DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - A British couple was sentenced to three months in jail Thursday in a case that has caused controversy in this Gulf boom town because the two were charged with having sex on the beach.
The judge did not provide any details about his verdict as is customary in Dubai, so it is unclear whether Michelle Palmer and Vince Acors were found guilty of engaging in intercourse, or some lesser offense.
The two Britons, who are both in their 30s and met at an all-you-can-drink champagne brunch before the alleged incident occurred, were arrested in July and later charged with sex outside of marriage, public indecency and drunkenness.
In addition to the three month jail sentence, Judge Hamdi Mustafa Abu el-Khair levied the equivalent of about a $270 fine against each of the defendants and ordered them to be deported from Dubai after serving their prison time. "I will appeal (the verdict) and ask a judge to look at the medical report that says they did not have sex," their lawyer, Hassan Matter, told the Associated Press after Thursday's ruling.
Both previously admitted they were drunk but denied having sex. The two were not in the courtroom Thursday to hear the judge's verdict, and it was unclear if they would remain out of prison while their lawyer appealed the case.
Matter said he will submit his appeal after the judge issues a formal explanation of his verdict, which the lawyer expects in a week to 10 days. The defense has to file an appeal within 15 days. "I think the judge gave a small punishment for a kiss, not sex on the beach," said Matter. The couple could have received two years in prison if convicted of all charges.
Public displays of affection are illegal in Dubai — a city that has worked hard to cultivate an image as a haven for Western tourists and businesses in the Middle East but has a conservative legal code based on Islamic laws and tribal rules.
A British couple was sentenced to three months in jail Thursday for BUTT-UGLY-SEX!
EYE BONE is connected to the GAG BONE!
/GAG!
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
10/16/2008 19:10 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Now, now. Let's not all get worked up here....Remember they met at an all-you-can-drink champagne brunch, so the judgment centers may have been under low vis conditions.
After they get out and leave this fabled haven of jet setters and expats, they will have to see how the freedom sex is. If it is poor quality, then they can blame it on the bad champagne and go separate ways, sadder, poorer, but wiser.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/16/2008 22:10 Comments ||
Top||
MELBOURNE: Men have invaded ladies' fashion domain a little further, for after 'man-bras' and 'manscara' the latest must have for men is "mantyhose."
"Mantyhose"or pantyhose for men have become a popular sheer garment from truck drivers to cowboys.
A self confessed male hosiery-wearer, Harisnya is so passionate about the issue he set up e-MANcipate, a website which he says aims to "accelerate the acceptance of male pantyhose as a regular clothing item".
The website offers men a step-by-step guide on how to wear pantyhose without damaging it. Harisnya declares that the website, based in the United Kingdom, is "as serious as fashion can be". He is adamant that both males and females should be allowed to wear the sexy sheer garment.
#12
Do not forget there was a strong homoerotic subtext to the first two mad max movies.
You're a professional, rjschwarz, so I'll believe you, but I never noticed. On the other hand, I wouldn't be the target audience for such things, would I?
A suggestion to all those mantyhose-wearing gentlemen: please shave your legs regularly or get them waxed. Leg hair sticking through the nylon is icky.
I'm so used to ignoring all ads on all websites I didn't even notice it until you mentioned it.
I think it has something to do with Google (or whomever) ad placements where their computer thinks the website has something that would attract people intested in a particular product. Little do they know.... :-D
Hopefully Fred gets a few pennies.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/16/2008 19:44 Comments ||
Top||
The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has detected a deposit of over Tk 14.15 crore by absconding former foreign minister M Morshed Khan and his son Faisal Morshed Khan with a Hong Kong bank. According to my arithmetic, that works out to something like $2,159,000 at today's exchange rate.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/16/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
Fifteen Israeli professionals were taken hostage this week by Chinese laborers on the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean Sea. The Foreign Ministry said Thursday it were working to ensure that the professionals, who have been in captivity for three days, would be released soon.
The captives are all managers and engineers employed by the real estate company, Ashtroom. They were taken hostage by Chinese laborers who had been working for them on the island.
The kidnappers are demanding payment promised to them by their employers. They claim that they have not yet been paid for their work because the bank funding their project collapsed. The Foreign Ministry said it was receiving constant updates and hoped the crisis would be over within hours.
The small island on which the professionals were taken hostage is relatively isolated and can be reached only by boat. The hostages said their captors have blocked off the marina, in effect neutralizing the only entry point on the island. more...
An Israeli working in the area told Ynet that the Israelis were taken hostage after the project was canceled, due to bank collapse. The Chinese workers, who were informed they would be deported, are holding the Israelis for ransom.
#1
According to the Foreign Ministry, the Chinese group was working under the Israeli supervisors building a vacation resort for a construction company called Ashtrom, which discontinued its project on the island as a result of the financial meltdown.
Apparently, the workers were dismissed after the collapse of Lehman Bros. Investors Bank in the United States.
When the workers were told to go home they each demanded a sum of $15,000, which they had paid contractors in China in order to take part in the project.
#6
Maybe the Chinese could open up for bids. How much would Hamas or Hezbollah pay for 15 Israelis? You have to admit that it would be a very fast way to get the Israelis to cough up the money, unless they decided to kill the Chinese first.
#7
Nine of 15 Israeli project supervisors, trapped on an isolated Caribbean island by disgruntled Chinese construction workers who are owed wages, were released Thursday night, bringing a highly unusual labor dispute close to conclusion.
The Foreign Ministry said negotiations for the release of the remaining six Israelis were still under way between local police and the Chinese workers.
A disabled man is taken to vote (against his family's permission) and then the aid ignored his express preference to vote for McCain and filled in his vote for Obama.
Video report after short commercial:
Embedded video link removed. It automatically plays when you load the main page. Nearly made me homicidal. Go to the main link if you want to watch it. AoS.
Murtha said he has cautioned Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, if elected, to avoid the same mistakes in Afghanistan that the Soviets made more than 20 years ago. "I told Obama's people, 'Don't get your feet too far in Afghanistan,'" Murtha said. Obama has said he wants to send more troops to Afghanistan.
Murtha remembers visiting Afghanistan when small bands of Mujahideen were routing the better-equipped Soviet Army. They're professional soldiers, different from those fighting U.S. forces in Iraq, Murtha said. More troops won't be enough to stabilize the country, he said.
Murtha, who is respected by members of both parties for his defense expertise, energized opponents of the Iraq war three years ago when he called for a U.S. withdrawal from the battlefield.
He said then that it could have been done in six months. Now it will take longer, but it's still the right thing to do, he said. "We can't solve it for them," Murtha said, noting that Iraqi leaders are calling for the United States to set a withdrawal timetable, and that they haven't asked the United Nations to renew its mandate authorizing the troops' presence. "It's their problem."
Which only highlights the lack of real capable leadership and skill and imagination of the Soviet mind [something Murtha and the One should see daily in the mirror and be equally oblivious to].
A week ago he was a little-known plumber quietly practicing his trade in northwestern Ohio. Now Joe Wurzelbacher is a talking point in the race for the White House.
Wurzelbacher, now dubbed "Joe the Plumber," heard his name invoked in whole or in part more than two dozen times during Wednesday's presidential debate in Hempstead, New York, first by Sen. John McCain and then by Sen. Barack Obama. "I was just really surprised that my name was mentioned," he told reporters after the debate. "I think it helped them get their points across, so I was happy about that."
