Jail-bound socialite Paris Hilton urged fans today to sign a petition to pardon her "mistake" because she provides beauty and excitement to "(most of) our otherwise mundane lives". The 26-year-old was ordered by a Los Angeles judge on Friday to report to a county jail by June 5 to serve a 45-day sentence for violating the terms of her probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case.
Hilton's plea, on her MySpace website, came as her lawyers filed a notice with the court indicating their intent to appeal. The document is required before a formal appeal can be lodged. The hotel heiress urged fans to join her in a desperate plea to California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to keep her out of jail. She wrote on her blog: "My friend Joshua started this petition, please help and sihn (sic) it. i LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!"
The petition reads: "Paris Whitney Hilton is an American celebrity and socialite. She is an heiress to a share of the Hilton Hotel fortune, as well as to the real estate fortune of her father Richard Hilton. She provides hope for young people all over the U.S. and the world. She provides beauty and excitement to (most of) our otherwise mundane lives."
It adds: "We, the American public who support Paris, are shocked, dismayed and appalled by how Paris has been the person to be used as an example that Drunk Driving is wrong...
"This petition is to ask Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to pardon Paris Hilton for her mistake. Please allow her to her return to her career and life."
Posted by: Steve ||
05/09/2007 07:31 ||
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#1
"Sihn here"! If you put your ear up to her head, you can hear the ocean....
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/09/2007 8:05 Comments ||
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#2
Loved her comment about "cruel and unwanted punishment" the other day. Wonder if that would work for me?
Good you're learning to grovel, babe. Boss Dyke considers that a turn on...
#3
What is the fuss about her and her videos? (except for being a filhy rich heiress). She isn't even prettier than the average girls at Sarkozy's meetings.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/09/2007 18:19 Comments ||
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#8
Followup:Paris' pardon plea laughed out of governor's office Paris Hilton's pardon plea to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has been laughed out of his office.
The hotel heiress appealed to her fans to sign a petition after she was sentenced to 45 days in jail for driving with a suspended licence and sent it to the actor-turned-politician.
But calls to Arnie's office inquiring about the petition were met with mockery.
The governor's press secretary, Aaron McLear, said, "The petition will be treated no differently than any other request filed to the governor's office.
"The governor only acts in extraordinary circumstances."
Paris' mother Kathy Hilton is furious her daughter has been given a jail term.
She told the USA Today newspaper, "This is pathetic and disgusting, a waste of taxpayers' money with all this nonsense. This is a joke."
The 45-year-old even implied the judge only decided to jail Paris to become famous.
When the judge sentenced the socialite, Kathy laughed out loud and blurted, "May I have your autograph?"
When Judge Michael T. Sauer walked into his parish church on Saturday, the day after sentencing Paris, he was greeted by rapturous applause. AZCentral.com
SPECIAL TROPICAL DISTURBANCE STATEMENT "Cuz we don't want to say the 'H-word'"
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
1115 PM EDT TUE MAY 8 2007
A NON-TROPICAL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM...CENTERED ABOUT 175 MILES EAST OF JACKSONVILLE FLORIDA AND ABOUT 160 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF CHARLESTON SOUTH CAROLINA...HAS BEEN MOVING SLOWLY WESTWARD AT 5 TO 10 MPH. THE LOW IS PRODUCING GALE-FORCE WINDS NEAR THE COASTS OF NORTH CAROLINA...SOUTH CAROLINA...GEORGIA AND NORTHEASTERN FLORIDA. THIS SYSTEM HAS CHANGED LITTLE SINCE THIS EVENING...AND NO SIGNIFICANT STRENGTHENING IS EXPECTED. THE LOW IS BEING MONITORED FOR SIGNS OF TROPICAL OR SUBTROPICAL CYCLONE DEVELOPMENT...AND AN AIR FORCE RESERVE RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT IS SCHEDULE TO INVESTIGATE THE SYSTEM TOMORROW MORNING.
INTERESTS ALONG THE COAST OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES SHOULD MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICES. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS SYSTEM CAN ALSO BE FOUND IN HIGH SEAS FORECASTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE... UNDER AWIPS HEADER NFDHSFAT1 AND WMO HEADER FZNT01 KWBC.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/09/2007 08:14 ||
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...We've been under it all night and expect to be catching wind, rain and high tides all day. It's been a strong storm, but definitely no more than that. On the other hand, this thing came literally out of nowhere and the weather forecasters were terrified that it would grow into a tropical storm - or worse - and they'd have to explain how they'd missed it.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
05/09/2007 8:41 Comments ||
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the storm didn't come out of nowhere
it formed May 6 well off the NC coast as a more or less typical frontal low
the movement was unusual in that it moved southwest rather than northeast; the other unusual thing is that it strengthened substantially; however it is in the process now of weakening -- very few reporting stations have high winds (e.g., Jacksonville, FL is reporting 0-3 mph)
#5
AT 1100 AM EDT...1500Z...THE CENTER OF SUBTROPICAL STORM ANDREA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 30.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE 79.3 WEST OR ABOUT 140 MILES...225 KM...SOUTHEAST OF SAVANNAH GEORGIA AND ABOUT 150 MILES...240 KM...NORTHEAST OF DAYTONA BEACH FLORIDA.
ANDREA IS MOVING GENERALLY TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 3 MPH. A CONTINUED SLOW MOTION AND A GRADUAL TURN TOWARD THE SOUTHWEST ARE EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ALONG THIS TRACK...THE CENTER OF ANDREA IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN OFFSHORE OF THE U.S. COAST THROUGH AT LEAST THURSDAY MORNING. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 45 MPH...75 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24
HOURS. WINDS OF 40 MPH EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 115 MILES...185 KM...MAINLY TO THE EAST OF THE CENTER. THE LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY AN AIR FORCE RESERVE RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT WAS 1003 MB...29.62 INCHES.
SINCE THE HEAVIEST RAINS ASSOCIATED WITH ANDREA ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN OFFSHORE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS... ANDREA IS NOT EXPECTED TO PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL OVER ANY LAND AREAS THROUGH AT LEAST THURSDAY MORNING.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/09/2007 13:51 Comments ||
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"SPECIAL TROPICAL DISTURBANCE STATEMENT"
Except, of course, it ain't. They admit in the next sentence it's a "NON-TROPICAL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM."
It's like they're trying to make the weather seem worse and more extreme that it has been in the past.
