WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court ruled Monday that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge.
New Haven was wrong to scrap a promotion exam because no African-Americans and only two Hispanic firefighters were likely to be made lieutenants or captains based on the results, the court said Monday in a 5-4 decision. The city said that it had acted to avoid a lawsuit from minorities.
The ruling could alter employment practices nationwide and make it harder to prove discrimination when there is no evidence it was intentional.
"Fear of litigation alone cannot justify an employer's reliance on race to the detriment of individuals who passed the examinations and qualified for promotions," Justice Anthony Kennedy said in his opinion for the court. He was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.
In dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said the white firefighters "understandably attract this court's sympathy. But they had no vested right to promotion. Nor have other persons received promotions in preference to them."
Justices Stephen Breyer, David Souter and John Paul Stevens signed onto Ginsburg's dissent, which she read aloud in court Monday.
Kennedy's opinion made only passing reference to the work of Sotomayor and the other two judges on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals who upheld a lower court ruling in favor of New Haven.
But the appellate judges have been criticized for producing a cursory opinion that failed to deal with "indisputably complex and far from well-settled" questions, in the words of another appeals court judge, Sotomayor mentor Jose Cabranes.
"This perfunctory disposition rests uneasily with the weighty issues presented by this appeal," Cabranes said, in a dissent from the full 2nd Circuit's decision not to hear the case.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said Sotomayor should not be criticized for the unsigned appeals court decision, which he asserted she did not write. "Judge Sotomayor and the lower court panel did what judges are supposed to do, they followed precedent," said the Vermont Democrat who will preside over Sotomayor's confirmation hearings next month.
Leahy also called the high court decision "cramped" and wrong.
In New Haven, Nancy Ricci, whose son, Frank, was the lead plaintiff on the lawsuit, carried a large cake decorated with red, white and blue frosting into the law office where the firefighters were celebrating their victory.
Ricci's father, Jim Ricci said the ruling is a victory for firefighters across the country. "Now we're going to get the best managers as far as firefighters go. That's really important," Ricci said.
Monday's decision has its origins in New Haven's need to fill vacancies for lieutenants and captains in its fire department. It hired an outside firm to design a test, which was given to 77 candidates for lieutenant and 41 candidates for captain.
Fifty six firefighters passed the exams, including 41 whites, 22 blacks and 18 Hispanics. But of those, only 17 whites and two Hispanics could expect promotion.
The city eventually decided not to use the exam to determine promotions. It said it acted because it might have been vulnerable to claims that the exam had a "disparate impact" on minorities in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The white firefighters said the decision violated the same law's prohibition on intentional discrimination.
Kennedy said an employer needs a "strong basis in evidence" to believe it will be held liable in a disparate impact lawsuit. New Haven had no such evidence, he said.
The city declined to validate the test after it was given, a step that could have identified flaws or determined that there were no serious problems with it. In addition, city officials could not say what was wrong with the test, other than the racially skewed results.
The city could be liable for disparate-impact discrimination only if the examinations were not job related" or the city failed to use a less discriminatory alternative, Kennedy said. "We conclude that there is no strong basis in evidence to establish that the test was deficient in either of these respects."
But Ginsburg said the court should have assessed "the starkly disparate results" of the exams against the backdrop of historical and ongoing inequality in the New Haven fire department. As of 2003, she said, only one of the city's 21 fire captains was African-American.
Until this decision, Ginsburg said, the civil rights law's prohibitions on intentional discrimination and disparate impact were complementary, both aimed at ending workplace discrimination.
"Today's decision sets these paired directives at odds," she said.
___
Associated Press writer Katie Nelson in New Haven, Conn., contributed to this report
Monday, June 29, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Child Molesting, Self-Hating Nigger Pop Star Michael Jackson Dead At Age 50
LYNN ELBER Associated Press
LOS ANGELES–Michael Jackson, the "King of Pop" who once moonwalked above the music world, died Thursday as he prepared for a comeback bid to vanquish nightmare years of sexual scandal and financial calamity. He was 50.
Jackson died at UCLA Medical Center after being stricken at his rented home in Holmby Hills. Paramedics tried to resuscitate him at his home for nearly three-quarters of an hour, then rushed him to the hospital, where doctors continued to work on him.
"It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest in his home. However, the cause of his death is unknown until results of the autopsy are known," his brother Jermaine said. Police said they were investigating, standard procedure in high-profile cases.
Jackson's death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music's premier all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage.
His 1982 album Thriller – which included the blockbuster hits "Beat It," "Billie Jean" and "Thriller" – is the best-selling album of all time, with an estimated 50 million copies sold worldwide.
At the time of his death, Jackson was rehearsing hard for what was to be his greatest comeback: He was scheduled for an unprecedented 50 shows at a London arena, with the first set for July 13.
As word of his death spread, MTV switched its programming to play videos from Jackson's heyday. Radio stations began playing marathons of his hits. Hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital. In New York's Times Square, a low groan went up in the crowd when a screen flashed that Jackson had died, and people began relaying the news to friends by cell phone.
"No joke. King of Pop is no more. Wow," Michael Harris, 36, of New York City, read from a text message a friend had sent him. "It's like when Kennedy was assassinated. I will always remember being in Times Square when Michael Jackson died."
The public first knew him as a boy in the late 1960s, when he was the precocious, spinning lead singer of the Jackson 5, the singing group he formed with his four older brothers out of Gary, Ind. Among their No. 1 hits were "I Want You Back," "ABC" and "I'll Be There."
He was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his backward-gliding moonwalk, his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves and his high-pitched singing, punctuated with squeals and titters. His single sequined glove, tight, military-style jacket and aviator sunglasses were trademarks, as was his ever-changing, surgically altered appearance.
"For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words," said Quincy Jones, who produced Thriller. "He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him."
Jackson ranked alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles as the biggest pop sensations of all time. He united two of music's biggest names when he was briefly married to Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie, and Jackson's death immediately evoked comparisons to that of Presley himself, who died at age 42 in 1977.
As years went by, Jackson became an increasingly freakish figure – a middle-aged man-child weirdly out of touch with grown-up life. His skin became lighter, his nose narrower, and he spoke in a breathy, girlish voice. He often wore a germ mask while traveling, kept a pet chimpanzee named Bubbles as one of his closest companions, and surrounded himself with children at his Neverland ranch, a storybook playland filled with toys, rides and animals. The tabloids dubbed him "Wacko Jacko."
"It seemed to me that his internal essence was at war with the norms of the world. It's as if he was trying to defy gravity," said Michael Levine, a Hollywood publicist who represented Jackson in the early 1990s. He called Jackson a "disciple of P.T. Barnum" and said the star appeared fragile at the time but was "much more cunning and shrewd about the industry than anyone knew."
Jackson caused a furor in 2002 when he playfully dangled his infant son, Prince Michael II, over a hotel balcony in Berlin while a throng of fans watched from below.
In 2005, he was cleared of charges he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of plying the boy with alcohol and groping him, and of engaging in strange and inappropriate behaviour with other children.
The case followed years of rumours about Jackson and young boys. In a TV documentary, he acknowledged sharing his bed with children, a practice he described as sweet and not at all sexual.
Despite the acquittal, the lurid allegations that came out in court took a fearsome toll on his career and image, and he fell into serious financial trouble.
Michael Joseph Jackson was born Aug. 29, 1958, in Gary. He was 4 years old when he began singing with his brothers – Marlon, Jermaine, Jackie and Tito – in the Jackson 5. After his early success with bubblegum soul, he struck out on his own, generating innovative, explosive, unstoppable music.
The album Thriller alone mixed the dark, serpentine bass and drums and synthesizer approach of "Billie Jean," the grinding Eddie Van Halen solo on "Beat It," and the hiccups and falsettos on "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'."
The peak may have come in 1983, when Motown celebrated its 25th anniversary with an all-star televised concert and Jackson moonwalked off with the show, joining his brothers for a medley of old hits and then leaving them behind with a pointing, crouching, high-kicking, splay-footed, crotch-grabbing run through "Billie Jean."
The audience stood and roared. Jackson raised his fist.
