IT IS a device with a variety of practical applications: an ingenious gadget that disperses gangs of loitering teenagers by emitting a piercing shriek only they can hear. Not the pinnacle of science, perhaps, but high enough to win the Welsh engineer who designed it an award from Harvard. Howard Stapleton has been awarded the 2006 Ig Nobel award for peace.
This year's winners were honoured or dishonoured at a raucous ceremony yesterday at Harvard's Sanders Theatre. They include a doctor who put his finger on a cure for hiccups; two men who think there is something to the adage that feet smell like cheese; and researchers who discovered that dung beetles won't tuck in to just any old pile of well, dung.
U.S. intelligence reports now say the Cuban leader's condition appears terminal, government officials tell TIME
Ever since President Fidel Castro was sidelined for what was said to be abdominal surgery last July, Cuban officials have maintained that the country's leader will return to his post. ''We will again have him leading the revolution,'' said Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque just two days ago, speaking at an outdoor rally to protest the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba, according to the Communist Party daily newspaper Granma.
But U.S. officials tell TIME that many in the U.S. government are now convinced that Castro, 80, has terminal cancer and will never return to power. "Certainly we have heard this, that this guy has terminal cancer," said one U.S. official.
Of course, such intelligence reports could be wrong, and one official cautioned that definitive proof is nearly impossible for the U.S. to come by. Yet the fact that the Cuban government removed Castro from the public stage before his death could suggest that Castro and his would-be successors were aware of a terminal condition and wanted to gauge public reaction to his absence. "They got to see how people would react," says one U.S. official. "They have had a chance to see how things might work without out him functioning day-to-day."
Contacted by Time, the Cuban government denied the imminent demise of its leader. One high ranking official said, "The United States Intelligence Services have been wrong for more than 47 years in their predictions not only in relation to the health of the Cuban President but also in all aspects regarding our country."
Really hasn't been a shining time for the CIA, has it?
He referred to Castro's July 31 statement as the only definitive assessment of the President's health. In it, Castro declared that surgery and treatment for intestinal bleeding "obliges me to spend several weeks in repose, away from my responsibilities and duties." Cuban sources say that preparations continue for a belated but elaborate farewell celebration of Castro's 80th birthday on Dec. 2.
The U.S. government has been preparing for Castro's departure for half a century. That doesn't mean that things will change much. Fidel's brother Raul, 75, has been acting president since Fidel went into the hospital and has given no indication that he will change the policies of the isolated Communist government that has tormented the U.S. since taking power in 1959. Though he has until recently kept a very low profile, Raul Castro not Fidel was feted as the host of the non-aligned nations' summit on Sept. 15. Then Raul called a high profile meeting of the country's local, provincial and national leadership at what he called "this historic moment in our country's history." In another sign of his increasing prominence, two weeks ago Raul delivered his first televised national speech at the close of a trade union federation congress.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/07/2006 13:24 ||
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#1
"The United States Intelligence Services have been wrong for more than 47 years in their predictions not only in relation to the health of the Cuban President but also in all aspects regarding our country."
It hurts because it is true.
It also says several un-flattering things about the idiots at langley and in D.C.
Posted by: N guard ||
10/07/2006 15:06 Comments ||
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#2
They are still calling it the "Revolution"? They have had 45+ years of this damned revolution, what have they accomplished? I think they need a new revolution.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/07/2006 15:47 Comments ||
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#4
"U.S. intelligence reports now say the Cuban leader's condition appears terminal, government officials tell TIME"
Given their track record in the past, it is no surprise that they are making the easy predicion the death of an 80 year old man who just had recent surgery. I mean, even a broken clock is right twice a day....
Actually, they aren't even predicing his death....they are saying that his condition is "terminal." Aren't all of our conditions "terminal?"
"Yet the fact that the Cuban government removed Castro..."
This really shows what Time thinks. As if there is any sort of a "government" in Cuba, separate from Castro's will....
Posted by: Mark E. ||
10/07/2006 19:04 Comments ||
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#5
But they have free health care, so he'll be fine.
RUSSIA deported today a planeload of Georgians accused of illegal immigration in its latest blow against its southern neighbour, officials said. "I can confirm that the plane with Georgians deported from Moscow will arrive in Tbilisi at 1600 local time (2200 AEST)," Georgian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Nino Kajaia said. The Georgians were rounded up in police raids over the past few days as part of a wider Russian campaign of sanctions against Tbilisi. Moscow acted after Georgia briefly arrested four Russian officers on spying charges.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/07/2006 00:00 ||
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COMPUTER hackers based in China have launched sustained attacks on the computers of a US Commerce Department technology export office, a department official said overnight. The official, who requested anonymity, said the attacks had originated from websites registered with Chinese Internet service providers.
I ban five or six Chinese IP blocs a week. Eventually I suppose I'll have them all banned.
Chinese-based hackers, especially in the Chinese province of Guangdong, have mounted systematic efforts to penetrate US government and industry computer networks in order to access secret information...
Chinese-based hackers, especially in the Chinese province of Guangdong, have mounted systematic efforts to penetrate US government and industry computer networks in order to access secret information, according to computer security experts. The experts and some US lawmakers believe the attacks are sanctioned by Chinese government agencies.
The attacks on the Commerce Department have been so persistent that the affected office, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), has been forced to replace hundreds of computers and set up a new computer system. The bureau's work is sensitive because it supervises US exports of software and technology for commercial and military uses, as well as commodities. "BIS discovered a targeted effort to gain access to BIS user accounts," said Richard Mills, a Commerce Department spokesman, without commenting on the origin of the attacks. "They took a series of immediate action steps to ensure that no BIS data is compromised. We have no evidence that any BIS data has been lost or compromised," said Mr Mills.