Oh, wait....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/09/2007 18:17 Comments ||
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Police have pressed charges against detained former BNP lawmaker Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu in two criminal cases filed in February this year.
Meanwhile, former Awami League (AL) lawmaker Lotus Kamal was placed on a two-day remand in a case filed under the Emergency Power Ordinance 2007. The criminal cases against Pintu were filed with Kamrangirchar and Hazaribagh police stations on February 13. The investigation officers (IO) of the two cases pressed charges against him and three others on May 6.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2007 00:00 ||
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Up to 3,000 AL men sued for procession in airport area; 3 top Uttara cops closed, one inspector suspended The government yesterday beefed up security around Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina's Sudha Sadan residence while airport police filed a case against two to three thousand party leaders and activists for bringing out procession in airport area on Monday defying the state of emergency. Dhanmondi police were also preparing to file a similar case accusing another two to three thousand AL leaders and supporters until 10:00pm, duty officer of Dhanmondi Police Station said.
Sub-inspector Shahriar Hossain of Airport Police Station filed the case at 8:00pm under the Emergency Power Rules. In the case statement, he mentioned that the AL leaders and workers gathered at the airport and brought out procession defying the state of emergency. The police administration also came down hard on three top Uttara cops -- Deputy Commissioner Tanveer Haider, Assistant Deputy Commissioner Iqbal Hossain and Assistant Commissioner MM Salahuddin-- for 'neglect of duty' during Hasina's homecoming celebration. The three were closed to the police headquarters. Uttara zone Patrol Inspector Kamruzzaman has been suspended.
Meanwhile, AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil, presidium member Tofail Ahmed and wife of detained presidium member Kazi Zafarullah met Hasina yesterday evening amid tight security. Police this time took three-tier security measures instead of the previous two-tier to tighten security for Hasina, also a former prime minister, on her return home. Earlier the government withdrew Hasina's security on March 27, 12 day after she left for the USA.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2007 00:00 ||
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Campaigners are celebrating after the European Commission abandoned its hugely unpopular plan to scrap the historic Imperial measures.
Brussels bureaucrats admitted that forcing traders to use only metric grams and kilos would not be 'good for business'.
The present dual labelling system, displaying both sets of measures, will now carry on indefinitely.
Neil Herron, director of the Metric Martyrs pressure group, hailed a 'monumental victory'.
He dedicated the triumph to the memory of his friend Steven Thoburn, the Sunderland green-grocer who died at 39 as he fought his conviction for selling bananas by the pound.
Mr Herron said: "People power has forced the Commission and the Government to abandon the enforced metrication programme.
"We have saved the pint, the mile, the yard, the foot and now we have saved pounds and ounces. We have stood toe to toe with the Government and the EU and won - and shown others that you can stop the tide of EU legislation."
Under Brussels plans dating back to the 1990s, it would have become illegal for UK shops to display the Imperial measurements after January 1, 2010, with traders facing fines of up to £2,000.
But Industry Commissioner Gunther Verheugan performed a spectacular U-turn when he spoke to a committee of MEPs on Tuesday.
He said research had shown that the intended ban would damage trade with the US, which uses Imperial measurements for many goods.
A Commission spokesman admitted later that Mr Verheugan had backtracked after consultations with traders showed overwhelming support for dual labelling.
Mr Verheugan is expected to recommend next week that the EC rejects the proposals for metric-only measures, lifting any potential threat to feet and inches as well.
Tory spokesman Giles Chichester said: "I am happy the Commission has been persuaded that it is good not only for international business but for the British people that traditional measurements are kept. I just hope that the Government will avoid forcing metrication down the public's throat."
David Delaney, of the British Weights and Measures Association, said he was "overjoyed".
He added: "We have campaigned for 25 years to ensure choice in measures and faced many defeats. Now we are within touching distance of a final victory."
A survey by the association last November showed eight out of ten people opposed metric-only measurements.
A Department for Trade and Industry spokesman said: "The EC held a public consultation on dual labelling and we responded that we wanted to keep it. We are now waiting for a formal ruling."
But Mr Herron called the Government's reaction 'hypocritical'. He said the DTI had slipped plans to outlaw pounds and ounces completely on to the Statute Book in 2001.
Mr Thoburn, the original Metric Martyr, was convicted by magistrates in Sunderland in 2001 of using scales that could not weigh in metric units, which had become illegal the previous year.
He was given a six-month conditional discharge, but died of a heart attack three years later after the European Court of Human Rights rejected his final appeal against his conviction.
Mr Herron said he planned to campaign for a Royal Pardon for his friend.
He said: "He should never have been prosecuted and all the authorities knew it should never have happened. The name of Steve Thoburn will be chiselled into the pages of the history books."
Ian Hartley, Mr Thoburn's father-in-law, said: "He would have been so proud to see this result after years of campaigning".
Only four shopkeepers were ever prosecuted for using pounds and ounces - an offence which carried fines of up to £5,000 - as the Metric Martyrs campaign won support from millions.
At least 15 consumer surveys between 1995 and 2000 found the British people overwhelmingly rejecting metrification.
Under existing European rules, which will now not be changed, shops must use metric units as the main measurement of weight, but can display the equivalent in pounds and ounces as well. Three cheers for the rights of Free-Born Englishmen!
#2
Not so fast Guido. This is spin. Get thee to EU Referndum for the real scoop. This is just SSDD and the coerced move to all metric is still on schedule
The may meeting of the Russian-Chinese Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation has been postponed again, this time until autumn. In Moscow, they are saying that the change is due to changes in the personnel on the commission. In Beijing, they say it is due to the need to make improvements under current contracts. The real reason is most likely the substantial reduction in military-technical cooperation between Russia and China, which has lost exhausted potential in its current form.
Kommersant learned of the postponement of the commission meeting in the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation. The reason is purely technical, it was explained there, a change of commission chairmen. At the end of March, Sergey Ivanov, now first deputy prime minister, was replaced by new Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov.
