Click here to view this media Naturally we couldn’t make it through another Sunday without our corporate media bringing on Sen. John McCain to prove he’s living in Republican upside-down land. I don’t have much to add to Steve Benen’s take on this, and please go read the entire post, but here’s part of it — McCain: Americans ‘don’t want compromise’ : It’s safe to say Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) doesn’t have his finger on the pulse of public opinion. In every meaningful way, McCain’s assumptions are exactly backwards. What the conservative senator seems to be arguing here is the notion of a mandate: Republicans campaigned against taxes, Republicans won, ergo Republicans can’t allow a compromise that imposes any tax increases on anyone ever. It’s an “elections have consequences” kind of approach. And that’s not a bad pitch, if McCain were in any way correct about the details, but he’s not. For one thing, Americans elected a Democratic Senate. (McCain may have forgotten, but his caucus is still in the minority.) If voters left us with a Republican House and a Democratic Senate, how exactly does McCain perceive this as an anti-compromise electorate? For another, the evidence is overwhelming that the American mainstream absolutely supports additional revenue as part of a larger debt-reduction deal. And naturally we got no follow up from Crowley on just how wrong-headed McCain’s assertions are or why he thinks it’s acceptable to call something a “negotiation” when one side is completely unwilling to compromise. McCain also floated the idea that the GOP might be willing to consider “certain revenue raisers” as long as no one dares call them a tax increase, but of course he refused to say just what those “revenue raisers” are. Full transcript below the fold. CROWLEY: let me bring you back home to the domestic problem that is hanging up congress at this point, and that is increasing the debt ceiling and the comparable part to this puzzle, which is lowering the U.S. trade — the U.S. deficit, sorry. Would you in the spirit of compromise, would you, Senator John McCain, not speaking for the Republican Party, could you see your way clear to voting for some sort of tax increase, whether it’s closing a loophole of oil companies or charging those who have private jets? What would be so wrong with that? MCCAIN: Well, I think that if we did those small things you’re talking about, they would have very small impact. But the principle of not raising taxes is something that we campaigned on last November, and the results of the election was that the American people didn’t want their taxes raised and they wanted us to cut spending. CROWLEY: But what about compromise? MCCAIN: I would argue that if we do otherwise — well, you know, the American people, as the president describes it, administered a shellacking. They don’t want compromise. They want us to balance the budget. They want us to stop mortgaging our children and our grandchildren’s futures. And they don’t think they need their taxes raised, and I don’t either. And I think that this catastrophe or short-term meltdown that we’re facing is not nearly as bad as the meltdown we’re facing unless we get our deficit under control. CROWLEY: No way no how would Senator John McCain vote for anything, a closing of a loophole or tax hike of any sort? MCCAIN: Candy, Jon Kyl was in negotiations as you know with the vice president. And he said there were certain revenue raisers in other areas that perhaps we could work on. But to somehow say that we’re raise American’s taxes, anybody’s taxes I think is something that a principle that we promised the American people last year November and that we have to stick to. CROWLEY: Could you share what sort of revenue raisers might be OK with you? MCCAIN: No. CROWLEY: You’re no fun. Thank you very much, Senator John McCain, we appreciate your taking the time this morning. MCCAIN: Thanks for having me on, Candy.
