Pence still attacking Planned Parenthood, says budget deal ‘not good enough’
April 10, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media Tea party favorite Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) said Sunday that he was unlikely to support the new budget deal because it doesn’t strip all funds for Planned Parenthood. The last-minute deal between House Republicans and Democrats aimed to slash over $38 billion from government spending levels. Pence argued on ABC’s This Week Sunday that those cuts alone weren’t enough. “From what I know, it sounds like [House Speaker] John Boehner got a good deal — probably not good enough for me to support it,” he told ABC’s Christiane Amanpour. “Let me explain. I’m pro-life. I don’t apologize for it. I also think it’s morally wrong to take the tax dollars of millions of pro-life Americans and use it to fund abortion providers.” “You know the federal funds don’t do that?” Amanpour pointed out. “They tried to make this about women’s health,” Pence said of Democrats. “It wasn’t about that. Planned Parenthood’s clinics focus mainly on abortion.” Pence’s statement is similar to a claim made by Sen. John Kyl (R-AZ) last week. “If you want an abortion, you go to Planned Parenthood, and that’s well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does,” Kyl said . The truth is that in 2009, 96 percent of the organization’s activities were dedicated cancer screenings, STD or STI testing, counseling and education, or pregnancy testing and prevention. “What was clear here, this administration, and liberals in Congress were willing to shut the government down to continue to fund abortion providers in this country,” Pence added. The Indiana Republican made it clear in a recent speech on the House floor that it was Republicans who were willing to see the government shut down if Democrats didn’t “respect our values.” “If Democrats here in Washington would rather play political games and shut down the government than support our troops, defend our treasury, and respect our values, then I say, ‘Shut it down,’” he said. “It’s time to take a stand. We need to say to liberals, ‘This far and no further,’” Pence told a tea party rally last week. “And if liberals in the Senate would rather play political games and force a government shutdown instead of accepting a modest down payment on fiscal discipline and reform, I say, ‘Shut it down.’”
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Norman Lamb, a government whip, says Lib Dem MPs and peers will not support reform bill unless their demands are met David Cameron has been warned that he will have to endorse sweeping changes to the government’s planned NHS reforms when a senior adviser to Nick Clegg threatened to resign unless a series of demands are met. Norman Lamb, a government whip who is the Liberal Democrat leader’s senior parliamentary adviser, warned that his party’s MPs and peers would be unable to support the health and social care bill if their concerns are ignored. Lamb’s warning came as the British Medical Association claimed the tight NHS settlement, which will raise its budget in line with inflation, is leading to an “accelerating withdrawal of services”. Growing numbers of patients are being denied treatment for conditions such as infertility. Lib Dem sources stressed that Lamb, who briefed Clegg ahead of his intervention on the BBC’s Politics Show, was not speaking on behalf of the deputy prime minister, who is not pressing any demands during a two-month “listening exercise” on the NHS reforms launched last week. But the Guardian understands that Lamb’s four demands will need to be met if Lib Dem MPs and peers are to vote in favour of the bill when it is revived in June after the “listening exercise”. Lamb, the former Lib Dem health spokesman, demanded changes to the bill that would abolish primary care trusts and hand 60% of the NHS budget to GP-led consortiums by 2013. They include: • Abandoning the 2013 deadline and adopting an “evolution, not revolution” approach. • Following the school reforms and allowing GPs to opt into consortiums. • Keeping “clusters” of PCTs to observe the “performance management” of GPs. Lamb told the BBC that he accepted reform of the NHS was vital and agreed with handing greater powers to GPs. But he warned that rushed reforms would pose a “financial risk” to the NHS. “My real concern is the financial risk of doing it too quickly, because then you lose services, patient care suffers,” he said. “The financial risk is that at the moment the plan is to transfer responsibility to GP consortiums, new organisations. There’s no evidence about how these organisations will work but they’re supposed to be up and running by April 2013.” Lamb indicated that unless his demands were met the bill would be blocked by Lib Dems. “Let’s stick to the principle, which is really good, but let’s not destroy it by getting the process wrong,” he said. “This package is not going to work unless we can get people on board and that includes addressing the concerns that I’ve raised.” He made it clear that he would resign if he is not happy: “I’ve said that if it’s impossible for me to carry on in my position I will step down. I don’t want to cause embarrassment but I feel very strongly about this issue.” Andrew Lansley, the health secretary who fell out with Lamb before the election during a row over the imposition of a so-called “death tax”, vetoed his appointment as a minister. Lansley will struggle to meet Lamb’s demands because he is likely to feel that allowing GPs to opt into the reforms, in the way that schools can choose to become academies, would risk creating a two-tier health service. Lansley will embark on the latest stage of his listening exercise when he hears from nurses at the Royal College of Nursing annual congress. Dr Peter Carter, chief executive of the RCN, expressed support for Lamb’s criticisms: “Norman Lamb is a man that knows his way round the health service. He has got a huge amount of credibility. The government would do well to be cognisant of what Norman Lamb is saying.” Health policy Health NHS Public sector cuts Public services policy Public finance Nick Clegg Liberal Democrats Liberal-Conservative coalition Nicholas Watt Denis Campbell guardian.co.uk
