News – Floored by the Lobbyist
North America
Republicans are donating monies with the Abramoff taint to charities. We should have a few more scandal scares, our charitable organizations would be swimming in potential dirty money. Hopefully this will wean a few of them off of lobbyist cash, even f indictments are few. After all, next time you’re on the take, who is to say that lobbyist won’t run across some trouble that gets him squealing?
A federal judge stops short of demanding release of the names of Guantanimo detainees, but does reject the defense departments argument for keeping them secret. The Pentagon argues that doing so could imperil the families of the detainees or the detainees themselves should they be released and return to their home countries. Their concern is touching, but feels fake to me. The detainees themselves don’t seek to hold these fears, with only 17 out of a poll of 317 saying they don’t wish to be known, 63 saying they do wish to be and the rest remaining silent.
Bush recess appoints Floyd Hall and Enrique Sosa to the board of Amtrack. Thus again he seeks to open up the way to his own goals by any means necessary rather than seeking mutually beneficial compromise. Add to that list the recess appointment of Gordon England to deputy defense secretary and Dorrance Smith as head of the Pentagon’s public affairs department. I wonder how many recess appointments he’s had compared to his modern predecessors.
Little surprise, Cheney is all for secret spying. The Obvious at its best. He even brought up the eternal red herring of people forgetting 9/11 to back up his tripe. How could we ever forget with Bush and his friends bringing it up to justify their every step?
So Bush finally reaches beyond his inner circle of cronies for Iraq ideas? It’s another of those ‘about damn time’ moments, rather than something to applaud. He has a lot of those moments, waiting ever so long before doing what he should have done in the first place.
An airline passenger gets arrested because fellow passengers note he has a journal with ‘suicide bomber’ written in it and he was acting ‘suspiciously’. He was later released when it was noted to be part of a reference to a music. I swear, the height of paranoia some hold is getting to be too much. If I had more time to waste, I might try and prompt a few such frantic reactions, just to force people to step back after and apologize for such cowardice.
So, last week a border patrol agent shoots a young Mexican man in the chest after two rocks were thrown at him. Bad in and of itself, but now we find out that he was shot with a hollow point round, banned in international warfare, but standard issue for the border patrol. Firstly.. why are border agents given rounds that have the express design to kill people. As far as I know, they’re supposed to detain and not to shoot and kill on sight. Mind you, this young rock thrower could have been scared off with a warning shot or wounded with an arm or leg shot, rather than shot in the chest. The last we need to add to the already sensitive issue of our southern border is an unneeded killing.
Explainer notes how whistle blowers aren’t protected from revealing classified info to those without clearance, even if they think they have evidence of a crime.
Middle East
Apparently Ariel Sharon has taken ill and may well expire. I can only hope it takes him out of politics and whoever steps up to take his place is less a war hawk than he is. Just like Arafat I don’t wish death on him, but I won’t shed tears for him. He’s caused as much or more trouble than he’s ended in his time.
A second Turkish teenager, from the same family as the first, dies of bird flu. Not scary yet, but an impetus to prepare before it becomes scary, in the hope that it never will.
Militants, protesting the capture of their leader, continue to run rampant in Gaza. Some used a bulldozer to knock a hole in the wall between Gaza and Egypt and killed two Egyptian guards.
General
Today’s Papers has Jose Padilla shifted from military to civilian custody, bombs in Iraq, recaps of things above and such in the one page news.
Amusements
Lindsey Lohan to get butt nekkid in Vanity Fair. Magazine tour to begin after she finishes drama queening in Miami hospital
“Thank you for filling out your new Medicare benefit applications. Unfortunately, we must decline your request because the government has declared you dead. Have a nice day and be sure to contact us if you have additional questions”
Unclear on the concept, foster parents willing to give up cages they kept their kids in if they can get their children back
Alabama taxpayers forced to subsidize porn. Porn to become bloated, slow, overpriced and unavailable on nights, weekends and holidays
Woman, who apparently took South Park’s “Blame Canada” a bit too seriously, sues Vancouver, province over coyotes killing her cat
Mother of two charged with reckless endangerment after throwing snowballs with her children in her back yard
Poll finds most drivers don’t understand typical road signs but everyone understands a speed camera sign
<A HREF="http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006000503,00.html”>Company slammed for selling hooded sweatshirt with built-in ski mask. All the well-dressed criminals will be wearing them this spring (pics)
Mugger inexplicably fails to notice police helicopter hovering above him as he knocks man to the ground and steals his briefcase. The Sun was also there
Fark Photoshop Challenge: Theme: The next line of soft drinks
Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this big silver cone
Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop theme: Lots of work, pitiful results