An Oakland bakery called Your Black Muslim Bakery was raided Friday morning and authorities say more than a dozen people were detained as the result of a yearlong police investigation into a number of crimes, including murder, robbery and kidnapping. It was not immediately known if the raids -- at the bakery and three other Oakland homes -- were related to the sidewalk assassination of Oakland reporter Chauncey Bailey. Sources say he was doing an investigative piece on the troubled splinter group not associated with the Black Muslims.
Oakland Deputy Police Chief Howard Jordan would not comment if the raids connection to Bailey's slaying. "These raids were (launched) to seek evidence in several violent felonies including murder, robbery and kidnapping," Jordan said. A police source said the raids were in connection to three murders in the last six weeks in Oakland including Bailey's murder.
Authorities said that four search warrants had been issued and the raid of the bakery at 59th and San Pablo in Oakland triggered the start of the law enforcement crackdown by officers from San Leandro, Fremont as well as Oakland related to an ongoing investigation stemming back "at least a year".
The group has had a violent history. The founder -- Yusuf Bey -- fought accusations that he had raped or molested several girls who worked at Your Black Muslim Bakery between 1976 and 1995. When he died in 2003, he was awaiting trial on charges he sexually abused a girl who was 13 when she began working at the bakery. A violent succession battle ensued. Antar Bey, the son and Yusuf's designated heir, was gunned down as he talked on his cell phone at an Union 76 gas station in Oakland in October 2005. That slaying still remains under investigation.
The group gained further attention in Nov. 2005 when several members were charged and pleaded no contest to trashing liquor cases at local convenience stores.
#8
I seem to recall a "Black Muslim" bakery was connected to the "Zebra Murders". Is this the same one? Is there any connection? If I can dig out the book I have on them, I'll take a look, but if anyone knows off the top of their head...
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
08/03/2007 18:44 Comments ||
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#9
It is in the same region as where the Zebra Murders occured. There were connections to The Nation of Islam. The only good thing about the Black Muslim Bakery was the slogan on their trucks. In retrospect, especially so after the murder of Chauncey Bailey, it now seems a little eerie:
#10
I have driven past that place many times. Went with a friend to a beauty supply place right next door once. I got some icy stares too. Maybe I should have looked at my watch and asked for directions to the nearest footbath.
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) - A Libyan official said Thursday that Moammar Gadhafi's long-isolated country has signed contracts worth $405 million with French companies for missiles and communications equipment. A spokesman for French President Nicolas Sarkozy would not confirm the deal but said there appeared to be one. French officials denied that any deal to sell military equipment was in exchange for Libya's releasing six imprisoned medics last month.
What's the French word for 'perfidy' again?
The first contract, worth $230 million, is for Milan missiles, and the second, totaling $175 million, is for advanced Tetra communications and surveillance equipment for the police, said the Libyan official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. He did not reveal the names of the French companies.
The official said the deal is important because it is the first of its kind that Libya has signed with a Western country since sanctions were imposed in the early 1990s.
David Martinon, spokesman for Sarkozy, refused to confirm the contracts during an appearance late Thursday evening on France's LCI television. ``I do not confirm,'' Martinon said. But he added, ``I imagine it to be true.'' The spokesman did not give the names of the French companies involved, but suggested one was the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co.
Looks like the Libyans didn't want the A380 and got missiles instead.
``It is not my job to speak about the commercial dealings of a company like EADS, which appears to have concluded this deal,'' he said.
No relation to the French gummint at all, no sir, nope, none, other than that the gummint owns 50% of EADS now, but other than that ...
Martinon insisted that no arms contract was signed during Sarkozy's visit to Tripoli last week, the day after the release of the five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor. He said there was ``no compensation of that sort by France'' for the release of the medics, who had been imprisoned 8 years for allegedly infecting Libyan children with the AIDS virus.
Gadhafi's son, Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, told the French daily Le Monde that a deal had been concluded involving the sale of French Milan anti-tank missiles for an estimated $137 million, as well as a deal on the joint Franco-Libyan manufacture of military equipment. He also spoke of an agreement to conduct joint military exercises, adding this would be Libya's first military deal with a Western nation, according to Le Monde.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/03/2007 00:00 ||
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Of course they did. French always take care of their own.
(SomaliNet) French media reported that a French appeals court yesterday released two Rwandans indicted by Kigali and an international court in connection with the central African country's 1994 genocide.
