Blogger Writes About Why He'll Never Promote Linux In Goverment Again.

Source: LXer

The whole article is an interesting read if you are, like me, a tech junkie or if you've ever wondered how technology and government work together.

Interesting stuff:

My first glimpse of the dangers inherent in tackling government adoption occurred when a state senator asked me as a specialist to look at ways to cut budget dollars in a deep hole called the Department of Information Services.

Essentially, we wanted to stop budget cuts in social services and shift the revenues from dead IT projects currently drawing budget money to the general fund.

In my opinion, all hell broke loose. I have never seen so many alter-egos, shills and groups invented by Microsoft to stop free software adoption in government. I have also never seen as many dumb and dumber people occupying important positions in government.

I would characterize the people involved in these type of organizations as nasty bureaucrats. I have never met one of them who cared about the people they serve. The ones I have met only care about their careers. They would cut the heart out of the person in the next office in a minute. I saw this as an intern at the Library of Congress, as an auditor in a DoD Management and Operations contractor, as a Oracle Financials documentation specialist at a DoE facility where I found misappropriations that ran about 50% and how they kept them off the books.

Here's the article's biggest truth:

I decided to use the wisdom I gained in a lifetime of experience to accept the things I can't change. I also think that anyone in America who believes our government cares about us lives in a dream world. I don't care if you're a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian or whatever. The people running for office are politicians. They don't listen and they don't care.

Does that mean I won't muckrake, write and investigate? No, it doesn't mean that. I just won't work with politicians who claim they want to save our citizens money, keep jobs in the US and help all people in the US survive above the poverty level.

There you go. How our government really feels about the job they are elected to do.

Tags: [Tom Adelstein], [Linux], [Department of Information Services], [Microsoft], [politicians], [Democrats], [Republican], [Libertarian]

World Unprepared.

Better Bird Flu Vaccine Needed As Current Tests Are A Huge Disappointment.

Source: The Standard

The battle for a much-needed bird flu vaccine suffered a setback Friday.

Proving to be only modestly effective, the vaccine produced apparent protection in slightly over half the people who receive two mega-dose shots.

This strikes a very valid worry that not enough is being stocked for the masses, and what is available will only work a little over 50% of the time.

The first US vaccine against bird flu is only modestly effective, producing apparent protection in slightly over half the people who receive two mega-dose shots, initial testing shows. The worrisome findings underscore the urgency of brewing a better vaccine.

The US government signaled that this vaccine had flaws even as it ordered US$162 million (HK$1.26 billion) worth of shots last year to stockpile if bird flu mutated to spread easily from person to person.

But results of the first human testing, published Thursday in The New England Journal of Medicine, show the extent of the problem: the vaccine sparked a protective immune response in disappointingly few people -- 54 percent of those who got two shots, 28 days apart, of the highest dose.

Winter flu shots, in contrast, protect 75 percent to 90 percent of young healthy people, the same group that first tested the experimental bird flu vaccine. The elderly typically fare worse.

The results were not surprising, said lead researcher John Treanor of the University of Rochester. Humans had not until recently been exposed to the deadly H5N1 flu strain, and it takes the immune system a while to ramp up to fight unique types.

I have this striking feeling that when this thing hits, it's going to get really bad, really fast. But I sure can sleep at night with the scientists working on a new bird flu vaccine, when they're not sure how the present one works.

So in this first human study, Treanor and colleagues tested whether the H5N1 vaccine would prompt as much antibody protection as do regular winter flu shots.

Vaccine makers Sanofi-Pasteur and Chiron now are adding immune-enhancing compounds, alum and MF59 respectively, to the experimental vaccine in hopes they will spark protection with doses closer to 15 micrograms, thus stretching limited supplies.

Further complicating matters is that this first H5N1 vaccine is outdated, being based on a version of the virus culled in Vietnam in 2004. Scientists now are creating one based on an Indonesian version that emerged last year. They do not know what protection the older vaccine would spur against the newer virus.

I feel much better now, how about you?

Tags: [avian flu], [bird flu vaccine], [vaccine setback], [H5N1], [vaccine sparked a protective immune response in disappointingly few people], [Vietnam version], [Indonesian version]

Court: Gays Can't Come To Mass. To Marry.

Source: Chron.com

Gay marriages in general got struck a hard blow as the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld a 1913 state law that forbids nonresidents from marrying there if the marriage would not be recognized in their home state.

BOSTON -- Christopher McCary and John Sullivan still consider themselves married, even if a ruling by Massachusetts' highest court puts their union in legal limbo.

On Thursday, the Supreme Judicial Court, which three years ago made Massachusetts the first state to legalize gay marriage, upheld a 1913 state law that forbids nonresidents from marrying there if the marriage would not be recognized in their home state.

So in the eyes of the law, McCary and Sullivan are just two guys living in a house together in Alabama. That has them contemplating a move to Massachusetts, an idea considered even before their vows.

"We have been looking for real estate in Massachusetts," said McCary, an attorney in Anniston, Ala. "I wonder if we moved there would our marriage be legal."

Eight gay couples from surrounding states had challenged the law in a case watched closely across the country. Five of those eight couples actually received marriage licenses in Massachusetts before the governor ordered the 1913 law be enforced.

And the anti-gay hate speech from Governor Mitt Romney:

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney applauded the ruling.

"We don't want Massachusetts to become the Las Vegas of same-sex marriage," Romney said. "It's important that other states have the right to make their own determination of marriage and not follow the wrong course that our Supreme Judicial Court put us on."

Give me a break. This is another lurid attempt to make this a national issue and push this to the ballot. Isn't this a free country?

Oops...my mistake, America is only free if the minority religious zealots approve of how you are married and what your religious views are.

Free Iraq...how about a free America?

Tags: [gay marriage], [homosexual couples can no longer come to Massachusetts to get married], [1913 state law that forbids nonresidents from marrying there if the marriage would not be recognized in their home state], [Massachusetts], [Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court], [Governor Mitt Romney]

It's Wide Open.

Protests Welcome Condi Into England.

Source: AP via Yahoo News

The U.S. diplomat met loud anti-war protests in the streets and skeptical questions about U.S. involvement in Iraq at a foreign policy salon Friday, including one about whether Washington had learned from its "mistakes over the past three years."

And what does she have to say?

"I know we've made tactical errors, thousands of them I'm sure," Rice told an audience gathered by the British foreign policy think tank Chatham House. "But when you look back in history, what will be judged will be, did you make the right strategic decisions."

It's funny that she admits to tactical errors in England, when here, everyone in the White House sees no mistakes in anything they've done, ever.

She also did her loyal parroting of "It's good Saddam is gone."

So what have we learned from this (if anything)? What's Condi's words of wisdom this trip?

Rice replied that leaders would be "brain-dead" if they did not absorb the lessons of their times.

Wow. Bush must have flatlined many years ago, and the rest of Washington followed suit!

