Friday, April 18, 2008

Other Items

Complaints made last year against Nelson City Police have been deemed unsubstantiated.
That conclusion has been drawn from a final report issued today by the Nelson City Police Board in relation to the Kyle Snider case.
Complaints were lodged on Snider's behalf, a war resister who was living Nelson at the time, after alleged misconduct in connection to his arrest back in 2007.


The above is from Chris Carr's "No Public hearing into NCP complaint" (KBS Radio). First, unless the entire press has been wrong, that is "Kyle Snyder." Second, it's no surprise. The whitewash began long ago (see here) and in terms of what happened to Kyle and Joshua Key, you can refer to Gregory Levey's "Northern exposure: American soldiers are fleeing the Iraq war for Canada -- and U.S. officials may be on their trail. North of the border is no longer the safe haven it was during the Vietnam era" (Salon).

Turning to elections. Several things but let's start with Shailagh Murray and Perry Bacon Jr.'s "Obama Looks To Turn Debate Into a Victory" (Washington Post)

But just as they did last weekend, when Obama was engulfed in controversy over his remarks about small-town bitterness, he and his advisers sought to turn potential trouble into an advantage. In Thursday's narrative, Obama saw Clinton's performance as a metaphor for the kind of politics he wants to move beyond.
He called Washington a town of "gotcha games," "anything goes" and "slash-and-burn politics." Clinton, he said, "looked in her element" on the stage at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia as he grappled with uncomfortable questions.

More weak words from the 'virgin' Barack. (12 years in political office and he wants to play the virgin.) It's more of the same nonsense from Bambi. So why did it get a big laugh when he stated it? That's not in the article. Jeralyn (TalkLeft) posts the video and note the laugh at "looked in her element" -- note what Bambi's doing while he's saying that:



He's flipping the bird and he knows he's doing it. The trashy candidate just got trashier. For those who want to say, "Maybe it was an accident . . ." -- from Kat's post last night:

ABC's David Wright, reporting on the reaction to his network's debate last night, notes this from Prince Bambi today:

At a town hall meeting in North Carolina today, Obama shrugged off Wednesday night's confrontation, though with evident disdain.
"When you're running for president you gotta expect it, and so you just kind of let it ..." he said, stopping midsentence and brushing off his shoulders as the crowd applauded.


He stopped mid-sentence and gestured. Just as he did when he flipped the bird while talking about Hillary Clinton. If the Bully Boy did something like that (and he has), the left would call him out (and they have). There have been no standards for Barack, just feather kisses and Patricia J. Williams lying (claiming he voted against the 2002 Iraq authorization and screaming at the poor caller, the MidEaster woman, who 'dared' to correct Professor Patti) and going cross-eyed with desire at his academic 'credentials.' Barack knew what he was doing and so did the audience, that's why they are laughing. And, again, note how prissy he is in the video. Is he's trying to become president of the United States or of ColbyCo?


The following has a March 29th event edited out of the excerpt, there are two events this weekend. From Women's eNews:

A Women's Questionnaire for Democratic Candidates
(WOMENSENEWS)--Women's individual life journeys refract our view of what constitutes "women's issues." As a voting bloc, women will determine who will be the next president. Women usually vote in higher numbers than their male counterparts--in the 2004 election, women were 60 percent of voter turnout--and to date, record numbers of women of all ages have voted in the primaries.
Breadwinners might dwell on the unmet need for high-quality affordable child care. Caregivers might talk about their social contributions being undervalued and having no safety net. Women in every walk of life who are not safe at home might focus on the failure of the legal system to offer better protection.
Power of the Women's Vote Forum, Bryn Mawr College

[. . .]

April 19, Saturday, 11:00 am to 2:30 pm - Woman to Woman Voter Turnout Workshop - State College

Workshop will be presented at a location in State College, Pennsylvania by WomenVote PA in conjunction with AAUW. Please contact Dot McLane at dotmclane@comcast.net for more information or to register for this workshop.