Wurzelbacher, 34, unintentionally stepped onto the political scene over the weekend when Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, was campaigning in Holland, Ohio, just west of Toledo. Wurzelbacher was playing football with his son when Obama was campaigning door-to-door in his neighborhood. Wurzelbacher works for Newell Plumbing & Heating Co., a small firm in the Toledo area, The Toledo Blade reported.
The newspaper also reported that a Samuel Joseph Worzelbacher was registered at the same address as Wurzelbacher and that he voted for the first time in Pennsylvania's Republican primary on March 4. A local election official told the Blade that Wurzelbacher's name may be misspelled in the voter registration database. Wurzelbacher told ABC News Thursday that he was registered to vote.
Wurzelbacher is keeping who he plans to vote for to himself but says he leans conservative.
In his exchange with Obama, Wurzelbacher asked if the presidential candidate believed in the American Dream. Wurzelbacher said he was about to buy the plumbing company that he works for and was concerned that Obama would tax him more because of it. Families making more than $250,000 could see taxes go up under Obama's middle-class tax cut plan, while those making less than $250,000 would not see any increase.
Obama explained his tax plan in depth to Wurzelbacher, saying it's better to lower taxes for Americans who make less money so they can afford to patronize his business.
At the debate, McCain said Obama's plan would give the government the power to redistribute wealth by raising taxes. "We're going to take Joe's money, give it to Sen. Obama, and let him spread the wealth around. I want Joe the plumber to spread the wealth around," McCain said. He added, "Why would you want to increase anybody's taxes right now? Why would you want to do that to anyone, anyone in America, when we have such a tough time?"
Obama countered that both he and McCain want to cut taxes, but that his plan would cut taxes for "95 percent of American families," more than McCain's plan.
Thursday morning, Obama's running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, said plumbers would not be affected by the Democrat's tax policies. "You notice John [McCain] continues to cling to the notion of this guy Joe the Plumber," Biden said on NBC's "Today" show. "I don't have any Joe the plumbers in my neighborhood that make $250,000 a year that are worried."
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean annual wage for plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters in the United States in 2007 was $47,350.
Wurzelbacher is the second "Joe" invoked by the McCain campaign, which is attempting to appeal to so-called average Americans. Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin referred to "Joe Six-Pack American" in a radio interview this month in which she touted the folksiness that's been central to her political success in Alaska.
"I think they're just not used to someone coming in from the outside saying, 'You know what? It's time that normal Joe Six-Pack American is finally represented in the position of vice presidency,' and I think that that's kind of taken some people off-guard," she told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
HOLLAND, Ohio - Joe the Plumber said Thursday he doesn't have a license and doesn't need one. Joe Wurzelbacher, better known as Joe the Plumber, the nickname Republican John McCain bestowed on him during Wednesday's presidential debate, said he works for a small plumbing company that does residential work. Because he works for someone else, he doesn't need a license, he said.
But the county Wurzelbacher and his employer live in, Lucas County, requires plumbers to have licenses. Neither Wurzelbacher nor his employer are licensed there, said Cheryl Schimming of Lucas County Building Regulations, which handles plumber licenses in parts of the county outside Toledo.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
10/16/2008 15:52 Comments ||
Top||
#3
I just caught a bit of Fox News and Obama took a swipe at Joe the Plumbmer, too. "How many plumbers do you know that make a quarter of a million dollars a year?" I think he entirely missed the point. Joe didn't say he would make 250,000 a year but that his company would. Some Congressman on Fox said, "His name isn't Joe and he's not even a plumber". DO NOT question The One.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
10/16/2008 16:10 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Oh goody, keep that line going to the election date demonizing the common man, the one that works and actually pays taxes. The Proletariat is suppose to be dependent upon the Party and the State [and the One]. All counter-revolutionaries will be dealt with accordingly! The Mask(tm) is off. No one will be entitled afterward to whine "I didn't know".
#5
I just come in the back door of our building, and there is a plumbers van parked there with big orange " Joe the Plumber for President" signs on both sides.
#6
A "Sole Owner" of a 'small' plumbing contracting firm tells me that it's pretty easy to have over $250K of INCOME in an average year if you employ a couple of field workers. From that you pay your material expenses, taxes, wages, insurance, permits, etc. He's seriously looking at a LLC or some other corporate structure, but those present problems, too.
By the way, the Small Business Administration lists a "Small Business" as one having less than SEVEN MILLION Dollars in a year and a "Small Farmer" as one who has less than $750K yearly income (both before expenses).
How does the 'Small Farm' income fit into the One's plan?
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
10/16/2008 16:59 Comments ||
Top||
#7
So if The One tries to throw J.T.P. under the bus, will we get an eyeful of plumbers' crack???
Good morning Mister Blue, we've got our eyes on you.
The evidence is clear, that you've been scheming.
You like to steal away and while away the day.
You like to spend an hour dreaming.
What will it take, to whip you into line?
A broken heart?
A broken head?
It can be arranged.
It can be arranged.
Step softly Mister Blue, we know what's best for you.
We know where your precious dreams will take you.
You've got a slot to fill, and fill that slot you will.
You'll learn to love it, or we'll break you.
Oh, what will it take, to whip you into line?
A broken heart?
A broken head?
It can be arranged.
It can be arranged.
Be careful Mister Blue this phase you're going through,
Can lead you nowhere else, but to disaster.
Excuse us while we grin, you've worn our patience thin.
It's time to show you who's your master.
What will it take, to whip you into line?
A broken heart?
A broken head?
It can be arranged.
It can be arranged.
Don't worry Mister Blue, we'll take good care of you.
Just think of it as sense and not surrender.
But never think again, that you can think again,
Or you'll get something you'll remember.
What will it take to whip you into line?
A broken heart?
A broken head?
It can be arranged.
It can be arrange
Posted by: bruce ||
10/16/2008 17:04 Comments ||
Top||
#9
Another point, in the construction market today, the average small 'mechanical contractor' (Plumbing, Heating, Electrical) nets about 1 - 1-1/2 percent after expenses on the national average. That little bit of cash helps secure their loans and buys the trucks and tools for the next year. Cut a part of that out and they become less competitive against a larger contractor with more cash flow.
This just stinks...........
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
10/16/2008 17:11 Comments ||
Top||
#10
MR: A "Sole Owner" of a 'small' plumbing contracting firm tells me that it's pretty easy to have over $250K of INCOME in an average year if you employ a couple of field workers.
I think that's revenues rather than income. Income is the bottom line, after you've paid all expenses.
#11
The 'gross income' you make in your day-to-day 9-5 job is before expenses, also. Revenues in a 'Sole Ownership' (Sole Proprietorship or Partnership - not a corporation) are treated as 'personal income' by the IRS. Yes, you can deduct your expenses, as you can with a normal 9-5 job, and the 'bottom line' is your 'net taxable income'. This will affect over half of the small businesses and farms out there.
What's left over after taxes is the 'little bit of cash' that I spoke of. If more of that gets taken away, the 'non-competitiveness kicks in.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
10/16/2008 17:33 Comments ||
Top||
#12
Heard on the radipo this morning that Joe isn't even registered to vote.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
10/16/2008 18:20 Comments ||
Top||
#13
Mike, I heard they got him for littering, and _everyone moved away from him on the bench there_...
#16
Just got back from town, the truck stop in Haines City, Fl big sign is Flashing the message, "JOE THE PLUMBER GETS IT, DO YOU?"
If Obama gets elected I imagine Joe will get a perpetual tax audit.