Also, if you have any interest (or if you are the one person in the UK who didn't know about this) in following her tour and the protests, here's the site for you: Condi Watch in the UK.


Tags: [Condoleezza Rice], [Jack Straw], [Condi visits England], [England], [United Kingdom], [protests], [protests welcome Condi to England], [protests in England over Rice's visit], [Condi Watch]

1965 Voting Rights Provisions To Expire.

Source: AP via Yahoo News

1965 called, and they would like their voter rights law back.

Well actually, people would like the expiring provisions set to expire August 6th, 2007, to be renewed.

NEW YORK -- On what would become known as "Bloody Sunday," voting rights marchers in March 1965 reached the highest point on the Edmund Pettus Bridge near Selma, Ala., and saw a blue sea of uniforms awaiting them at the end of the bridge.

Television would show images of Alabama state troopers armed with guns, night sticks, bull whips and tear gas severely beating marchers. Days later, President Lyndon Johnson promised to bring Congress an effective voting rights bill, and that August he signed into law the Voting Rights Act of 1965, considered one of the most significant laws in the nation's history.

Now, more than four decades later, sections of the act are set to expire. The looming expiration date -- Aug. 6, 2007 -- has ignited debate over the provisions' effectiveness and relevance, and over whether they should be extended.

It also has generated rumors, mostly on the Internet, that black Americans will lose the right to vote en masse next year. The rumors have prompted officials at the U.S. Justice Department to post a notice on their Web site.

I deplore those who think there is no need to renew these voter protections. Has everyone forgot the horrible response to Katrina already? This government in general has a poor record on race relations.

Critical parts include:

The provisions -- last renewed by Congress in 1982 for 25 years -- cover a wide range of protections. They allow the government to approve new voting procedures in areas with histories of discrimination and send election monitors to make sure voters are allowed to cast ballots and their votes are counted. The provisions also send officials to register voters in counties where blacks are refused registration.

"It's a myth that we stand to lose the right to vote, but we do stand to lose critical protections that have allowed us to participate fully in the political process," said Debo Adegbile, associate director of litigation at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. "We've seen consistently, even with the provisions in place, continuing efforts to weaken minority voices in the electoral process."

The provisions also require interpreters and translated election materials in precincts with high populations of non-white voters who have difficulty understanding English, said Margaret Fung, executive director of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

This act must be renewed. Minority voters in this country must know that their vote counts, and that they can vote without any additional hassles.

Besides, with the 2008 presidential election coming up, this is hardly the time to remove oversight at the polls.

Tags: [1965 Voting Rights Act], [Voting Rights Act is still set to expire next year], [this affects minority voters], [last renewed by Congress in 1982 for 25 years], [rumors], [rumor on the internet that black Americans will lose the right to vote en masse next year], [Aug. 6, 2007 is the expiration date], [U.S. Justice Department]

Total Eclipse?

Republican Rubber Stamp: Video.

Crooks and liars has a good story up about the time House Dems spent this morning calling out the "Rubber Stamp" Republican-controlled Congress.

Good, it's about time someone starts holding these guys accountable. I think the Dems finally have a plan...a true alternative to the GOP-controlled "Rubber Stamp" Congress that has allows the Bush White House to get away with murder.

Imagine that...politicians doing their jobs, almost unheard of these days.

Windows Media video here.

Quick Time video here.

Tags: [republican Rubber Stamp video], [Republicans], [Democrats], [rubber stamp], [Bush], [White House], [rubber stamp Republican-controlled Congress]

Conservative Republican Candidate Howard Kaloogian's Fake Downtown Baghdad Photo.

I guess Howard Kaloogian, a conservative Republican candidate in San Diego's upcoming congressional special election, has a problem distinguishing between the Istanbul suburb of Bakirkoy and downtown Baghdad.

The photo:


And the obvious BS caption straight from Kaloogian's website:

We took this photo of downtown Baghdad while we were in Iraq. Iraq (including Baghdad) is much more calm and stable than what many people believe it to be. But, each day the news media finds any violence occurring in the country and screams and shouts about it -- in part because many journalists are opposed to the U.S. effort to fight terrorism.

And now the backtracking from his own website..."my mistake, you caught us lying again".

Downtown Baghdad

We originally posted a photograph not of Baghdad, Iraq but from Istanbul, Turkey where our delegation traveled on the way home to the United States. We apologize for this mistake. We have corrected it with a photograph we took from Baghdad. We took this photo of downtown Baghdad while we were in Iraq

Obvious Reasons why this is not a photo of Iraq at all....

Here's why I think this photo was not taken in Iraq:

1) The signs are all in Roman script. (the signs that read edo, 2.Noter, etc.) Where's the arabic?

2) The couple holding hands in the front, right side of the picture. First, the fact that they are walking down the street holding hands makes me think this is not from Baghdad. Second, look at the woman's top (shirt). It has spaghetti strap sleeves (shoulders exposed) and is awfully tight for Iraq.

Congrats again to the internet blogging community coming together and debunking another obvious conservative Republican attempt to spin lies.

Maybe this is what Kaloogian meant to post (and Gen. JC Christian posted it for him:



Look how nice and calm it is!

Tags: [Howard Kaloogian], [San Diego], [Istanbul], [Bakirkoy], [Kaloogian's "tour" of Baghdad], [Kaloogian claims downtown Baghdad is "calm and secure"], [Democratic Underground], [Patriot Boy's blog], [Kaloogian gets caught using Bakirkoy, Istanbul picture in place of Baghdad picture], [Kaloogian falsely portrays photo of Istanbul suburb as Baghdad]

Cut The Rope.

Ann Coulter's Legal Troubles Continue.

Source: Palm Beach Post

Oh Ann, we love to see you quietly trying to protect your ass given the fact you intentionally broke Palm Beach voting laws.

This time, claiming she doesn't even live here--as GOP pundit Ann Coulter has been doing on this spring's college speaking tour when she's questioned about her February election meltdown on Palm Beach--isn't going to cut it. Palm Beach County's elections supervisor has given the right wing's unofficial mouthpiece 30 days to explain why she voted in the wrong precinct.

In a registered letter scheduled to be sent to her this week, Coulter is asked to "clarify certain information as to her legal residence," elections boss Arthur Anderson said.

"We want to give her a chance," Anderson said. "She needs to tell us where she really lives."

Or else? He could refer the case to State Attorney Barry Krischer for criminal charges, Anderson said.

The letter, however, may be headed to the wrong house.

The bestselling author, whose The New Ann Coulter comes out in June, owns a homestead on Seabreeze Avenue, near Worth Ave. Yet, the missive is being sent to the Indian Road home of Realtor Suzanne Frisbie. Coulter claimed in official elections documents to be living there, which Frisbie denied last month.