By then he had cemented his place in pop culture. He got the plum Scarecrow role in the 1978 movie musical The Wiz, a pop-R&B version of The Wizard of Oz, that starred Diana Ross as Dorothy.
During production of a 1984 Pepsi commercial, Jackson's scalp sustains burns when an explosion set his hair on fire.
He had strong follow-up albums with 1987's Bad and 1991's Dangerous, but his career began to collapse in 1993 after he was accused of molesting a boy who often stayed at his home. The singer denied any wrongdoing, reached a settlement with the boy's family, reported to be $20 million, and criminal charges were never filed.
Jackson's expressed anger over the allegations on the 1995 album HIStory, which sold more than 2.4 million copies, but by then, the popularity of Jackson's music was clearly waning, even as public fascination with his increasingly erratic behaviour was growing.
Cardiac arrest is an abnormal heart rhythm that stops the heart from pumping blood to the body. It can occur after a heart attack or be caused by other heart problems.
Billboard magazine editorial director Bill Werde said Jackson's star power was unmatched. "The world just lost the biggest pop star in history, no matter how you cut it," Werde said. "He's literally the king of pop."
Jackson's 13 No. 1 one hits on the Billboard charts put him behind only Presley, the Beatles and Mariah Carey, Werde said.
"He was on the eve of potentially redeeming his career a little bit," he said. "People might have started to think of him again in a different light."
LOS ANGELES–Michael Jackson, the "King of Pop" who once moonwalked above the music world, died Thursday as he prepared for a comeback bid to vanquish nightmare years of sexual scandal and financial calamity. He was 50.
Jackson died at UCLA Medical Center after being stricken at his rented home in Holmby Hills. Paramedics tried to resuscitate him at his home for nearly three-quarters of an hour, then rushed him to the hospital, where doctors continued to work on him.
"It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest in his home. However, the cause of his death is unknown until results of the autopsy are known," his brother Jermaine said. Police said they were investigating, standard procedure in high-profile cases.
Jackson's death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music's premier all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage.
His 1982 album Thriller – which included the blockbuster hits "Beat It," "Billie Jean" and "Thriller" – is the best-selling album of all time, with an estimated 50 million copies sold worldwide.
At the time of his death, Jackson was rehearsing hard for what was to be his greatest comeback: He was scheduled for an unprecedented 50 shows at a London arena, with the first set for July 13.
As word of his death spread, MTV switched its programming to play videos from Jackson's heyday. Radio stations began playing marathons of his hits. Hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital. In New York's Times Square, a low groan went up in the crowd when a screen flashed that Jackson had died, and people began relaying the news to friends by cell phone.
"No joke. King of Pop is no more. Wow," Michael Harris, 36, of New York City, read from a text message a friend had sent him. "It's like when Kennedy was assassinated. I will always remember being in Times Square when Michael Jackson died."
The public first knew him as a boy in the late 1960s, when he was the precocious, spinning lead singer of the Jackson 5, the singing group he formed with his four older brothers out of Gary, Ind. Among their No. 1 hits were "I Want You Back," "ABC" and "I'll Be There."
He was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his backward-gliding moonwalk, his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves and his high-pitched singing, punctuated with squeals and titters. His single sequined glove, tight, military-style jacket and aviator sunglasses were trademarks, as was his ever-changing, surgically altered appearance.
"For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words," said Quincy Jones, who produced Thriller. "He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him."
Jackson ranked alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles as the biggest pop sensations of all time. He united two of music's biggest names when he was briefly married to Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie, and Jackson's death immediately evoked comparisons to that of Presley himself, who died at age 42 in 1977.
As years went by, Jackson became an increasingly freakish figure – a middle-aged man-child weirdly out of touch with grown-up life. His skin became lighter, his nose narrower, and he spoke in a breathy, girlish voice. He often wore a germ mask while traveling, kept a pet chimpanzee named Bubbles as one of his closest companions, and surrounded himself with children at his Neverland ranch, a storybook playland filled with toys, rides and animals. The tabloids dubbed him "Wacko Jacko."
"It seemed to me that his internal essence was at war with the norms of the world. It's as if he was trying to defy gravity," said Michael Levine, a Hollywood publicist who represented Jackson in the early 1990s. He called Jackson a "disciple of P.T. Barnum" and said the star appeared fragile at the time but was "much more cunning and shrewd about the industry than anyone knew."
Jackson caused a furor in 2002 when he playfully dangled his infant son, Prince Michael II, over a hotel balcony in Berlin while a throng of fans watched from below.
In 2005, he was cleared of charges he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of plying the boy with alcohol and groping him, and of engaging in strange and inappropriate behaviour with other children.
The case followed years of rumours about Jackson and young boys. In a TV documentary, he acknowledged sharing his bed with children, a practice he described as sweet and not at all sexual.
Despite the acquittal, the lurid allegations that came out in court took a fearsome toll on his career and image, and he fell into serious financial trouble.
Michael Joseph Jackson was born Aug. 29, 1958, in Gary. He was 4 years old when he began singing with his brothers – Marlon, Jermaine, Jackie and Tito – in the Jackson 5. After his early success with bubblegum soul, he struck out on his own, generating innovative, explosive, unstoppable music.
The album Thriller alone mixed the dark, serpentine bass and drums and synthesizer approach of "Billie Jean," the grinding Eddie Van Halen solo on "Beat It," and the hiccups and falsettos on "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'."
The peak may have come in 1983, when Motown celebrated its 25th anniversary with an all-star televised concert and Jackson moonwalked off with the show, joining his brothers for a medley of old hits and then leaving them behind with a pointing, crouching, high-kicking, splay-footed, crotch-grabbing run through "Billie Jean."
The audience stood and roared. Jackson raised his fist.
By then he had cemented his place in pop culture. He got the plum Scarecrow role in the 1978 movie musical The Wiz, a pop-R&B version of The Wizard of Oz, that starred Diana Ross as Dorothy.
During production of a 1984 Pepsi commercial, Jackson's scalp sustains burns when an explosion set his hair on fire.
He had strong follow-up albums with 1987's Bad and 1991's Dangerous, but his career began to collapse in 1993 after he was accused of molesting a boy who often stayed at his home. The singer denied any wrongdoing, reached a settlement with the boy's family, reported to be $20 million, and criminal charges were never filed.
Jackson's expressed anger over the allegations on the 1995 album HIStory, which sold more than 2.4 million copies, but by then, the popularity of Jackson's music was clearly waning, even as public fascination with his increasingly erratic behaviour was growing.
Cardiac arrest is an abnormal heart rhythm that stops the heart from pumping blood to the body. It can occur after a heart attack or be caused by other heart problems.
Billboard magazine editorial director Bill Werde said Jackson's star power was unmatched. "The world just lost the biggest pop star in history, no matter how you cut it," Werde said. "He's literally the king of pop."
Jackson's 13 No. 1 one hits on the Billboard charts put him behind only Presley, the Beatles and Mariah Carey, Werde said.
"He was on the eve of potentially redeeming his career a little bit," he said. "People might have started to think of him again in a different light."
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Iranian President Criticizes Obama
TEHRAN (Reuters) – President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Barack Obama on Thursday of behaving like his predecessor toward Iran and said there was not much point in talking to Washington unless the U.S. president apologized.
(EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.)
Obama said on Tuesday he was "appalled and outraged" by a post-election crackdown and Washington withdrew invitations to Iranian diplomats to attend Independence Day celebrations on July 4 -- stalling efforts to improve ties with Tehran.
"Mr Obama made a mistake to say those things ... our question is why he fell into this trap and said things that previously (former president George W.) Bush used to say," the semi-official Fars News Agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
"Do you want to speak with this tone? If that is your stance then what is left to talk about ... I hope you avoid interfering in Iran's affairs and express your regret in a way that the Iranian nation is informed of it," he said.
Iran has crushed anti-government protests, flooding the streets of Tehran with police and militia to quell the most widespread unrest since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
About 20 people have been killed in protests after Ahmadinejad was re-elected in a disputed June 12 poll which opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi says was rigged.
