Tag Archives: political

Julian Assange Fired From IT Job At Pentagon

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01775/assangeSUM_1775173b…. ARLINGTON, VA—With officials describing his publication of sensitive U.S. State Department documents as “the last straw,” Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was asked to resign from his position as the Pentagon's IT coordinator Monday. “We gave him his first warning after the whole Iraq and Afghanistan war diaries thing, and strike two was when he forwarded that video montage of Nicolas Cage yelling to the entire staff,” Defense Department human resources director Curtis Shannon said. “But we just can't overlook this latest offense. Even if he's the only one who knows where the spare USB cables are.” At press time, Assange had already been invited to interview for an IT position at the Central Intelligence Agency. added by: toyotabedzrock

Swiss voters ‘back expulsion of foreign criminals’

The Swiss get it. Unlike the rest of Europe. That's because it is a genuine democracy and not run by hardcore Marxist multiculturalists. Swiss voters have accepted a referendum proposal for the automatic expulsion of non-Swiss citizens for certain crimes, an exit poll suggests. Some 53% agreed that those convicted of crimes ranging from murder to benefit fraud should be deported, the poll for state broadcaster SF1 said. The Swiss People's Party, which drew up the measure, said immigrants “should respect the rules of this country”. But opponents said it was another example of increasing xenophobia. The right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP), was behind last year's referendum that imposed a ban on the building of Islamic minarets. That decision was condemned by human rights groups and foreign governments. The SVP says immigrants to Switzerland are disproportionately responsible for crime. It points to the fact that more than 60% of prison inmates do not have Swiss nationality. But opponents say the measures go too far. The children of immigrants do not automatically get Swiss citizenship, so the rule would mean sending some people who were born and brought up in Switzerland to countries they know nothing of. Convicts would serve their sentence in Switzerland first and then be deported without appeal. The Swiss government believes mandatory deportation could violate Switzerland's obligations under international law not to send people to countries that practise torture or execution. It advised voters to reject the proposal, and it put forward an alternative system which would allow deportation for certain crimes, but which would assess cases individually. The exit poll suggested that had been defeated. added by: crystalman

Ingmar Guandique and Chandra Levy

Ingmar Guandique, 29, was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder for attacking Levy while she was jogging alone in Rock Creek Park in May 2001. Her body was discovered a year later. Nine years after Chandra Levy#39;s death, a jury has convicted Salvadoran immigrant Ingmar Guandique of murdering her. Guandique could get a minimum of 30 years and a maximum of life in prison. His sentencing hearing has been set for Feb. 11. The Levy case destroyed the political career of former Democrati

Read the original post:
Ingmar Guandique and Chandra Levy

Bambi dead at 52

The prison escape of former Playboy Club bunny and Milwaukee police officer Laurie “Bambi” Bembenek popularized the phrase “Run Bambi Run” and seemed tailor-made for the TV movie it inspired. But despite the fame garnered by her flight, Bembenek died having spent more than two decades insisting on her innocence but never fully clearing her name. Her attorney said Sunday that effort will continue. The 52-year-old died Saturday of liver failure at a hospice care center in Portland, Oregon, said her longtime attorney, Mary Woehrer. Bembenek worked briefly as a Playboy Club waitress in Lake Geneva before becoming a police officer in Milwaukee, where she married detective Fred Schultz. Bembenek was convicted in 1982 of fatally shooting his ex-wife, Christine Schultz, after allegedly complaining about the alimony he had to pay. Bembenek was sentenced to life in prison but maintained her innocence. In 1990, she escaped Taycheedah Correctional Institution in Fond du Lac and fled to Canada with then-fiance Dominic Gugliatto, the brother of another inmate. added by: Ihatethemall

Do You Want A Real Revolution?