April 20, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm - Power of the Women's Vote Forum - Bryn Mawr College, Thomas Great Hall

WVPA is proud to co-sponsor this event. Speakers participating in the forum include: Liz Abzug, Founder of the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute for Disadvantaged Women; Judge Ann Butchart, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas; Joanne Epps, Professor of Law, Temple University; Risa Vetri Ferman, District Attorney, Ontgomery County Rita Henley Jensen, Foundation andamp; Editor-in-Chief of Women's eNews; Carol Tracy Executive Director, Women's Law Project; Senator Connie Williams, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and Lynn Yeakel, Chair of Women's Health andamp; Leadership, Drexel University. Refreshments will be provided. Register by contacting sheila_mcdaid@comcast.net.
How will such concerns be met by the next president?
That's the big question behind all the following queries from readers, staffers and advocates gathered by Women's eNews.
This Sunday, April 20, two days before the Pennsylvania primary, Women's eNews will co-sponsor a nonpartisan forum on the power of the women's vote at Bryn Mawr College, just outside Philadelphia. Editor in chief Rita Henley Jensen will moderate the discussion among a family court judge, a law professor, a district attorney, a former member of Congress and the head of a women's legal rights organization. Representatives of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are expected to make appearances as well.
Jensen will offer each a print-out of this posting and ask for an e-mailed response from the campaign, to be posted on our Web site.


I believe that's a press release. If it is, we'll note it in full tomorrow morning but there are too many things to note this morning to include it in full.

Francisco notes Howard Woflson's "HUBdate: In Her Element" (HillaryClinton.com):

The Reviews Are In: After last night’s debate in Philadelphia, Hillary was described as "the winner," having a "strong presence," and "in her element." Read more.

State of the Race: Howard Wolfson and Phil Singer assess the State of the Race on a 10am ET conference call with reporters this morning.

Previewing Today in PA: Hillary and Chelsea host a conversation with families in Haverford, PA and host a Block Party outside the Mayfair Diner in Philadelphia. Hillary also appears on Comedy Central’s the Colbert Report at 11:30pm ET tonight.

Young Democrats For Hillary: The editorial board of University of Pennsylvania's The Daily Pennsylvanian endorsed Hillary. "Clinton...is ready to lead this nation now. A successful champion for change...[she] has the ability to turn policy into reality." Read More.

On The Air In Indiana: The Clinton campaign unveiled a new ad in Indiana that highlights Hillary’s commitment to protect American defense manufacturing jobs. Watch here. Read more.

Endorsement Watch: The Operative Plasterers' and Cement Masons' International Association (OPCMIA) endorsed Hillary. OPCMIA President Pat Finley said: "We need a leader with Hillary Clinton's ability to turn around the economy and rebuild the middle class." Salsa icon Willie Colon also endorsed Hillary: "Clinton is more qualified than any other candidate to represent residents of Puerto Rico. 'Hillary has been on the side of our families for over 35 years.'" Read more and more.

Speaking Out: Darrin McCormick, Mayor of Williamson, WV, described Sen. Obama’s comments about Americans in small towns as "demeaning" and "fe[lt] like all Americans will feel the same way." Read More.

In Case You Missed It: "ABC News' Teddy Davis and Talal Al-Khatib Report: Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., maintained at Wednesday's ABC News debate in Philadelphia that his handwriting does not appear on a 1996 questionnaire stating support for a ban on the manufacture, sale, and possession of handguns. The Democratic presidential frontrunner made this claim even though a copy of the original document suggests otherwise." Read more.

On Tap: Hillary will visit North Carolina on Friday to participate in a conversation with Dr. Maya Angelou at Wake Forest University in Winston Salem.

TV . . . Reminder, Leila Fadel will be on Bill Moyers Journal discussing Sadr City (tonight on PBS, check local listings). NOW on PBS (also tonight in most markets) focuses on healthcare. On Fox tonight, Canterbury's Law concludes it's debut season. Julianna Margulies stars (the strong cast also includes Aidan Quinn as her husband) and she's just escaped the threat of disbarment and prison in the previous episodes. I believe all other backstory needed is covered in tonight's episode which is very powerful. Ava and I will be including the show in our commentary on Sunday.

Radio . . . Sunday on WBAI (11:00 a.m. EST), The Next Hour offers Theatres Against War (THAW) presents live excerpts from "Dirt," "The Fifth Column," and "Rapsida" (A play from a Rwandan theater group that uses theater to educate people about HIV/AIDS). Hosted by Joanie Fritz Zosike and Suzanne Hayes while Monday, Cat Radio Cafe (2:00 p.m. EST):
offers:

Representing the PEN World Voices Festival are journalist/playwright George Packer, PEN Freedom to Write and International Programs Director Larry Siems and Sameer Padania from WITNESS, the New York-based international human righs organization; and cast members of the new musical adaptation of Elmer Rice's "The Adding Machine." Hosted by Janet Coleman and David Dozer.