In what appeared to be further evidence of the government's determination to crush resistance, 70 professors were detained after meeting Mousavi, his website said on Thursday.
Mousavi said he was under pressure to stop challenging the election result and also complained about the closure of his Kalameh-ye Sabz daily newspaper and arrest of its staff.
The row over the election has exposed an unprecedented public rift in within Iran's ruling elite.
With street protests fading, analysts say the battle has moved off the street into a behind-the-scenes struggle which has divided the clerical establishment into two camps.
Mousavi has the backing of such influential figures as former presidents Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami, along with senior cleric Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who normally stays above the political fray, has sided strongly with Ahmadinejad.
CORROSIVE PATH
"Neither side can claim victory now," said an analyst in Tehran, who declined to be named. "This path is very corrosive. Both sides are tired."
"What the system needs is to have some mediators, who can convince both sides to agree over a middle way," he said.
Khamenei has upheld the result and Iran's top legislative body, the Guardian Council, has refused to annul the elections. State Press TV quoted a spokesman for the council as saying they were "among the healthiest elections ever held in the country."
Mousavi said he was determined to keep challenging the election results despite pressure to stop.
"A major rigging has happened," his website reported him as saying. "I am prepared to prove that those behind the rigging are responsible for the bloodshed."
He called on his supporters to continue "legal" protests and said restrictions on the opposition could lead to more violence.
Mousavi supporters said they would release thousands of balloons on Friday imprinted with the message "Neda you will always remain in our hearts" -- a reference to the young woman killed last week who has become an icon of the protests.
Obama had previously been muted in his criticism.
But on Tuesday he said that, "the United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, the beatings, and imprisonments of the last few days."
Before the election, Obama had tried to improve ties with Iran -- branded by Bush as part of an "axis of evil."
Washington had been hoping to convince Tehran to drop what it suspects are plans to develop nuclear bombs, while also seeking its cooperation in stabilizing Afghanistan and Iraq.
It had invited Iranian diplomats to attend Independence Day celebrations for the first time since Washington cut diplomatic ties with Tehran in 1980. The move to withdraw the invites was largely symbolic as no Iranians had even responded.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said it was wrong to blame the outside world for the troubles in Iran.
"I think the truth is that there is a crisis of credibility between the Iranian government and their own people. It's not a crisis between Iran and America or Iran and Britain, however much the Iranian government wants to suggest that," he said.
(Additional reporting by Zahra Hosseinian and Hossein Jaseb; Writing by Myra MacDonald; Editing by Jon Hemming)
(EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.)
Obama said on Tuesday he was "appalled and outraged" by a post-election crackdown and Washington withdrew invitations to Iranian diplomats to attend Independence Day celebrations on July 4 -- stalling efforts to improve ties with Tehran.
"Mr Obama made a mistake to say those things ... our question is why he fell into this trap and said things that previously (former president George W.) Bush used to say," the semi-official Fars News Agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
"Do you want to speak with this tone? If that is your stance then what is left to talk about ... I hope you avoid interfering in Iran's affairs and express your regret in a way that the Iranian nation is informed of it," he said.
Iran has crushed anti-government protests, flooding the streets of Tehran with police and militia to quell the most widespread unrest since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
About 20 people have been killed in protests after Ahmadinejad was re-elected in a disputed June 12 poll which opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi says was rigged.
In what appeared to be further evidence of the government's determination to crush resistance, 70 professors were detained after meeting Mousavi, his website said on Thursday.
Mousavi said he was under pressure to stop challenging the election result and also complained about the closure of his Kalameh-ye Sabz daily newspaper and arrest of its staff.
The row over the election has exposed an unprecedented public rift in within Iran's ruling elite.
With street protests fading, analysts say the battle has moved off the street into a behind-the-scenes struggle which has divided the clerical establishment into two camps.
Mousavi has the backing of such influential figures as former presidents Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami, along with senior cleric Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who normally stays above the political fray, has sided strongly with Ahmadinejad.
CORROSIVE PATH
"Neither side can claim victory now," said an analyst in Tehran, who declined to be named. "This path is very corrosive. Both sides are tired."
"What the system needs is to have some mediators, who can convince both sides to agree over a middle way," he said.
Khamenei has upheld the result and Iran's top legislative body, the Guardian Council, has refused to annul the elections. State Press TV quoted a spokesman for the council as saying they were "among the healthiest elections ever held in the country."
Mousavi said he was determined to keep challenging the election results despite pressure to stop.
"A major rigging has happened," his website reported him as saying. "I am prepared to prove that those behind the rigging are responsible for the bloodshed."
He called on his supporters to continue "legal" protests and said restrictions on the opposition could lead to more violence.
Mousavi supporters said they would release thousands of balloons on Friday imprinted with the message "Neda you will always remain in our hearts" -- a reference to the young woman killed last week who has become an icon of the protests.
Obama had previously been muted in his criticism.
But on Tuesday he said that, "the United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, the beatings, and imprisonments of the last few days."
Before the election, Obama had tried to improve ties with Iran -- branded by Bush as part of an "axis of evil."
Washington had been hoping to convince Tehran to drop what it suspects are plans to develop nuclear bombs, while also seeking its cooperation in stabilizing Afghanistan and Iraq.
It had invited Iranian diplomats to attend Independence Day celebrations for the first time since Washington cut diplomatic ties with Tehran in 1980. The move to withdraw the invites was largely symbolic as no Iranians had even responded.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said it was wrong to blame the outside world for the troubles in Iran.
"I think the truth is that there is a crisis of credibility between the Iranian government and their own people. It's not a crisis between Iran and America or Iran and Britain, however much the Iranian government wants to suggest that," he said.
(Additional reporting by Zahra Hosseinian and Hossein Jaseb; Writing by Myra MacDonald; Editing by Jon Hemming)
Friday, June 19, 2009
Why He Did It And Why Von Brunn Won't Be The Last
Why He Did It And Why Von Brunn Won't Be The Last by Edgar J. Steele
June 10, 2009
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." --- John F. Kennedy, 1962 White House speech (35th president of the United States of America, 1961-1963)
"He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent which will reach to himself." --- Thomas Paine, Dissertation on First Principles of Government (1795)
My name is Edgar J. Steele.
Suddenly, the news today is full of yet another crazed-gunman-opens-fire story. James Von Brunn, inveterate Internet crank and author of "Kill the Best Gentiles," was shot by Washington, DC, National Holocaust Museum armed guards as he tried to force his way in with a rifle. Von Brunn shot and injured one of the guards before he, himself, was critically injured by another just inside the entrance. At the time of this writing, both Von Brunn and the injured guard are hospitalized and in "grave condition."
Why Did He Do It?
The TV news today is full of the question, always asked after one of these shootings, but never of those of us capable of providing the correct answer: "Why did he do it?" Always, the news anchors and pundits go on to answer their own question by dismissing the gunman of the moment as a right-wing, hate-filled nut case, illustrative of why further restrictions on liberty and gun ownership are necessary.
Already, the Southern Poverty Law Center has weighed in on the national news. You won't be hearing anything but their side of things in that forum, though. Taken at face value, Von Brunn's explanation would be as inflammatory as his actions, if even that were to be trotted out. It won't, though. And, certainly, the real reason for Von Brunn's outburst today never will be broadcast beyond the confines of these outer fringes of the Internet.
Below, I am going to give the honest answer as to why Von Brunn went off on his aborted shooting rampage, probably better than he could, himself. No ... certainly better than he could, himself.
Von Brunn in the Flesh - Sort Of
I never met Von Brunn, but I did brush up against him in a series of acerbic exchanges a few years ago. Confusing me with one of his peers in the White Supremacist movement (I get that a lot), it seems that he didn't approve of my advocacy of nonviolence.
I had written the following in a 2006 investment-advice piece: "Remember to have priorities. A safe and productive place for your family to tough out the coming hard times is first. Food stores. Independent water and sewage. A way to defend what you have. Always have 6 months' living expenses, including debt service, in cash, even though the dollar is falling like a rock. These things are more important than any other sort of investment."
