I must confess I was surprised to see it:
"Musician Martelly wins presidency in Haiti’s initial returns; Gets 68 percent of vote to defeat former first lady" by Trenton Daniel, Associated Press / April 5, 2011
The new president will face a challenging environment that includes widespread anger over the slow progress of reconstruction from the January 2010 earthquake. Haiti also is grappling with a cholera outbreak that has killed more than 4,000 people since October and is expected to worsen with the spring rainy season.
--more--"
Of course, the U.N. told the world media not to talk about the cholera and where it came from so they do not:
Related:
"Across Port-au-Prince, hundreds of thousands remain marooned in encampments that grow more woebegone with each passing day."
And all those billions given in goodhearted aid went where after 15 months of nothing?
Let's visit one:
"Haitians driven out of tent camps remain in precarious housing" April 24, 2011|By Randal C. Archibold, New York Times
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The way Robert Darvin sees it, he is one of the lucky ones.
After being evicted from a tent camp a few months ago, he, his wife, and their three children crammed into a rebuilt home the size of a small U-Haul trailer. But at least a roof shelters their heads, even if it’s a flimsy one that allows the rain to pour through....
But what may seem like a clear sign of progress, officials warn, is also a cause of concern.
Very few of the people who left the camps — 4.7 percent, by the group’s estimate — did so because their homes had been rebuilt or repaired. Instead, a vast majority appear to have been forced out through evictions by landowners, or to have left the camps to escape the high crime and fraying conditions there....
Try to think of it as Haiti's version of the foreclosure crisis (as bile wells up in blog editor's throat).
--more--"
Saturday, April 30, 2011
U.S. Gave Guatemalans Gonorrhea
And a one night stand in the paper:
"Guatemalans sue over syphilis cases" March 15, 2011|Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Guatemalans subjected to US syphilis experiments in the 1940s filed suit Monday against federal health officials seeking compensation for health problems they have suffered.
The lawsuit comes after revelations that US scientists studying the effects of penicillin in the 1940s deliberately infected about 700 Guatemalan prisoners, mentally disturbed patients, soldiers, and orphans. None was informed or gave consent.
The experiments ran from 1946 to 1948 and were funded by the National Institutes of Health. Their existence was hidden for decades, until Wellesley College medical historian Susan Reverby uncovered the records in 2009.
Related: Getting Some in Guatemala
Attorneys representing the Guatemalans asked the Obama administration to set up an out-of-court claims process. But they said they got no response by a Friday deadline and so filed the suit.
The American researchers convinced officials at orphanages and prisons to cooperate by giving them supplies and medicines. Sometimes, individual subjects were paid with cigarettes and, in the case of prisoners, infected prostitutes were used to expose them to the disease, court documents show.
The attorneys said Guatemala was chosen for the experiments because it might be easier to escape ethical scrutiny there.
A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment.
--more--"
Of course, it is a good thing government would never do this now.
It's not like they would lie to New Yorkers and tell them that toxic stew was safe after 9/11. Just wipe up the dust with a wet rag!
It's not like this government would say the oil disappeared from the Gulf of Mexico, or that radiation seeping from Japan poses no health threat.
It's not like they would engineer pandemics to sell pharmaceutical vaccines or anything.
51 Years Ago, The Military Sprayed Germs on U.S. Cities
Biological Warfare and the National Security State
Yeah, they would never do anything like that now.
"Guatemalans sue over syphilis cases" March 15, 2011|Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Guatemalans subjected to US syphilis experiments in the 1940s filed suit Monday against federal health officials seeking compensation for health problems they have suffered.
The lawsuit comes after revelations that US scientists studying the effects of penicillin in the 1940s deliberately infected about 700 Guatemalan prisoners, mentally disturbed patients, soldiers, and orphans. None was informed or gave consent.
The experiments ran from 1946 to 1948 and were funded by the National Institutes of Health. Their existence was hidden for decades, until Wellesley College medical historian Susan Reverby uncovered the records in 2009.
Related: Getting Some in Guatemala
Attorneys representing the Guatemalans asked the Obama administration to set up an out-of-court claims process. But they said they got no response by a Friday deadline and so filed the suit.
The American researchers convinced officials at orphanages and prisons to cooperate by giving them supplies and medicines. Sometimes, individual subjects were paid with cigarettes and, in the case of prisoners, infected prostitutes were used to expose them to the disease, court documents show.
The attorneys said Guatemala was chosen for the experiments because it might be easier to escape ethical scrutiny there.
A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment.
--more--"
Of course, it is a good thing government would never do this now.
It's not like they would lie to New Yorkers and tell them that toxic stew was safe after 9/11. Just wipe up the dust with a wet rag!
It's not like this government would say the oil disappeared from the Gulf of Mexico, or that radiation seeping from Japan poses no health threat.
It's not like they would engineer pandemics to sell pharmaceutical vaccines or anything.
51 Years Ago, The Military Sprayed Germs on U.S. Cities
Biological Warfare and the National Security State
Yeah, they would never do anything like that now.
U.S. Unites With Colombia on Unions
That should be good news to brothers and sisters on both sides of the border, right?
"US, Colombia set free trade deal; White House hails protections for unions, workers" April 07, 2011|By Julie Pace, Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Colombia is the third largest economy in Central and South America and was set to implement trade pacts with Canada and the European Union....
The key concerns in the negotiations focused on high rates of violence against Colombian labor leaders and insufficient protections for workers’ rights....
As the U.S. sets about stripping them here.
Many US labor organizations have opposed the deal on the basis of Colombia’s treatment of unions...
Turns out they lead the world in the murder of them.
Still a good friend though.
--more--"
"US, Colombia set free trade deal; White House hails protections for unions, workers" April 07, 2011|By Julie Pace, Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Colombia is the third largest economy in Central and South America and was set to implement trade pacts with Canada and the European Union....
The key concerns in the negotiations focused on high rates of violence against Colombian labor leaders and insufficient protections for workers’ rights....
As the U.S. sets about stripping them here.
Many US labor organizations have opposed the deal on the basis of Colombia’s treatment of unions...
Turns out they lead the world in the murder of them.
Still a good friend though.
--more--"
Peru Lurches Left
Lost another one, 'murka.
"Ex-army officer wins most votes in Peru; faces runoff" by Associated Press / April 11, 2011
LIMA — An antiestablishment military man who promises to redistribute Peru’s wealth won the most votes in yesterday’s presidential election and will face the daughter of imprisoned former president Alberto Fujimori in a runoff, unofficial results showed.
Keiko Fujimori, 35, could end up beating Ollanta Humala in the June 5 runoff, because Humala was the only candidate who advocated altering Peru’s free-market-oriented status quo by giving the state a greater role in the economy....
Isn't that what made him the top vote-getter?
"Ex-army officer wins most votes in Peru; faces runoff" by Associated Press / April 11, 2011
LIMA — An antiestablishment military man who promises to redistribute Peru’s wealth won the most votes in yesterday’s presidential election and will face the daughter of imprisoned former president Alberto Fujimori in a runoff, unofficial results showed.
Keiko Fujimori, 35, could end up beating Ollanta Humala in the June 5 runoff, because Humala was the only candidate who advocated altering Peru’s free-market-oriented status quo by giving the state a greater role in the economy....
Isn't that what made him the top vote-getter?
Humala has spooked foreign investors by promising to divert natural gas exports to the domestic market and to obtain greater royalties from foreign investors in Peru’s mineral wealth....
Expect a second round rigging for Fujimori.
--more--"
Expect a second round rigging for Fujimori.
--more--"
Globe Throws Dirt on Mexican Mass Graves
The item never appeared in my printed paper:
"59 bodies found in 8 pits in Mexico
MEXICO CITY — Fifty-nine bodies were found buried yesterday in a series of pits in the northern Mexico state of Tamaulipas, near the site where suspected drug gang members massacred 72 migrants last summer, officials said.
Security forces stumbled on the site as they were investigating reports that passengers had been pulled off several buses by gunmen in the area in what may have been an attempt at forced recruitment by a drug gang....
--more-"
Also see: Mexico's Mass Graves
Yeah, how is that drug war going again?
"59 bodies found in 8 pits in Mexico
MEXICO CITY — Fifty-nine bodies were found buried yesterday in a series of pits in the northern Mexico state of Tamaulipas, near the site where suspected drug gang members massacred 72 migrants last summer, officials said.
Security forces stumbled on the site as they were investigating reports that passengers had been pulled off several buses by gunmen in the area in what may have been an attempt at forced recruitment by a drug gang....
--more-"
Also see: Mexico's Mass Graves
Yeah, how is that drug war going again?
A Kiss is Just a Kiss
And a sigh is just a sigh.
The fundamental things apply....
"Several thousand people staged protests in cities around Morocco yesterday to demand more political changes.
A participant said that a group of about 5,000 protesters organized a march through a working-class neighborhood of the capital, Rabat, to call for constitutional reforms and new parliamentary elections.
The state news agency MAP said around 4,500 demonstrators also marched in Casablanca.
You must remember this....
The protests were organized by the February 20 movement, which has led protests for the past two months, with support from Morocco’s best-known Islamist movement, Adl wal Ihsan, which is barred from politics in the kingdom.
Remember, if protesters threaten an USraeli ally they are "terrorists."
King Mohammed VI has pledged changes to the constitution for the first time in 15 years, amid a push for greater democracy across the Arab world."
Yeah, he's a good king.
"Huge blast kills 14 in Morocco cafe" April 29, 2011|Associated Press
MARRAKECH, Morocco — A massive terrorist bombing tore through cafe in the bustling heart of Marrakech’s old quarter yesterday, killing at least 11 foreigners and three Moroccans in the country’s deadliest attack in eight years....
Just when the people are hitting the streets, 'eh?
Government spokesman Khalid Naciri said it was too soon to lay blame for what he called a terrorist attack. But he noted that Morocco regularly dismantles cells linked to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and said the country has disrupted several plots.
Yeah, well, which "Al-CIA-Duh" would that be, huh?
The made-up "Al-CIA-Duh?"
Or the "Al-CIA-Duh" CREATION for the COURTROOM!?
Related:
Prop 101: Al-CIA-Duh and the OSI
Prop 101: Al-CIA-Duh's Greatest Hits
Prop 101: The "Terrorism" Business
New York Times Admits War on Terror is U.S. Creation
Oh, AmeriKa's MSM KNOWS ALL ABOUT and yet STILL PUSHES the CHARADE, huh?
Also see: Occupation Iraq: Israel's IEDs
Occupation Iraq: Israelis Killing U.S. Troops
Occupation Iraq: Israeli-Trained Death Squads
Plan B
Prop 101: Al-CIA-Duh and the OSI
Prop 101: Al-CIA-Duh's Greatest Hits
Prop 101: The "Terrorism" Business
Prop 102: Iraq and Government Lies
Al-CIA-Duh
Who Invented "Al-CIA-Duh?"