Le Monde newspaper reported on its Web site that Rwanda had sought the extradition of Roman Catholic priest Wenceslas Munyeshyaka and another man, Laurent Bucyibaruta, but the court ruled the indictments violated the presumption of innocence.
An indictment usually does set forth why the state thinks the charged person is guilty.
They were detained last month because of the indictments issued by Rwanda and the Tanzania-based International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), which is prosecuting top architects of the genocide. The two have lived in France for years.
The present Tutsi-led Rwandan government wanted Munyeshyaka to be transferred to Rwanda to serve a life sentence as he had been tried and sentenced in absentia. It wanted Bucyibaruta to stand trial. The ICTR has charged Bucyibaruta, a former top local official in Gikongoro district, with genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide, extermination, murder and rape.
Munyeshyaka, former head of the Sainte-Famille parish in Kigali, was sentenced in absentia to life in jail in November by a military tribunal for complicity in genocide and rape.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/03/2007 00:00 ||
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Australia on Thursday lambasted Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez as a rogue bull as it came to the defence of close ally the United States. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, speaking on the sidelines of Asias annual security summit in Manila, was asked about the no-show by his US counterpart, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. With Rice unavailable to attend due to a trip to the Middle East, Downer denied the United States had lost interest in Asia and said the world should be sympathetic to the problems it faced. The US has pressures their counterparts dont have, Downer said. You have to be sympathetic with the pressures the US has in the Middle East. In Latin America it has people like Chavez raging around like a rogue bull, trying to disrupt good policies, he said. While we would like to have the US send its senior people to regional meetings like this, we do understand. Chavez has been a sharp and highly visible critic of the United States, once comparing President George W. Bush to Satan in an appearance at the United Nations. In June he likened US cultural domination to imperial bombardment.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/03/2007 00:00 ||
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Belarus has turned to Venezuela to help pay back a $456m debt to Russia for gas supplies after Moscow threatened to halve its gas deliveries, Alexander Lukashenko, Belarusan president, said on Thursday.
I have instructed the government to reach into the reserve fund for $460m to pay Russia for gas. Hugo Chávez [the president of Venezuela] and our other friends can give us credits today. Even foreign commercial banks are prepared to lend to Belarus, the Itar-Tass news agency quoted Mr Lukashenko as saying.
Gazprom, the state-owned Russian gas group, greeted the Belarusan leaders words with scepticism. It said: They must explain what they mean. Its one thing to say you are going to pay a debt and another thing to actually pay.
The company said Gazproms threat to reduce gas supplies to Belarus this morning was still on the table. On Thursday night a delegation from Beltransgaz, the Belarussian state gas distribution company, rushed to Moscow for emergency talks with Gazprom about settlement of the outstanding debt payments. More details at the link. Putin's moving hard on Europe via Gazprom.
#4
Since Blackstone went public on June 22, the companys shares have fallen steeply, pushing down the value of the Chinese governments investment by more than $425 million in just six weeks.
Expect heads to roll, literally, over this.
The Chinese government acquired its shares at a discount of just 4.5 percent to the initial offering price, or $29.605. In exchange, the government agreed that its shares would have no votes and could not be sold for at least four years.
So, the Mandarins have been sucked in like some country rubes on this one. Shows just how useful denouncing and eschewing capitalism really is. Now that they're finally trying to run a quasi-realistic economy, those communist shoes are beginning to pinch a little. Screw them and the rickshaw they rode in on.
An online game in which players can torture and kill corrupt officials that a Chinese local government set up to teach people about the perils of graft is proving a roaring success, state media said Thursday.
"Incorruptible Fighter", developed by the government of east China's Zhejiang province, was launched just over a week ago and is already so popular that it is being redesigned to accommodate more players, the China Daily said.
"I feel a great sense of achievement when I punish lots of evil officials," one gamer surnamed Sun was quoted as saying.
The game, which lets players get ahead by killing officials by means of "weapons, magic or torture," has been downloaded more than 100,000 times, the Southern Metropolitan Daily said.
The different game scenarios are based on well-known incidents taken from Chinese history, but the parallels in modern China of people struggling against seemingly insurmountable corruption are clear.
In order to advance to a new level, the player must enter into an "Anti-Corruption College" to be lectured in more detail about ancient cases, the Southeast Business newspaper said.
