional war-fighting.
While we can’t ignore the wolf nearest the sled, we must also plan for other contingencies. Some increasingly worry about our ability to fight a big-power war. From the Pentagon report, it’s clear we have competition.
For example, we have 11 aircraft carriers total. But due to at-sea rotations and maintenance only seven or eight of them are ready for duty at a time — and getting that many to sea could take 90 days. In a theater like the Pacific — known for its "tyranny of distance" — 90,000 tons of floating US airfield is pretty darn important for looking after your interests. Worse, that 11 may shrink to 10 in the coming years. (We had 15 carriers during the Reagan years.)
We’re also running low on the number of ships and subs the Navy needs to do the job. For our aviators, the planes are getting old. The newest fighter, the F-22, was deep-sixed after a limited production run; its follow-on, the F-35, won’t be in service till 2014; and the Air Force’s bomber fleet averages 32 years in age — older than many of its pilots.
Overall, the US military has enormous capital-spending needs. Our strategic nuclear forces need modernization; more missile defense is critical, and some worry our defense-oriented tech edge is slipping, too. Plus, the Army and Marines have to replace vast numbers of fighting vehicles and other equipment being used up in Iraq and Afghanistan.
We need to win the fights we’re in now, but we need to be ready for the possible fights to come. That means having a well-balanced force able to address the contingencies we’ll face in the 21st century, whether that is terrorism, insurgency — or the rise of another major power.
THE CHINA CHALLENGE: IS THE U.S. MILITARY UP TO SNUFF?
By Peter Brookes
politicalmavens.com
August 25, 2010
The Pentagon’s just-released report to Congress on Chinese military power is alarming for two reasons: First, Beijing’s military buildup continues; second, the modernization of our armed forces may come up short of what’s needed to meet the China challenge.
While the outcome of these troubling trends can’t be foretold, there are solid reasons for worry about America’s power and position in the Pacific Ocean in the years to come.
The People’s Liberation Army clearly is developing doctrines and deploying capabilities for throwing its weight around in the Pacific and beyond. The Pentagon paper talks of Chinese "power-projection," "anti-access" and "area-denial" strategies and forces, all aimed at keeping America at bay in Asia, should Beijing decide to do so.
The report notes, for instance: "China has the most active land-based ballistic- and cruise-missile program in the world" and is sending to sea cruise missiles on ships and intercontinental-range missiles aboard subs.
Of particular concern to our Navy is China’s development of an anti-ship ballistic missile with a maneuverable warhead and range of more than 1,000 miles. This DF-21 variant is a "carrier-buster" and a threat our navy has never faced.
Beijing’s robust building program has made it the largest naval force in Asia, outstripping the likes of Japan and South Korea, the region’s other major military powers.
Now, the Defense Department tells us, China has an aircraft-carrier R&D program under way. Beijing could start building its own carrier by the end of 2010, capable of handling fixed-wing aircraft.
When that ship hits the water, we’ll no longer be the only flattop navy in the "Pac."
On the aviation front, China is adding advanced aircraft to its inventory, allowing Beijing to create turbulence far from its air space. Notably, it’s upgrading its bomber fleet, arming it with long-range cruise missiles.
All this muscling-up isn’t likely to end soon. Beijing upped defense spending nearly 8 percent this year, after two decades of double-digit hikes. China’s new position as the world’s second-largest economy will help.
Unfortunately, these dizzying developments come as the US defense establishment debates the future. After nearly nine years of war, some expect demands for a "peace dividend" — meaning cuts in the Pentagon budget even deeper than what are already in the pipeline. Others are pushing for maintaining a heavy emphasis on counter-terror/insurgency operations — a focus that inevitably diverts money from the resources needed for conventional war-fighting.
While we can’t ignore the wolf nearest the sled, we must also plan for other contingencies. Some increasingly worry about our ability to fight a big-power war. From the Pentagon report, it’s clear we have competition.
For example, we have 11 aircraft carriers total. But due to at-sea rotations and maintenance only seven or eight of them are ready for duty at a time — and getting that many to sea could take 90 days. In a theater like the Pacific — known for its "tyranny of distance" — 90,000 tons of floating US airfield is pretty darn important for looking after your interests. Worse, that 11 may shrink to 10 in the coming years. (We had 15 carriers during the Reagan years.)
We’re also running low on the number of ships and subs the Navy needs to do the job. For our aviators, the planes are getting old. The newest fighter, the F-22, was deep-sixed after a limited production run; its follow-on, the F-35, won’t be in service till 2014; and the Air Force’s bomber fleet averages 32 years in age — older than many of its pilots.
Overall, the US military has enormous capital-spending needs. Our strategic nuclear forces need modernization; more missile defense is critical, and some worry our defense-oriented tech edge is slipping, too. Plus, the Army and Marines have to replace vast numbers of fighting vehicles and other equipment being used up in Iraq and Afghanistan.
We need to win the fights we’re in now, but we need to be ready for the possible fights to come. That means having a well-balanced force able to address the contingencies we’ll face in the 21st century, whether that is terrorism, insurgency — or the rise of another major power.
WHICH WIFE WON?
Among the horses running in Sunday’ seventh race at New Jersey’s Monmouth Park, one of the horses was named 'My Wife Knows Everything' and another horse was named ‘The Wife Doesn't Know.’ As luck would have it the two ‘wives’ were out in front when the race ended. So, which wife won?
If you’re a married man you know damn well which horse won. That’s right guys, 'My Wife Knows Everything’ won by two lengths over 'The Wife Doesn’t Know’ and women all over America are having a good laugh.
If you’re a married man you know damn well which horse won. That’s right guys, 'My Wife Knows Everything’ won by two lengths over 'The Wife Doesn’t Know’ and women all over America are having a good laugh.
THAT'S WHY I CALL IT KOOKFORNIA (3)
By now everyone must know that the Los Angeles Unified School District has opened a new school building that cost $578 million. The district had already built several schools that exceeded well over $100 million each. All this by a school district that has a 50 percent dropout rate.
Now you know why I call it Kookfornia. The school officials behind this ‘Taj Mahal’ building spree have taken leave of their senses. Just another reason why the whole state is on the verge of bankruptcy. If you spend money like a drunken sailor, which is exactly what Kookfornia has done, you’re going to find it’s all gone when you sober up.
The LAUSD justifies the $578 million school by explaining that it was part of a bond measure approved by the voters. If any of you have ever read one of these bond measures in your school district you know that it can be quite confusing if not deliberately misleading.
Besides that, our country is full of stupid voters. Didn’t they elect Obama? They bought all that ‘hope and change’ shit, and what they got was a cat and dog fight between Democrats and Republicans, questionable health care reform, a dismal economy and a high unemployment rate.
Earlier this year I wrote WASTING OUR SCHOOL DOLLARS (2-18-10) about the building of extravagant school buildings. But the buildings I was complaining about did not cost anywhere near $100 million.
Whoa there. A light just clicked on in my head. It just occurred to me what those Los Angeles school officials were really thinking in building schools that cost several hundred million dollars each. It was their clever way of reducing that 50 percent dropout rate. By building those palaces with all their deluxe amenities, the students in those buildings will want to remain there instead of dropping out. And I thought those school officials were a bunch of educated idiots.
Now you know why I call it Kookfornia. The school officials behind this ‘Taj Mahal’ building spree have taken leave of their senses. Just another reason why the whole state is on the verge of bankruptcy. If you spend money like a drunken sailor, which is exactly what Kookfornia has done, you’re going to find it’s all gone when you sober up.
The LAUSD justifies the $578 million school by explaining that it was part of a bond measure approved by the voters. If any of you have ever read one of these bond measures in your school district you know that it can be quite confusing if not deliberately misleading.
Besides that, our country is full of stupid voters. Didn’t they elect Obama? They bought all that ‘hope and change’ shit, and what they got was a cat and dog fight between Democrats and Republicans, questionable health care reform, a dismal economy and a high unemployment rate.
Earlier this year I wrote WASTING OUR SCHOOL DOLLARS (2-18-10) about the building of extravagant school buildings. But the buildings I was complaining about did not cost anywhere near $100 million.
Whoa there. A light just clicked on in my head. It just occurred to me what those Los Angeles school officials were really thinking in building schools that cost several hundred million dollars each. It was their clever way of reducing that 50 percent dropout rate. By building those palaces with all their deluxe amenities, the students in those buildings will want to remain there instead of dropping out. And I thought those school officials were a bunch of educated idiots.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
CARMAX: AN HONEST-TO-GOODNESS HONEST USED CAR DEALERSHIP
One of my buddies just bought a new pick-up truck. Not a new-new truck, but a new used truck. His experience convinces me that he found the most hones used car dealership anywhere.
He walked into Carmax and told them he was looking for a nice Ford F-150. He told them he was not going to do any business with them unless they gave him $7,000 trade-in on his old truck. He found a clean, low-mileage F-150 that he wanted to buy. Guess what they gave him for his trade-in. You’ll find this hard to believe, but it’s true. They gave him $11,000. That’s right, $11,000.
After getting over the shock, he asked the salesman why they were giving him such a high trade-in. The salesman told him it was because the model he was trading-in is in hot demand.
What is so amazing here is that the salesman could easily have told my buddy that they would give him the $7,000 he wanted. That would have satisfied him and he would have been none the wiser. Instead they gave him $4,000 more than he asked for. There’s absolutely no way that you can beat that for honesty!
Three members of my family have gotten cars at Carmax. They enjoyed the no-pressure, hassle-free sales practices and have been very satisfied with their purchases.
I might point out that my buddy lucked out because he made a huge mistake. You never tell a new or used car salesman what you want for your trade-in until after they’ve made you their offer. In his case, the new truck could have cost him $4,000 more had Carmax not been so honest-to-goodness honest.
Let’s make no mistake about it – Carmax is in business to make money, not to give it away. I’m sure they made a handsome profit on the transaction with my buddy. Because of his mistake, they could have made even $4,000 more. To their credit, they chose not to do so.
He walked into Carmax and told them he was looking for a nice Ford F-150. He told them he was not going to do any business with them unless they gave him $7,000 trade-in on his old truck. He found a clean, low-mileage F-150 that he wanted to buy. Guess what they gave him for his trade-in. You’ll find this hard to believe, but it’s true. They gave him $11,000. That’s right, $11,000.
After getting over the shock, he asked the salesman why they were giving him such a high trade-in. The salesman told him it was because the model he was trading-in is in hot demand.
What is so amazing here is that the salesman could easily have told my buddy that they would give him the $7,000 he wanted. That would have satisfied him and he would have been none the wiser. Instead they gave him $4,000 more than he asked for. There’s absolutely no way that you can beat that for honesty!
Three members of my family have gotten cars at Carmax. They enjoyed the no-pressure, hassle-free sales practices and have been very satisfied with their purchases.
I might point out that my buddy lucked out because he made a huge mistake. You never tell a new or used car salesman what you want for your trade-in until after they’ve made you their offer. In his case, the new truck could have cost him $4,000 more had Carmax not been so honest-to-goodness honest.
