There have been suggestions from others that the three men were involved at the top of the IRA, but Mr McDowell is the first to make the direct accusation. He told Dublin's Today FM: "We're talking about a small group of people, including a number of elected representatives, who run the whole [republican] movement. We are talking about Martin McGuinness, Gerry Adams, Martin Ferris and others."
The republican movement is reeling from the worst crisis it has faced in years following Irish police raids which netted more than £2.3m linked by officers to a money-laundering ring.
Northern Ireland's chief constable, Hugh Orde, said yesterday the IRA had planted £50,000 in stolen Northern Bank notes in the toilet of a police sports club to divert attention from the investigation into republican money-laundering in the Irish Republic. The banknotes, in five shrink-wrapped £10,000 bundles, were this weekend the first notes confirmed to have surfaced from the £26.5m stolen from the Northern Bank vaults in Belfast in December, the biggest bank robbery in UK history, which police have blamed on the IRA. The notes were found in a toilet at Newforge country club in south Belfast, a leisure centre used by police, after a man claiming to be a police officer contacted the police ombudsman, Nuala O'Loan. Mr Orde said: "It's a distraction. It's people trying to take the focus off the key issue which is the operation run by the garda and the major crime inquiry we still have ongoing _ Places like sports clubs have become far more open; it was an easy thing to do _ I'm not particularly impressed by it, but I did ask them to give the money back _ and they have started to listen."
Haitian police on Sunday were hunting for nearly 500 prisoners who escaped after an armed attack on the national penitentiary that sparked a riot and left one guard dead. Two prominent allies of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who had been rushed to a secure location during the attack Saturday night, were returned to the prison, authorities said. Guards had rushed former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune and former Interior Minister Jocelerme Privert to a secret location when the attack occurred and inmates began rioting, and the two were later turned over to U.N. soldiers, Damian Onses-Cardona, a spokesman for the U.N. peacekeeping mission, told The Associated Press. "They were taken back to prison in U.N. vehicles," Onses-Cardona said Sunday. "They insisted on returning to make clear they didn't try to escape."
Onses-Cardona said authorities were investigating whether the attack, which came as Aristide partisans prepare to mark the anniversary of his Feb. 29 flight from the country, was aimed at freeing Neptune and Privert. Chilean Ambassador Marcel Young denied reports that the two men had escaped and sought asylum from foreign embassies before being recaptured. Young said he met with them Saturday and "they were only concerned about their security. Once that was arranged, they asked to go back to the prison."
The two men are accused of orchestrating killings of Aristide opponents during a rebellion in the western town of Saint-Marc. Both men have said they are innocent. They are among dozens of Aristide officials and supporters detained since Aristide fled Haiti amid a three-week rebellion. None have been formally charged. Foreign Minister Herard Abraham said in a radio address that 481 of more than 1,250 prisoners at the prison had escaped. He said heavily armed men had attacked the prison, without elaboration, only adding that police were aggressively seeking fugitives. Privert's wife, Ginette Privert, was among of dozens of people waiting outside the prison Sunday for information about their relatives. "I haven't heard from him or seen him so I don't know if he's OK," she said of her husband. "I've been waiting three hours and they still won't let me in."
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Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/21/2005 12:58:25 AM ||
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Jimmy Carter will extend to them, another burden for us, to cope with...more boat people,thank you Jimmy.
#3
So it turns out that Fred doesn't actually have a stash, it's merely the Steve's and Em doing high-speed collaborative knock-offs of Pulps on 3 hours demand.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has said he believes the US government is planning to assassinate him. "If they kill me, the name of the person responsible is [President] George Bush," Mr Chavez said. Mr Chavez - who offered no evidence to back his claim - said any attempt on his life would backfire and threatened to cut off oil supplies to America. He was apparently reacting to growing criticism by top US officials of his left-wing government.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has recently described the former paratrooper as a "negative force" in Latin America, while CIA chief Porter Goss said Venezuela was a possible source of instability in the region. Washington blames Mr Chavez of being heavy-handed towards Venezuela's opposition, and has recently criticised Caracas for arms purchases from Russia. Diplomatic ties between Washington and Caracas have soured since Mr Chavez came to power in 1999.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2005 12:50:11 AM ||
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Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez said Sunday that he would stop oil exports to the United States if the U.S. government tries to assassinate him. ``If anything happens to me, forget about Venezuelan oil Mr. (George W.) Bush,'' said Chavez during his weekly radio and television show.
Somebody set the Zionist death ray to 'deep fat fry'!
Chavez and Cuban leader Fidel Castro accused the United States last week of planning to assassinate Chavez. ``If I am assassinated, there is only one person responsible: the president of the United States. You must take action if this happens,'' Chavez said to listeners of his show. Relations with the United States, Venezuela's main oil buyer, have deteriorated in the past months due to Washington's criticism of weapons purchases by Venezuela. Chavez has accused the U.S. government of being behind a 2002 coup attempt that it was slow to condemn.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/21/2005 12:46:58 AM ||
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Venezuelan oil doesn't have a lot of markets - mostly only US refineries can process that low-grade crap. If Chavez stops selling to Uncle Sam, he'd better make sure he's got a lot of cash in the piggy bank, or find a way to turn low-grade crude into food.
#2
OK lets make a deal... US would stop buying Venezuelan oil, but will reserve the right to toe up Chavez thusly at the nearest opportunity.
Fair and square.
#5
Hugo needs a clue. Can someone send him an email on the range and accuracy of Tomahawk missiles, and remind him that Puerto Rico is US territory? Not to mention that they're carried by most Destroyers, Cruisers, Aircraft Carriers and Submarines, plus can be fitted to B-52's, B-1's, and B-2's? Maybe he'll understand that if we wanted to do him in, he'd be pushing up daisies - all over Venezuela.
This really reminds me of something I've seen before - make some rash accusations, try to bribe the US. That was the OLD US, Hugo, we don't play those games any more. Condi has enough control over the State Department ALREADY to ensure we don't. Give it up - it's a loser's hand (ask Saddam and Kimmie if you don't believe us).
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/21/2005 16:35 Comments ||
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#6
Remember the deals China just made with Chavez. He doesn't need us quite as much as he did before.
#7
assuming Chinese tankers make it to Venezuela. It's a big ol mean Pacific Ocean out there. Ships in less than excellent shape disappear all the time. I'm just saying.....
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/21/2005 18:42 Comments ||
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Yeah, and they have to go through the Panama Canal. What? Hutchison Whampao, a wholly owned subsidiary of the PLAN controls that now. Hmmm. Maybe we'd better be careful about whose ships we sink.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/21/2005 18:47 Comments ||
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#9
Alaska heavy crude is closer Mrs. Davis. We export quite a bit of that Oil and China is a buyer of Oil. The Midway Sunset Oilfield which I am stilling on top of also produces heavy crude. It is also closer to China. We can undercut Chavez any time we want. China wants energy. It has no other use for Chavez.
The Kremlin signaled a fundamental foreign policy shift Sunday, acknowledging that two former Soviet republics, Ukraine and Georgia, are no longer part of the Russian orbit.
Days before a potentially tense summit meeting between Kremlin chief Vladimr Putin and President Bush (news - web sites), the Russian foreign minister said in an interview broadcast Sunday that Moscow views the two former republics "as absolutely sovereign, absolutely equal states in the new geopolitical architecture."
The policy change was sure to be welcomed by the Bush White House given that Russia had angrily accused the United States of involvement in recent political turmoil in both countries that produced new, Western-leaning governments.
In a clear step away from confrontation, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov now said that the Kremlin only required openness from the former republics and other countries as they formulate policy and develop relations.
"The main thing is that this process should be transparent, should strengthen existing good relations and should not be aimed against any other country," Lavrov said on state-run RTR television.
Since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, Moscow has struggled to maintain influence with the former republics — now independent countries — that ringed the one-time communist superpower.
In the intervening years, the Kremlin has relied on a tortured foreign policy concept under which the former republics were known as the "near abroad," which signaled that Russia did not view them as absolutely sovereign.
The policy began unraveling as the three Baltic nations — Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia — quickly aligned themselves with the West, but the other former republics largely were treated by Moscow as if the Kremlin still had a say.
There was a further crack in 2003 when the so-called "Rose Revolution" in Georgia propelled the reformist President Mikhail Saakashvili to power and brought down his predecessor, Eduard Shevardnadze, who was Soviet foreign minister before the collapse.
Tensions continued in the Caucasus mountain country, however, because of Moscow's perceived backing of ethnic separatist movements that threatened to split the already tiny country into smaller pieces. And a recent visit to Tblisi by Lavrov did little to smooth over differences, including the status of two Russian bases in Georgia and the two countries' shared border.
After the visit, Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zurabishvili said the two countries' relations were "at a very low point." Lavrov agreed: "The visit was not an easy one," he said.
Sunday's policy declaration could improve Georgian ties, and the remarks were certain to be welcomed in Ukraine, where Lavrov was to arrive for fence-mending meetings Monday. Moscow was closely aligned with and publicly favored the candidacy of Viktor Yanukovych in tumultuous elections last year that put reformist and Western-leaning Viktor Yuschenko in power.
In a statement released Friday, Alexander Yakovenko, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said Moscow saw "great significance" in Lavrov's visit to Kiev, which is intended to "continue the active political dialogue aimed at strengthening strategic partnership between us."
Among the issues to be discussed during Lavrov's meetings with his Ukrainian counterpart, Borys Tarasiuk, will be a free-trade zone between the two countries, final resolution of a dispute involving the Kerch Strait connecting the Azov and Black seas and the status of Russia's Black Sea naval fleet, which is based in the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol.
Yakovenko also said Russia and Ukraine "together make a significant contribution to reinforcing the energy security of Europe." Russia is Europe's largest single supplier of natural gas, most of which is transported via Ukrainian pipelines.
In a clear reference to the United States, Lavrov also said countries looking to involve themselves more deeply in policies of former Soviet countries should make their interests clear to the Kremlin.
"Russia wants to respect the interests of different countries — those neighboring us as well as those that would like to be more active in this region," he said. "But ... their interests here and their purposes should be understood and should not contradict the norms of relations between civilized countries."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/21/2005 1:02:00 AM ||
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Russia sez Ukraine, Georgia sovereign
To emphasize his point, director Vlad said we were to ignore the strings and visually perceive them as dancing and singing on thier own...
It is already clear now that the visit of the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Georgia, which started on Thursday evening, will not bring any considerable changes in the character of relations between the two countries. They can still be described as stagnant: it is hard to expect anything else, if the Georgian government continuingly provokes scandals with Russia.
Georgian officials introduced sudden changes to the program of the Russian minister's stay in Georgia only one day before the start of the visit. The program was added with a ceremony at the Memorial complex in honor of the warriors, who fell in battles for the country's territorial integrity. The Russian minister refused to visit the complex. The head of the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry stated that it was incorrect to amend the program only a day before the actual visit. Such official matters are normally coordinated several months in advance. In addition, the minister said that the Russian Federation should take account of its status as a country assisting in the regulation of conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Such an undertaking as visiting the memorial complex would not be capable of creating the necessary atmosphere for resuming conflict-regulating talks. In other words, the minister implied that Russia was not intended to quarrel with Abkhazia and Ossetia with a view to do something pleasant for Georgia. As experience shows, it would take Russia too long to enjoy a friendly gesture in return.
The reaction of the Georgian government was rather predictable. The hysterics in the Georgian administration was arranged shortly before the Russian foreign minister's visit to Georgia. The speaker of the Georgian parliament, Nino Burjanadze, stated that there was no other example in the world diplomatic practice, when officials refused to lay flowers and wreathes to warriors' graves. "This is not neighbor-like. This is an inadequate gesture on the part of Russia. This is a question of elementary politeness," Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zurabishvili said. The national Georgian television said that Russia's decision not to honor the memorial complex was "a spit in the face of the Georgian nation." As a result, the type of the visit was changed from the "official" to "work" visit.
South Ossetian politicians had a completely different attitude to Sergei Lavrov's refusal to visit the memorial complex in Georgia. "Sergei Lavrov, the Foreign Minister of Russia, of the country, which did everything possible to save South Ossetia from fascism, acted wisely when he turned down the blasphemous and provocative suggestion," the chairman of the committee for defense and security of the unrecognized republic, Yuri Dzidzoity said.
It is worth mentioning that the Russian foreign minister visited the grave of Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, who mysteriously died in Georgia in the beginning of February. Sergei Lavrov believes that the former prime minister of Georgia was a "man, who did a lot for the peaceful solution of conflicts in Georgia."
It is possible to conclude that Georgia is not interested in normalizing relations with Russia. The Georgian government wouldn't have provoked a conflict about nothing otherwise. Lavrov's attendance of the above-mentioned memorial complex would mean that Russia agrees with the policy of the first Georgian president Zviad Gamsakhurdia, who incited conflicts with autonomies and eventually broke up the nation. It is also worth mentioning that thousands of Abkhazians and Ossetians were killed in those wars too - Georgians were not the only victims. It is virtually impossible to separate the good and bad in a civil war.