Along the way Internet vigilantes are rewarded for the capture, torture and killing of not just corrupt officials, but also their sons and daughters.
Once the player has punished enough corrupt officials, graduating through successive layers of vice, he or she enters into a graft-free paradise.
"We want game players to have fun but also to learn about fighting corruption, folklore and history," said Qiu Yi, a local official in Ningbo, one of Zhejiang's most prosperous cities.
Some experts have questioned, however, if the game is targetted at the right people.
"Government officials should be the ones getting anti-corruption education, not local youngsters," Peking University professor Wang Xiongjun told the China Daily.
Corruption is a source of immense and growing anger among ordinary Chinese.
President Hu Jintao has identified corruption within the Communist Party as one the greatest threats to its legitimacy as rulers of the country, and the government regularly authorises the real-life killing of people for graft.
The former head of China's food and drug watchdog, Zheng Xiaoyu, was executed last month for corruption, with his killing hailed by the state-run press as a warning to other corrupt party members. We need a U.S. version, with skins for various corrupt individuals. Jesse Jackson, etc.
#2
I'm not sure it's wise policy for a dictatorship to condone, even virtually, the torture and killing of politicians. How long before the kids start to come up with their own definitions of corruption?
#3
This isn't as big a deal as you might think. Chinese historical dramas routinely depict much-vilified figures from Chinese history, who were generally portrayed as sexually-crazed as well as corrupt. This kind of story with a moral has been part and parcel of Chinese rule for thousands of years. What you can't do is depict create games like this with existing officials as the targets of your ire.
The FBI violated the Constitution when agents raided U.S. Rep. William Jefferson's office last year and viewed legislative documents, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. The court ordered the Justice Department to return any privileged documents it seized from the Louisiana Democrat's office on Capitol Hill. The court did not order the return of all the documents seized in the raid.
Jefferson argued that the first-of-its-kind raid trampled congressional independence. The Justice Department said that declaring the search unconstitutional would essentially prohibit the FBI from ever looking at a lawmaker's documents.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected that claim. The three-judge panel unanimously ruled that the search itself was constitutional but that FBI agents crossed the line when they viewed every record in the office without giving Jefferson the chance to argue that some documents involved legislative business.
"The review of the Congressman's paper files when the search was executed exposed legislative material to the Executive" and violated the Constitution, the court wrote. "The Congressman is entitled to the return of documents that the court determines to be privileged."
The raid was part of a 16-month international bribery investigation of Jefferson, who allegedly accepted $100,000 from a telecommunications businessman, $90,000 of which was later recovered in a freezer in the congressman's Washington home.
Jefferson pleaded not guilty in June to charges of soliciting more than $500,000 in bribes while using his office to broker business deals in Africa. The Justice Department said it built that case without using the disputed documents from the raid.
The court did not rule whether, because portions of the search were illegal, prosecutors should be barred from using any of the records in their case against Jefferson. That will be decided by the federal judge in Virginia who is presiding over the criminal case.
"We're pleased with the court's decision that makes it clear that the search violated the Speech or Debate Clause of the Constitution," Jefferson's attorney, Robert Trout, said after a brief review of the ruling. He said he has not yet discussed the decision with Jefferson.
The Justice Department did not immediately return messages seeking comment on the decision. Officials have said they took extraordinary steps, including using an FBI "filter team" not involved in the case to review the congressional documents. Government attorneys said the Constitution was not intended to shield lawmakers from prosecution for political corruption.
The court was not convinced. It said the Constitution insists that lawmakers must be free from any intrusion into their congressional duties. Such intrusion, even by a filter team, "may therefore chill the exchange of views with respect to legislative activity," the court held.
The case has cut across political party lines. Former House Speakers Newt Gingrich, a Republican, and Thomas Foley, a Democrat, filed legal documents opposing the raid, along with former House Minority Leader Bob Michel, a Republican.
Conservative groups Judicial Watch and the Washington Legal Foundation were joined by the liberal Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington in supporting the legality of the raid.
Following his indictment, Jefferson's supporters accused the Bush administration of targeting black Democrats to shift attention from the legal troubles of Republican congressmen.
Despite the looming investigation, Jefferson was re-elected to a ninth term in 2006. His win complicated things for Democratic leaders who promised to run the most ethical Congress in history.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., stripped Jefferson of his seat on the powerful Ways and Means Committee and placed him instead on the Small Business Committee. He resigned that committee assignment after being indicted.