Let’s make no mistake about it – Carmax is in business to make money, not to give it away. I’m sure they made a handsome profit on the transaction with my buddy. Because of his mistake, they could have made even $4,000 more. To their credit, they chose not to do so.
OBAMA, THE UN, THE EUROPEANS, ALL CALLING ON ISRAEL TO COMMIT SUICIDE
THE ‘TWO-STATE’ DELUSION
By George Will
Jewish World Review
August 19, 2010
JERUSALEM --'Twas a famous victory for diplomacy when, in 1991 in Madrid, Israelis and Palestinians, orchestrated by the United States, at last engaged in direct negotiations. Almost a generation later, U.S. policy has succeeded in prodding the Palestinians away from their recent insistence on "proximity talks" -- in which they have talked to the Israelis through American intermediaries -- and to direct negotiations. But negotiations about what?
Idle talk about a "binational state" has long since died. Even disregarding the recent fates of multinational states -- e.g., the former Soviet Union, the former Yugoslavia, the former Czechoslovakia -- binationalism is impossible if Israel is to be a Jewish state for the Jewish people. No significant Israeli constituency disagrees with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu: "The Palestinian refugee problem will be resolved outside Israel's borders."
Rhetoric about a "two-state solution" is de rigueur. It also is delusional, given two recent, searing experiences.
The only place for a Palestinian state is the West Bank, which Israel has occupied -- legally under international law -- since repelling the 1967 aggression launched from there. The West Bank remains an unallocated portion of the Palestine Mandate, the disposition of which is to be settled by negotiations. Michael Oren, now Israel's ambassador to the United States, said several years before becoming ambassador:
"There is no Israeli leadership that appears either willing or capable of removing 100,000 Israelis from their West Bank homes. . . . The evacuation of a mere 8,100 Israelis from Gaza in 2005 required 55,000 IDF [Israel Defense Forces] troops -- the largest Israeli military operation since the 1973 Yom Kippur War -- and was profoundly traumatic."
Twenty-one Israeli settlements were dismantled; even the bodies of Israelis buried in Gaza were removed. After a deeply flawed 2006 election encouraged by the United States, there was in 2007 essentially a coup in Gaza by the terrorist organization Hamas. So now Israel has on its western border, 44 miles from Tel Aviv, an entity dedicated to Israel's destruction, collaborative with Iran and possessing a huge arsenal of rockets.
Rocket attacks from Gaza increased dramatically after Israel withdrew. The number of U.N. resolutions deploring this? Zero.
The closest precedent for that bombardment was the Nazi rocket attacks on London, which were answered by the destruction of Hamburg, Dresden and other German cities. When Israel struck back at Hamas, the "international community" was theatrically appalled.
A senior cabinet member -- Moshe Yaalon, strategic affairs minister and possible future prime minister -- says "our withdrawals strengthened jihadist Islam," adding, "We have the second Islamic republic in the Middle East -- the first in Iran, the second in Gaza: Hamastan."
Israel's withdrawals include the one that strengthened the Iranian client on Israel's northern border, in southern Lebanon. Since the 2006 war provoked by Hezbollah's incessant rocketing of northern Israel, Hezbollah has rearmed and possesses as many as 60,000 rockets. Today, Netanyahu says, Israel's problem is less the Israel-Lebanon border than it is the Lebanon-Syria border: Hezbollah has received from Syria -- which gets them from Iran -- Scud missiles capable of striking Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. A leader of Hezbollah says, "If all the Jews gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide."
Because upward of a million immigrants have come from the former Soviet Union, today one-sixth of Israelis speak Russian. Israel has Russian-language newspapers and television. Russian Israelis are largely responsible for Avigdor Lieberman being foreign minister. Yoram Peri, professor of Israel studies at the University of Maryland, says these immigrants "don't understand how a state that can be crossed in half an hour by car would be willing to even talk about relinquishing territories to its seemingly perpetual enemies." These immigrants know that Russia's strategic depth -- space -- defeated Napoleon and Hitler.
Netanyahu, who is not the most conservative member of the coalition government he heads, endorses a two-state solution but says that any West Bank Palestinian state must be demilitarized and prevented from making agreements with the likes of Hezbollah and Iran. To prevent the importation of missiles and other arms, Israel would need, Netanyahu says, a military presence on the West Bank's eastern border with Jordan. Otherwise, there will be a third Islamic republic, and a second one contiguous to Israel.
So, again: Negotiations about what?
By George Will
Jewish World Review
August 19, 2010
JERUSALEM --'Twas a famous victory for diplomacy when, in 1991 in Madrid, Israelis and Palestinians, orchestrated by the United States, at last engaged in direct negotiations. Almost a generation later, U.S. policy has succeeded in prodding the Palestinians away from their recent insistence on "proximity talks" -- in which they have talked to the Israelis through American intermediaries -- and to direct negotiations. But negotiations about what?
Idle talk about a "binational state" has long since died. Even disregarding the recent fates of multinational states -- e.g., the former Soviet Union, the former Yugoslavia, the former Czechoslovakia -- binationalism is impossible if Israel is to be a Jewish state for the Jewish people. No significant Israeli constituency disagrees with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu: "The Palestinian refugee problem will be resolved outside Israel's borders."
Rhetoric about a "two-state solution" is de rigueur. It also is delusional, given two recent, searing experiences.
The only place for a Palestinian state is the West Bank, which Israel has occupied -- legally under international law -- since repelling the 1967 aggression launched from there. The West Bank remains an unallocated portion of the Palestine Mandate, the disposition of which is to be settled by negotiations. Michael Oren, now Israel's ambassador to the United States, said several years before becoming ambassador:
"There is no Israeli leadership that appears either willing or capable of removing 100,000 Israelis from their West Bank homes. . . . The evacuation of a mere 8,100 Israelis from Gaza in 2005 required 55,000 IDF [Israel Defense Forces] troops -- the largest Israeli military operation since the 1973 Yom Kippur War -- and was profoundly traumatic."
Twenty-one Israeli settlements were dismantled; even the bodies of Israelis buried in Gaza were removed. After a deeply flawed 2006 election encouraged by the United States, there was in 2007 essentially a coup in Gaza by the terrorist organization Hamas. So now Israel has on its western border, 44 miles from Tel Aviv, an entity dedicated to Israel's destruction, collaborative with Iran and possessing a huge arsenal of rockets.
Rocket attacks from Gaza increased dramatically after Israel withdrew. The number of U.N. resolutions deploring this? Zero.
The closest precedent for that bombardment was the Nazi rocket attacks on London, which were answered by the destruction of Hamburg, Dresden and other German cities. When Israel struck back at Hamas, the "international community" was theatrically appalled.
A senior cabinet member -- Moshe Yaalon, strategic affairs minister and possible future prime minister -- says "our withdrawals strengthened jihadist Islam," adding, "We have the second Islamic republic in the Middle East -- the first in Iran, the second in Gaza: Hamastan."
Israel's withdrawals include the one that strengthened the Iranian client on Israel's northern border, in southern Lebanon. Since the 2006 war provoked by Hezbollah's incessant rocketing of northern Israel, Hezbollah has rearmed and possesses as many as 60,000 rockets. Today, Netanyahu says, Israel's problem is less the Israel-Lebanon border than it is the Lebanon-Syria border: Hezbollah has received from Syria -- which gets them from Iran -- Scud missiles capable of striking Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. A leader of Hezbollah says, "If all the Jews gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide."
Because upward of a million immigrants have come from the former Soviet Union, today one-sixth of Israelis speak Russian. Israel has Russian-language newspapers and television. Russian Israelis are largely responsible for Avigdor Lieberman being foreign minister. Yoram Peri, professor of Israel studies at the University of Maryland, says these immigrants "don't understand how a state that can be crossed in half an hour by car would be willing to even talk about relinquishing territories to its seemingly perpetual enemies." These immigrants know that Russia's strategic depth -- space -- defeated Napoleon and Hitler.
Netanyahu, who is not the most conservative member of the coalition government he heads, endorses a two-state solution but says that any West Bank Palestinian state must be demilitarized and prevented from making agreements with the likes of Hezbollah and Iran. To prevent the importation of missiles and other arms, Israel would need, Netanyahu says, a military presence on the West Bank's eastern border with Jordan. Otherwise, there will be a third Islamic republic, and a second one contiguous to Israel.
So, again: Negotiations about what?
A HEADS-UP FOR LANDING MR. RIGHT
Hey Cydne, what about us lovable, cuddly Pit Bull owners?
WHAT A MAN’S DOG SAYS ABOUT HIM
A Man’s Best Friend Reveals Much About His Personality
By Cydne Washington
Click2Houston.com
August 23, 2010
What better way to gauge a man's suitability than by scrutinizing the type of dog he owns? Finding out whether or not you're compatible with a guy might just be as simple as looking at his dog.
Studying your potential mate's "best friend" can help you determine what type of man you are dealing with and whether or not he is your type.
Is the measure of your dog-loving man his willingness to take in a needy stray from the pound or is it more important to you that he insists on acquiring only the most prized or valuable breed?
Of course, it is not simply the dog that defines a man, but his choices and the reasons he makes them that are noteworthy when deciding to date him. But if you need emergency advice on what to look for, here are five dog breeds (and their men) that are easily analyzed for their date-ability.
GOLDENJ RETRIEVER BLISS
Settle Down With This Stable-Minded Guy
A guy who owns a golden retriever is guaranteed to be drama-free and stable.
This man is ready to settle down. He probably figures he's already got the family dog, so why not just add the family?
The man who chooses such a canine is likely pretty down to earth and calm. People with this type of dog usually enjoy a lifestyle that includes taking relaxed walks and just being active in the great outdoors.
These dogs are known to be lovable and warm-hearted, just like their owners. Guys with this breed value their devoted companions as much as they value the idea of a shared life. If you are lucky enough to find a guy with a Goldie, snatch him up quickly before someone else does.
PUGNACIOUS NOT
Pug Owners Are Playful, Fun-Loving Men
A man who owns a pug can usually be counted on to make a woman laugh.
These dogs and their men are usually very social even among strangers. They seem to do well when people are showing them love for all that they add to society with their mere presence.
All kidding aside though, men who have pugs are definitely not compensating for anything with the size of their dog -- usually quite the contrary as they have large abilities to bring a smile to their date's face with their playful antics.
Pug owners are super approachable and can have a good time all by themselves. A gal is just lucky to be invited along for the fun.
Go forth with a guy who owns a pug and you can count on light-hearted amusement and possibly sharing this happy-go-lucky approach to life.
BEAGLES AND BALD EAGLES
Say Hello To The Handy, All-American Male
The owner of a beagle can best be described as the all-American male. This man enjoys the simple things in life such as hunting, fishing and living the dream.
These men tend to have an upbeat approach to life and do not sweat the details. They can do things like create furniture from scratch and are also man enough to help you decorate the room containing that furniture.
