Fox talkers dream up Latino votes for GOP by focusing on Obama immigration failures — but omit where Republicans really stand
June 29, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media This discussion on Fox News.com Live the other day caught my attention, mainly because it featured a hopeful discussion by a Latino conservative, the Heritage Foundation’s Israel Ortega , who was insisting that Republicans stand a lot to gain in the coming election cycle if they bash President Obama for his manifest failures at passing not just meaningful immigration reform, but even a simple measure like the DREAM Act. Now, it’s certainly true that Obama has abjectly failed on that front. Latinos know it better than anyone. And there’s little doubt that pointing that out repeatedly to Latinos will help depress Latino turnout for his re-election. On the other hand, it’s hard to see — as Ellis Henican gently tried to point out to Ortega — how Republicans can stand to gain from pointing it out too loudly or too often: After all, it doesn’t take much to remind Latinos just why Obama couldn’t pass anything: Across-the-board Republican lockstep obstructionism, accompanied by a loud chorus of vicious right-wing Latino-bashing. I think the Anonymous Radicalized Marginal House Democrat (who is an actual House Democrat) put it about perfectly in his discussion awhile back with the Paranoid Self-Loathing GOP Lobbyist (who is an actual GOP lobbyist) on this very topic: PSLGOPL asked why “a filibuster proof Senate, bullet proof liberal Majority in the House and a President dedicated to Change” hasn’t done anything about “Comprehensive Immigration Reform, or better yet, just the DREAM Act.” ARMHD responded: “Easy: because desperate Republicans two years ago had to swap dog whistles for bull horns to reach their virulent nativist base voters, and now nativism has become a litmus test for Republicans. “Anti-immigrant groups were building blocks of the Tea Party. Tea Party Republicans foam at the mouth when they have to press one for English.They want to arrest and deport anyone buying Tecate beer with cash at WalMart. It’s the culture, stupid. “Republicans’ open bigotry toward Latinos will be more and more of an electoral problem for them, of course, but when their party was in shambles two years ago they weren’t thinking about the long run, they had to fire up their base right away, including their crazies…especially their crazies. So the people that Karl Rove tried to keep hidden because he was afraid they would completely creep out soccer moms are front and center. “The Tea Party has made cowards of Republican politicians who used to hold themselves out as courageous statesmen, or more likely, revealed them to be cowards. The sainted John McCain, who worked with Ted Kennedy on a ‘grand bargain’ on immigration, beat J.D. Hayworth by making a hard right turn. Remember the ‘danged fence’ ad? “Lindsey Graham will be practicing law with Bob Inglis unless he can get way right by 2014. Orrin Hatch and Dick Lugar are in deep trouble. Chuck Grassley is trying to explain that when he called for an ‘individual mandate’ for health care, he meant an individual mandate to prove citizenship in the emergency room. “What a bunch of wusses. “With every Republican opposing reform, whether from conviction or from cowardice, it only took one skittish Democrat to kill anything even in that brief window when Democrats had the 60 votes needed to defeat a filibuster, and Republicans filibustered everything. “The good news for Democrats is that the electorate will be browner and browner, Latinos see the anti-immigration rhetoric as thinly veiled appeals to bigotry against them, and Asians and other minority groups are watching it all and wondering whether Republicans really like them any better. So enjoy anti-immigration politics now, PSLGOP, anchor babies will be voting soon, and so will their friends.” Republicans may want to wish away all the ugly rhetoric and right-wing lawmaking directed at Latinos (see the new Alabama laws for the most recent example). Lots of moderate Republicans have tried to point this out too. But they know, too, that bigotry pays dividends — in the short run. That’s what they do it.