"Al-CIA-Duhs" Catch-and-Release Program
Asymmetrical Warfare Group
Operation Gladio
Operation Northwoods
Occupation Iraq: British Bombers
Occupation Iraq: America's Roadside Bombs
'The Salvador Option'
Special Police Commandos
Proactive, Preemptive Operations Group
Prop 201 tutorial
FRU
Islam's 9/11
Who is Bombing in Iraq? Are the bombers Al-Qaeda, the CIA or Israel?
How much more evidence do you need?
Israeli Mossad Role in Turkey Coup Plot Revealed
Israel funded "terrorist" groups through BCCI
AMIA was Mossad False-flag Operation
Mossad Agent killing Oz Tourists to steal their identity to use in fake Al-Qaeda operations
‘Mossad capable of US attack’: US Army officials
Iran hangs "terrorist" linked to Mossad
Montreal Averts Israeli Mossad Terrorist Attack
Israeli Mossad = al Qaeda?
Judiciary starts work on case of Mossad-linked terror group
Assassins caught on video reveals possible Mossad-Fatah link
Mossad funded Abu Nidal through BCCI
Mumbai: The Mossad Angle
Hamas Was Founded by Mossad
Israeli officer sells weapons to terrorists in Iraq
MOSSAD FALSE FLAG TERRORIST ATTACKS
Revealing information on Mossad terrorist acts worries Europeans
Mossad and Moving Companies: Masterminds of Global Terrorism?
Group that took credit for "Bandini Bomber" linked to Mossad.
MARRIOTT BOMB:Mossad pulls off another false-flag operation
Mossad Exposed in Phony`Palestinian Al-Qaeda' Caper
Mossad orchestrated Christmas Day bomb plot
British Broadsheet Links Mossad to 9/11
How Mossad Deceived the U.S. Military on 9/11
A Look at the Mossad's Assassination Squads
Army Captures 'Terrorist Ring' Working for Mossad
Lebanon's Army captures Israeli Mossad 'Terrorist Ring'
A bumbling Mossad hand suspected in Dubai assassination
Mossad stealing passports in Australia and NZ
Mossad supporting "Radical Muslim" groups.
Mossad-Linked Cell Arrested in South Lebanon
Mossad links to 1986 Berlin disco bombing
HUNDREDS OF MOSSAD AGENTS CAUGHT RUNNING WILD IN AMERICA!
Mossad-backed terror network in Lebanon
Mossad was found to be propping up 'Islamic terrorist' groups in mid-east.
Mossad implicated in a coup plot in Turkey, a NATO country
Mumbai Terror Attacks: The Mossad Angle
Mossad linked to "Jundollah" attacks, and kidnapping of Iranian border guards
Mossad behind Hindu terror group
Israeli Mossad Links To World Trade Center Attack
Abu Nidal - Mossad terrorist
'Terror' group in Iran linked to Mossad, CIA
Attack On US Embassy In Yemen Linked To Mossad
Mossad Black Ops and False Flags
Mossad linked to "Crotch Bomber"
Mossad linked to 9/11 attacks: Report
9-11 Mossad Agents Admit Mission: "Our Purpose Was To Document The Event"
Only people actually arrested on 9-11 were Israelis
Mossad Link Found to One of Key 9-11 Hijackers
Bush Administration Ignores Mossad-Al Qaeda Terrorist Link
Al Qaeda are really Mossad
Mossad linked to Ergenekon plot
Hezbollah infiltrated by Mossad, does Israel's bidding. Attacks when Israel needs excuse to invade Lebanon
Is Hizbullah a Mossad front?
Israel tricked the US into attacking Libya
When Israel attacked the USS Liberty they tried to frame Egypt for it.
The Lavon Affair: Israel has a history of faking terror attacks.
Israel creates and aids terror groups.
If HAMAS is so bad why did Israel create it? To demonize Palestinians?
Israel stages all these "terror" attacks to trick America into hating Israel's enemies.
Who are the "terrorists" again?
April marks the start of Morocco’s tourist season, when visitors gather to watch snake charmers, storytellers, jugglers, and local musicians, filling the cafes that ring the edges of the iconic square on the route to the city’s major open-air market....
This former French colony has enjoyed relative stability compared to some of its neighbors, but King Mohamed VI holds the final say in all policy, and the country’s largest Islamist movement is banned from politics.
The king has pledged constitutional reforms in response to largely peaceful protests over the past two months that were inspired by popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.
And who benefits when protests are given a bad name by bombers?
--more--"
Doesn't Morocco work closely with Israel?
Time for a good night kiss, dear readers.
The fundamental things apply....
"Several thousand people staged protests in cities around Morocco yesterday to demand more political changes.
A participant said that a group of about 5,000 protesters organized a march through a working-class neighborhood of the capital, Rabat, to call for constitutional reforms and new parliamentary elections.
The state news agency MAP said around 4,500 demonstrators also marched in Casablanca.
You must remember this....
The protests were organized by the February 20 movement, which has led protests for the past two months, with support from Morocco’s best-known Islamist movement, Adl wal Ihsan, which is barred from politics in the kingdom.
Remember, if protesters threaten an USraeli ally they are "terrorists."
King Mohammed VI has pledged changes to the constitution for the first time in 15 years, amid a push for greater democracy across the Arab world."
Yeah, he's a good king.
"Huge blast kills 14 in Morocco cafe" April 29, 2011|Associated Press
MARRAKECH, Morocco — A massive terrorist bombing tore through cafe in the bustling heart of Marrakech’s old quarter yesterday, killing at least 11 foreigners and three Moroccans in the country’s deadliest attack in eight years....
Just when the people are hitting the streets, 'eh?
Government spokesman Khalid Naciri said it was too soon to lay blame for what he called a terrorist attack. But he noted that Morocco regularly dismantles cells linked to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and said the country has disrupted several plots.
Yeah, well, which "Al-CIA-Duh" would that be, huh?
The made-up "Al-CIA-Duh?"
Or the "Al-CIA-Duh" CREATION for the COURTROOM!?
Related:
Prop 101: Al-CIA-Duh and the OSI
Prop 101: Al-CIA-Duh's Greatest Hits
Prop 101: The "Terrorism" Business
New York Times Admits War on Terror is U.S. Creation
Oh, AmeriKa's MSM KNOWS ALL ABOUT and yet STILL PUSHES the CHARADE, huh?
Also see: Occupation Iraq: Israel's IEDs
Occupation Iraq: Israelis Killing U.S. Troops
Occupation Iraq: Israeli-Trained Death Squads
Plan B
Prop 101: Al-CIA-Duh and the OSI
Prop 101: Al-CIA-Duh's Greatest Hits
Prop 101: The "Terrorism" Business
Prop 102: Iraq and Government Lies
Al-CIA-Duh
Who Invented "Al-CIA-Duh?"
"Al-CIA-Duhs" Catch-and-Release Program
Asymmetrical Warfare Group
Operation Gladio
Operation Northwoods
Occupation Iraq: British Bombers
Occupation Iraq: America's Roadside Bombs
'The Salvador Option'
Special Police Commandos
Proactive, Preemptive Operations Group
Prop 201 tutorial
FRU
Islam's 9/11
Who is Bombing in Iraq? Are the bombers Al-Qaeda, the CIA or Israel?
How much more evidence do you need?
Israeli Mossad Role in Turkey Coup Plot Revealed
Israel funded "terrorist" groups through BCCI
AMIA was Mossad False-flag Operation
Mossad Agent killing Oz Tourists to steal their identity to use in fake Al-Qaeda operations
‘Mossad capable of US attack’: US Army officials
Iran hangs "terrorist" linked to Mossad
Montreal Averts Israeli Mossad Terrorist Attack
Israeli Mossad = al Qaeda?
Judiciary starts work on case of Mossad-linked terror group
Assassins caught on video reveals possible Mossad-Fatah link
Mossad funded Abu Nidal through BCCI
Mumbai: The Mossad Angle
Hamas Was Founded by Mossad
Israeli officer sells weapons to terrorists in Iraq
MOSSAD FALSE FLAG TERRORIST ATTACKS
Revealing information on Mossad terrorist acts worries Europeans
Mossad and Moving Companies: Masterminds of Global Terrorism?
Group that took credit for "Bandini Bomber" linked to Mossad.
MARRIOTT BOMB:Mossad pulls off another false-flag operation
Mossad Exposed in Phony`Palestinian Al-Qaeda' Caper
Mossad orchestrated Christmas Day bomb plot
British Broadsheet Links Mossad to 9/11
How Mossad Deceived the U.S. Military on 9/11
A Look at the Mossad's Assassination Squads
Army Captures 'Terrorist Ring' Working for Mossad
Lebanon's Army captures Israeli Mossad 'Terrorist Ring'
A bumbling Mossad hand suspected in Dubai assassination
Mossad stealing passports in Australia and NZ
Mossad supporting "Radical Muslim" groups.
Mossad-Linked Cell Arrested in South Lebanon
Mossad links to 1986 Berlin disco bombing
HUNDREDS OF MOSSAD AGENTS CAUGHT RUNNING WILD IN AMERICA!
Mossad-backed terror network in Lebanon
Mossad was found to be propping up 'Islamic terrorist' groups in mid-east.
Mossad implicated in a coup plot in Turkey, a NATO country
Mumbai Terror Attacks: The Mossad Angle
Mossad linked to "Jundollah" attacks, and kidnapping of Iranian border guards
Mossad behind Hindu terror group
Israeli Mossad Links To World Trade Center Attack
Abu Nidal - Mossad terrorist
'Terror' group in Iran linked to Mossad, CIA
Attack On US Embassy In Yemen Linked To Mossad
Mossad Black Ops and False Flags
Mossad linked to "Crotch Bomber"
Mossad linked to 9/11 attacks: Report
9-11 Mossad Agents Admit Mission: "Our Purpose Was To Document The Event"
Only people actually arrested on 9-11 were Israelis
Mossad Link Found to One of Key 9-11 Hijackers
Bush Administration Ignores Mossad-Al Qaeda Terrorist Link
Al Qaeda are really Mossad
Mossad linked to Ergenekon plot
Hezbollah infiltrated by Mossad, does Israel's bidding. Attacks when Israel needs excuse to invade Lebanon
Is Hizbullah a Mossad front?
Israel tricked the US into attacking Libya
When Israel attacked the USS Liberty they tried to frame Egypt for it.
The Lavon Affair: Israel has a history of faking terror attacks.
Israel creates and aids terror groups.
If HAMAS is so bad why did Israel create it? To demonize Palestinians?
Israel stages all these "terror" attacks to trick America into hating Israel's enemies.
Who are the "terrorists" again?
April marks the start of Morocco’s tourist season, when visitors gather to watch snake charmers, storytellers, jugglers, and local musicians, filling the cafes that ring the edges of the iconic square on the route to the city’s major open-air market....
This former French colony has enjoyed relative stability compared to some of its neighbors, but King Mohamed VI holds the final say in all policy, and the country’s largest Islamist movement is banned from politics.