Department officials are concerned about the hacking attacks because the bureau retains sensitive commercial and economic information on US exporters as well as data related to law enforcement records. In a bid to ramp up security, the bureau has restricted employees' Internet access to stand alone computers that are not linked to the bureau's network.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/07/2006 00:00 ||
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#2
More importantly, do we hack back with disk munching killer worms and viruses? In the information age, this is nothing short of a military assault. China must be penalized for such electronic aggression through imposition of import restrictions and levies.
#3
We do exactly what Fred does, ban 'em. From the whole shebang. Make their IP blocks non-routable.
Also: Their insistance on monitoring concentrates the ChiComm (grin) channels into a single point of failure and leaves them vulnerable to attack. Only their military has redundancy.
#5
A random thought on secret stealing:
Its one thing to have the Tippy-top Sekret Planz;
It is quite another to do something with them. Implementation is always a problem with the chi-coms.
From what little I have seen, if you spend most of your time/effort into copying others work, you don't realy learn anything. You are not able to improve much on what you have stolen. As a result, you can never surpass the oppositon. You can only go as fast as the person doing the original work.
OTOH, if you suffer from a titanic cultural inferiority complex, Mindless Copying does prevent embarrassing/expensive mistakes.
Posted by: N guard ||
10/07/2006 8:15 Comments ||
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#6
Commerce Department technology export office? This isn't warfare, it's some company's hired goons trying to get an economic edge.
I'm surprised that they can get anything going - overseas locations are slooooow in China.
#7
I ban five or six Chinese IP blocs a week. Eventually I suppose I'll have them all banned.
You must have multiple, huge hard drives, ro hold all those addresses.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/07/2006 9:14 Comments ||
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gromky: I'm surprised that they can get anything going - overseas locations are slooooow in China.
That, they are - for web browsing. Non-web connections are fine. And even for web connections, I doubt hackers working for the Chinese government have to go through the Great Firewall of China. My feeling is that there is a DMZ set up just for them.
#10
Along with each confirmation statement that you've connected to a particular account the Chicoms get, they should also get a worm that replicates all the data on their computer and sends it back to a dump site in the US. If done right, few if any Chinese hackers would ever know.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/07/2006 19:36 Comments ||
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#11
I'd been getting almost daily (scripted) sshd (port 22) probes from China for months. Finally fixed the problem for good. Next step is a 'tar pit' to bog them down and decrease attacks on other sites.
Santiago - Former Spanish prime minister Jose Maria Aznar said that the 'Castroism' of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez seems to him a dangerous threat for Latin America - almost as dangerous as 'Islamic fascism' is to the rest of the world. 'The excluding, radical populist slant of President Chavez, based on Castroism, seems to me to be a dangerous threat for the region,' Aznar said, in a lengthy interview published Thursday by Chilean daily El Mercurio.
The former Spanish prime minister, in a three-day visit to Chile that ends Friday, said he currently sees 'three very worrying phenomena in political terms'. Aznar spoke of what he called 'Islamic fascism' as the first, and said that it is the worst threat facing the world and 'the ideology that feeds terrorism.' He added that Latin America faces the remaining two: excluding, radical populism, with Cuban roots, and a form of 'indigenous extremism' based on ethnic criteria that according to Aznar brings to mind fanatic nationalism.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/07/2006 00:00 ||
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The rest of latin america refuses to confront the turd, juz like the euros with iran(t)
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/07/2006 1:19 Comments ||
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The Latin American "street" likes to see Hugo flip us the bird. Kind of similar to the Arab street... and Europe.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
10/07/2006 2:12 Comments ||
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Latin America has a deep love of propping up whatever pigeon that will peck in Uncle Sam's direction. They never seem to catch on that their position leaves them right under the pigeon's ass.
That breaks previous record of 19 percent, study finds
WASHINGTON (AP) - A record low primary turnout and voter disgust for politics could spell trouble for Republicans trying to keep control of the House and Senate.
Only 15 percent of eligible voters cast primary ballots this year, breaking the 19 percent low record from the last two midterm elections, according to an American University study. But frustrations with President Bush, the Iraq war and a congressional scandal involving lurid messages could increase turnout in the November elections and the voters most mobilized wont be Republicans.
If the election were held tomorrow, the Republicans would be extraordinarily in trouble, said Curtis Gans, director of American Universitys Center for Study of the American Electorate. It makes independents and Democrats much more likely to vote Democratic. It may make some Republicans sufficiently unhappy to stay home.
GOP leaders have a month to recover from recent revelations that former Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., sent inappropriate and sexually explicit messages to former pages. He resigned and sparked a spate of speculation, sniping and scapegoating.
Were talking 4 1/2 weeks before the election, Gans said. Whether this story will have the type of legs toward the election that will make it a major issue for Republicans is not clear.
The study, released Friday, also found record highs in Senate primaries viewed as referendums on incumbents support for the war in Iraq. In Connecticut, a record 12 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in the Democratic primary. Anti-war candidate Ned Lamont won the partys nomination and defeated incumbent Joe Lieberman, prompting the three-term senator to run as an independent.
Sen. Lincoln Chafees Republican primary battle prompted 9 percent of Rhode Island residents to vote, also a state record. Chafee faced a tough challenge from conservative Stephen Laffey. National Republicans spent millions on a get-out-the-vote effort to ensure a primary win for the incumbent.
Gans predicted Novembers general election turnout could inch higher than 2002, when 40 percent of eligible voters cast ballots.