Von Brunn's response to the world at large: "Edgar Steele's advice to investors fails to comprehend the extent of a money melt-down disaster. Recollect, Russian Revolution (ILLUMINATI/BOLSHEVIK) torture rape and butchery ; the deliberate starvation of Kulaks; the incineration of 20th C. Europe; Mao; Pol Pot. The World flowed with blood, stunk with unburied corpses. The ILLUMINATI is ubiquitous and not compassionate. Today, we are witnessing the penultimate stage in (ILLUMINATI /ZIONIST) GLOBALIZATION of Planet Earth - - protestors will be eliminated. There is NO ESCAPE. No place to hide. To protect what you have and take what you need, the MOST important investment ARYANS can make today is NOT as Steele advises. NOW, for a limited time, the most important investment is in AMMO. AT LAST, you wimps must stand and FIGHT!"
His Own Personal Armageddon
An old man (89, according to news reports), today Von Brunn apparently got tired of waiting for his own, personal "penultimate stage." Today, he set out to practice what he preached. Doubtless, Von Brunn did not expect to get felled so quickly, but he surely knew his was a one-way mission, nevertheless.
Von Brunn was making a statement and setting an example. Both provide a lesson to which we, as a nation, should attend, but which we undoubtedly will ignore ... yet again.
Make no mistake: I do not defend Von Brunn's rhetoric or actions. On the contrary, I roundly condemn them both. Even so, listen up, folks - because there will be more ... lots more ... acts like today before this is over.
Defending the Politically Incorrect
I am an attorney best known for defending the politically incorrect in cases where our important constitutional rights are at issue in situations where those people are being railroaded for their beliefs in the context of trumped-up civil and/or criminal charges. I have defended and provided legal advice to, probably, more of the politically incorrect than has any other attorney in America today. Always, I have required that they be fundamentally decent people, trapped on the business end of a railroad job ... and innocent - always they must be innocent, regardless of how things might eventually turn out in court.
And, believe me, I get at least one opportunity each and every week to defend the politically incorrect. Problem is, usually they are guilty or stupid, or, more likely, both. I'll tell you this much about Von Brunn, though: stupid he is not. Reportedly, he is a member of Mensa, the group for bona fide geniuses. I believe it.
Would I defend Von Brunn for his actions today? Absolutely not, unless it was simply to secure him a fair plea deal or at a sentencing hearing. Never could I defend his conduct at trial. And, even then, I wouldn't do a single thing for him pro bono.
Fair disclosure: if anything, I am biased against James Von Brunn, not for him or his "cause," though you may end up wondering about that after you hear me out today and learn why I think he did what he did and why this is just the beginning. Sooner or later, somebody had better pay attention, because guys like Von Brunn aren't going away anytime soon.
Time Was Running Out
So - why did he do it? Well, the easy answer is his age. Von Brunn dedicated his life in recent years to what he saw as an inevitable armed confrontation between the government and a supposed army of others believing as did he. Time was running out and the revolution hadn't yet begun. It is easy to believe that he opted for making a statement while he still could, perhaps hoping to spark the beginning of the revolution he believed to be inevitable. Frankly, that is the most likely reason for why James Von Brunn took a rifle to a site that he found more offensive than most any other in America today.
But, there are lots of oldsters who don't take to the streets with a rifle in hand. Von Brunn's reasons go much deeper, obviously, and are shared by a great many others in America today. Knowing why and doing something about it now might prevent senseless bloodshed in the future.
The Self-Styled Martyr's Point of View
In a very real sense, today's shooting is of a piece with that of the abortion doctor a week ago. That shooter was surprised to find himself treated as a common criminal, which he is, of course. Similarly, Von Brunn no doubt also considers himself a martyr, deserving of admiration, and a figure likely to be vindicated in the longer view of history. Make no mistake about this, though: Von Brunn, too, is a criminal, albeit an uncommon one.
I like to say, when speaking of those responsible for the horrible financial catastrophe now crashing down around all of us: It takes a towering intellect to create a towering house of cards. The same can be said for James Von Brunn's intellectual world. A less-serious way of describing it would be to call him a "victim of his own desperation." He trapped himself with his own rhetoric and felt compelled to act upon it. A decorated veteran of World War II and a PT-Boat captain, Von Brunn was no shrinking violet. Mere rhetoric is insufficient for the true man of action.
In fact, twenty-five years ago, Von Brunn was arrested and received a lengthy prison sentence for then attempting to place the members of the Federal Reserve Bank under citizen's arrest (at gunpoint, it must be added). A worthy, if misguided, adventure.
Like many others, James Von Brunn feels victimized by Jewish control of America and offended by the preferential treatment accorded minorities, particularly Blacks. His anger is born of the frustration of being unfairly treated in the country for which he so proudly fought.
Not Just Another Racist Anti-Semite
All over TV today, clueless anchors and pundits dismiss Von Brunn as just another irrational White Supremacist, racist Anti-Semite. Perhaps. But, then, that ignores the question of why he might be all those things and whether - just maybe - he and others might have some justified complaints that are not being addressed. In fact, the short shrift being given to Von Brunn's position today helps to hasten the day when the next guy just like him does something just as off the wall. America, we need to talk.
America, We Need to Talk
About racism ... against Whites. It is not racist to demand equal treatment for White America. Equal rights for all - special rights for none.
About unfair treatment ... of Whites ... by an increasingly remote and controlled American government.
About the looting of the American taxpayer ... by an undisputedly secretive and private organization, the Federal Reserve Bank, which is owned in its entirety by Jewish interests. Facts are facts, like them or not.
About the circumspection of the Constitutional rights guaranteed all of us.
About the illegal and unjust wars of conquest being maintained overseas by America, primarily for the benefit of Israel.
About the rising tide of American unemployment and the shipment of American jobs and factories overseas by plutocrats who now see themselves as citizens of the world and not of America.
Shootout at the Holocaust Corral
Why did Von Brunn choose to unload at the National Holocaust Museum? Because it is an edifice to one of the most stupendous lies of modern times, paid for and maintained with taxpayer dollars, that's why.
Did the Holocaust take place? Well, that depends upon what you mean by Holocaust, but clearly 6 million Jews were not systematically gassed and cremated by the Germans during World War II. I have written extensively on this, both in my book, Defensive Racism and in essays such as Holy Holocaust. People go to jail in other countries for saying just what I have said. They are trying to make it just as illegal to say these things in America today. Why?
Why must it be illegal to challenge the accuracy of an allegedly historical incident? This patent unfairness is just a part of that which Von Brunn symbolically struck out at today.
Just a Fair Shake - That's All They Ask
People like James Von Brunn deserve to be listened to. They deserve to be heard. After all, are they not citizens? Do they not deserve the manifest protections accorded to the politically correct? Not so you could tell it. Not if you believe what you hear in the media today, that's for sure. Von Brunn is not purely a nut case and he is no isolated incident.
Just a fair shake. A fair day in court. That's all they ask. To be heard out. To be given a seat at the table. But, no, that increasingly is denied to the James Von Brunns of today, as made abundantly clear by the imminent appointment of a Latina racist to the US Supreme Court.
More is Coming
Make no mistake. Today's was no isolated incident. You will see more and more shootouts like what took place in Washington, DC, this morning, until America begins to listen to all her citizens and accords all of her children an equal voice in her affairs. Mark my words well, America.
New America - an idea whose time has come.
My name is Edgar J. Steele. Thanks for listening. Please visit my web site, www.NickelRant.com, for other messages just like this one.
-ed
Copyright ©2009, Edgar J. Steele
June 10, 2009
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." --- John F. Kennedy, 1962 White House speech (35th president of the United States of America, 1961-1963)
"He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent which will reach to himself." --- Thomas Paine, Dissertation on First Principles of Government (1795)
My name is Edgar J. Steele.
Suddenly, the news today is full of yet another crazed-gunman-opens-fire story. James Von Brunn, inveterate Internet crank and author of "Kill the Best Gentiles," was shot by Washington, DC, National Holocaust Museum armed guards as he tried to force his way in with a rifle. Von Brunn shot and injured one of the guards before he, himself, was critically injured by another just inside the entrance. At the time of this writing, both Von Brunn and the injured guard are hospitalized and in "grave condition."