Posted by: bruce ||
10/16/2008 20:30 Comments ||
Top||
#17
"How many plumbers do you know that make half-a-million a year?"
Not a smart question..... 'cause each time Joe the Plumber is interviewed, he brings up that S word. Yea, that S word that really would have made the difference in this election, if only raised early.
Joe said Socialism..... he said, "I have a set of parents, I don't need another one."
America finally heard, Socialism.... and that is what The One has kept hidden..... fly-over country folks understand that word Socialism.
The One just doesn't understand the essence of small business, the essence of working to get what I get, and I don't want it given to me.
That's what I heard today -- via radio, Internet, etc.....
My thought is that the anger that is being seen from folks, was the point Joe made.... lots of lots of folks were keeping iside of them, that S word, knowing that is what is coming, not wanting it, not knowing how to voice it, and Joe just spoke for the nation!
And the voters of this election have now gotten vocal.
Oh.... and I know one plumber that is fuming over The One's, "Anyone here know a plumber that makes a quarter a million a year?"
From the San Antonio area call in shows today.... whoa, The One (and the media who have shown them as dumb and stupid) insulted every worker man and woman, who is out there working.
Could be a game changer -- and yes, I did hear folks saying today.... yea, I'm changing my vote...
Let's hope enough feel that way.... my money's on Joe.
#19
He's also under a tax lien for $1000+/- - woe be unto him whose fealty to the state is incomplete!
I hope some sharp 527 is working on the script - Joe W. has real media presence, and for kicks he should appear at his next sit-down clinging to his gun and bible.
Oh-oh, Timmy. Looks like it ain't just gonna "go away"...
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- A senior federal law enforcement official says the FBI is investigating whether federal money was misused when Democratic Congressman Tim Mahoney hired a mistress to work in his office. Oooh. Bad omen. "Democratic" in the first paragraph. You may be toast, Timmy.
The official says federal agents also are examining whether a second affair Mahoney was having with a high-level official in his Florida district was behind his push for federal funds for her county. Takin one for the team, eh, honey?
The FBI is investigating whether Mahoney put his first mistress on the federal payroll so she wouldn't reveal their affair. The official says the other issue is whether Mahoney benefited sexually in return for spending or securing federal money. Ummmmmmmm...could be.
(CNN) -- Pennsylvania Rep. John Murtha, a supporter of Barack Obama's presidential bid, apologized Thursday for calling western Pennsylvania "a racist area."
"While we cannot deny that race is a factor in this election, I believe we've been able to look beyond race these past few months, and that voters today are concerned with the policy differences of our two candidates and their vision for the future of our great country," he said in a statement issued by his office. That's an apology?
"Senator Obama has shown sound judgment and has presented us with a change from the failed policies of George Bush and John McCain. I believe he will win both Pennsylvania and the White House."
Murtha represents Pennsylvania's 12th District in the southwest corner of the state. Murtha's apology came after the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette posted a story on its Web site Wednesday that quotes the veteran Democratic congressman as saying, "no question that western Pennsylvania is a racist area," and predicting that those attitudes could cost the Illinois senator on Election Day.
In a statement later that day, a Murtha spokesman defended the remarks, telling The Associated Press that "It's naive to think that race or gender doesn't play a role in a voter's perception of a candidate."
Obama has struggled to connect with rural Pennsylvanians for much of the campaign. His infamous "bitter" comments -- about residents of some of the state's small towns -- became a rallying cry for primary rival Sen. Hillary Clinton, who took that contest by a nearly double-digit margin.
#2
I find it somewhat ironic/coincidental that Bill Ayers/ Dohrn's next book, which can be pre-ordered at Amazon for 2009 release is titled, "Race Course Against White Supremacy".
Playbook ??
Posted by: Tom- Pa ||
10/16/2008 16:50 Comments ||
Top||
#3
"Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy. What we need is the divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must reject his love."
That's a quote from James Cone, the intellectual godfather of Wright's church, of which Obama had been a member for 20 years.
BHO and his campaign are in no position to accuse anyone of racism. If they want to find racists they just have to look in a mirror.
Posted by: Harry Spump1471 ||
10/16/2008 16:54 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Still not sorry about the Marines he slandered, though.
In a DU discussion thread, we have this gem of reality-based persuasion:
Palin is wearing white again, inciting the racist crowds. She should just drop all pretense and put on her white hood and light up a cross. She is a despicable human being. h/t Michelle Malkin
Posted by: Mike ||
10/16/2008 14:29 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under:
SEATTLE -- An exclusive KIRO Team 7 Investigation discovers the state will send ballots to thousands of convicted felons in the next week, even though many can't legally vote.
The Secretary of State's Office fired up a new multimillion-dollar computer in 2006. Its job was to catch, and then cancel, illegal voters.
Well, not all illegal voters.
KIRO-TV recently ran its own data to double check the state's work. Investigative Reporter Chris Halsne found out the system was set up to ignore the existence of approximately 24,000 convicted felons.
The State of Washington never stopped sending Tracy Wilkinson ballots in the mail, even though it appears she's not eligible to vote. In 2002, she pleaded guilty to a felony prescription drug charge, then, according to court files, failed to pay all her fines. A Snohomish County judge ruled "the defendant is not entitled to restoration of civil rights or discharge" - legal speak for "you can't vote!"
Wilkinson admitted to Halsne that she is a felon, but thought she could still legally vote.
An extensive computer analysis, independently conducted by KIRO Team 7 Investigators, found that Wilkinson is just one of 23,927 criminals on the active voter database. 6,812 of them are considered "very likely voters" because they already cast a ballot in other elections this year.
Unless something changes soon, every one of the felons will get a ballot for the November election, even though the state admits it has no idea if they are eligible.
Sources familiar with the election program, who asked we not identify them, tell us the new computer system was intentionally programmed to ignore a certain subset of felony data. The reasoning behind it was this: Because most of the felons on our list committed their crimes prior to the computer going online in 2006, it was going to be too difficult to research which ones can legally vote. Hey - you know I find it really, really hard to pay my property taxes - I mean I have to write out the check and get writers cramps and everything. I think I'll just forgo this this time.
Jonathan Bechtle is an attorney at a conservative think tank, the Evergreen Freedom Foundation. He thinks we have found a significant flaw and one that could affect a close election. "So we're not going to follow the law because it seems too hard to do? Sorry. That just doesn't cut it. The law says 'felons, you can't vote.' The Secretary has been given the authority, given the funds to put this database together. They should be able to do this," said Bechtle.
Using admittedly simplistic math, if our data shows 6,812 felons voted in primary elections this year, that means 65 percent of them or about 4,400 will illegally cast ballots in November. If all active voters who also appear to be convicted felons are counted, that's more than 15,000 questionable votes.
Secretary of State Sam Reed is proud his office purged 40,000 dead, duplicate, underage, and non-citizen voters off the rolls since 2006. However, he admits that the felon issue remains a problem. "They have so many people out there that have not completed their sentences. It's almost impossible for us to track that, but we are working with the courts to do it, but that is one of our challenges," said Reed.
For Tracy Wilkinson, her answer is simple. It also happens to be the same thought process being used by the Secretary of State's Office: Let all criminals vote if they aren't actually sitting in prison, jail, or under active supervision of the Department of Corrections. "As long as they're paying taxes, being part of the community and doing what they're supposed to be doing, they should have the right to vote," said Wilkinson. But that is not what the law states? Are we a nation of laws or not?
