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Israel flattens Paleo foreign ministry, Hamas offices
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-Short Attention Span Theater-
Tropical storm watch issued for eastern North Carolina
From the Rantburg Weather Center
Tropical Storm Public Advisory
Statement as of 11:00 am EDT on July 18, 2006

at 11 am EDT...1500 UTC...a tropical storm watch has been issued for the eastern coast of North Carolina from north of Cape Lookout northward to south of Currituck Beach Light.

At 1100 am EDT...1500z...the center of Tropical Depression Two was located near latitude 32.5 north...longitude 73.4 west or about 220 miles...355 km...south-southeast of Cape Hatteras North Carolina. The depression is moving toward the north near 5 mph. A slow turn toward the north-northwest or northwest is expected to occur later tonight or Wednesday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph...55 km/hr...with higher gusts. Some strengthening is forecast during the next 24 hours and the depression could become a tropical storm later today or
tonight. Oh Joy.
The estimated minimum central pressure is 1011 mb...29.85 inches.

Forecast track here. If it doesn't turn, it'll go right up the Chesapeake to DC.
Posted by: Steve || 07/18/2006 12:25 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Sigh. Just what we need, more rain.
Posted by: Fleresh Gloluper8546 || 07/18/2006 13:07 Comments || Top||

#2  Hope it stops by Richmond - we do need the rain.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 07/18/2006 16:04 Comments || Top||

#3  Richmond... hmmmm.
Posted by: newc || 07/18/2006 18:48 Comments || Top||


Veteran Hooker Becomes Local Landmark
Brigitte, a blond, big-bosomed prostitute with a heart of gold, has been plying her trade on the streets of Koblenz for 47 years. She's so well known now she even had a role in a promotional film for the region.

Come pouring rain, bitter cold, baking sun and everything in between, Brigitte -- no last names please -- has been practicing the world's oldest profession and everyone in Koblenz knows her.

"I still have fun doing it," said Brigitte, who, like many ladies of a certain age, declines to reveal the exact year of her birth, although she'll admit she's somewhere in her mid-sixties.

She's become such a fixture in the city, that recently she had a role in an ironic film about the region, entitled "You Are Koblenz" along with other local celebrities.

"Hello you Koblenz people, this is your Brigittchen," she says on camera. She need say no more.

When she was younger, Brigitte trained to be a hairdresser, then worked in a police academy cafeteria and the hotel business. Finally, she decided to pursue a more horizontally oriented profession. She's keeping mum about why.

Brigitte has become such a fixture in the town that tour guide Manfred Gniffke often takes visitor groups by her favorite spot.

After almost half a century, Brigitte still has her energy, although she says after about another decade she might decide to finally call it a night. She doesn't appear to be worried about getting lonely after she stops seeing clients, even though she's single. In fact, Brigitte says she's never wanted a husband.

"Rather than having a man to myself, I'd rather have a new one every ten minutes," she said.
Posted by: Sholuth Flotch4186 || 07/18/2006 03:19 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  And I thought she'd get a golf course in her honor, a place where men could put their shots and balls into many holes.
Posted by: Lancasters Over Dresden || 07/18/2006 8:29 Comments || Top||

#2  Reminds me of the Exhibitionist who is thinking about hanging up his trench coat for the last time but decides to stick it out one more year.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 07/18/2006 11:23 Comments || Top||

#3  Loading Wayne Newton's Danke Schoen onto my pod while I read this a second time.
Posted by: Besoeker || 07/18/2006 13:50 Comments || Top||

#4  ......I recall.....Central Park in fall......how you tore your dress.....what a mess....
Posted by: mcsegeek1 || 07/18/2006 15:01 Comments || Top||

#5  I imagine most of her clientele are older gentlemen who buy her drinks and dinner to hang out, and she tickles them under the chin and calls them "handsome", maybe with a warm bear hug and a peck on the cheek.