#1
This is the real problem in our political system. Non-participation. I've never missed any elections since I became elgible, even if I voted thru absentee ballot. The right is too precious to ignore. That said, the downfall of the 2 party sytem is the "fix" in candidates. The primaries are where the chaff should be winnowed from the wheat. More times than not, only one candidate is presented to voters, so they stay home. I like what Liberman did, go independent. Gives voters another choice. This should happen in primaries constantly. If party bigwigs won't support a candidate, because of big donor favoritism, we need more people to go independent route. Many times, these folks would probably displace the dinosaurs, then we could have a valid choice in the general elections. Something must be done. Our electoral system is crumbling.
#2
Morons voting randomly is a bigger problem than non-participation. Some areas are toying with lottery type prizes for voters. If you have not done your homework, stay home.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
10/07/2006 12:37 Comments ||
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They just never stop the flow of propaganda. How is it that only 15% of eligible voters casting primary ballots means that only the republicans are in trouble?
This article focuses only Republican dissatisfaction and ignores the massive flight from lunatic Democratic Party.
They cite the primary in Ct as if it is a representative sample of all elections in the US, but if that's the case it is the Dems who are in trouble. In CT, the Dem voters voted for Liberman because he didn't advocate the lunacy platform of the left and didn't support cutting and running.
And how does this example show that the voters are on board with the Dem Party Platform? Sen. Lincoln Chafees Republican primary battle prompted 9 percent of Rhode Island residents to vote, also a state record. Chafee faced a tough challenge from conservative Stephen Laffey. National Republicans spent millions on a get-out-the-vote effort to ensure a primary win for the incumbent.
Enough spin in this piece to make you throw up. I may be wrong, but I just don't think all of this smoke and mirrors is going to work for the Dems.
I am not sure of the details, but I believe in Australia it is mandatory that you vote. At least that is what an Aussie expat was telling me. Maybe one of the contributers from the "OZ" could clarify.
I would like to see mandatory registration and voting here. And a national requirement for positive ID and proof of eligibility at the time of registration and when hitting the polls.
This whole country is circling the drain, I'm appalled at the decline in my lifetime. It is nothing like it was when I was a kid. Seems everything that kicked the slide off, has happened in the last 30 - 35 years. Sad.
#6
Morons voting randomly is a bigger problem than non-participation.
True. The real problem is that only 15% are interested enough to be informed or to vote. When Ben Franklin told the lady outside of Independence Hall the Constitution was "a Republic if you can keep it," he would have been pretty pleased to learn it was going to last at least another 215+ years. At these rates of interest and participation I wonder how many we have left.
Posted by: just sayin ||
10/07/2006 12:56 Comments ||
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15% voting says to me that 85% are pretty happy to let the 15% make the decisions. That seems about right to me.
#8
Opportunity is knocking loudly. I am a registered republican and I vote every election. I also volunteer to man phones or other, but I never was asked to do anything. In fact, no body ever calls me to remind me to vote or ask if I need a ride.
We republicans should form an army of vote getters to call and drive people on election day. We would get out about 90 percent of our voters and win every time. It's just not done. A little here, a little there, but never a total effort.
Here I sit, willing and able, but no one ever calls.
How about a Rantburg voter drive ? I mean republican, conservative voters, not just registering John Doe the woodcutter who never watches the news and doesn't know there's a war in Iraq.
#10
If you have not done your homework, stay home.
I disagree, Hose. What's 'enough' homework? Sometimes I vote for a guy just 'cuz he a trunk. Should I skip him and just vote for senator and president? Then the guys who think Bush is controlling gas prices win, because they think they've done their homework - the same homework - again, and again, and again.
No. Voting is an obligation if you are a citizen. Do as much homework as you can, but then VOTE.
Posted by: Bobby ||
10/07/2006 14:56 Comments ||
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The 1932 German Parliamentary elections were referenda on Anne Frank's right to life.
She lost.
Posted by: Ernest Brown ||
10/07/2006 21:17 Comments ||
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I didn't vote in my primaries because a) I was out of town and b) the outcome was absolutely not up for grabs in any way.
Doesn't mean I don't intend to vote in November, tho.
#13
What has particpation been over time? I would like to see the graphs and charts. :)
I'd like to be wrong but I am not sure participation has changed much in terms of voter turnout, I am sure there is more "outrage" but "voter turnout" not too sure
I think a llittle uptick , with the internet and all...but apathy rules the day, in regard to turnout, can't blame them
Over tme , it seems, no matter the bitching the turnout remains the same , when a president is up for election or challenge. It seems, over time, turnout is down over the period. From 60's to 50's
#16
"I would like to see mandatory registration and voting here. And a national requirement for positive ID and proof of eligibility at the time of registration and when hitting the polls."
And Prohibition, the Drug War, legitimation of race slavery and all the other benefits of same, no doubt...
The Anti-Federalists were completely right.
Posted by: Ernest Brown ||
10/07/2006 23:13 Comments ||
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And Prohibition, the Drug War, legitimation of race slavery and all the other benefits of same, no doubt...
The Anti-Federalists were completely right.
How in the hell did you come up with that? None of what I would like to see vis-a-vis voting and proof of eligibility would result in what you suggest in you fevered ranting.
#18
Voting is inherently irrational, precisely because it invokes the power of government on the basis of pure majoritarianism or some other arbitrary standard on behalf of whoever can get the biggest herd in the voting booth. I have no inherent right to tell the government to tell YOU what to do, NoBeards, and I've never seen a good argument as to why I should.
Posted by: Ernest Brown ||
10/07/2006 23:57 Comments ||
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Posted by: Fred ||
10/07/2006 00:00 ||
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The so-called "security moms" -- who worry about terrorism at home and gave Mr. Bush's party the advantage in the 2002 and 2004 elections -- "are not voting terrorism this time," said Miss Lake. "They give the administration a nine-point advantage on terrorism but give Democrats a 15-point advantage on the problems that matter most to them -- education, health care and the economy."
smells like BS to me. The economy is doing well and just about all the moms I know are concerned about terrorism at home.
