Kraven Moorehead

Rove-Gannon Connection?

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2005

Karl Rove (Photo: AP)

Karl Rove's hope to become a respected policymaker will be hampered if the dirty tricks from his political past are more apparent than his desire to spread liberty around the globe.

(CBS) Dotty Lynch is the Senior Political Editor for CBS News. E-mail your questions and comments to Political Points
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Karl Rove took a victory lap at an SRO lunch at the Conservative Political Action Committee meeting at the Ronald Reagan building in Washington on Thursday. After a glowing introduction by Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association, Rove proclaimed "conservatism as the dominant political creed in America," but warned Republicans not to get complacent or grow "tired and timid." He recalled the dark days when the Democrats were dominant and cautioned that that could happen again if they let down their guard. The new White House deputy chief of staff also called on conservatives to "seize the mantle of idealism."

Tired and timid are two adjectives never applied to Rove. The architect of the Bush victories in 2000 and 2004 came through the ranks of college Republicans with the late Lee Atwater, and their admitted and alleged dirty tricks are the legends many young political operatives dream of pulling off. So when Jeff Gannon, White House "reporter" for Talon "News," was unmasked last week, the leap to a possible Rove connection was unavoidable. Gannon says that he met Rove only once, at a White House Christmas party, and Gannon is kind of small potatoes for Rove at this point in his career.

But Rove's dominance of White House and Republican politics, Gannon's aggressively partisan work and the ease with which he got day passes for the White House press room the past two years make it hard to believe that he wasn't at least implicitly sanctioned by the "boy genius." Rove, who rarely gave on-the-record interviews to the MSM (mainstream media), had time to talk to GOPUSA, which owns Talon.

GOPUSA and Talon are both owned by Bobby Eberle, a Texas Republican and business associate of conservative direct-mail guru Bruce Eberle who says that Bobby is from the "Texas branch of the Eberle clan." Bobby Eberle told The New York Times that he created Talon to build a news service with a conservative slant and "if someone were to see 'GOPUSA,' there's an instant built-in bias there." No kidding.

Some of the real reporters in the White House pressroom were apparently annoyed at Gannon's presence and his softball, partisan questions, but considered him only a minor irritant. One told me he thought of Gannon as a balance for the opinionated liberal questions of Hearst's Helen Thomas. But what Gannon was up to was not just writing opinion columns or using a different technique to get information. He was a player in Republican campaigns and his work in the South Dakota Senate race illustrates the role he played. It is also a classic example of how political operatives are using the brave new world of the Internet and the blogosphere. Gannon and Talon News appear to be mini-Drudge reports; a "news" source which partisans use to put out negative information, get the attention of the bloggers, talk radio and then the MSM in a way that mere press releases are unable to achieve.

One of Gannon's first projects was an attempt to discredit the South Dakota Argus Leader, South Dakota's major paper, and its longtime political writer, David Kranz. According to the National Journal, which reported on this last November, Gannon wrote a series of articles in the summer of 2003 alleging that Kranz, who went to college with Democratic Sen. Tom Daschle, was not only sympathetic to him but was an actual part of the Daschle campaign. These articles then got a huge amount of play on the blogs of John Lauck and Jason Van Beek, and were picked up by other conservative sites and talk radio. The paper was bombarded with messages about its bias and acknowledges that these had an impact on its coverage.

Daschle opponent John Thune's campaign manager was Dick Wadham, an old political crony of Karl Rove's; the kind of pal Rove could ask to hire his first cousin, John Wood, a few years back. Wadham put the bloggers on the campaign payroll and the symbiotic relationship between the campaign, the bloggers and "reporter" Gannon continued. On September 29, Gannon broke the story that Daschle had claimed a special tax exemption for a house in Washington and the bloggers jumped all over it. According to a November 17 posting on South Dakota Politics – a site that Van Beek, who has become a staffer for now-Sen. Thune, has bequeathed to Lauck – "Jeff Gannon, whose reportage had a dramatic impact on the Daschle v. Thune race (his story about Sen. Daschle signing a legal document claiming to be a D.C. resident was published nearly the same day Thune began to run an ad showing Daschle saying, "I'm a D.C. resident) has written an analysis of the debacle."

Daschle aides told Roll Call, "This guy (Gannon) became the dumping ground for opposition research." The connections are so strong that there is an FEC challenge which could be a test case on the limits of the use of the Internet in federal campaigns.

Gannon also had Thune on his radio show "Jeff Gannon's Washington," and the White House correspondent for Talon became touted as the "resident D.C. expert on South Dakota politics" by the bloggers. Thune and Wadham (who has been hired by aspiring White House Republican Sen. George Allen) have become go-to guys on the use of blogs in campaigns. Thune was cited in The New York Times as introducing "Senators to the meaning of 'blogging,' explaining the basics of self-published online political commentary and arguing that it can affect public opinion."

This week Democrats, who have serious case of Rove envy, went a little nuts and started sending around information and graphic pictures of Gannon and his porn Web sites. But it is the more routine part of Gannon's life that deserves serious scrutiny. Planting or even just sanctioning a political operative in the WH press room is a dangerous precedent and Karl Rove's hope to become a respected policymaker will be hampered if the dirty tricks from his political past are more apparent than his desire to spread liberty around the globe.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 05:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rove-Gannon Connection?

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2005

Karl Rove (Photo: AP)

Karl Rove's hope to become a respected policymaker will be hampered if the dirty tricks from his political past are more apparent than his desire to spread liberty around the globe.

(CBS) Dotty Lynch is the Senior Political Editor for CBS News. E-mail your questions and comments to Political Points
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Karl Rove took a victory lap at an SRO lunch at the Conservative Political Action Committee meeting at the Ronald Reagan building in Washington on Thursday. After a glowing introduction by Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association, Rove proclaimed "conservatism as the dominant political creed in America," but warned Republicans not to get complacent or grow "tired and timid." He recalled the dark days when the Democrats were dominant and cautioned that that could happen again if they let down their guard. The new White House deputy chief of staff also called on conservatives to "seize the mantle of idealism."

Tired and timid are two adjectives never applied to Rove. The architect of the Bush victories in 2000 and 2004 came through the ranks of college Republicans with the late Lee Atwater, and their admitted and alleged dirty tricks are the legends many young political operatives dream of pulling off. So when Jeff Gannon, White House "reporter" for Talon "News," was unmasked last week, the leap to a possible Rove connection was unavoidable. Gannon says that he met Rove only once, at a White House Christmas party, and Gannon is kind of small potatoes for Rove at this point in his career.

But Rove's dominance of White House and Republican politics, Gannon's aggressively partisan work and the ease with which he got day passes for the White House press room the past two years make it hard to believe that he wasn't at least implicitly sanctioned by the "boy genius." Rove, who rarely gave on-the-record interviews to the MSM (mainstream media), had time to talk to GOPUSA, which owns Talon.

GOPUSA and Talon are both owned by Bobby Eberle, a Texas Republican and business associate of conservative direct-mail guru Bruce Eberle who says that Bobby is from the "Texas branch of the Eberle clan." Bobby Eberle told The New York Times that he created Talon to build a news service with a conservative slant and "if someone were to see 'GOPUSA,' there's an instant built-in bias there." No kidding.

Some of the real reporters in the White House pressroom were apparently annoyed at Gannon's presence and his softball, partisan questions, but considered him only a minor irritant. One told me he thought of Gannon as a balance for the opinionated liberal questions of Hearst's Helen Thomas. But what Gannon was up to was not just writing opinion columns or using a different technique to get information. He was a player in Republican campaigns and his work in the South Dakota Senate race illustrates the role he played. It is also a classic example of how political operatives are using the brave new world of the Internet and the blogosphere. Gannon and Talon News appear to be mini-Drudge reports; a "news" source which partisans use to put out negative information, get the attention of the bloggers, talk radio and then the MSM in a way that mere press releases are unable to achieve.

One of Gannon's first projects was an attempt to discredit the South Dakota Argus Leader, South Dakota's major paper, and its longtime political writer, David Kranz. According to the National Journal, which reported on this last November, Gannon wrote a series of articles in the summer of 2003 alleging that Kranz, who went to college with Democratic Sen. Tom Daschle, was not only sympathetic to him but was an actual part of the Daschle campaign. These articles then got a huge amount of play on the blogs of John Lauck and Jason Van Beek, and were picked up by other conservative sites and talk radio. The paper was bombarded with messages about its bias and acknowledges that these had an impact on its coverage.

Daschle opponent John Thune's campaign manager was Dick Wadham, an old political crony of Karl Rove's; the kind of pal Rove could ask to hire his first cousin, John Wood, a few years back. Wadham put the bloggers on the campaign payroll and the symbiotic relationship between the campaign, the bloggers and "reporter" Gannon continued. On September 29, Gannon broke the story that Daschle had claimed a special tax exemption for a house in Washington and the bloggers jumped all over it. According to a November 17 posting on South Dakota Politics – a site that Van Beek, who has become a staffer for now-Sen. Thune, has bequeathed to Lauck – "Jeff Gannon, whose reportage had a dramatic impact on the Daschle v. Thune race (his story about Sen. Daschle signing a legal document claiming to be a D.C. resident was published nearly the same day Thune began to run an ad showing Daschle saying, "I'm a D.C. resident) has written an analysis of the debacle."

Daschle aides told Roll Call, "This guy (Gannon) became the dumping ground for opposition research." The connections are so strong that there is an FEC challenge which could be a test case on the limits of the use of the Internet in federal campaigns.

Gannon also had Thune on his radio show "Jeff Gannon's Washington," and the White House correspondent for Talon became touted as the "resident D.C. expert on South Dakota politics" by the bloggers. Thune and Wadham (who has been hired by aspiring White House Republican Sen. George Allen) have become go-to guys on the use of blogs in campaigns. Thune was cited in The New York Times as introducing "Senators to the meaning of 'blogging,' explaining the basics of self-published online political commentary and arguing that it can affect public opinion."

This week Democrats, who have serious case of Rove envy, went a little nuts and started sending around information and graphic pictures of Gannon and his porn Web sites. But it is the more routine part of Gannon's life that deserves serious scrutiny. Planting or even just sanctioning a political operative in the WH press room is a dangerous precedent and Karl Rove's hope to become a respected policymaker will be hampered if the dirty tricks from his political past are more apparent than his desire to spread liberty around the globe.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 05:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rove-Gannon Connection?

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2005

Karl Rove (Photo: AP)

Karl Rove's hope to become a respected policymaker will be hampered if the dirty tricks from his political past are more apparent than his desire to spread liberty around the globe.

(CBS) Dotty Lynch is the Senior Political Editor for CBS News. E-mail your questions and comments to Political Points
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Karl Rove took a victory lap at an SRO lunch at the Conservative Political Action Committee meeting at the Ronald Reagan building in Washington on Thursday. After a glowing introduction by Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association, Rove proclaimed "conservatism as the dominant political creed in America," but warned Republicans not to get complacent or grow "tired and timid." He recalled the dark days when the Democrats were dominant and cautioned that that could happen again if they let down their guard. The new White House deputy chief of staff also called on conservatives to "seize the mantle of idealism."

Tired and timid are two adjectives never applied to Rove. The architect of the Bush victories in 2000 and 2004 came through the ranks of college Republicans with the late Lee Atwater, and their admitted and alleged dirty tricks are the legends many young political operatives dream of pulling off. So when Jeff Gannon, White House "reporter" for Talon "News," was unmasked last week, the leap to a possible Rove connection was unavoidable. Gannon says that he met Rove only once, at a White House Christmas party, and Gannon is kind of small potatoes for Rove at this point in his career.

But Rove's dominance of White House and Republican politics, Gannon's aggressively partisan work and the ease with which he got day passes for the White House press room the past two years make it hard to believe that he wasn't at least implicitly sanctioned by the "boy genius." Rove, who rarely gave on-the-record interviews to the MSM (mainstream media), had time to talk to GOPUSA, which owns Talon.

GOPUSA and Talon are both owned by Bobby Eberle, a Texas Republican and business associate of conservative direct-mail guru Bruce Eberle who says that Bobby is from the "Texas branch of the Eberle clan." Bobby Eberle told The New York Times that he created Talon to build a news service with a conservative slant and "if someone were to see 'GOPUSA,' there's an instant built-in bias there." No kidding.

Some of the real reporters in the White House pressroom were apparently annoyed at Gannon's presence and his softball, partisan questions, but considered him only a minor irritant. One told me he thought of Gannon as a balance for the opinionated liberal questions of Hearst's Helen Thomas. But what Gannon was up to was not just writing opinion columns or using a different technique to get information. He was a player in Republican campaigns and his work in the South Dakota Senate race illustrates the role he played. It is also a classic example of how political operatives are using the brave new world of the Internet and the blogosphere. Gannon and Talon News appear to be mini-Drudge reports; a "news" source which partisans use to put out negative information, get the attention of the bloggers, talk radio and then the MSM in a way that mere press releases are unable to achieve.

One of Gannon's first projects was an attempt to discredit the South Dakota Argus Leader, South Dakota's major paper, and its longtime political writer, David Kranz. According to the National Journal, which reported on this last November, Gannon wrote a series of articles in the summer of 2003 alleging that Kranz, who went to college with Democratic Sen. Tom Daschle, was not only sympathetic to him but was an actual part of the Daschle campaign. These articles then got a huge amount of play on the blogs of John Lauck and Jason Van Beek, and were picked up by other conservative sites and talk radio. The paper was bombarded with messages about its bias and acknowledges that these had an impact on its coverage.

Daschle opponent John Thune's campaign manager was Dick Wadham, an old political crony of Karl Rove's; the kind of pal Rove could ask to hire his first cousin, John Wood, a few years back. Wadham put the bloggers on the campaign payroll and the symbiotic relationship between the campaign, the bloggers and "reporter" Gannon continued. On September 29, Gannon broke the story that Daschle had claimed a special tax exemption for a house in Washington and the bloggers jumped all over it. According to a November 17 posting on South Dakota Politics – a site that Van Beek, who has become a staffer for now-Sen. Thune, has bequeathed to Lauck – "Jeff Gannon, whose reportage had a dramatic impact on the Daschle v. Thune race (his story about Sen. Daschle signing a legal document claiming to be a D.C. resident was published nearly the same day Thune began to run an ad showing Daschle saying, "I'm a D.C. resident) has written an analysis of the debacle."

Daschle aides told Roll Call, "This guy (Gannon) became the dumping ground for opposition research." The connections are so strong that there is an FEC challenge which could be a test case on the limits of the use of the Internet in federal campaigns.

Gannon also had Thune on his radio show "Jeff Gannon's Washington," and the White House correspondent for Talon became touted as the "resident D.C. expert on South Dakota politics" by the bloggers. Thune and Wadham (who has been hired by aspiring White House Republican Sen. George Allen) have become go-to guys on the use of blogs in campaigns. Thune was cited in The New York Times as introducing "Senators to the meaning of 'blogging,' explaining the basics of self-published online political commentary and arguing that it can affect public opinion."

This week Democrats, who have serious case of Rove envy, went a little nuts and started sending around information and graphic pictures of Gannon and his porn Web sites. But it is the more routine part of Gannon's life that deserves serious scrutiny. Planting or even just sanctioning a political operative in the WH press room is a dangerous precedent and Karl Rove's hope to become a respected policymaker will be hampered if the dirty tricks from his political past are more apparent than his desire to spread liberty around the globe.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 05:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Shiites pick al-Jaafari as Iraq PM nominee
BAGHDAD (AP) — Interim Vice President Ibrahim al-Jaafari was chosen as the Shiite ticket's candidate for prime minister Tuesday after Ahmad Chalabi dropped his bid, senior alliance officials said.

Al-Jaafari speaks to the media after meeting with Iraqi Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi in Baghdad Monday.
By Wathiq Khuzaie, AP

Al-Jaafari's selection means he likely will lead Iraq's first democratically elected government in 50 years. But first he has to be approved by a coalition that likely will include the Kurds, and then he must be approved by a majority of the newly elected National Assembly. (Related video: Al-Jaafari gets the nod)

Pressure from within the ranks of the United Iraqi Alliance, which won Iraq's landmark Jan. 30 election, forced the withdrawal of Chalabi, a one-time Pentagon favorite, said Hussein al-Moussawi from the Shiite Political Council, an umbrella group for 38 Shiite parties.

Meanwhile, two explosions echoed through Baghdad at midday. A plume of black smoke rose from the Green Zone, where Iraqi government offices and the U.S. Embassy are located.

Police Capt. Muthanna Hassan said one of the blasts was a car bomb that exploded as an Iraqi special forces convoy passed by, killing two soldiers and wounding 20 others. It was not clear what caused the other blast.

In western Baghdad, masked gunmen hurled explosives into a Shiite mosque in the Ghazaliyah neighborhood, police Capt. Sa'ad Jawad Kadhim said. The explosives failed to detonate and guards opened fire on the attackers, killing one and forcing the rest to flee, Kadhim said.

Also in Baghdad, police foiled a suicide bombing, arresting a Sudanese man who tried to detonate an explosives-laden belt inside the Adnan Khair Allah hospital, Interior Ministry Capt. Ahmed Ismael said.

It was apparently the second suicide mission involving a Sudanese. At least one man believed to be of Sudanese origin carried out a suicide bombing Saturday in Baghdad, part of a wave of violence that killed 55 people on Ashoura, the holiest day of the Shiite calendar.

Also in the capital, a U.S. military convoy was hit in a roadside bomb attack in the southern neighborhood of Doura, police Lt. Haitham Abdul Razak said.

U.S. troops exchanged fire with gunmen in Samarra, 60 miles north of the capital. One Iraqi was killed in a mortar strike there, said Dr. Aala al-Deen Mohammed.

Al-Jaafari said dealing with insurgents and re-establishing security would be the first task of his government if he becomes prime minister. "The security situation is the first matter we will address," he said.

Some of Chalabi's aides, including Qaisar Witwit, suggested he was being offered the post of deputy prime minister in charge of economic and security affairs. When asked about such a deal, Chalabi said simply, "We will see."

Chalabi said he dropped out of the race "for the unity of the alliance." He would not say if he had been offered a post in the new government.

Until Chalabi agreed to withdraw, the 140 members of the alliance had planned to decide between the two in a secret ballot Tuesday.

The decision came after three days of round-the-clock negotiations by senior members of the clergy-backed alliance, which emerged from the election with a 140-seat majority in the 275-member National Assembly, or parliament.

The office of Abdel Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, or SCIRI, confirmed that Chalabi had withdrawn his bid to be prime minister.

"Chalabi announced his withdrawal and everyone agreed on al-Jaafari. Then Chalabi declared his support to al-Jaafari," said Haytham al Husaini, a top al-Hakim aide.

SCIRI, the main group making up the alliance, tried for days to persuade Chalabi to quit the race, some of its senior officials said.

Al-Jaafari's only other likely opponent for the post would be interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, who was nominated for the job by his group. The Iraqi List got only 14% of the vote — or 40 seats — in the election.

Al-Jaafari would not say if he had approached Allawi with an offer so that he would drop out.

"Whether someone is a member of the alliance or not doesn't mean they don't have the opportunity to play a role in this new government," al-Jaafari said.

The United Iraqi Alliance took 48% of the vote last month but needs to form a coalition with smaller parties to form the new government.

Kurdish parties, who won 26%, have indicated in the past they would support the Shiite candidate for prime minister in return for support for their candidate for the presidency.

The assembly must approve candidates for president and two vice presidents by a two-thirds majority. The president and vice presidents, in turn, will nominate a prime minister, who must be approved by a simple majority of the assembly.

The assembly also will draft a constitution.

A date for the parliament's opening has not been set.

The conservative Al-Jaafari, a 58-year-old family doctor, is the main spokesman for the Islamic Dawa Party, which waged a bloody campaign against Saddam Hussein's regime in the late 1970s. Saddam crushed the campaign in 1982 and Dawa based itself in Iran.

In an interview with The Associated Press last week, he said calling for the immediate withdrawal of coalition troops would be a "mistake," given the lack of security in Iraq.

The secular Chalabi is a former exile leader who heavily promoted the idea that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. He later fell out with some key members of the Bush administration over allegations that he passed secrets to Iran.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 03:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Shiites pick al-Jaafari as Iraq PM nominee
BAGHDAD (AP) — Interim Vice President Ibrahim al-Jaafari was chosen as the Shiite ticket's candidate for prime minister Tuesday after Ahmad Chalabi dropped his bid, senior alliance officials said.

Al-Jaafari speaks to the media after meeting with Iraqi Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi in Baghdad Monday.
By Wathiq Khuzaie, AP

Al-Jaafari's selection means he likely will lead Iraq's first democratically elected government in 50 years. But first he has to be approved by a coalition that likely will include the Kurds, and then he must be approved by a majority of the newly elected National Assembly. (Related video: Al-Jaafari gets the nod)

Pressure from within the ranks of the United Iraqi Alliance, which won Iraq's landmark Jan. 30 election, forced the withdrawal of Chalabi, a one-time Pentagon favorite, said Hussein al-Moussawi from the Shiite Political Council, an umbrella group for 38 Shiite parties.

Meanwhile, two explosions echoed through Baghdad at midday. A plume of black smoke rose from the Green Zone, where Iraqi government offices and the U.S. Embassy are located.

Police Capt. Muthanna Hassan said one of the blasts was a car bomb that exploded as an Iraqi special forces convoy passed by, killing two soldiers and wounding 20 others. It was not clear what caused the other blast.

In western Baghdad, masked gunmen hurled explosives into a Shiite mosque in the Ghazaliyah neighborhood, police Capt. Sa'ad Jawad Kadhim said. The explosives failed to detonate and guards opened fire on the attackers, killing one and forcing the rest to flee, Kadhim said.

Also in Baghdad, police foiled a suicide bombing, arresting a Sudanese man who tried to detonate an explosives-laden belt inside the Adnan Khair Allah hospital, Interior Ministry Capt. Ahmed Ismael said.

It was apparently the second suicide mission involving a Sudanese. At least one man believed to be of Sudanese origin carried out a suicide bombing Saturday in Baghdad, part of a wave of violence that killed 55 people on Ashoura, the holiest day of the Shiite calendar.

Also in the capital, a U.S. military convoy was hit in a roadside bomb attack in the southern neighborhood of Doura, police Lt. Haitham Abdul Razak said.

U.S. troops exchanged fire with gunmen in Samarra, 60 miles north of the capital. One Iraqi was killed in a mortar strike there, said Dr. Aala al-Deen Mohammed.

Al-Jaafari said dealing with insurgents and re-establishing security would be the first task of his government if he becomes prime minister. "The security situation is the first matter we will address," he said.

Some of Chalabi's aides, including Qaisar Witwit, suggested he was being offered the post of deputy prime minister in charge of economic and security affairs. When asked about such a deal, Chalabi said simply, "We will see."

Chalabi said he dropped out of the race "for the unity of the alliance." He would not say if he had been offered a post in the new government.

Until Chalabi agreed to withdraw, the 140 members of the alliance had planned to decide between the two in a secret ballot Tuesday.

The decision came after three days of round-the-clock negotiations by senior members of the clergy-backed alliance, which emerged from the election with a 140-seat majority in the 275-member National Assembly, or parliament.

The office of Abdel Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, or SCIRI, confirmed that Chalabi had withdrawn his bid to be prime minister.

"Chalabi announced his withdrawal and everyone agreed on al-Jaafari. Then Chalabi declared his support to al-Jaafari," said Haytham al Husaini, a top al-Hakim aide.

SCIRI, the main group making up the alliance, tried for days to persuade Chalabi to quit the race, some of its senior officials said.

Al-Jaafari's only other likely opponent for the post would be interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, who was nominated for the job by his group. The Iraqi List got only 14% of the vote — or 40 seats — in the election.

Al-Jaafari would not say if he had approached Allawi with an offer so that he would drop out.

"Whether someone is a member of the alliance or not doesn't mean they don't have the opportunity to play a role in this new government," al-Jaafari said.

The United Iraqi Alliance took 48% of the vote last month but needs to form a coalition with smaller parties to form the new government.

Kurdish parties, who won 26%, have indicated in the past they would support the Shiite candidate for prime minister in return for support for their candidate for the presidency.

The assembly must approve candidates for president and two vice presidents by a two-thirds majority. The president and vice presidents, in turn, will nominate a prime minister, who must be approved by a simple majority of the assembly.

The assembly also will draft a constitution.

A date for the parliament's opening has not been set.

The conservative Al-Jaafari, a 58-year-old family doctor, is the main spokesman for the Islamic Dawa Party, which waged a bloody campaign against Saddam Hussein's regime in the late 1970s. Saddam crushed the campaign in 1982 and Dawa based itself in Iran.

In an interview with The Associated Press last week, he said calling for the immediate withdrawal of coalition troops would be a "mistake," given the lack of security in Iraq.

The secular Chalabi is a former exile leader who heavily promoted the idea that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. He later fell out with some key members of the Bush administration over allegations that he passed secrets to Iran.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 03:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Shiites pick al-Jaafari as Iraq PM nominee
BAGHDAD (AP) — Interim Vice President Ibrahim al-Jaafari was chosen as the Shiite ticket's candidate for prime minister Tuesday after Ahmad Chalabi dropped his bid, senior alliance officials said.

Al-Jaafari speaks to the media after meeting with Iraqi Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi in Baghdad Monday.
By Wathiq Khuzaie, AP

Al-Jaafari's selection means he likely will lead Iraq's first democratically elected government in 50 years. But first he has to be approved by a coalition that likely will include the Kurds, and then he must be approved by a majority of the newly elected National Assembly. (Related video: Al-Jaafari gets the nod)

Pressure from within the ranks of the United Iraqi Alliance, which won Iraq's landmark Jan. 30 election, forced the withdrawal of Chalabi, a one-time Pentagon favorite, said Hussein al-Moussawi from the Shiite Political Council, an umbrella group for 38 Shiite parties.

Meanwhile, two explosions echoed through Baghdad at midday. A plume of black smoke rose from the Green Zone, where Iraqi government offices and the U.S. Embassy are located.

Police Capt. Muthanna Hassan said one of the blasts was a car bomb that exploded as an Iraqi special forces convoy passed by, killing two soldiers and wounding 20 others. It was not clear what caused the other blast.

In western Baghdad, masked gunmen hurled explosives into a Shiite mosque in the Ghazaliyah neighborhood, police Capt. Sa'ad Jawad Kadhim said. The explosives failed to detonate and guards opened fire on the attackers, killing one and forcing the rest to flee, Kadhim said.

Also in Baghdad, police foiled a suicide bombing, arresting a Sudanese man who tried to detonate an explosives-laden belt inside the Adnan Khair Allah hospital, Interior Ministry Capt. Ahmed Ismael said.

It was apparently the second suicide mission involving a Sudanese. At least one man believed to be of Sudanese origin carried out a suicide bombing Saturday in Baghdad, part of a wave of violence that killed 55 people on Ashoura, the holiest day of the Shiite calendar.

Also in the capital, a U.S. military convoy was hit in a roadside bomb attack in the southern neighborhood of Doura, police Lt. Haitham Abdul Razak said.

U.S. troops exchanged fire with gunmen in Samarra, 60 miles north of the capital. One Iraqi was killed in a mortar strike there, said Dr. Aala al-Deen Mohammed.

Al-Jaafari said dealing with insurgents and re-establishing security would be the first task of his government if he becomes prime minister. "The security situation is the first matter we will address," he said.

Some of Chalabi's aides, including Qaisar Witwit, suggested he was being offered the post of deputy prime minister in charge of economic and security affairs. When asked about such a deal, Chalabi said simply, "We will see."

Chalabi said he dropped out of the race "for the unity of the alliance." He would not say if he had been offered a post in the new government.

Until Chalabi agreed to withdraw, the 140 members of the alliance had planned to decide between the two in a secret ballot Tuesday.

The decision came after three days of round-the-clock negotiations by senior members of the clergy-backed alliance, which emerged from the election with a 140-seat majority in the 275-member National Assembly, or parliament.

The office of Abdel Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, or SCIRI, confirmed that Chalabi had withdrawn his bid to be prime minister.

"Chalabi announced his withdrawal and everyone agreed on al-Jaafari. Then Chalabi declared his support to al-Jaafari," said Haytham al Husaini, a top al-Hakim aide.

SCIRI, the main group making up the alliance, tried for days to persuade Chalabi to quit the race, some of its senior officials said.

Al-Jaafari's only other likely opponent for the post would be interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, who was nominated for the job by his group. The Iraqi List got only 14% of the vote — or 40 seats — in the election.

Al-Jaafari would not say if he had approached Allawi with an offer so that he would drop out.

"Whether someone is a member of the alliance or not doesn't mean they don't have the opportunity to play a role in this new government," al-Jaafari said.

The United Iraqi Alliance took 48% of the vote last month but needs to form a coalition with smaller parties to form the new government.

Kurdish parties, who won 26%, have indicated in the past they would support the Shiite candidate for prime minister in return for support for their candidate for the presidency.

The assembly must approve candidates for president and two vice presidents by a two-thirds majority. The president and vice presidents, in turn, will nominate a prime minister, who must be approved by a simple majority of the assembly.

The assembly also will draft a constitution.

A date for the parliament's opening has not been set.

The conservative Al-Jaafari, a 58-year-old family doctor, is the main spokesman for the Islamic Dawa Party, which waged a bloody campaign against Saddam Hussein's regime in the late 1970s. Saddam crushed the campaign in 1982 and Dawa based itself in Iran.

In an interview with The Associated Press last week, he said calling for the immediate withdrawal of coalition troops would be a "mistake," given the lack of security in Iraq.

The secular Chalabi is a former exile leader who heavily promoted the idea that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. He later fell out with some key members of the Bush administration over allegations that he passed secrets to Iran.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 03:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

George W. ( wake and bake ) Bush

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

George W. ( wake and bake ) Bush

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

George W. ( wake and bake ) Bush

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Army Having Difficulty Meeting Goals In Recruiting
Fewer Enlistees Are in Pipeline; Many Being Rushed Into Service

By Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 21, 2005; Page A01

The active-duty Army is in danger of failing to meet its recruiting goals, and is beginning to suffer from manpower strains like those that have dropped the National Guard and Reserves below full strength, according to Army figures and interviews with senior officers .

For the first time since 2001, the Army began the fiscal year in October with only 18.4 percent of the year's target of 80,000 active-duty recruits already in the pipeline. That amounts to less than half of last year's figure and falls well below the Army's goal of 25 percent.
We want to give you the opportunity to show firsthand what it is like to live and work in Iraq.
Meanwhile, the Army is rushing incoming recruits into training as quickly as it can. Compared with last year, it has cut by 50 percent the average number of days between the time a recruit signs up and enters boot camp. It is adding more than 800 active-duty recruiters to the 5,201 who were on the job last year, as attracting each enlistee requires more effort and monetary incentives.

Driving the manpower crunch is the Army's goal of boosting the number of combat brigades needed to rotate into Iraq and handle other global contingencies. Yet Army officials see worrisome signs that young American men and women -- and their parents -- are growing wary of military service, largely because of the Iraq conflict.

"Very frankly, in a couple of places our recruiting pool is getting soft," said Lt. Gen. Franklin L. Hagenbeck, the Army's personnel chief. "We're hearing things like, 'Well, let's wait and see how this thing settles out in Iraq,' " he said in an interview. "For the active duty for '05 it's going to be tough to meet our goal, but I think we can. I think the telling year for us is going to be '06."

Other senior military officers have voiced similar concerns in recent days. "I anticipate that fiscal year '05 will be very challenging for both active and reserve component recruiting," Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a House Appropriations subcommittee Feb. 17. The Marine Corps fell short of its monthly recruiting quota in January for the first time in nearly a decade.

Because the Army is the main U.S. military ground force, its ability to draw recruits is critical to the nation's preparedness to fight current and future wars. The Army can sustain its ranks through retaining more experienced soldiers -- and indeed retention in 2004 was 107 percent -- but if too few young recruits sign up, the force will begin to age. Moreover, higher retention in the active-duty Army translates into a dwindling stream of recruits for the already troubled Army Guard and Reserve.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Army Having Difficulty Meeting Goals In Recruiting
Fewer Enlistees Are in Pipeline; Many Being Rushed Into Service

By Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 21, 2005; Page A01

The active-duty Army is in danger of failing to meet its recruiting goals, and is beginning to suffer from manpower strains like those that have dropped the National Guard and Reserves below full strength, according to Army figures and interviews with senior officers .

For the first time since 2001, the Army began the fiscal year in October with only 18.4 percent of the year's target of 80,000 active-duty recruits already in the pipeline. That amounts to less than half of last year's figure and falls well below the Army's goal of 25 percent.
We want to give you the opportunity to show firsthand what it is like to live and work in Iraq.
Meanwhile, the Army is rushing incoming recruits into training as quickly as it can. Compared with last year, it has cut by 50 percent the average number of days between the time a recruit signs up and enters boot camp. It is adding more than 800 active-duty recruiters to the 5,201 who were on the job last year, as attracting each enlistee requires more effort and monetary incentives.

Driving the manpower crunch is the Army's goal of boosting the number of combat brigades needed to rotate into Iraq and handle other global contingencies. Yet Army officials see worrisome signs that young American men and women -- and their parents -- are growing wary of military service, largely because of the Iraq conflict.

"Very frankly, in a couple of places our recruiting pool is getting soft," said Lt. Gen. Franklin L. Hagenbeck, the Army's personnel chief. "We're hearing things like, 'Well, let's wait and see how this thing settles out in Iraq,' " he said in an interview. "For the active duty for '05 it's going to be tough to meet our goal, but I think we can. I think the telling year for us is going to be '06."

Other senior military officers have voiced similar concerns in recent days. "I anticipate that fiscal year '05 will be very challenging for both active and reserve component recruiting," Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a House Appropriations subcommittee Feb. 17. The Marine Corps fell short of its monthly recruiting quota in January for the first time in nearly a decade.

Because the Army is the main U.S. military ground force, its ability to draw recruits is critical to the nation's preparedness to fight current and future wars. The Army can sustain its ranks through retaining more experienced soldiers -- and indeed retention in 2004 was 107 percent -- but if too few young recruits sign up, the force will begin to age. Moreover, higher retention in the active-duty Army translates into a dwindling stream of recruits for the already troubled Army Guard and Reserve.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Army Having Difficulty Meeting Goals In Recruiting
Fewer Enlistees Are in Pipeline; Many Being Rushed Into Service

By Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 21, 2005; Page A01

The active-duty Army is in danger of failing to meet its recruiting goals, and is beginning to suffer from manpower strains like those that have dropped the National Guard and Reserves below full strength, according to Army figures and interviews with senior officers .

For the first time since 2001, the Army began the fiscal year in October with only 18.4 percent of the year's target of 80,000 active-duty recruits already in the pipeline. That amounts to less than half of last year's figure and falls well below the Army's goal of 25 percent.
We want to give you the opportunity to show firsthand what it is like to live and work in Iraq.
Meanwhile, the Army is rushing incoming recruits into training as quickly as it can. Compared with last year, it has cut by 50 percent the average number of days between the time a recruit signs up and enters boot camp. It is adding more than 800 active-duty recruiters to the 5,201 who were on the job last year, as attracting each enlistee requires more effort and monetary incentives.

Driving the manpower crunch is the Army's goal of boosting the number of combat brigades needed to rotate into Iraq and handle other global contingencies. Yet Army officials see worrisome signs that young American men and women -- and their parents -- are growing wary of military service, largely because of the Iraq conflict.

"Very frankly, in a couple of places our recruiting pool is getting soft," said Lt. Gen. Franklin L. Hagenbeck, the Army's personnel chief. "We're hearing things like, 'Well, let's wait and see how this thing settles out in Iraq,' " he said in an interview. "For the active duty for '05 it's going to be tough to meet our goal, but I think we can. I think the telling year for us is going to be '06."

Other senior military officers have voiced similar concerns in recent days. "I anticipate that fiscal year '05 will be very challenging for both active and reserve component recruiting," Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a House Appropriations subcommittee Feb. 17. The Marine Corps fell short of its monthly recruiting quota in January for the first time in nearly a decade.

Because the Army is the main U.S. military ground force, its ability to draw recruits is critical to the nation's preparedness to fight current and future wars. The Army can sustain its ranks through retaining more experienced soldiers -- and indeed retention in 2004 was 107 percent -- but if too few young recruits sign up, the force will begin to age. Moreover, higher retention in the active-duty Army translates into a dwindling stream of recruits for the already troubled Army Guard and Reserve.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hunter S. Thompson Dies at 67
'Fear and Loathing' Writer Apparently Committed Suicide

By Martin Weil and Allan Lengel
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, February 21, 2005; Page A04

Hunter S. Thompson, whose life and writing, vivid and quirky reflections of each other, made him one of the principal symbols of the American counterculture, shot and killed himself yesterday at his home near Aspen.

Thompson, 67, was celebrated as a practitioner of an outraged form of personal journalism, offering off-beat ideas and observations in a style that was wildly and vividly his own and that brought him cult-like status and widespread recognition.

Hunter S. Thompson
His books on politics and society were regarded as groundbreaking among journalists and other students of current affairs in their irreverence and often angry insights.

Among those for which he was famed are "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail." He rode for almost a year with the Hell's Angels motorcycle outfit for research on another book. In all he wrote at least a dozen.

Jonathan Yardley, writing last year in The Washington Post, called him "a genuinely unique figure in American journalism," citing his comic writing and social criticism.

Thompson, often seen wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap and with a cigarette dangling from his lips, showed up frequently as Uncle Duke in "Doonesbury," the Garry Trudeau comic strip.

Part of what created his image of outlaw independence and defiance of norms and conventions was his claim to intimate familiarity with a variety of drugs and mind altering chemicals.

"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone . . . but they've always worked for me," he once wrote.

Pitkin County, Colo., Sheriff Bob Braudis said in a brief telephone interview that Thompson was alone in his kitchen of his Woody Creek home when he shot himself with a handgun. His wife was at a gym, Braudis said.

The sheriff said Thompson had seemed "still on top of his game."

But Braudis's wife, Louisa Davidson, said "he was not going to age gracefully, he was going to go out with a bang. He was tormented."

Thompson was known for a style that he described as "gonzo journalism," a form of "new journalism." It was based on the idea that fidelity to fact did not always blaze the way to truth.

Instead, "gonzo journalism" and its practitioners suggested that a deeper truth could be found in the ambiguous zones between fact and fiction.

"Objective journalism is one of the main reasons that American politics has been allowed to be so corrupt for so long," Thompson told interviewers in a characteristic pronouncement on both institutions.

"You can't be objective about Nixon," he said. "How can you be objective about Clinton?"

Among the writers and works he cited as major influences were most of the classic American authors, including Mark Twain and Ernest Hemingway, many or most read early in life. He also named the Biblical book of Revelation.

He was born in Louisville, and after a wild youth entered the Air Force, according to one account, as part of a parole agreement.

His writing career is traced to the 1950s, when he contributed to a base newspaper while in the Air Force.

He later wrote unpublished fiction, reported for the mainstream media from Latin America, and made his name with his Hell's Angels article in Harper's magazine.

His star rose while he worked for Rolling Stone magazine, where the "Fear and Loathing" books first appeared.

His beat, he once said was "the death of the American dream." Interviewers later suggested to him that he in a way embodied that dream. They said he exploded in profanity, but conceded that perhaps he did.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

White House raps author for secret tapes
By Knight Ridder | February 21, 2005

NEW YORK -- The White House lashed out yesterday at the Bush family friend who secretly tape-recorded the future president discussing issues such as drug use and gay rights.
Even though aides insisted there was little damaging information on the tapes, they made no effort to hide the fact that President Bush felt betrayed by conservative author Doug Wead.

"These were casual conversations with someone whom the president considered, or believed to be, a friend," said White House spokesman Ken Lisaius.

Wead said he made the tapes, from 1998 to 2000, for a book because he believed Bush would become a "pivotal figure in history."

"I had a choice to either write propaganda about the Bushes or write accurately and fairly based on what I knew," Wead told ABC's "Good Morning America."

Wead said his publisher insisted on listening to the tapes to confirm anonymous sources he cited in his new book, "The Raising of a President." The New York Times then got wind of the tapes, Wead said, and it "all became unraveled."

The tapes were made as Bush considered a run for the White House.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

White House raps author for secret tapes
By Knight Ridder | February 21, 2005

NEW YORK -- The White House lashed out yesterday at the Bush family friend who secretly tape-recorded the future president discussing issues such as drug use and gay rights.
Even though aides insisted there was little damaging information on the tapes, they made no effort to hide the fact that President Bush felt betrayed by conservative author Doug Wead.

"These were casual conversations with someone whom the president considered, or believed to be, a friend," said White House spokesman Ken Lisaius.

Wead said he made the tapes, from 1998 to 2000, for a book because he believed Bush would become a "pivotal figure in history."

"I had a choice to either write propaganda about the Bushes or write accurately and fairly based on what I knew," Wead told ABC's "Good Morning America."

Wead said his publisher insisted on listening to the tapes to confirm anonymous sources he cited in his new book, "The Raising of a President." The New York Times then got wind of the tapes, Wead said, and it "all became unraveled."

The tapes were made as Bush considered a run for the White House.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hunter S. Thompson Dies at 67
'Fear and Loathing' Writer Apparently Committed Suicide

By Martin Weil and Allan Lengel
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, February 21, 2005; Page A04

Hunter S. Thompson, whose life and writing, vivid and quirky reflections of each other, made him one of the principal symbols of the American counterculture, shot and killed himself yesterday at his home near Aspen.

Thompson, 67, was celebrated as a practitioner of an outraged form of personal journalism, offering off-beat ideas and observations in a style that was wildly and vividly his own and that brought him cult-like status and widespread recognition.

Hunter S. Thompson
His books on politics and society were regarded as groundbreaking among journalists and other students of current affairs in their irreverence and often angry insights.

Among those for which he was famed are "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail." He rode for almost a year with the Hell's Angels motorcycle outfit for research on another book. In all he wrote at least a dozen.

Jonathan Yardley, writing last year in The Washington Post, called him "a genuinely unique figure in American journalism," citing his comic writing and social criticism.

Thompson, often seen wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap and with a cigarette dangling from his lips, showed up frequently as Uncle Duke in "Doonesbury," the Garry Trudeau comic strip.

Part of what created his image of outlaw independence and defiance of norms and conventions was his claim to intimate familiarity with a variety of drugs and mind altering chemicals.

"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone . . . but they've always worked for me," he once wrote.

Pitkin County, Colo., Sheriff Bob Braudis said in a brief telephone interview that Thompson was alone in his kitchen of his Woody Creek home when he shot himself with a handgun. His wife was at a gym, Braudis said.

The sheriff said Thompson had seemed "still on top of his game."

But Braudis's wife, Louisa Davidson, said "he was not going to age gracefully, he was going to go out with a bang. He was tormented."

Thompson was known for a style that he described as "gonzo journalism," a form of "new journalism." It was based on the idea that fidelity to fact did not always blaze the way to truth.

Instead, "gonzo journalism" and its practitioners suggested that a deeper truth could be found in the ambiguous zones between fact and fiction.

"Objective journalism is one of the main reasons that American politics has been allowed to be so corrupt for so long," Thompson told interviewers in a characteristic pronouncement on both institutions.

"You can't be objective about Nixon," he said. "How can you be objective about Clinton?"

Among the writers and works he cited as major influences were most of the classic American authors, including Mark Twain and Ernest Hemingway, many or most read early in life. He also named the Biblical book of Revelation.

He was born in Louisville, and after a wild youth entered the Air Force, according to one account, as part of a parole agreement.

His writing career is traced to the 1950s, when he contributed to a base newspaper while in the Air Force.

He later wrote unpublished fiction, reported for the mainstream media from Latin America, and made his name with his Hell's Angels article in Harper's magazine.

His star rose while he worked for Rolling Stone magazine, where the "Fear and Loathing" books first appeared.

His beat, he once said was "the death of the American dream." Interviewers later suggested to him that he in a way embodied that dream. They said he exploded in profanity, but conceded that perhaps he did.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

White House raps author for secret tapes
By Knight Ridder | February 21, 2005

NEW YORK -- The White House lashed out yesterday at the Bush family friend who secretly tape-recorded the future president discussing issues such as drug use and gay rights.
Even though aides insisted there was little damaging information on the tapes, they made no effort to hide the fact that President Bush felt betrayed by conservative author Doug Wead.

"These were casual conversations with someone whom the president considered, or believed to be, a friend," said White House spokesman Ken Lisaius.

Wead said he made the tapes, from 1998 to 2000, for a book because he believed Bush would become a "pivotal figure in history."

"I had a choice to either write propaganda about the Bushes or write accurately and fairly based on what I knew," Wead told ABC's "Good Morning America."

Wead said his publisher insisted on listening to the tapes to confirm anonymous sources he cited in his new book, "The Raising of a President." The New York Times then got wind of the tapes, Wead said, and it "all became unraveled."

The tapes were made as Bush considered a run for the White House.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hunter S. Thompson Dies at 67
'Fear and Loathing' Writer Apparently Committed Suicide

By Martin Weil and Allan Lengel
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, February 21, 2005; Page A04

Hunter S. Thompson, whose life and writing, vivid and quirky reflections of each other, made him one of the principal symbols of the American counterculture, shot and killed himself yesterday at his home near Aspen.

Thompson, 67, was celebrated as a practitioner of an outraged form of personal journalism, offering off-beat ideas and observations in a style that was wildly and vividly his own and that brought him cult-like status and widespread recognition.

Hunter S. Thompson
His books on politics and society were regarded as groundbreaking among journalists and other students of current affairs in their irreverence and often angry insights.

Among those for which he was famed are "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail." He rode for almost a year with the Hell's Angels motorcycle outfit for research on another book. In all he wrote at least a dozen.

Jonathan Yardley, writing last year in The Washington Post, called him "a genuinely unique figure in American journalism," citing his comic writing and social criticism.

Thompson, often seen wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap and with a cigarette dangling from his lips, showed up frequently as Uncle Duke in "Doonesbury," the Garry Trudeau comic strip.

Part of what created his image of outlaw independence and defiance of norms and conventions was his claim to intimate familiarity with a variety of drugs and mind altering chemicals.

"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone . . . but they've always worked for me," he once wrote.

Pitkin County, Colo., Sheriff Bob Braudis said in a brief telephone interview that Thompson was alone in his kitchen of his Woody Creek home when he shot himself with a handgun. His wife was at a gym, Braudis said.

The sheriff said Thompson had seemed "still on top of his game."

But Braudis's wife, Louisa Davidson, said "he was not going to age gracefully, he was going to go out with a bang. He was tormented."

Thompson was known for a style that he described as "gonzo journalism," a form of "new journalism." It was based on the idea that fidelity to fact did not always blaze the way to truth.

Instead, "gonzo journalism" and its practitioners suggested that a deeper truth could be found in the ambiguous zones between fact and fiction.

"Objective journalism is one of the main reasons that American politics has been allowed to be so corrupt for so long," Thompson told interviewers in a characteristic pronouncement on both institutions.

"You can't be objective about Nixon," he said. "How can you be objective about Clinton?"

Among the writers and works he cited as major influences were most of the classic American authors, including Mark Twain and Ernest Hemingway, many or most read early in life. He also named the Biblical book of Revelation.

He was born in Louisville, and after a wild youth entered the Air Force, according to one account, as part of a parole agreement.

His writing career is traced to the 1950s, when he contributed to a base newspaper while in the Air Force.

He later wrote unpublished fiction, reported for the mainstream media from Latin America, and made his name with his Hell's Angels article in Harper's magazine.

His star rose while he worked for Rolling Stone magazine, where the "Fear and Loathing" books first appeared.

His beat, he once said was "the death of the American dream." Interviewers later suggested to him that he in a way embodied that dream. They said he exploded in profanity, but conceded that perhaps he did.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

FDA panel favors keeping painkillers on the market
WASHINGTON (AP) — The popular painkillers Celebrex, Bextra and Vioxx all pose a risk of heart trouble, but should be available to those who need them, advisers to the Food and Drug Administration said Friday.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 05:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

FDA panel favors keeping painkillers on the market
WASHINGTON (AP) — The popular painkillers Celebrex, Bextra and Vioxx all pose a risk of heart trouble, but should be available to those who need them, advisers to the Food and Drug Administration said Friday.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 05:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

FDA panel favors keeping painkillers on the market
WASHINGTON (AP) — The popular painkillers Celebrex, Bextra and Vioxx all pose a risk of heart trouble, but should be available to those who need them, advisers to the Food and Drug Administration said Friday.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 05:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A tourist walks into a curio shop in San Francisco.

Looking around at the exotica, he notices a very lifelike life-sized bronze
statue of a rat. It has no price tag, but is so striking he decides he must
have it. He takes it to the owner: "How much for the bronze rat?"

"$12 for the rat, $100 for the story," says the owner.

The tourist gives the man $12. "I'll just take the rat, you can keep the
story."

As he walks down the street carrying his bronze rat, he notices that a few
real rats have crawled out of the alleys and sewers and begun following him
down the street. This is disconcerting, and he begins walking faster.

But within a couple of blocks, the herd of rats behind him has grown to
hundreds, and they begin squealing. He begins to trot toward the Bay,
looking around to see that the rats now number in the MILLIONS, and are
squealing and coming toward him faster and faster.

Concerned, even scared, he runs to the edge of the Bay, and throws the
bronze rat as far out into the water as he can. Amazingly, the millions of
rats all jump into the Bay after it, and are all drowned.

The man walks back to the curio shop.

"Ah ha," says the owner, "you have come back for the story?"

"No," says the man, "I came back to see if you have a bronze Republican."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A tourist walks into a curio shop in San Francisco.

Looking around at the exotica, he notices a very lifelike life-sized bronze
statue of a rat. It has no price tag, but is so striking he decides he must
have it. He takes it to the owner: "How much for the bronze rat?"

"$12 for the rat, $100 for the story," says the owner.

The tourist gives the man $12. "I'll just take the rat, you can keep the
story."

As he walks down the street carrying his bronze rat, he notices that a few
real rats have crawled out of the alleys and sewers and begun following him
down the street. This is disconcerting, and he begins walking faster.

But within a couple of blocks, the herd of rats behind him has grown to
hundreds, and they begin squealing. He begins to trot toward the Bay,
looking around to see that the rats now number in the MILLIONS, and are
squealing and coming toward him faster and faster.

Concerned, even scared, he runs to the edge of the Bay, and throws the
bronze rat as far out into the water as he can. Amazingly, the millions of
rats all jump into the Bay after it, and are all drowned.

The man walks back to the curio shop.

"Ah ha," says the owner, "you have come back for the story?"

"No," says the man, "I came back to see if you have a bronze Republican."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A tourist walks into a curio shop in San Francisco.

Looking around at the exotica, he notices a very lifelike life-sized bronze
statue of a rat. It has no price tag, but is so striking he decides he must
have it. He takes it to the owner: "How much for the bronze rat?"

"$12 for the rat, $100 for the story," says the owner.

The tourist gives the man $12. "I'll just take the rat, you can keep the
story."

As he walks down the street carrying his bronze rat, he notices that a few
real rats have crawled out of the alleys and sewers and begun following him
down the street. This is disconcerting, and he begins walking faster.

But within a couple of blocks, the herd of rats behind him has grown to
hundreds, and they begin squealing. He begins to trot toward the Bay,
looking around to see that the rats now number in the MILLIONS, and are
squealing and coming toward him faster and faster.

Concerned, even scared, he runs to the edge of the Bay, and throws the
bronze rat as far out into the water as he can. Amazingly, the millions of
rats all jump into the Bay after it, and are all drowned.

The man walks back to the curio shop.

"Ah ha," says the owner, "you have come back for the story?"

"No," says the man, "I came back to see if you have a bronze Republican."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pollution rules seen stifling jobs
New costs scare off businesses
By Associated Press | February 17, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Robert Stec would like to help clean up the nation's dirty air, but at $1 million a plant to install air-pollution control technology, it would be cheaper for him to move his furniture manufacturing business overseas.

ADVERTISEMENT

"What good is fresh air if you have a lot of unemployed people breathing it?" asks Stec, president and CEO of Lexington Home Brands. The North Carolina furniture maker employs 1,700 workers at three plants, including one that's in a county with air pollution problems.

"Domestic manufacturing is at a cost disadvantage anyway, so when you lay on all this extra environmental stuff . . . it becomes the straw that breaks the camel's back," Stec said.

Mayors and economic development officials say Stec's company is one of a growing number of businesses that are not inclined to expand or open new plants in areas cited by the federal government as having too much smog-causing ozone or microscopic soot.

They consider the costs and permits required to operate in those places -- called "nonattainment zones" because they have not achieved acceptable pollution levels -- far too burdensome.

"We're taken off of the look list," said Ted vonCannon, president of the Metropolitan Development Board in Birmingham, Ala. "Most of the time, we'll be dismissed right out of hand."

This conflict between jobs and clean air has gained attention as lawmakers consider President Bush's air pollution plan, which has failed to pass Congress for three years. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee planned to take it up yesterday but postponed action for two more weeks to allow for more negotiation.

Democrats insisted that the bill, which would revise the Clean Air Act to set caps on industrial emissions of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and mercury, must also limit carbon dioxide, the chief gas scientists blame for global warming.

In Alabama, some automotive companies -- Mercedes in Vance, Honda in Lincoln, Hyundai in Montgomery -- opted to put their plants on sites that already complied with air pollution standards.

"In our case, it was preferable for us to be in an attainment area because you didn't have the restrictions that you would have had in a nonattainment area," said Linda Sewell, a Mercedes spokeswoman who helped select the plant site in 1993.

Some 509 counties nationwide have been cited over the last year as non-attainment zones by the Environmental Protection Agency. The Clean Air Act requires states to develop a plan for reducing emissions in those areas, a prospect that creates uncertainty for businesses because they are likely to face restrictions on production and higher costs.

Environmentalists say that's the way it should be and ask: What good are jobs when people are dying from respiratory illnesses and heart disease caused by polluted air?

"If we move to aggressively clean up the air, that's actually the best way to ensure economic growth throughout the country," said Frank O'Donnell, president of the advocacy group Clean Air Watch. "Not only can people in these communities have clean air, but businesses can locate anywhere."

Bush's plan would reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and mercury by 70 percent by 2018. It also would bring nonattainment regions into compliance through a trading plan in which companies with emissions under the federal limit could sell credits to companies over the limit.

Critics note, however, that actual emission levels are not lowered by the exchange.

At two recent hearings, Senator George Voinovich, Republican of Ohio, cited the concerns of economic development officials as a critical reason the bill is needed.

A competing bill from Senator James Jeffords, Independent of Vermont, would reduce carbon dioxide emissions to 1990 levels and cut the other pollutants by 72 percent to 90 percent by 2009.

A proposal from Senator Thomas Carper, Democrat of Delaware, calls for cuts in all four pollutants by a few years later.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pollution rules seen stifling jobs
New costs scare off businesses
By Associated Press | February 17, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Robert Stec would like to help clean up the nation's dirty air, but at $1 million a plant to install air-pollution control technology, it would be cheaper for him to move his furniture manufacturing business overseas.

ADVERTISEMENT

"What good is fresh air if you have a lot of unemployed people breathing it?" asks Stec, president and CEO of Lexington Home Brands. The North Carolina furniture maker employs 1,700 workers at three plants, including one that's in a county with air pollution problems.

"Domestic manufacturing is at a cost disadvantage anyway, so when you lay on all this extra environmental stuff . . . it becomes the straw that breaks the camel's back," Stec said.

Mayors and economic development officials say Stec's company is one of a growing number of businesses that are not inclined to expand or open new plants in areas cited by the federal government as having too much smog-causing ozone or microscopic soot.

They consider the costs and permits required to operate in those places -- called "nonattainment zones" because they have not achieved acceptable pollution levels -- far too burdensome.

"We're taken off of the look list," said Ted vonCannon, president of the Metropolitan Development Board in Birmingham, Ala. "Most of the time, we'll be dismissed right out of hand."

This conflict between jobs and clean air has gained attention as lawmakers consider President Bush's air pollution plan, which has failed to pass Congress for three years. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee planned to take it up yesterday but postponed action for two more weeks to allow for more negotiation.

Democrats insisted that the bill, which would revise the Clean Air Act to set caps on industrial emissions of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and mercury, must also limit carbon dioxide, the chief gas scientists blame for global warming.

In Alabama, some automotive companies -- Mercedes in Vance, Honda in Lincoln, Hyundai in Montgomery -- opted to put their plants on sites that already complied with air pollution standards.

"In our case, it was preferable for us to be in an attainment area because you didn't have the restrictions that you would have had in a nonattainment area," said Linda Sewell, a Mercedes spokeswoman who helped select the plant site in 1993.

Some 509 counties nationwide have been cited over the last year as non-attainment zones by the Environmental Protection Agency. The Clean Air Act requires states to develop a plan for reducing emissions in those areas, a prospect that creates uncertainty for businesses because they are likely to face restrictions on production and higher costs.

Environmentalists say that's the way it should be and ask: What good are jobs when people are dying from respiratory illnesses and heart disease caused by polluted air?

"If we move to aggressively clean up the air, that's actually the best way to ensure economic growth throughout the country," said Frank O'Donnell, president of the advocacy group Clean Air Watch. "Not only can people in these communities have clean air, but businesses can locate anywhere."

Bush's plan would reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and mercury by 70 percent by 2018. It also would bring nonattainment regions into compliance through a trading plan in which companies with emissions under the federal limit could sell credits to companies over the limit.

Critics note, however, that actual emission levels are not lowered by the exchange.

At two recent hearings, Senator George Voinovich, Republican of Ohio, cited the concerns of economic development officials as a critical reason the bill is needed.

A competing bill from Senator James Jeffords, Independent of Vermont, would reduce carbon dioxide emissions to 1990 levels and cut the other pollutants by 72 percent to 90 percent by 2009.

A proposal from Senator Thomas Carper, Democrat of Delaware, calls for cuts in all four pollutants by a few years later.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pollution rules seen stifling jobs
New costs scare off businesses
By Associated Press | February 17, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Robert Stec would like to help clean up the nation's dirty air, but at $1 million a plant to install air-pollution control technology, it would be cheaper for him to move his furniture manufacturing business overseas.

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"What good is fresh air if you have a lot of unemployed people breathing it?" asks Stec, president and CEO of Lexington Home Brands. The North Carolina furniture maker employs 1,700 workers at three plants, including one that's in a county with air pollution problems.

"Domestic manufacturing is at a cost disadvantage anyway, so when you lay on all this extra environmental stuff . . . it becomes the straw that breaks the camel's back," Stec said.

Mayors and economic development officials say Stec's company is one of a growing number of businesses that are not inclined to expand or open new plants in areas cited by the federal government as having too much smog-causing ozone or microscopic soot.

They consider the costs and permits required to operate in those places -- called "nonattainment zones" because they have not achieved acceptable pollution levels -- far too burdensome.

"We're taken off of the look list," said Ted vonCannon, president of the Metropolitan Development Board in Birmingham, Ala. "Most of the time, we'll be dismissed right out of hand."

This conflict between jobs and clean air has gained attention as lawmakers consider President Bush's air pollution plan, which has failed to pass Congress for three years. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee planned to take it up yesterday but postponed action for two more weeks to allow for more negotiation.

Democrats insisted that the bill, which would revise the Clean Air Act to set caps on industrial emissions of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and mercury, must also limit carbon dioxide, the chief gas scientists blame for global warming.

In Alabama, some automotive companies -- Mercedes in Vance, Honda in Lincoln, Hyundai in Montgomery -- opted to put their plants on sites that already complied with air pollution standards.

