#1
Japanese? or North Korean, branching out into counterfeit bearer bonds as opposed to currency - they have the expertise in funny money engraving and the lack of knowledge that might lead them to date the bonds with an impossible year.
#2
This is the best example yet of MSM reporting hearsay as news. It's become so common that neither editors nor readers demand verification from these fiction writer reporters. Remember that black guy who make up stories for the NYT? He went for several years before his bosses caught on.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
06/19/2009 16:03 Comments ||
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#3
It must be admitted that the NYT reporter was a gifted writer and storyteller, Richard. One hopes he subsequently found a lucrative career as a novelist.
One summer afternoon, two “Japanese” men in their 50s on a slow train from Italy to Switzerland said they had nothing to declare at the frontier point of Chiasso. But in a false bottom of one of their suitcases, Italian customs officers and ministry of finance police discovered a staggering $134bn in US Treasury bills.
Whether the men are really Japanese, as their passports declare, is unclear but Italian and US secret services working together soon concluded that the bills and accompanying bank documents were most probably counterfeit, the latest handiwork of the Italian Mafia.
Few details have been revealed beyond a June 4 statement by the Italian finance police announcing the seizure of 249 US Treasury bills, each of $500m, and 10 “Kennedy” bonds, used as intergovernment payments, of $1bn each. The men were apparently tailed by the Italian authorities.
The mystery deepened on Thursday as an Italian blog quoted Colonel Rodolfo Mecarelli of the Como provincial finance police as saying the two men had been released. The colonel and police headquarters in Rome both declined to respond to questions from the Financial Times. Probably too busy shopping for new chateaus...
“They are all fraudulent, it’s obvious. We don’t even have paper securities outstanding for that value,’’ said Mckayla Braden, senior adviser for public affairs at the Bureau of Public Debt at the US Treasury department. “This type of scam has been going on for years.’’ Move it along. Nuthin to see here...
The Treasury has not issued physical Treasury bonds since the 1980s – they are handled electronically – though they still issue savings bonds in paper format.
In Washington a US Secret Service official said the agency, which is working with the Italian authorities, believed the bonds were fake.
Officials in Tokyo were nonplussed. Takeshi Akamatsu, a Japanese foreign ministry press secretary, said Italian authorities had confirmed that two men carrying Japanese passports had been questioned in the bond case but Tokyo had not been informed of their names or whereabouts. “We don’t know where they are now,” Mr Akamatsu said.
Italian officials, while pointing out that hauls of counterfeit money and Treasury bills were not unusual, were stunned by the amount involved. Investigators are looking into the origin and destination of the fakes.
Italian prosecutors revealed last month that they had cracked a $1bn bond scam run by the Sicilian Mafia, with the alleged aid of corrupt officials in VenezuelaÂ’s central bank. Twenty people were arrested in four countries. Hmmmmm...interesting.
The fake bonds were to have been used as collateral to open credit lines with banks, Reuters news agency reported. The Venezuelan central bank denied the accusations. No habla...
CBS isn't commenting on reports that veteran newsman Walter Cronkite is gravely ill.
The 92-year-old former anchor of "The CBS Evening News," who has been ailing for some time, has reportedly taken a turn for the worse, according to TVNewser and other online sites.
#4
While I liked him on the news, the more I hear about Crankcase 'Bending the truth', the less I like him now.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/19/2009 19:32 Comments ||
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#5
"If we've lost Cronkite, then we've lost the war a lefty-spinning Piece of Excrement masquerading as an unbiased 'journalist'"
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/19/2009 20:00 Comments ||
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#6
As a kid, I used to watch CBS for the Gemini and Apollo space launches, and Cronkite was for me the official voice of manned spaceflight. I prefer to remember that Cronkite and not the raving moonbat he became in his declining years.
Posted by: Mike ||
06/19/2009 21:14 Comments ||
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#7
I grew up with Walter Cronkite same as you Mike. Used to respect him as the 'offical news'.
Only later did I realize how he and his buddies bent the truth to match their narrative.
If it weren't for Walter (and Jane Fonda), North Vietnam would have sought peace soon after the Tet offensive - when they were soundly defeated. However Walt went on and on about how it was a terrible defeat for the americans on national TV which the North Vietmanese command watched in amazement- and Hanoi Jane was right there encouring them to continue. As a result the Vietnam war lasted years longer then it might have. Even the N. Vietnam general (Gaip?) stated such in his book.
"The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer."
-- Major General Gordon Granger, "General Order No. 3" published June 19, 1865 in Galveston, Texas, thereby setting free the last slaves in the United States
Posted by: Mike ||
06/19/2009 11:43 ||
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#1
Boy, that was a pretty big interference by government in Big Business, and by a Republican, yet!
The southern farmers must not of had a good lobby yet.
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/19/2009 18:23 Comments ||
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#2
How about a Julyteenth or Augusteenth for when the rest of us get emancipated and free. Or Mayteenth to commemorate when we get free from taxes?
#3
that was a pretty big interference by government in Big Business It was more of a dispute between one large chunk of the populace and another large chunk that the government couldn't settle by traditional means.
#4
However you think of it, it's still a landmark day in the history of human freedom.
Posted by: Mike ||
06/19/2009 21:18 Comments ||
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#5
thank God that now we have elected a black President, we are free of racism accusations and claims of reparations and mediocre "La Raza" judges nominated to the Supreme Court based on boxes checked and...
oh, nevermind
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/19/2009 21:22 Comments ||
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#6
that bit of snark aside - Slavery was an abomination, here or, more currently, in the ME. Thank God (and the noble sacrifice of a lotta lives) we have eliminated it here. Where oh where are the critics of the Arab states that seem to be front and center in modern-day slavery among our race-baiting hucksters? Jesse? Al? bought and paid for?
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/19/2009 21:25 Comments ||
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#7
Not certain which is the more evil. Slavery or the slaying of the unborn. Societal outcomes are probably much the same. Wat jy saai sai jy maai. (You shall reap what you sow).