Article is long on predictions and short on facts. Once again they cited the same three repubs who will probably lose as the example of how the Dems will sweep those 15 seats in House and take the senate.
OK - maybe they are tight races - but why only list the same three if the races are so stacked in the Dem's favor??? I'm just wondering who the other 12 are???
#2
yep, the foley deal makes mom's wanta vote for pols who favor partial birth abortion, who don't wanta set limits on underage gals running across the border to get abortions, etc., etc.
....sheesh
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/07/2006 1:34 Comments ||
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#3
We'll see, but you've seen posts here from (otherwise) non-idiotarians who're so full of themselves they'll sit the election out - or "punish" the Pubs. Consider what the population at large will do, those getting their "news" from the MSM. Personally, prior to the Foley idiocy, I thought the Pubs would survive Nov, losing no more than 5 seats. Now, I dunno. Is that a sheeple stampede I hears off inna distance?
If they take the House, then we are fucked for at least 2 years. Impeachment proceedings will be likely. Nothing, probably including Iran, will get done. Big Juju in losing the House.
If they take the Senate, how will we be able to tell? It's a gutless RINO preserve, already.
#9
If they take the House, then we are fucked for at least 2 years
More than that ... the damage done during that time might be impossible to undo.
Iran with nukes, surveillance of jihadi comms forbidden, the borders unmonitored, illegal immigrants given the right to vote locally (at first) as a prelude to full amnesty ....
#10
We still haven't seen the Rovian October Suprise
I'm thinking that maybe the whole Foley thing is a Rovian play. Who knew and when did they know? Um..gosh the Democrats sat on it for years and then pulled it out at election time. Repubs get rid of icky Foley and get to remind the population that the Dems send their perverts back for more while the Repubs kick them out. And then you have the spectacle of the MSM overplaying their hand as expected. It all just seems so .... Rovian.
DENNIS HASTERT, the besieged Republican Speaker of the US House of Representatives, has accepted responsibility for the scandal involving the disgraced former congressman Mark Foley, who sent sexually explicit emails to young interns.
Under increasing pressure to resign, Mr Hastert, while saying "the buck stops here" for the fact that nothing was done to stop Mr Foley, has implied that the whole affair is a plot concocted by the Democratic Party, Bill Clinton and the billionaire liberal activist George Soros. "All I know is what I hear and what I see," Mr Hastert said. "I saw Bill Clinton's adviser, Richard Morris, was saying these guys knew about it all along. If someone had this info when they had it, we could have dealt with it then."
A Republican Party official told the Herald that Mr Hastert's attempt to blame the Foley scandal on a Democrat conspiracy would only make matters worse for Republicans. Mr Hastert insisted he did nothing wrong and that he did not ignore warnings from senior congressional aides going back three years suggesting Mr Foley was engaging in "inappropriate" behaviour with a series of congressional pages - high school students doing work experience. "When the Congress found out about the explicit messages, Republicans dealt with it immediately and the culprit was gone. I have done nothing wrong", Mr Hastert said. "But the fact is that I don't know who knew what, when. We know that there are reports of people that knew it and kind of fed it and leaked it to the press."
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Posted by: Fred ||
10/07/2006 00:00 ||
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Welcome to the blowback of trying to fry Clinton over his sexlife. Clinton should have been nailed (as it were), solely for his lies on the stand and nothing else. Rarely does moralizing come without a downside and this is it.
Foley was particularly reprehensible in that all during the midst of his homosexual shenanigans, he nonetheless voted for the Defense of Marriage act. Like J. Edgar Hoover before him, this sort of closet case who is outwardly antagonistic to homosexuals represents the absolute worst in hypocrasy.
#2
Juz think, if Foley was a Democrat, he'd probably be running for president in '08
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/07/2006 1:30 Comments ||
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whoa, whoa, whoa there Zenster. Some of us girls might just have a little disagreement over that. It's not personal business when "willingness to give blow jobs" is a check acceptable box on the gov't applications.
There was a girl somewhere who didn't get Monica's job because Monica had, shall we say, a leg up on her.
Besides, its JMHO, but I think the biggest blow-back from this Foley scandal is going to be the outright hypocrisy exhibited by the Dems. Repubs demand their pervs resign once they get outed. The Dems reelect them. The canard that Foley is worse because he was a hypocrite is a tough sell to people who are more interested in getting the pervs to stop than they are in playing politics.
#4
The canard that Foley is worse because he was a hypocrite is a tough sell to people who are more interested in getting the pervs to stop than they are in playing politics.
Last I checked, homosexuality still isn't a crime here in America. Until it is, this is about "playing politics". Foley is political roadkill even without any democrats intervening. Unless you are specifically referring to Foley's pursuit of minors, "Getting the pervs to stop" comes across as more of a religious than legal agenda that won't necessarily play particulary well in a country dedicated to personal liberty and freedom.
I'll be so bold as to remind you that true conservatism stands for minimal government intrusion upon the private lives of law abiding citizens. Just because you deem a given portion of the population to be living outside your religious commandments does not alter one whit their legal protections or standing.
#5
That's right - all the newspapers were calling for Tip O'Neill's resignation, "increasing pressure to resign" when Gerry Studds actually had sex with a page, right? Right?
#6
Anon - I'm sure Monica had other skills that led her to such an important frequent audience with the Leader of the Fre World. I mean she always wanted to discuss "world geopolitical politics 'n stuff" with the big He. Vernon Jordan was her personal placement agency contact. And hell, Bill Richardson got her a job at the UN, so you know she's qualified...'n stuff
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/07/2006 9:41 Comments ||
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#7
Dems bugger pages = they are to be left alone and any criticism is homophobic.