"In our case, it was preferable for us to be in an attainment area because you didn't have the restrictions that you would have had in a nonattainment area," said Linda Sewell, a Mercedes spokeswoman who helped select the plant site in 1993.

Some 509 counties nationwide have been cited over the last year as non-attainment zones by the Environmental Protection Agency. The Clean Air Act requires states to develop a plan for reducing emissions in those areas, a prospect that creates uncertainty for businesses because they are likely to face restrictions on production and higher costs.

Environmentalists say that's the way it should be and ask: What good are jobs when people are dying from respiratory illnesses and heart disease caused by polluted air?

"If we move to aggressively clean up the air, that's actually the best way to ensure economic growth throughout the country," said Frank O'Donnell, president of the advocacy group Clean Air Watch. "Not only can people in these communities have clean air, but businesses can locate anywhere."

Bush's plan would reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and mercury by 70 percent by 2018. It also would bring nonattainment regions into compliance through a trading plan in which companies with emissions under the federal limit could sell credits to companies over the limit.

Critics note, however, that actual emission levels are not lowered by the exchange.

At two recent hearings, Senator George Voinovich, Republican of Ohio, cited the concerns of economic development officials as a critical reason the bill is needed.

A competing bill from Senator James Jeffords, Independent of Vermont, would reduce carbon dioxide emissions to 1990 levels and cut the other pollutants by 72 percent to 90 percent by 2009.

A proposal from Senator Thomas Carper, Democrat of Delaware, calls for cuts in all four pollutants by a few years later.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Greenspan warns U.S. to get finances in order
From wire reports
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Wednesday that the U.S. economy entered 2005 in good shape, but he warned that fiscal discipline is essential to meet future challenges.
"All told, the economy seems to have entered 2005 expanding at a reasonably good pace, with inflation and inflation expectations well-anchored," Greenspan said remarks prepared for delivery to the Senate Banking Committee.

But he tempered his optimism by warning that the relatively tranquil economic conditions of recent decades must not be taken for granted.

"History cautions that people experiencing long periods of relative stability are prone to excess," he said. "We must thus remain vigilant against complacency."

Greenspan said it is "imperative to restore fiscal discipline" in the United States to help narrow the huge trade deficit. He also said the country has to act before 2008 to prepare for a coming wave of 78 million retiring "baby boomers" and said if it fails to do so, there could be an adverse impact on bond markets.

Touching on one of the hottest issues in Washington — President Bush's proposal to reform Social Security — Greenspan said, "Benefits promised to a burgeoning retirement-age population under mandatory entitlement programs, most notably Social Security and Medicare, threaten to strain the resources of the working-age population in the years ahead.

"Real progress on these issues will unavoidably entail many difficult choices. But the demographics are inexorable and call for action," he said.

In his prepared remarks, Greenspan didn't prescribe any fixes or weigh in on Bush's proposal to allow workers under age 55 to divert a chunk of their Social Security taxes into voluntary, private investment accounts. In previous appearances before Congress the Fed chief has said benefit cuts and possibly tax increases would be needed to close the funding gap faced by Social Security.

Greenspan said inflation, while not an immediate threat, is something policymakers must continue to guard against.

How inflation fares in the coming months will shape whether Fed policymakers — now on a gradual path of raising short-term interest — will need to adjust the speed of the campaign by either speeding up or slowing down, Greenspan indicated.

He gave no direct hint on the direction of future monetary policy, other than to note that even after six quarter-percentage-point interest-rate hikes since June, the federal funds rate "remains fairly low." The fed funds rate is what banks charge each other for overnight loans; it is the Fed's main tool for influencing other interest rates and economic activity.

The Fed chief said it is hard to explain why long-term interest rates have declined in the face of the U.S. central bank's short-term rate increases. He noted, however, that yields and risk spreads "have narrowed globally" — not just in the United States.

"For the moment, the broadly unanticipated behavior of world bond markets remains a conundrum," Greenspan said. "Bond price movements may be a short-term aberration, but it will be some time before we are able to better judge the forces underlying recent experience."

He said, "a pervasive sense of confidence among investors and an associated greater willingness to bear risk" contrasted with continued business caution.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Greenspan warns U.S. to get finances in order
From wire reports
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Wednesday that the U.S. economy entered 2005 in good shape, but he warned that fiscal discipline is essential to meet future challenges.
"All told, the economy seems to have entered 2005 expanding at a reasonably good pace, with inflation and inflation expectations well-anchored," Greenspan said remarks prepared for delivery to the Senate Banking Committee.

But he tempered his optimism by warning that the relatively tranquil economic conditions of recent decades must not be taken for granted.

"History cautions that people experiencing long periods of relative stability are prone to excess," he said. "We must thus remain vigilant against complacency."

Greenspan said it is "imperative to restore fiscal discipline" in the United States to help narrow the huge trade deficit. He also said the country has to act before 2008 to prepare for a coming wave of 78 million retiring "baby boomers" and said if it fails to do so, there could be an adverse impact on bond markets.

Touching on one of the hottest issues in Washington — President Bush's proposal to reform Social Security — Greenspan said, "Benefits promised to a burgeoning retirement-age population under mandatory entitlement programs, most notably Social Security and Medicare, threaten to strain the resources of the working-age population in the years ahead.

"Real progress on these issues will unavoidably entail many difficult choices. But the demographics are inexorable and call for action," he said.

In his prepared remarks, Greenspan didn't prescribe any fixes or weigh in on Bush's proposal to allow workers under age 55 to divert a chunk of their Social Security taxes into voluntary, private investment accounts. In previous appearances before Congress the Fed chief has said benefit cuts and possibly tax increases would be needed to close the funding gap faced by Social Security.

Greenspan said inflation, while not an immediate threat, is something policymakers must continue to guard against.

How inflation fares in the coming months will shape whether Fed policymakers — now on a gradual path of raising short-term interest — will need to adjust the speed of the campaign by either speeding up or slowing down, Greenspan indicated.

He gave no direct hint on the direction of future monetary policy, other than to note that even after six quarter-percentage-point interest-rate hikes since June, the federal funds rate "remains fairly low." The fed funds rate is what banks charge each other for overnight loans; it is the Fed's main tool for influencing other interest rates and economic activity.

The Fed chief said it is hard to explain why long-term interest rates have declined in the face of the U.S. central bank's short-term rate increases. He noted, however, that yields and risk spreads "have narrowed globally" — not just in the United States.

"For the moment, the broadly unanticipated behavior of world bond markets remains a conundrum," Greenspan said. "Bond price movements may be a short-term aberration, but it will be some time before we are able to better judge the forces underlying recent experience."

He said, "a pervasive sense of confidence among investors and an associated greater willingness to bear risk" contrasted with continued business caution.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Greenspan warns U.S. to get finances in order
From wire reports
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Wednesday that the U.S. economy entered 2005 in good shape, but he warned that fiscal discipline is essential to meet future challenges.
"All told, the economy seems to have entered 2005 expanding at a reasonably good pace, with inflation and inflation expectations well-anchored," Greenspan said remarks prepared for delivery to the Senate Banking Committee.

But he tempered his optimism by warning that the relatively tranquil economic conditions of recent decades must not be taken for granted.

"History cautions that people experiencing long periods of relative stability are prone to excess," he said. "We must thus remain vigilant against complacency."

Greenspan said it is "imperative to restore fiscal discipline" in the United States to help narrow the huge trade deficit. He also said the country has to act before 2008 to prepare for a coming wave of 78 million retiring "baby boomers" and said if it fails to do so, there could be an adverse impact on bond markets.

Touching on one of the hottest issues in Washington — President Bush's proposal to reform Social Security — Greenspan said, "Benefits promised to a burgeoning retirement-age population under mandatory entitlement programs, most notably Social Security and Medicare, threaten to strain the resources of the working-age population in the years ahead.

"Real progress on these issues will unavoidably entail many difficult choices. But the demographics are inexorable and call for action," he said.

In his prepared remarks, Greenspan didn't prescribe any fixes or weigh in on Bush's proposal to allow workers under age 55 to divert a chunk of their Social Security taxes into voluntary, private investment accounts. In previous appearances before Congress the Fed chief has said benefit cuts and possibly tax increases would be needed to close the funding gap faced by Social Security.

Greenspan said inflation, while not an immediate threat, is something policymakers must continue to guard against.

How inflation fares in the coming months will shape whether Fed policymakers — now on a gradual path of raising short-term interest — will need to adjust the speed of the campaign by either speeding up or slowing down, Greenspan indicated.

He gave no direct hint on the direction of future monetary policy, other than to note that even after six quarter-percentage-point interest-rate hikes since June, the federal funds rate "remains fairly low." The fed funds rate is what banks charge each other for overnight loans; it is the Fed's main tool for influencing other interest rates and economic activity.

The Fed chief said it is hard to explain why long-term interest rates have declined in the face of the U.S. central bank's short-term rate increases. He noted, however, that yields and risk spreads "have narrowed globally" — not just in the United States.

"For the moment, the broadly unanticipated behavior of world bond markets remains a conundrum," Greenspan said. "Bond price movements may be a short-term aberration, but it will be some time before we are able to better judge the forces underlying recent experience."

He said, "a pervasive sense of confidence among investors and an associated greater willingness to bear risk" contrasted with continued business caution.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

British cancer patient, 43, commits suicide; may have missed all-clear letter


Canadian Press

February 15, 2005

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LONDON (AP) - A cancer patient who hanged himself may not have received a letter from doctors saying he was clear of the illness, officials said Monday.

Colin Jackson, 43, underwent intense treatment after being diagnosed with testicular cancer last year. He was found hanging from a ledge in his apartment in Gillingham, southeast of London, on July 2.

Doctors sent Jackson a letter telling him the treatment was successful and he was free from the disease. But the local coroner's office said he may not have received the letter because he had recently registered with a different family physician.

"He'd had tests for testicular cancer, but because of the change of doctor we don't know if he'd got the all-clear," said a spokeswoman for the Mid Kent and Medway Coroner's Office.

"Although letters had gone out it seems he may not have got the information through."

The spokeswoman also said Jackson had no financial worries. Although Jackson's relationship had recently broken up "that wasn't thought to be the cause."

Coroner Stephen Beck recorded a verdict of suicide at a hearing Thursday. In British law, a coroner is an official - usually a lawyer - who makes a legal ruling on the cause of death.

Jackson's mother, Patricia Emery, said she didn't believe her son received the letter from doctors saying he was cancer-free.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 01:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

British cancer patient, 43, commits suicide; may have missed all-clear letter


Canadian Press

February 15, 2005

ADVERTISEMENT




LONDON (AP) - A cancer patient who hanged himself may not have received a letter from doctors saying he was clear of the illness, officials said Monday.

Colin Jackson, 43, underwent intense treatment after being diagnosed with testicular cancer last year. He was found hanging from a ledge in his apartment in Gillingham, southeast of London, on July 2.

Doctors sent Jackson a letter telling him the treatment was successful and he was free from the disease. But the local coroner's office said he may not have received the letter because he had recently registered with a different family physician.

"He'd had tests for testicular cancer, but because of the change of doctor we don't know if he'd got the all-clear," said a spokeswoman for the Mid Kent and Medway Coroner's Office.

"Although letters had gone out it seems he may not have got the information through."

The spokeswoman also said Jackson had no financial worries. Although Jackson's relationship had recently broken up "that wasn't thought to be the cause."

Coroner Stephen Beck recorded a verdict of suicide at a hearing Thursday. In British law, a coroner is an official - usually a lawyer - who makes a legal ruling on the cause of death.

Jackson's mother, Patricia Emery, said she didn't believe her son received the letter from doctors saying he was cancer-free.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 01:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

British cancer patient, 43, commits suicide; may have missed all-clear letter


Canadian Press

February 15, 2005

ADVERTISEMENT




LONDON (AP) - A cancer patient who hanged himself may not have received a letter from doctors saying he was clear of the illness, officials said Monday.

Colin Jackson, 43, underwent intense treatment after being diagnosed with testicular cancer last year. He was found hanging from a ledge in his apartment in Gillingham, southeast of London, on July 2.

Doctors sent Jackson a letter telling him the treatment was successful and he was free from the disease. But the local coroner's office said he may not have received the letter because he had recently registered with a different family physician.

"He'd had tests for testicular cancer, but because of the change of doctor we don't know if he'd got the all-clear," said a spokeswoman for the Mid Kent and Medway Coroner's Office.

"Although letters had gone out it seems he may not have got the information through."

The spokeswoman also said Jackson had no financial worries. Although Jackson's relationship had recently broken up "that wasn't thought to be the cause."

Coroner Stephen Beck recorded a verdict of suicide at a hearing Thursday. In British law, a coroner is an official - usually a lawyer - who makes a legal ruling on the cause of death.

Jackson's mother, Patricia Emery, said she didn't believe her son received the letter from doctors saying he was cancer-free.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 01:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A jury pool is being formed for the first degree murder trial of Roger Lee Lawrence in Delaware County, Oklahoma. The names of the potential jurors were chosen from a list of county residents with drivers licenses. One of the people called for jury service is Scott Borton. However, it is certain that Scott Borton will not be chosen as a juror for a couple of reasons.

First, Scott Borton is dead.

Second, Roger Lee Lawrence is being tried for murdering him.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 01:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A jury pool is being formed for the first degree murder trial of Roger Lee Lawrence in Delaware County, Oklahoma. The names of the potential jurors were chosen from a list of county residents with drivers licenses. One of the people called for jury service is Scott Borton. However, it is certain that Scott Borton will not be chosen as a juror for a couple of reasons.

First, Scott Borton is dead.

Second, Roger Lee Lawrence is being tried for murdering him.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 01:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A jury pool is being formed for the first degree murder trial of Roger Lee Lawrence in Delaware County, Oklahoma. The names of the potential jurors were chosen from a list of county residents with drivers licenses. One of the people called for jury service is Scott Borton. However, it is certain that Scott Borton will not be chosen as a juror for a couple of reasons.

First, Scott Borton is dead.

Second, Roger Lee Lawrence is being tried for murdering him.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 01:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

White House Turns Tables on Former American POWs
Gulf War pilots tortured by Iraqis fight the Bush administration in trying to collect compensation.

By David G. Savage, Times Staff Writer

WASHINGTON — The latest chapter in the legal history of torture is being written by American pilots who were beaten and abused by Iraqis during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. And it has taken a strange twist.

The Bush administration is fighting the former prisoners of war in court, trying to prevent them from collecting nearly $1 billion from Iraq that a federal judge awarded them as compensation for their torture at the hands of Saddam Hussein's regime.

The rationale: Today's Iraqis are good guys, and they need the money.

The case abounds with ironies. It pits the U.S. government squarely against its own war heroes and the Geneva Convention.

Many of the pilots were tortured in the same Iraqi prison, Abu Ghraib, where American soldiers abused Iraqis 15 months ago. Those Iraqi victims, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has said, deserve compensation from the United States.

But the American victims of Iraqi torturers are not entitled to similar payments from Iraq, the U.S. government says.

"It seems so strange to have our own country fighting us on this," said retired Air Force Col. David W. Eberly, the senior officer among the former POWs.

The case, now being appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, tests whether "state sponsors of terrorism" can be sued in the U.S. courts for torture, murder or hostage-taking. The court is expected to decide in the next two months whether to hear the appeal.

Congress opened the door to such claims in 1996, when it lifted the shield of sovereign immunity — which basically prohibits lawsuits against foreign governments — for any nation that supports terrorism. At that time, Iraq was one of seven nations identified by the State Department as sponsoring terrorist activity. The 17 Gulf War POWs looked to have a very strong case when they first filed suit in 2002. They had been undeniably tortured by a tyrannical regime, one that had $1.7 billion of its assets frozen by the U.S. government.

The picture changed, however, when the United States invaded Iraq and toppled Hussein from power nearly two years ago. On July 21, 2003, two weeks after the Gulf War POWs won their court case in U.S. District Court, the Bush administration intervened to argue that their claims should be dismissed.

"No amount of money can truly compensate these brave men and women for the suffering that they went through at the hands of this very brutal regime and at the hands of Saddam Hussein," White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan told reporters when asked about the case in November 2003.

Government lawyers have insisted, literally, on "no amount of money" going to the Gulf War POWs. "These resources are required for the urgent national security needs of rebuilding Iraq," McClellan said.

The case also tests a key provision of the Geneva Convention, the international law that governs the treatment of prisoners of war. The United States and other signers pledged never to "absolve" a state of "any liability" for the torture of POWs.

Former military lawyers and a bipartisan group of lawmakers have been among those who have urged the Supreme Court to take up the case and to strengthen the law against torturers and tyrannical regimes.

"Our government is on the wrong side of this issue," said Jeffrey F. Addicott, a former Army lawyer and director of the Center for Terrorism Law at St. Mary's University in San Antonio. "A lot of Americans would scratch their heads and ask why is our government taking the side of Iraq against our POWs."

The POWs' journey through the court system began with the events of Jan. 17, 1991 — the first day of the Gulf War. In response to Hussein's invasion of Kuwait five months earlier, the United States, as head of a United Nations coalition, launched an air attack on Iraq, determined to drive Iraqi forces from the oil-rich Gulf state. On the first day of the fighting, a jet piloted by Marine Corps Lt. Col. Clifford Acree was downed over Iraq by a surface-to-air missile. He suffered a neck injury ejecting from the plane and was soon taken prisoner by the Iraqis. Blindfolded and handcuffed, he was beaten until he lost consciousness. His nose was broken, his skull was fractured, and he was threatened with having his fingers cut off. He lost 30 pounds during his 47 days of captivity.

Eberly was shot down two days later and lost 45 pounds during his ordeal. He and several other U.S. service members were near starvation when they were freed. Other POWs had their eardrums ruptured and were urinated on during their captivity at Abu Ghraib.

All the while, their families thought they were dead because the Iraqis did not notify the U.S. government of their capture.

In April 2002, the Washington law firm of Steptoe & Johnson filed suit on behalf of the 17 former POWs and 37 of their family members. The suit, Acree vs. Republic of Iraq, sought monetary damages for the "acts of torture committed against them and for pain, suffering and severe mental distress of their families."

Usually, foreign states have a sovereign immunity that shields them from being sued. But in the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1996, Congress authorized U.S. courts to award "money damages … against a foreign state for personal injury or death that was caused by an act of torture, extrajudicial killing, aircraft sabotage [or] hostage taking."

This provision was "designed to hold terrorist nations accountable for the torture of Americans and to deter rogue nations from engaging in such actions in the future," Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and George Allen (R-Va.) said last year in a letter to Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft that urged him to support the POWs' claim.

The case came before U.S. District Judge Richard W. Roberts. There was no trial; Hussein's regime ignored the suit, and the U.S. State Department chose to take no part in the case.

On July 7, 2003, the judge handed down a long opinion that described the abuse suffered by the Gulf War POWs, and he awarded them $653 million in compensatory damages. He also assessed $306 million in punitive damages against Iraq. Lawyers for the POWs asked him to put a hold on some of Iraq's frozen assets.

No sooner had the POWs celebrated their victory than they came up against a new roadblock: Bush administration lawyers argued that the case should be thrown out of court on the grounds that Bush had voided any such claims against Iraq, which was now under U.S. occupation. The administration lawyers based their argument on language in an emergency bill, passed shortly after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, approving the expenditure of $80 billion for military operations and reconstruction efforts. One clause in the legislation authorized the president to suspend the sanctions against Iraq that had been imposed as punishment for the invasion of Kuwait more than a decade earlier.

The president's lawyers said this clause also allowed Bush to remove Iraq from the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism and to set aside pending monetary judgments against Iraq.

When the POWs' case went before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit,, the three-judge panel ruled unanimously for the Bush administration and threw out the lawsuit.

"The United States possesses weighty foreign policy interests that are clearly threatened by the entry of judgment for [the POWs] in this case," the appeals court said.

The administration also succeeding in killing a congressional resolution supporting the POWs' suit. "U.S. courts no longer have jurisdiction to hear cases such as those filed by the Gulf War POWs," then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage said in a letter to lawmakers. "Moreover, the president has ordered the vesting of blocked Iraqi assets for use by the Iraqi people and for reconstruction."

Already frustrated by the turn of events, the former POWs were startled when Rumsfeld said he favored awarding compensation to the Iraqi prisoners who were abused by the U.S. military at Abu Ghraib.

"I am seeking a way to provide appropriate compensation to those detainees who suffered grievous and brutal abuse and cruelty at the hands of a few members of the U.S. military. It is the right thing to do," Rumsfeld told a Senate committee last year.

By contrast, the government's lawyers have refused to even discuss a settlement in the POWs' case, say lawyers for the Gulf War veterans. "They were willing to settle this for pennies on the dollar," said Addicott, the former Army lawyer.

The last hope for the POWs rests with the Supreme Court. Their lawyers petitioned the high court last month to hear the case. Significantly, it has been renamed Acree vs. Iraq and the United States.

The POWs say the justices should decide the "important and recurring question [of] whether U.S. citizens who are victims of state-sponsored terrorism [may] seek redress against terrorist states in federal court."

This week, Justice Department lawyers are expected to file a brief urging the court to turn away the appeal.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

White House Turns Tables on Former American POWs
Gulf War pilots tortured by Iraqis fight the Bush administration in trying to collect compensation.

By David G. Savage, Times Staff Writer

WASHINGTON — The latest chapter in the legal history of torture is being written by American pilots who were beaten and abused by Iraqis during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. And it has taken a strange twist.

The Bush administration is fighting the former prisoners of war in court, trying to prevent them from collecting nearly $1 billion from Iraq that a federal judge awarded them as compensation for their torture at the hands of Saddam Hussein's regime.

The rationale: Today's Iraqis are good guys, and they need the money.

The case abounds with ironies. It pits the U.S. government squarely against its own war heroes and the Geneva Convention.

Many of the pilots were tortured in the same Iraqi prison, Abu Ghraib, where American soldiers abused Iraqis 15 months ago. Those Iraqi victims, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has said, deserve compensation from the United States.

But the American victims of Iraqi torturers are not entitled to similar payments from Iraq, the U.S. government says.

"It seems so strange to have our own country fighting us on this," said retired Air Force Col. David W. Eberly, the senior officer among the former POWs.

The case, now being appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, tests whether "state sponsors of terrorism" can be sued in the U.S. courts for torture, murder or hostage-taking. The court is expected to decide in the next two months whether to hear the appeal.

Congress opened the door to such claims in 1996, when it lifted the shield of sovereign immunity — which basically prohibits lawsuits against foreign governments — for any nation that supports terrorism. At that time, Iraq was one of seven nations identified by the State Department as sponsoring terrorist activity. The 17 Gulf War POWs looked to have a very strong case when they first filed suit in 2002. They had been undeniably tortured by a tyrannical regime, one that had $1.7 billion of its assets frozen by the U.S. government.

The picture changed, however, when the United States invaded Iraq and toppled Hussein from power nearly two years ago. On July 21, 2003, two weeks after the Gulf War POWs won their court case in U.S. District Court, the Bush administration intervened to argue that their claims should be dismissed.

"No amount of money can truly compensate these brave men and women for the suffering that they went through at the hands of this very brutal regime and at the hands of Saddam Hussein," White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan told reporters when asked about the case in November 2003.

Government lawyers have insisted, literally, on "no amount of money" going to the Gulf War POWs. "These resources are required for the urgent national security needs of rebuilding Iraq," McClellan said.

The case also tests a key provision of the Geneva Convention, the international law that governs the treatment of prisoners of war. The United States and other signers pledged never to "absolve" a state of "any liability" for the torture of POWs.

Former military lawyers and a bipartisan group of lawmakers have been among those who have urged the Supreme Court to take up the case and to strengthen the law against torturers and tyrannical regimes.

"Our government is on the wrong side of this issue," said Jeffrey F. Addicott, a former Army lawyer and director of the Center for Terrorism Law at St. Mary's University in San Antonio. "A lot of Americans would scratch their heads and ask why is our government taking the side of Iraq against our POWs."

The POWs' journey through the court system began with the events of Jan. 17, 1991 — the first day of the Gulf War. In response to Hussein's invasion of Kuwait five months earlier, the United States, as head of a United Nations coalition, launched an air attack on Iraq, determined to drive Iraqi forces from the oil-rich Gulf state. On the first day of the fighting, a jet piloted by Marine Corps Lt. Col. Clifford Acree was downed over Iraq by a surface-to-air missile. He suffered a neck injury ejecting from the plane and was soon taken prisoner by the Iraqis. Blindfolded and handcuffed, he was beaten until he lost consciousness. His nose was broken, his skull was fractured, and he was threatened with having his fingers cut off. He lost 30 pounds during his 47 days of captivity.

Eberly was shot down two days later and lost 45 pounds during his ordeal. He and several other U.S. service members were near starvation when they were freed. Other POWs had their eardrums ruptured and were urinated on during their captivity at Abu Ghraib.

All the while, their families thought they were dead because the Iraqis did not notify the U.S. government of their capture.

In April 2002, the Washington law firm of Steptoe & Johnson filed suit on behalf of the 17 former POWs and 37 of their family members. The suit, Acree vs. Republic of Iraq, sought monetary damages for the "acts of torture committed against them and for pain, suffering and severe mental distress of their families."

Usually, foreign states have a sovereign immunity that shields them from being sued. But in the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1996, Congress authorized U.S. courts to award "money damages … against a foreign state for personal injury or death that was caused by an act of torture, extrajudicial killing, aircraft sabotage [or] hostage taking."

This provision was "designed to hold terrorist nations accountable for the torture of Americans and to deter rogue nations from engaging in such actions in the future," Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and George Allen (R-Va.) said last year in a letter to Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft that urged him to support the POWs' claim.

The case came before U.S. District Judge Richard W. Roberts. There was no trial; Hussein's regime ignored the suit, and the U.S. State Department chose to take no part in the case.

On July 7, 2003, the judge handed down a long opinion that described the abuse suffered by the Gulf War POWs, and he awarded them $653 million in compensatory damages. He also assessed $306 million in punitive damages against Iraq. Lawyers for the POWs asked him to put a hold on some of Iraq's frozen assets.

No sooner had the POWs celebrated their victory than they came up against a new roadblock: Bush administration lawyers argued that the case should be thrown out of court on the grounds that Bush had voided any such claims against Iraq, which was now under U.S. occupation. The administration lawyers based their argument on language in an emergency bill, passed shortly after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, approving the expenditure of $80 billion for military operations and reconstruction efforts. One clause in the legislation authorized the president to suspend the sanctions against Iraq that had been imposed as punishment for the invasion of Kuwait more than a decade earlier.

The president's lawyers said this clause also allowed Bush to remove Iraq from the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism and to set aside pending monetary judgments against Iraq.

When the POWs' case went before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit,, the three-judge panel ruled unanimously for the Bush administration and threw out the lawsuit.

"The United States possesses weighty foreign policy interests that are clearly threatened by the entry of judgment for [the POWs] in this case," the appeals court said.

The administration also succeeding in killing a congressional resolution supporting the POWs' suit. "U.S. courts no longer have jurisdiction to hear cases such as those filed by the Gulf War POWs," then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage said in a letter to lawmakers. "Moreover, the president has ordered the vesting of blocked Iraqi assets for use by the Iraqi people and for reconstruction."

Already frustrated by the turn of events, the former POWs were startled when Rumsfeld said he favored awarding compensation to the Iraqi prisoners who were abused by the U.S. military at Abu Ghraib.

"I am seeking a way to provide appropriate compensation to those detainees who suffered grievous and brutal abuse and cruelty at the hands of a few members of the U.S. military. It is the right thing to do," Rumsfeld told a Senate committee last year.

By contrast, the government's lawyers have refused to even discuss a settlement in the POWs' case, say lawyers for the Gulf War veterans. "They were willing to settle this for pennies on the dollar," said Addicott, the former Army lawyer.

The last hope for the POWs rests with the Supreme Court. Their lawyers petitioned the high court last month to hear the case. Significantly, it has been renamed Acree vs. Iraq and the United States.

The POWs say the justices should decide the "important and recurring question [of] whether U.S. citizens who are victims of state-sponsored terrorism [may] seek redress against terrorist states in federal court."

This week, Justice Department lawyers are expected to file a brief urging the court to turn away the appeal.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

White House Turns Tables on Former American POWs
Gulf War pilots tortured by Iraqis fight the Bush administration in trying to collect compensation.

By David G. Savage, Times Staff Writer

WASHINGTON — The latest chapter in the legal history of torture is being written by American pilots who were beaten and abused by Iraqis during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. And it has taken a strange twist.

The Bush administration is fighting the former prisoners of war in court, trying to prevent them from collecting nearly $1 billion from Iraq that a federal judge awarded them as compensation for their torture at the hands of Saddam Hussein's regime.

The rationale: Today's Iraqis are good guys, and they need the money.

The case abounds with ironies. It pits the U.S. government squarely against its own war heroes and the Geneva Convention.

Many of the pilots were tortured in the same Iraqi prison, Abu Ghraib, where American soldiers abused Iraqis 15 months ago. Those Iraqi victims, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has said, deserve compensation from the United States.

But the American victims of Iraqi torturers are not entitled to similar payments from Iraq, the U.S. government says.

"It seems so strange to have our own country fighting us on this," said retired Air Force Col. David W. Eberly, the senior officer among the former POWs.

The case, now being appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, tests whether "state sponsors of terrorism" can be sued in the U.S. courts for torture, murder or hostage-taking. The court is expected to decide in the next two months whether to hear the appeal.

Congress opened the door to such claims in 1996, when it lifted the shield of sovereign immunity — which basically prohibits lawsuits against foreign governments — for any nation that supports terrorism. At that time, Iraq was one of seven nations identified by the State Department as sponsoring terrorist activity. The 17 Gulf War POWs looked to have a very strong case when they first filed suit in 2002. They had been undeniably tortured by a tyrannical regime, one that had $1.7 billion of its assets frozen by the U.S. government.

The picture changed, however, when the United States invaded Iraq and toppled Hussein from power nearly two years ago. On July 21, 2003, two weeks after the Gulf War POWs won their court case in U.S. District Court, the Bush administration intervened to argue that their claims should be dismissed.

"No amount of money can truly compensate these brave men and women for the suffering that they went through at the hands of this very brutal regime and at the hands of Saddam Hussein," White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan told reporters when asked about the case in November 2003.

Government lawyers have insisted, literally, on "no amount of money" going to the Gulf War POWs. "These resources are required for the urgent national security needs of rebuilding Iraq," McClellan said.

The case also tests a key provision of the Geneva Convention, the international law that governs the treatment of prisoners of war. The United States and other signers pledged never to "absolve" a state of "any liability" for the torture of POWs.

Former military lawyers and a bipartisan group of lawmakers have been among those who have urged the Supreme Court to take up the case and to strengthen the law against torturers and tyrannical regimes.

"Our government is on the wrong side of this issue," said Jeffrey F. Addicott, a former Army lawyer and director of the Center for Terrorism Law at St. Mary's University in San Antonio. "A lot of Americans would scratch their heads and ask why is our government taking the side of Iraq against our POWs."

The POWs' journey through the court system began with the events of Jan. 17, 1991 — the first day of the Gulf War. In response to Hussein's invasion of Kuwait five months earlier, the United States, as head of a United Nations coalition, launched an air attack on Iraq, determined to drive Iraqi forces from the oil-rich Gulf state. On the first day of the fighting, a jet piloted by Marine Corps Lt. Col. Clifford Acree was downed over Iraq by a surface-to-air missile. He suffered a neck injury ejecting from the plane and was soon taken prisoner by the Iraqis. Blindfolded and handcuffed, he was beaten until he lost consciousness. His nose was broken, his skull was fractured, and he was threatened with having his fingers cut off. He lost 30 pounds during his 47 days of captivity.

Eberly was shot down two days later and lost 45 pounds during his ordeal. He and several other U.S. service members were near starvation when they were freed. Other POWs had their eardrums ruptured and were urinated on during their captivity at Abu Ghraib.

All the while, their families thought they were dead because the Iraqis did not notify the U.S. government of their capture.

In April 2002, the Washington law firm of Steptoe & Johnson filed suit on behalf of the 17 former POWs and 37 of their family members. The suit, Acree vs. Republic of Iraq, sought monetary damages for the "acts of torture committed against them and for pain, suffering and severe mental distress of their families."

Usually, foreign states have a sovereign immunity that shields them from being sued. But in the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1996, Congress authorized U.S. courts to award "money damages … against a foreign state for personal injury or death that was caused by an act of torture, extrajudicial killing, aircraft sabotage [or] hostage taking."

This provision was "designed to hold terrorist nations accountable for the torture of Americans and to deter rogue nations from engaging in such actions in the future," Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and George Allen (R-Va.) said last year in a letter to Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft that urged him to support the POWs' claim.

The case came before U.S. District Judge Richard W. Roberts. There was no trial; Hussein's regime ignored the suit, and the U.S. State Department chose to take no part in the case.

On July 7, 2003, the judge handed down a long opinion that described the abuse suffered by the Gulf War POWs, and he awarded them $653 million in compensatory damages. He also assessed $306 million in punitive damages against Iraq. Lawyers for the POWs asked him to put a hold on some of Iraq's frozen assets.

No sooner had the POWs celebrated their victory than they came up against a new roadblock: Bush administration lawyers argued that the case should be thrown out of court on the grounds that Bush had voided any such claims against Iraq, which was now under U.S. occupation. The administration lawyers based their argument on language in an emergency bill, passed shortly after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, approving the expenditure of $80 billion for military operations and reconstruction efforts. One clause in the legislation authorized the president to suspend the sanctions against Iraq that had been imposed as punishment for the invasion of Kuwait more than a decade earlier.

The president's lawyers said this clause also allowed Bush to remove Iraq from the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism and to set aside pending monetary judgments against Iraq.

When the POWs' case went before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit,, the three-judge panel ruled unanimously for the Bush administration and threw out the lawsuit.

"The United States possesses weighty foreign policy interests that are clearly threatened by the entry of judgment for [the POWs] in this case," the appeals court said.

The administration also succeeding in killing a congressional resolution supporting the POWs' suit. "U.S. courts no longer have jurisdiction to hear cases such as those filed by the Gulf War POWs," then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage said in a letter to lawmakers. "Moreover, the president has ordered the vesting of blocked Iraqi assets for use by the Iraqi people and for reconstruction."

Already frustrated by the turn of events, the former POWs were startled when Rumsfeld said he favored awarding compensation to the Iraqi prisoners who were abused by the U.S. military at Abu Ghraib.

"I am seeking a way to provide appropriate compensation to those detainees who suffered grievous and brutal abuse and cruelty at the hands of a few members of the U.S. military. It is the right thing to do," Rumsfeld told a Senate committee last year.

By contrast, the government's lawyers have refused to even discuss a settlement in the POWs' case, say lawyers for the Gulf War veterans. "They were willing to settle this for pennies on the dollar," said Addicott, the former Army lawyer.

The last hope for the POWs rests with the Supreme Court. Their lawyers petitioned the high court last month to hear the case. Significantly, it has been renamed Acree vs. Iraq and the United States.

The POWs say the justices should decide the "important and recurring question [of] whether U.S. citizens who are victims of state-sponsored terrorism [may] seek redress against terrorist states in federal court."

This week, Justice Department lawyers are expected to file a brief urging the court to turn away the appeal.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sunday feb 13th
Sister Lucia Died
Sister Lucia was the little girl who the Catholic Church said did in fact speak to the Virgin Mary 5 times. A Miracle!
( our Lady of Fatima)
The Pope looked up to her, he visited her three times since 1981
An official living Saint
The flags of Portugal are flying at half mast
The country has suspended political campaigns for a week
The Nation of Portugal is in mourning
I turned on TV this morning
all they spoke about was Mikey jackson jury selection
GIVE ME A FRIGGIN BREAK!

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 08:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sunday feb 13th
Sister Lucia Died
Sister Lucia was the little girl who the Catholic Church said did in fact speak to the Virgin Mary 5 times. A Miracle!
( our Lady of Fatima)
The Pope looked up to her, he visited her three times since 1981
An official living Saint
The flags of Portugal are flying at half mast
The country has suspended political campaigns for a week
The Nation of Portugal is in mourning
I turned on TV this morning
all they spoke about was Mikey jackson jury selection
GIVE ME A FRIGGIN BREAK!

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 08:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sunday feb 13th
Sister Lucia Died
Sister Lucia was the little girl who the Catholic Church said did in fact speak to the Virgin Mary 5 times. A Miracle!
( our Lady of Fatima)
The Pope looked up to her, he visited her three times since 1981
An official living Saint
The flags of Portugal are flying at half mast
The country has suspended political campaigns for a week
The Nation of Portugal is in mourning
I turned on TV this morning
all they spoke about was Mikey jackson jury selection
GIVE ME A FRIGGIN BREAK!

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 08:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Charges Laid After Motel Shooting
Josh Pringle
Sunday, February 13, 2005

A 37-year-old Quebec man faces several charges following a bizarre shooting at a south Ottawa motel Saturday morning.

A Sudbury man was shot in the groin by a bullet that came through the ceiling of his room from the floor above.

Mario Ethier is charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm, possession of a restricted weapon, possession weapon dangerous, mischief and breach of probation.

Ottawa police said there is no connection between the accused and the victim.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 08:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Charges Laid After Motel Shooting
Josh Pringle
Sunday, February 13, 2005

A 37-year-old Quebec man faces several charges following a bizarre shooting at a south Ottawa motel Saturday morning.

A Sudbury man was shot in the groin by a bullet that came through the ceiling of his room from the floor above.

Mario Ethier is charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm, possession of a restricted weapon, possession weapon dangerous, mischief and breach of probation.

Ottawa police said there is no connection between the accused and the victim.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 08:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Charges Laid After Motel Shooting
Josh Pringle
Sunday, February 13, 2005

A 37-year-old Quebec man faces several charges following a bizarre shooting at a south Ottawa motel Saturday morning.

A Sudbury man was shot in the groin by a bullet that came through the ceiling of his room from the floor above.

Mario Ethier is charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm, possession of a restricted weapon, possession weapon dangerous, mischief and breach of probation.

Ottawa police said there is no connection between the accused and the victim.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 08:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sunday, Feb. 13, 2005 6:48 p.m. EST
Rove Met With Saudis After 9/11

When a 2003 congressional panel issued a report on the roots of the 9/11 attacks, in which 15 of the 19 perpetrators were Saudis, containing 28 superclassified pages that described evidence of possible Saudi funding for two of the hijackers, the Saudis descended on the capital, eager to dispute the charges and reassure George W. Bush and his administration.

One of the meetings was on July 29, according to lobbying records reviewed by Newsweek. The Saudis' leading Washington fixer, Adel Al-Jubeir, met with Karl Rove to, among other things, "give a status briefing on the Kingdom's reform efforts and war against terrorism."

Chief Correspondent Howard Fineman and Investigative Correspondent Michael Isikoff report in the Feb. 21 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, Feb. 14) that the sit-down was arranged by former Texas congressman Tom Loeffler, an elite fund-raiser for Bush's campaigns who had been hired as a lobbyist for the Saudis.

The meeting was Al-Jubeir's second with Rove; the first was three months after 9/11. A source close to the Saudis insisted that the sessions were a mere "courtesy." But since Rove's domain was American politics - not foreign policy - why arrange them at all? "Isn't it obvious?" the source replied.

Now it is - more than ever, report Fineman and Isikoff. Last week the White House made it official, announcing that "The Architect" of the 2004 victory - indeed, of Bush's entire political career - would become a deputy chief of staff, while keeping his existing titles of senior adviser and assistant to the president.

White House aides were intent on downplaying the import of the move, even leaking names of obscure functionaries who supposedly had been considered for the job.

Andy Card - known to fear the gravitational pull of Rove's close relationship with the president - will remain as the chief of staff, they insisted; a source close to him says that Card will stay at least through 2006. Rove, insiders said, wouldn't want Card's job anyway, at least in its current configuration, which is more paper flow than policy.

And as usual in bureaucratic Washington, the real story lay not in the nomenclature but in the real estate: Rove is moving from upstairs to down, just around the corner from the Oval Office. "In a way, the appointment just confirms reality," said GOP consultant Charlie Black. But, in a city in which the biggest secrets are the open ones, "this is still a big deal."

And while in the first term Rove focused his attention to detail on the fine points of domestic policy, he has also dabbled in foreign policy. He brokered a deal in 2001 to end the U.S. Navy's use of a training ground in Puerto Rico - a sensitive issue with Hispanics - and he has steeped himself in the Arab-Israeli dispute. Rove helped to draft Bush's pivotal speech on the issue in 2002 - in which the president declared Yasser Arafat persona non grata. He traveled with the president to Egypt in 2003. Now, Newsweek has learned, Rove has privately expressed interest in traveling to the region on his own this year.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 07:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sunday, Feb. 13, 2005 6:48 p.m. EST
Rove Met With Saudis After 9/11

When a 2003 congressional panel issued a report on the roots of the 9/11 attacks, in which 15 of the 19 perpetrators were Saudis, containing 28 superclassified pages that described evidence of possible Saudi funding for two of the hijackers, the Saudis descended on the capital, eager to dispute the charges and reassure George W. Bush and his administration.

One of the meetings was on July 29, according to lobbying records reviewed by Newsweek. The Saudis' leading Washington fixer, Adel Al-Jubeir, met with Karl Rove to, among other things, "give a status briefing on the Kingdom's reform efforts and war against terrorism."

Chief Correspondent Howard Fineman and Investigative Correspondent Michael Isikoff report in the Feb. 21 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, Feb. 14) that the sit-down was arranged by former Texas congressman Tom Loeffler, an elite fund-raiser for Bush's campaigns who had been hired as a lobbyist for the Saudis.

The meeting was Al-Jubeir's second with Rove; the first was three months after 9/11. A source close to the Saudis insisted that the sessions were a mere "courtesy." But since Rove's domain was American politics - not foreign policy - why arrange them at all? "Isn't it obvious?" the source replied.

Now it is - more than ever, report Fineman and Isikoff. Last week the White House made it official, announcing that "The Architect" of the 2004 victory - indeed, of Bush's entire political career - would become a deputy chief of staff, while keeping his existing titles of senior adviser and assistant to the president.

White House aides were intent on downplaying the import of the move, even leaking names of obscure functionaries who supposedly had been considered for the job.

Andy Card - known to fear the gravitational pull of Rove's close relationship with the president - will remain as the chief of staff, they insisted; a source close to him says that Card will stay at least through 2006. Rove, insiders said, wouldn't want Card's job anyway, at least in its current configuration, which is more paper flow than policy.

And as usual in bureaucratic Washington, the real story lay not in the nomenclature but in the real estate: Rove is moving from upstairs to down, just around the corner from the Oval Office. "In a way, the appointment just confirms reality," said GOP consultant Charlie Black. But, in a city in which the biggest secrets are the open ones, "this is still a big deal."

And while in the first term Rove focused his attention to detail on the fine points of domestic policy, he has also dabbled in foreign policy. He brokered a deal in 2001 to end the U.S. Navy's use of a training ground in Puerto Rico - a sensitive issue with Hispanics - and he has steeped himself in the Arab-Israeli dispute. Rove helped to draft Bush's pivotal speech on the issue in 2002 - in which the president declared Yasser Arafat persona non grata. He traveled with the president to Egypt in 2003. Now, Newsweek has learned, Rove has privately expressed interest in traveling to the region on his own this year.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 07:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sunday, Feb. 13, 2005 6:48 p.m. EST
Rove Met With Saudis After 9/11

When a 2003 congressional panel issued a report on the roots of the 9/11 attacks, in which 15 of the 19 perpetrators were Saudis, containing 28 superclassified pages that described evidence of possible Saudi funding for two of the hijackers, the Saudis descended on the capital, eager to dispute the charges and reassure George W. Bush and his administration.

One of the meetings was on July 29, according to lobbying records reviewed by Newsweek. The Saudis' leading Washington fixer, Adel Al-Jubeir, met with Karl Rove to, among other things, "give a status briefing on the Kingdom's reform efforts and war against terrorism."

Chief Correspondent Howard Fineman and Investigative Correspondent Michael Isikoff report in the Feb. 21 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, Feb. 14) that the sit-down was arranged by former Texas congressman Tom Loeffler, an elite fund-raiser for Bush's campaigns who had been hired as a lobbyist for the Saudis.

The meeting was Al-Jubeir's second with Rove; the first was three months after 9/11. A source close to the Saudis insisted that the sessions were a mere "courtesy." But since Rove's domain was American politics - not foreign policy - why arrange them at all? "Isn't it obvious?" the source replied.

Now it is - more than ever, report Fineman and Isikoff. Last week the White House made it official, announcing that "The Architect" of the 2004 victory - indeed, of Bush's entire political career - would become a deputy chief of staff, while keeping his existing titles of senior adviser and assistant to the president.

White House aides were intent on downplaying the import of the move, even leaking names of obscure functionaries who supposedly had been considered for the job.

Andy Card - known to fear the gravitational pull of Rove's close relationship with the president - will remain as the chief of staff, they insisted; a source close to him says that Card will stay at least through 2006. Rove, insiders said, wouldn't want Card's job anyway, at least in its current configuration, which is more paper flow than policy.

And as usual in bureaucratic Washington, the real story lay not in the nomenclature but in the real estate: Rove is moving from upstairs to down, just around the corner from the Oval Office. "In a way, the appointment just confirms reality," said GOP consultant Charlie Black. But, in a city in which the biggest secrets are the open ones, "this is still a big deal."

And while in the first term Rove focused his attention to detail on the fine points of domestic policy, he has also dabbled in foreign policy. He brokered a deal in 2001 to end the U.S. Navy's use of a training ground in Puerto Rico - a sensitive issue with Hispanics - and he has steeped himself in the Arab-Israeli dispute. Rove helped to draft Bush's pivotal speech on the issue in 2002 - in which the president declared Yasser Arafat persona non grata. He traveled with the president to Egypt in 2003. Now, Newsweek has learned, Rove has privately expressed interest in traveling to the region on his own this year.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 07:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nun Who Saw Mary in Apparitions Mourned

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By Associated Press

February 14, 2005, 3:19 PM EST

LISBON, Portugal -- Political parties suspended their election campaigns and long lines of worshippers paid their final respects Monday following the death of Sister Lucia, the last of three shepherd children who claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary during 1917 apparitions in the town of Fatima.

The Roman Catholic nun, who died Sunday at age 97 of apparent heart failure, will be buried Tuesday in the graveyard of the Carmelite convent where she had lived since 1948. Flags around the country were ordered flown at half-staff.

Her body lay in a coffin in the chapel of the convent near Fatima. Hundreds of people came to pray and bring flowers, media reports said. After working hours, a long queue of worshippers waiting to enter snaked around the convent.

In a condolence letter, President Jorge Sampaio said Lucia "was a symbol and a point of reference for so many people in the whole world."

Bishop Serafim Ferreira e Silva held a service Monday at the Fatima shrine, which is visited each year by millions. A funeral was scheduled for Tuesday at the cathedral in the nearby city of Coimbra.

Two of Portugal's political parties, the Social Democratic Party and the Popular Party, canceled campaign events for the Feb. 20 general election for 48 hours.

Shortly before she died, Lucia reportedly read a fax sent to her by Pope John Paul II. The pontiff has met with Lucia during each of his three visits to Fatima.

In the message, John Paul expressed his closeness and blessing, and said he was praying so that she "live this moment of pain, suffering and offering in the spirit of Easter, of passage," the Italian bishops' conference news agency SIR reported, citing Portuguese sources.

Lucia and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco said Mary appeared to them several times in Fatima, a farming town 120 miles north of Lisbon. Sister Lucia said Mary spoke only to her.

The three said Mary appeared on the 13th day of each month and predicted events, such as world wars, the reemergence of Christianity in Russia, and one that church officials say foretold the 1981 attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II.

The first sighting was May 13, and the appearances took place for another five months, ending abruptly in October 1917.

Shortly after, both Jacinta and Francisco died of respiratory diseases. Lucia became a nun and wrote two memoirs. Born Lucia de Jesus, she changed her name twice after entering the convents but was popularly known as Sister Lucia.

The pope has visited Fatima three times since becoming pontiff in 1978, spending a few minutes with Lucia during each trip. In 2000, he visited Fatima to beatify Jacinta and Francisco.

He has claimed the Virgin of Fatima saved his life after he was shot by a Turkish gunman in St. Peter's Square in 1981. The attack, on May 13, coincided with the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima, and John Paul credits Mary's intercession for his survival.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 07:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nun Who Saw Mary in Apparitions Mourned

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Printer friendly format



By Associated Press

February 14, 2005, 3:19 PM EST

LISBON, Portugal -- Political parties suspended their election campaigns and long lines of worshippers paid their final respects Monday following the death of Sister Lucia, the last of three shepherd children who claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary during 1917 apparitions in the town of Fatima.

The Roman Catholic nun, who died Sunday at age 97 of apparent heart failure, will be buried Tuesday in the graveyard of the Carmelite convent where she had lived since 1948. Flags around the country were ordered flown at half-staff.

Her body lay in a coffin in the chapel of the convent near Fatima. Hundreds of people came to pray and bring flowers, media reports said. After working hours, a long queue of worshippers waiting to enter snaked around the convent.

In a condolence letter, President Jorge Sampaio said Lucia "was a symbol and a point of reference for so many people in the whole world."

Bishop Serafim Ferreira e Silva held a service Monday at the Fatima shrine, which is visited each year by millions. A funeral was scheduled for Tuesday at the cathedral in the nearby city of Coimbra.

Two of Portugal's political parties, the Social Democratic Party and the Popular Party, canceled campaign events for the Feb. 20 general election for 48 hours.

Shortly before she died, Lucia reportedly read a fax sent to her by Pope John Paul II. The pontiff has met with Lucia during each of his three visits to Fatima.

In the message, John Paul expressed his closeness and blessing, and said he was praying so that she "live this moment of pain, suffering and offering in the spirit of Easter, of passage," the Italian bishops' conference news agency SIR reported, citing Portuguese sources.

Lucia and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco said Mary appeared to them several times in Fatima, a farming town 120 miles north of Lisbon. Sister Lucia said Mary spoke only to her.

The three said Mary appeared on the 13th day of each month and predicted events, such as world wars, the reemergence of Christianity in Russia, and one that church officials say foretold the 1981 attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II.

The first sighting was May 13, and the appearances took place for another five months, ending abruptly in October 1917.

Shortly after, both Jacinta and Francisco died of respiratory diseases. Lucia became a nun and wrote two memoirs. Born Lucia de Jesus, she changed her name twice after entering the convents but was popularly known as Sister Lucia.

The pope has visited Fatima three times since becoming pontiff in 1978, spending a few minutes with Lucia during each trip. In 2000, he visited Fatima to beatify Jacinta and Francisco.

He has claimed the Virgin of Fatima saved his life after he was shot by a Turkish gunman in St. Peter's Square in 1981. The attack, on May 13, coincided with the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima, and John Paul credits Mary's intercession for his survival.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 07:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nun Who Saw Mary in Apparitions Mourned

Email this story

Printer friendly format



By Associated Press

February 14, 2005, 3:19 PM EST

LISBON, Portugal -- Political parties suspended their election campaigns and long lines of worshippers paid their final respects Monday following the death of Sister Lucia, the last of three shepherd children who claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary during 1917 apparitions in the town of Fatima.

The Roman Catholic nun, who died Sunday at age 97 of apparent heart failure, will be buried Tuesday in the graveyard of the Carmelite convent where she had lived since 1948. Flags around the country were ordered flown at half-staff.

Her body lay in a coffin in the chapel of the convent near Fatima. Hundreds of people came to pray and bring flowers, media reports said. After working hours, a long queue of worshippers waiting to enter snaked around the convent.

In a condolence letter, President Jorge Sampaio said Lucia "was a symbol and a point of reference for so many people in the whole world."

Bishop Serafim Ferreira e Silva held a service Monday at the Fatima shrine, which is visited each year by millions. A funeral was scheduled for Tuesday at the cathedral in the nearby city of Coimbra.

Two of Portugal's political parties, the Social Democratic Party and the Popular Party, canceled campaign events for the Feb. 20 general election for 48 hours.

Shortly before she died, Lucia reportedly read a fax sent to her by Pope John Paul II. The pontiff has met with Lucia during each of his three visits to Fatima.

In the message, John Paul expressed his closeness and blessing, and said he was praying so that she "live this moment of pain, suffering and offering in the spirit of Easter, of passage," the Italian bishops' conference news agency SIR reported, citing Portuguese sources.

Lucia and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco said Mary appeared to them several times in Fatima, a farming town 120 miles north of Lisbon. Sister Lucia said Mary spoke only to her.

The three said Mary appeared on the 13th day of each month and predicted events, such as world wars, the reemergence of Christianity in Russia, and one that church officials say foretold the 1981 attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II.

The first sighting was May 13, and the appearances took place for another five months, ending abruptly in October 1917.

Shortly after, both Jacinta and Francisco died of respiratory diseases. Lucia became a nun and wrote two memoirs. Born Lucia de Jesus, she changed her name twice after entering the convents but was popularly known as Sister Lucia.

The pope has visited Fatima three times since becoming pontiff in 1978, spending a few minutes with Lucia during each trip. In 2000, he visited Fatima to beatify Jacinta and Francisco.

He has claimed the Virgin of Fatima saved his life after he was shot by a Turkish gunman in St. Peter's Square in 1981. The attack, on May 13, coincided with the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima, and John Paul credits Mary's intercession for his survival.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 07:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reporter Accepted Money From Candidate

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By Associated Press

February 14, 2005, 5:33 PM EST

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A reporter and columnist for a black Kansas City newspaper accepted $1,500 from the congressional campaign of the Rev. Emanuel Cleaver, the former mayor elected to the House in November.

Eric Wesson reported on the campaign for The Call and also wrote editorials that praised Cleaver, who is black, and criticized his Democratic primary rival and later his Republican opponent.

Kansas City's alternative weekly newspaper, The Pitch, reported on the payment in October. The Washington Post ran the story Monday in the wake of news that three conservative columnists were paid by the federal government to promote Bush administration policies.

Both papers said Cleaver's campaign paid $1,500 last summer to One Goal Consultants, a company that Wesson owns, according to state records.

Wesson on Monday declined to comment to The Associated Press. He told The Post he wrote scripts for Cleaver's phone banks and did "other miscellaneous things" for the campaign.

"It had nothing to do with the job I do for The Call," Wesson said. "The Call has always written articles favorable to African-American candidates. We're an advocacy newspaper."

Cleaver issued a statement Monday saying his campaign would not have other such arrangements with reporters.

"I am committed to upholding the highest ethical standards," he said.

The Call has endorsed Cleaver for every political office he has sought in his 30-year political career, which included two terms as the city's first black mayor.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 07:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reporter Accepted Money From Candidate

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By Associated Press

February 14, 2005, 5:33 PM EST

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A reporter and columnist for a black Kansas City newspaper accepted $1,500 from the congressional campaign of the Rev. Emanuel Cleaver, the former mayor elected to the House in November.

Eric Wesson reported on the campaign for The Call and also wrote editorials that praised Cleaver, who is black, and criticized his Democratic primary rival and later his Republican opponent.

Kansas City's alternative weekly newspaper, The Pitch, reported on the payment in October. The Washington Post ran the story Monday in the wake of news that three conservative columnists were paid by the federal government to promote Bush administration policies.

Both papers said Cleaver's campaign paid $1,500 last summer to One Goal Consultants, a company that Wesson owns, according to state records.

Wesson on Monday declined to comment to The Associated Press. He told The Post he wrote scripts for Cleaver's phone banks and did "other miscellaneous things" for the campaign.

"It had nothing to do with the job I do for The Call," Wesson said. "The Call has always written articles favorable to African-American candidates. We're an advocacy newspaper."

Cleaver issued a statement Monday saying his campaign would not have other such arrangements with reporters.

"I am committed to upholding the highest ethical standards," he said.

The Call has endorsed Cleaver for every political office he has sought in his 30-year political career, which included two terms as the city's first black mayor.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 07:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reporter Accepted Money From Candidate

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By Associated Press

February 14, 2005, 5:33 PM EST

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A reporter and columnist for a black Kansas City newspaper accepted $1,500 from the congressional campaign of the Rev. Emanuel Cleaver, the former mayor elected to the House in November.

Eric Wesson reported on the campaign for The Call and also wrote editorials that praised Cleaver, who is black, and criticized his Democratic primary rival and later his Republican opponent.

Kansas City's alternative weekly newspaper, The Pitch, reported on the payment in October. The Washington Post ran the story Monday in the wake of news that three conservative columnists were paid by the federal government to promote Bush administration policies.

Both papers said Cleaver's campaign paid $1,500 last summer to One Goal Consultants, a company that Wesson owns, according to state records.

Wesson on Monday declined to comment to The Associated Press. He told The Post he wrote scripts for Cleaver's phone banks and did "other miscellaneous things" for the campaign.

"It had nothing to do with the job I do for The Call," Wesson said. "The Call has always written articles favorable to African-American candidates. We're an advocacy newspaper."

Cleaver issued a statement Monday saying his campaign would not have other such arrangements with reporters.

"I am committed to upholding the highest ethical standards," he said.

The Call has endorsed Cleaver for every political office he has sought in his 30-year political career, which included two terms as the city's first black mayor.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 07:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kentucky Senate Seat Held Up in Dispute

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By MARK R. CHELLGREN
Associated Press Writer

February 14, 2005, 2:00 PM EST

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- The brass plaque on the desk in the Kentucky Capitol reads, "Dana Seum Stephenson -- Senator." Each day, the clerk calls the roll, "Sen. Seum Stephenson."

The seat is empty and no one answers.

Stephenson is a senator in name only, under a court order that forbids her to attend any legislative session, vote or take a salary. Three months after the election, questions about Stephenson's residency have left her working-class district in Louisville without a senator.

Over the past few weeks, her fellow Republicans have been scorned for trying to seat her despite the questions, and one GOP senator has quit the party in protest and declared himself an independent.

The dispute -- which will be heard by the Kentucky Supreme Court at a date to be determined -- started on Nov. 1, the day before the election, when Democrat Virginia Woodward went to court to claim that Stephenson, her Republican opponent in the state Senate race, did not meet the requirement in the Kentucky Constitution that says candidates must be a resident of the state for six years before the election.

The next day, Stephenson beat Woodward by about 1,000 votes, according to unofficial returns.

Once the lawsuit made its way before a judge, the evidence was substantial that Stephenson, 32, lived in Indiana from 1997 to 2001. She bought a house, moved in, and enrolled at an Indiana university to pursue a master's degree. She paid in-state tuition. She voted in Indiana in the 1998 and 2000 elections. She got an Indiana driver's license in 1997 and kept it until 2001. She was purged from Kentucky's voter rolls in 1998 for failing to vote and did not re-register until 2001.

Stephenson countered that she always owned property in Kentucky, too, and intended to make her home there and never left her teaching position at a Louisville high school.

A judge was unconvinced and directed election officials to count only Woodward's votes. While the courts continually sided with Woodward, the political process took a different tack.

Stephenson appealed directly to the Senate to seat her, where her fellow Republicans -- including her lawmaker father -- hold the majority.

A randomly drawn special committee had a majority of Democrats, which concluded Stephenson was not qualified. But when the matter got to the full Senate, Republicans overruled the recommendation and voted largely along party lines to seat Stephenson.

Senate President David Williams said the Senate alone is empowered to determine the qualifications of its members. Williams said, for example, that despite the constitutional requirement that a senator be 30 years old, the Senate could vote to seat a 23-year-old.

"If 20 people in this body voted that someone was 30 years old, no court in the land could overturn that," Williams said.

Stephenson was seated, but within a week, a judge did intervene, ordering that Stephenson could not take any official action as a senator.

