July 29, 2005

CAFTA House RollCall

The complete RollCall for the Central American Free Trade Agreement has been posted for public inspection. For more information on the implications of CAFTA, visit the official web site.

Jews Put Aramaic Death Curse on PM Ariel Sharon

Tue Jul 26,11:01 AM ET

In a cemetery ceremony presided over by a rabbi, around 20 radicals held a "pulsa dinura", which means rod of fire in Aramaic, imploring God to curse a believed sinner, said the online edition of the Yediot Aharonot.

The ancient Jewish rite was presided over by rabbi Yossef Dayan at dawn on Friday in the ancient cemetery of Rosh Pina, in the northern Galilee region. Dayan read out the curse at the ritual. The group urged "the angels of destruction" to kill Sharon, participants said, stressing that a human assassination attempt on the prime minister was "futile" given his massive security protection.

The ceremony took place near the grave of Shlomo Ben Yossef, a member of the ultra-nationalist Jewish movement Beitar, who was hanged in 1938 under British mandate Palestine for taking part in an attempted attack on an Arab bus. Baruch Ben Yossef, one of the participants, said the spot was ideal.

"He is Sharon's antitheses. Ben Yossef sacrificed his soul for the people of Israel, while Sharon is robbing the nation. We hope the Lord will take him from us," he was quoted as saying by the website. Far-right Israeli activists also held a "pulsa dinura" to pray for the death of Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, a few days before the prime minister was assassinated by a Jewish extremist for trying to make peace with the Palestinians.

Sources:
Yahoo! News
Jewish.net
Kuwait Times

July 28, 2005

Antichrist Born In Italy

Mon Jul 25, 9:04 AM ET

PALERMO, Italy (Reuters) - An Italian couple stole 50,000 euros from a woman in the Sicilian city of Palermo after convincing her they were vampires who would impregnate her with the son of the Anti-Christ if she did not pay them. The man, a cabaret singer, and his girlfriend took the money from their victim over four years by selling her pills at 3,000 euros each that they said would abort the Anti-Christ's son. Police uncovered the fraud after the 47-year-old woman's family became concerned when they discovered she had spent all her savings, local news agencies AGI and ANSA reported.

Source: Yahoo! News

July 20, 2005

UK Troops Refuse to Serve in Iraq over War Crimes

British troops are reluctant to serve in Iraq if they may face criminal repercussions for crimes against humanity, war crimes, or similar charges. Apparently they're concerned about joining 11 other British soldiers already facing charges of prisoner abuse. I'm a little surprised that anyone would expect to engage in war with a sense of impunity, given the prosecution of Belgian troops for crimes against humanity by England after WWI and the Nuremburg trials after WWII. Rights are balanced by responsibility and both are subject to accountability.

Sources:
Scotsman.com
The Telegraph
Guardian Unlimited

July 17, 2005

Gnosticism Tied to Islamic Terrorism

The English version of Al-Jazeera reports that Al-Qaida is also a revival of the radical currents that surfaced in Islamic history from time to time only to be defeated by moderate mainstream Islam led by the Ulama (scholars). In particular, they appear to be a continuation of Kharijite thought with its dualistic puritanical conception of the world and the community of Muslims and of Gnostic underground organisations like the Assassins and Qaramita, who sought to disrupt the stability of Muslim societies through acts of terrorism.

Sources:
Al-Jazeera.net
The Institute for Ismaili Studies

July 16, 2005

Cheney is Decisive ... No wait he ... no, OK yeah. No wait...

The Seattle Post Intelligencer noted around a year ago that...

In an assessment that differs sharply with his view today, Dick Cheney more than a decade ago defended the decision to leave Saddam Hussein in power after the first Gulf War, telling a Seattle audience that capturing Saddam wouldn't be worth additional U.S. casualties or the risk of getting "bogged down in the problems of trying to take over and govern Iraq."

A transcript of the 1992 appearance was tracked down by P-I columnist Joel Connelly, as reported in his In the Northwest column.

"All of a sudden you've got a battle you're fighting in a major built-up city, a lot of civilians are around, significant limitations on our ability to use our most effective technologies and techniques," Cheney said.

"Once we had rounded him up and gotten rid of his government, then the question is what do you put in its place? You know, you then have accepted the responsibility for governing Iraq."

Source: Seattle Post Intelligencer

New UK Internet Anti-Terrorism Laws

New offences could cover people going to terrorist camps overseas or finding out how to build a bomb through the internet, said the Home Office.

Other proposals include making it illegal to incite terrorism indirectly by "glorifying" bombings. The new incitement offence could be used against extremist preachers or others making public speeches. Ms Blears said: "It would apply where people would seek to glorify terrorist activity, perhaps, for example, saying 'isn't this a marvellous thing that this has happened' and 'these people are martyrs'."

