The Swiss government declared renowned film director Roman Polanski a free man on Monday after rejecting a U.S. request to extradite him on a charge of having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl. Junior nookie is okay as long as you're in the intellectual club.
Had it been Swiss junior nookie they might have looked at things differently...
Don't count on it, it's the same people and same mentality as Laficornia ...
The Swiss mostly blamed U.S. authorities for failing to provide confidential testimony about Polanski's sentencing procedure in 1977-1978. Whether or not he boned the child was beside the point...
The stunning decision could end the United States' three-decade pursuit of Polanski, unless he travels to another country that would be willing to apprehend him and weigh sending him to Los Angeles. France, where he has spent much of his time, does not extradite its own citizens, and the public scrutiny over Switzerland's deliberations may dissuade other nations from making such a spectacular arrest. The weeping and gnashing of teeth of Polanski's intellectual and moral peers would also be pretty off-putting...
The Swiss government said it had sought confidential testimony given on Jan. 26 by Roger Gunson, the Los Angeles attorney in charge of the original prosecution against Polanski. Washington rejected the request. "Mr. Polanski can now move freely. Since 12:30 today he's a free man," Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf declared.
Authorities in Los Angeles and Washington cannot appeal the Swiss decision. Sandy Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, declined to comment.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/12/2010 09:48 ||
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THIS IS DISGUSTING!
The Swiss did what they had to do because of a critical defect in the extradition request -- i.e., the lack of testimony regarding the sentencing procedure. IT WAS WASHINGTON that refused to provide the testimony -- likely knowing it would result in the extradition request being rejected.
So, now the feds (no doubt at the urging of the likes of Oprah, etc.) can pretend to lament Switzerland's decision, while achieving what this administration wanted all along -- get rid of an extradition request they wished was never presented in the first place.
This administration is an abomination.
Posted by: Herb Sherens7710 ||
07/12/2010 12:28 Comments ||
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#4
You don't make such a point by allowing a disgusting convicted pedophile like Polanski walk free. That sends exactly the wrong message - that you have no respect for the rule of law _or_ the basic decency.
My bet is that the Obama administration quashed the extradition by having the testimony omitted. To appease his Hollywood friends.
He's already shown that he has absolutely no respect for the rule of law.
Gloucestershire Police have appealed to Cotswold residents to come forward and finger their bras and knickers after they arrested a man on suspicion of burglary and theft and uncovered a cache of mystery smalls.
The unidentified man was arrested on June 27 and is on bail pending further enquiries. However, during their investigation, Cirencester CID uncovered "some 15-20 unidentified pairs of knickers and a handful of bras".
They are appealing for anyone in the Bussage area "who believes their underwear could have been taken" to get in touch, so that they can establish whether the foundation garments are stolen or not.
DC Bee Morris, of Cirencester CID, explained: "The main aim of the appeal is to try to find the owners and return these items. People may not have given it much thought, believing the dog has got hold of them or they have been lost."
Ick. I definitely would not want back underthings mauled by a 'collector'.
Police have said the panty ID parade would help their investigation, and ensure the items are referred to their rightful owners.
Presumably the police are also considering pulling in a lingerie expert, who can help them clear up the mystery of whether they have 15 or 20 pairs of knickers.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/12/2010 09:38 ||
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"a lingerie expert, who can help them clear up the mystery of whether they have 15 or 20 pairs of knickers"
There must be some "interesting" examples in that collection if they can't figure out how many there are.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Spain won the World Cup for the first time on Sunday, Andres Iniesta netting in extra-time to see off Holland 1-0 in Johannesburg and hand the Dutch their third final loss.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/12/2010 00:00 ||
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Thank God that's over.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
07/12/2010 0:35 Comments ||
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#3
Hollands' loss is a bit disappointing for us Troopers serving overseas, cuz during the Conduct of Military Operations in OIF, spain (notice lack of capitalization) Pussied out and left with its tail between its legs cut and ran in mid-fight only a short time into the operation. Whereas The Dutch Army is STILL on board, fighting toward the Greater Good here in southern Afghanistan.
#4
A colourful, multicult extravaganza to be certain. We can be thankful there were no terrorist incidences. Good intelligence, planning, and vigilance paid off once again. The chanting, less symbolic banging of shields added a bit of local character. Seeing Zuma and oud Madiba bobbing about did little for me however. All in all a nice international diversion fot starving masses, 35% unemployment, plaasmoordee (farm murders) and land seizures.
#5
A snoozer of a game. As in, I fell asleep watching it. And I was watching at a bar with like 50 other people. They were getting up and going near the end and after the end, it was not a particularly exciting example of soccer.
#12
At first I wasn't sure who to root for since I don't have any ancestral ties to either country, but I ended up going through the same thought process/conclusion as Bodyguard (humble thanks for your service, BTW). I had to miss it due to family obligations, though.