Because of those discrepancies, elections officials don't think it's "practical" to eliminate any of the 24,000 or so felons in question. Instead, all will be handed ballots for the upcoming primary election. And besides - they are likely to vote Democrat so its all to the good of the elected officals.
#1
The odd thing is that in most States, and for most crimes, smarter ex-cons routinely get their rights restored by a judge. The most common restored right is gun ownership, followed by voting. Some of the wealthy even get their records expunged, but only some records--federal records aren't deleted.
#5
Remember this is the state where Dino Rossi won as governor in 2004. Till the Democrats demanded multiple recounts and kept "finding" boxes of "uncounted" votes till he lost.
Rossi is running again. Will history repeat itself?
#6
Just got my Voter's Pamphlet from Sam Reed today, along with my ballot; he is just full of himself for straightening out the registration mess and ignoring the KIRO report. held my nose and voted for him as he is the lesser of the two evils.
surprised KIRO actually published that report, since they are typically libbies.
And we will see agout Rossi / Queen Chris; last time 133 votes did Dino in, i think he has it this time.
SCRANTON -- The agent in charge of the Secret Service field office in Scranton said allegations that someone yelled "kill him" when presidential hopeful Barack Obama's name was mentioned during Tuesday's Sarah Palin rally are unfounded.
The Scranton Times-Tribune first reported the alleged incident on its Web site Tuesday and then again in its print edition Wednesday. The first story, written by reporter David Singleton, appeared with allegations that while congressional candidate Chris Hackett was addressing the crowd and mentioned Oabama's name a man in the audience shouted "kill him."
News organizations including ABC, The Associated Press, The Washington Monthly and MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann reported the claim, with most attributing the allegations to the Times-Tribune story.
Washington Monthly is NOT a news source. It's an opinion magazine and website. I used to hang out there when Kevin Drum was running the website, trying my best to educate the rubes, until I made a New Year's resolution so as to save my blood pressure. It's all opinion and very left-liberal. And Olbermann, of course, is not a journalist in any way, shape or form.
Agent Bill Slavoski said he was in the audience, along with an undisclosed number of additional secret service agents and other law enforcement officers and not one heard the comment. "I was baffled," he said after reading the report in Wednesday's Times-Tribune. He said the agency conducted an investigation Wednesday, after seeing the story, and could not find one person to corroborate the allegation other than Singleton.
Slavoski said more than 20 non-security agents were interviewed Wednesday, from news media to ordinary citizens in attendance at the rally for the Republican vice presidential candidate held at the Riverfront Sports Complex. He said Singleton was the only one to say he heard someone yell "kill him."
"We have yet to find someone to back up the story," Slavoski said. "We had people all over and we have yet to find anyone who said they heard it." Hackett said he did not hear the remark.
Slavoski said Singleton was interviewed Wednesday and stood by his story but couldn't give a description of the man because he didn't see him he only heard him. When contacted Wednesday afternoon, Singleton referred questions to Times-Tribune Metro Editor Jeff Sonderman. Sonderman said, "We stand by the story. The facts reported are true and that's really all there is." Okay, folks. Who ya gonna believe? The Secret Service or the Scranton Times Tribune?
That's an amazing statement: 'the facts reported are true'. The Secret Service just told you that they can't corroborate the story. That means the facts are in doubt. If you have some evidence that the story is true, you provide those facts. But you can't, as a good journalist, assert that the 'facts are true' when reasonable, good people can't corroborate your facts.
There's a saying in the newspaper biz: "If your mother says she loves you, check it out." I strongly suspect Mr. Sonderman failed to follow that advice on this story, and it's now bitten him. It won't bite Mr. Obama, however, because by the time the story is demonstrated to be untrue/uncorroborated, he'll have moved on to something else. Maybe the White House.
Slavoski said the agents take such threats or comments seriously and immediately opened an investigation but after due diligence "as far as we're concerned it's closed unless someone comes forward." He urged anyone with knowledge of the alleged incident to call him at 346-5781. "We'll run at all leads," he said.
#1
Fact is the meme is already out there and it is too late. That is the point of a meme and media cycles. To get people to believe things without logically thinking about them.
From Pajamas Media. If you ever wanted to know what the Justice Department is doing with all that free time from not enforcing our immigration laws.....
When I reported on September 19 that partisan career lawyers in the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice were planning on criminally targeting Republican political activists and candidates, this was treated with disbelief by some.
Well, those claims have proven all too real to former Republican congressional candidate Tan Nguyen, who ran for office in the 47th Congressional District of California in 2006 against incumbent Loretta Sanchez. On October 1, the Civil Rights Division announced the indictment of Nguyen for obstruction of justice for supposedly making “misleading statements to investigators” regarding a letter that was sent to Latino voters during the election.
The letter (in Spanish) that is the basis of the indictment was apparently sent out to Latino voters by the California Coalition for Immigration Reform (CCIR). It told voters that if they were a citizen of the United States, they should “participate in the democratic process of voting.” However, the letter warned voters that if they were residing in this country illegally, “voting in a federal election is a crime that could result in jail time” and for which they could be deported. The letter made clear that voting in any election “if you are not a citizen of the United States” would be “useless and dangerous.”
It is important to realize that everything said in this letter is absolutely true. But informing voters that they have to be citizens to vote is highly offensive to the political left, especially organizations like La Raza or MALDEF, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and their allies in the career ranks of the Civil Rights Division.
As described in the September 19 article, lawyers in the Civil Rights Division said at an internal DOJ training session this summer that they considered sending mailers informing individuals of the citizenship requirement for voting an example of voter “suppression.”
It is important to realize what has happened here. Not only was CCIR engaging in political speech fully protected by the First Amendment, but it was telling voters the absolute truth about federal statutes that prohibit noncitizens from registering and voting in federal elections and the possible consequences, including deportation. Yet the Civil Rights Division initiated an investigation of perfectly legal behavior, in fact First Amendment-protected political speech that could not even remotely be considered a violation of any federal voting rights law the Division is charged with enforcing.
Nguyen made a mistake in talking to investigators — he may have been embarrassed about his involvement or got scared when the FBI showed up at his door. But what is outrageous is that the FBI even showed up at his door to ask him questions about this letter. There was no perceptible violation of federal law. The only problem with it is that the political left would probably characterize it as “anti-immigrant.” This is a classic example of the government going after someone because they do not agree with what he did and prosecuting him for supposedly lying about fully protected political speech.
And who is the lead career lawyer on the case? Why, James Walsh, an Obama donor who was the lawyer referred to in the September 19 article who was directing the training of DOJ lawyers and FBI agents on how to go after political activists.
No one should have any illusions either about why this indictment has occurred just prior to the November election. Partisans like Walsh and his immediate boss, Mark Kappelhoff, a former ACLU lawyer and $2,000 contributor to Obama, know that illegal voting by noncitizens, particularly illegal aliens, will be very important in many of the Southwestern states like Texas, New Mexico, and California to ensuring an Obama victory.
Even more infuriating is that the political leadership of the Civil Rights Division has approved this prosecutorial abuse and chilling of First Amendment rights.
Just wait until Obama gets in there. You ain't seen nothing yet. We are SO screwed!
#1
But informing voters that they have to be citizens to vote is highly offensive to the political left, especially organizations like La Raza or MALDEF, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and their allies in the career ranks of the Civil Rights Division.
But ACORN's actions in swing states is of little concern to the Justice Dept.