Colombia's conservative government and its troops look confused and disappointed as an unexpected offensive by Marxist rebels put an end to a 2-1/2 years retreat killing at least 50 soldiers in the last two months. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, has taken the initiative in the 40-year war, upsetting government efforts to crackdown on them.
A quick glance at the CIA World Fact Book page for Columbia indicates that it has a coalition government between a Conservative Party, a Liberal Party, and numerous smaller independent groups.
The timing for hard-liner President Alvaro Uribe and his Washington allies could not be worse, as both have depicted their policy for Colombia as a great success. Accordingly, Uribe is asking the US Congress for another $700 million, which brings the total cost for Plan Colombia - a US military aid program - over the $4 billion mark.
However, as the US becomes more and more involved in the internal conflict of this South American nation, results are far from being good. The military record for the last two months speaks by itself.
An army column that had penetrated the mountains of northwest Colombia last month was hit hard, with 19 soldiers dead and five missing - the worst single military setback of the Uribe era. A week earlier, the FARC ambushed a remote naval infantry base in the south, killing 16 marines. Earlier that week, eight soldiers were killed in a FARC bombing.
Those actions came shortly after the Colombian government stated that the FARC's military threat has been contained. In fact, local authorities were in the offensive for almost three years, but judging for current events could not strike the FARC a decisive blow.
Apparently, rebels took this time to study new combat tactics to drive back regular forces, something that worries Colombian generals and the officially admitted 600 US officers stationed in the country. Analysts explained that guerrillas chop up army units in small pieces, encircle them and then eliminate them, while the army has had no answer to these tactics.
In the midst of the guerrilla offensive, 20 more Colombian soldiers were killed last Thursday when a US-supplied Blackhawk helicopter crashed during a night time anti-narcotics mission. The aircraft crashed in mountainous southwest Colombia deep in the heart of FARC country, but authorities denied it was shot down.
Colombian authorities have never acknowledged this kind of crashes as provoked by rebel fire. However, alternative explanations usually sound groundless to military experts.
I suppose that in the author's universe, helicopter flights in mountainous terrain are perfectly safe... I wonder what he thinks about Canada's problems with the Sea Kings. Is that caused by FARC ground fire too? But let's give them the benefit of the doubt...
No matter the good performance of its military side, the FARC keep on losing another decisive battle. While their actions cannot secure them a decisive victory bringing the whole scenario into a deadly stalemate, the FARC have dismissed any political initiative to get closer to a population that increasingly dislikes them. The powerful military apparatus looks comfortable in the midst of war and lacks of alternatives for peace.
It's occured to me that if Russia's casualties to the Chechens and associated terrorist groups were limited to twenty or so soldiers being killed a month instead of occasional large-scale attacks against civilians, they'd be much better off than they are now. Not that I wish ill of Russian soldiers, but usually people become soldiers and nations create armies in hopes of protecting their civilian population.
The Federal Service for the Execution of Punishments is ready to exhume the body of the Chechen warlord, Salman Raduyev. It was decided to carry out the infamous process in order to exclude all rumors about Raduev's violent death in a Russian prison. "The service is ready to exhume Raduyev's body for any kind of expertise," the director of the service said.
Let me guess... they need to check that he's not wandering around, muttering "brains..." Or maybe they forgot to put the stake in his heart, or check that the symbiote was dead too?
Salman Raduyev, who was known as "terrorist number 2," died on 15 December 2002 in the "White Swan" correctional colony in the Perm region of Russia. The colony is meant for extremely dangerous criminals sentenced to capital punishment - lifetime imprisonment (Russia has a death penalty moratorium in effect). Raduyev was convicted on 25 December 2001. The Supreme Court of Russia refused to revise the sentence of the terrorist in April of the current year.
Salman Raduyev was born on 13 February 1967 in Gudermes, Chechnya. According to his own words, he excelled in secondary school and then graduated from an economic department. Raduyev became a member of the Communist Party during his service in the army.
Raduyev commanded the so-called General Jokhar Dudayev's Army during the first Chechen war. He became known after the incursion in the town of Kizlyar in Dagestan in January of 1996. Raduyev was a very conceited person; Shamil Basayev's fame gave him no rest. Raduyev would claim responsibility for all terrorist acts, which were performed in Russia and threaten with new terrorist attacks. However, the guerrilla quickly won the reputation of a "talking head."
And you may ask yourself
What is that beautiful house?
And you may ask yourself
Where does that highway go?
And you may ask yourself
Am I right?...Am I wrong?
And you may tell yourself
MY GOD!...WHAT HAVE I DONE?
Raduyev's escapades deprived him of all his authority among terrorists. His ambition to leadership ended up in a series of attempted assassinations in April, July and October of 1997. Salman Raduyev vanished from the public eye for a certain period of time afterwards. As it was revealed later, he was operated on in Germany - the operations had a very negative influence on the unstable mind of the "general."
"Then I had that setback with the Cheez Whiz..."
When the counter-terrorist operation was launched in Chechnya in 1999, Raduyev and a group of his gunmen took part in battles with Russian federal forces. The terrorist's gang was virtually destroyed after several significant failures. It is noteworthy that he stopped talking about new terrorist attacks that he was going to organize in the Russian Federation.
I was starting to get the impression that he was just taking credit for the actions of others, in a "People's Front of Judaea" sort of way.
Agents of the Russian Federal Security Bureau arrested Salman Raduyev on 13 March 2000 and delivered him to a detention center in Moscow. The terrorist was sentenced to lifetime imprisonment 18 months later.
I do not believe reports of this incident were linked to from Rantburg before this. Maybe I should have been doing this earlier.
The huge dome of Moscow's water entertainment complex, Transvaal Park, collapsed a year ago, on February 14th, 2004. Twenty-eight people were killed as a result of the tragedy; over a hundred were injured. A lot of people became disabled individuals for the rest of their lives as a result of the visit to the Moscow aquapark a year ago.
The investigation of the tragedy continues for a year already. The Moscow Office of the Public Prosecutor has recently prolonged the investigation of the tragedy with the water complex till June 14th. However, the case still contains neither suspects nor defendants. The authorities have not announced the official reason of the tragedy either.
Transvaal Park was the first water entertainment complex built in Moscow. It enjoyed great popularity among Muscovites and people from other cities, especially in freezing winter weather. There was a very popular nightclub in the complex, in addition to the actual water park. The entertainment center was brining joy and pleasure to all of its visitors until February 14, 2004, when the roof of the huge complex tumbled down on its visitors' heads at 7:15 p.m.
A terrorist act version surfaced at once. The only evidence, which was exposed to the public eye, was a tape made by a surveillance camera inside the complex. The video footage showed the moment, when one of the bearing columns cracked, subsequently leading to the destruction of other concrete supports of the roof. It took mere seconds for the roof to collapse.
Shipman? Are you out there?
Some specialists, however, said that they had seen a cloud of smoke and concrete fragments gushing out of the support that collapsed first. Architect Nidar Kancheli, who designed the roof of the water complex, said that the burst looked like an explosion. According to the architect, it turned out during the investigation that all concrete supports were identically deformed as they hit the pool edge on the floor. Only one of the seven pillars was fractured in a different place. It was impossible to investigate the matter further, the architect said, because rescuers removed all the columns from the site of the tragedy and piled them up nearby, damaging their surface even more.
Investigators concentrate their attention on the following reasons of the tragedy: design mistakes, construction mistakes, improper operation regime and incorrect assembly. Needless to say that both architects and builders deny their guilt. Spokespeople for the companies that were involved in the construction of the water complex said that the glass-and-concrete dome of Transvaal Park and its concrete supports guaranteed ten years of reliable operation before the first need in repairs could occur.
Some experts believe that the tragedy in Moscow's water park could have been caused with a concourse of circumstances. There is a so-called "catastrophe theory" in the field of engineering. The theory says that if certain system parameters do not comply with a standard, it avoids a process of gradual worsening and results in an immediate catastrophe.
You can read about Catastrophe Theory here and here, and there's a collection of links here. There's also a couple of entries at Wolfram Research's web site. All of these descriptions are from a mathematical rather than an engineering point of view, however.
Russian authorities persistently reject the version of the terrorist act, paying all their attention to technical drawbacks. The terrorist version might not be good to Transvaal's real owners (the company Inteko is supposedly listed among them: the company is chaired by Elena Baturina - the wife of Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov). The building of the entertainment complex was insured against all accidents, but a terrorist attack.
The terrorist version is not good for the authorities either. It is clear from the past experience, when the government strongly rejected the terrorist act version after the double air crash in Russia in August of 2004.
Dmitry Denisov and Tamara Papitashvili, two of the survivors of the Transvaal tragedy, filed lawsuits at a Moscow district court last Friday. Dmitry and Tamara lost their loved ones in the disaster; Tamara lost her both legs in the tragedy too. The plaintiffs can not make the authorities do anything about their case because the investigation has not been finished yet.
The investigation has been prolonged. However, it is impossible to say that law-enforcement officers will find the truth about what happened in southwestern Moscow a year ago. The Transvaal survivors will not be able to forget their grief during five months - the state must do everything possible to help them.
We should be happy? Is there therapy that can do this?
President Putin stated that Russia would continue the nuclear cooperation with Iran, because the latter does not intend to produce nuclear weapons. The Russian president released the statement during a meeting with Hassan Rowhani, the head of Iran's national Security Council in the Kremlin.
"We are certain that the global proliferation of nuclear weapons does not assist in the strengthening of security either in the region or in the world on the whole. The latest steps on Iran's behalf persuade us that Iran has no intention of building an atomic weapon. Consequently, we will continue to cooperate with Iran in all fields, including in nuclear energy," the Russian president said.
The head of the Federal Agency for Nuclear Energy, Alexander Rumyantsev, confirmed that Russia and Iran would sign an agreement for the return of spent nuclear fuel to Russia. The document is to be signed at the end of February, during Rumyantsev's visit to Iran. "We are going to sign an additional protocol to the inter-governmental agreement for the return of spent nuclear fuel," Alexander Rumyantsev said. The head of the Federal Agency also said that nuclear fuel is normally delivered to a nuclear power plant about six months before the launch of the reactor. "As far as the Iranian nuclear power plant in Bushehr is concerned, nuclear fuel deliveries to the station will be conducted within the scope of this condition," Rumyantsev added.
The United States suspect Iran of an intention to use the nuclear plant in Bushehr (the station was built in cooperation with Russia) for the production of nuclear weapons. Tehran has repeatedly emphasized, though, that Iran's nuclear program was of solely peaceful character. It was particularly said that Iran needed the program for solving energetic problems in the country. However, the US administration is not happy about the Russian-Iranian cooperation. The issue is expected to be raised during the forthcoming meeting between Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush in Bratislava on February 24th. Hassan Rowhani said during the meeting with President Putin that Iran was going to temporarily close the uranium enrichment program not to cause more concern in the West: "Everybody knows that our activity in the nuclear field is of absolutely peaceful character," Rowhani said.
We've been down this road before with North Korea. After Iran builds its first bombs using uranium, how does Russia plan to enforce any agreements that Iran return its plutonium to Russia for processing?
Which Problems in Russia Should be Given First Priority Attention in Their Solution?
...The opinion poll was conducted among 1,500 residents in more than a hundred of Russian cities and settlements. The respondents were offered to answer the following question: "Which problems in Russia should be given first priority attention in their solution?" The list of nation's major problems contained 20 issues. The people pointed out "the development of the Russian economy" much more often than all other issues mentioned on the list - 45 percent. Twenty-nine and 28 percent of respondents said that the government should struggle against growing prices and inflation to improve the national well-being.
Unemployment and communal problems ranked fourth among other priorities - 21 percent of people named those problems. Fourteen percent of respondents said that the government should do something about corruption, 13 percent pointed out healthcare problems, whereas eleven percent believe that it is very important to decrease oligarchs' influence on the government and deal with the problem of delaying wages and pension payments. Ten percent of respondents mentioned the situation in Chechnya, others named "taking greater care for elderly people" and "developing the social help for population."
Only three percent of Russians, who took part in the above-mentioned opinion poll, said that the further strengthening of democracy was a very important issue in Russia. This opinion was listed on the next to last line of the list of problems, marked as "miscellaneous," Itar-Tass reports.
A cynic might suggest that the economic problems faced by Russia are the result of corruption, which is strongly rooted in a lack of the rule of law, which in turn is exacerbated by a lack of democracy...
The Russian Federal Security Bureau (FSB) penetrated into all spheres of the nation's political life, when Vladimir Putin took the office of the president. Now the FSB launched an advertising campaign, asking the population to inform special services of imminent crimes. "Your call will tie terrorists' hands" - one can see such ads in the streets of Moscow. Billboards contain FSB's online address too.
The FSB welcomes any kind of information, because "Russian citizens cooperating with foreign intelligence services can contact the Russian FSB with a view to become double-agents." The fee that such agents receive from foreign services will be completely preserved for them, the "contacts" section on the webpage of the Federal Security Service says. Would-be secret agents can be certain that they will cooperate with high professionals of the Russian Security Service. There will be no criminal responsibility introduced for them either, if they did not commit other crimes or presented a timely notification about it to adequate agencies.