#13
The closest I had been to either country was having gone to Aruba once. So I was rooting for Clockwork Oranje. Is Arjen Robben on suicide watch? That poor cat thought he had it, but for a kick-save by the goalie.
Posted by: Grenter, Protector of the Geats ||
07/12/2010 13:50 Comments ||
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BERLIN: No more World Cup, no more octopus oracle. Paul, the octopus who became a pop culture sensation by correctly predicting the outcome of as many World Cup matches as he has legs -- all seven of Germany's games plus the Spain-Netherlands final -- is going to retire.
The intuitive invertebrate will "go into retirement and do what he likes to do best: play with his handlers and delight children who come visit to him," Tanja Munzig, a spokeswoman for the Sea Life aquarium in Oberhausen, told AP Television News.
However, Paul took one last curtain call on Monday. Aquarium employees presented the octopus with a golden cup -- similar to the official World Cup trophy.
Although the cup was garnished with mussels, Paul ignored it as it was lowered into his tank -- showing the world one last time that he isn't just any old octopus who can be excited simply by shiny bait.
Paul won worldwide attention as he called all of Germany's games correctly -- including its semifinal defeat by Spain. He crowned his career by forecasting correctly that Spain would beat Holland in Sunday's final.
Posted by: john frum ||
07/12/2010 10:16 ||
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Posted by: Mike ||
07/12/2010 11:06 Comments ||
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From CNN
If someone placed a 10 british pound bet on Paul's first world cup prediction, and reinvested the subsequent winnings on each successive match, they would have made almsot 10000 pounds.
There was a 1 in 1000 chance of Paul predicting all matches.
Posted by: john frum ||
07/12/2010 13:17 Comments ||
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ALWAYS TRUST THE "OCTO" = CTHULU.
IIRC, a CROCODILE "SOCCER PROPHET", or 'twas it an ALLIGATOR, repor also predicted a Spanish win in the FIFA WOrld Cup finals.
Researchers exploring the legend of Britain's most famous Knight believe his stronghold of Camelot was built on the site of a recently discovered Roman amphitheatre in Chester.
Legend has it that his Knights would gather before battle at a round table where they would receive instructions from their King.
But rather than it being a piece of furniture, historians believe it would have been a vast wood and stone structure which would have allowed more than 1,000 of his followers to gather. So we can ditch "King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table" in favor of "King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Stone Thingy."
Historians believe regional noblemen would have sat in the front row of a circular meeting place, with lower ranked subjects on stone benches grouped around the outside.
They claim rather than Camelot being a purpose built castle, it would have been housed in a structure already built and left over by the Romans.
Camelot historian Chris Gidlow said: "The first accounts of the Round Table show that it was nothing like a dining table but was a venue for upwards of 1,000 people at a time. We know that one of Arthur's two main battles was fought at a town referred to as the City of Legions. There were only two places with this title. One was St Albans but the location of the other has remained a mystery."
The recent discovery of an amphitheatre with an execution stone and wooden memorial to Christian martyrs, has led researchers to conclude that the other location is Chester.
Mr Gidlow said: "In the 6th Century, a monk named Gildas, who wrote the earliest account of Arthur's life, referred to both the City of Legions and to a martyr's shrine within it. That is the clincher. The discovery of the shrine within the amphitheatre means that Chester was the site of Arthur's court and his legendary Round Table."
#1
Fascinating ... in the context of Arthur having been a Romano-British war leader, in the 6th century, just when everything was going pear-shaped. Gildas mentioned Arthur as "Arthur the Soldier" - as a war-leader. Some historians speculate that he commanded a mobile cavalry unit - as his battles were fought all over the place. Chester was a very old city, and IIRC, it was the headquarters of one of the Roman legions stationed in Britain. A rather obscure historian named Beram Saklatvala speculated that the knights named as Arthur's chief knights were actually a sort of shadow Roman government - the governors of the provinces, commanders of the legionary fortresses and the forts guarding the channel ports. Fascinating stuff, working out the hard little historical core to the elaborate medieval legend.
#4
Last I heard there was no solid proof of anything regarding Arthur and most of this type of stuff is guess work. My own guess is these researchers have a book coming out soon.
#6
Chester is the only medieval walled city with the walls still largely intact left in Britain. Parts of the wall date from the Roman era.
Chester city walls
#1
....Comes in $7 cheaper than an F-22, $47 million cheaper than an F-35, but $56 million more than the RAF's standard bird right now, the Typhoon. All things considered, though, not bad.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
07/12/2010 12:09 Comments ||
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[Dawn] Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan's coalition government suffered a major blow in Sunday's upper house election, exit polls showed, threatening efforts to curb massive public debt and putting his own job at risk.
Kan's Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) were set to win just 47 seats and its tiny partner, the People's New Party (PNP), were set to win none, losing their combined majority in parliament's upper house, exit polls showed.