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Grade II-listed attraction formerly known as Palace Pier placed on market for first time in more than 25 years One of Britain’s most famous seaside attractions, Brighton Pier, has been put up for sale for the first time in more than 25 years. Its owner, Noble Group, has not revealed a guide price for the Grade II*-listed landmark but the company handling its sale, GVA Humberts Leisure, reported strong interest from potential buyers. Noble, which has owned the structure since 1984, has invested £35m in the 112-year-old pier, formerly known as the Palace Pier. Brighton Pier is regarded as one of Britain’s most visited places, with 18 themed attractions and rides and two amusement arcades. Greta Garbo, Grace Kelly, Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee have all paid a visit, as have more recent celebrities such as the Who and Arctic Monkeys. Two Carry On films, Carry On At Your Convenience and Carry On Girls, were partly shot on location there. Along the coast in Brighton is another landmark, the Grade I-listed West Pier, which remains a twisted shell after being destroyed by fires and storms. As Brighton Pier became one of the UK’s trending topics on Twitter, many users urged a new owner to change its name back to the Palace Pier. Brighton and Hove council leader Bill Randall said new owners would bring the opportunity for new ideas for the structure. David Biesterfield, Noble’s development director, said: “Brighton Pier is unique, a dynamic, modern business based on and sustaining our heritage. Since 1984, Brighton Pier has re-established itself as one of the UK’s leading attractions in one of the country’s most popular and forward-looking city resorts.” Travel & leisure Brighton guardian.co.uk
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France 3 television reporter and cameraman freed by Taliban after 547 days in captivity east of Kabul Two French television journalists held hostage in Afghanistan since December 2009 have been freed, the Elysée has confirmed. Hervé Ghesquière and Stéphane Taponier who worked for French state TV channel France 3 were kidnapped with three Afghan associates in the mountains of Kapisa east of Kabul while working on a documentary about the protection and reconstruction of a road in the troubled region towards the Pakistan border. Held for 18 months by the Taliban, their detention was the longest hostage saga involving French journalists since the 1980s Lebanon hostage crisis. Ghesquière, 47, and cameraman Taponier, 46 are experienced war journalists whose work had ranged from the Balkans conflict and West Sahara to Afghanistan. The campaign to secure their freedom had become an important cause in France, with their faces draped from massive banners on public buildings, a major stadium concert in their support and their names mentioned nightly at the end of the evening TV news. They were released along with an Afghan interpreter, the other two Afghans had been freed months before. Their families and supporters were gathered at a protest in the centre of Paris today to mark 18 months of their detention when a call came from Nicolas Sarkozy to family members saying they had been freed. The French parliament gave a standing ovation when the news was announced by the prime minister, François Fillon, who said the men were in “good health” and would be back in France “within a few hours”. The last proof of life was a video of the two men dated November 2010. In January, an audio tape attributed to Osama bin Laden had demanded French withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Taliban had earlier made a series of demands in exchange for the journalists, including the liberation of prisoners held by France. France has around 4,000 troops in Afghanistan, mainly east of Kabul. It is the fourth largest contingent in Nato’s Afghan mission. Gradual withdrawal of French troops will begin this year, in line with the US. The exact circumstances of the men’s release after 547 days were not clear. The Elysée denied that a ransom had been paid. Le Monde reported that conditions for the release were met months ago but it had been delayed because of a difference of opinion between local Taliban and their senior hierarchy. The French president publicly thanked “everyone who took part in freeing the hostages” and praised Afghan President Hamid Karzai for his handling of the situation. France Europe Afghanistan Taliban Angelique Chrisafis guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Brit Hume says Michele Bachmann gaffes like ‘John Wayne Gacy’ can doom her campaign