Sources in the Russian defense industry have suggested to Kommersant that there is another reason the meeting is not being held. They say that they meeting was moved back by Beijing, which is demanding that improvements to Russian weapons be made under current contracts after Chinese testing. In particular, the test firing of a Moskit missile installed on a Project 956EM cruiser last year was a problem, as was the firing of a Club-S on a Project 636 vessel.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: John Frum ||
05/09/2007 00:00 ||
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Once again reflects the hidden sectarianism = intra-politicking inside the former Commie Bloc -the former USSR, now RUSSIA, likes to criticize and rant agz the USA-NATO = Western democracies, but QUIETLY targets the largest percentage/-ile of its mil arsenals-forces units agz CHINA, A FACT THAT CONTINUES TO BE REFLECTED IN POST-USSR NET MAPS VV THE NUMBER OF RUSSIAN BASES AND TYPE OF BASES-UNITS LOCATED ALONG THE RUSSO-CHINESE BORDERS.
OTOH, KOMMERSANT > RUSSIAN ARMS SALES: LOWER QUANTITY, HIGHER QUALITY article. Russian Generals, Admirals, Politicos, and Perts demand decadent Western Capitalism give them all the very best in order to kill the West.
#2
My guess is that the Chinese want to buy single copies of the weapons along with the manufacturing knowhow, and the Russians are balking. Good for the Russkies.
European Union leaders try not to meddle in each others' domestic politics or take sides in national elections.
Only American and Middle East 'lections.
For months, however, the bloc's key movers and shakers have been silently praying for the election of Nicolas Sarkozy. As their dream came true on Sunday night, key EU politicians including European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso and German Chancellor Angela Merkel rushed to heap praise on Sarkozy as the man destined to revive Europe's flagging fortunes. Snipped out all the treacly BFF drivel
But there's more to their joy than party-politics. Both Merkel and Barroso are struggling hard to revive the EU constitution which was rejected by French and Dutch voters in summer 2005, plunging the bloc into an institutional crisis. Sarkozy's pro-European agenda and especially his preference for a so-called "mini-treaty" - salvaging key parts of the original 500 page draft constitution - is therefore music to their ears.
Both Merkel and Barroso are especially pleased that under Sarkozy's proposal, the scaled-down constitution would be ratified by the French parliament rather than through a risky public referendum.
Urk.
In fact, Sarkozy's plan fits in well with calls by British Prime Minister Tony Blair - and presumably his expected successor Gordon Brown - for an "amending treaty". The British have the support of the Dutch, Czechs, Swedes, and Poles. Despite differences on detail, there is a broad consensus that the new, streamlined treaty should provide for a fixed-term president rather than the current six-month rotation, a first-ever European "foreign minister" and a new system of qualified majority voting to allow for quicker decisions.
Merkel is hoping to get EU-wide agreement on a "road map" to revive the crippled constitution at the bloc's summit in June in Brussels. Germany has the EU presidency until July 1. The hope is that the treaty would enter into force in 2009, just before June elections to the European Parliament.
At which point those pesky, boring and expensive 'lections can be substituted for, um... something else.
Not all parts of Sarkozy's agenda on Europe meet favour in Brussels, however.
That whole "friends with America" nonsense, f'r instance.
During the election campaign, for instance, the president-elect did his share of Europe-bashing, saying the EU needed to do more for citizens and accusing Brussels of supporting unchecked free market economics. He also called on the European Central Bank to be more interventionist in favour of creating jobs and growth and claimed that the strong euro is harming French exports.
Sacre bleu.
Sarkozy's recent protectionist statements, in which he vowed to defend French companies against foreign takeovers, also caused dismay among some EU officials.
Pssst, Sarko: trade protectionism /= free market economics. Just so you know.
EU diplomats are especially wary of Sarkozy's strong opposition to opening the bloc's doors to Turkey which he recently insisted was in "Asia Minor," not in Europe. Instead of EU membership for Turkey, Sarkozy favours Merkel's idea of a priveleged partnership with Ankara.
"Separate and quite nearly as equal" as a matter of fact.
Turkey opened EU membership negotiations in October 25 and although the pace of the discussions have slowed down, many EU officials, including enlargement chief Olli Rehn, warn against giving Ankara the "wrong signal" on its entry prospects. EU accession is seen as vital for stability in Turkey - especially in view of current political divisions within the country - and for a continuing commitment by Ankara to political reform and improved human rights.
#3
sarko is still going to support French interests, I mean whoda thunk that.
And yeah, some of the EU rules keep the French from doing things to subsidize their own industry that they want to do - mainly cause the UK insisted on that.
(AKI) - The head of France's Muslim Council Dalil Boubakeur is "satisified" by the victory on Sunday of conservative president-elect Nicolas Sarkozy, who Muslims should "put their faith in," he told Adnkronos International (AKI). "Like most people in France, we are happy to have a new president who is committed to maintaining public order and security and to improving the French economy," he said. The council was set up in 2002 as an official point of contact for France's five million Muslims. Sarkozy was interior minister at that time and counts the French Muslim council's creation as one of his achievements.
Algerian-born Boubakeur, who is also rector of the main mosque in Paris added: "Muslims are also happy to have a president who will work to ensure employment opportunties for young people, eliminate discrimination and put an end to disorder and delinquency in poor areas."
"According to the information in our possession, Muslims voted in more or less equal numbers for both candidates - Sarkozy and [Socialist contender Segolene] Royal in Sunday's run-off.
Sarkozy "knows the Muslim community and its spokespeople very well and is in excellent relations with them," Boubakeur stated. Sarkozy's proposed "affirmative action" towards Muslims and changes to French law allowing the state to finance the construction of mosques, show he is not racist, Boubakeur argued. "Sarkozy acts in favour of Muslims," he said.
The problems that Muslims experience in France have little to do with religion and are more connected the economic and social conditions of France's poor high-rise suburbs, according to Boubakeur. Measures are needed to tackle these issues - which do not only affect Muslim citizens - rather than policies aimed at Muslims, he said. Boukbakeur however urged Sarkozy to "honour his commitments, especially to increase job opportunities for young people." Increasing access to the jobs market is one of the main problems facing France, where youth unemployment is running at 25 percent or higher in some areas.
To help Sarkozy in his promised push to integrate immigrants in France, Muslims must avoid shutting themselves off from the rest of French society within their own religious communities, Boubakeur concluded.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2007 00:00 ||
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Kiss-butt has always been used as taqiyah, by Muslims.
#2
Boubakeurs is or try to look like the moderate face of Muslims. No calls to shariah, to wopmen of veiling and AFAIK has no public links with our friends the Saudis.
#4
True, 1904, but...uh oh: those newly working Muslims might have to work for a-gasp-WOMAN! Oh horror, females and males mixing in the workplace, Muslim men forced to take direction from female Catholic bosses with intact genitalia, the sky is falling, Allah cries...