#4
Here's a little snippet from Wikipedia about Loretta Sanchez which is pretty much the way I remember things having gone done WRT B1 Bob Dornan. This is what has pissed me off so badly about Bush and McCain. Maybe some of you are tired of hearing it from me but California was once a red state or, at the very least, not necessarily a blue state like it is now. So if McCain loses the election this year remember that it didn't have to be that way if him and his fellow RINOs had only enforced the law.
In 1994 Sanchez ran unsuccessfully as a moderate Republican for the Anaheim City Council under her then married name, Loretta Brixey. In 1996, she changed parties and recast herself as a moderate Democrat to run in the 46th District against controversial six-term Republican incumbent Bob Dornan.
The bitterly fought race saw Sanchez charge that Dornan was out of touch with his constituency, especially after a distracting run for the 1996 Republican Presidential nomination. The 46th had always had a Democratic tilt, but became even more Democratic after the 1990 census when it received a considerably larger number of Hispanics than had previously been in the district. Sanchez won by 984 votes, and Dornan contested the election, alleging that many votes were cast by people who were not American citizens.
#5
yes, i do blame bush... another failure in leadership.
outside of the operational part of the WOT has he gotten anything right?
seriously, just once after 9-12 did he ever do anything to stop the 5th columnists form diverting the debate? has he even once corrected the record after the blatant falsehoods of the left? Has he ever vetoed any of the abominations that came out of congress? cleaned out the cesspool of the civil service ranks that are in his purview as chief executive? tossed out the weasels at state that undermined policy openly?
and as a result, we will have the o-man
excuse me i need to go vomit
Posted by: Abu do you love ||
10/16/2008 15:21 Comments ||
Top||
I once heard Roger Ailes explain Fox as, "It's not about the news we chose to report, it's about what we chose to not exclude from our reports."
Barack Obama riffs on his media image in an interview for the New York Times Magazine, which quotes him as suggesting FOX News has cost him a few points in the polls.
The interview with reporter Matt Bai, to be published Sunday, features the Democratic presidential candidate feeling lamenting a "media narrative" that has pigeon-holed him as a liberal stereotype.
"I am convinced that if there were no Fox News, I might be two or three points higher in the polls," Obama says in the article. "If I were watching Fox News, I wouldn't vote for me, right? Because the way I'm portrayed 24/7 is as a freak!"
He continues that he is being typecast as "the latte-sipping, New York Times-reading, Volvo-driving, no-gun-owning, effet, politically correct, arrogant liberal. Who wants somebody like that?"
Obama's reference to his poll numbers comes at a time when he has opened up a commanding lead over his rival, John McCain, in national polls, as well as in several battleground states. A recent New York Times poll that way over-samples Dhimmicrats puts Obama ahead by 14 percentage points.
In the New York Times Magazine article, Obama tries to explain a comment he made during his primary race against Hillary Clinton, during which he was quoted as saying to an audience in San Francisco that some working class voters "cling to guns or religion" in response to economic woes. Obama calls that comment "my biggest boneheaded move," adding that his point was to say that "these voters have a right to be frustrated" and their concerns shouldn't be ignored.
#1
He continues that he is being typecast as "the latte-sipping, New York Times-reading, Volvo-driving, no-gun-owning, effet, politically correct, arrogant liberal.
You left out "Socialist who came up thru the corrupt Chicago political machine and has a sordid collection of left-wing, America-hating associates".
#6
He continues that he is being typecast as "the latte-sipping, New York Times-reading, Volvo-driving, no-gun-owning, effet, politically correct, arrogant liberal. Who wants somebody like that?
#8
He continues that he is being correctly described typecast as "the latte-sipping, wealth re-distro, New York Times-reading, Muzzie loving, Fox TV hating, Volvo-driving, race bating, no-gun-owning, jiving effet, liberation theology, politically correct, arrogant, upity socialistliberal. Who wants somebody like that?"
#9
Socialist, liar -- either one of those is true enough to lose my vote.
"...Obama tries to explain a comment he made..."
Give him credit: he's persistent. Most people would give up after unsuccessfully spinning it three or four times.
#10
"...Obama tries to explain a comment he made..."
Give him credit: he's persistent. Most people would give up after unsuccessfully spinning it three or four times.
Posted by Darrell
Just following his master's lesson.
“A lie told often enough becomes the truth.” V.I. Lenin
#11
He continues that he is being typecast as "the latte-sipping, New York Times-reading, Volvo-driving, no-gun-owning, effete, politically correct, arrogant liberal."
#17
Yeah, supposedly, according to the polls Obama is up by double digits. Sounds like he doesn't believe them either. Just prior to election day is the only time polls get tested by reality. It behooves pollsters to pass that test. Expect the polls to "show" tightening in the next two weeks even if the electorate doesn't move.
Measuring traditional likely voters, Obama is actually up by 3% +/- simple sampling error. And not counting any Bradley effect type bias. This thing isn't over, and Obama knows it.
Posted by: Minister of funny walks ||
10/16/2008 11:21 Comments ||
Top||
#18
From Red State
Conversations with an internal pollster for Obama...
I have an interesting story to relay that took place earlier this week between my boss (a senior VP in the company I work for) and one of the Obama campaigns' internal pollsters. Just to note, my boss is a republican and was meeting the Obama rep over lunch for other reasons. Politics obviously came up due to his line of work.
He asked my boss what her political leanings were and they did some chit chat around the issues and the impressions each had on the state of the race. What happened next was more than fascinating and should be a reminder to all of us to buck up and remain strong. All is not lost. In fact, we may be in a much better spot than we think - despite the national polls and what the daily media drumbeat to give up.
He asked my boss what she thought about Sarah Palin. While my boss is a republican she hasn't been nearly as enamored with her as most of our base. She noted concern about Sarah's experience, but said that she is still voting for McCain. As she was explaining her perspective it dawned on her to ask why he (the Obama internal pollster) was interested in her view of Palin. He replied that Obama's campaign is extremely nervous about the energized republican base and what he called the "unkown factor" regarding Palin's draw as a candidate.
In the polls they're conducting around the country, and my boss wasn't able to relay specific numbers, the Obama campaign is very, very worried about how Palin appears to be energizing whole groups of people who don't typically get energized about politics, precisely because she appeals so strongly to the middle class, as well as women and dissatisfied republicans that stayed home in 2006. More than that, they don't know how to gauge and predict the support of people typically turned off by politics, but that are enamored with her "up from the bootstraps" appeal.
I say all of this because this pollster conveyed strong concern about their standing going into the homestretch. They are very concerned about winning the vote of the middle class and whole swaths of the electorate they consider the "unkowns." In fact, and based on her conversation with this internal pollster for Obama, he's not ahead in the polls as we're being told. He's at best tied.
Look, take it for what it is. But what I know is that we're being sold a bill of goods by the media. Why? Not to be conspiratorial, but they likely just want to dispirit us, precisely because Obama has yet to seal the deal. He should be way ahead this season, but he's not.
I'll close by saying that we have several weeks left. The Obama camp internally knows they haven't wrapped this thing up.
#19
"Even Fox news says.."
I also noticed his quote of a poll by an anonymous media source. People should know these polls are BS - polling Independents or Republicans and you are more likely to get a straight answer rather than the obamanauts giving the most extreme polling answers to skew the responses. The O camp should be concerned especially after his trouncing showing last night. He should be laughed off the stage for his 30 minute infomercial - maybe get Miss Cleo, Dr. Ho or Matthew Lesko to provide the narrative?
Would explain the, "Hah we already won so don't bother to vote" narrative out to dispair not just the Republicans but especially the Independents.