The FSB received 30 thousand emails from Russian citizens in 2004. Russian people are interested in such an endeavor - the FSB website has been receiving an increasing number of visits lately. Those, who are interested in history, can have a brief insight in the history of the Russian security service - from Felix Dzerzhinsky to Nikolai Patrushev.
The KGB, which was partially liquidated after the break-up of the USSR in 1991, was subsequently represented with two separate services (the Federal Security Service and the Foreign Intelligence Service). It is definitely the most distinct vestige of the Soviet system, on which it was based. The Russian political police have been reproaching, preaching, deporting, condemning, punishing and executing since the moment, when the service was established in 1917.
Russian specialists say that about 58 percent of people in the current presidential milieu used to serve in the KGB. Twenty percent of Federation Council members and 18 percent of State Duma deputies used to be KGB officers too. Special agents' experience is welcome in the business field too. Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov has recently urged the FSB to start working in the field of the economic espionage to create equal competitive conditions for entrepreneurs.
Because, of course, the FSB doesn't have anything better to do. Which leads to...
Is the Man to be Prosecuted for Spreading the Panicky Spam? Is The RF FSB's Website in Fact Unprotected at All?
A correspondent of UralPolit.Ru reports that some 32-year-old man from the Russian city of Chelyabinsk posted information about more acts of terrorism being schemed in the USA right on the website of the Russian Federation Federal Security Service. That occurred at the end of 2004. The young man, whom Chelyabinsk doctors know as a mentally diseased patient, posted the "sensation" claiming he was number one terrorist Osama bin Laden.
"Well, he started as an alterboy staying after church..."
It is reported that Internet providers managed to identify the hooligan within four hours; they found out the message had come from Chelyabinsk. An investigation has revealed that the man is registered at a local hospital as a patient suffering from schizophrenia. Soon, the police will consider institution of criminal proceedings against the man as based upon the RF Criminal Code clause #207 (deliberate spreading of misinformation about terrorist acts).
As soon as the information appeared, many people believed that was mere sabotage in a non-moderated forum of the FSB website. That often happens that official websites of governmental institutions run forums where any guest readily says what he wants, and there is no moderator to edit the publications. However, as it turned out later, there is no forum or even guestbook on the FSB website. In other words, the official website allows no opportunity for visitors to publish their personal messages. So, it means that UralPolit.Ru reported about hacking of the FSB website.
It may be even so that "Osama" from Chelyabinsk just addressed a message to some of the official emails published on the website. This is not a publication indeed, but it may be interpreted as a message about an act of terrorism and falls under the above-mentioned law.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
02/21/2005 12:33:31 AM ||
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#1
US President George W. Bush is a very modest person: he wears a 50-dollar Timex Indiglo watch.
Heh, for some reason this just makes me like Bush all the more.
#2
Heh, spot-on AzCat. I prefer men (and women) who've gotten past compensation mode. Every watch is right twice a day, but I'll bet that little Timex works just as well as the watches of the challenged guys... Heh, he's known for his punctuality. They're known for, um, other things.
#3
I wanted to throw in a comment that they probably got their watches from some dude in an elevator.
In reality, I doubt any of them actually got their watches for list price... do you really think there's $ 500,000.00 worth of stuff in Silvio Berlusconi's wristwatch? What does it have, a dilithium crystal?
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
02/21/2005 1:56 Comments ||
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#4
Some people like me destroy watches. GWB may be one. Why pay more than 50 bucks for a watch that will last a year max do to how you treat it, your body chemistry and how much static charge you carry?
#6
..Once In A Lifetime coffee alert on the TH lyrics...*G*
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
02/21/2005 7:23 Comments ||
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#7
AzCat,have you seen Roosevelt Lake.It's magnificent.For Non-Arizonans,Roosevelt is the largest lake fully within Az,2 years ago it was down to .09% capacity.Now it is pushing 80%.We're talking close to 300 miles of shoreline.
China accused Japan and the United States on Sunday of meddling in its internal affairs, and criticized a new joint security statement in which the two countries declared a peaceful Taiwan Strait as among their "common strategic objectives." The mention of Taiwan in the statement issued Saturday by senior American and Japanese officials drew a firm response from China, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province and is acutely sensitive to what it regards as outside interference. By contrast, Taiwan's foreign minister cautiously welcomed the statement.
In Beijing, the official New China News Agency described the statement as "unprecedented" and quoted China's Foreign Ministry as saying that the country "resolutely opposes the United States and Japan in issuing any bilateral document concerning China's Taiwan, which meddles in the internal affairs of China, and hurts China's sovereignty." The joint statement was issued at a diplomatically fragile time in East Asia. Japan and the United States want China to persuade North Korea to return to talks over its nuclear weapons program. North Korea declared Saturday that it would not take part in any new rounds of talks, and over the weekend, China sent a delegation to the capital, Pyongyang.
The American-Japanese statement dealt foremost with North Korea but included a short, cautious mention of Taiwan. It noted that both countries called for "encouraging the peaceful resolution of issues concerning the Taiwan Strait" as part of a list of "common strategic objectives." But American and Taiwanese officials, and the New China News Agency, said that mentioning Taiwan by name was a shift for Japan, which has in the past been leery of publicly inserting itself into the Taiwan issue. Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at People's University in Beijing, said the change signaled a greater assertiveness by Japan and reflected the deteriorating relationship between China and Japan. He said the Japanese government and people appeared to regard China increasingly as a hostile force.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
02/21/2005 12:45:30 AM ||
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#2
Pumping money into o'Bill's presidental reelection campaign was a bit of meddling in internal affairs too there China. If you play that game, prepared to be burned.
EFL
The European Union is on the verge of lifting the arms embargo it imposed on the People's Republic of China following the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. If the E.U. carries out this threat -â€" and make no mistake, this would be a genuinely hostile act against the United States -- the transatlantic tiffs of recent years could come to seem minor, and Bush could be saying a final farewell to old allies rather than renewing strategic bonds.
Over the past 18 months, Europeans have been asserting that the embargo, as French President Jacques Chirac told Chinese leader Hu Jintao during the latter's visit to Paris early last year, ''no longer makes any sense.'' On a return visit to Beijing last October, Chirac went further, declaring that denying China advanced arms was ''motivated purely and simply by hostility.'' German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder chimed in recently, telling Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao -- as the two signed another set of business deals -- that he, too, favored lifting the embargo.
It's hard to know at this point whether the Europeans are acting like fools or knaves in this drama. Chirac makes no secret of his dream of an E.U. that acts as a ''counterweight'' to American hyperpower, and he's often able to convince Schroeder that what's good for France is also good for Germany. On its own, Europe can do very little to balance the United States, as the experience of Iraq suggests, but it can accelerate the pace at which China may emerge to play that role.
But in preparing to lift the embargo, the Europeans are failing to take into account the potential blowback from the United States. Their myopia is understandable, given that the White House has said little about the consequences of arms sales to Beijing -- Rice was certainly in no mood for confrontation during her recent trip. Not to mention that the Bush administration has made plenty of sunny pronouncements about the overall state of Sino-American relations; last November, then Secretary of State Colin Powell called them "the best in 30 years."
In the short term, ending the ban on trading arms to China is almost certain to undermine what transatlantic defense cooperation remains after the Cold War -- and there's still quite a bit of it. The United States would have no choice but to assume that technology transfers to Europe would be likely to end up in Chinese hands. This should especially concern the British government, which has invested more than $2 billion in the $200-billion-plus Joint Strike Fighter program.
The long-term geostrategic implications are even more profound. European weapons in the hands of the PLA would help tip the balance in the Taiwan Strait against Taipei and pour fuel on smoldering Sino-Japanese relations. It's ironic that a Europe that takes pride in having extracted itself from centuries of great power rivalries could now exacerbate precisely such tensions in the Pacific.
There is still time for sanity to prevail. President Bush has an opportunity this week to speak frankly about the costs and consequences of lifting the embargo. He should propose a U.S.-E.U. strategic dialogue to keep an eye on China's threat to regional security and its human rights and proliferation records. Europe, in turn, would postpone its decision on the embargo as leaders from both sides work together to grapple with China's rise. Opening such a dialogue will help preserve a translatlantic relationship based, as Rice put it, on the "values that unite us."
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/21/2005 5:35:15 PM ||
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#1
Whoa! This is from the Washington Post ... not the Times! I wonder what goaded them into printing this?
#3
The US has no right to to insist France and Germany not sell weapons to China. But they also have no right to sell BMWs, Airbus, cosmetics or anything else to the US. In addition, they should have no expectations that energy imports will be protected or otherwise not molested. They should have no expectations that US relations, forces and trade won't be shifted to states with a less than satisfactory history with France and Germany. Finally, France and Germany have no right to insist that the US not sell to Taiwan, or any other country threatened by Chinese expansionism, long range missiles that can reach out and touch Paris and Berlin.
Posted by: ed ||
02/21/2005 19:38 Comments ||
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#4
Medium-range missiles to Ivory Coast, ed?
Posted by: Tom ||
02/21/2005 19:44 Comments ||
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#5
Ed, ever hear of the WTO? The problem is to get them not to sell to China, not to get them to replace us in NATO with China.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/21/2005 19:49 Comments ||
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#6
OK, a few comments (some info from the Munich Security Conference where the issue was raised in private conversations):
The (sort of) official Schroeder position (given by defense minister Struck) is that lifting the embargo is a largely symbolic act as the "stringent" EU rules for arms exports would kick in and China wouldn't be likely to receive high tech stuff without a (secret) nod from the U.S. anyway. (Germany would never make arms deals with China that the U.S. clearly objects to). Schroeder believes that the embargo that makes it impossible to export a single pistol "offends" the Chinese sensibilities. He believes that Germany's (non arms) business with China will improve if this issue is resolved.
The German position may be only naive, the French position (given by defense minister Alliot-Marie) is not. She claims that China will be able to produce all those high tech weapons itself, so why not sell the stuff to them before and make some profit. (What she did not say of course that it suits France's idea of a multipolar world).
Interestingly enough the British who have the closest collaboration with the US in weapon technology seem no longer to oppose the lifting of the embargo (for reasons closer to the German positions), but will probably want very strict control and will not agree to selling anything that could worry the U.S.
One position shared by all three nations was that measures should be taken to avoid a closer military relationship between China and Russia. Mr Ivanov provided some interesting insights in that matter.
#7
So everybody has a good reason, once again, to ignore the security concerns of the U. S. Isn't anybody over there worried about the Americans doing something stupid, like getting fed up with the Europeans? The Democrats are going to be desparate to get in the White House in '08. The Republicans will have no obvious candidate. This will be the first election since 1968 that both Parties' nomination will be up for grabs. It is not outside the realm of possibility that one could run on an anti-European isolationist platform. The good guys need to win in '06 and put a stop to this nonsense.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/21/2005 20:15 Comments ||
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#8
typical French - he was gonna get it somewhere, why shouldn't I bend over and make some money at it...there's a word for that - whores
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/21/2005 20:15 Comments ||
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#9
OK, I just found out that Alliot-Marie gave an interview published by the Financial Times and Les Echos making her points:
"Alliot-Marie argued in the interview also published in French economic daily Les Echos that the country would soon be able to develop such technology itself, regardless.
"China is rapidly developing its industry, and today our experts say that in five years China could make exactly the same arms that we have today," France's first female defence minister told the British newspaper.
"And they will do it if they cannot import," she said.
"So maybe if we can sell them the arms, they will not make them. And in five years' time they will not have the technology to make them."
#11
OK, I can't resist either: One more f'ing French a$$hole that's never gonna visit the ranch.
Posted by: Tom ||
02/21/2005 20:53 Comments ||
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#12
j'accuse - I rest my case LOL
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/21/2005 20:58 Comments ||
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#13
Having seen Chinese manufacturing, I can say that it is much better to let the Chinese make their own military hardware, rather than letting them import top-quality foreign stuff.
It's a stereotype, but my experience is that Chinese manufacturers are great at making things that are already known, and terrible at innovating new goods. You give them some plans and a target date, and they'll whip things into shape and deliver on time and on budget. But throw them into a conference room together and demand a list of new ideas...I think most of them would chuckle to themselves if they considered the idea of making a new product all by themselves.
Bush Presses Europe to Back Middle East Democracy
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany needs room to kneel "common ground" with the United States and the two countries have resolved differences over Iraq, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was quoted as saying ahead of President Bush's visit.
"I'm firmly convinced that Europe, and above all we Germans, need common ground with the United States," Schroeder said in an interview with the Allgemeine Zeitung Mainz newspaper.
Bush is due to meet Schroeder, whose opposition to the 2003 invasion of Iraq strained Germany's traditionally close ties with the U.S, in the southwestern city of Mainz on Wednesday. "There were differences in the past because of the Iraq war," Schroeder told the newspaper in an advance copy of the interview due to be published on Tuesday. "However, these differences have been surmounted."