#8
I'd say they are equally evil. Abortion (yeah, I'm a Catholic) kills unborn innocents. Slavery (eventually) kills for financial gain. Both slayers are evil in my calculus. I know that's hard to square, but I'm not out killing abortion doctors...tell me about allowing Arab slavery to continue without universal outrage and we'll talk hypocrisy on all sides
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/19/2009 22:27 Comments ||
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The granddaughter of Cuban revolutionary leader Ernesto "Che" Guevara is the face of a new PETA campaign touting "the vegetarian revolution."
Twenty-four-year-old Lydia Guevara is seminude in the campaign, wearing only camouflage pants, a red beret, and bandoliers of baby carrots.
That's ART, that is. You can tell because of the artistically draped vegetation.
PETA spokesman Michael McGraw says the campaign will debut in Argentina in October and will be seen internationally. It's PETA's first vegetarianism campaign in South America.
#1
This is exquisite, a perfect storm of media culture idiocy: stylized nudity, 60s radical chic, and brain-dead eco-wackery rolled into a single mediocre photo.
#3
This debuts in Argentina, known among other things for the world's highest per capita beef consumption and for its large incidence of disappeared pinkos.
I'm sure all those gauchos and slaughterhouse workers will be persuaded to abandon their anti-cow habits and take up carrot farming.
#5
Now, c'mon, think about this a minute, boys. Would you rather have her (a) running about South America shooting people and blowing stuff up, or (b) running about South America seminude?
I vote "(b)" especially if she's got the shape for it.
Posted by: Mike ||
06/19/2009 11:12 Comments ||
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#12
Atomic Conspiracy: Let me add that the Argentinians produce some of the finest beef this side of Kobe. It is blocked out of the US unless heavily processed, like canned corned beef, because their typical beef is as good as our finest Angus.
And while you're at it, Argentina is the fifth largest producer of wine in the world, and its quality is skyrocketing. They brought some vines over from France that produce superb grapes, but do not thrive in Europe, and they love the Argentine climate.
Their best wines are still hard to get in America, because the entire lot are bought up by wine lovers before they can get on the shelves.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Dressed in a lime green Middle Eastern style abaya, or dress, American socialite Paris Hilton entered the conference room and bid the eagerly awaiting media with a "Salam Alaikum," Arabic for hello, a day after she arrived in Dubai to film a new season of her raunchy reality show.
The hotel heiress who has only been in Dubai for only 24 hours is already besotted with the glitzy town as she told the press: "Dubai is hot, hot, hot and not just literally."
"I love the Middle Eastern culture and want to learn more about it. The women here are very beautiful and their dresses are certainly a lot more elegant than what women wear in Hollywood," Hilton told a press conference held at the Inter Continental hotel.
The socialite said she had big plans to enjoy the culture and wanted to go for a camel ride and get a henna tattoo as well as swim with the dolphins, meaning she would be headed to the luxurious Atlantis hotel, which launched last year with a massive celebrity-studded party as the financial crisis hit.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/19/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Yokay-y-y, I'll bite, what is it about DUBAI thats getting my various les femmez cousins, immediate andor extended, all excited to go or move or work there???
#9
a day after she arrived in Dubai to film a new season of her raunchy reality show.
This ought to cause a few pious Arab (little) heads to explode. Riots in 3,2,l.
Posted by: ed ||
06/19/2009 11:14 Comments ||
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#10
A camel ride, is that like a donkey punch?
Joe, I have no idea..I have a family member who visited; I guess its what all the cool kids are doing. 6 star hotels, vegas-in-the-gulf without all the 'sin' and you get to sneak around for a beer like living with the parents again.
Like I GaS, but this is an excellent way to drum up tourism and say, "Hey, we'll have a skank like hilton show up and we can prove how progressive we are".
Personally I think people going to Dubai to party is glorified cow tipping.
#13
Here's an eye-opening (also stomach-churning, bile-inducing, and BP-spiking) look at the real Dubai. If Paris does swim with the dolphins, she should make sure it's in a well-treated pool.
#14
xbalanke--Thanks for that link. That was like watching a car wreck... tragic, yet so fascinating you can't turn away. Sounds like this place will be a perfect fit for someone of such fine moral character as Ms. Hilton...
Posted by: Dar ||
06/19/2009 17:48 Comments ||
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#15
I didn't realize there was a pop-up edition of the art of war...
#16
from xbalanke's link "All over Dubai, crazy projects that were Under Construction are now Under Collapse. They were building an air-conditioned beach here, with cooling pipes running below the sand, so the super-rich didn't singe their toes on their way from towel to sea."
[ADN Kronos] Saudi Arabian police are reported to have arrested 71 foreigners accused of homosexuality in the capital Riyadh. According to a report in the Arab daily, al-Quds al-Arabi, police raided a party in the al-Manar district of the capital and arrested the group.
Several residents are reported to have notified police about people who were doing things that did "not conform" with Islamic sharia law. When police arrived they reportedly found people wearing "indecent" clothes and conducting themselves in an "indecent" manner. Seventy Filipinos and one Yemeni were arrested by police.
A few weeks ago police arrested 55 young men accused of homosexuality at a party at a farm in the Sihat area.
Homosexuality and cross-dressing are widely seen as immoral acts and are treated as serious crimes. While the kingdom has faced criticism from human rights organisations, it insists that it always acts in accordance with Sunni Islamic law.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/19/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
While nothing excuses Saudi repressive actions, being gay and moving to work in Saudi Arabia should qualify for a Darwin Award of sorts.
[Iran Press TV Latest] One person has been shot dead during demonstrations in favor of former Haitian president which erupted at a funeral service for a well-known priest.
"It was one of our supporters. He was killed by Brazilian UN soldiers," one of the demonstrators told Haitian television.
Thousands of people had turned out on Thursday for the funeral of Father Gerard Jean-Juste, who died two weeks ago in Florida and was close to the former president Jean Bertrand Aristide.
"It seems that one person was killed close to the cathedral. The first reports we have show that the soldiers fired in the air," said Sophie Boutaud de la Combe, spokeswoman for the UN forces in Haiti. "The blue helmets were apparently attacked by stone-throwing demonstrators from different parts of the town center."
