Newsweek Slams ‘Theological Bully’ Franklin Graham, Tilting His Politics ‘Hard to the Right’
May 17, 2011 No CommentNewsweek religion editor Lisa Miller wrote a story on “The Fight Over Billy Graham's Legacy,” but the most notable thing that comes out of it is Miller's loathing of Rev. Franklin Graham (no relation). Miller clearly believes he's mangling his father's moderation, especially when it comes to Islam: Franklin — who’s been accused of being a rhetorical and theological bully , saying, for example, that Islam is “wicked and evil”— agrees with the assessment that he is less gentle than his dad. “We preach the same Gospel,” Franklin says, but “Daddy hates to say no. I can say no.” Franklin adds that he is much more engaged in the day-to-day management of the BGEA than his father ever was, and through the efforts of his humanitarian organization Samaritan’s Purse has much more experience on the front lines of global conflicts, such as those in Rwanda and the Middle East. This perspective, he argues, justifies his harder edge. “I’ve been doing a different kind of ministry,” he says. “That has shaped my views on a lot of things.” To MIller, Franklin Graham was on the “hard right” — possibly because he could be friendly with Sarah Palin. And what of the criticism that Franklin, a Christian minister, takes political sides in a way that his father did not? Billy Graham formed friendships with many politicians, and had intimate (though complex) relationships with both Richard Nixon, a Republican, and Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat. Franklin’s political friendships lean hard to the right. He most recently expressed support for the quixotic presidential candidacy of Donald Trump, telling Christiane Amanpour, “The more you listen to him, the more you say to yourself, you know, maybe the guy is right.” How Donald Trump is “hard to the right” is anyone's guess (but guess that's a birther reference). Franklin Graham also praised Palin and MItt Romney on ABC, so he didn't really “express support” for the Trump candidacy. He just viewed him favorably, and said “sure,” he might support Trump. Miller can whack the “theological bully,” and ignore how he told Amanpour in that interview “I love Muslim people. I don't believe that Mohammed can lead anybody to heaven. I believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the light. That's what I believe.” (Miller probably still finds that exclusive claim to sound like bullying.) She added: “Franklin says the rules of political engagement have changed since his father was a public figure. “It’s sad to see how polarized our nation has become. If a political party doesn’t like you, then they start attacking you,” he says. “I like the president. He’s a nice man. I just disagree—strongly—with the spending that both Republicans and Democrats alike are responsible for. It’s not right.” This is the paragraph where Graham's friendship with Palin was explored: Most of Graham's visitors come through the back door, as it were, arranged by the children as special favors to special friends. As kids, the siblings — Gigi, Anne, Bunny, Franklin, and Ned — bickered ruthlessly, “grumbling, interrupting, slurring each other,” according to their mother's journals. Now they're grown, ranging in age from 53 to 66, but the rivalry continues. As in so many famous families, each child struggles with how best to wear the family name. Franklin, who has a second home in Alaska (and plans to ride his motorcycle there this summer) has long been friendly with Sarah Palin, and in 2009 helped orchestrate a much-publicized visit between the former governor and his father. Palin, who was on her book tour, came with her parents and her aunt Sally, Franklin says, and she brought Billy a Carhartt jacket. “Sarah Palin loves my father, and like a lot of people she grew up watching him on television. It was just family time.” After the visit, Billy Graham released a statement saying, “Sarah and her family will always be welcome in the Graham home.” This bit of stagecraft looked to some like an anointing. To others, it looked like partisan meddling by Franklin . Miller also underlines how Graham's children haven't built lasting marriages like their father, and have addiction problems. This isn't the way, say, the Kennedys are portrayed by Newsweek: Billy Graham has not lived a faultless life, but he did act carefully to protect his legacy and the significance of his reputation. In private, aware of his own human weakness, he instructed his ministry staff never to leave him alone in a room with a woman who was not his wife. In these last years, he speaks frequently of Ruth and of his yearning to go home to heaven to see her. His children have not been so cautious. Bunny, Gigi, and Ned are divorced and remarried. Ned, whose ministry builds and encourages Christianity in China, has spent time in rehab for prescription drugs, and Franklin admits to having had an appetite for alcohol as a younger man. Among Graham’s 19 grandchildren, at least three have become Christian preachers. But according to a 2008 story in The Columbus Dispatch , there has been drug addiction, teenage pregnancy, and eating