New GOP Talking Point: Obama is a Member of the Tea Party and Will Destroy Medicare
September 16, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media OK, so most of our readers know about the loss of Wiener’s old NY-26 seat in a special election to a tea party candidate named Bob Turner. But what you may not know is that a new tactic is emerging that will surely be used against Obama and the Democratic Party in the run-up to the 2012 election unless the President puts out the flames of the fire he has started with his grand bargain scheme—which includes reforms to our social safety nets. I caught this via Digby: That race in NY this week featured a lot of talk about Israel and a whole lot of analysis about ethnicity and demographics. But one thing very few have noticed was an important piece of standard 2010 messaging . Dave Weigel did: In two robocalls, Koch promised voters that Turner wouldn’t cut Medicare or Social Security. The weekend before the election, Hikind said the same thing, and bolstered his case by saying Democrats were risking the programs: Dave Weigel: Actually, this disastrous election gave the Democrats a few hints. The party tried, and failed, to wound Turner by telling voters he’d provide one more Republican vote to weaken entitlements. That worked in New York’s 26th district, where Democrat Kathy Hochul tore pages out of the Ryan plan and made her Republican opponent eat them. In the 9th, Turner and his surrogates tried to neutralize the entitlement issue by promising not to cut entitlements. In two robocalls, Koch promised voters that Turner wouldn’t cut Medicare or Social Security. The weekend before the election, Hikind said the same thing, and bolstered his case by saying Democrats were risking the programs. “The president of the United States is now a member of the tea party!” said Hikind. “He said, in his own words, that there won’t be Medicare and Social Security for my children and your children and my grandchildren unless we address Medicare!” That’s not really a wedge issue – it’s the slow death of a wedge issue. It’s the start of a problem for Democrats, who have gone from attacking the Ryan plans for entitlement reform to vouching support for some undefined “everything on the table” entitlement reform. There might not be any way for Democrats to dodge this, and there’s no sign that they want to . And that leaves all of them in the position of Democrats in New York’s 9th. Their traditional base, weary of the recession, not sure what Democrats have to offer any more, are ready to be wedged. “This message will resound for a full year,” said Turner in his victory speech. “It will resound into 2012.” And Digby correctly writes: There are zero reasons to believe they won’t use this — to good effect — against Democrats and the president in 2012. Why would they? It’s working. This is incredible. Republicans and any ghost of Zell “Spitball” Miller that arises with an agenda of their own will have no problem using Medicare and Social Security to their advantage. I’ve loathed that Obama and his advisers have brought up reforming our social safety nets in these troubled times to appease the deficit hawks even if benefit cuts aren’t included. And now it can be used against them. It doesn’t matter how dishonestly it’s done. It’s not too late though. The President has not come forward and uttered the words to America that could unseat not only himself, but many other Democratic politicians in 2012.
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Helle Thorning-Schmidt led her left-leaning alliance to victory during Denmark’s Sep. 15 election, paving the way for her to become the country’s first female prime minister. The mother of two has pledged to raise taxes on the wealthy, end conservative austerity measures, and fire up the economy through increased public spending. But it’s not all
Continue reading …On Friday's Early Show, CBS's Bob Schieffer wildly spun Congress's 12% job approval as good news for President Obama, despite his own low poll numbers: ” My heavens! He's 20 points ahead of the members of Congress ….I mean, I think that probably some car thieves have a higher approval rating .” But in 2010, when Democrats led Congress, The Early Show ignored a poll which showed low numbers for Nancy Pelosi. The morning program led its 7 am Eastern hour with the ultra-low poll numbers for the Republican-led Congress. Anchor Erica Hill noted that ” President Obama's job approval rating is reaching all-time low, but he is still miles ahead of Congress, when you look at the numbers . A CBS News/New York Times poll out just this morning shows only 12% of Americans say Congress is doing a good job. That is the worst showing in the history of our polling.” Hill then turned to Schieffer and asked, “Bob, we've been watching these numbers go down with you all year long- incredible to see it get this low. Were you surprised by that 12%?” The seasoned CBS personality started his spin machine in reply: SCHIEFFER: Well, I've never heard of anything like this. I mean, this is just extraordinary. I mean, the folks over at the White House have, you know, been really gloom and doom over there about how the President's approval rating- I think in the latest Gallup poll- is down to 39%. But my heavens! He's 20 points ahead of the members of Congress . (laughs) Only 12% approval rating? I've never heard of anything. I mean, I think that probably some car thieves have a higher approval rating than 12% in their local community….This has got to be, Erica, a shot across the bow for every elected official. I mean, people are really