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Time Wrings Hands Over Question, ‘Can a Child Be Tried for Jihadist Crimes?’

With his August 12 post, “Can a Child be Tried for Jihadist Crimes?” , Time magazine’s Tim McGirk hit the Obama administration from the left on the military tribunal prosecution of jihadist Omar Khadr. Khadr was captured on a battlefield in Afghanistan in 2002, when he was just 15 years old. He’s charged with the murder of a U.S. soldier, a crime he’s already confessed to, although he now claims his confession was coerced. Although 15-year-olds in the United States are frequently tried as adults for murder and although Khadr is in 23 years old now, McGirk presented the case as the potential first conviction of a “child” for war crimes since World War II. What’s more, McGirk presented the case as a potential travesty of justice in an ill-conceived war on terror, a term he dismissively used in quote marks: Khadr’s trial got underway just as another military tribunal sentenced Osama Bin Laden’s former chef and driver, Ibrahim a-Qosi, to 14 years in prison. The first prosecution of a Gitmo prisoner since Obama took office promising to close down an offshore prison that had become a symbol of the Bush Administration’s riding roughshod over the rule of law in the course of its “war on terror”. Have we no decency! Putting poor cooks, chauffeurs, and children in prison and throwing away the key! At no point did McGirk indict al Qaeda terrorists, particularly Khadr’s late father Ahmed Said —  “an imposing, grey-bearded patriarch” who was “a close friend” of bin Laden’s — as monsters for allowing teenagers to join in suicidal jihad against the world’s most advanced military, even as he closed with this familiar critique of U.S. anti-terrorism policy (emphasis mine): Jury selection for Khadr’s trial is supposed to end on Wednesday and the trial will begin immediately afterwards. It is expected to run until mid September. But r egardless of its finding, the trial is unlikely to reflect positively on the Obama Administration in the eyes of many of its allies in the fight against al-Qaeda. Photo of Omar Khadr via Time magazine .

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Time Wrings Hands Over Question, ‘Can a Child Be Tried for Jihadist Crimes?’

AP White House Reporter Loven Jumps to Liberal Democratic Political PR/Lobbying Shop

Jennifer Loven, an 18-year AP veteran and the wire service’s chief White House correspondent, has decided to put her communications talents to work for The Glover Park Group , a “strategic communications firm” founded in 2001 by a bunch of Clinton and Gore staffers, most prominently Joe Lockhart, who found themselves unemployed after the 2000 election. She’ll be “Managing Director in its Public Affairs practice,” a Thursday press release from the Glover Park Group, plugged by Politico’s Mike Allen , announced. She’s the second President in a row of the White House Correspondents’ Association to leave journalism for a left-wing, or at least left-leaning, lobbying outfit. In June, Bloomberg’s White House reporter, Ed Chen, formerly of the Los Angeles Times, jumped to the Natural Resources Defense Council as Federal Communications Director. (My complete Obama-journalism revolving door list .) Loven held the WHCA position for 2008-2009 and was succeeded by Chen. Amongst the clients touted on the Glover Park Group’s Web site: American Civil Liberties Union, Alliance for Climate Protection, Campaign for Women’s Lives, Better World Campaign and the Center for Interfaith Action on Global Poverty. They also list some corporate clients, but no conservative activist groups. The firm’s leaders include a who’s who of ex-Clinton and Gore operatives, such as “Founding Partner and Managing Director” Joe Lockhart , “the former chief spokesman and senior adviser to President Bill Clinton from 1998-2000” who “served as Senior Advisor to Sen. John Kerry’s 2004 presidential bid.” Earlier, he toiled as “Deputy Press Secretary for the 1988 Dukakis-Bentsen campaign, and Assistant Press Secretary for the 1984 Mondale-Ferraro campaign.” In between all that, he put in stints as “Assignment Editor at ABC News and Deputy Assignment Manager for CNN in Washington.” Another “Founding Partner and Managing Director,” Carter Eskew , “was Chief Strategist for the Gore 2000 presidential campaign, leading the message and creative team that helped Vice President Gore win every primary and caucus, secure the nomination, then make up a 20 point deficit in the polls to a victory in the popular vote.” Susan Brophy , “Managing Director,” from 1993-1998 was “Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs, where she developed, implemented and directed legislative strategy with the White House, administration and Congress in support of President Clinton’s policy priorities.” Loven’s husband, by the way, is a liberal environmental activist. A 2009 National Review “Media Blog” post provided an excerpt from this bio for him: Roger Ballentine is the President of Green Strategies Inc., where he advises and represents businesses, associations, government agencies and non-profit entities on domestic and international public policy issues and business strategies, focusing on energy, conservation and environmental matters. Roger is also a Senior Fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute in Washington D.C. where he works to develop cutting edge, third way approaches to public policy challenges in the areas of energy and the environment. He also served as Senior Advisor to the Kerry-Edwards Campaign on energy and environmental matters. Roger previously was a senior member of the White House staff, serving President Bill Clinton as Chairman of the White House Climate Change Task Force and Deputy Assistant to the President for Environmental Initiatives. Prior to being named Deputy Assistant to the President, Mr. Ballentine was Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs, where he focused on energy and environment issues. … He and his wife, journalist Jennifer Loven, reside in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

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AP White House Reporter Loven Jumps to Liberal Democratic Political PR/Lobbying Shop

Lindsay Lohan Lawyer Robert Shapiro Quit On Eve Of Jail Sentence

Actress may have been considering last-minute appeal before reporting to jail on Tuesday. By Gil Kaufman Lindsay Lohan Photo: David McNew/ Getty Images Once again, Lindsay Lohan is without a lawyer. On Monday, just one day before Lohan was scheduled to report for a 90-day jail sentence , former O.J. Simpson attorney Robert Shapiro stepped down from representing the troubled actress, four days after agreeing to take the case. According to KTLA , Shapiro and Lohan, 24, had an emergency meeting with Judge Marsha Revel late Monday afternoon in which Shapiro announced his resignation. The prosecutor in the case was not present for the meeting, and Shapiro did not say why he was quitting. Before stepping down, Shapiro had publicly stated that he would only represent Lohan if she agreed to go to jail instead of trying to appeal her sentence — and if she followed his instructions. Prior to Shapiro taking the case, Chicago attorney Stuart V. Goldberg met with Lohan and her family to discuss representing the “Mean Girls” star but declined, saying the actress was a “fragile, lost child” who didn’t seem aware of the gravity of her situation. Lohan’s original attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley , resigned her position shortly after the former child star’s sentencing. But KTLA reported on Monday that court records indicate that while Shapiro has been representing Lohan for the past few days, Holley never officially signed the substitution of attorney form, which means she is still the attorney of record for Lohan. Holley could not be reached for comment at press time, but KTLA reported that the attorney resigned after she learned that Lohan was “shopping” for a different lawyer. RadarOnline , citing unnamed sources close to the star, said that Holley will indeed be beside Lohan on Tuesday morning (July 20) when she submits to begin serving her sentence. Lohan has been staying at the Pickford Lofts sober-living facility for the past five days and reportedly checked out on Monday. The Lofts were founded by Shapiro after his son, Brent, died of a drug overdose. Radar speculated that Shapiro’s abrupt resignation, which coincided with Lohan checking out of the Lofts, might have signaled that the actress was going to try a last-ditch appeal to her jail term. Radar also reported that the district attorney in the case issued a stern warning to Lohan’s legal team about a possible appeal. Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Danette Meyers reportedly told the site that she would object to any move to send Lohan to rehab instead of jail. “I have two things to say about that, first, she had done an in-patient rehab program before — and it didn’t work,” Meyers said. “Secondly, Judge Revel has already sentenced her. She needs to do the time. Jail is the only thing that is going to get her attention.” Though sentenced to 90 days, Lohan is likely to only serve around 25 percent of her time, or 23 days, due to overcrowding. Following jail, she has been ordered to spend 90 days in in-patient rehab. Related Photos Lindsay Lohan Goes To Court The Highs And Lows Of Lindsay Lohan Related Artists Lindsay Lohan

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Lindsay Lohan Lawyer Robert Shapiro Quit On Eve Of Jail Sentence

MSNBC Host Calls Leftist Advocacy Group Co-Founded By Obama ‘Non-Partisan’

ROTF, laughing my Demos off . . . Barack Obama is president.  Oil is gushing in the gulf.  America was eliminated from the World Cup.  Looking for a laugh break? Try this: MSNBC has described DEMOS as “non-partisan.”  OK, I hadn’t heard of them, either.  But their web site just happens to mention that Barack Obama is “a founding Board member of Demos.” But that didn’t stop Chris Hayes of the lefty Nation mag, on MSNBC this evening subbing for Ed Schultz, from, yes, describing DEMOS as “non-partisan” in introducing the group’s Washington, DC director, Heather McGhee.  And who is Heather?  From the DEMOS site: “previously, she was the Deputy Policy Director, Domestic and Economic Policy, for the John Edwards for President 2008 campaign.” View video here . Predictably, McGhee spoke in favor of the Dems’ financial regulation bill.  Her argument included this pro-Obama gem: “People understand that we’ve now got someone in Washington watching out for the consumer,” etc.  Don’t you sleep better at night knowing Barack Obama’s in the White House? Poking around the DEMOS web site, we find this  description of the group’s “four overarching goals”:     *  a more equitable economy with widely shared prosperity and opportunity;     * a vibrant and inclusive democracy with high levels of voting and civic engagement;     * an empowered public sector that works for the common good;     * and responsible U.S. engagement in an interdependent world. Shall we translate?: income redistribution, lax voting enforcement, bigger government, weaker defense. Yup, sure sounds non-partisan to me! Note: My first instinct was to Google “DEMOS” + “Soros,” and while I can’t independently verify it for the time being, sure enough I got some hits, as here , listing the group as being funded by the far-left’s biggest financier.

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MSNBC Host Calls Leftist Advocacy Group Co-Founded By Obama ‘Non-Partisan’

Pakistan: Anti-terror court convicts 5 Americans

Five American men were convicted Thursday on terror charges by a Pakistani court and sentenced to 10 years in prison in a case that has heightened concerns about Westerners traveling to Pakistan to contact al-Qaida and other Islamist extremist groups. The trial of the young Muslim men from the Washington, D.C., area was sensitive for the U.S., which has a duty to ensure justice for its citizens abroad but also has pushed Pakistan to crack down on militancy. Prosecutors said e-mail records and witness statements proved the men used the Internet to plot terror attacks in Pakistan and nations allied with it. The father of one of the men said they were in Pakistan to attend his son's wedding, but had intended to cross into Afghanistan for humanitarian work. The verdict comes the same week Pakistani-American Faisal Shahzad pleaded guilty to trying to bomb New York's Times Square in May after getting training by the Taliban in Pakistan's tribal areas. The judge on Thursday handed down two prison terms for each man, one for 10 years on a criminal conspiracy charge, and the other for five years on the charge of funding banned organizations for terrorism. A copy of the decision seen by The Associated Press said the terms were to be served concurrently. The men, all in their 20s, had faced up to life in prison. They were acquitted of three charges, including planning to wage war against the U.S. and Afghanistan – allies of Pakistan. The men said nothing when the verdict was read out, Deputy Prosecutor Rana Bakhtiar said. Previously, the men claimed they were tortured by Pakistani police and FBI agents, charges denied by authorities here and the U.S. Their lawyers said they would appeal the case. The trial moved with unusual speed in a country where cases often drag out for years and where terror convictions are rare and often overturned on appeal. The trial was closed to journalists and observers and was heard by a single judge in a special anti-terrorism court. The men have been identified as Ramy Zamzam of Egyptian descent, Waqar Khan and Umar Farooq of Pakistani descent, and Aman Hassan Yemer and Ahmed Minni of Ethiopian descent. They were reported missing by their families in November after one left behind a farewell video showing scenes of war and casualties and saying Muslims must be defended. story continues http://www.optimum.net/News/AP/Article?fmId=5417804 More New York Times Coverage http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/world/asia/25pstan.html?hp added by: Stoneyroad

Large Leaking BP Oil Container Washes Ashore in Florida

Oil container washes ashore in Florida By the CNN Wire Staff June 12, 2010 10:51 p.m. EDT (CNN) — A portion of beach in Panama City, Florida, was closed Saturday after a large oil container with BP markings washed ashore, local authorities said. It was not immediately clear if the container, which was leaking a small amount of oil, came from the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that exploded April 20 and sank two days later, triggering a massive underwater gusher that has led to the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. BP officials could not be immediately reached for comment. Panama City has not yet seen tar balls or any other evidence of the spill reach its shoreline, according to Bay County spokeswoman Valerie Lovett. The large, stainless steel tank about the size of a refrigerator washed up on the west end of Panama City Beach and was discovered shortly after 9 a.m. Saturday, Bay County sheriff's Deputy Ray Maulbeck told CNN. The container has a capacity of 550 gallons of oil, but Maulbeck said officials didn't know how much oil was in the tank. The beach is set to reopen Sunday, he said. The container will be transported to Louisiana for investigation, Lovett said. added by: EthicalVegan

Quadriplegic man accused of running marijuana grow house

OCALA — A 46-year-old Ocala man was arrested Saturday night after police discovered a marijuana grow operation in his house. Mark Weiner, who is a quadriplegic, was charged with cultivating and possessing marijuana and paraphernalia. Marion County Sheriff's Office deputies received a call informing them of the grow house at 7125 S.W. 103rd St. Road. Deputy Joseph Tussey wrote in a report that Weiner told him where the marijuana was and that it was an experiment. Weiner allegedly led the deputy to another room, which had a tank containing lights and six marijuana plants more than a foot tall. Weiner also reportedly showed the deputy a bag with nearly 40 grams of marijuana inside, two bongs and about 50 marijuana seeds. According to the report, Weiner told the deputy his caregivers are his arms and legs and do as he asks. http://www.ocala.com/article/20100606/ARTICLES/100609800/1425?Title=Quadriplegic… added by: Stoneyroad

Avenged Sevenfold Drummer Jimmy Sullivan Died Of Accidental Overdose

The Rev died from combined effects of painkillers, anti-anxiety medication and alcohol. By Gil Kaufman Avenged Sevenfold’s The Rev Photo: Brian Ach/ WireImage Six months after the shocking death of Avenged Sevenfold drummer Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan , a coroner’s report has revealed that the 28-year-old died as a result of an accidental overdose of strong prescription painkillers and alcohol. According to Rolling Stone, Orange County Deputy Coroner Mitchell Sigal determined from toxicology tests that Sullivan’s December 28 death was a result of “acute polydrug intoxication due to combined effects of oxycodone, oxymorphone, diazepam/nordiazepam and ethanol.” Those drugs include a pair of painkillers that work, respectively, like codeine and morphine, an anti-anxiety medication and the active intoxicant in alcohol. Sigal also noted that Sullivan also had an enlarged heart, which was noted in the coroner’s report as a “significant condition” that may have contributed to his death. “To all of us who loved Jimmy, the only thing relevant about December 28 is that is the night we lost, too soon, a son, brother, friend and one of the most talented artists in the world,” Avenged Sevenfold manager Larry Jacobson told the magazine. “Every day, his parents and sisters, and his brothers in Avenged Sevenfold smile at the many memories they have of Jimmy, and his fans around the world revel in the musical legacy he left them.” Sullivan died in his Huntington Beach, California, home and was buried in a private ceremony on January 6. He played on four of the metalcore band’s albums and was co-writing tunes on the upcoming disc, Nightmare (due out July 27), at the time of his death. The group hired one of Sullivan’s favorite drummers, Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy, to finish up Nightmare and to join them for their upcoming dates on the Rockstar Energy Uproar tour. Share your memories of the Rev in the comments below. Related Artists Avenged Sevenfold

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Avenged Sevenfold Drummer Jimmy Sullivan Died Of Accidental Overdose

Germany vs Bosnia friendly 2010 score 3:1

Bosnia#39;s defender Adnan Mravac (L) and German forward Lukas Podolski vie for the ball during the friendly football match Germany vs Bosnia in the central German city of Frankfurt am Main. Germany won 3-1. New captain Philipp Lahm hit the equaliser and his deputy Bastian Schweinsteiger scored two penalties as Germany came from behind to beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-1 here on Thursday in a friendly. This was Germany#39;s final World Cup warm-up game before South Africa and the Germans responde

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Germany vs Bosnia friendly 2010 score 3:1

Marian Hui is Goh Keng Swee grand-niece

Dr Goh Keng Swee#39;s grandson Goh Ken-Yi, 37, and grand-niece Marian Hui will also deliver eulogies. Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, who had been away on an official trip, will give a eulogy at the state funeral of former Deputy Prime Minister Goh Keng Swee today. His speech will be among five to be delivered at the ceremony at Singapore Conference Hall, said a statement from the funeral organisers yesterday. The first will be from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, followed by that of MM Lee and

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Marian Hui is Goh Keng Swee grand-niece