Williams' comments drew a firestorm.

"Rather than clarify the legal issue for us, Williams acts as Senate Mad Hatter with his signature Cheshire Cat demeanor. Dana Seum Stephenson plays a disingenuous Queen of Hearts and the members of the Queen's court (better known as the Senate Republican caucus) would have us believe that residency as a citizen means only physically residing," one letter writer said in The Courier-Journal.

Republican Sen. Bob Leeper said the partisan display was so egregious that he quit the party. (It was Leeper's switch from Democrat to Republican five years ago that gave the GOP its first-ever majority in the Kentucky Senate.)

With Leeper's change and the empty seat, there are 21 Republicans, 15 Democrats and an independent in the 38-member Senate. The switch and the empty seat may be especially damaging to the GOP because it takes 23 votes to pass tax or spending legislation in the current session.

Woodward said she has received overwhelming support in her quest and it has only increased since the Senate's actions and Williams' comments. "They are appalled that anyone would state that, with the right amount of votes, they could make 23 into 30," she said.

For her part, Stephenson did not return repeated calls for an interview. Except for a brief appearance in the gallery a few weeks ago, she has stayed away from Frankfort.

"There's no reason to upset the judges and go to jail," she said then.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 07:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kentucky Senate Seat Held Up in Dispute

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By MARK R. CHELLGREN
Associated Press Writer

February 14, 2005, 2:00 PM EST

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- The brass plaque on the desk in the Kentucky Capitol reads, "Dana Seum Stephenson -- Senator." Each day, the clerk calls the roll, "Sen. Seum Stephenson."

The seat is empty and no one answers.

Stephenson is a senator in name only, under a court order that forbids her to attend any legislative session, vote or take a salary. Three months after the election, questions about Stephenson's residency have left her working-class district in Louisville without a senator.

Over the past few weeks, her fellow Republicans have been scorned for trying to seat her despite the questions, and one GOP senator has quit the party in protest and declared himself an independent.

The dispute -- which will be heard by the Kentucky Supreme Court at a date to be determined -- started on Nov. 1, the day before the election, when Democrat Virginia Woodward went to court to claim that Stephenson, her Republican opponent in the state Senate race, did not meet the requirement in the Kentucky Constitution that says candidates must be a resident of the state for six years before the election.

The next day, Stephenson beat Woodward by about 1,000 votes, according to unofficial returns.

Once the lawsuit made its way before a judge, the evidence was substantial that Stephenson, 32, lived in Indiana from 1997 to 2001. She bought a house, moved in, and enrolled at an Indiana university to pursue a master's degree. She paid in-state tuition. She voted in Indiana in the 1998 and 2000 elections. She got an Indiana driver's license in 1997 and kept it until 2001. She was purged from Kentucky's voter rolls in 1998 for failing to vote and did not re-register until 2001.

Stephenson countered that she always owned property in Kentucky, too, and intended to make her home there and never left her teaching position at a Louisville high school.

A judge was unconvinced and directed election officials to count only Woodward's votes. While the courts continually sided with Woodward, the political process took a different tack.

Stephenson appealed directly to the Senate to seat her, where her fellow Republicans -- including her lawmaker father -- hold the majority.

A randomly drawn special committee had a majority of Democrats, which concluded Stephenson was not qualified. But when the matter got to the full Senate, Republicans overruled the recommendation and voted largely along party lines to seat Stephenson.

Senate President David Williams said the Senate alone is empowered to determine the qualifications of its members. Williams said, for example, that despite the constitutional requirement that a senator be 30 years old, the Senate could vote to seat a 23-year-old.

"If 20 people in this body voted that someone was 30 years old, no court in the land could overturn that," Williams said.

Stephenson was seated, but within a week, a judge did intervene, ordering that Stephenson could not take any official action as a senator.

Williams' comments drew a firestorm.

"Rather than clarify the legal issue for us, Williams acts as Senate Mad Hatter with his signature Cheshire Cat demeanor. Dana Seum Stephenson plays a disingenuous Queen of Hearts and the members of the Queen's court (better known as the Senate Republican caucus) would have us believe that residency as a citizen means only physically residing," one letter writer said in The Courier-Journal.

Republican Sen. Bob Leeper said the partisan display was so egregious that he quit the party. (It was Leeper's switch from Democrat to Republican five years ago that gave the GOP its first-ever majority in the Kentucky Senate.)

With Leeper's change and the empty seat, there are 21 Republicans, 15 Democrats and an independent in the 38-member Senate. The switch and the empty seat may be especially damaging to the GOP because it takes 23 votes to pass tax or spending legislation in the current session.

Woodward said she has received overwhelming support in her quest and it has only increased since the Senate's actions and Williams' comments. "They are appalled that anyone would state that, with the right amount of votes, they could make 23 into 30," she said.

For her part, Stephenson did not return repeated calls for an interview. Except for a brief appearance in the gallery a few weeks ago, she has stayed away from Frankfort.

"There's no reason to upset the judges and go to jail," she said then.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 07:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kentucky Senate Seat Held Up in Dispute

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By MARK R. CHELLGREN
Associated Press Writer

February 14, 2005, 2:00 PM EST

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- The brass plaque on the desk in the Kentucky Capitol reads, "Dana Seum Stephenson -- Senator." Each day, the clerk calls the roll, "Sen. Seum Stephenson."

The seat is empty and no one answers.

Stephenson is a senator in name only, under a court order that forbids her to attend any legislative session, vote or take a salary. Three months after the election, questions about Stephenson's residency have left her working-class district in Louisville without a senator.

Over the past few weeks, her fellow Republicans have been scorned for trying to seat her despite the questions, and one GOP senator has quit the party in protest and declared himself an independent.

The dispute -- which will be heard by the Kentucky Supreme Court at a date to be determined -- started on Nov. 1, the day before the election, when Democrat Virginia Woodward went to court to claim that Stephenson, her Republican opponent in the state Senate race, did not meet the requirement in the Kentucky Constitution that says candidates must be a resident of the state for six years before the election.

The next day, Stephenson beat Woodward by about 1,000 votes, according to unofficial returns.

Once the lawsuit made its way before a judge, the evidence was substantial that Stephenson, 32, lived in Indiana from 1997 to 2001. She bought a house, moved in, and enrolled at an Indiana university to pursue a master's degree. She paid in-state tuition. She voted in Indiana in the 1998 and 2000 elections. She got an Indiana driver's license in 1997 and kept it until 2001. She was purged from Kentucky's voter rolls in 1998 for failing to vote and did not re-register until 2001.

Stephenson countered that she always owned property in Kentucky, too, and intended to make her home there and never left her teaching position at a Louisville high school.

A judge was unconvinced and directed election officials to count only Woodward's votes. While the courts continually sided with Woodward, the political process took a different tack.

Stephenson appealed directly to the Senate to seat her, where her fellow Republicans -- including her lawmaker father -- hold the majority.

A randomly drawn special committee had a majority of Democrats, which concluded Stephenson was not qualified. But when the matter got to the full Senate, Republicans overruled the recommendation and voted largely along party lines to seat Stephenson.

Senate President David Williams said the Senate alone is empowered to determine the qualifications of its members. Williams said, for example, that despite the constitutional requirement that a senator be 30 years old, the Senate could vote to seat a 23-year-old.

"If 20 people in this body voted that someone was 30 years old, no court in the land could overturn that," Williams said.

Stephenson was seated, but within a week, a judge did intervene, ordering that Stephenson could not take any official action as a senator.

Williams' comments drew a firestorm.

"Rather than clarify the legal issue for us, Williams acts as Senate Mad Hatter with his signature Cheshire Cat demeanor. Dana Seum Stephenson plays a disingenuous Queen of Hearts and the members of the Queen's court (better known as the Senate Republican caucus) would have us believe that residency as a citizen means only physically residing," one letter writer said in The Courier-Journal.

Republican Sen. Bob Leeper said the partisan display was so egregious that he quit the party. (It was Leeper's switch from Democrat to Republican five years ago that gave the GOP its first-ever majority in the Kentucky Senate.)

With Leeper's change and the empty seat, there are 21 Republicans, 15 Democrats and an independent in the 38-member Senate. The switch and the empty seat may be especially damaging to the GOP because it takes 23 votes to pass tax or spending legislation in the current session.

Woodward said she has received overwhelming support in her quest and it has only increased since the Senate's actions and Williams' comments. "They are appalled that anyone would state that, with the right amount of votes, they could make 23 into 30," she said.

For her part, Stephenson did not return repeated calls for an interview. Except for a brief appearance in the gallery a few weeks ago, she has stayed away from Frankfort.

"There's no reason to upset the judges and go to jail," she said then.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 07:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

U.S.: Taliban Ready for Reconciliation
WHABy STEPHEN GRAHAM
Associated Press Writer

February 14, 2005, 4:19 PM EST

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Senior Taliban members have agreed to join a reconciliation process to be announced soon by the Afghan government, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan said Monday.

Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said there had been a "positive response" to overtures from American and Afghan officials, which have intensified in recent months.

"Quite a number of people associated with the Taliban have taken advantage of it already and are living in their areas, they've come in and some senior members have also come in," Khalilzad said at a news conference.

He declined to give details about the reconciliation program, but said there would likely be an announcement from the Afghan government in coming days.

Khalilzad and the U.S. military are pressing President Hamid Karzai to reach out to "non-criminal" Taliban, many of whom are believed to have taken refuge in neighboring Pakistan after a U.S. bombing campaign ousted the former militia following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center.

Officials hope such a program can help defuse the stubborn insurgency, which is hampering badly needed reconstruction and continues launching attacks against American soldiers.

American commanders and Afghan officials insist that many followers of the former ruling Taliban are growing disillusioned, but they have yet to produce evidence that figures with real influence among militant groups are ready to support the U.S.-backed government.

It also remains unclear how the offer to former Taliban relates to another proposed national reconciliation program which the United Nations and the main Afghan human rights group say should include the prosecution of war criminals from the country's long wars.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 07:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

U.S.: Taliban Ready for Reconciliation
WHABy STEPHEN GRAHAM
Associated Press Writer

February 14, 2005, 4:19 PM EST

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Senior Taliban members have agreed to join a reconciliation process to be announced soon by the Afghan government, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan said Monday.

Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said there had been a "positive response" to overtures from American and Afghan officials, which have intensified in recent months.

"Quite a number of people associated with the Taliban have taken advantage of it already and are living in their areas, they've come in and some senior members have also come in," Khalilzad said at a news conference.

He declined to give details about the reconciliation program, but said there would likely be an announcement from the Afghan government in coming days.

Khalilzad and the U.S. military are pressing President Hamid Karzai to reach out to "non-criminal" Taliban, many of whom are believed to have taken refuge in neighboring Pakistan after a U.S. bombing campaign ousted the former militia following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center.

Officials hope such a program can help defuse the stubborn insurgency, which is hampering badly needed reconstruction and continues launching attacks against American soldiers.

American commanders and Afghan officials insist that many followers of the former ruling Taliban are growing disillusioned, but they have yet to produce evidence that figures with real influence among militant groups are ready to support the U.S.-backed government.

It also remains unclear how the offer to former Taliban relates to another proposed national reconciliation program which the United Nations and the main Afghan human rights group say should include the prosecution of war criminals from the country's long wars.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 07:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

U.S.: Taliban Ready for Reconciliation
WHABy STEPHEN GRAHAM
Associated Press Writer

February 14, 2005, 4:19 PM EST

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Senior Taliban members have agreed to join a reconciliation process to be announced soon by the Afghan government, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan said Monday.

Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said there had been a "positive response" to overtures from American and Afghan officials, which have intensified in recent months.

"Quite a number of people associated with the Taliban have taken advantage of it already and are living in their areas, they've come in and some senior members have also come in," Khalilzad said at a news conference.

He declined to give details about the reconciliation program, but said there would likely be an announcement from the Afghan government in coming days.

Khalilzad and the U.S. military are pressing President Hamid Karzai to reach out to "non-criminal" Taliban, many of whom are believed to have taken refuge in neighboring Pakistan after a U.S. bombing campaign ousted the former militia following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center.

Officials hope such a program can help defuse the stubborn insurgency, which is hampering badly needed reconstruction and continues launching attacks against American soldiers.

American commanders and Afghan officials insist that many followers of the former ruling Taliban are growing disillusioned, but they have yet to produce evidence that figures with real influence among militant groups are ready to support the U.S.-backed government.

It also remains unclear how the offer to former Taliban relates to another proposed national reconciliation program which the United Nations and the main Afghan human rights group say should include the prosecution of war criminals from the country's long wars.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 07:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No Exit for British in Poor Corner of Iraq
Despite Progress, Old Scores Still Unsettled and Local Problems Unresolved

By Doug Struck
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, February 12, 2005; Page A01

QURNAH, Iraq -- The election is over here in the backcountry, and by local accounts, it was a grand success. The Marsh Arabs dressed in festive robes to vote. The Iraqi police and guardsmen were at their proudest. No one got shot, or even shot at -- unusual here.

Far from the bombs and politics in Baghdad, this remote bit of Iraq is now fairly quiet. But one day this week, Capt. Alexander Spry and the men of his Welsh Guards company were out on patrol, just as they were before the Jan. 30 vote. Jolting along a rutted dirt road cloaked in dust, past a squalid strip of mud huts perched on a canal levee, they had guns and waves at the ready. Either might be needed.

In Amarah, British troops who often sort out tribal rivalries and oversee reconstruction projects also continue to patrol the streets. (Ghaith Abdul-ahad -- Getty Images)

___ Postwar Iraq ___

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British officers such as Spry say they still have much to do before foreign military forces can leave Iraq. The narrow task that brought them here -- to help topple Saddam Hussein -- has been accomplished, but the approximately 175,000 troops from 29 foreign countries find themselves wrapped in the suffocating embrace of local problems and ancient grievances left to them to solve.

They sort out tribal rivalries, arrest car thieves, spot crooked contractors, hire men to clean sewers, and restore order to gasoline lines. At the same time, they are trying to train the Iraqis who will replace them and to reconstruct where there was little construction to begin with -- all while keeping the peace.

"We've made good progress, and there's more to be made," said Lt. Col. Ben Bathurst, who leads about 1,000 soldiers of the 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards, in Maysan province.

Although he insisted that "we're not going to be here forever," Bathurst acknowledged that the British army's departure was nowhere in sight. When the Welsh Guards leave in a few months, another British unit will take over, and the British are moving into a nearby area as Dutch troops withdraw.

Whenever local officials complain about the troops, "I've found the best way to combat that is to say, 'Okay, we'll pull out tomorrow. Then what will you do?' " The question silences critics, Bathurst said.

The situation in Maysan, the poorest of Iraq's 18 provinces, illustrates how difficult it will be for the United States and its allies to extricate themselves from Iraq no matter how successful January's election turns out to have been or how much progress is made against the insurgency.

Tucked away in southeastern Iraq, Maysan would seem a likely place for an army to come and go quickly. It is poor and rural. Vast stretches have no schools, electricity or running water.

Here in the ancestral home of the Marsh Arabs, who for perhaps 5,000 years have relied on the vast wetlands here for fish, fowl and rice, Spry and his convoy of bristling Land Rovers are aliens as they patrol a 12-mile strip of huts along a canal. The small, square homes are made of mud and straw. A door is often a piece of sheet metal propped against the opening. Smiling, strong women and squealing children emerge to greet the patrol.

There has not been much violence here since a flare-up in August that officers say was the "most intense fighting the British Army has been in since the Falklands War" in the early 1980s. All the local politicians say the British should stay.

"The coalition forces are like a doctor. When the patient has recovered, the doctor can leave," said Hashim Shawki, the local head of a major Shiite Muslim party, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq.

The biggest question is who would replace British forces as the authority here. Two British companies live with the Iraqi National Guard, and the Welsh Guards work daily to train guardsmen and police. The British speak optimistically and say the Iraqi security forces are coming along.

But there is no timetable for a handover of security duties. The 6,000 police officers and 1,800 guardsmen are wary rivals, their ranks stocked by members of competing militias. The new provincial council is expected to side with the National Guard against the police. The governor of the province was arrested for allegedly ordering the slaying of a local police chief. He was released, but suspicions and hard feelings remain.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No Exit for British in Poor Corner of Iraq
Despite Progress, Old Scores Still Unsettled and Local Problems Unresolved

By Doug Struck
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, February 12, 2005; Page A01

QURNAH, Iraq -- The election is over here in the backcountry, and by local accounts, it was a grand success. The Marsh Arabs dressed in festive robes to vote. The Iraqi police and guardsmen were at their proudest. No one got shot, or even shot at -- unusual here.

Far from the bombs and politics in Baghdad, this remote bit of Iraq is now fairly quiet. But one day this week, Capt. Alexander Spry and the men of his Welsh Guards company were out on patrol, just as they were before the Jan. 30 vote. Jolting along a rutted dirt road cloaked in dust, past a squalid strip of mud huts perched on a canal levee, they had guns and waves at the ready. Either might be needed.

In Amarah, British troops who often sort out tribal rivalries and oversee reconstruction projects also continue to patrol the streets. (Ghaith Abdul-ahad -- Getty Images)

___ Postwar Iraq ___

_____ Request for Photos_____

Duty In Iraq
We want to give you the opportunity to show firsthand what it is like to live and work in Iraq.

_____ Latest News _____
• Suicide Car Bomb Kills At Least 17 South of Baghdad
• No Exit for British in Poor Corner of Iraq
• CNN's Jordan Resigns Over Iraq Remarks

• More Coverage

_____ U.S. Military Deaths _____

Faces of the Fallen
Portraits of U.S. service members who have died in Iraq since the beginning of the war.

_____Free E-mail Newsletters_____

• Today's Headlines & Columnists
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• Breaking News Alerts
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British officers such as Spry say they still have much to do before foreign military forces can leave Iraq. The narrow task that brought them here -- to help topple Saddam Hussein -- has been accomplished, but the approximately 175,000 troops from 29 foreign countries find themselves wrapped in the suffocating embrace of local problems and ancient grievances left to them to solve.

They sort out tribal rivalries, arrest car thieves, spot crooked contractors, hire men to clean sewers, and restore order to gasoline lines. At the same time, they are trying to train the Iraqis who will replace them and to reconstruct where there was little construction to begin with -- all while keeping the peace.

"We've made good progress, and there's more to be made," said Lt. Col. Ben Bathurst, who leads about 1,000 soldiers of the 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards, in Maysan province.

Although he insisted that "we're not going to be here forever," Bathurst acknowledged that the British army's departure was nowhere in sight. When the Welsh Guards leave in a few months, another British unit will take over, and the British are moving into a nearby area as Dutch troops withdraw.

Whenever local officials complain about the troops, "I've found the best way to combat that is to say, 'Okay, we'll pull out tomorrow. Then what will you do?' " The question silences critics, Bathurst said.

The situation in Maysan, the poorest of Iraq's 18 provinces, illustrates how difficult it will be for the United States and its allies to extricate themselves from Iraq no matter how successful January's election turns out to have been or how much progress is made against the insurgency.

Tucked away in southeastern Iraq, Maysan would seem a likely place for an army to come and go quickly. It is poor and rural. Vast stretches have no schools, electricity or running water.

Here in the ancestral home of the Marsh Arabs, who for perhaps 5,000 years have relied on the vast wetlands here for fish, fowl and rice, Spry and his convoy of bristling Land Rovers are aliens as they patrol a 12-mile strip of huts along a canal. The small, square homes are made of mud and straw. A door is often a piece of sheet metal propped against the opening. Smiling, strong women and squealing children emerge to greet the patrol.

There has not been much violence here since a flare-up in August that officers say was the "most intense fighting the British Army has been in since the Falklands War" in the early 1980s. All the local politicians say the British should stay.

"The coalition forces are like a doctor. When the patient has recovered, the doctor can leave," said Hashim Shawki, the local head of a major Shiite Muslim party, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq.

The biggest question is who would replace British forces as the authority here. Two British companies live with the Iraqi National Guard, and the Welsh Guards work daily to train guardsmen and police. The British speak optimistically and say the Iraqi security forces are coming along.

But there is no timetable for a handover of security duties. The 6,000 police officers and 1,800 guardsmen are wary rivals, their ranks stocked by members of competing militias. The new provincial council is expected to side with the National Guard against the police. The governor of the province was arrested for allegedly ordering the slaying of a local police chief. He was released, but suspicions and hard feelings remain.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No Exit for British in Poor Corner of Iraq
Despite Progress, Old Scores Still Unsettled and Local Problems Unresolved

By Doug Struck
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, February 12, 2005; Page A01

QURNAH, Iraq -- The election is over here in the backcountry, and by local accounts, it was a grand success. The Marsh Arabs dressed in festive robes to vote. The Iraqi police and guardsmen were at their proudest. No one got shot, or even shot at -- unusual here.

Far from the bombs and politics in Baghdad, this remote bit of Iraq is now fairly quiet. But one day this week, Capt. Alexander Spry and the men of his Welsh Guards company were out on patrol, just as they were before the Jan. 30 vote. Jolting along a rutted dirt road cloaked in dust, past a squalid strip of mud huts perched on a canal levee, they had guns and waves at the ready. Either might be needed.

In Amarah, British troops who often sort out tribal rivalries and oversee reconstruction projects also continue to patrol the streets. (Ghaith Abdul-ahad -- Getty Images)

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British officers such as Spry say they still have much to do before foreign military forces can leave Iraq. The narrow task that brought them here -- to help topple Saddam Hussein -- has been accomplished, but the approximately 175,000 troops from 29 foreign countries find themselves wrapped in the suffocating embrace of local problems and ancient grievances left to them to solve.

They sort out tribal rivalries, arrest car thieves, spot crooked contractors, hire men to clean sewers, and restore order to gasoline lines. At the same time, they are trying to train the Iraqis who will replace them and to reconstruct where there was little construction to begin with -- all while keeping the peace.

"We've made good progress, and there's more to be made," said Lt. Col. Ben Bathurst, who leads about 1,000 soldiers of the 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards, in Maysan province.

Although he insisted that "we're not going to be here forever," Bathurst acknowledged that the British army's departure was nowhere in sight. When the Welsh Guards leave in a few months, another British unit will take over, and the British are moving into a nearby area as Dutch troops withdraw.

Whenever local officials complain about the troops, "I've found the best way to combat that is to say, 'Okay, we'll pull out tomorrow. Then what will you do?' " The question silences critics, Bathurst said.

The situation in Maysan, the poorest of Iraq's 18 provinces, illustrates how difficult it will be for the United States and its allies to extricate themselves from Iraq no matter how successful January's election turns out to have been or how much progress is made against the insurgency.

Tucked away in southeastern Iraq, Maysan would seem a likely place for an army to come and go quickly. It is poor and rural. Vast stretches have no schools, electricity or running water.

Here in the ancestral home of the Marsh Arabs, who for perhaps 5,000 years have relied on the vast wetlands here for fish, fowl and rice, Spry and his convoy of bristling Land Rovers are aliens as they patrol a 12-mile strip of huts along a canal. The small, square homes are made of mud and straw. A door is often a piece of sheet metal propped against the opening. Smiling, strong women and squealing children emerge to greet the patrol.

There has not been much violence here since a flare-up in August that officers say was the "most intense fighting the British Army has been in since the Falklands War" in the early 1980s. All the local politicians say the British should stay.

"The coalition forces are like a doctor. When the patient has recovered, the doctor can leave," said Hashim Shawki, the local head of a major Shiite Muslim party, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq.

The biggest question is who would replace British forces as the authority here. Two British companies live with the Iraqi National Guard, and the Welsh Guards work daily to train guardsmen and police. The British speak optimistically and say the Iraqi security forces are coming along.

But there is no timetable for a handover of security duties. The 6,000 police officers and 1,800 guardsmen are wary rivals, their ranks stocked by members of competing militias. The new provincial council is expected to side with the National Guard against the police. The governor of the province was arrested for allegedly ordering the slaying of a local police chief. He was released, but suspicions and hard feelings remain.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

N.Y. doctors discover resistant HIV strain
Patient rapidly developed AIDS
By Kathleen Kerr, Newsday | February 12, 2005

NEW YORK -- For the first time, doctors have diagnosed a form of HIV that New York City health officials say has two striking characteristics: It is highly resistant to antiviral drugs in a patient who had never been treated with the medications, and it quickly developed into full-blown AIDS.

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The infection defied the typical HIV-to-AIDS profile by apparently developing into AIDS in a matter of months, officials said.

''This case is a wake-up call," said New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden. He said the strain is one that ''is difficult or impossible to treat and which appears to progress rapidly to AIDS."

Dr. David Ho, director of Manhattan's Diamond AIDS Research Center, where the patient was diagnosed with HIV in December, said the combination of drug-resistant infection and ''his rapid clinical and immunological deterioration is alarming."

The city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has alerted health care professionals and has asked them to test all newly diagnosed HIV cases not previously treated with antiviral medicines for possible drug resistance.

Resistant HIV strains have been seen before, but only in patients who have taken antiviral drugs over a period of years. And HIV infection generally takes 10 years or longer to transform into AIDS.

The patient in this case, a man in his mid-40s, was diagnosed with HIV in December and got the AIDS diagnosis recently, health officials said. He had been tested for HIV over the years and had never been found to be infected.

Officials said the man might have been infected earlier than his December diagnosis. But even if the infection occurred 20 months earlier, they said, the speed of the transformation to AIDS would be striking.

The strain, termed 3-DCR HIV, resists three of the four antiviral drug classes.

The patient has shown resistance to 19 drugs.

Officials did not disclose his identity. They said he had told them he had unprotected sex with multiple male partners in October. They also said he had used crystal methamphetamine, a recreational drug that dulls inhibitions.

''It is the only diagnosed and reported case in the country that we are aware of in which the patient has received no previous drug treatment for HIV but has resisted the drugs and rapidly progressed to AIDS," city Health Department spokesman Sid Dinsay said.

City officials are consulting with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

In a telephone interview, Dr. Ronald Valdiserri, deputy director of CDC's National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, termed the case ''very concerning," citing ''the intersection of the two phenomena that were reported" -- the drug resistance and swift progression to AIDS.

Valdiserri urged people being treated for HIV or AIDS not to risk becoming infected with the new strain.

Officials said efforts are underway to contact the man's sexual partners to offer them counseling and HIV testing.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

N.Y. doctors discover resistant HIV strain
Patient rapidly developed AIDS
By Kathleen Kerr, Newsday | February 12, 2005

NEW YORK -- For the first time, doctors have diagnosed a form of HIV that New York City health officials say has two striking characteristics: It is highly resistant to antiviral drugs in a patient who had never been treated with the medications, and it quickly developed into full-blown AIDS.

ADVERTISEMENT

The infection defied the typical HIV-to-AIDS profile by apparently developing into AIDS in a matter of months, officials said.

''This case is a wake-up call," said New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden. He said the strain is one that ''is difficult or impossible to treat and which appears to progress rapidly to AIDS."

Dr. David Ho, director of Manhattan's Diamond AIDS Research Center, where the patient was diagnosed with HIV in December, said the combination of drug-resistant infection and ''his rapid clinical and immunological deterioration is alarming."

The city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has alerted health care professionals and has asked them to test all newly diagnosed HIV cases not previously treated with antiviral medicines for possible drug resistance.

Resistant HIV strains have been seen before, but only in patients who have taken antiviral drugs over a period of years. And HIV infection generally takes 10 years or longer to transform into AIDS.

The patient in this case, a man in his mid-40s, was diagnosed with HIV in December and got the AIDS diagnosis recently, health officials said. He had been tested for HIV over the years and had never been found to be infected.

Officials said the man might have been infected earlier than his December diagnosis. But even if the infection occurred 20 months earlier, they said, the speed of the transformation to AIDS would be striking.

The strain, termed 3-DCR HIV, resists three of the four antiviral drug classes.

The patient has shown resistance to 19 drugs.

Officials did not disclose his identity. They said he had told them he had unprotected sex with multiple male partners in October. They also said he had used crystal methamphetamine, a recreational drug that dulls inhibitions.

''It is the only diagnosed and reported case in the country that we are aware of in which the patient has received no previous drug treatment for HIV but has resisted the drugs and rapidly progressed to AIDS," city Health Department spokesman Sid Dinsay said.

City officials are consulting with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

In a telephone interview, Dr. Ronald Valdiserri, deputy director of CDC's National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, termed the case ''very concerning," citing ''the intersection of the two phenomena that were reported" -- the drug resistance and swift progression to AIDS.

Valdiserri urged people being treated for HIV or AIDS not to risk becoming infected with the new strain.

Officials said efforts are underway to contact the man's sexual partners to offer them counseling and HIV testing.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

N.Y. doctors discover resistant HIV strain
Patient rapidly developed AIDS
By Kathleen Kerr, Newsday | February 12, 2005

NEW YORK -- For the first time, doctors have diagnosed a form of HIV that New York City health officials say has two striking characteristics: It is highly resistant to antiviral drugs in a patient who had never been treated with the medications, and it quickly developed into full-blown AIDS.

ADVERTISEMENT

The infection defied the typical HIV-to-AIDS profile by apparently developing into AIDS in a matter of months, officials said.

''This case is a wake-up call," said New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden. He said the strain is one that ''is difficult or impossible to treat and which appears to progress rapidly to AIDS."

Dr. David Ho, director of Manhattan's Diamond AIDS Research Center, where the patient was diagnosed with HIV in December, said the combination of drug-resistant infection and ''his rapid clinical and immunological deterioration is alarming."

The city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has alerted health care professionals and has asked them to test all newly diagnosed HIV cases not previously treated with antiviral medicines for possible drug resistance.

Resistant HIV strains have been seen before, but only in patients who have taken antiviral drugs over a period of years. And HIV infection generally takes 10 years or longer to transform into AIDS.

The patient in this case, a man in his mid-40s, was diagnosed with HIV in December and got the AIDS diagnosis recently, health officials said. He had been tested for HIV over the years and had never been found to be infected.

Officials said the man might have been infected earlier than his December diagnosis. But even if the infection occurred 20 months earlier, they said, the speed of the transformation to AIDS would be striking.

The strain, termed 3-DCR HIV, resists three of the four antiviral drug classes.

The patient has shown resistance to 19 drugs.

Officials did not disclose his identity. They said he had told them he had unprotected sex with multiple male partners in October. They also said he had used crystal methamphetamine, a recreational drug that dulls inhibitions.

''It is the only diagnosed and reported case in the country that we are aware of in which the patient has received no previous drug treatment for HIV but has resisted the drugs and rapidly progressed to AIDS," city Health Department spokesman Sid Dinsay said.

City officials are consulting with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

In a telephone interview, Dr. Ronald Valdiserri, deputy director of CDC's National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, termed the case ''very concerning," citing ''the intersection of the two phenomena that were reported" -- the drug resistance and swift progression to AIDS.

Valdiserri urged people being treated for HIV or AIDS not to risk becoming infected with the new strain.

Officials said efforts are underway to contact the man's sexual partners to offer them counseling and HIV testing.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In dispute, archbishop denies sacraments to parish leaders
By Michael Conlon, Reuters | February 12, 2005

CHICAGO -- The Roman Catholic archbishop of St. Louis has issued an order denying the sacraments to leaders of a rebellious parish in a dispute over control of the parish and its millions of dollars in assets.

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The archdiocese maintains that parish board leaders some years ago illegally changed parish bylaws written in 1891, eliminating all of the archdiocese's control. It is a situation unique among churches in the archdiocese where no other parish is controlled by a board of laypeople.

The board has suggested the archdiocese wants to close the church and take its assets of more than $9 million.

The archdiocese said the six board members controlling the parish were notified by letter Thursday that Archbishop Raymond Burke had issued an ''interdict" against them -- an order that denies them the Eucharist and other church sacraments.

The board of St. Stanislaus Kostka parish, founded by Polish immigrants in the late 19th century and still a center of Polish worship, has ''completely removed itself from the authority of the Catholic Church," Archbishop Raymond Burke said in a statement yesterday. Burke, who last year was among the first US Catholic prelates to suggest that then-Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry be denied Communion because of his stand on abortion, said the figure of $9 million in assets was exaggerated.

The archdiocese moved its priests out of the parish to an adjacent one and no Masses have been said there recently, except on Christmas, said Roger Krasnicki, spokesman for the board.

Last summer the board unsuccessfully petitioned the Vatican, which said that its actions were ''a clear affront to the authority of the church." The Vatican urged the parish leadership to work with the archbishop to resolve the issue. But in January, parishioners voted overwhelmingly not to turn over any assets to the archdiocese.

Burke sent a written proposal to the board offering a guarantee that the parish property would not be sold as long as parishioners of Polish descent worship there and support it. If the parish is ever closed, he said, property and assets would revert to the parish to be used ''for religious, charitable and educational programs for Catholics of Polish descent."

The board rejected the proposal. Krasnicki called Burke's interdict against the board a ''scandal" orchestrated ''by someone we believe is hungry for power."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In dispute, archbishop denies sacraments to parish leaders
By Michael Conlon, Reuters | February 12, 2005

CHICAGO -- The Roman Catholic archbishop of St. Louis has issued an order denying the sacraments to leaders of a rebellious parish in a dispute over control of the parish and its millions of dollars in assets.

ADVERTISEMENT

The archdiocese maintains that parish board leaders some years ago illegally changed parish bylaws written in 1891, eliminating all of the archdiocese's control. It is a situation unique among churches in the archdiocese where no other parish is controlled by a board of laypeople.

The board has suggested the archdiocese wants to close the church and take its assets of more than $9 million.

The archdiocese said the six board members controlling the parish were notified by letter Thursday that Archbishop Raymond Burke had issued an ''interdict" against them -- an order that denies them the Eucharist and other church sacraments.

The board of St. Stanislaus Kostka parish, founded by Polish immigrants in the late 19th century and still a center of Polish worship, has ''completely removed itself from the authority of the Catholic Church," Archbishop Raymond Burke said in a statement yesterday. Burke, who last year was among the first US Catholic prelates to suggest that then-Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry be denied Communion because of his stand on abortion, said the figure of $9 million in assets was exaggerated.

The archdiocese moved its priests out of the parish to an adjacent one and no Masses have been said there recently, except on Christmas, said Roger Krasnicki, spokesman for the board.

Last summer the board unsuccessfully petitioned the Vatican, which said that its actions were ''a clear affront to the authority of the church." The Vatican urged the parish leadership to work with the archbishop to resolve the issue. But in January, parishioners voted overwhelmingly not to turn over any assets to the archdiocese.

Burke sent a written proposal to the board offering a guarantee that the parish property would not be sold as long as parishioners of Polish descent worship there and support it. If the parish is ever closed, he said, property and assets would revert to the parish to be used ''for religious, charitable and educational programs for Catholics of Polish descent."

The board rejected the proposal. Krasnicki called Burke's interdict against the board a ''scandal" orchestrated ''by someone we believe is hungry for power."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In dispute, archbishop denies sacraments to parish leaders
By Michael Conlon, Reuters | February 12, 2005

CHICAGO -- The Roman Catholic archbishop of St. Louis has issued an order denying the sacraments to leaders of a rebellious parish in a dispute over control of the parish and its millions of dollars in assets.

ADVERTISEMENT

The archdiocese maintains that parish board leaders some years ago illegally changed parish bylaws written in 1891, eliminating all of the archdiocese's control. It is a situation unique among churches in the archdiocese where no other parish is controlled by a board of laypeople.

The board has suggested the archdiocese wants to close the church and take its assets of more than $9 million.

The archdiocese said the six board members controlling the parish were notified by letter Thursday that Archbishop Raymond Burke had issued an ''interdict" against them -- an order that denies them the Eucharist and other church sacraments.

The board of St. Stanislaus Kostka parish, founded by Polish immigrants in the late 19th century and still a center of Polish worship, has ''completely removed itself from the authority of the Catholic Church," Archbishop Raymond Burke said in a statement yesterday. Burke, who last year was among the first US Catholic prelates to suggest that then-Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry be denied Communion because of his stand on abortion, said the figure of $9 million in assets was exaggerated.

The archdiocese moved its priests out of the parish to an adjacent one and no Masses have been said there recently, except on Christmas, said Roger Krasnicki, spokesman for the board.

Last summer the board unsuccessfully petitioned the Vatican, which said that its actions were ''a clear affront to the authority of the church." The Vatican urged the parish leadership to work with the archbishop to resolve the issue. But in January, parishioners voted overwhelmingly not to turn over any assets to the archdiocese.

Burke sent a written proposal to the board offering a guarantee that the parish property would not be sold as long as parishioners of Polish descent worship there and support it. If the parish is ever closed, he said, property and assets would revert to the parish to be used ''for religious, charitable and educational programs for Catholics of Polish descent."

The board rejected the proposal. Krasnicki called Burke's interdict against the board a ''scandal" orchestrated ''by someone we believe is hungry for power."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Memo warned of Al Qaeda
Clarke wrote to Rice of threat in January 2001
By JoAnne Allen, Reuters | February 12, 2005

WASHINGTON -- A memo warned the White House at the start of the Bush administration that Al Qaeda represented a threat throughout the Islamic world, a warning that critics said went unheeded by President Bush until the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

ADVERTISEMENT

The newly released memo, dated Jan. 25, 2001 -- five days after Bush took office -- was an essential feature of last year's hearings into intelligence failures before the attacks in New York and Washington. A copy of the document was posted on the National Security Archive website yesterday.

The memo, from former counterterrorism chief Richard A. Clarke to Condoleezza Rice, who was national security adviser at the time, had been described during the hearings, but its full contents had not been disclosed.

Clarke, a holdover from the Clinton administration, had requested an immediate meeting of top national security officials as soon as possible after Bush took office to discuss combating Al Qaeda. He described the network as a threat with broad reach.

''Al Qaeda affects centrally our policies on Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central Asia, North Africa, and the [Gulf Arab states]. Leaders in Jordan and Saudi Arabia see Al Qaeda as a direct threat to them," Clarke wrote.

''The strength of the network of organizations limits the scope of support friendly Arab regimes can give to a range of US policies, including Iraq policy and the [Israeli-Palestinian] peace process. We would make a major error if we underestimated the challenge Al Qaeda poses."

The memo also warned of overestimating the stability of moderate regional allies threatened by Al Qaeda.

It recommended that the new administration urgently discuss the Al Qaeda network, including the magnitude of the threat it posed and strategy for dealing with it.

Rice has maintained that she never received any specific warning of an attack by the terrorist organization run by Osama bin Laden. White House spokesman Scott McClellan said yesterday the newly released document does not alter the administration's view that it had no specific information on a potential attack and that it was not offered a concrete plan to avert an attack.

The document was declassified April 7, 2004, a day before Rice's testimony before the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks. It was released recently by the National Security Council to the National Security Archive, a private library of declassified US documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.

The meeting on Al Qaeda requested by Clarke did not take place until Sept. 4, 2001.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Memo warned of Al Qaeda
Clarke wrote to Rice of threat in January 2001
By JoAnne Allen, Reuters | February 12, 2005

WASHINGTON -- A memo warned the White House at the start of the Bush administration that Al Qaeda represented a threat throughout the Islamic world, a warning that critics said went unheeded by President Bush until the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

ADVERTISEMENT

The newly released memo, dated Jan. 25, 2001 -- five days after Bush took office -- was an essential feature of last year's hearings into intelligence failures before the attacks in New York and Washington. A copy of the document was posted on the National Security Archive website yesterday.

The memo, from former counterterrorism chief Richard A. Clarke to Condoleezza Rice, who was national security adviser at the time, had been described during the hearings, but its full contents had not been disclosed.

Clarke, a holdover from the Clinton administration, had requested an immediate meeting of top national security officials as soon as possible after Bush took office to discuss combating Al Qaeda. He described the network as a threat with broad reach.

''Al Qaeda affects centrally our policies on Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central Asia, North Africa, and the [Gulf Arab states]. Leaders in Jordan and Saudi Arabia see Al Qaeda as a direct threat to them," Clarke wrote.

''The strength of the network of organizations limits the scope of support friendly Arab regimes can give to a range of US policies, including Iraq policy and the [Israeli-Palestinian] peace process. We would make a major error if we underestimated the challenge Al Qaeda poses."

The memo also warned of overestimating the stability of moderate regional allies threatened by Al Qaeda.

It recommended that the new administration urgently discuss the Al Qaeda network, including the magnitude of the threat it posed and strategy for dealing with it.

Rice has maintained that she never received any specific warning of an attack by the terrorist organization run by Osama bin Laden. White House spokesman Scott McClellan said yesterday the newly released document does not alter the administration's view that it had no specific information on a potential attack and that it was not offered a concrete plan to avert an attack.

The document was declassified April 7, 2004, a day before Rice's testimony before the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks. It was released recently by the National Security Council to the National Security Archive, a private library of declassified US documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.

The meeting on Al Qaeda requested by Clarke did not take place until Sept. 4, 2001.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Memo warned of Al Qaeda
Clarke wrote to Rice of threat in January 2001
By JoAnne Allen, Reuters | February 12, 2005

WASHINGTON -- A memo warned the White House at the start of the Bush administration that Al Qaeda represented a threat throughout the Islamic world, a warning that critics said went unheeded by President Bush until the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

ADVERTISEMENT

The newly released memo, dated Jan. 25, 2001 -- five days after Bush took office -- was an essential feature of last year's hearings into intelligence failures before the attacks in New York and Washington. A copy of the document was posted on the National Security Archive website yesterday.

The memo, from former counterterrorism chief Richard A. Clarke to Condoleezza Rice, who was national security adviser at the time, had been described during the hearings, but its full contents had not been disclosed.

Clarke, a holdover from the Clinton administration, had requested an immediate meeting of top national security officials as soon as possible after Bush took office to discuss combating Al Qaeda. He described the network as a threat with broad reach.

''Al Qaeda affects centrally our policies on Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central Asia, North Africa, and the [Gulf Arab states]. Leaders in Jordan and Saudi Arabia see Al Qaeda as a direct threat to them," Clarke wrote.

''The strength of the network of organizations limits the scope of support friendly Arab regimes can give to a range of US policies, including Iraq policy and the [Israeli-Palestinian] peace process. We would make a major error if we underestimated the challenge Al Qaeda poses."

The memo also warned of overestimating the stability of moderate regional allies threatened by Al Qaeda.

It recommended that the new administration urgently discuss the Al Qaeda network, including the magnitude of the threat it posed and strategy for dealing with it.

Rice has maintained that she never received any specific warning of an attack by the terrorist organization run by Osama bin Laden. White House spokesman Scott McClellan said yesterday the newly released document does not alter the administration's view that it had no specific information on a potential attack and that it was not offered a concrete plan to avert an attack.

The document was declassified April 7, 2004, a day before Rice's testimony before the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks. It was released recently by the National Security Council to the National Security Archive, a private library of declassified US documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.

The meeting on Al Qaeda requested by Clarke did not take place until Sept. 4, 2001.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush vows to preserve drug benefit
Says he'd veto any effort to scale back Medicare plan
By Rick Klein, Globe Staff | February 12, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Seeking to avoid a distracting fight over Medicare while he tries to focus his political ammunition on Social Security, President Bush yesterday promised to veto any attempt to scale back the Medicare prescription drug program before it goes into effect next year.

ADVERTISEMENT

Bush's fellow Republicans have been threatening to cut the benefit out of fear of its growing cost. Though White House budget chief Joshua Bolten on Wednesday told lawmakers that the administration would be willing to work with Congress on cost-control measures, Bush sought to shut the door on such talk yesterday.

''I signed Medicare reform proudly, and any attempt to limit the choices of our seniors and to take away their prescription drug coverage under Medicare will meet my veto," Bush said at a swearing-in ceremony for new Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt. ''For decades we promised America's seniors that we can do better, and we finally did. Now we must keep our word."

On Tuesday, the White House revealed that the medication benefit is expected to cost at least $724 billion over the next 10 years, even though Congress approved it in 2003 expecting the cost to be $400 billion. Republicans in the House and Senate responded by saying they would try to reduce spending through options such as limiting enrollment, reducing the number of available drugs, or raising copayments.

Despite Bush's threat, some Republicans said they would move forward with proposals to limit costs. Representative Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican, said Bush's calls for fiscal responsibility demand that the prescription drug benefit be subject to scrutiny.

''I can't imagine that he would veto something and cause us to spend more money, not less," said Flake, who is pushing a measure that would make the benefit available only to low-income seniors. ''I just don't think that the president wants his first veto to be on a bill that makes the Congress finally fiscally responsible."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush vows to preserve drug benefit
Says he'd veto any effort to scale back Medicare plan
By Rick Klein, Globe Staff | February 12, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Seeking to avoid a distracting fight over Medicare while he tries to focus his political ammunition on Social Security, President Bush yesterday promised to veto any attempt to scale back the Medicare prescription drug program before it goes into effect next year.

ADVERTISEMENT

Bush's fellow Republicans have been threatening to cut the benefit out of fear of its growing cost. Though White House budget chief Joshua Bolten on Wednesday told lawmakers that the administration would be willing to work with Congress on cost-control measures, Bush sought to shut the door on such talk yesterday.

''I signed Medicare reform proudly, and any attempt to limit the choices of our seniors and to take away their prescription drug coverage under Medicare will meet my veto," Bush said at a swearing-in ceremony for new Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt. ''For decades we promised America's seniors that we can do better, and we finally did. Now we must keep our word."

On Tuesday, the White House revealed that the medication benefit is expected to cost at least $724 billion over the next 10 years, even though Congress approved it in 2003 expecting the cost to be $400 billion. Republicans in the House and Senate responded by saying they would try to reduce spending through options such as limiting enrollment, reducing the number of available drugs, or raising copayments.

Despite Bush's threat, some Republicans said they would move forward with proposals to limit costs. Representative Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican, said Bush's calls for fiscal responsibility demand that the prescription drug benefit be subject to scrutiny.

''I can't imagine that he would veto something and cause us to spend more money, not less," said Flake, who is pushing a measure that would make the benefit available only to low-income seniors. ''I just don't think that the president wants his first veto to be on a bill that makes the Congress finally fiscally responsible."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush vows to preserve drug benefit
Says he'd veto any effort to scale back Medicare plan
By Rick Klein, Globe Staff | February 12, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Seeking to avoid a distracting fight over Medicare while he tries to focus his political ammunition on Social Security, President Bush yesterday promised to veto any attempt to scale back the Medicare prescription drug program before it goes into effect next year.

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Bush's fellow Republicans have been threatening to cut the benefit out of fear of its growing cost. Though White House budget chief Joshua Bolten on Wednesday told lawmakers that the administration would be willing to work with Congress on cost-control measures, Bush sought to shut the door on such talk yesterday.

''I signed Medicare reform proudly, and any attempt to limit the choices of our seniors and to take away their prescription drug coverage under Medicare will meet my veto," Bush said at a swearing-in ceremony for new Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt. ''For decades we promised America's seniors that we can do better, and we finally did. Now we must keep our word."

On Tuesday, the White House revealed that the medication benefit is expected to cost at least $724 billion over the next 10 years, even though Congress approved it in 2003 expecting the cost to be $400 billion. Republicans in the House and Senate responded by saying they would try to reduce spending through options such as limiting enrollment, reducing the number of available drugs, or raising copayments.

Despite Bush's threat, some Republicans said they would move forward with proposals to limit costs. Representative Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican, said Bush's calls for fiscal responsibility demand that the prescription drug benefit be subject to scrutiny.

''I can't imagine that he would veto something and cause us to spend more money, not less," said Flake, who is pushing a measure that would make the benefit available only to low-income seniors. ''I just don't think that the president wants his first veto to be on a bill that makes the Congress finally fiscally responsible."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush cuts hit Democratic states, analysis finds
By Susan Milligan, Globe Staff | February 12, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Massachusetts and other traditionally Democratic states would see their share of federal grant money shrink under President Bush's 2006 budget, compared to Republican states in the South and West, according to a Globe analysis of funding projections compiled by the White House budget office.

Critics and defenders of the president's $2.6 trillion budget say they do not believe the budget proposal represents a deliberate attack on states that voted for Democrat John F. Kerry, but rather that Bush's budget priorities tend to hurt those states that rely more on the health, community development, and housing programs that are targeted for reductions.

The result is that the highest percentage increases in state and local grant money would go to Arkansas, North Carolina, Arizona, and Missouri, while New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Hawaii, and Vermont would be among the states with the smallest increases. Massachusetts -- with a projected 1.9 percent increase -- is tied for 35th, while liberal-leaning California and Washington state (along with conservative-leaning North Dakota) would see a reduction in federal grants next year.

With the proposal to eliminate or reduce funding for home-heating assistance, the Northeast would be especially hard hit by the president's budget-cutting, said Senator Jon Corzine, Democrat of New Jersey.

''People will ask me whether I think it's political or not," Corzine said. ''I think it's just the philosophy of this administration not to have the government involved."

Representative Barney Frank, a Newton Democrat, said that while the budget may not have been designed to hurt Democratic-leaning ''blue" states, ''they can do it without trying," because many of the budget cuts tend to hit urbanized areas. ''It's not just red state/blue state, but blue communities within the red states," he said. ''Their ideology reflects that."

Chad Kolton, a spokesman for the Office of Management and Budget, said much of the trend is due to demographics. ''It's not a reflection of any political decision, by and large, because these tend to be mandatory [funding] programs," such as Medicaid, he said. Kolton and independent budget analysts also noted that the funding projections do not include Bush's proposed cuts in farm assistance, a highly controversial idea that -- if approved by Congress -- would probably hit rural, Republican-voting states with large grain farms the hardest.

But representatives of Northeastern states note that the funding projections also do not include the proposed elimination of Amtrak funding -- which they say could hurt the Northeast where the train service is most popular -- or increases in defense spending, which tend to favor the South and West because of the large number of military bases in those regions. In all, they say, the budget heavily favors Republican-leaning ''red" states, which constitute 19 of the top 25 states to receive the biggest percentage increases.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush cuts hit Democratic states, analysis finds
By Susan Milligan, Globe Staff | February 12, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Massachusetts and other traditionally Democratic states would see their share of federal grant money shrink under President Bush's 2006 budget, compared to Republican states in the South and West, according to a Globe analysis of funding projections compiled by the White House budget office.

Critics and defenders of the president's $2.6 trillion budget say they do not believe the budget proposal represents a deliberate attack on states that voted for Democrat John F. Kerry, but rather that Bush's budget priorities tend to hurt those states that rely more on the health, community development, and housing programs that are targeted for reductions.

The result is that the highest percentage increases in state and local grant money would go to Arkansas, North Carolina, Arizona, and Missouri, while New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Hawaii, and Vermont would be among the states with the smallest increases. Massachusetts -- with a projected 1.9 percent increase -- is tied for 35th, while liberal-leaning California and Washington state (along with conservative-leaning North Dakota) would see a reduction in federal grants next year.

With the proposal to eliminate or reduce funding for home-heating assistance, the Northeast would be especially hard hit by the president's budget-cutting, said Senator Jon Corzine, Democrat of New Jersey.

''People will ask me whether I think it's political or not," Corzine said. ''I think it's just the philosophy of this administration not to have the government involved."

Representative Barney Frank, a Newton Democrat, said that while the budget may not have been designed to hurt Democratic-leaning ''blue" states, ''they can do it without trying," because many of the budget cuts tend to hit urbanized areas. ''It's not just red state/blue state, but blue communities within the red states," he said. ''Their ideology reflects that."

Chad Kolton, a spokesman for the Office of Management and Budget, said much of the trend is due to demographics. ''It's not a reflection of any political decision, by and large, because these tend to be mandatory [funding] programs," such as Medicaid, he said. Kolton and independent budget analysts also noted that the funding projections do not include Bush's proposed cuts in farm assistance, a highly controversial idea that -- if approved by Congress -- would probably hit rural, Republican-voting states with large grain farms the hardest.

But representatives of Northeastern states note that the funding projections also do not include the proposed elimination of Amtrak funding -- which they say could hurt the Northeast where the train service is most popular -- or increases in defense spending, which tend to favor the South and West because of the large number of military bases in those regions. In all, they say, the budget heavily favors Republican-leaning ''red" states, which constitute 19 of the top 25 states to receive the biggest percentage increases.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush cuts hit Democratic states, analysis finds
By Susan Milligan, Globe Staff | February 12, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Massachusetts and other traditionally Democratic states would see their share of federal grant money shrink under President Bush's 2006 budget, compared to Republican states in the South and West, according to a Globe analysis of funding projections compiled by the White House budget office.

Critics and defenders of the president's $2.6 trillion budget say they do not believe the budget proposal represents a deliberate attack on states that voted for Democrat John F. Kerry, but rather that Bush's budget priorities tend to hurt those states that rely more on the health, community development, and housing programs that are targeted for reductions.

The result is that the highest percentage increases in state and local grant money would go to Arkansas, North Carolina, Arizona, and Missouri, while New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Hawaii, and Vermont would be among the states with the smallest increases. Massachusetts -- with a projected 1.9 percent increase -- is tied for 35th, while liberal-leaning California and Washington state (along with conservative-leaning North Dakota) would see a reduction in federal grants next year.

With the proposal to eliminate or reduce funding for home-heating assistance, the Northeast would be especially hard hit by the president's budget-cutting, said Senator Jon Corzine, Democrat of New Jersey.

''People will ask me whether I think it's political or not," Corzine said. ''I think it's just the philosophy of this administration not to have the government involved."

Representative Barney Frank, a Newton Democrat, said that while the budget may not have been designed to hurt Democratic-leaning ''blue" states, ''they can do it without trying," because many of the budget cuts tend to hit urbanized areas. ''It's not just red state/blue state, but blue communities within the red states," he said. ''Their ideology reflects that."

Chad Kolton, a spokesman for the Office of Management and Budget, said much of the trend is due to demographics. ''It's not a reflection of any political decision, by and large, because these tend to be mandatory [funding] programs," such as Medicaid, he said. Kolton and independent budget analysts also noted that the funding projections do not include Bush's proposed cuts in farm assistance, a highly controversial idea that -- if approved by Congress -- would probably hit rural, Republican-voting states with large grain farms the hardest.

But representatives of Northeastern states note that the funding projections also do not include the proposed elimination of Amtrak funding -- which they say could hurt the Northeast where the train service is most popular -- or increases in defense spending, which tend to favor the South and West because of the large number of military bases in those regions. In all, they say, the budget heavily favors Republican-leaning ''red" states, which constitute 19 of the top 25 states to receive the biggest percentage increases.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This year, both Groundhog Day and the State of the Union Address fell on
> the same day. As Air America Radio pointed out, "It is an ironic
> juxtaposition: one involves a meaningless ritual in which we look to a
> creature of little intelligence for prognostication, and the other
> involves a groundhog."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 08:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This year, both Groundhog Day and the State of the Union Address fell on
> the same day. As Air America Radio pointed out, "It is an ironic
> juxtaposition: one involves a meaningless ritual in which we look to a
> creature of little intelligence for prognostication, and the other
> involves a groundhog."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 08:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This year, both Groundhog Day and the State of the Union Address fell on
> the same day. As Air America Radio pointed out, "It is an ironic
> juxtaposition: one involves a meaningless ritual in which we look to a
> creature of little intelligence for prognostication, and the other
> involves a groundhog."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 08:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Letter From Democrats Asks Rumsfeld About Differing Raises

By Stephen Barr
Thursday, February 10, 2005; Page B02

Three Democrats have asked the Pentagon to explain why political appointees in some parts of the Defense Department are receiving slightly higher pay raises than their career counterparts in the executive ranks.
FULL ARTICLE IN ITS ENTIRETY BELOW

Letter From Democrats Asks Rumsfeld About Differing Raises

By Stephen Barr
Thursday, February 10, 2005; Page B02

Three Democrats have asked the Pentagon to explain why political appointees in some parts of the Defense Department are receiving slightly higher pay raises than their career counterparts in the executive ranks.

"We believe the importance of maintaining high morale among career [Defense Department] employees far outweighs the benefits of giving slightly higher pay raises to political appointees," the Democrats said in a letter to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and the acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, Dan G. Blair.

_____More Federal Diary_____

• New Book Offers Advice on Performance and Budget Issues (The Washington Post, Feb 9, 2005)
• In Bush Budget, Homeland Security Issues Drive Employment Growth (The Washington Post, Feb 8, 2005)
• Readers' Reactions to New Homeland Security Rules a Mixed Bag (The Washington Post, Feb 7, 2005)
• A Call for Better Managers And Improved Results (The Washington Post, Feb 6, 2005)
• Federal Diary Page





Stephen Barr can be reached by e-mail at barrs@washpost.com.

Add Federal Diary to your personal home page.

_____Free E-mail Newsletters_____

• Daily Politics News & Analysis
See a Sample | Sign Up Now
• Campaign Report
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A Defense memo, reported in the Federal Diary on Jan. 18, said political appointees in the Senior Executive Service are in line for 2.5 percent pay raises this year if they have been deemed "fully successful." That same job rating is worth a 2 percent raise for career SES members if they have not won certain awards in the past year, the memo said.

The memo was sent to Defense agencies, including some in the Washington area, that fall under the jurisdiction of Raymond F. DuBois, a deputy undersecretary of defense.

The letter questioning the SES raises was sent by Reps. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) and Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.), members of the House Government Reform Committee, and Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii), a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

The Pentagon plans to announce new pay and personnel rules today for about 750,000 civil service employees, and the three Democrats said they were "concerned that the new pay policy for SES employees will serve as a precedent for the pay-for-performance system that DOD is developing for all department employees."

The lawmakers said Congress has laid out principles that stipulate any performance-based system must be "fair and equitable and based on employee performance."

The decision to give slightly higher raises to political appointees in the SES than to career members drew a protest last month from the Senior Executives Association, which represents the interests of career executives across the government. By the association's count, at least 45 percent of the career executives in the office of the secretary of defense are not eligible for the higher raise.

In the Senior Executive Association's latest newsletter, the association's general counsel expressed concern "that the new pay system could be used to politicize the career SES."

Bill Bransford, the group's counsel, pointed out that the SES pay system can be turned against a senior executive who "has chosen to do the right thing rather than the political thing." Agency leaders can reduce an executive's pay by 10 percent per year, award no salary increase or provide "a very small increase," Bransford wrote. "The subtle (or not so subtle) message sent by such an action can have a chilling effect on other executives," he wrote.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Letter From Democrats Asks Rumsfeld About Differing Raises

By Stephen Barr
Thursday, February 10, 2005; Page B02

Three Democrats have asked the Pentagon to explain why political appointees in some parts of the Defense Department are receiving slightly higher pay raises than their career counterparts in the executive ranks.
FULL ARTICLE IN ITS ENTIRETY BELOW

Letter From Democrats Asks Rumsfeld About Differing Raises

By Stephen Barr
Thursday, February 10, 2005; Page B02

Three Democrats have asked the Pentagon to explain why political appointees in some parts of the Defense Department are receiving slightly higher pay raises than their career counterparts in the executive ranks.

"We believe the importance of maintaining high morale among career [Defense Department] employees far outweighs the benefits of giving slightly higher pay raises to political appointees," the Democrats said in a letter to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and the acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, Dan G. Blair.

_____More Federal Diary_____

• New Book Offers Advice on Performance and Budget Issues (The Washington Post, Feb 9, 2005)
• In Bush Budget, Homeland Security Issues Drive Employment Growth (The Washington Post, Feb 8, 2005)
• Readers' Reactions to New Homeland Security Rules a Mixed Bag (The Washington Post, Feb 7, 2005)
• A Call for Better Managers And Improved Results (The Washington Post, Feb 6, 2005)
• Federal Diary Page





Stephen Barr can be reached by e-mail at barrs@washpost.com.

Add Federal Diary to your personal home page.