Once upon a time democracies worked fine for small tribes consisting of a number of families. Everyone simply got together and raised their hand to be counted. Easy. As populations grew, one could not hold massive public meetings for voting on every issue. So we developed a representative form of government, called a democratic republic. A person would be voted into office through democratic means and that person would cast a vote the Representative decided was best for their constituents. However, Republican government is not the friend of democracy and the freedoms of the people. In the course of time, as Representatives come and go, a Representative of the people will be corrupted by wealth and power offered to them by the wealthy and powerful. When that happens the people slowly loose their political power and everything degenerates once again into a have and have-not society of surfs and Aristocracy. Once upon a time, starting about two hundred years ago, we believed that was the best we could ever do and ever hope for. Today we have encryption technology. We have telephones and no pay phones that dial 911 without the need for money. We have computers, we have cell phones, we have TV and radio, newspapers, all of which informs us, all of which can be used in a system of voting. Grandma does not own a computer or TV. Grandma turns her newspaper to the Voting Pages where each bill in the state legislature and federal government is described and a pro and con opinion given, plus suggestions for further research. The deadline for the vote is given; say ten minutes before the representative casts their vote yes or no. Grandma picks up her phone, dials the voter number given for each bill, and uses her code or codes and votes. Tomorrow the newspaper will show the results and the voting record of the representative. In three days Grandma will receive a letter in the mail with her voter receipts, or she can opt for granddaughter to download her receipts off line and stay green. Grandma does a similar thing with her checks and bank transactions today. Every state has the option to pass laws making every representative in state legislatures, and in the federal government, subject to automatic recall by democratic process and a triggered recall when 10% of those representatives’ votes do not reflect the electronic democratic votes cast by the people, THE BOSS! A hearing is set and depending on state law, the representative will be subject to immediate dismissal or even criminal prosecution. Every state will be made accountable by responsible citizens on the local level, for setting up a system that is available to all eligible voters. In that way, cheating becomes a local issue forcing responsible citizens to get involved in the democratic process. Furthermore, it would force responsible citizens to get involved in politics at the state and federal level. Electronic Democracy evens the playing field between the average citizen that votes about every two years for a corrupt or corruptible representative, and the wealthy that can vote as many times as they like out of there wallets to corrupt that representative. I ask you, who really has more political power in the US today, when it is one-person one vote, and one wealthy person numerous votes? Be forewarned. The wealthy and powerful always bring out a BIG Scarecrow argument about democracies like those that I have described. They will say that crazy decisions are made by mobs of people with political power. They are correct if the average person ignores voting and let crazies run the government. However, that kind of mismanagement by the people is self-correcting. The moment some insane law is passed, the people will be forced to rise up and get involved. The more crazy laws pass, the more the rise of the people until real democracy and the power of the people is restored. In the United States, we believe in and trust the people to make the right decisions if they exercise their power to vote. That is based on a belief that human beings as a species have the ability to routinely make the correct political decision if they exercise their political power. This is the entire bases of Democracy. If it is a wrong assumption about us, then democracy for Homo Sapien is an impossibility. I for one do not believe that. However, let us put it to the test. We like to call the United States the great experiment in democracy. We can prove that the experiment is successful by using Electronic Democracy and forcing our elected representative employees to carry out the orders of their employers, the people of the United States of America. The best thing about Electronic Democracy exercised on a state-by-state bases, it is not unconstitutional. Note; lazy people can always vote in the general elections. I do not have the computer ability to start the process. But someone reading this does. Set up sites that take the votes of the people in each state, on every issue before state legislatures and our federal congress. Prove that it can work using encryption and technologies I do not understand but I am sure readers do. The revolution will be held on the internet, you are invited to join. The best way to prove this is the way to restore our freedoms and our democracy is to just do it independently. Then show the people that it works. Personally, I trust Al Gore and Current to make this happen. Maybe open a new tab and call it, Current the Democracy Project. But, if not, we can do it ourselves. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izddjAp_N4I&feature=player_embedded# ! added by: ezrierin

Billionare George Soros profiting off controversial new TSA porno scanners

Be sure and read Tim Carney’s Examiner column today on the politically-connected lobby for the controversial new TSA scanners that are upsetting airline employees and travelers everywhere. Carney notes that a company called Rapiscan got a $165 million contract for the new body image scanners four days after the underwear-bomber incident this past Christmas. Not surprisingly, Rapiscan is politically connected, observes Carney: Rapiscan got the other naked-scanner contract from the TSA, worth $173 million. Rapiscan’s lobbyists include Susan Carr, a former senior legislative aide to Rep. David Price, D-N.C., chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee. When Defense Daily reported on Price’s appropriations bill last winter, the publication noted “Price likes the budget for its emphasis on filling gaps in aviation security, in particular the whole body imaging systems.” Then this morning Carney also noted that former Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff was flacking for Rapiscan. As for the company’s other political connections, it also appears that none other than George Soros, the billionaire owns 11,300 shares of OSI Systems Inc., the company that owns Rapiscan. Not surprisingly, OSI’s stock has appreciated considerably over the course of the year. Soros certainly is a savvy investor. http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/george-soro… added by: Dagum