fed up, and this just underlines it. Back in March 2010, just before the Democratic-controlled Congress passed ObamaCare and the President signed it, a CBS News poll found that “those who do have an opinion of the Democratic Congressional leaders don't seem to have a very good one: Pelosi and [Harry] Reid are viewed unfavorably by roughly three times as many people as they are viewed favorably .” However, The Early Show didn't even mention this finding from their own poll, and decided to play up the rise in President Obama's approval rating in the same poll during the lead hour of the March 24 broadcast. Then-anchor Harry Reid trumpeted the boost: ” A new CBS News poll shows President Obama gets a bump from health care reform , but the public still remains skeptical. We'll look at the numbers.” Near the end of the segment, Hill turned to the upcoming 2012 presidential race and asked her colleague for his take. In reply, the CBS journalist emphasized, ” One thing we should underline: it is very, very early. It is a long way from Election Day of 2012 .” The full transcript of the segment from Friday's Early Show: ERICA HILL: We begin this morning with a new indication of just how frustrated voters are with Washington. President Obama's job approval rating is reaching all-time low, but he is still miles ahead of Congress, when you look at the numbers. A CBS News/New York Times poll out just this morning shows only 12% of Americans say Congress is doing a good job. That is the worst showing in the history of our polling. [CBS News Graphic: "CBS News/New York Times Poll: Congress Job Rating: Disapprove, 80%; Approve, 12%; Margin Of Error: +/- 3% Pts."] Joining us now, CBS News chief Washington correspondent and host of 'Face the Nation,' Bob Schieffer. Bob, we've been watching these numbers go down with you all year long- incredible to see it get this low. Were you surprised by that 12%? [CBS News Graphic: "Political Pressure: CBS News Poll: Record Low 12% Approval Rating For Congress"] BOB SCHIEFFER: Well, I've never heard of anything like this. I mean, this is just extraordinary. I mean, the folks over at the White House have, you know, been really gloom and doom over there about how the President's approval rating- I think in the latest Gallup poll- is down to 39%. But my heavens! He's 20 points ahead of the members of Congress. (laughs) Only 12% approval rating? I've never heard of anything. I mean, I think that probably some car thieves have a higher approval rating than 12% in their local community- HILL: (laughs) Yeah- SCHIEFFER: This has got to be, Erica, a shot across the bow for every elected official. I mean, people are really fed up, and this just underlines it- HILL: They are, but it seems like we said that at about 17% earlier this year. So you wonder when that wake-up call will finally come through. I want to break it down by party here, because the polling also asked respondents which party they approved of. And so, taking a look at this, the disapproval and the approval numbers you see there, the Democrats actually have a slight edge there over Republicans when it comes to the approval numbers . Does that surprise you at all? [CBS News Graphic: "CBS News/New York Times Poll: Job Rating Of The Parties In Congress: Disapprove: Republicans, 72%; Democrats, 63%; Approve: Republicans 19%, Democrats, 28%; Margin Of Error: +/- 3% Pts."] SCHIEFFER: Really, no. I mean- and I'm not sure there's that much difference. There must be some sort of margin of error there. People are just fed up with all of them, and that's what this underlines. I mean, Erica, there was one number that I saw, that only six percent- six percent, think that members of Congress deserve re-election. I mean, when you're in that kind of territory, I mean, I've never heard of a poll that had a minus in it, but, I mean, we may go below zero here. [CBS News Graphic: "CBS News/New York Times Poll: Does Congress Deserve Re-election? No: Most Members, 84%; Own Representative, 57%; Yes: 6%; Own Representative, 33%; Margin Of Error: +/- 3% Pts."] HILL: (laughs) We were actually joking about- in the newsroom this morning that may be what we see next, some sort of a minus figure. Taking a look forward then, we've been obviously focusing so much on campaign 2012 that gets into full swing here. Looking at some of the front-runners among the Republicans: how do you think they would fare, especially given what we've seen in terms of a response from the American people in this latest poll? [CBS News Graphic: "Race For 2012: Romney Tacks To The Right"] SCHIEFFER: Well, one thing we should underline: it is very, very early. It is a long way from Election Day of 2012. But what you're seeing now in the Republican Party- I mean, Republicans have been very dissatisfied with their own field, and I think that was reflected by sort of the meteoric rise of Rick Perry when he finally got into the race. I mean, here, you had basically Mitt Romney, who was the front-runner for about two years now, and then, Perry announces and, suddenly, he gets 10 points or 15 points ahead of Mitt Romney. And then, we saw in the most recent debate, Rick Perry finding out what it's like to be the front-runner. I mean, they cut on him pretty good. The Republican race is far from set. I guess you have to say right now that Perry and Romney are the front-runners, but, you know, Michele Bachmann is still in there, and the way that race is going, I think, frankly, anything could happen there. HILL: Well, it will keep interesting, at least, for the next few months. Bob Schieffer in Washington this morning- Bob, thanks.