Why Did He Do It?
The TV news today is full of the question, always asked after one of these shootings, but never of those of us capable of providing the correct answer: "Why did he do it?" Always, the news anchors and pundits go on to answer their own question by dismissing the gunman of the moment as a right-wing, hate-filled nut case, illustrative of why further restrictions on liberty and gun ownership are necessary.
Already, the Southern Poverty Law Center has weighed in on the national news. You won't be hearing anything but their side of things in that forum, though. Taken at face value, Von Brunn's explanation would be as inflammatory as his actions, if even that were to be trotted out. It won't, though. And, certainly, the real reason for Von Brunn's outburst today never will be broadcast beyond the confines of these outer fringes of the Internet.
Below, I am going to give the honest answer as to why Von Brunn went off on his aborted shooting rampage, probably better than he could, himself. No ... certainly better than he could, himself.
Von Brunn in the Flesh - Sort Of
I never met Von Brunn, but I did brush up against him in a series of acerbic exchanges a few years ago. Confusing me with one of his peers in the White Supremacist movement (I get that a lot), it seems that he didn't approve of my advocacy of nonviolence.
I had written the following in a 2006 investment-advice piece: "Remember to have priorities. A safe and productive place for your family to tough out the coming hard times is first. Food stores. Independent water and sewage. A way to defend what you have. Always have 6 months' living expenses, including debt service, in cash, even though the dollar is falling like a rock. These things are more important than any other sort of investment."
Von Brunn's response to the world at large: "Edgar Steele's advice to investors fails to comprehend the extent of a money melt-down disaster. Recollect, Russian Revolution (ILLUMINATI/BOLSHEVIK) torture rape and butchery ; the deliberate starvation of Kulaks; the incineration of 20th C. Europe; Mao; Pol Pot. The World flowed with blood, stunk with unburied corpses. The ILLUMINATI is ubiquitous and not compassionate. Today, we are witnessing the penultimate stage in (ILLUMINATI /ZIONIST) GLOBALIZATION of Planet Earth - - protestors will be eliminated. There is NO ESCAPE. No place to hide. To protect what you have and take what you need, the MOST important investment ARYANS can make today is NOT as Steele advises. NOW, for a limited time, the most important investment is in AMMO. AT LAST, you wimps must stand and FIGHT!"
His Own Personal Armageddon
An old man (89, according to news reports), today Von Brunn apparently got tired of waiting for his own, personal "penultimate stage." Today, he set out to practice what he preached. Doubtless, Von Brunn did not expect to get felled so quickly, but he surely knew his was a one-way mission, nevertheless.
Von Brunn was making a statement and setting an example. Both provide a lesson to which we, as a nation, should attend, but which we undoubtedly will ignore ... yet again.
Make no mistake: I do not defend Von Brunn's rhetoric or actions. On the contrary, I roundly condemn them both. Even so, listen up, folks - because there will be more ... lots more ... acts like today before this is over.
Defending the Politically Incorrect
I am an attorney best known for defending the politically incorrect in cases where our important constitutional rights are at issue in situations where those people are being railroaded for their beliefs in the context of trumped-up civil and/or criminal charges. I have defended and provided legal advice to, probably, more of the politically incorrect than has any other attorney in America today. Always, I have required that they be fundamentally decent people, trapped on the business end of a railroad job ... and innocent - always they must be innocent, regardless of how things might eventually turn out in court.
And, believe me, I get at least one opportunity each and every week to defend the politically incorrect. Problem is, usually they are guilty or stupid, or, more likely, both. I'll tell you this much about Von Brunn, though: stupid he is not. Reportedly, he is a member of Mensa, the group for bona fide geniuses. I believe it.
Would I defend Von Brunn for his actions today? Absolutely not, unless it was simply to secure him a fair plea deal or at a sentencing hearing. Never could I defend his conduct at trial. And, even then, I wouldn't do a single thing for him pro bono.
Fair disclosure: if anything, I am biased against James Von Brunn, not for him or his "cause," though you may end up wondering about that after you hear me out today and learn why I think he did what he did and why this is just the beginning. Sooner or later, somebody had better pay attention, because guys like Von Brunn aren't going away anytime soon.
Time Was Running Out
So - why did he do it? Well, the easy answer is his age. Von Brunn dedicated his life in recent years to what he saw as an inevitable armed confrontation between the government and a supposed army of others believing as did he. Time was running out and the revolution hadn't yet begun. It is easy to believe that he opted for making a statement while he still could, perhaps hoping to spark the beginning of the revolution he believed to be inevitable. Frankly, that is the most likely reason for why James Von Brunn took a rifle to a site that he found more offensive than most any other in America today.
But, there are lots of oldsters who don't take to the streets with a rifle in hand. Von Brunn's reasons go much deeper, obviously, and are shared by a great many others in America today. Knowing why and doing something about it now might prevent senseless bloodshed in the future.
The Self-Styled Martyr's Point of View
In a very real sense, today's shooting is of a piece with that of the abortion doctor a week ago. That shooter was surprised to find himself treated as a common criminal, which he is, of course. Similarly, Von Brunn no doubt also considers himself a martyr, deserving of admiration, and a figure likely to be vindicated in the longer view of history. Make no mistake about this, though: Von Brunn, too, is a criminal, albeit an uncommon one.
I like to say, when speaking of those responsible for the horrible financial catastrophe now crashing down around all of us: It takes a towering intellect to create a towering house of cards. The same can be said for James Von Brunn's intellectual world. A less-serious way of describing it would be to call him a "victim of his own desperation." He trapped himself with his own rhetoric and felt compelled to act upon it. A decorated veteran of World War II and a PT-Boat captain, Von Brunn was no shrinking violet. Mere rhetoric is insufficient for the true man of action.
In fact, twenty-five years ago, Von Brunn was arrested and received a lengthy prison sentence for then attempting to place the members of the Federal Reserve Bank under citizen's arrest (at gunpoint, it must be added). A worthy, if misguided, adventure.
Like many others, James Von Brunn feels victimized by Jewish control of America and offended by the preferential treatment accorded minorities, particularly Blacks. His anger is born of the frustration of being unfairly treated in the country for which he so proudly fought.
Not Just Another Racist Anti-Semite
All over TV today, clueless anchors and pundits dismiss Von Brunn as just another irrational White Supremacist, racist Anti-Semite. Perhaps. But, then, that ignores the question of why he might be all those things and whether - just maybe - he and others might have some justified complaints that are not being addressed. In fact, the short shrift being given to Von Brunn's position today helps to hasten the day when the next guy just like him does something just as off the wall. America, we need to talk.
America, We Need to Talk
About racism ... against Whites. It is not racist to demand equal treatment for White America. Equal rights for all - special rights for none.
About unfair treatment ... of Whites ... by an increasingly remote and controlled American government.
About the looting of the American taxpayer ... by an undisputedly secretive and private organization, the Federal Reserve Bank, which is owned in its entirety by Jewish interests. Facts are facts, like them or not.
About the circumspection of the Constitutional rights guaranteed all of us.
About the illegal and unjust wars of conquest being maintained overseas by America, primarily for the benefit of Israel.
About the rising tide of American unemployment and the shipment of American jobs and factories overseas by plutocrats who now see themselves as citizens of the world and not of America.
Shootout at the Holocaust Corral
Why did Von Brunn choose to unload at the National Holocaust Museum? Because it is an edifice to one of the most stupendous lies of modern times, paid for and maintained with taxpayer dollars, that's why.
Did the Holocaust take place? Well, that depends upon what you mean by Holocaust, but clearly 6 million Jews were not systematically gassed and cremated by the Germans during World War II. I have written extensively on this, both in my book, Defensive Racism and in essays such as Holy Holocaust. People go to jail in other countries for saying just what I have said. They are trying to make it just as illegal to say these things in America today. Why?
Why must it be illegal to challenge the accuracy of an allegedly historical incident? This patent unfairness is just a part of that which Von Brunn symbolically struck out at today.