They can do anything they set their minds to and if you end up with a man like this, you will always feel that life is satisfying simply because you're alive.
These men love their hobbies but are unafraid to shower you with the bounty that is their life. They can bake artisan bread and in the same day butcher a deer.
They love their loyal beagles and probably have the capacity to love you just as much.
WELSH CORGI GENTLEMAN
Refined Gentlemen Offer Charm, Distinction
The man who owns a Welsh corgi is typically a man of distinction. You will be mesmerized by their charm and their social ease.
They are gentlemen of the purest form and tend to have an interest in a wide variety of topics from artisan activities, to British Literature, to history, to dark humor, to gastronomical pursuits.
Yet never mistake their gentle breeding with weakness as this is simply not the case.
They are well respected among their male counterparts and prefer their women friends and companions to also hold themselves to of the highest standards. They give themselves a high bar by which to live and expect the same out of their mate.
If you win the heart of a man like this, you will be the queen of his world forever.
MIXED BREED MENSCH
Honorable Men Rescue ‘Mutts’ From Shelters
A man who intentionally chooses mutt ownership is likely to be a decent and sensible human being. "Mongrels" are statistically healthier, less expensive and can possess any combination of desirable breed traits.
It is honorable to rescue a shelter dog, most of which are of mixed breeds. The ideal dog-loving man is one who is willing to offer his home to an elderly dog or to one with chronic issues which cannot otherwise be adopted.
Plus, a guy who questions the mere perpetuation of intentional canine over-breeding may just have a James Dean-type rebel streak in his blood, which is always hot.
So if you can score a dude with an elderly mutt he's recently adopted, it's likely this man can be your moral compass throughout your life of good deeds together.
Do not let this man get away as he is by far a rare breed.
WHAT A MAN’S DOG SAYS ABOUT HIM
A Man’s Best Friend Reveals Much About His Personality
By Cydne Washington
Click2Houston.com
August 23, 2010
What better way to gauge a man's suitability than by scrutinizing the type of dog he owns? Finding out whether or not you're compatible with a guy might just be as simple as looking at his dog.
Studying your potential mate's "best friend" can help you determine what type of man you are dealing with and whether or not he is your type.
Is the measure of your dog-loving man his willingness to take in a needy stray from the pound or is it more important to you that he insists on acquiring only the most prized or valuable breed?
Of course, it is not simply the dog that defines a man, but his choices and the reasons he makes them that are noteworthy when deciding to date him. But if you need emergency advice on what to look for, here are five dog breeds (and their men) that are easily analyzed for their date-ability.
GOLDENJ RETRIEVER BLISS
Settle Down With This Stable-Minded Guy
A guy who owns a golden retriever is guaranteed to be drama-free and stable.
This man is ready to settle down. He probably figures he's already got the family dog, so why not just add the family?
The man who chooses such a canine is likely pretty down to earth and calm. People with this type of dog usually enjoy a lifestyle that includes taking relaxed walks and just being active in the great outdoors.
These dogs are known to be lovable and warm-hearted, just like their owners. Guys with this breed value their devoted companions as much as they value the idea of a shared life. If you are lucky enough to find a guy with a Goldie, snatch him up quickly before someone else does.
PUGNACIOUS NOT
Pug Owners Are Playful, Fun-Loving Men
A man who owns a pug can usually be counted on to make a woman laugh.
These dogs and their men are usually very social even among strangers. They seem to do well when people are showing them love for all that they add to society with their mere presence.
All kidding aside though, men who have pugs are definitely not compensating for anything with the size of their dog -- usually quite the contrary as they have large abilities to bring a smile to their date's face with their playful antics.
Pug owners are super approachable and can have a good time all by themselves. A gal is just lucky to be invited along for the fun.
Go forth with a guy who owns a pug and you can count on light-hearted amusement and possibly sharing this happy-go-lucky approach to life.
BEAGLES AND BALD EAGLES
Say Hello To The Handy, All-American Male
The owner of a beagle can best be described as the all-American male. This man enjoys the simple things in life such as hunting, fishing and living the dream.
These men tend to have an upbeat approach to life and do not sweat the details. They can do things like create furniture from scratch and are also man enough to help you decorate the room containing that furniture.
They can do anything they set their minds to and if you end up with a man like this, you will always feel that life is satisfying simply because you're alive.
These men love their hobbies but are unafraid to shower you with the bounty that is their life. They can bake artisan bread and in the same day butcher a deer.
They love their loyal beagles and probably have the capacity to love you just as much.
WELSH CORGI GENTLEMAN
Refined Gentlemen Offer Charm, Distinction
The man who owns a Welsh corgi is typically a man of distinction. You will be mesmerized by their charm and their social ease.
They are gentlemen of the purest form and tend to have an interest in a wide variety of topics from artisan activities, to British Literature, to history, to dark humor, to gastronomical pursuits.
Yet never mistake their gentle breeding with weakness as this is simply not the case.
They are well respected among their male counterparts and prefer their women friends and companions to also hold themselves to of the highest standards. They give themselves a high bar by which to live and expect the same out of their mate.
If you win the heart of a man like this, you will be the queen of his world forever.
MIXED BREED MENSCH
Honorable Men Rescue ‘Mutts’ From Shelters
A man who intentionally chooses mutt ownership is likely to be a decent and sensible human being. "Mongrels" are statistically healthier, less expensive and can possess any combination of desirable breed traits.
It is honorable to rescue a shelter dog, most of which are of mixed breeds. The ideal dog-loving man is one who is willing to offer his home to an elderly dog or to one with chronic issues which cannot otherwise be adopted.
Plus, a guy who questions the mere perpetuation of intentional canine over-breeding may just have a James Dean-type rebel streak in his blood, which is always hot.
So if you can score a dude with an elderly mutt he's recently adopted, it's likely this man can be your moral compass throughout your life of good deeds together.
Do not let this man get away as he is by far a rare breed.
HOW NOT TO GET YOUR JOB BACK
After a Filipino cop got fired he boarded a tourist bus in Manila with an M-16 rifle and took 25 passengers hostage, demanding that he be reinstated to the police force.
During the standoff, he released 10 of the hostages. He announced that if he didn’t get his job back he would shoot the remaining hostages.
When a SWAT team finally stormed the bus, at least six passengers and the gunman died during the ensuing shootout.
Whatever possessed this idiot to believe that, by taking hostages and threatening to shoot them, he would get his job back? Stupid is as stupid does!
During the standoff, he released 10 of the hostages. He announced that if he didn’t get his job back he would shoot the remaining hostages.
When a SWAT team finally stormed the bus, at least six passengers and the gunman died during the ensuing shootout.
Whatever possessed this idiot to believe that, by taking hostages and threatening to shoot them, he would get his job back? Stupid is as stupid does!
Monday, August 23, 2010
BORED BECAUSE THE LIBRARY WAS CLOSED
I ADMIT THIS IS A NEW ONE ON ME
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
August 23, 2010
A 50-year old man was walking down Magnolia Street in beautiful downtown Stockton yesterday when a 13-year old boy walked up to him, sprayed him with a fire extinguisher, and then ran off. The man pursued, then the youngster turned and pulled out a gat. The man backed off, but did call the cops.
The cops located him not far away and arrested him. He still had the gun on him.
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t get the point of the whole exercise. Maybe the kid was just bored and it was Sunday afternoon and he didn’t have anything else to do because the library was closed.
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
August 23, 2010
A 50-year old man was walking down Magnolia Street in beautiful downtown Stockton yesterday when a 13-year old boy walked up to him, sprayed him with a fire extinguisher, and then ran off. The man pursued, then the youngster turned and pulled out a gat. The man backed off, but did call the cops.
The cops located him not far away and arrested him. He still had the gun on him.
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t get the point of the whole exercise. Maybe the kid was just bored and it was Sunday afternoon and he didn’t have anything else to do because the library was closed.
ILLEGALS FLOCK TO CANADA FROM SOUTH OF THE BORDER
Glenda sent me this priceless parody written by Tom Reynolds, a Canadian. Who says Canadians don’t have a sense of humor?
NEWS FLASH!!
The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration. The recent actions of the Tea Party are prompting an exodus among left-leaning citizens who fear they'll soon be required to hunt, pray, and to agree with Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck.
Canadian border farmers say it's not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal-rights activists and Unitarians crossing their fields at night. "I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn," said Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota. The producer was cold, exhausted and hungry. He asked me if I could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn't have any, he left before I even got a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?" In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them.
He then installed loudspeakers that blared Rush Limbaugh across the fields. "Not real a effective," he said. "The liberals still got through and Rush annoyed the cows so much that they wouldn't give any milk."
Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons and drive them across the border where they are simply left to fend for themselves.
"A lot of these people are not prepared for our rugged conditions," an Ontario border patrolman said. "I found one carload without a single bottle of imported drinking water. They did have a nice little Napa Valley Cabernet, though." When liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives.
Rumors have been circulating about plans being made to build re-education camps where liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer and watch NASCAR races. In recent days, liberals have turned to ingenious ways of crossing the border. Some have been disguised as senior citizens taking a bus trip to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs.
After catching a half-dozen young vegans in powdered wig disguises, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior-citizens about Perry Como and Rosemary Clooney to prove that they were alive in the '50s. "If they can't identify the accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we become very suspicious about their age," an official said. Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating an organic-broccoli shortage and are renting all the Michael Moore movies. "I really feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can't support them," an Ottawa resident said. "How many art-history majors does one country need?"
In an effort to ease tensions between the United States and Canada, Vice President Biden met with the Canadian ambassador and pledged that the administration would take steps to reassure liberals.
A source close to President Obama said, "We're going to have some Paul McCartney and Peter, Paul & Mary concerts. And we might even put some endangered species on postage stamps. The President is determined to reach out," he said. The Herald will be interested to see if Obama can actually raise Mary from the dead in time for the concert!
NEWS FLASH!!
The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration. The recent actions of the Tea Party are prompting an exodus among left-leaning citizens who fear they'll soon be required to hunt, pray, and to agree with Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck.
Canadian border farmers say it's not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal-rights activists and Unitarians crossing their fields at night. "I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn," said Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota. The producer was cold, exhausted and hungry. He asked me if I could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn't have any, he left before I even got a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?" In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them.
He then installed loudspeakers that blared Rush Limbaugh across the fields. "Not real a effective," he said. "The liberals still got through and Rush annoyed the cows so much that they wouldn't give any milk."
Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons and drive them across the border where they are simply left to fend for themselves.
"A lot of these people are not prepared for our rugged conditions," an Ontario border patrolman said. "I found one carload without a single bottle of imported drinking water. They did have a nice little Napa Valley Cabernet, though." When liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives.
Rumors have been circulating about plans being made to build re-education camps where liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer and watch NASCAR races. In recent days, liberals have turned to ingenious ways of crossing the border. Some have been disguised as senior citizens taking a bus trip to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs.