The case was considered by Chief Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg, Judge Karen Lecraft Henderson and Judge Judith W. Rogers.
Ginsburg and Rogers served in the Justice Department and Henderson served as deputy South Carolina attorney general. None of the judges served in the legislative branch, though Rogers was counsel to a congressional commission formed to review Washington's municipal structure. Ginsburg and Henderson were appointed by Republican presidents, Rogers by a Democrat.
#4
So the way I read this is that the Court rules that the Constitution forbids 'fishing expeditions' by the Executive Branch of members of the Legislative Branch. Seems that same logic should be applicable to the Legislative fishing expeditions of the Executive - eg. Cheney's discussion with energy advisors, Gonzalez' discussions with Justice staff, and all these various committee investigational hearings. Only specific information about named criminal acts would be retrievable across powers. It's pretty much consistent with Bush's stance since the beginning, even including the Jefferson case.
(Jeffy truly does represent his constituents - we're a corrupt bunch here in N'Awlins.)
John Edwards, who yesterday demanded Democratic candidates return any campaign donations from Rupert Murdoch and News Corp., himself earned at least $800,000 for a book published by one of the media mogul's companies.
The Edwards campaign said the multimillionaire trial lawyer would not return the hefty payout from Murdoch for the book titled "Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives."
The campaign didn't respond to a question from The Post about whether it was hypocritical for Edwards to take money from News Corp. while calling for other candidates not to.
I imagine the campaign manager is sitting in a closet, slapping his forehead repeatedly and muttering over and over, "I could have been a district campaign director for Hillary".
In addition to a $500,000 advance from HarperCollins, which is owned by News Corp., Edwards also was cut a check for $300,000 for expenses.
Expenses? What expenses? It's a frigging autobiography, how can you have expenses?
Edwards claimed $333,334 in royalties from last year's release of the book, according to media accounts. The campaign said last night that those funds were part of the advance.
He says he gave that amount to charity, which would also provide tax benefits for Edwards. "We're more than happy to give even more of Murdoch's money to Habitat for Humanity and other good causes," spokesman Eric Schultz told The Post yesterday. He declined to show proof, however, that Edwards had donated the $500,000 advance or $300,000 expense checks to charity.
What, you mean you can't trust him?
Meanwhile, Edwards yesterday attacked Hillary Rodham Clinton for taking more than $20,000 in donations from News Corp. officials, arguing that the company's Fox News Channel is tilted to the right. News Corp. also owns The New York Post. Clinton declined to respond.
She was laughing too hard.
The Edwards campaign said it would return less than $1,000 in donations from three Fox employees.
Languishing in the polls behind Clinton and Barack Obama, Edwards also has led the Democratic field's boycott of a Fox co-sponsored presidential debate. "The time has come for Democrats to stop pretending to be friends with the very people who demonize the Democratic Party," Edwards said. What is the old saying about biting the hand that feeds you? Or the man that yells the loudest about how honest he is may be the one you need to watch your wallet with?
#1
Reading it is difficult because it's so chopped up in format. What it says is that by phrasing questions differently, different answers are the result. People, including military members and families are upset with Bush because of poor leadership and overall management. People are upset with Congress because they've done nothing to modify Bush's policies. They don't agree on how Congress ought to act, but they agree something should be done. Most people don't understand the functioning of our Congress, especially the rules of the Senate. Dems have razor thin pluralities and can't do much but bluster. Meanwhile, the Dems spend all their time in calculating which move will yield most votes in Nov.'08 vs. actually accomplishing something now. Yes, folks are upset that the vehicle of state seems stuck in the mud and the wheels just keep spinning with no forward progress. Actually, this is beneficial. When there is a standoff in gov't nothing gets done. This is usually superior to what happens when one crowd has total control.
#3
IMO, iff Amers are upset wid Dubya its because of as a society mainstream America HATES LONG LEAD TIMES IN WAR. They are also are aware or realize that there's more to to 9-11/WOT than meets the eye but that our NPE = Politicos, etals are [wilfully]NOT telling them the truth or whole truth, as in a Representative Democracy they should be. They want and prefer IRAN, RADICAL ISLAM, ANTI-US OWG-SWO, etc. be thoroughly defeated and defeated quickly so the troops can come home.