Continue reading …ABC Chides Money-’Obsessed’ Candidates’ Fourth of July, Gushed Over Obama in 2007
July 5, 2011 No Comment
Good Morning America's John Berman on Tuesday offered a condescending, dismissive take on how the money “obsessed” presidential candidates spent their Fourth of July. Yet, four years ago, the same program offered a fawning look at what Barack Obama did on Independence Day. After mentioning Michele Bachmann and Newt Gingrich, Berman suggested that the Fourth of July could be ” a chance to take a break from their recent big obsession, cash .” The journalist quickly followed this up by noting that the President has raised $60 million. Berman pointedly explained, “… Though he spent the day with men and women whose value is beyond priceless .” (This was a reference to Obama's speech to U.S. troops at a barbeque.) The reporter joked that Newt Gingrich was “lonely” while campaigning in Iowa and sarcastically added that the former Speaker “has lost most of his staff” and “was surrounded by his wife, a Ford and this [homemade] sign.” In contrast, on July 5, 2007, GMA's David Wright offered a sympathetic look at Independence Day and the toll the campaign had taken on then-candidate Obama: “For most of us, the Fourth of July is a family event. But if you run for president, you have to make certain sacrifices.” Wright continued, “For Barack Obama, the Fourth of July in Iowa was too important to miss. The solution? Bring the family along.” He explained to viewers that “the [Obama]
Continue reading …
Officers can order Muslim women to remove face coverings to identify crime suspects no matter how minor the alleged offence Police in Australia’s most populous state have been given more powers to order Muslim women to remove burqas and other face coverings if they are suspected of committing a crime. The law was approved by the New South Wales government on Monday in response to a high-profile case in which a Muslim woman, wearing a burqa, had a six-month jail sentence overturned on appeal because of doubts about her identity. The state premier, Barry O’Farrell, said: “I don’t care whether a person is wearing a motorcycle helmet, a burqa, niqab, face veil or anything else, the police should be allowed to require those people to make their identification clear. I have every respect for various religions and beliefs but when it comes to enforcing the law the police should be given adequate powers to make a clear identification.” Women could previously be ordered to remove their veils if suspected of a serious crime but they can now be told to do so regardless of the gravity of the alleged offence. Anyone who refuses to comply could now be fined A$5,500 (£3,320) or jailed for a year. The laws have been backed by Muslim groups in the state but a civil liberties group questioned the need for legislation. O’Farrell said he was persuaded of the need for new laws by the state’s police commissioner after Carnita Matthews, a 47-year-old Muslim, was freed on appeal, triggering a public outcry. Matthews was convicted last year of falsely accusing a police officer of trying to remove her burqa during a random breath test. But an appeal judge ruled that because the woman who made the complaint was wearing a burqa, it was impossible to tell if it was Matthews. The police association of NSW said a “loophole” had been removed and the legislation would “provide clarity and certainty for both the public and for police officers”. The chairman of the Islamic Council of NSW, Khaled Sukkarieh, told ABC Radio in June that there was no problem with a Muslim women being asked to lift her veil provided it was done “sensibly and with sensitivity”. He also said it would be preferable if the request came from a female officer. Sukkarieh’s comments were echoed by the Muslim Women’s Association. But Stephen Blanks, the secretary of the NSW council for civil liberties, accused the state government of “a kneejerk reaction to a situation that has got a lot of publicity.” He told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper that the government had provided no evidence of how often face coverings had hindered police investigations and suggested the failings in the Matthews case were procedural. Blanks added that police in the case had not properly recorded the identity of the person making the complaint, nor her apparent earlier refusal to remove her face covering. Another state, Western Australia, is expected to follow NSW and pass similar legislation on face coverings, with police chiefs due to meet on Tuesday to discuss the issue. Australia Islam Religion Human rights Haroon Siddique guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Police say two suspects, aged 14 and 15, are being held in relation to Yemurai Kanyangarara’s death in south-east London Two boys have been arrested over the murder of a teenager on a busy high street. Yemurai Kanyangarara, 16, was stabbed in the neck seconds after getting off a bus, in what police suspected was a feud between pupils from two different schools. Detectives described the murder in Welling, south-east London, as one of the most brutal they had seen in 25 years. A 15-year-old boy from Peckham and a 14-year-old boy from Camberwell were arrested on Monday on suspicion of murder, Scotland Yard said. One witness said he watched the boy’s life “slip away” as he lay on the pavement on Upper Wickham Lane. Kanyangarara’s father, Kelton, left a message on his Facebook page that read: “My boy is gone it is so painful – my heart is bleeding. RIP my boy I will always love you.” Detective Chief Inspector Mark Dunne told reporters: “You’ve got someone 16 years old, a schoolboy, being stabbed in broad daylight in a busy street in front of many, many shoppers out enjoying the afternoon. It’s about as bad as it gets. “It’s among the very worst I’ve investigated in 25 years, the sheer brutality against a defenceless schoolboy.” Kanyangarara, who came to Britain from Zimbabwe when he was a toddler, stepped off a No 96 bus with a friend and was attacked, probably within a matter of seconds, during the Friday rush hour. The victim lived in Belvedere and was a pupil at St Columba’s Catholic Boys’ School in Bexleyheath, where he had recently finished his GCSEs. Yemurai’s headmaster had described him as “polite”. Mr Dunne said. “If you asked him to do something, he would do it with a smile on his face.” Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information that might assist police was asked to call the incident room at Lewisham police station on 020 8721 4906, or, if wishing to remain anonymous, Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Knife crime Crime London guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Homayon Narouzzad, 34, from Greater Manchester abused girls as young as 12 after bribing them with money, food and cigarettes A fast-food worker who groomed and sexually abused 18 girls, some as young as 12, has been jailed for four years. Homayon Narouzzad, 34, from Whitefield, Greater Manchester, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing at Bolton crown court to 25 offences of sexual activity with a child between April 2010 and February this year. A further eight offences were ordered to lie on file and Narouzzad will remain on licence for eight years. Greater Manchester Police interviewed 37 teenage girls as part of the inquiry into his activities. The court heard he worked behind the counter of the Family Guy takeaway and lived in a flat above. Narouzzad befriended a 13-year-old and persuaded her to invite other schoolgirls there so he could carry out the abuse when he was working alone, the court heard. He paid the girls between £5 and £90, also bribing them with food and cigarettes in return for touching and kissing their feet while engaging in sexual activity or watching the girls do so. Some of the girls have been left psychologically scarred by the abuse, the court heard, with one saying she wanted to kill herself and another constantly washing herself because she felt “dirty”. Narouzzad came to the UK 11 years ago seeking political asylum from Iran. He had no previous convictions and has since been granted leave to remain in the UK. Judge Maureen Roddy told him: “Each of them has suffered significant psychological harm to them that is far more difficult to treat and cure than physical scars. The impact on your victims is devastating.” David Clarke, prosecuting, told the court Narouzzad was arrested in March after one girl told her mother about the abuse. A police search of the property revealed a “large number” of CDs and magazines, “relating to a sexual interest in feet”, the prosecutor added. Officers traced the victims, with three aged 12, one 15-year-old and the remainder either 13 or 14. In a victim impact statement, a 13-year-old wrote: “Since this happened I feel down a lot and get very angry towards friends and family. Sometimes I wish I was dead.” Iain Simkin, defending, said Narouzzad had not used force or coercion on the girls and there was no penetrative sex or touching “above the ankles”. The court heard the defendant had blamed the victims and downplayed his role during questioning. Detective Inspector Jane Little, of Bury CID, said: “Narouzzad abused his position to prey on young and vulnerable girls. “He reeled them in by offering them free food for friendship before progressing things further by offering cash for sexual favours. “As in other similar cases, some of Narouzzad’s victims did not recognise that they were being exploited and sometimes confused exploitation with genuine affection.” Crime Manchester Helen Carter guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Parents of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman contacted by detectives investigating phone hacking at the News of the World The parents of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, the two children murdered by Ian Huntley, were contacted by Scotland Yard detectives investigating phone hacking at the News of the World, it emerged on Tuesday. A spokesman for Cambridgeshire police said they were aware that the families of Wells and Chapman were contacted by the Metropolitan police about two months ago. It is believed the families were warned there was evidence to suggest they were targeted by Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator who was formerly employed by the paper. The families are thought to be seeking further clarification from the Met but are not currently commenting. Scotland Yard is conducting an investigation, Operating Weeting, into the News of the World phone-hacking allegations. Pressure is growing on Rebekah Brooks, who was editing the News of the World at the time and is now chief executive of its parent company News International, following the Guardian’s revelations on Monday that Mulcaire hacked into a mobile phone belonging to Milly Dowler in 2002 , the same year as the Soham murders. Schoolgirl Dowler went missing from her home in March 2002 and her body was found six months after she disappeared. The Soham murders took place in August that year. Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, said earlier on Tuesday that Brooks should “consider her conscience and consider her position” as he called for a public inquiry into the hacking allegations and the conduct of the tabloid press as a whole. Brooks insisted in an email to staff on Tuesday afternoon that she knew nothing about the allegations that Dowler’s phone had been hacked by the paper she edited. She said she was “sickened” by the events and added she was “determined to lead the company to ensure we do the right thing and resolve these serious issues”. News International executives insisted Brooks had the full backing of Rupert Murdoch, chairman and chief executive of News International’s owner News Corporation. Meanwhile, the chairwoman of the Press Complaints Commission, Baroness Peta Buscombe, which concluded in November 2009 there was “no new evidence” of widespread hacking at the News of the World following earlier Guardian revelations, admitted she had been “misled” by the News International paper . Buscome said: “There’s only so much we can do when people are lying to us. We know now that I was not being given the truth by the News of the World.” The home