_____Free E-mail Newsletters_____

• Daily Politics News & Analysis
See a Sample | Sign Up Now
• Campaign Report
See a Sample | Sign Up Now
• Federal Insider
See a Sample | Sign Up Now
• Breaking News Alerts
See a Sample | Sign Up Now




A Defense memo, reported in the Federal Diary on Jan. 18, said political appointees in the Senior Executive Service are in line for 2.5 percent pay raises this year if they have been deemed "fully successful." That same job rating is worth a 2 percent raise for career SES members if they have not won certain awards in the past year, the memo said.

The memo was sent to Defense agencies, including some in the Washington area, that fall under the jurisdiction of Raymond F. DuBois, a deputy undersecretary of defense.

The letter questioning the SES raises was sent by Reps. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) and Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.), members of the House Government Reform Committee, and Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii), a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

The Pentagon plans to announce new pay and personnel rules today for about 750,000 civil service employees, and the three Democrats said they were "concerned that the new pay policy for SES employees will serve as a precedent for the pay-for-performance system that DOD is developing for all department employees."

The lawmakers said Congress has laid out principles that stipulate any performance-based system must be "fair and equitable and based on employee performance."

The decision to give slightly higher raises to political appointees in the SES than to career members drew a protest last month from the Senior Executives Association, which represents the interests of career executives across the government. By the association's count, at least 45 percent of the career executives in the office of the secretary of defense are not eligible for the higher raise.

In the Senior Executive Association's latest newsletter, the association's general counsel expressed concern "that the new pay system could be used to politicize the career SES."

Bill Bransford, the group's counsel, pointed out that the SES pay system can be turned against a senior executive who "has chosen to do the right thing rather than the political thing." Agency leaders can reduce an executive's pay by 10 percent per year, award no salary increase or provide "a very small increase," Bransford wrote. "The subtle (or not so subtle) message sent by such an action can have a chilling effect on other executives," he wrote.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Letter From Democrats Asks Rumsfeld About Differing Raises

By Stephen Barr
Thursday, February 10, 2005; Page B02

Three Democrats have asked the Pentagon to explain why political appointees in some parts of the Defense Department are receiving slightly higher pay raises than their career counterparts in the executive ranks.
FULL ARTICLE IN ITS ENTIRETY BELOW

Letter From Democrats Asks Rumsfeld About Differing Raises

By Stephen Barr
Thursday, February 10, 2005; Page B02

Three Democrats have asked the Pentagon to explain why political appointees in some parts of the Defense Department are receiving slightly higher pay raises than their career counterparts in the executive ranks.

"We believe the importance of maintaining high morale among career [Defense Department] employees far outweighs the benefits of giving slightly higher pay raises to political appointees," the Democrats said in a letter to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and the acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, Dan G. Blair.

_____More Federal Diary_____

• New Book Offers Advice on Performance and Budget Issues (The Washington Post, Feb 9, 2005)
• In Bush Budget, Homeland Security Issues Drive Employment Growth (The Washington Post, Feb 8, 2005)
• Readers' Reactions to New Homeland Security Rules a Mixed Bag (The Washington Post, Feb 7, 2005)
• A Call for Better Managers And Improved Results (The Washington Post, Feb 6, 2005)
• Federal Diary Page





Stephen Barr can be reached by e-mail at barrs@washpost.com.

Add Federal Diary to your personal home page.

_____Free E-mail Newsletters_____

• Daily Politics News & Analysis
See a Sample | Sign Up Now
• Campaign Report
See a Sample | Sign Up Now
• Federal Insider
See a Sample | Sign Up Now
• Breaking News Alerts
See a Sample | Sign Up Now




A Defense memo, reported in the Federal Diary on Jan. 18, said political appointees in the Senior Executive Service are in line for 2.5 percent pay raises this year if they have been deemed "fully successful." That same job rating is worth a 2 percent raise for career SES members if they have not won certain awards in the past year, the memo said.

The memo was sent to Defense agencies, including some in the Washington area, that fall under the jurisdiction of Raymond F. DuBois, a deputy undersecretary of defense.

The letter questioning the SES raises was sent by Reps. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) and Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.), members of the House Government Reform Committee, and Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii), a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

The Pentagon plans to announce new pay and personnel rules today for about 750,000 civil service employees, and the three Democrats said they were "concerned that the new pay policy for SES employees will serve as a precedent for the pay-for-performance system that DOD is developing for all department employees."

The lawmakers said Congress has laid out principles that stipulate any performance-based system must be "fair and equitable and based on employee performance."

The decision to give slightly higher raises to political appointees in the SES than to career members drew a protest last month from the Senior Executives Association, which represents the interests of career executives across the government. By the association's count, at least 45 percent of the career executives in the office of the secretary of defense are not eligible for the higher raise.

In the Senior Executive Association's latest newsletter, the association's general counsel expressed concern "that the new pay system could be used to politicize the career SES."

Bill Bransford, the group's counsel, pointed out that the SES pay system can be turned against a senior executive who "has chosen to do the right thing rather than the political thing." Agency leaders can reduce an executive's pay by 10 percent per year, award no salary increase or provide "a very small increase," Bransford wrote. "The subtle (or not so subtle) message sent by such an action can have a chilling effect on other executives," he wrote.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Border-Control Bill Nears Vote
House Republicans yesterday appeared headed toward passing a bill giving the government vast new power to build roads and barriers along the U.S. border with Mexico, exempt from judicial review as well as environmental, conservation and labor laws.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Border-Control Bill Nears Vote
House Republicans yesterday appeared headed toward passing a bill giving the government vast new power to build roads and barriers along the U.S. border with Mexico, exempt from judicial review as well as environmental, conservation and labor laws.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Border-Control Bill Nears Vote
House Republicans yesterday appeared headed toward passing a bill giving the government vast new power to build roads and barriers along the U.S. border with Mexico, exempt from judicial review as well as environmental, conservation and labor laws.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thursday, February 10, 2005; Page A04

$400 Million for War Allies

The $80 billion war-funding request that President Bush plans to send Congress next week will include $400 million to help nations that have troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Poland, a staunch ally in Iraq, is earmarked to receive one-fourth of the money.

The White House announced the fund, dubbed the "solidarity initiative," after Bush's meeting yesterday with Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski.
"These funds . . . reflect the principle that an investment in a partner in freedom today will help ensure that America will stand united with stronger partners in the future," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said in a statement. "This assistance will support nations that have deployed troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as other partners promoting freedom around the world."

Poland has taken command of a multinational security force in central Iraq that is made up of about 6,000 troops -- among them more than 2,400 Polish soldiers. Polish officials say that a reduction this month will leave them with about 1,700 troops in Iraq.

"Poland has been a fantastic ally because the president and the people of Poland love freedom," Bush said in announcing that Poland is earmarked to receive $100 million.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thursday, February 10, 2005; Page A04

$400 Million for War Allies

The $80 billion war-funding request that President Bush plans to send Congress next week will include $400 million to help nations that have troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Poland, a staunch ally in Iraq, is earmarked to receive one-fourth of the money.

The White House announced the fund, dubbed the "solidarity initiative," after Bush's meeting yesterday with Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski.
"These funds . . . reflect the principle that an investment in a partner in freedom today will help ensure that America will stand united with stronger partners in the future," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said in a statement. "This assistance will support nations that have deployed troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as other partners promoting freedom around the world."

Poland has taken command of a multinational security force in central Iraq that is made up of about 6,000 troops -- among them more than 2,400 Polish soldiers. Polish officials say that a reduction this month will leave them with about 1,700 troops in Iraq.

"Poland has been a fantastic ally because the president and the people of Poland love freedom," Bush said in announcing that Poland is earmarked to receive $100 million.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thursday, February 10, 2005; Page A04

$400 Million for War Allies

The $80 billion war-funding request that President Bush plans to send Congress next week will include $400 million to help nations that have troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Poland, a staunch ally in Iraq, is earmarked to receive one-fourth of the money.

The White House announced the fund, dubbed the "solidarity initiative," after Bush's meeting yesterday with Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski.
"These funds . . . reflect the principle that an investment in a partner in freedom today will help ensure that America will stand united with stronger partners in the future," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said in a statement. "This assistance will support nations that have deployed troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as other partners promoting freedom around the world."

Poland has taken command of a multinational security force in central Iraq that is made up of about 6,000 troops -- among them more than 2,400 Polish soldiers. Polish officials say that a reduction this month will leave them with about 1,700 troops in Iraq.

"Poland has been a fantastic ally because the president and the people of Poland love freedom," Bush said in announcing that Poland is earmarked to receive $100 million.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Senate OKs Limit on Class Action Lawsuits

By JESSE J. HOLLAND
The Associated Press
Thursday, February 10, 2005; 11:06 PM

WASHINGTON - The Senate approved a measure Thursday to help shield businesses from major class action lawsuits like the ones that have been brought against tobacco companies, giving President Bush the first legislative victory of his second term.

Under the legislation, long sought by big business, large multistate class action lawsuits could no longer be heard in small state courts. Such courts have handed out multimillion-dollar verdicts
Instead, the cases would be heard by federal judges, who have not proven as open to those type of lawsuits.

The Senate passed the bill 72-26. It now goes to the House.

"We look forward to this legislation coming to the House floor next week so we can send it to President Bush, who has made its enactment a top priority," said a statement from House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, House Judiciary chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., and House Agriculture chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va.

"The Senate has taken a critical step toward granting families, consumers and employers relief from the heavy burden of lawsuit abuse," said Thomas Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "Now it's time for the House to finish the job and take back our civil justice system from plaintiffs' lawyers seeking jackpot justice."

The Association of Trial Lawyers of America said insurance, tobacco, drug, chemical and other companies had financed the push to get the legislation through the Senate. "Every American's legal rights are diminished by this anti-consumer legislation," said association president Todd A. Smith said.

Bush and other bill supporters - who have pushed for the legislation for almost six years - say it is needed because greedy lawyers have taken advantage of the state system by filing frivolous lawsuits in state courts where they know they can get big verdicts.

Senators who back the bill say lawyers make more money from such cases than do the actual victims, and that lawyers sometimes threaten companies with class action lawsuits just to get quick financial settlements. Regular people, they assure, will not lose their day in court.

Opponents say Bush and other bill supporters are trying to help businesses escape proper judgments for their wrongdoing - and also to hurt the trial lawyers who litigate the cases, some of whom are big Democratic contributors.

"Are there bad lawyers that bring meritless cases? Sure there are, and we should crack down on them," said Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada, a former trial lawyer. "But this bill is not about punishing bad lawyers. It is about hurting consumers and helping corporations avoid liability for misconduct."

Eight Democrats were sponsors of the bill, leaving the rest with no way to block it.

Bush and other supporters say the bill, which would send most multistate class action lawsuits to federal court instead of allowing them to be heard in state courts, is needed because lawyers try to file lawsuits in friendly jurisdictions where they are most likely to get large payouts.

The bill's aim "is to make sure when companies are called on the carpet, when they are involved in a class action litigation, they're in a court, in a courthouse with a judge where the companies have a fair shake, where the odds, the decks aren't stacked against them," said Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Senate OKs Limit on Class Action Lawsuits

By JESSE J. HOLLAND
The Associated Press
Thursday, February 10, 2005; 11:06 PM

WASHINGTON - The Senate approved a measure Thursday to help shield businesses from major class action lawsuits like the ones that have been brought against tobacco companies, giving President Bush the first legislative victory of his second term.

Under the legislation, long sought by big business, large multistate class action lawsuits could no longer be heard in small state courts. Such courts have handed out multimillion-dollar verdicts
Instead, the cases would be heard by federal judges, who have not proven as open to those type of lawsuits.

The Senate passed the bill 72-26. It now goes to the House.

"We look forward to this legislation coming to the House floor next week so we can send it to President Bush, who has made its enactment a top priority," said a statement from House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, House Judiciary chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., and House Agriculture chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va.

"The Senate has taken a critical step toward granting families, consumers and employers relief from the heavy burden of lawsuit abuse," said Thomas Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "Now it's time for the House to finish the job and take back our civil justice system from plaintiffs' lawyers seeking jackpot justice."

The Association of Trial Lawyers of America said insurance, tobacco, drug, chemical and other companies had financed the push to get the legislation through the Senate. "Every American's legal rights are diminished by this anti-consumer legislation," said association president Todd A. Smith said.

Bush and other bill supporters - who have pushed for the legislation for almost six years - say it is needed because greedy lawyers have taken advantage of the state system by filing frivolous lawsuits in state courts where they know they can get big verdicts.

Senators who back the bill say lawyers make more money from such cases than do the actual victims, and that lawyers sometimes threaten companies with class action lawsuits just to get quick financial settlements. Regular people, they assure, will not lose their day in court.

Opponents say Bush and other bill supporters are trying to help businesses escape proper judgments for their wrongdoing - and also to hurt the trial lawyers who litigate the cases, some of whom are big Democratic contributors.

"Are there bad lawyers that bring meritless cases? Sure there are, and we should crack down on them," said Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada, a former trial lawyer. "But this bill is not about punishing bad lawyers. It is about hurting consumers and helping corporations avoid liability for misconduct."

Eight Democrats were sponsors of the bill, leaving the rest with no way to block it.

Bush and other supporters say the bill, which would send most multistate class action lawsuits to federal court instead of allowing them to be heard in state courts, is needed because lawyers try to file lawsuits in friendly jurisdictions where they are most likely to get large payouts.

The bill's aim "is to make sure when companies are called on the carpet, when they are involved in a class action litigation, they're in a court, in a courthouse with a judge where the companies have a fair shake, where the odds, the decks aren't stacked against them," said Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Senate OKs Limit on Class Action Lawsuits

By JESSE J. HOLLAND
The Associated Press
Thursday, February 10, 2005; 11:06 PM

WASHINGTON - The Senate approved a measure Thursday to help shield businesses from major class action lawsuits like the ones that have been brought against tobacco companies, giving President Bush the first legislative victory of his second term.

Under the legislation, long sought by big business, large multistate class action lawsuits could no longer be heard in small state courts. Such courts have handed out multimillion-dollar verdicts
Instead, the cases would be heard by federal judges, who have not proven as open to those type of lawsuits.

The Senate passed the bill 72-26. It now goes to the House.

"We look forward to this legislation coming to the House floor next week so we can send it to President Bush, who has made its enactment a top priority," said a statement from House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, House Judiciary chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., and House Agriculture chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va.

"The Senate has taken a critical step toward granting families, consumers and employers relief from the heavy burden of lawsuit abuse," said Thomas Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "Now it's time for the House to finish the job and take back our civil justice system from plaintiffs' lawyers seeking jackpot justice."

The Association of Trial Lawyers of America said insurance, tobacco, drug, chemical and other companies had financed the push to get the legislation through the Senate. "Every American's legal rights are diminished by this anti-consumer legislation," said association president Todd A. Smith said.

Bush and other bill supporters - who have pushed for the legislation for almost six years - say it is needed because greedy lawyers have taken advantage of the state system by filing frivolous lawsuits in state courts where they know they can get big verdicts.

Senators who back the bill say lawyers make more money from such cases than do the actual victims, and that lawyers sometimes threaten companies with class action lawsuits just to get quick financial settlements. Regular people, they assure, will not lose their day in court.

Opponents say Bush and other bill supporters are trying to help businesses escape proper judgments for their wrongdoing - and also to hurt the trial lawyers who litigate the cases, some of whom are big Democratic contributors.

"Are there bad lawyers that bring meritless cases? Sure there are, and we should crack down on them," said Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada, a former trial lawyer. "But this bill is not about punishing bad lawyers. It is about hurting consumers and helping corporations avoid liability for misconduct."

Eight Democrats were sponsors of the bill, leaving the rest with no way to block it.

Bush and other supporters say the bill, which would send most multistate class action lawsuits to federal court instead of allowing them to be heard in state courts, is needed because lawyers try to file lawsuits in friendly jurisdictions where they are most likely to get large payouts.

The bill's aim "is to make sure when companies are called on the carpet, when they are involved in a class action litigation, they're in a court, in a courthouse with a judge where the companies have a fair shake, where the odds, the decks aren't stacked against them," said Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Halliburton delays telling government about missing radioactive material
Thursday February 10, 2005
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) A Halliburton Co. shipment of radioactive material went missing in October but the company didn't alert government authorities until this week, Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials said Thursday.

The material two sources of the element americium, used in oil well exploration was found intact Wednesday in Boston after an intense search by federal authorities. NRC and Halliburton officials say the public never was in danger.
The americium was being shipped from Russia to Houston, according to a report filed with the NRC by Halliburton.

NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said Halliburton did not notify the agency about the missing material until Tuesday. Depending on the material, government rules require notification either immediately or within 30 days.

``The focus through today was on trying to find the material,'' Sheehan said. ``We're going to be pressing them why the notification was not more timely.''

Halliburton spokeswoman Wendy Hall blamed the company's shipper, saying it never alerted the Texas-based energy company that the material was missing until Tuesday. Halliburton then immediately contacted the NRC, she said.

She said Halliburton contacted the shipping company ``multiple times'' about the shipment and was told it was en route to Houston. She declined to identify the company on grounds that Halliburton did not want its shipments targeted.

Hall said the material was encased in a double-walled stainless steel cylinder, locked in a steel transport container designed to protect workers.

``All of this was found intact, and we have no information that leads us to believe that the public or environment were in danger,'' Hall said.

Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., a frequent critic of the NRC, said the incident highlights inadequate security measures covering radioactive materials. The americium is classified as having the potential to permanently injure a person who fails to handle it properly, he said.

Markey said the lag time in reporting the disappearance of dangerous materials leaves open the possibility they could fall into the hands of terrorists without the government's knowledge.

According to the NRC report, the americium was imported from Russia by Halliburton Energy Services. The shipment went through Amsterdam, Netherlands, to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York on Oct. 9.

The NRC report indicates the material was trucked to Massachusetts after a Boston label was inadvertently placed on the package at the freight company's Newark, N.J., facility.

Homeland Security Department officials and the FBI began a search after the materials were reported missing. The americium was found at a freight facility in Boston.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Halliburton delays telling government about missing radioactive material
Thursday February 10, 2005
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) A Halliburton Co. shipment of radioactive material went missing in October but the company didn't alert government authorities until this week, Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials said Thursday.

The material two sources of the element americium, used in oil well exploration was found intact Wednesday in Boston after an intense search by federal authorities. NRC and Halliburton officials say the public never was in danger.
The americium was being shipped from Russia to Houston, according to a report filed with the NRC by Halliburton.

NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said Halliburton did not notify the agency about the missing material until Tuesday. Depending on the material, government rules require notification either immediately or within 30 days.

``The focus through today was on trying to find the material,'' Sheehan said. ``We're going to be pressing them why the notification was not more timely.''

Halliburton spokeswoman Wendy Hall blamed the company's shipper, saying it never alerted the Texas-based energy company that the material was missing until Tuesday. Halliburton then immediately contacted the NRC, she said.

She said Halliburton contacted the shipping company ``multiple times'' about the shipment and was told it was en route to Houston. She declined to identify the company on grounds that Halliburton did not want its shipments targeted.

Hall said the material was encased in a double-walled stainless steel cylinder, locked in a steel transport container designed to protect workers.

``All of this was found intact, and we have no information that leads us to believe that the public or environment were in danger,'' Hall said.

Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., a frequent critic of the NRC, said the incident highlights inadequate security measures covering radioactive materials. The americium is classified as having the potential to permanently injure a person who fails to handle it properly, he said.

Markey said the lag time in reporting the disappearance of dangerous materials leaves open the possibility they could fall into the hands of terrorists without the government's knowledge.

According to the NRC report, the americium was imported from Russia by Halliburton Energy Services. The shipment went through Amsterdam, Netherlands, to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York on Oct. 9.

The NRC report indicates the material was trucked to Massachusetts after a Boston label was inadvertently placed on the package at the freight company's Newark, N.J., facility.

Homeland Security Department officials and the FBI began a search after the materials were reported missing. The americium was found at a freight facility in Boston.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Halliburton delays telling government about missing radioactive material
Thursday February 10, 2005
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) A Halliburton Co. shipment of radioactive material went missing in October but the company didn't alert government authorities until this week, Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials said Thursday.

The material two sources of the element americium, used in oil well exploration was found intact Wednesday in Boston after an intense search by federal authorities. NRC and Halliburton officials say the public never was in danger.
The americium was being shipped from Russia to Houston, according to a report filed with the NRC by Halliburton.

NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said Halliburton did not notify the agency about the missing material until Tuesday. Depending on the material, government rules require notification either immediately or within 30 days.

``The focus through today was on trying to find the material,'' Sheehan said. ``We're going to be pressing them why the notification was not more timely.''

Halliburton spokeswoman Wendy Hall blamed the company's shipper, saying it never alerted the Texas-based energy company that the material was missing until Tuesday. Halliburton then immediately contacted the NRC, she said.

She said Halliburton contacted the shipping company ``multiple times'' about the shipment and was told it was en route to Houston. She declined to identify the company on grounds that Halliburton did not want its shipments targeted.

Hall said the material was encased in a double-walled stainless steel cylinder, locked in a steel transport container designed to protect workers.

``All of this was found intact, and we have no information that leads us to believe that the public or environment were in danger,'' Hall said.

Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., a frequent critic of the NRC, said the incident highlights inadequate security measures covering radioactive materials. The americium is classified as having the potential to permanently injure a person who fails to handle it properly, he said.

Markey said the lag time in reporting the disappearance of dangerous materials leaves open the possibility they could fall into the hands of terrorists without the government's knowledge.

According to the NRC report, the americium was imported from Russia by Halliburton Energy Services. The shipment went through Amsterdam, Netherlands, to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York on Oct. 9.

The NRC report indicates the material was trucked to Massachusetts after a Boston label was inadvertently placed on the package at the freight company's Newark, N.J., facility.

Homeland Security Department officials and the FBI began a search after the materials were reported missing. The americium was found at a freight facility in Boston.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Despite Dec. dip, trade gap up 24% in 2004 to record
The Associated Press
The U.S. trade deficit soared to a record of $617.7 billion last year as Americans' appetite for all things foreign from crude oil to imported cars hit all-time highs. The United States even rang up a deficit in farm goods as imports of wine, cheese and other food products hit a record.
The Commerce Department reported that the deficit for all of last year was 24.4% above the previous record, an imbalance of $496.5 billion in 2003. The U.S. deficit with China also set a record of $162 billion, up 30.5% from last year and the largest imbalance ever recorded with a single country.

The sharp worsening of America's performance in trade was certain to spark new political criticism of President Bush's economic policies. Democrats contend that the administration has not done enough to crack down on unfair foreign trade practices. These include China's currency policy, which U.S. manufacturers believe has deliberatively undervalued the yuan by as much as 40%, giving Chinese companies a huge competitive advantage over U.S. firms.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 03:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Despite Dec. dip, trade gap up 24% in 2004 to record
The Associated Press
The U.S. trade deficit soared to a record of $617.7 billion last year as Americans' appetite for all things foreign from crude oil to imported cars hit all-time highs. The United States even rang up a deficit in farm goods as imports of wine, cheese and other food products hit a record.
The Commerce Department reported that the deficit for all of last year was 24.4% above the previous record, an imbalance of $496.5 billion in 2003. The U.S. deficit with China also set a record of $162 billion, up 30.5% from last year and the largest imbalance ever recorded with a single country.

The sharp worsening of America's performance in trade was certain to spark new political criticism of President Bush's economic policies. Democrats contend that the administration has not done enough to crack down on unfair foreign trade practices. These include China's currency policy, which U.S. manufacturers believe has deliberatively undervalued the yuan by as much as 40%, giving Chinese companies a huge competitive advantage over U.S. firms.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 03:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Despite Dec. dip, trade gap up 24% in 2004 to record
The Associated Press
The U.S. trade deficit soared to a record of $617.7 billion last year as Americans' appetite for all things foreign from crude oil to imported cars hit all-time highs. The United States even rang up a deficit in farm goods as imports of wine, cheese and other food products hit a record.
The Commerce Department reported that the deficit for all of last year was 24.4% above the previous record, an imbalance of $496.5 billion in 2003. The U.S. deficit with China also set a record of $162 billion, up 30.5% from last year and the largest imbalance ever recorded with a single country.

The sharp worsening of America's performance in trade was certain to spark new political criticism of President Bush's economic policies. Democrats contend that the administration has not done enough to crack down on unfair foreign trade practices. These include China's currency policy, which U.S. manufacturers believe has deliberatively undervalued the yuan by as much as 40%, giving Chinese companies a huge competitive advantage over U.S. firms.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 03:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No-shows rankle panel reviewing '04 election
By Associated Press | February 10, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Starting on a sour note, lawmakers holding the first congressional review of the 2004 vote were upset by the absence of top election officials from Ohio and Florida, states with many balloting complaints.

ADVERTISEMENT

Representative Bob Ney, chairman of the House Administration Committee, said he would hold hearings away from Washington and continue to seek testimony from Ohio's secretary of state, Kenneth Blackwell, and Florida's Glenda Hood.

''I am disappointed that they are not here," said Ney, Republican of Ohio. ''We can have disagreements, but you can't run and you can't hide."

Representative Juanita Millender-McDonald of California, the top Democrat on the committee, said ''the arrogance of these secretaries of state to not be here today is an affront."

Blackwell was in the capital, where he led a meeting of the nonpartisan Campaign Finance Institute. He said he had agreed to attend that meeting before the House committee asked him to appear.

''I don't know why there would be any hand-wringing or foot-stomping. The Ohio story is probably the most widely told story in the country," Blackwell said. He said a representative from Ohio would go before the committee, which oversees election issues.

Hood had a previously scheduled speech before the British-American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida yesterday, which the committee was told about, spokeswoman Jenny Nash said. Hood ''welcomes any opportunity to discuss Florida's success," Nash said.

The hearing was intended to examine the successes and failures of a law passed after Florida's disputed voting in the 2000 presidential election.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No-shows rankle panel reviewing '04 election
By Associated Press | February 10, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Starting on a sour note, lawmakers holding the first congressional review of the 2004 vote were upset by the absence of top election officials from Ohio and Florida, states with many balloting complaints.

ADVERTISEMENT

Representative Bob Ney, chairman of the House Administration Committee, said he would hold hearings away from Washington and continue to seek testimony from Ohio's secretary of state, Kenneth Blackwell, and Florida's Glenda Hood.

''I am disappointed that they are not here," said Ney, Republican of Ohio. ''We can have disagreements, but you can't run and you can't hide."

Representative Juanita Millender-McDonald of California, the top Democrat on the committee, said ''the arrogance of these secretaries of state to not be here today is an affront."

Blackwell was in the capital, where he led a meeting of the nonpartisan Campaign Finance Institute. He said he had agreed to attend that meeting before the House committee asked him to appear.

''I don't know why there would be any hand-wringing or foot-stomping. The Ohio story is probably the most widely told story in the country," Blackwell said. He said a representative from Ohio would go before the committee, which oversees election issues.

Hood had a previously scheduled speech before the British-American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida yesterday, which the committee was told about, spokeswoman Jenny Nash said. Hood ''welcomes any opportunity to discuss Florida's success," Nash said.

The hearing was intended to examine the successes and failures of a law passed after Florida's disputed voting in the 2000 presidential election.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No-shows rankle panel reviewing '04 election
By Associated Press | February 10, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Starting on a sour note, lawmakers holding the first congressional review of the 2004 vote were upset by the absence of top election officials from Ohio and Florida, states with many balloting complaints.

ADVERTISEMENT

Representative Bob Ney, chairman of the House Administration Committee, said he would hold hearings away from Washington and continue to seek testimony from Ohio's secretary of state, Kenneth Blackwell, and Florida's Glenda Hood.

''I am disappointed that they are not here," said Ney, Republican of Ohio. ''We can have disagreements, but you can't run and you can't hide."

Representative Juanita Millender-McDonald of California, the top Democrat on the committee, said ''the arrogance of these secretaries of state to not be here today is an affront."

Blackwell was in the capital, where he led a meeting of the nonpartisan Campaign Finance Institute. He said he had agreed to attend that meeting before the House committee asked him to appear.

''I don't know why there would be any hand-wringing or foot-stomping. The Ohio story is probably the most widely told story in the country," Blackwell said. He said a representative from Ohio would go before the committee, which oversees election issues.

Hood had a previously scheduled speech before the British-American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida yesterday, which the committee was told about, spokeswoman Jenny Nash said. Hood ''welcomes any opportunity to discuss Florida's success," Nash said.

The hearing was intended to examine the successes and failures of a law passed after Florida's disputed voting in the 2000 presidential election.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Now if only the rednecks would read this!

Bush press pal quits
over gay prostie link

BY HELEN KENNEDY
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU


Jim Guckert, aka Jeff Gannon, on the web

WASHINGTON - A conservative ringer who was given a press pass to the White House and lobbed softball questions at President Bush quit yesterday after left-leaning Internet bloggers discovered possible ties to gay prostitution.
"The voice goes silent," Jeff Gannon wrote on his Web site. "In consideration of the welfare of me and my family, I have decided to return to private life."

Gannon began covering the White House two years ago for an obscure Republican Web site (Talon-News.com). He was known for his friendly questions, including asking Bush at last month's news conference how he could work with Democrats "who seem to have divorced themselves from reality."

Gannon was also given a classified CIA memo that named agent Valerie Plame, leading to his grilling by the grand jury investigating her outing.

He came under lefty scrutiny after revelations that the administration was paying conservative pundits to talk up Bush's proposals. By examining Internet records, online sleuths at DailyKos.com figured out that his real name was Jim Guckert and he owned various Web sites, including HotMilitaryStud.com, MilitaryEscorts.com and MilitaryEscortsM4M.com.

"The issue here is whether someone with connections to male prostitution was given unfettered access to the White House and copies of internal CIA documents. For a family values administration, that's pretty creepy," said John Aravosis, one of the bloggers chasing the story.

The White House didn't return a call asking how someone using an alias was given daily clearance to enter the White House.

On his TalonNews Web site, Gannon had written that liberals were out to get him because he's a white conservative man who owns a gun, drives a sport-utility vehicle and is a born-again Christian.

Yesterday, however, he abruptly quit, and all of the stories he wrote were erased from the Web site. A great many were on gay issues, including one detailing John Kerry's "pro-homosexual platform" that was headlined mockingly, "Kerry Could Become First Gay President."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Now if only the rednecks would read this!

Bush press pal quits
over gay prostie link

BY HELEN KENNEDY
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU


Jim Guckert, aka Jeff Gannon, on the web

WASHINGTON - A conservative ringer who was given a press pass to the White House and lobbed softball questions at President Bush quit yesterday after left-leaning Internet bloggers discovered possible ties to gay prostitution.
"The voice goes silent," Jeff Gannon wrote on his Web site. "In consideration of the welfare of me and my family, I have decided to return to private life."

Gannon began covering the White House two years ago for an obscure Republican Web site (Talon-News.com). He was known for his friendly questions, including asking Bush at last month's news conference how he could work with Democrats "who seem to have divorced themselves from reality."

Gannon was also given a classified CIA memo that named agent Valerie Plame, leading to his grilling by the grand jury investigating her outing.

He came under lefty scrutiny after revelations that the administration was paying conservative pundits to talk up Bush's proposals. By examining Internet records, online sleuths at DailyKos.com figured out that his real name was Jim Guckert and he owned various Web sites, including HotMilitaryStud.com, MilitaryEscorts.com and MilitaryEscortsM4M.com.

"The issue here is whether someone with connections to male prostitution was given unfettered access to the White House and copies of internal CIA documents. For a family values administration, that's pretty creepy," said John Aravosis, one of the bloggers chasing the story.

The White House didn't return a call asking how someone using an alias was given daily clearance to enter the White House.

On his TalonNews Web site, Gannon had written that liberals were out to get him because he's a white conservative man who owns a gun, drives a sport-utility vehicle and is a born-again Christian.

Yesterday, however, he abruptly quit, and all of the stories he wrote were erased from the Web site. A great many were on gay issues, including one detailing John Kerry's "pro-homosexual platform" that was headlined mockingly, "Kerry Could Become First Gay President."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Now if only the rednecks would read this!

Bush press pal quits
over gay prostie link

BY HELEN KENNEDY
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU


Jim Guckert, aka Jeff Gannon, on the web

WASHINGTON - A conservative ringer who was given a press pass to the White House and lobbed softball questions at President Bush quit yesterday after left-leaning Internet bloggers discovered possible ties to gay prostitution.
"The voice goes silent," Jeff Gannon wrote on his Web site. "In consideration of the welfare of me and my family, I have decided to return to private life."

Gannon began covering the White House two years ago for an obscure Republican Web site (Talon-News.com). He was known for his friendly questions, including asking Bush at last month's news conference how he could work with Democrats "who seem to have divorced themselves from reality."

Gannon was also given a classified CIA memo that named agent Valerie Plame, leading to his grilling by the grand jury investigating her outing.

He came under lefty scrutiny after revelations that the administration was paying conservative pundits to talk up Bush's proposals. By examining Internet records, online sleuths at DailyKos.com figured out that his real name was Jim Guckert and he owned various Web sites, including HotMilitaryStud.com, MilitaryEscorts.com and MilitaryEscortsM4M.com.

"The issue here is whether someone with connections to male prostitution was given unfettered access to the White House and copies of internal CIA documents. For a family values administration, that's pretty creepy," said John Aravosis, one of the bloggers chasing the story.

The White House didn't return a call asking how someone using an alias was given daily clearance to enter the White House.

On his TalonNews Web site, Gannon had written that liberals were out to get him because he's a white conservative man who owns a gun, drives a sport-utility vehicle and is a born-again Christian.

Yesterday, however, he abruptly quit, and all of the stories he wrote were erased from the Web site. A great many were on gay issues, including one detailing John Kerry's "pro-homosexual platform" that was headlined mockingly, "Kerry Could Become First Gay President."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Subject: The Nun and The Gasoline
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>A young Nun who worked for a local home health care agency was out
>>>>>>>>>>making her rounds when she ran out of gas. As luck would have it
>>>>>>>>>>there was a gas station just one block away. She walked to the
>>>>>>>>>>station to borrow a can with enough gas to start the car and drive
>>>>>to
>>>>>>>>>>the station for a fill up.
>>>>>>>>>>The attendant regretfully told her that the only gas can he owned
>>>>>had
>>>>>>>>>>just been lent out, but if she would care to wait, he was sure it
>>>>>>>>>>would be back shortly.
>>>>>>>>>>Since the nun was on the way to see a patient, she decided not to
>>>>>>>wait
>>>>>>>>>>and walked back to her car. After looking through her car for
>>>>>>>>>>something to carry to the station to fill with gas, she spotted a
>>>>>>>>>>bedpan she was taking to the patient. Always resourceful, she
>>>>>>>carried
>>>>>>>>>>it to the station, filled it with gasoline, and carried it back to
>>>>>>>her
>>>>>>>>>>car.
>>>>>>>>>>As she was pouring the gas into the tank of her car two men
>>>>>>>>>>watched
>>>>>>>>>>her from across the street. One of them turned to the other and
>>>>>>>said:
>>>>>>>>>>"If that car starts, I'll become a Catholic for the rest of my
>>>>>life!"

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 08:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Subject: The Nun and The Gasoline
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>A young Nun who worked for a local home health care agency was out
>>>>>>>>>>making her rounds when she ran out of gas. As luck would have it
>>>>>>>>>>there was a gas station just one block away. She walked to the
>>>>>>>>>>station to borrow a can with enough gas to start the car and drive
>>>>>to
>>>>>>>>>>the station for a fill up.
>>>>>>>>>>The attendant regretfully told her that the only gas can he owned
>>>>>had
>>>>>>>>>>just been lent out, but if she would care to wait, he was sure it
>>>>>>>>>>would be back shortly.
>>>>>>>>>>Since the nun was on the way to see a patient, she decided not to
>>>>>>>wait
>>>>>>>>>>and walked back to her car. After looking through her car for
>>>>>>>>>>something to carry to the station to fill with gas, she spotted a
>>>>>>>>>>bedpan she was taking to the patient. Always resourceful, she
>>>>>>>carried
>>>>>>>>>>it to the station, filled it with gasoline, and carried it back to
>>>>>>>her
>>>>>>>>>>car.
>>>>>>>>>>As she was pouring the gas into the tank of her car two men
>>>>>>>>>>watched
>>>>>>>>>>her from across the street. One of them turned to the other and
>>>>>>>said:
>>>>>>>>>>"If that car starts, I'll become a Catholic for the rest of my
>>>>>life!"

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 08:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Subject: The Nun and The Gasoline
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>A young Nun who worked for a local home health care agency was out
>>>>>>>>>>making her rounds when she ran out of gas. As luck would have it
>>>>>>>>>>there was a gas station just one block away. She walked to the
>>>>>>>>>>station to borrow a can with enough gas to start the car and drive
>>>>>to
>>>>>>>>>>the station for a fill up.
>>>>>>>>>>The attendant regretfully told her that the only gas can he owned
>>>>>had
>>>>>>>>>>just been lent out, but if she would care to wait, he was sure it
>>>>>>>>>>would be back shortly.
>>>>>>>>>>Since the nun was on the way to see a patient, she decided not to
>>>>>>>wait
>>>>>>>>>>and walked back to her car. After looking through her car for
>>>>>>>>>>something to carry to the station to fill with gas, she spotted a
>>>>>>>>>>bedpan she was taking to the patient. Always resourceful, she
>>>>>>>carried
>>>>>>>>>>it to the station, filled it with gasoline, and carried it back to
>>>>>>>her
>>>>>>>>>>car.
>>>>>>>>>>As she was pouring the gas into the tank of her car two men
>>>>>>>>>>watched
>>>>>>>>>>her from across the street. One of them turned to the other and
>>>>>>>said:
>>>>>>>>>>"If that car starts, I'll become a Catholic for the rest of my
>>>>>life!"

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 08:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Medicare drug benefit to cost $720 billion over 10 years
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush said Wednesday Medicare is next on the government's fix-it list because the health care plan for the elderly and disabled, like Social Security, is facing financial stress with the retirements of baby boomers.
New administration estimates released Wednesday showed that the Medicare prescription drug benefit will cost taxpayers $724 billion over its first full 10 years, far higher than earlier estimates and rekindling congressional ire over its price tag.

The new estimate exceeds earlier projections chiefly because the figure now covers 2006 to 2015, a decade when prescription coverage will be in effect the entire period. Earlier calculations ran from 2004 to 2013 and included 2004 and 2005, when the program was being slowly phased in.

"There's no question that there is an unfunded liability inherent in Medicare that Congress and the administration is going to have to deal with over time," Bush said. "Obviously I've chosen to deal with Social Security first and once we accomplish — once we modernize and save Social Security for a young generation of Americans, then it'll be time to deal with the unfunded liabilities of Medicare."

Bush noted that the prescription benefit that he signed into law last year doesn't take effect until next year.

"I'm convinced they'll have cost savings for our society," Bush told reporters during a meeting with Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski. "And I know it'll make the life of our seniors better."

The figure — similar to a $720 billion figure administration officials used Tuesday — is in documents obtained by The Associated Press. When anticipated savings are not included in the calculation, the administration estimates the drug program's gross price tag over the period will be $1.19 trillion, the documents show.

The new numbers prompted outcries from Democrats. They say the White House low-balled cost estimates two years ago to win votes from conservatives when Congress narrowly approved the program, and created a program with benefits that are too stingy.

"An ethical cloud has hung over the Republican Medicare law since it was passed in the dark of night more than a year ago," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who called the new figures "staggering."

She said Congress should hold hearings on the program's costs and pass new legislation "to hold down costs and give seniors the true benefits they deserve."

The $724 billion estimate includes the effects of savings the administration expects through 2014 from higher Medicare premiums, cost sharing by states and savings the program will create for Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor.

When Congress narrowly approved the drug legislation in 2003, the administration told wavering lawmakers that the program would cost $400 billion, including expected savings. The White House revised the estimate to $534 billion just two months later, after the law was enacted.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Medicare drug benefit to cost $720 billion over 10 years
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush said Wednesday Medicare is next on the government's fix-it list because the health care plan for the elderly and disabled, like Social Security, is facing financial stress with the retirements of baby boomers.
New administration estimates released Wednesday showed that the Medicare prescription drug benefit will cost taxpayers $724 billion over its first full 10 years, far higher than earlier estimates and rekindling congressional ire over its price tag.

The new estimate exceeds earlier projections chiefly because the figure now covers 2006 to 2015, a decade when prescription coverage will be in effect the entire period. Earlier calculations ran from 2004 to 2013 and included 2004 and 2005, when the program was being slowly phased in.

"There's no question that there is an unfunded liability inherent in Medicare that Congress and the administration is going to have to deal with over time," Bush said. "Obviously I've chosen to deal with Social Security first and once we accomplish — once we modernize and save Social Security for a young generation of Americans, then it'll be time to deal with the unfunded liabilities of Medicare."

Bush noted that the prescription benefit that he signed into law last year doesn't take effect until next year.

"I'm convinced they'll have cost savings for our society," Bush told reporters during a meeting with Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski. "And I know it'll make the life of our seniors better."

The figure — similar to a $720 billion figure administration officials used Tuesday — is in documents obtained by The Associated Press. When anticipated savings are not included in the calculation, the administration estimates the drug program's gross price tag over the period will be $1.19 trillion, the documents show.

The new numbers prompted outcries from Democrats. They say the White House low-balled cost estimates two years ago to win votes from conservatives when Congress narrowly approved the program, and created a program with benefits that are too stingy.

"An ethical cloud has hung over the Republican Medicare law since it was passed in the dark of night more than a year ago," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who called the new figures "staggering."

She said Congress should hold hearings on the program's costs and pass new legislation "to hold down costs and give seniors the true benefits they deserve."

The $724 billion estimate includes the effects of savings the administration expects through 2014 from higher Medicare premiums, cost sharing by states and savings the program will create for Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor.

When Congress narrowly approved the drug legislation in 2003, the administration told wavering lawmakers that the program would cost $400 billion, including expected savings. The White House revised the estimate to $534 billion just two months later, after the law was enacted.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Medicare drug benefit to cost $720 billion over 10 years
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush said Wednesday Medicare is next on the government's fix-it list because the health care plan for the elderly and disabled, like Social Security, is facing financial stress with the retirements of baby boomers.
New administration estimates released Wednesday showed that the Medicare prescription drug benefit will cost taxpayers $724 billion over its first full 10 years, far higher than earlier estimates and rekindling congressional ire over its price tag.

The new estimate exceeds earlier projections chiefly because the figure now covers 2006 to 2015, a decade when prescription coverage will be in effect the entire period. Earlier calculations ran from 2004 to 2013 and included 2004 and 2005, when the program was being slowly phased in.

"There's no question that there is an unfunded liability inherent in Medicare that Congress and the administration is going to have to deal with over time," Bush said. "Obviously I've chosen to deal with Social Security first and once we accomplish — once we modernize and save Social Security for a young generation of Americans, then it'll be time to deal with the unfunded liabilities of Medicare."

Bush noted that the prescription benefit that he signed into law last year doesn't take effect until next year.

"I'm convinced they'll have cost savings for our society," Bush told reporters during a meeting with Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski. "And I know it'll make the life of our seniors better."

The figure — similar to a $720 billion figure administration officials used Tuesday — is in documents obtained by The Associated Press. When anticipated savings are not included in the calculation, the administration estimates the drug program's gross price tag over the period will be $1.19 trillion, the documents show.

The new numbers prompted outcries from Democrats. They say the White House low-balled cost estimates two years ago to win votes from conservatives when Congress narrowly approved the program, and created a program with benefits that are too stingy.

"An ethical cloud has hung over the Republican Medicare law since it was passed in the dark of night more than a year ago," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who called the new figures "staggering."

She said Congress should hold hearings on the program's costs and pass new legislation "to hold down costs and give seniors the true benefits they deserve."

The $724 billion estimate includes the effects of savings the administration expects through 2014 from higher Medicare premiums, cost sharing by states and savings the program will create for Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor.

When Congress narrowly approved the drug legislation in 2003, the administration told wavering lawmakers that the program would cost $400 billion, including expected savings. The White House revised the estimate to $534 billion just two months later, after the law was enacted.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rice: NATO shouldn't be world's policeman
BRUSSELS (AP) — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that Iran cannot delay indefinitely accountability for a suspected nuclear weapons program, even as she said NATO should not play policeman to the world.

Condoleezza Rice addresses the media at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, saying the U.S. has set "no deadline, no timeline" for Tehran to act.
By Yves logghe, AP

Nearing the end of a European tour that included visits to both old and new members of the expanding NATO, Rice talked in a speech and interview of her perceptions of the role the alliance should play in the global issues of the 21st century.

Her latest comments on the nuclear problem in Iran were anything but theoretical.

Rice warned the government of Tehran that the United States would not accept foot-dragging by the rulers of Iran as they consider various diplomatic overtures that European nations have made to resolve the nuclear question.

"The Iranians need to hear that if they are unwilling to take the deal, really, that the Europeans are giving ... then the Security Council referral looms," she said in an interview with Fox News, released Wednesday.

"I don't know that anyone has said that as clearly as they should to the Iranians," she said in a strong reiteration U.S. policy that the issue of Iran's nuclear program should be taken before the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions.

"We have believed all along that Iran ought to be referred to the Security Council and then a variety of steps are available to the international community," she said in the interview taped in Paris and released after her arrival here.

"They need to hear that the discussions that they are in with the Europeans are not going to be a kind of waystation where they are allowed to continue their activities; that there's going to be an end to this and that they are going to end up in the Security Council," she said.

Britain, France and Germany are in talks with the Iranian regime, but the United States kept its distance from that effort and the Europeans has been reluctant to take the matter to the United Nations before making further efforts at a deal.

French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier used a news conference with Rice Tuesday night in Paris to repeat that France and the other European participants are committed to letting the diplomacy run its course.

He said he had asked Rice for American "support and confidence."

Rice told reporters that Iran is already on notice that it must not use a civilian nuclear power program to hide a weapons project.

Earlier Tuesday, Rice said in a speech that NATO can be a bulwark for freedom without playing world enforcer.

"How NATO's role will evolve, I think, is still an open question, but we need to be open to new roles that NATO might play," she said.

Alliance officials said in advance of her trip to Belgium that Rice's NATO visit would focus on preparations for a visit by President Bush on Feb. 22, when he will hold a summit with leaders of the other 25 allied nations.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rice: NATO shouldn't be world's policeman
BRUSSELS (AP) — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that Iran cannot delay indefinitely accountability for a suspected nuclear weapons program, even as she said NATO should not play policeman to the world.

Condoleezza Rice addresses the media at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, saying the U.S. has set "no deadline, no timeline" for Tehran to act.
By Yves logghe, AP

Nearing the end of a European tour that included visits to both old and new members of the expanding NATO, Rice talked in a speech and interview of her perceptions of the role the alliance should play in the global issues of the 21st century.

Her latest comments on the nuclear problem in Iran were anything but theoretical.

Rice warned the government of Tehran that the United States would not accept foot-dragging by the rulers of Iran as they consider various diplomatic overtures that European nations have made to resolve the nuclear question.

"The Iranians need to hear that if they are unwilling to take the deal, really, that the Europeans are giving ... then the Security Council referral looms," she said in an interview with Fox News, released Wednesday.

"I don't know that anyone has said that as clearly as they should to the Iranians," she said in a strong reiteration U.S. policy that the issue of Iran's nuclear program should be taken before the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions.

"We have believed all along that Iran ought to be referred to the Security Council and then a variety of steps are available to the international community," she said in the interview taped in Paris and released after her arrival here.

"They need to hear that the discussions that they are in with the Europeans are not going to be a kind of waystation where they are allowed to continue their activities; that there's going to be an end to this and that they are going to end up in the Security Council," she said.

Britain, France and Germany are in talks with the Iranian regime, but the United States kept its distance from that effort and the Europeans has been reluctant to take the matter to the United Nations before making further efforts at a deal.

French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier used a news conference with Rice Tuesday night in Paris to repeat that France and the other European participants are committed to letting the diplomacy run its course.

He said he had asked Rice for American "support and confidence."

Rice told reporters that Iran is already on notice that it must not use a civilian nuclear power program to hide a weapons project.

Earlier Tuesday, Rice said in a speech that NATO can be a bulwark for freedom without playing world enforcer.

"How NATO's role will evolve, I think, is still an open question, but we need to be open to new roles that NATO might play," she said.

Alliance officials said in advance of her trip to Belgium that Rice's NATO visit would focus on preparations for a visit by President Bush on Feb. 22, when he will hold a summit with leaders of the other 25 allied nations.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rice: NATO shouldn't be world's policeman
BRUSSELS (AP) — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that Iran cannot delay indefinitely accountability for a suspected nuclear weapons program, even as she said NATO should not play policeman to the world.

Condoleezza Rice addresses the media at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, saying the U.S. has set "no deadline, no timeline" for Tehran to act.
By Yves logghe, AP

Nearing the end of a European tour that included visits to both old and new members of the expanding NATO, Rice talked in a speech and interview of her perceptions of the role the alliance should play in the global issues of the 21st century.

Her latest comments on the nuclear problem in Iran were anything but theoretical.

Rice warned the government of Tehran that the United States would not accept foot-dragging by the rulers of Iran as they consider various diplomatic overtures that European nations have made to resolve the nuclear question.

"The Iranians need to hear that if they are unwilling to take the deal, really, that the Europeans are giving ... then the Security Council referral looms," she said in an interview with Fox News, released Wednesday.

"I don't know that anyone has said that as clearly as they should to the Iranians," she said in a strong reiteration U.S. policy that the issue of Iran's nuclear program should be taken before the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions.

"We have believed all along that Iran ought to be referred to the Security Council and then a variety of steps are available to the international community," she said in the interview taped in Paris and released after her arrival here.

"They need to hear that the discussions that they are in with the Europeans are not going to be a kind of waystation where they are allowed to continue their activities; that there's going to be an end to this and that they are going to end up in the Security Council," she said.

Britain, France and Germany are in talks with the Iranian regime, but the United States kept its distance from that effort and the Europeans has been reluctant to take the matter to the United Nations before making further efforts at a deal.

French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier used a news conference with Rice Tuesday night in Paris to repeat that France and the other European participants are committed to letting the diplomacy run its course.

He said he had asked Rice for American "support and confidence."

Rice told reporters that Iran is already on notice that it must not use a civilian nuclear power program to hide a weapons project.

Earlier Tuesday, Rice said in a speech that NATO can be a bulwark for freedom without playing world enforcer.

"How NATO's role will evolve, I think, is still an open question, but we need to be open to new roles that NATO might play," she said.

Alliance officials said in advance of her trip to Belgium that Rice's NATO visit would focus on preparations for a visit by President Bush on Feb. 22, when he will hold a summit with leaders of the other 25 allied nations.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

W.R. Grace Shares Fall After Indictment

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By BOB ANEZ
Associated Press Writer

February 8, 2005, 4:40 PM EST

MISSOULA, Mont. -- Shares of W.R. Grace and Co. sank more than 8 percent Tuesday in the wake of a federal indictment that charged the chemicals and building materials supplier and seven of its executives knew a mine was releasing cancer-causing asbestos into the air and tried to hide the danger from workers and townspeople.

The federal grand jury handing down the indictment Monday said top Grace executives and managers kept secret numerous studies spelling out the risk the asbestos posed to its customers, employees and Libby residents.

Grace shares fell 95 cents, or 8.3 percent, to close at $10.50 in Tuesday trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Its shares had traded as high as $15.49 in November.

A newspaper study linked nearly 200 deaths to asbestos from the vermiculite mine in the small town of Libby, about 130 miles northwest of Missoula near the Canadian border. More than 1,200 became ill over the 30 years that Grace operated the mine.

According to the indictment, Grace -- knowing the risks -- provided vermiculite for a junior high school running track and as a base for an ice rink, and sold or leased some of its contaminated properties for homes and businesses, baseball fields, even city use.

The indictment, unsealed Monday, also accused Grace and Alan Stringer, former manager of the now-closed mine, of trying to obstruct efforts by the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the extent of the asbestos contamination beginning in 1999, when a study by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer linked the nearly 200 deaths and hundreds of illnesses to the mine.

The newspaper's study was based on interviews with doctors in several states.

The EPA, which has never disputed the findings of the study, has since declared the area a Superfund site and has spent more than $55 million on cleanup so far.

"A human and environmental tragedy has occurred in Libby. This prosecution seeks to hold Grace and some of its executives responsible for the misconduct alleged in this indictment," said Bill Mercer, the U.S. attorney for Montana.

Columbia, Md.-based Grace said in a statement it "categorically denies any criminal wrongdoing."

"We are surprised by the government's methods and disappointed by its determination to bring these allegations," the company said. "And though court rules prohibit us from commenting on the merits of the government's charges, we look forward to setting the record straight in a court of law."

Also named in the indictment were Henry Eschenbach, former health official for a Grace subsidiary; Jack Wolter, a former executive for Grace's construction products division; William McCaig, former general manager of the Libby mine; Robert Bettacchi, a senior vice president of Grace; O. Mario Favorito, chief legal counsel for Grace; and Robert Walsh, former Grace vice president.

The company could face a fine of up to $280 million, twice the amount of after-tax profits the government alleges W.R. Grace made from the mine, according to the Justice Department. Grace filed for bankruptcy protection in April 2001 after it was overwhelmed by asbestos-related lawsuits.

Stringer could be sentenced to as many as 70 years in prison, while Wolter and Bettacchi each face up to 55 years. The other defendants could get five years.

"This wasn't something that happened to us. This was something that was done to us," said Les Skramstad, 68, a former miner who was diagnosed with the chronic lung disease asbestosis nine years ago.

Skramstad, who attended Monday's news conference, said he worked in the mine for 2 1/2 years and believes he brought asbestos fibers home with him. His wife and two children also suffer from asbestosis.

"They should have to pay," Skramstad said of the defendants. "They will never have to pay like we did, because it won't cost them their lives."

Grace bought the mining operation, which once supplied more than 80 percent of the world's vermiculite, in 1963 and shut it down in 1990. According to the indictment, the company knew of lung problems among its employees as early as 1976.

Grace executives also had access to reports or studies warning of the dangers of asbestos vermiculite exposure throughout the late 1970s and early '80s, the indictment alleged. Yet Grace officials told the EPA in 1983 they knew of nothing to indicate their products posed a substantial threat to human health, according to the indictment.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

W.R. Grace Shares Fall After Indictment

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By BOB ANEZ
Associated Press Writer

February 8, 2005, 4:40 PM EST

MISSOULA, Mont. -- Shares of W.R. Grace and Co. sank more than 8 percent Tuesday in the wake of a federal indictment that charged the chemicals and building materials supplier and seven of its executives knew a mine was releasing cancer-causing asbestos into the air and tried to hide the danger from workers and townspeople.

The federal grand jury handing down the indictment Monday said top Grace executives and managers kept secret numerous studies spelling out the risk the asbestos posed to its customers, employees and Libby residents.

Grace shares fell 95 cents, or 8.3 percent, to close at $10.50 in Tuesday trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Its shares had traded as high as $15.49 in November.

A newspaper study linked nearly 200 deaths to asbestos from the vermiculite mine in the small town of Libby, about 130 miles northwest of Missoula near the Canadian border. More than 1,200 became ill over the 30 years that Grace operated the mine.

According to the indictment, Grace -- knowing the risks -- provided vermiculite for a junior high school running track and as a base for an ice rink, and sold or leased some of its contaminated properties for homes and businesses, baseball fields, even city use.

The indictment, unsealed Monday, also accused Grace and Alan Stringer, former manager of the now-closed mine, of trying to obstruct efforts by the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the extent of the asbestos contamination beginning in 1999, when a study by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer linked the nearly 200 deaths and hundreds of illnesses to the mine.

The newspaper's study was based on interviews with doctors in several states.

The EPA, which has never disputed the findings of the study, has since declared the area a Superfund site and has spent more than $55 million on cleanup so far.

"A human and environmental tragedy has occurred in Libby. This prosecution seeks to hold Grace and some of its executives responsible for the misconduct alleged in this indictment," said Bill Mercer, the U.S. attorney for Montana.

Columbia, Md.-based Grace said in a statement it "categorically denies any criminal wrongdoing."

"We are surprised by the government's methods and disappointed by its determination to bring these allegations," the company said. "And though court rules prohibit us from commenting on the merits of the government's charges, we look forward to setting the record straight in a court of law."

Also named in the indictment were Henry Eschenbach, former health official for a Grace subsidiary; Jack Wolter, a former executive for Grace's construction products division; William McCaig, former general manager of the Libby mine; Robert Bettacchi, a senior vice president of Grace; O. Mario Favorito, chief legal counsel for Grace; and Robert Walsh, former Grace vice president.

The company could face a fine of up to $280 million, twice the amount of after-tax profits the government alleges W.R. Grace made from the mine, according to the Justice Department. Grace filed for bankruptcy protection in April 2001 after it was overwhelmed by asbestos-related lawsuits.

Stringer could be sentenced to as many as 70 years in prison, while Wolter and Bettacchi each face up to 55 years. The other defendants could get five years.

"This wasn't something that happened to us. This was something that was done to us," said Les Skramstad, 68, a former miner who was diagnosed with the chronic lung disease asbestosis nine years ago.

Skramstad, who attended Monday's news conference, said he worked in the mine for 2 1/2 years and believes he brought asbestos fibers home with him. His wife and two children also suffer from asbestosis.

"They should have to pay," Skramstad said of the defendants. "They will never have to pay like we did, because it won't cost them their lives."

Grace bought the mining operation, which once supplied more than 80 percent of the world's vermiculite, in 1963 and shut it down in 1990. According to the indictment, the company knew of lung problems among its employees as early as 1976.

Grace executives also had access to reports or studies warning of the dangers of asbestos vermiculite exposure throughout the late 1970s and early '80s, the indictment alleged. Yet Grace officials told the EPA in 1983 they knew of nothing to indicate their products posed a substantial threat to human health, according to the indictment.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

W.R. Grace Shares Fall After Indictment

Email this story

Printer friendly format



By BOB ANEZ
Associated Press Writer

February 8, 2005, 4:40 PM EST

MISSOULA, Mont. -- Shares of W.R. Grace and Co. sank more than 8 percent Tuesday in the wake of a federal indictment that charged the chemicals and building materials supplier and seven of its executives knew a mine was releasing cancer-causing asbestos into the air and tried to hide the danger from workers and townspeople.

The federal grand jury handing down the indictment Monday said top Grace executives and managers kept secret numerous studies spelling out the risk the asbestos posed to its customers, employees and Libby residents.

Grace shares fell 95 cents, or 8.3 percent, to close at $10.50 in Tuesday trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Its shares had traded as high as $15.49 in November.

A newspaper study linked nearly 200 deaths to asbestos from the vermiculite mine in the small town of Libby, about 130 miles northwest of Missoula near the Canadian border. More than 1,200 became ill over the 30 years that Grace operated the mine.

According to the indictment, Grace -- knowing the risks -- provided vermiculite for a junior high school running track and as a base for an ice rink, and sold or leased some of its contaminated properties for homes and businesses, baseball fields, even city use.

The indictment, unsealed Monday, also accused Grace and Alan Stringer, former manager of the now-closed mine, of trying to obstruct efforts by the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the extent of the asbestos contamination beginning in 1999, when a study by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer linked the nearly 200 deaths and hundreds of illnesses to the mine.

The newspaper's study was based on interviews with doctors in several states.

The EPA, which has never disputed the findings of the study, has since declared the area a Superfund site and has spent more than $55 million on cleanup so far.