disorders in that generation as well. Gigi and Ruth have made ministries out of helping families endure such struggles. “I’m just not comfortable being thought of as coming from a wonderful family,” says Gigi. “We’re not exempt from some of the problems that everyone has. We’re empathetic to, sympathetic to, all the problems that people have today. We support one another, love one another when we’re going through some of the things we’re going through.” Franklin sees these family troubles somewhat differently. He and his siblings “don’t see each other that often. I think some of them have made bad choices in life, but I’m responsible for my life. I have to stand before God and give an accounting of my life.” He pauses, then adds, “I love my sisters and would do anything I could to help them.” You're supposed to catch Miller's drift that forgiveness and love doesn't seem to be there for brother Ned. Earlier: NPR Star Terry Gross Horrified at 'Very Extreme' Franklin Graham Ruining U.S. Image Mike Malloy: Franklin Graham Should Blow His Own Brains Out
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Mervyn King predicts more petrol and utility price rises and voices fear for UK’s ability to cope with higher borrowing costs The governor of the Bank of England has warned against raising interest rates, insisting that the strongest inflationary pressures in two and a half years – which saw the cost of living index rise sharply last month from 4% to 4.5% – would prove temporary. In a letter to the chancellor George Osborne, Mervyn King said the Bank expected inflation to slip back towards its official 2% target during 2012 and 2013. Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, was driven up in April by higher air fares during a late Easter, more expensive petrol and energy prices, and the increased cost of drinking and smoking triggered by changes to excise duties in the Budget. King is obliged to write an explanatory letter to the chancellor every three months if inflation is more than one percentage point higher or lower than its target, and yesterday used the sixth since February 2010 to stress that further increases in the cost of living were on the way. “Inflation is likely to rise further over the next few months, as increases in the price of energy are likely to raise petrol prices and make it more likely that there will be substantial increases in utility bills later in the year,” the governor said. King expressed concern about the ability of the UK to cope with higher borrowing costs, noting that economic output was still 4% below its level at the start of the recession in 2008. “Unemployment is high and wage growth is weak at around 2% a year. Money and credit growth are both very low. It is therefore possible that, as the temporary influence of the factors currently pushing up on inflation wanes, these downward pressures … could drag inflation below the target.” He added: “The MPC [monetary policy committee] judges that attempting to bring inflation back to the target quickly risks generating undesirable volatility in output and would increase the chances of undershooting the target in the medium term.” The City said King’s comments suggested the Bank’s nine-strong committee was unlikely to raise interest rates in the near future. This view was reinforced by testimony given by the MPC’s new member, Ben Broadbent, to the Commons Treasury committee. Broadbent has replaced the MPC’s strongest supporter of higher interest rates, Andrew Sentance, but the former Goldman Sachs economist told MPs he saw little risk of a wage-price spiral developing. Osborne accepted the Bank’s explanation that higher inflation had been caused by a combination of the increase in VAT to 20%, the increased cost of imports caused by the depreciation of sterling, and rising global commodity prices. “I recognise the opposing risks to inflation are material, particularly given the recent volatility in energy and commodity prices,” he replied to King. “I welcome the MPC’s continued commitment to respond flexibly to the economic outlook and to set policy to balance the upside and downside risks in order to meet the inflation target in the medium term.” Angela Eagle MP, the shadow Treasury chief secretary, said: “Millions of people on low and middle incomes are being squeezed from every direction by rising prices made worse by the Tory VAT rise.” The ONS said prices rose by 1% last month compared to 0.6% in April 2010. Officials said 0.4 percentage points of the increase had resulted from the timing of Easter, with airlines putting up their fares during the holiday. Andrew Smith, chief economist at accountants KPMG, said: “The increase is again due to ‘temporary’ factors, but with inflation heading to 5% the doves on the MPC will need strong nerves. The picture is still of a fragile underlying economy and with austerity measures now starting to bite, a rise in interest rates could be the undoing of the recovery.” Viewpoint, page 24 → Interest rates Inflation Bank of England Mervyn King Economic growth (GDP) Economics Economic policy Larry Elliott guardian.co.uk