The unrest came a day after a UN vehicle was set on fire by demonstrators demanding that UN forces leave Haiti, accusing them of using tear gas to end the protests. Haitian students have been demonstrating for the past two weeks demanding that the rate of the minimum salary should be revised. But the protests have regularly ended in violence.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/19/2009 00:00 ||
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GUANGZHOU, China (AP) -- Mrs. Chen can't imagine abandoning one of her two best friends: her scruffy terrier mutt and a white fluffy Pekingese mix with buggy eyes.
But that's what the government in this southern Chinese city wants the middle-aged housewife to do when a one-dog policy takes effect in Guangzhou.
Beginning July 1, each household can raise only one pooch. The regulation won't be grandfathered in, so families with two or more dogs will apparently have to decide which one gets to stay.
"It's a cruel regulation. These dogs are like family. How can you keep one and get rid of the others?" said Chen, who declined to give her full name because she feared the police would track her down and seize the dogs.
Such dog controls have touched off resentment among urban - mostly new middle class - Chinese in other cities. The Guangzhou measure comes as many are worrying about the economy, and there's potential for the regulation to trigger a public backlash.
The regulation appears to be part of an effort to control stray dogs in Guangzhou, once known as Canton. An hour north of Hong Kong by train, it is one of the richest cities in China and has a rapidly growing middle class that can afford to own dogs.
Many of the first-time pet owners don't bother to spay or neuter their animals and are new to the burdens of keeping an animal. The canines often end up on the street when their owners grow tired of raising a cute puppy that grew up into a big mutt and constantly demands care.
Guangzhou is also preparing to host the Asian Games next year, and crews have been scrubbing down and sprucing up the city of 12 million people. Reducing the dog population will likely mean cleaner sidewalks.
During the 2006 Beijing roundup, there were no reports of authorities entering homes to seize dogs. But witnesses accused the police of going through neighborhoods and collecting unregistered dogs from the streets, then beating them to death. In one county in the southwestern province of Yunnan, where three people had died of rabies, authorities killed 50,000 dogs, often clubbing them to death in front of their owners.
Dog owners in Guangzhou aren't sure if the one-dog policy will be strictly enforced. Often Chinese authorities announce a tough new law, launch a crackdown, then ignore the measure.
Chen, the owner of the Pekingese and terrier mixes, said her plan was to register one of her dogs with her parents. She said the Chinese are masters at finding loopholes and other ways to skirt around laws.
"In China, we have a saying," she said. "When the people at the top make a policy, the people at the bottom find a way to get around it."
#1
Right. The way to reduce the number of stray dogs is to force people to give up the dogs they have. What do the morons think will happen to the extra dogs? They will become strays!
If you really want to reduce the number of strays, round them up and give them to people. Force them to take care of them. That way, there will be no stray dogs - every dog will will have an owner.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
06/19/2009 23:00 Comments ||
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North Korea may launch a long-range ballistic missile towards Hawaii on American Independence Day, according to Japanese intelligence officials.
The missile, believed to be a Taepodong-2 with a range of up to 4,000 miles, would be launched in early July from the Dongchang-ni site on the north-western coast of the secretive country.
Intelligence analysts do not believe the device would be capable of hitting Hawaii's main islands, which are 4,500 miles from North Korea.
Details of the launch came from the Japan's best-selling newspaper, Yomiuri Shimbun. Both Japanese intelligence and U.S. reconnaissance satellites have collated information pointing to the launch, according to the report.
#1
WORLD MIL FORUM > IIUC "SCUD UNION": CLOSE TECHNICAL COOPERATION BETWEEN NORTH KOREA AND IRAN ON DEVELOPMENT OF BALLISTIC MISSLES, ENERGY, ARTILLERY SYSTEMS, AND BATTLEFIELD MICRO-WEAPONS. WMD-CAPABLE ARTILLERY SHELLS.
* SAME > NORTH KOREA DEFECTORS: WEAPONS-GRADE PLUTONIUM ENRICHMENT FORCES NORTH KOREA TO USE UP APPROXI 1/3 OF ITS ELECTRICAL POWER GRID [all sources]. NORTH KOREA FORCED TO COVERTLY FOCUS ON DEV OF NUCLEAR, WMD/CBRN-CAPABLE ARTILLERY SYSTEMS AND NUCLEAR-WMD COMMANDO STRIKE OPERATIONS TO WIN IN WAR AGZ SOUTH KOREA, DETER US-JAPAN MIL INTERVENTION OUT OF FEAR OF PROVOKING CHINA.
#2
WORLD MIL FORUM > IIUC "SCUD UNION": CLOSE TECHNICAL COOPERATION BETWEEN NORTH KOREA AND IRAN ON DEVELOPMENT OF BALLISTIC MISSLES, ENERGY, ARTILLERY SYSTEMS, AND BATTLEFIELD MICRO-WEAPONS. WMD-CAPABLE ARTILLERY SHELLS.
* SAME > NORTH KOREA DEFECTORS: WEAPONS-GRADE PLUTONIUM ENRICHMENT FORCES NORTH KOREA TO USE UP APPROXI 1/3 OF ITS ELECTRICAL POWER GRID [all sources]. NORTH KOREA FORCED TO COVERTLY FOCUS ON DEV OF NUCLEAR, WMD/CBRN-CAPABLE ARTILLERY SYSTEMS AND NUCLEAR-WMD COMMANDO STRIKE OPERATIONS TO WIN IN WAR AGZ SOUTH KOREA, DETER US-JAPAN MIL INTERVENTION OUT OF FEAR OF PROVOKING CHINA.
#8
Since I'm sitting here on Kaua'i with a gutless self-serving moke for a President, I'd like to thank all you folks out there who wouldn't vote for McCain 'cause he wasn't a real conservative. Way to go.
#9
Don't worry there TH, its a favorite retreat for the family should be safe.
Slightly on topic, slightly off, I've noticed that the talking point for anti-missile defense types around here has changed from "unproven waste of time and money" to "that weapon system". Still against it, but admit it works.
BEIJING: China has expressed "strong dissatisfaction" over the Asian Development Bank's decision to approve a $2.9-billion funding plan for India which includes projects in parts of Arunachal Pradesh still under dispute between the two countries.
The Chinese government said on Thursday the ADB had "tarnished" its name by approving the plan and urged the bank to reconsider its decision.
The ADB's Board of Directors met on Monday to approve India's country strategy for 2009-12, which includes a $60 million flood-management programme in Arunachal Pradesh. China still has claims on parts of the State, and talks to resolve the long-running border dispute between the two countries have made little progress.
The Chinese government accused the bank of playing politics by granting approval for India's projects. Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said on Thursday China expressed "strong dissatisfaction" over the decision.
"The Asian Development Bank, as a regional developmental institution, should not interfere in the political affairs of members," he said. "The bank's move not only seriously tarnishes its own name, but also undermines the interests of its members."
Mr. Qin said the outcome "[did] not change the fact that China and India have huge territorial disputes," and could not change China's "fundamental position on the border issue."
The Chinese government "strongly urged" the ADB to "take effective measures to eliminate the negative impact of this move," he added.
But there is still some uncertainty whether the specific projects in the disputed areas will go ahead. Ann Quon, Principal Director, Department of External Relations, ADB, said in an e-mail message to The Hindu that the ADB's Board of Directors had on Monday only given "broad support for the general development thrust and direction of the Country Strategy" for India. Individual projects and programmes, she said, "would require separate approval by the Board of Directors."
Ms. Quon rejected the Chinese government's suggestion that the ADB had in any way involved itself in the political dispute between the two countries. She said "only economic considerations" were relevant to the bank's decision, in accordance with Article 36 of its charter which prohibits the bank from involving itself in the political affairs of its members.
"The ADB takes no position on territorial disputes between its members," Ms. Quon said.
She said the bank would issue "suitable guidelines for its staff on dealing with proposed activities in disputed areas."
Posted by: john frum ||
06/19/2009 00:00 ||
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Outspoken Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann says she's so worried that information from next year's national census will be abused that she will refuse to fill out anything more than the number of people in her household.
In an interview Wednesday morning with The Washington Times "America's Morning News," Mrs. Bachmann, Minnesota Republican, said the questions have become "very intricate, very personal" and she also fears ACORN, the community organizing group that came under fire for its voter registration efforts last year, will be part of the Census Bureau's door-to-door information collection efforts.
"I know for my family the only question we will be answering is how many people are in our home," she said. "We won't be answering any information beyond that, because the Constitution doesn't require any information beyond that."
Shelly Lowe, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Census Bureau, and swarmy bureaucrat,
said Mrs. Bachmann is "misreading" the law.
She sent a portion of the U.S. legal code that says anyone over 18 years of age who refuses to answer "any of the questions" on the census can be fined up to $5,000. Being a certified bureaucrat, she feels Obama has her back, and she can threaten citizens with impunity.
The Constitution requires a census be taken every 10 years. Questions range from number of persons in the household and racial information to employment status and whether anyone receives social services such as food stamps.
Mrs. Bachmann said she's worried about the involvement of ACORN, the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now, in next year's census.*
"They will be in charge of going door to door and collecting data from the American public," she said. "This is very concerning."
ACORN has applied to help recruit workers to help conduct the census. Republican lawmakers and some public interest groups have expressed concern over their involvement. ACORN staffers have ben indicted in several states on charges of voter registration fraud stemming from the organization's efforts to register voters last year.
Mrs. Bachmann, who is in her second term in the House, has become a lightning rod for criticism from Democrats and liberal talk show hosts for her unapologetic conservative views. She said she considers that "a badge of honor."
"It's clear when a person speaks out against those policies they become a target, and that should be concerning to everyone," she said. * BINGO! Congresswoman Bachman hit the nail on the head. ACORN may try to register anything that moves or not move. How many pet rocks has ACORN registered? I wouldn't be surprised to find my dog, Emma DeBergerac, on the rolls. She has been registered with AKC, so ACORN can take her off that list.
"I VOTE : SWEDISH PIRATE PARTY, cause Reed, and Pelosi are too ugly, and Obama picked a Portugese Water Dog over a Standard Poodle...Since, everyone else in my house are Republicans, so someone has to be different"
AoS note: please observe formatting rules in your posts. Your comments are in yellow, and no links to outside pics, especially big ones.
#1
She sent a portion of the U.S. legal code that says anyone over 18 years of age who refuses to answer "any of the questions" on the census can be fined up to $5,000.
That bureaucrat is wrong or lying. Here is the law and the fine is only $100:
-CITE-
13 USC Sec. 221 01/08/2008
-EXPCITE-
TITLE 13 - CENSUS
CHAPTER 7 - OFFENSES AND PENALTIES
SUBCHAPTER II - OTHER PERSONS
-HEAD-
Sec. 221. Refusal or neglect to answer questions; false answers
-STATUTE-
(a) Whoever, being over eighteen years of age, refuses or
willfully neglects, when requested by the Secretary, or by any
other authorized officer or employee of the Department of Commerce
or bureau or agency thereof acting under the instructions of the
Secretary or authorized officer, to answer, to the best of his
knowledge, any of the questions on any schedule submitted to him in
connection with any census or survey provided for by subchapters I,
II, IV, and V of chapter 5 of this title, applying to himself or to
the family to which he belongs or is related, or to the farm or
farms of which he or his family is the occupant, shall be fined not
more than $100.
(b) Whoever, when answering questions described in subsection (a)
of this section, and under the conditions or circumstances
described in such subsection, willfully gives any answer that is
false, shall be fined not more than $500.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, no person
shall be compelled to disclose information relative to his
religious beliefs or to membership in a religious body.
-SOURCE-
(Aug. 31, 1954, ch. 1158, 68 Stat. 1023; Pub. L. 85-207, Sec. 15,
Aug. 28, 1957, 71 Stat. 484; Pub. L. 94-521, Sec. 13, Oct. 17,
1976, 90 Stat. 2465.)