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Delegation led by South African president Jacob Zuma may also meet rebel leadership in Benghazi as fighting continues Leaders of five African countries arrived in Tripoli on Sunday to meet Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in an attempt to broker a ceasefire and a political resolution to the deadlocked two-month-old conflict. The African Union delegation, led by the South African president, Jacob Zuma, may then fly on to Benghazi, the heartland of the rebels, to press for a diplomatic settlement. The initiative came as Nato air strikes once again pulled the rebels back from the brink of a significant defeat by stalling a government assault on the strategic town of Ajdabiya, the gateway to the revolutionaries’ de facto capital, Benghazi. Air strikes destroyed a total of 25 tanks around Ajdabiya and the besieged western city of Misrata. Nato gave permission for the African leaders’ planes to enter Libyan airspace. The aircraft were the first to land at Tripoli’s Mitiga airport since the international coalition imposed a no-fly zone over the country more than two weeks ago. Several hundred Libyan civilians and military personnel gathered to greet the delegation with an eclectic mix of tribal singing and dancing, bagpipes, brass band and the ubiquitous loyalist chant of ” Allah, Muammar, Libya wa bas [that's all we need]“. Zuma, who arrived aboard a South African air force plane, made no comment before leaving in an armoured convoy. Earlier, a statement from the African Union delegation said its objective was to bring military operations in Libya to an end and to mediate between the regime and the opposition on a political resolution. “We hope that mediation will lead to a constructive dialogue for a political settlement of the crisis based on the aspirations of the Libyan people,” said the Mauritanian president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. The other members of the team are the presidents of Congo-Brazzaville and Mali and the Ugandan foriegn minister. The African Union initiative follows a proposal last week by the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for a three-point plan covering a ceasefire, political negotiations and a humanitarian corridor. However, opposition forces insist they will not consider any political deal that involves Gaddafi or members of his family retaining power. Proposals put forward by the regime so far have included Gaddafi or one of his sons overseeing political change in Libya. It is far from clear how this gap could be bridged. Nato said its forces destroyed 11 tanks around Ajdabiya and 14 tanks on the outskirts of Misrata, the sole rebel-dominated town in the west of the country, host to fierce fighting for about six weeks. “The situation in Ajdabiya and Misrata in particular is desperate for those Libyans who are being brutally shelled by the [Gaddafi] regime,” said Lieutenant General Charles Bouchard, the Canadian commander of Nato’s Libya operations. A Red Cross ship docked in Misrata at the weekend, bringing medical supplies to civilians in the besieged port city, about 100 miles from Tripoli. The Libyan government has refused to take journalists based in the capital into Misrata, citing safety reasons, but civilians and doctors by phone have described coming under attack from shelling and sniper fire. Many of the victims are reported to be children. Last week, Nato said Misrata was its “number one priority”. The air strikes on Ajdabiya, 90 miles from Benghazi, helped reverse days of setbacks for the rebels which saw Gaddafi’s forces fight their way in to the heart of the town on Saturday. Shelling around the southern entrance to Ajdabiya could be heard on Sunday morning but it died away in the afternoon following the air strikes. Among the vehicles hit were six carrying government soldiers. Their charred bodies were scattered around the still burning vehicles a few hours later. “Nato has to do this to help us every single day. That is the only way we are going to win this war,” a 25-year-old rebel, Tarek Obeidy, told Reuters while standing over the bodies. The rebels said government forces shot down a Russian-made helicopter sent into the fight by the rebels two days earlier. Nato forced a MiG jet fighting for the rebels to land because of the UN-imposed no-fly zone. Many areas were deserted after civilians fled the prospect of Gaddafi’s troops taking it for a second time in as many weeks. Thousands of rounds of discarded bullet casings marked the site of some of the most intense fighting over the weekend. The sudden change in the rebels’ fortunes once again demonstrated how reliant they are on Nato air strikes to hold off government assaults. Nato faced humiliation if Gaddafi’s army forced its way through Ajdabiya once again and threatened Benghazi, the city the western allies launched the first air strikes to defend. Rebel defences around Benghazi are little in evidence, other than a line of artillery about 15 miles from the city. Libyan officials said that the regime was preparing a new constitution, although