. This is why Newt can never be a serious candidate for the Republican Party and if he was as smart as he keeps telling us he is, he’d know it. There is no way that conservatives will be able to get past all the sordid aspects of Newt’s personal failings. It’s not the hypocrisy of prosecuting Clinton while having an affair, it’s that he dumped his first wife (whom he dated secretly while she was his high school geometry teacher and married to get out of going to Vietnam) while she was recovering from cancer surgery. It’s about her suing him to get him to pay child support, while he was taking money from special interests. It’s about all the messy details his scorned second wife told the media after he told her he wanted to annul their 18 year marriage so that his third marriage would be recognized in his fiancee’s church. And then openly carried on with the now third Mrs. Gingrich for years (Vanity Fair referred to her by the classy euphemism of “Gingrich’s frequent breakfast companion”). How can social conservatives possibly bring themselves to vote for someone when it’s open knowledge that he prefers oral sex from his women friends so that he has the plausible deniability that he didn’t “sleep” with that person? Newt has had to find ways to deal with this and sadly, this pathetic approach is the best he’s got: “Yeah, I’ve been a bad boy, but look at me now!” It’s pretty big leap Newt is asking his supporters to take to believe that all those horndog tendencies were youthful indiscretion, especially since he was in his mid-50s when he hooked up with his latest wife. And like the husband caught with lipstick on his collar, promising that it won’t happen ever again, it’s foolish to believe that Newt’s fundamental selfishness will change.
Continue reading …Ted Koppel: Scrap the Notion of Arab ‘Democracy,’ It’s Not Happening Any Time Soon
May 15, 2011 No Comment
Former ABC anchor Ted Koppel raised eyebrows when The Washington Post's Sunday Outlook suggested getting rid of things in a “spring cleaning,” and Koppel said “Democracy.” (Or “Democracy,” in quotation marks, as if that's less shocking.) Koppel began: “Democracy.” Let's dump it; toss it on the scrap heap of history. The concept remains worthy, but the word is rapidly being exhausted of all residual value.
Continue reading …Republicans Want Federal Workers To Pay 5% More Of Salaries Toward Pensions — In Addition To Their Pay Freeze
May 15, 2011 No CommentI figured it was only a matter of time before this happened . I mean, God forbid that anyone other than bankers have a comfortable retirement in this country: The generous pension system enjoyed by millions of federal workers from clerks to senators and judges has emerged as a key target in negotiations between Vice President Biden and congressional leaders looking to restrain the growing national debt. Republicans have proposed saving more than $120 billion over the next decade by requiring the civilian workforce to contribute more toward retirement — a plan that would effectively impose an immediate 5 percent pay cut on more than 2 million federal employees. President Obama’s bipartisan fiscal commission has also endorsed the idea, calling the federal system “out of line” with the private sector. Yes, it’s true that the federal retirement system is better than that of the private sector, but that’s because the private sector has decimated their retirement benefits by comparison. So the “bipartisan” solution is to make retirement just as miserable for federal workers as it is for everyone else! Let’s not even get into the fact that federal workers have agreed to work for less pay in order to have a dependable retirement plan. Now, administration officials have expressed interest in raising the amount that employees contribute to their pensions — though probably not as high as the GOP proposal, definitely not as fast and possibly not for all workers, according to people in both parties familiar with the discussions. If adopted as part of a compromise plan to control federal borrowing, the proposal promises to test the resolve of local lawmakers — particularly Democrats — by forcing them to choose between the lofty goal of debt reduction and the interests of public-sector workers, who have come under fire from Republicans in Washington and several state capitals .