"We have to send the registered letter to her address in our records," explained Charmaine Kelly, elections chief deputy. "If it comes back unsigned, we'll deal with that."

I find it amazing that the outspoken Coulter can't be reached for comment. I wonder why?

Coulter, a constitutional lawyer who relentlessly made fun of Palm Beach County voters after the botched 2000 presidential election, couldn't be reached for comment.

Another day, another high and mighty Republican scandal. Another case of how many in the GOP have such a high disregard for the letter of the law.

One quick question, Ann. Do you look good in orange?

Tags: [Ann Coulter], [Palm Beach County], [Coulter has 30 days to explain why she voted in the wrong precinct], [Arthur Anderson], [refer the case to State Attorney Barry Krischer for criminal charges], [Barry Krischer], [Coulter claimed in official elections documents to be living at the Indian Road home of Realtor Suzanne Frisbie], [Coulter poked fun at Palm Beach County back in 2000 over the botched election]

Photographer Peter Smith On Justice Scalia Gesture; The Boston Herald Got the Story Right.

Source: Boston Herald

A freelance photographer has come forward with the picture showing Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia giving a nasty gesture in the Cathedral of the Holy Cross Sunday.

Amid a growing national controversy about the gesture U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia made Sunday at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, the freelance photographer who captured the moment has come forward with the picture.
Despite Scalia's insistence that the Sicilian gesture was not offensive and had been incorrectly characterized by the Herald as obscene, the photographer said the newspaper "got the story right."

The GOP loyalist Scalia had denied in the press the vulgarity of the moment in a scathing letter reputing the Boston Herald.

Spin and lies, lack of the truth or morals in 3, 2, 1....


(click here for larger image)

But then he said the following, minutes after the gesture shot was taken.

Smith said the jurist "immediately knew he'd made a mistake, and said, 'You're not going to print that, are you?'"

When you combine that inappropriate gesture with the Italian phrase, "Vaffanculo," you get the gist of this conversation by now.

"The judge paused for a second, then looked directly into my lens and said, 'To my critics, I say, 'Vaffanculo,'" punctuating the comment by flicking his right hand out from under his chin, Smith said.

The Italian phrase means "(expletive) you."

Vaffanculo means, "Go get fucked up your ass."

I find it interesting that a standing powerful Supreme Court judge would make statements like this. Especially when it's a simple question from a freelance photographer on how he responds to critics who might question his impartiality as a judge given his public worship.

Don't citizens have the right to question the judges or politicians whom they elected as to how they stand on certain issues? Why is being a good, active citizen being spinned into something villainous by those who prefer people stay quiet (mainly the GOP)?

Caught doing the deed red-handed yet he doesn't have the ethics to be a bigger man. I guess it's a stretch to take some accountability to own up to a mistake and a short moment in lack of judgment.

I'm quite disappointed at the lack of morals and character from a member of our country's Supreme Court.

I'm not shocked though, knowing Justice Scalia is in Dick Cheney's inner circle and a long time GOP supporter.

Another fine example of GOP "high moral values".

Scalia also told reporter to "go get fucked up the ass" in Italian as he was leaving.

Nice.

I can only laugh about this story and the hypocrisy of the GOP faithful.

Tags: [U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia], [Scalia gets caught flipping the bird and uttering Italian curses], [Vaffanculo], [Justice Scalia is in Dick Cheney's inner circle], [Boston Herald got the story right], [photographer Peter Smith], [gesture], [Scalia makes obscene gesture]

Bush, Sopranos Style.

Voting Machine Transparency Costs One County Clerk In Utah.

Sources: ZDNet's Blog, Scoop, and Black Box Voting Forum

It's become pretty apparent that people should NEVER question Diebold. Never ever. Or they may face termination, jail time, or whatever Diebold sees fit.

An Emery County Clerk named Bruce Funk in eastern Utah just found this out after his investigation into some flawed Diebold machines the county order last December.

Huge flaws. Diebold voting machines. Surprise, surprise.

03-18-06: BBV EXCLUSIVE - Diebold TSx touch-screen study (Part I)

Emery County Clerk Bruce Funk has been running elections for 23 years. He was quite content with his optical scan system. The state of Utah thought otherwise: On Dec. 27, Funk took delivery on 40 Diebold TSx touch-screen machines, part of a statewide directive.

"I had concerns about Diebold," says Funk, "but I thought, 'If the state is going to mandate it, then I guess they'll assume responsibility if anything goes wrong.'"

Not so. He soon learned that he will be responsible but the state will decide what election system will count the votes.

Funk's concerns escalated when he heard a particularly unusual statement by Diebold sales rep Dana LaTour.

"Some of you are going to hate my guts on Election Day," she said to the assembly of elections officials. Later, another Diebold representative named Drew was asked what LaTour meant when she said "Some of you are going to hate my guts..."

"We're going to have problems on Election Day, and we're just going to have to work through them," he said.

Just wait...it gets better.

Shortly after Funk received his "brand new" TSx machines, Diebold helped him do acceptance testing. Two of the 40 machines promptly failed the test. Diebold arranged to take them away.

The remaining machines showed several defects -- crooked paper feeds that jam, memory card bay doors that wouldn't close, parts getting stuck, coming loose, falling off.

Funk thought it might be a good idea to take a closer inventory.

He booted each machine up to check the battery. Some of the machines were marked with little yellow dots, and he got to wondering about that, too. He studied the screen messages, and noticed something very odd.

Most machines had about 25 MB of memory available, but some had only 7 MB of free memory left. One had only 4 MB of available memory. For perspective, the backup election file generated by the Diebold TSx is about 7.9 MB. Now why would brand new voting machines have used-up memory?

Gee...I wonder why. The better to rip elections with, my dear!

This prompted Funk to seek an evaluation. He asked Black Box Voting to help him analyze his voting system.

After several consultations, Black Box Voting determined that the nature of the problems in Emery County might be systemic and might be national in scope. Therefore, we arranged for and underwrote the services of Harri Hursti and Security Innovation, Inc.

Neither Funk nor Black Box Voting were prepared for the depth and breadth of the problems discovered.

You need to go here to read the rest of this. It's long, but it's important. They found a lot of interesting problems with Diebold's machines.

In any case, since Bruce was doing what he thought was the right thing to do, he's earned some attention from Diebold. None of it is good.

Meanwhile, things haven't gone well for Bruce Funk. Diebold asserted that he'd broken the warranty of the machines and wants to charge the State $40,000 to "recertify" them. After a heated closed door meeting with State elections officials and the Emery County Commission, Bruce orally resigned his position, but later changed his mind and is going to fight for his job.

As it's been pointed out by other bloggers, who in their right mind wants to vote on these things? Diebold = evil. That's obvious.

Help Bruce fight this. Help him show the county, Utah, and whomever else that we care about this. It's Diebold's fault that they do creepy, naughty crap to their machines to get Bush and his cohorts elected. He shouldn't be harassed when he was only trying to do his damn job. This man cares about voters. Pop off a quick email or something.