Just a Fair Shake - That's All They Ask
People like James Von Brunn deserve to be listened to. They deserve to be heard. After all, are they not citizens? Do they not deserve the manifest protections accorded to the politically correct? Not so you could tell it. Not if you believe what you hear in the media today, that's for sure. Von Brunn is not purely a nut case and he is no isolated incident.
Just a fair shake. A fair day in court. That's all they ask. To be heard out. To be given a seat at the table. But, no, that increasingly is denied to the James Von Brunns of today, as made abundantly clear by the imminent appointment of a Latina racist to the US Supreme Court.
More is Coming
Make no mistake. Today's was no isolated incident. You will see more and more shootouts like what took place in Washington, DC, this morning, until America begins to listen to all her citizens and accords all of her children an equal voice in her affairs. Mark my words well, America.
New America - an idea whose time has come.
My name is Edgar J. Steele. Thanks for listening. Please visit my web site, www.NickelRant.com, for other messages just like this one.
-ed
Copyright ©2009, Edgar J. Steele
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Isreal's Robot Snake
A robot snake, capable of recording video and sound on the battlefield, is on the way to join the the IDF's hi-tech arsenal.
The new IDF robot snakePhoto: Channel 2
SLIDESHOW: Israel & Region World
According to a Channel 2 report - click here to watch the clip - the spying robot, which is about two meters long and covered in military camouflage, mimics the movements and appearance of real snakes, slithering around through caves, tunnels, cracks and buildings, while at the same time sending images and sound back to a soldier who controls the device through a laptop computer.
Able to bend its joints so well that it can squeeze through very tight spaces, the new device will be used to find people buried under collapsed buildings. The snake is also able to arch its body, allowing it to see over obstacles through its head camera.
Researchers studied the movements of live snakes in order to create the most natural and realistic robotic version.
The snake's cost has yet to be determined, as it is still being developed; however, according to Channel 2, the IDF plans to provide combat units with these devices.
Besides recording multimedia, the snake may also be used to carry explosives.
The Defense Ministry, with experts from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, based their intelligence-gathering robot on a previous project of Ben-Gurion University, which created a slew of robotic animals with special abilities.
Eight months ago, researchers at Ben-Gurion University reported they had developed "robot snakes" capable of navigating through pipes and narrow openings.
The Ben-Gurion report also detailed other robot animals, including, a cat that climbs walls using its claws, and a "dog-droid" that responds to the human movements.
The idea of serpent-like robots is nothing new in the world of technology. Shigeo Hirose, a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, has been working on "serpent robots" since the 1970s.
Hirose's ACM-R5 robot, which had the ability to glide through water, unlike the IDF version, debuted in the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi, Japan.
AP contributed to this report.
The new IDF robot snakePhoto: Channel 2
SLIDESHOW: Israel & Region World
According to a Channel 2 report - click here to watch the clip - the spying robot, which is about two meters long and covered in military camouflage, mimics the movements and appearance of real snakes, slithering around through caves, tunnels, cracks and buildings, while at the same time sending images and sound back to a soldier who controls the device through a laptop computer.
Able to bend its joints so well that it can squeeze through very tight spaces, the new device will be used to find people buried under collapsed buildings. The snake is also able to arch its body, allowing it to see over obstacles through its head camera.
Researchers studied the movements of live snakes in order to create the most natural and realistic robotic version.
The snake's cost has yet to be determined, as it is still being developed; however, according to Channel 2, the IDF plans to provide combat units with these devices.
Besides recording multimedia, the snake may also be used to carry explosives.
The Defense Ministry, with experts from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, based their intelligence-gathering robot on a previous project of Ben-Gurion University, which created a slew of robotic animals with special abilities.
Eight months ago, researchers at Ben-Gurion University reported they had developed "robot snakes" capable of navigating through pipes and narrow openings.
The Ben-Gurion report also detailed other robot animals, including, a cat that climbs walls using its claws, and a "dog-droid" that responds to the human movements.
The idea of serpent-like robots is nothing new in the world of technology. Shigeo Hirose, a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, has been working on "serpent robots" since the 1970s.
Hirose's ACM-R5 robot, which had the ability to glide through water, unlike the IDF version, debuted in the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi, Japan.
AP contributed to this report.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Israeli Woman Mistakenly Throws Out Mattress With $1 Million Dollars Inside
JERUSALEM – An Israeli woman mistakenly threw out a mattress she said had almost $1 million inside, setting off a frantic search through tons of garbage at a number of landfill sites on Wednesday.
The woman told The Associated Press that she bought her elderly mother a new mattress as a surprise present on Monday — and threw out the old one.
The next day, she said, she remembered that she had hidden her life savings inside the old mattress. "I woke up in the morning screaming, when it hit me what happened," said the Tel Aviv woman, who asked not to be identified.
She went to look for the mattress, but it had already been hauled away by garbage collectors, she said. Searches at three different landfill sites turned up nothing.
She said the money was in U.S. dollars and Israeli shekels. She refused to say how she acquired such a large sum. "It was all my money in the world," she said. There was no way to verify her claims, and she refused to disclose key details.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said he was not familiar with the case and no report had been filed.
The Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot published a picture of the woman searching through garbage at a dump in southern Israel. The picture shows the woman, dressed in a white top and black pants with her back to the camera, picking through a huge pile of trash that fills the frame about 10 feet in all directions.
Yitzhak Borba, the dump manager, told Army Radio that his staff was helping the woman, saying she appeared "totally desperate." He said the mattress was hard to find among the 2,500 tons of garbage that arrives at the site every day.
He said the increased security at the site to keep would-be treasure hunters away.
The woman said the money had been stashed in a mattress because she had had "traumatic experiences with banks" in the past. She would not elaborate.
The woman told The Associated Press that she bought her elderly mother a new mattress as a surprise present on Monday — and threw out the old one.
The next day, she said, she remembered that she had hidden her life savings inside the old mattress. "I woke up in the morning screaming, when it hit me what happened," said the Tel Aviv woman, who asked not to be identified.
She went to look for the mattress, but it had already been hauled away by garbage collectors, she said. Searches at three different landfill sites turned up nothing.
She said the money was in U.S. dollars and Israeli shekels. She refused to say how she acquired such a large sum. "It was all my money in the world," she said. There was no way to verify her claims, and she refused to disclose key details.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said he was not familiar with the case and no report had been filed.
The Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot published a picture of the woman searching through garbage at a dump in southern Israel. The picture shows the woman, dressed in a white top and black pants with her back to the camera, picking through a huge pile of trash that fills the frame about 10 feet in all directions.
Yitzhak Borba, the dump manager, told Army Radio that his staff was helping the woman, saying she appeared "totally desperate." He said the mattress was hard to find among the 2,500 tons of garbage that arrives at the site every day.
He said the increased security at the site to keep would-be treasure hunters away.
The woman said the money had been stashed in a mattress because she had had "traumatic experiences with banks" in the past. She would not elaborate.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Supreme Court Refuses to hear Legal challenge to "don't ask, don't tell"
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court refused on Monday to hear a legal challenge to the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, a decision that allows the Obama administration to continue its slow, back-burner response to liberal activists who want gays to serve openly in the military.
During last year's campaign, President Barack Obama indicated that he supported eventually repealing the law, but he has made no specific move to do so since taking office in January. The White House has said it won't stop the military from dismissing gays and lesbians who admit their sexuality.
Democrats who control Congress also are not in a hurry to end the policy, which was made law in 1993. Easing the outright ban on gays in the military caused political trouble for President Bill Clinton and Democratic lawmakers that year, and Obama and his congressional allies want to avoid an issue that would roil the public just as they are seeking support for health care and other initiatives.
A Democratic aide to the Senate Armed Services Committee called a review of the law "not a high priority" and said the panel will look at the issue sometime before the end of Obama's term — but would not specify when. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity to speak freely about the committee's plans.
The Supreme Court's decision comes in the first few months of a year that gay rights advocates initially believed would bring the repeal of the law they view as discriminatory and unconstitutional.
But little evidence of action from the Obama administration and Congress has frustrated advocates who accused their usually allied Democratic leaders of selling out.
"Every moment that the administration and Congress delay repealing 'don't ask, don't tell,' our nation is robbed of brave men and women who would risk their lives to keep our country safe," Joe Solmonese, president of Human Rights Campaign, said after the court's denial.
"The time to repeal 'don't ask, don't tell' is now," Solmonese said.
Without comment, the nation's highest court denied a review of an appeal from former Army Capt. James Pietrangelo II, who was in the Vermont National Guard when he was discharged in 2004.
"I think this decision is an absolute travesty of justice and I think every judge on this court should be ashamed of themselves," said Pietrangelo, who served six years in the Army, seven years in the Vermont National Guard and fought in Iraq in 1991. "It's nothing short of rubber stamping legalized discrimination."
"The Supreme Court is not infallible, they get things wrong, and they got it wrong this time," added Pietrangelo, who now lives in Ohio.
In court papers, the government said a Boston-based appeals court ruled correctly when it threw out Pietrangelo's case because the policy is "rationally related to the government's legitimate interest in military discipline and cohesion."
At the Pentagon, spokesman Bryan Whitman said the military was merely following the law, which he said requires the Pentagon to "separate from the armed services members who engage in or attempt to engage in homosexual acts, state they are homosexual or bisexual, or marry or attempt to marry a person of the same biological sex."
The Supreme Court has never heard a case challenging the constitutionality of the 1993 law that was pushed by then-President Bill Clinton and adopted by Congress.
Senior Pentagon officials largely have shied away from discussing changes to the law, calling it a volatile topic for troops already stretched thin by ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A coalition of more than 1,000 retired military officers, including 47 four-star generals and admirals, recently warned Obama that overturning "don't ask, don't tell" could cause problems with recruiting and retaining troops.
Administration officials also point, privately, to lukewarm efforts on Capitol Hill to repeal the policy as a signal of the scant political will behind it.
House Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo., supports the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, but is open to reviewing the law to see if it is "still appropriate for today's military," said spokeswoman Loren Dealy.
In an indication of the political tensions at stake, a Washington-based conservative Christian group that opposes same-sex marriage also weighed in Monday to praise the court decision.
"Military service is a privilege, not a right, and anything that detracts from the ability of our service personnel to fulfill their mission should be prohibited," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council and a Marine veteran.
A Quinnipiac University poll conducted in late April indicates a majority of American voters believe the law should be overturned. The poll found that 56 percent of 2,041 registered voters who were surveyed nationwide said that "don't ask, don't tell" should no longer be Pentagon policy.
Among voters who have relatives in the military, the number dipped slightly: Half believed the law should be overturned, while 43 percent said it should remain in place. The remaining 7 percent were undecided or did not answer, according to the Quinnipiac poll, which had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.
During last year's campaign, President Barack Obama indicated that he supported eventually repealing the law, but he has made no specific move to do so since taking office in January. The White House has said it won't stop the military from dismissing gays and lesbians who admit their sexuality.
Democrats who control Congress also are not in a hurry to end the policy, which was made law in 1993. Easing the outright ban on gays in the military caused political trouble for President Bill Clinton and Democratic lawmakers that year, and Obama and his congressional allies want to avoid an issue that would roil the public just as they are seeking support for health care and other initiatives.
A Democratic aide to the Senate Armed Services Committee called a review of the law "not a high priority" and said the panel will look at the issue sometime before the end of Obama's term — but would not specify when. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity to speak freely about the committee's plans.
The Supreme Court's decision comes in the first few months of a year that gay rights advocates initially believed would bring the repeal of the law they view as discriminatory and unconstitutional.
But little evidence of action from the Obama administration and Congress has frustrated advocates who accused their usually allied Democratic leaders of selling out.
"Every moment that the administration and Congress delay repealing 'don't ask, don't tell,' our nation is robbed of brave men and women who would risk their lives to keep our country safe," Joe Solmonese, president of Human Rights Campaign, said after the court's denial.
"The time to repeal 'don't ask, don't tell' is now," Solmonese said.
Without comment, the nation's highest court denied a review of an appeal from former Army Capt. James Pietrangelo II, who was in the Vermont National Guard when he was discharged in 2004.
"I think this decision is an absolute travesty of justice and I think every judge on this court should be ashamed of themselves," said Pietrangelo, who served six years in the Army, seven years in the Vermont National Guard and fought in Iraq in 1991. "It's nothing short of rubber stamping legalized discrimination."
"The Supreme Court is not infallible, they get things wrong, and they got it wrong this time," added Pietrangelo, who now lives in Ohio.
In court papers, the government said a Boston-based appeals court ruled correctly when it threw out Pietrangelo's case because the policy is "rationally related to the government's legitimate interest in military discipline and cohesion."
At the Pentagon, spokesman Bryan Whitman said the military was merely following the law, which he said requires the Pentagon to "separate from the armed services members who engage in or attempt to engage in homosexual acts, state they are homosexual or bisexual, or marry or attempt to marry a person of the same biological sex."
The Supreme Court has never heard a case challenging the constitutionality of the 1993 law that was pushed by then-President Bill Clinton and adopted by Congress.
Senior Pentagon officials largely have shied away from discussing changes to the law, calling it a volatile topic for troops already stretched thin by ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A coalition of more than 1,000 retired military officers, including 47 four-star generals and admirals, recently warned Obama that overturning "don't ask, don't tell" could cause problems with recruiting and retaining troops.
Administration officials also point, privately, to lukewarm efforts on Capitol Hill to repeal the policy as a signal of the scant political will behind it.
House Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo., supports the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, but is open to reviewing the law to see if it is "still appropriate for today's military," said spokeswoman Loren Dealy.
In an indication of the political tensions at stake, a Washington-based conservative Christian group that opposes same-sex marriage also weighed in Monday to praise the court decision.
"Military service is a privilege, not a right, and anything that detracts from the ability of our service personnel to fulfill their mission should be prohibited," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council and a Marine veteran.
A Quinnipiac University poll conducted in late April indicates a majority of American voters believe the law should be overturned. The poll found that 56 percent of 2,041 registered voters who were surveyed nationwide said that "don't ask, don't tell" should no longer be Pentagon policy.
Among voters who have relatives in the military, the number dipped slightly: Half believed the law should be overturned, while 43 percent said it should remain in place. The remaining 7 percent were undecided or did not answer, according to the Quinnipiac poll, which had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.
Monday, June 8, 2009
BNP Leader Nick Griffin Wins European Parliament Seat
Nick Griffin, the leader of the BNP, was today elected to the European parliament.
The far-right leader won a seat in the North West region. Earlier Andrew Brons, another British National party politician won in the Yorkshire and Humber area. It is the first time the party has had an MEP elected.
Brons took a seat that was previously Labour’s second in Yorkshire, as the expenses debacle and internecine warfare in Labour turned traditional supporters away in droves. The Labour vote crashed from 45% to 25% in Barnsley, where the BNP share climbed from 8% to 17%.
Griffin welcomed the victory as a vindication of the party’s claim that “we’re here to look after our people because no one else is”. He said that feelings were particularly strong in Yorkshire, where former pit communities felt “at the bottom of the heap”.
Pointing to other big rises in the BNP vote to 15% in Rotherham and nearly 12% in Doncaster, Griffin said: “This is ordinary decent people in Yorkshire kicking back against racism, because racism in this country is now directed overwhelmingly against people who look like me.”
The far-right leader won a seat in the North West region. Earlier Andrew Brons, another British National party politician won in the Yorkshire and Humber area. It is the first time the party has had an MEP elected.
Brons took a seat that was previously Labour’s second in Yorkshire, as the expenses debacle and internecine warfare in Labour turned traditional supporters away in droves. The Labour vote crashed from 45% to 25% in Barnsley, where the BNP share climbed from 8% to 17%.
Griffin welcomed the victory as a vindication of the party’s claim that “we’re here to look after our people because no one else is”. He said that feelings were particularly strong in Yorkshire, where former pit communities felt “at the bottom of the heap”.
Pointing to other big rises in the BNP vote to 15% in Rotherham and nearly 12% in Doncaster, Griffin said: “This is ordinary decent people in Yorkshire kicking back against racism, because racism in this country is now directed overwhelmingly against people who look like me.”