And The Bat Segundo Show . . .

We've passed the 200 show mark. The latest fifteen installments (Shows #189-203) of the Bat Segundo Show, a podcast featuring interviews with today's contemporary writers, filmmakers, and other assorted cultural figures, are now up.
This most recent batch includes a special 75-minute conversation with Nicholson Baker (#200) on a wide range of topics, an interview with independent animator Bill Plympton (#190), a raucous talk with Jeffrey Ford about genre and the great American novel (#191), and inquiries into the sports-industrial complex with Will Leitch (#189). We learn about intimacy with Meryl Streep with director Chen Shi-Zheng and actor Liu Ye (#203) and how to cover the Kentucky Derby with filmmakers Brad & John Hennegan (#202).
We also discover why Richard Price wrote Michael Jackson's "Bad" (#199), find out what it takes to be a nonagenarian actress with Mimi Weddell (#192), investigate Chinese restaurants with Jennifer 8. Lee (#196), look into whether phasers, invisibility, and the Death Star are theoretically possible with noted physicist Michio Kaku (#197), and conduct a live podcast with writer Marshall Klimasewiski (#193). Returning to our show for second appearances are closet geek Jennifer Weiner (#198), giddy short story writer Elizabeth Crane (#195), and anti-earnest crusader Lydia Millet (#194). And, last but not least, litblogger and debut novelist Mark Sarvas talks with us about Harry, Revised, John Banville, James Wood, and elegant variations (#201).
We are sad to report that Mr. Segundo now appears to be deceased, after a protracted battle with the Creator. But there are also rumors now circulating that Mr. Segundo is secretly holed up in a Cuban hospital. The pertinent evidence suggesting Mr. Segundo's demise can be found in Show #199. We leave it to the intelligence of our listeners to figure out how the show will carry on without our dutiful host, or whether Mr. Segundo has perhaps faked his own death in an effort to get people other than Motel 6 authorities to pay attention to him.
The main Segundo site can be found here [. . .] To subscribe to the show with a podcatcher program (for later transfer to your iPod), copy and paste the following URL into your program: http://feeds.feedburner.com/segundo
Please note: You do not have to have an iPod to listen the show! If you go to the main Segundo site, you can save the MP3 to your lovely machine by clicking on the bat picture or, if you're the kind of person who prefers swinging a bat over clicking on one, we do have a user-friendly interface with many listening and streaming options below the capsules.



"A major debacle" (Landay and Wolcott, McClatchy)

The war in Iraq has become "a major debacle" and the outcome "is in doubt" despite improvements in security from the buildup in U.S. forces, according to a highly critical study published Thursday by the Pentagon's premier military educational institute.
The report released by the National Defense University raises fresh doubts about President Bush's projections of a U.S. victory in Iraq just a week after Bush announced that he was suspending U.S. troop reductions.
The report carries considerable weight because it was written by Joseph Collins, a former senior Pentagon official, and was based in part on interviews with other former senior defense and intelligence officials who played roles in prewar preparations.


The above is from Jonathan S. Landay and John Walcott's "Pentagon institute calls Iraq war 'a major debacle' with outcome 'in doubt'" (McClatchy Newspapers). On the subject of McClatchy, Leila Fadel will be on Bill Moyers Journal discussing Sadr City. The program broadcasts tonight in most markets but check your local listings (and online, after it airs tonight, you will find complete text -- not excerpts, audio and streaming video as well as the show's blog that you can comment at). Sadr City, a neighborhood in Baghdad, is an interesting topic at any point (even in 'calm' news cycles); however, it is currently under assault. Slobodan Lekic (AP) reports this morning:


A company of government troops in Sadr City retreated when they came under attack from Shiite militiamen who used the cover of a sandstorm, police said Friday.
The clashes overnight killed two people and injured nine, a police commander said. The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to release the information, said it was unclear whether there were any casualties among the soldiers.
The reports of the latest setback for the Iraqi army come after government officials acknowledged that during fighting last month against Shiite militias in the southern city of Basra, more than 1,300 Iraqi soldiers and police deserted or refused to fight.

Reuters reports:

Iraqi troops cordoned off the Basra office of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's followers on Friday and prevented them holding prayers in a move that seems sure to inflame tensions.
The government and Sadr followers confirmed the operation, which comes nearly a month after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki launched a crackdown on Sadr's Mehdi Army militia in Basra, sparking violent clashes across the south and in Baghdad.
"We have orders from the prime minister to take back all the governmental buildings that are occupied by parties and political movements in Basra within 48 hours," Interior Ministry spokesman Major-General Abdul-Karim Khalaf, told Reuters.


And Michael Todd (eFluxMedia) reports that the US is now building "a massive concrete wall which will divide the capital’s Sadr City from the rest of the neighborhood."
So again, McClatchy's Leila Fadel will speak with Moyers about Sadr City on Bill Moyers Journal tonight.

On yesterday's violence, Lloyd notes Sholnn Freeman's "Bombing Kills 55 At Funeral in Iraq" (Washington Post):

A suicide bombing killed 55 people at a funeral service Thursday in a village 90 miles north of Baghdad, police said, the latest in a string of deadly attacks this week attributed to Sunni insurgents.
Witnesses said an assailant wearing traditional Arab robes detonated an explosives vest while mourners were gathering for lunch in the village of Albu Mohammed in Diyala province. Col. Jasim Khalaf al-Ubaidi, in the nearby town of al-Edhaim, said the funeral service was for two members of the local Sunni Awakening council, one of several groups of fighters who have joined with the U.S. military and Iraqi security forces to battle al-Qaeda in Iraq, a mainly homegrown Sunni insurgent organization.


The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.











Thursday, April 17, 2008

Jake Tapper, correct your error

An angry visitor e-mails to say Ava and I were wrong this morning. Wrong, wrong, wrong, he cries. ABC News reports that Bill Clinton commuted Susan Rosenberg and Linda Evans' sentences AND pardoned them. 'So they were pardoned,' insists the e-mailer.

You know what, there's really no excuse for stupidity. If you're going e-mail and say we're wrong about a public event, do something more than go to ABC News. We linked to the sentences Bill Clinton commuted (January 2001 as he was leaving office). Rosenberg and Evans are on that list. If he was going to pardon them, he wouldn't have commuted their sentences. A presidential pardon alone would have taken care of it. And he didn't pardon them. Click here for the list of his pardons.

Both links go to the Justice Department, not ABC 'News.' I have no idea why ABC News can't get it right. Possibly they want to lie. Possibly they're too stupid to grasp the difference between a pardon and a sentence being commuted. Possibly it was -- as it was for the e-mailer -- too damn much work to actually find out what happened. But the women were not pardoned.

They were in prison and Bill Clinton commuted their sentences (which meant both women were released). He did not pardon them. You can scan the list of his pardons until your eyeballs roll back in their sockets, you will never find them on the pardon list. Ava and I would've pardoned them. Bill Clinton did not pardon them. They were not pardoned.

ABC NEWS IS WRONG.

It's that simple. I really thought we could cover Iraq tonight. But that would require the media doing their jobs.

I have no idea why Jake Tapper can't get it right. Actually I do. Journalism majors are the equivalent of general study majors. They have little grounding in anything but their field and their degree plans are sampling the buffet.

The reality is that the commutation of a sentence is not a pardon. The person still has the conviction.

I'm not going to pretend this is a minor thing because it is not. This is your basic understanding of the Constitution and of the Supreme Court. If you didn't learn that already in your life and your age has two digits, that's really sad. So tonight's entry is just going to be an education tool.

A pardon says you are forgiven of your crime. It wipes away your conviction. There is no need to commute your sentence if you are pardoned. If you're in prison and the President of the United States pardons you, you are immediately released. There is no need to commute your sentence because the pardon overturns the sentence and, most importantly, the conviction. Commuting a sentence does not overturn the conviction. The person is still considered a convicted. If they're filling out a job application, they are required to list it (or lie) because they were not pardoned. A pardon wipes the legal verdict away. They are not the same thing and anyone telling you that they are doesn't know what they're talking about. (A governor cannot grant a pardon for a federal crime, the only one who can is the president.) I have no idea why a news outlet could allow such an error to go out. But it is an error. If it was an intentional error, it is a lie.

Most likely, it is yet another indication of how far from knowledge the country is that we're having to -- instead of talk about Iraq tonight -- spend time reviewing the basic powers granted to the President as head of the Executive Branch.

Here's ABC's out (which does not mean they don't have to correct their error), Howard Wolfson didn't know what Bill Clinton did in January 2001. When the 'pardon' language was used, he didn't correct it.