June 29, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media Michele Bachmann has Ed Rollins as one of her political gurus, so you’d think by now her infamous gaffes and ridiculous statements would have started to calm down. Well, as we’ve seen with her theory that John Quincy Adams was a Founding Father and that she had the spirit of an Iowa serial killer named John Wayne Gacy — this is a problem that isn’t going away soon. Oh, by the way, since Michele refuses to admit she made a mistake on Adams… John Quincy Adams was eight years old when the Declaration of Independence was written. …her Tea Party minions are editing Wikipedia to make him into an actual founding father . Anyway, calls of the angry librul press victimizing her are ringing out by the RWNM to defend her from her own words and actions. You know, actions like businesses that she’s involved with which are accepting a ton of cash from the government. But it’s not only the press or left-wing blogs who are highlighting her troubling behavior. As Chris Wallace said, FOX gives news from the other side of the story , and Brit Hume was on The O’Reilly Factor with Juan Williams hosting the other night and said that Michele Bachmann’s weird Gacy-type statements will make independent voters very uncomfortable. WILLIAMS: …. And she seemed to try and downplay the kind of extreme language she was using in the past where she was talking about President Obama running a gangsta government or being anti-American, she’s being all, I might not put it that way now, so if she gets by some of these stumbles, if she tries to modulate her personality Brit, will that help? HUME: Yes it would. Over the weekend, perhaps unfairly, she’s vulnerable to — she said over the weekend in more than one place, I believe, that Waterloo, Iowa, where she was born and where she made her announcement today, was also the place where John Wayne came from. Well, John Wayne didn’t come from Waterloo, Iowa, he never lived in Waterloo Iowa, his parent were there briefly… There is somebody with a similar sounding name though that did live in Waterloo, John Wayne Gacy, the serial killer.. Now this was not an important declaration on her part. It’s a mistake that normal people make, but it is the kind of thing on the campaign trail can be very damaging… WILLIAMS: And she’s susceptible to it. HUME: I think she’s vulnerable to it and that may not be fair, but I think that’s how it is and I think that’s the thing she struggles against and might make her vulnerable among independents. Wow, when have you ever heard something like that so early in the process? It appears FOX are the ones nervous about her campaign and are trying to guide the Tea Party FOX viewers over to Mitt Romney’s corner because they almost never highlight conservative gaffes like that. Hume is correct, of course, because Sarah Palin has very high negatives with independents and MB shares her base of voters, but Brit Hume not backing her up this early in the game is an indication the GOP elites hope she doesn’t win the nomination. And I’m wondering: Will Laura Ingraham refer to Brit Hume as part of the Republican elitists who are against Michele Bachmann?
Continue reading …Citizens Against Religious Bigotry (CARB) Launch Video Response, Petition Against NBC’s Omission of ‘Under God’ From Pledge
June 29, 2011 No CommentThe Media Research Center today announced a new petition launched by the Citizens Against Religious Bigotry ( CARB ) coalition, holding NBC accountable for omitting “under God” from its broadcast of the Pledge of Allegiance in the opening coverage of the U.S. Open on June 20. CARB has created a video (embedded below the page break) that encourages viewers to sign a petition which states, in part: “I demand that NBC take immediate action by terminating the employees who used a Sunday sports broadcast to insult people of faith.” You can also access the video here: http://www.mrctv.org/videos/ pledge-sign-petition.
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Experts brand as unreliable the key evidence that Raffaele Sollecito’s DNA was found on victim Meredith Kercher’s bra The appeal by Amanda Knox and her Italian former boyfriend against their convictions for the killing of British student Meredith Kercher took a sensational turn on Wednesday when independent, court-appointed experts dismissed as unreliable forensic evidence crucial to the prosecution case. Two Rome university professors said there was no certainty that traces of DNA found on the alleged murder weapon belonged to Kercher. They added that the vital piece of evidence which linked Knox’s ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, to the scene of the murder – a trace of his DNA on Kercher’s bra clip – could have got there by contamination, as the defence maintained at the trial. The breakthrough for the appellants came just two days after their case suffered a hefty setback. On Monday, Rudy Guede, who has also been convicted and jailed for the murder, repeated his claim that Knox and Sollecito had carried out the killing. What sealed the case against them at their trial, however, was not so much Guede’s changed story as testimony from a string of police scientific experts that appeared to support the prosecutors’ claim that Kercher died in a bizarre sex game involving all three defendants. However, the appeal court’s experts were scathing in their criticism of the reliability of that evidence. “The international procedures for the inspection [of the scene of a crime] were not followed,” professors Stefano Conti and Carla Vecciotti said in their report. Nor had the police respected international standards for the collection and bagging of exhibits. The DNA traces on the knife “appear unreliable in as much as [they were] not supported by scientifically validated analytic procedures”. Knox and Sollecito are currently serving sentences of 26 and 25 years respectively for the murder. Guede was given a reduced, 16-year sentence after a plea bargain. Amanda Knox Meredith Kercher Italy United States Europe John Hooper guardian.co.uk