-MISC1-
HISTORICAL AND REVISION NOTES
Based on title 13, U.S.C., 1952 ed., Secs. 122, 209, and section
1442 of title 42, U.S.C., 1952 ed., The Public Health and Welfare
(June 18, 1929, ch. 28, Sec. 9, 46 Stat. 23; June 19, 1948, ch.
502, Sec. 2, 62 Stat. 479; July 15, 1949, ch. 338, title VI, Sec.
607, 63 Stat. 441).
Section consolidates the first paragraph of section 209 of title
13, U.S.C., 1952 ed., which section related to the decennial
censuses of population, agriculture, etc. (see subchapter II of
chapter 5 of this revised title), with that part of section 122 of
such title which made such section 209 applicable to the
quinquennial censuses of manufactures, the mineral industries, and
other businesses (see subchapter I of chapter 5 of this revised
title) and applicable to the surveys provided for by section 121(b)
of such title (see subchapter IV of chapter 5 of this revised
title), and that part of subsection (b) of section 1442 of title
42, U.S.C., 1952 ed., which made such section 209 applicable to the
decennial censuses of housing (see subchapter II of chapter 5 of
this revised title). For remainder of sections 122 and 209 of title
13, U.S.C., 1952 ed., and of section 1442 of title 42, U.S.C., 1952
ed. (which section has been transferred in its entirety to this
revised title), see Distribution Table.
The language of section 209 of title 13, U.S.C., 1952 ed.,
providing that it should "be the duty" of all persons over eighteen
years of age, to answer correctly, to the best of their knowledge,
when requested, etc., was omitted as unnecessary and redundant. The
provisions, as herein revised, define offenses and prescribe
penalties for committing them, and are deemed sufficient for the
purpose of enforcement. However, some of the language used in the
omitted provisions was necessarily included in the description of
the offense.
The designation of the first offense, herein described, as a
"misdemeanor", was omitted as covered by section 1 of title 18,
U.S.C., 1952 ed., Crimes and Criminal Procedure, classifying
crimes; and words "upon conviction thereof" were omitted as
surplusage.
References to the Secretary (of Commerce) and to any "authorized
officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or bureau or
agency thereof", etc., were substituted for references to the
Director of the Census and to any "supervisor, enumerator, or
special agent, or other employee of the Census Office", to conform
with 1950 Reorganization Plan No. 5, Secs. 1, 2, eff. May 24, 1950,
15 F.R. 3174, 64 Stat. 1263. See revision note to section 4 of this
title.
Changes were made in phraseology.
AMENDMENTS
1976 - Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 94-521, Sec. 13(1), struck out
provision authorizing imprisonment for not more than sixty days for
refusing or willfully neglecting to answer questions under this
section.
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 94-521, Sec. 13(2), struck out provision
authorizing imprisonment for not more than one year for willfully
giving a false answer to a question under this section.
Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 94-521, Sec. 13(3), added subsec. (c).
1957 - Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 85-207 substituted "I, II, IV, and V"
for "I, II, and IV".
EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1976 AMENDMENT
Amendment by Pub. L. 94-521 effective Oct. 17, 1976, see section
17 of Pub. L. 94-521, set out as a note under section 1 of this
title.
#2
when requested by the Secretary, or by any
other authorized officer or employee of the Department of Commerce
or bureau or agency thereof acting under the instructions of the
Secretary or authorized officer,
The census is not being carried out by the Commerce Department (Or the Secty of Comm) this time but by the party hacks at the white house. So I don't think even this fine would apply.
Former President George W. Bush fired a salvo at President Obama on Wednesday, asserting his administration's interrogation policies were within the law, declaring the private sector -- not government -- will fix the economy and rejecting the nationalization of health care.
"I know it's going to be the private sector that leads this country out of the current economic times we're in," the former president said to applause from members of a local business group. "You can spend your money better than the government can spend your money."
Repeatedly in his hourlong speech and question-and-answer session, Mr. Bush said he would not directly criticize the new president, who has moved to take over financial institutions and several large corporations. Several times, however, he took direct aim at Obama policies as he defended his own during eight years in office.
"Government does not create wealth. The major role for the government is to create an environment where people take risks to expand the job rate in the United States," he said to huge cheers. Whaddaya mean? Nobama seems to be pulling money right out of thin air!
Mr. Bush weighed in on some of the most pressing issues of the day: the election in Iran, the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba, and his administration's interrogation policies of terrorists held there and elsewhere. The former president has not commented on Mr. Obama's decision to ban "enhanced interrogation techniques" such as waterboarding, which the current president has called "off course" and "based on fear." Kinda weak coming from a guy who's too afraid to comment meaningfully on what's going on in Iran. I wonder what your reaction will be when the Norks fire off their first ICBM towards Hawaii.
"The way I decided to address the problem was twofold: One, use every technique and tool within the law to bring terrorists to justice before they strike again," he said, adding that the country needs to stay on offense, not defense. On Guantanamo, which while in office Mr. Bush said he wanted to close, the former president was diplomatic.
"I told you I'm not going to criticize my successor," he said. "I'll just tell you that there are people at Gitmo that will kill American people at a drop of a hat and I don't believe that -- persuasion isn't going to work. Therapy isn't going to cause terrorists to change their mind." What if they promise on a stack of Holy Crayons?
The Obama administration has started to clear out some of the more than 200 detainees at the facility. And Britain is so happy about it, too.
Repeating a mantra from his presidency, he called the current war against terrorism an "ideological conflict," asserting that in the long term, the United States needs to press freedom and democracy in corners across the world.
Mr. Bush did not directly address Mr. Obama's response to the election in Iran, which some critics have called tepid, but he did make clear that the outcome is very much in dispute. For a fifth straight day, as the Obama administration walks a tightrope by issuing little criticism, protesters gathered in Tehran to demand a new election.
"Clearly, there's a level of frustration on the Iranian streets," Mr. Bush said. "It looks like it's not a very fair election."
Mr. Bush returned again and again to the economy, and sought to defend his own actions after the financial meltdown in the waning days of his second term -- Mr. Obama repeatedly has said he inherited that mess.