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Ahead of the third series of The Only Way Is Essex, we tour the show’s main sites to find out how it created a mini tourism boom in the much-maligned county. For the more cultured side of Essex click here In a field outside Epping on a grey summer’s day an expectant crowd has gathered. The Duke of Essex Polo Cup is billed as the “highlight of the Essex social season”, but the polo is just a sideshow to the main event – the arrival of the celebrity guests, most of whom seem to have either been married to Katie Price or appeared in Big Brother, or both. As Peter Andre, Alex Reid and Dane Bowers make their way along the red carpet to the VIP marquee (not together, that would be awkward), the onlookers murmur excitedly. Suddenly, there comes a deafening roar from above and all eyes turn skywards. A helicopter lands in the middle of the polo pitch and disgorges its brightly-coloured cargo. There are a couple of tense moments as the draught from the helicopter blades sends hair extensions and lace skirts billowing upwards. Then there’s the difficult matter of negotiating a muddy field in eight-inch stilettos. But after a couple of wobbles, the safety of the red carpet is reached and the waiting paparazzi stand to attention: the cast of The Only Way is Essex has arrived. Britain’s first “structured reality” show, The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE to its fans) has been something of a surprise hit. The series, which follows the lives of a group of spray-tanned young men and women as they flit between beauty salon, wine bar and nightclub, returns to our screens for a third series next weekend, having picked up a Bafta award and spawned a succession of imitators. The photogenic cast, meanwhile, seem intent on world domination, appearing at premieres and on chat shows, launching beauty products, fashion labels and fitness DVDs (the Essexercise Workout, since you ask). But even more improbable than the show’s success is the fact that it has sparked a mini tourism boom as TOWIE fans travel to Essex to see the locations where it is filmed. I grew up in Essex and while it does indeed have many lovely and underrated corners, the suburban extremities of the Central Line and the commuter towns of the M25 corridor are not among them. But what do I know? At the polo match I get talking to a group of bubbly young women from Glasgow. They tell me they are in Essex to celebrate their friend Rowan’s hen weekend, and that the whole itinerary is a carefully planned homage to TOWIE. “We’ve had the best time,” says Alana, who admits that she doesn’t even like the show. “We’ve been to London before and it’s so unfriendly, but everyone here has been so lovely and welcoming. Essex people like to have fun. They’re like Glaswegians: they don’t take themselves too seriously.” I am a rubbish Essex girl. Despite having been raised in Romford, the spiritual home of the white stiletto and the boy racer, I’ve never had a fake tan or a manicure, let alone a boob job, and I can’t walk in high heels. But if I’m going to immerse myself in the TOWIE experience, some personal grooming is going to be necessary. My first stop is on Queens Road in the well-heeled suburb of Buckhurst Hill, which must have more hair, beauty and tanning salons per capita than any town on the planet. I pass an interiors shop whose USP seems to be that every single item, from picture frames to table lamps, is encrusted in diamante, and a boutique specialising in “pet couture” including a pink leotard for your lapdog emblazoned with the motto “This Is What Spoiled Looks Like”. Heaven knows where you go if you want to buy a pork chop or a loaf of bread. In Posh Frocks I spot a pile of flyers by the door inviting local people to audition for the next series of TOWIE. My destination is Belles & Beaus, a beauty salon where some of the girls from the show get their spray tans and nails done. I’m terrified of looking like an oompah loompah so I shun the Fake Bake and go for a manicure instead. I ask Kate, the nail technician, if they get much demand for Vajazzles, the sparkly makeover for one’s, ahem, “bikini area” which famously saw the light of day on the show. Right on cue, a young woman walks into reception and whispers something to the receptionist. She is ushered into a back room and emerges five minutes later clutching a small bag with the words Vajazzle Me on it. When the cast of TOWIE are not waxing, spray-tanning or Vajazzling themselves, they can be found gossiping over a salad and a glass of sauvignon blanc at attractive country pubs and wine bars in the Chigwell, Epping and Loughton area. I decide to have lunch at the Kings Oak Hotel , in the heart of Epping Forest, which has featured as a backdrop to some of the show’s more dramatic scenes. There’s a banner outside advertising an upcoming pool party. After ordering my food, I take a quick peek at the members-only “Beach Club” and am greeted with the sight of a sparkling blue swimming pool surrounded by Indonesian-style day beds decked out in billowing white linen, where, despite a stiff breeze, a handful of young women in bikinis are lounging around, acting for all the world like they are in Ibiza rather than Epping Forest. At a table nearby a trio of girls in designer sunglasses who could have stepped straight off a TOWIE set enjoy a lunch with their lapdogs. Suddenly it feels like I’ve entered a parallel universe. Picking up the trail again, I take the M25 from Epping to Brentwood, the dormitory town which is at the epicentre of the TOWIE phenomenon. Home