Since the war, Schroeder has worked to mend ties with Washington but recently pissed off ruffled U.S. feathers by saying the transatlantic NATO alliance was in need of a revamp.
Although he said Germany and the U.S. had a collective interest in seeing a stable and democratic Iraq, Schroeder reiterated his country would not send any troops there.
"We will not send any troops to Iraq. President Bush knows our position. He accepts and respects it," said Schroeder.
Schroeder added that his talks with Bush would encompass ways of strengthening the transatlantic partnership and cooperation on environmental protection and climate control.
Speaking in Brussels on the first day of his European tour on Monday, Bush urged Europe to move on from divisions on Iraq and work together to advance Middle East peace, as well as put pressure on Russia to renew its commitment to democracy. Wot a wuss.
A paper on Eurabia and its recent developments, campaigning for the "No" to the constitutionnal treaty. Written in english by an aged french gentleman, a retired businessman who seeks to promote entrepreneurship and libertarian values, a desesperate struggle in social-democrat Europe and statist France. Check his site (shameless plug), the articles on France are a very good factsheet, assuming you're interested, of course :) !
U.S. President George W. Bush warned Russia not to stray from the path to democracy and said Europe and the U.S. need to remind President Vladimir Putin of the importance of a strong opposition, a free press and power-sharing. ``The Russian government must renew a commitment to democracy and the rule of law,'' Bush said in a speech in Brussels today during the first trip to Europe of his second term. ``The United States and all European countries should place democratic reform at the heart of their dialogue with Russia.''
Putin, who meets with Bush on Feb. 24, has stepped up control of the Russian media and ended the direct election of regional governors, whom he will now appoint. The U.S. and Russia have also clashed over Russia's help for Iran in building a nuclear power plant and over Putin's opposition to pro-western Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko in last year's election. The largest shareholder in OAO Yukos Oil Co. last week urged the U.S. to block Russia's quest for World Trade Organization membership, saying the government pushed Yukos into bankruptcy with its demands for $28 billion in taxes. The tax bill raised concerns that Putin is seeking to tighten control of businesses. Bush said the U.S. supports Russia's bid to join the WTO. ``America supports WTO membership for Russia, because meeting WTO standards will strengthen the gains of freedom and prosperity in that country,'' he said. ``Russia's future lies within the family of Europe and the trans-Atlantic community.'' It was a mistake to let China into the WTO and two wrongs won't make a right.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/21/2005 12:33:05 PM ||
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HAMBURG - ...In recent days 24-year-old Sibel Kekilli, currently on a world tour to promote the award-winning film "Head-On", received the best actress award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival for her work in German director Fatih Akin's raw portrait of two Turkish-born residents of Hamburg.
But home in Germany, Kekilli spends much of her time under police protection following threats from members of her Turkish extended family who say she has brought shame upon them. Be on honor-killing alert.
The scandal has enthralled Germany's tabloid readers since the mass-circulation Bild newspaper plastered its pages with still photos of Kekilli in highly candid poses in flicks with titles like "Heavy Pecking Down on the Chicken Farm". Beats ogrish be-heading vids. And why shouldn't chicken farmers have a little fun?
Kekilli's devout Moslem father, living in Germany since 1977, was tracked down by reporters and news crews, who badgered him for details about his daughter's upbringing. Yeah, Muslimutts really assimilate well over 28 years.
"The disgrace is too great for the family," Kekilli's father said. "Sibel moved to Hamburg two years ago. I thought she was working at city hall - and now this! I can never forgive her for it. I don't want to ever see her again," he said. Act 2: The Musmuts blame Jews for the porn industry.
Posted by: IToldYouSo ||
02/21/2005 5:50:49 AM ||
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Posted by: Frank G ||
02/21/2005 22:30 Comments ||
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#27
Hay has a sexual conotation in rural european folklore. Motels are fairly recent phenomenon in Europe. Most of the casual ilicit encounters happened ... in hay (I preferred in the middle of tall grass with blanket underneath; you could be 300 m from a 6-storey appartment building and not worry that your white ass would be iterpretted as wantom flashing; cars were not as accessible like in NA, so traditional backseats were not common setting. You could go a few clicks from a city due to small distances and find an appropriate rural settings for frolicking--until you got your own apartment or studio, which was no small feat. I put several neat branches in my bedroom for an artsy styling, not anticipating how that would come handy! Darn, the good ol' fscking times!)
Also,
chickenfarm=>farm=>hay
|=>chicken=>chick.
The synthesis => chick in hay
The European constitution cleared its first major hurdle last night when Spanish voters overwhelmingly endorsed the historic document in the first of 10 referendums that will be held across Europe over the next 18 months. With all the votes counted, 77% of voters approved the constitution, which is meant to simplify the work of the EU. Only 17% of Spaniards voted no and 6% of ballot papers were recorded as blank, said the interior ministry. European leaders, who had hoped that voters in one of the most pro-EU countries would turn out in large numbers, will be disappointed that nearly 60% of the population failed to vote. Turnout was 42%, the lowest in any Spanish vote since the death of Franco in 1975, and below the 45.9% in last year's European parliamentary elections in Spain.
#2
Yesterday, I made a comment late to a posting about the Kum-By-Ya nature of the EU Constipation.
It should be repeated here, as Zappy got his minions to the polls and the rest of Spain was disgusted...
Convinced that, while remaining proud of their own national identities and history, the peoples ofEurope are determined to transcend their ancient divisions and, united ever more closely, to forge a common Convinced that, thus "united in its diversity", Europe offers them the best chance of pursuing, with due regard for the rights of each individual and in awareness of their responsibilities towards future generations and the Earth, the great venture which makes of it a special area of human hope,
There was a clause that was later deleted, particularly at the behest of the Poles, Brits, Italians and Czechs...
We proclaim; There she was just a-walkin’ down the street,
Singin’, do-wah diddy-diddy down diddy-do
Snappin’ her fingers and shufflin’ her feet,
Singin’, do-wah diddy-diddy down diddy-do
She looked good, looked good
She looked fine, looked fine
She looked good, she looked fine
And I nearly lost my mind
#7
"Turnout was 42%..."
"...77% of voters approved the constitution..."
Thus 23% did not approve it. 23% of the 42% turnout is 10% of the voters in Spain, or one in 10.
"One in 10 voters in Spain... said they understood the constitution."
Thus the percentage that said they understood the constitution is equal to the percentage that turned out and not approve of it.
Posted by: Tom ||
02/21/2005 12:53 Comments ||
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#8
2b> "Where's Aris"
[waves] Here I am, laughing and pointing at y'all. :-)
Mrs. Davis> I'd bet that's not even true of he-who-shall-not-be-named.
Hmm, no, I *was* waiting for it eagerly actually. 4 down, 21 to go. :P
Let's see what were the euro-hating chaps saying before now, whenever the Constitution was being ratified via parliament in countries of "New Europe"? That the eeeevil undemocratic EU wasn't letting the people approve via referenda (ofcourse in all those cases those countries had approved via referenda their membership in their Union just the past year when the shape of the Constitution was already clear enough for all to see and there was no further significant dispute about it).
Now the "Old Europe" is letting people vote on it, and the doublethinking duckspeakers ofcourse seek to focus on the turnout instead. The turnout is ofcourse always smaller whenever a contest is clear-cut, so that leaves the naysayers an automatic out. Just count all abstentions as if they were "no" instead and you'll always have a majority opposing the Constitution. Calvinball whenever you lose! :-)
--
Anyway, dedicating this to the occasion, from "Speaker for the Dead" by Orson Scott Card:
"The tribe is whatever we believe it is. We become one tribe because we say we are one tribe. Then we are one tribe, and our greatness is your greatness, and yours is ours. You say to us, we must see all other tribes the same way. As one tribe, our tribe all together, so that we grow by making them grow."
#10
"The tribe is whatever we believe it is. We become one tribe because we say we are one tribe. Then we are one tribe, and our greatness is your greatness, and yours is ours. You say to us, we must see all other tribes the same way. As one tribe, our tribe all together, so that we grow by making them grow."
OOOOOH OOOOOH NOW WE CAN ALL SING DO WAH DIDDY!!!!
"The referendum is not legally binding and will now need to be ratified in the Cortes, the Spanish parliament, but significant opposition is not expected."
This, folks, sums up nicely what is wrong about the EU
#14
The referendum is not binding because the 1978 Spanish constitution only allows consultative referenda.
"This sums up what is wrong about the EU"? TGA, I expected better from you than to blame the EU for the contents of the 1978 Spanish constitution.
Better to thank the EU that it becomes the cause for referenda (or atleast the cause to open discussion on referenda in countries where there doesn't exist such a tradition) continent-wide. Spain has has only had two referenda since 1978 -- one in 1986 about remaining in NATO, and this here now.
Consultative or no, 77% of the voters said yes. And Spain is a democracy -- no democratic parliament would dare go against such a clear-cut statement.
#15
Aris :no democratic parliament would dare go against such a clear-cut statement
Watch 'em - If not them, then somebody will balk. I Predict at least one country will have to go through the process a second time with either threats, or what we call in this country, PORK! (And I don't mean the kind you eat)
#16
Aris, the German Basic Law doesn't allow for national referenda at all.
Yet the German parties changed another paragraph of that constitution in a heartbeat to suit the new "European Warrant". The German Basic Law didn't allow German citizens to be extradited from Germany. The provision was changed and I doubt that most Germans are even aware of it.
No such changes are planned concerning the referendum. But actually my comment was more directed at the "but significant opposition is not expected".
This is what has happened with major decision concerning the EU: The Euro, the European Warrant and now the EU Constitution.
#17
A decent concern for the opinion and welfare of the people would translate into a requirement for a super-majority with a sufficiently high degree of participation.
E.g. at least 66.66% of yes (vs the nos and blanks) with at least 75% of registered voters participating. That would be a mandate for such a fundamental change as adopting a new Constitution.
Instead of this Giscard d'Estaing and his friends are bringing a con to the EU.
#18
TGA, I consider that to be a problem with the political elites of each country, not with the EU.
Perhaps the European Union should *force* nation-states to use referenda when approving treaties. I'd have no problem with that.
IIRC, there *did* use to be a suggested version of one of the articles in the Constitution that said IIRC that new versions of it would be ratified via EU-wide referenda, and you'd need to have a majority of voters and qualified majority of member-states, for such amendments to the EU Constitution to pass.
But ofcourse that'd be a radical departure from the "all member-states must ratify amendments" which currently governs the process-- it was perceived as an even more dangerous loss of national sovereignty by eurosceptics and a true move towards this being a real Constitution instead of a treaty. So that article was dropped and further changes keep on needing the member-states ratify "according to their constitutional requirements".
Hold on a sec, and I'll try to find the version I am talking about.
#19
E.g. at least 66.66% of yes (vs the nos and blanks) with at least 75% of registered voters participating.
Hah. How very deceitful. In this case it would not be 33.33% of nos and blanks, but a mere 25% that would simply need to avoid voting, and would also be augmented by all the people that didn't bother voting.
Tell me, in such a scenario, what motivation would you (as a "No" voter) have to go and vote? You'd do a much better job for your cause by abstaining.
The turnout quota which has been established in atleast one country which has tinkered with such things (either Czech Republic or Hungary, I forget) is this: For the vote to be valid you need a 50% majority of the votes cast, plus that result to also represent a 25% of the eligible voters.
In which case, Spain's vote still qualifies: 77*41.5 = roughly 32.5%, which is over the 25% barrier.
#23
Not deceit, just decent concern with the opinion and representation of the people.
If more than 25% can't be bothered to participate in the vote then it's not a worthy change. If more than 33% of the participants won't say yes then there is a lack of legitimacy.
But we already know the EU is not about representation.
#25
What we see is 8 Spaniards having a proposal put in front of them, 3 of them accept to vote and 5 aren't interested, and of the 3 voters only 2 are in favour.
#28
Just talking about the adoption of a new Constitution
Then tell me what's the turnout quota for ratifying Constitutional amendments via referendum in America or Britain or any other place in the world. Many American states changed their constitutions recently believe in anti-gay marriage amendments, so why don't we check the turnouts and quotas there, shall we?
If more than 25% can't be bothered to participate in the vote then it's not a worthy change
When you place any such quota (or atleast any quota that's over 50%), what you're doing is strongly encouraging "no" supporters not to vote at all, so as to invalidate the referendum.
That has always been the case wherever such a quota has existed -- the minority side always urges voters not to vote, knowing that's the only way it has to invalidate the result.
Let's illustrate with a concrete example
Let's not. Nations aren't "groups of friends", and even if your example were to apply, that'd mean that the non-voters had given a blank-check to the other people to do as they will.
#29
Aris, here is an example -- the US Constitution requires 2/3 to propose (both Houses) and 3/4 to accept (the States). The principle is that the law of the land should require an extraordinary majority to be adopted and/or changed -- because it is a binding compact for all the people. Anything less than that is an insult to the decency of the people.
U.S. Constitution: Article V
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress...
#30
You insist that people who don't participate in a vote should simply be ignored. Have you heard of the concept of a quorum?