"I am told, 'If you do not move strongly, Mr. President, you will be a president overseeing a depression that will ultimately be greater than the Great Depression,'" Mr. Bush said. "I firmly believe it was necessary to put money in our banks to make sure our financial system did not collapse. ... I did not want there to be bread lines, to be a great depression."
He said his administration sought to address the "housing bubble" before the system broke down. "We tried to reform" mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, "but couldn't get it through the vested interests on Capitol Hill." Next time use the Bully Pulpit.
Still, Mr. Bush was optimistic, pressing, as he did as president, free trade, open markets and the free enterprise system. "We'll come out of this better than before," he said to more applause.
But he was less than convinced about Mr. Obama's move to overhaul the health care system.
"There are a lot of ways to remedy the situation without nationalizing health care," Mr. Bush said. "I worry about encouraging the government to replace the private sector when it comes to providing insurance for health care." OK, do it in parallel and snap the private sector back into line. AFAIAC, private healthcare as personally experienced in the ER is below socialized standards. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't think a ten minute CT scan is worth $1700. Sorta makes me wish I could follow the money.
Asked by the evening emcee at the 104th annual Manufacturer and Business Association meeting if he finds the new president's policies "socialist," Mr. Bush started -- then stopped.
"I hear a lot of those words, but it depends on --" he said, breaking off. He later offered a more diplomatic assessment: "We'll see."
Wednesday's speech to hundreds of high-paying association members -- "premium" tables at the city's convention center went for $1,500 -- was just the second post-presidency speech by Mr. Bush on U.S. soil (his two major speeches were both in Canada).
He was loose and relaxed, his nose a bright red from nearly a week in Kennebunkport, Maine, where he joined his family in celebration of his father's 85th birthday. Mr. Bush told some of his new set stories: How just a month after leaving office he was picking up his dog Barney's poop off a manicured lawn in his Dallas neighborhood; how he's experienced his first red light in 14 years (he served six years as Texas governor before being elected president).
His Secret Service detail, however, was not relaxed: This was the first event in which audience members did not have to pass through metal detectors. Outside, a tiny group of protesters and supporters -- about 10 people on each side -- faced off on opposite curbs. One man held a sign that said, "President Bush, thank you for saving all the babies." On the other side: "Arrest Bush." Those with a message vs. those without.
But the former president got a big cheer when he walked out on stage -- even bigger than Joe Paterno, the legendary Penn State coach who was also on hand for the event. The former president noted that America has a funny political system: "You're it, then you're not it -- instantly."
He lamented the politics of personal destruction that he said is rampant in Washington, noting, though, that it has always been thus. Recalling how a treasury secretary and a vice president once fought a duel, he joked: "At least when my vice president shot somebody, it was an accident." Personal destruction? I wish it was just personal. Politicians under the spell of special interest groups have assured that destruction has spilled over into almost every household in America. Thanks, A-holes. We little people can't say how much we appreciate it.
During a question-and-answer session, Mr. Bush recounted tough decisions he made in office. Still steely, the former president said he left Washington with the same moral resolve. "When I look in the mirror, I say, 'He did not sell his soul for short-term politics.'"
Asked about the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, when he first learned of the terrorist attacks while in a classroom full of children in Florida, Mr. Bush said he simply found an inner resolve.
"I realized that we were in crisis, and the first thing I do in any crisis ... is calm. If you're president, and all of a sudden the whole world is watching you, and you get up and do something precipitously, frighten children, storm out, that kind of movement will cascade through a society," he said. You'll have to use smaller words to explain that to the Donks, I'm afraid. They criticized your lack of instant precipitous reaction.
In answer to a question about what he learned as president, Mr. Bush smiled broadly. "There's so much stuff coming at you," he said to laughter. But turning serious, he said, perhaps to his successor: "You don't know what's going to come when you're president. You just have to be ready for it." Hear that, Noob?
The inability and/or willingness of W and his father to make use of the bully pulpit has twice handed the country over to jackals.
I sometimes wonder if, despite his understanding of the need for boots on the ground in the ME and the existential threat of Islam, under it all, W had a touch of the loyalty to transnationalism that the inherited wealthy seems to possess (generally speaking) these days.
The next Republican President is going to have to be someone who can communicate better than either of these men ever did, and not be afraid to take names and to exact retribution on the left for their behavior right now.
It won't be someone from the Bush clan.
Posted by: no mo uro ||
06/19/2009 5:49 Comments ||
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#3
I really think this is tame and purposely so. He did not "slam" Obama but merely pointed out there are other different opinions. This is a far cry of the action by Dimmy and Bubba during Bushes term in office.
#4
"When I look in the mirror, I say, 'He did not sell his soul for short-term politics.”
For the most part he can say that with a clear conscience. W is a Country Clubican or as he would say a “Compassionate Conservative”. However, one has to wonder if he laments his decisions (or lack there of) regarding the Iraq war in the months leading up to the 2006 mid-term elections.
#5
I'll be happy when the Bush's, Kennedys, Clintons, Kerry's, Gore's and McCain's all leave politics. W got iraq right but was too much of a rino for my liking. I still believe he did what he thought was right. Same w/McCain, I just can't stomach the country club elite repubs anymore. They're basically blue dog dems that know how the economy is supposed to work.
#6
He said his administration sought to address the "housing bubble" before the system broke down. "We tried to reform" mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, "but couldn't get it through the vested interests on Capitol Hill."
He should have been screaming bloody murder. He should have been twisting arms. You can say he was preoccupied with the war or whatever. But if the money's all gone how are we gonna pay for the frickin' war? This and amnesty were his biggest mistakes, IMHO.
LAID off from Wall Street? The CIA wants you - as long as you can pass a lie detector test and show that you are motivated by service to your country rather than your wallet.
The Central Intelligence Agency has been advertising for recruits and will be holding interviews on June 22 at a secret location in New York.
"Economics, finance and business professionals, if the quest for the bottom line is just not enough for you, the Central Intelligence Agency has a mission like no other," one radio advertisement for the agency says.
"Join CIA's directorate of intelligence and be a part of our global mission as an economic or financial analyst. Make a difference in your career and for your nation," it says.