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Deputy PM faces widespread hostility from Tories and Labour in pushing through elected second chamber A fightback by Nick Clegg ran into trouble on Tuesday when the deputy prime minister faced Tory and Labour hostility bordering on contempt in both houses of parliament as he vowed to push through an elected second chamber by 2015. In a sign of the bruising battle awaiting Clegg as he seeks to rejuvenate his leadership after an overwhelming defeat in the AV referendum, the Tory cabinet minister charged with selling the Lords reform plans cast doubt over the deputy prime minister’s timetable. Lord Strathclyde, who has privately left Tory peers in no doubt of his scepticism about Clegg’s plans to ensure that at least 80% of the upper house is elected, indicated that a parliamentary bill may not be introduced before the next general election. “If a bill came forward it would be a government bill and it would be treated as such,” Strathclyde said, appearing to cast doubt on the timetable. The intervention by the leader of the Lords, who joked with Tory peers as they tore into Clegg’s plans during an hour-long statement in the upper house, flew in the face of a commitment from David Cameron at Tuesday’s meeting of the cabinet. The prime minister, who said before the election that he regarded Lords reform as a third-term priority, was strongly supported by George Osborne as he said that he wanted to see the first elections to the reformed upper house by 2015. Cameron demonstrated his support for Clegg by sitting at his side in the Commons as the deputy prime minister unveiled his plans which contained two key elements: • A draft House of Lords reform bill that would slash the membership of the upper house from 789 to 300, of whom 80% would be elected by proportional representation via the single transferable vote. Members would each be eligible for a single term of 15 years on a non-renewable mandate. The elected peers would be phased in though three tranches starting in 2015, with 100 peers elected on each occasion. The 80% figure is a compromise between the Lib Dem manifesto, which called for a “fully elected” second chamber, and the Tory manifesto which called for a “mainly elected” one. • A white paper containing proposals for a 100% elected upper house, the Lib Dems’ preferred option. This is designed to win support from Labour which called in its manifesto for a “fully elected second chamber”, to be introduced in stages. Clegg, who promised that both proposals would be scrutinised by a cross-party committee of MPs and peers over the next year, said: “The prime minister and I are clear – we want the first elections to the reformed upper chamber to take place in 2015. But, while we know what we want to achieve, we are open-minded about how we get there. Clearly our fixed goal is greater democratic legitimacy for the other place but we will be pragmatic in order to achieve it.” He pointed out that all three parties had backed a wholly or mainly elected Lords and claimed he would use all the legislative tools at his disposal to realise the manifesto commitment of all three parties. Clegg’s remarks suggest he wants to whip the changes through parliament, and is willing even to use the Parliament Act of 1949, which would allow the government to force through a bill against opposition from the Lords. A previous judicial ruling in 2005 by Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers suggested the use of the parliament act may be constrained, on fundamental constitutional changes, indicating the plans could become bogged down in the courts. But Clegg struggled in the Commons to win any support for his reforms from Tory MPs, many of whom regard the plans as irrelevant, time-consuming and from the same political stable that proposed the disastrous alternative vote referendum. One Labour MP, David Winnick, said he had never seen a government proposal met with less enthusiasm from its own side. The shadow justice secretary Sadiq Khan described the plans as an anti-climax, and said it would be wrong to introduce the reforms without a referendum. Khan won cheers from Tory MPs when he said: “These proposals risk being a dog’s dinner with nobody happy at the outcome, not even the Lib Dem activists he is trying to appease.” A succession of Conservative MPs challenged Clegg. Bernard Jenkin said the plans came from the same discredited roadshow that had brought he referendum on AV. Clegg himself produced cheers across the Commons benches when he admitted his plans were not top of the public’s concerns. At the same time he said a more democratic second chamber would help improve constituents’ practical concerns such as schools and hospitals. The deputy prime minister, who had hoped to complete the unfinished business of the 1911 Parliament Act which first raised the prospect of an elected upper house, admitted that he had had to dilute his plans. “Personally I have always supported 100% elected but the key thing is not to make the best the enemy of the good. That approach has stymied Lords reform for too long. Surely at the end of the day we can all agree that 80% is better than 0%.” Strathclyde expressed strong support for the reforms as