#5
"According to the information in our possession, Muslims voted in more or less equal numbers for both candidates - Sarkozy and [Socialist contender Segolene] Royal in Sunday's run-off.
Not Ready For Prime Time. I blame Bush
Barack Obama, caught up in the fervor of a campaign speech Tuesday, drastically overstated the Kansas tornadoes death toll, saying 10,000 had died.
The death toll was 12.
"In case you missed it, this week, there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people diedan entire town destroyed," the Democratic presidential candidate said in a speech to 500 people packed into a sweltering Richmond art studio for a fundraiser.
Obama mentioned the disaster in Greensburg, Kan., in saying he had been told by the office of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius that the state's National Guard had been depleted by its commitment to the Iraq War. "Turns out that the National Guard in Kansas only had 40 percent of its equipment and they are having to slow down the recovery process in Kansas," Obama said, his shirt sleeves rolled up and his head glistening with sweat.
As the Illinois senator concluded his remarks a few minutes later, he appeared to realize his gaffe. "There are going to be times when I get tired," he said. "There are going to be times when I get weary. There are going to be times when I make mistakes."
Obama spokesman Bill Burton said later that the senator meant to say "at least 10," instead of 10,000.
During his speech, Obama stirred the crowd as he often does by skewering President Bush over the unpopular war and noting that he opposed it from the outset. "How could we have been involved in a war that never should have been authorized, that has already cost us half a trillion dollars," Obama said.
It was Obama's third visit to Virginia's capital in eight months. It came as national polls show him trailing rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., by double digits.
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/09/2007 07:29 ||
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Ten thousand dead? I heard it was TEN MILLION! And the Kansas National Guard only has two guys left in Kansas. The rest are killing civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, looting what's left of New Orleans, or letting their trucks and front end loaders idle to increase global warming!
Get your story straight, Obama!
#2
"There are going to be times when I get tired," he said. "There are going to be times when I get weary. There are going to be times when I make mistakes."
Yeah, the Presidency itself is a breeze compared to the campaign.
#3
Good catch, Angie. If he was not the dem darling, the MSM would have run with that 24/7.
I think it is kind of creepy that he made that mistake. It makes me suspect he is a compulsive liar and is having trouble toning it down under the spotlight.
It is too bad because I'd rather see him run than Hillary. She will create a Divide and Conquer America(TM) campaign that will harm the country. Obama will just be a stupid goof whose middle name is Hussain.
#5
What's a little exaggeration of a few orders of magnitude among friends? By the way, there were 500,000 people in that art studio, not 500!
JohnQC -- Actually, there are 10 types of people in this world: those that understand binary and those that don't!
Posted by: Dar ||
05/09/2007 13:17 Comments ||
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#6
This is basically what I have been sending my friends (who voted for Sebelius and adore Obama He is sooo refreshing!) in east Kansas. There has been a rumor that Sebelius has had national political motivations since her re-election. Democrat in a red state, and balanced the budget. About the budget, ironically she balanced it by reducing funding for the very institutions who where first responders to this disaster. Further attempted to balance the budget by consolidating school districts where buses would carry kids up to 60 miles away to school, then back after school. Keep that in mind if indeed she does go national. Ok, to the point
The 731 KNG is in Iraq - it is a little over 850 personnel - it includes elements from surrounding State Guards - although the 731st is designated as a transport unit that is not its mission this time around. To say that this would have gone better if they were home is insulting to the 731, many are from out here and have family in Greensburg, from a governor who upon their return from Iraqi Freedom where they logged over 1 million miles only sent them a (poorly IMO) written thanks for the MC to read; did not even send an aid. How about a thanks to the local responders, especially the Sheriff who died when as he was going door to door warning people, was caught in his cruiser and killed? How about the locals shepherding complete strangers in their basements?
Our (highly skilled and motivated, under-equipped) volunteer fire/rescue, and EMS, were there immediately, as well as many other departments; I mean like 5 minutes after the tornado had passed (due to storm tracking, and a sense that this was going to happen and able to scramble EMS before contact). There is an Army Reserve post in Dodge City with heavy moving equipment, and there are multiple KDOT and HiPo stations around that area with equipment which can be used, as well as 'Joe Farmer' who, any at least 5 miles away from Greensburg, helped with equipment as well as with food and shelter needs.
Two things are really disappointed/infuriating for us out here: Governor Sebelius' reaction and lack of understanding of our communities and how we out here are prepared for just such emergencies and that we don't bitch/complain when this stuff happens; and the fact that the media clogged up the only standing structure - the hotel which could have been triage and shelter - and the air traffic with their news copters - blocking life flight missions. They last thing people out here do is rely on Topeka to come and save us, and Forth Riley is a long ways away credit to the Adjutant General for his prompt arrival.
If she really wants better emergency response, take $1 million dollars from the (her constituents) 'university bathroom fix fund' of what is it now? $65 million?, and split it between 20 fire/rescue stations out here (average of $50,000, and would cover and area about 200 miles by 200 miles or 40,000 square miles) so that we can get equipment updated and replaced. That would be the better bang for the buck, so when these tornados and prairie fires, and blizzards lest we forget, do sweep through we are able to protect our communities and the tens of millions dollars worth of farmland (equipment) and livestock and be even better able to respond to tornados and blizzards.
To those out there, we have (more than) what we need. Kill this story and its politics so that we can get to work.
Posted by: ed ||
05/09/2007 18:28 Comments ||
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#8
...To amend, keep up the coverage in the 'Burg - the vigilance and prayers from those of you out there are being shared and will not be forgotton...we just do not need Obama, Reid, et al taking up our cause. We are doing just fine thanks.
#9
thx, SW KS Vol Fire/Rescue... saying prayers for ya
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/09/2007 20:39 Comments ||
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#10
the senator meant to say "at least 10," instead of 10,000.
"There are going to be times when I get tired," he said. "There are going to be times when I get weary. There are going to be times when I make mistakes."
Oh yeah right, and this is why I want to vote for this guy.
Wait until things really get heated up, I wonder what he'll say next.
(shakes head)
Posted by: Jan ||
05/09/2007 21:20 Comments ||
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#11
Here's the thing to look forward to: If Obama wins the Demonrat nomination, anybody who dares to criticize him will be labeled a racist; if Hillary manages to bore the delegates into nominating her, anybody who says boo in her direction will be sexist. That means, in both cases, that nobody in the MSM will hold these two responsible for their actions, or at least not to the level a Republican would be.