failed to give details or say whether Gaddafi would retain power. One official, Ibrahim Moukhzam, said: “Constitutions are not designed to fit around individuals. They are designed to serve the nation and any citizen can find a place for them in this constitution. “Muammar Gaddafi as a Libyan individual can find his place in the constitution. The vast majority of people want him to stay. He is a symbol. He has many jobs and tasks.” Asked if it would be a presidential republic or another political system, Moukhzam said it would be a “Libyan version”. Gaddafi made his first public appearance in several days at the weekend, visiting a school in Tripoli where he was greeted by chanting and ululating supporters. Meanwhile, three western journalists are believed to be in the custody of the regime after being detained by government forces near Brega, in the east of the country, last week. A photographer for the Associated Press, who was missing after becoming separated from colleagues near Ajdabiya on Saturday, has been found. Libya Middle East Arab and Middle East unrest African Union Jacob Zuma Nato Muammar Gaddafi Harriet Sherwood Chris McGreal guardian.co.uk
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Dead authors are still making a fortune, while John Grisham and Dan Brown lead the US rankings Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, has beaten Agatha Christie to the title of most successful – and highest earning – British crime writer of all time. The first crime writers rich list, prepared for the crime drama digital TV channel Alibi , is based on recorded sales, box office returns, licence fees and company accounts. It reveals that many dead writers, including Fleming and Christie, live on as flourishing brands. It puts Fleming in first place at more than £100m, with more than 100m copies of the Bond books sold worldwide. Christie comes a close second at £100m exactly, including ticket sales from The Mousetrap, the longest running stage play in the world, a fixture in London’s West End since 1952. But both were beaten hands down by the American writers John Grisham, at $600m (£366m), and Dan Brown, at $400m. The richest living British crime author, third behind Fleming and Christie, is Jeffrey Archer, who will launch a five-volume saga, The Clifton Chronicles, this year. He is valued at £70m, but the ranking takes into account his art collection and property, not just sales and royalties. Jack Higgins, a Jersey resident since the success of The Eagle Has Landed in 1975, is in third place at £50m plus, followed by Ken Follett, who is married to the former Labour minister Barbara Follett. Both just beat Dick Francis, the former jockey who was said to be the Queen Mother’s favourite novelist. Francis died last year, but his son Felix promises further books will be published. Labour peer Ruth Rendell, creator of Inspector Wexford, an unusually genial figure for a detective, is estimated at £30m plus and is ranked seventh, followed by Ian Rankin, creator of the more typically glum Rebus, at £25m. Colin Dexter, creator of Inspector Morse, just missed the top 10, with a fortune estimated at £20m. The channel is launching a competition for aspiring new crimewriters, who can win a holiday in Sweden, home of the most miserable of all the gloomy detectives, Wallander. The top 10 UK crime authors Ian Fleming £100m+ Agatha Christie £100m Jeffrey Archer £70m Jack Higgins £50m+ Ken Follett £50m Dick Francis, just under £50m Ruth Rendell £30m+ Lee Child £30m Ian Rankin £25m Alexander McCall Smith £20m Top 10 US crime writers John Grisham $600m Dan Brown $400m Patricia Cornwell $300m+ Robert Ludlum $300m Michael Crichton $300m Michael Connelly $250m Thomas Harris $150m Elmore Leonard $100m Ed McBain $75m James Ellroy $50m Crime fiction Fiction Agatha Christie Dan Brown Ian Rankin Jeffrey Archer John Grisham Ian Fleming Ken Follett Ruth Rendell Maev Kennedy guardian.co.uk
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Aintree to review safety after two horses died following race in sweltering heat and over firmer ground than usual The Grand National has been compared to “Spanish bullfighting” and its organisers accused of “ritualised animal cruelty” after Saturday’s race in sweltering heat and firmer than usual ground left two horses dead and the winning animal too exhausted to be ridden into the winner’s enclosure. The annual controversy over the dangers of the meeting intensified further after a jockey riding in the Maghull Novices’ Chase – a race that did not feature the National fences – was put in a medically-induced coma after sustaining head injuries when his horse fell at the first fence earlier on Saturday. The National, run over ground officially described as “good, good-to-soft in places”, was won by Ballabriggs in nine minutes and one second, making it the second fastest ever. The speed at which the horses travelled increased the likelihood of injuries. Only 19 of the 40 horses that started the race finished it. Ten fell; five were pulled up; four unseated their riders; and two were brought down by other fallers. The two horses that died fell during the first circuit of the four-and-a-half-mile race. Ornais tumbled at the fourth fence, breaking its neck, while Dooneys Gate fell at the sixth, Becher’s Brook, breaking its back. Their falls led to both fences being bypassed in the second circuit, the first time such action has been taken in the history of the Grand National. The race also appeared to have taken a heavy toll on Ballabriggs, which was given oxygen and doused with water to cool it down. Its rider, Jason Maguire, had to dismount and enter the winner’s enclosure on foot. Three