he repeated Clegg’s statement in the Lords. But he then delighted Tory sceptics as he joked that he was no expert on PR elections, adding that Clegg was “very keen” on the idea. The Lords leader appeared to set himself at odds with Clegg by declining to say whether an elected chamber would be an improvement. “Would it make things better is a good philosophical question which is very hard to answer. I dare say some things might be better, some things might be worse. But overall when the second chamber took a decision with the backing of the electorate, that would be more authoritative.” Strathclyde indicated that the joint committee that will examine the proposals would be in no rush. “I hope it will do so in a most realistic way. Everything that I have heard this afternoon leads me to believe that the joint committee will have plenty of work to do,” he said. The cross-party attacks on Clegg’s plans, which follow Cameron’s declaration that he will take the lead on amending the government’s NHS reforms, will raise questions about the deputy prime minister’s ability to rebuild his party after the Lib Dems’ electoral setbacks. Clegg is keen to take a lead on promoting the government’s plans on tackling social mobility.In his statement Clegg said he proposes to reduce the number of bishops, all from the Church of England from 26 to 12. Ministers could also be appointed to the second chamber by the prime minister. He claimed elections to the second chamber under STV, “are cast for individuals rather than parties, putting the emphasis on the expertise and experience candidates offer, rather than the colour of the rosette they wear”. This would help give greater independence from party control, Clegg said. He said he will leave it to the second chamber to decide how to select who to phase out its existing members, but one idea is for a lottery in each party. A joint committee of 13 MPs and 13 peers on which the coalition will consider the draft bill published yesterday. The committee with a government majority will report early next year. He stressed “while we know what we want to achieve we are open minded about about how we get there. Clearly our fixed goal is greater democratic legitimacy for the other place but we will be pragmatic in order to achieve it”. He faced scepticism when he denied a more democratic second chamber would not also seek to gather greater powers and not remain as at present a subservient revising chamber. “The Commons will retain ultimate say over legislation through the Parliament Acts. “It will continue to have a decisive right over the vote of supply. In order for a Government to remain in office, it will still need to secure the confidence of MPs. “The other place will continue to be a revising chamber, providing scrutiny and expertise. “Its size, electoral cycle, voting system, and terms will all help keep it distinct from the Commons – a place that remains one step removed from the day-to-day party politics that, quite rightly, animates this House. “What will be different is that our second chamber will finally have a democratic mandate. It will be much more accountable as a result.” In the Lords crossbench peers’ convenor Baroness D’Souza said: “I would be much more in favour of abolishing the House of Lords altogether and appointing external scrutiny committees than having an elected chamber. “I cannot be convinced that an elected House would be able to do its work better than it does so at present.” Constitutional reform House of Lords Nick Clegg Conservatives Liberal Democrats Patrick Wintour Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk
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It’s good to be managing director of the International Monetary Fund. Until you’re caught up in an unsavory sex scandal. As one of the IMF’s top officials, France’s Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been riding high for years (largely on the tax dollars from developed countries). Just look at the hotel he stayed at on May 14
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TV presenter’s lawyers announce legal proceedings three days after Sienne Miller accepted £100,000 in damages Ulrika Jonsson has become the latest high-profile figure to announce their intention to take legal proceedings against the News of the World over alleged phone hacking. Making the announcement, the law firm Mishcon de Reya confirmed that the television presenter will be represented by media law specialist Charlotte Harris, who is also acting for Sky Sports commentator Sky Andrew, actor Leslie Ash, and several MPs. The announcement comes three days after actor Sienna Miller accepted £100,000 in damages and an unconditional admission from the News of the World that it had used information from eavesdropped voicemails to publish articles on her relationship with Jude Law. Last month News International, which owns the News of the World, admitted liability over a number of phone-hacking cases involving the paper, and set up a compensation scheme to deal with “justifiable claims”. It is estimated that £20m has been earmarked for payouts. A number of other high-profile names, including former culture