The king has pledged constitutional reforms in response to largely peaceful protests over the past two months that were inspired by popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.
And who benefits when protests are given a bad name by bombers?
--more--"
Doesn't Morocco work closely with Israel?
Time for a good night kiss, dear readers.
Ugandan Uproar
Not music to the U.S.' ears:
"Arrest of opposition leader in Uganda sparks largest sub-Saharan protest of year" by Associated Press / April 30, 2011
KAMPALA, Uganda — Army troops and police fired at rioting demonstrators yesterday, and at least two people were killed and 120 wounded in the largest antigovernment protest in sub-Saharan Africa this year.
Rioters burned tires in downtown streets as security forces fired guns and tear gas....
Battles between protesters and police were also reported elsewhere around the country.
The protests are the first serious demonstrations in sub-Saharan Africa since a wave of antigovernment protests swept leaders in Tunisia and Egypt out of power. President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, who has been in power for a quarter century, has vowed repeatedly that his government will not be taken down by protests.
That is the same thing they all said.
The breakout of violence came one day after a brutal takedown of the country’s top opposition politician, Kizza Besigye. Police smashed through the window of Besigye’s vehicle with the butt of a gun and doused him with tear gas at close range before bundling him into the back of a pickup truck and speeding off....
I expect to see U.S. criticism at any minute.
Besigye was freed on bail Thursday but did not make any public appearances or statements yesterday. Radio reports quoted an aide as saying that Besigye was in poor health, and that he was leaving the country for treatment.
Besigye withstood long volleys of tear gas sprayed directly on him Thursday, but it was not clear how sick or injured he was. Attempts to reach his aides for comment failed.
You would be in poor health after that, too.
Besigye has held five “walk to work’’ demonstrations to protest rising prices and what he calls a corrupt government....
A Uganda police spokeswoman said the police were working to contain the demonstrations....
--more--"
Yeah, that's a good thing:
"Police unit in Uganda is accused of abuses; Report alleges torture, killings" by Josh Kron, New York Times / March 24, 2011
KAMPALA, Uganda — The Ugandan government has engaged in torture, illegal detention, and extrajudicial killings of its citizens, according to a report released yesterday.
Let me guess: U.S. ally
The report, by Human Rights Watch, focuses on the activities of an agency known as the Rapid Response Unit, a branch of Uganda’s police service created to tackle violent crime. The unit has also become a US ally in combating terrorism. Most recently, it helped investigate the terrorist attacks in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, during the World Cup last year, when more than 70 people died.
Related: "Al-CIA-Duh" Expanding Operations in East Africa
How come their aim is always off?
The report, compiled over 13 months, says members of the response unit, called the RRU, have repeatedly broken the law.
“Since the unit was established, RRU officers and affiliated personnel have carried out arrests for a wide range of crimes, from petty theft to terrorism,’’ it said. The unit, the report contends, is “known for practices that flout basic legal safeguards in Ugandan and international law.’’
************
Common abuses included beatings on wrists, ankles, knees, and elbows while suspects were handcuffed in stress positions.
No waterboard rides?
“RRU personnel beat detainees with batons, sticks, bats, metal pipes, padlocks, table legs, and other objects,’’ the report said. “Suspects often said they were forced to sign confessions under duress following torture.’’
I'm signing in about two seconds. I'm old and broken down, and simply can't stand the pain. It hurts to move these days, never mind the "help."
According to the report, members of the response unit committed six extrajudicial killings in 2010; some people were beaten to death, and some shot, including one person who was handcuffed when he was shot.
Human Rights Watch described the response unit as the “preferred unit’’ for those seeking confessions “by any means.’’
“In cases we looked at by RRU, suspects were beaten until they confessed, paraded before journalists and dubbed hard-core criminals, and then put on trial before military officers,’’ said Maria Burnett, a researcher for the group in Uganda. “There is no presumption of innocence and little chance of a fair trial.’’
Uganda's Gitmo!!
The report’s findings could be a cause for concern for the United States, a strong ally of Uganda and a partner in trying to counter terrorist threats in East Africa.
That's why this report is a one-day wonder.
The FBI sent 60 agents to Uganda to help investigate the bombing during the World Cup....
What is a domestic agency doing in the heart of Africa?
In once instance, Human Rights Watch said, response unit officers working with FBI agents threatened a man who had refused to be an FBI informant.
Related: What Happens When You Don't Cooperate With The FBI
You get framed.
“The United States continues to encourage Ugandan security services to respect human rights and the rule of law in pursuit of justice,’’ the US Embassy in Kampala said. “We routinely work with the military and law enforcement to enhance the professionalization of these services and will continue to do so.’’
Does anyone in the world take that talk seriously anymore? I never do.
--more--"
"Arrest of opposition leader in Uganda sparks largest sub-Saharan protest of year" by Associated Press / April 30, 2011
KAMPALA, Uganda — Army troops and police fired at rioting demonstrators yesterday, and at least two people were killed and 120 wounded in the largest antigovernment protest in sub-Saharan Africa this year.
Rioters burned tires in downtown streets as security forces fired guns and tear gas....
Battles between protesters and police were also reported elsewhere around the country.
The protests are the first serious demonstrations in sub-Saharan Africa since a wave of antigovernment protests swept leaders in Tunisia and Egypt out of power. President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, who has been in power for a quarter century, has vowed repeatedly that his government will not be taken down by protests.
That is the same thing they all said.
The breakout of violence came one day after a brutal takedown of the country’s top opposition politician, Kizza Besigye. Police smashed through the window of Besigye’s vehicle with the butt of a gun and doused him with tear gas at close range before bundling him into the back of a pickup truck and speeding off....
I expect to see U.S. criticism at any minute.
Besigye was freed on bail Thursday but did not make any public appearances or statements yesterday. Radio reports quoted an aide as saying that Besigye was in poor health, and that he was leaving the country for treatment.
Besigye withstood long volleys of tear gas sprayed directly on him Thursday, but it was not clear how sick or injured he was. Attempts to reach his aides for comment failed.
You would be in poor health after that, too.
Besigye has held five “walk to work’’ demonstrations to protest rising prices and what he calls a corrupt government....
A Uganda police spokeswoman said the police were working to contain the demonstrations....
--more--"
Yeah, that's a good thing:
"Police unit in Uganda is accused of abuses; Report alleges torture, killings" by Josh Kron, New York Times / March 24, 2011
KAMPALA, Uganda — The Ugandan government has engaged in torture, illegal detention, and extrajudicial killings of its citizens, according to a report released yesterday.
Let me guess: U.S. ally
The report, by Human Rights Watch, focuses on the activities of an agency known as the Rapid Response Unit, a branch of Uganda’s police service created to tackle violent crime. The unit has also become a US ally in combating terrorism. Most recently, it helped investigate the terrorist attacks in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, during the World Cup last year, when more than 70 people died.
Related: "Al-CIA-Duh" Expanding Operations in East Africa
How come their aim is always off?
The report, compiled over 13 months, says members of the response unit, called the RRU, have repeatedly broken the law.
“Since the unit was established, RRU officers and affiliated personnel have carried out arrests for a wide range of crimes, from petty theft to terrorism,’’ it said. The unit, the report contends, is “known for practices that flout basic legal safeguards in Ugandan and international law.’’
************
Common abuses included beatings on wrists, ankles, knees, and elbows while suspects were handcuffed in stress positions.
No waterboard rides?
“RRU personnel beat detainees with batons, sticks, bats, metal pipes, padlocks, table legs, and other objects,’’ the report said. “Suspects often said they were forced to sign confessions under duress following torture.’’
I'm signing in about two seconds. I'm old and broken down, and simply can't stand the pain. It hurts to move these days, never mind the "help."
According to the report, members of the response unit committed six extrajudicial killings in 2010; some people were beaten to death, and some shot, including one person who was handcuffed when he was shot.
Human Rights Watch described the response unit as the “preferred unit’’ for those seeking confessions “by any means.’’
“In cases we looked at by RRU, suspects were beaten until they confessed, paraded before journalists and dubbed hard-core criminals, and then put on trial before military officers,’’ said Maria Burnett, a researcher for the group in Uganda. “There is no presumption of innocence and little chance of a fair trial.’’
Uganda's Gitmo!!
The report’s findings could be a cause for concern for the United States, a strong ally of Uganda and a partner in trying to counter terrorist threats in East Africa.
That's why this report is a one-day wonder.
The FBI sent 60 agents to Uganda to help investigate the bombing during the World Cup....
What is a domestic agency doing in the heart of Africa?
In once instance, Human Rights Watch said, response unit officers working with FBI agents threatened a man who had refused to be an FBI informant.
Related: What Happens When You Don't Cooperate With The FBI
You get framed.
“The United States continues to encourage Ugandan security services to respect human rights and the rule of law in pursuit of justice,’’ the US Embassy in Kampala said. “We routinely work with the military and law enforcement to enhance the professionalization of these services and will continue to do so.’’
Does anyone in the world take that talk seriously anymore? I never do.
--more--"
Ivory Coast Crossfire
What is amazing is that once the IMF guy was installed the coverage nearly dropped of a cliff.
"Ivory Coast factions wage heavy fighting" April 21, 2011|Associated Press
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Nine days after former president Laurent Gbagbo was captured, his die-hard forces were still battling troops of Ivory Coast’s democratically elected president yesterday in an Abidjan neighborhood, leaving civilians in the crossfire.
I was led to believe the conflict was over.
See: Hitler Alive in Africa
While shelling shook homes in the Yopougon suburb, the rest of Ivory Coast’s commercial capital tried to inch back to normality.
Yes, the globalists got their man in so let's get things back to normal.
Traffic was returning and shops were reopening, though there were shortages of many things — including money. Banks have not reopened, and officials were trying to get currency from the West African regional bank in Senegal.
William Dufourcq of Action Against Hunger said the fighting was so intense in Yopougon that his French charity could not get in to deliver water to around 4,000 people who have sought shelter at a church there. A resident of the sprawling suburb said yesterday that troops loyal to elected President Alassane Ouattara were lobbing shells into the neighborhood and pro-Gbagbo civilian supporters were trying to get out.
Also see: Sunday Globe Special: Ivory Coast War Crimes
Those are the "good" guys, readers.
Ghana said yesterday that it evacuated its diplomats.
A few government workers returned to work this week, and more joined them yesterday. Many buildings, including Parliament, have been looted.
--more--"
"Ivorian warlords battle in Abidjan" April 26, 2011|Associated Press
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Volleys of gunshots erupted again in Abidjan yesterday as a yearsold feud between rival warlords came to a head, threatening Ivory Coast’s fragile peace.
It is unclear if technocrat President Alassane Ouattara can control any of the six warlords who helped install him in power by ousting the arrested former strongman Laurent Gbagbo.
Oh, the U.N. used WAR CRIMINAL WAR LORDS to get what they want!!
So when do the war crimes charges come?