The polls show the Democrats far short of Kan's goal of winning 54 seats, a result that leaves him vulnerable to a challenge from inside his own party.
"The Democrats disappointed me. The situation has clearly worsened in many ways. The mood of the country has become dark after the party took power," said Sachiko Takeda, a 64-year-old housewife, who said she voted for the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo.
The Democrats, who have relied on the support of the People's New Party to control the upper house, will almost certainly stay in power by virtue of their majority in parliament's lower house.
But they will need to seek new partners to control the upper chamber, complicating policymaking as Japan struggles to engineer growth and rein in public debt nearly twice the size of GDP.
The Democrats swept to power last year promising to cut waste and focus spending on consumers to boost growth. Public backing nosedived due to indecisive leadership and while government ratings rose when Kan took over last month, they slipped after he floated a rise in the 5 percent sales tax to help rein in debt.
A poor election outcome leaves Kan vulnerable to a challenge from party powerbroker Ichiro Ozawa -- a critic of his sales tax hike proposal -- ahead of a September party leadership vote. Few, though, would expect Kan to go without a fight.
Without a coalition majority, the Democrats will need to seek new allies, hampering their push for fiscal reform including a possible sales tax hike.
The DPJ's current coalition partner opposes raising the 5 percent sales tax any time soon, as do some potential allies.
Other opposition parties agree a hike is inevitable but would probably be reluctant to help out the rival DPJ, which has not yet mapped out any detailed tax reform proposals.
The leaders of two potential partners, Your Party and New Komeito, which partnered with the Liberal Democratic Party until its defeat last year, have rejected the idea of an alliance with the DPJ.
Analysts say they might change their tune later, but would drive hard bargains if the Democrats fare badly.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/12/2010 00:00 ||
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ION NIPPON + OKINAWA + SINA, WMF > JAPAN'S GOVT. AFTER 40 YEARS OF [revised]US-JAPAN SECURITY TREATY REFRAINS FROM MAKING STRONG UNILATERAL DEMANDS FOR RETURN OF US OKINAWA BASES TO JAPAN OUT FEAR OF INSTIGATING/OFFENDING CHINESE INTERNET USERS [also read, PRC GOVT AGENCIES-USERS aka BEIJING]. NOBILITY + PEOPLE OF FORMER VASSAL RYUKYU KINGDOM NOW OKINAWA HAVE CHINESE ANCESTORS, MAINLAND CULTURAL + IMPERIAL TIES. PROTRACTIVE COLD WAR, POST-1949 "NEW CHINA" SUPPORT OF MAO ZEDONG + ZHOU EN-LAI TO COVERTLY MAINTAIN HISTORIC OKINAWA/RYUKYU LINKS WID RED CHINA UNTIL ITS FUTURE DIPLOMATIC OR MILITARY-LED RECOVERY BY RED CHINA NAVY [PLAN].
Also from WMF > JANES DEFENSE: CHINA'S DESIRED "ASIA-PACIFIC AIR POWER [Strategic Offensive-Defensive AF capabils ala USAF-NATO] IS NOT INVINCIBLE OR REALISTIC [at present]DUE TO LACK OF PRACTICAL OPERATIONS + COMBAT EXPERIENCE, LACK OF INFORMATION SOFTWARES.
* SAME > APART FROM REGAINING TAIWAN, 21st CENTURY RISING/MODERN CHINA HAS NO IDEA ON HOW MUCH ANCIENT OR ANCESTRAL SOVEREIGN TERRITORY IT NEEDS TO RECOVER.
* SAME > SINO-JAPAN MILITARY CONFLICT + SECOND KOREAN WAR: CHINA WILL EASILY DEFEAT, DESTROY TECHS-SUPERIOR JAPAN DUE TO JAPAN'S LACK [by Treaty]OF LR STRATEGIC AND TACTICAL NUCLEAR BALLISTIC MISSLES. PLA CONVENTIONAL BLITZKRIEG AGZ TAIWAN, KOREAN PENINSULA; PREEMPTIVE STRIKE AGZ JAPANESE MILBASES [including USFJ]]TO OCCUR BEFORE JAPAN CAN EFFECTIVELY RESPOND.
IIUC ARTIC > Despite its massive manpower reserves + strategic bombers, CPLA's DECISIVE MIL ADVANTAGE AGZ JAPAN lays SOLELY in 2010 China having LR Nuke Missles while 2010 Japan currently does not.
* NEWS KERALA > TOP CHINESE THINK-TANK SEES FACEBOOK + OTHER SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES [Internet e.g. GOOGLE + GMAIL]AS A SECURITY THREAT TO CHINA.
* SAME > US PACIFIC COMMANDER ADMITS AMERICA'S INTERESTS + STRUGGLE TO ISOLATE, DEFEAT RISING CHINA COULD BE BETTER SERVED BY THE US BUILDING NEW MILBASES IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEAS [SE Asia + Indian Ocean]. THREAT TO CHINA BY STRONG NUCLEAR JAPAN, NUCLEAR SOUTH KOREA, US-CONTROLLED TAIWAN, US AIRCRAFT CARRIERS IN AUSTRALIA, + US RETURN + MIL BUILDUP IN SOUTH CHINA SEAS.
* WMF POSTER > opined that iff IMPERIAL CHINA did NOT act decisively in times past, WHOLE OF WEST CHINA could be INDEPENDENT MUSLIM STATE(S)right now.
#2
GUAM PDN FORUMS > OKINAWA LEGISLATORS PASS ANOTHER RESOLUTION CALLING FOR US MARINES TO BE OUT OF OKINAWA [leave].
* SAME > NEW JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER NOT PLANNING TO STICK TO OLD US-JAPAN PLAN FOR NEW MILITARY AIRSTRIP | [Japan's] GOVT [re-]CONSIDERS ITS OPTION FOR SOLE OFFSHORE RUNWAY [connected to Camp Schwab].
* TOPIX > US MILITARY PRESENCE TO STAY A THORN IN US-JAPAN RELATIONS + CHINA LIKES NEW JAPAN PM KAN BUT KEEPS AN EYE ON OZAWA.
#3
WMF > US PENTAGON: CHINA PLANS TO BUILD FIVE FBM NUCLEAR SUBMARINES FOR PLAN, EACH CAPABLE OF STRIKING/COVERING THREE-FOURTHS OF CONUS WITH NUCLEAR FIRE.
* SAME > CHINA SHOCKS THE WORLD: CHINA READY TO GIVE UP ITS "NO FIRST USE" OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS AGZ ENEMY STATES?
* SAME > PLA GENERALS IN SUPPORT OF US-LED CONSTRUCTION OF "INTERNATIONAL" OR UN-CONTROLLED JOINT BASES IN THE PERSIAN GULF.
The co-chairmen of President Obama's debt and deficit commission offered an ominous assessment of the nation's fiscal future here Sunday, calling current budgetary trends a cancer "that will destroy the country from within" unless checked by tough action in Washington.
Unlike the current economic crisis, which was largely unforeseen before it hit in fall 2008, the coming fiscal calamity is staring the country in the face.
The two leaders -- former Republican senator Alan Simpson of Wyoming and Erskine Bowles, White House chief of staff under President Bill Clinton -- sought to build support for the work of the commission, whose recommendations due later this year are likely to spark a fierce debate in Congress.
Bowles said that unlike the current economic crisis, which was largely unforeseen before it hit in fall 2008, the coming fiscal calamity is staring the country in the face. "This one is as clear as a bell," he said. "This debt is like a cancer."
at present, federal revenue is fully consumed by three programs: Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. The rest of the federal government, including fighting two wars, homeland security, education, art, culture, you name it, veterans -- is being financed by China and other countries.
The commission leaders said that, at present, federal revenue is fully consumed by three programs: Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. "The rest of the federal government, including fighting two wars, homeland security, education, art, culture, you name it, veterans -- the whole rest of the discretionary budget is being financed by China and other countries," Simpson said.
"We can't grow our way out of this," Bowles said. "We could have decades of double-digit growth and not grow our way out of this enormous debt problem. We can't tax our way out. . . . The reality is we've got to do exactly what you all do every day as governors. We've got to cut spending or increase revenues or do some combination of that."
But when you issue your report to the Congress you won't be calling for spending cuts say, in Medicaid or Medicare, even though those are consuming the budget. You're politicians first and as pols you know better than to touch those programs. No, you're going to recommend big increases in income taxes and/or a VAT. The Congress will sigh and moan and reluctantly go along. Bambi will do his imitation of Zardari and take his ten percent for various "community organizations", thus ensuring that those particular cancers continue to metastasize. The Dhimmicrats will use the money to increase spending on their friends. The deficit? What about it? And in ten or twenty years time we'll have another commission to address the problem.
I know, I know, I'm an optimist ...
Bowles pointed to steps taken recently by the new coalition government in Britain, which also faces an acute budgetary problem, as a guide to what the commission might use in its recommendations. That would mean about three-quarters of the deficit reduction would be accomplished through spending cuts, and the remainder with additional revenue.
Most Republicans in Congress are opposed to any tax increases, which has made the work of the commission far more difficult. Bowles and Simpson appealed for support to the governors, who have been forced by their states' constitutions to balance their budgets with deep spending cuts and, in many cases, tax increases.
Most of the Dems are opposed to any program cuts, too.
Bowles and Simpson said the commission would have had a stronger hand politically had it been created by Congress, rather than through an executive order. Simpson was pointed in his criticism of seven Republicans who once co-sponsored such a measure but who helped block it in the Senate.