secretary Tessa Jowell, have received apologies from the paper. Since January, when the Metropolitan police reopened its inquiry into claims that staff hacked into the messages of celebrities and politicians, three News of the World journalists have been arrested. Scotland Yard has endured repeated criticism over its handling of the original phone-hacking inquiry, which led to the conviction of News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire in 2007. Phone hacking News of the World Newspapers & magazines News International guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …TV presenter’s lawyers announce legal proceedings three days after Sienne Miller accepted £100,000 in damages Ulrika Jonsson has become the latest high-profile figure to announce their intention to take legal proceedings against the News of the World over alleged phone hacking. Making the announcement, the law firm Mishcon de Reya confirmed that the television presenter will be represented by media law specialist Charlotte Harris, who is also acting for Sky Sports commentator Sky Andrew, actor Leslie Ash, and several MPs. The announcement comes three days after actor Sienna Miller accepted £100,000 in damages and an unconditional admission from the News of the World that it had used information from eavesdropped voicemails to publish articles on her relationship with Jude Law. Last month News International, which owns the News of the World, admitted liability over a number of phone-hacking cases involving the paper, and set up a compensation scheme to deal with “justifiable claims”. It is estimated that £20m has been earmarked for payouts. A number of other high-profile names, including former culture secretary Tessa Jowell, have received apologies from the paper. Since January, when the Metropolitan police reopened its inquiry into claims that staff hacked into the messages of celebrities and politicians, three News of the World journalists have been arrested. Scotland Yard has endured repeated criticism over its handling of the original phone-hacking inquiry, which led to the conviction of News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire in 2007. Phone hacking News of the World Newspapers & magazines News International guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Suspected member of child trafficking gang jailed for £800,000 benefits fraud
May 17, 2011 No Comment
• Romanian masterminded fraud targeting state handouts • Crime ring’s haul enriched Romanian town of Tandarei A leading member of a Romanian criminal gang, which is believed by police to be responsible for trafficking 181 children to Britain, has been jailed for conspiracy to defraud the benefits system. Telus Dumitru, 36, was sentenced to four years and eight months in jail after pleading guilty to masterminding a £800,000 fraud involving UK housing benefit, tax credits, income support and child benefit. Dumitru is believed by police to be the most senior UK-based figure so far brought to justice from a Roma gang from south-east Romania whose members are accused of trafficking children who then beg and steal across the south of England. Seven other gang members from near the small town of Tandarei were also sentenced at Southwark crown court, while 26 more remain on trial in Romania on charges of trafficking children into the UK for the purpose of forced criminality, money laundering, membership of a criminal gang and, in some cases, firearms offences. “This was a large-scale fraud which deliberately targeted the benefits system,” said Judge Stone QC. “I regard it as a serious matter that the UK benefits system was targeted from abroad in a sophisticated way.” Dumitru was “the central figure” in the operation, the judge said, in a scheme that sent large sums back to Tandarei by money transfer or cash, or via wired sterling accounts in Romania. The town has been transformed by the proceeds of the organised crime ring. Previously rundown areas in Tandarei have prospered and gang members have built dozens of new marble-floored mansions and bought luxury cars. Southwark crown court heard that Dumitru “controlled and directed” the benefit fraud activities of at least seven other adult Romanians in the UK who were linked by blood or marriage. Sentencing Dumitru’s wife, Ramona, 33, to 20 months’ jail for fraudulent claims including £50,000 in child benefit for six children, the judge highlighted “the possibility that the children are the subject of child trafficking and are not your children”. The Dumitrus insist the youngsters are their own. Dorina Dumitru, 38, the gang leader’s sister, claimed he used “goons” to enforce his will, and told social workers “she was scared her life might be at risk” after admitting he took her to cashpoints to withdraw scammed money. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years after fraudulently obtaining more than £100,000 over five years in tax credits, income support and housing benefit claimed for addresses in Liverpool, Sefton, Newcastle and Nottingham. Telus Dumitru was held responsible by the court for leading the fraud. Police seized a bin bag from under his bed in Birmingham which held 41 false Home Office letters, more than 30 false Romanian birth certificates – mostly blank – and false references. The claimants use forged Home Office documents and job references to get national insurance numbers, which were then used to claim the state handouts. Detectives say the conviction of Dumitru represents the biggest scalp for the British end of a joint Metropolitan police and Romanian national police anti-trafficking investigation called Operation Golf, which has cost at least £1m. Only four of the 85 UK convictions have been for trafficking but police insist the criminal activity is interrelated. “We have been seeking to prosecute suspected traffickers for any and all offences, with the aim of disrupting their activities to reduce their ability to traffic and exploit adults and children,” a spokeswoman for Operation Golf said. Police said a few of the 181 children concerned had been safeguarded by social services, but more than 100 were unaccounted for and presumed to no longer be in the UK. Chief Inspector Colin Carswell, who led the investigation, said: “This crime is not about Roma culture. These criminals have corrupted the norms of their community. “Either the parents are complicit in bringing their children over for exploitation, or they face intimidation and coercion from the gang to send them. Gang members have gone to parents who are facing hard times and promised to find work for their children, and the children are put on British streets.” In evidence of what the judge described as “utterly flagrant fraud”, Claudia Radu, 35, Dumitru’s sister-in-law, flew back and forth from Romania for the sole purpose of making benefit claims worth £15,000. She was stopped by police at Stansted airport, having been dropped off by Dumitru, and found to have €13,000 and £2,000 in cash, as well as cashpoint receipts detailing withdrawals using her card in Tandarei by another member of the gang, Dragasun Radu, who is among those facing charges in Romania. She was freed, having already served 158 days on remand. Adrian Radu, 33, son of one of the gang’s suspected Romania-based leaders, Constantin Radu, drew £29,000 in income support and tax credits from 2008 to 2010 while living in Romania. When police arrested him in Tandarei he was living in a recently built marble-floored, six-bedroom mansion and driving an expensive Audi Q7 car. UK government officials were criticised in court for failing to properly scrutinise the forged claims of Dumitru’s gang. The address of the Home Office immigration unit in Croydon on faked letters granting leave to remain in the UK was written as “Corydon” and the Home Office slogan of seeking a “safe, just and tolerant society” was retyped as “tolerante society”. “This was clearly a fraud which exploited laxity in the benefit system to some extent, and while sophisticated, not so sophisticated as to be undetectable had rather more care been exercised,” said Chris Hehir for the prosecution. The court also heard that a British solicitor, whom the judge ordered should not be named, enabled the fraud conducted by Dumitru, since the latter was illiterate and spoke almost no English upon his arrival in the UK. The solicitor helped Dumitru get indefinite leave to remain in the UK and, in return, Dumitru referred other members of the Roma community to the solicitor, whose practice flourished. A confiscation hearing was scheduled for September. Crime Romania Europe Roma, Gypsies and Travellers Child benefit Housing benefit Robert Booth guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Suspected member of child trafficking gang jailed for £800,000 benefits fraud
May 17, 2011 No Comment• Romanian masterminded fraud targeting state handouts • Crime ring’s haul enriched Romanian town of Tandarei A leading member of a Romanian criminal gang, which is believed by police to be responsible for trafficking 181 children to Britain, has been jailed for conspiracy to defraud the benefits system. Telus Dumitru, 36, was sentenced to four years and eight months in jail after pleading guilty to masterminding a £800,000 fraud involving UK housing benefit, tax credits, income support and child benefit. Dumitru is believed by police to be the most senior UK-based figure so far brought to justice from a Roma gang from south-east Romania whose members are accused of trafficking children who then beg and steal across the south of England. Seven other gang members from near the small town of Tandarei were also sentenced at Southwark crown court, while 26 more remain on trial in Romania on charges of trafficking children into the UK for the purpose of forced criminality, money laundering, membership of a criminal gang and, in some cases, firearms offences. “This was a large-scale fraud which deliberately targeted the benefits system,” said Judge Stone QC. “I regard it as a serious matter that the UK benefits system was targeted from abroad in a sophisticated way.” Dumitru was “the central figure” in the operation, the judge said, in a scheme that sent large sums back to Tandarei by money transfer or cash, or via wired sterling accounts in Romania. The town has been transformed by the proceeds of the organised crime