"A human and environmental tragedy has occurred in Libby. This prosecution seeks to hold Grace and some of its executives responsible for the misconduct alleged in this indictment," said Bill Mercer, the U.S. attorney for Montana.

Columbia, Md.-based Grace said in a statement it "categorically denies any criminal wrongdoing."

"We are surprised by the government's methods and disappointed by its determination to bring these allegations," the company said. "And though court rules prohibit us from commenting on the merits of the government's charges, we look forward to setting the record straight in a court of law."

Also named in the indictment were Henry Eschenbach, former health official for a Grace subsidiary; Jack Wolter, a former executive for Grace's construction products division; William McCaig, former general manager of the Libby mine; Robert Bettacchi, a senior vice president of Grace; O. Mario Favorito, chief legal counsel for Grace; and Robert Walsh, former Grace vice president.

The company could face a fine of up to $280 million, twice the amount of after-tax profits the government alleges W.R. Grace made from the mine, according to the Justice Department. Grace filed for bankruptcy protection in April 2001 after it was overwhelmed by asbestos-related lawsuits.

Stringer could be sentenced to as many as 70 years in prison, while Wolter and Bettacchi each face up to 55 years. The other defendants could get five years.

"This wasn't something that happened to us. This was something that was done to us," said Les Skramstad, 68, a former miner who was diagnosed with the chronic lung disease asbestosis nine years ago.

Skramstad, who attended Monday's news conference, said he worked in the mine for 2 1/2 years and believes he brought asbestos fibers home with him. His wife and two children also suffer from asbestosis.

"They should have to pay," Skramstad said of the defendants. "They will never have to pay like we did, because it won't cost them their lives."

Grace bought the mining operation, which once supplied more than 80 percent of the world's vermiculite, in 1963 and shut it down in 1990. According to the indictment, the company knew of lung problems among its employees as early as 1976.

Grace executives also had access to reports or studies warning of the dangers of asbestos vermiculite exposure throughout the late 1970s and early '80s, the indictment alleged. Yet Grace officials told the EPA in 1983 they knew of nothing to indicate their products posed a substantial threat to human health, according to the indictment.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush: Congress must bring discipline to federal spending
DETROIT (AP) — President Bush said Tuesday that Congress must bring discipline to the federal budget and cut failing or unnecessary programs even if they have laudable goals.

"Spending discipline requires difficult choices," President Bush told a Detroit audience.
By Luke Frazza, AFP

"It is essential that those who spend the money in Washington adhere to this principle — a taxpayer dollar ought to be spent wisely or not spent at all," Bush told the Detroit Economic Club.

Bush sent Congress a $2.57 trillion budget Monday that drastically cuts or eliminates 150 federal programs, including subsidies paid to farmers, health programs for poor people and veterans and spending on the environment and education. (Related story: Budget gets Dem heat on Hill)

Bush said every program on the chopping block is failing to meet its goals, duplicates other available services or is not an essential priority for the federal government. Bush singled out farm subsidies, which he said are providing government checks of up to $360,000 a year to individual farmers.

"I think that no farmer should get $250,000 a year in subsidy," Bush said. He said cutting the subsidies will save taxpayers $1.2 billion over the next decade.

Bush also cited Even Start, a 16-year-old literacy program for poor families. Bush said everyone wants poor people to learn to read, but three evaluations have made it clear that Even Start is not working.

"Congress needs to join with me to bring real spending discipline to the federal budget," Bush said to applause from automotive executives and others Michigan leaders jammed wall-to-wall at tables in a large room at Cobo Hall. "Spending discipline requires difficult choices. Every government program was created with good intentions, but not all are matching good intentions with good results."

Bush's slimmed-down budget proposal is just one of the conservative fiscal policies he plans to push in his second term as he tries to continue expanding the economy and improve the slowly recovering job market. Bush also wants tax cuts, deregulation, free trade and more modern training for the work force.

Questions about the health of the jobs market dogged Bush throughout his first term and was a hot-button issue in the presidential campaign. Ultimately the jobs situation and the economy wasn't enough of a concern to deny Bush a second term, although it contributed to his loss in the hard-hit swing state of Michigan.

Employment figures released last week provided a reprieve to the White House. While the addition of 146,000 jobs was small, it gave Bush a net gain of 119,000 jobs during his first term and allowed him to escape being the first president since Herbert Hoover to have a net loss of jobs on his watch.

"We have overcome a series of challenges to our economy," McClellan told reporters Monday. "We must continue to act to build upon the results we have achieved."

Bush has offered a budget proposal for next year that would boost spending on the military and homeland security but cut many other programs. Many of the programs Bush wants to cut are popular in Congress, which still has to approve his plan.

Gus Faucher, a senior economist at Economy.com, said Bush's plan to keep spending below the rate of inflation for programs outside of defense and homeland security is a change from the first term, when he oversaw large increases in federal spending.

"In that sense he has not been conservative at all," Faucher said.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush: Congress must bring discipline to federal spending
DETROIT (AP) — President Bush said Tuesday that Congress must bring discipline to the federal budget and cut failing or unnecessary programs even if they have laudable goals.

"Spending discipline requires difficult choices," President Bush told a Detroit audience.
By Luke Frazza, AFP

"It is essential that those who spend the money in Washington adhere to this principle — a taxpayer dollar ought to be spent wisely or not spent at all," Bush told the Detroit Economic Club.

Bush sent Congress a $2.57 trillion budget Monday that drastically cuts or eliminates 150 federal programs, including subsidies paid to farmers, health programs for poor people and veterans and spending on the environment and education. (Related story: Budget gets Dem heat on Hill)

Bush said every program on the chopping block is failing to meet its goals, duplicates other available services or is not an essential priority for the federal government. Bush singled out farm subsidies, which he said are providing government checks of up to $360,000 a year to individual farmers.

"I think that no farmer should get $250,000 a year in subsidy," Bush said. He said cutting the subsidies will save taxpayers $1.2 billion over the next decade.

Bush also cited Even Start, a 16-year-old literacy program for poor families. Bush said everyone wants poor people to learn to read, but three evaluations have made it clear that Even Start is not working.

"Congress needs to join with me to bring real spending discipline to the federal budget," Bush said to applause from automotive executives and others Michigan leaders jammed wall-to-wall at tables in a large room at Cobo Hall. "Spending discipline requires difficult choices. Every government program was created with good intentions, but not all are matching good intentions with good results."

Bush's slimmed-down budget proposal is just one of the conservative fiscal policies he plans to push in his second term as he tries to continue expanding the economy and improve the slowly recovering job market. Bush also wants tax cuts, deregulation, free trade and more modern training for the work force.

Questions about the health of the jobs market dogged Bush throughout his first term and was a hot-button issue in the presidential campaign. Ultimately the jobs situation and the economy wasn't enough of a concern to deny Bush a second term, although it contributed to his loss in the hard-hit swing state of Michigan.

Employment figures released last week provided a reprieve to the White House. While the addition of 146,000 jobs was small, it gave Bush a net gain of 119,000 jobs during his first term and allowed him to escape being the first president since Herbert Hoover to have a net loss of jobs on his watch.

"We have overcome a series of challenges to our economy," McClellan told reporters Monday. "We must continue to act to build upon the results we have achieved."

Bush has offered a budget proposal for next year that would boost spending on the military and homeland security but cut many other programs. Many of the programs Bush wants to cut are popular in Congress, which still has to approve his plan.

Gus Faucher, a senior economist at Economy.com, said Bush's plan to keep spending below the rate of inflation for programs outside of defense and homeland security is a change from the first term, when he oversaw large increases in federal spending.

"In that sense he has not been conservative at all," Faucher said.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush: Congress must bring discipline to federal spending
DETROIT (AP) — President Bush said Tuesday that Congress must bring discipline to the federal budget and cut failing or unnecessary programs even if they have laudable goals.

"Spending discipline requires difficult choices," President Bush told a Detroit audience.
By Luke Frazza, AFP

"It is essential that those who spend the money in Washington adhere to this principle — a taxpayer dollar ought to be spent wisely or not spent at all," Bush told the Detroit Economic Club.

Bush sent Congress a $2.57 trillion budget Monday that drastically cuts or eliminates 150 federal programs, including subsidies paid to farmers, health programs for poor people and veterans and spending on the environment and education. (Related story: Budget gets Dem heat on Hill)

Bush said every program on the chopping block is failing to meet its goals, duplicates other available services or is not an essential priority for the federal government. Bush singled out farm subsidies, which he said are providing government checks of up to $360,000 a year to individual farmers.

"I think that no farmer should get $250,000 a year in subsidy," Bush said. He said cutting the subsidies will save taxpayers $1.2 billion over the next decade.

Bush also cited Even Start, a 16-year-old literacy program for poor families. Bush said everyone wants poor people to learn to read, but three evaluations have made it clear that Even Start is not working.

"Congress needs to join with me to bring real spending discipline to the federal budget," Bush said to applause from automotive executives and others Michigan leaders jammed wall-to-wall at tables in a large room at Cobo Hall. "Spending discipline requires difficult choices. Every government program was created with good intentions, but not all are matching good intentions with good results."

Bush's slimmed-down budget proposal is just one of the conservative fiscal policies he plans to push in his second term as he tries to continue expanding the economy and improve the slowly recovering job market. Bush also wants tax cuts, deregulation, free trade and more modern training for the work force.

Questions about the health of the jobs market dogged Bush throughout his first term and was a hot-button issue in the presidential campaign. Ultimately the jobs situation and the economy wasn't enough of a concern to deny Bush a second term, although it contributed to his loss in the hard-hit swing state of Michigan.

Employment figures released last week provided a reprieve to the White House. While the addition of 146,000 jobs was small, it gave Bush a net gain of 119,000 jobs during his first term and allowed him to escape being the first president since Herbert Hoover to have a net loss of jobs on his watch.

"We have overcome a series of challenges to our economy," McClellan told reporters Monday. "We must continue to act to build upon the results we have achieved."

Bush has offered a budget proposal for next year that would boost spending on the military and homeland security but cut many other programs. Many of the programs Bush wants to cut are popular in Congress, which still has to approve his plan.

Gus Faucher, a senior economist at Economy.com, said Bush's plan to keep spending below the rate of inflation for programs outside of defense and homeland security is a change from the first term, when he oversaw large increases in federal spending.

"In that sense he has not been conservative at all," Faucher said.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush credits Karl Rove with putting him in the Whitehouse. And, he's
correct.

How did he do it? Easy. Sell to emotion (fear - of terrorists, gays,
whatever; exploit religion, use character assassination on your opponent,
etc.) - never tell the truth, never admit a mistake, promise the world but
never say how it will be paid for; run every word through focus groups (by
the way, Social Security "crisis" is now out - it's "major problems" now -
it didn't poll well. Neither did "privatization," it's now "individual
accounts").

Bush is the first President in the history of the United States to be an
anti-enlightenment President, preferring religion over reason.

We will shortly meet our goal of instituting in Iraq the same form of
government we have here - a Theocracy.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush credits Karl Rove with putting him in the Whitehouse. And, he's
correct.

How did he do it? Easy. Sell to emotion (fear - of terrorists, gays,
whatever; exploit religion, use character assassination on your opponent,
etc.) - never tell the truth, never admit a mistake, promise the world but
never say how it will be paid for; run every word through focus groups (by
the way, Social Security "crisis" is now out - it's "major problems" now -
it didn't poll well. Neither did "privatization," it's now "individual
accounts").

Bush is the first President in the history of the United States to be an
anti-enlightenment President, preferring religion over reason.

We will shortly meet our goal of instituting in Iraq the same form of
government we have here - a Theocracy.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush credits Karl Rove with putting him in the Whitehouse. And, he's
correct.

How did he do it? Easy. Sell to emotion (fear - of terrorists, gays,
whatever; exploit religion, use character assassination on your opponent,
etc.) - never tell the truth, never admit a mistake, promise the world but
never say how it will be paid for; run every word through focus groups (by
the way, Social Security "crisis" is now out - it's "major problems" now -
it didn't poll well. Neither did "privatization," it's now "individual
accounts").

Bush is the first President in the history of the United States to be an
anti-enlightenment President, preferring religion over reason.

We will shortly meet our goal of instituting in Iraq the same form of
government we have here - a Theocracy.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rice tells Europe to move past conflicts
PARIS (AP) — Trying to mend fences with Europe, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday "it is time to turn away from the disagreements of the past" that alienated longtime allies over the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

"America has everything to gain" from having a stronger Europe as a partner, Rice told the group.
By Jack Guez, AFP

France was the most vocal opponent of President Bush's handling of the war with Iraq, and the new secretary of state deliberately chose Paris for the major address of her first official tour of Europe. (Video: Rice visits the Vatican)

But Rice did not back down from Bush's pledge to spread freedom across the globe and added a challenge to Europeans.

"America stands ready to work with Europe on our common agenda and Europe must stand ready to work with America," she said in a speech at Paris's Institute of Political Studies.

"After all, history will surely judge us not by our old disagreements, but by our new achievements," she said.

Science Politique, known in France as Sciences Po, is a school of political science that has been at the center of recent debate over America's reach and power. Some 500 students and intellectuals were attending and Rice was to take questions from the audience.

Following her speech, Rice answered a series of questions, ranging from Iraq's effort to establish a democracy to the development of biological weapons. She told the students and guests that the Iraqis would now engage in a political process to form a government that was not at odds with religion.

"What we must understand there is no inherent conflict between Islam and democracy," she said.

Rice also explained why she chose Paris considering the rift over Iraq between the two nations. "This is a deep broad and active relationship that is very effective on world peace," she said. "When we disagree, we still disagree as friends."

In her speech, Rice said the founders of both the French and U.S. republics were inspired by the same values — freedom, democracy and human dignity — and by each other. History has shown that revolutions striving for freedom can start in mundane ways but need outside help, she said.

"In my own experience, a black woman named Rosa Parks was just tired one day of being told to sit in the back of the bus," Rice said. "So she refused to move, and she launched a revolution for freedom in the American South."

Similar was the power of Lech Walesa and his labor strike in Poland, Afghans and Iraqis who recently voted after years of repression and ordinary men and women who helped bring down the Berlin Wall in 1989.

"Yet that day of freedom in November 1989 could never have happened without the full support of the free nations of the West," she said.

"Time and again in our shared history, Americans and Europeans have enjoyed our greatest successes for ourselves and for others, when we refused to accept an unacceptable status quo, but instead put our values to work for the cause of freedom.

Rice said, "America has everything to gain" from having a stronger Europe as a partner.

"It is time to turn away from the disagreements of the past," Rice said. "It is time to open a new chapter in our relationship, and a new chapter in our alliance."

Rice said the United States and Europe should move beyond "a partnership based on common threats" and focus instead on a partnership based upon "common opportunities, beyond the trans-Atlantic community."

Earlier in Rome, Rice said she is optimistic about the chances for Israel and the Palestinians to reach accommodation, in part because of a new thirst for peace throughout the Middle East. She cautioned that "there is still a long road ahead."

"There seems to be a will in the Middle East because people want to live in a different kind of Middle East," Rice said.

She commented after a meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini in which they discussed Iraq, the Middle East other issues.

Their meeting came hours before Israeli and Palestinian leaders declared that their people would stop all military or violent activity, pledging to break the four-year cycle of bloodshed and get peace talks back on track.

Fresh from meeting separately with Israeli and Palestinian leaders over the prior two days, Rice reiterated that success at Tuesday's summit and beyond will depend in part on help and commitment from other Middle Eastern countries the international community in general.

She had harsh words for one neighbor of Israel.

"Syria has been unhelpful in a number of ways," Rice said, adding that Syria knows it must clamp down on terrorism before relations with the United States and the rest of the world can improve.

"I would hope Syria would not want to be isolated and would not want to have bad relations with the United States. ... I would hope Syria would react in a more positive way.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rice tells Europe to move past conflicts
PARIS (AP) — Trying to mend fences with Europe, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday "it is time to turn away from the disagreements of the past" that alienated longtime allies over the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

"America has everything to gain" from having a stronger Europe as a partner, Rice told the group.
By Jack Guez, AFP

France was the most vocal opponent of President Bush's handling of the war with Iraq, and the new secretary of state deliberately chose Paris for the major address of her first official tour of Europe. (Video: Rice visits the Vatican)

But Rice did not back down from Bush's pledge to spread freedom across the globe and added a challenge to Europeans.

"America stands ready to work with Europe on our common agenda and Europe must stand ready to work with America," she said in a speech at Paris's Institute of Political Studies.

"After all, history will surely judge us not by our old disagreements, but by our new achievements," she said.

Science Politique, known in France as Sciences Po, is a school of political science that has been at the center of recent debate over America's reach and power. Some 500 students and intellectuals were attending and Rice was to take questions from the audience.

Following her speech, Rice answered a series of questions, ranging from Iraq's effort to establish a democracy to the development of biological weapons. She told the students and guests that the Iraqis would now engage in a political process to form a government that was not at odds with religion.

"What we must understand there is no inherent conflict between Islam and democracy," she said.

Rice also explained why she chose Paris considering the rift over Iraq between the two nations. "This is a deep broad and active relationship that is very effective on world peace," she said. "When we disagree, we still disagree as friends."

In her speech, Rice said the founders of both the French and U.S. republics were inspired by the same values — freedom, democracy and human dignity — and by each other. History has shown that revolutions striving for freedom can start in mundane ways but need outside help, she said.

"In my own experience, a black woman named Rosa Parks was just tired one day of being told to sit in the back of the bus," Rice said. "So she refused to move, and she launched a revolution for freedom in the American South."

Similar was the power of Lech Walesa and his labor strike in Poland, Afghans and Iraqis who recently voted after years of repression and ordinary men and women who helped bring down the Berlin Wall in 1989.

"Yet that day of freedom in November 1989 could never have happened without the full support of the free nations of the West," she said.

"Time and again in our shared history, Americans and Europeans have enjoyed our greatest successes for ourselves and for others, when we refused to accept an unacceptable status quo, but instead put our values to work for the cause of freedom.

Rice said, "America has everything to gain" from having a stronger Europe as a partner.

"It is time to turn away from the disagreements of the past," Rice said. "It is time to open a new chapter in our relationship, and a new chapter in our alliance."

Rice said the United States and Europe should move beyond "a partnership based on common threats" and focus instead on a partnership based upon "common opportunities, beyond the trans-Atlantic community."

Earlier in Rome, Rice said she is optimistic about the chances for Israel and the Palestinians to reach accommodation, in part because of a new thirst for peace throughout the Middle East. She cautioned that "there is still a long road ahead."

"There seems to be a will in the Middle East because people want to live in a different kind of Middle East," Rice said.

She commented after a meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini in which they discussed Iraq, the Middle East other issues.

Their meeting came hours before Israeli and Palestinian leaders declared that their people would stop all military or violent activity, pledging to break the four-year cycle of bloodshed and get peace talks back on track.

Fresh from meeting separately with Israeli and Palestinian leaders over the prior two days, Rice reiterated that success at Tuesday's summit and beyond will depend in part on help and commitment from other Middle Eastern countries the international community in general.

She had harsh words for one neighbor of Israel.

"Syria has been unhelpful in a number of ways," Rice said, adding that Syria knows it must clamp down on terrorism before relations with the United States and the rest of the world can improve.

"I would hope Syria would not want to be isolated and would not want to have bad relations with the United States. ... I would hope Syria would react in a more positive way.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rice tells Europe to move past conflicts
PARIS (AP) — Trying to mend fences with Europe, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday "it is time to turn away from the disagreements of the past" that alienated longtime allies over the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

"America has everything to gain" from having a stronger Europe as a partner, Rice told the group.
By Jack Guez, AFP

France was the most vocal opponent of President Bush's handling of the war with Iraq, and the new secretary of state deliberately chose Paris for the major address of her first official tour of Europe. (Video: Rice visits the Vatican)

But Rice did not back down from Bush's pledge to spread freedom across the globe and added a challenge to Europeans.

"America stands ready to work with Europe on our common agenda and Europe must stand ready to work with America," she said in a speech at Paris's Institute of Political Studies.

"After all, history will surely judge us not by our old disagreements, but by our new achievements," she said.

Science Politique, known in France as Sciences Po, is a school of political science that has been at the center of recent debate over America's reach and power. Some 500 students and intellectuals were attending and Rice was to take questions from the audience.

Following her speech, Rice answered a series of questions, ranging from Iraq's effort to establish a democracy to the development of biological weapons. She told the students and guests that the Iraqis would now engage in a political process to form a government that was not at odds with religion.

"What we must understand there is no inherent conflict between Islam and democracy," she said.

Rice also explained why she chose Paris considering the rift over Iraq between the two nations. "This is a deep broad and active relationship that is very effective on world peace," she said. "When we disagree, we still disagree as friends."

In her speech, Rice said the founders of both the French and U.S. republics were inspired by the same values — freedom, democracy and human dignity — and by each other. History has shown that revolutions striving for freedom can start in mundane ways but need outside help, she said.

"In my own experience, a black woman named Rosa Parks was just tired one day of being told to sit in the back of the bus," Rice said. "So she refused to move, and she launched a revolution for freedom in the American South."

Similar was the power of Lech Walesa and his labor strike in Poland, Afghans and Iraqis who recently voted after years of repression and ordinary men and women who helped bring down the Berlin Wall in 1989.

"Yet that day of freedom in November 1989 could never have happened without the full support of the free nations of the West," she said.

"Time and again in our shared history, Americans and Europeans have enjoyed our greatest successes for ourselves and for others, when we refused to accept an unacceptable status quo, but instead put our values to work for the cause of freedom.

Rice said, "America has everything to gain" from having a stronger Europe as a partner.

"It is time to turn away from the disagreements of the past," Rice said. "It is time to open a new chapter in our relationship, and a new chapter in our alliance."

Rice said the United States and Europe should move beyond "a partnership based on common threats" and focus instead on a partnership based upon "common opportunities, beyond the trans-Atlantic community."

Earlier in Rome, Rice said she is optimistic about the chances for Israel and the Palestinians to reach accommodation, in part because of a new thirst for peace throughout the Middle East. She cautioned that "there is still a long road ahead."

"There seems to be a will in the Middle East because people want to live in a different kind of Middle East," Rice said.

She commented after a meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini in which they discussed Iraq, the Middle East other issues.

Their meeting came hours before Israeli and Palestinian leaders declared that their people would stop all military or violent activity, pledging to break the four-year cycle of bloodshed and get peace talks back on track.

Fresh from meeting separately with Israeli and Palestinian leaders over the prior two days, Rice reiterated that success at Tuesday's summit and beyond will depend in part on help and commitment from other Middle Eastern countries the international community in general.

She had harsh words for one neighbor of Israel.

"Syria has been unhelpful in a number of ways," Rice said, adding that Syria knows it must clamp down on terrorism before relations with the United States and the rest of the world can improve.

"I would hope Syria would not want to be isolated and would not want to have bad relations with the United States. ... I would hope Syria would react in a more positive way.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Key expenses are omitted, analysts say
By Rick Klein and Susan Milligan, Globe Staff | February 8, 2005

WASHINGTON -- President Bush's budget proposal does not include some of his biggest spending and tax-cutting priorities, and includes no money for future expenses for the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. If all costs were included, Bush would fall well short of his campaign pledge to halve the federal budget deficit within five years, according to independent budget analysts.

ADVERTISEMENT

Bush is asking for $81 billion for Afghanistan and Iraq, but his budget plan does not anticipate any future expenses because the administration considers the costs of active military operations to be separate from the main Pentagon budget.

RELATED CONTENT:
GLOBE GRAPHIC: Deficits compared
Bush spending plan hits social programs
Bush's plan stresses security

In addition, Bush does not include the transition costs for his plan to partially privatize Social Security for younger workers, a priority that would cost at least $754 billion in its first five years. Also missing from the budget are the $1.6 trillion over 10 years it would cost to make his tax cuts permanent, and the $642 billion, 10-year cost of changing the alternative minimum tax so that it will not affect middle-class taxpayers.

While the budget's supporting documents say Bush would put the nation on track to slice the deficit by 55 percent by 2009, that is only because of a series of ''scorekeeping gimmicks," said Robert L. Bixby, executive director of the Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan group that advocates fiscal responsibility.

''It's easier to achieve your goal if you leave stuff out," Bixby said. ''I do give the president credit for presenting some hard choices on entitlements. But this isn't a realistic budget because of what it leaves out and what it ignores."

In addition, White House officials yesterday for the first time recast the deficit in terms of its relationship to the gross domestic product, a calculation that makes it easier for the administration to seem to meet its pledge by assuming steady economic growth. Joshua Bolten, director of the Bush administration's Office of Management and Budget, said the deficit -- now 3.5 percent of GDP -- will be at 1.5 percent of GDP by 2009.

Bolten said Bush is not backing off his pledge to reduce the deficit in actual numbers, but merely offering an alternate measure that indicates the extent of his fiscal restraint.

Bolten and other Bush supporters noted that the $2.57 trillion budget he submitted to Congress yesterday is the most austere of his presidency, with the ax falling on education programs, farm subsidies, and housing grants.

''It's a budget which I think takes an appropriate approach to how we manage our fiscal house here in Washington," said Senate Budget Committee chairman Judd Gregg, Republican of New Hampshire. ''This budget is a very restrained budget."

But the biggest areas of government spending -- including Social Security, Defense, and Medicare -- would continue to rise rapidly under Bush's plan. The federal budget deficit is set to rise again this year, to $427 billion from last fiscal year's record high of $412 billion.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Key expenses are omitted, analysts say
By Rick Klein and Susan Milligan, Globe Staff | February 8, 2005

WASHINGTON -- President Bush's budget proposal does not include some of his biggest spending and tax-cutting priorities, and includes no money for future expenses for the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. If all costs were included, Bush would fall well short of his campaign pledge to halve the federal budget deficit within five years, according to independent budget analysts.

ADVERTISEMENT

Bush is asking for $81 billion for Afghanistan and Iraq, but his budget plan does not anticipate any future expenses because the administration considers the costs of active military operations to be separate from the main Pentagon budget.

RELATED CONTENT:
GLOBE GRAPHIC: Deficits compared
Bush spending plan hits social programs
Bush's plan stresses security

In addition, Bush does not include the transition costs for his plan to partially privatize Social Security for younger workers, a priority that would cost at least $754 billion in its first five years. Also missing from the budget are the $1.6 trillion over 10 years it would cost to make his tax cuts permanent, and the $642 billion, 10-year cost of changing the alternative minimum tax so that it will not affect middle-class taxpayers.

While the budget's supporting documents say Bush would put the nation on track to slice the deficit by 55 percent by 2009, that is only because of a series of ''scorekeeping gimmicks," said Robert L. Bixby, executive director of the Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan group that advocates fiscal responsibility.

''It's easier to achieve your goal if you leave stuff out," Bixby said. ''I do give the president credit for presenting some hard choices on entitlements. But this isn't a realistic budget because of what it leaves out and what it ignores."

In addition, White House officials yesterday for the first time recast the deficit in terms of its relationship to the gross domestic product, a calculation that makes it easier for the administration to seem to meet its pledge by assuming steady economic growth. Joshua Bolten, director of the Bush administration's Office of Management and Budget, said the deficit -- now 3.5 percent of GDP -- will be at 1.5 percent of GDP by 2009.

Bolten said Bush is not backing off his pledge to reduce the deficit in actual numbers, but merely offering an alternate measure that indicates the extent of his fiscal restraint.

Bolten and other Bush supporters noted that the $2.57 trillion budget he submitted to Congress yesterday is the most austere of his presidency, with the ax falling on education programs, farm subsidies, and housing grants.

''It's a budget which I think takes an appropriate approach to how we manage our fiscal house here in Washington," said Senate Budget Committee chairman Judd Gregg, Republican of New Hampshire. ''This budget is a very restrained budget."

But the biggest areas of government spending -- including Social Security, Defense, and Medicare -- would continue to rise rapidly under Bush's plan. The federal budget deficit is set to rise again this year, to $427 billion from last fiscal year's record high of $412 billion.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Key expenses are omitted, analysts say
By Rick Klein and Susan Milligan, Globe Staff | February 8, 2005

WASHINGTON -- President Bush's budget proposal does not include some of his biggest spending and tax-cutting priorities, and includes no money for future expenses for the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. If all costs were included, Bush would fall well short of his campaign pledge to halve the federal budget deficit within five years, according to independent budget analysts.

ADVERTISEMENT

Bush is asking for $81 billion for Afghanistan and Iraq, but his budget plan does not anticipate any future expenses because the administration considers the costs of active military operations to be separate from the main Pentagon budget.

RELATED CONTENT:
GLOBE GRAPHIC: Deficits compared
Bush spending plan hits social programs
Bush's plan stresses security

In addition, Bush does not include the transition costs for his plan to partially privatize Social Security for younger workers, a priority that would cost at least $754 billion in its first five years. Also missing from the budget are the $1.6 trillion over 10 years it would cost to make his tax cuts permanent, and the $642 billion, 10-year cost of changing the alternative minimum tax so that it will not affect middle-class taxpayers.

While the budget's supporting documents say Bush would put the nation on track to slice the deficit by 55 percent by 2009, that is only because of a series of ''scorekeeping gimmicks," said Robert L. Bixby, executive director of the Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan group that advocates fiscal responsibility.

''It's easier to achieve your goal if you leave stuff out," Bixby said. ''I do give the president credit for presenting some hard choices on entitlements. But this isn't a realistic budget because of what it leaves out and what it ignores."

In addition, White House officials yesterday for the first time recast the deficit in terms of its relationship to the gross domestic product, a calculation that makes it easier for the administration to seem to meet its pledge by assuming steady economic growth. Joshua Bolten, director of the Bush administration's Office of Management and Budget, said the deficit -- now 3.5 percent of GDP -- will be at 1.5 percent of GDP by 2009.

Bolten said Bush is not backing off his pledge to reduce the deficit in actual numbers, but merely offering an alternate measure that indicates the extent of his fiscal restraint.

Bolten and other Bush supporters noted that the $2.57 trillion budget he submitted to Congress yesterday is the most austere of his presidency, with the ax falling on education programs, farm subsidies, and housing grants.

''It's a budget which I think takes an appropriate approach to how we manage our fiscal house here in Washington," said Senate Budget Committee chairman Judd Gregg, Republican of New Hampshire. ''This budget is a very restrained budget."

But the biggest areas of government spending -- including Social Security, Defense, and Medicare -- would continue to rise rapidly under Bush's plan. The federal budget deficit is set to rise again this year, to $427 billion from last fiscal year's record high of $412 billion.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A daily look at U.S. military deaths in Iraq
The Associated Press
As of Sunday, at least 1,448 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,105 died as a result of hostile action, the Defense Department said. The figures include four military civilians.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A daily look at U.S. military deaths in Iraq
The Associated Press
As of Sunday, at least 1,448 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,105 died as a result of hostile action, the Defense Department said. The figures include four military civilians.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A daily look at U.S. military deaths in Iraq
The Associated Press
As of Sunday, at least 1,448 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,105 died as a result of hostile action, the Defense Department said. The figures include four military civilians.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush shows highest ratings in a year
By Jill Lawrence, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Americans give President Bush his highest job-approval rating in more than a year and show cautious optimism about Iraq in a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll taken shortly after historic Iraqi elections.

According to the poll, health care, education and the economy were the top domestic items considered 'extremely important' for Americans.
Win McNamee, Getty Images

In reversals from a month ago, majorities now say that going to war in Iraq was not a mistake, that things are going well there and that it's likely democracy will be established in Iraq. (Related item: Poll results)

Bush's approval rating of 57% is his highest since he reached 59% in January 2004, shortly after U.S. troops captured Saddam Hussein.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush shows highest ratings in a year
By Jill Lawrence, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Americans give President Bush his highest job-approval rating in more than a year and show cautious optimism about Iraq in a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll taken shortly after historic Iraqi elections.

According to the poll, health care, education and the economy were the top domestic items considered 'extremely important' for Americans.
Win McNamee, Getty Images

In reversals from a month ago, majorities now say that going to war in Iraq was not a mistake, that things are going well there and that it's likely democracy will be established in Iraq. (Related item: Poll results)

Bush's approval rating of 57% is his highest since he reached 59% in January 2004, shortly after U.S. troops captured Saddam Hussein.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush shows highest ratings in a year
By Jill Lawrence, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Americans give President Bush his highest job-approval rating in more than a year and show cautious optimism about Iraq in a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll taken shortly after historic Iraqi elections.

According to the poll, health care, education and the economy were the top domestic items considered 'extremely important' for Americans.
Win McNamee, Getty Images

In reversals from a month ago, majorities now say that going to war in Iraq was not a mistake, that things are going well there and that it's likely democracy will be established in Iraq. (Related item: Poll results)

Bush's approval rating of 57% is his highest since he reached 59% in January 2004, shortly after U.S. troops captured Saddam Hussein.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush sends $2.57 trillion budget proposal to Congress
House minority leader calls plan a 'hoax'
Monday, February 7, 2005 Posted: 1:42 PM EST (1842 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush sent Congress a $2.57 trillion budget plan Monday that would eliminate or vastly scale back 150 government programs while cutting the deficit to $390 billion for 2006

The spending proposal -- the most austere of Bush's presidency -- will spark months of debate in Congress, where lawmakers will fight to protect their favored programs.

Outside defense, homeland security and the government's huge mandatory programs such as Social Security, Bush proposes cutting spending for the rest of government by 0.5 percent, the first such proposed cut since the Reagan administration.

Of 23 major government agencies, 12 would see their budget authority reduced next year, including cuts of 9.6 percent at Agriculture, 5.6 percent at the Environmental Protection Agency, 6.7 percent at Transportation and 11.5 percent at Housing and Urban Development.

Aside from defense and homeland security, favored Bush programs included a new $1.5 billion high school performance program, expanded Pell Grants for low-income college students and more support for community health clinics.

"It's budget that sets priorities," Bush said after a meeting with his Cabinet. "It's a budget that reduces and eliminates redundancy. It's a budget that's a lean budget."

Bush acknowledged that it would be difficult to eliminate popular programs but he said programs must prove their worth. "I'm very optimistic."

Joshua Bolten, Bush's budget director, said, "Are we going to get everything we asked for? No." But he predicted Congress would likely accept the administration's broad priorities. He said he entered the upcoming congressional budget battle with a "happy spirit."

House Democratic Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California called Bush's budget "a hoax on the American people. The two issues that dominated the president's State of the Union address -- Iraq and Social Security -- are nowhere to be found in this budget."

Bush's budget proposal does not reflect the costs for overhauling Social Security by allowing younger workers to set up private investment accounts. Aides said accurate cost estimates could not be made since the plan is still being developed.

Bolten said the administration would soon be coming forward with a supplemental request for an additional $81 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said that request was reflected in the overall spending projections in Bush's budget for the current year and into 2006.

But he said including further additional spending for Iraq and Afghanistan "wouldn't be responsible" because it would represent guesses on what will be needed. Bolten also said that even if transition costs for Social Security had been included, the president would still be able to meet his goal of cutting the deficit in half by 2009 as a percentage of the total economy.

Bush's 2006 spending plan, for the budget year that will begin October 1, counts on a healthy economy to boost revenues by 6.1 percent to $2.18 trillion. Spending, meanwhile, would grow by 3.5 percent to $2.57 trillion.

The spending document projects that the deficit will hit a record -- in terms of dollars -- $427 billion this year, the third straight year that the red ink in dollar terms has set a record. Bush projects that the deficit will fall to $390 billion in 2006 and gradually decline to $233 billion in 2009 and $207 billion in 2010.

In his budget message to Congress, Bush said, "In order to sustain our economic expansion, we must continue pro-growth policies and enforce even greater spending restraint across the federal government."

Democrats complained that Bush was resorting to draconian cuts that would hurt the needy in order to protect his first term tax cuts that primarily benefited the wealthy.

"This budget is part of the Republican plan to cut Social Security benefits while handing out lavish tax breaks for multimillionaires," said Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada. "Its cuts in veterans programs, health care and education reflect the wrong priorities, and its huge deficits are fiscally irresponsible."

Democrats also contended that the budget masked the costs of some Bush initiatives such as making his first-term tax cuts permanent by only making deficit projections through 2010. The budget puts the cost of making Bush's tax cuts permanent at $1.1 trillion through 2015 but does not show how that would impact the deficit at that time.

"This budget paints a misleading picture by providing no deficit figures after 2010 and by omitting the full long-term costs of the president's policies on Social Security privatization, taxes and operations in Iraq," said Rep. John Spratt, top Democrat on the House Budget Committee.

Bush's budget proposed increasing military spending by 4.8 percent to $419.3 billion in 2006. However, even with the increase a number of major weapons programs, including Bush's missile defense system and the B-2 stealth bomber, would see cuts from this year's levels.

Bush's proposal would trim $5.7 billion over the next decade from government support programs for farmers, which would represent cuts to farmers growing a wide range of cuts from cotton and rice to corn, soybeans and wheat.

Overall, the administration projected saving $8.2 billion in agriculture programs over the next decade including trimming food stamp payments to the poor by $1.1 billion.

Other programs set for reductions include the Army Corps of Engineers, whose dam and other waterway projects are extremely popular in Congress; the Energy Department; several health programs under the Health and Human Services Department and federal subsidies for Amtrak.

About one-third of the programs subject to elimination are in the Education Department, including federal grant programs for local schools in such areas as vocational education, anti-drug efforts and Even Start, a $225 million literacy program.

In all, the president proposed $137 billion less over the next 10 years than previously forecast for mandatory programs with much of that occurring in reductions in Medicaid, the big federal-state program that provides health care for the poor, and in payments the Veterans Administration makes for health care. The administration proposed no savings for Medicare, the giant health care program for the elderly.

Many of the spending cuts in the plan are repeats of efforts the administration has proposed and Congress has rejected previously.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 04:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush sends $2.57 trillion budget proposal to Congress
House minority leader calls plan a 'hoax'
Monday, February 7, 2005 Posted: 1:42 PM EST (1842 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush sent Congress a $2.57 trillion budget plan Monday that would eliminate or vastly scale back 150 government programs while cutting the deficit to $390 billion for 2006

The spending proposal -- the most austere of Bush's presidency -- will spark months of debate in Congress, where lawmakers will fight to protect their favored programs.

Outside defense, homeland security and the government's huge mandatory programs such as Social Security, Bush proposes cutting spending for the rest of government by 0.5 percent, the first such proposed cut since the Reagan administration.

Of 23 major government agencies, 12 would see their budget authority reduced next year, including cuts of 9.6 percent at Agriculture, 5.6 percent at the Environmental Protection Agency, 6.7 percent at Transportation and 11.5 percent at Housing and Urban Development.

Aside from defense and homeland security, favored Bush programs included a new $1.5 billion high school performance program, expanded Pell Grants for low-income college students and more support for community health clinics.

"It's budget that sets priorities," Bush said after a meeting with his Cabinet. "It's a budget that reduces and eliminates redundancy. It's a budget that's a lean budget."

Bush acknowledged that it would be difficult to eliminate popular programs but he said programs must prove their worth. "I'm very optimistic."

Joshua Bolten, Bush's budget director, said, "Are we going to get everything we asked for? No." But he predicted Congress would likely accept the administration's broad priorities. He said he entered the upcoming congressional budget battle with a "happy spirit."

House Democratic Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California called Bush's budget "a hoax on the American people. The two issues that dominated the president's State of the Union address -- Iraq and Social Security -- are nowhere to be found in this budget."

Bush's budget proposal does not reflect the costs for overhauling Social Security by allowing younger workers to set up private investment accounts. Aides said accurate cost estimates could not be made since the plan is still being developed.

Bolten said the administration would soon be coming forward with a supplemental request for an additional $81 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said that request was reflected in the overall spending projections in Bush's budget for the current year and into 2006.

But he said including further additional spending for Iraq and Afghanistan "wouldn't be responsible" because it would represent guesses on what will be needed. Bolten also said that even if transition costs for Social Security had been included, the president would still be able to meet his goal of cutting the deficit in half by 2009 as a percentage of the total economy.

Bush's 2006 spending plan, for the budget year that will begin October 1, counts on a healthy economy to boost revenues by 6.1 percent to $2.18 trillion. Spending, meanwhile, would grow by 3.5 percent to $2.57 trillion.

The spending document projects that the deficit will hit a record -- in terms of dollars -- $427 billion this year, the third straight year that the red ink in dollar terms has set a record. Bush projects that the deficit will fall to $390 billion in 2006 and gradually decline to $233 billion in 2009 and $207 billion in 2010.

In his budget message to Congress, Bush said, "In order to sustain our economic expansion, we must continue pro-growth policies and enforce even greater spending restraint across the federal government."

Democrats complained that Bush was resorting to draconian cuts that would hurt the needy in order to protect his first term tax cuts that primarily benefited the wealthy.

"This budget is part of the Republican plan to cut Social Security benefits while handing out lavish tax breaks for multimillionaires," said Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada. "Its cuts in veterans programs, health care and education reflect the wrong priorities, and its huge deficits are fiscally irresponsible."

Democrats also contended that the budget masked the costs of some Bush initiatives such as making his first-term tax cuts permanent by only making deficit projections through 2010. The budget puts the cost of making Bush's tax cuts permanent at $1.1 trillion through 2015 but does not show how that would impact the deficit at that time.

"This budget paints a misleading picture by providing no deficit figures after 2010 and by omitting the full long-term costs of the president's policies on Social Security privatization, taxes and operations in Iraq," said Rep. John Spratt, top Democrat on the House Budget Committee.

Bush's budget proposed increasing military spending by 4.8 percent to $419.3 billion in 2006. However, even with the increase a number of major weapons programs, including Bush's missile defense system and the B-2 stealth bomber, would see cuts from this year's levels.

Bush's proposal would trim $5.7 billion over the next decade from government support programs for farmers, which would represent cuts to farmers growing a wide range of cuts from cotton and rice to corn, soybeans and wheat.

Overall, the administration projected saving $8.2 billion in agriculture programs over the next decade including trimming food stamp payments to the poor by $1.1 billion.

Other programs set for reductions include the Army Corps of Engineers, whose dam and other waterway projects are extremely popular in Congress; the Energy Department; several health programs under the Health and Human Services Department and federal subsidies for Amtrak.

About one-third of the programs subject to elimination are in the Education Department, including federal grant programs for local schools in such areas as vocational education, anti-drug efforts and Even Start, a $225 million literacy program.

In all, the president proposed $137 billion less over the next 10 years than previously forecast for mandatory programs with much of that occurring in reductions in Medicaid, the big federal-state program that provides health care for the poor, and in payments the Veterans Administration makes for health care. The administration proposed no savings for Medicare, the giant health care program for the elderly.

Many of the spending cuts in the plan are repeats of efforts the administration has proposed and Congress has rejected previously.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 04:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush sends $2.57 trillion budget proposal to Congress
House minority leader calls plan a 'hoax'
Monday, February 7, 2005 Posted: 1:42 PM EST (1842 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush sent Congress a $2.57 trillion budget plan Monday that would eliminate or vastly scale back 150 government programs while cutting the deficit to $390 billion for 2006

The spending proposal -- the most austere of Bush's presidency -- will spark months of debate in Congress, where lawmakers will fight to protect their favored programs.

Outside defense, homeland security and the government's huge mandatory programs such as Social Security, Bush proposes cutting spending for the rest of government by 0.5 percent, the first such proposed cut since the Reagan administration.

Of 23 major government agencies, 12 would see their budget authority reduced next year, including cuts of 9.6 percent at Agriculture, 5.6 percent at the Environmental Protection Agency, 6.7 percent at Transportation and 11.5 percent at Housing and Urban Development.

Aside from defense and homeland security, favored Bush programs included a new $1.5 billion high school performance program, expanded Pell Grants for low-income college students and more support for community health clinics.

"It's budget that sets priorities," Bush said after a meeting with his Cabinet. "It's a budget that reduces and eliminates redundancy. It's a budget that's a lean budget."

Bush acknowledged that it would be difficult to eliminate popular programs but he said programs must prove their worth. "I'm very optimistic."

Joshua Bolten, Bush's budget director, said, "Are we going to get everything we asked for? No." But he predicted Congress would likely accept the administration's broad priorities. He said he entered the upcoming congressional budget battle with a "happy spirit."

House Democratic Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California called Bush's budget "a hoax on the American people. The two issues that dominated the president's State of the Union address -- Iraq and Social Security -- are nowhere to be found in this budget."

Bush's budget proposal does not reflect the costs for overhauling Social Security by allowing younger workers to set up private investment accounts. Aides said accurate cost estimates could not be made since the plan is still being developed.

Bolten said the administration would soon be coming forward with a supplemental request for an additional $81 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said that request was reflected in the overall spending projections in Bush's budget for the current year and into 2006.

But he said including further additional spending for Iraq and Afghanistan "wouldn't be responsible" because it would represent guesses on what will be needed. Bolten also said that even if transition costs for Social Security had been included, the president would still be able to meet his goal of cutting the deficit in half by 2009 as a percentage of the total economy.

Bush's 2006 spending plan, for the budget year that will begin October 1, counts on a healthy economy to boost revenues by 6.1 percent to $2.18 trillion. Spending, meanwhile, would grow by 3.5 percent to $2.57 trillion.

The spending document projects that the deficit will hit a record -- in terms of dollars -- $427 billion this year, the third straight year that the red ink in dollar terms has set a record. Bush projects that the deficit will fall to $390 billion in 2006 and gradually decline to $233 billion in 2009 and $207 billion in 2010.

In his budget message to Congress, Bush said, "In order to sustain our economic expansion, we must continue pro-growth policies and enforce even greater spending restraint across the federal government."

Democrats complained that Bush was resorting to draconian cuts that would hurt the needy in order to protect his first term tax cuts that primarily benefited the wealthy.

"This budget is part of the Republican plan to cut Social Security benefits while handing out lavish tax breaks for multimillionaires," said Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada. "Its cuts in veterans programs, health care and education reflect the wrong priorities, and its huge deficits are fiscally irresponsible."

Democrats also contended that the budget masked the costs of some Bush initiatives such as making his first-term tax cuts permanent by only making deficit projections through 2010. The budget puts the cost of making Bush's tax cuts permanent at $1.1 trillion through 2015 but does not show how that would impact the deficit at that time.

"This budget paints a misleading picture by providing no deficit figures after 2010 and by omitting the full long-term costs of the president's policies on Social Security privatization, taxes and operations in Iraq," said Rep. John Spratt, top Democrat on the House Budget Committee.

Bush's budget proposed increasing military spending by 4.8 percent to $419.3 billion in 2006. However, even with the increase a number of major weapons programs, including Bush's missile defense system and the B-2 stealth bomber, would see cuts from this year's levels.

Bush's proposal would trim $5.7 billion over the next decade from government support programs for farmers, which would represent cuts to farmers growing a wide range of cuts from cotton and rice to corn, soybeans and wheat.

Overall, the administration projected saving $8.2 billion in agriculture programs over the next decade including trimming food stamp payments to the poor by $1.1 billion.

Other programs set for reductions include the Army Corps of Engineers, whose dam and other waterway projects are extremely popular in Congress; the Energy Department; several health programs under the Health and Human Services Department and federal subsidies for Amtrak.

About one-third of the programs subject to elimination are in the Education Department, including federal grant programs for local schools in such areas as vocational education, anti-drug efforts and Even Start, a $225 million literacy program.

In all, the president proposed $137 billion less over the next 10 years than previously forecast for mandatory programs with much of that occurring in reductions in Medicaid, the big federal-state program that provides health care for the poor, and in payments the Veterans Administration makes for health care. The administration proposed no savings for Medicare, the giant health care program for the elderly.

Many of the spending cuts in the plan are repeats of efforts the administration has proposed and Congress has rejected previously.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 04:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CELTICS 103, TIMBERWOLVES 100
Celtics find .500 a satisfying number
Perseverance pays off as Pierce sets the pace
By Peter May, Globe Staff | February 7, 2005

MINNEAPOLIS -- It was impossible not to notice the vast emotional gulf between teams with exactly the same records. The 24-24 Boston Celtics left the Target Center feeling confident, proud, and together. The 24-24 Minnesota Timberwolves left the same building with a hangdog look, wondering what is happening to what was supposed to be another special season.

"It's amazing," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said yesterday after his team had taken a 103-100 victory over the Wolves to pull to .500 for the first time since Nov. 21. "We're at .500 and ecstatic. They're at .500 and think the world is crumbling around them. It really isn't for them. And we want to do better. It's been a struggle. It's been a climb. And now we have to protect that number."

The Celtics finally hit the .500 mark after missing on their last three chances, all on the road, all against quality teams. They were on the road again this time, but the Timberwolves are in the middle of an absolutely brutal streak and do not rate as a quality opponent. Not now, anyway. Yesterday's loss was their fifth in a row, their longest skid in three years, and Paul Pierce (32 points) took notice during a break in the action that a lot of the energy in the Target Center was missing.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CELTICS 103, TIMBERWOLVES 100
Celtics find .500 a satisfying number
Perseverance pays off as Pierce sets the pace
By Peter May, Globe Staff | February 7, 2005

MINNEAPOLIS -- It was impossible not to notice the vast emotional gulf between teams with exactly the same records. The 24-24 Boston Celtics left the Target Center feeling confident, proud, and together. The 24-24 Minnesota Timberwolves left the same building with a hangdog look, wondering what is happening to what was supposed to be another special season.

"It's amazing," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said yesterday after his team had taken a 103-100 victory over the Wolves to pull to .500 for the first time since Nov. 21. "We're at .500 and ecstatic. They're at .500 and think the world is crumbling around them. It really isn't for them. And we want to do better. It's been a struggle. It's been a climb. And now we have to protect that number."

The Celtics finally hit the .500 mark after missing on their last three chances, all on the road, all against quality teams. They were on the road again this time, but the Timberwolves are in the middle of an absolutely brutal streak and do not rate as a quality opponent. Not now, anyway. Yesterday's loss was their fifth in a row, their longest skid in three years, and Paul Pierce (32 points) took notice during a break in the action that a lot of the energy in the Target Center was missing.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CELTICS 103, TIMBERWOLVES 100
Celtics find .500 a satisfying number
Perseverance pays off as Pierce sets the pace
By Peter May, Globe Staff | February 7, 2005

MINNEAPOLIS -- It was impossible not to notice the vast emotional gulf between teams with exactly the same records. The 24-24 Boston Celtics left the Target Center feeling confident, proud, and together. The 24-24 Minnesota Timberwolves left the same building with a hangdog look, wondering what is happening to what was supposed to be another special season.

"It's amazing," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said yesterday after his team had taken a 103-100 victory over the Wolves to pull to .500 for the first time since Nov. 21. "We're at .500 and ecstatic. They're at .500 and think the world is crumbling around them. It really isn't for them. And we want to do better. It's been a struggle. It's been a climb. And now we have to protect that number."

The Celtics finally hit the .500 mark after missing on their last three chances, all on the road, all against quality teams. They were on the road again this time, but the Timberwolves are in the middle of an absolutely brutal streak and do not rate as a quality opponent. Not now, anyway. Yesterday's loss was their fifth in a row, their longest skid in three years, and Paul Pierce (32 points) took notice during a break in the action that a lot of the energy in the Target Center was missing.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Without a doubt, they're the best
By Bob Ryan, Globe Columnist | February 7, 2005

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Could there possibly be any more doubts?

The best team in football has just concluded a grueling three-week exam period in which it faced three completely different challenges from three very good football teams. You can make a case -- in fact, I'm going to -- that this was the most difficult postseason task ever presented to a team attempting to win a Super Bowl.

The grades? A-plus, A-plus, and A-minus. The scores? 20-3, 41-27, and, finally, 24-21. Yup, for the third time in four years the Patriots have become the champions of the known football universe with a 3-point victory. But 3 or 30, it doesn't matter. The idea is to score more points than the other guys, and no team this century has found the weekly formula to do just that better than the New England Patriots.

Think about it: The New England Patriots are the unquestioned Team of the Century.

They are now in the enviable position of being able to judge championships. The first was, obviously, sweet. The second was vindicating and harrowing. But this one demanded a level of overall excellence that should make everyone involved feel incredibly proud. For what the Patriots have done in defeating these three particular teams in four weeks is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

"Indianapolis, we all know what kind of a team they are," said Bill Belichick. "Pittsburgh was the best team in the AFC all year. Philadelphia went wire-to-wire all year. I can't think of three tougher teams in my experience in the postseason."

This was a Patriots season unlike any other. After getting off to a 6-0 start, the entire season was threatened by the devastation of the secondary, forcing Belichick and his defensive staff to start improvising with players and schemes that made them the talk of both the NFL and the world of football in general. The brain trust had to make do with a converted wide receiver, a converted linebacker, and assorted people from the waiver wire. They kept winning and they made it look easy.

It was not.

The secondary nightmare continued right through last night, when starting free safety Eugene Wilson broke his arm while performing special teams duty late in the second quarter. This vaulted rookie Dexter Reid, a fourth-round pick from North Carolina, into the lineup. Were there scary moments? Oh, yes. Greg Lewis beat him for a touchdown pass in the fourth period, but the only thing that mattered was that he wasn't beaten more. He was good enough to get the job done, and on this team, Getting The Job Done is the only criterion for maintaining employment.

But it wasn't easy, and finding a way to compete with the personnel at hand may have been the toughest challenge of Belichick's coaching career.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Without a doubt, they're the best
By Bob Ryan, Globe Columnist | February 7, 2005

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Could there possibly be any more doubts?

The best team in football has just concluded a grueling three-week exam period in which it faced three completely different challenges from three very good football teams. You can make a case -- in fact, I'm going to -- that this was the most difficult postseason task ever presented to a team attempting to win a Super Bowl.

The grades? A-plus, A-plus, and A-minus. The scores? 20-3, 41-27, and, finally, 24-21. Yup, for the third time in four years the Patriots have become the champions of the known football universe with a 3-point victory. But 3 or 30, it doesn't matter. The idea is to score more points than the other guys, and no team this century has found the weekly formula to do just that better than the New England Patriots.

Think about it: The New England Patriots are the unquestioned Team of the Century.

They are now in the enviable position of being able to judge championships. The first was, obviously, sweet. The second was vindicating and harrowing. But this one demanded a level of overall excellence that should make everyone involved feel incredibly proud. For what the Patriots have done in defeating these three particular teams in four weeks is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

"Indianapolis, we all know what kind of a team they are," said Bill Belichick. "Pittsburgh was the best team in the AFC all year. Philadelphia went wire-to-wire all year. I can't think of three tougher teams in my experience in the postseason."

This was a Patriots season unlike any other. After getting off to a 6-0 start, the entire season was threatened by the devastation of the secondary, forcing Belichick and his defensive staff to start improvising with players and schemes that made them the talk of both the NFL and the world of football in general. The brain trust had to make do with a converted wide receiver, a converted linebacker, and assorted people from the waiver wire. They kept winning and they made it look easy.

It was not.

The secondary nightmare continued right through last night, when starting free safety Eugene Wilson broke his arm while performing special teams duty late in the second quarter. This vaulted rookie Dexter Reid, a fourth-round pick from North Carolina, into the lineup. Were there scary moments? Oh, yes. Greg Lewis beat him for a touchdown pass in the fourth period, but the only thing that mattered was that he wasn't beaten more. He was good enough to get the job done, and on this team, Getting The Job Done is the only criterion for maintaining employment.

But it wasn't easy, and finding a way to compete with the personnel at hand may have been the toughest challenge of Belichick's coaching career.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Without a doubt, they're the best
By Bob Ryan, Globe Columnist | February 7, 2005

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Could there possibly be any more doubts?

The best team in football has just concluded a grueling three-week exam period in which it faced three completely different challenges from three very good football teams. You can make a case -- in fact, I'm going to -- that this was the most difficult postseason task ever presented to a team attempting to win a Super Bowl.

The grades? A-plus, A-plus, and A-minus. The scores? 20-3, 41-27, and, finally, 24-21. Yup, for the third time in four years the Patriots have become the champions of the known football universe with a 3-point victory. But 3 or 30, it doesn't matter. The idea is to score more points than the other guys, and no team this century has found the weekly formula to do just that better than the New England Patriots.

Think about it: The New England Patriots are the unquestioned Team of the Century.

They are now in the enviable position of being able to judge championships. The first was, obviously, sweet. The second was vindicating and harrowing. But this one demanded a level of overall excellence that should make everyone involved feel incredibly proud. For what the Patriots have done in defeating these three particular teams in four weeks is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

"Indianapolis, we all know what kind of a team they are," said Bill Belichick. "Pittsburgh was the best team in the AFC all year. Philadelphia went wire-to-wire all year. I can't think of three tougher teams in my experience in the postseason."

This was a Patriots season unlike any other. After getting off to a 6-0 start, the entire season was threatened by the devastation of the secondary, forcing Belichick and his defensive staff to start improvising with players and schemes that made them the talk of both the NFL and the world of football in general. The brain trust had to make do with a converted wide receiver, a converted linebacker, and assorted people from the waiver wire. They kept winning and they made it look easy.

It was not.

The secondary nightmare continued right through last night, when starting free safety Eugene Wilson broke his arm while performing special teams duty late in the second quarter. This vaulted rookie Dexter Reid, a fourth-round pick from North Carolina, into the lineup. Were there scary moments? Oh, yes. Greg Lewis beat him for a touchdown pass in the fourth period, but the only thing that mattered was that he wasn't beaten more. He was good enough to get the job done, and on this team, Getting The Job Done is the only criterion for maintaining employment.

But it wasn't easy, and finding a way to compete with the personnel at hand may have been the toughest challenge of Belichick's coaching career.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Navy to cut orders; job losses seen
By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff | February 7, 2005

WASHINGTON -- The Navy has dramatically scaled back plans for new warships and submarines in a move expected to lead to major job losses in one of New England's largest manufacturing sectors, according to senior Pentagon officials and naval specialists.

In a revamping of military priorities amid rising federal deficits, the Navy is poised to unveil plans today to slash by up to half its planned orders for vessels that were to be built at shipyards in Bath, Maine, and Groton, Conn., that employ a combined 18,000 people.

The Navy planned to buy two new destroyers and submarines per year well into the next decade that are constructed in New England by Bath Iron Works and Groton's Electric Boat Co. Now the Navy plans to buy only one DDX destroyer and one Virginia-class submarine per year.

"One or more of these shipyards may effectively go away," said Ronald O'Rourke, a shipbuilding specialist at the Congressional Research Service, suggesting that the shipbuilding industry at large could go through a significant contraction. "The yard that is most at risk is Bath Iron Works."

Both Bath, which employs about 6,400 workers, and Electric Boat, which employs about 8,750 people in Groton and 2,100 more in Quonset Point, R.I., are owned by General Dynamics, the Falls Church, Va., defense company.

"Both Bath and Electric Boat will go into a lower production," said a senior General Dynamics official who declined to be named before the new plan is made public. "There will be a lack of work."

Officials at Bath Iron Works declined to comment until the budget is released.

President Bush's federal budget for fiscal year 2006, to be sent to Congress today, will call for a 4.8 percent increase in overall annual defense spending to roughly $419 billion, officials said.

But due to the war in Iraq and the battle against terrorism, the armed forces have traded some prized weapon systems -- particularly in the Navy and Air Force -- in order to allocate tens of billions of dollars more to the Army and Marine Corps

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Navy to cut orders; job losses seen
By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff | February 7, 2005

WASHINGTON -- The Navy has dramatically scaled back plans for new warships and submarines in a move expected to lead to major job losses in one of New England's largest manufacturing sectors, according to senior Pentagon officials and naval specialists.

In a revamping of military priorities amid rising federal deficits, the Navy is poised to unveil plans today to slash by up to half its planned orders for vessels that were to be built at shipyards in Bath, Maine, and Groton, Conn., that employ a combined 18,000 people.