Want to know the implications of this fact? People will lie in the polls because they don't want to be seen as racist or sexist, depending on who become the Demo nominee. That means that if the Republican wins, there will be YET ANOTHER outcry from the nutbag fringe. Happy days!
Posted by: Jonathan ||
05/09/2007 22:18 Comments ||
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#12
Sounds like Osama has gotten the Al Gore disease - a little exaggeration here, a little there, and pretty soon he ends up 50 lbs overweight, an ex-presidential candidate and a little wild and crazy.
We don't deserve him. The man's a saint. Ascetic lifestyle. Alms for the poor. Tip for the pool boy (but not if the towels are wrinkled!) Democrat John Edwards said Tuesday that he worked for a hedge fund between presidential campaigns to learn about financial markets and their relationship to poverty and to make money too. un hunh
In an interview with The Associated Press, the former North Carolina senator said his yearlong, part-time position with Fortress Investment Group helped his understanding of the connection but he has more to learn. Edwards has made eradicating poverty a focus of his second White House bid. he's doing his best in his own domecile...one of these days, if you elect him...nevermind, you'll pay more in taxes than you gain..
Edwards, a multimillionaire after years as a trial lawyer, would not disclose how much he got paid for a year of consulting beginning in October 2005. He said the amount will be revealed when he releases his financial disclosure forms due May 15.
Asked if he had to join a hedge fund to learn about financial markets, Edwards replied, "How else would I have done it?" hire an expert? But then the funds would not be flowing to your own pockets. Color me cynical
He said he considered going to an investment firm such as Goldman Sachs, but Fortress was the most natural fit. Presented with the suggestion that he could have taken a university class instead, he said, "That's true." ehhhhh. Yeah
"It was primarily to learn, but making money was a good thing, too," the 2004 vice presidential nominee said in an hourlong interview with AP reporters and editors.
Hedge funds, now numbering more than 9,000 in the U.S. with assets estimated to exceed $1 trillion, traditionally cater to the rich, as well as pension funds and university endowments, but are increasingly luring less wealthy investors.
Fortress Investment Group, founded in 1998, describes itself as "a leading global alternative asset manager" with approximately $35.1 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2006. The company is headquartered in New York with affiliates around the world.
Fortress was the single biggest employer of Edwards donors during the first three months of the year. Donors who listed "Fortress" as their employer contributed $67,450 to Edwards' campaign and supporters who identified their employer as "Fortress Investment Group" gave $55,200 to the campaign, according to Federal Election Commission records. bought and paid for....and no pimp to take a cut. Everybody wins!
Hedge funds also have another connection to the Democratic presidential raceChelsea Clinton, daughter of Edwards' rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, works for a firm called Avenue Capital Group.
Edwards said it's fair to ask questions about whether there is a contradiction between campaigning against poverty while working for a hedge fund designed to make rich people richer. But he said the job was a complement to his position as the head of a poverty center at the University of North Carolina, something he said he didn't describe adequately when asked about the hedge fund during the first Democratic debate last month.
Hypocisy - your first name is John...or Al... or Sheryl..or Laurie...damn
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/09/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
You could feed 10,000 starving villagers in Ethiopia for a full year with the cash this clown shells out for a haircut.
#3
Edwards has made eradicating poverty a focus of his second White House bid
Oh, boy! The return of the Great Society! That worked soooo well...NOT. Note to all dumbocrats: poverty can't be eliminated by the government! F*cking mandarins.
Despite spending billions of dollars, society is far from prepared to deal with a mass outbreak of a killer influenza strain, delegates were told yesterday at the 2007 BIO International Convention in Boston.
"Youre on your own," concluded David Ozonoff, a doctor at Boston Universitys School of Public Health, referring to worst-case scenarios of an outbreak. "We dont have a clue what the (degree of virulence) might be," said Ozonoff of the strain of influenza that could hit the world.
Yesterdays session on a future flu pandemic - at which Ozonoff and other experts spoke - was one of scores of seminars and conferences held at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, where thousands of biotech executives have gathered for the giant BIO 2007 event that runs through tomorrow.
Biotech and pharmaceutical companies are working hard to ramp up operations in the event of a pandemic, thanks to billions of dollars set aside by the federal government for research and preparedness, experts said. The recent avian flu scare in some countries has put nations around the globe on alert for a pandemic.
Experts agreed its not a matter of "if" but "when" a flu pandemic, perhaps as severe as the strain that killed millions in 1918, breaks out.
Bruce Gellin, director of the national vaccine program at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said "substantial progress" has been made in developing potential vaccines, antiviral therapies and diagnostic kits. But the nations vaccine production capacity is still far short of what is ideally needed if a pandemic occurs, said Gellin. "I dont think were going to be able to stop a pandemic in its track," said Gellin. "Our goal is to slow it down and lessen its impact."
#2
Hint: We are ALWAYS on our own in times of stress. Make a plan for the folks you care about, practice your plan, stock up on necessities, don't panic.
#4
When I heard about the outbreaks of bird flu in Asia I took the initiative to buy enough Tamiflu for my immediate family. I think of it as purchasing a relatively cheap insurance policy against the worst case scenario.
#6
thanks to billions of dollars set aside by the federal government for research and preparedness, experts said.
That is what this is really all about. Just like global warming is really about that 40 Billion. Any highly publicized public scare can be traced to a source looking for a very large pot of money.
#7
In Ontario doctors may now be dragooned into service in the event of a pandemic. The doctors' union - commonly known as a medical association - suggested that considering they had been drafted the government was obligated to prepare them. The province thinks about it and sends along an emergency preparedness kit to every GP in Ontario including plastic sheet smocks and other medically useless - we are thinking SARS here - but symbolically potent crap. Meanwhile, every academic I know thinks this is all government hype to keep us living in a "state of fear" when what we should really be worried about is imaginary sea change.
#8
All of the pandemics that the "experts" point to happened before the age of modern medicine. When a disease that used to be pandemic breaks out in the West, it gets knocked down pretty well.
The notion that we can deliver such care to the Third World is nonsense. Millions will die, but they already do. They'll just die from something new.
#10
I think Chuck is on the right track. The emergency preparedness and public notification systems are much better now than in 1918, every home (essentially) has a TV or radio. Many people died of influenza in the early part of the century because they couldn't afford a 39 cent bottle of aspirin to break the fever. There is now, for all it's shortcomings, a substantially better medical system. There are several govt. and private groups that train and plan for epidemic control. It wouldn't be a picnic, but I think we'd weather the storm better now, not worse.