Reps TALK DIRTY to pages = off with the Speaker's head.
#8
Zenster - it is an abuse of power when one in a position of authority accepts or solicits sexual favors from those working for him - male or female. It creates a hostile work environment where promotions and job performance are suspect to being based on sexual favors. We don't tolerate it in the military and we shouldn't tolerate it in any government service where we foot the bill.
And as for him being a perv - you're right, that's just my opinion. I think he's a perv.
#9
As to the abuse of power, I agree with you completely. Charges related to that should have been added to the list against Clinton. The casting couch must be dismantled for once and all. It is a disgusting relic of male dominated business.
#10
'll be so bold as to remind you that true conservatism stands for minimal government intrusion upon the private lives of law abiding citizens. Just because you deem a given portion of the population to be living outside your religious commandments does not alter one whit their legal protections or standing.
I know. I know, I know... you think we're not true conservatives until we buckle up and bust our asses to remake society so that two men can get married to each other.
I find that whole concept to be self-contradictory, myself.
#11
I can't help but notice during all of this bruhaha that Tom DeLay hasn't been mentioned ONCE. How long has Dennis Hastert been Republican Speaker? What happened during DeLay's tenure? Who mentioned or didn't mention anything to anybody prior to now? This whole thing is rotten to the core, and I'd certainly like to know just who is involved at what level, and with what prior knowledge. The whole mess stinks. It stinks VERY much.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/07/2006 20:08 Comments ||
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#12
I know. I know, I know... you think we're not true conservatives until we buckle up and bust our asses to remake society so that two men can get married to each other.
Ummm ... no. I just think that selective enforcement or unequal application of the law is a vile concept. If you think homosexuality is so blasphemous, get it outlawed. See how far you get. Don't you much prefer that the government has zero say about what goes on between two consenting adults behind closed doors? Let the government start regulating our sex lives and say heelllllooo to Mr. Slippery Slope.
#14
I hope all of you understand that I'm not defending the democrats here. I just want the government to butt the fuck (as it were) out of our private lives.
Presented in case anyone cares. Libby junkies should always read Tom Maguire for the latest.
Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff intends to load up his criminal trial with information about nine national security matters, the names of foreign leaders and details about various terrorist groups, say court filings in the Valerie Plame leak case. The papers filed this week hint at what has been taking place behind closed doors as Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald tries to limit the amount of classified data that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby is permitted to use at his trial in January.
U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton is asking whether classified evidence would overlap Libby's likely trial testimony. Libby's lawyers have already said he will take the witness stand to deny lying to the FBI in its investigation of the Plame leak.
Even if prosecutors agreed ahead of time about the importance of "the nine national security matters" he wants to disclose, Libby would be entitled to introduce additional evidence, his lawyers wrote. In court documents, prosecutors argued that it would be "unnecessarily wasteful of time" to allow Libby to present "names of foreign leaders or government officials of other countries, or the names and histories of various terrorist groups."
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/07/2006 00:00 ||
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Scooter's gonna make it painful. I agree. This witchhunt needs to go away
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/07/2006 9:10 Comments ||
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Libby was "selected" to take the fall. He's not going quietly. I don't blame him. Backstabbing is the realm of the Muzzies.
If the Sr UN Slimeballs are so unhappy, then, this calls for a freakin' celebration, lol. · Officials 'glum' over choice to succeed Kofi Annan
· Staff believe US pushed for weakest candidate
Senior officials at the United Nations expressed despair yesterday at the prospect of Kofi Annan being succeeded as secretary general by Ban Ki-moon, the South Korean foreign minister.
Continued on Page 49
For the most part, the NYT editors played it straight - but check out the spin in the lead paragraph... I guess they just couldn't help themselves.
When protesters stormed a Columbia University stage on Wednesday evening, shutting down a speech by the head of a fiercely anti-immigration [Uh, hang on there, try anti-illegal aliens, NYT assholes.] group, they not only stopped the program, but also hurtled the university back into the debate over free speech on campus.
The fracas, which came just weeks after the president of Iran was invited to speak at Columbia and then told not to come, was captured live by Columbias student-run television station, CTV, as well as by two commercial stations. It was shown repeatedly on television in New York yesterday and was widely available on the Internet.
Yesterday Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg chastised Columbia for the disruption. I think its an outrage that somebody that was invited to speak didnt get a chance to speak, he said in response to a question on his weekly radio program.
Bollingers just got to get his hands around this, Mr. Bloomberg added, referring to Columbias president, Lee C. Bollinger. There are too many incidents at the same school where people get censored, he said, using Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as an example.
This time the speaker, invited by a campus Republican group, was Jim Gilchrist, the head of the Minuteman Project, which assembled hundreds of volunteers last year, some armed, to patrol the Arizona-Mexico border for illegal immigrants.
Mr. Bollinger, a legal scholar whose specialty is free speech and the First Amendment, quickly condemned this weeks disruption.
Students and faculty have rights to invite speakers to the campus, he said yesterday in an interview. Others have rights to hear them. Those who wish to protest have rights to do so. No one, however, shall have the right or the power to use the cover of protest to silence speakers.
He added, There is a vast difference between reasonable protest that allows a speaker to continue, and protest that makes it impossible for speech to continue.
Monique Dols, a senior in history at Columbias School of General Studies, said she had mounted the stage in protest and unfurled a banner but that at such events in the past the speakers had kept going.
We have always been escorted off the stage and the event continues, she said, adding that this time the protesters were attacked.
We were punched and kicked, she said. Unfortunately, the story being circulated is that we initiated the violence.
While college campuses have long been battlegrounds for freedom of speech issues, Columbia seems to attract more attention than most when such problems arise, perhaps because of its location in New York and its history of political protest.