The Navy planned to buy two new destroyers and submarines per year well into the next decade that are constructed in New England by Bath Iron Works and Groton's Electric Boat Co. Now the Navy plans to buy only one DDX destroyer and one Virginia-class submarine per year.

"One or more of these shipyards may effectively go away," said Ronald O'Rourke, a shipbuilding specialist at the Congressional Research Service, suggesting that the shipbuilding industry at large could go through a significant contraction. "The yard that is most at risk is Bath Iron Works."

Both Bath, which employs about 6,400 workers, and Electric Boat, which employs about 8,750 people in Groton and 2,100 more in Quonset Point, R.I., are owned by General Dynamics, the Falls Church, Va., defense company.

"Both Bath and Electric Boat will go into a lower production," said a senior General Dynamics official who declined to be named before the new plan is made public. "There will be a lack of work."

Officials at Bath Iron Works declined to comment until the budget is released.

President Bush's federal budget for fiscal year 2006, to be sent to Congress today, will call for a 4.8 percent increase in overall annual defense spending to roughly $419 billion, officials said.

But due to the war in Iraq and the battle against terrorism, the armed forces have traded some prized weapon systems -- particularly in the Navy and Air Force -- in order to allocate tens of billions of dollars more to the Army and Marine Corps

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Navy to cut orders; job losses seen
By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff | February 7, 2005

WASHINGTON -- The Navy has dramatically scaled back plans for new warships and submarines in a move expected to lead to major job losses in one of New England's largest manufacturing sectors, according to senior Pentagon officials and naval specialists.

In a revamping of military priorities amid rising federal deficits, the Navy is poised to unveil plans today to slash by up to half its planned orders for vessels that were to be built at shipyards in Bath, Maine, and Groton, Conn., that employ a combined 18,000 people.

The Navy planned to buy two new destroyers and submarines per year well into the next decade that are constructed in New England by Bath Iron Works and Groton's Electric Boat Co. Now the Navy plans to buy only one DDX destroyer and one Virginia-class submarine per year.

"One or more of these shipyards may effectively go away," said Ronald O'Rourke, a shipbuilding specialist at the Congressional Research Service, suggesting that the shipbuilding industry at large could go through a significant contraction. "The yard that is most at risk is Bath Iron Works."

Both Bath, which employs about 6,400 workers, and Electric Boat, which employs about 8,750 people in Groton and 2,100 more in Quonset Point, R.I., are owned by General Dynamics, the Falls Church, Va., defense company.

"Both Bath and Electric Boat will go into a lower production," said a senior General Dynamics official who declined to be named before the new plan is made public. "There will be a lack of work."

Officials at Bath Iron Works declined to comment until the budget is released.

President Bush's federal budget for fiscal year 2006, to be sent to Congress today, will call for a 4.8 percent increase in overall annual defense spending to roughly $419 billion, officials said.

But due to the war in Iraq and the battle against terrorism, the armed forces have traded some prized weapon systems -- particularly in the Navy and Air Force -- in order to allocate tens of billions of dollars more to the Army and Marine Corps

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Classic case of blaming the victim
February 7, 2005

IN THE article "Some see a lesson in NYC slaying" (Page A6, Feb. 4), I found myself reading this account with more and more incredulity with each line of the report. This young actress, a woman with a promising acting career, is cruelly murdered by a thug with a gun, and these politically correct people heap blame upon her because "the (suspect) felt he wasn't getting the respect he was due" and "when a gun is in the hands of a desperate person with low self-esteem, they're going to react that way."

So the causes of this tragedy are this thug's low self-esteem and the victim's failure to offer him the respectful words or submissive attitude that would shore up his low self-esteem.

What absolute rot!

The cause of this tragedy was a thug on the street with a dangerous weapon who was never taught respect for human life, that stealing is wrong, and that killing someone is very wrong.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Classic case of blaming the victim
February 7, 2005

IN THE article "Some see a lesson in NYC slaying" (Page A6, Feb. 4), I found myself reading this account with more and more incredulity with each line of the report. This young actress, a woman with a promising acting career, is cruelly murdered by a thug with a gun, and these politically correct people heap blame upon her because "the (suspect) felt he wasn't getting the respect he was due" and "when a gun is in the hands of a desperate person with low self-esteem, they're going to react that way."

So the causes of this tragedy are this thug's low self-esteem and the victim's failure to offer him the respectful words or submissive attitude that would shore up his low self-esteem.

What absolute rot!

The cause of this tragedy was a thug on the street with a dangerous weapon who was never taught respect for human life, that stealing is wrong, and that killing someone is very wrong.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Classic case of blaming the victim
February 7, 2005

IN THE article "Some see a lesson in NYC slaying" (Page A6, Feb. 4), I found myself reading this account with more and more incredulity with each line of the report. This young actress, a woman with a promising acting career, is cruelly murdered by a thug with a gun, and these politically correct people heap blame upon her because "the (suspect) felt he wasn't getting the respect he was due" and "when a gun is in the hands of a desperate person with low self-esteem, they're going to react that way."

So the causes of this tragedy are this thug's low self-esteem and the victim's failure to offer him the respectful words or submissive attitude that would shore up his low self-esteem.

What absolute rot!

The cause of this tragedy was a thug on the street with a dangerous weapon who was never taught respect for human life, that stealing is wrong, and that killing someone is very wrong.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush's weapon
February 7, 2005

H.D.S. GREENWAY'S "Onward to Iran" (op ed, Feb. 4) is a very cogent argument against the dangerous lunacy of a military attack against Iran by President Bush.

However, the accompanying illustration could have more effectively reflected Greenway's advice if, instead of showing Bush in a 10-gallon hat and an oversized hammer, he had been shown with an oversized gun.

Everyone knows that for a man whose only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. And for a president whose only tool is a gun, everyone looks like a target.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush's weapon
February 7, 2005

H.D.S. GREENWAY'S "Onward to Iran" (op ed, Feb. 4) is a very cogent argument against the dangerous lunacy of a military attack against Iran by President Bush.

However, the accompanying illustration could have more effectively reflected Greenway's advice if, instead of showing Bush in a 10-gallon hat and an oversized hammer, he had been shown with an oversized gun.

Everyone knows that for a man whose only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. And for a president whose only tool is a gun, everyone looks like a target.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush's weapon
February 7, 2005

H.D.S. GREENWAY'S "Onward to Iran" (op ed, Feb. 4) is a very cogent argument against the dangerous lunacy of a military attack against Iran by President Bush.

However, the accompanying illustration could have more effectively reflected Greenway's advice if, instead of showing Bush in a 10-gallon hat and an oversized hammer, he had been shown with an oversized gun.

Everyone knows that for a man whose only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. And for a president whose only tool is a gun, everyone looks like a target.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cheney defends cuts in programs
Battle expected for budget trims
By Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press | February 7, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Vice President Dick Cheney yesterday defended the administration's budget plan against Democratic criticism that President Bush is seeking steep cuts in scores of federal programs because he is unwilling to roll back first-term tax cuts.

ADVERTISEMENT

The $2.5 trillion budget proposal for fiscal year 2006 will be submitted to Congress today.

The plan was shaping up as the most austere ever submitted by Bush. It tries to restrain spending across a wide swath of government, including popular farm subsidies, environmental protection, American Indian schools, and Medicaid, the federal-state health program for the poor and disabled.

Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," Cheney said the plan will increase the military and homeland security budgets but keep overall spending below next year's expected 2.3 percent inflation rate, in part by eliminating or cutting back on some 150 other programs. "This is the tightest budget that has been submitted since we got here," Cheney said.

"It is a fair, reasonable, responsible, serious piece of effort," he said. "It's not something we have done with a meat ax, nor are we suddenly turning our backs on the most needy people in our society."

The budget's submission will set off months of intense debate. Lawmakers from both parties can be expected to vigorously fight to protect their favorite programs. Opponents have called for at least a partial rollback of Bush's tax cuts, saying they primarily have benefited the wealthy.

The president, who campaigned for reelection on a pledge to cut the deficit in half by 2009, is targeting 150 government programs for either outright elimination or sharp cutbacks. During his first term, record federal budget surpluses were replaced by record budget deficits.

The new federal fiscal year begins Oct. 1. For the current year, Bush is estimating the budget deficit will reach a record $427 billion. That compares with last year's $412 billion deficit and is the third straight year the Bush administration will have set, in dollar terms, a deficit record.

The five-year projections in the budget will show the deficit declining to about $230 billion in 2009, when a new president takes office.

However, those projections do not take into account some big-ticket items: the military costs incurred in Iraq and Afghanistan, the price of making Bush's first term tax cuts permanent, or the transition costs for his No. 1 domestic priority, overhauling Social Security.

Senator Kent Conrad, the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, said Bush's budget "talks about the next five years of reducing deficits, but what that hides is what happens after that five-year window. The cost of everything he advocates explodes."

The administration is expected today to provide estimates of the government borrowing that will be needed for its proposal to allow younger workers to set up private savings accounts. Cheney would not confirm estimates that the overhaul could cost $4.5 trillion in additional government borrowing over 20 years.

Bush's budget will restrain the growth in discretionary programs to less than 2.3 percent. But because defense and homeland security are set for increases above that amount, other programs will see cuts or gains below inflation.

One of the biggest battles is certain to occur in the area of payments and other assistance to farmers, which the administration wants to trim by $587 million in 2006 and by $5.7 billion over the next decade. Those payments go to farmers growing a wide range of crops.

The budget will double the copayment paid by many veterans for prescription drugs and require some to pay a fee of $250 a year to get government health services, The New York Times reported in today's editions. Other programs set for cuts include the Army Corps of Engineers, the Energy Department, and a number of health programs under the Health and Human Services Department.

The administration also will seek to restrain growth in mandatory spending, primarily by trimming costs in Medicaid.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cheney defends cuts in programs
Battle expected for budget trims
By Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press | February 7, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Vice President Dick Cheney yesterday defended the administration's budget plan against Democratic criticism that President Bush is seeking steep cuts in scores of federal programs because he is unwilling to roll back first-term tax cuts.

ADVERTISEMENT

The $2.5 trillion budget proposal for fiscal year 2006 will be submitted to Congress today.

The plan was shaping up as the most austere ever submitted by Bush. It tries to restrain spending across a wide swath of government, including popular farm subsidies, environmental protection, American Indian schools, and Medicaid, the federal-state health program for the poor and disabled.

Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," Cheney said the plan will increase the military and homeland security budgets but keep overall spending below next year's expected 2.3 percent inflation rate, in part by eliminating or cutting back on some 150 other programs. "This is the tightest budget that has been submitted since we got here," Cheney said.

"It is a fair, reasonable, responsible, serious piece of effort," he said. "It's not something we have done with a meat ax, nor are we suddenly turning our backs on the most needy people in our society."

The budget's submission will set off months of intense debate. Lawmakers from both parties can be expected to vigorously fight to protect their favorite programs. Opponents have called for at least a partial rollback of Bush's tax cuts, saying they primarily have benefited the wealthy.

The president, who campaigned for reelection on a pledge to cut the deficit in half by 2009, is targeting 150 government programs for either outright elimination or sharp cutbacks. During his first term, record federal budget surpluses were replaced by record budget deficits.

The new federal fiscal year begins Oct. 1. For the current year, Bush is estimating the budget deficit will reach a record $427 billion. That compares with last year's $412 billion deficit and is the third straight year the Bush administration will have set, in dollar terms, a deficit record.

The five-year projections in the budget will show the deficit declining to about $230 billion in 2009, when a new president takes office.

However, those projections do not take into account some big-ticket items: the military costs incurred in Iraq and Afghanistan, the price of making Bush's first term tax cuts permanent, or the transition costs for his No. 1 domestic priority, overhauling Social Security.

Senator Kent Conrad, the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, said Bush's budget "talks about the next five years of reducing deficits, but what that hides is what happens after that five-year window. The cost of everything he advocates explodes."

The administration is expected today to provide estimates of the government borrowing that will be needed for its proposal to allow younger workers to set up private savings accounts. Cheney would not confirm estimates that the overhaul could cost $4.5 trillion in additional government borrowing over 20 years.

Bush's budget will restrain the growth in discretionary programs to less than 2.3 percent. But because defense and homeland security are set for increases above that amount, other programs will see cuts or gains below inflation.

One of the biggest battles is certain to occur in the area of payments and other assistance to farmers, which the administration wants to trim by $587 million in 2006 and by $5.7 billion over the next decade. Those payments go to farmers growing a wide range of crops.

The budget will double the copayment paid by many veterans for prescription drugs and require some to pay a fee of $250 a year to get government health services, The New York Times reported in today's editions. Other programs set for cuts include the Army Corps of Engineers, the Energy Department, and a number of health programs under the Health and Human Services Department.

The administration also will seek to restrain growth in mandatory spending, primarily by trimming costs in Medicaid.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cheney defends cuts in programs
Battle expected for budget trims
By Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press | February 7, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Vice President Dick Cheney yesterday defended the administration's budget plan against Democratic criticism that President Bush is seeking steep cuts in scores of federal programs because he is unwilling to roll back first-term tax cuts.

ADVERTISEMENT

The $2.5 trillion budget proposal for fiscal year 2006 will be submitted to Congress today.

The plan was shaping up as the most austere ever submitted by Bush. It tries to restrain spending across a wide swath of government, including popular farm subsidies, environmental protection, American Indian schools, and Medicaid, the federal-state health program for the poor and disabled.

Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," Cheney said the plan will increase the military and homeland security budgets but keep overall spending below next year's expected 2.3 percent inflation rate, in part by eliminating or cutting back on some 150 other programs. "This is the tightest budget that has been submitted since we got here," Cheney said.

"It is a fair, reasonable, responsible, serious piece of effort," he said. "It's not something we have done with a meat ax, nor are we suddenly turning our backs on the most needy people in our society."

The budget's submission will set off months of intense debate. Lawmakers from both parties can be expected to vigorously fight to protect their favorite programs. Opponents have called for at least a partial rollback of Bush's tax cuts, saying they primarily have benefited the wealthy.

The president, who campaigned for reelection on a pledge to cut the deficit in half by 2009, is targeting 150 government programs for either outright elimination or sharp cutbacks. During his first term, record federal budget surpluses were replaced by record budget deficits.

The new federal fiscal year begins Oct. 1. For the current year, Bush is estimating the budget deficit will reach a record $427 billion. That compares with last year's $412 billion deficit and is the third straight year the Bush administration will have set, in dollar terms, a deficit record.

The five-year projections in the budget will show the deficit declining to about $230 billion in 2009, when a new president takes office.

However, those projections do not take into account some big-ticket items: the military costs incurred in Iraq and Afghanistan, the price of making Bush's first term tax cuts permanent, or the transition costs for his No. 1 domestic priority, overhauling Social Security.

Senator Kent Conrad, the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, said Bush's budget "talks about the next five years of reducing deficits, but what that hides is what happens after that five-year window. The cost of everything he advocates explodes."

The administration is expected today to provide estimates of the government borrowing that will be needed for its proposal to allow younger workers to set up private savings accounts. Cheney would not confirm estimates that the overhaul could cost $4.5 trillion in additional government borrowing over 20 years.

Bush's budget will restrain the growth in discretionary programs to less than 2.3 percent. But because defense and homeland security are set for increases above that amount, other programs will see cuts or gains below inflation.

One of the biggest battles is certain to occur in the area of payments and other assistance to farmers, which the administration wants to trim by $587 million in 2006 and by $5.7 billion over the next decade. Those payments go to farmers growing a wide range of crops.

The budget will double the copayment paid by many veterans for prescription drugs and require some to pay a fee of $250 a year to get government health services, The New York Times reported in today's editions. Other programs set for cuts include the Army Corps of Engineers, the Energy Department, and a number of health programs under the Health and Human Services Department.

The administration also will seek to restrain growth in mandatory spending, primarily by trimming costs in Medicaid.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DYNASTY
Patriots beat Eagles for third Super Bowl victory in four years

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DYNASTY
Patriots beat Eagles for third Super Bowl victory in four years

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DYNASTY
Patriots beat Eagles for third Super Bowl victory in four years

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Max Schmeling, 99; boxer from Germany fought Louis
By Roy Kammerer, Associated Press | February 5, 2005

BERLIN -- Max Schmeling wanted to be a heavyweight champion, not a symbol of Nazi supremacy.

He thrilled Germany by knocking out Joe Louis, but there was another side to the fighter that Hitler tried to portray as an Aryan superman.

Schmeling, who fought Louis in two of the most politically charged sporting events ever as the world moved toward war in the late 1930s, once hid two Jewish boys in his apartment from Nazis and later reportedly helped some Jewish friends escape death camps.

He said he feared only one thing in a long life that ended Wednesday at the age of 99.

"I don't want anyone to say I was a good athlete, but worth nothing as a human being -- I couldn't bear that," Mr. Schmeling said in 1993.

The German had nothing to fear in the end. Tributes poured in across his homeland, where he remained an idol known for his generosity long after his fights with Louis sparked a propaganda war between the Nazi government and the United States.

President Horst Koehler of Germany, on a state visit to Israel, lauded Mr. Schmeling as a "great example in sport" and for "his humanity." Formula One champion Michael Schumacher called Schmeling "a man of firm principles."

Over the years, Mr. Schmeling gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to help the elderly and poor through the Max Schmeling Foundation. He treasured his friendship with Louis and quietly gave the down-and-out American money. He also paid for Louis's funeral in 1981.

Gene Kilroy, Muhammad Ali's former business manager, said he talked to Ali yesterday. Kilroy said Ali told him: "Max Schmeling had a lot of class. He had a lot of respect for Joe Louis in the ring and out of the ring. I'm sure he's in heaven now. He and Joe are talking about their old fights."

Mr. Schmeling took many young athletes under his wing during the final decades of his life, among them heavyweight fighters Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko of Ukraine.

"A friend and mentor to us has died. He meant a lot to us," said Vitali Klitschko, the WBC heavyweight champion. "He sent us faxes by victories and comforted us in defeats. Max Schmeling showed us the way to America."

Mr. Schmeling was buried yesterday next to his wife, Anny Ondra, in Hollenstedt at a ceremony attended by a small circle of friends. The Rev. Olaf Koenitz said it was Schmeling's wish to be buried privately.

Mr. Schmeling's extraordinary career will be remembered for his bouts with Louis, which produced a lasting bond between the boxers despite a charged atmosphere when they fought.

Born Sept. 28, 1905, of humble origins in a small town in the state of Brandenburg, Mr. Schmeling became interested in boxing after seeing a film about the sport.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Max Schmeling, 99; boxer from Germany fought Louis
By Roy Kammerer, Associated Press | February 5, 2005

BERLIN -- Max Schmeling wanted to be a heavyweight champion, not a symbol of Nazi supremacy.

He thrilled Germany by knocking out Joe Louis, but there was another side to the fighter that Hitler tried to portray as an Aryan superman.

Schmeling, who fought Louis in two of the most politically charged sporting events ever as the world moved toward war in the late 1930s, once hid two Jewish boys in his apartment from Nazis and later reportedly helped some Jewish friends escape death camps.

He said he feared only one thing in a long life that ended Wednesday at the age of 99.

"I don't want anyone to say I was a good athlete, but worth nothing as a human being -- I couldn't bear that," Mr. Schmeling said in 1993.

The German had nothing to fear in the end. Tributes poured in across his homeland, where he remained an idol known for his generosity long after his fights with Louis sparked a propaganda war between the Nazi government and the United States.

President Horst Koehler of Germany, on a state visit to Israel, lauded Mr. Schmeling as a "great example in sport" and for "his humanity." Formula One champion Michael Schumacher called Schmeling "a man of firm principles."

Over the years, Mr. Schmeling gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to help the elderly and poor through the Max Schmeling Foundation. He treasured his friendship with Louis and quietly gave the down-and-out American money. He also paid for Louis's funeral in 1981.

Gene Kilroy, Muhammad Ali's former business manager, said he talked to Ali yesterday. Kilroy said Ali told him: "Max Schmeling had a lot of class. He had a lot of respect for Joe Louis in the ring and out of the ring. I'm sure he's in heaven now. He and Joe are talking about their old fights."

Mr. Schmeling took many young athletes under his wing during the final decades of his life, among them heavyweight fighters Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko of Ukraine.

"A friend and mentor to us has died. He meant a lot to us," said Vitali Klitschko, the WBC heavyweight champion. "He sent us faxes by victories and comforted us in defeats. Max Schmeling showed us the way to America."

Mr. Schmeling was buried yesterday next to his wife, Anny Ondra, in Hollenstedt at a ceremony attended by a small circle of friends. The Rev. Olaf Koenitz said it was Schmeling's wish to be buried privately.

Mr. Schmeling's extraordinary career will be remembered for his bouts with Louis, which produced a lasting bond between the boxers despite a charged atmosphere when they fought.

Born Sept. 28, 1905, of humble origins in a small town in the state of Brandenburg, Mr. Schmeling became interested in boxing after seeing a film about the sport.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Max Schmeling, 99; boxer from Germany fought Louis
By Roy Kammerer, Associated Press | February 5, 2005

BERLIN -- Max Schmeling wanted to be a heavyweight champion, not a symbol of Nazi supremacy.

He thrilled Germany by knocking out Joe Louis, but there was another side to the fighter that Hitler tried to portray as an Aryan superman.

Schmeling, who fought Louis in two of the most politically charged sporting events ever as the world moved toward war in the late 1930s, once hid two Jewish boys in his apartment from Nazis and later reportedly helped some Jewish friends escape death camps.

He said he feared only one thing in a long life that ended Wednesday at the age of 99.

"I don't want anyone to say I was a good athlete, but worth nothing as a human being -- I couldn't bear that," Mr. Schmeling said in 1993.

The German had nothing to fear in the end. Tributes poured in across his homeland, where he remained an idol known for his generosity long after his fights with Louis sparked a propaganda war between the Nazi government and the United States.

President Horst Koehler of Germany, on a state visit to Israel, lauded Mr. Schmeling as a "great example in sport" and for "his humanity." Formula One champion Michael Schumacher called Schmeling "a man of firm principles."

Over the years, Mr. Schmeling gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to help the elderly and poor through the Max Schmeling Foundation. He treasured his friendship with Louis and quietly gave the down-and-out American money. He also paid for Louis's funeral in 1981.

Gene Kilroy, Muhammad Ali's former business manager, said he talked to Ali yesterday. Kilroy said Ali told him: "Max Schmeling had a lot of class. He had a lot of respect for Joe Louis in the ring and out of the ring. I'm sure he's in heaven now. He and Joe are talking about their old fights."

Mr. Schmeling took many young athletes under his wing during the final decades of his life, among them heavyweight fighters Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko of Ukraine.

"A friend and mentor to us has died. He meant a lot to us," said Vitali Klitschko, the WBC heavyweight champion. "He sent us faxes by victories and comforted us in defeats. Max Schmeling showed us the way to America."

Mr. Schmeling was buried yesterday next to his wife, Anny Ondra, in Hollenstedt at a ceremony attended by a small circle of friends. The Rev. Olaf Koenitz said it was Schmeling's wish to be buried privately.

Mr. Schmeling's extraordinary career will be remembered for his bouts with Louis, which produced a lasting bond between the boxers despite a charged atmosphere when they fought.

Born Sept. 28, 1905, of humble origins in a small town in the state of Brandenburg, Mr. Schmeling became interested in boxing after seeing a film about the sport.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wilkerson is backed for national post
Late entry in pursuit of Democrats' vice chair
By Frank Phillips, Globe Staff | February 5, 2005

State Senator Dianne Wilkerson, a rising star in state politics until her federal conviction on tax-evasion charges, is making a late bid to become a vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, lining up endorsements from Mayor Thomas M. Menino, US Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry, and other leading Massachusetts Democrats.

ADVERTISEMENT

Wilkerson, who joined the competition for one of four such positions in the last several weeks, faces an uphill fight to win the contest, scheduled to take place next Saturday, when the 447 party delegates meet to elect new national leadership for the Democratic Party. Four other women, including the current national deputy party chairwoman and the number two executive of the AFL-CIO, are running for two contested seats.

"I am doing very well; I am surprised I am doing this well," Wilkerson said yesterday from her Roxbury district office, where she was contacting delegates to seek support. "I got to be close to the halfway mark to getting to enough votes for victory."

Wilkerson, the only African-American in the state Senate, said she has been able to gain quick traction in the contest because of the backing she is getting from "the power of the delegation" from Massachusetts.

She also cited her legislative record as a supporter of labor and equal justice, issues that are important to Democrats.

In the race for chairman, to be decided the same day, former Vermont governor Howard Dean has emerged recently as the heavy favorite to succeed Terry McAuliffe. Kennedy said yesterday he expects Dean to win.

Party leaders said yesterday that Wilkerson's late entry into the race caught the Massachusetts Democratic establishment by surprise, but many of them, who have not committed their votes to others, have rallied around her candidacy. Besides Menino, Kennedy, and Kerry, she has picked up the endorsements of state party chairman Philip W. Johnston and US Representatives Barney Frank of Newton, James P. McGovern of Worcester, and Stephen F. Lynch of South Boston.

But her last-minute decision to try to win the part-time, nonpaying post is only one obstacle she must clear as she competes in the party's national scene. Her criminal record has been raised, in what one party official said is a whispering campaign. When party delegates from Eastern states met in New York last weekend, her legal problems circulated among the Democratic activists.

Wilkerson, a Democrat who was first elected to the Senate in 1992, served six months under house arrest after she pleaded guilty to four federal tax charges in December 1997. She owed about $200,000 in back taxes. She was incarcerated for 30 days in June 1998, after she violated her original sentence by attending late-night Senate sessions.

"She made a mistake several years ago, and she paid the price," Johnston said. "Since then, she's established herself as a forceful state legislator and is widely respected."

Wilkerson said she confronts the issue head-on. "It is not an issue I can hide," Wilkerson said. "I talk to people about what happened. I tell them truth. I don't dodge that."

Wilkerson faces tough competition from well-connected Democrats. They include the current deputy party chairwoman, Susan W. Turnbull, and Linda Chavez-Thompson, the AFL-CIO's executive vice president since 1995.

Also, the Reverend Al Sharpton, is lobbying heavily for his close political ally, Marjorie Harris.

Wilkerson said Sharpton has reacted negatively to her candidacy, speaking sharply on the phone and in person at last weekend's party meeting in New York. She said she has known Sharpton for years and has helped him in Boston when he visited the city.

`

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wilkerson is backed for national post
Late entry in pursuit of Democrats' vice chair
By Frank Phillips, Globe Staff | February 5, 2005

State Senator Dianne Wilkerson, a rising star in state politics until her federal conviction on tax-evasion charges, is making a late bid to become a vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, lining up endorsements from Mayor Thomas M. Menino, US Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry, and other leading Massachusetts Democrats.

ADVERTISEMENT

Wilkerson, who joined the competition for one of four such positions in the last several weeks, faces an uphill fight to win the contest, scheduled to take place next Saturday, when the 447 party delegates meet to elect new national leadership for the Democratic Party. Four other women, including the current national deputy party chairwoman and the number two executive of the AFL-CIO, are running for two contested seats.

"I am doing very well; I am surprised I am doing this well," Wilkerson said yesterday from her Roxbury district office, where she was contacting delegates to seek support. "I got to be close to the halfway mark to getting to enough votes for victory."

Wilkerson, the only African-American in the state Senate, said she has been able to gain quick traction in the contest because of the backing she is getting from "the power of the delegation" from Massachusetts.

She also cited her legislative record as a supporter of labor and equal justice, issues that are important to Democrats.

In the race for chairman, to be decided the same day, former Vermont governor Howard Dean has emerged recently as the heavy favorite to succeed Terry McAuliffe. Kennedy said yesterday he expects Dean to win.

Party leaders said yesterday that Wilkerson's late entry into the race caught the Massachusetts Democratic establishment by surprise, but many of them, who have not committed their votes to others, have rallied around her candidacy. Besides Menino, Kennedy, and Kerry, she has picked up the endorsements of state party chairman Philip W. Johnston and US Representatives Barney Frank of Newton, James P. McGovern of Worcester, and Stephen F. Lynch of South Boston.

But her last-minute decision to try to win the part-time, nonpaying post is only one obstacle she must clear as she competes in the party's national scene. Her criminal record has been raised, in what one party official said is a whispering campaign. When party delegates from Eastern states met in New York last weekend, her legal problems circulated among the Democratic activists.

Wilkerson, a Democrat who was first elected to the Senate in 1992, served six months under house arrest after she pleaded guilty to four federal tax charges in December 1997. She owed about $200,000 in back taxes. She was incarcerated for 30 days in June 1998, after she violated her original sentence by attending late-night Senate sessions.

"She made a mistake several years ago, and she paid the price," Johnston said. "Since then, she's established herself as a forceful state legislator and is widely respected."

Wilkerson said she confronts the issue head-on. "It is not an issue I can hide," Wilkerson said. "I talk to people about what happened. I tell them truth. I don't dodge that."

Wilkerson faces tough competition from well-connected Democrats. They include the current deputy party chairwoman, Susan W. Turnbull, and Linda Chavez-Thompson, the AFL-CIO's executive vice president since 1995.

Also, the Reverend Al Sharpton, is lobbying heavily for his close political ally, Marjorie Harris.

Wilkerson said Sharpton has reacted negatively to her candidacy, speaking sharply on the phone and in person at last weekend's party meeting in New York. She said she has known Sharpton for years and has helped him in Boston when he visited the city.

`

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wilkerson is backed for national post
Late entry in pursuit of Democrats' vice chair
By Frank Phillips, Globe Staff | February 5, 2005

State Senator Dianne Wilkerson, a rising star in state politics until her federal conviction on tax-evasion charges, is making a late bid to become a vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, lining up endorsements from Mayor Thomas M. Menino, US Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry, and other leading Massachusetts Democrats.

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Wilkerson, who joined the competition for one of four such positions in the last several weeks, faces an uphill fight to win the contest, scheduled to take place next Saturday, when the 447 party delegates meet to elect new national leadership for the Democratic Party. Four other women, including the current national deputy party chairwoman and the number two executive of the AFL-CIO, are running for two contested seats.

"I am doing very well; I am surprised I am doing this well," Wilkerson said yesterday from her Roxbury district office, where she was contacting delegates to seek support. "I got to be close to the halfway mark to getting to enough votes for victory."

Wilkerson, the only African-American in the state Senate, said she has been able to gain quick traction in the contest because of the backing she is getting from "the power of the delegation" from Massachusetts.

She also cited her legislative record as a supporter of labor and equal justice, issues that are important to Democrats.

In the race for chairman, to be decided the same day, former Vermont governor Howard Dean has emerged recently as the heavy favorite to succeed Terry McAuliffe. Kennedy said yesterday he expects Dean to win.

Party leaders said yesterday that Wilkerson's late entry into the race caught the Massachusetts Democratic establishment by surprise, but many of them, who have not committed their votes to others, have rallied around her candidacy. Besides Menino, Kennedy, and Kerry, she has picked up the endorsements of state party chairman Philip W. Johnston and US Representatives Barney Frank of Newton, James P. McGovern of Worcester, and Stephen F. Lynch of South Boston.

But her last-minute decision to try to win the part-time, nonpaying post is only one obstacle she must clear as she competes in the party's national scene. Her criminal record has been raised, in what one party official said is a whispering campaign. When party delegates from Eastern states met in New York last weekend, her legal problems circulated among the Democratic activists.

Wilkerson, a Democrat who was first elected to the Senate in 1992, served six months under house arrest after she pleaded guilty to four federal tax charges in December 1997. She owed about $200,000 in back taxes. She was incarcerated for 30 days in June 1998, after she violated her original sentence by attending late-night Senate sessions.

"She made a mistake several years ago, and she paid the price," Johnston said. "Since then, she's established herself as a forceful state legislator and is widely respected."

Wilkerson said she confronts the issue head-on. "It is not an issue I can hide," Wilkerson said. "I talk to people about what happened. I tell them truth. I don't dodge that."

Wilkerson faces tough competition from well-connected Democrats. They include the current deputy party chairwoman, Susan W. Turnbull, and Linda Chavez-Thompson, the AFL-CIO's executive vice president since 1995.

Also, the Reverend Al Sharpton, is lobbying heavily for his close political ally, Marjorie Harris.

Wilkerson said Sharpton has reacted negatively to her candidacy, speaking sharply on the phone and in person at last weekend's party meeting in New York. She said she has known Sharpton for years and has helped him in Boston when he visited the city.

`

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

146,000 jobs added in Jan.; Q4 payrolls revised lower
From wire reports
WASHINGTON — Employers added 146,000 new jobs in January and hiring in the previous three months was revised lower, the government said on Friday in an unexpectedly weak report on the job market, but a drop in job-seekers pushed the unemployment rate to its lowest level in three years.
The 146,000 gain in payrolls in January — while the most since October — still fell short of economists' forecasts for a more robust gain of about 200,000 for the month.

January's increase in hiring came after a downwardly revised 133,000 gain in December. The Labor Department also cut its estimate of jobs created in October and November, trimming a total of 59,000 jobs over the fourth quarter of 2004

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

146,000 jobs added in Jan.; Q4 payrolls revised lower
From wire reports
WASHINGTON — Employers added 146,000 new jobs in January and hiring in the previous three months was revised lower, the government said on Friday in an unexpectedly weak report on the job market, but a drop in job-seekers pushed the unemployment rate to its lowest level in three years.
The 146,000 gain in payrolls in January — while the most since October — still fell short of economists' forecasts for a more robust gain of about 200,000 for the month.

January's increase in hiring came after a downwardly revised 133,000 gain in December. The Labor Department also cut its estimate of jobs created in October and November, trimming a total of 59,000 jobs over the fourth quarter of 2004

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

146,000 jobs added in Jan.; Q4 payrolls revised lower
From wire reports
WASHINGTON — Employers added 146,000 new jobs in January and hiring in the previous three months was revised lower, the government said on Friday in an unexpectedly weak report on the job market, but a drop in job-seekers pushed the unemployment rate to its lowest level in three years.
The 146,000 gain in payrolls in January — while the most since October — still fell short of economists' forecasts for a more robust gain of about 200,000 for the month.

January's increase in hiring came after a downwardly revised 133,000 gain in December. The Labor Department also cut its estimate of jobs created in October and November, trimming a total of 59,000 jobs over the fourth quarter of 2004

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Shipwrecked
 
Ed finally decides to take a vacation. He books himself on a
 
Caribbean cruise and proceeds to have the time of his life - until
 
the boat sank.
 
 
He found himself swept up on the shore of an island with no other
 
people, no supplies... Nothing. Only bananas and coconuts.
 
 
After about four months, he is lying on the beach one day when the
 
most gorgeous woman he has ever seen rows up to him. In disbelief, he
 
asks her, "Where did you come from? How did you get here?"
 
 
 
"I rowed over from the other side of the island," she says. "I
 
landed here when my cruise ship sank."
 
 
"Amazing," he says. "You were really lucky to have a rowboat wash up
 
with you."
 
 
"Oh, this?" replies the woman. "I made the rowboat out of raw
 
material found on the island. I whittled the oars from gum tree
 
branches; I wove the bottom from palm branches; and the sides and stern came from a
 
 
Eucalyptus tree."
 
 
"But ... but ... that's impossible," stutters Ed. "You had no tools
 
or hardware. How did you manage?"
 
 
 
"Oh, no problem," replies the woman. "On the South side of the
 
island, there is a very unusual strata of alluvial rock exposed. I
 
found if  I fired it to a certain temperature in my kiln, it melted into
 
forgeable ductile iron. I used that for tools and used the tools to make the boat.
 
 
"Let's row over to my place," she says.
 
 
After a few minutes of rowing, she docks the boat at a small wharf.
 
As Ed looks onto shore, he nearly falls out of the boat. Before him is
 
a  stone walk leading to an exquisite bungalow painted in blue and
 
white.  While the woman ties up the rowboat with an expertly woven hemp rope,
 
he can only stare ahead, dumbstruck.
 
 
As they walk into the house, she says casually, "It's not much, but
 
I call it home. Sit down, please. Would you like to have a drink?"
 
 
 
"No, no thank you," he says, still dazed. "Can't take any more
 
coconut juice."
 
 
"It's not coconut juice," the woman replies. "I built a still. How
 
about a Pina Colada?"
 
 
 
Trying to hide his continued amazement, he accepts, and they sit
 
down on her hand-woven couch to talk. After they have exchanged their
 
 
stories, the woman announces, "I'm going to slip into something more
 
comfortable. Would you like to take a shower and shave? There is a
 
razor  upstairs in the cabinet in the bathroom."
 
 
No longer questioning anything, Ed goes into the bathroom. There, in
 
the cabinet, is a razor made from a bone handle. Two shells honed to
 
a hollow-ground edge are fastened on to its end inside of a swivel
 
mechanism. "WOW! This woman is amazing," he muses, "what next?"
 
 
 
When he returns, she greets him wearing 'nothing but vines'
 
strategically positioned, and smelling faintly of gardenias. She
 
beckons  for him to sit down next to her.
 
 
"Tell me," she begins suggestively, slithering closer to him, "We've
 
been out here for a really long time. I know you've been lonely.
 
There's something I'm sure you really feel like doing right now, something
 
you've been longing for all these months. You know..."
 
She stares into his eyes. He can't believe what he's hearing!
 
 
"You mean ..." he swallows excitedly,
 
we can watch the Patriots game from here?"

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Shipwrecked
 
Ed finally decides to take a vacation. He books himself on a
 
Caribbean cruise and proceeds to have the time of his life - until
 
the boat sank.
 
 
He found himself swept up on the shore of an island with no other
 
people, no supplies... Nothing. Only bananas and coconuts.
 
 
After about four months, he is lying on the beach one day when the
 
most gorgeous woman he has ever seen rows up to him. In disbelief, he
 
asks her, "Where did you come from? How did you get here?"
 
 
 
"I rowed over from the other side of the island," she says. "I
 
landed here when my cruise ship sank."
 
 
"Amazing," he says. "You were really lucky to have a rowboat wash up
 
with you."
 
 
"Oh, this?" replies the woman. "I made the rowboat out of raw
 
material found on the island. I whittled the oars from gum tree
 
branches; I wove the bottom from palm branches; and the sides and stern came from a
 
 
Eucalyptus tree."
 
 
"But ... but ... that's impossible," stutters Ed. "You had no tools
 
or hardware. How did you manage?"
 
 
 
"Oh, no problem," replies the woman. "On the South side of the
 
island, there is a very unusual strata of alluvial rock exposed. I
 
found if  I fired it to a certain temperature in my kiln, it melted into
 
forgeable ductile iron. I used that for tools and used the tools to make the boat.
 
 
"Let's row over to my place," she says.
 
 
After a few minutes of rowing, she docks the boat at a small wharf.
 
As Ed looks onto shore, he nearly falls out of the boat. Before him is
 
a  stone walk leading to an exquisite bungalow painted in blue and
 
white.  While the woman ties up the rowboat with an expertly woven hemp rope,
 
he can only stare ahead, dumbstruck.
 
 
As they walk into the house, she says casually, "It's not much, but
 
I call it home. Sit down, please. Would you like to have a drink?"
 
 
 
"No, no thank you," he says, still dazed. "Can't take any more
 
coconut juice."
 
 
"It's not coconut juice," the woman replies. "I built a still. How
 
about a Pina Colada?"
 
 
 
Trying to hide his continued amazement, he accepts, and they sit
 
down on her hand-woven couch to talk. After they have exchanged their
 
 
stories, the woman announces, "I'm going to slip into something more
 
comfortable. Would you like to take a shower and shave? There is a
 
razor  upstairs in the cabinet in the bathroom."
 
 
No longer questioning anything, Ed goes into the bathroom. There, in
 
the cabinet, is a razor made from a bone handle. Two shells honed to
 
a hollow-ground edge are fastened on to its end inside of a swivel
 
mechanism. "WOW! This woman is amazing," he muses, "what next?"
 
 
 
When he returns, she greets him wearing 'nothing but vines'
 
strategically positioned, and smelling faintly of gardenias. She
 
beckons  for him to sit down next to her.
 
 
"Tell me," she begins suggestively, slithering closer to him, "We've
 
been out here for a really long time. I know you've been lonely.
 
There's something I'm sure you really feel like doing right now, something
 
you've been longing for all these months. You know..."
 
She stares into his eyes. He can't believe what he's hearing!
 
 
"You mean ..." he swallows excitedly,
 
we can watch the Patriots game from here?"

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Shipwrecked
 
Ed finally decides to take a vacation. He books himself on a
 
Caribbean cruise and proceeds to have the time of his life - until
 
the boat sank.
 
 
He found himself swept up on the shore of an island with no other
 
people, no supplies... Nothing. Only bananas and coconuts.
 
 
After about four months, he is lying on the beach one day when the
 
most gorgeous woman he has ever seen rows up to him. In disbelief, he
 
asks her, "Where did you come from? How did you get here?"
 
 
 
"I rowed over from the other side of the island," she says. "I
 
landed here when my cruise ship sank."
 
 
"Amazing," he says. "You were really lucky to have a rowboat wash up
 
with you."
 
 
"Oh, this?" replies the woman. "I made the rowboat out of raw
 
material found on the island. I whittled the oars from gum tree
 
branches; I wove the bottom from palm branches; and the sides and stern came from a
 
 
Eucalyptus tree."
 
 
"But ... but ... that's impossible," stutters Ed. "You had no tools
 
or hardware. How did you manage?"
 
 
 
"Oh, no problem," replies the woman. "On the South side of the
 
island, there is a very unusual strata of alluvial rock exposed. I
 
found if  I fired it to a certain temperature in my kiln, it melted into
 
forgeable ductile iron. I used that for tools and used the tools to make the boat.
 
 
"Let's row over to my place," she says.
 
 
After a few minutes of rowing, she docks the boat at a small wharf.
 
As Ed looks onto shore, he nearly falls out of the boat. Before him is
 
a  stone walk leading to an exquisite bungalow painted in blue and
 
white.  While the woman ties up the rowboat with an expertly woven hemp rope,
 
he can only stare ahead, dumbstruck.
 
 
As they walk into the house, she says casually, "It's not much, but
 
I call it home. Sit down, please. Would you like to have a drink?"
 
 
 
"No, no thank you," he says, still dazed. "Can't take any more
 
coconut juice."
 
 
"It's not coconut juice," the woman replies. "I built a still. How
 
about a Pina Colada?"
 
 
 
Trying to hide his continued amazement, he accepts, and they sit
 
down on her hand-woven couch to talk. After they have exchanged their
 
 
stories, the woman announces, "I'm going to slip into something more
 
comfortable. Would you like to take a shower and shave? There is a
 
razor  upstairs in the cabinet in the bathroom."
 
 
No longer questioning anything, Ed goes into the bathroom. There, in
 
the cabinet, is a razor made from a bone handle. Two shells honed to
 
a hollow-ground edge are fastened on to its end inside of a swivel
 
mechanism. "WOW! This woman is amazing," he muses, "what next?"
 
 
 
When he returns, she greets him wearing 'nothing but vines'
 
strategically positioned, and smelling faintly of gardenias. She
 
beckons  for him to sit down next to her.
 
 
"Tell me," she begins suggestively, slithering closer to him, "We've
 
been out here for a really long time. I know you've been lonely.
 
There's something I'm sure you really feel like doing right now, something
 
you've been longing for all these months. You know..."
 
She stares into his eyes. He can't believe what he's hearing!
 
 
"You mean ..." he swallows excitedly,
 
we can watch the Patriots game from here?"

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Magic Sandals

This married couple was on holiday in India. They were touring around the marketplace looking at the goods and such, when they passed this small sandal shop. From inside they heard a gentleman with an Indian accent say, "You foreigners! Come in. Come into my humble shop." So the married couple walked in. The Indian man said to them "I have some special sandals I think you would be interested in. Dey make you wild at sex like great desert camel." Well, the wife was really interested in buying the sandals after what the man claimed, but her husband felt he really didn't need them, being the sex god he was. The husband asked the man, "How could sandals make you into a sex freak?" The Indian man replied, "Just try dem on, Saiheeb." Well, the husband, after some badgering from his wife, finally gave in, and tried them on. As soon as he slipped them onto his feet, he got this wild look in his eyes, something his wife hadn't seen in many years!! In the blink of an eye, the husband grabbed the Indian man, bent him violently over a table, yanked down his pants, ripped down his own pants, and grabbed a firm hold of the Indian's thighs. The Indian then began screaming,

"YOU HAVE DEM ON DE WRONG FEET!!!

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Magic Sandals

This married couple was on holiday in India. They were touring around the marketplace looking at the goods and such, when they passed this small sandal shop. From inside they heard a gentleman with an Indian accent say, "You foreigners! Come in. Come into my humble shop." So the married couple walked in. The Indian man said to them "I have some special sandals I think you would be interested in. Dey make you wild at sex like great desert camel." Well, the wife was really interested in buying the sandals after what the man claimed, but her husband felt he really didn't need them, being the sex god he was. The husband asked the man, "How could sandals make you into a sex freak?" The Indian man replied, "Just try dem on, Saiheeb." Well, the husband, after some badgering from his wife, finally gave in, and tried them on. As soon as he slipped them onto his feet, he got this wild look in his eyes, something his wife hadn't seen in many years!! In the blink of an eye, the husband grabbed the Indian man, bent him violently over a table, yanked down his pants, ripped down his own pants, and grabbed a firm hold of the Indian's thighs. The Indian then began screaming,

"YOU HAVE DEM ON DE WRONG FEET!!!

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Magic Sandals

This married couple was on holiday in India. They were touring around the marketplace looking at the goods and such, when they passed this small sandal shop. From inside they heard a gentleman with an Indian accent say, "You foreigners! Come in. Come into my humble shop." So the married couple walked in. The Indian man said to them "I have some special sandals I think you would be interested in. Dey make you wild at sex like great desert camel." Well, the wife was really interested in buying the sandals after what the man claimed, but her husband felt he really didn't need them, being the sex god he was. The husband asked the man, "How could sandals make you into a sex freak?" The Indian man replied, "Just try dem on, Saiheeb." Well, the husband, after some badgering from his wife, finally gave in, and tried them on. As soon as he slipped them onto his feet, he got this wild look in his eyes, something his wife hadn't seen in many years!! In the blink of an eye, the husband grabbed the Indian man, bent him violently over a table, yanked down his pants, ripped down his own pants, and grabbed a firm hold of the Indian's thighs. The Indian then began screaming,

"YOU HAVE DEM ON DE WRONG FEET!!!

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sitter Who Disrobed Found Guilty Of Lesser Charge

By DAVID SOMMER dsommer@tampatrib.com
Published: Feb 3, 2005

CLEARWATER - A 23-year-old woman's anguished admission that she stripped off her clothes to satisfy a 4-year-old's curiosity, but did so without erotic intent, apparently persuaded jurors not to find her guilty of a sex crime punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
Instead, a four-man, two- woman panel found Sarah Slicker guilty of lewd and lascivious exhibition in front of a child, a less serious crime that could spare the St. Petersburg woman a prison term.

Slicker will be spending time behind bars, however.

Circuit Judge Brandt Downey ordered her jailed pending a Feb. 25 sentencing hearing at which he will decide whether Slicker's crime qualifies for a mandatory 30-month prison term.

If it does not, the judge is free to chose anything from time served up to 15 years.

Testifying in her own defense, Slicker told jurors that the stress of working as a nanny for 60 or more hours a week, caring for children from three different families, caused a lapse in judgment that led her to disrobe at the request of a 4-year-old boy.

``I was exhausted, mentally and physically,'' Slicker said, appearing to stifle a sob.

``I'm not trying to excuse what happened,'' she said. ``I know I shouldn't have been naked on the couch. I'm not disputing that ... I knew afterward it was a terrible thing to have done.''

The pair had been watching a James Bond movie that Slicker said the boy's father had approved of but that she found inappropriate, she told the jury. She said she disrobed at the boy's command.

``Everything was a struggle with him,'' she said. ``I didn't say anything. I just did it.''

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sitter Who Disrobed Found Guilty Of Lesser Charge

By DAVID SOMMER dsommer@tampatrib.com
Published: Feb 3, 2005

CLEARWATER - A 23-year-old woman's anguished admission that she stripped off her clothes to satisfy a 4-year-old's curiosity, but did so without erotic intent, apparently persuaded jurors not to find her guilty of a sex crime punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
Instead, a four-man, two- woman panel found Sarah Slicker guilty of lewd and lascivious exhibition in front of a child, a less serious crime that could spare the St. Petersburg woman a prison term.

Slicker will be spending time behind bars, however.

Circuit Judge Brandt Downey ordered her jailed pending a Feb. 25 sentencing hearing at which he will decide whether Slicker's crime qualifies for a mandatory 30-month prison term.

If it does not, the judge is free to chose anything from time served up to 15 years.

Testifying in her own defense, Slicker told jurors that the stress of working as a nanny for 60 or more hours a week, caring for children from three different families, caused a lapse in judgment that led her to disrobe at the request of a 4-year-old boy.

``I was exhausted, mentally and physically,'' Slicker said, appearing to stifle a sob.

``I'm not trying to excuse what happened,'' she said. ``I know I shouldn't have been naked on the couch. I'm not disputing that ... I knew afterward it was a terrible thing to have done.''

The pair had been watching a James Bond movie that Slicker said the boy's father had approved of but that she found inappropriate, she told the jury. She said she disrobed at the boy's command.

``Everything was a struggle with him,'' she said. ``I didn't say anything. I just did it.''

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sitter Who Disrobed Found Guilty Of Lesser Charge

By DAVID SOMMER dsommer@tampatrib.com
Published: Feb 3, 2005

CLEARWATER - A 23-year-old woman's anguished admission that she stripped off her clothes to satisfy a 4-year-old's curiosity, but did so without erotic intent, apparently persuaded jurors not to find her guilty of a sex crime punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
Instead, a four-man, two- woman panel found Sarah Slicker guilty of lewd and lascivious exhibition in front of a child, a less serious crime that could spare the St. Petersburg woman a prison term.

Slicker will be spending time behind bars, however.

Circuit Judge Brandt Downey ordered her jailed pending a Feb. 25 sentencing hearing at which he will decide whether Slicker's crime qualifies for a mandatory 30-month prison term.

If it does not, the judge is free to chose anything from time served up to 15 years.

Testifying in her own defense, Slicker told jurors that the stress of working as a nanny for 60 or more hours a week, caring for children from three different families, caused a lapse in judgment that led her to disrobe at the request of a 4-year-old boy.

``I was exhausted, mentally and physically,'' Slicker said, appearing to stifle a sob.

``I'm not trying to excuse what happened,'' she said. ``I know I shouldn't have been naked on the couch. I'm not disputing that ... I knew afterward it was a terrible thing to have done.''

The pair had been watching a James Bond movie that Slicker said the boy's father had approved of but that she found inappropriate, she told the jury. She said she disrobed at the boy's command.

``Everything was a struggle with him,'' she said. ``I didn't say anything. I just did it.''

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rice says US won't join Iran talks
Ayatollah blasts Bush's speech
By Robin Wright, Washington Post | February 4, 2005

LONDON -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday the United States would rebuff European efforts to bring it into negotiations with Iran aimed at preventing the Islamic state from developing nuclear weapons.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rice says US won't join Iran talks
Ayatollah blasts Bush's speech
By Robin Wright, Washington Post | February 4, 2005

LONDON -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday the United States would rebuff European efforts to bring it into negotiations with Iran aimed at preventing the Islamic state from developing nuclear weapons.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rice says US won't join Iran talks
Ayatollah blasts Bush's speech
By Robin Wright, Washington Post | February 4, 2005

LONDON -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday the United States would rebuff European efforts to bring it into negotiations with Iran aimed at preventing the Islamic state from developing nuclear weapons.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Report says EPA limits on mercury inadequate
By Associated Press | February 4, 2005

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration overlooked health effects and sided with the electric industry in developing rules for cutting toxic mercury pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency's inspector general said yesterday.

ADVERTISEMENT

The agency fell short of its own requirements and presidential orders by ''not fully analyzing the cost-benefit of regulatory alternatives and not fully assessing the rule's impact on children's health," the agency's internal watchdog said in a 54-page report.

The report by Nikki L. Tinsley said the EPA based its mercury pollution limits on an analysis submitted by Western Energy Supply & Transmission Associates, a research and advocacy group representing 17 coal-fired utilities in eight Western states.

The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to set the limits based on the most advanced pollution controls used by industry. Tinsley said agency workers were instructed by ''EPA senior management" to develop a standard compared with other regulations and a White House legislative plan, ''instead of basing the standard on an unbiased determination" of the limits.

In response to the report, EPA officials said it was ''not true" that the administration proposed mercury pollution standards without following requirements of the law.

Mercury from power plants settles in waterways and accumulates in fish. The toxic metal can cause neurological and developmental problems, particularly in fetuses and young children. It also is being studied for risks associated with cardiovascular diseases.

Senator Jim Jeffords, an Independent from Vermont, and six Democratic senators asked Tinsley in April to investigate how the EPA put together the mercury rule it proposed in December 2003.

''This is one of the most disturbing examples I've seen of an administration allowing spin and junk science to endanger the health of our children," said Senator John F. Kerry. ''I have always thought this proposal to allow more mercury in our environment is wrong and should be scrapped. This administration, which refuses to listen to sound science, must now listen to their own Inspector General and do what's right by American families."

The Food and Drug Administration has warned that high levels of mercury in some fish, including albacore tuna, can pose a hazard for children and for women pregnant or nursing.

The EPA estimates that about 8 percent of American women of childbearing age have enough mercury in their blood to put a fetus at risk.

According to the inspector general's report, the EPA has ''wide latitude" in deciding which pollution data it uses and does not want its regulation to encourage utilities to switch from coal to natural gas.The pending regulation envisions a 70 percent cut in mercury emissions from coal-burning power plants by 2018, from the current 48 tons a year to 15 tons.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Report says EPA limits on mercury inadequate
By Associated Press | February 4, 2005

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration overlooked health effects and sided with the electric industry in developing rules for cutting toxic mercury pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency's inspector general said yesterday.

ADVERTISEMENT

The agency fell short of its own requirements and presidential orders by ''not fully analyzing the cost-benefit of regulatory alternatives and not fully assessing the rule's impact on children's health," the agency's internal watchdog said in a 54-page report.

The report by Nikki L. Tinsley said the EPA based its mercury pollution limits on an analysis submitted by Western Energy Supply & Transmission Associates, a research and advocacy group representing 17 coal-fired utilities in eight Western states.

The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to set the limits based on the most advanced pollution controls used by industry. Tinsley said agency workers were instructed by ''EPA senior management" to develop a standard compared with other regulations and a White House legislative plan, ''instead of basing the standard on an unbiased determination" of the limits.

In response to the report, EPA officials said it was ''not true" that the administration proposed mercury pollution standards without following requirements of the law.

Mercury from power plants settles in waterways and accumulates in fish. The toxic metal can cause neurological and developmental problems, particularly in fetuses and young children. It also is being studied for risks associated with cardiovascular diseases.

Senator Jim Jeffords, an Independent from Vermont, and six Democratic senators asked Tinsley in April to investigate how the EPA put together the mercury rule it proposed in December 2003.

''This is one of the most disturbing examples I've seen of an administration allowing spin and junk science to endanger the health of our children," said Senator John F. Kerry. ''I have always thought this proposal to allow more mercury in our environment is wrong and should be scrapped. This administration, which refuses to listen to sound science, must now listen to their own Inspector General and do what's right by American families."

The Food and Drug Administration has warned that high levels of mercury in some fish, including albacore tuna, can pose a hazard for children and for women pregnant or nursing.

The EPA estimates that about 8 percent of American women of childbearing age have enough mercury in their blood to put a fetus at risk.

According to the inspector general's report, the EPA has ''wide latitude" in deciding which pollution data it uses and does not want its regulation to encourage utilities to switch from coal to natural gas.The pending regulation envisions a 70 percent cut in mercury emissions from coal-burning power plants by 2018, from the current 48 tons a year to 15 tons.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Report says EPA limits on mercury inadequate
By Associated Press | February 4, 2005

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration overlooked health effects and sided with the electric industry in developing rules for cutting toxic mercury pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency's inspector general said yesterday.

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The agency fell short of its own requirements and presidential orders by ''not fully analyzing the cost-benefit of regulatory alternatives and not fully assessing the rule's impact on children's health," the agency's internal watchdog said in a 54-page report.

The report by Nikki L. Tinsley said the EPA based its mercury pollution limits on an analysis submitted by Western Energy Supply & Transmission Associates, a research and advocacy group representing 17 coal-fired utilities in eight Western states.

The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to set the limits based on the most advanced pollution controls used by industry. Tinsley said agency workers were instructed by ''EPA senior management" to develop a standard compared with other regulations and a White House legislative plan, ''instead of basing the standard on an unbiased determination" of the limits.

In response to the report, EPA officials said it was ''not true" that the administration proposed mercury pollution standards without following requirements of the law.

Mercury from power plants settles in waterways and accumulates in fish. The toxic metal can cause neurological and developmental problems, particularly in fetuses and young children. It also is being studied for risks associated with cardiovascular diseases.

Senator Jim Jeffords, an Independent from Vermont, and six Democratic senators asked Tinsley in April to investigate how the EPA put together the mercury rule it proposed in December 2003.

''This is one of the most disturbing examples I've seen of an administration allowing spin and junk science to endanger the health of our children," said Senator John F. Kerry. ''I have always thought this proposal to allow more mercury in our environment is wrong and should be scrapped. This administration, which refuses to listen to sound science, must now listen to their own Inspector General and do what's right by American families."

The Food and Drug Administration has warned that high levels of mercury in some fish, including albacore tuna, can pose a hazard for children and for women pregnant or nursing.

The EPA estimates that about 8 percent of American women of childbearing age have enough mercury in their blood to put a fetus at risk.

According to the inspector general's report, the EPA has ''wide latitude" in deciding which pollution data it uses and does not want its regulation to encourage utilities to switch from coal to natural gas.The pending regulation envisions a 70 percent cut in mercury emissions from coal-burning power plants by 2018, from the current 48 tons a year to 15 tons.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Marine general says it's 'fun' to shoot some in combat
By John J. Lumpkin, Associated Press | February 4, 2005

WASHINGTON -- A decorated Marine Corps general said, "It's fun to shoot some people" and poked fun at the manhood of Afghans as he described the wars US troops are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

His boss, the commandant of the Marine Corps, said yesterday that the comments reflected "the unfortunate and harsh realities of war" but that the general has been asked to watch his words in public.

Lieutenant General James N. Mattis, a career infantry officer who is now in charge of developing better ways to train and equip Marines, made the comments Tuesday while speaking to a forum in San Diego.

According to an audio recording, he said, "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot . . . It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up front with you. I like brawling."

He added, "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."

His comments were met with laughter and applause from the audience. Mattis was speaking during a panel discussion hosted by the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, a spokeswoman for the general said.

Yesterday, General Mike Hagee, commandant of the Marine Corps, issued a statement saying, "Lieutenant General Mattis often speaks with a great deal of candor. I have counseled him concerning his remarks and he agrees he should have chosen his words more carefully."

Hagee also said, "While I understand that some people may take issue with the comments made by him, I also know he intended to reflect the unfortunate and harsh realities of war."

Among Marines, Mattis is regarded as a fighting general and an expert in the art of warfare. Among his decorations are the Bronze Star with a combat distinguishing device and a combat action ribbon, awarded for close-quarters fighting.

He is currently the commanding general of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Va., and deputy commandant for combat development.

Marine General Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it was up to Mattis to explain his own comments, but he added, "All of us who are leaders have a responsibility in our words and our actions to provide the right example all the time for those who look to us for leadership."