Bruce C. Funk - Clerk/Auditor
Fax: (435) 381-5183
95 East Main
Castle Dale, Emery County
Utah 84513
funk@co.emery.ut.us

Tags: [Bruce Funk], [Emery County], [Utah], [Diebold], [Diebold causes problems for county clerk who tried to figure out what was wrong with their machines], [Black Box Voting]

Pre-war Intelligence, Insulating Bush, Impeach Now Please?

Source: National Journal

As the 2004 election loomed, the White House was determined to keep the wraps on a potentially damaging memo about Iraq.

That memo, the classified one-page summary of a National Intelligence Estimate, specifically written for Bush in October 2002, which stated aluminum tubes found in Iraq were more likely to be used for conventional weapons not related to an uranium enrichment effort.

Big surprise here...Bush tells an obvious lie in his 2003 State of the Union Address, orchestrated by political shark and evil advisor, Karl Rove.

Karl Rove, President Bush's chief political adviser, cautioned other White House aides in the summer of 2003 that Bush's 2004 re-election prospects would be severely damaged if it was publicly disclosed that he had been personally warned that a key rationale for going to war had been challenged within the administration. Rove expressed his concerns shortly after an informal review of classified government records by then-Deputy National Security Adviser Stephen J. Hadley determined that Bush had been specifically advised that claims he later made in his 2003 State of the Union address -- that Iraq was procuring high-strength aluminum tubes to build a nuclear weapon -- might not be true, according to government records and interviews.

Hadley was particularly concerned that the public might learn of a classified one-page summary of a National Intelligence Estimate, specifically written for Bush in October 2002. The summary said that although "most agencies judge" that the aluminum tubes were "related to a uranium enrichment effort," the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research and the Energy Department's intelligence branch "believe that the tubes more likely are intended for conventional weapons."

How much is it going to take for people kick this guy out of the White House?

We now have a war we went to where the president and his entire administration deliberately lied to Americans and the world.

We have the outing of a CIA agent, risking the lives of several agents still under deep cover which was unwarranted and very malicious.

I compare what Clinton did--lying about a blow job--to what Bush did and still does, and there is no comparison.

These are war crimes, people; crimes against innocent Iraqi citizens, and we as Americans are suffering due to the budget strain. We will pay for years in cuts to social programs and school funding thanks to an administration that has used this fake war to go spend crazy.

This president has let all Americans down, and he has failed to uphold his elected duties. He has failed to uphold his sworn duty under the Bible.

Bush has to go.

Impeachment is the only option, and it has to send the message home that no U.S. president, may they be Democrat or Republican, is above the law. Impeach and get this terrible failure out of power before he screws anything else up or hurts anyone else. If not for America, do it for the world.

Tags: [Bush], [lies], [Bush lies], [White House], [Bush administration], [2003 State of the Union Address], [Karl Rove], [], [classified one-page summary of a National Intelligence Estimate], [White House was determined to keep the wraps on a potentially damaging memo about Iraq], [Bush knew that Saddam was not building nukes]

A Game Of "Card".

Watch Out For Mushroom Clouds, Las Vegas!

Source: Breitbart.com

The U.S. plans to test in your area soon.

The US military plans to detonate a 700 tonne explosive charge in a test called "Divine Strake" that will send a mushroom cloud over Las Vegas, a senior defense official said.

"I don't want to sound glib here but it is the first time in Nevada that you'll see a mushroom cloud over Las Vegas since we stopped testing nuclear weapons," said James Tegnelia, head of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

Tegnelia said the test was part of a US effort to develop weapons capable of destroying deeply buried bunkers housing nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.

"We have several very large penetrators we're developing," he told defense reporters.

"We also have -- are you ready for this - a 700-tonne explosively formed charge that we're going to be putting in a tunnel in Nevada," he said.

"And that represents to us the largest single explosive that we could imagine doing conventionally to solve that problem," he said.

The aim is to measure the effect of the blast on hard granite structures, he said.

Gee, Mr. Tegnelia...aren't we excited about nuclear testing in Nevada again?

Now, something similar to this happened in 24, but this time, it's real, and yeah, it's more "controlled," but with people in Vegas knowing ahead of time, won't there still be some sort of backlash against the military by the local citizens? Something tells me they won't be lining up with sunglasses to view the sight, if they can.

June won't be a good month to go gambling unless you want a quick tan!!.

Tags: [Las Vegas], [Nevada], [nuclear testing in Las Vegas area for first time in years], [mushroom cloud]

Peaceful Protesting Over Immigration Issue Continues.

Sources: Houston Chronicle and TC Palm

Schools in Texas are being told to take down their Mexican flags.

Reagan High School Principal Robert Pambello was ordered to remove a Mexican flag Wednesday morning that he had hoisted below the U.S. and Texas flags that typically fly in front of his school -- a symbol he agreed to fly to show support for his predominantly Hispanic student body.

And in Florida:

The Stars and Stripes have been replaced by the Mexican flag at Chasewood North, and residents of the condominium community off Central Boulevard are puzzled as to who made the switch.

A child a Texan middle school was asked to remove the flags his had painted on his face.

At nearby Hamilton Middle School, a child was asked to wipe off Mexican and U.S. flags painted on his face. Hundreds of other students carried Mexican flags during walkouts Wednesday -- acts of protest that they vow to continue until Congress rejects legislation that would further restrict immigration.

"There's no other way to be heard.... It's not the best way or the right way, but it's our way," Reagan freshman Jose Lopez, 14, said of the effort.

And of course, here comes the ignorance.

The Mexican flag has become a lightning rod in the immigration debate that's consumed the city and the nation this week. Students say the flag represents their pride in the contributions Mexicans make to this country. Critics, though, said watching young Hispanics in the streets with the red, green and white flags is more than they can stand. These youngsters are in the United States and should -- at the least -- carry the U.S. flag, they argue.

"The whole thing just makes my blood boil," said Bruce R. Wing, a 52-year-old Missouri City resident. "I want them all out of here."

Wing said the Houston Independent School District should fire Pambello.

You know, some people must've had comprehension problems in school. The principal in Texas DID fly both flags, and the kid had BOTH flags painted on his face.

And this just kills me. Heaven forbid if you are a teen who exercises your right to protest. DETENTION FOR YOU!

About 200 Alvin High School students participated in an early-morning march. Though most of the students had returned to school by 10 a.m., a group of about 40 students made a 10-mile trek to Pearland High School, Alvin ISD spokeswoman Shirley Brothers said.

Students demanded to meet with Alvin Mayor Andy Reyes, who eventually agreed to meet with a delegation of students today.

Oscar DeLeon, a parent of three children in the protest, left work to watch the march.

"I support them. They've got their rights," he said.