Mr. Bollinger, who has held high-level positions at the University of Michigan and Dartmouth, said he did not believe that Columbia was unusual in the number of disputes over free speech. Officials are studying whether disciplinary steps are warranted, he said.
On campus yesterday, many people condemned the silencing of Mr. Gilchrist.
I think it was really wrong not to let him speak, said Anusha Sriram, 18, a Columbia freshman studying political science and human rights, who moved to the United States from Mumbai five years ago. He wasnt being violent. He was giving his view peacefully.
She said she was upset that by keeping Mr. Gilchrist from speaking, the protesters had unwittingly turned the tables of the discussion against themselves.
That just undermined the entire protest, she said. Now everyone looks at the protest in a bad light instead of him in a bad light.
She added, They should invite him back and maybe set up a debate.
The program was sponsored by the Columbia University College Republicans, a five-year-old group that says on its Web site that it has 600 members. Its president, Chris Kulawik, a junior, is described on the site as a staunch conservative who endeavors to attain the cherished title of Most Despised Person on Campus.
He said he was very much surprised by Wednesday nights events.
We always understood that this is a very left-wing campus, he said. But to see your peers resort to physical violence because they disagree with you is very frightening.
He said he had been working to ensure there is more campus security next week when his group has three more potentially controversial speakers, including Walid Shoebat, a former P.L.O. member, and Hilmar von Campe, an author who fought for Germany during World War II.
When asked how he chooses speakers, and whether he tries to stir up controversy, he said he chooses people that his groups members request.
Wei Wei Hsing, 20, is a junior at Columbia and general manager of the Columbia Political Union, which has frequently co-sponsored events with the College Republicans, including a lecture by John Ashcroft last year. She criticized both Mr. Gilchrists supporters and the protesters for yelling and shouting before the lecture started, setting a tone of intolerance. But she said the controversy simply reflected the political mood. The polarization of the country in general is reflected in the microcosm of Columbia, she said. And because people here happen to read the news more, and talk about politics, its expressed more outwardly.
The Minuteman Project, which calls itself a citizens vigilance operation, featured photos, video and news accounts of the Columbia events yesterday on its Web site and said they amounted a riot.
At Columbia University free speech took quite the hit, it said. At an event hosted by the college Republicans at Columbia we were reminded that the left advocates free speech only for those who regurgitate the same tripe that they spew.
Columbia officials said yesterday that while there had been pushing and shoving on stage, as protesters surrounded Mr. Gilchrist and others tried to defend him, there were no reports of injuries.
Mr. Bollinger said he believed that the importance of free speech must be reinforced repeatedly. He said he hoped to do a number of things over the next several weeks to accomplish that on campus.
Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said yesterday, Academic freedom thrives when all ideas, including racist ideas, have the opportunity to be aired. And, of course, they have to get the last word in - quoting one of their socialist asshole ACLU buddies - with the "racist" meme. Gawd I hate these pricks. Bite me, NYT.
#1
the "students" were all videotaped and some have been publicly identified by name. Since they knowingly violated several of the University's basic rules and conduct requirements, causing potential violence and damage to the University's *snicker* reputation, they'll be thrown out, right Mr Bollinger?
He needs his feet held to the fire. This is a no-brainer. He'll try to weasel out. Don't let him
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/07/2006 10:21 Comments ||
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#2
Oh-oh. Looks like the Columbia kiddies took the facism a little to far this time. Even the Times and the ACLU is on their case. Well...kinda.
Time to backtrack. BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP...
#3
Poblem is, Bollinger supported affirmative action when he was at Michigan; I don't see him going against the PeaCeniks here, probably a slap on the wrist at best.
A group of illegal immigrants who worked for Wendy's International Inc. is suing the restaurant chain because the company fired them after discovering it had missed a deadline for joining a federal program that would have helped them attain legal status.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in state district court in Houston, is a companion to a similar class-action suit filed last month in Dallas against Dublin, Ohio-based Wendy's, its subsidiary Cafe Express and the Houston-based business law firm Boyar & Miller.
The immigrants, who worked for Cafe Express, are seeking unspecified damages.
Between the two lawsuits, 40 illegal immigrants say they were fired after the company recently found that Boyar & Miller, the law firm Wendy's had hired, never filed paperwork for a 2001 legalization program that allowed immigrants with employer sponsorship or an American spouse to apply for citizenship.
Once the discovery was made, Wendy's was forced by law to fire the employees because of their illegal status. Immigrants in the program would have been insulated from being fired.
"I put all my hope and faith in this company," said Daniel Olivares, who worked for Cafe Express for nine years before being fired in September. "It was devastating news for me and my family."
Wendy's spokesman Bob Bertini called it an "extremely unfortunate situation" due to "the mistakes made by others" that began before his company acquired Cafe Express.
Both entities "had no idea these applications were not filed on time until late this summer," Bertini said. "Unfortunately, our hands are tied."
Bertini said Boyar & Miller, which no longer represents the company, was supposed to file the paperwork on time. The firm did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Wendy's and Cafe Express say the number of immigrants affected statewide is 22 _ 16 who were fired, and six who left on their own after hearing the news.
But attorneys for the immigrants estimate that the number is closer to 100, even though only 40 are named in the suits.
"A surgeon leaving a scalpel inside of someone is a direct analogy to missing a filing deadline _ you don't do it as a lawyer," said Stanley Broome, whose Dallas-area law firm, Howie, Broome & Bobo, is representing the immigrants.
Attorneys for Olivares said the company deducted $25 from his weekly paycheck of $313.20 for 4 1/2 years to cover legal fees associated with the program. With the rest of his paycheck, Olivares said he helped support his sister, her two daughters and his ill mother in Mexico City.