#20
TU -- thanks for this great lead-in. i've just posted my first Fisking to Rantburg -- someone forwarded me NOW's fulmination on the Guvnah and it was just begging for snark...
now i'll go back to baking the cupcakes... TW, this batch is for you!
Posted by: Fred ||
10/16/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Good for them. But this is a private group. Where is the justice department?!!! All I hear is that there are indictments and investigations. Where are the arrests of key players BEFORE this election occurs?
I want to hear about what is being done NOW to prevent this election from being hijacked by Acorn. Talk of future events are meaningless right now.
Close to one in every three newly registered Ohio voters will end up on court-ordered lists being sent to county election boards because they have some discrepancy in their records, an elections spokesman said Wednesday.
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner estimated that an initial review found that about 200,000 newly registered voters reported information that did not match motor-vehicle or Social Security records, Brunner spokesman Kevin Kidder said. Some discrepancies could be as simple as a misspelling, while others could be more significant.
But Jennifer didn't want to review them at all, so you can plan on most of these being left alone ...
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati sided with the Ohio Republican Party on Tuesday and ordered Brunner to set up a system that provides those names to county elections boards. The GOP contends the information will help prevent fraud.
"Things already are in motion to comply," Kidder said. "We're working to establish these processes on how we can make this work. The computer work actually began last week."
About 666,000 Ohioans have registered to vote since January.
Brunner previously cross-checked new-voter registrations with databases run by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicle and the Social Security Administration and made the results available online, but the 6th Circuit said the information was not accessible in a way that would help county election boards ferret out mismatches.
Brunner, a Democrat, told The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer on Wednesday that she is concerned the court decision is a veiled attempt at disenfranchising voters. Brunner said she'll urge counties not to force these people to use provisional ballots.
That's not her place. Vote integrity is just as important as enfranchising each and every legal voter.
The court gave Brunner until Friday to get election boards the information but it was unclear whether that deadline would be met. The court set no penalty for missing the deadline.
County election officials were trying to determine Wednesday how they will respond once they get the information. "I'm very concerned with these new requirements as we get closer to Election Day," said Steve Harsman, director of the Montgomery County Board of Elections in Dayton. He said his staff already is working 16 hours a day, seven days a week.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/16/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
After saying she "would comply with the 6th US Circuit's ruling," Brunner has now submitted an emergency appeal to the United States Supreme Court. Appears she may have received a phone call from someone.
#2
Most of these suspect records were likely clearly bogus and never intended to be voted; they were just entered by ACORN or whoever so they could make their quota and collect their commission. They have the unfortunate (and possibly intentional) effect of overwhelming the validation system and preventing investigation of the fraction of fraudulent registrations which ARE intended to be voted.
Probably a good number of the discrepancies are of potentially legitimate concern - listing of an address as Main St. vs. Main Street or such on different documents. In the end these would only be enforced against Republicans.
#3
More, in the Cincinnati Enquirer, also an AP article:
Ohio's top elections chief has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in a dispute over whether the state is required to do more to help counties verify voter eligibility, a spokesman for her office said Thursday. Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat, filed an appeal the high court late Wednesday, said spokesman Jeff Ortega. Brunner's office said Wednesday that she would comply with the lower court's ruling. Ortega said the office would release a statement later Thursday on why she chose to file an appeal.
At least 200,000 newly registered voters have mismatched data, according to an initial review by Brunner's office. About 666,000 Ohioans have registered to vote since January, with many doing so before the contested Democratic presidential primary election between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton in March.
#4
About 18 months ago I re-registered from Libertarian to Republican. During this re-registration, my name spelling was mangled. Living in the Great State of California - I conclude this was intentional because I wrote out the registration form very clearly. I wonder if you did a name spelling errors verses party affiliation study - What would you find?
(I haven't bothered to fix the spelling problem yet - but I worry that they will turn me away every time I vote. But - no worries here in California - they don't check your ID when you vote anyway! I could be anybody. Guess Democrats want it that way.)
#6
Ohio's beloved Secretary of State explained all to the Huffington Post today. link Key bit of information is that the Supreme Court is awaiting a response brief from Ohio Republicans. She is also very annoyed with ACORN for getting caught, thus causing her problems.
#7
interesting comments in the linked article; its all the R's fault for bringing this on 'so late.' Thinking that maybe if ACORN tried for a late 3rd quarter play there wouldn't be enough time for the R's to get their hands on the ball and run out the clock.
And from the picture, she looks like a about 10 miles of bad road.
Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill are drawing up plans to toughen oversight of the financial industry and considering introducing another economic-stimulus package in the wake of the government's decision to buy stakes in major U.S. banks.
Because as we all know, you can always spend your way into more prosperity ...
Nancy Pelosi House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is mulling recommendations from several economists that Congress act on an economic-recovery package that would cost taxpayers $300 billion, according to congressional aides, equivalent to about 2% of the country's gross domestic product.
The California Democrat envisions a bill that would include new spending on highways and bridges, extended benefits to unemployed workers, aid to cash-strapped states and a tax cut, congressional aides said. She has asked several House committees to examine details of a possible plan. And as part of the effort, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is expected to testify next week before the House Budget Committee on the state of the economy. Ms. Pelosi is expected to call lawmakers back to Washington in late November to take up the issue.
With the Nov. 4 election less than three weeks away, lawmakers are eager to respond to voter concerns about the economy. The chances of a new stimulus package being enacted are likely to depend on what happens in the election and what happens to the economy. The White House and its Republican allies in Congress so far have resisted a spending-focused stimulus package.
John Boehner
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R., Ohio) described the latest Democratic package as a "big government boondoggle."
Democratic lawmakers are also seeking to rewrite the rules on how housing purchases are financed, and to redefine the roles of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The lawmakers are also looking to tighten regulation of financial services, with hedge funds, private-equity funds and exotic financial instruments such as credit-default swaps likely to come under greater federal scrutiny. "There is no question in my mind that we must adopt a stronger system of regulation and oversight for these swaps and derivatives and everything else that's out there," Senate Agriculture Chairman Tom Harkin said on Tuesday. "We've got to have regulations to protect our economy from these excesses."
The Iowa Democrat's committee oversees commodity trading.
House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank said the Bush administration's decision to invest directly in banks is a turning point in the debate over regulation. "It has definitely changed Washington, very dramatically," the Massachusetts Democrat said. "Two years ago, the prevailing opinion was [that] we needed to deregulate further. Now, the argument is [over] what kind of new regulation we need."
Rep. Frank plans to convene a hearing next week to explore how to strengthen oversight of financial markets. Committee aides are expected to focus on developing legislative recommendations the rest of the year; that would set the stage for action on a sweeping bill early in 2009, when the new Congress is seated.
"This is equivalent to what FDR had to do...to save capitalism from its own excesses," Rep. Frank said, referring to measures taken by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to calm markets and protect investors during the Great Depression.
Rep. Frank predicted that any legislation aimed at toughening oversight would face little opposition in Congress, especially after lawmakers have effectively exposed taxpayers to hundreds of billions of dollars in potential new liabilities. "We're beyond the point where anybody will stand up and try to block this," he said.
Lawmakers have reacted cautiously to the Bush administration's plan to buy stakes in nine major banks. Sen. Judd Gregg (R., N.H.) said the actions by the Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. "will help us avoid what could potentially be a catastrophic economic meltdown."
Speaker Pelosi portrayed the coordinated efforts as "steps in the right direction that could help to restore confidence in our financial markets."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/16/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Jeez, just last week , the figure was $150B, is inflation that bad already??
Posted by: Tom- Pa ||
10/16/2008 6:52 Comments ||
Top||
#2
they are just raiding the treasury like the bandits they are. If we don't stop them, it will go bankrupt.
#4
"This is equivalent to what FDR had to do...to save capitalism from its own excesses,"
Which has been proven that he extended the depression because of his anti-capitalistic methods. The dhimocrats will make the same mistake the government did in 1932-33 and will make a recession into a depression.
#5
As if I needed any more convincing, Pelosi is without question the most incompetent and dangerous SOTH in the history of the USA. With the "polls" showing Obama way ahead, she is drunk on power and licking her chops at the prospect of more.
#7
I wanted to check Zhang Fei's take on this. I think he knows where I am. For me, this is strictly a return to Carter-era economics. Remember stagflation?
The brainiacs in Congress are unable to think in more than a single dimension. Nancy is a brainiac. And, she's doing "good". What a winning combination.
.
#9
The dems are going to overreach should THE ONE be elected. The voters are rather tuned in right now to government excess. But the dems are tone deaf to that reality and they will think that they can just print money to buy voter compliance. I don't think it is going to happen. I can only hope that the Repubs in Congress do everything in their power to highlight the screw-ball strategies the dems are going to try and implement.
#10
I can only hope that the Repubs in Congress do everything in their power to highlight the screw-ball strategies the dems are going to try and implement.
I'm with you but considering the degree they highlighted the Democrats deep-deep involvement in Fannie and Freddie boondoggle I don't expect much.
You won't find it in his campaign ads, but Barack Obama let slip his plans to become a modern-day Robin Hood in the White House, confiscating money from the rich to give to the poor.
Conservatives yesterday ripped Obama after he was caught on video telling an Ohio plumber that he intends to take the profits of small-business owners and "spread the wealth around" to those with lesser incomes.
The fracas over Obama's tax plan broke out Sunday outside Toledo when Joe Wurzelbacher approached the candidate. Wurzelbacher said he planned to become the owner of a small plumbing business that will take in more than the $250,000 amount at which Obama plans to begin raising tax rates. "Your new tax plan is going to tax me more, isn't it?" the blue-collar worker asked.
After Obama responded that it would, Wurzelbacher continued: "I've worked hard . . . I work 10 to 12 hours a day and I'm buying this company and I'm going to continue working that way. I'm getting taxed more and more while fulfilling the American Dream."
"It's not that I want to punish your success," Obama told him. "I want to make sure that everybody who is behind you, that they've got a chance for success, too."
Then, Obama explained his trickle-up theory of economics. "My attitude is that if the economy's good for folks from the bottom up, it's gonna be good for everybody. I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody."
Critics said Obama let the cat out of the bag. "It's clear that his main goal is redistribution of wealth, not growth," said Andy Roth with the anti-tax group Club for Growth. "He's perfectly happy to destroy wealth as long as he can redistribute it."
Obama has been meticulous, Roth said, to conceal the "socialistic" nature of his tax plans. "But every once in a while, he lets it slip," he said.
Republican candidate John McCain yesterday charged that Obama's comment was telling. "This explains how Senator Obama can promise an income-tax cut for millions who aren't even paying income taxes right now," he said in Pennsylvania. "My plan isn't intended to force small businesses to cut jobs to pay higher taxes so we can 'spread the wealth around.' My plan is intended to create jobs and increase the wealth of all Americans."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/16/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
"But every once in a while, he lets it slip,"
That's it. Talk about Obama throwing McCain a hanging curveball...
#5
I just got my letter from Acorn "inviting" me to attend their re education camp in Missouri. Seems they want to make rice out of rocks or something like that.
Democratic vice-presidential candidate Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. has paid more than $2 million in campaign cash to his family members, their businesses and employers over the years, a practice that watchdogs criticize as rife with potential conflicts of interest.
The money largely flowed from the coffers of Mr. Biden's failed presidential campaign during the past two years to a company that employs his sister and longtime campaign manager, Valerie Biden Owens, according to campaign disclosure filings.
The senator from Delaware also directed campaign legal work to a Washington lobbying and law firm founded by his son R. Hunter Biden, the disclosures show.
Putting family members and their companies on the political payroll is legal if the work is legitimate and charged at market rates, according to the Federal Election Commission. Still, public watchdog groups have long criticized such arrangements. "Even though legal within restraints, it's not something I view as completely ethical," said Craig Holman, legislative director for Public Citizen, a campaign finance watchdog organization. "Any candidate ought to shy away from that."
Aides to Mr. Biden said all of the payments he has made to family members or their employers were aboveboard.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/16/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
If Obama is knocked out of the race by a federal judge, Biden will be the presumed nominee, unless Hillary can finagle some way to get the nomination.
#4
Hillary's time to act is between election day and when the EC meets in December. It's the media's job to point fingers in another direction and this part seems to have already started.
Posted by: Minister of funny walks ||
10/16/2008 10:56 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Is this what Obama means by "spreading the wealth?"
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
10/16/2008 11:19 Comments ||
Top||
A Kansas City lawyer and supporter of Barack Obama for president has filed suit in federal court, alleging that the Republican ticket has incited violence against the Democratic nominee. The official "Truth Squad" was too busy to take her complaint, apparently.
In her suit against Sen. John McCain, Gov. Sarah Palin and campaign manager Rick Davis, Mary Kay Green said she has been injured by their campaign tactics and suffers "terror of the heart, anxiety and grave fear" for Obama's life. I understand Päxil works wonders for things like this, Ms Green.
Green, an occasional contributor of letters to the editor for The Kansas City Star on legal and political issues, said the GOP campaign has used false hate speech to work their supporters into a frenzy, leading to death threats against Obama. In an interview, Green said she worked as a young woman in the presidential campaigns of both John and Robert Kennedy in Nebraska. "High point of my life, dontcha know!"
Though she has asked for $6 million in damages, Green said the money is not important. The suit is a moral plea to the Republicans to temper their language, she said. "I will not tolerate another assassination," Scary Mary Green said. "I have an obligation as an attorney to speak out and use my voice to say to John McCain and Sarah Palin that you must stop this behavior. You are participating in these death threats and have lost all protection from the First Amendment. The suit Green filed Tuesday, has been assigned to a federal court mediation program for resolution. "What's that you have there, Bob?"
"Another frivolous lawsuit."
"Cheeze. They never stop, do they?"
#1
Good luck with that you fecking idiot. Tell ya what, if you win, we will file countersuyit and recover the money from your side's continued systematic, libelous assault and verbal threats of violence on Sarah Palin.
#3
Meanwhile the Secret Service can find nobody to collaborate the story that someone in the McCain crowd shouted 'Kill Him' when Bambi's name was mention. The reporer seems to have made the whole thing up from cloth.
#4
Meanwhile the Secret Service can find nobody to collaborate the story that someone in the McCain crowd shouted 'Kill Him' when Bambi's name was mention. The reporer seems to have made the whole thing up from cloth.
#5
Meanwhile the Secret Service can find nobody to collaborate the story that someone in the McCain crowd shouted 'Kill Him' when Bambi's name was mention. The reporer seems to have made the whole thing up from cloth.
#6
Meanwhile the Secret Service can find nobody to collaborate the story that someone in the McCain crowd shouted 'Kill Him' when Bambi's name was mention. The reporer seems to have made the whole thing up from cloth.