Quorum requirements are standard in formal organizations, and are standard throughout the US political system. To conduct business in Congress, a majority of U.S. Senators must be in attendance; the same is true for U.S. Representatives. In the Oregon Senate 20 of 30 senators must be present; in the Oregon House it's 40 of 60 representatives. Three of five Portland City Commissioners are required to conduct business: that's a 60 percent turnout. Further, to pass certain tax measures in Oregon, 50 percent plus one of those casting ballots must vote in favor of it -- HOWEVER Article XI, section 11(8) of the Oregon Constitution states a second condition that must be met: "at least 50 percent of registered voters eligible to vote" must cast a ballot.
#31
American states changed their constitutions recently believe in anti-gay marriage amendments, so why don't we check the turnouts and quotas there, shall we?
#34
And now you are comparing the attendance of a few hundred elected legislators with the turnout quotas in a population of dozens of millions citizens. Yes, our national legislations have similar quotas when amending the national constitutions. But that's not what we were talking about. Did America have referenda at all when passing its amendments or did it not? What were the turnouts in the *referenda*?
You're being intentionally deceitful.
And "Three fourth of states" is not a turnout quota --the equivalent in the EU is after all "ALL the member states".
The only actual turnout quota you mentioned is when you mentioned the 50% quota that exists in Oregon to pass "certain tax measures". But from what I read of the Constitution in general, it seems to me that amendments in the entirety of the Oregon Constitution need pass no such turnout.
Now, here in California, you need 2/3 by vote of the people to approve tax increases. Don't know about the Oregon laws. Never lived there.
And deceitful? He he he... Aris, You made a big thing about the turnout on the Gay Marriage Amendments in the 2004 election, appearing to be requesting the actual numbers. I provided such numbers.
Yes, but they had no turnout *quotas* that they ought to pass, right? Because if they *did* have a 50% turnout quote, then the opposing side could have boycotted the election, and thus invadidate them.
Check the calculations:
75*53=39.75%
75*56=42.56%
75*58=43.50%
Etc, etc, etc. Geez, seems none of these would have passed a 50% quota if the other side had chosen to boycott.
I think the 60% avg turnout in the US Prez Election beats the heck out of the 42% in the Spanish referendum....
Ofcourse. Most US Prez elections are much more hard-fought than this Spanish referendum was when the result was as clear as that. In hard-fought elections and referenda the turnout is always greater.
When Malta had a hard-fought referendum on EU membership, the turnout was 90.86% and the even-harder fought presidential battle was 96.95% turnout.
#38
The Spanish referendum will be remembered for three things:
1) "You don't need to read it to know that it's good".
2) Low turnout, with less than one third of the electorate actually voting in the Constitution's favour.
3) Nine out of ten Spaniards saying they didn't know anything about the contents of the Constitution.
And possibly "Spain has experienced a net cash inflow from the EU of £60bn", and
"The referendum is not legally binding and will now need to be ratified in the Cortes".
#39
My turnout #s are not registered voters, they are eligible voters. Some of which are not registered, if you include registered voters, your turnout will average higher, because most states require registration before the vote, and not all eligible voters register. Turnout percentage of registered voters runs about 70-85%, depending on registration rules, and state. A few states allow same-day registration with a driver's license or passport... North Dakota and Wisconsin being two that I know of. California's deadline is two weeks before the election.
For example California :
Eligible voters : 22,075,000
Registered Voters : 16,557,000
Votes Cast : 12,590,000 - 76% Registered, 57% Eligible
Valid Votes President : 12,421,000
#40
Afterthought - As you can see, About 170,000 people left it blank for president or spoiled it. They didn't want Bush, Kerry, Nader, or the half-dozen mini-minis. So I guess they should be counted as abstensions. How that would figure in your referendum scenario, I am not sure...
#41
Aris, it's so irritating to try to discuss something with you. You always focus on details and refuse to consider principles. Sometimes it seems you do it on purpose. Naughty boy. I suggest you read John Locke's 2nd treatise of government. Maybe you'll get a notion of what the source of a compact is, and why a super-majority ought to be required for the adoption or amendment of a constitution.
#42
My turnout #s are not registered voters, they are eligible voters.
Ah, well in Europe, these two tend to be the same thing. Turnout of eligible voters should be our concern.
You always focus on details and refuse to consider principles.
And you always focus on fantasies, and refuse to consider facts.
Here's the fact of the matter -- if you force a quota like 50% participation then all you end up doing is encouraging voters to boycott the elections. But you don't care about that -- that's just a detail for you.
And there's no country in the whole wide world that demands such a ludicrous turnout quota for referenda as 75%. But you don't care about that either. Another annoying detail for you.
I told you the solution, the solution that both encourages participation and does take into account how many people avoided. Insist that the winning percentage will include atleast 25% of eligible voters. Same as Hungary or the Czech Republic does. You ignored it.
If we just had 10% more people *objecting* to the Constitution, then Spain would have passed the 50% margin. Bad "no"-voters, that you don't exist in sufficient amounts.
Bulldog says that less one third of the electorate voted in the Constitution's favour. Ofcourse less that 7% of the electorate voted to oppose it.
It also means that 5 people or so supported the Constitution for everyone that opposed it.
And you are accusing *me* of focusing on details. Here's the non-detail of the matter - More than five people supported the Constitution for every one that opposed it. When Republicans were calling a 3% margin in the popular vote as a "landslide" and a "triumph", Spain's pro-Constitution vote occured with a 60% margin of victory.
A 60% margin of victory in a free and fair referendum. And still the anti-democratic crowd of Bulldog/Kalle/and so forth, don't seem to accept the legitimacy of the victory. Not enough turnout according to them.
#44
Aris, it's not the lack of turnout that is un-democratic.
It's the wilful lack of information and voter motivation on the side of governments that is. Because it's done out of fear that the informed citizen is more likely to vote against it.
Whenever in the last year there was a real heated campaign on important European issues, voters either approved in much smaller margins or even refused the deal. The Danish and Swedish Euro decisions come to mind.
#45
What you're saying is that referendum results reflect the stance that society as a whole takes on an issue. When an issue is divisive, you'll get a hard-fought result which is split roughly in half. When there's lots of agreement on an issue instead, you'll get clear-cut results.
How is that bad?
The Spanish government gave out millions of free copies of the European Constitution I believe. Is that supposed to be bad or meant to intentionally hide information about it? Unless the opposing side has been suppressed from stating its argument, where's the undemocratic nature of this whole affair?
#46
It also means that 5 people or so supported the Constitution for everyone that opposed it.
This would be infinitely more impressive (and meaningful) if it weren't also true the 9 people had no idea what was in the Constitution for every one that had a clue.
LISBON - Portugal's opposition Socialists won their first outright majority in parliament since the country returned to democracy in 1974 in a snap weekend election as voters swung left for a new government and looked for answers to rising unemployment.
The party, led since September by pro-market former environment minister Jose Socrates, won 120 seats in the 230-seat assembly, interior ministry figures showed. Prime Minister Pedro Santana Lopes' centre-right Social Democrats, in power since 2002, won 72 seats, their lowest showing in over two decades. The Socialists won 45 percent of the vote in an election marked by higher-than-usual voter turnout compared to 29 percent for the incumbent Social Democrats (PSD).
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/21/2005 12:20:24 AM ||
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"...led since September by pro-market former environment minister Jose Socrates..."
If he's a socialist, how "pro-market" can he be? Or does he simply give lip-service to a free economy, all the while destroying it (like our Democrats)?
#2
Sounds like your common-or-garden 'Third Way'er, same as Clinton, Blair, Schroeder, Zapatero, etc.
"Hillary Clinton once reportedly portrayed the Third Way as 'a unified field theory of life' that will 'marry conservatism and liberalism, capitalism and statism, and tie together practically everything: the way we are, the way we were, the faults of man and the word of God, the end of communism and the beginning of the new millennium.'"
Mussolini liked to use the phrase to describe fascism as something between communism and capitalism. P J O'Rourke describes it as "a sort of clarion call to whatever".
#4
Portuguese socialists defeat Portuguese social-democrats. Hmm. Only in Europe can Social-Democrats be called "center-right". Fact is that Socialists are Communists who want to enable the dictatorship of the proletariat, but let's not start the revolution today. Tomorrow, maybe, or after it stops raining. Social-democrats are Socialists who want to enable the dictatorship of the proletariat, but let's get there by vote instead of a revolution. In the end, they all believe in Marxism.
Consider the fall of Spain and Portugal to dedicated socialists, and the likely coming return of France to socialist rule (their only real alternative to Chirac) -- how long until the EU is officially renamed Union of the Socialist European Republics?
#5
The third-way, or middle-way is what Thatcher so aptly described as the dangerous location that will get you run over by traffic going in both directions.
It's also a Marxist construct (revolutionary forces arise out of the merger of contradictions). This is part of why leftists are so prone to holding contradictions -- they have no problem with that. They want to have their cake, and eat it, too. They think it's better thinking -- things are not what they are, therefore they're free to make up whatever they feel like, and the world will magically obey (if enough people believe in it).
#6
No because of the revolution in 1974 everyone needed to have a leftist name. PSD is a soft Republican party maybe a RINO:) they sent 150 policemen for Iraq in agreement with Socialist President they would came back after elections. PS is like a the German SPD or every other social democrats in Europe. They are against privatisation of health services for example but will not vouch for nationalisations for example.
We have Communists of course, worst Trotskystes grow from 3% to 6,5% due to help from journalists and the failing scholar system.
Personal infighting inside PSD and the extreme innability of hadoc prime minister (he earn the place after Durão Barroso went for European Commission)
So we are heading for a thirld world country with 60% of left votes. President helped when he demissed the government something that never happened before when there was a majority in national assembly. Expect news from Portugal in 1-2 years, they wouldnt be pretty.
Posted by: z man ||
02/21/2005 15:07 Comments ||
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#7
Z, cross-border comparisons are interesting. European social-democrats are similar to openly leftist "Democrats" in the USA. European social-democrats do not believe in individual rights -- they use the word "rights" as a club to confiscate property (for the sake of the needy and the homeless) and undermine the right to self-defense (ask them about gun ownership).
And Swedish social-democrats (+ their trade unions) are more marxist than the communist party in Switzerland.
A senior foreign bureaucrat has been arrested for drunkenness and suspicion of sexual assault on a flight to London. The man was questioned by police after allegedly attempting to grope a female passenger and exposing himself to cabin crew. Other passengers claimed he had consumed "vast quantities" of duty-free alcohol. One female passenger had to be moved from her seat and upgraded to business class after she claimed the man attempted to fondle her. Passengers on the Virgin Atlantic flight, including a party of schoolchildren, watched as cabin crew were forced to grapple with the 55-year-old and escort him to the lavatory, where he is then alleged to have exposed himself.
"Thish ish my doinker, girliesh! [Hic!]"
Problems on Virgin flight VS22 began barely an hour into the 6 hour and 40 minute journey from Washington to London after the man began drinking alcohol he had carried on to the aircraft. Part of the flight's passengers included a group of students from Oundle School, returning from a field trip. "He started digging into his duty-free and power drinking as soon as we took off," said fellow passenger Douglas Robb, 34, a politics master at the £20,000 a-year school. "As time wore on, he became very chatty with a woman seated next to him. Soon he became very tactile, groping her hand. He told her who he was and began flashing his business card and saying that she should come and visit him in his country. She wasn't exactly welcoming the attention. Then he groped her chest. She shrieked and cabin crew intervened."
"Sir! Let go of the booby! Drop it now!"
Cabin crew admonished the man for his behaviour, with one allegedly telling him that he was a "naughty man and Allah would be cross".
Doesn't say that he's a Moose limb, but we can prob'ly guess he is...
A police spokesman said: "We can confirm a 55-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of being drunk on an aircraft and sexual assault."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2005 12:18:16 AM ||
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a naughty man and Allah would be cross". LOL! Was he in kindergarten? Oh no wait... Douglas Robb, 34
Man, If I was on that flight and he was sporting entire bolts of fabric, with a tablecloth on his head, I'd be freaking out wondering if it was some sort of diversionary tactic while his buddy's unsheath their razor blades...cause I hate to fly anyway and besides weather, the engines falling off or a bolt coming loose somewhere, the Mad Muslim syndrome is just one more thing I've got to worry about.
#8
Chuck,
That's a British Aerospace 146. It was designed for service into austere airports that had previously only been accessible to turboprops.
Aspen Airways used them at one time, but I don't know if they still do, and they are fairly common in Alaska.
Back in the mid-80s, when the 146 was brand-new, I went to the Lubbock airport to pick up a friend who was flying in from Denver. The jetways wouldn't match the 146's doors of course so they rolled out a ramp-stair to debark the passengers. As we were watching from the terminal, a college-age sputter-mouth next to us commented authoritatively to his friends, "That's gotta' be an OLD plane, you just don't see that anymore. It must really be really old." In fact, it was far and away the newest plane in sight, and the newest type. Probably one of the same shitheads who asserted that the Chinese couldn't put a man in space because "they don't have the technology."