Olivares said he was risking deportation to speak up for himself and his former co-workers. He said he has not looked for other work because he's afraid of being caught by the authorities.
"I'm not safe anymore," said Olivares, who has been in the country 14 years.
#1
Stanley Broome, whose Dallas-area law firm, Howie, Broome & Bobo, is representing the immigrants.
I call malpractice for that ridiculous firm name alone. BTW, did Wendy's force you asholes to illegally enter the country? No. Were they required to facilitate your stay and employment in this country based on your job? No. STFU and deport yourselves. I hope Wendy's wins and gets their atty fees paid by Mr. Broome from HopingForALargeSettlement, LLP
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/07/2006 10:12 Comments ||
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#2
Once the discovery was made, Wendy's was forced by law to fire the employees because of their illegal status. Immigrants in the program would have been insulated from being fired.
Here's the kicker. It appears that Wendy's was trying to do the right thing. Rather than just hire illegal aliens, it appears they did so using the law. I think that these illegal immigrants have a right to be angry - Nine Years of being told that you are in a legal program and having pay deducted from their check. I don't think they should get any punishment money - but I do think they have a very valid complaint.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in state district court in Houston, is a companion to a similar class-action suit filed last month in Dallas against Dublin, Ohio-based Wendy's, its subsidiary Cafe Express
Missing this deadline for a client like Wendy's in two cities? This almost smells like a setup.
#7
The fact that illegal immigrants have any legal standing in US courts, is a perfect illustration of how screwed up our immigration policies are.
Any "immigration reform" must include the codicile that if you are here illegaly, you have no right or standing in our judicial system, but are subject to summary deportation without hearing or trial.
#8
Boyar & Miller should be facing the lawsuits, not Wendy's. All the burger chain has to do is refund any of the withholdings and they're in the clear. I'd love to see the catfight that erupts with two law firms going at each other. The illegals would have to wait decades for a settlement and you just know that over 99.9999999% of any monetary award would be consumed by legal fees. I predict a per plaintiff rebate of 5¢.
#9
I usually agree with you, msgeek. But I disagree with you on this one. While I do agree with you that The fact that illegal immigrants have any legal standing in US courts, is a perfect illustration of how screwed up our immigration policies are, you can't ignore that these people were allowed to stay and work with the assumption that they were within a program that made their employment legal - for nine years. I understand the contradiction of my point of view - but these people were subjected to fraud and - in this case - I think they should have some standing regardless of their status.
#10
It seems like Wendy's knew exactly who the illegals were, doesn't it? All we hear is the same load of crap that employers can't verify documentation. What a load of horseshit. If you don't speak English fluently, 99.99% indication of illegal. Verify the documents. Does this lead to a supposition that half of McDonalds will close due to lack of workers ? What about all the chicken factories in the South ? Closing? No more chickee for you and me ?
#11
SpecOp - good point. I know that in some states the laws actually make it difficult for employers to verify employment if the employees produce adequate looking fake docs. What I've never understood is how, year after year, they can submit their taxes with a bogus ss# and it doesn't raise any flags.
I just want a fence and a fair legal system that allows workers to come into the US. No more of this crossing the border or shadow world. As for the 12 million here illegally - ONCE we have a GOOD system in place that prevents the illegal flow, I really don't have much of a problem with allowing the ones who have been long time, hardworking, good "citizens" to be screened and allowed to stay on. But I don't think they should get the actual right of citizenship until after all those who did it legally though. In my mind, we not only allowed but encouraged them to come up here and work. I don't support any form of amnesty until we have a good fence and the employers get hammered if they hire any more illegals without work papers.
#12
it was a 2001 program, so the 9 years stated is SPIN. at best they were misled for 5 years, meaning they were illegal all the years before....lessee...9-5, carry the 7.... = 4 years that they acknowledge. How many years before then?
Wendy's owes them nothing. They paid the same taxes, SSI, etc. that we all pay. Should they be refunded? I call it the cost of a failed bid for amnesty. Anyone think a Wendy's employee gets full medical insurance? How many trips to the ER did they make? Kids in schools? Who paid for that? You.
FUCK em and their scumbag atty
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/07/2006 12:45 Comments ||
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#13
Is there such a thing as a permanent resident status in the US?
Posted by: Bob ||
10/07/2006 12:49 Comments ||
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#14
Frank, I agree that Wendy's owes them nothing. And I am also sick of the lie we somehow benefit by employers hiring workers and not paying them enough money to live here and then making taxpayers pick up the slack that the employers aren't paying for their housing, healthcare, etc. It is beyond absurd.
But I think that even if we deported these illegals tomorrow, they should still have a right to sue those lawyers. It boils down to what happened to them just ain't right.
I really don't blame the immigrants who come here, I blame the employers and the system that makes this whole illegal worker system possible. I guess I look at it as if I was in their shoes, I would have done it too.
As for the people that are here already, I think we do have a responsiblity to the ones that just did what they were encouraged to do and were good citizens that stayed out of jail and off the dole. To me, this whole issue has some of the same earmarks as the institution of slavery. Sure, they came of their own free will and so it is not the same. But there are many parallels.
#15
been thinking and I know someone is going to say that my comparison to slavery lessens the horror of the institution of slavery. Ok. I take it back. But there are many parallels. This whole system of illegal immigration is immoral. Millions of people living and working here without rights, living in a shadow world.
And the reason given for keeping this terrible system in place? The economy would collapse without the cheap labor. Sound familiar?
Also annoying is the claim that the brown folk will do jobs that Americans won't do. And then who will do it when we make them citizens? It's bull.
This is a system that openly encourages the poor to come here for opportunity and then exploits them once they get here.