to the Sugar Hut nightclub and Minnie’s boutique, where much of the show’s action takes place, the town has been inundated with followers of the show from near and far. “It’s been absolutely crazy,” says Jamie, the receptionist at Brentwood’s Premier Inn. “And it’s not just groups of women: it’s fellas too, and we also get lots of families making a weekend of it. We’ve even had people coming over from Australia.” At Minnie’s boutique, the reaction is one of similar bewilderment. In the show – and in real life – the shop is run by sisters Sam and Billie Faiers. The girls’ mum, Sue, is holding the fort when I visit. “You should come here on a Saturday – they are queuing out of the door,” she says. “It makes me laugh. We’ve had people from Cardiff, Scotland, Ireland …” Some come to shop, but most are hoping to get an autograph from the sisters, who can often be found working behind the counter. This may be Essex’s answer to the Sex and the City tours which were all the rage in New York a few years back, but the major difference is that on this tour there is a very real possibility that you will bump into the stars of the show going about their daily business. I tell Sue I’m going to the Sugar Hut that night and haven’t a clue what to wear. “Don’t worry. We’ll get you Essexed up,” she says thrusting a white Tinkerbell dress with beaded bodice and lacy tutu and a pair of eight-inch high leopardskin platforms into my arms. Sartorially this is a bit of a new departure for me but I decide to squeeze into it for the comedy value. While I resist the urge to skip around the shop singing “Nobody loves a fairy when she’s 40,” Sue appraises my outfit with an expert eye. “You just need a bit of fake tan,” she says kindly, though I suspect a fake body is what I need to carry off this little number. Queuing to get into the Sugar Hut (“It’s not just a nightclub … it’s a lifestyle”) later that evening, I realise that my fairy dress would not have been out of place at all. Whereas the dress code in most London clubs is to look like you haven’t tried too hard, here it’s clear that everyone has spent at least three hours getting ready. And that’s just the men. Clearly, the show’s motto, “look reem, smell reem, be reem”, (and no, I don’t know what reem means either) is taken quite seriously here. Once inside the club, which has a vaguely oriental theme, I’m relieved to find that posing is coming a distant third to drinking and dancing. At the bar I bump into a group of girls from Croydon, which is admittedly not quite Canberra, or even Cardiff, but is still quite a long way to come for a night out. “It’s the furthest I’ve ever driven. It took one and a half hours to get here,” says one of the women as she lines up shots on the bar. Was it worth it, I ask? “Oh my god, yeah, we love it.” I have to agree. I can’t remember the last time I was in a place surrounded by so many people so intent on having a good time. I was planning to stay just for one drink but the atmosphere’s infectious. If I had a handbag I’d dance around it. I’ve embraced by inner Essex girl and it feels good. • The Only Way Is Essex returns to ITV2 on 25 September at 10pm Essex Television Joanne O’Connor guardian.co.uk
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Four men trapped underground in the Gleision colliery found dead within a few metres of each other After more than 30 hours of waiting, it was the terrible news the families had dreaded but in their hearts had begun to expect. All four men trapped deep underground in the Gleision colliery high in the Swansea Valley had been found dead. They died, as they worked, close together, discovered within a few metres of each other in the old, cramped mine. Peter Hain, the local MP and shadow Welsh secretary, who had spent hours with the family as they waited, said: “Extraordinary courage was shown by the families right through the night, tortuous hours of waiting. We can’t imagine what they have been through.” He said the tragedy had reawakened old memories. “This has been a stab right through the heart of these local communities. There’s a long tradition of mining here but nobody expected the tragedies of past generations would come today.” Police and safety officials promised to establish how and why the four miners were killed. Forensic teams were at the mine in the village of Cilybebyll beginning to piece together what happened. The four – Charles Breslin, 62, David Powell, 50, Phillip Hill, 45, and Garry Jenkins, 39 – were trapped after water poured into the shaft they were working in on Thursday morning. Three others, including Powell’s son, Daniel, managed to get out and raise the alarm. Families waited for news at a community centre close to the mine. But in the early hours of they were told a body had been found in a flooded shaft. At that point it could not be identified, leaving all four families wondering if it was their loved one. Rescuers managed to pump water from the tunnel and hack through a rockfall, hoping to find the three remaining miners alive. Firefighters with 30 years’ experience said they had never worked in such bad conditions. But at lunchtime a second body was found and by mid afternoon the third was discovered. Rescuers said they had not heard or seen any sign life but continued to search the network of tunnels looking for the fourth miner. His body was discovered at teatime. The attention of the authorities will now focus on finding out what caused the tragedy. Police and the Health and Safety Executive have already launched parallel inquiries. The prime minister, David Cameron, said: “In due course we must ensure we fully understand and learn from the causes of this accident.” Wales Steven Morris guardian.co.uk