of the first four horses to finish were too exhausted to enter the winners’ enclosure and went directly to their stables. The protest group Animal Aid, which pointed out that 20 horses have died on the Grand National course since 2000, called for the event to be banned, saying it “should have no future in a civilised country”. Its director, Andrew Tyler, said: “When horses are killed at the Grand National meeting, their deaths are not accidents but entirely predictable. The public has been conned into believing that the Grand National is a great sporting spectacle when, in reality, it is straightforward animal abuse that is on a par with Spanish bullfighting.” The League Against Cruel Sports described the race as “ritualised animal cruelty” and accused its sponsor, brewers John Smith’s, of putting “their profits into sponsoring the cruelty”. Tony Moore, chairman of Fight Against Animal Cruelty in Europe (Faace), said the deaths were “not only sad … [but] inevitable”, adding: “We are going to continue campaigning and raising awareness of this tragedy and perhaps we can make it change, make people think about what they are putting the horses through.” The BBC also came in for criticism for its coverage of the animals’ deaths after its commentator, Mick Fitzgerald, referred to the dead horses as “obstacles”. “[It] deserves special condemnation for all but concealing news of the deaths,” said Tyler. “In fact, one of its commentary team described the dead horses as they lay on the course as ‘obstacles’, which was particularly disgusting and callous.” The corporation defended its coverage, saying it had been aware of the fatalities and had tried to cover them with “as much sensitivity as possible”. A spokeswoman added: “Clare [Balding] was also most sensitive in her reporting of the incidents and even touched on it in her closing links to the programme.” The race’s organisers said they were “desperately sad” over what had happened and promised a thorough review of Saturday’s events. “When a horse gets hurt, everyone is deeply upset,” said Julian Thick, managing director of Aintree racecourse. “Safety is the first priority for the organisers of the Grand National meeting and we will redouble our efforts to make sure that everyone involved in the event – the horses, the jockeys, the spectators – is able to participate in safety and comfort.” The RSPCA confirmed that it would be taking a close look at the race footage to see if anything could have been done to prevent the deaths. “The death of a horse at any race meeting is never justifiable and it is crucial that, wherever possible, steps are taken to reduce the likelihood of such tragedies occurring,” said a spokeswoman. “The Grand National is the most testing of races and due to the number of runners, the distance of the race and the number and variety of obstacles there is a higher risk to horses.” Meanwhile, the jockey who suffered bleeding on the right side of his brain when his horse fell in the Maghull Novices’ Chase on Saturday remained in a stable condition. Peter Toole, 22, was taken to Fazakerley hospital, near Aintree, but was later transferred to the neighbouring Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery. Trainer Charlie Mann, to whom Toole is attached, said: “He’s in an induced coma and he won’t be brought out until Monday at the earliest. He has bleeding on the right-hand side of his brain. “He also dislocated a shoulder, which has been put back in place. He’s on a ventilator, and it’s not great – but we won’t know any more until Monday.”His weighing-room colleague David Crosse added: “I’ve spoken to Peter’s dad, who said he remains stable, but with no improvement. He’s going to be sedated for 24 hours.” Grand National Horse racing Grand National 2011 Animal welfare Animals BBC Sam Jones guardian.co.uk
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Obama professor among 250 experts who have signed letter condemning humiliation of alleged WikiLeaks source More than 250 of America’s most eminent legal scholars have signed a letter protesting against the treatment in military prison of the alleged WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning, contesting that his “degrading and inhumane conditions” are illegal, unconstitutional and could even amount to torture. The list of signatories includes Laurence Tribe, a Harvard professor who is considered to be America’s foremost liberal authority on constitutional law. He taught constitutional law to Barack Obama and was a key backer of his 2008 presidential campaign. Tribe joined the Obama administration last year as a legal adviser in the justice department, a post he held until three months ago. He told the Guardian he signed the letter because Manning appeared to have been treated in a way that “is not only shameful but unconstitutional” as he awaits court martial in Quantico marine base in Virginia. The US soldier has been held in the military brig since last July, charged with multiple counts relating to the leaking of thousands of embassy cables and other secret documents to the WikiLeaks website. Under the terms of his detention, he is kept in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day, checked every five minutes under a so-called “prevention of injury order” and stripped naked at night apart from a smock. Tribe said the treatment was objectionable “in the way it violates his person and his liberty without due process of law and in the way it administers cruel and unusual punishment of a sort that cannot be constitutionally inflicted even upon someone convicted of terrible offences, not to mention someone merely accused of such offences”. The harsh restrictions