After catching a half-dozen young vegans in powdered wig disguises, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior-citizens about Perry Como and Rosemary Clooney to prove that they were alive in the '50s. "If they can't identify the accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we become very suspicious about their age," an official said. Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating an organic-broccoli shortage and are renting all the Michael Moore movies. "I really feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can't support them," an Ottawa resident said. "How many art-history majors does one country need?"
In an effort to ease tensions between the United States and Canada, Vice President Biden met with the Canadian ambassador and pledged that the administration would take steps to reassure liberals.
A source close to President Obama said, "We're going to have some Paul McCartney and Peter, Paul & Mary concerts. And we might even put some endangered species on postage stamps. The President is determined to reach out," he said. The Herald will be interested to see if Obama can actually raise Mary from the dead in time for the concert!
THE DEFENSE MUST BE TOLD OF ANY PAST MISCONDUCT BY OFFICERS TESTIFYING FOR THE PROSECUTION
I am sure that most people are not aware that the defense in a criminal trial must be told of any past misconduct by officers who will testify for the prosecution. Apparently a lot of police agencies are not aware of this requirement either or worse yet, chose to ignore it.
The San Francisco PD, like the Houston PD, has been embroiled in a scandal with its crime lab. That scandal has brought into question SFPD’s failure to notify prosecutors that officers who will testify for the prosecution had been involved in prior misconduct. Currently there are about 135 SFPD officers with a history of such misconduct.
Now 135 officers with a history of misconduct may seem like a lot, but it really isn’t for a large department. Hardly any officers ever go through their careers without being written up, and in some cases suspended, for one or more acts of misconduct. And while SFPD will not start making the required notifications, I wonder how many other police agencies are failing to do so?
From the August 21 issue of the San Francisco Chronicle:
A 1963 U.S. Supreme Court case requires that the defense be told about evidence that could cast doubt on a witness' credibility.
In March, Police Chief George Gascón ordered the [San Francisco PD] drug lab shut amid allegations that since-retired lab worker Deborah Madden had taken cocaine sent to the lab for testing.
Revelations that the department had failed to tell prosecutors about Madden's criminal record for domestic violence led to an internal review of police files. That review ultimately determined that as many as 135 police officers had misconduct histories that might be subject to disclosure to defense attorneys if they were summoned to the stand.
Prosecutors have been told that 10 police officers and employees recently summoned to testify in cases have questionable backgrounds.
The department has since created a panel to review the histories of officers going back 30 years. That panel includes retired judge Harry Low and will be tasked with determining whether prosecutors should be alerted to past cases.
So far, the panel has screened as many as 50 officers and found that prosecutors should be alerted to allegations of lying or other misconduct involving some of them.
The panel has met three times, reviewing personnel records of officers with an eye to determining who among them have problematic backgrounds.
It will also review new disciplinary cases as they arise and alert prosecutors even before misconduct cases are resolved before the Police Commission.
The names of those police officers with problematic backgrounds will automatically be given to prosecutors starting Monday. Prosecutors will then act to alert defense lawyers about the credibility issues involving those officers.
The San Francisco PD, like the Houston PD, has been embroiled in a scandal with its crime lab. That scandal has brought into question SFPD’s failure to notify prosecutors that officers who will testify for the prosecution had been involved in prior misconduct. Currently there are about 135 SFPD officers with a history of such misconduct.
Now 135 officers with a history of misconduct may seem like a lot, but it really isn’t for a large department. Hardly any officers ever go through their careers without being written up, and in some cases suspended, for one or more acts of misconduct. And while SFPD will not start making the required notifications, I wonder how many other police agencies are failing to do so?
From the August 21 issue of the San Francisco Chronicle:
A 1963 U.S. Supreme Court case requires that the defense be told about evidence that could cast doubt on a witness' credibility.
In March, Police Chief George Gascón ordered the [San Francisco PD] drug lab shut amid allegations that since-retired lab worker Deborah Madden had taken cocaine sent to the lab for testing.
Revelations that the department had failed to tell prosecutors about Madden's criminal record for domestic violence led to an internal review of police files. That review ultimately determined that as many as 135 police officers had misconduct histories that might be subject to disclosure to defense attorneys if they were summoned to the stand.
Prosecutors have been told that 10 police officers and employees recently summoned to testify in cases have questionable backgrounds.
The department has since created a panel to review the histories of officers going back 30 years. That panel includes retired judge Harry Low and will be tasked with determining whether prosecutors should be alerted to past cases.
So far, the panel has screened as many as 50 officers and found that prosecutors should be alerted to allegations of lying or other misconduct involving some of them.
The panel has met three times, reviewing personnel records of officers with an eye to determining who among them have problematic backgrounds.
It will also review new disciplinary cases as they arise and alert prosecutors even before misconduct cases are resolved before the Police Commission.
The names of those police officers with problematic backgrounds will automatically be given to prosecutors starting Monday. Prosecutors will then act to alert defense lawyers about the credibility issues involving those officers.
SUMBITCH, BAIL FOR A MURDERER OF FIVE TEENAGERS
I know the Constitution protects us against unreasonable bail, but give me a break – releasing the murderer of five teenagers is a bit too much. OK, so the killings took place over 30 years ago and Evans may have become a model citizen since then, but he’s been indicted for multiple murders. If convicted, he’s not going to get probation with community service. He should sit in jail with his cousin while awaiting trial.
NJ MAN ACCUSED IN TEENS’ 1978 DEATHS FREED ON BAIL
Prosecutors say the now-56-year-old Evans and his cousin killed the five teens in a dispute over missing drugs
Associated Press
August 21, 2010
NEWARK, NJ — A man charged with murdering five New Jersey teens who disappeared in 1978 has been freed from jail after relatives posted his reduced bail.
Lee Evans, of Irvington, left the Essex County jail Friday evening and had no comment as he got into a pickup truck driven by his son.
Prosecutors say the now-56-year-old Evans and his cousin killed the teens in a dispute over missing drugs. They say they herded them at gunpoint into a building and set it on fire.
Bail was set at $5 million but was lowered to $950,000 after Evans' relatives put up properties to spring him from jail as he awaits trial.
Evans faces five counts of murder and one count of arson and maintains his innocence. His cousin remains jailed on $5 million bail.
NJ MAN ACCUSED IN TEENS’ 1978 DEATHS FREED ON BAIL
Prosecutors say the now-56-year-old Evans and his cousin killed the five teens in a dispute over missing drugs
Associated Press
August 21, 2010
NEWARK, NJ — A man charged with murdering five New Jersey teens who disappeared in 1978 has been freed from jail after relatives posted his reduced bail.
Lee Evans, of Irvington, left the Essex County jail Friday evening and had no comment as he got into a pickup truck driven by his son.
Prosecutors say the now-56-year-old Evans and his cousin killed the teens in a dispute over missing drugs. They say they herded them at gunpoint into a building and set it on fire.
Bail was set at $5 million but was lowered to $950,000 after Evans' relatives put up properties to spring him from jail as he awaits trial.
Evans faces five counts of murder and one count of arson and maintains his innocence. His cousin remains jailed on $5 million bail.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
PHONY BALONEY
The Obama administration’s request for Libya to return the Lockerbie bomber to a Scottish prison is a lot of phony baloney. Libya is not about to return the bomber and Obama damn well knows it. This is just an exercise in futility designed to curry favor with the Flight 103 families and the American public.
OBAMA CALLS FOR LOCKERBIE BOMBER TO BE RETURNED TO JAIL IN SCOTLAND
Mail Online
August 21, 2010
The Obama administration has condemned the decision to release the Lockerbie bomber and called for him to be sent back to a Scottish jail.
The US president's office said it had advised Libyan officials of its view that Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi should not be free.
Barack Obama's counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan criticised the 'unfortunate and inappropriate and wrong decision' yesterday, the first anniversary of the bomber's release from Greenock prison on compassionate grounds.
He said: 'We've expressed our strong conviction that Al Megrahi should serve out the remainder - the entirety - of his sentence in a Scottish prison.'
The bomber returned to jubilant scenes in Libya on August 20 last year where he remains alive - despite being given three months to live at the time.
Megrahi is the only person convicted of the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland, in which 270 people died - most of them Americans.
OBAMA CALLS FOR LOCKERBIE BOMBER TO BE RETURNED TO JAIL IN SCOTLAND
Mail Online
August 21, 2010
The Obama administration has condemned the decision to release the Lockerbie bomber and called for him to be sent back to a Scottish jail.
The US president's office said it had advised Libyan officials of its view that Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi should not be free.
Barack Obama's counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan criticised the 'unfortunate and inappropriate and wrong decision' yesterday, the first anniversary of the bomber's release from Greenock prison on compassionate grounds.
He said: 'We've expressed our strong conviction that Al Megrahi should serve out the remainder - the entirety - of his sentence in a Scottish prison.'
The bomber returned to jubilant scenes in Libya on August 20 last year where he remains alive - despite being given three months to live at the time.
Megrahi is the only person convicted of the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland, in which 270 people died - most of them Americans.
OVERTRAINED ATHLETE SYNDROME
Narcotic officers know that THERE’S NOTHING MORE CONVINCING THAN A DRUG USER TRYING TO CONVINCE SOMEONE HE’S NOT USING DRUGS. That’s how druggies convince their parents they don’t do drugs. And that’s how athletes who took performance enhancing drugs convince their fans they didn’t do it.
Brian Cushing, the outside linebacker of the Houston Texans and last season’s NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, has been suspended for four games by the league because he tested positive for hGC, a hormone that when used by athletes can mask the use of anabolic steroids.
Following in the footsteps of Roger Clemens, poor old Brian vehemently denies having used any illicit substances. He’s come up with a novel explanation for the positive test: OVERTRAINED ATHLETE SYNDROME. Cushing claims he trained so hard that the hGC was released naturally by his body. Overtrained Athlete Syndrome? Brian should be a shoo-in for the LIAR OF THE YEAR award with that one.
Texan’s owner Bob McNair rushed to New York two weeks ago to meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. McNair presented Goodell with ‘evidence’ that OAS was a real malady and begged the commissioner to overturn Cushing’s suspension or reduced it. Unfortunately for Bob and Brian, the commissioner checked with several outside medical experts who determined that OAS was a hoax. Goodell upheld the suspension.
Texan’s coach Gary Kubiac then sucked McNair’s royal ass with this jewel: "We understand the ruling and what we’re dealing with. I think it was more of an educational process on the part of Bob doing everything he could to educate us on Brian’s situation and try to make sure it never happens again." A TEACHABLE MOMENT, right boss? Kubiac definitely knows who signs his paycheck.
There is an upside to Cushing’s predicament. Poor old Brian can now go to Kookfornia or Colorado where he can obtain prescriptions for medical marijuana to alleviate all that pain and suffering associated with Overtrained Athlete Syndrome. And then if he should come up testing positive for pot, he can blame it on SECONDARY SMOKE SYNDROME by claiming that he was just an innocent bystander in a room where some jerk toked up a joint.