The Man Behind the Plan to Make Electric Cars Mainstream

Image: TreeHugger Slideshow on Electric Cars Interview with Brian Wynne, Electric Drive Transportation Association As you’re likely aware, this year is a big one for electric cars — two of the highest profile EVs ever aimed at the mainstream are slated to debut soon. Meanwhile, the political and cultural climate is beginning to shift away from the oily favoritism of decades past: Gas prices are rising ever higher, and there’s a new premium on efficient vehicles. All in all, it looks like th… Read the full story on TreeHugger

Read more:
The Man Behind the Plan to Make Electric Cars Mainstream

Former Washington Post Editor Len Downie: Huffington Post a ‘Parasite’

It appears that the Huffington Post isn’t just upsetting people for its often uncouth and liberal take on the day’s news. Now people are getting irritated with its willingness to reprint other outlet’s content while offering minimal credit. And so goes the view of former Washington Post editor Leonard Downie, Jr., author of “ The Rules of the Game.” During his remarks at the James Cameron Memorial Lecture at London’s City University on Sept. 22, Downie gave his view of “the new news” and offered a harsh critique of the Huffington Post. He explained operations like HuffPo operate on the cheap. “This follows, in a way, the model of national Internet news aggregators like Huffington Post,” Downie said. “They confine their costs to minimal staffing necessary to operate the websites and edit content.” He maintained that the site co-founded by editor-in-chief Arianna Huffington would take from national and local sources and fill in the holes with content from unpaid bloggers. The aggregators fill their websites with news, opinion, features, photographs and video that they continuously collect – some would say steal – from other national and local news sites, along with mostly unpaid postings by bloggers who settle for exposure in lieu of money,” he continued. And this sort of use of media is a parasitical approach to journalism, luring an audience through the use of “titillating” content. “Though they purport to be a new form of journalism, these aggregators are primarily parasites living off journalism produced by others,” Downie said. “They attract audiences by aggregating journalism about special interests and opinions reflecting a predictable point of view on the left or the right of the political spectrum, along with titillating gossip and sex. Revealing photos of and stories about entertainment celebrities account for much of the highly touted web traffic to the Huffington Post site, for example.” Even Downie himself, back in 2008 said there would be a time when the print edition of some newspapers wouldn’t exist. But he said local papers would likely survive. But he said that he was unsure how outlets like the Huffington Post would fare going forward. “It is not yet clear whether many – or any – of the aggregators will become profitable – or, more importantly, whether any of them will become sources of original, credible journalism,” he said.

View post:
Former Washington Post Editor Len Downie: Huffington Post a ‘Parasite’

Glenn Greenwald on Iran, Tea Party Candidates, Jon Stewart and Obama’s Assassination Policy

We speak with Glenn Greenwald, a constitutional law attorney and the political and legal blogger for Salon.com. Greenwald discusses White House rhetoric toward Iran; Jon Stewart’s and Stephen Colbert’s planned rallies in Washington, DC; the Obama administration’s assassination policy that includes targeting US citizens; tea party candidates in the November midterm elections; and much more. Video at the link………… http://www.democracynow.org/2010/9/21/glenn_greenwald_on_iran_tea_party added by: treewolf39

Evan Thomas on Ending Bush Tax Rates: ‘God Knows the Federal Government Desperately Needs that Revenue’

Newsweek veteran Evan Thomas, who announced a few weeks ago his intention to leave the financially-failing magazine and teach journalism at Princeton , issued a ringing call – in defense of federal spending – for why he hopes Congress and President Obama cannot agree on extending any of the Bush tax cuts, so income tax rates rise next year: God knows the federal government desperately needs that revenue, so this is one case where I think gridlock is a good thing. Not exactly in line with the thinking of Tea Party voters. (Audio: MP3 clip ) On this weekend’s Inside Washington, the magazine’s former Washington bureau chief, Assistant Managing Editor and, most-recently, editor-at-large, encapsulated the political/media class’s priority – keeping government spending safe – as he argued: A couple of weeks ago, Fareed Zakaria wrote a column in which he said Congress should do what it does best, nothing. And what he means by that is if Congress does nothing, those tax cuts go away. We need the revenue, we need the revenue. I know it’s not great for the economy right now to be having a tax hike, but you’re just returning rates to where they were in the 1990s, when the economy was doing pretty well. God knows the federal government desperately needs that revenue, so this is one case where I think gridlock is a good thing. ( Inside Washington is a weekly show produced by ABC’s Washington, DC affiliate, which airs it Sunday morning after it runs Friday night on DC’s PBS affiliate, WETA-TV channel 26, and Saturday on local cable’s TBD TV .)

See the rest here:
Evan Thomas on Ending Bush Tax Rates: ‘God Knows the Federal Government Desperately Needs that Revenue’