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Obama Calls For New Beginning Between US and Muslims
CAIRO – Quoting from the Quran for emphasis, President Barack Obama called for a "new beginning between the United States and Muslims" Thursday and said together, they could confront violent extremism across the globe and advance the timeless search for peace in the Middle East.
"This cycle of suspicion and discord must end," Obama said in a widely anticipated speech in one of the world's largest Muslim countries, an address designed to reframe relations after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
The White House said Obama's speech contained no new policy proposals on the Middle East. He said American ties with Israel are unbreakable, yet issued a firm, evenhanded call to the Jewish state and Palestinians alike to live up to their international obligations.
In a gesture to the Islamic world, Obama conceded at the beginning of his remarks that tension "has been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a Cold War in which Muslim-majority countries were often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations."
"And I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear," said the president, who recalled hearing prayer calls of "azaan" at dawn and dusk while living in Indonesia as a boy.
At the same time, he said the same principle must apply in reverse. "Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire."
Obama spoke at Cairo University after meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the second stop of a four-nation trip to the Middle East and Europe.
The speech was the centerpiece of his journey, and while its tone was striking, the president also covered the Middle East peace process, Iran, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the violent struggle waged by al-Qaida.
Obama arrived in the Middle East on Wednesday, greeted by a new and threatening message from al-Qaida's leader, Osama bin Laden. In an audio recording, the terrorist leader said the president inflamed the Muslim world by ordering Pakistan to crack down on militants in the Swat Valley and block Islamic law there.
But Obama said the actions of violent extremist Muslims are "irreconcilable with the rights of human beings," and quoted the Quran to make his point: "be conscious of God and always speak the truth ..."
"Islam is not part of the problem in combatting violent extremism — it is an important part of promoting peace," he said.
"Hamas must put an end to violence, recognize past agreements, and recognize Israel's right to exist," he said of the organization the United States deems as terrorists.
"The Palestinian Authority must develop its capacity to govern, with institutions that serve the needs of its people," Obama said.
"At the same time, Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel's right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine. The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements" on the West Bank and outskirts of Jerusalem, he said. "It is time for these settlements to stop."
As for Jerusalem itself, he said it should be a "secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims ..."
Obama also said the Arab nations should no longer use the conflict with Israel to distract their own people from other problems.
He treaded lightly on one issue that President George W. Bush had made a centerpiece of his second term — the spread of democracy.
Obama said he has a commitment to governments "that reflect the will of the people." And yet, he said, "No system of government can or should be imposed upon one nation by any other."
At times, there was an echo of Obama's campaign mantra of change in his remarks, and he said many are afraid it cannot occur.
"There is so much fear, so much mistrust. But if we choose to be bound by the past, we will never move forward," he said.
The president's brief stay in Cairo included a visit to the Sultan Hassan mosque, a 600-year-old center of Islamic worship and study. A tour of the Great Pyramids of Giza was also on his itinerary.
The build-up to the speech was enormous, stoked by the White House although Obama seemed at pains to minimize hopes for immediate consequences.
"One speech is not going to solve all the problems in the Middle East," he told a French interviewer. "Expectations should be somewhat modest."
Eager to spread the president's message as widely as possible, the tech-savvy White House orchestrated a live Webcast of the speech on the White House site; remarks translated into 13 languages; a special State Department site where users could sign up for speech highlights; and distribution of excerpts to social networking giants MySpace, Twitter and Facebook.
Though the speech was co-sponsored by al-Azhar University, which has taught science and Quranic scripture here for nearly a millennium, the actual venue was the more modern and secular Cairo University.
Red draperies formed a backdrop for the speech, blocking view of a portrait of Mubarak, an aging autocrat who's ruled Egypt since 1981.
"Egypt's democrats cannot help being concerned," wrote Dina Guirguis, executive director of Voices for a Democratic Egypt.
The university's alumni are among the Arab world's most famous — and notorious. They include the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Nobel Prize-winning author Naguib Mahfuz. Saddam Hussein studied law in the '60s but did not graduate. And al-Qaida second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri earned a medical degree.
___
On the Net:
White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov
State Department's speech text-messaging site: http://www.america.gov/sms.html
"This cycle of suspicion and discord must end," Obama said in a widely anticipated speech in one of the world's largest Muslim countries, an address designed to reframe relations after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
The White House said Obama's speech contained no new policy proposals on the Middle East. He said American ties with Israel are unbreakable, yet issued a firm, evenhanded call to the Jewish state and Palestinians alike to live up to their international obligations.
In a gesture to the Islamic world, Obama conceded at the beginning of his remarks that tension "has been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a Cold War in which Muslim-majority countries were often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations."
"And I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear," said the president, who recalled hearing prayer calls of "azaan" at dawn and dusk while living in Indonesia as a boy.
At the same time, he said the same principle must apply in reverse. "Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire."
Obama spoke at Cairo University after meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the second stop of a four-nation trip to the Middle East and Europe.
The speech was the centerpiece of his journey, and while its tone was striking, the president also covered the Middle East peace process, Iran, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the violent struggle waged by al-Qaida.
Obama arrived in the Middle East on Wednesday, greeted by a new and threatening message from al-Qaida's leader, Osama bin Laden. In an audio recording, the terrorist leader said the president inflamed the Muslim world by ordering Pakistan to crack down on militants in the Swat Valley and block Islamic law there.
But Obama said the actions of violent extremist Muslims are "irreconcilable with the rights of human beings," and quoted the Quran to make his point: "be conscious of God and always speak the truth ..."
"Islam is not part of the problem in combatting violent extremism — it is an important part of promoting peace," he said.
"Hamas must put an end to violence, recognize past agreements, and recognize Israel's right to exist," he said of the organization the United States deems as terrorists.
"The Palestinian Authority must develop its capacity to govern, with institutions that serve the needs of its people," Obama said.
"At the same time, Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel's right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine. The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements" on the West Bank and outskirts of Jerusalem, he said. "It is time for these settlements to stop."
As for Jerusalem itself, he said it should be a "secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims ..."
Obama also said the Arab nations should no longer use the conflict with Israel to distract their own people from other problems.
He treaded lightly on one issue that President George W. Bush had made a centerpiece of his second term — the spread of democracy.
Obama said he has a commitment to governments "that reflect the will of the people." And yet, he said, "No system of government can or should be imposed upon one nation by any other."
At times, there was an echo of Obama's campaign mantra of change in his remarks, and he said many are afraid it cannot occur.
"There is so much fear, so much mistrust. But if we choose to be bound by the past, we will never move forward," he said.
The president's brief stay in Cairo included a visit to the Sultan Hassan mosque, a 600-year-old center of Islamic worship and study. A tour of the Great Pyramids of Giza was also on his itinerary.
The build-up to the speech was enormous, stoked by the White House although Obama seemed at pains to minimize hopes for immediate consequences.
"One speech is not going to solve all the problems in the Middle East," he told a French interviewer. "Expectations should be somewhat modest."
Eager to spread the president's message as widely as possible, the tech-savvy White House orchestrated a live Webcast of the speech on the White House site; remarks translated into 13 languages; a special State Department site where users could sign up for speech highlights; and distribution of excerpts to social networking giants MySpace, Twitter and Facebook.
Though the speech was co-sponsored by al-Azhar University, which has taught science and Quranic scripture here for nearly a millennium, the actual venue was the more modern and secular Cairo University.
Red draperies formed a backdrop for the speech, blocking view of a portrait of Mubarak, an aging autocrat who's ruled Egypt since 1981.
"Egypt's democrats cannot help being concerned," wrote Dina Guirguis, executive director of Voices for a Democratic Egypt.
The university's alumni are among the Arab world's most famous — and notorious. They include the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Nobel Prize-winning author Naguib Mahfuz. Saddam Hussein studied law in the '60s but did not graduate. And al-Qaida second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri earned a medical degree.
___
On the Net:
White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov
State Department's speech text-messaging site: http://www.america.gov/sms.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