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• Hit F5 to refresh or turn on the automatic widget below • Email thoughts and chat to evanfanning@gmail.com • Follow all today’s game and more in our daily live blog • Follow Evan on Twitter, if that’s your thing First set: Murray* 5-2 Lopez Murray holds serve comfortably which allows us to put on our casting agent hats once more. “Less Deliciano, more Christopher Lambert in Greystoke mode surely?” writes Yvonne Fletcher. Now we’re getting somewhere. “I’m happy with Ewan MacGregor as Andy, and surely it’s Maggie Smith as Judy Murray?” writes Integra. “I’m wondering about Javier Bardem as Deliciano, mainly because I just watched Biutiful last night and can’t get him out of my head. He’s probably a bit too ugly and a bit too hairy though. Maybe if Wilkinson Sword sponsored him as well…..” I think this man needs to play one of the Murray brothers. First set: Murray 4-2 Lopez* Murray breaks Lopez and pumps his fist in celebration after a game that felt like it was going to go on forever. Murray three times had break point and sensed blood for the opening point when Lopez tried a very deft drop shot which turns out to be a very foolish drop shot as it hits the net. Lopez challenges a call mid-point and it was the right decision as the ball is seen to be well inside the baseline (although it’s later confirmed that Lopez’s serve on that point was out but was missed by both Murray and the umpire). Murray then challenges a call after a fantastic rally where Lopez was at the net but on the back foot, but somehow found return after return and eventually pushed Murray to the backline and his return was between the tramlines, as Hawkeye confirms. It doesn’t put Murray off and he eventually takes the game after yet another attempt at a drop shot from Lopez hits the net. First set: Murray* 3-2 Lopez A less impressive service game this time round from Murray, but he still manages to hold serve (losing a challenge on the way). “Were the genders different,” writes Paul Szabo. “We might have a Mrs. Robinson/’Graduate’ situation, eh? I can see Dustin Hoffman playing the Lopez part quite easily, long hair and all.” Assuming the situation is at is is, who today would play the three protagonists in the picture above. Ewan McGregor as Andy Murray? First set: Murray 2-2 Lopez* It’s going with serve so far. Lopez is looking to get to the net at every opportunity and he shows how dangerous he is if his serve and volley game goes according to plan winning two successive points. He’s less impressive from the backline, hitting the net when he really should have done better but is rescued by his serve as an ace wins the game. Tom Gardiner has an idea: “Don’t you think if tennis was the kind of game where sledging went on, Lopez has an open goal two yards out? Imagine what Shane Warne would have made of the opportunity Judy Murray has presented ‘Deliciano’.” First set: Murray* 2-1 Lopez Murray holds serve comfortably, losing just one point and winning the game with a lovely cross-court forehand which Lopez didn’t even bother chasing. “Re the shaved legs,” writes Gary Naylor, “cyclists do it not to minimise wind resistance, but to ensure that scrapes, burns and road rash wounds do not become infected and so heal more quickly. It probably helps the soigneurs in their massaging at the end of the day too. And it does improve looks, though Snr Lopez doesn’t look like he needs much help in that department – unlike his opponent.” Whatever the reason it gets Judy Murray going. First set: Murray 1-1 Lopez* Lopez holds serve after a scrappy game. The Spaniard produced his first double-fault – his 18th of the tournament so far, which is relatively low. Lopez also has his first (unsuccessful) challenge of the game. Both make unforced errors, Lopez coming at game point, but a a poor Murray drop shot allows Lopez to take the advantage once again and this time Murray can’t clear the net as he returned a booming serve. First set: Murray* 1-0 Lopez Murray wins the game to love and that will settle whatever nerves he has. A lovely, gentle opening point that was so laid-back they could have had a conversation while playing it. Murray then steps it hitting two aces – the second his 50th of the tournament, half of what Lopez has hit – to take the game. Lopez, incidentally, has newly-shaved legs. Why does he do that? We’re about to start but there are very few people in Centre Court. They’ve all gone for refreshment following the epic Tsonga-Federer match. Andy Murray to serve … “The Americans are not even broadcasting his match,” says Daniel John McGrath. “On their Telly. Which is a pretty ugly snub.” That’s the kind of stirring statement that needs to be stuck on Andy Murray’s dressing room door. And Feliciano Lopez’s door come to think of it. Game-by-game exclusive (from the Johann Hari school of exclusives – i.e. they just said it on BBC) Feliciano Lopez expects Judy Murray to support her son in today’s game. He didn’t mention anything about dinner tonight. Kenny