And they feel they really get their money's worth.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 07/18/2006 19:05 Comments || Top||

#6  Anonymoose, at this time in my life I think that's a damn fine evening.
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 07/18/2006 19:16 Comments || Top||


Britain
Alun Menai Williams, Spanish civil war veteran, Dies at 93
The first attempt by Alun Menai Williams, who has died aged 93, to join the International Brigade and fight fascism in the Spanish civil war ended when the trawler he was travelling on was turned back by a gunboat. Then, a passage by ship from Marseilles to Barcelona was aborted. The third attempt, though successful, nearly cost Williams his life; his Barcelona-bound steamer was torpedoed by an Italian submarine, and he was rescued by a Spanish fishing boat. Williams was one of the last survivors of the 2,400 British volunteers in Spain; 526 died during the conflict and fewer than 20 are still alive.
Once again, nobody writes an obituary like the british
Posted by: Steve || 07/18/2006 09:27 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Only problem is that it was not a choice between freedom and fascism but between a stalinist dictatorship (1) and Franco's. The difference being that except in the immediate post-war Franco killed few people. A lot fewerf than your average communist dictator

(1) the "republican" government sent all of Spain's gold to Stalin. After the war Spaniards starved because quite simply Spain had zero gold or foreign currency and could buy neither food or industrial products.
Posted by: JFM || 07/18/2006 10:54 Comments || Top||

#2  There's a good article/interview with Williams in Military History magazine about 3 or 4 issues ago.
Posted by: Dreadnought || 07/18/2006 12:54 Comments || Top||

#3  Plug for an old professor friend of mine:

"Hitler's Spanish Legion: The Blue Division in Russia", by Gerald Kleinfeld

An interesting read.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 07/18/2006 19:02 Comments || Top||


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
BTC pipeline open for bidness
The new Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline opened this week; it handles 430,000 bbl/day now and 1 million bbl/day in the future. Putin ain't happy; it pulls the whole region towards the West and away from Russia.
Posted by: Steve White || 07/18/2006 01:21 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Europe
Dutch Treat For Pedophiles: Advocacy Is Legitimate
C'mon, children can't protect themselves so it is up to the state. THE HAGUE, Netherlands (UPI) -- A bid to force the banning of a pro-pedophile political party in the Netherlands has been struck down by a court at The Hague.

The PNVD party was formed this year by three admitted pedophiles, and was immediately challenged by the Soelaas foundation, which investigates cases of pedophilia in the country, Expatica and the ANP news agency reported. Soelaas argued a legal ban was needed to protect children from the group, but Judge H.F. Hofhuis ruled that the PNVD has the same right to exist as any other political party. 'They (Soelaas) only want to give expression to their moral concerns. That is far from being sufficient to outlaw a party,' Hofhuis ruled.

The PNVD group advocates lowering the age of consent from 16 to 12, and also seeks to allow teenagers older than 16 to act in pornographic movies, as long as the participation is voluntary.
Posted by: Anginens Threreng8133 || 07/18/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Home Front: Politix
MN Democrat Party Imploding; Atty General Candidate Drops Out
Buffeted by questions about his honesty and investigations into his wife's multimillion-dollar stock options, DFL endorsee Matt Entenza dropped out of the race for state attorney general Tuesday.

With wife Lois Quam, a top executive of UnitedHealth Group, at his side, Entenza stood on the steps of the State Capitol and said he was withdrawing despite his confidence that he still could win the election to succeed Attorney General Mike Hatch, the DFL endorsee for governor.

"But with so little time and so many attacks, from anonymous faxes to attacks on my family, it is impossible to fight these attacks and win this race without it taking a serious toll on the people and the party we care about the most," he said.

Entenza, who recently stepped down as minority leader to concentrate on his campaign, has been under heavy fire for almost a week.

His troubles began with the revelation that he had hired a Chicago opposition-research firm that investigated fellow DFLer Mike Hatch, the current attorney general who is the party's endorsee for governor.

The hail of criticism has been directed not so much at Entenza's original action but at explanations and defenses that his critics are saying are distortions or lies.

Entenza issued a statement Monday, saying that "over the last few days my opponents have tried to land a few hits, but it is nothing compared to the hits the people of Minnesota have taken every day under this Republican administration."

State Rep. Jeff Johnson, R-Plymouth, the Republican candidate for attorney general, bluntly accused Entenza not only of changing his story as details emerged, but of outright lying. "I think he lied probably several times this last week," Johnson said Monday.