have been denounced by a raft of human rights groups, including Amnesty International, and are being investigated by the United Nations’ rapporteur on torture. Tribe is the second senior figure with links to the Obama administration to break ranks over Manning. Last month, PJ Crowley resigned as state department spokesman after deriding the Pentagon’s handling of Manning as “ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid”. The intervention of Tribe and hundreds of other legal scholars is a huge embarrassment to Obama, who was a professor of constitutional law in Chicago. Obama made respect for the rule of law a cornerstone of his administration, promising when he first entered the White House in 2009 to end the excesses of the Bush administration’s war on terrorism. As commander in chief, Obama is ultimately responsible for Manning’s treatment at the hands of his military jailers. In his only comments on the matter so far, Obama has insisted that the way the soldier was being detained was “appropriate and meets our basic standards”. The protest letter , published in the New York Review of Books, was written by two distinguished law professors, Bruce Ackerman of Yale and Yochai Benkler of Harvard. They claim Manning’s reported treatment is a violation of the US constitution, specifically the eighth amendment forbidding cruel and unusual punishment and the fifth amendment that prevents punishment without trial. In a stinging rebuke to Obama, they say “he was once a professor of constitutional law, and entered the national stage as an eloquent moral leader. The question now, however, is whether his conduct as commander in chief meets fundamental standards of decency”. Benkler told the Guardian: “It is incumbent on us as citizens and professors of law to say that enough is enough. We cannot allow ourselves to behave in this way if we want America to remain a society dedicated to human dignity and process of law.” He said Manning’s conditions were being used “as a warning to future whistleblowers” and added: ” I find it tragic that it is Obama’s administration that is pursuing whistleblowers and imposing this kind of treatment.” Ackerman pointed out that under the Pentagon’s own rule book, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Manning’s jailers could be liable to prosecution for abusing him. Article 93 of the code says “any person who is guilty of cruelty toward any person subject to his orders shall be punished”. The list of professors who have signed the protest letter includes leading figures from all the top US law schools, as well as prominent names from other academic fields. Among them are Bill Clinton’s former labour secretary Robert Reich, President Theodore Roosevelt’s great-great-grandson Kermit Roosevelt, the former president of the American Civil Liberties Union Norman Dorsen and the novelist Kwame Anthony Appiah. Bradley Manning WikiLeaks United States US constitution and civil liberties Ed Pilkington guardian.co.uk
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Party’s biggest donor – who vanished with £20m – believed to be living under false name in tropical hideaway The international confidence trickster who gave £2.4m of fraudulently obtained money to the Liberal Democrats is believed to be hiding in the Caribbean with access to a multimillion pound stolen fortune, inquiries by the Guardian have found. Michael Brown, a 44-year-old Glasgow-born fugitive and the party’s most generous donor, has been living under a false British identity and moved between tropical islands as recently as last year, according to private investigators. He disappeared in June 2008 while awaiting trial for false accounting and theft and was sentenced in his absence to seven years in jail. Police believe he has escaped with up to £20m of stolen money after analysing bank accounts attached to his fraudulent company, 5th Avenue Partners. Such a sum would buy access to private planes, yachts and protection, allowing Brown to live in luxury and move between islands at will. The disclosures are the latest developments in a saga which has dogged the Lib Dems since they accepted the donation six years ago. It has led to demands from Brown’s victims – who are still owed millions of pounds – for the cash to be returned by Nick Clegg. Sir Alistair Graham, who was chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life when the £2.4m donation was received, suggested that the party’s grandees could devise a strategy to make incremental payments to Brown’s victims. “This does provide a problem for the Liberal Democrats. The public will have many questions about their integrity in these matters particularly when some individuals are suffering as a result of the fraud perpetrated by this man. “While we have to be realistic – the Lib Dems are a members of a relatively small party and do not have this kind of money to hand – it may be time for the party’s leaders to make a long term plan to return this money,” he said. City of London police also believe he has been helped by at least one accomplice to go on the run. Detective Superintendent Bob Wishart, who is leading the review of the case, said that his whereabouts remain a top priority for the force: “We believe that he has fled the country, likely with assistance, and has considerable assets at his disposal, but that does not diminish our desire to see him face justice. Our aim remains for him to be returned to the UK to serve his prison sentence. We urge anyone with information to come forward.” Brown, the son of a whisky executive, appeared to come from nowhere when he approached the Lib Dems with a donation in early 2005. He was not registered to vote, lived