Ron Patrick, a spokesman for recruitment and retention at the CIA, told Reuters Television the agency had received several hundred resumes so far from applicants ranging from people just out of graduate school to laid-off bankers.
"It's going to be a very different use of their skill set than perhaps they've used on Wall Street," Patrick said.
Recruits will have to pass rigorous background and medical checks, as well as a polygraph, or lie-detector test.
Starting salaries range from around $60,000 for a new graduate to $100,000 for somebody with more experience, and top out at $160,000. Generous benefits are included.
Patrick said the agency would welcome worthy applicants from Wall Street, whose reputation has been tarnished by the financial crisis and revelations of lavish lifestyles and multi-million dollar bonuses at banks blamed for the meltdown.
"Typically the people that come to the CIA want to serve the government, they want to serve their countries. It's a different mindset perhaps than serving a company or serving profit as a bottom line," he said. "As long as they can make that attitude switch from profit being the motivator to serving their country, I think they'll fit in very well with us."
#5
Fifty years ago a banker was someone who would have had expertise in the sector of business he'd be working to finance. Today... I suspect there are too many bankers who went to work for the bank straight out of college and have never done anything else.
MUMBAI: A Russian military cargo aircraft AN-24 on Friday night intruded into Indian airspace from Pakistan and landed at the international airport out.
As the plane entered into Indian airspace without the right code, it was escorted to Mumbai airport by Indian Air Force planes, a spokesman of Mumbai International Airport Limited spokesman said here.
The MIAL spokesman said the plane with Russian markings came from Pakistani airspace and was escorted over the Mumbai airport by IAF planes.
The cargo aircraft landed at the airport at around 2240 hours after being allowed by the Air Traffic Control.
Security forces have surrounded the aircraft.
Posted by: john frum ||
06/19/2009 16:33 ||
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#1
Some poor pilot's in a shitload of trouble.
Inspect the plane (maybe fix the nav Gyro) and send it on it's way.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/19/2009 19:28 Comments ||
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#2
AN-24's are banned from landing in many countries due to their very poor safety record. Had one topple in at Balad when I was over there. Fifty some Turk TCN's wiped out.
India on Friday successfully launched a ballistic missile in the second such trial of the nuclear-capable weapon in a month, the defense ministry said.
The Agni-II missile blasted off from a testing site in eastern India and " achieved all its flight parameters without hitch," a senior ministry official told AFP.
"It was a user trial conducted by the army and defense scientists," he said of the rocket, which the military says is capable of hitting targets deep inside adjoining China.
The test was the second since May 19 when a similar 2,500-kilometer (1,560- mile) range Agni-II was fired from the same site, hitting a pre-designated target in the Bay of Bengal.
The Indian-developed 20-meter-long missile weighs 16 tons and is capable of carrying one ton of conventional or nuclear warheads.
Friday's trial, part of the nation's efforts to build a credible minimum nuclear deterrent, paves the way for the missile's mass production and eventual induction by the Indian army, the official said.
India already has the 3,000-kilometer range Agni-III missile - the longest in the Agni series - which can also carry conventional or nuclear payloads.
Unconfirmed reports suggest India is also building an Agni variant with a range of 5,000 kilometers.
The Agni (Fire) is one of a series being developed by India's Defense Research Development Organization as part of the country's deterrent strategy against China and neighboring Pakistan, which also have nuclear weapons.
Agni-I, first tested in 1993, has a strike range of 1,500 kilometers.
Posted by: john frum ||
06/19/2009 12:31 ||
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A Christian man was stoned to death in Pakistan for drinking tea from a roadside stall designated for Muslims.
According to International Christian Concern (ICC) the man, Ishtiaq Masih, had ordered tea at a stall in Machharkay village, Punjab, Pakistan, after his bus stopped to allow passengers to relieve themselves.
When Ishtiaq went to pay for his tea, the owner noticed that he was wearing a necklace with a cross and grabbed him, calling for his employees to bring anything available to beat him for violating a sign posted on the stall warning non-Muslims to declare their religion before being served.
Ishtiaq had not noticed the warning sign before ordering his tea, as he ordered with a group of his fellow passengers.
Witnesses claim the owner and 14 of his employees beat Ishtiaq with stones, iron rods and clubs, and stabbed him multiple times with kitchen knives as Ishtiaq pleaded for mercy.
The other bus passengers intervened and took Ishtiaq to the Rural Health Center in the village. Ishtiaq died as a result of spinal, head, and chest injuries. The doctor who took Ishtiaq's case told ICC that Ishtiaq had excessive internal and external bleeding, a fractured skull, and brain injuries.
A correspondent from the ICC confirmed that he saw a warning posted outside the tea stall, which read: "All non-Muslims should introduce their faith prior to ordering tea. This tea stall serves Muslims only."
#4
So will the non Muslim tea stall guys be able to whale on Muslims when they "don't see the sign"?
No that would be religious intolerance and will earn a visit from the U.N. Commission on Human Rights [abusers], worldwide condemnation, and riots in the streets of the Islamic world.
Only 6 percent of Jewish Israelis consider the views of American President Barack Obama's administration pro-Israel, according to a new Jerusalem Post-sponsored Smith Research poll. That number is a really low. Marine Boot Camp DIs used to say there are always 10% that don't get the f...ing word.
The poll, which has a margin of error of 4.5%, was conducted among a representative sample of 500 Israeli Jewish adults this week, following Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's speech in which he expressed his support for a demilitarized Palestinian state.
Another 50% of those sampled consider the policies of Obama's administration more pro-Palestinian than pro-Israeli, and 36% said the policies were neutral. The remaining 8% did not express an opinion.
The numbers were a stark contrast to the last poll published May 17, on the eve of the meeting between Netanyahu and Obama at the White House. In that poll, 31% labeled the Obama administration pro-Israel, 14% considered it pro-Palestinian and 40% said it was neutral. The other 15% declined to give an opinion.
#1
This is an astoundeingly low number, since it is a truism among pollsters that 6-10% of any sample will support or believe practically anything. It is within the noise level of people who give crazy answers on purpose, are too drunk to understand the question, or who are just plain stupid.