Johnson said Entenza initially didn't tell the truth when he told reporters more than a year ago that there was no truth to rumors that he was doing opposition research on Hatch.

Johnson also said Entenza has tried to deceive the public on the motive for his research, the extent of the digging and the cost.

Meanwhile, a St. Paul attorney with a familiar surname in DFL Party history became the first to file a primary challenge. She is Jennifer Mattson, granddaughter of former Attorney General Robert Mattson Sr. and daughter of former State Auditor and state Treasurer Robert Mattson Jr.

Mattson said she saw an "irreconcilable conflict" in Entenza's pursuit of the attorney general's office, which under Hatch is investigating $30 million in stock options granted to UnitedHealth Group, where Entenza's wife, Lois Quam, is a top executive.

In a letter to Entenza, Mattson said his handling of the Hatch inquest and the conflict of interest posed by his wife's income "are now the dominant issues."

"Not only is your own election highly questionable, but you are endangering the entire DFL ticket," she wrote.

Entenza's campaign counterattacked with a statement accusing Mattson of "viciously attacking Matt's wife," who is being "dragged through the mud simply because of where she works."

Mattson's inexperience also was addressed. Entenza's campaign manager, John Van Hecke, cited Entenza's 20-year record as a white-collar criminal prosecutor, an assistant attorney general and as a consumer advocate while in the Legislature.

An anonymous attack against Entenza on Monday came in the form of a packet of documents, including photocopies of campaign records and cancelled checks from Quam and Entenza's joint account, that were faxed to several Capitol reporters. Entenza's name was blacked out on the checks.

The person who faxed the documents claimed that they demonstrate that Entenza didn't tell the truth when he told reporters in December 2004 that he and his wife contributed about $600,000 to Democratic campaigns and liberal groups.

The mystery attacker's documents indicate that Quam gave at least $55,000 more to Democratic committees in South Dakota, which then sent the money back to Minnesota and to the DFL House caucus, which was led at the time by Entenza.

DFL Party chair Brian Melendez said the information in the attack appeared to be accurate but that nothing illegal was done.

In his written statement Entenza said, "We have a lot of Democratic friends in a lot of places, and we are always happy to help them."

Meanwhile, the names of several high-profile DFLers have been circulating as possible alternative candidates to Entenza, with indications that some party insiders are seeking recruits.

The deadline for filing for office is the end of the workday today.
DFL==Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, is the MN Democrat Party.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 07/18/2006 15:42 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Aw, geez - and here my Sympathy Meter™ is out for repairs.

Too bad.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 07/18/2006 15:56 Comments || Top||

#2  This is the party that's "taking back Congress?"

On the one hand, you have Vermont's Democrats actively pushing aside legit Democrat candidates to ensure Bernie Sanders (S-Manhattan), an overt card-carrying Socialist, is elected to the Senate. There's no longer any pretense that they are anything but soft-core marxists.

You have other Democrats in other states running as far to the right as possible, even getting candidates from the hated military, to run to shore up the credibility gap in redder states about defense.

The "culture of corruption" thing has blown up in their faces with Jefferson and McKinney others being caught red-handed abusing power and money.

I'm sure I'm leaving out plenty of other things. The point is, this kind of disarray doesn't indicate sweeping purpose and victory.
Posted by: no mo uro || 07/18/2006 16:38 Comments || Top||

#3  They should turn to Daily Kos for help. I'm sure they'll be back up and running in no time. *snicker*
Posted by: Lancasters Over Dresden || 07/18/2006 16:43 Comments || Top||

#4  useful link (click on maps):

http://www.electionprojection.com/

Four senators in trouble, Lieberman; Cantwell in WA who is not even campaigning, hated by moonbats; Sanders vs three democrats in VT; MN is an open seat with lots of contenders, so this party trouble could really hurt.