Brian Cushing, the outside linebacker of the Houston Texans and last season’s NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, has been suspended for four games by the league because he tested positive for hGC, a hormone that when used by athletes can mask the use of anabolic steroids.
Following in the footsteps of Roger Clemens, poor old Brian vehemently denies having used any illicit substances. He’s come up with a novel explanation for the positive test: OVERTRAINED ATHLETE SYNDROME. Cushing claims he trained so hard that the hGC was released naturally by his body. Overtrained Athlete Syndrome? Brian should be a shoo-in for the LIAR OF THE YEAR award with that one.
Texan’s owner Bob McNair rushed to New York two weeks ago to meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. McNair presented Goodell with ‘evidence’ that OAS was a real malady and begged the commissioner to overturn Cushing’s suspension or reduced it. Unfortunately for Bob and Brian, the commissioner checked with several outside medical experts who determined that OAS was a hoax. Goodell upheld the suspension.
Texan’s coach Gary Kubiac then sucked McNair’s royal ass with this jewel: "We understand the ruling and what we’re dealing with. I think it was more of an educational process on the part of Bob doing everything he could to educate us on Brian’s situation and try to make sure it never happens again." A TEACHABLE MOMENT, right boss? Kubiac definitely knows who signs his paycheck.
There is an upside to Cushing’s predicament. Poor old Brian can now go to Kookfornia or Colorado where he can obtain prescriptions for medical marijuana to alleviate all that pain and suffering associated with Overtrained Athlete Syndrome. And then if he should come up testing positive for pot, he can blame it on SECONDARY SMOKE SYNDROME by claiming that he was just an innocent bystander in a room where some jerk toked up a joint.
NO REAL 'HE-MAN' WOULD BE CAUGHT DEAD WITH ONE OF THESE KITS
For sissies only!
SPARE A SQUARE: PUBLIC RESTROOM SURVIVAL KIT KILLS GERMS FOR UNDER 15 BUCKS
By Jeff Balke
Houston Press Hair Balls
August 20, 2010
When I was only a teenager, I went on a trip with my parents and one of the stops was in Ephesus, Turkey. As I was strolling the what some consider holy grounds, I felt the need to, you know, use the little boy's room.
I located a restroom and made my way inside only to find that the facilities consisted of a wall with the floor below it slanted toward a drain for a urinal - oddly like the old Astrodome bathrooms - and a series of rather small holes in the floor with footprints embedded in the concrete next to each of them demonstrating where you put your feet when you use this "toilet."
Needless to say, if I had the Public Restroom Survival Kit, well, I still would have been stuck with a hole in the ground for a toilet, but I would have had germ-free toilet paper!
The kit includes the following:
_Charmin® To Go Bathroom Tissue package
_Charmin® To Go Toilet Seat Covers package
_Charmin To Go® Fresh Mates Cloths Clorox Disinfecting Wipes To Go _Pack - Fresh Scent
_Lysol® Disinfectant Spray - Crisp Linen® scent
_Purell® Aloe Hand Sanitizer (2oz)
_Safe2Touch - On-The-Go Surface Cleaner
_(2) disposable Nitrile Gloves (powder free - size large)
If you are a germaphobe, you might want to buy a few hundred of these for your next trip to the gym or your favorite restaurant or your church. If you frequent airport bathrooms or Memorial Park, I'd just suggest stocking up on these as well, though you might want to include a condom or two with it, you know, just in case.
In fact, iff you are so concerned about such things, you are probably thinking to yourself right now, "God, I wish I'd had these kits for Y2K or H1N1. For only $15, I can fill up my whole bunker and be safe when the zombie apocalypse happens right after the Mayan disaster in 2012."
For the rest of us, the toilet paper - why do we insist on calling it bathroom tissue? - toilet seat covers, hand sanitizer and even the disinfecting wipes (ew!), in the Fresh Scent no less, make some degree of sense, but I can't seem to wrap my head around the other items.
Most of us would like a neat public bathroom, but I'm not going to bust out the disinfectant spray and surface cleaner at, for example, Numbers, and start wiping the place down. Nothing could remove the years of stains of varying origin delivered by goth kids and hipsters in there anyway. But, even if they could be removed with teeny tiny bottles of germ killer, what am I, a janitor?
But, most importantly, what in God's name are powder free (POWDER FREE!) nitrile gloves doing in there? I'm pretty sure those fit neatly into the BDSM Survival Kit or the Pretend You're a Proctologist Survival Kit, but does it really have a place alongside toilet paper and hand sanitizer (which seems irrelevant if you use the gloves) in the bathroom?
You know what, don't answer that.
Imagine the look on someone's face if I whipped out a pair of rubber gloves and snapped them into place right before setting up at the urinal beside them. Hopefully, that look would not include a knowing grin or my survival kit might require a few other supplies like nunchucks or a light saber.
SPARE A SQUARE: PUBLIC RESTROOM SURVIVAL KIT KILLS GERMS FOR UNDER 15 BUCKS
By Jeff Balke
Houston Press Hair Balls
August 20, 2010
When I was only a teenager, I went on a trip with my parents and one of the stops was in Ephesus, Turkey. As I was strolling the what some consider holy grounds, I felt the need to, you know, use the little boy's room.
I located a restroom and made my way inside only to find that the facilities consisted of a wall with the floor below it slanted toward a drain for a urinal - oddly like the old Astrodome bathrooms - and a series of rather small holes in the floor with footprints embedded in the concrete next to each of them demonstrating where you put your feet when you use this "toilet."
Needless to say, if I had the Public Restroom Survival Kit, well, I still would have been stuck with a hole in the ground for a toilet, but I would have had germ-free toilet paper!
The kit includes the following:
_Charmin® To Go Bathroom Tissue package
_Charmin® To Go Toilet Seat Covers package
_Charmin To Go® Fresh Mates Cloths Clorox Disinfecting Wipes To Go _Pack - Fresh Scent
_Lysol® Disinfectant Spray - Crisp Linen® scent
_Purell® Aloe Hand Sanitizer (2oz)
_Safe2Touch - On-The-Go Surface Cleaner
_(2) disposable Nitrile Gloves (powder free - size large)
If you are a germaphobe, you might want to buy a few hundred of these for your next trip to the gym or your favorite restaurant or your church. If you frequent airport bathrooms or Memorial Park, I'd just suggest stocking up on these as well, though you might want to include a condom or two with it, you know, just in case.
In fact, iff you are so concerned about such things, you are probably thinking to yourself right now, "God, I wish I'd had these kits for Y2K or H1N1. For only $15, I can fill up my whole bunker and be safe when the zombie apocalypse happens right after the Mayan disaster in 2012."
For the rest of us, the toilet paper - why do we insist on calling it bathroom tissue? - toilet seat covers, hand sanitizer and even the disinfecting wipes (ew!), in the Fresh Scent no less, make some degree of sense, but I can't seem to wrap my head around the other items.
Most of us would like a neat public bathroom, but I'm not going to bust out the disinfectant spray and surface cleaner at, for example, Numbers, and start wiping the place down. Nothing could remove the years of stains of varying origin delivered by goth kids and hipsters in there anyway. But, even if they could be removed with teeny tiny bottles of germ killer, what am I, a janitor?
But, most importantly, what in God's name are powder free (POWDER FREE!) nitrile gloves doing in there? I'm pretty sure those fit neatly into the BDSM Survival Kit or the Pretend You're a Proctologist Survival Kit, but does it really have a place alongside toilet paper and hand sanitizer (which seems irrelevant if you use the gloves) in the bathroom?
You know what, don't answer that.
Imagine the look on someone's face if I whipped out a pair of rubber gloves and snapped them into place right before setting up at the urinal beside them. Hopefully, that look would not include a knowing grin or my survival kit might require a few other supplies like nunchucks or a light saber.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
CONSEQUENCES OF AN ATTACK ON IRAN
A good friend e-mailed me this question: Do you think Iran can be stopped from nuclear weapon development?
This is how I answered him: I don't think the half-ass sanctions are going to work. My guess is that the only way to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons is by a massive pre-emptive bombing raid. Whether that will even work or not is questionable. And what will be the consequences of such an attack?
He responded: I worry greatly about the potential consequences of an attack.
And this was my reply: Me too. It could lead to another major war. If not that, it would result in an explosion of terrorism against the West.
And then another friend sent me this alarming report:
RUSSIAN S-300 MISSILES IN ABKHAZIA BLOCK POSSIBLE AIR STRIKES AGAINST IRAN
DEBKAfile
August 12, 2010
US and Israeli military sources told debkafile Thursday, Aug. 12, that a threat from Georgia was not the reason why Russian posted advanced S-300 interceptor batteries Russia in Abkhazia and air defense weapons in South Ossetia on the northern shore of the Black Sea -as Moscow officially maintained, but rather possible moves by the US and/or Israel against Iran and its nuclear facilities.
Georgia's armed forces do not run to the sophisticated warplanes, missiles or drones that would warrant establishing the high-powered S-300 interceptors for defending the breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia.Ordinary air defense batteries would do for deterrence.
Therefore, US military sources believe Moscow placed the sophisticated batteries on the Black Sea shore more as a counterweight for the US Sixth Fleet warships present in the Mediterranean and Black Seas and the two big American bases close to the latter waterway - the Mikhail Kogalniceanu Air Base near Constanta, Romania, and the Bezmer Air Base used by the US Air Force just 50 kilometers from the southern shore of the Black Sea.
Their location gives the US Air Force the freedom to operate over both the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
Our military sources disclose that attention was drawn in Moscow and Tehran to the exercises the Israeli Air Force has been conducting from the two American bases to simulate strikes against Iran's concealed nuclear sites.
They noticed in particular the Israeli Yasur CH-53 helicopter which crashed in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania on July 26, killing six Israeli airman and a Romanian flight captain. It was obvious to Russian and Iranian observers from the way the CH-53 crashed and the veil of secrecy clamped down by Israeli authorities that it had been engaged in practicing touch-and-go attacks on nuclear sites which the Iranians have holed up in tunnels burrowed in the sides of lofty mountain precipices.
DEBKfile's intelligence sources do not doubt that Russian placed the top-of-the line air defense systems in Abkhazia for intercepting flights taking off from the American bases in Bulgaria and Romania and heading east over Georgia and Azerbaijan and on to the Caspian and Black Seas to northern Iran.
Byt deploying the S-300s, Moscow has put paid to any plans Israel may have had for using this northern route for attacking Iran.
The deployment was also a message of reassurance from Moscow to Tehran: Although Russia is withholding the advanced S-300 interceptors from Iran it has its own methods for blocking an American or Israel raid on the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities.
This is how I answered him: I don't think the half-ass sanctions are going to work. My guess is that the only way to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons is by a massive pre-emptive bombing raid. Whether that will even work or not is questionable. And what will be the consequences of such an attack?
He responded: I worry greatly about the potential consequences of an attack.
And this was my reply: Me too. It could lead to another major war. If not that, it would result in an explosion of terrorism against the West.