MacLeod has a dance for Andy. “The Sword Dance – and with sponsorship: The Wilkinson Sword Dance.” You, sir, should be an agent. Reasons for Andy Murray to be worried … Feliciano López has already hit 100 aces in this year’s tournament, more than any of the remaining players. Murray’s biggest area of weakness so far has been his serve return. Just in case you haven’t heard the gasps of disbelief I should tell you that Jo-Wilfried Tsonga came from two sets down to beat Roger Federer and reach the last four . He then produced a truly spectacular version of his trademark dance. Andy Murray needs a trademark dance, but what should it be? Answers to the usual address. Preamble There are some interesting betting markets on this game. Not so much on whether Andy Murray will defeat Feliciano López and reach a third straight Wimbledon semi-final (that’s a ridiculously short 1-10), but instead the focus is on Judy Murray, who has expressed her admiration for her son’s opponent, the man she calls ‘Deliciano’ López. You can get 20-1 on Judy wolf-whistling at López at some stage (the bet of the day as far as I’m concerned), and you can get the same price on the Spaniard blowing Judy a kiss from the court. It’s 30-1 that they’ll be spotted having a romantic dinner somewhere in SW19 later tonight so if you work in a nearby restaurant and have just taken a booking for a table for two under the name J Murray I would pop round to your nearest bookies as soon as you can. Given that we know that Judy ♥ Feliciano, has anyone bothered finding out if Feliciano ♥ Judy? If he does, we could pack the two of them off behind the Wimbledon bike shed and give Andy a bye into the next round. Would this be a satisfactory outcome for Andy? To exchange seeing his mother disappear into the sunset with a rival in exchange for a place in the semi? That’s the big question of the day. That, and why is there no love for Mardy Fish? Wimbledon 2011 Andy Murray Tennis Wimbledon Evan Fanning guardian.co.uk
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Six paramilitary soldiers to be tried by civilian court after being caught on camera apparently shooting unarmed suspect Sarfaraz Shah Six Pakistani paramilitary soldiers face a possible death sentence after being charged with the murder of an unarmed civilian in a Karachi park this month. The shooting in broad daylight of Sarfaraz Shah, who was accused of theft, led to a national furore after a video of his death was aired on television . Many Pakistanis were horrified to see a uniformed man shoot the 22-year-old twice at point blank range as he begged for mercy, then watch him bleed to death. A civilian who dragged Shah towards the rangers, seen on camera grabbing him by the hair, has also been charged. If convicted, all seven face the death penalty. “The court has formally framed charges of murder and terrorism against all the accused,” prosecutor Mohammad Khan Buriro told reporters. The accused men have pleaded not guilty. The brutality of the slaying amplified strong criticism of Pakistan’s security forces that started with the death of Osama bin Laden on 2 May, reaching as far as the national parliament. The scrutiny has brought some changes. The six soldiers are standing trial before a civilian court instead of a military tribunal, as is usually the case. The supreme court had taken the rare step of ordering the head of the Sindh Rangers, a two-star general, to be transferred. The army says it will comply. The security forces are beset by other scandals too. In western Balochistan province Frontier Corps paramilitaries are under investigation for the shooting of five unarmed Chechens, including a pregnant woman, at a checkpoint. The corps initially claimed they were suicide bombers, which proved to be untrue. Video footage showed the Chechens trying to surrender as they were being shot. In Islamabad a judicial inquiry has been launched into the death of investigative journalist Saleem Shahzad, who was found dead after disappearing from the city centre. He had previously told colleagues he feared his life was in danger from the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency . The ISI has denied the allegation. Scenes of death and destruction have become commonplace on Pakistan television since a wave of Taliban attacks in major cities started four years ago. But Pakistanis were shocked at the images of Shah’s death because they showed the young man screaming as he slowly died in a public park named after the assassinated prime minister Benazir Bhutto. Police said they recovered an imitation pistol from Shah’s body, heightening suspicions that he was a thief. But the video evidence swung public opinion firmly against the soldiers. “The video had a huge impact. No civilised force has the right to shoot an unarmed man,” said Zafar Hilaly, a retired diplomat. The shooting was filmed by a TV cameraman with a local station. The journalists’ union in Karachi said the reporter had received death threats and had been pressured by the authorities to “say it was a fake”. Videos have played a prominent role in Pakistan in recent years. In 2009 the country was electrified by a footage of Taliban militants whipping a young girl in Swat , triggering outrage that paved the way for an army assault months later. Last year a video emerged of soldiers executing blindfolded militants , also in Swat, triggering criticism from the US that forced the army chief to order a military inquiry. No findings have yet been made public. Pakistan Declan Walsh guardian.co.uk