Source:
BBC

July 15, 2005

July 14, 2005

Leaking Isn't New To Karl Rove

Karl Rove was fired from the 1992 re-election campaign of Bush Sr. for allegedly leaking a negative story about Bush loyalist/fundraiser Robert Mosbacher to Novak. Novak's piece described a meeting organized by then-Senator Phil Gramm at which Mosbacher was relieved of his duties as state campaign manager because "the president's re-election effort in Texas has been a bust." Rove was fired after Mosbacher fingered him as Novak's source.

Source:
Democrats.com
Due Diligence
George W. Bush.org
Daily Kos

Al Qaida Denies Recent Baghdad Attack

In a rare stand against violence, al Qaida in Iraq purportedly issued a statement denying it was behind a horrific attack on a poor east Baghdad neighbourhood that killed 18 children and teenagers.

"We, al Qaida organisation in Iraq, announce that we are not in the least responsible for the New Baghdad operation that took place on Wednesday," said a statement posted and signed by Abu Maysara al-Iraqi, al Qaida spokesman.

Source:
Scotsman.com

Karl Rove: Homosexual?

A number of stories are coming to light regarding Karl Rove's sexuality, claiming that he propositioned ex-male stripper Ian Sherman and also participated in gay orgies. Sherman also claims that it's widely known that White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan is homosexual.

Ian Sherman writes that "It’s been 12 years since I pulled on a g-string and danced on a lit box in one of the clubs on [Chicago’s] Clark Street but I’ve still got it. And I know exactly what Rove was trying to do."

Tom Flocco reports that Walter Storch (editor of the Barnes Review News) writes "Karl greatly enjoyed the supervision of a certain hairy 350-lb. Leather Dominator who had won the Miss Virginia Daddy Bear title at Mid-Atlantic Leather (MAL) festivities."

Sources:
Pnionline.com
The Tablet
The Truth Seeker

July 11, 2005

David Gregory & America's New Spine

I was beside myself with amazement as NBC Chief White House correspondent David Gregory questioned White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan at today's White House Press Briefing. Mr. Gregory didn't let up:

Do you stand by your statement from the fall of 2003 when you were asked specifically about Karl and Elliott Abrams and Scooter Libby, and you said, "I've gone to each of those gentlemen, and they have told me they are not involved in this" -- do you stand by that statement?

And again,

Scott, I mean, just -- I mean, this is ridiculous. The notion that you're going to stand before us after having commented with that level of detail and tell people watching this that somehow you decided not to talk. You've got a public record out there. Do you stand by your remarks from that podium, or not?

David Gregory interviewed Karl Rove in the past on NBC's "Hardball" (substituting for host Chris Matthews) before most of the new information implicating Karl Rove in the Valerie Plame case came to light, after Time Magazine turned over their email records to the special investigator in this case. Interesting, as you may recall, Karl Rove called MSNBC "Hardball" host Chris Matthews and told him that Wilson's wife was "fair game."

Looks like America is finally growing a spine.

Web Site of the Week

How To Build A Flying Saucer

July 07, 2005

More Death in Middle East

RAMALLAH, July 7, 2005 (Xinhuanet) A 17-year-old Palestinian was shot dead Thursday by Israeli troops as they stormed the Balata refugee camp near the city of Nablus in the West Bank, Palestinian medics said.

Source:
XinHuaNet.com

Ex-Catholic Priest Receives Life Sentence

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DALLAS (AP) -- A former Roman Catholic priest was sentenced to life in prison for sexually assaulting an 18-year-old former parishioner who said he was too drunk following a wedding party to defend himself.

John Salazar was sentenced Wednesday under a law that requires an automatic life sentence when a person convicted of first-degree felony assault has a prior conviction for a serious sex offense. Beau Villegas testified that Salazar assaulted him in the priest's hotel room after a wedding in 2003. He said Salazar had offered to take care of him because he drank 10 beers and at least three mixed drinks.

In the 1980s, Salazar was convicted twice in California for molesting boys and spent six years in prison. He was on parole when the Catholic diocese in Amarillo hired him and assigned him to the Church of the Holy Spirit in Tulia in 1991. Salazar was technically a priest when he assaulted Villegas but had been stripped of his duties. Salazar's attorneys said they would appeal.

Source:
New York Times

Accident Prone President, or Bush Knocks Over Cop

Fresh bandages on his left hand from a mountain biking accident, President Bush said Thursday he's doing well -- and so apparently is the Scottish police officer with whom he collided.

Source:
New York Times

July 03, 2005

Herr Karl Rove Prepares To Meet His Maker

In early October 2003, NEWSWEEK reported that immediately after Novak's column appeared in July, Rove called MSNBC "Hardball" host Chris Matthews and told him that Wilson's wife was "fair game." But White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters at the time that any suggestion that Rove had played a role in outing Plame was "totally ridiculous."

McClellan Denials:
September 16, 2003 Press Briefing
September 29, 2003 Press Briefing