in Mallorca and had never been a party member, but offered a huge sum to the then leader Charles Kennedy weeks before a general election campaign. The money was spent on advertising. Four months after the party celebrated its most successful election since the war, Brown was arrested over suspicions that he was engaged in a high yield fraud. A court subsequently concluded that he had donated money to the Lib Dems to give himself an air of respectability while defrauding investors. Brown was accused of stealing nearly £50m from four investors, including £11m from Martin Edwards, the former Manchester United chairman. He convinced potential “clients” that he was a highly educated member of the landed gentry who would use US security services to vet potential investors. The reality was that he had few qualifications, had run a string of failed businesses and was subject to an outstanding warrant for cheque fraud in Florida. He had spent the proceeds of his crimes on a life of luxury. He owned a jet – in which he flew Kennedy and other Lib Dem officials across the UK – a Bentley and a yacht, and rented an office in Mayfair. His sprawling Mallorcan mansion was close to a holiday home of the model Claudia Schiffer and he would entertain friends with an outside cinema. Awaiting trial in June 2008, Brown jumped bail while living in Hampstead. Weeks earlier, he changed his name to Campbell-Brown on bank documents and the electoral roll. Neighbours said he had grown a full grey beard and applied for credit cards using his new name before going on the run. Since then, private detectives working for two of Brown’s creditors have claimed that someone using the name Campbell-Brown has used credit cards on at least two Caribbean islands. Sources close to the investigators have confirmed that Brown is still believed to be moving between islands in the Caribbean, but has adopted another UK identity. City of London police launched their review of Brown’s case last year. About £36m of stolen money had passed through the bank accounts of 5th Avenue, but so far only £16m has been recovered or accounted for. Officers believe he has access to “substantial” funds. Brown has also been placed on Crimewatch’s Most Wanted list where he is described as 1.9 metres (6ft 2in), heavily built with a round face and greying hair. Detectives have approached a number of his former associates for information. A newly-ennobled Lib Dem befriended by Brown has been assisting police, a party source has confirmed. Lord Strasburger, a retired Bath-based businessman who was elevated to the House of Lords in January, put up £250,000 for Brown’s bail money as well as paying for most of Brown’s legal fees. With his wife Evelyn, he has donated more than £760,000 to the Lib Dems over the past six years. Strasburger said through a party spokesman that he has co-operated fully with the police. “Without going into specific figures, it is true that I lost out financially in the Michael Brown case,” he added. An inquiry by the Electoral Commission, the political donations watchdog, cleared the Lib Dems of any wrongdoing in 2009 on the grounds that Brown’s company was a permissible donor when it gave the donation, and that the party had acted in good faith. But Brown’s victims continue to call for the party to return their stolen cash. Robert Mann, the US tax attorney whose $5m (£3m) investment with Brown provided a proportion of the Lib Dem donation, said he hoped the renewed police investigation would shame Clegg in to authorising repayments. “I hope that everyone involved in this travesty will ultimately do the honourable and right thing,” he said. Crime Liberal Democrats Rajeev Syal guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Mike Huckabee Claims That Planned Parenthood is ‘Primarily An Abortion Provider’
April 10, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media Even after Jon Kyl was forced to admit he had his numbers wrong on Planned Parenthood the other day, it looks like HuckaJesus is still out there flogging the lie that Planned Parenthood is “primarily an abortion provider.” After the Fox & Friends host Alisyn Camerota reminds him that Planned Parenthood’s numbers on that are only 3%, instead of admitting he’s wrong, Huckabee says he’s like to see them audited to prove it. h/t Media Matters
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• Click refresh to update or click the auto-update button • Email your thoughts to scott.murray@guardian.co.uk • Read Lawrence Donegan’s day three report • Official Masters leaderboard • A golf tome you may like (but I would say that) 6.35pm: Dustin Johnson, tipped by many to do well this weekend on account of his searing talent, although only by those who didn’t factor in his ability to implode on a regular basis, has been uncharacteristically steady today: six pars followed by a birdie on 7. He’s -2 for the tournament. “Forget green jackets for a sec, some Scots Green Battle Fever is on,” writes Greig Aitken, and he’s not talking about Martin Laird. “The Scottish Greens launched their election broadcast online today, featuring among others a Jock Wallace sound-a-like discussing Donald Trump’s Aberdeenshire golf abomination.” I’ve had a wee look further down Greig’s email, and it turns out he’s a press officer for the aforementioned envoronmentally friendly clique, and this is crowbarring of the most shameless order. But it does give me an excuse to link to this , without waiting for somebody to toss their wedge at their caddy after chipping into Rae’s Creek from a bunker at 12, so I’ll let that slide. 