#4
NEWSMAX > Gingrich > Sees no evidence that Amer is winning in Iraq, hence belabels WOT as "phony". Roughly iff imperfectly sums up the attitude of mainstream America. Amers wanna see, read, and feel victory in war!
Posted by: john frum ||
08/03/2007 06:33 ||
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#1
Both RUSSIA + CHINA are NOT thrilled. ION, KOMMERSANT > RUSSIA, CHINA READY TO EXPAND SHANGHAI COOP/ORG. Into South Asia, besides everywhere else. Also, Russia reserves its National-Internat right to sell any miltary hardwares to IRAN, etal for "defensive" only purposes, + WAFF.com > RUSSIAN ADMIRAL - Russia needs to dev permanent naval presence in the Mediterranian. *FREEREPUBLIC > China's Long March to become a Military Superpower. CHINESE MISSLES vz USN CARRIERS IN THE PACIFIC, o'er TAIWAN.
Two Pakistan Muslim League (PML) ministers have conveyed to President General Pervez Musharraf that they had no objection to him entering a deal with former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, provided she votes to re-elect him in uniform. However, they ruled out any electoral alliance with the Pakistan Peoples Party.
Sources told Daily Times that Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Law Minister Wasi Zafar and other cabinet members and PML leaders who met the president on Thursday agreed that if the PPP chief votes for Musharrafs re-election in uniform from the current assemblies, all cases against her and her husband Asif Ali Zardari should be withdrawn.
However, if she does not agree to support his re-election, she should be dealt with at par with her fellow former prime minister in exile, Nawaz Sharif, with regards to their return to the country, the sources quoted PML leaders as saying during the meeting. They said if Benazir is allowed to return, so should Nawaz. The president told the PML leaders that he would make a decision on his position as army chief after his re-election, the sources said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/03/2007 00:00 ||
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Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shabaz Sharif on Thursday filed identical constitutional petitions with the Supreme Court, asking that they be allowed to return to Pakistan and participate in the upcoming general elections.
The petitions, filed under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, ask the apex court to stop the federal and provincial governments from obstructing, hampering or resisting the return of the petitioners and their family. The fundamental right of a citizen to remain in Pakistan is absolute and unqualified under Article 15 of the Constitution, therefore, a citizen cannot under any circumstances be expelled or banished from the country, said the petitions.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/03/2007 00:00 ||
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Lebanons most senior Shia cleric issued on Thursday a fatwa, or religious edict, banning honour killings, calling the custom of murdering a female relative for sexual misconduct a repulsive act. Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah put out the fatwa after reports of an increase in the practice in Lebanon as well as neighbouring countries, his office said. I view an honour crime as a repulsive act condemned and prohibited by religion, Fadlallah, the most revered religious authority for Lebanons 1.2 million Shiites, said in a statement. In so-called honour crimes, some men kill their daughters, sisters, wives or female relatives on the pretext that they committed acts that harm chastity and honour, said Fadlallah, warning that the practice was on the rise in the region.
This article starring:
MUHAMAD HUSEIN FADLALLAH
Learned Elders of Islam
Posted by: Fred ||
08/03/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
I'm sure someone will have to kill Fudlullah for dishonoring Islam like that.
#2
Can someone relay this to the women-beating, sheepshagging, pederasts who form the muslim clergy over here.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
08/03/2007 6:02 Comments ||
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#3
They know about it Howard. If you check, you'll find they're busy making fatwas against Fadlallah. (What do you think I mean when I say that Islam is an experiment in selective breeding?)
#5
This has even found its way to the States. This morning, I heard a lil' more detail on a murder that happened just outside of Atlanta (in Powder Springs, a somewhat small suburb west of Atlanta). Anyways, some good shot and killed a woman, her two teenage daughters and also shot her 2 sons (whom survived, but are in critical condition).
Anyhoo, this morning, the authorities are now speculating that it could be tied back to Kenya (which the mom ran from with the kids, being afraid of her daughters being made to be circumcised). Yep, just another "benefit" of the RoP.
Posted by: BA ||
08/03/2007 12:57 Comments ||
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#6
whoops, that should be "some goon shot..."
