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11 Oct 2011 11:07

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World: Yulia Tymoshenko: Former Ukranian PM sentenced to prison

  • The end of Ukraine’s experiment with democracy? Just a few years ago, Yulia Tymoshenko was one of the most popular politicians in Ukraine. Then she lost power in a narrow 2010 election, and Viktor Yanukovich gained it. Yanukovich pursued Tymoshenko’s role in a set of negotiations with Russia over the price of natural gas — something which, at best, would constitute a political controversy in the U.S., but certainly not something worthy of jail time. But this is Ukraine, and Tymoshenko got sentenced to seven years in prison on Tuesday. Does this signify a move away from traditional democracy for the country? How does a political icon like Tymoshenko (who’s probably far-more-known in the West than Yanukovich) get jailed for what was, at worst, a political scandal? Seems questionable. (photo via the European People’s Party Flickr page) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Oct 2011 10:44

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Biz: Ex-Hedge fund trader Raj Rajaratnam could get huge prison sentence

The U.S. government wants Rajaratnam, center, to receive between 19 and 1/2 years and 24 and 1/2 years for his insider-trading crimes, considered to be the worst since the 1980s. Is that enough? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Oct 2011 22:51

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U.S.: Federal attorney: Medical marijuana laws lead to drug trafficking

  • Where there’s marijuana there’s money. And lots of it. People are using the cover of medical marijuana to make extraordinary amounts of money. In short, (they’re) engaged in drug trafficking.
  • U.S. Attorney for Northern California Melinda Haag • Comparing medical marijuana dealers to drug traffickers — a harsh take, considering medical marijuana is legal in California. The U.S. government is planning a crackdown of medical marijuana dispensaries in the state within the next two months. This actually follows something Eric Holder said about a year ago, when Prop 19 looked like it might have a chance of passing in California. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Oct 2011 20:30

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Politics: American Spectator editor: I infiltrated DC protesters to mock them

  • As far as anyone knew I was part of this cause — a cause that I had infiltrated the day before in order to mock and undermine in the pages of The American Spectator — and I wasn’t giving up before I had my story. Under a cloud of pepper spray I forced myself into the doors and sprinted blindly across the floor of the Air and Space Museum …
  • American Spectator assistant editor Patrick Howley • Discussing his role in the Air & Space Museum protests on Saturday, which (in a story since deleted from the site, but repeated elsewhere) he claims to have helped escalate. Howley claims he did this in an effort to commit an act of journalism (and to mock the protesters in the process, which his article most certainly did), but the result appears to have been a large amount of negative press for a James O’Keefe-esque act. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Oct 2011 22:23

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U.S.: DC antiwar protest at National Air & Space Museum gets out of hand

  • They were protesting a drone exhibit. The antiwar movement got a real kick in the pants today after a high-profile protest tied to Occupy DC and the similar Stop the Machine demonstration led to the shutdown of a well-known Smithsonian museum. One protester was arrested and another was pepper-sprayed during the protest. Honestly, we’re not sure how we feel about this one. We’ve been here before (there’s an IMAX theater here) and the museum is fairly innocuous and family-oriented. A lot of kids go there, a cred point underscored by the fact that the second “Night at the Museum” movie was partly set there. And based on a lot of the comments on the YouTube video, that seems to be what’s angering people — not the protest itself. What do you all think? Was this the right venue for this protest? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Oct 2011 10:53

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Politics: Three fairly edgy things Roger Ailes said in his AP interview

  • one On networks that criticize Fox News: “Everybody who’s getting their ass beat vilifies the opponent. This is the first rule of fighting.” Boom.
  • two On an anchor he thinks does it wrong: “Wolf Blitzer is an excellent reporter, but he’s not a star.” He says his back is to the camera too much.
  • three And the coup de grace, on one of his most notable hires: “I hired Sarah Palin because she was hot and got ratings.” Whew. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Sep 2011 15:26

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Politics: Scott Walker’s chief of staff resigns at a somewhat suspect time

  • what Scott Walker’s chief of staff, Keith Gilkes, just decided to resign from his post. The timing is suspect due to an investigation over Walker staffers possibly doing political activities on the taxpayer’s dime.
  • why Gilkes, who says he’s not involved in the “John Doe” investigation, claims that he’s returning to his being a political consultant, but will come in from the bullpen if Walker gets recalled next year. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

30 Sep 2011 10:44

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World: Three reasons Anwar al-Awlaki’s assassination is a major development

  • We could say all sorts of things about Anwar al-Awlaki, but we’ll let this Yemeni official say them for us: “He’s the most dangerous man in Yemen. He’s intelligent, sophisticated, Internet-savvy, and very charismatic. He can sell anything to anyone, and right now he’s selling jihad.” A high-profile get for the United States, the al-Qaeda recruiter was killed during an ongoing bombing campaign coordinated with Yemen. Obama is expected to speak on al-Awlaki’s death soon. Why is this such a big deal? Here’s a breakdown:
  • one Anwar al-Awlaki was considered one of al-Qaeda’s top recruiters and had been highly sought after by both American and Yemeni officials for years.
  • two Al-Awlaki was also internet-savvy, using his fluent English and Web presence to draw recruits. Experts say this is a future model for terror recruitment.
  • three Despite his pedigree as a internet-savvy spiritual leader, al-Awlaki was also a U.S. citizen, meaning some see civil rights issues in this situation. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Sep 2011 10:35

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Politics: New Jersey’s controversial “Snooki subsidy” gets vetoed

  • Chris Christie was expected to sign this bill. But Christie, facing sudden political pressure to run for president, let the $420,000 in tax credits for another season of “Jersey Shore” feel the pain of the veto. Why? “I have no interest in policing the content of such projects,” Christie said in a news release. “However, as chief executive I am duty-bound to ensure that taxpayers are not footing a $420,000 bill for a project which does nothing more than perpetuate misconceptions about the state and its citizens.” This is a reversal for Christie — he previously claimed he couldn’t veto the bill because, while he didn’t like the show himself, the program didn’t discriminate based on content. What, do you not like seeing The Situation’s chiseled abs, Chris? (photo via Rachel Kramer Bussel) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Sep 2011 23:37

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U.S.: Occupy Wall Street: How often does the NYPD pull out the pepper spray?

  • Not very often at all, according to the New York Times. In the weekend’s most unbelievable video, a number of young women were pepper sprayed after reacting towards another man’s arrest, seemingly arbitrarily. “A cop in a white shirt — I think he’s a superior officer — just comes along and does these quick little spritzes of pepper spray in my and these three other girls’ eyes,” said Chelsea Elliott, one of the four women sprayed. It’s not a common occurrence for the NYPD to use it. While it got used during a 2003 antiwar protest, it didn’t get used in a much-larger 2004 protest that accompanied the Republican National Convention. “We don’t use it indiscriminately like other cities do,” notes former deputy chief Thomas Graham. So why was it needed for this protest? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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