6.25pm: Not a huge sample, admittedly, but no amazing scoring out there yet, which suggests the course is set up to give up as few birdies as possible. I’m hoping the pins aren’t too tight today: there’s nothing like witnessing a few charges on Masters Sunday. All good news for McIlroy, though, providing he doesn’t implode himself. 6.20pm: Trevor Immelman was as steady as they come in 2008, leading from beginning to end, but today he’s anything but: a run between holes 3 and 7 of birdie, bogey, bogey, birdie, birdie to find himself one under for the day, and -2 for the tournament. Justin Rose, who came so close here in 2007 before falling away at the death, has started smoothly enough, though: he’s birdied 2 and is alongside Immelman at -2 on the scoreboard through 5. 6.10pm: Villegas bucks his ideas up with a birdie at 9. Meanwhile the first-day co-leader, Alvaro Quiros, has opened with a bogey. He’s +3 for the 1st hole this week. That opening-day 65 remains the only time he’s broken par at Augusta in three visits, having followed it up this time round with 73 and 75. 6pm: One player who started the tournament well, only to fall away dismally, was Camilo Villegas. He started out with a 70, before carding 75 and 73, and today he’s +3 for his round through 8, with only Kim Kyung-tae below him on the leaderboard. For some reason I’ve had him suspended in amber for the last few years in my mind: I thought he was in his early 20s, but he’s 29 now! Three top-ten major finishes doesn’t seem much of a return for his talent, especially as he was never really in the running for any of those tournaments (the 2008 US Open and PGA, and last year’s PGA). I suppose being constantly voted the sexiest player on tour by the readers of glossy magazines is fair compensation, though. Tiger must be awfully jealous. 5.50pm: Ishikawa’s double-bogeyed the par-three 4th to drop back to level par for the day, -1 for the tournament. The main movers now are Justin Rose and Ryan Moore, who are both -1 today through 3, -2 overall, and Brandt Snedeker and Jim Furyk, good Scrabble hands who have both birdied 2 and are -3 for this year’s Masters. “Where on the leaderboard is the 31-year-old American with a bad shirt, terrible sunglasses and all the conversational verve of a mormon insurance salesman on a twelve-step programme who’s going to nick this?” asks Jon Millard, who I’m sensing hasn’t got over Zach Johnson’s victory in 2007 yet. Then again, who has? 5.40pm. In lieu of anything interesting to report at this early stage, some music: “Awww-gusta I love you but you’re bringing me down…” 5.30pm: So, let’s get on with it. A couple of minor moves down in the nether regions of the leaderboard. The heroic Ryo Ishikawa has eagled the 2nd to move to -3 for the tournament. Sergio Garcia, meanwhile, has dropped a shot, need we tell you. He’s level par for the championship through 4. I wonder whether he’ll ever win a major? Actually, no I don’t. I know the answer to that one. It’s the final round of the Masters, everyone! Hee heeeeeeeeeee! IT IS ON!!! Some selected times, in the UK money: Justin Rose is off at 5.10pm, Ian Poulter at 5.30pm, Lee Westwood at 6pm, Lefty at 6.10pm, the amateur Hideki Matsuyama at 6.20pm, Tiger at 6.40pm, Freddie Couples at 6.50pm, Bubba and Ross Fisher at 7pm, Luke at 7.10pm, and the final pairings: 7.20pm – Jason Day and Adam Scott 7.30pm – Charl Schwartzel and KJ Choi 7.40pm – Rory McIlroy and Angel Cabrera Other golf players are available, of course. And there’s a selection of fine fellows who, should McIlroy not make it, would also be worthy Masters champions. Angel Cabrera, Tiger Woods and Fred Couples, the only men with a realistic shout who’ve been there, got the jacket. The Korean pair KJ Choi and YE Yang. The talented Charl Schwartzel. The Aussie pairing of Jason Day and Adam Scott. Golf’s Mr Beige Nice, Luke Donald, and his British compatriots Ross Fisher and Martin Laird. Bubba Watson, Bo Van Pelt, Matt Kuchar, Ryan Palmer, Phil Mickelso… I’m just typing out the entire field now. Whatever happens, it’s going to be a very enjoyable afternoon’s golf, is what I’m trying to say. A very enjoyable afternoon’s golf indeed. Rory, then, if history teaches us anything, will need to keep going with the positive approach he’s displayed all week. Tee to green, he’s been in a league of his own. It’s no exaggeration to say that, had his putter been hot this week, his current lead could be double figures. If he keeps hitting the approaches he’s been hitting, this should be a done deal. But he’ll have to stay firm with the putter, and there have been times (especially on Friday) when he’s been wafting it around like a divining rod. Still, no great disasters with it yet, but the pressure’s going to be unreal now, so hopefully he’ll maintain his mental equilibrium and putt with conviction. It’s nothing he doesn’t already know, of course: after the first round, he spoke of the importance of staying positive and attacking the course whenever possible. It’s an approach that should, all being well, win him the green jacket. God speed, young man. Venturi had a four-shot lead going into that fateful final round, but ended up shooting 80, and was overtaken by Jack Burke Jr, who won by a single stroke. Venturi could cite mitigating circumstances: it was pelting with rain, the wind was blowing a gale, and the lowest scores of the day were a pair of 71s, from Burke and Sam Snead, the only two men in the field to break par. Also, Venturi was, at the time, an amateur (which meant, adding insult to injury, he disappeared back down Magnolia Lane without a dime in his pocket for his troubles). Despite all this, Venturi’s story is probably the most relevant to McIlroy. Because instead of blaming the conditions for his collapse, Venturi would