Posted by: BA ||
08/03/2007 12:58 Comments ||
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#7
Another lovely addition to the ATL murder story I heard on the way home today. This lady's husband had been killed back in Kenya because of his stance against female circumcision genital mutiliation. Thus, she fled with her 4 kids, and now 3 of the 5 remaining family members are dead.
Posted by: BA ||
08/03/2007 18:06 Comments ||
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(WCCO) Minneapolis The major wound on the face of Minneapolis will not heal anytime soon. "Bridges in America should not fall down, so we need to get to the bottom of this," said Mary Peters, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. I am not an engineer, but I reject "life-span theory" of bridge collapses. Most bridges - as with railway lines and unmanned electrical sub station - are given daily inspections at at least the work crew level. Workers eyeball structural steel and concrete sections of structures, and deliver a simple checklist report to engineering departments, who may chose in depth analysis. There are work-around means to replace cracked metal, often without closing down facilities. The auto companies spend millions of dollars during Summer shutdown, to undo "plant erosion." Why not re-vive the dying?
When the I-35W bridge was built 40 years ago, it was state of the art -- a massive steel arch spanning the mighty Mississippi.
However, several inspection reports from the past few years, and a quick glance at the bridge's rusting metal, reveal it was showing its age.
In 2001, researchers at the University of Minnesota determined the bridge had "not experienced fatigue cracking but has many poor fatigue details." Likely that referred to stressed metal on the bridge supports, according to Dick Stehley with American Engineering Testing. The report concluded the bridge did not need to be replaced.
"There was no call by anyone we're aware of that it should be immediately closed or immediately replaced," said Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
By 2005, the federal government called the bridge "structurally deficient" in its National Bridge Inventory. On a scale of zero to nine, with nine being excellent, the bridge was a four. That means it may have had "advanced deterioration" and "connection failure may have been imminent."
"None of those ratings indicated there was any kind of danger here. It simply says we need to schedule this bridge for rehabilitation," said Peters. So they have intervention standards. These should be fixed at some level where repair is a must.
In fact, more than 1,000 bridges in Minnesota are considered deficient. More than 70,000 bridges across the country are rated structurally deficient like the span that collapsed in Minneapolis, and engineers estimate repairing them all would take at least a generation and cost more than $188 billion. That works out to at least $9.4 billion a year over 20 years, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. Okay, there's the first benchmark.
Separately, the Federal Highway Administration has said addressing the backlog of needed bridge repairs would cost at least $55 billion. That was five years ago, with expectations of more deficiencies to come.
Len Levine, former Minnesota Transportation Commissioner says, "It was a disaster waiting to happen."
Levine doesn't blame the inspectors, but rather a lack of funding that has delayed repairs on bridges across the country. "You can't put a Band-aid on cancer," he said. "The whole lifeline of our communities depend on transportation." That's a lifeline now severed for the nearly 140,000 drivers that used to bridge the river each day. Drivers and voters.
#1
A cancer, eh? Then it's been growing for 50 years, ever since the Feds started paying 80% (or more) for new Interstate construction, but left maintenance up to the states. Actually, the seed was probably planted in the 1920's.
When the Silver Bridge fell (30 years ago?, the Feds mandated biannual bridge inspections, so we identified the cancer 30 years ago, but the WHOLE COUNTRY just watched it grow. Every federal transportation bill gave more money for new construction, but none for maintenance. Just wait until the road or bridge needs to be replaced, then the Feds will rescue you!
Now the states are looking for private money, in the form of toll roads, but who is worried about the greedy, corrupt contractors (like my employer!) robbing the public blind? Why the Saviors of the Universe, the Main Stream Media, of course! Besides, the toll roads just bring more infrastructure to maintain, they do nothing to address the existing condition of bridges. Or roads. Or sanitary sewer systems. Water supplies. Power grid. Infrastructure. Sleep tight. The bureaucrats are watching over you.
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/03/2007 6:16 Comments ||
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#2
Politicians don't get reelected by taxing their constituents to replace infrastructure. Anyway, once the price of gas stays over $8 a gallon, highway bridge maintenance will seem a great deal less important.
#3
where the f*ck do you keep coming up with "daily inspections", McZoid? Once a year evaluation is usual, and bi-annual is common for newer bridges. What "work crews" do you think man most bridges? Only large ones like the Golden Gate have permanent staffing.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/03/2007 7:11 Comments ||
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#4
This may have been preventable, it may have just been one of those damned things that happens. How about we figure out what happened first, then start drawing conclusions?