Pace spoke at a Pentagon news conference. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said he had not read Mattis's words and deferred to Pace.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil liberties group, called on the Pentagon to discipline Mattis for the remarks.

"We do not need generals who treat the grim business of war as a sporting event," said the council's executive director, Nihad Awad. "These disturbing remarks are indicative of an apparent indifference to the value of human life."

Pace and Hagee praised the general's service.

"His actions and those of his troops clearly show that he understands the value of proper leadership and the value of human life," Pace said.

Hagee called Mattis "one of this country's bravest and most experienced military leaders," and said he was confident he would continue to serve with distinction.

Mattis's comments were reported by KNSD-TV in San Diego, and the audio recording was posted on its website www.nbcsandiego.com.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Marine general says it's 'fun' to shoot some in combat
By John J. Lumpkin, Associated Press | February 4, 2005

WASHINGTON -- A decorated Marine Corps general said, "It's fun to shoot some people" and poked fun at the manhood of Afghans as he described the wars US troops are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

His boss, the commandant of the Marine Corps, said yesterday that the comments reflected "the unfortunate and harsh realities of war" but that the general has been asked to watch his words in public.

Lieutenant General James N. Mattis, a career infantry officer who is now in charge of developing better ways to train and equip Marines, made the comments Tuesday while speaking to a forum in San Diego.

According to an audio recording, he said, "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot . . . It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up front with you. I like brawling."

He added, "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."

His comments were met with laughter and applause from the audience. Mattis was speaking during a panel discussion hosted by the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, a spokeswoman for the general said.

Yesterday, General Mike Hagee, commandant of the Marine Corps, issued a statement saying, "Lieutenant General Mattis often speaks with a great deal of candor. I have counseled him concerning his remarks and he agrees he should have chosen his words more carefully."

Hagee also said, "While I understand that some people may take issue with the comments made by him, I also know he intended to reflect the unfortunate and harsh realities of war."

Among Marines, Mattis is regarded as a fighting general and an expert in the art of warfare. Among his decorations are the Bronze Star with a combat distinguishing device and a combat action ribbon, awarded for close-quarters fighting.

He is currently the commanding general of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Va., and deputy commandant for combat development.

Marine General Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it was up to Mattis to explain his own comments, but he added, "All of us who are leaders have a responsibility in our words and our actions to provide the right example all the time for those who look to us for leadership."

Pace spoke at a Pentagon news conference. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said he had not read Mattis's words and deferred to Pace.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil liberties group, called on the Pentagon to discipline Mattis for the remarks.

"We do not need generals who treat the grim business of war as a sporting event," said the council's executive director, Nihad Awad. "These disturbing remarks are indicative of an apparent indifference to the value of human life."

Pace and Hagee praised the general's service.

"His actions and those of his troops clearly show that he understands the value of proper leadership and the value of human life," Pace said.

Hagee called Mattis "one of this country's bravest and most experienced military leaders," and said he was confident he would continue to serve with distinction.

Mattis's comments were reported by KNSD-TV in San Diego, and the audio recording was posted on its website www.nbcsandiego.com.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Marine general says it's 'fun' to shoot some in combat
By John J. Lumpkin, Associated Press | February 4, 2005

WASHINGTON -- A decorated Marine Corps general said, "It's fun to shoot some people" and poked fun at the manhood of Afghans as he described the wars US troops are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

His boss, the commandant of the Marine Corps, said yesterday that the comments reflected "the unfortunate and harsh realities of war" but that the general has been asked to watch his words in public.

Lieutenant General James N. Mattis, a career infantry officer who is now in charge of developing better ways to train and equip Marines, made the comments Tuesday while speaking to a forum in San Diego.

According to an audio recording, he said, "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot . . . It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up front with you. I like brawling."

He added, "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."

His comments were met with laughter and applause from the audience. Mattis was speaking during a panel discussion hosted by the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, a spokeswoman for the general said.

Yesterday, General Mike Hagee, commandant of the Marine Corps, issued a statement saying, "Lieutenant General Mattis often speaks with a great deal of candor. I have counseled him concerning his remarks and he agrees he should have chosen his words more carefully."

Hagee also said, "While I understand that some people may take issue with the comments made by him, I also know he intended to reflect the unfortunate and harsh realities of war."

Among Marines, Mattis is regarded as a fighting general and an expert in the art of warfare. Among his decorations are the Bronze Star with a combat distinguishing device and a combat action ribbon, awarded for close-quarters fighting.

He is currently the commanding general of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Va., and deputy commandant for combat development.

Marine General Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it was up to Mattis to explain his own comments, but he added, "All of us who are leaders have a responsibility in our words and our actions to provide the right example all the time for those who look to us for leadership."

Pace spoke at a Pentagon news conference. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said he had not read Mattis's words and deferred to Pace.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil liberties group, called on the Pentagon to discipline Mattis for the remarks.

"We do not need generals who treat the grim business of war as a sporting event," said the council's executive director, Nihad Awad. "These disturbing remarks are indicative of an apparent indifference to the value of human life."

Pace and Hagee praised the general's service.

"His actions and those of his troops clearly show that he understands the value of proper leadership and the value of human life," Pace said.

Hagee called Mattis "one of this country's bravest and most experienced military leaders," and said he was confident he would continue to serve with distinction.

Mattis's comments were reported by KNSD-TV in San Diego, and the audio recording was posted on its website www.nbcsandiego.com.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Iraqi vote count so far shows cleric-backed Shi'ite list in lead
By Anne Barnard, Globe Staff | February 4, 2005

BAGHDAD -- As a post-election calm gave way to a burst of deadly attacks, Iraqi election officials yesterday released partial results in the ballot for a new national legislature that showed a slate of cleric-backed Shi'ite Muslim parties taking a strong lead.

The partial results from six provinces, including Baghdad and five heavily Shi'ite areas in the south, showed overwhelming majorities for the United Iraqi Alliance, a coalition that is led by parties that back a strong role for Islam in politics and claims the support of Iraq's most senior Shi'ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

The figures, while preliminary and accounting for only about 10 percent of the country's polling stations, left a top official of one of the leading Islamist parties so confident that he said the slate's leaders would try to prevent US-backed Prime Minister Iyad Allawi from keeping his job.

"He's had his chance," said Adnan Ali al-Kadhimi, deputy to the leader of the Da'wa Party, interim Vice President Ibrahim Jaafari, who is a contender for the prime minister's slot. "We're here to give other people a chance."

The figures were released as violence surged in Iraq for the first time since the election on Sunday. News reports cited incidents that claimed at least 23 lives, including those of two US Marines killed in action in Anbar Province west of Baghdad. Twelve army recruits were killed south of Kirkuk after rebels ordered them off a bus and ordered two others to warn people not to sign up.

US and Iraqi officials had cautioned that it would be harder for Iraqi forces to cope with the day-to-day insurgency than it was on election day, when car traffic was shut down across the country.

Sh'ite parties have called for a harsher crackdown on insurgents and criticized Allawi for bringing in former members of the ousted Ba'ath Party to run the security forces.

According to the incomplete results, the Shi'ite-backed Alliance was outpolling the closest contender, Allawi's Iraqi List, by about 5 to 1 in five southern Shi'ite provinces that include the cities of Nasiriyah, Najaf, Karbala, Diwaniya, and Samawa. In what election officials called "mixed" areas of Baghdad and the surrounding province, the Alliance was leading Allawi's list by 350,069 votes to 140,364.

A lopsided victory for the Shi'ite Alliance, many of whose leaders have strong ties to Iran, could further alienate Sunni Muslims, whose turnout was much lower because of violence in areas plagued by the Sunni-led insurgency and because of calls for a boycott by some Sunni clerics.

It was too soon to project national results from the partial findings, which included a total of 1.6 million votes counted from about 10 percent of the nation's polling stations. The votes counted so far represent about 25 percent of the polling stations in Baghdad and 45 to 70 percent of polling stations in the other five provinces. No heavily Kurdish or Sunni Muslim provinces were included.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Iraqi vote count so far shows cleric-backed Shi'ite list in lead
By Anne Barnard, Globe Staff | February 4, 2005

BAGHDAD -- As a post-election calm gave way to a burst of deadly attacks, Iraqi election officials yesterday released partial results in the ballot for a new national legislature that showed a slate of cleric-backed Shi'ite Muslim parties taking a strong lead.

The partial results from six provinces, including Baghdad and five heavily Shi'ite areas in the south, showed overwhelming majorities for the United Iraqi Alliance, a coalition that is led by parties that back a strong role for Islam in politics and claims the support of Iraq's most senior Shi'ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

The figures, while preliminary and accounting for only about 10 percent of the country's polling stations, left a top official of one of the leading Islamist parties so confident that he said the slate's leaders would try to prevent US-backed Prime Minister Iyad Allawi from keeping his job.

"He's had his chance," said Adnan Ali al-Kadhimi, deputy to the leader of the Da'wa Party, interim Vice President Ibrahim Jaafari, who is a contender for the prime minister's slot. "We're here to give other people a chance."

The figures were released as violence surged in Iraq for the first time since the election on Sunday. News reports cited incidents that claimed at least 23 lives, including those of two US Marines killed in action in Anbar Province west of Baghdad. Twelve army recruits were killed south of Kirkuk after rebels ordered them off a bus and ordered two others to warn people not to sign up.

US and Iraqi officials had cautioned that it would be harder for Iraqi forces to cope with the day-to-day insurgency than it was on election day, when car traffic was shut down across the country.

Sh'ite parties have called for a harsher crackdown on insurgents and criticized Allawi for bringing in former members of the ousted Ba'ath Party to run the security forces.

According to the incomplete results, the Shi'ite-backed Alliance was outpolling the closest contender, Allawi's Iraqi List, by about 5 to 1 in five southern Shi'ite provinces that include the cities of Nasiriyah, Najaf, Karbala, Diwaniya, and Samawa. In what election officials called "mixed" areas of Baghdad and the surrounding province, the Alliance was leading Allawi's list by 350,069 votes to 140,364.

A lopsided victory for the Shi'ite Alliance, many of whose leaders have strong ties to Iran, could further alienate Sunni Muslims, whose turnout was much lower because of violence in areas plagued by the Sunni-led insurgency and because of calls for a boycott by some Sunni clerics.

It was too soon to project national results from the partial findings, which included a total of 1.6 million votes counted from about 10 percent of the nation's polling stations. The votes counted so far represent about 25 percent of the polling stations in Baghdad and 45 to 70 percent of polling stations in the other five provinces. No heavily Kurdish or Sunni Muslim provinces were included.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Iraqi vote count so far shows cleric-backed Shi'ite list in lead
By Anne Barnard, Globe Staff | February 4, 2005

BAGHDAD -- As a post-election calm gave way to a burst of deadly attacks, Iraqi election officials yesterday released partial results in the ballot for a new national legislature that showed a slate of cleric-backed Shi'ite Muslim parties taking a strong lead.

The partial results from six provinces, including Baghdad and five heavily Shi'ite areas in the south, showed overwhelming majorities for the United Iraqi Alliance, a coalition that is led by parties that back a strong role for Islam in politics and claims the support of Iraq's most senior Shi'ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

The figures, while preliminary and accounting for only about 10 percent of the country's polling stations, left a top official of one of the leading Islamist parties so confident that he said the slate's leaders would try to prevent US-backed Prime Minister Iyad Allawi from keeping his job.

"He's had his chance," said Adnan Ali al-Kadhimi, deputy to the leader of the Da'wa Party, interim Vice President Ibrahim Jaafari, who is a contender for the prime minister's slot. "We're here to give other people a chance."

The figures were released as violence surged in Iraq for the first time since the election on Sunday. News reports cited incidents that claimed at least 23 lives, including those of two US Marines killed in action in Anbar Province west of Baghdad. Twelve army recruits were killed south of Kirkuk after rebels ordered them off a bus and ordered two others to warn people not to sign up.

US and Iraqi officials had cautioned that it would be harder for Iraqi forces to cope with the day-to-day insurgency than it was on election day, when car traffic was shut down across the country.

Sh'ite parties have called for a harsher crackdown on insurgents and criticized Allawi for bringing in former members of the ousted Ba'ath Party to run the security forces.

According to the incomplete results, the Shi'ite-backed Alliance was outpolling the closest contender, Allawi's Iraqi List, by about 5 to 1 in five southern Shi'ite provinces that include the cities of Nasiriyah, Najaf, Karbala, Diwaniya, and Samawa. In what election officials called "mixed" areas of Baghdad and the surrounding province, the Alliance was leading Allawi's list by 350,069 votes to 140,364.

A lopsided victory for the Shi'ite Alliance, many of whose leaders have strong ties to Iran, could further alienate Sunni Muslims, whose turnout was much lower because of violence in areas plagued by the Sunni-led insurgency and because of calls for a boycott by some Sunni clerics.

It was too soon to project national results from the partial findings, which included a total of 1.6 million votes counted from about 10 percent of the nation's polling stations. The votes counted so far represent about 25 percent of the polling stations in Baghdad and 45 to 70 percent of polling stations in the other five provinces. No heavily Kurdish or Sunni Muslim provinces were included.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Delta will close Hub center, cut 353 jobs
Airline aims to push more to book online
By Keith Reed, Globe Staff | February 4, 2005

Delta Air Lines plans to close its Boston reservations call center Sept. 1, a move that will eliminate about 353 positions.

The airline, which next month will move into the newly renovated Terminal A at Logan International Airport, notified workers at the East Boston center of the closing this week, said Benet J. Wilson, a spokeswoman for the Atlanta airline.

Delta is closing a similar reservations center in Los Angeles at the same time, Wilson said, eliminating a total of 750 telephone sales jobs at both centers. All of the workers will be offered other positions with the airline, she said, although it is too soon to tell how many will accept other jobs or whether those jobs would require them to move. Delta will keep open nine other call centers around the country.

Coming off of four straight years of heavy losses, airlines are trying to push customers away from booking over the telephone or in ticket offices, which cost carriers more because they have to pay workers to staff them.

Darryl Jenkins, an airline consultant and a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., said airlines have been somewhat successful in getting passengers to book online, but they still have a long way to go.

"They are more successful than they were five years ago," he said. "There'll be a time when most of the bookings will be done directly with the airlines, and they're certainly pushing the online fares the most."

To encourage more passengers to book online, many airlines, including Delta, have started to impose fees on tickets booked over the phone. Delta began charging $5 for telephone bookings in December. American Airlines, US Airways, and United Airlines have similar fees. Continental Airlines has begun allowing travelers to pay with personal checks when booking flights on its website, or to ask the carrier to bill them.

"Airlines continue to search for ways to reduce their distribution costs," said Mark Cestari, vice president of marketing at SmarterTravel.com, a Boston website that tracks travel trends.

Some airlines are also tacking on a fee if passengers request a paper ticket, as opposed to an electronic ticket sent by e-mail. Some carriers are considering doing away with paper tickets completely, he added.

Delta posted a $5.2 billion loss in 2004, one of eight major airlines that, combined, lost more than $9 billion last year. The airline's decision to close its reservation call centers is part of its plan to cut annual operating costs by $5 billion by 2006.

Saying the airline needed drastic changes to become profitable and to avoid bankruptcy, Delta chief executive Gerald Grinstein laid out a cost-cutting plan in September. Under the plan, Delta closed its hub at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in January, cutting hundreds of daily flights.

All Delta workers, including Grinstein and other senior executives, took a 10 percent pay cut effective Jan. 1, and after months of contentious negotiations the pilots union agreed in December to $1 billion in salary and benefit givebacks.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Delta will close Hub center, cut 353 jobs
Airline aims to push more to book online
By Keith Reed, Globe Staff | February 4, 2005

Delta Air Lines plans to close its Boston reservations call center Sept. 1, a move that will eliminate about 353 positions.

The airline, which next month will move into the newly renovated Terminal A at Logan International Airport, notified workers at the East Boston center of the closing this week, said Benet J. Wilson, a spokeswoman for the Atlanta airline.

Delta is closing a similar reservations center in Los Angeles at the same time, Wilson said, eliminating a total of 750 telephone sales jobs at both centers. All of the workers will be offered other positions with the airline, she said, although it is too soon to tell how many will accept other jobs or whether those jobs would require them to move. Delta will keep open nine other call centers around the country.

Coming off of four straight years of heavy losses, airlines are trying to push customers away from booking over the telephone or in ticket offices, which cost carriers more because they have to pay workers to staff them.

Darryl Jenkins, an airline consultant and a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., said airlines have been somewhat successful in getting passengers to book online, but they still have a long way to go.

"They are more successful than they were five years ago," he said. "There'll be a time when most of the bookings will be done directly with the airlines, and they're certainly pushing the online fares the most."

To encourage more passengers to book online, many airlines, including Delta, have started to impose fees on tickets booked over the phone. Delta began charging $5 for telephone bookings in December. American Airlines, US Airways, and United Airlines have similar fees. Continental Airlines has begun allowing travelers to pay with personal checks when booking flights on its website, or to ask the carrier to bill them.

"Airlines continue to search for ways to reduce their distribution costs," said Mark Cestari, vice president of marketing at SmarterTravel.com, a Boston website that tracks travel trends.

Some airlines are also tacking on a fee if passengers request a paper ticket, as opposed to an electronic ticket sent by e-mail. Some carriers are considering doing away with paper tickets completely, he added.

Delta posted a $5.2 billion loss in 2004, one of eight major airlines that, combined, lost more than $9 billion last year. The airline's decision to close its reservation call centers is part of its plan to cut annual operating costs by $5 billion by 2006.

Saying the airline needed drastic changes to become profitable and to avoid bankruptcy, Delta chief executive Gerald Grinstein laid out a cost-cutting plan in September. Under the plan, Delta closed its hub at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in January, cutting hundreds of daily flights.

All Delta workers, including Grinstein and other senior executives, took a 10 percent pay cut effective Jan. 1, and after months of contentious negotiations the pilots union agreed in December to $1 billion in salary and benefit givebacks.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Delta will close Hub center, cut 353 jobs
Airline aims to push more to book online
By Keith Reed, Globe Staff | February 4, 2005

Delta Air Lines plans to close its Boston reservations call center Sept. 1, a move that will eliminate about 353 positions.

The airline, which next month will move into the newly renovated Terminal A at Logan International Airport, notified workers at the East Boston center of the closing this week, said Benet J. Wilson, a spokeswoman for the Atlanta airline.

Delta is closing a similar reservations center in Los Angeles at the same time, Wilson said, eliminating a total of 750 telephone sales jobs at both centers. All of the workers will be offered other positions with the airline, she said, although it is too soon to tell how many will accept other jobs or whether those jobs would require them to move. Delta will keep open nine other call centers around the country.

Coming off of four straight years of heavy losses, airlines are trying to push customers away from booking over the telephone or in ticket offices, which cost carriers more because they have to pay workers to staff them.

Darryl Jenkins, an airline consultant and a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., said airlines have been somewhat successful in getting passengers to book online, but they still have a long way to go.

"They are more successful than they were five years ago," he said. "There'll be a time when most of the bookings will be done directly with the airlines, and they're certainly pushing the online fares the most."

To encourage more passengers to book online, many airlines, including Delta, have started to impose fees on tickets booked over the phone. Delta began charging $5 for telephone bookings in December. American Airlines, US Airways, and United Airlines have similar fees. Continental Airlines has begun allowing travelers to pay with personal checks when booking flights on its website, or to ask the carrier to bill them.

"Airlines continue to search for ways to reduce their distribution costs," said Mark Cestari, vice president of marketing at SmarterTravel.com, a Boston website that tracks travel trends.

Some airlines are also tacking on a fee if passengers request a paper ticket, as opposed to an electronic ticket sent by e-mail. Some carriers are considering doing away with paper tickets completely, he added.

Delta posted a $5.2 billion loss in 2004, one of eight major airlines that, combined, lost more than $9 billion last year. The airline's decision to close its reservation call centers is part of its plan to cut annual operating costs by $5 billion by 2006.

Saying the airline needed drastic changes to become profitable and to avoid bankruptcy, Delta chief executive Gerald Grinstein laid out a cost-cutting plan in September. Under the plan, Delta closed its hub at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in January, cutting hundreds of daily flights.

All Delta workers, including Grinstein and other senior executives, took a 10 percent pay cut effective Jan. 1, and after months of contentious negotiations the pilots union agreed in December to $1 billion in salary and benefit givebacks.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Deficits were conspicuous omissions
February 4, 2005

THE PRESIDENT'S State of the Union Address swept under the rug two of the country's most threatening problems: the federal budget deficit and the trade deficit. Both of these have grown by leaps and bounds under Bush's stewardship, and together they increasingly threaten our economic well-being.

The federal budget yielded large surpluses under President Clinton's tenure and has descended into huge deficits in recent years -- $412 billion last year -- with no real improvement in sight.

The annual trade deficit has grown despite the steep decline in the dollar compared to the euro and the yen -- a development that is supposed to shrink this deficit rapidly.

We finance these deficits by borrowing abroad -- in China, Taiwan, Japan, and elsewhere. Foreign lenders are becoming increasingly reluctant to continue lending to us. When they stop lending altogether and even start flooding the market with the mountains of US Treasury securities in their hands, the dollar will decline more precipitously, and the Federal Reserve will be forced to hike interest rates, throwing large numbers of businesses and individuals into bankruptcy.

This is not a pretty prospect, and the president ignored it.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Deficits were conspicuous omissions
February 4, 2005

THE PRESIDENT'S State of the Union Address swept under the rug two of the country's most threatening problems: the federal budget deficit and the trade deficit. Both of these have grown by leaps and bounds under Bush's stewardship, and together they increasingly threaten our economic well-being.

The federal budget yielded large surpluses under President Clinton's tenure and has descended into huge deficits in recent years -- $412 billion last year -- with no real improvement in sight.

The annual trade deficit has grown despite the steep decline in the dollar compared to the euro and the yen -- a development that is supposed to shrink this deficit rapidly.

We finance these deficits by borrowing abroad -- in China, Taiwan, Japan, and elsewhere. Foreign lenders are becoming increasingly reluctant to continue lending to us. When they stop lending altogether and even start flooding the market with the mountains of US Treasury securities in their hands, the dollar will decline more precipitously, and the Federal Reserve will be forced to hike interest rates, throwing large numbers of businesses and individuals into bankruptcy.

This is not a pretty prospect, and the president ignored it.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Deficits were conspicuous omissions
February 4, 2005

THE PRESIDENT'S State of the Union Address swept under the rug two of the country's most threatening problems: the federal budget deficit and the trade deficit. Both of these have grown by leaps and bounds under Bush's stewardship, and together they increasingly threaten our economic well-being.

The federal budget yielded large surpluses under President Clinton's tenure and has descended into huge deficits in recent years -- $412 billion last year -- with no real improvement in sight.

The annual trade deficit has grown despite the steep decline in the dollar compared to the euro and the yen -- a development that is supposed to shrink this deficit rapidly.

We finance these deficits by borrowing abroad -- in China, Taiwan, Japan, and elsewhere. Foreign lenders are becoming increasingly reluctant to continue lending to us. When they stop lending altogether and even start flooding the market with the mountains of US Treasury securities in their hands, the dollar will decline more precipitously, and the Federal Reserve will be forced to hike interest rates, throwing large numbers of businesses and individuals into bankruptcy.

This is not a pretty prospect, and the president ignored it.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush's Iranian finesse
February 4, 2005

IN HIS State of the Union address Wednesday night, President Bush was tantalizingly vague on a subject that is sure to rise to the top of his foreign policy agenda -- the threats and opportunities emanating from the Islamic Republic of Iran. That vagueness may reflect a shrewd effort to avoid showing the administration's hand on Iran before it is forced to do so. Still, there are dangers in Bush's ambiguity.

His rhetoric was markedly less inflammatory than it was four years ago, when he included Tehran's religious dictatorship with Saddam Hussein's regime and North Korea in an ''axis of evil" that would not be tolerated. Yet today Iran's rulers are resisting the entreaties of negotiators from France, Germany, and Great Britain who have been offering incentives to persuade Iran to abjure development of nuclear weapons. . For that reason, Iran casts a more threatening shadow than it did in 2001, when Bush consigned Iran to his confused and confusing axis of evil.

Nonetheless, Bush's rhetorical restraint suits the needs of the moment. Notwithstanding dark hints from Vice President Dick Cheney about surgical strikes, perhaps by Israel, against nuclear sites in Iran, there are no sound military options for eliminating Tehran's nuclear weapons program. So Bush was smart to say, ''We are working with European allies to make clear to the Iranian regime that it must give up its uranium enrichment program and any plutonium reprocessing."

There is a fundamental flaw, however, in the administration's passive acceptance of the Europeans' negotiations with Iran. The Europeans as well as the Iranians have been arguing that, if a deal is to be struck, it must include Washington. Only the Americans can deliver the security assurances Tehran wants, the lifting of economic sanctions, and accession to the World Trade Organization.

So Bush will have to decide, sooner rather than later, whether to engage with a regime that is rooted in hostility to America and has made a mockery of democracy and human rights. If he opts for engagement -- for cutting a deal that rewards the mullahs for ending their nuclear weapons program -- he may eliminate a grave threat to regional stability and world peace. Such an achievement would be worthwhile, but would have its price.

Wednesday night, Bush addressed the Iranian people directly, saying, ''As you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you." These words will become an empty promise if Bush chooses to approve a transaction that strengthens the position of the regime in return for its verifiable commitment to foreswear nuclear weapons. Bush should not be making promises he is unlikely to keep.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush's Iranian finesse
February 4, 2005

IN HIS State of the Union address Wednesday night, President Bush was tantalizingly vague on a subject that is sure to rise to the top of his foreign policy agenda -- the threats and opportunities emanating from the Islamic Republic of Iran. That vagueness may reflect a shrewd effort to avoid showing the administration's hand on Iran before it is forced to do so. Still, there are dangers in Bush's ambiguity.

His rhetoric was markedly less inflammatory than it was four years ago, when he included Tehran's religious dictatorship with Saddam Hussein's regime and North Korea in an ''axis of evil" that would not be tolerated. Yet today Iran's rulers are resisting the entreaties of negotiators from France, Germany, and Great Britain who have been offering incentives to persuade Iran to abjure development of nuclear weapons. . For that reason, Iran casts a more threatening shadow than it did in 2001, when Bush consigned Iran to his confused and confusing axis of evil.

Nonetheless, Bush's rhetorical restraint suits the needs of the moment. Notwithstanding dark hints from Vice President Dick Cheney about surgical strikes, perhaps by Israel, against nuclear sites in Iran, there are no sound military options for eliminating Tehran's nuclear weapons program. So Bush was smart to say, ''We are working with European allies to make clear to the Iranian regime that it must give up its uranium enrichment program and any plutonium reprocessing."

There is a fundamental flaw, however, in the administration's passive acceptance of the Europeans' negotiations with Iran. The Europeans as well as the Iranians have been arguing that, if a deal is to be struck, it must include Washington. Only the Americans can deliver the security assurances Tehran wants, the lifting of economic sanctions, and accession to the World Trade Organization.

So Bush will have to decide, sooner rather than later, whether to engage with a regime that is rooted in hostility to America and has made a mockery of democracy and human rights. If he opts for engagement -- for cutting a deal that rewards the mullahs for ending their nuclear weapons program -- he may eliminate a grave threat to regional stability and world peace. Such an achievement would be worthwhile, but would have its price.

Wednesday night, Bush addressed the Iranian people directly, saying, ''As you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you." These words will become an empty promise if Bush chooses to approve a transaction that strengthens the position of the regime in return for its verifiable commitment to foreswear nuclear weapons. Bush should not be making promises he is unlikely to keep.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush's Iranian finesse
February 4, 2005

IN HIS State of the Union address Wednesday night, President Bush was tantalizingly vague on a subject that is sure to rise to the top of his foreign policy agenda -- the threats and opportunities emanating from the Islamic Republic of Iran. That vagueness may reflect a shrewd effort to avoid showing the administration's hand on Iran before it is forced to do so. Still, there are dangers in Bush's ambiguity.

His rhetoric was markedly less inflammatory than it was four years ago, when he included Tehran's religious dictatorship with Saddam Hussein's regime and North Korea in an ''axis of evil" that would not be tolerated. Yet today Iran's rulers are resisting the entreaties of negotiators from France, Germany, and Great Britain who have been offering incentives to persuade Iran to abjure development of nuclear weapons. . For that reason, Iran casts a more threatening shadow than it did in 2001, when Bush consigned Iran to his confused and confusing axis of evil.

Nonetheless, Bush's rhetorical restraint suits the needs of the moment. Notwithstanding dark hints from Vice President Dick Cheney about surgical strikes, perhaps by Israel, against nuclear sites in Iran, there are no sound military options for eliminating Tehran's nuclear weapons program. So Bush was smart to say, ''We are working with European allies to make clear to the Iranian regime that it must give up its uranium enrichment program and any plutonium reprocessing."

There is a fundamental flaw, however, in the administration's passive acceptance of the Europeans' negotiations with Iran. The Europeans as well as the Iranians have been arguing that, if a deal is to be struck, it must include Washington. Only the Americans can deliver the security assurances Tehran wants, the lifting of economic sanctions, and accession to the World Trade Organization.

So Bush will have to decide, sooner rather than later, whether to engage with a regime that is rooted in hostility to America and has made a mockery of democracy and human rights. If he opts for engagement -- for cutting a deal that rewards the mullahs for ending their nuclear weapons program -- he may eliminate a grave threat to regional stability and world peace. Such an achievement would be worthwhile, but would have its price.

Wednesday night, Bush addressed the Iranian people directly, saying, ''As you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you." These words will become an empty promise if Bush chooses to approve a transaction that strengthens the position of the regime in return for its verifiable commitment to foreswear nuclear weapons. Bush should not be making promises he is unlikely to keep.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush plan holds promise for Wall St.
Only a few big players would benefit initially, but as accounts grow more firms could gain
By Andrew Caffrey, Globe Staff | February 4, 2005

President Bush's plan to create private investment accounts to augment Social Security would initially benefit a few large players in the money management industry, such as Boston's State Street Corp. But down the road, the sheer sum of money flowing into these accounts could become a boon for other firms, industry officials and analysts said yesterday.

ADVERTISEMENT

Thus far, Wall Street has been supportive of the concept of private investment accounts, which would bring millions of new customers into the investing business, but has kept a low profile in the debate because of its political sensitivity and lack of specifics.

The president is proposing to allow Americans under age 55 to invest a small portion of their payroll taxes into index funds, which are popular because of their extraordinary low costs and simplicity. The president would also let workers invest in a government securities fund and a so-called lifestyle fund, which becomes more conservative as workers near retirement.

Unlike actively managed funds, where professionals choose the investments, index funds automatically adjust their holdings to mimic major market indexes such as the Standard & Poor's 500.

Because the profit margins on index funds are so thin, companies have to accrue massive pools of assets -- billions and billions of dollars -- to make much money.

Bush's proposal would direct ''a modest amount of low-margin business to the low-margin players," said Robert Pozen, the chairman of MFS Investment Management in Boston. Pozen served on Bush's Commission to Strengthen Social Security and is a longtime expert on Social Security.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush plan holds promise for Wall St.
Only a few big players would benefit initially, but as accounts grow more firms could gain
By Andrew Caffrey, Globe Staff | February 4, 2005

President Bush's plan to create private investment accounts to augment Social Security would initially benefit a few large players in the money management industry, such as Boston's State Street Corp. But down the road, the sheer sum of money flowing into these accounts could become a boon for other firms, industry officials and analysts said yesterday.

ADVERTISEMENT

Thus far, Wall Street has been supportive of the concept of private investment accounts, which would bring millions of new customers into the investing business, but has kept a low profile in the debate because of its political sensitivity and lack of specifics.

The president is proposing to allow Americans under age 55 to invest a small portion of their payroll taxes into index funds, which are popular because of their extraordinary low costs and simplicity. The president would also let workers invest in a government securities fund and a so-called lifestyle fund, which becomes more conservative as workers near retirement.

Unlike actively managed funds, where professionals choose the investments, index funds automatically adjust their holdings to mimic major market indexes such as the Standard & Poor's 500.

Because the profit margins on index funds are so thin, companies have to accrue massive pools of assets -- billions and billions of dollars -- to make much money.

Bush's proposal would direct ''a modest amount of low-margin business to the low-margin players," said Robert Pozen, the chairman of MFS Investment Management in Boston. Pozen served on Bush's Commission to Strengthen Social Security and is a longtime expert on Social Security.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bush plan holds promise for Wall St.
Only a few big players would benefit initially, but as accounts grow more firms could gain
By Andrew Caffrey, Globe Staff | February 4, 2005

President Bush's plan to create private investment accounts to augment Social Security would initially benefit a few large players in the money management industry, such as Boston's State Street Corp. But down the road, the sheer sum of money flowing into these accounts could become a boon for other firms, industry officials and analysts said yesterday.

ADVERTISEMENT

Thus far, Wall Street has been supportive of the concept of private investment accounts, which would bring millions of new customers into the investing business, but has kept a low profile in the debate because of its political sensitivity and lack of specifics.

The president is proposing to allow Americans under age 55 to invest a small portion of their payroll taxes into index funds, which are popular because of their extraordinary low costs and simplicity. The president would also let workers invest in a government securities fund and a so-called lifestyle fund, which becomes more conservative as workers near retirement.

Unlike actively managed funds, where professionals choose the investments, index funds automatically adjust their holdings to mimic major market indexes such as the Standard & Poor's 500.

Because the profit margins on index funds are so thin, companies have to accrue massive pools of assets -- billions and billions of dollars -- to make much money.

Bush's proposal would direct ''a modest amount of low-margin business to the low-margin players," said Robert Pozen, the chairman of MFS Investment Management in Boston. Pozen served on Bush's Commission to Strengthen Social Security and is a longtime expert on Social Security.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Army says it won't withhold payments to Halliburton
Decision made despite problems found in audits
By Robert O'Harrow Jr., Washington Post | February 4, 2005

WASHINGTON -- In a departure from normal policy, the Army said yesterday that it will not withhold future payments to Halliburton Co., despite audit reports last summer that said the giant logistical contractor had not properly accounted for a wide array of work in Iraq and Kuwait.

ADVERTISEMENT

The decision was made months after Army auditors recommended withholding 15 percent of payments, about $60 million a month, from Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root Inc., or KBR, the largest government contractor in Iraq.

Acquisition regulations require the withholding in cases where work has not been "definitized" -- the process in which companies negotiate the final terms, conditions, and costs of work orders with the government.

Army officials sought a waiver of the requirement to "ensure we're continuing our contract operations in the theater . . . and to maintain our responsibility to the taxpayers," said Dan Carlson, a spokesman for the Army Field Support Command. Contracting officials can still withhold up to 15 percent in payments on a case-by-case basis, he said.

The decision was praised by Halliburton and derided by critics of the Bush administration, who said it underscores claims that the company has received special treatment. Halliburton became a political lightning rod during the presidential campaign last year because Vice President Dick Cheney served as the company's chief executive from 1995 to 2000 and KBR received no-bid contracts during the war.

The government has set aside $9.3 billion to pay KBR for troop support in the Middle East, Carlson said. KBR won the contract through competitive bidding. It has been paid almost $6.4 billion for work that includes base camp operations, supply convoys, sanitation, and fitness centers, the spokesman said. KBR also received a no-bid contract to repair Iraq's oil fields.

Democrats said senior Pentagon officials have ignored audit reports documenting allegations that Halliburton overcharged the government and mismanaged tax dollars. Critics said the Pentagon has given the company special treatment by twice waiving deadlines for imposing the 15 percent withholding.

Yesterday, Representative Henry Waxman, Democrat of California, said, "This action is incomprehensible."

"Once again, the Bush administration is putting Halliburton's interests above those of the taxpayers," he said in a statement.

Halliburton spokeswoman Beverly Scippa said the Army's decision "means that KBR will be able to continue working closely with the Army Field Support Command . . . while still providing the same great level of support to the soldiers in the field."

"What is important to note is that the top priority has always been making sure that the troops get taken care of," she said.

The withholding of payments to KBR because of "definitization" questions was supposed to have begun last summer, about the time an audit report found that $1.8 billion of work in Iraq and Kuwait had not been adequately accounted for. An official overseeing the logistics support contract chose to defer the decision to avoid any impact on troops in Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan.

At the end of November, Army officials formally asked to waive the 15 percent withholding rule. That request was forwarded to the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics. The final decision was made by Deidre Lee, the Pentagon director of acquisition and procurement policy, Army spokesman Carlson said.

Halliburton still faces questions from auditors about work in Iraq, including whether KBR overcharged for gasoline while on contract to help rebuild Iraqi oil fields. Under that contract, KBR did about $2.5 billion of work. KBR won a competitive bid for part of a contract to continue repairing Iraq's oil fields.

The Justice Department is investigating older allegations about profiteering in the Balkans and other activity in Nigeria and Iran.

Late last year, Halliburton announced some good news, saying that the Defense Contract Management Agency had approved its systems for estimating costs on the logistics support work.

KBR and several other Halliburton subsidiaries are emerging from bankruptcy proceedings related to asbestos litigation.

Company officials said recently that they will try to sell KBR.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Army says it won't withhold payments to Halliburton
Decision made despite problems found in audits
By Robert O'Harrow Jr., Washington Post | February 4, 2005

WASHINGTON -- In a departure from normal policy, the Army said yesterday that it will not withhold future payments to Halliburton Co., despite audit reports last summer that said the giant logistical contractor had not properly accounted for a wide array of work in Iraq and Kuwait.

ADVERTISEMENT

The decision was made months after Army auditors recommended withholding 15 percent of payments, about $60 million a month, from Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root Inc., or KBR, the largest government contractor in Iraq.

Acquisition regulations require the withholding in cases where work has not been "definitized" -- the process in which companies negotiate the final terms, conditions, and costs of work orders with the government.

Army officials sought a waiver of the requirement to "ensure we're continuing our contract operations in the theater . . . and to maintain our responsibility to the taxpayers," said Dan Carlson, a spokesman for the Army Field Support Command. Contracting officials can still withhold up to 15 percent in payments on a case-by-case basis, he said.

The decision was praised by Halliburton and derided by critics of the Bush administration, who said it underscores claims that the company has received special treatment. Halliburton became a political lightning rod during the presidential campaign last year because Vice President Dick Cheney served as the company's chief executive from 1995 to 2000 and KBR received no-bid contracts during the war.

The government has set aside $9.3 billion to pay KBR for troop support in the Middle East, Carlson said. KBR won the contract through competitive bidding. It has been paid almost $6.4 billion for work that includes base camp operations, supply convoys, sanitation, and fitness centers, the spokesman said. KBR also received a no-bid contract to repair Iraq's oil fields.

Democrats said senior Pentagon officials have ignored audit reports documenting allegations that Halliburton overcharged the government and mismanaged tax dollars. Critics said the Pentagon has given the company special treatment by twice waiving deadlines for imposing the 15 percent withholding.

Yesterday, Representative Henry Waxman, Democrat of California, said, "This action is incomprehensible."

"Once again, the Bush administration is putting Halliburton's interests above those of the taxpayers," he said in a statement.

Halliburton spokeswoman Beverly Scippa said the Army's decision "means that KBR will be able to continue working closely with the Army Field Support Command . . . while still providing the same great level of support to the soldiers in the field."

"What is important to note is that the top priority has always been making sure that the troops get taken care of," she said.

The withholding of payments to KBR because of "definitization" questions was supposed to have begun last summer, about the time an audit report found that $1.8 billion of work in Iraq and Kuwait had not been adequately accounted for. An official overseeing the logistics support contract chose to defer the decision to avoid any impact on troops in Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan.

At the end of November, Army officials formally asked to waive the 15 percent withholding rule. That request was forwarded to the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics. The final decision was made by Deidre Lee, the Pentagon director of acquisition and procurement policy, Army spokesman Carlson said.

Halliburton still faces questions from auditors about work in Iraq, including whether KBR overcharged for gasoline while on contract to help rebuild Iraqi oil fields. Under that contract, KBR did about $2.5 billion of work. KBR won a competitive bid for part of a contract to continue repairing Iraq's oil fields.

The Justice Department is investigating older allegations about profiteering in the Balkans and other activity in Nigeria and Iran.

Late last year, Halliburton announced some good news, saying that the Defense Contract Management Agency had approved its systems for estimating costs on the logistics support work.

KBR and several other Halliburton subsidiaries are emerging from bankruptcy proceedings related to asbestos litigation.

Company officials said recently that they will try to sell KBR.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Army says it won't withhold payments to Halliburton
Decision made despite problems found in audits
By Robert O'Harrow Jr., Washington Post | February 4, 2005

WASHINGTON -- In a departure from normal policy, the Army said yesterday that it will not withhold future payments to Halliburton Co., despite audit reports last summer that said the giant logistical contractor had not properly accounted for a wide array of work in Iraq and Kuwait.

ADVERTISEMENT

The decision was made months after Army auditors recommended withholding 15 percent of payments, about $60 million a month, from Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root Inc., or KBR, the largest government contractor in Iraq.

Acquisition regulations require the withholding in cases where work has not been "definitized" -- the process in which companies negotiate the final terms, conditions, and costs of work orders with the government.

Army officials sought a waiver of the requirement to "ensure we're continuing our contract operations in the theater . . . and to maintain our responsibility to the taxpayers," said Dan Carlson, a spokesman for the Army Field Support Command. Contracting officials can still withhold up to 15 percent in payments on a case-by-case basis, he said.

The decision was praised by Halliburton and derided by critics of the Bush administration, who said it underscores claims that the company has received special treatment. Halliburton became a political lightning rod during the presidential campaign last year because Vice President Dick Cheney served as the company's chief executive from 1995 to 2000 and KBR received no-bid contracts during the war.

The government has set aside $9.3 billion to pay KBR for troop support in the Middle East, Carlson said. KBR won the contract through competitive bidding. It has been paid almost $6.4 billion for work that includes base camp operations, supply convoys, sanitation, and fitness centers, the spokesman said. KBR also received a no-bid contract to repair Iraq's oil fields.

Democrats said senior Pentagon officials have ignored audit reports documenting allegations that Halliburton overcharged the government and mismanaged tax dollars. Critics said the Pentagon has given the company special treatment by twice waiving deadlines for imposing the 15 percent withholding.

Yesterday, Representative Henry Waxman, Democrat of California, said, "This action is incomprehensible."

"Once again, the Bush administration is putting Halliburton's interests above those of the taxpayers," he said in a statement.

Halliburton spokeswoman Beverly Scippa said the Army's decision "means that KBR will be able to continue working closely with the Army Field Support Command . . . while still providing the same great level of support to the soldiers in the field."

"What is important to note is that the top priority has always been making sure that the troops get taken care of," she said.

The withholding of payments to KBR because of "definitization" questions was supposed to have begun last summer, about the time an audit report found that $1.8 billion of work in Iraq and Kuwait had not been adequately accounted for. An official overseeing the logistics support contract chose to defer the decision to avoid any impact on troops in Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan.

At the end of November, Army officials formally asked to waive the 15 percent withholding rule. That request was forwarded to the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics. The final decision was made by Deidre Lee, the Pentagon director of acquisition and procurement policy, Army spokesman Carlson said.

Halliburton still faces questions from auditors about work in Iraq, including whether KBR overcharged for gasoline while on contract to help rebuild Iraqi oil fields. Under that contract, KBR did about $2.5 billion of work. KBR won a competitive bid for part of a contract to continue repairing Iraq's oil fields.

The Justice Department is investigating older allegations about profiteering in the Balkans and other activity in Nigeria and Iran.

Late last year, Halliburton announced some good news, saying that the Defense Contract Management Agency had approved its systems for estimating costs on the logistics support work.

KBR and several other Halliburton subsidiaries are emerging from bankruptcy proceedings related to asbestos litigation.

Company officials said recently that they will try to sell KBR.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 4, 2005
OP-ED COLUMNIST
Gambling With Your Retirement
By PAUL KRUGMAN

A few weeks ago I tried to explain the logic of Bush-style Social Security
privatization: it is, in effect, as if your financial adviser told you that
you wouldn't have enough money when you retire - but you shouldn't save
more. Instead, you should borrow a lot of money, buy stocks and hope for
capital gains.

Before President Bush's big speech, a background briefing by a "senior
administration official" made it clear that the plan calls for exactly the
"borrow, speculate and hope" strategy I described - not just for the system
as a whole, but for each individual.

Here's the money quote: "In return for the opportunity to get the benefits
from the personal account, the person forgoes a certain amount of benefits
from the traditional system. Now, the way that election is structured, the
person comes out ahead if their personal account exceeds a 3 percent rate of
return" - after inflation - "which is the rate of return that the trust fund
bonds receive. So, basically, the net effect on an individual's benefits
would be zero if his personal account earned a 3 percent rate of return."

Translation: If you put part of your payroll taxes into a personal account,
your future benefits will be reduced by an amount equivalent to the amount
you would have had to repay if you had borrowed the money at a real interest
rate of 3 percent.

Peter Orszag of the Brookings Institution got it exactly right: "It's not a
nest egg. It's a loan."

For years, privatizers - including Mr. Bush - have claimed that people would
do better with private accounts than with traditional Social Security even
if they played it safe and invested in U.S. government bonds (which yield 3
percent after inflation).

But the official at the briefing made it clear that his boss was fibbing: if
you invested your private account in government bonds, you would face
benefit cuts equal in value to your investment, so you would be no better
off than under the current system.

The only way to get ahead would be to invest in risky assets like stocks,
and hope for higher yields. But if the investment went wrong and you earned
less than 3 percent after inflation, your benefit cuts would leave you
poorer than if you had never opened that private account.

So people are expected to take a loan from the government and use it to buy
stocks, and if that turns out to have been a mistake - well, too bad.

Experts usually tell people to plan for their retirement by investing in a
mix of stocks and bonds. They disapprove strongly of speculation on margin:
borrowing to buy stocks. Yet Mr. Bush wants tens of millions of Americans to
do exactly that.

Meanwhile, what does any of this have to do with the ostensible purpose of
the whole thing: saving Social Security?

Here's the senior official again: "In a long-term sense, the personal
accounts would have a net neutral effect on the fiscal situation of Social
Security." The government would have to borrow huge sums up front to create
the personal accounts - $4.5 trillion in the first two decades - but it
would supposedly make up for all that borrowing with offsetting cuts in
account holders' benefits many decades later.

Color me skeptical: will retirees with private accounts that performed badly
really be forced to repay their loans in full? Even if they are, private
accounts will at best have a "net neutral effect" - that is, they will do
nothing to improve Social Security's finances. Mr. Bush says the system
faces a crisis; what does he propose to do about it?

The answer, presumably, is that his plan will also involve major benefit
cuts over and above those associated with private accounts. And it's true
that you can improve Social Security's finances with privatization, as long
as you also slash benefits - just as you can kill a flock of sheep with
witchcraft, provided you also feed them arsenic. (Thanks, M. Voltaire.)

Do you believe that we should replace America's most successful government
program with a system in which workers engage in speculation that no
financial adviser would recommend? Do you believe that we should do this
even though it will do nothing to improve the program's finances? If so,
George Bush has a deal for you.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 4, 2005
OP-ED COLUMNIST
Gambling With Your Retirement
By PAUL KRUGMAN

A few weeks ago I tried to explain the logic of Bush-style Social Security
privatization: it is, in effect, as if your financial adviser told you that
you wouldn't have enough money when you retire - but you shouldn't save
more. Instead, you should borrow a lot of money, buy stocks and hope for
capital gains.

Before President Bush's big speech, a background briefing by a "senior
administration official" made it clear that the plan calls for exactly the
"borrow, speculate and hope" strategy I described - not just for the system
as a whole, but for each individual.

Here's the money quote: "In return for the opportunity to get the benefits
from the personal account, the person forgoes a certain amount of benefits
from the traditional system. Now, the way that election is structured, the
person comes out ahead if their personal account exceeds a 3 percent rate of
return" - after inflation - "which is the rate of return that the trust fund
bonds receive. So, basically, the net effect on an individual's benefits
would be zero if his personal account earned a 3 percent rate of return."

Translation: If you put part of your payroll taxes into a personal account,
your future benefits will be reduced by an amount equivalent to the amount
you would have had to repay if you had borrowed the money at a real interest
rate of 3 percent.

Peter Orszag of the Brookings Institution got it exactly right: "It's not a
nest egg. It's a loan."

For years, privatizers - including Mr. Bush - have claimed that people would
do better with private accounts than with traditional Social Security even
if they played it safe and invested in U.S. government bonds (which yield 3
percent after inflation).

But the official at the briefing made it clear that his boss was fibbing: if
you invested your private account in government bonds, you would face
benefit cuts equal in value to your investment, so you would be no better
off than under the current system.

The only way to get ahead would be to invest in risky assets like stocks,
and hope for higher yields. But if the investment went wrong and you earned
less than 3 percent after inflation, your benefit cuts would leave you
poorer than if you had never opened that private account.

So people are expected to take a loan from the government and use it to buy
stocks, and if that turns out to have been a mistake - well, too bad.

Experts usually tell people to plan for their retirement by investing in a
mix of stocks and bonds. They disapprove strongly of speculation on margin:
borrowing to buy stocks. Yet Mr. Bush wants tens of millions of Americans to
do exactly that.

Meanwhile, what does any of this have to do with the ostensible purpose of
the whole thing: saving Social Security?

Here's the senior official again: "In a long-term sense, the personal
accounts would have a net neutral effect on the fiscal situation of Social
Security." The government would have to borrow huge sums up front to create
the personal accounts - $4.5 trillion in the first two decades - but it
would supposedly make up for all that borrowing with offsetting cuts in
account holders' benefits many decades later.

Color me skeptical: will retirees with private accounts that performed badly
really be forced to repay their loans in full? Even if they are, private
accounts will at best have a "net neutral effect" - that is, they will do
nothing to improve Social Security's finances. Mr. Bush says the system
faces a crisis; what does he propose to do about it?

The answer, presumably, is that his plan will also involve major benefit
cuts over and above those associated with private accounts. And it's true
that you can improve Social Security's finances with privatization, as long
as you also slash benefits - just as you can kill a flock of sheep with
witchcraft, provided you also feed them arsenic. (Thanks, M. Voltaire.)

Do you believe that we should replace America's most successful government
program with a system in which workers engage in speculation that no
financial adviser would recommend? Do you believe that we should do this
even though it will do nothing to improve the program's finances? If so,
George Bush has a deal for you.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 4, 2005
OP-ED COLUMNIST
Gambling With Your Retirement
By PAUL KRUGMAN

A few weeks ago I tried to explain the logic of Bush-style Social Security
privatization: it is, in effect, as if your financial adviser told you that
you wouldn't have enough money when you retire - but you shouldn't save
more. Instead, you should borrow a lot of money, buy stocks and hope for
capital gains.

Before President Bush's big speech, a background briefing by a "senior
administration official" made it clear that the plan calls for exactly the
"borrow, speculate and hope" strategy I described - not just for the system
as a whole, but for each individual.

Here's the money quote: "In return for the opportunity to get the benefits
from the personal account, the person forgoes a certain amount of benefits
from the traditional system. Now, the way that election is structured, the
person comes out ahead if their personal account exceeds a 3 percent rate of
return" - after inflation - "which is the rate of return that the trust fund
bonds receive. So, basically, the net effect on an individual's benefits
would be zero if his personal account earned a 3 percent rate of return."

Translation: If you put part of your payroll taxes into a personal account,
your future benefits will be reduced by an amount equivalent to the amount
you would have had to repay if you had borrowed the money at a real interest
rate of 3 percent.

Peter Orszag of the Brookings Institution got it exactly right: "It's not a
nest egg. It's a loan."

For years, privatizers - including Mr. Bush - have claimed that people would
do better with private accounts than with traditional Social Security even
if they played it safe and invested in U.S. government bonds (which yield 3
percent after inflation).

But the official at the briefing made it clear that his boss was fibbing: if
you invested your private account in government bonds, you would face
benefit cuts equal in value to your investment, so you would be no better
off than under the current system.

The only way to get ahead would be to invest in risky assets like stocks,
and hope for higher yields. But if the investment went wrong and you earned
less than 3 percent after inflation, your benefit cuts would leave you
poorer than if you had never opened that private account.

So people are expected to take a loan from the government and use it to buy
stocks, and if that turns out to have been a mistake - well, too bad.

Experts usually tell people to plan for their retirement by investing in a
mix of stocks and bonds. They disapprove strongly of speculation on margin:
borrowing to buy stocks. Yet Mr. Bush wants tens of millions of Americans to
do exactly that.

Meanwhile, what does any of this have to do with the ostensible purpose of
the whole thing: saving Social Security?

Here's the senior official again: "In a long-term sense, the personal
accounts would have a net neutral effect on the fiscal situation of Social
Security." The government would have to borrow huge sums up front to create
the personal accounts - $4.5 trillion in the first two decades - but it
would supposedly make up for all that borrowing with offsetting cuts in
account holders' benefits many decades later.

Color me skeptical: will retirees with private accounts that performed badly
really be forced to repay their loans in full? Even if they are, private
accounts will at best have a "net neutral effect" - that is, they will do
nothing to improve Social Security's finances. Mr. Bush says the system
faces a crisis; what does he propose to do about it?

The answer, presumably, is that his plan will also involve major benefit
cuts over and above those associated with private accounts. And it's true
that you can improve Social Security's finances with privatization, as long
as you also slash benefits - just as you can kill a flock of sheep with
witchcraft, provided you also feed them arsenic. (Thanks, M. Voltaire.)

Do you believe that we should replace America's most successful government
program with a system in which workers engage in speculation that no
financial adviser would recommend? Do you believe that we should do this
even though it will do nothing to improve the program's finances? If so,
George Bush has a deal for you.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 09:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Subject: Presidential Breakfast
>
>One morning, Dick Cheney and George W. Bush
>were having brunch at a restaurant. The
>attractive waitress asks Cheney what he would
>like, and he replies,
>
>"I'll have a bowl of oatmeal and some fruit."
>
>And what may I get for you, sir?" she asks George W.
>
>He replies, "How about a quickie?"
>
>"Why, Mr. President," the waitress says, "How rude ! ... You're
>starting to act like Mr. Clinton, and you haven't even been in office
>for a second term yet."
>
>As the waitress storms away, Cheney leans over to Bush and whispers,
>
>"It's pronounced 'quiche'. " TODAY

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Subject: Presidential Breakfast
>
>One morning, Dick Cheney and George W. Bush
>were having brunch at a restaurant. The
>attractive waitress asks Cheney what he would
>like, and he replies,
>
>"I'll have a bowl of oatmeal and some fruit."
>
>And what may I get for you, sir?" she asks George W.
>
>He replies, "How about a quickie?"
>
>"Why, Mr. President," the waitress says, "How rude ! ... You're
>starting to act like Mr. Clinton, and you haven't even been in office
>for a second term yet."
>
>As the waitress storms away, Cheney leans over to Bush and whispers,
>
>"It's pronounced 'quiche'. " TODAY

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Subject: Presidential Breakfast
>
>One morning, Dick Cheney and George W. Bush
>were having brunch at a restaurant. The
>attractive waitress asks Cheney what he would
>like, and he replies,
>
>"I'll have a bowl of oatmeal and some fruit."
>
>And what may I get for you, sir?" she asks George W.
>
>He replies, "How about a quickie?"
>
>"Why, Mr. President," the waitress says, "How rude ! ... You're
>starting to act like Mr. Clinton, and you haven't even been in office
>for a second term yet."
>
>As the waitress storms away, Cheney leans over to Bush and whispers,
>
>"It's pronounced 'quiche'. " TODAY

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Donors to DeLay Fund Put on Ethics Panel
Wed Feb 2, 2005 7:39 PM ET

By Thomas Ferraro
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two donors to U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Tom DeLay's defense fund were named on Wednesday to the House ethics committee, which twice last year admonished the Texas Republican.

In a shake-up of the bipartisan panel that critics called part of a purge and a "shutdown" of ethics enforcement, Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, also replaced the ethics chairman, Joel Hefley, a Colorado Republican, with Washington state Republican Doc Hastings, who was already on the panel.

Hefley's term as chairman was up. Though it could have been extended, Hastert decided to replace him for the 109th Congress, which began last month.

Hastert appointed to the panel Republican Reps. Lamar Smith of Texas and Tom Cole of Oklahoma. Both have donated to a defense fund DeLay created in 2000 after Democrats filed a civil racketeering suit -- later dismissed with the agreement of both sides -- over his fund-raising network.

Smith donated $10,000 and Cole donated $5,000, according to the government-watchdog group Public Citizen.

The ethics committee last year admonished DeLay in two separate reports, on a total of three matters: a 2002 fund-raiser that it said gave the appearance of donors getting special access; enlisting the help of a federal agency in a Texas political spat, and offering a political favor to a member in an effort to win passage of the Medicare drug bill.

Three of DeLay's associates were indicted by a Texas grand jury in September in connection with illegal fund raising. The prosecutor has said the investigation is not finished. DeLay has said he is confident he will not be indicted.

PURGE

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, said, "By ousting Mr. Hefley as chairman ... and replacing him with a party loyalist, the Republican leadership is sending a chilling message. It is further evidence that there is a purge under way of any Republican who does not precisely toe the party line."

Craig Holman of Congress Watch, a citizen's watchdog group, added: "This is clearly an attempt by Tom DeLay and the House Republican leadership to shut down House ethics enforcement."

Republicans rejected such criticism and said it was time to replace Hefley

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Donors to DeLay Fund Put on Ethics Panel
Wed Feb 2, 2005 7:39 PM ET

By Thomas Ferraro
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two donors to U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Tom DeLay's defense fund were named on Wednesday to the House ethics committee, which twice last year admonished the Texas Republican.

In a shake-up of the bipartisan panel that critics called part of a purge and a "shutdown" of ethics enforcement, Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, also replaced the ethics chairman, Joel Hefley, a Colorado Republican, with Washington state Republican Doc Hastings, who was already on the panel.

Hefley's term as chairman was up. Though it could have been extended, Hastert decided to replace him for the 109th Congress, which began last month.

Hastert appointed to the panel Republican Reps. Lamar Smith of Texas and Tom Cole of Oklahoma. Both have donated to a defense fund DeLay created in 2000 after Democrats filed a civil racketeering suit -- later dismissed with the agreement of both sides -- over his fund-raising network.

Smith donated $10,000 and Cole donated $5,000, according to the government-watchdog group Public Citizen.

The ethics committee last year admonished DeLay in two separate reports, on a total of three matters: a 2002 fund-raiser that it said gave the appearance of donors getting special access; enlisting the help of a federal agency in a Texas political spat, and offering a political favor to a member in an effort to win passage of the Medicare drug bill.

Three of DeLay's associates were indicted by a Texas grand jury in September in connection with illegal fund raising. The prosecutor has said the investigation is not finished. DeLay has said he is confident he will not be indicted.

PURGE

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, said, "By ousting Mr. Hefley as chairman ... and replacing him with a party loyalist, the Republican leadership is sending a chilling message. It is further evidence that there is a purge under way of any Republican who does not precisely toe the party line."

Craig Holman of Congress Watch, a citizen's watchdog group, added: "This is clearly an attempt by Tom DeLay and the House Republican leadership to shut down House ethics enforcement."

Republicans rejected such criticism and said it was time to replace Hefley

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Donors to DeLay Fund Put on Ethics Panel
Wed Feb 2, 2005 7:39 PM ET

By Thomas Ferraro
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two donors to U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Tom DeLay's defense fund were named on Wednesday to the House ethics committee, which twice last year admonished the Texas Republican.