I forgot that's the Lubbock INTERNATIONAL Airport, given this designation because it has a port of entry for flights from Mexico.
The terminal is built in the run-down Morroccan fortress style of many public buildings in this area and looks like a munitions bunker from a distance. Actually, it looks like a munitions bunker close up, too. It is severely under-utilized because it was planned in the 70s on the basis of wildly optimistic growth forecasts from the booster club of that era.
It seems to be under construction all the time in spite of the vast empty spaces and the surplus gates. I suspect this is because local boosters noticed that all big airports, like LAX and DFW, seem to have some kind of irritating renovation going on all the time. Inconveniencing the public with construction work is therefore part of the "big airport" image they seek to promote.
#13
.com gald to see you perused the photos I pointed you to. Rantburg could get interesting in the comming days...
PS. You reminded me. I need to check out today's photo.
Declaring himself "the most dangerous man in America," former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura hinted Sunday at a possible campaign for president in 2008. Ventura, the featured opening night speaker at Dickinson College's 42nd Annual Public Affairs Symposium (PAS), officially spoke on "Fitness, Physique & Psyche." However, it was quickly clear that the political arena remains his passion. Ventura, 53, charmed the audience with anecdotes of his political past while taking risky positions on some of the most delicate issues of the day â€" such as same-sex marriage and First Amendment rights. "Can anybody tell me something that government don't regulate?" he asked.
"Your sleep," a man yelled out.
"Sure they do," Ventura responded without pause. "They got them tags on the mattresses, don't they?.. There's nothing government don't regulate. And I don't think that's right."
For the record, the ex-pro wrestler assessed his chances of running for president as "unlikely." But he sure sounded like a candidate. "I can beat these guys —and they need to be beaten," Ventura said. "We have a two-party system in America and it sucks." If he were to run for president, Ventura hardly has to worry about being criticized for waffling on tough issues. He calls himself a fiscal conservative and a social liberal "just like most of you."
The First Amendment? Ventura claims America's government is siding with "morality over freedom." The war in Iraq? The former Navy SEAL and Vietnam veteran is opposed. Gay marriage? Ventura has a plan to solve that one too: have all marriages —gay and straight —officially recognized as civil unions by governments. He told a story of a gay former wrestler who was barred from his long-time companion's hospital room because he was not a spouse or next-of-kin. "Government has no right to tell you who to fall in love with," he said to loud applause. "Let the churches acknowledge marriage. Then the churches could decide not to acknowledge gay marriage — and they have every right to do that."
Now Ventura teaches at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government as a visiting fellow in the Institute of Politics, where his group study focuses on third-party politics. Urging Dickinson students to "become the third party movement," he reminded the audience that three political parties thrived during Abe Lincoln's day. To prepare for life as a college professor, Ventura grew a wild mane of long hair and a full beard that he had braided to resemble Captain Sparrow, a character in the 2003 cinema hit, "Pirates of the Caribbean." Pointing to his appearance, Ventura bragged: "There isn't a Republican or a Democrat in this United States who would have the (gumption) to do this." The picture at the link convinces me he's got a shot.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/21/2005 5:20:59 PM ||
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Personally, I think he should SAVE his money, time and effort. He probably figures if Hillary can run, JOhn Kerry ....why not ME?
Andrea
Posted by: Andrea ||
02/21/2005 17:59 Comments ||
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#2
Can't he be nominated for Assisant Secretary of State for the middle east? Now that Richard Armitage is gone, there is a severe shortage of large bald mean-looking fat guys at State.
Posted by: ed ||
02/21/2005 18:05 Comments ||
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Oh yeah, go for it, Jesse! A smorgasbord of solutions. A Candidate for every Faction. The Party of Diversity lives up to it name. Very Noble.
#4
Jesse doesn't seem as noble as he first did - his antics when Arnold ran made him out to be a low-rent John McCain, stabbing his friends for media time
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/21/2005 18:11 Comments ||
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#5
God help us. How many floats in the inagural parade would be decorated with feather boas...
#8
Actually I wonder if Jessie would be Hillary's worst nightmare. He could potentially siphon off more Dems than Reps. Look for Hill to buy him off. He's just making noise to see who reacts.
Posted by: john ||
02/21/2005 19:57 Comments ||
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#9
Go for it, Jesse. Al Sharpton's no fun anymore.
Posted by: Tom ||
02/21/2005 20:05 Comments ||
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Yesterday, Little Green Footballs broke the story of Congressman Maurice Hinchey's (D-Havana) statement to a Cornell University audience that the CBS TANG memoes were most likely planted by Karl Rove.
One of LGF's operatives recorded the statement and challenged Hinchey on it, only to be told essentially that facts were not as important in determining the truth as Hinchey's own beliefs.
The initial LGF story included a full transcript of Hinchey's conspiracist remarks. Since then, LGF has run 3 more strings on the story, #2#3#4 and a number of other other blogs have picked it up.
Several legacy media outlets, mostly local idiotarian rags in the Ithaca area, have reported on Hinchey's speech but not one mentioned his lengthy descent into tin-foil hattery or the exchange with the audience member/LGF operative. National legacy media have not mentioned Hinchey at all in recent days.
BTW, Google News Index excludes LGF on the grounds that it is a news "aggregator" rather than an originator of content. Yet, LGF routinely publishes original and significant news stories from various operatives and has broken several important stories. Besides the CBS-Word matchup and Hinchey-foil, they were also first with the interception of Air France flight 68 on the last day of 2003, reporting the story before the plane landed (thanks to some amateur elint work by an operative).
#1
Another congressional conspiracy theorist, former Rep Cynthia McKinney, is an honorary professor at Cornell, along with the arch-druid of the Hate-America cult, Australian goebbelist *spit* John Pilger *spit*.
I believe this is an important story, as much for the calculated stonewalling of the legacy media as for the sheer lunacy of Hinchey's remarks to a friendly audience in LLL territory.
Hat Tip Al Rantel -
Last week Mr Rantel had the organizer of this website on his show and played him like a fiddle getting a lot of info out of him. The webmaster is a Lefty Dem from S.F. (They hate to be called S.F.)
He runs the site to aid Dems in thier purchases, but careful screening can make the site useful in the other way.
As to my link: Google is a 100% BLUE (EXTREME DEM) Organization. They don't want to give Charles Johnson, LGF any due they don't have to. Remember, LGF started the sinking of Danny Boy and the CBS gang!...
Don't tell me they can't manipulate the database to their own ends... We all know different...
#5
Frisco! I am going to Frisco! Faggy Froco Frisco!
The bay area needs to be excised from California just like LA.
As a news aggragator it's self Google is useless.
I expect all Bay area based companys and internet sites to have obvious left or left fringe bias. If anyone doesn't you should not be surprised. It is after all where many of our least liked Democrats come from in this state and even in the nation.
A former adviser to George W. Bush said yesterday that he secretly taped Bush over a two-year period when the latter was running for president for "historic" purposes, and that he had planned eventually to give the recordings to Bush for his archives. Doug Wead, 58, an author and onetime religious adviser to Bush, said in a telephone interview that after excerpts from the tapes appeared yesterday in the New York Times, he was approached by a Bush intermediary suggesting that he turn over the recordings sooner rather than later.
But Wead -- who used the conversations for his new book, "The Raising of a President" -- said that no one from the White House has expressed anger at him for revealing portions of the tape. Asked whether Bush would view the actions as an act of treachery from a trusted friend, Wead said, "It depends on what else is on the tapes. . . . Ninety percent of the tapes have not been heard. He can see that my motive was not to try to hurt him. "If I released all the tapes, it would be an act of betrayal," Wead said. "Most of them have never seen the light of day and never will."
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2005 11:35:10 AM ||
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The problem is that they were recorded without W's knowledge, AND released.
What he says on them is essentially the "W" we know today.
He seems a decent honorable fellow who smoked a little pot in his 20's, and got over the immaturity. And the issue is?
#3
Might be nice for historians, but the fact that it was recorded without Dubya's knowledge makes me suspicious - and did he ask Dubya's permission before releasing them?
Something like this could be a gold mine for scholars, but more likely will become a target for the leftists who want to dig stuff up and bash GWB. Best left in the vault for another fifty years or so, I'd say.
Posted by: The Doctor ||
02/21/2005 12:28 Comments ||
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The guy is a) pushing his new book and b) pissed that he got dissed when he pushed an anti-gay agenda too far w/ GWB.
Petty.
Posted by: too true ||
02/21/2005 12:51 Comments ||
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The content of the tapes = No story. W is the same man behind closed doors as he is on TV.
The problem: Assholes like Wead who deliberately release tapes to reporters, THEN try to backpedal and claim that he never meant them to get out.
The second problem: Wead has yet to apologize to his supposed "friend".
The third problem: Wead just "happened" to release 7 year old "secret" tapes of W., and Wead just "happens" to have a new book coming out...
The conclusion: Wead is a fucking asshole trying to sell more books, and he owes George W. Bush a GIGANTIC apology.
Posted by: Chris W. ||
02/21/2005 13:10 Comments ||
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#6
The excerpts obtained by the Times and ABC show the aspiring president privately as he likes to portray himself publicly: very religious, very conservative -- and tolerant
maybe because he is??? NYT assholes
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/21/2005 13:35 Comments ||
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#7
There should be some state attorney general where one or more of these tapes was made who is willing and able to prosecute. Or at least plea bargain.
Posted by: Tom ||
02/21/2005 17:55 Comments ||
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#8
Nah... this falls into the "no publicity is bad publicity" zone. The most Bush should do is issue a "saddened by the actions" statement, and leave it at that -- the implication being that this guy wasn't really close enough to merit anger at a betrayal. Suing or bringing in a State AG gives this person too much importance.
Why triple-talented Dean spells trouble for Republicans
NOW that Howard Dean has ascended to the chairmanship of the Democrat National Committee, Republicans are high-fiving one another with such mad glee that you'd think Democrats had just nominated Dennis Kucinich to run in 2008. The GOP needs to sit back down, recork the champagne and get back to work. Whether they know it or not, Republicans need to understand that Dean spells trouble for the Republican Party. Big trouble... ...and they won't like him when he's angry. He turns big and green and YAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!
Posted by: Anonymoose ||
02/21/2005 10:22:12 AM ||
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#1
Check's in the mail, Reed.
Thanks a lot.
Posted by: Karl Rove ||
02/21/2005 10:27 Comments ||
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Lol! None of the points has to do with character, integrity, vision, values, problem-solving, or leading the country. Just political operative / talking head crappola for election season. He's become quite the celebrity, all right. I even think he ranks up there with people like Tara Reid and Paris Hilton.
The Dems didn't have a problem with raising money, even JFrickin' Kerry raised plenty of money. The problem was how they spent it.
Second, and more important, Dean knows not only how to raise money but what to do with it once he gets it.
Dean pissed away virtually every centavo he raised on stupid ads in non-competitive states, on paying campaign workers who were ineffective knuckleheads, and on a campaign manager who got a cut of every TV ad placement. Great idea, make this guy head of the DNC.
Third, he is charismatic. ... Dean's appeal doesn't lie primarily in the fact that he's a great speaker (although he is) but in the fact that he's a great listener.
Dean has the combined ego of a politican and a doctor (and I know the latter very well). There were PLENTY of people who tried to tell him his campaign was in serious trouble, and he listened to none of them.
Reed Davis is a big reason why the Repubs aren't competitive in Seattle and Washington. Next time we want political advice, Reed, we'll ask someone who actually has won an election.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/21/2005 14:35 Comments ||
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Don't worry, we'll put up a really big bat!
Posted by: Little Joe T ||
02/21/2005 15:57 Comments ||
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Anybody with two brain cells functioning at the same time can tell the Democrats that Howlin-Howie is a problem for the Dummycritters, not the Repuglycons. The most important problem the Dummys have is their lack of coherent thought processes - I.E., honest, workable, intelligent ideas to present to the electorate. They're somehow stuck on a '60's (8-track)tape, set on "repeat". It worked for awhile, then got a bit scratchy and tinny. Until they can a) find a real message, and b) present it coherently, they're in a left-hand spiral with the elevators up and locked.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/21/2005 17:37 Comments ||
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I thought some Rantburgers might be interested in my thoughts after blogging at CPAC. A second article will be up later today or tomorrow about the media at CPAC and my adventures on radio and TV there.
Note: Fred et al - I understand if you decide you don't want to post this. Just thought that Rantburgers might find it interesting and the entry is way too long to post here.
Posted by: Robin Burk ||
02/21/2005 9:10:37 AM ||
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Duh. That should be "Political" in the header. But y'all knew that .... LOL
Posted by: Robin Burk ||
02/21/2005 10:08 Comments ||
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I fixed it.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2005 11:34 Comments ||
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Hi Robin! Very interesting post, with food for thought.
#2
Sounds more like the death knell of McCain's White House aspirations to me. The media will continue to fawn but methinks that comment alone sealed his political fate once and for all (if there was any doubt left).