Alvin High School Principal Kevon Wells, who also watched the group, said the students will be treated as truants. Punishment can include after-school detention and being assigned to an alternative school campus, he said.

Back to the Florida school:

"I'm flabbergasted that someone would do this, and I'm wondering why here," Miller said. "We have some Hispanic residents here, but not a large Hispanic population, and I'm curious if this occurred anywhere else in town."

It may be several weeks before the Stars and Stripes once again fly over Chasewood North, according to Miller, who at one time was the resident manager of the complex.

"We tried to get the flag down but couldn't, so we need to hire a company with a boom truck to get up there and replace the rope and put up the American flag," she said. "I would guesstimate that this would cost $500 or more to do."

And the idiocy runs rampant in the comments section.

For all of the people who are complaining about this, they should all thank Reagan. Honestly, who do you think made it easier for Mexicans to come here? And why? He had to help his buddies/supporters in big business. Blame them, too, because they don't want to pay more than chump change for their crappy jobs. And pity the poor Mexicans who get those crappy jobs for measly pay just so they can live. And also blame Mexican President Fox because he keeps his people in a perpetual state of poverty when Mexico is the 5th largest producer of oil. How about feeding some of that money back into your country to help your people, Fox?

Understand where I'm going with this yet?

For those who still don't and love to shout "MEXICANS GO HOME!" at the top of their lungs, why don't you leave?

Did you pay attention in U.S. History? Remember the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1846? The Mexican-American War? No? The treaty was signed, and Mexico had to fork over land to the U.S. to help pay some debts. Yeah, they got some money in return, but it was a screw-job considering what California, alone, turned out to be worth (the gold rush).

Also, don't forget that our European ancestors were good at stealing land from the Native tribes, too. If the tribes turned around and told everyone to get the hell out of their country and quit mooching from them, how would everyone feel then? Technically, they can do it in several places in the U.S.. They have treaties that were stomped on, and the land that was supposed to belong to them was taken away. Again.

Think a little before you start the "illegals" war-cry because Europeans (including the UK) were the first illegals in this country.

Tags: [immigration issue], [Sensenbrenner bill], [peaceful protesting continues], [Mexican-American War], [Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo]

McCain "Distances" Himself From Bush...The Reality Of It.

Iran Tells Everyone To Have A Nice Cup Of "STFU" Because Iran Will Keep On Going Nuclear.

Source: AccessNorthGa.com

I don't know about the UN's feelings on this, but I bet the White House is sitting in a corner somewhere, angsting like a teenaged emo girl. Why doesn't anyone ever listen to her...uh, them??

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned Iran on Thursday the "international community is united" in the dispute over its nuclear program, but a Tehran envoy defiantly rejected a U.N. call to reimpose a freeze on uranium enrichment.

Really...the UN has a difficult time telling the White House that they shouldn't do something. Did they expect Iran to be easy on the first date?

Rice spoke after a meeting in Berlin among diplomats from the five veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany over ways to press Iran to stop enriching uranium, which can be used for weapons. Iran says its program is peaceful.

In Vienna, Iran's chief representative to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, told The Associated Press that "it is impossible to go back to suspension."

"This enrichment matter is not reversible," Soltanieh said.

And of course, other countries realize that the Middle East is a bomb waiting to go off, but not the U.S. and Britian.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the issue of sanctions was not discussed at the meeting and were not supported by Moscow.

"Russia on principle doesn't think sanctions can achieve a settlement, especially in the Middle East where there's so much going on," he said.

Lavrov's remarks were echoed by China's Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo, who called for a "peaceful solution" and added there was "too much turmoil" in the region.

"This issue is among the most difficult and complicated in today's world, it requires time, persistence and wisdom, and it can only be resolved through peaceful means," Dai said, adding his country would "work together with the other sides."

The United States and Britain used tougher rhetoric.

British Foreign Minister Jack Straw said Iran had "miscalculated."

"The onus is on Iran to show the international community that its program is entirely for civil purposes and for no other," Straw said. "We have shown very great patience with Iran. They in turn have miscalculated.

The Europeans initially proposed a much stronger statement but accepted a milder one to secure the support of Russia and China. Western countries agreed to drop language that proliferation "constitutes a threat to international peace and security." Also gone is a mention that the council is specifically charged under the U.N. charter with addressing such threats.

Russia and China had opposed that language because they wanted nothing in the statement that could automatically trigger council action after 30 days.

The West has refused to rule out sanctions, and U.S. officials have said the threat of military action must also remain on the table.

Well, of course they want it to remain on the table! Bush is just itching to dive into Iran's oil like Scrooge McDuck would dive into his money on Ducktales.

Honestly, I had no idea that the U.S. and Britain tell the rest of the world what to do in every situation. Wow! That's "democracy" in action, kids!

Tags: [Iran], [Bush], [Condoleeza Rice], [White House], [Iran won't give in to UN's demands], [United Nations], [Russia], [China], [British Foreign Minister Jack Straw said Iran had "miscalculated."]

Jill Carroll Released After Three Months In Captivity.

Source: BBC News

The Christian Science Monitor journalist whom the government left for dead, and her family continued to pray for her return, has finally been released by her captors.

She doesn't know why she was kidnapped.

Jill Carroll, who works for the Boston-based Christian Science Monitor, was abducted by unknown gunmen in west Baghdad on 7 January.

She told Iraqi TV she had been treated well and was looking forward to being reunited with her family.

Ms Carroll's release comes a week after the freeing of three other Western hostages - a Briton and two Canadians.

"I'm just happy to be free. I just want to be with my family," Ms Carroll said in a brief interview in English shown on Baghdad television.

"I don't know why I was kidnapped," said the 28-year-old journalist," who was wearing a headscarf.

She said that she did not know where she had been held and "what was going on", adding that she had been allowed to watch television and read a newspaper only once.

She wasn't allowed to do much or roam outside of her room, but she says she was treated well.

Ms Carroll said she had been only allowed to move between her room and the bathroom.

However, she stressed that her captors treated her "very well".

"They never hit me. I was kept in a safe place with nice furniture, plenty of food. I was allowed to take showers," she said.

She was dropped off in western Baghdad at the offices of the Iraqi Islamic Party, and reporters say she appears to be in good health.

Tags: [Jill Carroll], [Jill Carroll is released after three-month ordeal], [Iraq], [Christian Science Monitor]

The Press Is Not Reporting Good News.

Bush Blames Saddam For Iraq Instability.

Source: AP News via Yahoo

Does this man have an once of truth or accountability in his body?

Come on, Mr. President. Blaming Saddam Hussein for Iraq's instability...that's like blaming Castro for the hurricanes that hit America every hurricane season.

This guy doesn't have a clue, and it shows more and more every day.

WASHINGTON -- President Bush said Wednesday that Saddam Hussein, not continued U.S. involvement in Iraq, is responsible for ongoing sectarian violence that is threatening the formation of a democratic government.

In his third speech this month to bolster public support for the war, Bush worked to counter critics who say the U.S. presence in the wartorn nation is fueling the insurgency. Bush said that Saddam was a tyrant and used violence to exacerbate sectarian divisions to keep himself in power, and that as a result, deep tensions persist to this day.

"The enemies of a free Iraq are employing the same tactics Saddam used, killing and terrorizing the Iraqi people in an effort to foment sectarian division," Bush said.

The president also pushed Iraq to speed up the formation of a unity government, seen as the best option to subdue the violence gripping several Iraqi cities.

How about blaming yourself, sir?

How about a lack of leadership that resembles favors and profits for businesses in Iraq while the people suffer?

Wow, that sounds a bit like somewhere else...sort of like America.

"The Iraqi government is still in transition, and the Iraqi security forces are still gathering capacity," Bush said. "If we leave Iraq before they're capable of defending their own democracy, the terrorists will win."

Yes, President Bush--the terrorists, or you, have won. You have destroyed Iraq and plunged them into civil war. That wonderful, "free" Afghanistan is again a hotbed for warlords, human smuggling, and drug trafficking.

Any other countries that you guys feel the need to invade for their oil? Maybe Canada, they just found billions in reserves. Holland has the massive coal deposits they unearthed. Or perhaps Mexico, our southern Hispanic neighbors, are setting on huge oil-beds.

Oh, that's right...the next in Operation Grab Another's Resources is Iran.

Not the nut with the nukes in North Korea. Iran.

I guess there is no oil or natural gas reserves in North Korea, just nukes; no money to be made there.

When all is said and done, and GW is about to be impeached, will Bush blame Saddam for that, too?

Tags: [Bush], [Saddam], [Bush blames Saddam for Iraq's instability], [why doesn't he blame himself for something for once?], [third speech this month to bolster public support for the war], [Bush is running out of support]

Abramoff Gets Almost 6 Years In Prison.

Source: AP News via Yahoo

It looks like the axe has fallen on the once powerful lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, and a business partner, Adam Kidan. They both were sentenced to five years and ten months in federal prision as a result of pleading guilty to conspiracy and wire fraud chages.

MIAMI -- Disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff and a business partner were sentenced Wednesday to five years and 10 months in federal prison, the minimum they faced for fraud related to their 2000 purchase of the SunCruz Casinos gambling fleet.

Abramoff and Adam Kidan both pleaded guilty to conspiracy and wire fraud, but they won't have to report to prison immediately.

The judge postponed their reporting date for at least 90 days so the two can continue cooperating in a Washington corruption investigation and a Florida probe into the killing of former SunCruz owner Konstantinos Boulis. Both deny roles in the killing. Abramoff pleaded guilty in connection with the corruption probe but has yet to be sentenced.

In court Wednesday, Abramoff said the fraud case was "incredibly painful" for himself, his family and his friends.

Abramoff's cooperation in the congressional corruption probe and probe into the killing of former SunCruz owner, Konstantinos Boulis, could mean he may face no jail time if the evidence he provides proves worthwhile.

I wonder about a few things in this situation. Is Jack falling on the sword for the Republican party or has he agreed to flip on certain big name GOP politicians in return for his freedom? Who are the 20 or so other career-politicians being investigated in the corruption probe? We need these answers.

If I was in his position, I would let the cat out of the bag and save my own ass. I wouldn't take one for the team, especially when working with politicians that would turn on you in a second.

I cannot even start to imagine the skeletons in people's closets that this guy knows about. Maybe with a hint or cooperation and some luck, we will find out just how corrupt and criminal many of those currently on Congress really are.

The truth, and only the truth, will set you free, Jack. Please speak up because we are dying to know these truths.

Tags: [Jack Abramoff], [Adam Kidan], [Abramoff sentenced to 6 years in prison], [killing of former SunCruz owner Konstantinos Boulis], [Washington corruption investigation], [Abramoff and Adam Kidan both pleaded guilty to conspiracy and wire fraud], [Congress]

You Tell Me.

Bush Opposes Iraq's Premier, Shiites Report.

Source: NY Times

I guess the Iraqi prime minister did a "Bush Administration no-no": he spoke up, and he thought for himself. How dare he? (ha ha)

BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 28 -- The American ambassador has told Shiite officials that President Bush does not want the Iraqi prime minister to remain the country's leader in the next government, senior Shiite politicians said Tuesday.

It is the first time the Americans have directly expressed a preference in the furious debate over the country's top job, the politicians said, and it is inflaming tensions between the Americans and some Shiite leaders.

The ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad, told the head of the main Shiite political bloc at a meeting on Saturday to pass on a "personal message from President Bush" to the interim prime minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, said Redha Jowad Taki, a Shiite member of Parliament who was at the meeting.

And to support the fact that the government in Iraq is an U.S.-controlled puppet government with no power or say in how things are run:

Mr. Khalilzad said Mr. Bush "doesn't want, doesn't support, doesn't accept" Mr. Jaafari as the next prime minister, according to Mr. Taki, a senior aide to Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, the head of the Shiite bloc. It was the first "clear and direct message" from the Americans on a specific candidate for prime minister, Mr. Taki said.

The Shiite bloc nominated Mr. Jaafari last month to retain his post for four more years. Uh, the same guy...voted in by the Parliament, voted in by the people. What's wrong with this picture?

I guess it was only a matter of time before what he does back here in the States resonates in Iraq. In a supposedly "free" (yeah, right) Iraq, Bush doesn't listen to the will of the people there either. The Neo-cons in the Bush Administration have different definitions of a "free Iraq" and "democracy" than the rest of us.

Tags: [Iraqi prime minister], [Ibrahim al-Jaafari], [Bush "doesn't want, doesn't support, doesn't accept" Mr. Jaafari as the next prime minister], [Bush], [Bush doesn't like people who think for themselves or speak their mind], [who does Bush think he is...the next dictator of Iraq?]

Senate Votes Down Office Of Public Integrity.

Source: Washington Post

With all that talk of ethics and the impeding Abramoff scandal sentencing, you honestly didn't expect them to be serious about reforming politics did you?

The Senate rejected a proposal to establish an independent office to investigate ethics complaints against its members, and then cleared the way to pass a broad-based ethics and lobbying bill this week.

On a 67 to 30 vote, the Senate defeated a bipartisan proposal to create an office of public integrity, which its backers said was designed to strengthen enforcement of Senate rules and bolster voters' trust in Congress in the aftermath of the guilty plea in January of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee had killed a similar proposal March 2 after current and former members of the Senate's ethics committee called the office superfluous. The top Republican and the senior Democrat on the ethics panel led the successful effort to bury the proposal yesterday for a second time.

The rejected measure was devised by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.). They asserted that lobbying and ethics rules need to be better enforced for the public to regain trust in congressional officials.

I guess the perks of being a "hired gun" career-politician on the Hill are too much to give up.

Just another case of "do as I say, not as I do."

You would think with the scandals and approval ratings of Congress at an all-time low, legislation like this would be a slam dunk...a guaranteed fix. I guess not.

"The fact remains that public confidence in Congress is near an all-time low," Collins said. "Strengthening the enforcement mechanism is critical" to improving lawmakers' reputations, she added.

Government watchdog groups reacted quickly and angrily to the vote. "The Senate today is refusing to acknowledge that Congress -- in the eyes of the public -- has failed to police itself," said Common Cause President Chellie Pingree.

Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, said the vote against the office shows that the "Senate is out of touch."

Thanks again, guys, for restoring our faith in the U.S. political system. And Joan Claybrook is right, this Senate is denying the obvious, and they're way out of touch.

Tags: [Senate], [Senate defeated a bipartisan proposal to create an office of public integrity], [Susan Collins], [Joseph I. Lieberman], [John McCain], [aftermath of the guilty plea in January of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff], [public confidence in Congress is near an all-time low], [Chellie Pingree], [Joan Claybrook], [Public Citizen]

Border Wall Help?

A "War" On Christians? Right.

Source: Washington Post

A "War" on Christians...please tell me you're joking, right?

Let's not forget history in our shortsighted rant. What about the little historical shindig known as the "Crusades," perhaps? Or people like Pat Robertson going out saying outrageous things like "9/11 happened because of gays in the country"?

I'm just not buying the argument in this country, Rick Scarborough.

The "War on Christmas" has morphed into a "War on Christians."

Last December, some evangelical Christian groups declared that the religious celebration of Christmas -- and even the phrase "Merry Christmas" -- was under attack by the forces of secularism.

This week, radio commentator Rick Scarborough convened a two-day conference in Washington on the "War on Christians and the Values Voters in 2006." The opening session was devoted to "reports from the frontlines" on "persecution" of Christians in the United States and Canada, including an artist whose paintings were barred from a municipal art show in Deltona, Fla., because they contained religious themes.

"It doesn't rise to the level of persecution that we would see in China or North Korea," said Tristan Emmanuel, a Canadian activist. "But let's not pretend that it's okay."

How about a lack of accountability from religious leaders more concerned with power and political issues rather than church issues of the day?

In China, North Korea, or more recently Afghanistan, yes, these people risk their lives for the religion they love, but in America? Come on, I don't think so.

Nice try on an extremely classless and poor attempt at scoring cheap political points, but the argument does not hold water here in the U.S.

Tags: [Rick Scarborough], ["war on Christians"], ["War on Christmas" has morphed into a "War on Christians."], ["War on Christians and the Values Voters in 2006."], [attempt at scoring cheap political points], ["persecution" of Christians in the United States and Canada?]

Cartoon Fury Over Papua Row.

Source: News.com.au

An Indonesian paper decides "controversy" sells more papers than actually reporting the news. Hence, we see a cartoon of John Howard and Alexander Downer humping as a pair of sex-crazed dingoes.

An Indonesian newspaper has depicted John Howard and Alexander Downer as a pair of sex-crazed dingoes, in a new low point in the Papua visa row.

The cartoons are among an outpouring of nationalist outrage against Australia in Indonesia.

Last week the Australian Immigration Department granted temporary visas to 42 of the 43 Papuans who had landed at Cape York in January seeking asylum.

Today a former Indonesian intelligence director suggested that the unsuccessful refugee may have been an Australian-trained spy.

His claim is the latest barb directed at Canberra in the dispute.

This is just another case of "nationalism" gone too far. What happened to the days when papers actually reported the news instead of making it up themselves?

Journalism, in general, has went down the toilet and this is another clear-cut example of it. It's no wonder people are abandoning the printed press for free and often cutting-edge online coverage.

I have. Wouldn't you?

Tags: [controversial cartoon in Indonesia], [John Howard], [Alexander Downer], [a pair of sex-crazed dingoes], [Australia]

Blind Loyalty.

Former Defense Secretary Weinberger Dead At 88.

Source: KTLA News

If someone could be named "the man" of the cold war military build-up, Caspar Weinberger would be that man.

He was the Secretary of Defense during most of President Ronald Reagan's two terms. He died Tuesday in Bangor, Maine, of complications resulting from a high fever and pneumonia. Weinberger was 88.

Caspar W. Weinberger, the anti-Soviet hawk who oversaw the nation's huge peacetime defense buildup as the secretary of Defense during most of President Ronald Reagan's two terms, died today. He was 88.

Weinberger had been hospitalized in Bangor, Maine for about a week with a high fever and pneumonia, his son Caspar Weinberger Jr. told the Associated Press. Jane Weinberger, his wife of 63 years, was with him at the time of his death.

"I was deeply disturbed to learn of the death of a great American and a dear friend," former Secretary of State Colin Powell told Associated Press. "Cap Weinberger was an indefatigable fighter for peace through strength. He served his nation in war and peace in so many ways."

As the nation's 15th defense secretary, Weinberger doggedly opposed reducing nuclear weapons, although he was eventually overruled when Reagan sought a partnership in arms control with Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev. Still, the Defense Department under Weinberger increased defense spending by 50%, adding 90 ships to the Navy and two divisions to the Army, as well as the B-1 bomber and other new weapons systems to the Air Force.

Weinberger was most famous for his "Weinberger Doctrine" that obviously, the Bush Administration has no intention of following.

The Weinberger Doctrine was first made public by U.S. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger on November 28, 1984. In a speech entitled "The Uses of Military Power" delivered before the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Weinberger presented the doctrine in response to an ongoing debate between the secretary of defense and the Pentagon on the one hand, and Secretary of State George P. Shultz, the State Department, and members of the National Security Council on the other, concerning the presence of American troops in Lebanon and their contemplated use in Central America (in the civil wars in Nicaragua and San Salvador).

The more remote impetus behind the promulgation of the Weinberger Doctrine was the U.S. military's failure to win the war in Vietnam. The Weinberger Doctrine reflects the collective lessons of the Vietnam War learned by the U.S. military with its resolution to avoid such quagmires in the future. All these lessons were distilled into the six points comprising the Weinberger Doctrine. They are as follows:

1. The United States should not commit forces to combat unless the vital national interests of the United States or its allies are involved.

2. U.S. troops should only be committed wholeheartedly and with the clear intention of winning. Otherwise, troops should not be committed.

3. U.S. combat troops should be committed only with clearly defined political and military objectives and with the capacity to accomplish those objectives.

4. The relationship between the objectives and the size and composition of the forces committed should be continually reassessed and adjusted if necessary.

5. U.S. troops should not be committed to battle without a "reasonable assurance" of the support of U.S. public opinion and Congress.

6. The commitment of U.S. troops should be considered only as a last resort.

Imagine if the current Warhawks in the Bush Administration used the above before going into Iraq or the probable imminent attack of Iran?

For the many things Caspar Weinberger got wrong as a Reaganite, this was one of the things he got very right.

That kind of firm leadership requires a great leader at the top of the food chain, something we are missing right now.

Tags: [Caspar Weinberger], [Weinberger dead at 88], [cold war], [military build-up], [Reagan era], [Weinberger Doctrine]

Taylor Nabbed On Cameroon Border.

Source: Mail & Guardian Online

Former Liberian leader Charles Taylor was arrested on Wednesday in what many think is a bid to leave his tattered country. The infamous Taylor is wanted for crimes against humanity and faces a probable trial in the Hague.

Former Liberian leader and fugitive war crimes suspect Charles Taylor was arrested on Wednesday in a northern Nigerian town near the Cameroon border, police spokesperson Haz Iwendi said.

"Mr Taylor has been arrested. He was arrested in the early hours of today at Gamboringala in Borno State. He is currently with the security agents. He will be flown to Abuja later," Iwendi said.

On Tuesday, President Olusegun Obasanjo's government announced that Taylor had disappeared from his plush villa in the southeastern Nigerian city of Calabar, where he has lived in exile since he fled Liberia in August 2003.

The news sparked international condemnation and demands that Nigeria track him down and extradite him to Liberia's neighbhour Sierra Leone, where international prosecutors have accused him of crimes against humanity.

I hope this guy gets his in the end for the way he orchestrated the slaughter of thousands in his country. Up to 200,000 were killed, and 1 million were forced from their homes under a civil war that was encouraged when he was in charge. Ethnic cleansing was the order of the day, and many innocents died under his orders.

I'm not a huge fan of capitol punishment, but some guys like this Taylor are more than deserving.

Tags: [Charles Taylor], [President Olusegun Obasanjo], [Nigeria], [Taylor was caught fleeing to Cameroon], [it's funny how Bush said he wouldn't meet with Obasanjo unless he had answers about Taylor's disappearance, and boom! Taylor is back in less than 24 hours]

Opposite Hummers.

Rare Total Eclipse Of Sun.

Source: MyWay.com

The world gets an extremely rare treat today--a total eclipse of the sun.

The eclipse helped to boost tourism in the Turkish Mediterranean coast where many say is the best place to view the eclipse. Tourism in this region has been scarce due to a recent bird flu outbreak and protests over the caricatures of Islam's Prophet Muhammad.

ACCRA, Ghana (AP) -- Schoolchildren cheered as the first total eclipse in years plunged Ghana into daytime darkness Wednesday, a solar show sweeping northeast from Brazil to Mongolia.

As the heavens and Earth moved into rare alignment, all that could be seen of the sun were the rays of its corona -- the usually invisible extended atmosphere of the sun that glowed a dull yellow for about three minutes, barely illuminating the west African nation.

Automatic street lights flickered on, authorities sounded whistles and schoolchildren burst into applause across Ghana's capital, Accra. Many in the deeply religious country of Christians and Muslims said the phenomenon bolstered their faith.

"I believe it's a wonderful work of God, despite all what the scientists say," said Solomon Pomenya, a 52-year old doctor. "This tells me that God is a true engineer."

Tags: [solar eclipse], [total solar eclipse], [Ghana], [a solar show sweeping northeast from Brazil to Mongolia]

More News About Abdul Rahman, The Christian Convert.

Sources: CBS 2 (LA), CBS 2 (LA), and CBS 2 (LA)

As you know, he was released by the courts on Sunday.

It didn't take long for things to get a little nasty in Afghanistan.

About 700 people chanting "Death to Bush" and other anti-Western slogans protested Monday against the decision in the central city of Mazar-e-Sharif, said police commander Nasruddin Hamdrad. Security forces surrounded the demonstrators but did not intervene.

A Supreme Court spokesman, Abdul Wakil Omeri, said the case had been dismissed because of "problems with the prosecutors' evidence." He said several of Rahman's relatives testified he is mentally unstable and prosecutors have to "decide if he is mentally fit to stand trial."

The chanting doesn't bother me as much as the notion that he only became a Christian because he's mentally unstable? So Christians are insane? (Pat Robertson and his ilk don't count...I'm talking about real Christians, not the Bible beaters who pretend to be Christians when it fits their situation.)

Rahman is expected to be taken to a mental hospital.

The assertion that Rahman has mental problems, reports MacVicar, appears to be the basis of a face-saving deal in which he may be declared incompetent and unfit to answer for his actions, released and most likely, flown out of the country.

An Afghan official closely involved with the case told The Associated Press that the court ruled there was insufficient evidence and returned the case to prosecutors for further investigation. But he said Rahman would be released in the meantime.

Well, I figured it's the "save his ass by calling him crazy" defense.

Apparently, he went into hiding yesterday.

An Afghan man who had faced the death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity quickly vanished Tuesday after he was released from prison, apparently out of fear for his life with Muslim clerics still demanding his death.

The United Nations said it is working to find a country willing to grant asylum to Abdul Rahman, who has appealed to leave Afghanistan. Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini will ask his government to accept Rahman, the Italian government said in a statement.

"Abdul Rahman must be killed. Islam demands it," said senior Cleric Faiez Mohammed, from the nearby northern city of Kunduz. "The Christian foreigners occupying Afghanistan are attacking our religion."

Now I do sympathize with the man because in all honesty, whenever Christian countries enter a nation where the national religion is something other than Christianity, missionaries come in hordes to "educate the heathens". However, this is just one man, and he's harmless. Hell, he wants to leave the country! Let him leave, and things can return to whatever suffices as normal around there these days.

I can understand why he went into hiding.

Afghanistan's parliament demanded Wednesday that the government prevent a man who faced the death penalty for abandoning Islam for Christianity from being able to flee the country.

Italy granted asylum to Abdul Rahman, 41, and the Foreign Ministry said he would arrive there "soon," maybe within the day.

The Italian government granted asylum to Rahman after Muslim clerics called for his death.

"I say that we are very glad to be able to welcome someone who has been so courageous," Premier Silvio Berlusconi said.

No matter what happens to Rahman now, the outcome in Afghanistan remains the same--the country has not changed much since being "freed" from the Taliban.

Muslim clerics condemned Rahman's release, saying it was a "betrayal of Islam," and threatened to incite violent protests.

Some 500 Muslim leaders, students and others gathered Wednesday in a mosque in southern Qalat town and criticized the government for releasing Rahman, said Abdulrahman Jan, the top cleric in Zabul province.

He said the government should either force Rahman to convert back to Islam or kill him.

"This is a terrible thing and a major shame for Afghanistan," he said.

Indeed.

Tags: [Abdul Rahman], [Afghanistan], [Islam], [Muslim leaders upset over dismissal of Rahman's case], [Rahman goes into hiding...possibly in Italy]