ring. Previously rundown areas in Tandarei have prospered and gang members have built dozens of new marble-floored mansions and bought luxury cars. Southwark crown court heard that Dumitru “controlled and directed” the benefit fraud activities of at least seven other adult Romanians in the UK who were linked by blood or marriage. Sentencing Dumitru’s wife, Ramona, 33, to 20 months’ jail for fraudulent claims including £50,000 in child benefit for six children, the judge highlighted “the possibility that the children are the subject of child trafficking and are not your children”. The Dumitrus insist the youngsters are their own. Dorina Dumitru, 38, the gang leader’s sister, claimed he used “goons” to enforce his will, and told social workers “she was scared her life might be at risk” after admitting he took her to cashpoints to withdraw scammed money. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years after fraudulently obtaining more than £100,000 over five years in tax credits, income support and housing benefit claimed for addresses in Liverpool, Sefton, Newcastle and Nottingham. Telus Dumitru was held responsible by the court for leading the fraud. Police seized a bin bag from under his bed in Birmingham which held 41 false Home Office letters, more than 30 false Romanian birth certificates – mostly blank – and false references. The claimants use forged Home Office documents and job references to get national insurance numbers, which were then used to claim the state handouts. Detectives say the conviction of Dumitru represents the biggest scalp for the British end of a joint Metropolitan police and Romanian national police anti-trafficking investigation called Operation Golf, which has cost at least £1m. Only four of the 85 UK convictions have been for trafficking but police insist the criminal activity is interrelated. “We have been seeking to prosecute suspected traffickers for any and all offences, with the aim of disrupting their activities to reduce their ability to traffic and exploit adults and children,” a spokeswoman for Operation Golf said. Police said a few of the 181 children concerned had been safeguarded by social services, but more than 100 were unaccounted for and presumed to no longer be in the UK. Chief Inspector Colin Carswell, who led the investigation, said: “This crime is not about Roma culture. These criminals have corrupted the norms of their community. “Either the parents are complicit in bringing their children over for exploitation, or they face intimidation and coercion from the gang to send them. Gang members have gone to parents who are facing hard times and promised to find work for their children, and the children are put on British streets.” In evidence of what the judge described as “utterly flagrant fraud”, Claudia Radu, 35, Dumitru’s sister-in-law, flew back and forth from Romania for the sole purpose of making benefit claims worth £15,000. She was stopped by police at Stansted airport, having been dropped off by Dumitru, and found to have €13,000 and £2,000 in cash, as well as cashpoint receipts detailing withdrawals using her card in Tandarei by another member of the gang, Dragasun Radu, who is among those facing charges in Romania. She was freed, having already served 158 days on remand. Adrian Radu, 33, son of one of the gang’s suspected Romania-based leaders, Constantin Radu, drew £29,000 in income support and tax credits from 2008 to 2010 while living in Romania. When police arrested him in Tandarei he was living in a recently built marble-floored, six-bedroom mansion and driving an expensive Audi Q7 car. UK government officials were criticised in court for failing to properly scrutinise the forged claims of Dumitru’s gang. The address of the Home Office immigration unit in Croydon on faked letters granting leave to remain in the UK was written as “Corydon” and the Home Office slogan of seeking a “safe, just and tolerant society” was retyped as “tolerante society”. “This was clearly a fraud which exploited laxity in the benefit system to some extent, and while sophisticated, not so sophisticated as to be undetectable had rather more care been exercised,” said Chris Hehir for the prosecution. The court also heard that a British solicitor, whom the judge ordered should not be named, enabled the fraud conducted by Dumitru, since the latter was illiterate and spoke almost no English upon his arrival in the UK. The solicitor helped Dumitru get indefinite leave to remain in the UK and, in return, Dumitru referred other members of the Roma community to the solicitor, whose practice flourished. A confiscation hearing was scheduled for September. Crime Romania Europe Roma, Gypsies and Travellers Child benefit Housing benefit Robert Booth guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Boston Globe’s Pierce: ‘Half the Country Sinks’ While GOP Denies Global Warming
May 17, 2011 No Comment“Today on the program, we'll ask whether Americans are losing the skills of true debate and with it a central pillar of this democracy,” BBC's Jonny Dymond told listeners of the May 15 “Americana” podcast . Yet when it came to Dymond's guests, there was no dissent from the liberal line.