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Meteorologists call for more lightning conductors as 38 children injured in same incident are admitted to hospital with burns Eighteen schoolchildren and their teacher have been killed in a lightning strike in Uganda, police said. The country has one of the highest rates of lightning deaths in the world and its capital, Kampala, has more days of lightning per year than any other city, according to the World Meteorological Organisation . The lightning hit the victims in a classroom at a school in Kiryandongo, 130 miles north of Kampala. Another 38 children were admitted to hospital. The east African country has suffered several fatal lightning strikes in recent weeks during unseasonably heavy rains. The deaths were debated in parliament on Monday, with MPs calling on the government to come up with strategy to deal with what several termed “a crisis”. “I don’t know which minister is in charge of the lightning but let the government come up with a statement to inform the country on what is going on and how we can manage it,” speaker Rebecca Kadaga said. Local meteorologists have criticised the government for not providing enough lightning conductors for buildings in storm hotspots. “The 19 were killed in a single lightning strike on Monday,” a police spokesman said. “They were ready to leave school but there was a heavy downpour and so they sheltered in the classroom and then, all of a sudden, it struck.” Police said 15 of the 38 injured were still in hospital being treated for burns. Local media quoted medical officials in Kiryandongo predicting the death toll could rise. The state-owned New Vision newspaper said on Tuesday that at least 40 people had been killed by lightning strikes in recent weeks. The police did not give an official death toll. Many of the strikes have killed children. Three siblings aged four, six and eight were killed while sheltering under a tree on their way home from school last week and another two children were killed the week before, police said. Uganda Natural disasters and extreme weather Africa guardian.co.uk
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Arab Israelis and Palestinians say arrest of Sheikh Raed Salah in London is ‘strange’ and ‘illegitimate’, and call for his release Arab Israelis and Palestinians have accused the British government of collaborating with Israel in detaining Sheikh Raed Salah , the leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel. Ibrahim Sarsur, a United Arab List member of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, described the arrest of Salah as “strange”. He said: “Sheikh Salah is one of the leading figures in the Arab Israeli community. He travelled to the UK legitimately, and he had no knowledge of any ban on his entering the UK, so we are surprised and disappointed by this illegitimate procedure.” Sarsur called on Britain to release Salah immediately. “We know that Israel is not happy with anyone that opposes its policies, but we see Britain as the most democratic place in the world and the birthplace of democracy. Britain should deal with delicate matters of the Middle East with delicacy and not act as a collaborator with the Israeli government.” Ben White, a writer and activist who was due to speak at an event with Salah on Wednesday, said there was a stark contrast between how Britain treated Palestinian and Israeli leaders. “The same government that sent police to arrest a Palestinian civil society leader from his hotel bedroom is changing UK legislation explicitly to facilitate the entry of accused Israeli war criminals,” he said. Israel has acted angrily in the past when its army officers and politicians have been threatened with arrest, such as when the former foreign minister Tzipi Livni had to postpone a trip to the UK to avoid arrest in 2009. A spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry said that the Israeli consulate in London had been informed of the arrest as would happen with the arrest of any Israeli. “It’s up to the British authorities to explain the reason for the arrest. Sheikh Raed Salah will be visited by consular officials if it is necessary.” Salah is despised by Israel’s right wing and his arrest was used as an opportunity by one member of the Knesset to launch his own “Raed Salah bill”. Alex Miller of the Israel Our Home party said the bill would prevent people such as Salah, convicted of aiding a terrorist organisation, from using government-funded institutions. “If the British government forbade this man from entering its territory because of his extremist views and a fear that he would use public and academic forums to incite violence and racism, there is no reason the Israeli government should give that pleasure to Salah and his peers,” Miller told the Jerusalem Post. Israel Middle East Palestinian territories London Conal Urquhart guardian.co.uk
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