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Turkey: Muslim vows to 'strangle' Pope
Today's Headlines
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-Lurid Crime Tales-
Today's Idiot
Thief asks police to save him from watchman

WARSAW (Reuters) - A Polish burglar had to ask the police to save him after an axe-wielding night watchman attacked and chased him until he crashed his vehicle.
The watchman in the western city of Katowice took the 25-year-old burglar by surprise after he had broken into a house, hitting him three times in the head with the blunt end of an axe, cracking his skull, Polish media reported Thursday.
"The dizzy burglar fled to his automobile and managed to lock the door and start the engine," a police spokesman told PAP news agency.
The watchman gave chase, shattered the driver-side window and yanked the steering wheel, sending the van, which was starting to accelerate, into a mound of dirt.
Trapped, the burglar phoned police for help.
A court will now determine whether the watchman's actions went beyond self-defense and constituted a crime, PAP said.
The burglar's head injuries were not life threatening. He faces 10 years in jail for breaking and entering, while the watchman could face eight years in jail if charged with fighting with a deadly weapon.
Posted by: Chinter Flarong || 11/03/2006 18:50 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  A court will now determine whether the watchman's actions went beyond self-defense and constituted a crime, PAP said.
The burglar's head injuries were not life threatening. He faces 10 years in jail for breaking and entering, while the watchman could face eight years in jail if charged with fighting with a deadly weapon.


Nearly equal sentences for villain and hero alike. No wonder Europe is rotting from within.
Posted by: Zenster || 11/03/2006 19:40 Comments || Top||


Man has 'sex' with puppy, cats and goats still at risk from the SA rape wave
Another heart-warming story from SA.
Posted by: anonymous5089 || 11/03/2006 06:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The suspect's parents were not surprised, because he allegedly often locked himself into his room with a goat.
O-kay...
Posted by: Spot || 11/03/2006 7:56 Comments || Top||

#2  what ,have they already raped all the women and kids?
Posted by: sinse || 11/03/2006 8:18 Comments || Top||

#3  The suspect's parents were not surprised, because he allegedly often locked himself into his room with a goat.

...and kept mumbling something about, 'jihad'..

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 11/03/2006 9:17 Comments || Top||

#4  Note that in a perverse way, this is a very refreshing and heartwarming change from the ghastly stories of gangrapes perpretated on infants or even babies, by aids-infected barbarians wishing to "cure" themselves that way...
Posted by: anonymous5089 || 11/03/2006 9:25 Comments || Top||

#5  With a goat? There is a Muslim joke here someplace.
Posted by: Icerigger || 11/03/2006 10:47 Comments || Top||

#6  Na-a-a-a-a-ah. No joke there. :)
Posted by: GORT || 11/03/2006 11:00 Comments || Top||


Firebug May Get Stuck on Needle
Arson suspect faces murder charges

A 36-YEAR-OLD man will face murder charges for starting a deadly California forest fire that claimed the lives of five firefighters, US police said. Raymond Oyler was detained on Wednesday in connection with two counts of arson relating to wildfires in June. He was described by police as a "person of interest" in the October 26 blaze that destroyed 54 homes and charred over 16,000 hectares after it erupted in Riverside County, 200 kilometres east of Los Angeles. Yesterday police told a press conference they believed Oyler had started the fires which had killed the firefighters in Esperanza.
Just leave this turd alone in a room with the firefighters' familes and a stock of baseball bats.
"We recommend that the district attorney charge Mr Oyler with the five murders of the United States Forest Service firefighters along with 11 counts of arson," Riverside County assistant sheriff Neil Lingle said today. Four firefighters died at the scene when flames engulfed them as they battled to beat back flames, while the fifth died in hospital on Wednesday after suffering 90 per cent burns on his body. The deaths prompted authorities to offer a $US500,000 ($645,955) reward for the capture of the person responsible for starting the fire in tinder-dry scrub forest.
This is nothing short of premeditated murder. If the death penalty doesn't apply in this case, it should. Especially so, in light of all the prior offenses. This shithead knew what he was doing and did it anyway. Time to "extinguish" this flaming asshole.
Posted by: Zenster || 11/03/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I prefer giving him the noose myself, but then, I always was a traditionalist.
Posted by: Mike || 11/03/2006 8:09 Comments || Top||

#2  Necklacing, that way everybody's a winner, even the pyromaniac himself.
Posted by: anonymous5089 || 11/03/2006 10:27 Comments || Top||

#3  Dress him up in a bruque and ship him to SA to be gang raped and whipped.
Posted by: bool || 11/03/2006 12:26 Comments || Top||

#4  General population after trial; i expect the code of honor inmates have will work here nicely; firemen are not in the same leaques as police and good old Ray will find that out.

then the needle.
Posted by: USN, ret. || 11/03/2006 14:41 Comments || Top||

#5  I could care less how he flatlines, only how soon.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 11/03/2006 14:43 Comments || Top||

#6  Oh I beg to differ. One of the reasons the Death Penalty has lost much of it's significance is that it isn't done publicly. I'm with Mike, but with a twist: make sure it happens in a town square.
Posted by: mcsegeek1 || 11/03/2006 15:01 Comments || Top||

#7  One of the reasons the Death Penalty has lost much of it's significance is that it isn't done publicly. I'm with Mike, but with a twist: make sure it happens in a town square.
Amen! Also require all television networks to carry it live, and replay at 6 and 10... Criminals and their enablers should understand that the rest of society won't put up with their arrogant "values".
Posted by: Old Patriot || 11/03/2006 16:24 Comments || Top||

#8  Burning at the stake would be apropos.
Posted by: Dar || 11/03/2006 16:39 Comments || Top||


Arabia
Saudi court sentences rape victim to 90 lashes
A Saudi court has sentenced a gang rape victim to 90 lashes of the whip because she was alone in a car with a man to whom she was not married. The sentence was passed at the end of a trial in which the al- Qateef high criminal court convicted four Saudis convicted of the rape, sentencing them to prison terms and a total of 2,230 lashes. The four, all married, were sentenced respectively to five years and 1,000 lashes, four years and 800 lashes, four years and 350 lashes, and one year and 80 lashes. A fifth, married, man who was stated to have filmed the rape on his mobile phone still faces investigation. Two others alleged to have taken part in the rape evaded capture.

Saudi courts take marital status into account in sexual crimes. A male friend of the rape victim was also sentenced to 90 lashes for being alone with her in the car. The court heard that the victim and her friend were followed by the assailants to their car, kidnapped and taken to a remote farm, where the raping occurred. The victim was quoted by Okaz newspaper as saying she had expected harsher penalties for the assailants, especially as they had pleaded not guilty. Her husband and family said that they would appeal to the court Saturday for harsher penalties for a crime which has shocked public opinion in Saudi Arabia and been the subject of months of debate.
Posted by: Fred || 11/03/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Amnesty International was unavailable for comment because they were too occupied with hand-wringing over the Bajaur madrassah airstrike.

A Saudi court has sentenced a gang rape victim to 90 lashes of the whip

It is this sort of institutionalized abuse of women that reserves Islam its place on history's scrapheap. Even without terrorism, Islam would still be invalidated by its policy of Abject Gender Apartheid.
Posted by: Zenster || 11/03/2006 0:19 Comments || Top||

#2  Deploreable.
Posted by: closedanger@hotmail.com || 11/03/2006 0:29 Comments || Top||

#3  Primitive and contemptible is what it is.
Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever) || 11/03/2006 1:55 Comments || Top||

#4  It's our future, folks, because we can't be bothered to fight it. Killing the perpetrators of this crap makes Amnesty and HRW upset, so we must coddle them. Saying such things are unacceptable in the civilized world upsets the left, so we must let it happen here.
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 11/03/2006 7:51 Comments || Top||

#5  Stepping right out of the 9th century, into the 10th, our friends, the Saudis. Let me bow, and put a coin in the box for Mecca. (I had to fill up, don't you know.)
Posted by: Perfesser || 11/03/2006 9:36 Comments || Top||

#6  Our 'friends' the Saudis. By the way, Prince Charles should attend the whipping and then comment on whether he approves. Asshat.
Posted by: mcsegeek1 || 11/03/2006 10:18 Comments || Top||

#7  There is a tasteless joke about tenderized meat in here somewhere but I am not finding it.
Posted by: Choque Thuth8530 || 11/03/2006 10:20 Comments || Top||

#8  And this is the desert cult that the left and some traitors on the right want us to "tolerate".

Bullshit.
Posted by: Icerigger || 11/03/2006 10:40 Comments || Top||

#9  Nothing will be done here until we have jihadis detonating themselves in shopping malls and killing people on the street and in our schools.

Even then the professional hand wringers will piss and moan that we are over reacting, and that we should have tolerance and understanding.

It is going to take an internal purge, by force of arms to set this country back on the right path. Someone else mentioned a Military Junta a while back, I believe, that a small core of committed patriots are going to have to do some industrial killing.

We might even have to resort to Constitutional Jihadism domestically to get things rolling. However the tipping point is reached, when it tips, there is going to be a blood bath, everywhere. The world, what will be left of it is not going to be sane.

Enjoy whatever quality time you can with friends and family, it may not last much longer. Buy ammo!

Posted by: Mick Dundee || 11/03/2006 14:24 Comments || Top||

#10  There's some shit about a cat and it's meat in there somewhere. Can't find it though.
Posted by: bigjim-ky || 11/03/2006 16:39 Comments || Top||

#11  now whip it.
into shape.
shape it up.
get straight.
go forward.
move ahead.
try to detect it.
it's not too late.
to whip it.
whip it good.

Posted by: Thoth || 11/03/2006 16:40 Comments || Top||


Down Under
Hilaly offers to tape shut his mouth
Posted by: Oztralian || 11/03/2006 18:27 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  offered to do 600 hours of community service with a women's organisation

I would suggest Dykes on Bikes.
Posted by: DoDo || 11/03/2006 20:02 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Haggard admits buying meth from male prostitute
We have a nasty little scandal brewing in Colorado Springs this morning, featuring one of the pastors at New Life Church, a megachurch with 14,000 members. The pastor is also the (former) head of the National Association of Evangelicals, which makes the accusation even more suspicious. Here's the complete article, because the Gazette doesn't archive articles in a way that the average user can get to them.

By DAVE PHILIPPS and PAUL ASAY THE GAZETTE

The Rev. Ted Haggard today admitted buying methamphetamine from a male prostitute, who he said he was referred to for a massage.

"I bought it for myself but never used it," he said. "I was tempted but I never used it."

Haggard, speaking to reporters outside his Briargate home, made the admission one day after resigning his leadership post at the National Association of Evangelicals and putting himself on administrative leave from the 14,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs.

He said he never had sex with the prostitute, who made allegations this week that the two had a three-year sexual relationship.

Haggard,


sitting in his pickup truck with his wife and three of his children in the backseat, said he was on his way to an appointment. A panel of outside church leaders wanted to talk to him about the scandal, he said.

"Both (religious)positions are based on trust and right now my trust is questionable," he said.

Early today, an associate pastor at New Life said there's "some truth" to the allegations against Haggard, founder and senior pastor of the 14,000-member church.

Mike Jones, 49, of Denver, on Wednesday alleged that he was paid for sex during the three-year relationship with Haggard and that he saw Haggard use methamphetamine.

“It’s not entirely false," the Rev. Rob Brendle, associate pastor of New Life, said of the allegations. "We don’t know the extent of the truth of them.”

Also, the Rev. Ross Parsley sent an e-mail to some church members saying that the church’s four-member board of overseers had met with Haggard.

“It is important for you to know that he confessed to the overseers that some of the accusations against him are true. He has willingly and humbly submitted to the authority of the board of overseers, and will remain on administrative leave during the course of the investigation,” the e-mail stated.

No timetable was set for release of the board's findings, although church officials said board members and Haggard would address the congregation in some manner at Sunday services. The church services are at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Haggard resigned Thursday as president of the National Association of Evangelicals after Jones’ allegations were made public.

Haggard on Wednesday denied the allegations, and said in a statement he’s stepping aside to let the investigation run its course.

He could “not continue to minister under the cloud created by the accusations made on Denver talk radio this morning,” he said in a written statement released Thursday.

He said he might talk about the issue later and will seek “both spiritual advice and guidance” until then.

Parsley will take the helm of the church until Haggard’s status has been resolved.

The Haggard story dealt the evangelical world its most serious shock since the 1980s scandals of televangelists Jim Bakker of the PTL Club and Jimmy Swaggart of the Assemblies of God.

Haggard heads Colorado’s largest megachurch and has been an influential leader in the national evangelical movement — a movement some say was instrumental in getting President Bush re-elected in 2004.

Time Magazine named him one of the country’s 25 most influential evangelicals, and Harper’s Magazine called New Life “the most powerful megachurch in America.”

Focus on the Family founder James Dobson issued a statement today saying his organization is "heartsick" over the revelations.

"We will await the outcome of this story, but the possibility that an illicit relationship has occurred is alarming to us and to millions of others," Dobson said.

Focus on the Family is a worldwide Christian media ministry based in Colorado Springs.

Dobson said he and Haggard will continue to be friends "even if the worst allegations prove accurate."

One Colorado Springs pastor said the revelations should not lead to Haggard's dismissal because Haggard said he did not have sex with Jones and never used the drugs he purchased.

"I am praying hard for Ted," said the Rev. Donald Armstrong, rector of Grace Episcopal and St. Stephen's Church. "Somebody like Ted, who's so prominent, is going to be under constant attack from evil and temptation. So it's hard for any of us to understand the level of temptation or the level of attack he's had to deal with, but if this is the case then he walked up to the edge and was victorious, and I think we ought to celebrate that."

Armstrong said some critics of evangelicals sitting in the "cheap seats" are watching the news and would be delighted to see Haggard discredited. But Haggard could have increased credibility with others for having overcome temptation, he said.

"Christians understand sin, and they understand God's forgiveness, but they also understand the call to repentance and amendment of life," Armstrong said.

At the church — within view of the Haggard home — church members expressed optimism Thursday evening that the allegations were false, but said that even if they were true, the church would go on.

“We’d be shocked if it were true. But our faith is based on God, not one minister,” said Megan Oaster, 26.

Others were angry. “This upsets me because they besmirched his name for an election,” said new member Seth Otterstad. “I’m going to pray about it.”

Tuesday’s election includes two significant gay rights issues on Colorado’s ballot. Amendment 43 would define marriage as between a man and a woman, and Referendum I would give same-sex couples certain legal rights. Haggard has been an outspoken supporter of Amendment 43.

Jones, the male escort from Denver, said his acquaintance with Haggard — whom he knew as “Art” — lasted about three years, with Haggard calling him every month or so and paying him for sex. Haggard’s middle name is Arthur.

Jones said the encounters typically lasted less than an hour.

“It was just encounters,” Jones told The Gazette. “There was no emotion involved.”

Jones also said he saw Haggard use methamphetamine.

Jones said he learned Haggard’s real name about six months ago while watching a History Channel program on which Haggard was interviewed. Jones began researching Haggard and discovered his church’s positions on samesex marriage.

“I got to tell you, I started getting pissed,” he said.

Jones approached Denver news outlets with the story about two months ago, but first spoke publicly Wednesday in an interview with Peter Boyles, a talk show host on KHOW (630 AM).

Wednesday evening, television station KUSA in Denver aired an interview with Jones, in which he named Haggard as his client. Haggard denied the charges on KUSA that evening.

“I did not have a homosexual relationship with a man in Denver,” Haggard told KUSA. “I am steady with my wife. I’m faithful to my wife.”

Haggard also told the station: "I have never done drugs - ever. Not even in high school. I didn't smoke pot. I didn't do anything like that. I'm not a drug man. We're not a drinking family. I don't smoke cigarettes. I don't socially drink. We don't socially drink. We don't have wine in our house. We don't do that kind of thing."

Jones says he has two voice mail messages and a letter from Haggard, which he released to KUSA.

The television station hired Richard Sanders, a voice identification expert from the University of Colorado at Denver, to compare the voice mail messages with samples of Haggard’s voice.

KUSA reported that nine of 12 words were “perfect matches” and that Sanders planned to issue a report today.

Jones acknowledged the political sensitivity of his allegations. “He is being the hammer, and the gay movement is his nail,” he told Boyles.

Greg Montoya, editor of a newspaper that focuses on Denver’s gay, lesbian and transgender community, Out Front Colorado, said rumors about Haggard had circulated for years through Denver’s gay community. Michael Rogers, head of the gay activist Web site Proud of Who We Are (www.proudofwhoweare.org), said he thinks Jones is telling the truth.

“I’m just looking at history,” Rogers said. “But I don’t know a lot of people who step down from those positions if there’s not something behind that smoking gun.”

Local gay spiritual leaders say they’ve never heard rumors that Haggard was gay.

“I feel a lot of sympathy for Ted,” said Nori Rost, head of Just Spirit, a gay rights advocacy group in Colorado Springs. “Having been a pastor, you live in a fishbowl anyway. It must be very painful for Ted and his family.”

Gazette reporters Pam Zubeck, Tom Roeder, Anthony Lane, Andy Wineke, DeeDee Correll and Perry Swanson contributed to this story.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 11/03/2006 16:37 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I might mention that there are several other articles about this at the Gazette, along with some right-on comments. The one on today's front page by the accuser is classic: Jones' motive: Accuser Mike Jones said he was tired of Haggard's hypocracy and hoped the news affects the outcome of Tuesday's election. Spot on.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 11/03/2006 17:07 Comments || Top||

#2  He's queer, he twitches meth, and he likes young beefcake. In my opinion, he'd make one hell of a Democrat.
Posted by: bigjim-ky || 11/03/2006 17:24 Comments || Top||

#3  One more piece of evidence: the so-called "male prostitute" failed a lie detector this morning at 9:30. The information wasn't released until after 3PM local time. No mention of that bit of information on Entertainment Tonight, but the accusations were there in full force, including a quote from Mike Jones, the accuser. Haggard may have ammunition for a NICE libel suit.
Posted by: Old Patriot || 11/03/2006 18:35 Comments || Top||

#4  W's a Methodist last time I checked. My Mom's side are Methodists - fairly middle of the road protestants & not exactly your religious far-right. Unfortunately a lot of people are so stupid they will incorrectly tie this situation to W.
Posted by: Broadhead6 || 11/03/2006 21:24 Comments || Top||


Voting Machine Smartcards Missing, Challenges To Start Momentarily...
H/t to Drudge - VERY significant that this is happening in Tennessee, where until yesterday Harold Ford(D) was beating his Republican challenger Bob Corker. Now mind you, I am NOT accusing Mr. Ford of anything, but I am willing to bet his backers have something to do with this - because in a close election (Corker is now just BARELY ahead of Ford, and out of the margin of error)you can bet the screaming will start before the polls even open.
12 SMARTCARDS GO MISSING IN TENNESSEE; CONTROL ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES
Fri Nov 03 2006 10:09:31 ET

Political insiders have expressed alarm after 12 voter smartcards have gone missing from one Shelby County, TN early vote location!

The cards are used to activate electronic voting machines.

The location at the center of the controversy is Bishop Byrne High School on E. Shelby Drive in Memphis.

The polling place started out with 25 cards. By Wednesday, 11 were missing, says an eyewitness.

The location was given 5 more smartcards on Thursday.

And another card went missing!

Someone possessing a smartcard could use 'off the shelf equipment' [equipment that reprograms the card] and alter it to be used multiple times, and cast multiple votes.

One concerned insider explains: "Shelby County Board of Elections has been notified. They said is was 'not a big deal' because, they said, the cards are deactivated. But the reality is, you can buy the equipment at computer stores to reactivate them. It's on the Internet how to reactivate the cards!"

Meanwhile, The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is reviewing reports by the Shelby County Election Commission that two people voted twice during early voting in Memphis.

Dist. Atty. Gen. Bill Gibbons said he's referred the cases to the TBI for investigation along with other matters he declined to discuss.

Poll watchers are expected to turn out Tuesday to observe voting in Tennessee's heated U.S. Senate race between Chattanooga Republican Bob Corker and Memphis Democrat Harold Ford Jr.

Mike

Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 11/03/2006 16:21 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Why can't we just go back to paper ballots?
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 11/03/2006 17:40 Comments || Top||


Primary loser Lieberman now looking like a November winner
HARTFORD, Conn. - A wry grin on his face, Sen. Joe Lieberman stepped into the brilliant fall sunshine after a Baptist church service and declared his plans for the campaign's final days. "Actually, I'm planning to go into hibernation," he joked to reporters. "I'm going to be in prayer for the next nine days."

Lieberman has plenty to smile about these days. Less than a week before Tuesday's elections, Lieberman, 64, appears to be on-track for a fourth term as statewide polls show him with a double-digit lead.

Just three months ago, the Connecticut lawmaker's 18-year Senate career was on the rocks. Anti-war challenger Ned Lamont had flattened him in the Aug. 8 Democratic primary, a bitter race that was widely seen as a referendum on Iraq - and a blunt rejection of Lieberman's pro-war views. It was a dramatic fall from grace for a man who had been his party's vice presidential nominee just six years ago and who came within a few hundred votes of the White House. Lieberman sometimes cites a bittersweet Bob Dylan tune, "Simple Twist of Fate," in recalling the loss.

A defiant Lieberman quickly shifted gears and launched an independent bid to hang onto his seat, bucking top Democrats who urged him to bow out for the sake of party loyalty. Some even branded him a traitor. He's bounced back with a hard-hitting campaign that has yanked the spotlight off the issue that cost him the primary - his support for President Bush's Iraq invasion. "I will believe that, if this works out and I win, it is because people wanted me to be their senator for a lot more reasons than Iraq," Lieberman said, noting that voters often approach him to say while they disagree with him on the war, they still support him.

He has struck a chord among Republicans and the state's vast pool of independents, calling himself an "independent-minded Democrat" willing to resist the party line.
Posted by: Fred || 11/03/2006 11:52 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under:

#1  ..You know, I have some genuine philosophical differences with Senator Lieberman, but I believe him to be a genuine patriot who simply sees his duty from another point of view. I wish him luck.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 11/03/2006 14:32 Comments || Top||

#2  Ditto. I could see having an interesting conversation with the man. Can't say that Ned Lamont would ever talk with the 'little people'.
Posted by: Steve White || 11/03/2006 14:37 Comments || Top||

#3  Word, Mike.
Posted by: Raj || 11/03/2006 18:53 Comments || Top||

#4  Way to go Kos Kidz!
Posted by: DMFD || 11/03/2006 23:43 Comments || Top||


Wellwhaddayaknow: Video Shows Nothing; No Attack by Gibbons
Partial Review of Video Shows No Proof of Alleged Attack by Rep. Gibbons
Oops.
LAS VEGAS — A partial review Thursday of surveillance video from a parking garage where a woman said the Republican candidate for governor assaulted her did not reveal the presence of either person, nor of an attack.
Doesn't matter, does it? She said it. The election's next Tuesday. Therefore it must be true, at least until next Wednesday, at which time it can quietly evaporate.
A judge had ordered police to release 16 hours of surveillance video to lawyers for Rep. Jim Gibbons and Chrissy Mazzeo, who accused the candidate of pushing her against a wall inside the garage Oct. 13 and propositioning her after the two had drinks together at a nearby restaurant.

Gibbons, 61, a married, five-term congressman from Reno, has denied any impropriety and says he helped Mazzeo when she tripped while walking toward the garage. Mazzeo's accusation, now under investigation by police, has launched a media frenzy and consumed Gibbons' gubernatorial bid in the final stretch of the tight race against state Sen. Dina Titus.

Continued on Page 49
Posted by: .com || 11/03/2006 11:12 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:

#1  SET UP!!!!!!!
Posted by: ARMYGUY || 11/03/2006 13:17 Comments || Top||

#2  Well ya know, there's lies, damn lies, statistics and politics. Bed brothers.
Posted by: Thinemp Whimble2412 || 11/03/2006 22:46 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
Texas Broadcasts Live Images of Border on Internet
SAN ANTONIO — Texas has started broadcasting live images of the U.S. border on the Internet in a security program that asks the public to report signs of illegal immigration or drug crimes.

A test Web site went live Thursday at texasborderwatch.com with views from eight cameras and ways for viewers to e-mail reports of suspicious activity. Previously, the images had only been available to law enforcement and landowners where the cameras are located.

"There is only one way to test it, and that's open it up for business," said Texas Homeland Security Director Steve McCraw.

Some civil rights groups have criticized the "virtual border watch," saying it will instill fear in border communities and could lead to fraudulent crime reports and racial profiling.

The cameras will operate at hot spots for illegal activity, such as Amistad Reservoir in Del Rio and Falcon Lake in Zapata, and other active border areas such as highway rest stops and inspection stations, officials said. Information e-mailed by viewers goes to the state's operations center and local law enforcement in that area.

Craw said the project will eventually grow to include at least 70 cameras throughout South Texas, some with zoom lens and thermal capacity. The state is using $5 million in federal security grants that have been earmarked for the web camera program.
Posted by: Sherry || 11/03/2006 13:10 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Screen capture:

I tried it, it's really buggy. Users must open an account using a valid email address & then use their email address and site-supplied password to interact with the site. Firefox won't open any images. IE 7 wants me to install Active X, so I did, still most of the images wouldn't open. Thumbnail images sometimes have links which point back to home page, I could get around this by opening in a new tab. By clicking on the main image at the left, sometimes a Java applet can be made to open & users can zoom and pan the camera of the main window. Links to email address are for notifying authorities of suspicious activity. Without knowing what the cameras are looking at, makes it hard to figure out what might be suspicious. This may be a good idea if the bugs get worked out. It's nice to see someplace where the sun is shining, anyway.
Some civil rights groups have criticized the "virtual border watch," saying it will instill fear in border communities and could lead to fraudulent crime reports and racial profiling.
What a heap of Texas B.S. that is.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 11/03/2006 17:39 Comments || Top||


Meet Miss Arkansas USA 2006
An Airman assigned to Little Rock Air Force Base was selected as Miss Arkansas USA Oct. 28 at the pageant held in the Donald W. Reynolds Auditorium on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas.

Second Lieutenant Kelly George, a resident of Sherwood, Ark., is the deputy chief of Public Affairs for the 314th Airlift Wing.

"Kelly represents the Air Force and Arkansas well," said Brig. Gen. Kip Self, 314th Airlift Wing commander. "She takes to heart the spirit of service in dedicating herself to civic duty and service to the country."

Lieutenant George has been preparing for pageants for more than a decade and says training for pageants is similar to being an Airman in the Air Force.

"You have to be a good role model in the Air Force and as Miss Arkansas USA," she said. "The key is to embody all the qualities of a healthy lifestyle and be a good role model and represent yourself and the state well."

Lieutenant George said winning is important because "this breaks stereotypes about women in pageants and women in the military."

"It's such an honor for her to have won," said Jeff Gilliam, Miss Arkansas USA production director and emcee. "She represents the state and our nation and this is as much of an honor for us as it is for her."

Lieutenant George will compete in the Miss USA Pageant in the Spring on national TV in front of several million viewers on NBC and may possibly have appearance on "Deal or No Deal" as well as "Fear Factor."

According to the Miss USA website, "Contestants must be savvy, goal-oriented and aware, and display those characteristics in their everyday lives, both as individuals who participate in the competitions to advance their career, personal and humanitarian goals, and as women who seek to improve the lives of others."
Posted by: Seafarious || 11/03/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Heh -- hey guys... check this out! Good enough for a "Good Morning" post!
Posted by: Sherry || 11/03/2006 1:22 Comments || Top||

#2  Mucho More than "Oh Yeah".
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 11/03/2006 1:31 Comments || Top||

#3  Absolutely Stunning Sherry!

Miss Arkansas

a Salute and a yes Ma'am.
Posted by: RD || 11/03/2006 3:47 Comments || Top||

#4  ...And Air Force all the way!!

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 11/03/2006 6:00 Comments || Top||

#5  what's the chances of me being stationed along side her if i enlist in the air force?
Posted by: sinse || 11/03/2006 8:21 Comments || Top||

#6  what's the chances of me being stationed along side her if i enlist in the air force?

She only dates guys intelligent enough to use the shift key! Oh, and the occasional punctuation here and there too.

Posted by: Mick Dundee || 11/03/2006 8:30 Comments || Top||

#7  I'm "saluting" as I'm typing this. And I'm using capitals and punctuation, too, just in case! :-)
Posted by: gorb || 11/03/2006 13:47 Comments || Top||

#8  Hey, John: lookee here--- smart, educated, and good looking to boot. Oh yeah , she's not in Iraq. i forgot.
Posted by: USN, ret. || 11/03/2006 14:44 Comments || Top||

#9  sKerry would be uninterested in her as she isn't wealthier than Terezzza.
Posted by: Brett || 11/03/2006 14:46 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
3 Afghans killed in Dir and Swat
SWAT: Three Afghan nationals, including two madrassa students, were killed in Dir and Swat on Thursday. Unidentified men opened fire on a mosque in Adinzey tehsil in Dir, killing Afghan nationals Nasid Khan and Zakirullah instantly. The two men were students at the mosque. In another incident, Afghan national Rahim Allah Yar stabbed to death his countryman Muqhullah over a petty dispute.
Posted by: Fred || 11/03/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:


Southeast Asia
Lavish wedding video sparks outrage
A leaked video of the lavish wedding laid on by Myanmar junta supremo Than Shwe for his daughter has sparked outrage among ordinary people in the military-ruled and deeply impoverished nation. In a 10-minute clip posted on the Internet, bride Thandar Shwe is seen decked out in layers of pearls and sparkling stones that appear to be diamonds, and standing beside her husband as he pours champagne over a cascade of wine glasses. After a reception for hundreds of guests at which a five-tiered wedding cake is cut, the happy couple are seen posing before an ornate gold-braid bridal suite bed, complete with red canopy stretching up to the ceiling.

Even before the video surfaced, the July wedding was the talk of the town in Yangon, the former Burma's leafy, colonial-era capital, amid reports of gifts including luxury cars and houses worth $50 million -- nearly three times the 2005 health budget for a population of 53 million. "I've never seen so many diamonds -- although they were a bit yellow," said one Yangon resident, noting an apparent lack of taste compared to the annual parties thrown by previous dictator Ne Win for his favorite daughter.