Democrat edge in Senate and House races is slimming.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 07/18/2006 18:57 Comments || Top||

#5  Maryland could be a contest, too. That is really painful for the donks. They shouldn't have to work to keep a senate seat in MD. It's going to be interesting.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 07/18/2006 19:11 Comments || Top||

#6  Around here we still have some of the old "Yellar dawg Democrats". For those of you unfamiliar with Southern terminology that means someone who is as mean as a yeller dawg when it comes to attacks on the US. Seems to me we need some more of them. This mulitcultural bullshit peddeled by the "elitists" is absolute crap. The US, in a LOT of areas, is still a melting pot, it's just not "newsworthy" to report it. I have a friend in suburb Atlanta whose neighbors on a cul-de-sac (French for bottom of the sack) are from India, Taiwan, Bulgaria, and Black America. All these people get along with NO problem. The common denominator is they are all middle class, have worked HARD for their position in life, abandoned "victomhood", and want the same for their children. The Democratis seem to still want "Seperate but equal". Horsehockey!! We are all Americans and there should be no "Separate".
Posted by: Deacon Blues || 07/18/2006 19:25 Comments || Top||

#7  I have a friend in suburb Atlanta whose neighbors on a cul-de-sac (French for bottom of the sack) are from India, Taiwan, Bulgaria, and Black America. All these people get along with NO problem.

God bless America! So much of America is that way. Too bad our snotty elite media never report that feel good story and instead focus on everytime some Muslim woman gets a mean look or that a immigrant murderer didn't get read his Miranda rights.

Americans really do celebrate diversity - just not the way thos stupid university professors want us to.
Posted by: 2b || 07/18/2006 19:34 Comments || Top||

#8  a thought a 'yellow dog democrat' is someone who would vote for a yellow dog so long as the dog was a democrat
Posted by: mhw || 07/18/2006 19:34 Comments || Top||

#9  #2: "There's no longer any pretense that they are anything but soft-core marxists."

Whaddaya mean "soft-core"?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 07/18/2006 20:43 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
India's cake loving British 'ghost'


Owen Tomkinson was a British soldier who died of cholera in the northern Indian state of Bihar in 1906.

Nothing unusual about that, but people of Ekbalnagar in Gaya town where Mr Tomkinson is buried, believe that his ghost stops residents and passers-by and demands tea and cake.

So much so that to placate the dead soldier's ghost, they offer tea, biscuits and home-baked cakes at Mr Owen's grave at a two-acre burial ground, where he lies buried with hundreds of other Britons who died in the area.

Most of the graves are of children, aged between three months to eight years, and who died between 1833 and 1877.

Mr Tomkinson was among the last people to have been buried here - 'In loving memory of Owen, The dearly loved husband of Annie Tomkinson who died at Gaya (sic) on 19 September 1906, aged at 47 years', reads the epitaph.

But 100 years after his death, locals of this Muslim-dominated neighbourhood still say that the "angrez bhoot" (English ghost) is a restless soul who can be only pacified with tea and cakes.

Gaya is rife with stories about how Mr Tomkinson's ghost "stops people" and "asks for tea and cakes".

"When darkness falls, the English ghost appears. He is dressed in a very English suit and boots. He stands in the middle of the road demanding tea and biscuit," says local school teacher Mohammad Zamiuddin.

Mehmood Ali, caretaker of the 'European' graveyard where the Englishman lies buried, is not sure of Mr Tomkinson's ghost, but says there is a "ghost in the area who likes tea and biscuits" .

"I have never met the English ghost. But I believe there must be some restless soul roaming around the area with his penchant of tea and biscuit," he says.

Sexagenarian Mohammad Basir says he had an encounter with the ghost some five years ago early one morning.

"He stopped me but after shaking my hand became invisible," says Mohammed Basir, a small time businessman.

There are even stories of how the ghost was "tamed" by a local resident few years ago by "chaining" it to a pillar in the graveyard.

"He tied him with some divine chains and fixed him to iron pillars near the grave," says resident Mohammed Zamiuddin.

But Mr Tomkinson's spirit was free again after the chain was stolen from the graveyard, says caretaker, Mohammed Ali.

The oldest English resident of Gaya town, Arthur Wakefield, is appalled by the ghost stories surrounding Mr Tomkinson.

"This story about his ghost demanding tea and biscuits is just hogwash and part of the local superstition," he says.

But residents of Ekbalnagar - the most backward neighbourhood in Gaya town - still keep queuing up at Mr Tomkinson's grave to offer tea and cakes.

Faiyaz Ahmed, a local resident, says it is a small price to pay to keep the Englishman's ghost happy.

"He is quite unlike other ghosts. He is harmless. Even if you do not serve tea and biscuit, he leaves you if you promise to get it any other day," he says.
Posted by: john || 07/18/2006 18:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


SC grants bail to Muslim converts
LAHORE: A full bench of the Supreme Court, consisting of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, justices Tasadduq Hussain Jillani and Karamat Nazir Bhindari, on Monday granted bail to a couple and observed that if a non-Muslim embraces Islam his or her previous marriage stands invalid. The bench observed further that if a man and a woman declared themselves as husband and wife in society, the provisions of the (Zina) Hudood law couldn't be applied on them. The chief justice, while taking suo moto notice of the detention of Tanvir Ahmad and Rehana from Kohat, had summoned the record of the case against them. Tanvir was a Hindu before converting to Islam and his name was Tanvir Gill while his wife Rehana was a Christian. Both married after accepting Islam and they had a child. A member from Rehana's family had lodged a Hudood case against them and police arrested them on March 25, 2006 and they were sent to jail with their ten-month-old child.
Posted by: Fred || 07/18/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Okay, not sure what is the story about, but it seems that:

A) If you are not a muslim, you can easily go to jail

B) If you convert to Islam, you can easily go to jail too

So, what would be the point in converting?
Posted by: zazz || 07/18/2006 0:50 Comments || Top||

#2  It's easier than taking a shit in your brain.
Posted by: wxjames || 07/18/2006 11:45 Comments || Top||

#3  ;-)
Posted by: Frank G || 07/18/2006 11:56 Comments || Top||


3 killed over quake relief dispute
Three people were killed on Monday in a dispute over the distribution of earthquake relief money in the NWFP quake-affected areas, witnesses said. Four people from the Tarand union council in Batgram district were also injured. A fire exchange erupted over the reconstruction of a house that was destroyed in the October 8 earthquake.

Such disputes between the owners and tenants of houses in the area had taken place for a sometime, both parties claiming they deserved the aid. A house owner and his son were among the three people killed in the dispute. Witnesses said that the tenants fled after the incident and police have not yet made any arrests. Acting Mayor of Batgram Niaz Muhammad Khan said the government's Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority and federal and provincial governments were to blame for their defective policies.
Posted by: Fred || 07/18/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I'm sure Jimmuh can sort this out. Send him in, pronto!

Posted by: PBMcL || 07/18/2006 1:22 Comments || Top||


Hudood Ord won't be repealed
President General Pervez Musharraf said on Monday that the Hudood Ordinance would not be repealed, but certain provisions of the ordinance, including the section regarding production of four eyewitnesses, would be amended. "The president laid emphasis on amending the existing laws in accordance with the injunctions of the Quran and Sunnah," sources privy to a meeting chaired by Gen Musharraf told Daily Times.
Posted by: Fred || 07/18/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Home Front: Culture Wars
Bid for conspiracy coverage loses
Widowed mother Judith Pfeif unsuccessfully sued the Durango Herald newspaper in small claims court Thursday for allegedly failing to report the truth about the U.S. government's role in causing the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Magistrate Doug Walker said the First Amendment was clear.

"I can't tell (the Herald) what to publish any more than I can tell you what to write on the Internet," Walker said.

Pfeif began making her case by introducing herself, with a quavering voice, as a widowed mother of four children who learned to use the Internet to read about Sept. 11 last September.

"My purpose is to raise the standard of reports from negligence to responsible reports and stories about 9/11 and the 9/11 coverup," Pfeif said. "Millions are asking questions not answered by the 9/11 commission. We need more objective reporting of real news beyond spoon- fed propaganda."

Her 22-year-old daughter, Ceara, might not be enlisted in the Army, awaiting deployment to Iraq, if she had been able to learn what she needed to know about the disasters at the World Trade Center and Pentagon from her community newspaper, Pfeif said.

On March 20, Pfeif and her group, Caring for Our Community, shared their research with Herald publisher Richard Ballantine and the editorial board. The group also presented a petition with 193 signatures asking for expanded coverage and then demonstrated in front of the Herald's Main Avenue building. But Ballantine declined to publish their material.