This is the part of the start of pure suppression of free speech and intimidating the right. If the dhimocrats get in power, expect more and more of this until the right is cowed, or revolts.
#10
"I have an obligation as an attorney to speak out and use my voice to say to John McCain and Sarah Palin that you must stop this behavior.
I'm no legal expert, but I don't think a lawyer's ethical standards, such as they are, express such an 'obligation'. An 'obligation' to draw attention / ridicule to yourself, maybe...
#13
Mr Hussein will be appointing the federal Judges who decide these things. If he wins, expect more of these. Remember that on paper, the old Soviet Union had a constitution "guaranteeing" freedoms. On paper. In reality, not so much...Judges matter.
Posted by: Minister of funny walks ||
10/16/2008 11:01 Comments ||
Top||
#14
Not embarassing enough with the Royals and Chiefs, eh ms. green?
#15
And just last night I was wondering about whatever happened to Cindy Shitforbrains Sheehan? Sounds like she has turned up in KC.
(Must have been that skunk beer I had)
Barratry, in criminal and civil law, is the act or practice of bringing repeated legal actions solely to harass. Usually, the actions brought lack merit. This action has been declared a crime in some jurisdictions. For example, in the U.S. states of California, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, barratry is a misdemeanor, [1] while in Texas, it is a felony.[2] In England and Wales the offence was abolished in 1967.
Barratry also refers to the act of soliciting legal business from potential clients based on a particular event not just solely to harass. For example, an attorney who stops at the scene of a car accident or follows an ambulance to an emergency room in hopes of finding and soliciting business from an injured and aggrieved person might be accused of barratry. The lawyer who practices this sort of barratry is called, pejoratively, an ambulance chaser.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/16/2008 22:40 Comments ||
Top||
Sounds like a great idea. I'd love to wash my hands of them...
Millions of children around the world are marking the United Nations' first Global Handwashing Day.
The UN says it wants to get over the message that this simple routine is one of the most effective ways of preventing killer diseases. Nearly half the world's population do not have access to adequate sanitation.
More than 120 million children in 70 countries across five continents are expected to participate in the campaign. From Kabul to Karachi and from Delhi to Dhaka, millions of children will take part in the campaign and pledge to embrace more hygienic practices by the simple act of washing their hands. India has recruited one of the country's biggest sporting icons, cricket star Sachin Tendulkar, to be the face of the campaign. Washing hands will be the topic of Afghan television and radio talk shows and Pakistani newscasts. Nepal's new Maoist government is sending out mobile text messages. In Bhutan, special animated videos have been made with Bhutanese characters.
"The message we are really trying to get out is the importance of correctly washing your hands with soap and water at the critical times," Unicef's senior Sanitation and Hygiene programme adviser, Therese Dooley, said. I wonder how much Therese makes?
"And those critical times are before you cook or prepare food, before you eat and after using the toilet and after cleaning a baby."
The UN says washing hands with water alone is not enough "because you fail to wash off the germs. We are recommending hand-washing with soap," Ms Dooley said. My work is done here...
Unicef says using soap to wash hands, particularly after contact with excreta, can reduce diarrhoeal diseases by over 40% and respiratory infections by 30%. Diarrhoea and respiratory infections are the main cause for child deaths in India. Nearly half the population of South Asia has no access to toilets, whilst in sub-Saharan Africa this figure is as low as 28%.
With such poor sanitation standards, it is little surprise that children in the region are susceptible to diarrhoea, hepatitis and pneumonia - often leading to their deaths, the UN says.
The UN is celebrating 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation. My, how appropriate.
A gunfight broke out Wednesday between Thai and Cambodian troops at a disputed border zone near a landmark 11th-century temple, killing two Cambodian soldiers and escalating a conflict that has raised fears of war.
The two neighboring countries almost immediately scrambled to reassure each other and the world that they wanted a peaceful resolution.
The deaths were the first in four months of tension _ the latest flare-up in a decades-long dispute over a contested stretch of jungle near the Preah Vihear temple. The World Court awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but sovereignty over some surrounding land has never been clearly resolved.
Cambodian army commander Brig. Gen. Yim Pim said fighting had "paused" in the afternoon. Cambodia announced that its regional military commander, Lt. Gen. Chea Mon, will meet Thursday with his Thai counterpart in talks to ease the tense situation.
Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said the two countries' foreign ministers were already talking.
"Cambodia is a good neighbor. We will use peaceful means. If there is violence, we have to negotiate," he said.
The clash came a day after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen issued an ultimatum to Thailand to pull back its soldiers from the disputed territory.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters Wednesday that the U.S had noticed an increase in tensions along the border and "would urge restraint on both sides to refrain from any use of violence." He said they should peacefully resolve their differences.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/16/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
I snipped all the hand-wringing; this is what was left.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil tumbled on Wednesday, sliding to a 13-month low on expectations that a deepening economic slowdown will cut into already weakening demand.
U.S. crude fell $4.09 a barrel to settle at $74.54, falling to $74.22 in post-settlement Globex electronic trading, the lowest since September 2007 and down nearly 50 percent since hitting a record over $147 in July. London Brent crude fell $3.73, or 5 percent, to settle at $70.80 a barrel.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/16/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Under 70$ now. Just five days after going under 80$.
#3
Latest Nov 2008 NYMEX Light crude quote: 69.75 -4.79
Posted by: ed ||
10/16/2008 13:01 Comments ||
Top||
#4
4 reasons
1.Stronger dollar
2.Decreased economic activity
3.Behavior modification as people cut inefficient fuel use.
4.Last but not least, the speculative bubble has poppped.
I am actually surprised at #1, given the insane levels of liquidity injected into the .
Posted by: Minister of funny walks ||
10/16/2008 16:06 Comments ||
Top||
#5
markets.
PIMF
Posted by: Minister of funny walks ||
10/16/2008 16:06 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Minister, the speculative bubble popped because the hedge funds can't get the money they need. Banks aren't lending, investment banks are either bankrupt or morphed into commercial banks, and investors are buying treasuries at insanely low yields. No money = no speculation = price comes down.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/16/2008 18:33 Comments ||
Top||
#7
So, Dr. White, where did the speculators stow all this oil they were hoarding?
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Murtha said he has cautioned Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, if elected, to avoid the same mistakes in Afghanistan that the Soviets made more than 20 years ago. "I told Obama's people, 'Don't get your feet too far in Afghanistan,'" Murtha said. Obama has said he wants to send more troops to Afghanistan.
A week ago he was a little-known plumber quietly practicing his trade in northwestern Ohio. Now Joe Wurzelbacher is a talking point in the race for the White House.
Close to one in every three newly registered Ohio voters will end up on court-ordered lists being sent to county election boards because they have some discrepancy in their records, an elections spokesman said Wednesday.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is mulling recommendations from several economists that Congress act on an economic-recovery package that would cost taxpayers $300 billion, according to congressional aides, equivalent to about 2% of the country's gross domestic product.
You won't find it in his campaign ads, but Barack Obama let slip his plans to become a modern-day Robin Hood in the White House, confiscating money from the rich to give to the poor. 
Democratic vice-presidential candidate Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. has paid more than $2 million in campaign cash to his family members, their businesses and employers over the years, a practice that watchdogs criticize as rife with potential conflicts of interest. 
A gunfight broke out Wednesday between Thai and Cambodian troops at a disputed border zone near a landmark 11th-century temple, killing two Cambodian soldiers and escalating a conflict that has raised fears of war.