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Early projections in Zurich referendums show 80% are against proposals to outlaw ‘suicide tourism’ Voters in Zurich have rejected proposed bans on assisted suicide and “suicide tourism”, or foreigners travelling to Switzerland to receive help in ending their lives. Early projections showed both initiatives had been rejected in local referendums by about 80%, the Swiss news agency SDA reported. There are about 200 assisted suicides each year in Zurich. Assisted suicide has been allowed in Switzerland since 1941 if performed by a non-physician who has no vested interest in the death. Euthanasia, or “mercy killing”, is legal only in the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the US state of Oregon. Many terminally ill foreigners – particularly from Germany, France and Britain – travel to Switzerland to kill themselves, taking advantage of rules on suicide which are among the world’s most liberal. But a rise in foreigners seeking to end their lives in Switzerland, and a study showing that more and more people seeking assisted suicides in the country do not suffer from a terminal illness, have provoked heated debate. The Swiss government has said it is looking to change the law on assisted suicide to make sure it is used only as a last resort by the terminally ill, and to limit “suicide tourism”. Right-to-die group Exit has agreed rules to govern assisted suicide with prosecutors in Zurich in the hope they may eventually form the basis of national regulation. Foreigners are not explicitly excluded under the new rules, but a Swiss doctor who prescribes the deadly anaesthetic must have met the person twice over a period of time to be sure of their wishes. Switzerland Europe Assisted suicide guardian.co.uk
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Many more wounded in clashes at Israel’s borders with Syria, Gaza and Lebanon, as UN appeals for ‘maximum restraint’ Israeli troops opened fire on pro-Palestinian demonstrators attempting to breach its borders on three fronts, killing at least eight people. Scores more were wounded at Israel’s borders with Syria, Lebanon and Gaza. Clashes also erupted in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as Palestinians commemorated Nakba Day, the anniversary marking the 1948 war in which hundreds of thousands of people became refugees after being forced out of their homes. Thousands of Palestinian refugees in Syria marched towards the village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in 1967. At least four people were killed by Israeli troops as they crossed the border, Israel Radio reported. Up to 20 were injured, according to the Israeli Magen David Adom ambulance service. A statement from the Israeli military said: “Thousands of Syrian civilians breached the Israel-Syria border near the Israeli village of Majdal Shams. “IDF forces opened fire in order to prevent the violent rioters from illegally infiltrating Israeli territory. A number of rioters have infiltrated and are violently rioting in the village. From initial reports there are dozens of injured that are receiving medical care in a nearby hospital.” Most of the inhabitants of Majdal Shams, a large village close to the border, hold Syrian citizenship and have family on the other side of the border, from whom they are cut off. The Israeli army declared the area, which is heavily mined, a closed military zone on Sunday. Despite being occupied by Israel for 44 years, the Golan is usually calm. Syria has repeatedly demanded Israel hand back the area. A similar Nakba Day protest on the Lebanon border led to four people being killed and around 15 wounded, according to Lebanese media reports. Dozens of protesters approached the border from the Lebanese town of Maroun a-Ras. Brigadier General Yoav Mordechai, an Israeli military spokesman, said soldiers fired when demonstrators began vandalising the border fence. The army was “aware” of casualties on the other side, he said. UN peacekeepers on the Lebanese side of the border appealed for “maximum restraint” to prevent casualties. In Gaza, around 60 people were injured by shelling and machine-gun fire when protesters approached the heavily fortified Erez border crossing, according to Palestinian medical sources. Israelis living near Gaza were advised to stay inside bomb shelters. The Israeli security forces were braced for wide-scale protests on Nakba Day – the most highly charged day in the Palestinian calendar – and had deployed around 10,000 troops and police along the country’s borders and in the Palestinian territories. The West Bank was subject to a 24-hour closure, with only emergency access permitted. The Israeli authorities warned that the first Nakba Day following uprisings across the region could herald riots across the Palestinian territories. In the West Bank, rubber bullets were