secretary, Theresa May, also added her voice to the growing chorus of politicians condemning the News of the World, including prime minister David Cameron. May used stronger language than Cameron, who described the hacking of Dowler’s phone as a “dreadful act” while visiting troops in Afghanistan. The home secretary told a committee of MPs on Tuesday afternoon: “I think it’s totally shocking; frankly, it’s disgusting. The mindset of somebody who thinks it’s appropriate to do that is totally sick.” James Harding, the editor of the News of the World’s News International stablemate the Times, also publicly condemned the behaviour, telling an audience of advertising executives that if “it [the Dowler allegation] is true, it seems to me what has happened is disgusting and indefensible and for us as journalists it is profoundly depressing”. Harding added: “My concern is, the shame is not just on the people involved, not just on that particular newspaper, but journalists in general.” The Labour MP, Tom Watson, said in the House of Commons earlier this year that the parents of the two girls killed by Huntley in Soham may have been hacked. The public reaction to news that Dowler’s phone was hacked has also been one of anger. Several hundred people have joined a Facebook site calling on readers to boycott the News of the World and some customers have cancelled their subscriptions to the Times and the Sunday Times, according to people close to News International. The number of people cancelling is not thought to be high but it is regarded as symbolic internally. Members of the public have also been calling the News of the World’s offices in London to complain about the paper’s behaviour. A senior News International executive said the atmosphere at the company was “subdued”. Phone hacking Newspapers & magazines National newspapers Newspapers News of the World Soham murders Crime News Corporation Media business News International Glenn Mulcaire Privacy & the media Privacy Press Complaints Commission Peta Buscombe David Cameron Theresa May Sandra Laville James Robinson Mark Sweney guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …[Video Not Safe For Work] Elon James White, one of our favorite comedians and a Netroots Nation stalwart, channels a lot of people sentiments in this video. It might be NSFW, but White says a lot of things that need saying. It’s part of the ACLU’s campaign to End the War on Drugs : June 2011 marked the 40th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s declaration of a “war on drugs” — a war that has cost roughly a trillion dollars, has produced little to no effect on the supply of or demand for drugs in the United States, and has contributed to making America the world’s largest incarcerator. The war on drugs has sent millions of people to prison for low-level offenses, and seriously eroded our civil liberties and civil rights while costing taxpayers billions of dollars a year, with nothing to show for it except our status as the world’s largest incarcerator. There are 2.3 million people behind bars in this country — that is triple the amount of prisoners we had in 1987 — and 25 percent of those incarcerated are locked up for drug offenses. Taxpayers spend almost $70 billion a year on corrections and incarceration. A far more sensible way to deal with a public health problem like drug addiction is to provide treatment, which study after study has shown is more effective than incarceration. Through advocacy and litigation, the ACLU has been seeking an end to this failed war on drugs and our costly addiction to incarceration for decades. Go here to read more about the ACLU’s work to end to excessively harsh crime policies that result in mass incarceration and stand in the way of a just and equal society. There is a series of posts on the subject at the ACLU’s Blog of Rights . Be sure to check it out.
Continue reading …
Dozens injured at Beijing zoo station after escalator suddenly changes direction, throwing passengers down stairway A teenage boy has been killed and dozens of people were injured when they were thrown off an escalator that suddenly changed direction in a busy Beijing subway station. The accident happened on Tuesday on one of the capital’s newest lines, prompting concerns that China’s recent rush to build public transport networks may have led to declining safety standards. The 13-year-old boy who died was on his way to Beijing zoo when the up escalator suddenly went into reverse, according to domestic media reports. Witnesses described a strange grinding noise from the shifting gears and then a tumult in which riders at the top of the escalator fell to the bottom in less than two seconds. The boy and the other riders were thrown down the metal stairs and into a heap at the bottom. Twenty-eight people were taken to hospital, including the dead boy’s father and sister. Two were described as being in a serious condition. Station staff declined to comment, but the railway operator put out a brief online statement: “Beijing MTR Corporation expresses our deep mourning to the dead passenger in this accident and relatives, as well as apology and sympathy to injured passengers and relatives.” It said an investigation was under way into the cause of the breakdown at Beijing zoo station. The government has ordered checks on elevators at other stations. The capital’s subway system opened in 1969 and has expanded rapidly in the past few years to become one of the five longest networks in the world with more than 170 stations and 250 miles of track. Line 4 is one of the most modern. Completed in 2009, it connects the university district to the south of the city. Commuters were horrified at the safety failure. “This is unbelievable. This is the most basic thing and they can’t even do it well. I am very disappointed by Beijing’s public transportation system,” said Olivia Li, a student at Renmin University who often takes Line 4. Additional reporting by Cheng Han China Rail transport Jonathan Watts guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Dozens injured at Beijing zoo station after escalator suddenly changes direction, throwing passengers