"I don't believe this court has the power to tell Mr. Ballantine to do that," Magistrate Walker said. "And this court can't tell Mr. Ballantine to write more about the Denver Broncos, Iraq or East Timor."

Almost five years after the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, conspiracy theories have proliferated - from the view that the Pentagon was hit not by a plane, but by a cruise missile fired by U.S. or Israeli military, to the assertion that airliners could not have brought down the World Trade Center if the towers had not been rigged with explosives.

Media consultants, psychologists and columnists say that conspiracy theories are popular because people would rather believe that the government was powerful and evil rather than accept it is not in control. University of Utah history professor Bob Goldberg says in his book, "Enemies Within: The Culture of Conspiracy in Modern America," that conspiracies provide some sense of order and purpose to a chaotic world.

Pfeif claimed in court documents that the defendants owed her $7,500 for forcing upon her group "the arduous job of trying to report the story of the 9/11 coverup, thus costing the plaintiff massive amounts of cash monies for DVDs, paper copying of reports, lost wages, loss of personal time to pursue work, gas money, loss of reputation. ..."

Ballantine said his newspaper tries to select stories that are of interest to all its readers.

"We're interested in (Caring for Our Community's) efforts, but the decision about what to print and when to print is best left to the editors of the newspaper," Ballantine told the court. "It is a freedom we jealously guard."

Pfeif has 15 days to file an appeal, and she was still considering Thursday what to do next.

"I'm not stopping here," she said.
Posted by: tipper || 07/18/2006 18:01 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Wow. That's up there with God Juanita.

United States District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania.
God Juanita GRIER, Plaintiff,
v.
Pres. Ronald REAGAN, Mrs. Nancy Reagan, U.S. States Government and Congress, Citizen of U.S. & Foreign Countries, Defendants.
Civ. A. No. 86-0724.
April 1, 1986.
God Juanita Grier, in pro. per.

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

FULLAM, District Judge.
*1 Plaintiff has filed a pro se 42 U.S.C. Section 1983 civil rights complaint accompanied by a request to proceed in forma pauperis. Since it appears plaintiff is unable to prepay the cost for commencement of this suit, leave to proceed in forma pauperis will be granted.

Plaintiff names as defendants President and Mrs. Reagan, the United States Government, Congress, and the citizens of the United States and foreign countries. Her complaint is lengthy, rambling, and at times incomprehensible. It seems that plaintiff's basic claims are that she is god of the Universe and that the citizens of the Universe, former Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Carter, and President Reagan have perpetrated crimes against her through the use of an electronic eavesdropping device. The majority of her complaint is composed of a request for relief in which she asks that the court award her items ranging from a size sixteen mink coat and diamond jewelry to a three bedroom home in the suburbs and a catered party at the Spectrum in Philadelphia.

. . . After reviewing the instant complaint, it is clear that the complaint is frivolous under 28 U.S.C. Section 1915(d) and dismissal is appropriate.
Posted by: exJAG || 07/18/2006 18:40 Comments || Top||

#2  Her 22-year-old daughter, Ceara, might not be enlisted in the Army, awaiting deployment to Iraq, if she had been able to learn what she needed to know about the disasters at the World Trade Center and Pentagon from her community newspaper, Pfeif said.


Oh jeebus, another Mother Cindy.

Your daughter's all growed up, sweetie. Deal with it.
Posted by: lotp || 07/18/2006 18:43 Comments || Top||

#3  "I'm not stopping here," she said.

Oh-oh. Is that a "rolling hunger strike" I see on the horizon?
Take your meds, hon.
Posted by: tu3031 || 07/18/2006 20:51 Comments || Top||


Love and Tolerance fron the gay rights movement
EFL
PROVINCETOWN -- Town leaders here are holding a public meeting today to air concerns about slurs and bigoted behavior. And this time, they say, it's gay people who are displaying intolerance. Police say they logged numerous complaints of straight people being called ``breeders" by gays over the July Fourth holiday weekend. Jamaican workers reported being the target of racial slurs. And a woman was verbally accosted after signing a petition that opposed same-sex marriage, they said.

The town, which prizes its reputation for openness and tolerance, is taking the concerns seriously, though police say they do not consider the incidents hate crimes. ``Hate language is usually the early-warning signal that could lead to hate-motivated violence," Town Manager Keith Bergman said. ``And before that happens, we try to nip it in the bud."