The latest fighting is between the two men who fomented the 2002 rebellion that divided the country between the rebel-held north and government run-south — two-time coup plotter Ibrahim “IB’’ Coulibaly and Defense Minister Guillaume Soro, who is also prime minister....
In 2004, the two men waged bloody battles for leadership in the central city of Bouake. Soro won and Coulibaly was forced into exile. Now there are fears their feud could destabilize Abidjan, the commercial capital and the West African nation’s biggest city where one-third of the 15 million people live.
Ouattara on Friday declared that the war for Abidjan ended with Gbagbo’s arrest April 11. He ordered Soro’s troops to return to their barracks elsewhere in the country and he ordered Coulibaly to disarm or have his weapons taken.
And just how is he expecting that to happen?
--more--"
Related: Ivorian warlord says he will disarm
That was before.
"Ivory Coast factions wage heavy fighting" April 21, 2011|Associated Press
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Nine days after former president Laurent Gbagbo was captured, his die-hard forces were still battling troops of Ivory Coast’s democratically elected president yesterday in an Abidjan neighborhood, leaving civilians in the crossfire.
I was led to believe the conflict was over.
See: Hitler Alive in Africa
While shelling shook homes in the Yopougon suburb, the rest of Ivory Coast’s commercial capital tried to inch back to normality.
Yes, the globalists got their man in so let's get things back to normal.
Traffic was returning and shops were reopening, though there were shortages of many things — including money. Banks have not reopened, and officials were trying to get currency from the West African regional bank in Senegal.
William Dufourcq of Action Against Hunger said the fighting was so intense in Yopougon that his French charity could not get in to deliver water to around 4,000 people who have sought shelter at a church there. A resident of the sprawling suburb said yesterday that troops loyal to elected President Alassane Ouattara were lobbing shells into the neighborhood and pro-Gbagbo civilian supporters were trying to get out.
Also see: Sunday Globe Special: Ivory Coast War Crimes
Those are the "good" guys, readers.
Ghana said yesterday that it evacuated its diplomats.
A few government workers returned to work this week, and more joined them yesterday. Many buildings, including Parliament, have been looted.
--more--"
"Ivorian warlords battle in Abidjan" April 26, 2011|Associated Press
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Volleys of gunshots erupted again in Abidjan yesterday as a yearsold feud between rival warlords came to a head, threatening Ivory Coast’s fragile peace.
It is unclear if technocrat President Alassane Ouattara can control any of the six warlords who helped install him in power by ousting the arrested former strongman Laurent Gbagbo.
Oh, the U.N. used WAR CRIMINAL WAR LORDS to get what they want!!
So when do the war crimes charges come?
The latest fighting is between the two men who fomented the 2002 rebellion that divided the country between the rebel-held north and government run-south — two-time coup plotter Ibrahim “IB’’ Coulibaly and Defense Minister Guillaume Soro, who is also prime minister....
In 2004, the two men waged bloody battles for leadership in the central city of Bouake. Soro won and Coulibaly was forced into exile. Now there are fears their feud could destabilize Abidjan, the commercial capital and the West African nation’s biggest city where one-third of the 15 million people live.
Ouattara on Friday declared that the war for Abidjan ended with Gbagbo’s arrest April 11. He ordered Soro’s troops to return to their barracks elsewhere in the country and he ordered Coulibaly to disarm or have his weapons taken.
And just how is he expecting that to happen?
--more--"
Related: Ivorian warlord says he will disarm
That was before.
Unearthing Zimbabwe
What I found in the Boston Globe when I overturned the shovel of dirt:
"Zimbabwe court halts exhumations" April 09, 2011|Associated Press
HARARE, Zimbabwe — A court ordered militant supporters of President Robert Mugabe to stop exhuming hundreds of skeletons they say were the victims of colonial-era massacres, a project that critics say is stoking racial hatred in Zimbabwe.
The High Court in Bulawayo ruled that the group must immediately cease digging out human remains from an old mine shaft where officials have bused schoolchildren to view the remains as militants denounced whites and sang revolutionary songs....
Oh, I get it. All revolutions are bad now.
Judge Nicholas Mathonsi said the exhumations violated all international protocols on investigating suspected human rights violations and amounted to “interference or tampering with crime scenes.’’
Mugabe’s loyalists say the mass graves show how the country’s former rulers were guilty of human rights violations far outweighing any accusations against Mugabe’s supporters.
Which may be true but that was then and this is now.
--more--"
Also see: Mike Campbell; Zimbabwen fough seizure of his farm, 78
"Zimbabwe court halts exhumations" April 09, 2011|Associated Press
HARARE, Zimbabwe — A court ordered militant supporters of President Robert Mugabe to stop exhuming hundreds of skeletons they say were the victims of colonial-era massacres, a project that critics say is stoking racial hatred in Zimbabwe.
The High Court in Bulawayo ruled that the group must immediately cease digging out human remains from an old mine shaft where officials have bused schoolchildren to view the remains as militants denounced whites and sang revolutionary songs....
Oh, I get it. All revolutions are bad now.
Judge Nicholas Mathonsi said the exhumations violated all international protocols on investigating suspected human rights violations and amounted to “interference or tampering with crime scenes.’’
Mugabe’s loyalists say the mass graves show how the country’s former rulers were guilty of human rights violations far outweighing any accusations against Mugabe’s supporters.
Which may be true but that was then and this is now.
--more--"
Also see: Mike Campbell; Zimbabwen fough seizure of his farm, 78
Former Liberian Leader in Limbo
"Liberia leader’s war crimes trial ends" March 12, 2011|Associated Press
LEIDSCHENDAM, Netherlands — The war crimes trial of Charles Taylor, former president of Liberia, once among West Africa’s most powerful figures, ended yesterday with judges expected to take months to reach a verdict on whether he can be linked to murders and amputations during Sierra Leone’s civil war....
--more--"
Related: Memory Hole: Our Man in Africa
"Atrocities committed during the 1991-2002 war were well documented at the time and were reviewed in painful detail during the lengthy trial by the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone....
--more--"
Also see: The United Nations is Racist
Yeah, one could draw that conclusion.
LEIDSCHENDAM, Netherlands — The war crimes trial of Charles Taylor, former president of Liberia, once among West Africa’s most powerful figures, ended yesterday with judges expected to take months to reach a verdict on whether he can be linked to murders and amputations during Sierra Leone’s civil war....
--more--"
Related: Memory Hole: Our Man in Africa
"Atrocities committed during the 1991-2002 war were well documented at the time and were reviewed in painful detail during the lengthy trial by the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone....
--more--"
Also see: The United Nations is Racist
Yeah, one could draw that conclusion.
African Solos
I find it amazing how "terrorists" show up whenever the people protest.
"Six members of the Algerian security forces were killed yesterday in two nearly simultaneous attacks by suspected Islamist extremists. The attacks in the Boumerdes and Bouira regions east of Algiers came two days after at least 13 soldiers were killed as suspected insurgents attacked an army post. The media have put the death toll at 20.
--more--"
Also see: The Quiet Revolutions of the Middle East
And Africa:
"Military unrest spreads in Burkina Faso" April 19, 2011|Associated Press
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — Students burned down the ruling party headquarters and the prime minister’s house in a central city yesterday and a soldiers’ mutiny spread to several corners of Burkina Faso, posing a grave challenge to a president who seized power in a bloody coup 24 years ago....
Steps have failed to stem the discontent that is sweeping over this impoverished nation in West Africa that seems inspired by revolts in Arab nations....
The mutiny began Thursday night in Compaore’s presidential compound in Ouagadougou, the capital, when members of the presidential guard began firing into the air, demanding unpaid housing allowances. By yesterday, soldiers in several cities had joined in. Calm returned to the capital after soldiers there got paid.
There was no indication the student unrest and the soldiers’ actions were being coordinated. Which means they most likely were.
That's the way you have to read the Amerikan media code.
Does Burkino Faso have oil?
--more--"
Does Senegal?
"Attempted coup foiled; 15 arrested
DAKAR — The government said it had arrested 15 people and foiled an attempted coup just hours before thousands of antigovernment protesters took to the streets yesterday, but opposition leaders said the accusations were aimed at undercutting the demonstrations.
The timing SURE DOES STINK, huh?
Senegal’s president of more than a decade said the protests showed the maturity of the West African country’s democracy. President Abdoulaye Wade also said he would be willing to meet with the opposition or even hold a televised debate. The suspects were accused of targeting various sites around Dakar. Luc Sarr, special adviser of the Alliance for the Republic, a member of the lead opposition coalition, said the arrests were unacceptable. “The government wanted to create pressure and a threat so that Senegalese wouldn’t come out and protest today,’’ Sarr said."
We affectionately call them false flags.
Also see: 36 die in stampede after Mali religious rite
Rwandans gather at Hub event to commemorate and celebrate
Boston doctors help young burn victim from Congo
Ethiopia restricts adoptions
I shy away from adoption stories these days because the obfuscated and omitted underbelly of such operations is sex slavery and organ harvesting.
"Six members of the Algerian security forces were killed yesterday in two nearly simultaneous attacks by suspected Islamist extremists. The attacks in the Boumerdes and Bouira regions east of Algiers came two days after at least 13 soldiers were killed as suspected insurgents attacked an army post. The media have put the death toll at 20.
--more--"
Also see: The Quiet Revolutions of the Middle East
And Africa:
"Military unrest spreads in Burkina Faso" April 19, 2011|Associated Press
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — Students burned down the ruling party headquarters and the prime minister’s house in a central city yesterday and a soldiers’ mutiny spread to several corners of Burkina Faso, posing a grave challenge to a president who seized power in a bloody coup 24 years ago....
Steps have failed to stem the discontent that is sweeping over this impoverished nation in West Africa that seems inspired by revolts in Arab nations....
The mutiny began Thursday night in Compaore’s presidential compound in Ouagadougou, the capital, when members of the presidential guard began firing into the air, demanding unpaid housing allowances. By yesterday, soldiers in several cities had joined in. Calm returned to the capital after soldiers there got paid.
There was no indication the student unrest and the soldiers’ actions were being coordinated. Which means they most likely were.
That's the way you have to read the Amerikan media code.
Does Burkino Faso have oil?
--more--"
Does Senegal?
"Attempted coup foiled; 15 arrested
DAKAR — The government said it had arrested 15 people and foiled an attempted coup just hours before thousands of antigovernment protesters took to the streets yesterday, but opposition leaders said the accusations were aimed at undercutting the demonstrations.
The timing SURE DOES STINK, huh?
Senegal’s president of more than a decade said the protests showed the maturity of the West African country’s democracy. President Abdoulaye Wade also said he would be willing to meet with the opposition or even hold a televised debate. The suspects were accused of targeting various sites around Dakar. Luc Sarr, special adviser of the Alliance for the Republic, a member of the lead opposition coalition, said the arrests were unacceptable. “The government wanted to create pressure and a threat so that Senegalese wouldn’t come out and protest today,’’ Sarr said."