The presentation by Simpson and Bowles, which included repeated statements of determination to produce a bipartisan set of recommendations, drew praise from the governors.
"I don't know that I've every heard a gloomier picture painted that created more hope for me," said Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe (D).
Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire (D) said that many governors fear that the commission's recommendations will result in more demands on the states.
Bowles, who noted that the 1997 balanced-budget agreement between the Clinton White House and the Republican-controlled Congress included many provisions that put more burdens on the states, said that wasn't likely.
"I don't think you're going to see a lot of devolution coming from us because the states are all broke," he said.
Simpson also warned that the November elections could add another wild card to the work of the commission. "I have no idea what's going to happen on Election Day but it's going to be disruptive . . .," he said. "It's going to be a big wake-up call around the whole United States. I have no idea where it's going, but thank heaven we have a month then to work through the wreckage."
#3
Not likely that our political weasel-class will cut either S.S. or Medicare.
Which means that, with near-certainty, they will slash defense spending. Ferguson's right: if we don't get the deficit down asap, we will forfeit our military superiority.
#5
..a black hole. The way its looking, we might as well allow the whole system to collapse. At least then, all the special interests blocking real reform will be with everyone else, starting at zero. Hard to build a constituency upon promises made upon zero value and worth. It'll be social political deflation with a reshuffling of what is truly critical and new centers of power and influence made by those willing to do and sacrifice versus the parasitic and fluff of modern political patronage.
#6
The reservoir is almost empty, the level being maintained by China, et al. We need to cut, but politicians are unwilling to do the right but unpopular thing.
We have been warned by our bondholders not to go to the trough big time again. Hell, the Chicoms have more fiscal sense than us.
So, since we can't or are unwilling to get our fiscal house in order, economics will do it for us. And most everyone will share the pain. Big time.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/12/2010 10:51 Comments ||
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#7
"Y'll stand back! I'm gonna have to perform an emergency cash-ectomy!"
#8
Hmmm so the Democrat controlled congress isnt going to submit, vote, or much less you know actually vote on a budget this year. After all, why waste all that time debating when you can simply deem a budget to have been passed? Not to mention, its a good way to add a little slush to your programs in the event that Obamas debt commission recommends those pesky spending cuts or freezes. Think about it you can tell all the rubes you made painful cuts when your blowing the same amount of dough as last year. Brilliant!
#10
Massive deficits are teh Democratic Party's own version of "starve the beast": force huge cutbacks in the defense budget by starving the government of access to debt on affordable/sustainable terms.
#11
The rest of the federal government [in addition to social security, medicare, and medicaid], including fighting two wars, homeland security, education, art, culture, you name it, veterans -- is being financed by China and other countries.
It is SHAMEFUL that China and other countries are financing any part of our federal budget!
In a private meeting with White House officials this weekend, Democratic governors voiced deep anxiety about the Obama administrations suit against Arizonas new immigration law, worrying that it could cost a vulnerable Democratic Party even more in the fall elections.
While the weak economy dominated the official agenda at the summer meeting here of the National Governors Association, concern over immigration policy pervaded the closed-door session between Democratic governors and White House officials and simmered throughout the three-day event.
At the Democrats meeting on Saturday, some governors bemoaned the timing of the Justice Department lawsuit, according to two governors who spoke anonymously because the discussion was private.
Universally the governors are saying, Weve got to talk about jobs, Gov. Phil Bredesen of Tennessee, a Democrat, said in an interview. And all of a sudden we have immigration going on.
He added, It is such a toxic subject, such an important time for Democrats.
The administration seemed to be taking a carrot-and-stick approach on Sunday. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, in town to give the governors a classified national security briefing, met one-on-one with Jan Brewer, the Republican who succeeded her as governor of Arizona and ardently supports the immigration law.
About the same time as that meeting, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said on a taped Sunday talk show that the Justice Department could bring yet another lawsuit against Arizona if there is evidence that the immigration law leads to racial profiling.
Ms. Brewer said she and Ms. Napolitano did not discuss the current lawsuit. Instead, in a conversation she described as cordial, they discussed Arizonas request for more National Guard troops along the border with Mexico, as well as other resources.
The Democrats meeting provided a window on tensions between the White House and states over the suit, which the Justice Department filed last week in federal court in Phoenix. Nineteen Democratic governors are either leaving office or seeking re-election this year, and Republicans see those seats as crucial to swaying the 2012 presidential race.
The Arizona law which Ms. Brewer signed in April and which, barring an injunction, takes effect July 29 makes it a crime to be an illegal immigrant there. It also requires police officers to determine the immigration status of people they stop for other offenses if there is a reasonable suspicion that they might be illegal immigrants.
The lawsuit contends that controlling immigration is a federal responsibility, but polls suggest that a majority of Americans support the Arizona law, or at least the concept of a state having a strong role in immigration enforcement.