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Click here to view this media The one thing you can say about this Cheney family — they’ve got their lies and they’re sticking to them — no matter what. After feeling the need to give the Bush administration some glowing praise for torture, the Patriot Act and Guantanamo Bay, Bill O’Reilly actually challenged the assertion that we were greeted as liberators in Iraq made by Dick Cheney years ago on Meet the Press . Naturally, his daughter Liz, disagreed. O’Reilly pointed to the falling of the statue of Saddam Hussein and that there was only a very small group of people there as evidence that we were not greeted as liberators. What Billo failed to point out to her during this softball interview, is that event was staged by our military as our own Silent Patriot reminded us of back on the 4th anniversary of that event . As to Cheney still repeating the “greeted as liberators” line, John Amato wrote about this back in 2007 when John McCain was carrying water for the Bush administration, repeating that already tired and debunked line back then as well: John McCain told Tim Russert that America was greeted as liberators when we got to Iraq. What is he talking about. When were we ever greeted as liberators? It wasn’t like ten months of peace and tranquility. The looting began almost immediately . He also says that the war was easy. Easy for who? One thing we can count on is that as long as these neocons and supporters of the Iraq invasion are still alive, they’re going to do their best to continue to revise the history books in their favor. Full transcript below the fold. O’REILLY: Ok. The second one is the Iraq war. You know that I’m a supporter or I was a supporter. CHENEY: I actually didn’t know that. O’REILLY: Well, it’s true. I mean I’m on the record of supporting the enhanced interrogations, the Patriot Act, Guantanamo Bay and, you know, consistently across the line. But there’s a historical record and the historical record is that Americans were not aware of the big threat that al Qaeda was posing. CHENEY: The records actually on al Qaeda that before 9/11, we treated it like a law enforcement problem. O’REILLY: Yes. And Clinton did and Bush did. CHENEY: And I think that is the key difference is that the president and the vice president, Bush and Cheney understood after 9/11, this is war. And we’re at war. We have to do whatever it takes to keep the nation safe. O’REILLY: All right. Three days before the Iraq war was launched, here’s what Vice President Cheney said on “Meet the Press”. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DICK CHENEY, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think that things have gotten so bad inside Iraq from the standpoint of the Iraqi people. My belief is we will in fact be greeted as liberators. O’REILLY: Ok. Obviously, that didn’t happen. And I would love to know — CHENEY: It actually did happen. We were greeted as liberators and then we saw a massive, bloody, dangerous insurgency began. And it wasn’t frankly until we were able in 2006 with the surge to adopt a counter- insurgency strategy that we were able to frankly turn things around. O’REILLY: Ok. But here’s where you’re wrong. We weren’t greeted as liberators. We were greeted in a way that was tentative. CHENEY: It’s not true. O’REILLY: Yes it is. CHENEY: No, it’s not true. O’REILLY: You saw the statue came down and how many people were out there? Do you know how many people were out there when the statue of Saddam Hussein came down? Do you know how many? CHENEY: Do you know how many Bill? O’REILLY: Yes, I do. A couple of hundred, not thousands; Baghdad is a city of millions. A couple of hundred. CHENEY: Bill — O’REILLY: And then right after the statue came down, the armories were looted and the terrorists went in and they took all of Saddam Hussein’s arms, ok? CHENEY: Look, I know how much — O’REILLY: Because our government wasn’t accepting that. CHENEY: I know how much you care about no spin. O’REILLY: Right. CHENEY: And I think it’s really important here. Saddam was an incredibly repressive dictator — O’REILLY: No doubt. CHENEY: The Iraqi people were glad to see him go. Saddam had in place — there were elements from his regime that stayed in place. There were elements from al Qaeda, elements from Iran who were there who were ready, who launched a very bloody insurgency. O’REILLY: Correct. And it was not anticipated by us. That insurgency — (CROSSTALK) CHENEY: I think it was not anticipated by everyone. I think that’s true. O’REILLY: It was not anticipated. CHENEY: But it’s — when we removed Saddam Hussein, we made sure that there wasn’t going to be somebody in place who we knew had ties to terror, who we knew, knew how to make weapons of mass destruction, who we knew had used them before, who we knew was supporting terrorists. We also, by the way, as soon as Saddam was gone got a phone call from Moammar Gadhafi who didn’t want to be next, who gave up his nuclear weapons. O’REILLY: There were good things that happened. No doubt. CHENEY: I think that the notion that we now have in the heart of the Middle East, a democracy that is not supporting terrorists. It’s not perfect. But it is a huge accomplishment of the Bush Administration that we liberated all those people and the people in Afghanistan. And I think it’s just flat wrong for you to call it that. O’REILLY: Ok. And I disagree in the sense that it could have been done in