In a shake-up of the bipartisan panel that critics called part of a purge and a "shutdown" of ethics enforcement, Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, also replaced the ethics chairman, Joel Hefley, a Colorado Republican, with Washington state Republican Doc Hastings, who was already on the panel.

Hefley's term as chairman was up. Though it could have been extended, Hastert decided to replace him for the 109th Congress, which began last month.

Hastert appointed to the panel Republican Reps. Lamar Smith of Texas and Tom Cole of Oklahoma. Both have donated to a defense fund DeLay created in 2000 after Democrats filed a civil racketeering suit -- later dismissed with the agreement of both sides -- over his fund-raising network.

Smith donated $10,000 and Cole donated $5,000, according to the government-watchdog group Public Citizen.

The ethics committee last year admonished DeLay in two separate reports, on a total of three matters: a 2002 fund-raiser that it said gave the appearance of donors getting special access; enlisting the help of a federal agency in a Texas political spat, and offering a political favor to a member in an effort to win passage of the Medicare drug bill.

Three of DeLay's associates were indicted by a Texas grand jury in September in connection with illegal fund raising. The prosecutor has said the investigation is not finished. DeLay has said he is confident he will not be indicted.

PURGE

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, said, "By ousting Mr. Hefley as chairman ... and replacing him with a party loyalist, the Republican leadership is sending a chilling message. It is further evidence that there is a purge under way of any Republican who does not precisely toe the party line."

Craig Holman of Congress Watch, a citizen's watchdog group, added: "This is clearly an attempt by Tom DeLay and the House Republican leadership to shut down House ethics enforcement."

Republicans rejected such criticism and said it was time to replace Hefley

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jesus in my frying pan



He's got the whole world in his pan ... image of Jesus

THE image of Jesus has been found — in a family’s frying pan.
Juan Pastrano, 49, was hanging up the pan, above, after washing it when he spotted the image.

Juan, of Prairie Lea, Texas, said: “I’m a religious man and it looks like the image of Christ to me.”

He has sealed the pan in a plastic bag while deciding whether to sell it.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jesus in my frying pan



He's got the whole world in his pan ... image of Jesus

THE image of Jesus has been found — in a family’s frying pan.
Juan Pastrano, 49, was hanging up the pan, above, after washing it when he spotted the image.

Juan, of Prairie Lea, Texas, said: “I’m a religious man and it looks like the image of Christ to me.”

He has sealed the pan in a plastic bag while deciding whether to sell it.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jesus in my frying pan



He's got the whole world in his pan ... image of Jesus

THE image of Jesus has been found — in a family’s frying pan.
Juan Pastrano, 49, was hanging up the pan, above, after washing it when he spotted the image.

Juan, of Prairie Lea, Texas, said: “I’m a religious man and it looks like the image of Christ to me.”

He has sealed the pan in a plastic bag while deciding whether to sell it.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Animated Frog's Genitals -- Okay for TV?


LONDON (Reuters) - Despite complaints from 60 people,
Britain's advertising regulators said Wednesday there is
nothing inappropriate about the genitals of an animated frog
whose high-pitched squeals are sold as a mobile phone ringtone.
Television adverts of the motorcycle-riding Crazy Frog, who
is drawn with a broad smile and a tiny penis, run frequently on
British television, amusing, baffling and annoying viewers.
"While unusual for an animated model of this type to be
shown with genitalia, no sexual or inappropriate references
were made about its anatomy," the UK's Advertising Standards
Authority said.
Twenty-two people complained they were worried children
might see the advertising, which also promotes screen savers
and mobile videos. Five parents said they were embarrassed by
questions their children had asked.
Other viewers simply found the commercial annoying and
thought it was shown too often.
"We appreciate that the frequent broadcast of the same, or
similar commercials can be annoying to some viewers," the ASA
said. "However, it is for the advertiser and broadcaster to
decide how often a particular advertisement is shown."
Because the ads contain a text number to place an order,
they are barred from being shown during children's programs,
and the ASA said there were no reports of children being
concerned by the advert.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Animated Frog's Genitals -- Okay for TV?


LONDON (Reuters) - Despite complaints from 60 people,
Britain's advertising regulators said Wednesday there is
nothing inappropriate about the genitals of an animated frog
whose high-pitched squeals are sold as a mobile phone ringtone.
Television adverts of the motorcycle-riding Crazy Frog, who
is drawn with a broad smile and a tiny penis, run frequently on
British television, amusing, baffling and annoying viewers.
"While unusual for an animated model of this type to be
shown with genitalia, no sexual or inappropriate references
were made about its anatomy," the UK's Advertising Standards
Authority said.
Twenty-two people complained they were worried children
might see the advertising, which also promotes screen savers
and mobile videos. Five parents said they were embarrassed by
questions their children had asked.
Other viewers simply found the commercial annoying and
thought it was shown too often.
"We appreciate that the frequent broadcast of the same, or
similar commercials can be annoying to some viewers," the ASA
said. "However, it is for the advertiser and broadcaster to
decide how often a particular advertisement is shown."
Because the ads contain a text number to place an order,
they are barred from being shown during children's programs,
and the ASA said there were no reports of children being
concerned by the advert.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Animated Frog's Genitals -- Okay for TV?


LONDON (Reuters) - Despite complaints from 60 people,
Britain's advertising regulators said Wednesday there is
nothing inappropriate about the genitals of an animated frog
whose high-pitched squeals are sold as a mobile phone ringtone.
Television adverts of the motorcycle-riding Crazy Frog, who
is drawn with a broad smile and a tiny penis, run frequently on
British television, amusing, baffling and annoying viewers.
"While unusual for an animated model of this type to be
shown with genitalia, no sexual or inappropriate references
were made about its anatomy," the UK's Advertising Standards
Authority said.
Twenty-two people complained they were worried children
might see the advertising, which also promotes screen savers
and mobile videos. Five parents said they were embarrassed by
questions their children had asked.
Other viewers simply found the commercial annoying and
thought it was shown too often.
"We appreciate that the frequent broadcast of the same, or
similar commercials can be annoying to some viewers," the ASA
said. "However, it is for the advertiser and broadcaster to
decide how often a particular advertisement is shown."
Because the ads contain a text number to place an order,
they are barred from being shown during children's programs,
and the ASA said there were no reports of children being
concerned by the advert.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A greek and a Frenchman were sitting down one day debating who had the superior culture.

The greek says, "we have the parthenon."

The Frenchman says, "we have Notre Dame"

The greek says, "we had great mathematicians."

The Frenchman says, "we have the Lourve."

And so on and so on and so on….and then the greek says, "we invented sex."

To which the Frenchman replies, "that is true, but it was the French who introduced it to women."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A greek and a Frenchman were sitting down one day debating who had the superior culture.

The greek says, "we have the parthenon."

The Frenchman says, "we have Notre Dame"

The greek says, "we had great mathematicians."

The Frenchman says, "we have the Lourve."

And so on and so on and so on….and then the greek says, "we invented sex."

To which the Frenchman replies, "that is true, but it was the French who introduced it to women."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A greek and a Frenchman were sitting down one day debating who had the superior culture.

The greek says, "we have the parthenon."

The Frenchman says, "we have Notre Dame"

The greek says, "we had great mathematicians."

The Frenchman says, "we have the Lourve."

And so on and so on and so on….and then the greek says, "we invented sex."

To which the Frenchman replies, "that is true, but it was the French who introduced it to women."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 02:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

He's Still "That Man"
The Bushies' war on Franklin Roosevelt.
By Daniel Gross
Posted Friday, Jan. 28, 2005, at 1:59 PM PT

The positive legacy of FDR

Why are today's Republicans so hellbent on changing Social Security? Clearly they're not driven by concern over government deficits. After all, they've engineered a taxing and spending regime that intentionally created record deficits. And it can't be that they oppose entitlement programs as a matter of principle. Medicare has an unfunded liability larger than Social Security's, and they just expanded it a couple of years ago with the prescription drug benefit.

Maybe it's because Social Security is an opportunity to refight—and perhaps win—a series of arguments the Republicans lost badly 70 years ago. To put it another way, it's a chance to knock down Franklin Roosevelt, finally. "For the first time in six decades, the Social Security battle is one we can win," Peter Wehner, Bush's director of strategic initiatives, wrote in a memo to supporters in early January. In a column advocating the dismantling of Social Security, George Melloan of the Wall Street Journal editorial page last week wrote that "The Social Security Act of 1935 was the worthy achievement of the New Deal—almost the only one of any permanence—that gave relief to a Depression-battered nation." (In an interview, Melloan said he's aware that the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the Tennessee Valley Authority, and Triborough Bridge are all New Deal products of permanence as well.) The Cato Institute, which has been leading the charge against Social Security, includes among its many distinguished fellows Jim Powell, author of the deeply ahistoric history FDR's Folly: How Roosevelt and His New Deal Prolonged the Great Depression.

Dead going on 60 years, FDR still makes self-styled champions of American-style capitalism fulminate, much the same way their counterparts in the 1930s raged against "That Man." Why? The New Deal era reminds national greatness Republicans like Wehner of their party's futility in a time of true national greatness. I also suspect that many Republicans are simply unable to forgive Roosevelt for what may have been his greatest and longest-lasting achievement: saving American capitalism through regulation. And since they can't tear down the Triborough Bridge or the Hoover Dam, these guys act out by going after Social Security.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

He's Still "That Man"
The Bushies' war on Franklin Roosevelt.
By Daniel Gross
Posted Friday, Jan. 28, 2005, at 1:59 PM PT

The positive legacy of FDR

Why are today's Republicans so hellbent on changing Social Security? Clearly they're not driven by concern over government deficits. After all, they've engineered a taxing and spending regime that intentionally created record deficits. And it can't be that they oppose entitlement programs as a matter of principle. Medicare has an unfunded liability larger than Social Security's, and they just expanded it a couple of years ago with the prescription drug benefit.

Maybe it's because Social Security is an opportunity to refight—and perhaps win—a series of arguments the Republicans lost badly 70 years ago. To put it another way, it's a chance to knock down Franklin Roosevelt, finally. "For the first time in six decades, the Social Security battle is one we can win," Peter Wehner, Bush's director of strategic initiatives, wrote in a memo to supporters in early January. In a column advocating the dismantling of Social Security, George Melloan of the Wall Street Journal editorial page last week wrote that "The Social Security Act of 1935 was the worthy achievement of the New Deal—almost the only one of any permanence—that gave relief to a Depression-battered nation." (In an interview, Melloan said he's aware that the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the Tennessee Valley Authority, and Triborough Bridge are all New Deal products of permanence as well.) The Cato Institute, which has been leading the charge against Social Security, includes among its many distinguished fellows Jim Powell, author of the deeply ahistoric history FDR's Folly: How Roosevelt and His New Deal Prolonged the Great Depression.

Dead going on 60 years, FDR still makes self-styled champions of American-style capitalism fulminate, much the same way their counterparts in the 1930s raged against "That Man." Why? The New Deal era reminds national greatness Republicans like Wehner of their party's futility in a time of true national greatness. I also suspect that many Republicans are simply unable to forgive Roosevelt for what may have been his greatest and longest-lasting achievement: saving American capitalism through regulation. And since they can't tear down the Triborough Bridge or the Hoover Dam, these guys act out by going after Social Security.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

He's Still "That Man"
The Bushies' war on Franklin Roosevelt.
By Daniel Gross
Posted Friday, Jan. 28, 2005, at 1:59 PM PT

The positive legacy of FDR

Why are today's Republicans so hellbent on changing Social Security? Clearly they're not driven by concern over government deficits. After all, they've engineered a taxing and spending regime that intentionally created record deficits. And it can't be that they oppose entitlement programs as a matter of principle. Medicare has an unfunded liability larger than Social Security's, and they just expanded it a couple of years ago with the prescription drug benefit.

Maybe it's because Social Security is an opportunity to refight—and perhaps win—a series of arguments the Republicans lost badly 70 years ago. To put it another way, it's a chance to knock down Franklin Roosevelt, finally. "For the first time in six decades, the Social Security battle is one we can win," Peter Wehner, Bush's director of strategic initiatives, wrote in a memo to supporters in early January. In a column advocating the dismantling of Social Security, George Melloan of the Wall Street Journal editorial page last week wrote that "The Social Security Act of 1935 was the worthy achievement of the New Deal—almost the only one of any permanence—that gave relief to a Depression-battered nation." (In an interview, Melloan said he's aware that the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the Tennessee Valley Authority, and Triborough Bridge are all New Deal products of permanence as well.) The Cato Institute, which has been leading the charge against Social Security, includes among its many distinguished fellows Jim Powell, author of the deeply ahistoric history FDR's Folly: How Roosevelt and His New Deal Prolonged the Great Depression.

Dead going on 60 years, FDR still makes self-styled champions of American-style capitalism fulminate, much the same way their counterparts in the 1930s raged against "That Man." Why? The New Deal era reminds national greatness Republicans like Wehner of their party's futility in a time of true national greatness. I also suspect that many Republicans are simply unable to forgive Roosevelt for what may have been his greatest and longest-lasting achievement: saving American capitalism through regulation. And since they can't tear down the Triborough Bridge or the Hoover Dam, these guys act out by going after Social Security.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An Amish boy and his father were in a mall. They were amazed by

almost

everything they saw, but especially by two shiny, silver walls that

could move apart and then slide back together again. The boy asked,

"What is this Father?" The father (never having seen an elevator)

responded, "Son, I have never seen anything like this in my life, I

don't know what it is."

While the boy and his father were watching with amazement, a fat old

lady in a wheel chair moved up to the moving walls and pressed a

button. The walls opened and the lady rolled between them into a

small room. The walls closed and the boy and his father watched the

small circular numbers above the walls light up sequentially. They

continued to watch until it reached the last number and then the

numbers began to light in the reverse order. Finally the walls

opened

up again and a gorgeous24-year-old blonde stepped out.The father

said

quietly to his son... "Go get your mother."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An Amish boy and his father were in a mall. They were amazed by

almost

everything they saw, but especially by two shiny, silver walls that

could move apart and then slide back together again. The boy asked,

"What is this Father?" The father (never having seen an elevator)

responded, "Son, I have never seen anything like this in my life, I

don't know what it is."

While the boy and his father were watching with amazement, a fat old

lady in a wheel chair moved up to the moving walls and pressed a

button. The walls opened and the lady rolled between them into a

small room. The walls closed and the boy and his father watched the

small circular numbers above the walls light up sequentially. They

continued to watch until it reached the last number and then the

numbers began to light in the reverse order. Finally the walls

opened

up again and a gorgeous24-year-old blonde stepped out.The father

said

quietly to his son... "Go get your mother."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An Amish boy and his father were in a mall. They were amazed by

almost

everything they saw, but especially by two shiny, silver walls that

could move apart and then slide back together again. The boy asked,

"What is this Father?" The father (never having seen an elevator)

responded, "Son, I have never seen anything like this in my life, I

don't know what it is."

While the boy and his father were watching with amazement, a fat old

lady in a wheel chair moved up to the moving walls and pressed a

button. The walls opened and the lady rolled between them into a

small room. The walls closed and the boy and his father watched the

small circular numbers above the walls light up sequentially. They

continued to watch until it reached the last number and then the

numbers began to light in the reverse order. Finally the walls

opened

up again and a gorgeous24-year-old blonde stepped out.The father

said

quietly to his son... "Go get your mother."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Amazing Goldstein

A traveling salesman visits a small town in the Midwest and sees a circus banner reading, "Don't Miss The Amazing Goldstein.

Curious, he buys a ticket.

The tent goes dark.

Suddenly, trumpets blare and all eyes turn to the center ring.

There, spot lit in the center ring is a table with three walnuts on it.

Standing next to it is an old Jewish man.

Suddenly the old man unzips his pants, whips out a huge shlong, and smashes all three walnuts with three mighty swings!

The crowd erupts in applause as the elderly Goldstein is carried off on the shoulders of the clowns.

Ten years later the salesman visits the same little town and he sees a faded sign for the same circus and the same "Don't Miss the Amazing Goldstein."

He can't believe the old guy is still alive much less still doing his act!

So he buys a ticket.

Again, the center ring is illuminated.

This time, instead of walnuts, three coconuts are on the table.

Goldstein stands before them, then suddenly unzips his fly and smashes the coconuts with three swings of his amazing shlong.

The crowd goes wild!

Flabbergasted, the salesman requests a meeting with him after the show.

"You're incredible," he tells Goldstein. "But I have to know something.

You're older now. Why switch from walnuts to coconuts?"

"Vell," says Goldstein, "My eyes aren't what they used to be."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 03:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Amazing Goldstein

A traveling salesman visits a small town in the Midwest and sees a circus banner reading, "Don't Miss The Amazing Goldstein.

Curious, he buys a ticket.

The tent goes dark.

Suddenly, trumpets blare and all eyes turn to the center ring.

There, spot lit in the center ring is a table with three walnuts on it.

Standing next to it is an old Jewish man.

Suddenly the old man unzips his pants, whips out a huge shlong, and smashes all three walnuts with three mighty swings!

The crowd erupts in applause as the elderly Goldstein is carried off on the shoulders of the clowns.

Ten years later the salesman visits the same little town and he sees a faded sign for the same circus and the same "Don't Miss the Amazing Goldstein."

He can't believe the old guy is still alive much less still doing his act!

So he buys a ticket.

Again, the center ring is illuminated.

This time, instead of walnuts, three coconuts are on the table.

Goldstein stands before them, then suddenly unzips his fly and smashes the coconuts with three swings of his amazing shlong.

The crowd goes wild!

Flabbergasted, the salesman requests a meeting with him after the show.

"You're incredible," he tells Goldstein. "But I have to know something.

You're older now. Why switch from walnuts to coconuts?"

"Vell," says Goldstein, "My eyes aren't what they used to be."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 03:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Amazing Goldstein

A traveling salesman visits a small town in the Midwest and sees a circus banner reading, "Don't Miss The Amazing Goldstein.

Curious, he buys a ticket.

The tent goes dark.

Suddenly, trumpets blare and all eyes turn to the center ring.

There, spot lit in the center ring is a table with three walnuts on it.

Standing next to it is an old Jewish man.

Suddenly the old man unzips his pants, whips out a huge shlong, and smashes all three walnuts with three mighty swings!

The crowd erupts in applause as the elderly Goldstein is carried off on the shoulders of the clowns.

Ten years later the salesman visits the same little town and he sees a faded sign for the same circus and the same "Don't Miss the Amazing Goldstein."

He can't believe the old guy is still alive much less still doing his act!

So he buys a ticket.

Again, the center ring is illuminated.

This time, instead of walnuts, three coconuts are on the table.

Goldstein stands before them, then suddenly unzips his fly and smashes the coconuts with three swings of his amazing shlong.

The crowd goes wild!

Flabbergasted, the salesman requests a meeting with him after the show.

"You're incredible," he tells Goldstein. "But I have to know something.

You're older now. Why switch from walnuts to coconuts?"

"Vell," says Goldstein, "My eyes aren't what they used to be."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 03:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Slick moves by Belichick
He reacts to wet conditions
By Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff | February 1, 2005

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Bill Belichick likened the Bartram Trail High School field the Patriots practiced on yesterday to an ice rink. The coach said he was so concerned about the conditions that he held out Richard Seymour entirely and held back several players from their normal rotation. Also, linebacker Ted Johnson missed practice with a tight leg.

ADVERTISEMENT

The field was wet from rain Saturday, and the weather was unseasonably cool yesterday.

"It's slick," said Belichick. "We're not even going full speed and guys are falling all over the place."

At last year's Super Bowl in Houston, Belichick pulled the team out of its practice field and moved it to a different site. Asked if he would do it again, Belichick said, "Hopefully things will be better out here."

The NFL invested more than $250,000 in a new drainage system and new grass for the field.

Seymour, who injured his knee Dec. 26, did light work on the side, hit a sled, and did one-on-one drills with practice squad offensive lineman Billy Yates.

"After I saw the field, there was no way I was going to put him out there today, throw him out there when everyone was slipping and sliding around," Belichick said.

"We didn't put everybody out there today; that is really more for Wednesday. Some of the guys out there are guys that we wanted to get reps, that normally wouldn't get that many, just to cover us on depth."

Belichick said before last week's AFC Championship game that he hoped Seymour could play situationally, but that never materialized. Seymour has told associates that he will play in the Super Bowl.

Belichick said of his status, "If Rich is healthy, he'll play."

Fryar talk
Irving Fryar, who played for the Patriots and Eagles, is here working for a Philadelphia radio station. The former wide receiver, who now has his own nondenominational church in New Jersey, was asked to comment on Eagles wide receiver Freddie Mitchell, who made headlines with comments about the Patriots secondary.

"I think a lot of it is just Freddie being Freddie," said Fryar. "He's a guy that talks. He's not a guy who's going to set back and keep things to himself."

When Mitchell said he "had something for Rodney Harrison," Fryar didn't think he meant something physical. "Freddie is a lover, not a fighter," said Fryar.

Asked whether the Patriots have been making too much of it, Fryar said, "No. It's good. It gives us [in the media] something to do.

"What this week is all about is that somebody is going to say something that's going to fuel a fire. I know in my own case, after my seventh year in the league, Cris Collinsworth got on TV and said I was washed up and that I would never play another year in the league. That's only because he played seven years. I used that for the next 10 years. I would work out and think about what Cris Collinsworth said. And I would put Cris Collinsworth's face on everybody else. Continued...
"My motivation to wake up every morning and go to the weight room and do my running and be the best I could be was the motivation that somebody thought I was going to fail. Somebody said I couldn't do it. Somebody said they were better than me. And then people had the nerve to believe him. That made it worse.

"Believe me, if Rodney Harrison has a chance to hit Freddie Mitchell, he's going to hit Freddie Mitchell and there's going to be a little something extra in it because of what Freddie said."

Fryar said the "Super Bowl Shuffle" the Bears were doing at the 1986 Super Bowl didn't bother him much because he was preoccupied with the turmoil in his personal life.

"I was making more mistakes off the field than I was on it," he said. "That was supposed to be a time of pleasure but that was a painful time in my life."

Fryar said his coach in New England, Raymond Berry, was like Belichick in the way he would build up the opponent.

"I remember when Raymond Berry came in to be our coach in New England -- and maybe Belichick talked to Berry, I don't know -- Berry was very careful in explaining to us that you never say anything bad about your opponent," said Fryar. "You never give your opponent any fuel. You want to build them up, so you can chop them down."

Bye, bye, Charlie
Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis took advantage of last week's bye week to fly to South Bend, Ind., Friday and take care of some recruiting duties at Notre Dame. Weis, who has been working the phones and email in his new position as Notre Dame coach, also went to South Bend for a day when the Patriots were idle during the first week of playoffs . . . Today is Media Day, so the Patriots won't practice until tomorrow . . . The FleetCenter is raffling off a Super Bowl package for two, including tickets, to benefit the Sports Museum. The winner receives two tickets to the game, hotel accommodations, and airline vouchers. Go to www.fleetcenter.com or www.sportsmuseum.org to enter by 9 a.m. Thursday. Entries are $20 each . . . Merrimack College will raffle off two Super Bowl tickets plus a charter flight to the game during the first intermission of Saturday night's men's hockey game against UMass-Lowell . . . Channel 5 has changed the air time for its "Welcome to Jacksonville" special Thursday. Instead of beginning at 7 p.m., it now will air from 10-11 p.m.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Slick moves by Belichick
He reacts to wet conditions
By Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff | February 1, 2005

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Bill Belichick likened the Bartram Trail High School field the Patriots practiced on yesterday to an ice rink. The coach said he was so concerned about the conditions that he held out Richard Seymour entirely and held back several players from their normal rotation. Also, linebacker Ted Johnson missed practice with a tight leg.

ADVERTISEMENT

The field was wet from rain Saturday, and the weather was unseasonably cool yesterday.

"It's slick," said Belichick. "We're not even going full speed and guys are falling all over the place."

At last year's Super Bowl in Houston, Belichick pulled the team out of its practice field and moved it to a different site. Asked if he would do it again, Belichick said, "Hopefully things will be better out here."

The NFL invested more than $250,000 in a new drainage system and new grass for the field.

Seymour, who injured his knee Dec. 26, did light work on the side, hit a sled, and did one-on-one drills with practice squad offensive lineman Billy Yates.

"After I saw the field, there was no way I was going to put him out there today, throw him out there when everyone was slipping and sliding around," Belichick said.

"We didn't put everybody out there today; that is really more for Wednesday. Some of the guys out there are guys that we wanted to get reps, that normally wouldn't get that many, just to cover us on depth."

Belichick said before last week's AFC Championship game that he hoped Seymour could play situationally, but that never materialized. Seymour has told associates that he will play in the Super Bowl.

Belichick said of his status, "If Rich is healthy, he'll play."

Fryar talk
Irving Fryar, who played for the Patriots and Eagles, is here working for a Philadelphia radio station. The former wide receiver, who now has his own nondenominational church in New Jersey, was asked to comment on Eagles wide receiver Freddie Mitchell, who made headlines with comments about the Patriots secondary.

"I think a lot of it is just Freddie being Freddie," said Fryar. "He's a guy that talks. He's not a guy who's going to set back and keep things to himself."

When Mitchell said he "had something for Rodney Harrison," Fryar didn't think he meant something physical. "Freddie is a lover, not a fighter," said Fryar.

Asked whether the Patriots have been making too much of it, Fryar said, "No. It's good. It gives us [in the media] something to do.

"What this week is all about is that somebody is going to say something that's going to fuel a fire. I know in my own case, after my seventh year in the league, Cris Collinsworth got on TV and said I was washed up and that I would never play another year in the league. That's only because he played seven years. I used that for the next 10 years. I would work out and think about what Cris Collinsworth said. And I would put Cris Collinsworth's face on everybody else. Continued...
"My motivation to wake up every morning and go to the weight room and do my running and be the best I could be was the motivation that somebody thought I was going to fail. Somebody said I couldn't do it. Somebody said they were better than me. And then people had the nerve to believe him. That made it worse.

"Believe me, if Rodney Harrison has a chance to hit Freddie Mitchell, he's going to hit Freddie Mitchell and there's going to be a little something extra in it because of what Freddie said."

Fryar said the "Super Bowl Shuffle" the Bears were doing at the 1986 Super Bowl didn't bother him much because he was preoccupied with the turmoil in his personal life.

"I was making more mistakes off the field than I was on it," he said. "That was supposed to be a time of pleasure but that was a painful time in my life."

Fryar said his coach in New England, Raymond Berry, was like Belichick in the way he would build up the opponent.

"I remember when Raymond Berry came in to be our coach in New England -- and maybe Belichick talked to Berry, I don't know -- Berry was very careful in explaining to us that you never say anything bad about your opponent," said Fryar. "You never give your opponent any fuel. You want to build them up, so you can chop them down."

Bye, bye, Charlie
Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis took advantage of last week's bye week to fly to South Bend, Ind., Friday and take care of some recruiting duties at Notre Dame. Weis, who has been working the phones and email in his new position as Notre Dame coach, also went to South Bend for a day when the Patriots were idle during the first week of playoffs . . . Today is Media Day, so the Patriots won't practice until tomorrow . . . The FleetCenter is raffling off a Super Bowl package for two, including tickets, to benefit the Sports Museum. The winner receives two tickets to the game, hotel accommodations, and airline vouchers. Go to www.fleetcenter.com or www.sportsmuseum.org to enter by 9 a.m. Thursday. Entries are $20 each . . . Merrimack College will raffle off two Super Bowl tickets plus a charter flight to the game during the first intermission of Saturday night's men's hockey game against UMass-Lowell . . . Channel 5 has changed the air time for its "Welcome to Jacksonville" special Thursday. Instead of beginning at 7 p.m., it now will air from 10-11 p.m.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Slick moves by Belichick
He reacts to wet conditions
By Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff | February 1, 2005

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Bill Belichick likened the Bartram Trail High School field the Patriots practiced on yesterday to an ice rink. The coach said he was so concerned about the conditions that he held out Richard Seymour entirely and held back several players from their normal rotation. Also, linebacker Ted Johnson missed practice with a tight leg.

ADVERTISEMENT

The field was wet from rain Saturday, and the weather was unseasonably cool yesterday.

"It's slick," said Belichick. "We're not even going full speed and guys are falling all over the place."

At last year's Super Bowl in Houston, Belichick pulled the team out of its practice field and moved it to a different site. Asked if he would do it again, Belichick said, "Hopefully things will be better out here."

The NFL invested more than $250,000 in a new drainage system and new grass for the field.

Seymour, who injured his knee Dec. 26, did light work on the side, hit a sled, and did one-on-one drills with practice squad offensive lineman Billy Yates.

"After I saw the field, there was no way I was going to put him out there today, throw him out there when everyone was slipping and sliding around," Belichick said.

"We didn't put everybody out there today; that is really more for Wednesday. Some of the guys out there are guys that we wanted to get reps, that normally wouldn't get that many, just to cover us on depth."

Belichick said before last week's AFC Championship game that he hoped Seymour could play situationally, but that never materialized. Seymour has told associates that he will play in the Super Bowl.

Belichick said of his status, "If Rich is healthy, he'll play."

Fryar talk
Irving Fryar, who played for the Patriots and Eagles, is here working for a Philadelphia radio station. The former wide receiver, who now has his own nondenominational church in New Jersey, was asked to comment on Eagles wide receiver Freddie Mitchell, who made headlines with comments about the Patriots secondary.

"I think a lot of it is just Freddie being Freddie," said Fryar. "He's a guy that talks. He's not a guy who's going to set back and keep things to himself."

When Mitchell said he "had something for Rodney Harrison," Fryar didn't think he meant something physical. "Freddie is a lover, not a fighter," said Fryar.

Asked whether the Patriots have been making too much of it, Fryar said, "No. It's good. It gives us [in the media] something to do.

"What this week is all about is that somebody is going to say something that's going to fuel a fire. I know in my own case, after my seventh year in the league, Cris Collinsworth got on TV and said I was washed up and that I would never play another year in the league. That's only because he played seven years. I used that for the next 10 years. I would work out and think about what Cris Collinsworth said. And I would put Cris Collinsworth's face on everybody else. Continued...
"My motivation to wake up every morning and go to the weight room and do my running and be the best I could be was the motivation that somebody thought I was going to fail. Somebody said I couldn't do it. Somebody said they were better than me. And then people had the nerve to believe him. That made it worse.

"Believe me, if Rodney Harrison has a chance to hit Freddie Mitchell, he's going to hit Freddie Mitchell and there's going to be a little something extra in it because of what Freddie said."

Fryar said the "Super Bowl Shuffle" the Bears were doing at the 1986 Super Bowl didn't bother him much because he was preoccupied with the turmoil in his personal life.

"I was making more mistakes off the field than I was on it," he said. "That was supposed to be a time of pleasure but that was a painful time in my life."

Fryar said his coach in New England, Raymond Berry, was like Belichick in the way he would build up the opponent.

"I remember when Raymond Berry came in to be our coach in New England -- and maybe Belichick talked to Berry, I don't know -- Berry was very careful in explaining to us that you never say anything bad about your opponent," said Fryar. "You never give your opponent any fuel. You want to build them up, so you can chop them down."

Bye, bye, Charlie
Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis took advantage of last week's bye week to fly to South Bend, Ind., Friday and take care of some recruiting duties at Notre Dame. Weis, who has been working the phones and email in his new position as Notre Dame coach, also went to South Bend for a day when the Patriots were idle during the first week of playoffs . . . Today is Media Day, so the Patriots won't practice until tomorrow . . . The FleetCenter is raffling off a Super Bowl package for two, including tickets, to benefit the Sports Museum. The winner receives two tickets to the game, hotel accommodations, and airline vouchers. Go to www.fleetcenter.com or www.sportsmuseum.org to enter by 9 a.m. Thursday. Entries are $20 each . . . Merrimack College will raffle off two Super Bowl tickets plus a charter flight to the game during the first intermission of Saturday night's men's hockey game against UMass-Lowell . . . Channel 5 has changed the air time for its "Welcome to Jacksonville" special Thursday. Instead of beginning at 7 p.m., it now will air from 10-11 p.m.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ARCHEOLOGY
A likely Leonardo da Vinci workshop is discovered in a convent
February 1, 2005

A forgotten workshop of Leonardo da Vinci, complete with 500-year-old frescos and a secret room to dissect human cadavers, has been discovered in Florence, Italy, researchers said last week. The find was made in part of the Santissima Annunziata convent, which let out rooms to artists centuries ago and where the likely muse of the Renaissance artist's masterwork, the Mona Lisa, may have worshipped. ''It's a bit absurd to think that, in 2005, we have found the studio of one of history's greatest artists. But that is what has happened," said Roberto Manescalchi, one of three researchers credited for this month's discovery. ''The proof is on the walls." Frescos adorning part of the workshop were left undisturbed over the centuries and gradually forgotten. Manescalchi speculated that da Vinci had assistants in his workshop and probably used a ''secret" corner room for his dissections of human corpses, aimed at improving his understanding of anatomy. The find has sparked speculation that, while da Vinci was using the workshop, he might have met the probable model for the Mona Lisa, Lisa Gherardini, wife of a Florentine merchant whose family had a chapel in the Santissima Annunziata.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ARCHEOLOGY
A likely Leonardo da Vinci workshop is discovered in a convent
February 1, 2005

A forgotten workshop of Leonardo da Vinci, complete with 500-year-old frescos and a secret room to dissect human cadavers, has been discovered in Florence, Italy, researchers said last week. The find was made in part of the Santissima Annunziata convent, which let out rooms to artists centuries ago and where the likely muse of the Renaissance artist's masterwork, the Mona Lisa, may have worshipped. ''It's a bit absurd to think that, in 2005, we have found the studio of one of history's greatest artists. But that is what has happened," said Roberto Manescalchi, one of three researchers credited for this month's discovery. ''The proof is on the walls." Frescos adorning part of the workshop were left undisturbed over the centuries and gradually forgotten. Manescalchi speculated that da Vinci had assistants in his workshop and probably used a ''secret" corner room for his dissections of human corpses, aimed at improving his understanding of anatomy. The find has sparked speculation that, while da Vinci was using the workshop, he might have met the probable model for the Mona Lisa, Lisa Gherardini, wife of a Florentine merchant whose family had a chapel in the Santissima Annunziata.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ARCHEOLOGY
A likely Leonardo da Vinci workshop is discovered in a convent
February 1, 2005

A forgotten workshop of Leonardo da Vinci, complete with 500-year-old frescos and a secret room to dissect human cadavers, has been discovered in Florence, Italy, researchers said last week. The find was made in part of the Santissima Annunziata convent, which let out rooms to artists centuries ago and where the likely muse of the Renaissance artist's masterwork, the Mona Lisa, may have worshipped. ''It's a bit absurd to think that, in 2005, we have found the studio of one of history's greatest artists. But that is what has happened," said Roberto Manescalchi, one of three researchers credited for this month's discovery. ''The proof is on the walls." Frescos adorning part of the workshop were left undisturbed over the centuries and gradually forgotten. Manescalchi speculated that da Vinci had assistants in his workshop and probably used a ''secret" corner room for his dissections of human corpses, aimed at improving his understanding of anatomy. The find has sparked speculation that, while da Vinci was using the workshop, he might have met the probable model for the Mona Lisa, Lisa Gherardini, wife of a Florentine merchant whose family had a chapel in the Santissima Annunziata.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pentagon to Propose Bigger Military Death Benefits

Feb 1, 1:49 AM (ET)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Under pressure from lawmakers for better treatment for U.S forces serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon plans to increase survivor benefits for families of service members killed in war, a Pentagon official said on Monday.

The proposed increase would effectively double to $500,000 the amount that survivors receive in government payments and life insurance benefits, The Washington Post reported.

Defense officials will ask that the higher payments be retroactive to October 2001, when the war in Afghanistan started. About 1,500 U.S. forces have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"There is a recognition that some of the benefit programs have not kept apace with the times," said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman.

Pentagon officials would be discussing their proposal in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Whitman said.

Citing unnamed officials, The Washington Post reported the proposal to boost benefits will be sent to Congress formally next week as part of President Bush's 2006 budget request.

Both Republicans and Democrats have introduced legislation to raise military death payments. The proposed legislation is part of a broader effort in Congress to improve conditions for members of the armed forces, their families and veterans, The Washington Post said.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pentagon to Propose Bigger Military Death Benefits

Feb 1, 1:49 AM (ET)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Under pressure from lawmakers for better treatment for U.S forces serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon plans to increase survivor benefits for families of service members killed in war, a Pentagon official said on Monday.

The proposed increase would effectively double to $500,000 the amount that survivors receive in government payments and life insurance benefits, The Washington Post reported.

Defense officials will ask that the higher payments be retroactive to October 2001, when the war in Afghanistan started. About 1,500 U.S. forces have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"There is a recognition that some of the benefit programs have not kept apace with the times," said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman.

Pentagon officials would be discussing their proposal in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Whitman said.

Citing unnamed officials, The Washington Post reported the proposal to boost benefits will be sent to Congress formally next week as part of President Bush's 2006 budget request.

Both Republicans and Democrats have introduced legislation to raise military death payments. The proposed legislation is part of a broader effort in Congress to improve conditions for members of the armed forces, their families and veterans, The Washington Post said.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pentagon to Propose Bigger Military Death Benefits

Feb 1, 1:49 AM (ET)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Under pressure from lawmakers for better treatment for U.S forces serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon plans to increase survivor benefits for families of service members killed in war, a Pentagon official said on Monday.

The proposed increase would effectively double to $500,000 the amount that survivors receive in government payments and life insurance benefits, The Washington Post reported.

Defense officials will ask that the higher payments be retroactive to October 2001, when the war in Afghanistan started. About 1,500 U.S. forces have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"There is a recognition that some of the benefit programs have not kept apace with the times," said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman.

Pentagon officials would be discussing their proposal in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Whitman said.

Citing unnamed officials, The Washington Post reported the proposal to boost benefits will be sent to Congress formally next week as part of President Bush's 2006 budget request.

Both Republicans and Democrats have introduced legislation to raise military death payments. The proposed legislation is part of a broader effort in Congress to improve conditions for members of the armed forces, their families and veterans, The Washington Post said.

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brain immaturity can be deadly
NIH study: Risk-taking diminishes at age 25By Elizabeth Williamson

Updated: 12:24 a.m. ET Feb. 1, 2005By most physical measures, teenagers should be the world's best drivers. Their muscles are supple, their reflexes quick, their senses at a lifetime peak. Yet car crashes kill more of them than any other cause -- a problem, some researchers believe, that is rooted in the adolescent brain.

A National Institutes of Health study suggests that the region of the brain that inhibits risky behavior is not fully formed until age 25, a finding with implications for a host of policies, including the nation's driving laws.

"We'd thought the highest levels of physical and brain maturity were reached by age 18, maybe earlier -- so this threw us," said Jay Giedd, a pediatric psychiatrist leading the study, which released its first results in April. That makes adolescence "a dangerous time, when it should be the best."
con't

Last month, Sen. William C. Mims (R-Loudoun) cited brain development research in proposing a Virginia bill that would ban cell phone use in vehicles for drivers younger than 18. It passed Friday.

In Maryland, Dels. Adrienne A. Mandel and William A. Bronrott said the research could bolster three bills the Montgomery County Democrats submitted to the legislature Friday. The bills would expand training and restrict passenger numbers and cell phone use for certain teenage drivers.

The measures also are supported by crash statistics and a soon-to-be released study from Temple University, which used a driving-style test to show that young people take greater risks consistently when their friends are watching.

"This goes toward supporting evidence that the judgment of teens further deteriorates with distractions. These crashes are preventable," Mandel said. "I would welcome [researchers'] testimony at our bill hearings."

The research has implications beyond driving: Attorneys cited brain development studies as the U.S. Supreme Court considered whether juvenile offenders should be eligible for the death penalty. The court is expected to reach a decision by midyear.

'Bring neuroscience to the table'
Critics of brain-imaging research -- and Giedd himself -- emphasize that there is no proven correlation between brain changes and behavior. Giedd, however, said that the duration and depth of the study means "it's time to bring neuroscience to the table" in the teen driving debate.

"We can determine what is the relationship between brain development and driving ability and what we can do to make it better," Giedd said.

At Temple University in Philadelphia, psychology professor and researcher Laurence Steinberg plans a new study: scanning teenagers' brains while they perform a task that simulates driving decisions, in an effort to understand the biological underpinnings of risk-taking among young people.

Giedd intends to pursue similar studies with his subjects, focusing on ways to give young people, and those responsible for them, more tools for beating the odds.

Teenagers are four times as likely as older drivers to be involved in a crash and three times as likely to die in one, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

"Right now our first subjects are reaching driving age," Giedd said. "What better application could there be than saving their lives?"

Lily and Zoe Ulrich, 15-year-old identical twins from Frederick, have been part of Giedd's study at NIH for two years. When they signed up, they answered questions about their diet, athletics, social habits, peer pressure, language skills and intellectual achievements.

The blond, 5-foot-4 sisters wear glasses, earn straight A's and often finish each other's sentences. They will receive their learner's permits this month. "I'm excited . . . it's really cool," Lily said. "I'm a little more nervous," said Zoe. "We think the same a lot of the time but not always."

Judgments and values
Giedd would like to know why.

Sitting in his closet-size office in NIH's sprawling Building 10, he turns to his laptop, where the fruit of 13 years' work appears. It's an eight-second, time-lapse film of the brain, swept by a vivid blue wave symbolizing maturing gray matter. The color engulfs the frontal lobes, and ends, in "a direct hit," Giedd said, with the dorsal-lateral prefrontal cortex, just behind the brow.

About as thick and wide as a silver dollar, this region distinguishes humans from other animals. From it, scientists believe, come judgments and values, long-term goals, the weighing of risks and consequences -- what parents call wisdom or common sense and what science calls "executive functions."

While society and tradition have placed the point of intellectual maturity, the "age of reason," years earlier, the study -- an international effort led by NIH's Institute of Mental Health and UCLA's Laboratory of Neuro Imaging -- shows it comes at about age 25.

The process is generally completed a year or two earlier in women but varies greatly from person to person. Why that is, Giedd said, "We still don't know."

"We have to find out what matters. Diet? Education, video games? Medicine, parenting, music? Is the biggest factor whether you're a musician or a jock or the amount of sleep you get?"

As important, Giedd said, is the study's finding that the brain matures in a series of fits and starts. While it remains to be proven, he said, this "may be a key to when the brain is most receptive" to learning certain skills, such as driving.

The study, which is ongoing, involves scanning the brains of 2,000 people ages 4 through 26 using magnetic resonance imaging, a radiation-free tool that permits researchers to view the organs of healthy people in minute detail.

Every two years, study participants come to the Bethesda-based National Institute of Mental Health, where they are scanned and interviewed. Half the children are healthy, and half have brain-related disorders. In the next phase, researchers plan to focus almost solely on twins, hoping to expand beyond the 180 pairs participating now, to measure the impact of environmental factors on the maturing brain.

Giedd said he's been bashed by teenagers who said the study suggests they're brain-damaged. On the contrary, he said: "Teenagers' brains are not broken; they're just still under construction."

The pattern probably serves an evolutionary purpose, he said, perhaps preparing youths to leave their families and fend for themselves, without wasting energy worrying about it.

The findings imply that many life choices -- college and career, marriage and military service -- often are made before the brain's decision-making center comes fully online. But for young adults, "Dying on a highway is the biggest risk out there," Giedd said. "What if we could predict earlier in life what could happen later?"

'Period of recklessness'
Temple's Steinberg said the NIH/UCLA research supports his theory that teen recklessness is partly the result of a critical gap in time -- starting with the thrill-seeking that comes in puberty and ending when the brain learns to temper such behavior. Since children today reach puberty earlier than previously, about age 13, and the brain's reasoning center doesn't reach maturity until the mid-twenties, Steinberg said, "This period of recklessness has never been as long as it is now."

In a study to be published this year, Temple researcher Margo Gardner and Steinberg illustrated the impact of peer pressure on risk-taking. Volunteers in three age groups -- 13 to 16, 18 to 22 and 24 and older -- were told to bring two friends to the study, which involved an arcade-style driving game.

To "win," participants guided a car through a course as quickly as possible. Periodically, a yellow warning light flashed, and some time later a "wall" popped up. If players hit it, they lost all their "points."

Participants took the test alone and with their friends in the room. Researchers found that those in the two younger groups consistently took more chances with friends present. Those 24 and older behaved equally cautiously, regardless of whether friends were watching.

The results help show why teenagers are more likely to drink, take drugs or commit crimes in groups, he said. They're also reflected in auto crash statistics.

According to the Arlington-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the chances of a crash by a 16- or 17-year-old driver are doubled with two peers in the vehicle and quadrupled with three or more. "Every passenger you add increases the risk," said Alan Williams, chief scientist at the institute. The brain and behavior studies, he said, "certainly tie in with what we know."

After a spate of teen driving deaths across the Washington region in the fall, Maryland is attempting to join Virginia and the District in limiting the number of unrelated passengers in cars with young drivers. In addition to cell phone restrictions that the Maryland and Virginia legislatures are considering, Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) is backing a measure that would revoke the licenses of convicted drunk drivers under age 21, for as long as five years.

Steinberg said he agrees with such approaches. "We have to limit the harm adolescents [encounter], rather than to try and change them."

The best way to do that, he added, "is by passing laws."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brain immaturity can be deadly
NIH study: Risk-taking diminishes at age 25By Elizabeth Williamson

Updated: 12:24 a.m. ET Feb. 1, 2005By most physical measures, teenagers should be the world's best drivers. Their muscles are supple, their reflexes quick, their senses at a lifetime peak. Yet car crashes kill more of them than any other cause -- a problem, some researchers believe, that is rooted in the adolescent brain.

A National Institutes of Health study suggests that the region of the brain that inhibits risky behavior is not fully formed until age 25, a finding with implications for a host of policies, including the nation's driving laws.

"We'd thought the highest levels of physical and brain maturity were reached by age 18, maybe earlier -- so this threw us," said Jay Giedd, a pediatric psychiatrist leading the study, which released its first results in April. That makes adolescence "a dangerous time, when it should be the best."
con't

Last month, Sen. William C. Mims (R-Loudoun) cited brain development research in proposing a Virginia bill that would ban cell phone use in vehicles for drivers younger than 18. It passed Friday.

In Maryland, Dels. Adrienne A. Mandel and William A. Bronrott said the research could bolster three bills the Montgomery County Democrats submitted to the legislature Friday. The bills would expand training and restrict passenger numbers and cell phone use for certain teenage drivers.

The measures also are supported by crash statistics and a soon-to-be released study from Temple University, which used a driving-style test to show that young people take greater risks consistently when their friends are watching.

"This goes toward supporting evidence that the judgment of teens further deteriorates with distractions. These crashes are preventable," Mandel said. "I would welcome [researchers'] testimony at our bill hearings."

The research has implications beyond driving: Attorneys cited brain development studies as the U.S. Supreme Court considered whether juvenile offenders should be eligible for the death penalty. The court is expected to reach a decision by midyear.

'Bring neuroscience to the table'
Critics of brain-imaging research -- and Giedd himself -- emphasize that there is no proven correlation between brain changes and behavior. Giedd, however, said that the duration and depth of the study means "it's time to bring neuroscience to the table" in the teen driving debate.

"We can determine what is the relationship between brain development and driving ability and what we can do to make it better," Giedd said.

At Temple University in Philadelphia, psychology professor and researcher Laurence Steinberg plans a new study: scanning teenagers' brains while they perform a task that simulates driving decisions, in an effort to understand the biological underpinnings of risk-taking among young people.

Giedd intends to pursue similar studies with his subjects, focusing on ways to give young people, and those responsible for them, more tools for beating the odds.

Teenagers are four times as likely as older drivers to be involved in a crash and three times as likely to die in one, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

"Right now our first subjects are reaching driving age," Giedd said. "What better application could there be than saving their lives?"

Lily and Zoe Ulrich, 15-year-old identical twins from Frederick, have been part of Giedd's study at NIH for two years. When they signed up, they answered questions about their diet, athletics, social habits, peer pressure, language skills and intellectual achievements.

The blond, 5-foot-4 sisters wear glasses, earn straight A's and often finish each other's sentences. They will receive their learner's permits this month. "I'm excited . . . it's really cool," Lily said. "I'm a little more nervous," said Zoe. "We think the same a lot of the time but not always."

Judgments and values
Giedd would like to know why.

Sitting in his closet-size office in NIH's sprawling Building 10, he turns to his laptop, where the fruit of 13 years' work appears. It's an eight-second, time-lapse film of the brain, swept by a vivid blue wave symbolizing maturing gray matter. The color engulfs the frontal lobes, and ends, in "a direct hit," Giedd said, with the dorsal-lateral prefrontal cortex, just behind the brow.

About as thick and wide as a silver dollar, this region distinguishes humans from other animals. From it, scientists believe, come judgments and values, long-term goals, the weighing of risks and consequences -- what parents call wisdom or common sense and what science calls "executive functions."

While society and tradition have placed the point of intellectual maturity, the "age of reason," years earlier, the study -- an international effort led by NIH's Institute of Mental Health and UCLA's Laboratory of Neuro Imaging -- shows it comes at about age 25.

The process is generally completed a year or two earlier in women but varies greatly from person to person. Why that is, Giedd said, "We still don't know."

"We have to find out what matters. Diet? Education, video games? Medicine, parenting, music? Is the biggest factor whether you're a musician or a jock or the amount of sleep you get?"

As important, Giedd said, is the study's finding that the brain matures in a series of fits and starts. While it remains to be proven, he said, this "may be a key to when the brain is most receptive" to learning certain skills, such as driving.

The study, which is ongoing, involves scanning the brains of 2,000 people ages 4 through 26 using magnetic resonance imaging, a radiation-free tool that permits researchers to view the organs of healthy people in minute detail.

Every two years, study participants come to the Bethesda-based National Institute of Mental Health, where they are scanned and interviewed. Half the children are healthy, and half have brain-related disorders. In the next phase, researchers plan to focus almost solely on twins, hoping to expand beyond the 180 pairs participating now, to measure the impact of environmental factors on the maturing brain.

Giedd said he's been bashed by teenagers who said the study suggests they're brain-damaged. On the contrary, he said: "Teenagers' brains are not broken; they're just still under construction."

The pattern probably serves an evolutionary purpose, he said, perhaps preparing youths to leave their families and fend for themselves, without wasting energy worrying about it.

The findings imply that many life choices -- college and career, marriage and military service -- often are made before the brain's decision-making center comes fully online. But for young adults, "Dying on a highway is the biggest risk out there," Giedd said. "What if we could predict earlier in life what could happen later?"

'Period of recklessness'
Temple's Steinberg said the NIH/UCLA research supports his theory that teen recklessness is partly the result of a critical gap in time -- starting with the thrill-seeking that comes in puberty and ending when the brain learns to temper such behavior. Since children today reach puberty earlier than previously, about age 13, and the brain's reasoning center doesn't reach maturity until the mid-twenties, Steinberg said, "This period of recklessness has never been as long as it is now."

In a study to be published this year, Temple researcher Margo Gardner and Steinberg illustrated the impact of peer pressure on risk-taking. Volunteers in three age groups -- 13 to 16, 18 to 22 and 24 and older -- were told to bring two friends to the study, which involved an arcade-style driving game.

To "win," participants guided a car through a course as quickly as possible. Periodically, a yellow warning light flashed, and some time later a "wall" popped up. If players hit it, they lost all their "points."

Participants took the test alone and with their friends in the room. Researchers found that those in the two younger groups consistently took more chances with friends present. Those 24 and older behaved equally cautiously, regardless of whether friends were watching.

The results help show why teenagers are more likely to drink, take drugs or commit crimes in groups, he said. They're also reflected in auto crash statistics.

According to the Arlington-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the chances of a crash by a 16- or 17-year-old driver are doubled with two peers in the vehicle and quadrupled with three or more. "Every passenger you add increases the risk," said Alan Williams, chief scientist at the institute. The brain and behavior studies, he said, "certainly tie in with what we know."

After a spate of teen driving deaths across the Washington region in the fall, Maryland is attempting to join Virginia and the District in limiting the number of unrelated passengers in cars with young drivers. In addition to cell phone restrictions that the Maryland and Virginia legislatures are considering, Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) is backing a measure that would revoke the licenses of convicted drunk drivers under age 21, for as long as five years.

Steinberg said he agrees with such approaches. "We have to limit the harm adolescents [encounter], rather than to try and change them."

The best way to do that, he added, "is by passing laws."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brain immaturity can be deadly
NIH study: Risk-taking diminishes at age 25By Elizabeth Williamson

Updated: 12:24 a.m. ET Feb. 1, 2005By most physical measures, teenagers should be the world's best drivers. Their muscles are supple, their reflexes quick, their senses at a lifetime peak. Yet car crashes kill more of them than any other cause -- a problem, some researchers believe, that is rooted in the adolescent brain.

A National Institutes of Health study suggests that the region of the brain that inhibits risky behavior is not fully formed until age 25, a finding with implications for a host of policies, including the nation's driving laws.

"We'd thought the highest levels of physical and brain maturity were reached by age 18, maybe earlier -- so this threw us," said Jay Giedd, a pediatric psychiatrist leading the study, which released its first results in April. That makes adolescence "a dangerous time, when it should be the best."
con't

Last month, Sen. William C. Mims (R-Loudoun) cited brain development research in proposing a Virginia bill that would ban cell phone use in vehicles for drivers younger than 18. It passed Friday.

In Maryland, Dels. Adrienne A. Mandel and William A. Bronrott said the research could bolster three bills the Montgomery County Democrats submitted to the legislature Friday. The bills would expand training and restrict passenger numbers and cell phone use for certain teenage drivers.

The measures also are supported by crash statistics and a soon-to-be released study from Temple University, which used a driving-style test to show that young people take greater risks consistently when their friends are watching.

"This goes toward supporting evidence that the judgment of teens further deteriorates with distractions. These crashes are preventable," Mandel said. "I would welcome [researchers'] testimony at our bill hearings."

The research has implications beyond driving: Attorneys cited brain development studies as the U.S. Supreme Court considered whether juvenile offenders should be eligible for the death penalty. The court is expected to reach a decision by midyear.

'Bring neuroscience to the table'
Critics of brain-imaging research -- and Giedd himself -- emphasize that there is no proven correlation between brain changes and behavior. Giedd, however, said that the duration and depth of the study means "it's time to bring neuroscience to the table" in the teen driving debate.

"We can determine what is the relationship between brain development and driving ability and what we can do to make it better," Giedd said.

At Temple University in Philadelphia, psychology professor and researcher Laurence Steinberg plans a new study: scanning teenagers' brains while they perform a task that simulates driving decisions, in an effort to understand the biological underpinnings of risk-taking among young people.

Giedd intends to pursue similar studies with his subjects, focusing on ways to give young people, and those responsible for them, more tools for beating the odds.

Teenagers are four times as likely as older drivers to be involved in a crash and three times as likely to die in one, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

"Right now our first subjects are reaching driving age," Giedd said. "What better application could there be than saving their lives?"

Lily and Zoe Ulrich, 15-year-old identical twins from Frederick, have been part of Giedd's study at NIH for two years. When they signed up, they answered questions about their diet, athletics, social habits, peer pressure, language skills and intellectual achievements.

The blond, 5-foot-4 sisters wear glasses, earn straight A's and often finish each other's sentences. They will receive their learner's permits this month. "I'm excited . . . it's really cool," Lily said. "I'm a little more nervous," said Zoe. "We think the same a lot of the time but not always."

Judgments and values
Giedd would like to know why.

Sitting in his closet-size office in NIH's sprawling Building 10, he turns to his laptop, where the fruit of 13 years' work appears. It's an eight-second, time-lapse film of the brain, swept by a vivid blue wave symbolizing maturing gray matter. The color engulfs the frontal lobes, and ends, in "a direct hit," Giedd said, with the dorsal-lateral prefrontal cortex, just behind the brow.

About as thick and wide as a silver dollar, this region distinguishes humans from other animals. From it, scientists believe, come judgments and values, long-term goals, the weighing of risks and consequences -- what parents call wisdom or common sense and what science calls "executive functions."

While society and tradition have placed the point of intellectual maturity, the "age of reason," years earlier, the study -- an international effort led by NIH's Institute of Mental Health and UCLA's Laboratory of Neuro Imaging -- shows it comes at about age 25.

The process is generally completed a year or two earlier in women but varies greatly from person to person. Why that is, Giedd said, "We still don't know."

"We have to find out what matters. Diet? Education, video games? Medicine, parenting, music? Is the biggest factor whether you're a musician or a jock or the amount of sleep you get?"

As important, Giedd said, is the study's finding that the brain matures in a series of fits and starts. While it remains to be proven, he said, this "may be a key to when the brain is most receptive" to learning certain skills, such as driving.

The study, which is ongoing, involves scanning the brains of 2,000 people ages 4 through 26 using magnetic resonance imaging, a radiation-free tool that permits researchers to view the organs of healthy people in minute detail.

Every two years, study participants come to the Bethesda-based National Institute of Mental Health, where they are scanned and interviewed. Half the children are healthy, and half have brain-related disorders. In the next phase, researchers plan to focus almost solely on twins, hoping to expand beyond the 180 pairs participating now, to measure the impact of environmental factors on the maturing brain.

Giedd said he's been bashed by teenagers who said the study suggests they're brain-damaged. On the contrary, he said: "Teenagers' brains are not broken; they're just still under construction."

The pattern probably serves an evolutionary purpose, he said, perhaps preparing youths to leave their families and fend for themselves, without wasting energy worrying about it.

The findings imply that many life choices -- college and career, marriage and military service -- often are made before the brain's decision-making center comes fully online. But for young adults, "Dying on a highway is the biggest risk out there," Giedd said. "What if we could predict earlier in life what could happen later?"

'Period of recklessness'
Temple's Steinberg said the NIH/UCLA research supports his theory that teen recklessness is partly the result of a critical gap in time -- starting with the thrill-seeking that comes in puberty and ending when the brain learns to temper such behavior. Since children today reach puberty earlier than previously, about age 13, and the brain's reasoning center doesn't reach maturity until the mid-twenties, Steinberg said, "This period of recklessness has never been as long as it is now."

In a study to be published this year, Temple researcher Margo Gardner and Steinberg illustrated the impact of peer pressure on risk-taking. Volunteers in three age groups -- 13 to 16, 18 to 22 and 24 and older -- were told to bring two friends to the study, which involved an arcade-style driving game.

To "win," participants guided a car through a course as quickly as possible. Periodically, a yellow warning light flashed, and some time later a "wall" popped up. If players hit it, they lost all their "points."

Participants took the test alone and with their friends in the room. Researchers found that those in the two younger groups consistently took more chances with friends present. Those 24 and older behaved equally cautiously, regardless of whether friends were watching.

The results help show why teenagers are more likely to drink, take drugs or commit crimes in groups, he said. They're also reflected in auto crash statistics.

According to the Arlington-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the chances of a crash by a 16- or 17-year-old driver are doubled with two peers in the vehicle and quadrupled with three or more. "Every passenger you add increases the risk," said Alan Williams, chief scientist at the institute. The brain and behavior studies, he said, "certainly tie in with what we know."

After a spate of teen driving deaths across the Washington region in the fall, Maryland is attempting to join Virginia and the District in limiting the number of unrelated passengers in cars with young drivers. In addition to cell phone restrictions that the Maryland and Virginia legislatures are considering, Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) is backing a measure that would revoke the licenses of convicted drunk drivers under age 21, for as long as five years.

Steinberg said he agrees with such approaches. "We have to limit the harm adolescents [encounter], rather than to try and change them."

The best way to do that, he added, "is by passing laws."

Posted by Kraven Moorehead at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)