Gays have coexisted fairly peacefully alongside other residents in this community on Cape Cod's tip, home to a long-established Portuguese fishing colony. Provincetown was recently re-certified for its ``No Place for Hate" designation by the AntiDefamation League, which worked with the town on tolerance issues in the 1990s after gays experienced some problems. But the town's ``No Place for Hate" group, set up to address incidents of bigotry, hasn't met in years. ``We have not had problems in a long time," police Staff Sergeant Warren Tobias said. ``I don't necessarily view this as a big problem, but it's certainly a blip on our radar screen."

Along the main shopping street and the wharf, residents of this 3,400-person town -- which swells to some 30,000 over the summer -- say tensions are rising in part because of strong feelings about same-sex marriage. ``I've been here for eight years, and I think in that time the population has changed a bit and there is a little less tolerance," said Simply Silver store owner Bill Mitchell, 53, who said he is gay. ``There has been a little more tension."

Meanwhile, Jamaicans say the intensifying debate over immigration is making racial issues worse. Winsome Karr, 45, originally from Jamaica, has worked in town since 2002. Lately, she said, the off-color comments stem from gay visitors who mistakenly believe that all Jamaicans share the views of an island religious sect that disagrees with homosexuality. Karr's strong accent reveals her Jamaican roots. ``After a while people from here get used to you, and it changes," said Karr, who works at a Tedeschi Food Shop not far from Commercial Street. ``It's just because of the image that gay people have of Jamaicans. People -- no matter who they are -- get defensive of their lifestyle."

On same-sex marriage, the clashes have occurred as the state Legislature grapples with whether the electorate should vote on a measure to limit marriage to heterosexuals. A group that supports gay marriage, knowthyneighbor, has created a website displaying the names of more than 100,000 signers of a petition that calls for the state Constitution to be amended to prohibit same-sex marriage. Knowthyneighbor's tactics are controversial, with critics alleging that knowthyneighbor is making the names of same-sex marriage opponents public in an effort to expose or intimidate them. The group's founders say they are simply promoting civic discourse.

The names of 43 Provincetown residents are listed on the website. Most of the petition signers attend St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, which serves the Portuguese community and others in town. The Catholic Church has helped lead the fight against same-sex marriage. One St. Peter's parishioner, Yvonne Cabral, was verbally accosted last Friday by Provincetown Magazine publisher Rick Hines after Hines learned that Cabral signed the petition, according to police.

Police Chief Ted Meyer plans to seek charges of disorderly conduct against Hines, who saw Cabral shopping and loudly called her a ``bigot," according to both Hines and Meyer. Other people who signed the petition -- and subsequently had their names posted on the same website -- said manure has been spread on their properties in recent months, Meyer added.
Posted by: Korora || 07/18/2006 16:28 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  which swells to some 30,000 over the summer

Nice Cape Code piece..., but as a closet lesbian I am 'offended' by the choice of action verb.
Posted by: Besoeker || 07/18/2006 18:02 Comments || Top||


Home Front Economy
Like Selling Democrat Platform Items (video)
Posted by: Anonymoose || 07/18/2006 14:01 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Home Front: Culture Wars
Vets Drop Suit Over Anti-Kerry Film
I don't think anyone cares, but if you do click the link for the story.
Posted by: Steve White || 07/18/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  So, are these like real Vets, or the usual posturing fake Donk Vets, or outrageous liar "Lucky Hat / Christmas in Cambodia" Kerry Vets?
Posted by: flyover || 07/18/2006 1:04 Comments || Top||

#2  Kerry tools.
Posted by: Bobby || 07/18/2006 6:24 Comments || Top||

#3  Why the long face ?
Posted by: wxjames || 07/18/2006 11:43 Comments || Top||

#4  Ho hum
Posted by: DanNY || 07/18/2006 22:45 Comments || Top||



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Tue 2006-07-18
  Israel flattens Paleo foreign ministry, Hamas offices
Mon 2006-07-17
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Sun 2006-07-16
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Sat 2006-07-15
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Wed 2006-07-12
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Tue 2006-07-11
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Mon 2006-07-10
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