a different way. I would have — the same result. CHENEY: Which way? Would you have gone and talked to Saddam and said, “Hey, you ought to — O’REILLY: No, I would have gone the Bush the Elder, way, the president’s father and I would have strangled them with a blockade. I would have no-fly zoned it as they would have done and then when the drones were developed — CHENEY: Bill, you have to look at the reports that were done by the Iraq survey group, for example. It was clear when we come came into office in 2000 that Saddam was a threat. He had between the time of the first Bush Administration and this Bush Administration completely ignored 16 U.N. Security Council resolutions — O’REILLY: There’s no doubt about it. CHENEY: — that the sanctions regime was crumbling. So it’s just not accurate to say he was in a box. We could have strangled him. And after 9/11, we couldn’t run the risk — that somebody like Saddam was going to share technology about WMD. O’REILLY: I don’t expect you and your father to agree with me, ok? But the blood and treasure of the United States spent in Iraq has now come back into our country in a very negative way. CHENEY: We need more time and I feel confident that I could convince you of the rightness of my position. O’REILLY: I thank you for coming in Miss Cheney. We appreciate it. CHENEY: Thank you. Good to be here.
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Bani Walid and Sirte centres of fierce fighting as rebels and regime loyalists engage in last-ditch battle for supremacy Libyan rebel forces launched offensives against Gaddafi loyalists on Friday but fierce resistance and poor organisation stopped them taking two strongholds whose control is vital to consolidate the grip of the post-revolutionary regime. Rebels occupied the airport at Sirte, a symbolically important town which was Muammar Gaddafi’s birthplace and which sits on the main road between Tripoli and Benghazi. At Bani Walid, 100 miles south of the capital, it quickly became clear that the war to secure Libya’s future is not over. Just outside the town, at a rebel checkpoint, Red Crescent ambulances screeched to a halt to disgorge men killed or wounded in a long day’s fighting, with cries of “Allahu Akbar” ringing out as machine gunfire and an occasional shell burst punctured the hot afternoon air. Plumes of smoke rose above low-rise apartment blocks just short of the hill, where pro-Gaddafi forces held back a rebel assault that began in the morning but was petering out in disarray and frustration by the time the evening drew near. Two separate rebel brigades attacked from north and south, but the defenders fought back with mortars and Grad rockets. Gaddafi snipers, on the high ground, were a menace. “They are fighting hard,” said Ishmail Abbouda, who had been studying in London before returning home to defend the revolution with a Kalashnikov rifle and Beretta pistol tucked into his flak jacket. “It was rough but we are doing well. And it will take another day or two. I think Gaddafi is there.” Fact and rumour were impossible to disentangle. Several rebels spoke of the capture of the bodyguard of Saif al-Islam, the deposed dictator’s fugitive son who had been rumoured to be in Bani Walid. Others described a convoy of 30 SUVs leaving town in the early morning, firing wildly perhaps to create a diversion. Ali Shita, who was lightly injured in the foot and over his left eye by a mortar shell that killed two comrades, hobbled away wincing, watched by Abdel-Rahman Khaled, a burly former Gaddafi bodyguard who defected on 23 March. His unit, the Mohammed Magarief Brigade, is named after a veteran opponent of the regime. “They shot at us from behind in the middle of town, just after eight in the morning,” said Nabil Darawil, wearing a ragtag uniform of T-shirt and baggy combat trousers. “We captured one sniper but there are a lot of them.” It was at least the third attempt to take the town. Many residents have fled. Dr Wissam Abu Jarad, neat in green scrubs at a roadside clinic further north, treated 10 injuries and confirmed four dead by mid-afternoon. Inside his small building an old man wept over the corpse of his nephew as subdued rebels milled around. At the final checkpoint before the town, rebel tempers were running high. Three young men, unarmed, dishevelled and terrified, were shoved into a dilapidated hut and lined up against a breezeblock wall. “Gaddafi forces,” one of their captors screamed. Outside, another fighter whose brother had been killed earlier, fired a single shot over the head of a news photographer. Signs of chaos and bickering were rife among the rebel troops, who argued volubly as the evening pullback was completed. “Victory is certain,” said Ramadan Abdul-Rahman, a local man. “But our forces do need to be better organised.” Bani Walid, two hours south of Tripoli, is the centre of the powerful Warfallah tribe, the country’s largest. If it and Sirte were captured only Sabha, hundreds of miles south on the edge of the Sahara, will still be in the hands of the old regime. Hard news from Sabha is rare, but a British military spokesman said British jets had fired two dozen Brimstone missiles to destroy a group of Libyan armoured vehicles near the town on Thursday. On the Mediterranean coast at Sirte, thick clouds of smoke billowed from the city centre, accompanied by frequent detonations, as rebel units attacked a series of strongholds in the city. Nato jets could be heard and in the afternoon there were a series of loud explosions, possibly of bombs. After capturing much of the city on Thursday night, along