#3
Lol, AzCat! Well, no one ever suggested he wouldn't go out a vicious, arrogant, self-centered, bitter old fool. I guess this seals the silly notion that he ever gave a rat's ass for the men and women in the US Military. Wotta Prick.
Although sometimes I wonder whether we're too hard on people who do genuinely try to reach out to the other side of the aisle - are we any different than the Democrats who censure those who reach out to the Republicans?
And then I read some of McCain's lunatic quotes, here and other places, and I wonder why I ever wondered in the first place. It's not the reaching-out that's the problem, it's their judgement and common sense - or lack thereof.
Posted by: The Doctor ||
02/21/2005 12:11 Comments ||
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Senatorial courtesy. They all fawn all over each other because they know that once a century one of them actually does get elected president. But otherwise what they say is irrelevant.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/21/2005 12:14 Comments ||
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#6
The problem is that we can't make it with just a 'good' president. Events demand we have, from a historical perspective, a great president. A good care taker who does no harm is insufficient and dangerous in the long run in the contemporary environment.
#9
The only reason McCain got elected in the first place, and keeps getting elected, is that the AZ Republican party won't give a *dime* to any candidate--they have to pay their own way. And McCain's wife is loaded, much like you know who. As to him being a Republican: he would be a Leninist-Trotskyite if it would get him elected.
#4
I think this may be the hole in the dike that will become a flood. Lawyers make statements like this when they are softening the target up looking for a payout. The UN has no laws and is beyond the juristiction of anybody elses laws. So I'm curious as to where the lawyer thinks he can sue. Any US lawyers out there like to speculate if US labor laws or similar apply in the UN? Bottom line is the propect of a payout will bring out all kinds of past abuses at the UN that previously were hidden because the people had no redress.
A LONG-running sexual harassment scandal has claimed the career of high-profile UN refugees chief Ruud Lubbers, a former Dutch prime minister and persistent critic of John Howard's hardline policies on asylum seekers. Wouldn't that make him the guy in charge of al-Ein-Hellhole?
Mr Lubbers, 65, quit as high commissioner for refugees after a confidential UN internal report exposed him as a serial sexual harasser and groper. Maybe that was him on the plane on the way home?
"You look tired, Miss. Here, let me hold those honkers for you!"
An investigation into Mr Lubbers was launched last April following a formal complaint by a 51-year-old American woman employed at the UN. The woman alleged Mr Lubbers grabbed her around the waist and thrust his groin into her buttocks as she was leaving a meeting at the Palais des Nations in Geneva the previous December. Who'd he think he was, President of the U. S.?
That stuff may work with Belgian wimmin, but the day is past in the U.S.A.
The departure of Mr Lubbers also raises more questions about the judgment of embattled UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Who thinks Kofi has judgement?
who backed the refugee chief and buried the report when it was handed to him last July. A spokesman for Mr Annan said the Secretary-General had accepted legal advice at the time that the allegations against Mr Lubbers could not substantiated. But the report, leaked to a British newspaper at the weekend, revealed that the allegations against Mr Lubbers went much further than Mr Annan had previously indicated. It cited five instances where Mr Lubbers had made unwelcome advances to female subordinates and said the conduct indicated "a pattern of sexual harassment". In one case, Mr Lubbers invited a female staffer to his home to discuss work matters but once she was there, he only wanted to discuss "personal matters". She fled when Mr Lubbers started "touching her in a sexual way".
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/21/2005 11:07:46 AM ||
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Wouldn’t that make him the guy in charge of al-Ein-Hellhole?
Nope. UNWRA is autonomous. After all, "Paestinians" are not refugees, they just temporary displaced (until the Zionist Entity is destroyed) wards of the UN.
#2
That stuff may work with Begian wimmin, but the day is past in the U.S.A.
Tell that to Bill Clinton.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
02/21/2005 11:26 Comments ||
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But . . . how could someone from the UN be forced to resign like that? It's so terrible! I thought they were the only world body with any "moral authority" any more!
*Sound of world view crashing to pieces*
Posted by: The Doctor ||
02/21/2005 12:23 Comments ||
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In many Vietnamese-American communities, touring pop singers and artists from Vietnam often face protests because of their country's communist regime. But a University of Washington professor thought Seattle would be an exception when he brought three artists from Hanoi last week to showcase their work. Instead, some Vietnamese community leaders yesterday announced they would protest the "Viet Nam Now" exhibit at the Billy King Showroom, 95 Union St., near Pike Place Market. It opened last Saturday and is scheduled to run through March 14.
Earlier, an Asian social-service agency declined to endorse the show, fearing a backlash from the local refugee community. And the artists, whose abstract and impressionistic paintings depict life in Vietnam, were glared at and disparaged by diners when they lunched in the Chinatown International District earlier this week. "If they protest, they protest. What can you do?" said assistant professor Jonathan Warren, who is sponsoring the artists. "But maybe this will prompt a discussion into why there are hard feelings and these political divisions." Any bets when was the last time this guy opened a history book?
For many Vietnamese refugees here, communism remains a highly charged issue, much like the antipathy Miami's Cuban exiles harbor toward Fidel Castro's regime. Their animosity is also fueled by Vietnam's poor human-rights record and restrictions on free speech. Refugees think the touring artists support communists because the Vietnamese government approved their trip to the United States. The artists say their work is apolitical. "Some Vietnamese in this country were imprisoned up to 14 years after the fall of Saigon," said Jeffrey Brody, a professor at California State University, Fullerton, and an expert on Vietnamese-American issues. "They are angry at the government that defeated them in battle and that has a stranglehold on the country."
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Posted by: CrazyFool ||
02/21/2005 11:34:00 AM ||
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#1
The 64-year-old Olympia man has persuaded a dozen cities, including Olympia and Puyallup, to either ban the communist flag at international events or to fly the flag of the defunct South Vietnam government instead. He said his ill will comes from having heard that many fellow countrymen were tortured. He refuses to meet the three touring artists.
The cities of Westminster and Garden Grove, CA use the South Vietnam flag as thier city flag.
They moth have majority Vietnamese populations now. Ever hear of "Little Saigon"?
#2
I once dated a woman whose father had been a SV Colonel. His outfit actually fought - part of the Tigers. That cost him: he was "re-educated" for over 3 years after the war ended before they allowed him to join his family in the US. His feet were beaten daily and, when they let him go, he had long since lost the ability to walk. He lives with them in the LA area - Huntington Beach, I think. He would have a LOT to say about these "artists" being granted visas, much less touring and peddling their crap. I would joyfully dare any commie dufus, much less one from today's Vietnam, to get in his face, heh. He was curling 160+ lbs in his wheelchair at age 55 - back in 1990 when I last saw him.
#3
.com, great story. One good thing we got out of that war is Vietnamese Americans.
"But maybe this will prompt a discussion into why there are hard feelings and these political divisions."
It's just a complete mystery to you, Perfesser? Nothing comes to mind?
Posted by: Matt ||
02/21/2005 12:45 Comments ||
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#4
Maybe the prof would spend a few minutes reading VietPundit, and learn a little about why most Vietnamese-Americans have bad feelings about the "Democratic People's Republic of Vietnam". But then he wouldn't have the grounds to support the desecration and corruption that Hanoi inflicts on the noble Vietnamese history.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/21/2005 19:56 Comments ||
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hmmmm - he oughtta do a little stop'n'talk with the "Little Saigon" - Huntington Beach regulars. You were right, PD
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/21/2005 20:14 Comments ||
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#6
OP, good call on Vietpundit. He's got some good stuff up.
Posted by: Matt ||
02/21/2005 20:19 Comments ||
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#7
Artists huh? I look forward to the Piss Ho Chi Minh piece or general Giap rendered in elephant dung and porno mag booties.
Posted by: ed ||
02/21/2005 20:19 Comments ||
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#8
America did get a major injection of South Vietnam's best and brightest. I remember one kid, in an algebra class, never having heard of it before and barely speaking English, who after a few months was explaining finesse points to the teacher. The cowboy clique didn't know how to relate to Vietnamese, so one of them picked a fight with the kid, who had been studying martial arts since about the age of 5. Being thoroughly whupped in the fight, the cowboys decided that those Vietnamese folks "is okay." Soon, he was sporting blue jeans and a cowboy hat, and his cowboy buddies had him up on a horse and learning how to lasso. Not what I would call having a difficult time adjusting to their new land. I think he and his family now own their own ranch.
Evil to be 'measured' in death-penalty cases. Psychiatrists develop 'depravity rating' to decide which convicted killers die.
Research psychiatrists say they can now quantify evil, and they will be lobbying state legislatures to adopt their "depravity ratings" for use by courts determining whether to impose the death penalty on convicted murderers.
Long seen as a subjective moral term, evil, two recent studies of criminal personalities claim, can now be measured objectively.
"People say evil is like pornography — they know it when they see it, but can debate whether or when it is harmful," Dr. Michael Welner, a forensic psychiatrist and professor at New York University, told the London Telegraph. "This is not true. We are finding widespread agreement about what is evil..." Welner's depravity scale is based on contributions of thousands of people who contributed their understanding of evil to a website. Democratic Underground?
#1
So how does Saddam Hussein compare to Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Hafiz Assad, Ho Chi Minh, etc? Not to mention Attila the Hun and Vlad the Impaler and Savonarola. I've always wondered how the Wicked Ones rate on God's scale.
#2
TW, as for Attila, he may have been a bit ruthless in battle, but otherwise, he was an honorable warrior. Beside that, he was also a shrewd diplomat. The tales of his bloodthirstiness were mostly rumors, dispersed by his agents to strike fear in hearts of the potential sujects.
Vlad is a tad different story, but still, his most horrible deeds were committed against musulman. He really got Turks scared shi'tless, they simply did not imagine someone would behave more barbaric than themselves. He prevented expansion of Khilafah in south-eastern Europe, singlehandedly, in his times.
Hat Tip M Drudge SHUT THE CELL UP
By ANGELA MONTEFINISE Can you hear me now? Unsuspecting cellphone users may find themselves saying that more often now that cellphone jammers — illegal gizmos that interfere with signals and cut off reception — are selling like hotcakes on the streets of New York. "I bought one online, and I love it," said one jammer owner fed up with the din of dumb conversations and rock-and-roll ringtones. "I use it on the bus all the time. I always zap the idiots who discuss what they want from the Chinese restaurant so that everyone can hear them. Why is that necessary?" Swe....r ch....pers and st...ce. Hello Hello did you g....
Hello He...
It could be necessary because they want to pick it up when they get there, not wait around for it. Who're you to be telling them what to use their phones for?
He added, "I can't throw the phones out the window, so this is the next best thing." Wise move. I don't think injuries received inciting a riot is covered by health insurance. But I am with you in spirit!
I'm not. Just because I disapprove of what somebody's doing, that doesn't mean I have the right to tell them not to. Teenagers use their cell phones constantly, I forget mine half the time. But when I do have it with me, I don't want some bystander censoring my calls.
Online jammer seller Victor McCormack said he's made "hundreds of sales" to New Yorkers. "The interest has gone insane in the last few years. I get all sorts of people buying them, from priests to police officers." Bless you my son, did you foget to put it on vibrate? Tsk, Tsk...
Jammers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from portable handhelds that look like cellphones to larger, fixed models as big as suitcases. Their sole goal is to zip inconsiderate lips. The smaller gadgets emit radio frequencies that block signals anywhere from a 50- to 200-foot radius. They range in price from $250 to $2,000. And to make idiot drivers pay attention to traffic lights instead of conducting arguements, I imagine...
But don't expect to find jammers at the local Radio Shack — they're against Federal Communications Commission regulations because they interfere with emergency calls and the public airwaves. They are illegal to buy, sell, use, import or advertise. Why are we reading about this. O-oh we are being watched. Shhhhhhhh
Why would you want to allow Mr. Dummschitz to jam your call to 9-11 after you've been mugged?
A violation means an $11,000 fine, but the FCC's Enforcement Bureau has yet to bust one person anywhere in the country. "This is not a crime that they're going after," said Rob Bernstein, deputy editor at New York City-based Sync magazine. He said jammers are here, and their use is multiplying. Just wait 'till a jammer ends up minus a couple of teeth for interfering with emergency traffic. Popcorn time.
"Right now, there's a growing curiosity about jammers in the United States and New York," Bernstein said. "There's no better way to shut up a loudmouth on the phone, so people definitely want them and are finding ways to get them." Like booze during prohibition.
One way is at a spy shop on Third Avenue, which sells medium-sized jammers out of a back room for $1,500. The sales clerk there said he had sold jammers to a 50-year-old man who bought one to use on the Long Island Rail Road, and to restaurateurs. Yes! I am a Left Coaster. LI Railway doesn't mean much, but the restaurant situation is universal.
Folks who run auto auctions also buy them to stop people from chit-chatting about prices and rigging their bids, the clerk said. OK Cheating at auctions? Fancy that!
An employee at a West Village spy store said the shop also sells jammers, but only to people from other countries. You mean like using one in the Frontier country of Pakistan and waiting to hear someone curse in Arabic to locate Binny?