fired at about 200 Palestinians and supporters who marched towards the Qalandia crossing on the edge of Jerusalem. There was also unrest in East Jerusalem, fuelled by the death of a 17-year-old Palestinian boy who was shot in the stomach during clashes on Friday. He died in hospital on Saturday. In Tel Aviv, an Israeli man was killed and 17 injured when a truck ran into vehicles and pedestrians. It was not clear whether the incident was an accident or a deliberate attack. The truck’s 22-year-old Israeli-Arab driver said he lost control of the vehicle due to faulty brakes. Israel Middle East Gaza Palestinian territories Syria Lebanon Harriet Sherwood guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Fox Panel Accuses ‘Liberal’ Media of ‘Tearing Down’ GOP Presidential Candidates by Reporting on Their Marital Problems
May 15, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media This week on Fox News Watch, Fox’s excuse for a supposed media watchdog show, the host Jon Scott and a couple of the panelists, Jim Pinkerton and Cal Thomas all claimed that that mythical “liberal media” was just hell bent on tearing down potential Republican presidential candidates because they aren’t treating Newt Gingrich as a serious candidate due to his personal baggage. A claim that even Judith Miller found ridiculous. And what other proof did syndicated columnist Cal Thomas offer here that the media is biased against all of the Republican candidates? The fact that the media has reported on Mitch Daniels’ marital problems as well. That’s some conspiracy theory you’ve got going there Cal. The press tells us the truth about how Gingrich has treated his ex-wives and that Daniels’ wife left him and came back, and all the media coverage on the Republicans is negative now. Wow. That’s quite a stretch there. And the coverage I’ve seen of Daniels on the matter hasn’t exactly been negative. He was portrayed as being a good father and doing the right thing and taking care of his kids in some of the rather glowing segments on Daniels that I’ve seen so far where this was brought up. Thomas also trotted out the tired old talking point that if President Obama had received more scrutiny from the media about the Rev. Wright and Bill Ayers, he would never have been elected and that it took the conservative media to bring those things out. Thomas must not have been paying attention to Sean Hannity flogging these whipped up controversies on his show night after night that did get picked up by the rest of the media as well to the point that Obama felt he finally had to put a stop to it when he gave his speech on race in Philadelphia in March of ’08. I guess Thomas also wasn’t paying any attention when Sarah Palin was out on the campaign trail accusing then Senator Obama of “paling around with terrorists” week after week. The claim that President Obama did not receive any scrutiny for his ties to Ayers and Wright and that it would have kept him from being elected is laughable. That’s not going to stop the talking heads over at Fox from continuing to paint the poor downtrodden Republicans as somehow oppressed and never given a fair shake by the press and to pretend that Democrats get more favorable coverage. Just another day in upside down land at Fox.
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• Click on auto-refresh for all the latest action • Ping your emails towards barry.glendenning@guardian.co.uk • Follow Barry on Twitter • Keep up with all today’s other latest scores Match pointers • The Emirates is the only stadium that has not seen a goal scored with a shot from outside the area this season • Ashley Young has won 88 free-kicks, more than any other Premier League player • If selected Jack Wilshere will make his 50th league appearance for Arsenal • Aston Villa have used 30 different players so far this season, which, alongside West Ham, is a joint Premier League high • There has been a 90th-minute goal in four of the last six meetings between these two sides Team news: Arsenal welcome back centre-half Thomas Vermaelen after eight months out with a niggling Achilles injury for this afternoon’s Premier League clash against Aston Villa at Emirates Stadium. However, captain Cesc Fabregas and midfielder Samir Nasri are still not match fit as the Gunners look to stay ahead of FA Cup winners Manchester City in the race for third place, while Newcastle’s late equaliser at Stamford Bridge means victory today would leave them just a point behind second placed Chelsea going into the final match of the season, away at Fulham. Villa still need a point to mathematically secure their top-flight status. Striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has recovered from illness, but is named on the bench, along with former Arsenal winger Robert Pires. Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Squillaci, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Song, Wilshere, Walcott, Ramsey, Arshavin, van Persie. Subs: Lehmann, Denilson, Eboue, Chamakh, Henderson, Miquel, Bendtner. Aston Villa: Friedel, Walker, Collins, Dunne, Luke Young, Petrov, Reo-Coker, Delph, Downing, Bent, Ashley Young. Subs: Marshall, Pires, Agbonlahor, Albrighton, Bradley, Heskey, Cuellar. Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland) Premier League Arsenal Aston Villa Barry Glendenning guardian.co.uk