The phenomenon described by Isi Leibler in "Bogus 'Zionist' Israel-bashers" (June 10) is not a new one.
In the 20th century, there were many elitists who despised democracy. They believed that the people didn't know what was good for them and that only they knew what was good for the people. Whenever they could, they seized power by revolutionary means and imposed a ruthless dictatorship which they called a "People's Democracy."
There are Jewish elitists in America today who despise Israeli democracy and believe the Israeli people don't know what's good for them and that only they have this knowledge. They wish to dictate to the Israeli people by persuading their president to force their policies on us.
No doubt there are many sincere but misguided lovers of Israel, just as there were many sincere and misguided liberals in the last century who supported Communism in the belief that the communists were building a just society in the Soviet Union.
Interestingly, those who finance the kind of organizations Mr. Leibler writes about, ostensibly out of love for Israel, have never invested a cent in Israel - neither built a hospital, nor donated money to any charity here.
Law-enforcement officials are working to quash a proposal that would allow gun owners in Arizona to carry concealed weapons without a permit.
The proposal, which is scheduled to be heard today in the Senate Judiciary Committee, has sparked a debate over what restrictions should be placed on gun owners who wish to carry weapons in public buildings, schools and other places.
Opponents said the bill would endanger law-enforcement officers and the public by eliminating permits and the training courses now required to obtain them.
"This bill would make a radical and very dangerous change to state law," Attorney General Terry Goddard said at a Thursday news conference. "The current law in Arizona is not broken. It has worked exceptionally well."
To receive a concealed-carry permit today, gun owners have to take an eight-hour course on gun laws and safety and pass a shooting test. The course costs about $100. About 125,000 Arizonans have obtained the $60 permit since the concealed-carry law was established in 1994.
Senate Bill 1270, sponsored by Sen. Sylvia Allen, would make the safety course optional. It also would allow people to carry guns into public buildings and onto school campuses if they were picking up their children or responding to an emergency.
Supporters of the bill say existing concealed-carry laws are confusing and can lead to unfair prosecution. A woman could be arrested for a concealed-carry violation if she was driving in her car and inadvertently placed a newspaper on top of a gun in the passenger's seat, they say.
Gun owners who want to untuck their shirts to conceal a weapon when they walk into a store shouldn't have to take a training course, said John Wentling, vice president of the Arizona Citizens Defense League.
"Do you need a permit to untuck your shirt? Do you need training to untuck your shirt?" Wentling said. "It's just too subjective."
Police chiefs around the state have objected to the proposal, saying it would heighten tensions between officers and the community. By increasing the number of gun owners who have not received safety training, it could increase the potential for tragic accidents, they said.
"It's going to put officers on edge," said Mike Frazier, police chief of El Mirage. "Who's armed? Who's not? Who's the victim? Who's the subject? There are a lot of issues involved there."
But Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said he would support the bill, saying carriers of concealed weapons should not face permit requirements when people who carry their weapons openly do not.
"A gun is a gun, whether it's concealed or not," Arpaio said.
If passed, Arizona would become the third state to allow gun owners to carry concealed weapons without a permit, after Alaska and Vermont. Of states that allow concealed weapons, 39 require a permit or training, according to the Attorney General's Office.
Allen, the bill's sponsor, said critics of the bill have overreacted. Violent crime will decrease if the bill passes, she said.
"Law enforcement is never in support of citizens protecting themselves," said Allen, R-Snowflake. "Why do we have to pass a law that says, 'This is the only way you're going to protect yourself'? . . . It's a God-given, constitutional right that you have."
#1
You know that if the chiefs, judges, and lawyers got their act together and delivered real justice, most citizens wouldn't even both about carrying any means of self defense. Consider it a reflection on the quality of your performance dudes.
#3
seems to me the only difference in concealed vs open carry is that you're much less likely to be impolite to someone if you knoew he's carrying. I can see why some cops would be worried.
"An armed society is a polite society."
___R.A. Heinlein
Posted by: Gleamp Protector of the Faith5580 ||
06/19/2009 12:27 Comments ||
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#4
From reading the above the only cops that need to worry, are the assho;es hiding behind a badge.
(And yes, they're out there, such as constables, and other cop wannabes we had a constable so bad they abolished the position to get rid of him.)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/19/2009 14:01 Comments ||
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So, how's this working out in Alaska and Vermont? Probably about the same as before the law change. People make guns dangerous not the other way around.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
06/19/2009 15:00 Comments ||
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#6
I love Arizona! Sheriff Joe supports the bill! The issue is really that open carry does not require a permit and concealed does. The laws are confusing as to where you can carry open and when you have to conceal it. This is a great debate on too many rules. Hope they clean it up soon. I would not be against having everyone take the course to carry at all. The course is a good one and deals with the legal end of using a weapon in America. Worth going to.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
06/19/2009 15:43 Comments ||
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#7
Seems pretty obvious Cops are afraid of armed citizens, WHY.
Unless the cops are thugs, why worry?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
06/19/2009 19:24 Comments ||
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49 Pan: I would describe what is needed as voluntary "gun culture" classes for the public. While such classes already exist, often they are prohibitively expensive.
Starting after WWII, there were a number of efforts to educate the public about things like hygiene and sanitation, with the idea of creating a "disease prevention culture", that today is common knowledge. Self-sustaining knowledge that people teach each other.
However, just the opposite has happened with guns, for a multitude of reasons. That is, much of our gun culture has faded away, leaving the majority of people ignorant of an equally complex subject.
Classes in gun culture can go far afield into gun etiquette and courtesy, laws, psychology, maintenance, practice, first aid, finding the gun that is just right for an individual, accessories, gun use in different situations, etc.
The idea is that this would become family knowledge, and be passed around by people as common sense.
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.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Dressed in a lime green Middle Eastern style abaya, or dress, American socialite Paris Hilton entered the conference room and bid the eagerly awaiting media with a "Salam Alaikum," Arabic for hello, a day after she arrived in Dubai to film a new season of her raunchy reality show. 
