News – Sham Trials?

Americas

14 terrorism suspects are set to face closed-door hearings in Guantanimo after years in secret CIA jails. The hearings will be held without defense lawyers and that the military officers sitting on the tribunals could consider evidence obtained by force. In other words, they’re shams. At most, we’ll have access to edited transcripts. Of course, with no witnesses who is to say those transcripts weren’t fabricated in total?

Those will never been seen as real, fair trials. Only question is, will someone be bold enough to stand up to the US over it. I suspect not and thus it is likely these men will be found guilty by whatever means the current administration wants, regardless of whether they are or not, and will be quietly executed or stuck in a deep, dark hole somewhere, never to be seen again.

It’s more than just Walter Reid. The budget for Tricare has been cut over the past two years, not enough funding for the VA and some of the shortfall has been shifted onto the vets themselves, with rising deductibles and an annual enrollment fee. And there seems no intent to raise the budget for Veteran care programs, despite the increase of soldiers in Iraq, which by its very nature is likely to increase the number of wounded vets coming back home. If we’re supposedly at war, why are Vet services being funded like we’re in peacetime?

Increasing royalties to play music may force internet radio to pack it in. Some copyright body decided to increase royalty payments for music via the net, thus they may end up getting none as internet stations decide it isn’t worth it. That’s the worst thing about capitalism. The greed.

The US Coast Guard stages a huge exercise in Florida to prepare for a possible exodus of refugees from Cuba, should Castro keel over.

John Edward’s video trickery.

Middle East

Congressional Democrats propose legislation that would see all US troops out of Iraq by August of 2008. While I don’t agree with this sort of path, I do want to see this thing finally ended, when there seems no real end in sight. No set goals that are being worked toward, only vague, indefinite ones that seem to draw this conflict out and out and..

If nothing else can be said, however, the troops are doing their best and representing us well in most cases, regardless of whether the plan they must follow is a good one.

According to an Israeli newspaper, Israeli PM Ehud Olmert had drawn up the strategy used in Lebanon months in advance. Interesting how so many of these conflicts are thought up ahead of time, yet seem to fail so miserably.

The US state department points out Egypt’s poor huiman rights record. Egypt gets huffy. Of course, that’s all that ever happens. We state the obvious, they get huffy, then nothing happens. Same goes for all the other ‘allies’ we have with poor human rights records.

Hamas ban’s a book of Palestinian folk tales from use in state schools, citing vulgar language contained within. I surely hope this trend doesn’t continue, the last thing we need is another Taliban.

Some Israeli solders have been accused of using two Palestinian children as human shields while doing a house search operation. The army is investigating. The practice is banned, but it seems that it isn’t uncommon for Israeli military to force Palestinians to approach and enter a building where they suspect their may be gunmen. If this is true, those who do such things need to be severely disciplined, as such is a cowardly act. Not to mention it’s demeaning for people to be used as tools.

Chaos at a border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. Such is to be expected when said crossing is important and only opened irregularly, which leads to large crowds at the hint that it might be opened.

An award wining picture taken during the Lebanon conflict, which is deceptive in what it shows. It seems to be affluent youth cruising through a damaged area, when in fact those youths lived in that area and were returning to check on their things after having fled. And there is more to learn, read within and understand the truth of the picture. And remember.. pictures don’t lie, but they can be misunderstood.

Seems Georgia is sending another 1.2k troops to Iraq. Personally, I think they’re most interested in scoring brownie points than Iraq.

Africa

The militants in Somalia waste no time in trying to ambush newly arriving AU troops. Hopefully the forces arrayed in the country can quell the violence before it gets too bad.

Reports are that Sudan’s government is interfering with aid operations in Darfur. I dunno about anyone else, but I expected as much.

Asia/Pacific

Five senior Australian clerics have been banned from talking to the media by the Lebanese Muslim Association, a powerful group in the country. The group says that their remarks have been harmful to the relationship between the Islamic community and mainstream Australia.

China’s legislature is debating a new properly law, which would give legal protection for private property and assets. Critics say that, while it is great to protect the private property of others, the new law would legalize privatized state-owned assets garnered through illegal means and it contradicts the path of socialism the country has taken.

General

Pictures of cats and dogs are the next attempt to keep automated spammer software from automatically making webmail accounts and the like. Previously, they’ve tried using distorted characters, having the user enter them to prove that there is a human there rather than an automated program. This doesn’t always work. Now.. cats and dogs.

Japanese horror movies are now being challenged by Korean horror movies. I might have to see what they’ve got for me. I love me some horror.

Will Shia LaBeouf be the one to play the son of Indiana Jones in the upcoming fourth movie?

A reviewer decries the good/evil aspect of 300. What he might not know is that, for the most part, the things portrayed in the movie are what are in the comic. To pretty it up would be to betray the vision of the comic itself. It has nothing at all to do with the current wars and other such political bull. It, like Sin City, is taking an interesting comic book and making it into a movie. No more, no less. Personally, I plan to check it out on DvD( I rarely hit the theaters these days) because it’s the sort of glorious fantasy spectacle I love to lose myself in for 1.5 to 2 hours.

The blogs look at the Democrats plan to push forward a timetable on Iraq, the death of the ‘peak oil’ meme and the death of Captain Amerca.

Today’s Papers has an Associated Press story that reveals Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich admitted he was having an extramarital affair while he pursued the whole Monica Lewinsky-Bill Clinton issue, Gen. David Petraeus, the new commander in Iraq, emphasizing in his first news conference that troops that are part of the “surge” are likely to face a long stay in Iraq, news that Gonzalez told senators the administration would no longer oppose a change in the rule that allows the attorney general to appoint interim U.S. attorneys without congressional oversight and more in the one page news.

Amusements

Armed robbery suspect in Memphis tries to quash eyewitness evidence by wearing bag with eyeholes cut into it to court. Because nothing proclaims ‘innocence’ in a courtroom like a defendant who shows up with a bag over his head

You think your job sucks, ever get a black eye from an elephant penis?

L337 Doctors just copying their work from tEh IntarWeb : LOL? Everybody panic

To protest a 200 percent higher electric bill, attention whore pays his electric bill in pennies. Oh yeah, the postage to get the pennies delivered was $50

Blues Brother wannabe drives through a mall in his SUV. With mug shot worthy of hall of fame

Catholic teen sues social services agency for placing her with godless heathen Protestant foster parents

News: public schools bill parents $36.13 for each day their kids miss school, saying “If You Play, Please Pay.” Fark: the bills are non-binding, just like attendance Bonus: some parents are actually paying up

Police officer given Swiss Army knife as retirement gift from colleagues, who then arrest and charge him for “possessing a knife in public without good reason” when it’s found in his luggage when he takes a vacation

High school removes references to deity from yearbook only to pay $8,000 to get them back in after a conservative group threatens to sue

Priests will purify a sacred archaeological site to eliminate “bad spirits” after President Bush visits next week

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this “Texas Deer Stand”

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this gnu and friend

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop Martin Scorsese and his Oscar