#16
immoral yes, all the way around. Go after the employers - btw - "the fence and greater enforcement won't work" we're constantly told. I saw a newsclip about the farmers who can't get their apples picked, their lettuce picked, because....the workers aren't available - at the wage the farmers want to pay. Apparently there's a shortage (wonder why?), and the pickers are working for the highest bidder, networking via cellphones...
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/07/2006 14:53 Comments ||
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#17
Umm, that's how it has always worked up till a few years ago. Nobody ever said that you are guananteed unlimited employees for $3.50 an hour. You have to compete for employees, pay is only one way to do it, but it is a good way.
#18
I wouldn't mind a licensed workforce, but enforcement and control comes first. Otherwise you have no rational basis to decide who and how many are allowed to work, often to the detriment of teens, minorities starting out in their first jobs. I did contruction pick-up work, worked in a pizza kitchen, and did car detailing for my first couple jobs in high school - those are all dominated by illegals now. Where do teens get their first taste of work-for-money now?
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/07/2006 16:04 Comments ||
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#19
Did you notice that the one farmer said he had to bring in "Legal" foreign workers at a higher wage cause he couldn't get enough illegals at the cheaper wage. It should be noted that most of the cost of a food product is applied between the farm and the table. Don't be fooled about where most of you grocery money goes.
#20
completely agree. Saw a similar segment while in the Midwest recently. Heh, maybe the MSM is trying to scare us that motherhood won't be able to make apple pie. I thought to myself, so you are going to have to pay a reasonable wage and we will have to pay more for apples. We'll save the money on our taxes.
Behind the scenes, there seems to be quite a bit of activity going on making it tougher on the employers. Several cities are suing the large companies demanding reimbursemnt for city services used by illegals.
If you ask me, the way to end this is to make it more expensive for the employers to fight the lawsuits and bribe contribute to the politicians than it is to pay a fair wage. You don't have to sue them all to make most of them fly right.
#21
It should be noted that most of the cost of a food product is applied between the farm and the table. Interesting. So the mobsters unions who run the food chains are getting the biggest cut. Figures.
#22
Actually, anon, that's true of just about any retail business. Food, furniture, auto parts, whatever, the retail mark-up is over half the price. Retail stores are expensive to run.
(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. unemployment rate matched a five-year low in September and job growth the prior month was stronger than previously estimated, easing concern the economy is faltering. The economy created 51,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department said in Washington. While that was fewer than economists predicted, it was offset by a 188,000 rise in August that was almost 50 percent bigger than the government previously reported. The jobless rate unexpectedly declined to 4.6 percent.
Bonds fell and the dollar jumped as the reports suggested the economy will withstand the worst housing-industry downturn in more than a decade. The numbers also diminished speculation that the Federal Reserve will reduce interest rates in coming months. Stocks retreated. ``The message, with the revision included, is that the economy has good forward momentum,'' said John Silvia, chief economist at Wachovia Corp. in Charlotte, North Carolina. ``Housing is definitely having an effect, but it's not a crippling effect. Consumer spending won't collapse. The Fed is on hold.''
The report also showed job growth during the 12 months ended in March may have been about 41 percent higher than previously reported. In a preliminary estimate, the Labor Department said payrolls for the 12 months ended in March 2006 will be revised higher by 810,000, the biggest revision since the Labor Department started benchmarking numbers in 1991. Currently, figures show 2 million jobs were added during that time. The final estimate will be issued in February.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/07/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
sorry, we be foley juz now
Posted by: Captain America ||
10/07/2006 1:19 Comments ||
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#2
What does this story have to do with Foley. How dare they write something about a topic other than Foley. We need more Foley info.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
10/07/2006 2:21 Comments ||
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#3
It's under e-con-omics - something donkeys have a hard time grasping. They'll get there someday - about a thousand years or so too late. Pelosi is proof that the donkeys don't understand anything but socialism.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/07/2006 19:40 Comments ||
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#4
More good news for Americans means more bad news for the Demoncraps. Of course, now they're spreading conspiracy theories about declining oil prices.
Novelist Salman Rushdie will join the faculty of Emory University in Atlanta and donate his archive to the institution, marking the writer's first extended relationship with a university, Emory officials said Friday. Rushdie will join the school in the spring of 2007 and lead a graduate seminar, participate in undergraduate courses and deliver lectures during his five-year appointment.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/07/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Good message to send the terrorists. "Your death fatwas serve as job recommendations over here."
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.
U.S. intelligence reports now say the Cuban leader's condition appears terminal, government officials tell TIME
RUSSIA deported today a planeload of Georgians accused of illegal immigration in its latest blow against its southern neighbour, officials said. "I can confirm that the plane with Georgians deported from Moscow will arrive in Tbilisi at 1600 local time (2200 AEST)," Georgian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Nino Kajaia said. The Georgians were rounded up in police raids over the past few days as part of a wider Russian campaign of sanctions against Tbilisi. Moscow acted after Georgia briefly arrested four Russian officers on spying charges.
COMPUTER hackers based in China have launched sustained attacks on the computers of a US Commerce Department technology export office, a department official said overnight. The official, who requested anonymity, said the attacks had originated from websites registered with Chinese Internet service providers.
Santiago - Former Spanish prime minister 
· Officials 'glum' over choice to succeed Kofi Annan
A group of illegal immigrants who worked for Wendy's International Inc. is suing the restaurant chain because the company fired them after discovering it had missed a deadline for joining a federal program that would have helped them attain legal status.
Novelist Salman Rushdie will join the faculty of Emory University in Atlanta and donate his archive to the institution, marking the writer's first extended relationship with a university, Emory officials said Friday. Rushdie will join the school in the spring of 2007 and lead a graduate seminar, participate in undergraduate courses and deliver lectures during his five-year appointment.