#11
FWIW, senior US Army medical officers aren't taking this threat lightly.
Don't know if they fall in Excalibur's "every academic I know thinks this is all government hype to keep us living in a state of fear" category, but there's a boatload of planning going on to try to limit and deal with an pandemic if one really breaks out. I've seen it up close on my own installation.
#12
To start with, "This is not a drill". In optimal conditions, worldwide mortality could exceed 300M.
In the US, the biggest problems we face are first, an inability to produce vaccine fast enough. Six months after the 'actual' strain is obtained, we will be able to produce 30M injections.
Second, there has been no reported 'mild' case of the disease, quit unusual. But this means that if you catch it, you will *have* to have a ventilator or the odds are you will suffocate. The US has only 102,000 of these devices. We use 100,000 during a 'normal' flu season. This is the most aggravating factor increasing our mortality rate.
Third, Avian flu has an unusually high number of animal vectors, to include household pets.
On the plus side, already mentioned, is our superior communications system, our relative underpopulation, a good public awareness of hygiene, and a strongly renewed interest in epidemic preparedness and response.
We are also fortunate that 9-11 and Katrina has re-energized our disaster preparedness activities. Even corporations are now preparing epidemic response plans. This will help us avoid a major economic downturn. We also have significant food reserves if our livestock is decimated.
#13
Many people died of influenza in the early part of the century because they couldn't afford a 39 cent bottle of aspirin to break the fever.
Another factor was access to potable running water. Something that has changed radically throughout the industrialized world. During the 1918 epidemic, they found people who had died on their way out to the well to get more water. As Chuck also notes, the Third World will still take it in the shorts as always.
Has anyone here begun to feel increasingly alarmed at how many of these deadly viral strains originate in China? I mentioned this yesterday and feel that it is something that the world community needs to address. While China's size alone makes it a likely source, there is much that they do to exacerbate the situation. The Politburo's Mandarins see nothing wrong with having sixteen out of the world's twenty worst polluted cities in China. This one statistic reflects upon a host of other environmental and industrial issues that can contribute to the mutation and vectoring of deadly diseases.
Inadequate sewage treatment, contaminated feedstocks, substandard processing and storage of food, lax code enforcement, poor animal husbandry practices plus many other civil management deficiencies all contribute to the opportunity for repeated deadly viral outbreaks. SARS, Swine Flu, Bird Flu, a potentially new porcine virus that has just been revealed continue to pose major threats to our world's population and the global economy.
China's self-serving suppression of statistics and lack of timely warning about existing outbreaks only serves to increase the lethality of these epidemics. Delayed reporting of SARS statistics magnified the death toll to a needless extent as the disease spead unchecked by standard quarantine procedures. Besides increased loss of human life other untold billions of lost tourist revenue and medical costs ensued as a result.
The global community is showing little concern over China's mismanagement and cavalier attitude regarding its central role in so many modern epidemics. It's high time for international censure and boycotts to be imposed upon these poisoners. The melamine feed contamination scandal is still percolating.
Melamine that was allegedly used in wheat gluten by Chinese companies to give a higher, yet false yieldof proteinwas found in chicken feed on some farms in the state of Indiana, the FDA reported on April 30.
Melamine-tainted pet food can cause kidney failure and has already killed probably thousands of dogs and cats and led to many recalls by Menu Foods, Inc., a Canadian firm and other pet food companies since March 16 that may have caused a loss of tens of millions in revenue for the pet food companies, new media reported.
[emphasis added]
Our pets die so that some corrupt Chinese producer can falsely elevate apparent protein yields. Who will pay for those "tens of millions' of dollars in lost revenue, our insurance companies? If so, guess who really pays in the end? The consumer, yes, you and me. Dead pets and higher insurance bills. This is but one small example of China stealing wealth from its foreign customers.
New word has arrived of yet another tainted feed scandal:
A second industrial chemical that American regulators have identified as a pet food contaminant may have been intentionally added to animal feed by producers seeking larger profits, according to interviews Tuesday with chemical industry officials.
Three chemical makers said Chinese animal feed producers often came to purchase cyanuric acid to blend into their feed because it was cheaper and helped increase protein content. In the United States, cyanuric acid is often used as a chemical stabilizer in swimming pools, though it is not thought to be highly toxic on its own.
None of this addresses the financial losses of poultry producers who were forced to stall delivery of some twenty million birds while testing for melamine contamination went forward. It has been decided that it is safe for the public to consume these low levels of melamine. However, research has shown that it may be the combination of melamine with cyanuric acid that causes crystal growth which blocks the kidneys' microtubules. This was a possible explanation of why more cats than dogs perished from the contaminated pet food.
One final question is this: Why in HELL are we obliged to consume any of this chemical poison at all? Why does China keep getting let off of the hook for these enormous damages even though it is their lax inspections and incredibly corrupt code enforcement that frequently is responsible for these episodes? There needs to be import penalties placed upon China to recoup the financial losses being endured by our domestic producers. It is time for China to pay the piper.
#14
Moose, as it involves H5N1, the usual methods of producing a vaccine are useless. Flu vaccines are produced in live eggs. H5N1 kills the egg, so other methods are having to be explored. The University of Rochester just got approval for its vaccine for H5N1, effective 40% of the time.
It is not known if there is a "mild" form of the disease. All of the cases have been in countries where people do not have the money for medical care until they become critical. People with "mild" cases just got over it without seeing a doctor. There are so few cases that making any sort of predictions about an epidemic, its severity or its prevention is pure speculation.
Avain flu has been found in cats and other carnivores who are known to have eaten sick birds. There are no cases known of H5N1 having been passed from cat to cat or ferret to ferret.
Just over 1/3 of the way through 2007 and there have been only 28 cases. We're on track to have a yearly number similar to the last two years 100 =/- .
#15
...there's a boatload of planning going on to try to limit and deal with an pandemic if one really breaks out. I've seen it up close on my own installation.
One thing military medical personnel have to accept as a given is that our enemies may use biological weapons against us, including pandemic viral infections. Of COURSE they plan to respond to it - they'd be fools not to. It's hard to defend this nation if half or more of our troops are hospitalized.