Republican governors at the Boston meeting were also critical of the lawsuit, saying it infringed on states rights and rallying around Ms. Brewer, whose presence spurred a raucous protest around the downtown hotel where the governors gathered.
Id be willing to bet a lot of money that almost every state in America next January is going to see a bill similar to Arizonas, said Gov. Dave Heineman of Nebraska, a Republican seeking re-election.
But the unease of Democratic governors, seven of whom are seeking re-election this year, was more striking. Yeah, funny how those pesky elections keep getting in the way of their agenda, isn't it?
I might have chosen both a different tack and a different time like right after November, said Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. of Colorado, a Democrat who was facing a tough fight for re-election and pulled out of the race earlier this year. This is an issue that divides us politically, and Im hopeful that their strategy doesnt do that in a way that makes it more difficult for candidates to get elected, particularly in the West.
The White House would not directly respond to reports of complaints from some Democratic governors. Don't worry. The WH is present.
But David Axelrod, the presidents senior adviser, said on Sunday on CNNs State of the Union that the president remained committed to passing an immigration overhaul, and that addressing the issue did not mean he was ignoring the economy.
That doesnt mean we cant have a good, healthy debate about the economy and other issues, Mr. Axelrod said.
Mr. Obama addressed the economy last week during stops in Kansas City and Las Vegas, and has been calling on Congress to offer additional tax relief to small businesses. Mo munny.
And the heads of Mr. Obamas national debt commission Alan K. Simpson and Erskine B. Bowles were on hand here on Sunday to press the economic issue.
The nations total federal debt next year is expected to exceed $14 trillion, and Mr. Simpson, a former Republican senator from Wyoming, and Mr. Bowles, a Democrat and the White House chief of staff under President Bill Clinton, offered a gloomy assessment if spending is not brought under control even more.
This debt is like a cancer, Mr. Bowles said. It is truly going to destroy the country from within. Don't expect those bonds to be paid back anytime soon.
Still, the issue of immigration commanded as much attention as anything here this weekend.
Ms. Brewer, who was trailed by television cameras all weekend, called the lawsuit outrageous and said the state was receiving donations from around the country to help fight it.
I think Arizona will win, she said, and we will take a position for all of America.
Immigration was not the only topic at the Saturday meeting between Democratic governors and two White House officials Patrick Gaspard, Mr. Obamas political director, and Cecilia Munoz, director of intergovernmental affairs. But several governors, including Christine Gregoire of Washington, said it was a particularly heated issue.
Ms. Gregoire, who does not face an election this year, said the White House was doing a poor job of showing the American public that it was working on the problem of illegal immigration. Oh, I'm sure they are. They're just trying to figure out how to get America to swallow it.
They described for me a list of things that they are doing to try and help on that border, Ms. Gregoire said of the White House officials at the closed-door meeting. And I said, The public doesnt know that. It's so super-secret, Mexicans don't even know it, either.
She added, Weve got a message void, and the only thing were hearing is that theyre filing a lawsuit.
Some Democrats also joined Republicans in calling for Congress to pass an immigration policy overhaul this year. Let's wait until after the new Congress is seated, shall we?
There are 535 members of Congress, said Gov. Brian Schweitzer of Montana, a Democrat. Certainly somebody back there can chew gum and hold the basketball at the same time. This is not an either-or. Or pontificate and swing a golf club.
Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico praised the Justice Departments lawsuit, saying his fellow Democrats concerns were misguided.
Policy-wise it makes sense, said Mr. Richardson, who is Hispanic and who leaves office this year on term limits, and Obama is popular with Hispanic voters and this is going to be a popular move with them nationally. How about the rest of the US? Would it be as popular with them? Or are we chopped liver?
Gov. Martin OMalley of Maryland a Democrat who voiced apprehension about the lawsuit in the private meeting, according to the two governors who requested anonymity said in an interview that he supported it.
The president doesnt have control over some of the timing of things that happen, Mr. OMalley said. When those things arise, you cant be too precious about whats in it for your own personal political timing or even your partys timing. When matters like this arise, I think the president has to take a principled stand.
But Mr. Bredesen said that in Tennessee, where the governors race will be tight this year, Democratic candidates were already on the defensive about the federal health care overhaul, and the suit against Arizona further weakened them. In Tennessee, he said, Democratic candidates are already disavowing the immigration lawsuit.
Maybe you do that when youre strong, he said of the suit, and not when theres an election looming out there.
Mr. Ritter of Colorado said he wished the Justice Department had waited to sue Arizona until after the law went into effect, to give the public a chance to see how difficult it would be to enforce. Only if someone tries to get in the way. And if it will be so difficult to enforce, then why worry?