with the strategic east-west highway that runs south of the city, opposition forces pushed north into the city and south into the hinterland.At the highway intersection turnoff leading to Sirte, convoys of worn pickup trucks with cannons and machine guns rumbled into the town. Columns of smoke rose at intervals from the city, hidden from view by a wooded hillside. Commanders said they launched the attack after reports that pro-Gaddafi militias had begun attacks on the homes of residents originally from Misrata living in the central District One. A relief force broke through to them on Thursday night, but retreated in the early hours of Friday morning, fearing their presence would attract rocket and artillery fire from loyalist forces at the airbase and further south. Instead, rebels have switched their attention to destroying these forces, pushing out in all directions south of the coastal highway, and capturing the well defended airbase. Misrata Military Council, commanding the operation, said it expected to clear the hinterland far enough to make the city safe for units to destroy strongholds of loyalist troops based around an insurance building and beachfront villas. The fighting came a day after the flag-flying visit to Tripoli by Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron. They were followed on Friday by the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who displayed his Muslim faith and solidarity by joining worshippers in newly renamed Martyrs Square, – or Green Square under the old regime. “From here I call out to Sirte,” he said of the besieged coastal city. “Come, right now. Some 10,000 brothers and sisters are hungry and thirsty – embrace your brothers in Tripoli. Spilling blood does not suit us. Let us come together.” Libya Muammar Gaddafi Middle East Africa Ian Black Chris Stephen guardian.co.uk
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Jonathan Djanogly’s role as insurance firm partner means he could personally profit from bill he is pushing through parliament How to read the accounts The Djanogly Family LLP accounts 2010 The Djanogly Family LLP accounts 2009 The Djanogly Family LLP accounts 2008 The Conservative justice minister piloting controversial plans to cut legal aid and curb payouts that could benefit the insurance industry to the tune of a billion pounds a year will personally profit from the changes, a Guardian investigation can reveal. Jonathan Djanogly, the legal services minister, is pushing a bill through parliament which will attempt to slash the budget for legal aid by £350m as well as forcing claimants to pay out of any awarded damages their lawyers’ success fees and insurance policies that cover court costs. Experts say this will benefit the insurance industry by at least “hundreds of millions of pounds”. The Association of British Insurers admits that industry will benefit from the reforms – and if Ireland’s experience is any guide the proposals in the legal aid, sentencing and punishment of offenders bill offer a chance to cut premiums by 16%. Djanogly, who is considered to be one of the 10 richest MPs with interests in a property, a string of stockmarket investments and a Scottish forestry portfolio, also has a personal stake in the insurance industry. In the Commons register of members’ interests, he lists that he is a “minority partner in The Djanogly Family LLP (member of Lloyd’s)”. This means he takes one sixth of the profits from an Lloyds underwriting partnership that deals in accident, health and motor claims. In the past three years Djanogly has been entitled to an average annual payout from the underwriters of £41,000. In 2009 Djanogly was eligible to almost £97,000 from the profits of the partnership – more than his current ministerial salary of £89,000. The ministerial code, issued by the Cabinet Office when the coalition took power last May, clearly states: “Ministers must ensure that no conflict arises, or could reasonably be perceived to arise, between their public duties and their private interests, financial or otherwise.” Labour said the only people arguing for these changes “are the insurance industry and Conservative ministers”. Andrew Slaughter, the shadow justice minister, said: “There are serious questions for the minister to answer. It would be a serious matter if the minister were pursuing legislation from which he might benefit financially.” Djanogly issued a statement to the Guardian. “My financial interests are a matter of public record. I have made declarations both as a minister and as an MP. “The government’s reforms to the no win no fee system are designed to tackle the fear of a compensation culture which inflates legal costs and forces defendants to settle even when they know they have done nothing wrong. The reforms are based on an independent review by Sir Rupert Jackson.” Lord Justice Jackson, an appeal court judge, was tasked to look at curbing litigation costs by the former master of the rolls, Sir Anthony Clarke. His report was produced in January 2010 and Labour declined to endorse it. However the coalition has accepted almost all of the controversial recommendations and went further by cutting back on legal aid, something that Jackson has publicly criticised. In a lecture in Cambridge earlier this month Jackson challenged the government’s plans saying: “The cutbacks in legal aid are contrary to the recommendations in my report. I do, however, stress the vital necessity of making no further cutbacks in legal aid availability or eligibility. The legal aid system plays a crucial role in promoting access to justice at proportionate costs in key areas.” Legal experts say Jackson’s radical change breaks with “centuries of English legal tradition” where payouts are meant to reflect injuries not the cost of a case. The UN has warned that the reforms will prevent claims, such as those in the Trafigura case, where solicitors took the case on a no win no fee basis on behalf of 30,0000 poor Africans, being brought against multinational businesses. The settlement of £30m made by the commodity trader was seen a landmark in global justice. Ken Oliphant, current on secondment from Bristol University to head up the Institute for European Tort Law of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, told the Guardian: “Insurers around the world are trying to put pressure on governments to save on liability costs. You have to understand that legal aid was cut and no win no fee arrangements were meant to replace them, to allow people access to justice. “If you remove that right then you will not allow ordinary people to have access to justice. If they have to pay for legal costs out of damages it may not be worth going to court.” Since having been selected for Huntingdon, the safest of safe seats, after former prime minister Sir John Major stepped down, Djanogly, 46, rose through the ranks of the Tory party to sit on the justice team. Privately educated and with a law degree from Oxford Polytechnic, Djanogly was a partner in a City law firm until 2009. He faced calls last year to step down for hiring private investigators to spy on local Conservatives while mired in the parliamentary expenses scandal. Djanogly’s father Harry is the founder of Coats Viyella and reputed to be the owner of the world’s largest collection of Lowry paintings. Conservatives Conservative conference 2010 Conservative conference 2011 Legal aid UK criminal justice Randeep Ramesh guardian.co.uk
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Click here to view this media Business mogul/reality star Donald Trump was so impressed after his Wednesday night dinner with Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry that he couldn’t remember the Texas governor’s name the next day. “I had dinner last night with Jim Perry,” Trump told The Street . “I was impressed with him.” The billionaire added that he would consider running again if Republicans picked the “wrong” candidate.
Continue reading …German police baffled by case of English-speaking boy with no identity
September 16, 2011 No CommentThe teenager, who says his first name is Ray, wandered out of a forest claiming he had been living wild for years with his father He walked out of a German forest, speaking English and knowing only his first name. Police in Berlin are trying to unravel the mystery of a teenager who says he has no idea who he is or where he comes from. The boy presented himself to the Berlin authorities last week saying all he knew was that his first name was Ray, he was probably 17 years old and he and his father had roamed through the woods for about five years. “He speaks fluent English and very broken German,” the Berlin police spokesman Michael Maaß told the Guardian. The police have not yet determined if his accent is American, British or that of some other English-speaking nationality. He told youth workers that his father, whom he called Ryan, had died two weeks ago and he had buried him in a shallow grave covered with stones. The boy then walked north, following instructions his father had given him should anything happen to him. The pair’s odyssey started after his mother, who he said was named Doreen, died. He says that he and his father never set up home but kept moving, staying in tents and huts in the woods. It is not clear what they ate or how they survived the often harsh German winters. “He doesn’t show any signs of abuse and he is in good shape physically and psychologically,” Maaß said. The boy says he cannot remember anything about where he lived before the five-year journey began. “We have nothing more to go on than what he told us. We don’t have any other clues as to his identity,” Maaß said. The Berlin police have appealed for help to all European countries via Interpol to see if any outstanding cases of missing persons might match the boy’s description. They have not released a photograph of him at this stage. He is currently in the care of Berlin’s youth services and they will decide what happens to him next if his identity is not established. The boy’s story recalls European folk tales of feral or wolf children being brought up in the forest or in isolation. One real case was that of Kaspar Hauser, a teenage boy who appeared suddenly in Nuremberg in 1828, claiming to have been raised in a darkened cell without any human contact. It is also not the first time an English-speaking stranger has turned up in Germany. In 2006 an English-speaking man in his early 60s appeared in Mannheim train station saying that apart from his first name, Karl, he had no idea who he was or where he came from. The police concluded he was suffering from amnesia and while they never discovered his identity, they believed he was genuine. That was not the case, however, with the so-called piano man, who turned up on a beach in Kent in 2005, seemingly unable to speak and only capable of communicating by drawing and playing the piano. For months his true identity was a matter of intense speculation. Finally he broke his silence, revealing that he was in fact a 20-year-old from Bavaria, called Andreas Grassl. Germany Europe guardian.co.uk
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