We affectionately call them false flags.
Also see: 36 die in stampede after Mali religious rite
Rwandans gather at Hub event to commemorate and celebrate
Boston doctors help young burn victim from Congo
Ethiopia restricts adoptions
I shy away from adoption stories these days because the obfuscated and omitted underbelly of such operations is sex slavery and organ harvesting.
Extra! Extra! Read All About It!
The Boston Globe is back on the block!
"Businessman prepares bid to buy Globe" April 29, 2011|By Casey Ross, Globe Staff
A spokeswoman for the Times Co. declined to comment. The Times Co. previously tried to sell the New England Media Group and received three offers in 2009. However, the company took the papers off the market as financial conditions began to improve....
Kushner and his investors have been unwilling to divulge details on how he would change the newspaper’s business model, but some have said it generally involves expanding the marketing of the newspaper and developing new products to connect readers to advertisers. The goal would be to help the newspaper generate stronger revenues and allow it to expand its news gathering and content.
Globe not doing that because that doesn't seem that radical a business model. Sounds like same old, same old.
Kushner also declined to say whether his eventual bid will include the assumption of the Globe’s pension liabilities.
The Globe, like other newspapers, is grappling with how to grow revenues as readers and advertisers migrate to the Internet. In the first quarter of the year, revenue at the New England Media Group was down 5 percent, to $96.4 million.
Still that performance has improved significantly over the past several years.
I love it! Less water pouring into the boat, but the Titanic is still going down.
And the band played on....
Importantly, the company cut expenses substantially through staff reductions, labor concessions on wages and benefits, as well as plant consolidation.
Yes, an ever-increasing share of a shrinking pie is a great business model -- especially if you can wring profits out of it by downsizing.
I thought businesses had to grow to be successful. Silly me.
Related: The New York Times is the Exception to the Rule
Globe Employees Applaud a Rapist
I'll bet it feels like one now.
Also, a significant price increase helped offset declines in advertising revenues.
Yup, paying more for less of what already is a PoS paper.
--more--"
And now they want me to pay again for web access.
Pfffffffft!
"Businessman prepares bid to buy Globe" April 29, 2011|By Casey Ross, Globe Staff
A spokeswoman for the Times Co. declined to comment. The Times Co. previously tried to sell the New England Media Group and received three offers in 2009. However, the company took the papers off the market as financial conditions began to improve....
Kushner and his investors have been unwilling to divulge details on how he would change the newspaper’s business model, but some have said it generally involves expanding the marketing of the newspaper and developing new products to connect readers to advertisers. The goal would be to help the newspaper generate stronger revenues and allow it to expand its news gathering and content.
Globe not doing that because that doesn't seem that radical a business model. Sounds like same old, same old.
Kushner also declined to say whether his eventual bid will include the assumption of the Globe’s pension liabilities.
The Globe, like other newspapers, is grappling with how to grow revenues as readers and advertisers migrate to the Internet. In the first quarter of the year, revenue at the New England Media Group was down 5 percent, to $96.4 million.
Still that performance has improved significantly over the past several years.
I love it! Less water pouring into the boat, but the Titanic is still going down.
And the band played on....
Importantly, the company cut expenses substantially through staff reductions, labor concessions on wages and benefits, as well as plant consolidation.
Yes, an ever-increasing share of a shrinking pie is a great business model -- especially if you can wring profits out of it by downsizing.
I thought businesses had to grow to be successful. Silly me.
Related: The New York Times is the Exception to the Rule
Globe Employees Applaud a Rapist
I'll bet it feels like one now.
Also, a significant price increase helped offset declines in advertising revenues.
Yup, paying more for less of what already is a PoS paper.
--more--"
And now they want me to pay again for web access.
Pfffffffft!
Back Home Again
There's no place like home....
"But with redistricting and the loss of one US House seat hanging over the state’s 10-member delegation, speculation is building over which one will lose a brutal game of political roulette.
Olver could be the odd man out....
Dennis Hale, a Boston College political scientist, said, “The finger is pointing in their direction.’’
If you want to read his biography go here.
He's my Rep, but I never vote for him.
"Olver’s district encompasses 40 percent of the entire land mass of Massachusetts and combined with Neal’s district, covers more than half the state, geographically....
And yet we have to consolidate?
--more--"
I want to secede.
Meanwhile, statewide:
"Strong Brown rival is seen as critical for Democrats; Senate control may hinge on Bay State, Nev. races" April 23, 2011|By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff
The elections are 19 months away.
Good diversion, though.
WASHINGTON — Democratic Party officials consider the defeat of Scott Brown of Massachusetts in next year’s election a cornerstone of their strategy to keep control of the Senate, yet the party’s inability to enlist a well-known, well-financed challenger has confounded political analysts.
“The Democrats should be absolutely obsessed with this race,’’ said Jeffrey Berry, Tufts University political scientist. “Yet there doesn’t seem to be a national urgency.’’
Brown’s seat is one of just two held by Republicans that appear to be vulnerable in 2012, election specialists say. Scandal-tainted Senator John Ensign, who had said in March he would not seek reelection in Nevada, announced on Thursday he will resign on May 3. His seat is expected to be hotly contested.
Democrats, however, are expected to face stiff challenges for at least seven seats they hold.
But if Democrats take both Nevada and the Bay State, Republicans would need to practically run the table in other close races to win a Senate majority, a steep, uphill path to power. Senate Democrats hold a 53-to-47 advantage over Republicans, including the two independents who caucus with the Democrats....
The independents of course being Joe "Israel first" Lieberman and pseudo-socialist Bernie Sanders.
After barely a year in office, Brown appears well-positioned to run for reelection to a full term.He has amassed an $8.3 million campaign war chest and ha garnered a favorable rating from 58 percent of voters in a recent Suffolk University/7 News poll.
Related: Who Bought Brown's Election?
The U.S. Senate's Chief Brownnoser to Israel
Oh, yeah, he'll win in a breeze.
A Republican in a mostly liberal state, Brown has broken with conservative GOP leadership on several high-profile votes, including his support for repealing the “don’t ask, don’t tell’’ policy that banned openly gay members of the military.
The litmus test for all Massachusetts liberals.
Brown has also toed the Republican line at times....
After strong years in 2006 and 2008, Democrats will be playing mostly defense in Senate races in 2012.
That is what happens when you break your promises and tell campaign lies.
Of the 33 seats up for reelection, Democrats must defend 23 and Republicans 10. Due mostly to the power of incumbency, about half of those 33 seats are considered safe....
How can they say that after the last election?
I don't know about you, but I am still in that kind of mood.
--more--"
Maybe they could run Marty Coakley against him again.
What else are the polls saying?
"Voters do not seem too impressed with politicians going on book tours. While Brown has been promoting his memoir and Patrick is to begin promoting his later this month, 67 percent of voters said they were not interested in Brown’s life story, and 65 percent voiced the same opinion of Patrick’s life story....
Nope.
Related: Brown Book Promotion
Sunday Globe Special: Pitching Patrick's Book Tour
That might explain the continuing decline in circulation there, Globe.
And thirty-eight percent of voters agreed with the statement that “healthcare in Massachusetts is working,’’ compared with 49 percent who disagreed.
Related: Health Connector Patients mostly satisfied with service
Sigh.
Will the agenda-pushing lies ever end?
--more--"
Also see: Khazei announces Senate run, saying he’ll fight interest groups
He wasn't included in the poll.
"But with redistricting and the loss of one US House seat hanging over the state’s 10-member delegation, speculation is building over which one will lose a brutal game of political roulette.
Olver could be the odd man out....
Dennis Hale, a Boston College political scientist, said, “The finger is pointing in their direction.’’
If you want to read his biography go here.
He's my Rep, but I never vote for him.
"Olver’s district encompasses 40 percent of the entire land mass of Massachusetts and combined with Neal’s district, covers more than half the state, geographically....
And yet we have to consolidate?
--more--"
I want to secede.
Meanwhile, statewide:
"Strong Brown rival is seen as critical for Democrats; Senate control may hinge on Bay State, Nev. races" April 23, 2011|By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff
The elections are 19 months away.
Good diversion, though.
WASHINGTON — Democratic Party officials consider the defeat of Scott Brown of Massachusetts in next year’s election a cornerstone of their strategy to keep control of the Senate, yet the party’s inability to enlist a well-known, well-financed challenger has confounded political analysts.
“The Democrats should be absolutely obsessed with this race,’’ said Jeffrey Berry, Tufts University political scientist. “Yet there doesn’t seem to be a national urgency.’’
Brown’s seat is one of just two held by Republicans that appear to be vulnerable in 2012, election specialists say. Scandal-tainted Senator John Ensign, who had said in March he would not seek reelection in Nevada, announced on Thursday he will resign on May 3. His seat is expected to be hotly contested.
Democrats, however, are expected to face stiff challenges for at least seven seats they hold.
But if Democrats take both Nevada and the Bay State, Republicans would need to practically run the table in other close races to win a Senate majority, a steep, uphill path to power. Senate Democrats hold a 53-to-47 advantage over Republicans, including the two independents who caucus with the Democrats....
The independents of course being Joe "Israel first" Lieberman and pseudo-socialist Bernie Sanders.
After barely a year in office, Brown appears well-positioned to run for reelection to a full term.He has amassed an $8.3 million campaign war chest and ha garnered a favorable rating from 58 percent of voters in a recent Suffolk University/7 News poll.
Related: Who Bought Brown's Election?
The U.S. Senate's Chief Brownnoser to Israel
Oh, yeah, he'll win in a breeze.
A Republican in a mostly liberal state, Brown has broken with conservative GOP leadership on several high-profile votes, including his support for repealing the “don’t ask, don’t tell’’ policy that banned openly gay members of the military.
The litmus test for all Massachusetts liberals.
Brown has also toed the Republican line at times....
After strong years in 2006 and 2008, Democrats will be playing mostly defense in Senate races in 2012.
That is what happens when you break your promises and tell campaign lies.
Of the 33 seats up for reelection, Democrats must defend 23 and Republicans 10. Due mostly to the power of incumbency, about half of those 33 seats are considered safe....
How can they say that after the last election?
I don't know about you, but I am still in that kind of mood.
--more--"
Maybe they could run Marty Coakley against him again.
What else are the polls saying?
"Voters do not seem too impressed with politicians going on book tours. While Brown has been promoting his memoir and Patrick is to begin promoting his later this month, 67 percent of voters said they were not interested in Brown’s life story, and 65 percent voiced the same opinion of Patrick’s life story....
Nope.
Related: Brown Book Promotion
Sunday Globe Special: Pitching Patrick's Book Tour
That might explain the continuing decline in circulation there, Globe.
And thirty-eight percent of voters agreed with the statement that “healthcare in Massachusetts is working,’’ compared with 49 percent who disagreed.
Related: Health Connector Patients mostly satisfied with service
Sigh.
Will the agenda-pushing lies ever end?