Posted by: Mike ||
08/03/2007 7:21 Comments ||
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#5
My heart goes out to the victims and families, so very sad. One must wonder if anyone in Washington has made the connection between today's US infrastruture needs and thousands of years of distant, middle-eastern wars? Anyway, some Besoeker trivia follows:
And of bridges and tolls, there is an old bridge across the mighty Wabash at New Harmony, Indiana, a town worth the visit with or without the brigde. The bridge was constructed in 1930 and a nichol toll was charged for crossing "due to hard times." The bridge is now down to one lane due to safety, and yes, the toll remains... but $ 1.00 now as I recall. If you happen to go there, good victuals and lodging can be found at the Red Geranium.
#6
This story is sounding an awful lot like our New Orleans levee story. Overlapping jurisdictions covering design, construction, maintainance; plus political predisposition to spending money on appearrances and 'new' things, not repairs and replacement of stuff we already have.
#7
The problem is not the funding, but where the local politicians spend it. Spending on revamping bridges (except after a situation like this) while necessary is not going to win over voters like entitlement programs do. The Feds helped build the bridges, then left it up to the states to keep them up. While some federal money comes in for maintainance, most of the states/cities/counties just don't spend the money needed on keeping the roads and other infrastructure well maintained. I have seen many times the budget for the roads barely gets any more money, but the new free children's clinic gets millions. Meanwhile, the roads are pretty much one big pothole.
#9
Well if the fate of the Korean hostages rests solely on him, why shouldn't this? Hell, let's blame everything on him, sunspots, red tides, price of gas, adoption paperwork hassles, ect, ect, ect.
I don't think he gives a rat's ass anyway, he's used to it by now.
#10
If the North and Northeast were its own country they would have to solve its own problems instead of stomping their feet and pouting and talking about how It's That Guy From Texas To Blame.
#13
Maybe the MSM has discovered metal fatique, but most of them were already pioneers in the area of mental fatigue.
It's going to take a while to sort all this out, but before settling on metal fatigue as the culprit, I contend there's room for engineering (a structural flaw in the design?) and human error (construction crew took a chunk out of a support?). We unfortunately won't know anytime soon.
Posted by: Dar ||
08/03/2007 11:56 Comments ||
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#14
If Minnesota didn't siphon off billions of transportation dollars to build trains that nobody rides, there might be enough money to make sure bridges don't fall into the effing river.
Oh no, we can't have that, we need these little train thingies. All the liberal cities have them, so we need them too. meanwhile..... SPLASH!
Posted by: Mike N. ||
08/03/2007 12:22 Comments ||
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#15
As an engineer who dabbles in the public funding side of engineering thingies, this is just the tip of the iceberg folks. Many have summed it up nicely already....Uncle Sam (the Feds) originally paid for it (or well over 50% of it), then left it to the States, Counties and Cities to build/maintain the rest of it.
BUT, because so much of our hard-earned taxpayers dollars are going to other "neat and new" projects (pork) instead of the infrastructure, delays are built-in for decades in maintaining what ya got. So, all the sudden it's a crisis (like this), when the ASCE has been telling ALL of us for years (at least 10 years) that we need to maintain what we got.
Here's just a small example....the EPA paid for everyone to get a Wastewater Treatment Plant in their city that met EPA standards (secondary treatment) in the 1970s (and for most of the sewers connected to it). That made a HUGE leap forward in Public Health issues (before that, pretty much raw sewage was dumped in every creek in the nation). But, what was the side effect? Subsidized/Lower sewer bills. So, then every Mayor since the 1970s has promised to keep those sewer (and water) bills low. But, then whammy, 30-40 years later, the stuff's worn out (or completely over capacity, because of growth) and so you all the sudden have these huge lawsuits against the major cities. The City of Atlanta (which is actually not that large population wise) is now spending over $1 BILLION on their sewers and wastewater plants. Jefferson County, AL (Birmingham area) has spent over $2 billion. Miami-Dade County has spent well over $1 billion, and the list goes on. Yet, when you ask these guys, "Hey, when was the last time you raised your water/sewer rates?" they look at you like a deer in the headlights.