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Spanish court refuses bail for Deyan Valentinov Deyanov as questions are raised over island’s mental health provision The man accused of murdering Jennifer Mills-Westley, the British woman who was beheaded in a frenzied knife attack while shopping on the holiday island of Tenerife, has been remanded in prison by a Spanish court. The decision came amid a growing scandal over how Deyan Valentinov Deyanov, a 28-year-old Bulgarian with a record of mental health problems and violence was allowed to roam the streets of the tourist resort of Los Cristianos, in the south of Tenerife. Locals also expressed growing concern about the impact on tourism in a Canary Island resort highly popular with Britons. It has emerged that Mills-Westley, 60, who had five grandchildren, had sought refuge at an employment centre in Los Cristianos, where she told social services officials she was being trailed. A man was reportedly sent away from the area by a security guard before she left the building. A police source working on the murder inquiry told the Sunday Times that Mills-Westley had waited in the office until the man following her had disappeared. She then walked into a Chinese-owned shop nearby but he went after her. “He grabbed a large kitchen knife from the shelf and stabbed her at least 14 times in the neck without saying a word,” the source said. The local Canarias 7 newspaper reported on Sunday that Deyanov was known as “the prophet” because of his habit of shouting out that he was God on Earth. “A lot of people called him the prophet, and everyone knew he was dangerous,” Davide Balsamo, who helped tackle the man as he ran down the street with his 60-year-old victim’s head on Friday morning, told the newspaper. “We used to hear him shouting in the street and he had been arrested more than once for attacking people,” neighbour Bernardo Parra said. While the local town hall denied having had any dealing with Deyanov, local people said that the municipality’s own mental health services should have taken charge of him. “Someone as dangerous as this should never have been allowed out of psychiatric treatment,” said Rosa, a poster on the Canarias 7 website. The local El Día newspaper reported that Deyanov, who lived in a semi-abandoned building, had been detained several times after creating trouble in bars and shops. In February, municipal police had taken him to the psychiatric unit at the local Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria hospital. He had since been released. Deyanov was eventually disarmed by a security guard from the local employment offices where Mills-Westley had reportedly sought help moments earlier after being threatened by Deyanov. “Death! I’ll kill you,” Deyanov had shouted at security guard Juan Antonio Hernández, who responded by striking him on the arm with his baton, making him drop his knife. Deyanov was chased up the street by Hernández and others and eventually tackled and handcuffed. “He smelt strongly of alcohol and was shouting,” said local woman María Carmen Pérez. Mills-Westley’s daughter Sarah said: “Mum retired a number of years ago and was fully enjoying her retirement travelling between Tenerife and France where she spent time visiting her daughter and grandchildren, and her other daughter in Norfolk. She was full of life, generous of heart, would do anything for anyone. “We now have to find a way of living without her love and light and we would ask at this difficult time for some privacy as we try to come to terms with our loss.” Her ex-husband Peter told the Mail on Sunday she was a “wonderful woman, a brilliant mother and I loved her dearly”. Relatives are being helped by consular staff who have been liaising with the Tenerife authorities. Spain Europe Giles Tremlett guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Soldier from 42 Commando Royal Marines died during operation to search a compound in Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province A Royal Marine was killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan on Sunday, the Ministry of Defence said. The marine, from 42 Commando Royal Marines, was involved in an operation to search a compound in the Loy Mandeh Wadi area of the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province, an MoD spokesman said. Next of kin have been informed. Lieutenant Colonel Tim Purbrick, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: “It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of a Royal Marine from 42 Commando Royal Marines. The Royal Marine was involved in an operation which was investigating suspected insurgent activity in a number of compounds in the Loy Mandeh Wadi area of the Nad-e Ali district in Helmand province when he was fatally injured by an improvised explosive device early this morning. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.” The death takes the number of UK military personnel who have died since operations in Afghanistan began in 2001 to 365. Military Afghanistan guardian.co.uk