--more--"
Also see: Khazei announces Senate run, saying he’ll fight interest groups
He wasn't included in the poll.
Manning Up in Minnesota
"A nurse who was supposed to sedate a patient before kidney stone surgery took most of the painkillers for herself and told the patient to “man up’’ ....
--more--"
--more--"
Roswell Was Real
Ever hear of the CIA plot to dupe the public with a space alien invasion to institute global government?
Sure are a lot of movies coming from Hollywood and TV that indicate such.
Hmmmmmmmm.
"4 killed in test run of luxury aircraft
ROSWELL — Four people died yesterday in a fiery crash of a test twin-engine luxury business aircraft at Roswell’s airport, authorities said. The twin-engine Gulfstream G6 crashed at the Roswell International Air Center about 9:30 a.m. The Federal Aviation Administration said two pilots and two flight test engineers were on board the plane when it went down. It said the crew was practicing takeoffs and landings."
The deaths are real.
Look, I'm not discounting the possibility of visitors from other planets; however, it has nothing to do with the man-made wars and looting down here. That's why it never receives attention on this blog.
Let's stop the killing for profit down here first before we look to the heavens for spaceships.
Sure are a lot of movies coming from Hollywood and TV that indicate such.
Hmmmmmmmm.
"4 killed in test run of luxury aircraft
ROSWELL — Four people died yesterday in a fiery crash of a test twin-engine luxury business aircraft at Roswell’s airport, authorities said. The twin-engine Gulfstream G6 crashed at the Roswell International Air Center about 9:30 a.m. The Federal Aviation Administration said two pilots and two flight test engineers were on board the plane when it went down. It said the crew was practicing takeoffs and landings."
The deaths are real.
Look, I'm not discounting the possibility of visitors from other planets; however, it has nothing to do with the man-made wars and looting down here. That's why it never receives attention on this blog.
Let's stop the killing for profit down here first before we look to the heavens for spaceships.
California and Other Crazy States
"States flouting mental health gun law; More than half fail to file background checks, review says" by Greg Bluestein, Associated Press / February 18, 2011
ATLANTA — More than half the states are not complying with a law enacted after the Virginia Tech shootings that requires them to share the names of mentally ill people with the national background-check system to prevent them from buying guns, an Associated Press review has found.
The deadline for complying with the three-year-old law was last month. But nine states, including Massachusetts, have not supplied any names to the database. Seventeen others have sent in fewer than 25, meaning gun dealers around the United States could be running names of would-be buyers against a woefully incomplete list.
Is it any wonder I get tired of the self righteous s***hole of a state?
Officials blame privacy laws, antiquated record-keeping, and a severe lack of funding for the gap, according to public records requests....
Congress has doled out only a fraction of the $1.3 billion it promised between 2009 to 2013 to help states and courts cover the costs of the 2008 law.
Apparently it is not a concern.
For some states, the amount of federal grant money they could be penalized for not complying is less than what it would cost them to get their records-sharing systems up to speed.
Translation: It's not worth it.
The Jan. 8 shooting rampage in Tucson that killed six people and left Representative Gabrielle Giffords grievously wounded has put more emphasis on the struggle to disarm the mentally ill, even though the man arrested in the attack would not have been on the no-purchase list....
Oh, now it's a concern. A Jewish congresswoman gets gunned down by some psychotic, lovestruck kid and now the lack of state compliance is an issue.
Makes you wonder who is really crazy 'round here.
--more--"
Related: Calif. highlights states’ struggles to keep guns away from unstable
Also see: Suspect dead, officer hurt in road rage case
Calif. couple pleads guilty to kidnap and rape of girl
Related: Creepy California
I'm getting out of there as fast as I can now:
"Bridge cyclists warned on speed
SAN FRANCISCO — Plans to put the brakes on bicyclists riding across the Golden Gate Bridge have led to protests. The initial plan announced last week would hit riders with a $100 fine if they don’t slow to 10 miles per hour along most of the 4,200-foot span. There is no speed limit now. The bridge’s board of directors put off a vote on the limits to allow public debate (AP)."
Related: Bikes and Burritos in Boston
Globe Editorial At his own peril, burrito maker takes on the Big Enchilada
Also see:
Houston twins accused of letting mother die
Man confessed killing children, police say
Three hurt after child brings gun to school
Man charged in disabled son’s drowning
Deputy, suspect die in Texas shooting
Alert lifted after power loss at Texas plants
Ohio man pleads guilty to attempt to force girlfriend’s abortion at gunpoint
Ohio killer’s execution is second with single drug
Stuck in a window, Ohio woman dies
"He’s no general, say US authorities
AKRON — Federal authorities allege that a West Virginia man who applied for a job with an Ohio construction firm pretended to be an Army major general and listed the Army chief of staff as a reference. A criminal complaint filed in federal court accuses Randall Keyser of Barboursville, W.Va., of wire fraud. An FBI agent alleges in an affidavit that Keyser, who was arrested Thursday, said he had supervised construction projects and answered directly to the US secretary of defense (AP)."
ATLANTA — More than half the states are not complying with a law enacted after the Virginia Tech shootings that requires them to share the names of mentally ill people with the national background-check system to prevent them from buying guns, an Associated Press review has found.
The deadline for complying with the three-year-old law was last month. But nine states, including Massachusetts, have not supplied any names to the database. Seventeen others have sent in fewer than 25, meaning gun dealers around the United States could be running names of would-be buyers against a woefully incomplete list.
Is it any wonder I get tired of the self righteous s***hole of a state?
Officials blame privacy laws, antiquated record-keeping, and a severe lack of funding for the gap, according to public records requests....
Congress has doled out only a fraction of the $1.3 billion it promised between 2009 to 2013 to help states and courts cover the costs of the 2008 law.
Apparently it is not a concern.
For some states, the amount of federal grant money they could be penalized for not complying is less than what it would cost them to get their records-sharing systems up to speed.
Translation: It's not worth it.
The Jan. 8 shooting rampage in Tucson that killed six people and left Representative Gabrielle Giffords grievously wounded has put more emphasis on the struggle to disarm the mentally ill, even though the man arrested in the attack would not have been on the no-purchase list....
Oh, now it's a concern. A Jewish congresswoman gets gunned down by some psychotic, lovestruck kid and now the lack of state compliance is an issue.
Makes you wonder who is really crazy 'round here.
--more--"
Related: Calif. highlights states’ struggles to keep guns away from unstable
Also see: Suspect dead, officer hurt in road rage case
Calif. couple pleads guilty to kidnap and rape of girl
Related: Creepy California
I'm getting out of there as fast as I can now:
"Bridge cyclists warned on speed
SAN FRANCISCO — Plans to put the brakes on bicyclists riding across the Golden Gate Bridge have led to protests. The initial plan announced last week would hit riders with a $100 fine if they don’t slow to 10 miles per hour along most of the 4,200-foot span. There is no speed limit now. The bridge’s board of directors put off a vote on the limits to allow public debate (AP)."
Related: Bikes and Burritos in Boston
Globe Editorial At his own peril, burrito maker takes on the Big Enchilada
Also see:
Houston twins accused of letting mother die
Man confessed killing children, police say
Three hurt after child brings gun to school
Man charged in disabled son’s drowning
Deputy, suspect die in Texas shooting
Alert lifted after power loss at Texas plants
Ohio man pleads guilty to attempt to force girlfriend’s abortion at gunpoint
Ohio killer’s execution is second with single drug
Stuck in a window, Ohio woman dies
"He’s no general, say US authorities
AKRON — Federal authorities allege that a West Virginia man who applied for a job with an Ohio construction firm pretended to be an Army major general and listed the Army chief of staff as a reference. A criminal complaint filed in federal court accuses Randall Keyser of Barboursville, W.Va., of wire fraud. An FBI agent alleges in an affidavit that Keyser, who was arrested Thursday, said he had supervised construction projects and answered directly to the US secretary of defense (AP)."
Buried in the Northwest
Not for long.
Trapped miner, 53, presumed dead
Related: Abandoned in Idaho
Also see: Inquiry vowed in silver mine death
Police say father set fatal house fire
"A high school student who faked a pregnancy for six months as a social experiment stunned a student assembly this week by taking off the belly bundle....
--more--"
"Playing-card tip leads to arrest
SEATTLE — A tip generated by a deck of “cold case’’ playing cards has helped lead to an arrest in a killing three decades ago, investigators said. The cards, first circulated in 2008, offer rewards for information that helps solve old cases. Susan Schwarz, who was shot to death, was the queen of hearts. Police said the man arrested Friday had long been a suspect and that he may have blamed Schwarz for the breakup of his marriage; Schwarz was a close friend of his wife (AP)."
Trapped miner, 53, presumed dead
Related: Abandoned in Idaho
Also see: Inquiry vowed in silver mine death
Police say father set fatal house fire
"A high school student who faked a pregnancy for six months as a social experiment stunned a student assembly this week by taking off the belly bundle....
--more--"
"Playing-card tip leads to arrest
SEATTLE — A tip generated by a deck of “cold case’’ playing cards has helped lead to an arrest in a killing three decades ago, investigators said. The cards, first circulated in 2008, offer rewards for information that helps solve old cases. Susan Schwarz, who was shot to death, was the queen of hearts. Police said the man arrested Friday had long been a suspect and that he may have blamed Schwarz for the breakup of his marriage; Schwarz was a close friend of his wife (AP)."
Rough Night Last Night
Who called the stripper?
"Town, 4 officers sued over stripper melee; Plaintiff calls his arrest concocted" by Brock Parker, Globe Correspondent / April 21, 2011
A stripper’s chaperone has filed a suit against the Town of Brookline, seeking damages over a melee with off-duty police officers at a bachelor party last year.
Robert Sonia of Lynn filed the suit in US District Court Monday against the town and four officers he says assaulted him before conspiring to concoct a story that would lead to his arrest....
Happens a lot more than you would like to believe, fellow American.
Sonia alleges that the four officers lied to police investigators and that the police who were investigating were aware that the four men had lied....
It's called a cover-up.
An attorney for the four officers said they have done nothing wrong....
Tom Drechsler, a lawyer who represented the four officers involved in the case, said that they continue to deny having committed any wrongful acts.
Drechsler said the officers are victims of the wrongful acts of Sonia.
--more--"
Why don't you be the judge:
Brookline Bachelor Party
I really don't remember much from last night.
"Town, 4 officers sued over stripper melee; Plaintiff calls his arrest concocted" by Brock Parker, Globe Correspondent / April 21, 2011
A stripper’s chaperone has filed a suit against the Town of Brookline, seeking damages over a melee with off-duty police officers at a bachelor party last year.
Robert Sonia of Lynn filed the suit in US District Court Monday against the town and four officers he says assaulted him before conspiring to concoct a story that would lead to his arrest....
Happens a lot more than you would like to believe, fellow American.
Sonia alleges that the four officers lied to police investigators and that the police who were investigating were aware that the four men had lied....
It's called a cover-up.