Jammers aren't for locating people. All they do is put out a junk signal to disrupt communication.
One local purchaser bought a portable jammer last year, and said he likes using it at Roosevelt Field mall on Long Island. "One time I followed this guy around for 20 minutes," he said. "I kept zapping him and zapping him, until finally he threw the phone on the floor. I couldn't stop laughing. It was so cool." Tut tut tut -- Picking on the retarded is quite mean!
But was the guy actually retarded? I mean the guy with the cell phone? My customers sometimes call me if there's a problem with a website. Why does Mr. Dummschitz have the right to jam my conversation? A physician friend of mine occasionally gets calls from the hospital. Why should Dummschitz be allowed to jam his calls?
Jammers were first developed to help government security forces avert eavesdropping and thwart phone-triggered bombings. But by the late 1990s they were being sold to the public. There are suspicions that some hotel chains employ jammers to cut down on guests' cellphone use and boost in-room phone charges. I will exclude sanctions of assault against any hotel manager caught doing this. Most of them are oily bastards anyway...
Anybody remember CB radios, from the 70s? They became very common because of the national 55 mph speed limit, and they spread as a way for people to chat in a pre-computer age. Then the goofs started up and CB radio receded before a flood of 16-year-old potty mouths with RF amplifiers.
Anybody remember email? It used to be a way for people to communicate with each other. I watched "You've got mail" with the Little Woman the other night, and it occurred to me how quaint it was. Today, the anonymous lovers would be waiting for mail from each other, certainly, but would occupy themselves deleting a constant flow of ads for Viagra, hot women to use it on, doinker enlargement, business proposals from Nigerians, notifications that they'd won lotteries they never entered, and of course lots of emails with strange titles and attached viruses.
I bought my first cell phone about ten years ago. It lived in a bag and weighed about 12 pounds. I bought it after waiting for a customer to show up for an hour or so, without a working pay phone in sight to call the office. It cost me about $400. I had it for about six weeks before somebody broke into my car and stole it, which was a good business move for me because the air time cost more than the profit the thing generated. But they've gotten cheaper now, and lots of people have them, and the same nitwits that destroyed CB radio and email will do their best to destroy mobile communications, out of the sheer love of destruction. Pfui.
#1
i used to be a smoker. When I was a smoker I was sensitive to those aropund me who did not want to breath in my second hand smoke so I would smoke outside or away from the non-smokers. (YOU KNOW, MY SONS POOP THIS MORNING WAS REALLY RUNNY - WITH LITTLE KERNELS OF SOME HARD PELLETS FLOATING AROUND IN IT... LOOKED KIND OF LIKE SPLIT PEA SOUP...) Now if the non-smokers choose to come in to my 'smoking' area that is their choice.
I view cell-phones (along with heavy perfumes) the same way. If you want to use your cell phone on the bus or in a resturant be discreet and considerate of those around you. (LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MY CYST!).
On the other hand I've had people on the bus who would talk non-stop on their cell phone. Not only talk but TALK LOUD AND ANNOYING.
It gets irritating - especially when you (and half the other bus riders) are trying to catch a few winks. (YOU SAY YOUR SISTER RELLY LIKES THAT KINKY STUFF? AND HER PHONE NUMBER IS 555-1212? THANKS!) Its almost as bad as heavy perfume.
In short, I'm willing to give the cell-phone users a break as long as they are discreet and dont abuse it.
#3
I usually like to help annoying people on their cell phone by adding in little comments (I know, surprising I would do that!). But theater talk during the movie earns a coke in the lap
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/21/2005 17:37 Comments ||
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I usually like to help annoying people on their cell phone by adding in little comments
Theaters - No. But Yes!, in restaurants...
"Look over there! He showed up here? I thought he's on trial for murder! Imagine that!"
The cell phone guy gives you the finger as he tries to explain in an agitated voice that there are no Hollywood celebrities, nor thier cockatoos in the restaurant.
Of course of you are sitting around the clueless, they are duped too, and they spend the rest of the evening giving you dirty looks...
With the announcement that columnist and so-called 'gonzo journalist' Hunter S. Thompson committed suicide over the weekend, the field of potential replacements for Dan Rather on the CBS Evening News has "narrowed significantly," according to one network source.
Mr. Thompson, whose stock-in-trade subjectivity and vigorous injection of personal opinion became the template for much of modern journalism, was author of several books including Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 and A Generation of Swine. But he was perhaps best known to the elderly as the inspiration for the Doonesbury comic character, Duke.
"Hunter Thompson was a natural to inherit the big desk at CBS," said the unnamed network source. "Edgy, acerbic and not afraid to weave his political agenda into the story...many viewers would have simply thought that Dan Rather had ditched the toupee."
Posted by: tipper ||
02/21/2005 8:25:30 AM ||
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Hunter S. Thompson, the acerbic counterculture writer who popularized a new form of fictional journalism in books like "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," fatally shot himself Sunday night at his Aspen-area home, his son said. He was 67. So long, Doc. Don't take any guff from the old bastard with the beard.
Posted by: mojo ||
02/21/2005 12:20:26 AM ||
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Gosh. I don't miss him already.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2005 0:26 Comments ||
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I always thought he was a bit careless with firearms. That and being a drunk are a bad combination. I never agreed with his politics but he was a funny as hell fiction writer for people with a bent sense of humor like mine. Playing with guns finally caught up with him before the ruined liver did.
#3
I always knew Uncle Duke would come to a bad end. Poor Honey.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
02/21/2005 1:00 Comments ||
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Well, he was a better writer than Arthur Miller, at least. His writing talent and wit were considerable but pretty much dried up 10 years ago. He was a ballsy guy so I'm a little shocked and disgusted to see that he offed himself - as opposed to accidentally shooting or blowing himself, driving off a cliff or OD-ing.
While I was a fan for a while, it's something you grow out of. I'm dreading the hagiography that will ensue in the next couple of days. Thompson avoided any sort of ideology or pathos like the plague. Nevertheless, I bet the 60's hippy generation blather gets reheated and served to an unwilling nation once again. Thompson would not approve.
Posted by: John in Tokyo ||
02/21/2005 1:44 Comments ||
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I'll bet they'll talk about how the age of Bush-era conservatism got him so depressed, he ate his gun.
#11
I loved F&L in LA - ground breaking. Then I read his earlier book on the Hells Angels. It was turgid and pretentious. After I read a couple more of his books I realized that stoned he was great; sober he sucked. And I suspect he knew it too.
#13
TW: No great offence meant - he seemingly 'lost it' in later years - his recent biography was near nonsensical. I managed to read 1500 pages of his collected letters last year (50's-80's) and these provide an insight into the person as opposed to the demonised public figure I presume he became in the States. I'm not in a position to agree with his pronouncements on American society but he had a keen eye and sharp wit and duly commands a place in the American literary canon. Better writer than Miller tho'? Ptui! God I could weep. Hey - he kept himself well armed tho' ;)
Posted by: Howard UK ||
02/21/2005 4:29 Comments ||
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The sucky sixties are dead. What was their left for him to live for?
#15
Just teasing, Howard. I'm smug and self centered enough to believe I couldn't possibly be a real philistine, even if I won't appreciate opera properly. Perhaps in a few more years, when the trailing daughters have progressed further in their voice studies....
Anyway, I'm in mourning. Mr. Wife is repainting the office, and announced we will purge the books before he lets me reshelve them. The infidel will get no virgins when he dies!!! That'll teach him (what exactly, I don't know -- but learn he will) ;-p
#16
TW: Don't you throw any HST's out - post them to me!!
Posted by: Howard UK ||
02/21/2005 4:51 Comments ||
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tw, we've done that several times in our many household moves.
It hurts at first, but there's also this great sense of relief to be carrying less of the stuff around. Sort of like dieting.
Which I also find hard to do LOL.
Posted by: Robin Burk ||
02/21/2005 7:48 Comments ||
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I thought the 2 collected letters were pretty good. I especially liked the ones to his bill collectors and ones explaining to his mother why he needed a black Jaguar salon car.
#19
I figured he offed himself because he finally realized he'd never write a decent novel. The Rum Diaries absolutely sucked and it took him what 40 years to get that pile o crap published.
#22
The Denver "Rocky Mountain News" made sure to point out Thompson was a member of the NRA and had accidently shot an assistant in 2000 while trying to cahse a bear of his property.A "source close to the family" said she "knew this call was coming...He was a raging addict and an abusive man. He had so many guns and they were always loaded." But she "loved Hunter." Yup.
#25
I wouldn't list Sandra Dee as the third on that list. She is another Hollywood star that drank herself to death, but never the raving moonbat variety Hunter Thompson and Arthur Miller degraded into. She certainly twanged my heartstrings back in the 60's - which kinda dates me, doesn't it?
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/21/2005 17:31 Comments ||
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#26
Chavez? He's trying as hard as anybody to join the list
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/21/2005 17:47 Comments ||
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#25- OP, she kinda got to me and she wasn't even doin' anything, I was born in 1972.
Posted by: Jame Retief ||
02/21/2005 17:53 Comments ||
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#28
Howard, what are HSTs?
Robin, in all our moves, we've happily purged everything except books. My clothes, sweaters and shoes now fit easily in 1/2 a dresser and half a closet. But we have somehow always made room for more bookcases ;-) We Jews, after all, are "the People of the Book[s]"
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Haitian police on Sunday were hunting for nearly 500 prisoners who escaped after an armed attack on the national penitentiary that sparked a riot and left one guard dead. Two prominent allies of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who had been rushed to a secure location during the attack Saturday night, were returned to the prison, authorities said. Guards had rushed former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune and former Interior Minister Jocelerme Privert to a secret location when the attack occurred and inmates began rioting, and the two were later turned over to U.N. soldiers, Damian Onses-Cardona, a spokesman for the U.N. peacekeeping mission, told The Associated Press. "They were taken back to prison in U.N. vehicles," Onses-Cardona said Sunday. "They insisted on returning to make clear they didn't try to escape."
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has said he believes the US government is planning to assassinate him. "If they kill me, the name of the person responsible is [President] George Bush," Mr Chavez said. Mr Chavez - who offered no evidence to back his claim - said any attempt on his life would backfire and threatened to cut off oil supplies to America. He was apparently reacting to growing criticism by top US officials of his left-wing government. 
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez said Sunday that he would stop oil exports to the United States if the U.S. government tries to assassinate him. ``If anything happens to me, forget about Venezuelan oil Mr. (George W.) Bush,'' said Chavez during his weekly radio and television show.
U.S. President George W. Bush warned Russia not to stray from the path to democracy and said Europe and the U.S. need to remind President Vladimir Putin of the importance of a strong opposition, a free press and power-sharing. ``The Russian government must renew a commitment to democracy and the rule of law,'' Bush said in a speech in Brussels today during the first trip to Europe of his second term. ``The United States and all European countries should place democratic reform at the heart of their dialogue with Russia.''
HAMBURG - ...In recent days 24-year-old Sibel Kekilli, currently on a world tour to promote the award-winning film "Head-On", received the best actress award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival for her work in German director Fatih Akin's raw portrait of two Turkish-born residents of Hamburg. 
The European constitution cleared its first major hurdle last night when Spanish voters overwhelmingly endorsed the historic document in the first of 10 referendums that will be held across Europe over the next 18 months. With all the votes counted, 77% of voters approved the constitution, which is meant to simplify the work of the EU. Only 17% of Spaniards voted no and 6% of ballot papers were recorded as blank, said the interior ministry. European leaders, who had hoped that voters in one of the most pro-EU countries would turn out in large numbers, will be disappointed that nearly 60% of the population failed to vote. Turnout was 42%, the lowest in any Spanish vote since the death of Franco in 1975, and below the 45.9% in last year's European parliamentary elections in Spain.
Why triple-talented Dean spells trouble for Republicans
A LONG-running sexual harassment scandal has claimed the career of high-profile UN refugees chief Ruud Lubbers, a former Dutch prime minister and persistent critic of John Howard's hardline policies on asylum seekers.
In many Vietnamese-American communities, touring pop singers and artists from Vietnam often face protests because of their country's communist regime. But a University of Washington professor thought Seattle would be an exception when he brought three artists from Hanoi last week to showcase their work. Instead, some Vietnamese community leaders yesterday announced they would protest the "Viet Nam Now" exhibit at the Billy King Showroom, 95 Union St., near Pike Place Market. It opened last Saturday and is scheduled to run through March 14.
Can you hear me now? Unsuspecting cellphone users may find themselves saying that more often now that cellphone jammers — illegal gizmos that interfere with signals and cut off reception — are selling like hotcakes on the streets of New York. "I bought one online, and I love it," said one jammer owner fed up with the din of dumb conversations and rock-and-roll ringtones. "I use it on the bus all the time. I always zap the idiots who discuss what they want from the Chinese restaurant so that everyone can hear them. Why is that necessary?" 
Hunter S. Thompson, the acerbic counterculture writer who popularized a new form of fictional journalism in books like "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," fatally shot himself Sunday night at his Aspen-area home, his son said. He was 67.