Its just an easier case to make, he said. I just think that law enforcement officers are going to have a terribly difficult time applying this law in a constitutional way. Maybe that's what you think, but not what I think. Encounter with the police? Getting housing? Dealing with the Department of Motor Vehicles? Getting free medical care, school lunches, utilites assistance, food stamps or any other kind of social security or welfare? No habla ingles? Putting your kid in public school each year? Let's see your proof of citizenship. If a tanning tax isn't discriminatory, then neither could it be in any of the instances I mentioned above as long as everybody is required to show proof of citizenship. The only thing that has me scratching my head is what to do with out-of-staters.
#2
"I might have chosen both a different tack and a different time like right after November," said Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. of Colorado, a Democrat who was facing a tough fight for re-election and pulled out of the race earlier this year. "This is an issue that divides us politically, and I'm hopeful that their strategy doesn't do that in a way that makes it more difficult for candidates to get elected, particularly in the West."
Wasn't it in Denver that a poll showed 62% of HISPANICS opposed to Holder's anti-AZ lawsuit?
#3
A bit of context for the public's anger over amnesty and open borders: the tsunami of illiterate and semi-literate illegals is the real reason that CA school performance has collapsed during the last two decades.
India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C15), today (on July 12, 2010) successfully launched CARTOSAT - 2B from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota. The launch of PSLV - C15 was the sixteenth consecutive successful flight of PSLV.
After a smooth countdown of 51 hrs the vehicle lifted-off from the First Launch Pad at the opening of the launch window at 09.22 hrs (IST). After about 20 minutes of flight time, India`s advanced remote sensing satellite CARTOSAT - 2B along with four auxiliary satellites was successfully injected into its circular orbit of 637 km with an orbital inclination of 98.1o.
The preliminary flight data indicates that all major flight events involving stage ignition and burnouts, performance of solid and liquid stages, indigenously developed advanced mission computers and telemetry systems were exactly as predicted.
PSLV - C15 in its flight, in addition to CARTOSAT - 2B, carried four auxiliary satellites namely STUDSAT a pico-satellite weighing less than 1 kg, built jointly by students from a consortium of seven engineering colleges form Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, two nano satellites NLS 6.1 and NLS 6.2 from University of Toronto, Canada and ALSAT-2A, a micro-satellite from Algerian Space Agency.
Posted by: john frum ||
07/12/2010 10:14 ||
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#1
Posted by: john frum ||
07/12/2010 10:23 Comments ||
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#2
India has one of the coolest little space programs you never heard of.
Posted by: Mike ||
07/12/2010 11:08 Comments ||
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Posted by: john frum ||
07/12/2010 13:50 Comments ||
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#4
We'd better be nice to the Indians, we may need them to launch stuff to the ISS ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/12/2010 15:10 Comments ||
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#5
Let no one say that Barry doesn't walk the talk. He said the US isn't exceptional, and he damn well means to make sure it's so-- beginning with dragging down our space program so that India (India!) can surpass us in due course.
India's Defense Acquisitions Council has approved the allocation of over 500 billion rupees ($11 billion) for the construction of six new-generation diesel-electric submarines for the Indian Navy in a record military deal, The Times of India reported on Sunday.
This amount exceeds the $9 billion allocated by the Indian government for the purchase of 126 multi-role fighters from abroad for the Indian Air Force, the paper said.
Three of the six submarines will be constructed at Mazagon Docks in Mumbai and one at Hindustan Shipyard Ltd in Visakhapatnam, with the help of a foreign contractor. The other two submarines will either be imported from abroad or constructed at a private shipyard in India, the paper said.
Under the program called Project-75 India (P-75I), apart from stealth, land-attack capability and the ability to incorporate futuristic technologies, all the six new submarines will be equipped with air-independent propulsion (AIP) systems to boost their operational capabilities, the paper said.
Conventional diesel-electric submarines have to surface every few days to get oxygen to recharge their batteries. With AIP systems, they can stay submerged for much longer periods, the paper said.
Invitations to a tender for a foreign contractor are expected to be sent to Russia's Rosoboronexport, France's DCNS/Armaris, Germany's HDW and Spain's Navantia, the paper said.
"Navy has reasons to be worried. By 2015 or so, it will be left with just half of its present fleet of 15 ageing diesel-electric submarines - 10 Russian Kilo-class, four German HDW and one Foxtrot," the paper said.
Iran's judiciary says the controversial stoning sentence for a woman convicted of adultery will not be implemented for now.
Malek Ajdar Sharifi, the top judicial official in the province where the woman was convicted has told the state news agency the sentence "will not be implemented for the time being."
"Although the verdict is definitive and applicable, the verdict has been halted due to humanitarian reservations and upon the order of the honorable judiciary chief and it will not be carried out for the moment," Sharifi, head of the judiciary in East Azerbaijan province, told IRNA.
He added that her crimes were "various and very serious" and not limited to adultery.
The woman, Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, a 43-year-old mother of two, had been sentenced to death by stoning after she was found guilty of adultery by an Iranian court, a ruling that has sparked outcry in Western countries.