One of the things I keep thinking about with so many of these problems originating in China is that China is trying to develop just such a viral agent, and their decontamination procedures are as faulty as their sanitation. If I were a Russian, I'd be ten times as worried, having these folks on my doorstep.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
05/09/2007 15:51 Comments ||
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#16
Chuck Simmins: As to mild cases, in several outbreak areas, virtually every person has been tested--they either had the severe disease or none at all. With lots of opportunity for a mild case, none has been found.
#17
One of the things I keep thinking about with so many of these problems originating in China is that China is trying to develop just such a viral agent, and their decontamination procedures are as faulty as their sanitation.
Damn good question, Old Patriot. I'm amazed that I didn't consider that myself.
#18
China is where a lot of pigs, fowl and people live close together, allowing the influenza virus to mutate and jump species.
Posted by: ed ||
05/09/2007 18:23 Comments ||
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#19
If I had to suspect China of biowar, I'm not sure I'd think H5N1. It could be. Remember that the Soviets had several accidents, including one that rendered a fair sized island uninhabitable.
#20
China is where a lot of pigs, fowl and people live close together, allowing the influenza virus to mutate and jump species.
Which is why I have always made sure to cite, first and foremost, China's being such an ideal incubator. China's government also happens to be the sort of thugs who wouldn't think twice about decimating an entire district if it suited their whims. Peking's incompetence and corruption allowed the medically caused AIDS crisis in Henan take root for the better part of a decade while they played the denial card. Chinese life is cheap, it's their military that's going to prove really expensive at some point, to all of us.
#21
OP, I agree with you on the biowar threat and planning. Where I am, the planning refers to 'pandemic influenza' but is certainly applicable to other rapidly spreading, high mortality/morbidity illnesses.
The biggest Soviet bio-accidents were with anthrax and tularemia IIRC. Check out BioHazard, written by the Ken Alibek who headed the Soviet bioweapons labs until he decided the USSR and the lab was going in the wrong direction.
(AKI) - The ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra faces up to 15 years in prison if the authorities manage to prove that he maintained control of the family telecoms firm Shin Corp even after he became prime minister in 2001. The Assets Examination Committee (AEC), a panel of anti-corruption experts which was instituted by the military junta after the 19 September coup, has threatened to take action against the former premier over this issue.
The AEC said that the sale of Shin Corp shares could have also been a facade and that the former prime minister had actually continued to manage the operations of the conglomerate while in power, which would be against the anti-corruption legislation.
The doubts expressed by the AEC which announced that it wishes to re-open the case - is not new. Thaksin has already been accused and absolved of the same charges in the past. Although Shin Corp was listed on the stock exchange in 1992, Thaksin and his family have always maintained control over a majority of the shares. However Thaksin's wife was forced to sell her shares after the 2001 election victory, the first win by the leader of the Thai Rak Thai party.
According to the laws stipulated in the 1997 constitution, the prime minister and his wife are barred from having shares in a company that has working ties with the state. His wife's shares were sold to a phantom company, Ample Rich, registered in the British Virgin Islands, a tax haven, as well as to family members and household employees.
Founded in 1983 by Thaksin, the Shin Corp conglomerate is the leader in the mobile phone sector of Thailand and also has interests in various other sectors including satellite technology. The collaboration with the government was one of the factors that allowed Shin Corp to expand very rapidly during the years of Thaksin's government. Thaksin's family sold their shares of Shin Corp to Singapore's Temasek Holdings in a much talked about tax-free deal which was concluded in 2006.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2007 00:00 ||
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President Bush signed an agreement creating a "permanent body" that commits the U.S. to "deeper transatlantic economic integration," without ratification by the Senate as a treaty or passage by Congress as a law.
The "Transatlantic Economic Integration" between the U.S. and the European Union was signed April 30 at the White House by Bush, German Chancellor Angela Merkel the current president of the European Council and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso.
The document acknowledges "the transatlantic economy remains at the forefront of globalization," arguing that the U.S. and the European Union "seek to strengthen transatlantic economic integration."
The agreement established a new Transatlantic Economic Council to be chaired on the U.S. side by a cabinet-level officer in the White House and on the EU side by a member of the European Commission.
The current U.S. head of the new Transatlantic Economic Council is Allan Hubbard, assistant to the president for Economic Policy and director of the National Economic Council.
The current EU head of the council is Günther Verheugen, vice-President of the European Commission in charge of enterprise and industry.
The Transatlantic Economic Council was tasked with creating regulatory convergence between the U.S. and the EU on some 40 different public policy areas, including intellectual property rights, developing security standards for international trade, getting U.S. GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Practices) recognized in Europe, developing innovation and technology in health industries, implementing RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technologies, developing a science-based plan on bio-based products and establishing a "regular dialogue" to address obstacles to investment.
At a joint press conference, Bush thanked the other two leaders for signing the "trans-Atlantic economic integration plan," commenting that, "It is a recognition that the closer that the United States and the EU become, the better off our people will be."
Barroso said the Transatlantic Economic Council is meant to be "a permanent body, with senior people on both sides of the Atlantic."
As WND has reported, Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez repeatedly has pushed for North American integration, much as the April 30 agreement proposes closer U.S.-EU integration.
Mexico's ambassador to the U.N., Enrique Berruga, has called for a North American Union to be created in the next eight years.
But the Bush administration's push for North American integration is facing increasing opposition within Congress.
WND reported Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Va., has introduced House Concurrent Resolution 40, which opposes the administration's Security and Prosperity Partnership, blocks a NAFTA Superhighway System and expresses opposition to the U.S. entry into a North American Union with Mexico and Canada.
WND also has reported a movement led by Phyllis Schlafly of Eagle Forum has led to an increasing number of state legislatures proposing resolutions opposing a North American Union.
The director of international economics at the Council of Foreign Relations has launched a scathing attack on sovereignty and national currencies.
Benn Steil, writing in the current issue of CFR's influential Foreign Affairs magazine, says "the world needs to abandon unwanted currencies, replacing them with dollars, euros, and multinational currencies as yet unborn."
In the article, "The End of National Currency," Steil clearly asserts the dollar and the euro are temporary currencies, perhaps necessary today. He argues "economic development outside the process of globalization is no longer possible."
Continued on Page 49
Mark Malloch Brown spoke Monday to a crowded auditorium at the World Bank's headquarters, warning that the bank's mission was "hugely at risk" as long as Paul Wolfowitz remained its president. Only hours earlier, news leaked that a special committee investigating Mr. Wolfowitz had accused him of violating conflict-of-interest rules. A coincidence? We doubt it.