All of that was said to say this....when Uncle Sam pays for it up front, you get "welfare" leeches even at the State and County/City levels, who look to Uncle Sam to CONTINUE paying for it, instead of just charging/taxing those who actually USE that local system. Add on top of that, the corruption in some of these cities, where the rates haven't been raised at all, and now you have decrease collection of fees and it's a "perfect storm" just waiting to happen. The City of Atlanta (before it got sued) had somewhere around a 30% non-payment rate for water/sewer bills. But, did they cut off the water for those "poor, opressed" people? Heck no! I guess we're more fortunate in the Southeast because growth is "newer" and the weather helps out too (freeze/thaw cycles can wreak havoc on bridges like this).
Posted by: BA ||
08/03/2007 13:25 Comments ||
Top||
#16
infrastructure / raising rate story at the local level: WA DOE has mandated water conservation. they deem the best way is through the pocketbook. our local water system had been a flat rate, but now meters are needed. rates were jacked to cover purchase and installation costs. your humber sevant has received many irate calls ( as treasurer i get to send the bills). these calls all came from those who did not get involved in rate / reason discussion at annual meeting. cake and eat it mentality.
Phone your local City engineering department and ask them if work crews make daily check-list inspections of local bridges. I am speaking of a few minutes of eyeballing, and not high tech stress probes. When you see city vehicles with flashing lights, parked on a local bridge they are often working to standing orders issued by city engineers. Posters are putting the blame at the federal level. In that context, it stands to reason that locals would want to cover their asses. And that can be done with minimal resources.
#18
Uncle Sam (the Feds) originally paid for it (or well over 50% of it), then left it to the States, Counties and Cities to build/maintain the rest of it.
And Uncle Sam paid for it by taxxing the crap out of American railroad system without ever providing for the massive "infrastructure" rebuild needed for the railroads, which for those of you scoring from home, was the logistical key for tapping into Americas manufacturing might during WWII.
Had Eisenhower not had a bad case of "Interstate Envy" after seeing the Autobahn, money would have been spent rebuilding Americas RR.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided more than 30 businesses, storefronts and homes in 16 states Wednesday as part of an investigation into the alleged sale and distribution of modified chips and other devices that enable gamers to circumvent copyright protections and play pirated software on their Wii Latest News about Wii, PlayStation Latest News about PlayStation 2 and Xbox Latest News about Xbox 360 consoles.
"Illicit devices like the ones targeted today are created with one purpose in mind -- subverting copyright protections," said Julie L. Myers, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security's Latest News about Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement division. "These crimes cost legitimate businesses billions of dollars annually, and facilitate multiple other layers of criminality such as smuggling, software piracy and money laundering."
The raids were the result of a 12-month investigation codenamed "Operation Tangled Web," which was the largest national enforcement action to target game software piracy committed by online retailers, the ICE said... And remember, when you play computer games with pirated software, you're playing with Osama bin Laden!
Principles in the group include Bush, Bush, Baker Soros, various SEC chiefs, John Major ex-leaders from all over and supposedly exited Binny relatives but still in Saudi majors.
Between Vivendi Universal and Virgin you have what segment of the game authorship, production and delivery market that profits what 1000 investors?
#2
"These crimes cost legitimate businesses billions of dollars annually, and facilitate multiple other layers of criminality such as smuggling, software piracy and money laundering."
That's a bit of a stretch for ICE to claim as their jurisdiction, kid's video games. What about our borders?
Posted by: Boss Craising2882 ||
08/03/2007 9:21 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Boss, there's no profit in border protection.
You gotta stick to the stuff that has a back end to it.
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John Edwards, who yesterday demanded Democratic candidates return any campaign donations from Rupert Murdoch and News Corp., himself earned at least $800,000 for a book published by one of the media mogul's companies.
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shabaz Sharif on Thursday filed identical constitutional petitions with the Supreme Court, asking that they be allowed to return to Pakistan and participate in the upcoming general elections.
Lebanons most senior Shia cleric issued on Thursday a fatwa, or religious edict, banning honour killings, calling the custom of murdering a female relative for sexual misconduct a repulsive act. Grand Ayatollah 
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided more than 30 businesses, storefronts and homes in 16 states Wednesday as part of an investigation into the alleged sale and distribution of modified chips and other devices that enable gamers to circumvent copyright protections and play pirated software on their Wii Latest News about Wii, PlayStation Latest News about PlayStation 2 and Xbox Latest News about Xbox 360 consoles.