That's their out when they issue their correction. But someone should have checked it out. Again, this is basic Constitutional powers. The Supreme Court long ago ruled on this. Check the links, go through the list of pardons and the list of "Commutations Granted January 20, 2001." The pardon's list is entitled "Pardon Grants January 2001." Both are dated January 20, 2001. These are official documents from the Justice Department listing who got pardoned and who got their sentence commuted. They are two different lists. They are two different powers. I don't know how to make that any clearer.

This is not splitting hairs. There are two lists because these are two different issues. Bill Clinton, as president, could have exercised his right to pardon Rosenberg and Evans. He did not do that. He merely examined the cases and decided to commute their sentences. Both women's convictions remain on their records. That would not be the case if he had issued a pardon.

When it looked like Nixon would be impeached (before he resigned), this was something people focused on. Would the process go through? If so, would he be convicted and sentenced only to be pardoned or to have his sentence commuted. They were two different things completely. (And I don't remember anyone realistically thinking Tricky Dick would actually do hard time but I do remember many -- including myself -- hoping he would at least have the conviction on his record -- meaning he would have his sentence commuted but not pardoned.)

This goes to presidential powers and why any news outlet would get these very basic options wrong is a question to ask them, not me, not Ava. Take it up with ABC.

I don't think Tapper lied. I think he made a mistake, a HUGE mistake. And if he didn't grasp the difference between the two options Bill Clinton was using on each list, that's why ABC has legal analysts and journalists are taught to make the call. Tapper didn't make the call. Wolfson accepted the term without correction and Tapper ran with it. Tapper's mistake. ABC's mistake for posting it. I do find it outrageous and that has nothing to do with it being about Bill Clinton. My outrage is over the fact that these are Constitutional basics. Ones that the Supreme Court has ruled on. A news outlet needs to get it right. I would hope a high schooler in civics today would grasp it if his or her class had already covered the Constitution. The level of ignorance involved in this is appalling and, hate to break to ABC, but the Constitution has applications beyond the First Amendment.

The Constitution is the Highest Law of the Land. If you're a journalist and it confuses you (which would explain the lack of questioning during the lead-up to the illegal war, explain the illegal war and explain the press' refusal to grasp impeachment in non-sexual matters), you do what you were trained to do, seek out a source.

AP, this morning, did a 'fact check' and also repeated the falsehood that Bill Clinton pardoned the two women. That was early in the day. I assumed it would self-correct. Obviously the press doesn't know how to self-correct.

Now I went to Nixon in the example, but you only have to go to Scooter Libby. When he was convicted, Bully Boy commutated his sentence. Most assume that, as he leaves office, Bully Boy will pardon Scooter. But thus far, that has not happened. The conviction currently stands. What did Bully Boy say? "My decision to commute his prison sentence leaves in place a harsh punishment for Mr. Libby." That's what happened. Scooter did not get a pardon. A pardon would have wiped away the fines and the community service (which Bully Boy did not commute). A pardon would have overturned the conviction. These are not minor details.

And let's be clear that for Barack not to know the difference was very embarrassing. He tossed out both because he didn't know the facts. How he got to be the president of the Harvard Law Review is a question that needs to be asked because that's so basic he wouldn't have even qualified for slow in Constitutional Law. (Slow, in my day, was the Ayn Rand fanatic who just knew her ditherings had to be worked into his every classroom response. But as idiotic as that man was, he would have grasped the difference between a presidential pardon and the commuting of a sentence.)


When we don't know our own Constitution, when we don't know the Highest Law of the Land, that's nothing to be proud of. It's embarrassing and explains why some think that just because Bully Boy wants more war funding, he gets it. It's why some can't grasp that the war is illegal not only due to international treaties and conventions but also do the Constitution of the United States. No, Congress did not authorize this illegal war. (They have funded it.)


It's over, I'm done writing songs about love
There's a war going on
So I'm holding my gun with a strap and a glove
And I'm writing a song about war
And it goes
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Oh oh oh oh
-- "I Hate The War" (written by Greg Goldberg, on The Ballet's Mattachine!)

Last Thursday, ICCC's number of US troops killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war was 4032. Tonight? 4037. And we're guessing there because ICCC is down. (That was the number earlier today.) Just Foreign Policy lists 1,199,782 up from 1,199,782 as the number of Iraqis killed since the start of the Iraq War.

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.