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Young Afghans being coerced into joining jihad with threats of violence and promises of martyrdom The Taliban gave Noor Mohammad a simple choice – either they would cut off his hand for stealing or he could redeem himself and bring glory on his family by becoming a suicide bomber. Held in Taliban custody in a different village from his parents, after allegedly stealing mobile phones during a wedding party in his village, the 14-year-old boy went for the second option. He was soon being given basic lessons in how to use a handgun, which he would use to shoot the guards at a nearby US military base in Ghazni, a province in south-east Afghanistan which is considered the most violent in the country. He was also fitted with a suicide vest that covered his torso with explosives. He was told that when inside the base he should touch two trailing wires together, killing himself and as many US and Afghan soldiers as possible. Having kitted the soon-to-be martyr out in his jihadi outfit, the insurgents took photos and sent him on his way. Such is one method by which the Taliban recruit a growing number of children used for suicide missions. A tactic pioneered by al-Qaida but almost unheard of in Afghanistan until 2005, suicide bombing is becoming more popular with insurgents attempting to meet the massively intensified Nato campaign with their own surge of violence. In one recent case a 12-year-old boy in Barmal district in Pakitika province, which borders Pakistan, killed four civilians and wounded many more when he detonated a vest full of explosives in a bazaar. “They are relying more and more on children,” said Nader Nadery, from the country’s Independent Human Rights Commission, who thought the Taliban were struggling to recruit enough adults. “When somebody runs out of one tool they go to use the second one.” Mohammad, who talked to the Guardian on Tuesday at a children’s prison in Kabul, is awaiting trial after surrendering to the Americans rather than going through with the attack. He says he was left by his Taliban handlers to walk the last few miles to the base in Andar district two weeks ago. Instead he sat down and thought about his predicament. “It is a sin to kill yourself and to kill others,” he decided. “So I took off the vest and threw it away.” Surrendering proved tricky as the guards he had been supposed to kill were slow to raise the alert and he was questioned only after sleeping outside the camp for a night. He later led the Americans to the village where the Taliban members lived, identifying a house where the Americans recovered weapons and homemade explosives. Two Taliban from the village were also killed during a shootout after he identified them, Mohammad said. He knows that because he will never be able to go back to his village and will probably never see his family again. Not all bombers are coerced. Some are tricked, like a group of four children who were recently arrested after travelling alone across the border from Pakistan into Afghanistan. Lutfullah Mashal, the spokesman for the National Directorate of Security (NDS), said his spy agency’s informants in Peshawar had raised the alarm that the four were on their way. The boys had confessed during questioning, telling the security forces they believed only American soldiers would die when they detonated their bombs and that they would escape unscathed. But, speaking on Tuesday, they claimed they were forced into making a confession after being beaten and threatened with rape by police. Their new account is hard to believe, however, and at times contradictory. According to Fazal Rahman, a tearful nine-year-old made all the more distressed by the loss of two teeth at the dentist, the idea to travel to Afghanistan came from Maulavi Marouf, the mullah in charge of the Spin Jumad madrasa in the town of Khairabad. They say an “uncle” in Kabul phoned Marouf asking him to send some physically weak children for a couple of days of manual labour, unloading a delivery of car batteries from lorries. None of the boys, who are Afghans but have lived in Pakistan all their lives, has an address or phone number for the man. Nor did they think it necessary to tell their parents they were going to Kabul. “Our family is very poor,” said Niaz Mohammad, a nine-year-old who said he used to help his father beg. “When I was promised 50,000 rupees [£360] to go to Afghanistan, I went immediately.” But they all describe the madrasa as an institution that cultivated in them a hatred for American soldiers in Afghanistan. “All the time in Friday prayers the maulavi talked about the Americans in Afghanistan and he told us that we should do jihad, especially on Fridays,” he said. It is feared that hundreds of children may have been radicalised and turned into bombers in what Haneef Atmar, Afghanistan’s former interior minister, describes as “hate madrasas”. Suicide bombing has also developed a sinister glamour among the youth of the Pakistan’s tribal areas. A video in which a group of children enact a suicide bombing has circulated widely in Pakistan in February, sparking public alarm at how jihad appears to have reached the playground . It also seems to have reached the Kabul juvenile detention centre where staff are trying to give the mix of criminals and would-be jihadists a proper education. “When I told my cellmates I refused to do a suicide attack, none of them could understand why I didn’t do it,” said Mohammad. Taliban Afghanistan Global terrorism Children Jon Boone guardian.co.uk
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