And then another friend sent me this alarming report:
RUSSIAN S-300 MISSILES IN ABKHAZIA BLOCK POSSIBLE AIR STRIKES AGAINST IRAN
DEBKAfile
August 12, 2010
US and Israeli military sources told debkafile Thursday, Aug. 12, that a threat from Georgia was not the reason why Russian posted advanced S-300 interceptor batteries Russia in Abkhazia and air defense weapons in South Ossetia on the northern shore of the Black Sea -as Moscow officially maintained, but rather possible moves by the US and/or Israel against Iran and its nuclear facilities.
Georgia's armed forces do not run to the sophisticated warplanes, missiles or drones that would warrant establishing the high-powered S-300 interceptors for defending the breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia.Ordinary air defense batteries would do for deterrence.
Therefore, US military sources believe Moscow placed the sophisticated batteries on the Black Sea shore more as a counterweight for the US Sixth Fleet warships present in the Mediterranean and Black Seas and the two big American bases close to the latter waterway - the Mikhail Kogalniceanu Air Base near Constanta, Romania, and the Bezmer Air Base used by the US Air Force just 50 kilometers from the southern shore of the Black Sea.
Their location gives the US Air Force the freedom to operate over both the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
Our military sources disclose that attention was drawn in Moscow and Tehran to the exercises the Israeli Air Force has been conducting from the two American bases to simulate strikes against Iran's concealed nuclear sites.
They noticed in particular the Israeli Yasur CH-53 helicopter which crashed in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania on July 26, killing six Israeli airman and a Romanian flight captain. It was obvious to Russian and Iranian observers from the way the CH-53 crashed and the veil of secrecy clamped down by Israeli authorities that it had been engaged in practicing touch-and-go attacks on nuclear sites which the Iranians have holed up in tunnels burrowed in the sides of lofty mountain precipices.
DEBKfile's intelligence sources do not doubt that Russian placed the top-of-the line air defense systems in Abkhazia for intercepting flights taking off from the American bases in Bulgaria and Romania and heading east over Georgia and Azerbaijan and on to the Caspian and Black Seas to northern Iran.
Byt deploying the S-300s, Moscow has put paid to any plans Israel may have had for using this northern route for attacking Iran.
The deployment was also a message of reassurance from Moscow to Tehran: Although Russia is withholding the advanced S-300 interceptors from Iran it has its own methods for blocking an American or Israel raid on the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities.
AMERICA'S STRATEGIC BLINDNESS
Whether it develops nuclear weapons or not, Iran appears to be on the verge of victory in the Middle East and the Obama administration
is either clueless or just doesn’t care.
Below are some excerpts from ‘Dusk In Iraq’ by columnist Caroline B. Glick. This column appeared in the August 20 issue of Jewish World Review and was written in response to the withdrawal of American combat forces from Iraq. Here are those excerpts:
……….despite the US investment of more than a trillion dollars in Iraq, and despite the more than 4,400 US servicemen and women who lost their lives in the country, the future of Iraq remains uncertain at best. Certainly a coherent, moderate, US-allied, and democratic Iraq remains an elusive goal.
On a military level, the US's inconclusive campaign in Iraq bears striking similarities to Israel's departure from southern Lebanon ten years ago. In Lebanon as in Iraq, Iran and its proxies made it impossible for Israel and its allies in the South Lebanese Army to bring stability to the south. Hizbullah's constant, but low key assaults on Israel and IDF forces, punctuated by sporadic escalations eroded the Israeli ruling class's will to fight. So too, the elusive character of the asymmetric enemy made it easy for the same elites to ignore the nature of the adversarial forces arrayed against Israel and so paved the way for Israel's retreat. This in turn fomented Hizbullah's triumphant takeover of the south, and in due course, its takeover of the whole of Lebanon.
The second frustrating aspect of the state of Iraq today is what it says about the US's ability to acknowledge the realities of the region and fashion successful strategies for contending with its challenges. For the past seven years, advocates of the Iraq war and opponents of the war, Republicans and Democrats alike has consistently refused to understand the nature of the battlefield and what that meant about their prospects in Iraq and the region.
Both the Bush and Obama administrations wrongly characterized Iraq as a stand-alone war. But the fact is Iraq has always been a battleground of a regional war. And the main enemy in Iraq, the main obstacle to stability and victory is Iran. Just as Israel was unable to beat Iran in Lebanon, and so lost to its proxy Hizbullah, so the US has been and will remain unable to defeat Iran in Iraq. And if it maintains its current strategy, it will be defeated by Iran's proxies.
The only way to safeguard Iraq is to overthrow the regime in Iran. The only way to get the likes of [Prime Minister Saad] Hariri out from under the jackboots of Hizbullah and the Iranian-proxy regime in Damascus is to overthrow the regime in Iran.
If it were just a question of Iraq's wellbeing as a country, it would arguably make sense for the US to avoid escalation of the war and refuse to challenge the regime in Teheran. But Iran is not only fighting for Iraq and it is not only fighting in Iraq. Through its proxies, Iran is also fighting in Lebanon and is using its proxies to increase its influence throughout the Persian Gulf, the Levant and beyond. And with the regime just a short step or two away from nuclear capabilities it is clear that the US strategy in Iraq was wrong all along. It was wrong and dangerous.
The US strategy was to bring democracy to Iraq and by doing so, inspire democratic revolutions throughout the Arab world. Although inspiring, it was wrong first and foremost because it was predicated on ignoring one of the basic dictates of strategy. It failed to recognize that there were other forces in the region.
It failed to anticipate that every US move would be countered by an Iranian move. And in failing to recognize this basic strategic truth — even though it has been staring them in the face — the Americans aggressively pursued a strategy that became more and more irrelevant as time went by.
As the actions of the Hariris of Lebanon and their counterparts in Iraq show clearly, Iran's countermoves have always been more forthright and compelling than the US's moves have been.
In the September issue of Commentary, Arthur Herman depressingly sets out the Obama administration's declared plans and early moves to gut the US military. It is obvious that regardless of Obama's political position after the mid-term elections in November, he will not revisit the US's current Middle East strategy which is predicated on ignoring the Iranian nuclear elephant in the middle of the room. He will not work to overthrow the regime or support any forces that would overthrow the regime.
It is true that in the short term, the prospects for the region hinge on whether or not Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has the courage to order the IDF to attack Iran's nuclear installations. And it is also true that if an Israeli strike is sufficiently successful, it would empower many positive forces throughout the region — from Teheran Kurdistan to Ankara, Damascus and Beirut.
But in the medium and long-term, nothing can replace America. And as long as the US continues on its trajectory of strategic blindness, the Iraqis will be far from alone in their suffering.
is either clueless or just doesn’t care.
Below are some excerpts from ‘Dusk In Iraq’ by columnist Caroline B. Glick. This column appeared in the August 20 issue of Jewish World Review and was written in response to the withdrawal of American combat forces from Iraq. Here are those excerpts:
……….despite the US investment of more than a trillion dollars in Iraq, and despite the more than 4,400 US servicemen and women who lost their lives in the country, the future of Iraq remains uncertain at best. Certainly a coherent, moderate, US-allied, and democratic Iraq remains an elusive goal.
On a military level, the US's inconclusive campaign in Iraq bears striking similarities to Israel's departure from southern Lebanon ten years ago. In Lebanon as in Iraq, Iran and its proxies made it impossible for Israel and its allies in the South Lebanese Army to bring stability to the south. Hizbullah's constant, but low key assaults on Israel and IDF forces, punctuated by sporadic escalations eroded the Israeli ruling class's will to fight. So too, the elusive character of the asymmetric enemy made it easy for the same elites to ignore the nature of the adversarial forces arrayed against Israel and so paved the way for Israel's retreat. This in turn fomented Hizbullah's triumphant takeover of the south, and in due course, its takeover of the whole of Lebanon.
The second frustrating aspect of the state of Iraq today is what it says about the US's ability to acknowledge the realities of the region and fashion successful strategies for contending with its challenges. For the past seven years, advocates of the Iraq war and opponents of the war, Republicans and Democrats alike has consistently refused to understand the nature of the battlefield and what that meant about their prospects in Iraq and the region.
Both the Bush and Obama administrations wrongly characterized Iraq as a stand-alone war. But the fact is Iraq has always been a battleground of a regional war. And the main enemy in Iraq, the main obstacle to stability and victory is Iran. Just as Israel was unable to beat Iran in Lebanon, and so lost to its proxy Hizbullah, so the US has been and will remain unable to defeat Iran in Iraq. And if it maintains its current strategy, it will be defeated by Iran's proxies.
The only way to safeguard Iraq is to overthrow the regime in Iran. The only way to get the likes of [Prime Minister Saad] Hariri out from under the jackboots of Hizbullah and the Iranian-proxy regime in Damascus is to overthrow the regime in Iran.
If it were just a question of Iraq's wellbeing as a country, it would arguably make sense for the US to avoid escalation of the war and refuse to challenge the regime in Teheran. But Iran is not only fighting for Iraq and it is not only fighting in Iraq. Through its proxies, Iran is also fighting in Lebanon and is using its proxies to increase its influence throughout the Persian Gulf, the Levant and beyond. And with the regime just a short step or two away from nuclear capabilities it is clear that the US strategy in Iraq was wrong all along. It was wrong and dangerous.
The US strategy was to bring democracy to Iraq and by doing so, inspire democratic revolutions throughout the Arab world. Although inspiring, it was wrong first and foremost because it was predicated on ignoring one of the basic dictates of strategy. It failed to recognize that there were other forces in the region.
It failed to anticipate that every US move would be countered by an Iranian move. And in failing to recognize this basic strategic truth — even though it has been staring them in the face — the Americans aggressively pursued a strategy that became more and more irrelevant as time went by.
As the actions of the Hariris of Lebanon and their counterparts in Iraq show clearly, Iran's countermoves have always been more forthright and compelling than the US's moves have been.
In the September issue of Commentary, Arthur Herman depressingly sets out the Obama administration's declared plans and early moves to gut the US military. It is obvious that regardless of Obama's political position after the mid-term elections in November, he will not revisit the US's current Middle East strategy which is predicated on ignoring the Iranian nuclear elephant in the middle of the room. He will not work to overthrow the regime or support any forces that would overthrow the regime.
It is true that in the short term, the prospects for the region hinge on whether or not Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has the courage to order the IDF to attack Iran's nuclear installations. And it is also true that if an Israeli strike is sufficiently successful, it would empower many positive forces throughout the region — from Teheran Kurdistan to Ankara, Damascus and Beirut.
But in the medium and long-term, nothing can replace America. And as long as the US continues on its trajectory of strategic blindness, the Iraqis will be far from alone in their suffering.
THE PALESTINIANS WEREN'T THERE THEN!
An ingenious example of speech and politics occurred recently in the United Nations Assembly which made the world community smile.
A representative from Israel began: "Before beginning my talk I want to tell you something about Moses. When he struck the rock and it brought forth water, he thought, 'What a good opportunity to have a bath! He removed his clothes, put them aside on the rock and entered the water. When he got out and wanted to dress, his clothes had vanished. A Palestinian had stolen them."
The Palestinian representative jumped up furiously and shouted, "What are you talking about? The Palestinians weren't there then!"
The Israeli representative smiled and said, "And now that we have made that clear, I will begin my speech."
A representative from Israel began: "Before beginning my talk I want to tell you something about Moses. When he struck the rock and it brought forth water, he thought, 'What a good opportunity to have a bath! He removed his clothes, put them aside on the rock and entered the water. When he got out and wanted to dress, his clothes had vanished. A Palestinian had stolen them."
The Palestinian representative jumped up furiously and shouted, "What are you talking about? The Palestinians weren't there then!"
The Israeli representative smiled and said, "And now that we have made that clear, I will begin my speech."
Friday, August 20, 2010
THE CASE AGAINST CONFINING DANGEROUS CRIMINALS IN PRIVATE PRISONS (3)
Trey wrote: This is an excerpt from the article about the capture of the murderers who escaped the private prison in northern AZ. If I was a the family of the [Oklahoma] couple that they killed while on the lam, I would seriously consider suing the private prison and the state.
Here is the excerpt Trey sent:
The prison has a badly defective alarm system, a perimeter post was unstaffed, an outside dormitory door had been propped open with a rock and the alarms went off so often that prison personnel often just ignored them, the report said. Also, operational practices often led to a gap of 15 minutes or longer during shift changes along the perimeter fence,
[Department of Corrections Director Charles L.] Ryan said.
Prison staff told a review team that the dormitory door was left open because of the heavy amount of foot traffic. That open door allowed the three inmates to reach a 10-foot chain-linked fence that hadn't been topped with razor wire. They scaled that fence and hid out for a time behind a building in an area that isn't visible to staff from the yard.
Using wire cutters, which [Casslyn] Welch [John McCluskey's fiancee and cousin] tossed into the prison yard shortly before the 9 p.m. shift change, the inmates [Daniel Renwick, Tracy Province, and McCluskey] cut a 30-by-22-inch hole and held the fence back with a dog leash.
___
Associated Press writers Walter Berry, Felicia Fonseca and Paul Davenport in Phoenix and Tim Korte and Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, N.M., contributed to this report.
Here is the excerpt Trey sent:
The prison has a badly defective alarm system, a perimeter post was unstaffed, an outside dormitory door had been propped open with a rock and the alarms went off so often that prison personnel often just ignored them, the report said. Also, operational practices often led to a gap of 15 minutes or longer during shift changes along the perimeter fence,
[Department of Corrections Director Charles L.] Ryan said.
Prison staff told a review team that the dormitory door was left open because of the heavy amount of foot traffic. That open door allowed the three inmates to reach a 10-foot chain-linked fence that hadn't been topped with razor wire. They scaled that fence and hid out for a time behind a building in an area that isn't visible to staff from the yard.
Using wire cutters, which [Casslyn] Welch [John McCluskey's fiancee and cousin] tossed into the prison yard shortly before the 9 p.m. shift change, the inmates [Daniel Renwick, Tracy Province, and McCluskey] cut a 30-by-22-inch hole and held the fence back with a dog leash.
___
Associated Press writers Walter Berry, Felicia Fonseca and Paul Davenport in Phoenix and Tim Korte and Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, N.M., contributed to this report.
NICE DOGGIE, HIC, OUCH!
PUPPY PATROL POUNCES ON PAROLEE
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
August 18, 2010
Police in the teeming metropolis of Fairfield used a K-9 officer to extricate a drunk, uncooperative parolee from under a bed.
A woman called the local constabulary about 1:00 p.m. and told them her 33-year old boyfriend, Jeremy Ghent, and she had been involved in a domestic disturbance. (Meaning he got drunk and thumped her.) The two have a relationship and a couple of rugrats, but do not cohabitate.
When the cops learned that Ghent was a PAL they surrounded the house and the girlfriend came out. Ghent, on the other hand, acted like a drunk parolee, announcing that he was not going to go back to prison.
The cops went in and the dog found him under the bed. He wouldn’t come out. The dog helped him. Ghent was taken to the hospital, treated for "puncture wounds" and booked into the county hospitality center. (Well, he was right, he didn’t go back to prison …yet).
Clicking here will link to a North Bay News story on this subject.
By Bob Walsh
PACOVILLA Corrections blog
August 18, 2010
Police in the teeming metropolis of Fairfield used a K-9 officer to extricate a drunk, uncooperative parolee from under a bed.
A woman called the local constabulary about 1:00 p.m. and told them her 33-year old boyfriend, Jeremy Ghent, and she had been involved in a domestic disturbance. (Meaning he got drunk and thumped her.) The two have a relationship and a couple of rugrats, but do not cohabitate.
When the cops learned that Ghent was a PAL they surrounded the house and the girlfriend came out. Ghent, on the other hand, acted like a drunk parolee, announcing that he was not going to go back to prison.
The cops went in and the dog found him under the bed. He wouldn’t come out. The dog helped him. Ghent was taken to the hospital, treated for "puncture wounds" and booked into the county hospitality center. (Well, he was right, he didn’t go back to prison …yet).
Clicking here will link to a North Bay News story on this subject.
SOUTH TEXAS, THE WAY IT'S ALWAYS BEEN
RIO GRANDE MUD: COPS, MAYORS AND JUDGES BUSTED FOR CORRUPTION, DWI AND WHORING ALL OVER THE VALLEY
By John Nova Lomax
Houston Press Hair Balls
August 18, 2010
On moving to Miami during that city's Cocaine Cowboy heyday, a friend once described the place thusly: "You are nobody here until you are under indictment."
As the frontline for the drug war has shifted from Colombia and South Florida to Mexico and South Texas, it seems like that ethos has taken hold in the Valley.
Not that the area south of the Nueces was ever some paragon of tidy, efficient Scandinavian-style governance. It's always seemed to be like some unholy combination of Deep South Boss Hawg-style sheriff rule combined with Wild West cowboy six-shooter antics, all seasoned with plenty of machismo. To quote Los Lobos, "Alli siempre paso la vida, con la pistola y el corazon." Like Texas, only more so.
And while you can't really trace any of these sins and misdeeds directly to the drug war, things do seem to be reaching a fever pitch down there right now.
While protracted daytime gunfights rage just across the river, on this side, everyone seems to be busy driving drunk, shooting at romantic rivals, on the take or trading clout for blow jobs.
The sitting mayor of Brownsville was just arrested for DWI for the third time in his life, while judges were in hot water in Hidalgo County for crimes ranging from forgery to stealing traffic ticket money.
And then there's Brownsville Judge Phil Bellamy, who was arrested for verbally abusing Walmart staff and then likened his ensuing woes to the persecution of Star Trek's Spock and SpongeBob SquarePants. (His ensuing suit to countermand an order to have him committed to the loony bin was dismissed.)
And it's not just mayors and judges: Cops seem to have a penchant for racking up DWIs down there too.
The town of Sullivan City merits special mention. After the chief of police went down in a federal drug sweep a few weeks ago, it came to light that his replacement also has a record. Only seven years ago, back when he was a cop in the town of Edcouch, the new chief was busted for DWI and possession of coke. (The charges were later dismissed.)
And then, and then, and then....There's the town of La Villa, where all of these elements come together in one glorious case.
Mayor Hector Elizondo was just arrested for trading $10 crack rocks for blow jobs. Not that Eloy Cardenas, the guy who slapped on the cuffs, is a saint either. Cardenas, the chief of police of both La Villa and the neighboring town of Edcouch, is currently on trial for shooting Isidro Rodriguez, his wife's ex, with a shotgun packed with bean-bag shells and then burying the evidence in a chicken coop.
Cardenas's attorney Hector Villarreal does not deny his client shot at Rodriguez, but does say it was in self-defense, and that Rodriguez probably had it coming: "(My client is) a man of quality, integrity and good standing in his community. The alleged victim was so stoned and so drunk when he reported the shooting that he couldn't even walk."
Sounds like outstanding mayoral timber, or at the very least, a great candidate for the police academy.
By John Nova Lomax
Houston Press Hair Balls
August 18, 2010
On moving to Miami during that city's Cocaine Cowboy heyday, a friend once described the place thusly: "You are nobody here until you are under indictment."
As the frontline for the drug war has shifted from Colombia and South Florida to Mexico and South Texas, it seems like that ethos has taken hold in the Valley.
Not that the area south of the Nueces was ever some paragon of tidy, efficient Scandinavian-style governance. It's always seemed to be like some unholy combination of Deep South Boss Hawg-style sheriff rule combined with Wild West cowboy six-shooter antics, all seasoned with plenty of machismo. To quote Los Lobos, "Alli siempre paso la vida, con la pistola y el corazon." Like Texas, only more so.
And while you can't really trace any of these sins and misdeeds directly to the drug war, things do seem to be reaching a fever pitch down there right now.
While protracted daytime gunfights rage just across the river, on this side, everyone seems to be busy driving drunk, shooting at romantic rivals, on the take or trading clout for blow jobs.
The sitting mayor of Brownsville was just arrested for DWI for the third time in his life, while judges were in hot water in Hidalgo County for crimes ranging from forgery to stealing traffic ticket money.
And then there's Brownsville Judge Phil Bellamy, who was arrested for verbally abusing Walmart staff and then likened his ensuing woes to the persecution of Star Trek's Spock and SpongeBob SquarePants. (His ensuing suit to countermand an order to have him committed to the loony bin was dismissed.)
And it's not just mayors and judges: Cops seem to have a penchant for racking up DWIs down there too.
The town of Sullivan City merits special mention. After the chief of police went down in a federal drug sweep a few weeks ago, it came to light that his replacement also has a record. Only seven years ago, back when he was a cop in the town of Edcouch, the new chief was busted for DWI and possession of coke. (The charges were later dismissed.)
And then, and then, and then....There's the town of La Villa, where all of these elements come together in one glorious case.
Mayor Hector Elizondo was just arrested for trading $10 crack rocks for blow jobs. Not that Eloy Cardenas, the guy who slapped on the cuffs, is a saint either. Cardenas, the chief of police of both La Villa and the neighboring town of Edcouch, is currently on trial for shooting Isidro Rodriguez, his wife's ex, with a shotgun packed with bean-bag shells and then burying the evidence in a chicken coop.
Cardenas's attorney Hector Villarreal does not deny his client shot at Rodriguez, but does say it was in self-defense, and that Rodriguez probably had it coming: "(My client is) a man of quality, integrity and good standing in his community. The alleged victim was so stoned and so drunk when he reported the shooting that he couldn't even walk."
Sounds like outstanding mayoral timber, or at the very least, a great candidate for the police academy.
REUNION OF HIGH SCHOOL FRIENDS
Rachel, Clare and Samantha haven't seen each other since High School. They rediscover each other via a reunion website and arrange to meet for lunch in a wine bar.
Rachel arrives first, wearing beige Versace. She orders a bottle of Pinot Grigio. Clare arrives shortly afterward, in gray Chanel. After the required ritualized kisses she joins Rachel in a glass of wine. Then Samantha walks in, wearing a faded old tee-shirt, blue jeans and boots. She too shares the wine.
Rachel explains that after leaving high school and graduating from Princeton in Classics, she met and married Timothy, with whom she has a beautiful daughter. Timothy is a partner in one of New York 's leading law firms. They live in a 4000 sq ft co-op on Fifth Avenue , where Susanna, the daughter, attends drama school. They have a second home in Phoenix .
Clare relates that she graduated from Harvard Med School and became a surgeon. Her husband, Clive, is a leading Wall Street investment banker. They live in Southampton on Long Island and have a second home in Naples , Florida .
Samantha explains that she left school at 17 and ran off with her boyfriend, Ben. They run a tropical bird park in California and grow their own vegetables. Ben can stand five parrots, side by side, on his dick.
Halfway down the third bottle of wine and several hours later, Rachel blurts out that her husband is a cashier at Walmart. They live in a small apartment in Brooklyn and have a travel trailer parked at a nearby a storage facility.
Clare, chastened and encouraged by her old friend's honesty, explains that she and Clive are both nurses' aides in a retirement home. They live in Jersey City and take vacation camping trips to Alabama .
Samantha confessed that the fifth parrot has to stand on one leg.
Rachel arrives first, wearing beige Versace. She orders a bottle of Pinot Grigio. Clare arrives shortly afterward, in gray Chanel. After the required ritualized kisses she joins Rachel in a glass of wine. Then Samantha walks in, wearing a faded old tee-shirt, blue jeans and boots. She too shares the wine.
Rachel explains that after leaving high school and graduating from Princeton in Classics, she met and married Timothy, with whom she has a beautiful daughter. Timothy is a partner in one of New York 's leading law firms. They live in a 4000 sq ft co-op on Fifth Avenue , where Susanna, the daughter, attends drama school. They have a second home in Phoenix .
Clare relates that she graduated from Harvard Med School and became a surgeon. Her husband, Clive, is a leading Wall Street investment banker. They live in Southampton on Long Island and have a second home in Naples , Florida .
Samantha explains that she left school at 17 and ran off with her boyfriend, Ben. They run a tropical bird park in California and grow their own vegetables. Ben can stand five parrots, side by side, on his dick.
Halfway down the third bottle of wine and several hours later, Rachel blurts out that her husband is a cashier at Walmart. They live in a small apartment in Brooklyn and have a travel trailer parked at a nearby a storage facility.
Clare, chastened and encouraged by her old friend's honesty, explains that she and Clive are both nurses' aides in a retirement home. They live in Jersey City and take vacation camping trips to Alabama .
Samantha confessed that the fifth parrot has to stand on one leg.
ISRAELIS HAVE NEVER KNOWN AN HOUR OF REAL PEACE
And they still won't know any real peace even if they sign a Quartet brokered ‘peace’ agreement with the Palestinians.
George Will, who has been in Israel lately, says condescending remarks of tone-deaf American leaders - most notable, President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton - grate on the ears of a nation that faces a constant struggle for survival.
SKIP THE LECTURES ON ISRAEL’S ‘RISKS FOR PEACE’
By George Will
Jewish World Review
August 19, 2010
JERUSALEM ---In the intifada that began in 2000, Palestinian terrorism killed more than 1,000 Israelis. As a portion of U.S. population, that would be 42,000, approaching the toll of America's eight years in Vietnam. During the onslaught, which began 10 Septembers ago, Israeli parents sending two children to a school would put them on separate buses to decrease the chance that neither would return for dinner. Surely most Americans can imagine, even if their tone-deaf leaders cannot, how grating it is when those leaders lecture Israel on the need to take "risks for peace."
During Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's July visit to Washington, Barack Obama praised him as "willing to take risks for peace." There was a time when that meant swapping "land for peace" -- Israel sacrificing something tangible and irrecoverable, strategic depth, in exchange for something intangible and perishable, promises of diplomatic normality.
Strategic depth matters in a nation where almost everyone is or has been a soldier, so society cannot function for long with the nation fully mobilized. Also, before the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel within the borders established by the 1949 armistice was in one place just nine miles wide, a fact that moved George W. Bush to say: In Texas we have driveways that long. Israel exchanged a lot of land to achieve a chilly peace with Egypt, yielding the Sinai, which is almost three times larger than Israel and was 89 percent of the land captured in the process of repelling the 1967 aggression.
The intifada was launched by the late Yasser Arafat -- terrorist and Nobel Peace Prize winner -- after the July 2000 Camp David meeting, during which then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered to cede control of all of Gaza and more than 90 percent of the West Bank, with small swaps of land to accommodate the growth of Jerusalem suburbs just across the 1949 armistice line.
Israelis are famously fractious, but the intifada produced among them a consensus that the most any government of theirs could offer without forfeiting domestic support is less than any Palestinian interlocutor would demand. Furthermore, the intifada was part of a pattern. As in 1936 and 1947, talk about partition prompted Arab violence.
In 1936, when the British administered Palestine, the Peel Commission concluded that there was "an irrepressible conflict" -- a phrase coined by an American historian to describe the U.S. Civil War -- "between two national communities within the narrow bounds of one small country." And: "Neither of the two national ideals permits" a combination "in the service of a single state." The commission recommended "a surgical operation" -- partition. What followed was the Arab Revolt of 1936 to 1939.
On Nov. 29, 1947, the United Nations recommended a partition plan. Israel accepted the recommendation. On Nov. 30, Israel was attacked.
Palestine has a seemingly limitless capacity for eliciting nonsense from afar, as it did recently when British Prime Minister David Cameron referred to Gaza as a "prison camp." In a sense it is, but not in the sense Cameron intended. His implication was that Israel is the cruel imprisoner. Gaza's actual misfortune is to be under the iron fist of Hamas, a terrorist organization.
In May, a flotilla launched from Turkey approached Gaza in order to provoke a confrontation with Israel, which, like Egypt, administers a blockade to prevent arms from reaching Hamas. The flotilla's pretense was humanitarian relief for Gaza -- where the infant mortality rate is lower and life expectancy is higher than in Turkey.
Israelis younger than 50 have no memory of their nation within the 1967 borders set by the 1949 armistice that ended the War of Independence. The rest of the world seems to have no memory at all concerning the intersecting histories of Palestine and the Jewish people.
The creation of Israel did not involve the destruction of a Palestinian state, there having been no such state since the Romans arrived. And if the Jewish percentage of the world's population were today what it was when the Romans ruled Palestine, there would be 200 million Jews. After a uniquely hazardous passage through two millennia without a homeland, there are 13 million Jews.
In the 62 years since this homeland was founded on one-sixth of 1 percent of the land of what is carelessly and inaccurately called "the Arab world," Israelis have never known an hour of real peace. Patronizing American lectures on the reality of risks and the desirableness of peace, which once were merely fatuous, are now obscene.
George Will, who has been in Israel lately, says condescending remarks of tone-deaf American leaders - most notable, President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton - grate on the ears of a nation that faces a constant struggle for survival.
SKIP THE LECTURES ON ISRAEL’S ‘RISKS FOR PEACE’
By George Will
Jewish World Review
August 19, 2010
JERUSALEM ---In the intifada that began in 2000, Palestinian terrorism killed more than 1,000 Israelis. As a portion of U.S. population, that would be 42,000, approaching the toll of America's eight years in Vietnam. During the onslaught, which began 10 Septembers ago, Israeli parents sending two children to a school would put them on separate buses to decrease the chance that neither would return for dinner. Surely most Americans can imagine, even if their tone-deaf leaders cannot, how grating it is when those leaders lecture Israel on the need to take "risks for peace."
During Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's July visit to Washington, Barack Obama praised him as "willing to take risks for peace." There was a time when that meant swapping "land for peace" -- Israel sacrificing something tangible and irrecoverable, strategic depth, in exchange for something intangible and perishable, promises of diplomatic normality.
Strategic depth matters in a nation where almost everyone is or has been a soldier, so society cannot function for long with the nation fully mobilized. Also, before the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel within the borders established by the 1949 armistice was in one place just nine miles wide, a fact that moved George W. Bush to say: In Texas we have driveways that long. Israel exchanged a lot of land to achieve a chilly peace with Egypt, yielding the Sinai, which is almost three times larger than Israel and was 89 percent of the land captured in the process of repelling the 1967 aggression.
The intifada was launched by the late Yasser Arafat -- terrorist and Nobel Peace Prize winner -- after the July 2000 Camp David meeting, during which then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered to cede control of all of Gaza and more than 90 percent of the West Bank, with small swaps of land to accommodate the growth of Jerusalem suburbs just across the 1949 armistice line.
Israelis are famously fractious, but the intifada produced among them a consensus that the most any government of theirs could offer without forfeiting domestic support is less than any Palestinian interlocutor would demand. Furthermore, the intifada was part of a pattern. As in 1936 and 1947, talk about partition prompted Arab violence.
In 1936, when the British administered Palestine, the Peel Commission concluded that there was "an irrepressible conflict" -- a phrase coined by an American historian to describe the U.S. Civil War -- "between two national communities within the narrow bounds of one small country." And: "Neither of the two national ideals permits" a combination "in the service of a single state." The commission recommended "a surgical operation" -- partition. What followed was the Arab Revolt of 1936 to 1939.
On Nov. 29, 1947, the United Nations recommended a partition plan. Israel accepted the recommendation. On Nov. 30, Israel was attacked.
Palestine has a seemingly limitless capacity for eliciting nonsense from afar, as it did recently when British Prime Minister David Cameron referred to Gaza as a "prison camp." In a sense it is, but not in the sense Cameron intended. His implication was that Israel is the cruel imprisoner. Gaza's actual misfortune is to be under the iron fist of Hamas, a terrorist organization.
In May, a flotilla launched from Turkey approached Gaza in order to provoke a confrontation with Israel, which, like Egypt, administers a blockade to prevent arms from reaching Hamas. The flotilla's pretense was humanitarian relief for Gaza -- where the infant mortality rate is lower and life expectancy is higher than in Turkey.
Israelis younger than 50 have no memory of their nation within the 1967 borders set by the 1949 armistice that ended the War of Independence. The rest of the world seems to have no memory at all concerning the intersecting histories of Palestine and the Jewish people.
The creation of Israel did not involve the destruction of a Palestinian state, there having been no such state since the Romans arrived. And if the Jewish percentage of the world's population were today what it was when the Romans ruled Palestine, there would be 200 million Jews. After a uniquely hazardous passage through two millennia without a homeland, there are 13 million Jews.
In the 62 years since this homeland was founded on one-sixth of 1 percent of the land of what is carelessly and inaccurately called "the Arab world," Israelis have never known an hour of real peace. Patronizing American lectures on the reality of risks and the desirableness of peace, which once were merely fatuous, are now obscene.
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