blame his putter. “The mistake I made was consciously trying to two-putt every green and just coast home,” he admitted years later. “I hit 15 greens that day but three-putted six times. The hardest thing in golf is trying to two putt when you have to, because your brain isn’t wired that way. You’re accustomed to trying to make putts, and when you change that mindset, your brain short-circuits, especially under pressure.” There’s an elephant in the room, of course. And there’s no point trying to ignore its brash trumpeting: should Rory fail to seal the deal today, the capitulation would go down as one of the great instances of Masters gift-horse dentistry. There have been 13 previous occasions where the 54-hole leader has held a four-shot advantage or more, and only three men have failed to go on and win. There’s Greg Norman in 1996, of course, who had a six-shot lead over Nick Faldo going into the last day, only to stumble along the first nine before crumbling round Amen Corner and then totally losing his motor skills during a painful traipse home. There was Ed Sneed in 1979, who held a five-shot 54-hole advantage, and was still three ahead with three to play; he bogeyed 16, 17 and 18, then lost a play-off to Fuzzy Zoeller. And then there was Ken Venturi in 1956. Now, if Rory pulls this off, he’ll become the second-youngest Master of all time. He’s 21 years, 11 months and six days old today, a rickety old pensioner compared to Tiger Woods, who was 21 years, three months and four days old when he ran away with the green jacket in 1997. Still, it’d be an amazing record nonetheless. Although not quite as jaw-dropping as the fact that, if he does end the day triumphant, 50% of golf’s current major champions will hail from Northern Ireland. So have the exploits of Rory McIlroy given you Masters Fever? Yes, I thought they would have. Let’s all just try to calm down, and concentrate on what could be a very enjoyable afternoon’s golf. A very enjoyable afternoon’s golf indeed. Masters 2011 Golf The Masters Scott Murray guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Law of Mother Earth expected to prompt radical new conservation and social measures in South American nation Bolivia is set to pass the world’s first laws granting all nature equal rights to humans. The Law of Mother Earth, now agreed by politicians and grassroots social groups, redefines the country’s rich mineral deposits as “blessings” and is expected to lead to radical new conservation and social measures to reduce pollution and control industry. The country, which has been pilloried by the US and Britain in the UN climate talks for demanding steep carbon emission cuts, will establish 11 new rights for nature. They include: the right to life and to exist; the right to continue vital cycles and processes free from human alteration; the right to pure water and clean air; the right to balance; the right not to be polluted; and the right to not have cellular structure modified or genetically altered. Controversially, it will also enshrine the right of nature “to not be affected by mega-infrastructure and development projects that affect the balance of ecosystems and the local inhabitant communities”. “It makes world history. Earth is the mother of all”, said Vice-President Alvaro García Linera. “It establishes a new relationship between man and nature, the harmony of which must be preserved as a guarantee of its regeneration.” The law, which is part of a complete restructuring of the Bolivian legal system following a change of constitution in 2009, has been heavily influenced by a resurgent indigenous Andean spiritual world view which places the environment and the earth deity known as the Pachamama at the centre of all life. Humans are considered equal to all other entities. But the abstract new laws are not expected to stop industry in its tracks. While it is not clear yet what actual protection the new rights will give in court to bugs, insects and ecosystems, the government is expected to establish a ministry of mother earth and to appoint an ombudsman. It is also committed to giving communities new legal powers to monitor and control polluting industries. Bolivia has long suffered from serious environmental problems from the mining of tin, silver, gold and other raw materials. “Existing laws are not strong enough,” said Undarico Pinto, leader of the 3.5m-strong Confederación Sindical Única de Trabajadores Campesinos de Bolivia, the biggest social movement, who helped draft the law. “It will make industry more transparent. It will allow people to regulate industry at national, regional and local levels.” Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca said Bolivia’s traditional indigenous respect for the Pachamama was vital to prevent climate change. “Our grandparents taught us that we belong to a big family of plants and animals. We believe that everything in the planet forms part of a big family. We indigenous people can contribute to solving the energy, climate, food and financial crises with our values,” he said. Little opposition is expected to the law being passed because President Evo Morales’s ruling party, the Movement Towards Socialism, enjoys a comfortable majority in both houses of parliament. However, the government must tread a fine line between increased regulation of companies and giving way to the powerful social movements who have pressed for the law. Bolivia earns $500m (£305m) a year from mining companies which provides nearly one third of the country’s foreign currency. In the indigenous philosophy, the Pachamama is a living being. The draft of the new law states: “She
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