An attorney for the four officers said they have done nothing wrong....
Tom Drechsler, a lawyer who represented the four officers involved in the case, said that they continue to deny having committed any wrongful acts.
Drechsler said the officers are victims of the wrongful acts of Sonia.
--more--"
Why don't you be the judge:
Brookline Bachelor Party
I really don't remember much from last night.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Globe's Late Night Poker Game
I fold.
Charity poker venues thriving
Despite the recent closure of a casinolike poker room at the former Raynham dog track, poker is thriving in at least a half-dozen smaller venues in Massachusetts, with big payouts available any night of the week.
Related: Poker rooms are booming, but it’s not all for charity
Raynham Park poker room operator halts games amid inquiry
Also see: A bill to expand gambling is still possible, governor says
This after they all told us they were not going to bring it up again.
Charity poker venues thriving
Despite the recent closure of a casinolike poker room at the former Raynham dog track, poker is thriving in at least a half-dozen smaller venues in Massachusetts, with big payouts available any night of the week.
Related: Poker rooms are booming, but it’s not all for charity
Raynham Park poker room operator halts games amid inquiry
Also see: A bill to expand gambling is still possible, governor says
This after they all told us they were not going to bring it up again.
Frontlining the Globe's Front Page
They are so old media.
A small team of managers, led by “Frontline” executive producer David Fanning, is repositioning the show for what it calls the “post-broadcast future.” The process has them rethinking how to report stories in the multi- platform, digital-media age.
I never watch the program anymore. We have enough government-sponsored media.
Globe Tracking Southern Storms
"Damage from St. Louis tornado expected to cost millions, but no deaths reported" April 25, 2011|Associated Press
Early warnings, good timing, and common sense all helped prevent a tragedy Friday night. But on Easter Sunday, many of those cleaning up the mess also thanked a higher power.
“I don’t know why God decided to spare our lives, but I’m thankful for it,’’ Joni Bellinger, children’s minister at hard-hit Ferguson Christian Church, said yesterday.
Another round of severe thunderstorms and possibly tornadoes is expected to strike the southern states later this week, according to the US Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla. The center said an area from southern Ohio to Mississippi, including Atlanta and Cincinnati, is likely to see thunderstorms, high winds, and tornadoes....
--more--"
Related: Storm Savages St. Louis
Weekly U.S. Weather Report
"Town evacuated as levee threatened" April 26, 2011|Associated Press
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — A thousand residents fled their homes in southern Missouri yesterday, as heavy rains falling on saturated ground threatened to break the levee protecting their town. Smaller evacuations also took place from Kentucky to Arkansas, as rivers and lakes continued to rise.
Forecasters said severe storms will drop more heavy rain across the lower Ohio and Mississippi River valleys, compounding the misery from a storm system that pounded the region last week and over the weekend, spawning tornadoes.
Some places have already seen 10 to 15 inches of rain, and the worst flooding may not come until tomorrow. Two storms with rain and possible tornadoes were moving into the region, with parts of Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas expected to feel the brunt, a meteorologist with the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., said. Last night, at least five people in Arkansas were killed — three in flood waters and two in a town where it was likely a tornado struck.
Police in Poplar Bluff, a town of 17,000, moved residents out by noon, after officials said they feared that a catastrophic failure of the town’s levee on the Black River was imminent.
--more--"
"Rain-swollen rivers threaten Midwest, force evacuation in Missouri town" April 27, 2011|Associated Press
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — A powerful storm system that spawned a deadly tornado in Arkansas caused rivers to swell yesterday across the Midwest, straining levees that protect thousands of homes and forcing panicked residents of one town to flee for higher ground....
--more--"
"Storm system pounds South, killing 77 people; Ala. bears brunt of deaths" Associated Press / April 28, 2011
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A wave of tornado-spawning storms strafed the South yesterday, splintering buildings across hard-hit Alabama and killing 77 people in four states.
At least 61 people died in Alabama alone, including 15 or more when a massive tornado devastated Tuscaloosa. The mayor said sections of the city that is home to the University of Alabama have been destroyed, and the city’s infrastructure is devastated.
Eleven deaths were reported in Mississippi, four in Georgia, and one in Tennessee....
The storm system spread destruction Tuesday night and yesterday from Texas to Georgia, and it was forecast to hit the Carolinas next before moving further northeast....
--more--"
And if it keeps on raining, levees are going to break.
How come they were not repaired, America? Do you believe the paper's spin that it was a the locals fault? Seems like there is always plenty of money for banks, wars, Israel, and corporations.
"Storms leave a trail of devastation; Tornadoes kill 290 in six states across the South" by Greg Bluestein and Holbrook Mohr, Associated Press / April 29, 2011
"Plane crash in Kan. kills 4 family members" April 23, 2011|Associated Press
TOPEKA, Kan. — A small airplane filled with relatives on their way to visit friends for Easter crashed in a muddy Kansas cornfield yesterday, killing all four people aboard, officials said....
The plane left a long trail of wreckage in conditions so sloppy emergency crews initially had trouble reaching the debris. Weather conditions were cool and damp; there were no severe storms in the area when the crash happened....
I read that and I instantly think of the lack of debris in Shanksville, Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001.
--more--"
Other storms the Globe is tracking down south:
"A sniper hiding behind a tree on a wooded hillside in rural southwest Virginia killed two sheriff’s deputies from long range with high-powered rifle and wounded two other officers during a shootout Sunday. After a search, authorities caught up to the gunman, and police said he was shot to death when he pulled a pistol on officers....
--more--"
Related: Hundreds attend funeral for slain Ga. police officer
Court upholds Virginia prisons’ beard ban
Also see:
Court voids Ark. ban on gay adoptions
Alabama leaders apologize for ‘unkind’ handling of rape case in 1944
Ala. to apologize for handling of 1944 rape
Boy killed when train ride overturns in S.C.
Deadly South Carolina park ride was not inspected
Teen dies in crash on road named for dad
I-95 speed cameras in S.C. draw lawsuit
N.C. pair investigated for thefts across US
Early warnings, good timing, and common sense all helped prevent a tragedy Friday night. But on Easter Sunday, many of those cleaning up the mess also thanked a higher power.
“I don’t know why God decided to spare our lives, but I’m thankful for it,’’ Joni Bellinger, children’s minister at hard-hit Ferguson Christian Church, said yesterday.
Another round of severe thunderstorms and possibly tornadoes is expected to strike the southern states later this week, according to the US Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla. The center said an area from southern Ohio to Mississippi, including Atlanta and Cincinnati, is likely to see thunderstorms, high winds, and tornadoes....
--more--"
Related: Storm Savages St. Louis
Weekly U.S. Weather Report
"Town evacuated as levee threatened" April 26, 2011|Associated Press
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — A thousand residents fled their homes in southern Missouri yesterday, as heavy rains falling on saturated ground threatened to break the levee protecting their town. Smaller evacuations also took place from Kentucky to Arkansas, as rivers and lakes continued to rise.
Forecasters said severe storms will drop more heavy rain across the lower Ohio and Mississippi River valleys, compounding the misery from a storm system that pounded the region last week and over the weekend, spawning tornadoes.
Some places have already seen 10 to 15 inches of rain, and the worst flooding may not come until tomorrow. Two storms with rain and possible tornadoes were moving into the region, with parts of Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas expected to feel the brunt, a meteorologist with the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., said. Last night, at least five people in Arkansas were killed — three in flood waters and two in a town where it was likely a tornado struck.
Police in Poplar Bluff, a town of 17,000, moved residents out by noon, after officials said they feared that a catastrophic failure of the town’s levee on the Black River was imminent.
--more--"
"Rain-swollen rivers threaten Midwest, force evacuation in Missouri town" April 27, 2011|Associated Press
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — A powerful storm system that spawned a deadly tornado in Arkansas caused rivers to swell yesterday across the Midwest, straining levees that protect thousands of homes and forcing panicked residents of one town to flee for higher ground....
--more--"
"Storm system pounds South, killing 77 people; Ala. bears brunt of deaths" Associated Press / April 28, 2011
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A wave of tornado-spawning storms strafed the South yesterday, splintering buildings across hard-hit Alabama and killing 77 people in four states.
At least 61 people died in Alabama alone, including 15 or more when a massive tornado devastated Tuscaloosa. The mayor said sections of the city that is home to the University of Alabama have been destroyed, and the city’s infrastructure is devastated.
Eleven deaths were reported in Mississippi, four in Georgia, and one in Tennessee....
The storm system spread destruction Tuesday night and yesterday from Texas to Georgia, and it was forecast to hit the Carolinas next before moving further northeast....
--more--"
And if it keeps on raining, levees are going to break.
How come they were not repaired, America? Do you believe the paper's spin that it was a the locals fault? Seems like there is always plenty of money for banks, wars, Israel, and corporations.
"Storms leave a trail of devastation; Tornadoes kill 290 in six states across the South" by Greg Bluestein and Holbrook Mohr, Associated Press / April 29, 2011
Part of Pratt City, a suburb of Birmingham, Ala., lay in ruins yesterday after a tornado struck overnight. (Marvin Gentry/Reuters)
PLEASANT GROVE, Ala. — Firefighters searched one splintered pile after another for survivors yesterday, combing the remains of houses and neighborhoods pulverized by the nation’s deadliest tornado outbreak in almost four decades. At least 290 people were killed across six states — more than two-thirds of them in Alabama, where large cities bore the half-mile-wide scars the twisters left behind.
The death toll from Wednesday’s storms seems out of a bygone era, before Doppler radar and pinpoint satellite forecasts were around to warn communities of severe weather. Residents were told the tornadoes were coming up to 24 minutes ahead of time, but they were just too wide, too powerful, and too locked onto populated areas to avoid a horrifying body count....
--more--"
PLEASANT GROVE, Ala. — Firefighters searched one splintered pile after another for survivors yesterday, combing the remains of houses and neighborhoods pulverized by the nation’s deadliest tornado outbreak in almost four decades. At least 290 people were killed across six states — more than two-thirds of them in Alabama, where large cities bore the half-mile-wide scars the twisters left behind.
The death toll from Wednesday’s storms seems out of a bygone era, before Doppler radar and pinpoint satellite forecasts were around to warn communities of severe weather. Residents were told the tornadoes were coming up to 24 minutes ahead of time, but they were just too wide, too powerful, and too locked onto populated areas to avoid a horrifying body count....
--more--"
"Plane crash in Kan. kills 4 family members" April 23, 2011|Associated Press
TOPEKA, Kan. — A small airplane filled with relatives on their way to visit friends for Easter crashed in a muddy Kansas cornfield yesterday, killing all four people aboard, officials said....
The plane left a long trail of wreckage in conditions so sloppy emergency crews initially had trouble reaching the debris. Weather conditions were cool and damp; there were no severe storms in the area when the crash happened....
I read that and I instantly think of the lack of debris in Shanksville, Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001.