Mr. Malloch Brown, remember, was until last year Kofi Annan's deputy at the United Nations. In that position, he distinguished himself by spinning away the $100 billion Oil for Food scandal as little more than a blip in the U.N.'s good work, and one that had little to do with Mr. Annan himself. Last week, Mr. Malloch Brown was named vice president of the Quantum Fund, the hedge fund run by his billionaire friend George Soros. A former World Bank official himself and ally of soon-to-be British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Mr. Malloch Brown would almost surely be a leading candidate to replace Mr. Wolfowitz should he step down. Not surprisingly, Gordon Brown cold-shouldered Mr. Wolfowitz at a recent meeting in Brussels.
No way in hell Dubya would nominate Mr. Brown to head the World Bank.
The bank presidency would be a neat coup for Sir Mark, and not just because the post has heretofore gone to an American. He also stands for everything Mr. Wolfowitz opposes, beginning with the issue of corruption. Consider Mr. Malloch Brown's defense of the U.N.'s procurement practices.
"Not a penny was lost from the organization," he insisted last year, following an audit of the U.N.'s peacekeeping procurement by its Office of Internal Oversight Services. In fact, the office found that $7 million had been lost from overpayment; $50 million worth of contracts showed indications of bid rigging; $61 million had bypassed U.N. rules; $82 million had been lost to mismanagement; and $110 million had "insufficient" justification. That's $310 million out of a budget of $1.6 billion, and who knows what the auditors missed.
Mr. Malloch Brown also made curious use of English by insisting that Paul Volcker's investigation into Oil for Food had "fully exonerated" Mr. Annan. In fact, Mr. Volcker's report made an "adverse finding" against the then-Secretary-General. Among other details, the final report noted that Mr. Annan was "aware of [Saddam's] kickback scheme at least as early as February 2001," yet never reported it to the U.N. Security Council, much less the public, a clear breach of his fiduciary responsibilities as the U.N.'s chief administrative officer. Mr. Malloch Brown described the idea that Mr. Annan might resign as "inappropriate political assassination"--a standard he apparently doesn't apply to political enemies like Mr. Wolfowitz.
Mr. Malloch Brown never made any serious attempt to reform the U.N. beyond the cosmetic, while doing everything he could to block the real reforms proposed by Americans Christopher Burnham and former Ambassador John Bolton. He was, however, energetic when it came to lecturing Americans about what they owed the U.N., such as joining the "reformed" Human Rights Council (whose only achievement to date has been to castigate Israel), pursuing a "new multilateral national security," and otherwise empowering the likes of Mr. Malloch Brown, his multilateral mates and their tax-free salaries.
Views like these help explain why Mr. Malloch Brown is in such favor with Mr. Soros, who has publicly suggested the U.S. will need a "de-Nazification" program to erase the taint of the Bush Administration. So close are the two that Mr. Malloch Brown lives in a suburban New York home owned by Mr. Soros. Mr. Malloch Brown says he pays market rent, though reporting by the New York Sun's Benny Avni disputes that. In any case, it's safe to assume that Mr. Soros's widely published views are close to Mr. Malloch Brown's somewhat more guarded ones.
So it's not surprising that many on the World Bank staff would cheer Mr. Malloch Brown: He's perfect for an institutional culture in which "progressive" thinking goes hand-in-glove with a tolerance for corruption. That culture has been on vivid display in the Euro-coup against Mr. Wolfowitz. This weekend the committee investigating the claims dropped 600 pages in the president's lap and told him he had 48 hours to respond--in direct violation of World Bank staff rule 8.01, 4.09, which states that "the amount of time allowed a staff member to comment [on an investigative report] . . . will not be less than 5 business days." Following protests from Mr. Wolfowitz's lawyer, the committee gave him 72 hours.
This is the same kangaroo court that last month leaked its guilty verdict to the Washington Post before Mr. Wolfowitz even had a chance to plead his case. Our sources who have seen the committee's report tell us it is especially critical of Mr. Wolfowitz for daring to object publicly to the committee's methods and thereby bringing the bank's name into disrepute. The Europeans running this Red Queen proceeding prefer that they be able to smear with selective leaks without rebuttal.
Mr. Malloch Brown warned on Monday that, if Mr. Wolfowitz stayed as president, European countries might withhold funding from the next financing round for the bank's International Development Association. We hope he's right, though we know few European finance ministers who aren't eager to throw good money after bad. Still, it's a remarkable bit of chutzpah for the man who downplayed corruption at the U.N. to seek the ouster of the man who has fought to reduce corruption at the World Bank.
If the Bush Administration now abandons Mr. Wolfowitz as he faces a decision from the bank's board of governors, it will not only betray a friend but hand the biggest victory yet to its audacious enemies in the George Soros axis.
Yeah, Da Organization. Our thing. And dat's da important part. Our thing dint get hurt. Evabody made out. N' Kofi? Dey nevah laid a glove on 'im.
Anybody sez otherwise, dey falls down an elevator shaft. Ain't dat right, Don Georgio?
#7
Disband the "World Bank", refuse to put another nickel into it, and withdraw from the UN. Tell the Euros to go do funny things with their heads and brown stuff. Stop giving "foreign aid" to any of these kleptomaniacs, and let Yurp go into the toilet where it richly deserves, and drag Russia down with it. I have no sympathy for any of these crooks.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
05/09/2007 15:37 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Jail-bound socialite Paris Hilton urged fans today to sign a petition to pardon her "mistake" because she provides beauty and excitement to "(most of) our otherwise mundane lives". The 26-year-old was ordered by a Los Angeles judge on Friday to report to a county jail by June 5 to serve a 45-day sentence for violating the terms of her probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case. 
The government yesterday beefed up security around Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina's Sudha Sadan residence while airport police filed a case against two to three thousand party leaders and activists for bringing out procession in airport area on Monday defying the state of emergency. Dhanmondi police were also preparing to file a similar case accusing another two to three thousand AL leaders and supporters until 10:00pm, duty officer of Dhanmondi Police Station said.
European Union leaders try not to meddle in each others' domestic politics or take sides in national elections. 
Despite spending billions of dollars, society is far from prepared to deal with a mass outbreak of a killer influenza strain, delegates were told yesterday at the 2007 BIO International Convention in Boston. 
