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02 May 2011 01:12

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Politics: President Obama reassures American Muslims: ‘no war on Islam’

  • I’ve made clear, just as President Bush did shortly after 9/11, that our war is not against Islam. Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims. Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity.
  • President Barack Obama • In his speech tonight, announcing that a U.S. special operation had killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. The President takes a very good tact here in distancing bin Laden and his organization from the Muslim community writ large. His reminder that bin Laden had himself killed many Muslims in service of his terror campaigns (and within our nation, as well, with many Muslims killed on 9/11) is an important one, too often lost in recent politicking. Even amidst what looks like broad jubilation domestically at the news, it’s important to keep the celebrating a positive thing, not something that turns at all ugly on our Muslim brethren. The President clearly wanted to short circuit that, as best he could, by emphasizing solidarity. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Mar 2011 12:46

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U.S.: Nearly 43 years later, Sirhan Sirhan mounts a Manchurian defense

  • 6/4/68 Following a win in the California Democratic primary, Robert Kennedy was shot three times by Sirhan Sirhan, wounds that would kill him. Sirhan admitted to the shooting and claimed “twenty years of malice aforethought” went into the crime. He also claimed to have done it for his country, which suggests that Kennedy’s support for Israel likely played a role in the native Palestinian’s crime.
  • 3/2/11 A Sirhan lawyer, William F. Pepper, is taking a peculiar and pretty provocative case before the parole board, the 14th time Sirhan has appeared for parole since the shooting. Pepper plans to argue for both the possibility of a second gunman, and that Sirhan had been “hypno-programmed” into the murder. Moreover, Pepper claims he thinks he knows who did it, but declined to tell the press. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Aug 2010 10:21

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World: Pakistan getting the flood help it needs, at least financially

  • $800 million in aid from the rest of the world so far source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jul 2010 20:09

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Politics: I won’t back down, part 2: Arizona’s immigration lawsuit appeal

  • America is not going to sit back and allow the ongoing federal failures to continue. We are a nation of laws and we believe they need to be enforced. … I will not back down.
  • Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer • Regarding her office’s decision to appeal yesterday’s decision temporarily blocking the implementation of the key parts of the state’s new immigration law. If that doesn’t sound like something that usually happens, it’s not. Usually, court cases get appealed after a trial which Judge Susan Bolton would’ve presided over. But noooooooooo … Brewer decided to jump straight to the appeal. She claims that the issue is too important to simply wait in a court for a while. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Jan 2010 17:40

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U.S., World: The U.S. isn’t letting Blackwater remain above the law in Iraq

  • The U.S. plans to appeal the decision to clear Blackwater in a 2007 shooting. A few weeks ago, our boys at Blackwater (now called Xe to avoid self-created negative connotations) were cleared of any wrongdoing in a shooting that killed 17 innocent Iraqi citizens. The decision sparked controversy, and the U.S. government now plans to appeal it. The Iraqi government has not been happy about this entire situation, BTW. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Sep 2009 20:20

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Culture: Patrick Swayze has died at 57. We reminisce via “Roadhouse.”

  • This was the best movie from which to get the Patrick Swazye experience. It’s not his best film – in fact, it’s laughably bad – but “Roadhouse,” more than any other, explains the appeal of Swayze. He had other notable roles (he was killer in “Donnie Darko,” for example), but he’s best remembered for the three years between 1987 and 1990. Swayze died of pancreatic cancer. He was 57. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Apr 2009 21:32

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U.S.: Good God, it’s April. The Minnesota Senate race still isn’t over?

  • 312 votes number of votes Al Franken leads by; a state court ruled him the leading vote-getter today
  • seven weeks the length of the trial to decide this fate; Norm Coleman can (and probably will) still appeal source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

13 Mar 2009 13:45

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Biz, U.S.: This probably isn’t going to work, Bernie Madoff’s lawyer

  • Can we put Bernie back in his penthouse? Ira Sorkin, Bernard Madoff’s lawyer, is appealing the decision to put his client, who pled guilty yesterday to charges related to his ponzi scheme, back under house arrest. The Manhattan jail cell he was put in is a far cry from the penthouse he once lived, as you might guess. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Mar 2009 13:53

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U.S.: Texas Judge Sharon Keller: Heartless about an execution?

  • They did not tell us they had computer failure. And given the late request, and with no reason given, I just said, ‘We close at 5.’ I didn’t really think of it as a decision so much as a statement.
  • Judge Sharon Keller • A Texas judge who is facing heavy criticism, along with a number of charges, including incompetence, after not allowing a defendant facing execution extra time to submit their last-minute appeal in 2007. Opinions on Keller, and her handling of the situation, are mixed. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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