--more--"
Other storms the Globe is tracking down south:
"A sniper hiding behind a tree on a wooded hillside in rural southwest Virginia killed two sheriff’s deputies from long range with high-powered rifle and wounded two other officers during a shootout Sunday. After a search, authorities caught up to the gunman, and police said he was shot to death when he pulled a pistol on officers....
--more--"
Related: Hundreds attend funeral for slain Ga. police officer
Court upholds Virginia prisons’ beard ban
Also see:
Court voids Ark. ban on gay adoptions
Alabama leaders apologize for ‘unkind’ handling of rape case in 1944
Ala. to apologize for handling of 1944 rape
Boy killed when train ride overturns in S.C.
Deadly South Carolina park ride was not inspected
Teen dies in crash on road named for dad
I-95 speed cameras in S.C. draw lawsuit
N.C. pair investigated for thefts across US
Tennessee Love Connection
"Tenn. pastor charged in Vt.-Va. custody case; FBI says he helped woman leave US with daughter" April 23, 2011|By John Curran, Associated Press
MONTPELIER — A Tennessee pastor who allegedly helped a woman abscond to Central America with her 9-year-old daughter has been charged with aiding a kidnapping, the latest twist in a long-running custody dispute between lesbians who are former partners.
Timothy David Miller, 34, of Crossville, Tenn., is accused of helping arrange passage for Lisa Miller of Virginia and daughter Isabella Miller Jenkins, who have been on the run since 2009 and are believed to be living in Nicaragua.
It does not appear that Timothy Miller is related to the mother. He works with an Ohio-based Christian ministry, and people with links to Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University may have provided a beach house where the two could live, according to an FBI affidavit....
Lisa Miller and Janet Jenkins were joined in a Vermont civil union in 2000. Isabella was born to Miller in 2002, and the couple broke up the following year.
Miller then moved to Virginia, renounced homosexuality, and became an evangelical Christian....
--more--"
Also see: Search on for missing woman feared abducted in Tenn.
MONTPELIER — A Tennessee pastor who allegedly helped a woman abscond to Central America with her 9-year-old daughter has been charged with aiding a kidnapping, the latest twist in a long-running custody dispute between lesbians who are former partners.
Timothy David Miller, 34, of Crossville, Tenn., is accused of helping arrange passage for Lisa Miller of Virginia and daughter Isabella Miller Jenkins, who have been on the run since 2009 and are believed to be living in Nicaragua.
It does not appear that Timothy Miller is related to the mother. He works with an Ohio-based Christian ministry, and people with links to Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University may have provided a beach house where the two could live, according to an FBI affidavit....
Lisa Miller and Janet Jenkins were joined in a Vermont civil union in 2000. Isabella was born to Miller in 2002, and the couple broke up the following year.
Miller then moved to Virginia, renounced homosexuality, and became an evangelical Christian....
--more--"
Also see: Search on for missing woman feared abducted in Tenn.
Cut to the Quick in Kentucky
The act is unimaginable to me:
"Baby cut out of Ky. woman, police say" April 20, 2011|Associated Press
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — A woman used a stun gun to subdue an expectant mother before killing her and cutting the baby boy from her body, a Kentucky State Police investigator testified yesterday....
Detective Chad Winn testified that after attacking 21-year old Jamie Stice with the stun gun, Kathy Michelle Coy, 33, slit Stice’s throat and wrists, then cut the baby out of her abdomen....
Coy was arrested after showing up at a Bowling Green hospital with a newborn baby, but no signs of having given birth, Winn said....
--more--"
Also see: Parents slam airport frisking of girl, 6
"Baby cut out of Ky. woman, police say" April 20, 2011|Associated Press
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — A woman used a stun gun to subdue an expectant mother before killing her and cutting the baby boy from her body, a Kentucky State Police investigator testified yesterday....
Detective Chad Winn testified that after attacking 21-year old Jamie Stice with the stun gun, Kathy Michelle Coy, 33, slit Stice’s throat and wrists, then cut the baby out of her abdomen....
Coy was arrested after showing up at a Bowling Green hospital with a newborn baby, but no signs of having given birth, Winn said....
--more--"
Also see: Parents slam airport frisking of girl, 6
Connecticut Proves States are Bankrupt
I almost could not believe this when I read it:
"Mother pleads not guilty in school case; Son was allegedly enrolled illegally" April 28, 2011|By Stephanie Reitz, Associated Press
NORWALK, Conn. — A homeless single mother who lives in her van pleaded not guilty yesterday to stealing nearly $16,000 worth of education for her son by enrolling the kindergartner in her baby sitter’s school district....
Yup, trying to draw blood from a stone (or take away a kid's mom), when the woman was SIMPLY TRYING TO BETTER HER SON'S FUTURE!
Isn't Connecticut the home of the capital-accumulating in$urance indu$try?
How many Wall $treet looter$ call Connecticut home?
Can't go after them, huh?
Btw, I also think the cost of the AmeriKan ejerkashun is overvalued.
--more--"
"Mother pleads not guilty in school case; Son was allegedly enrolled illegally" April 28, 2011|By Stephanie Reitz, Associated Press
NORWALK, Conn. — A homeless single mother who lives in her van pleaded not guilty yesterday to stealing nearly $16,000 worth of education for her son by enrolling the kindergartner in her baby sitter’s school district....
Yup, trying to draw blood from a stone (or take away a kid's mom), when the woman was SIMPLY TRYING TO BETTER HER SON'S FUTURE!
Isn't Connecticut the home of the capital-accumulating in$urance indu$try?
How many Wall $treet looter$ call Connecticut home?
Can't go after them, huh?
Btw, I also think the cost of the AmeriKan ejerkashun is overvalued.
--more--"
Maine Mom Murdered
"Body of missing Maine woman found in New Hampshire pond" April 28, 2011|Associated Press
CONWAY, N.H. — The body of a missing Maine woman whose car was abandoned at a ski area with her toddler unharmed inside was recovered yesterday from a nearby pond....
--more--"
Also see: Friends, family mourn young mother found dead in N.H.
CONWAY, N.H. — The body of a missing Maine woman whose car was abandoned at a ski area with her toddler unharmed inside was recovered yesterday from a nearby pond....
--more--"
Also see: Friends, family mourn young mother found dead in N.H.
All in the Family in New York
Yeah, those were the days....
"Mother admits abusing children, pets" February 25, 2011|Associated Press
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — A woman tearfully admitted yesterday that she abused her children and dozens of pets, sometimes torturing dogs and cats to death in the presence of six young daughters in a home that her adult son described as “a concentration camp for the animals.’’
--more--"
"N.Y. man charged in mother’s killing" April 23, 2011|Associated Press
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. — A man who neighbors say spent many years caring for his elderly mother strangled the 88-year-old woman with a necktie in their home, then attempted to commit suicide several hours later before calling 911, police said yesterday. Authorities also said he had secretly spent much of her money....
Not a very good son.
--more--"
More:
New York man sentenced for slaying former girlfriend
Man who beheaded wife is sentenced
Remains of 3 more are found in N.Y.
N.Y. woman sentenced for killing daughter
Mother drives van into Hudson River, killing herself, three children
Mother posted 'forgive me’ before fatal plunge into river
Children’s funeral marred by anger
Push for gay marriage in N.Y. shifts to suburbs
N.Y. ex-comptroller ordered to prison
Embattled NYC school chancellor resigns
"Columbia allows return of ROTC
NEW YORK — Student and faculty leaders at Columbia University have voted to welcome the military’s ROTC program back to campus four decades after it was banned during the Vietnam War peace movement. The University Senate voted, 51 to 17, with one person abstaining Friday to “explore mutually beneficial relationships with the armed forces of the United States, including participation in the programs of the Reserve Officers Training Corps.’’
I guess you will just have to quit kicking it around in New York:
"N.Y. backs off limits on kickball, tag" April 20, 2011|Associated Press
ALBANY, N.Y. — Maybe they’re risky, but day camp games like tag, Red Rover, and kickball are no longer at risk in New York after state health officials yanked a proposal that threatened the future of those mainstays of child’s play.
Towns, villages, and camp operators had begun revamping upcoming indoor summer programs after the Department of Health sent out a long list of familiar games and activities it said presented a “significant risk of injury’’ and needed to be regulated more closely....
Leave it to government to take the fun out of camp.
The regulations are required under a 2009 law meant to close a loophole that allowed indoor day camps to operate without the same state oversight applied to outdoor camps, targeting “nonpassive recreational activities with significant risk of injury.’’ The law took effect April 1....
This is a joke, right?
--more--"
Related: Boston Globe Summer Camp
I already canceled.
Also see: New Coney Island roller coasters open
"Mother admits abusing children, pets" February 25, 2011|Associated Press
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — A woman tearfully admitted yesterday that she abused her children and dozens of pets, sometimes torturing dogs and cats to death in the presence of six young daughters in a home that her adult son described as “a concentration camp for the animals.’’
--more--"
"N.Y. man charged in mother’s killing" April 23, 2011|Associated Press
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. — A man who neighbors say spent many years caring for his elderly mother strangled the 88-year-old woman with a necktie in their home, then attempted to commit suicide several hours later before calling 911, police said yesterday. Authorities also said he had secretly spent much of her money....
Not a very good son.
--more--"
More:
New York man sentenced for slaying former girlfriend
Man who beheaded wife is sentenced
Remains of 3 more are found in N.Y.
N.Y. woman sentenced for killing daughter
Mother drives van into Hudson River, killing herself, three children
Mother posted 'forgive me’ before fatal plunge into river
Children’s funeral marred by anger
Push for gay marriage in N.Y. shifts to suburbs
N.Y. ex-comptroller ordered to prison
Embattled NYC school chancellor resigns
"Columbia allows return of ROTC
NEW YORK — Student and faculty leaders at Columbia University have voted to welcome the military’s ROTC program back to campus four decades after it was banned during the Vietnam War peace movement. The University Senate voted, 51 to 17, with one person abstaining Friday to “explore mutually beneficial relationships with the armed forces of the United States, including participation in the programs of the Reserve Officers Training Corps.’’
I guess you will just have to quit kicking it around in New York:
"N.Y. backs off limits on kickball, tag" April 20, 2011|Associated Press
ALBANY, N.Y. — Maybe they’re risky, but day camp games like tag, Red Rover, and kickball are no longer at risk in New York after state health officials yanked a proposal that threatened the future of those mainstays of child’s play.
Towns, villages, and camp operators had begun revamping upcoming indoor summer programs after the Department of Health sent out a long list of familiar games and activities it said presented a “significant risk of injury’’ and needed to be regulated more closely....
Leave it to government to take the fun out of camp.
The regulations are required under a 2009 law meant to close a loophole that allowed indoor day camps to operate without the same state oversight applied to outdoor camps, targeting “nonpassive recreational activities with significant risk of injury.’’ The law took effect April 1....
This is a joke, right?
--more--"
Related: Boston Globe Summer Camp
I already canceled.
Also see: New Coney Island roller coasters open
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