After seeing the cherry-sized rocks around her neck, Yangon wags are dubbing the bride Thandar "Sein," which means diamond in Burmese. Her husband is Zaw Phyo Win, an army major and a deputy director at the Commerce Ministry. "It's outrageous, just outrageous, especially when you consider that most Burmese live in extreme poverty," said Aung Zaw, editor of Irrawaddy, a Thailand-based magazine covering Myanmar, one of Asia's poorest countries after four decades of economic mismanagement by a succession of military rulers.
Posted by: Fred || 11/03/2006 10:50 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  A leaked video of the lavish wedding laid on by Myanmar junta supremo Than Shwe for his daughter has sparked outrage among ordinary people in the military-ruled and deeply impoverished nation. In a 10-minute clip posted on the Internet, bride Thandar Shwe ...

As usual, no mention of Uncle Feng.
Posted by: Zenster || 11/03/2006 16:37 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
Hopis, Navajos End 40-Year Argument
An accord has been reached between the Navajo and Hopi tribes to end a bitter 40-year struggle over Hopi religious sites on more than 700,000 acres of the western Navajo Reservation.

Thousands of Navajos in the so-called Bennett Freeze Area have been without running water, electricity or modern appliances for decades because of a development ban put in place during the dispute.

The area is part of the 7 million total acres of Navajo land in which access by Hopis to religious sites will be resolved. Federal officials imposed a ban in 1966 on construction and additional utility infrastructure on the Navajo land unless both sides agreed to it.

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz., will be in Phoenix today for a signing ceremony at 4 p.m. at the Heard Museum to discuss details of the agreement.

Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Anonymoose || 11/03/2006 08:21 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Geraldine Beetso, 43, a Phoenix resident for the past 15 years who grew up in the Bennett Freeze Area, said she is hesitant to celebrate the news. Beetso, whose youth was spent in a one-room house with 10 other family members, with only a kerosene lamp for light, said she had watched many people grow old and die awaiting a resolution.

I don’t care whether it’s a Trunk or a Donk that controls the White House or Congress. This mess is on both parties hands. Its gone on for decades. I especially hold those who play the Poverty Card[tm] for nothing more than pure political power advancement to be particularly despicable. Wasting time, resources, and efforts on broad portions of poverty driven largely by free choice [of substance abuse, procreating before establishing viable incomes, and blowing off education opportunities] while real poverty like this exists that could be addressed by exactly those wasted resources is tantamount to willful negligence upon all parties. All done for petty political positioning. The next time some cheap two bit scum sucking pol starts to use the language of class warfare, know that he/she is the problem, not the solution.

It’s damn federally supervised land. The roads, communications network, TVA model energy and power infrastructures, pure water, et al should have been in place decades ago. Not one single party has a viable excuse. Every earmark in federal budget after budget for local and state pork took from these resources. I don’t care whether it is a Big Dig in Boston or a city museum parking garage in Topeka or an academic welfare grant to a university for the study of god knows what. Those are not federal responsibilities. Each little piece of greed continues to make this possible. That’s why you won’t see it nightly on television or read columns and columns of material in the dead tree media. Cause no one can tag it for political gain on someone else. They’re all dirty.

/Rant over
Posted by: Procopius2K || 11/03/2006 8:57 Comments || Top||

#2  "They’re all dirty."

Including the Whigs.
Posted by: Glenmore || 11/03/2006 8:59 Comments || Top||



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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

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Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2006-11-03
  Turkey: Muslim vows to 'strangle' Pope
Thu 2006-11-02
  US force storms Allawi's Home
Wed 2006-11-01
  NYC Judge Refuses to Toss Terror Charges Against Four
Tue 2006-10-31
  Lahoud objects to int'l court on Hariri murder
Mon 2006-10-30
  Pakistani troops destroy al-Qaida training grounds
Sun 2006-10-29
  Aussie 'al-Qaeda suspects' facing terror charges in Yemen
Sat 2006-10-28
  Taliban accuse NATO of genocide, bus bombing kills 14
Fri 2006-10-27
  Hilali suspended from speaking at Lakemba
Thu 2006-10-26
  US-Iraqi forces raid Sadr city, PM disavows attack
Wed 2006-10-25
  Iran may have Khan nuke gear: Pakistan
Tue 2006-10-24
  UN hands 'final' Hariri tribunal plan to Lebanon
Mon 2006-10-23
  32 killed in factional fighting, Amanullah Khan among them
Sun 2006-10-22
  Bajaur political authorities free 9 Qaeda suspects
Sat 2006-10-21
  Gunnies shoot up Haniyeh's motorcade
Fri 2006-10-20
  Shiite militia takes over Iraqi city


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