NATO, Libyan rebels have war of words over seemingly weak airstrikes

All operations are carried out in a very vigilant way. … The ambition and precision of our strikes has not changed. The facts speak for themselves.
NATO spokesperson Carmen Romero • Defending the organization from withering criticism by Libyan rebels that the airstrikes have weakened in recent days. “NATO is not doing their job, the airstrikes are late and never on time. NATO is not helping us. Gahdafi still gets ammunition and supplies to his forces, that’s why he is pushing us back,” said current rebel and former Gaddafi official Pvt. Mohammed Abdullah. “We don’t know what he would be able to do if there are no airstrikes.” Ouch. That’s harsh. source

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200+ migrants, mostly sub-Saharan Africans, were on a ship headed from Libya to Italy
50+ people were rescued off the Italian island of Lampedusa after the ship capsized on Wednesday
150+ people are still missing; “We fear they could be even more than that,” said one official source

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I was angry. I didn’t understand. I was on my way. … Why didn’t they talk to him. He was red, handcuffed, crying, screaming how much it burned.
Mandy Elliot • Expressing rage about what happened to her son, Aidan. See, Aidan, an 8-year-old Colorado child, was maced by police for behavior in the classroom. Admittedly, he wasn’t exactly acting like an upstanding student on Feb 28. Aidan, who is in a class for children with behavioral problems, threatened to kill teachers and students with a piece of wood he held just like a knife. Eventually, police were called and Aidan got pepper-sprayed. (They defend their decision.) His mom, as you might guess, is blaming the school. “I think there is a problem, but it’s with school and Aidan,” she said. “It only happens at school. It doesn’t happen at soccer. It doesn’t happen at swimming. It doesn’t happen with babysitters, with family members.” source

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vote A vote for a State Supreme Court seat between incumbent David Prosser and Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg ended with fewer than 600 votes separating Prosser and the progressive Kloppenburg.
importance The vote is a key one — and a proxy battle — for Scott Walker, whose contentious anti-collective-bargaining act will likely face the State Supreme Court. The court currently favors conservatives to liberals, 4 to 3. source

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06 Apr 2011 10:51