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Opening of floodgate should also spare Louisiana’s capital but leaves farms, oil refinery and wildlife refuge in path of deluge US army engineers have opened a key floodgate to allow the swollen Mississippi river to flood thousands of homes and crops but spare New Orleans and Louisiana’s capital, Baton Rouge. The engineers opened one of the 125 floodgates at the Morganza Spillway 45 miles north-west of Baton Rouge on Saturday, sending a flume of water on to nearby fields. The move, last taken in 1973, will channel floodwaters towards homes, farms, a wildlife refuge and a small oil refinery in the Atchafalaya river basin to avoid inundating Louisiana’s two largest cities. Weeks of heavy rains and runoff from an unusually snowy winter caused the Mississippi to rise, flooding 1.2m hectares (3m acres) of farmland in Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas and evoking comparisons to historic floods in 1927 and 1937. It could take three weeks for the enormous flow of water to pass through a system of levees and spillways to the Gulf of Mexico about 100 miles to the south, said Major General Michael Walsh, president of the Mississippi River Commission. “It’s putting tremendous pressure on the entire system as we try to work this amount of water through the Mississippi river tributaries,” Walsh said before the floodgates opened. Some 3,000 square miles of land could be inundated in up to six metres of water for several weeks. When flows peak around 22 May, the spillway will carry about 3,500 cubic metres per second, about one quarter of its capacity. About 2,500 people live in the floodpath, and 22,500 others, with 11,000 buildings, could be affected by backwater flooding – the water pushed back into streams and tributaries that cannot flow normally into what will be an overwhelmed Atchafalaya river. Some 7,300 hectares of farmland could be flooded as waters rise, peaking in about a week and remaining high for several weeks before subsiding. “The land’s going to wash away, but that’s life,” said Hurlin Dupre, who represents Krotz Springs on the St Landry parish council. “The worst of it is we are in a drought and we can’t use none of that water.” Failing to open the floodgate would have put New Orleans at risk of flooding that, according to computer models, would eclipse that seen during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when 80% of the city was flooded. About 1,500 people died in the disaster. Lower Mississippi flooding threatened densely populated areas, up to eight refineries and at least one nuclear power plant alongside the river. The refineries account for about 12% of the nation’s capacity for making petrol and other fuels. In the Atchafalaya river basin, authorities went door to door to begin evacuations in small towns and parishes in the path of the water, which could take weeks to reach the Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana’s governor, Bobby Jindal, said on Friday that the state had plans with the American Red Cross to provide shelters for evacuees. “I’m very scared,” said Heidi Fangue, a Morganza resident. “I have my bags packed and ready to go.” Fangue, who was selling T-shirts that read “Morganza Spillway [floodgate] 2011 – Gates finally opened,” said she would depart in her mother’s camper van once floodwaters began to creep over the nearby levee. In Morgan City to the south, workers were reinforcing levees and placing sandbags along the Atchafalaya river. “The fatigue factor is something we’ll have to watch for, both on the levees and on the people,” said Morgan City mayor Tim Matte. “This is unprecedented.” The army engineers corps said the gradual opening of the floodgate would prevent an immediate rush of water. Alon USA Energy said it expected its refinery in Krotz Springs to be surrounded by water within 10 to 14 days of the floodgate being opened. Exxon Mobil’s refinery in Baton Rouge, the nation’s second largest, was not expected to cease operations, but its Mississippi river dock was shut owing to high water, a plant spokesman said. Mississippi United States Natural disasters and extreme weather Flooding guardian.co.uk
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