But Sharifi said the move was temporary and her death sentence could be carried out as decided by the judiciary chief, Sadeq Larijani.
"Whenever the judiciary chief deems it expedient, the verdict will be carried out regardless of Western media propaganda," Sharifi said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/12/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
In other words, as soon as the Western NGOs look elsewhere, she will have an extremely fatal "accident".
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
07/12/2010 1:47 Comments ||
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Maybe. But the point of stoning is that it is public, with public participation, and that it is torturous - one must throw small stones so that she dies very slowly and painfully.
#5
Perhaps now that Iran has a seat on the Commission on the Status of Women at the UN, they will use slightly larger stones.
Wow! How humane is that? What menchs those mullahs are.
Well, theyll stone you when you walk all alone
Theyll stone you when you are walking home
Theyll stone you and then say you are brave
Theyll stone you when you are set down in your grave
But I would not feel so all alone
Everybody must get stoned--Bob Dylan
The NAACP reportedly is about to take up a resolution to condemn the Tea Party movement for "explicitly racist behavior."
The Kansas City Star reported that the organization plans to vote as early as Tuesday on the language at its annual convention in Kansas City. The resolution reportedly will call on "all people of good will to repudiate the racism of the Tea Parties" and stand against the movement's attempt to "push our country back to the pre-civil rights era."
Tea Party groups have repeatedly denied allegations of racism. Gina Loudon, one of the founders of the St. Louis Tea Party, called the NAACP's charges untrue and said it was a "shame" the NAACP was going down that road.
"I can't believe that the Tea Party is even going to be put in a position of dignifying something like that," she said. "This is sad because this established organization is being used by the left."
She said Tea Partiers generally do all they can to give minority conservatives a platform.
According to the Kansas City Star, the NAACP resolution will accuse the groups of engaging in racist behavior by displaying signs "intended to degrade people of color generally and President Barack Obama specifically."
It will also accuse the activists of abusing black members of Congress -- an apparent reference to an incident in March when Tea Party protesters allegedly hurled racial epithets at black lawmakers on Capitol Hill ahead of a health care vote. Tea Party members afterward challenged that account and no evidence was produced to show any racist actions.
#3
Oh, this will not go over well.
It's an article of faith among the lefty-libs that the Tea Party is just the KKK without white sheets. It's been a demonstration to me of the efficacy of the "Big Lie." Tell it loud and often enough, and it becomes the popular belief through sheer force of repetition. And it doesn't matter that, as the quoted story says - that no evidence has actually emerged of racist actions.
#5
My mother went to a tea party in San Mateo, the epicenter of liberalness and was very surprised at the amount of support they got from passersby. The only people that believe the Tea Partys are racist are folks so die-hard fanatical to their liberal position nothing will change their mind.
#8
NAACP resolution will accuse the groups of engaging in racist behavior by displaying signs "intended to degrade people of color generally and President Barack Obama specifically."
Our first Mooslim president is OFF LIMITS eh? Like the New Black Panther poll watchers? Ok, I think I get it now.
#9
All this racism aimed at whites and conservatives is starting to use up my neighborliness. I'm getting a little closer to becoming exactly what I'm accused of anyway.
#10
This is expected and predictable. November election polling shows the liberal ideology running behind and losing ground; crying racism is taken from the playbook. It may not work considering the careful choice of words most Americans have been using in describing Obama the last few years.
Don't be surprise if there is infiltration of Tea Party gatherings by pretenders who show racist behavior (part 2 of the playbook).
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
07/12/2010 19:15 Comments ||
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#12
Yes, the Tea Party movement includes blacks like Kenneth Gladney, beaten and trampled and called "Nigger" by SEIU goons because he is black. Of course, the NAACP laughs at Mr. Gladney; he's just an Uncle Tom! Who are the racists here?
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
07/12/2010 19:28 Comments ||
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#13
I suspect history will show that hateful bitc* had a larger hand in what has gone on than any of us realize.
#15
It would be exceedingly stupid for the NAACP to condemn rank-and-file Americans for rising up and shaking off a tyrannical government. They will lose a lot of respect from a lot of people and become an enemy of a large portion of the people. They will be seen as siding with the tyrant and cast aside with them.
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.
The Swiss government declared renowned film director Roman Polanski a free man on Monday after rejecting a U.S. request to extradite him on a charge of having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Spain won the World Cup for the first time on Sunday, Andres Iniesta netting in extra-time to see off Holland 1-0 in Johannesburg and hand the Dutch their third final loss.
In a private meeting with White House officials this weekend, Democratic governors voiced deep anxiety about the Obama administrations suit against Arizonas new immigration law, worrying that it could cost a vulnerable Democratic Party 
Iran's judiciary says the controversial stoning sentence for a woman convicted of adultery will not be implemented for now.