down stairway A teenage boy has been killed and dozens of people were injured when they were thrown off an escalator that suddenly changed direction in a busy Beijing subway station. The accident happened on Tuesday on one of the capital’s newest lines, prompting concerns that China’s recent rush to build public transport networks may have led to declining safety standards. The 13-year-old boy who died was on his way to Beijing zoo when the up escalator suddenly went into reverse, according to domestic media reports. Witnesses described a strange grinding noise from the shifting gears and then a tumult in which riders at the top of the escalator fell to the bottom in less than two seconds. The boy and the other riders were thrown down the metal stairs and into a heap at the bottom. Twenty-eight people were taken to hospital, including the dead boy’s father and sister. Two were described as being in a serious condition. Station staff declined to comment, but the railway operator put out a brief online statement: “Beijing MTR Corporation expresses our deep mourning to the dead passenger in this accident and relatives, as well as apology and sympathy to injured passengers and relatives.” It said an investigation was under way into the cause of the breakdown at Beijing zoo station. The government has ordered checks on elevators at other stations. The capital’s subway system opened in 1969 and has expanded rapidly in the past few years to become one of the five longest networks in the world with more than 170 stations and 250 miles of track. Line 4 is one of the most modern. Completed in 2009, it connects the university district to the south of the city. Commuters were horrified at the safety failure. “This is unbelievable. This is the most basic thing and they can’t even do it well. I am very disappointed by Beijing’s public transportation system,” said Olivia Li, a student at Renmin University who often takes Line 4. Additional reporting by Cheng Han China Rail transport Jonathan Watts guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
European Green MEPs’ carbon emissions ambitions downgraded as Conservatives dilute proposals The European parliament on Tuesday rejected a key report that would have toughened the EU stance on greenhouse gas emissions, after political wrangling that wrecked hopes of a compromise. A rebellion by the UK’s Tory MEPs helped to swing the vote against a tougher target on how much carbon emissions should be cut by 2020, but was not decisive, according to insiders. The vote does not put an end to green campaigners’ hopes of a more ambitious emissions reduction target – a higher cut of 30% by 2020 on 1990 levels rather than 20% – as the issue will continue to be debated, but is a setback. The political wrangling involved a series of amendments, proposed by Conservative groupings of MEPs, that would have weakened the resulting resolution to an extent that was not acceptable to the Green MEP grouping. Greens in the parliament will now try to push for the tougher target in future votes, and through the involvement of member states and the European commission. Nick Stern, the former Treasury economist and now chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, said of the vote result: “It’s a missed opportunity and the EU risks falling behind in the economic growth story of the future.” When the vote was originally scheduled to take place, on 23 June, a survey of Tory MEPs by the Guardian found that the leader of the Conservative party in the European parliament, Martin Callanan, was advising his colleagues to vote against the higher target, and several were planning to comply. Only one of those contacted in advance of the vote said she would definitely vote for the higher target. The revelation prompted a parliamentary question to the prime minister, who vowed that he would persuade the MEPs. But a follow-up survey by the Guardian and Friends of the Earth has found that the prime minister has failed to convince them to vote for lower carbon emissions. At least eight MEPs out of the grouping of 23 said they would vote against the measure, while most of the remainder did not respond to emails and calls. Only two MEPs said they would definitely vote in favour, and a handful were undecided. Several MEPs echoed Martin Callanan, who told the Guardian: “Conservative MEPs have always been sceptical of the EU unilaterally increasing its target to 30% without a worldwide agreement. I am in favour of increasing the EU target to 30%, or even higher, in the context of a global agreement where our competitor countries take similar action. Increasing our own targets while the rest of the world does nothing will have virtually no measurable effect on global emissions, because it will force large EU emitters to relocate to other countries outside the EU where they will continue to emit at a much lower cost.” “We are also concerned that the higher carbon emission costs resulting from an increased target will feed through into energy price increases for domestic consumers,” he said. Their decision was attacked by the party’s Liberal Democrat coalition partners, and by green campaigners. Andy Atkins, executive director of Friends of the Earth, said: “As well as snubbing David Cameron, Tory MEPs are defying the latest scientific advice and playing fast and loose with our future. Preventing the necessary action on climate change also goes against EU economic interests – scores of Europe’s leading companies back a 30% cut in emissions because it will create new jobs and business opportunities. “David Cameron came to power with an intelligent approach to tackling climate change, but he must act fast to prevent his promise to lead the greenest government ever from unravelling. The prime minister must redouble his efforts to show his entire party the enormous benefits of building a cleaner, safer future,” he added. Carbon emissions Climate change Conservatives Conservative and Liberal Democrat cabinet Liberal Democrats Liberal-Conservative coalition Green politics David Cameron European Union Europe Fiona Harvey guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …