President Hamid Karzai has made an immediate demand of President-elect Barack Obama to prevent civilian casualties.
Kandahar province villager Abdul Jalil says he was hosting a wedding party for his niece when Taliban militants fighting U.S. forces took cover near his home. Jalil says 37 people were killed when U.S. warplanes later bombed the wedding party.
No Afghan officials could immediately confirm the number of casualties, which happened in a remote and dangerous part of Kandahar province. But Karzai referred to the incident at a news conference Wednesday held to congratulate Obama on his U.S. presidential election victory.
Karzai said he hopes the election will "bring peace to Afghanistan, life to Afghanistan and prosperity to the Afghan people and the rest of the world." He applauded America for its "courage" in electing Obama.
But he also used the occasion to immediately press Obama to find a way to prevent civilians casualties in operations by foreign forces. He then said airstrikes had caused deaths in the Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar province.
"Our demand is that there will be no civilian casualties in Afghanistan. We cannot win the fight against terrorism with airstrikes," Karzai said. "This is my first demand of the new president of the United States - to put an end to civilian casualties."
The U.S. military says it is investigating the reports but a spokesman said "if innocent people were killed in this operation, we apologize and express our condolences."
The alleged airstrikes come only three months after the Afghan government found that a U.S. operation killed some 90 civilians in western Afghanistan. A U.S. report said 33 civilians died in that attack.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
new cars being warehoused
Gleaming new Mercedes cars roll one by one out of a huge container ship here and onto a pier. Ordinarily the cars would be loaded on trucks within hours, destined for dealerships around the country. But these are not ordinary times.
For now, the port itself is the destination. Unwelcome by dealers and buyers, thousands of cars worth tens of millions of dollars are being warehoused on increasingly crowded port property.
[via chucks_angels]
For now, the port itself is the destination. Unwelcome by dealers and buyers, thousands of cars worth tens of millions of dollars are being warehoused on increasingly crowded port property.
[via chucks_angels]
Friday, November 14, 2008
Obama's challenge
Obama will soon face the problem of beginning to disappoint people all over the world, a problem built into his job.
... his Achilles' heel, as it was for Bush and for many presidents, will be foreign policy. He has made what appear to be three guarantees. First, he will withdraw from Iraq. Second, he will focus on Afghanistan. Third, he will oppose Russian expansionism. To deliver on the first promise, he must deal with the Iranians. To deliver on the second, he must deal with the Taliban. To deliver on the third, he must deal with the Europeans.
[2/18/09 -- see also The New President and the Global Landscape]
... his Achilles' heel, as it was for Bush and for many presidents, will be foreign policy. He has made what appear to be three guarantees. First, he will withdraw from Iraq. Second, he will focus on Afghanistan. Third, he will oppose Russian expansionism. To deliver on the first promise, he must deal with the Iranians. To deliver on the second, he must deal with the Taliban. To deliver on the third, he must deal with the Europeans.
[2/18/09 -- see also The New President and the Global Landscape]
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Barack Obama elected President of the United States of America
Barack Obama, a 47-year-old first-term senator from Illinois, shattered more than 200 years of history Tuesday night by winning election as the first African-American president of the United States.
"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America -- I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you -- we as a people will get there," Obama said in Chicago, Illinois.
Obama said he was looking forward to working with Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin "to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead."
McCain on Tuesday urged all Americans to join him in congratulating Sen. Barack Obama on his projected victory in the presidential election.
"I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face," McCain said before his supporters in Phoenix, Arizona.
McCain called Obama to congratulate him, Obama's campaign said.
Obama thanked McCain for his graciousness and said he had waged a tough race.
President Bush also called Obama to congratulate him.
Bush told Obama he was about to begin one of the great journeys of his life, and invited him to visit the White House as soon as it could be arranged, according to White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.
With his projected win, Obama will become the nation's 44th president and its first African-American leader.
"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America -- I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you -- we as a people will get there," Obama said in Chicago, Illinois.
Obama said he was looking forward to working with Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin "to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead."
McCain on Tuesday urged all Americans to join him in congratulating Sen. Barack Obama on his projected victory in the presidential election.
"I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face," McCain said before his supporters in Phoenix, Arizona.
McCain called Obama to congratulate him, Obama's campaign said.
Obama thanked McCain for his graciousness and said he had waged a tough race.
President Bush also called Obama to congratulate him.
Bush told Obama he was about to begin one of the great journeys of his life, and invited him to visit the White House as soon as it could be arranged, according to White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.
With his projected win, Obama will become the nation's 44th president and its first African-American leader.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
How many don't pay income taxes?
I've seen a number of figures of the percentage of Americans who don't pay income taxes. Like in the mid-40s say the Republicans.
Googling brought this article from The Tax Foundation
During 2006, Tax Foundation economists estimate that roughly 43.4 million tax returns, representing 91 million individuals, will face a zero or negative tax liability. That's out of a total of 136 million federal tax returns that will be filed. Adding to this figure the 15 million households and individuals who file no tax return at all, roughly 121 million Americans—or 41 percent of the U.S. population—will be completely outside the federal income tax system in 2006.1 This total includes those who pay no tax, and those who pay some tax upfront and are later refunded the full amount of the tax paid or more.
And this article from Wikipedia
According to a 2007 report by the Statistics of Income division of the Internal Revenue Service,[5] in 2006 the Internal Revenue Service received 134,372,678 individual income tax returns, of which 90,593,081 (67.42%) showed that they paid or owed federal income tax for 2005. That is, 32.58% of those Americans who filed income tax returns did not owe any federal income tax at all for 2005.
However, the federal income tax is only one of several taxes Americans pay. Other taxes, like excise taxes, sales taxes, and especially the payroll tax (a.k.a. FICA), are regressive — that is, the poor pay them at a higher rate relative to their income than do the non-poor. Just because somebody does not pay any federal income tax does not mean that they are part of a “non-taxpaying class,” or even that they pay a smaller percentage of their income in taxes than someone who does pay federal income tax.
Who are these lucky duckies? They are the beneficiaries of tax policies that have expanded the personal exemption and standard deduction and targeted certain voter groups by introducing a welter of tax credits for things like child care and education. When these escape hatches are figured against income, the result is either a zero liability or a liability that represents a tiny percentage of income.
* * *
Didn't realize that there were so many "poor" people in this country. So the Republican solution is to give more money to the rich corporations so they can create more jobs resulting in less poor people. This is trickle-down economics. The question is whether the corporations will actually create more jobs or keep the money and become more rich. Probably both.
The alternative is to continue these "handouts" to the economically challenged which the conservatives say would reduce the incentive to work harder to get out of their situation.
Googling brought this article from The Tax Foundation
During 2006, Tax Foundation economists estimate that roughly 43.4 million tax returns, representing 91 million individuals, will face a zero or negative tax liability. That's out of a total of 136 million federal tax returns that will be filed. Adding to this figure the 15 million households and individuals who file no tax return at all, roughly 121 million Americans—or 41 percent of the U.S. population—will be completely outside the federal income tax system in 2006.1 This total includes those who pay no tax, and those who pay some tax upfront and are later refunded the full amount of the tax paid or more.
And this article from Wikipedia
According to a 2007 report by the Statistics of Income division of the Internal Revenue Service,[5] in 2006 the Internal Revenue Service received 134,372,678 individual income tax returns, of which 90,593,081 (67.42%) showed that they paid or owed federal income tax for 2005. That is, 32.58% of those Americans who filed income tax returns did not owe any federal income tax at all for 2005.
However, the federal income tax is only one of several taxes Americans pay. Other taxes, like excise taxes, sales taxes, and especially the payroll tax (a.k.a. FICA), are regressive — that is, the poor pay them at a higher rate relative to their income than do the non-poor. Just because somebody does not pay any federal income tax does not mean that they are part of a “non-taxpaying class,” or even that they pay a smaller percentage of their income in taxes than someone who does pay federal income tax.
Who are these lucky duckies? They are the beneficiaries of tax policies that have expanded the personal exemption and standard deduction and targeted certain voter groups by introducing a welter of tax credits for things like child care and education. When these escape hatches are figured against income, the result is either a zero liability or a liability that represents a tiny percentage of income.
* * *
Didn't realize that there were so many "poor" people in this country. So the Republican solution is to give more money to the rich corporations so they can create more jobs resulting in less poor people. This is trickle-down economics. The question is whether the corporations will actually create more jobs or keep the money and become more rich. Probably both.
The alternative is to continue these "handouts" to the economically challenged which the conservatives say would reduce the incentive to work harder to get out of their situation.
FactCheck's Whoppers of 2008
The last five weeks have brought so many ads we feel like we're drinking from a fire hose – and we'll bet you're pretty saturated, too.
Since our first "Whoppers of 2008" piece, we've seen some of the same themes repeated. McCain's campaign doesn't tire of distorting Obama's tax plan, it seems, and in the process has whipped up at least 15 minutes of fame for sudden star Joe the Plumber. Obama continues trying to pull seniors into his camp by making deceptive claims about what McCain would do to Social Security, and he has new distortions about his opponent's plans for Medicare.
And there are some fresh deceptions gobbling up airtime, including false depictions of McCain's position on stem cell research, Obama's connections to former Weatherman Bill Ayers and the community group ACORN, and both candidates' health care plans. Then there's a new parlor game, pin-the-blame-on-the-candidate for the financial crisis that has gripped the country.
For more on these and other mendacities and misrepresentations we've found recently, please read on
Since our first "Whoppers of 2008" piece, we've seen some of the same themes repeated. McCain's campaign doesn't tire of distorting Obama's tax plan, it seems, and in the process has whipped up at least 15 minutes of fame for sudden star Joe the Plumber. Obama continues trying to pull seniors into his camp by making deceptive claims about what McCain would do to Social Security, and he has new distortions about his opponent's plans for Medicare.
And there are some fresh deceptions gobbling up airtime, including false depictions of McCain's position on stem cell research, Obama's connections to former Weatherman Bill Ayers and the community group ACORN, and both candidates' health care plans. Then there's a new parlor game, pin-the-blame-on-the-candidate for the financial crisis that has gripped the country.
For more on these and other mendacities and misrepresentations we've found recently, please read on
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Rashid Khalidi
The Republican's new weapon against Obama is Rashid Khalidi.
John McCain's presidential campaign Tuesday accused the Los Angeles Times of "intentionally suppressing" a videotape it obtained of a 2003 banquet where then-state Sen. Barack Obama spoke of his friendship with Rashid Khalidi, a leading Palestinian scholar and activist.
The Times first reported on the videotape in an April 2008 story about Obama's ties with Palestinians and Jews as he navigated the politics of Chicago. The report included a detailed description of the tape, but the newspaper did not make the video public.
Hannity and Colmes on Fox is trumping that they now have their hands on the tape (well, more Hannity). While Keith Olbermann is smirking that McCain gave Khalidi 400 Gs in the past.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., did a live interview with Radio Mambi in Miami this morning in which he went after Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., for his connections to a “PLO spokesman.”
McCain was referring to Rashid Khalidi, who, five years ago, Obama toasted at a going-away party before Khalidi headed off to New York City to become a professor at Columbia University.
In April, the Los Angeles Times’s Peter Wallsten wrote about the toast, saying a “special tribute came from Khalidi's friend and frequent dinner companion, the young state Sen. Barack Obama. Speaking to the crowd, Obama reminisced about meals prepared by Khalidi's wife, Mona, and conversations that had challenged his thinking.
But McCain has his own connection to Khalidi.
In 1993, McCain became chairman of the International Republican Institute. He still chairs that respected organization.
That same year, Khalidi helped found the Center for Palestine Research and Studies, self-described as “an independent academic research and policy analysis institution” created to meet “the need for active Palestinian scholarship on issues related to Palestine.” (Its archived Web site is HERE.)
Khalidi was on the board of trustees through 1999.
According to tax returns, the McCain-chaired IRI funded the organization Khalidi founded and served on to the tune of $448,873 in 1998.
John McCain's presidential campaign Tuesday accused the Los Angeles Times of "intentionally suppressing" a videotape it obtained of a 2003 banquet where then-state Sen. Barack Obama spoke of his friendship with Rashid Khalidi, a leading Palestinian scholar and activist.
The Times first reported on the videotape in an April 2008 story about Obama's ties with Palestinians and Jews as he navigated the politics of Chicago. The report included a detailed description of the tape, but the newspaper did not make the video public.
Hannity and Colmes on Fox is trumping that they now have their hands on the tape (well, more Hannity). While Keith Olbermann is smirking that McCain gave Khalidi 400 Gs in the past.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., did a live interview with Radio Mambi in Miami this morning in which he went after Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., for his connections to a “PLO spokesman.”
McCain was referring to Rashid Khalidi, who, five years ago, Obama toasted at a going-away party before Khalidi headed off to New York City to become a professor at Columbia University.
In April, the Los Angeles Times’s Peter Wallsten wrote about the toast, saying a “special tribute came from Khalidi's friend and frequent dinner companion, the young state Sen. Barack Obama. Speaking to the crowd, Obama reminisced about meals prepared by Khalidi's wife, Mona, and conversations that had challenged his thinking.
But McCain has his own connection to Khalidi.
In 1993, McCain became chairman of the International Republican Institute. He still chairs that respected organization.
That same year, Khalidi helped found the Center for Palestine Research and Studies, self-described as “an independent academic research and policy analysis institution” created to meet “the need for active Palestinian scholarship on issues related to Palestine.” (Its archived Web site is HERE.)
Khalidi was on the board of trustees through 1999.
According to tax returns, the McCain-chaired IRI funded the organization Khalidi founded and served on to the tune of $448,873 in 1998.
Friday, October 17, 2008
mayoral race
[9/25/08] It's disappointing that someone representing the Sierra Club would actually stoop to politically motivated hatchet jobs like the one authored by Randy Ching in yesterday's Star-Bulletin. His mean-spirited attack on Mayor Mufi Hannemann was riddled with distortions from beginning to end, and was a gross mischaracterization of the mayor's impressive environmental record.
-- A.J. Halagao is campaign coordinator for Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann's re-election campaign.
[9/24/08] Oahu's sustainability can't withstand another four years of Mayor Mufi Hannemann. On nearly every key environmental concern - energy, recycling, land protection, clean water, safe streets - Hannemann's policies have been devastating.
-- Randy Ching is chairman of the Sierra Club, Oahu Group
-- A.J. Halagao is campaign coordinator for Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann's re-election campaign.
[9/24/08] Oahu's sustainability can't withstand another four years of Mayor Mufi Hannemann. On nearly every key environmental concern - energy, recycling, land protection, clean water, safe streets - Hannemann's policies have been devastating.
-- Randy Ching is chairman of the Sierra Club, Oahu Group
Sunday, October 12, 2008
killing civilians?
[10/19/08] Iraqis protested the deaths of at least seven people during an American raid and airstrike on Friday in the northern town where Saddam Hussein was captured in 2003.
Americans say the raid succeeded in killing its target, a senior operative of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, also known as Al Qaeda in Iraq, who had been suspected of involvement in bombing attacks along the Tigris River Valley.
But Iraqi officials said the strike had used excessive force in killing eight members of one family, who the officials said were innocent. They accused the Americans of shooting down men and women from the air as they fled. The Americans said seven people had been killed.
[10/6/08] On Hannity & Colmes, Sean Hannity praised Gov. Sarah Palin for citing Sen. Barack Obama's remark that more coalition forces are needed in Afghanistan "so that we're not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous pressure over there." Hannity did not note that Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently offered Afghans "sincere condolences and personal regrets for the recent loss of innocent life as a result of coalition airstrikes" and that news outlets have repeatedly reported that U.S. airstrikes in Afghanistan have resulted in civilian casualties.
[10/2/08] During a discussion of Afghanistan in the vice presidential debate at Washington University, Palin slammed Obama for saying all our troops are “doing in Afghanistan is air raiding villages and killing civilians."
... If the charge seemed oddly and painfully familiar it's because it has been levied at Obama - and subsequently dismissed - several times before during this election season.
[8/14/08] before about 800 people in Nashua, Obama made a comment likely to further the spats he was warned about.
Asked whether he would move U.S. troops out of Iraq to better fight terrorism elsewhere, he brought up Afghanistan and said, "We've got to get the job done there and that requires us to have enough troops so that we're not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous pressure over there."
Americans say the raid succeeded in killing its target, a senior operative of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, also known as Al Qaeda in Iraq, who had been suspected of involvement in bombing attacks along the Tigris River Valley.
But Iraqi officials said the strike had used excessive force in killing eight members of one family, who the officials said were innocent. They accused the Americans of shooting down men and women from the air as they fled. The Americans said seven people had been killed.
[10/6/08] On Hannity & Colmes, Sean Hannity praised Gov. Sarah Palin for citing Sen. Barack Obama's remark that more coalition forces are needed in Afghanistan "so that we're not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous pressure over there." Hannity did not note that Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently offered Afghans "sincere condolences and personal regrets for the recent loss of innocent life as a result of coalition airstrikes" and that news outlets have repeatedly reported that U.S. airstrikes in Afghanistan have resulted in civilian casualties.
[10/2/08] During a discussion of Afghanistan in the vice presidential debate at Washington University, Palin slammed Obama for saying all our troops are “doing in Afghanistan is air raiding villages and killing civilians."
... If the charge seemed oddly and painfully familiar it's because it has been levied at Obama - and subsequently dismissed - several times before during this election season.
[8/14/08] before about 800 people in Nashua, Obama made a comment likely to further the spats he was warned about.
Asked whether he would move U.S. troops out of Iraq to better fight terrorism elsewhere, he brought up Afghanistan and said, "We've got to get the job done there and that requires us to have enough troops so that we're not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous pressure over there."
Saturday, October 11, 2008
The campaign heats up
[10/13] ABC's Imtiyaz Delawala and Ron Claiborne report: Gov. Sarah Palin significantly ratcheted down the rhetoric in her Sunday evening at an outdoor rally in Rush Run Park in St. Clairsville, OH. Unlike rallies earlier in the week that at times whipped up the crowd to a frenzied state, she made no mention of Sen. Barack Obama’s connection to former anti-war radical William Ayers, and used nearly-apologetic language when making criticisms of the Democratic presidential nominee.
* * *
Later Saturday, Lewis issued a statement saying a careful review of his remarks "would reveal that I did not compare Sen. John McCain or Gov. Sarah Palin to George Wallace."
"My statement was a reminder to all Americans that toxic language can lead to destructive behavior," Lewis said. "I am glad that Sen. McCain has taken some steps to correct divisive speech at his rallies. I believe we need to return to civil discourse in this election about the pressing economic issues that are affecting our nation."
* * *
In a statement, Obama-Biden spokesman Bill Burton writes that, while Obama does not agree with the comparison of McCain's campaign to those of segregation advocate George Wallace, he does believe that Rep. John Lewis is justified in his condemnation of "the hateful rhetoric that John McCain himself personally rebuked just last night," as well as Palin's assertion that the candidate "pals around with terrorists."
Here's the full statement: “Senator Obama does not believe that John McCain or his policy criticism is in any way comparable to George Wallace or his segregationist policies. But John Lewis was right to condemn some of the hateful rhetoric that John McCain himself personally rebuked just last night, as well as the baseless and profoundly irresponsible charges from his own running mate that the Democratic nominee for President of the United States ‘pals around with terrorists.’ As Barack Obama has said himself, the last thing we need from either party is the kind of angry, divisive rhetoric that tears us apart at a time of crisis when we desperately need to come together. That is the kind of campaign Senator Obama will continue to run in the weeks ahead,” said Obama-Biden spokesman Bill Burton.
* * *
McCain has written about Lewis, praising his actions in Selma, Alabama, during the civil rights movement. The Republican nominee even said during a summer faith forum that Lewis was one of three men he would turn to for counsel as president.
But the Arizona senator blasted Lewis' remarks, and called on Obama to repudiate them.
"Congressman John Lewis' comments represent a character attack against Gov. Sarah Palin and me that is shocking and beyond the pale," he said in a Saturday afternoon statement released by his campaign.
"The notion that legitimate criticism of Sen. Obama's record and positions could be compared to Gov. George Wallace, his segregationist policies and the violence he provoked is unacceptable and has no place in this campaign. I am saddened that John Lewis, a man I've always admired, would make such a brazen and baseless attack on my character and the character of the thousands of hardworking Americans who come to our events to cheer for the kind of reform that will put America on the right track.
"I call on Sen. Obama to immediately and personally repudiate these outrageous and divisive comments that are so clearly designed to shut down debate 24 days before the election. Our country must return to the important debate about the path forward for America."
* * *
Georgia Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights-era icon, invoked segregationist Gov. George Wallace of Alabama in accusing John McCain and Sarah Palin of fanning the flames of hatred at Republican campaign events.
"What I am seeing reminds me of too much of another destructive period in American history," Lewis said in a statement released to FOX News. "Senator McCain and Governor Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse."
"George Wallace never threw a bomb. He never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged vicious attacks against innocent Americans who were simply trying to exercise their constitutional rights," Lewis added. "Because of this atmosphere of hate, four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama."
* * *
During each of his rallies, Obama thanked his GOP rival for toning down the heated rhetoric that has been coming from both the McCain campaign and its supporters.
“I appreciated his reminder that we can disagree while still being respectful of each other,” Obama said, adding, “I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again - and I expect all of my supporters to understand this – Senator McCain has served this country with honor. He deserves our thanks for that. Every veteran deserves our thanks.”
* * *
WITH his electoral prospects fading by the day, Senator John McCain has fallen out with his vice-presidential running mate about the direction of his White House campaign.
McCain has become alarmed about the fury unleashed by Sarah Palin, the moose-hunting “pitbull in lipstick”, against Senator Barack Obama. Cries of “terrorist” and “kill him” have accompanied the tirades by the governor of Alaska against the Democratic nominee at Republican rallies.
Mark Salter, McCain’s long-serving chief of staff, is understood to have told campaign insiders that he would prefer his boss, a former Vietnam prisoner of war, to suffer an “honourable defeat” rather than conduct a campaign that would be out of character – and likely to lose him the election.
McCain believes the attacks have spun out of control. At a rally in Lakeville, Minnesota, the Arizona senator became visibly angry when he was booed for calling Obama “a decent person”. He took the microphone from an elderly woman who said she disliked Obama because he was “Arab”, saying, “No ma’am, no ma’am”.
When another questioner demanded that he tell the truth about Obama, he said: “I want everybody to be respectful and let’s be sure we are.”
* * *
A allegation by Republican U.S. vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin that Barack Obama has ties with terrorists is "offensive," an Obama spokesman says.
Palin, governor of Alaska and running mate of Republican U.S. presidential nominee John McCain, Saturday accused Obama, a U.S. senator from Illinois and McCain's Democratic opponent, of associating "with terrorists who targeted our own country."
It was an apparent reference to Obama's dealings with University of Illinois at Chicago Professor William Ayers, who in 1969 co-founded the militant anti-Vietnam War group Weather Underground.
Obama campaign spokesman Hari Sevugan told CNN Palin's comments were "offensive" and "not surprising" given the McCain campaign's statement that "they would be launching Swift Boat-like attacks in hopes of deflecting attention from the nation's economic ills."
CNN said its own investigation of Obama's links to Ayers found they were confined to the two men working together on a non-profit group to raise funds for a Chicago school improvement project and a charitable foundation, adding there was nothing to suggest anything inappropriate.
"What's clear is that John McCain and Sarah Palin would rather spend their time tearing down Barack Obama than laying out a plan to build up our economy," Sevugan told CNN.
* * *
Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, speaking at a fundraiser in Colorado, accused Barack Obama of "palling around with terrorists."
Palin claimed Obama is close to Bill Ayers, a leader in the 1970s radical Weatherman group who is now a college teacher and activist in Chicago, The Denver Post reported. She said a campaign aide had suggested that "the gloves are off, the heels are on."
The Alaska governor met with Blue Star Mothers at a diner before her appearance at a breakfast fundraiser at Centennial Airport. The group brings together mothers of military service members.
At the fundraiser, Palin said she and Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee, view the United States as "a force for good in the world."
"Our opponent, though, is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect, imperfect enough, that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country," she said.
Ayers and Obama live in the same Chicago neighborhood and served together on a non-profit group's board for several years.
* * *
Later Saturday, Lewis issued a statement saying a careful review of his remarks "would reveal that I did not compare Sen. John McCain or Gov. Sarah Palin to George Wallace."
"My statement was a reminder to all Americans that toxic language can lead to destructive behavior," Lewis said. "I am glad that Sen. McCain has taken some steps to correct divisive speech at his rallies. I believe we need to return to civil discourse in this election about the pressing economic issues that are affecting our nation."
* * *
In a statement, Obama-Biden spokesman Bill Burton writes that, while Obama does not agree with the comparison of McCain's campaign to those of segregation advocate George Wallace, he does believe that Rep. John Lewis is justified in his condemnation of "the hateful rhetoric that John McCain himself personally rebuked just last night," as well as Palin's assertion that the candidate "pals around with terrorists."
Here's the full statement: “Senator Obama does not believe that John McCain or his policy criticism is in any way comparable to George Wallace or his segregationist policies. But John Lewis was right to condemn some of the hateful rhetoric that John McCain himself personally rebuked just last night, as well as the baseless and profoundly irresponsible charges from his own running mate that the Democratic nominee for President of the United States ‘pals around with terrorists.’ As Barack Obama has said himself, the last thing we need from either party is the kind of angry, divisive rhetoric that tears us apart at a time of crisis when we desperately need to come together. That is the kind of campaign Senator Obama will continue to run in the weeks ahead,” said Obama-Biden spokesman Bill Burton.
* * *
McCain has written about Lewis, praising his actions in Selma, Alabama, during the civil rights movement. The Republican nominee even said during a summer faith forum that Lewis was one of three men he would turn to for counsel as president.
But the Arizona senator blasted Lewis' remarks, and called on Obama to repudiate them.
"Congressman John Lewis' comments represent a character attack against Gov. Sarah Palin and me that is shocking and beyond the pale," he said in a Saturday afternoon statement released by his campaign.
"The notion that legitimate criticism of Sen. Obama's record and positions could be compared to Gov. George Wallace, his segregationist policies and the violence he provoked is unacceptable and has no place in this campaign. I am saddened that John Lewis, a man I've always admired, would make such a brazen and baseless attack on my character and the character of the thousands of hardworking Americans who come to our events to cheer for the kind of reform that will put America on the right track.
"I call on Sen. Obama to immediately and personally repudiate these outrageous and divisive comments that are so clearly designed to shut down debate 24 days before the election. Our country must return to the important debate about the path forward for America."
* * *
Georgia Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights-era icon, invoked segregationist Gov. George Wallace of Alabama in accusing John McCain and Sarah Palin of fanning the flames of hatred at Republican campaign events.
"What I am seeing reminds me of too much of another destructive period in American history," Lewis said in a statement released to FOX News. "Senator McCain and Governor Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse."
"George Wallace never threw a bomb. He never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged vicious attacks against innocent Americans who were simply trying to exercise their constitutional rights," Lewis added. "Because of this atmosphere of hate, four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama."
* * *
During each of his rallies, Obama thanked his GOP rival for toning down the heated rhetoric that has been coming from both the McCain campaign and its supporters.
“I appreciated his reminder that we can disagree while still being respectful of each other,” Obama said, adding, “I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again - and I expect all of my supporters to understand this – Senator McCain has served this country with honor. He deserves our thanks for that. Every veteran deserves our thanks.”
* * *
WITH his electoral prospects fading by the day, Senator John McCain has fallen out with his vice-presidential running mate about the direction of his White House campaign.
McCain has become alarmed about the fury unleashed by Sarah Palin, the moose-hunting “pitbull in lipstick”, against Senator Barack Obama. Cries of “terrorist” and “kill him” have accompanied the tirades by the governor of Alaska against the Democratic nominee at Republican rallies.
Mark Salter, McCain’s long-serving chief of staff, is understood to have told campaign insiders that he would prefer his boss, a former Vietnam prisoner of war, to suffer an “honourable defeat” rather than conduct a campaign that would be out of character – and likely to lose him the election.
McCain believes the attacks have spun out of control. At a rally in Lakeville, Minnesota, the Arizona senator became visibly angry when he was booed for calling Obama “a decent person”. He took the microphone from an elderly woman who said she disliked Obama because he was “Arab”, saying, “No ma’am, no ma’am”.
When another questioner demanded that he tell the truth about Obama, he said: “I want everybody to be respectful and let’s be sure we are.”
* * *
A allegation by Republican U.S. vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin that Barack Obama has ties with terrorists is "offensive," an Obama spokesman says.
Palin, governor of Alaska and running mate of Republican U.S. presidential nominee John McCain, Saturday accused Obama, a U.S. senator from Illinois and McCain's Democratic opponent, of associating "with terrorists who targeted our own country."
It was an apparent reference to Obama's dealings with University of Illinois at Chicago Professor William Ayers, who in 1969 co-founded the militant anti-Vietnam War group Weather Underground.
Obama campaign spokesman Hari Sevugan told CNN Palin's comments were "offensive" and "not surprising" given the McCain campaign's statement that "they would be launching Swift Boat-like attacks in hopes of deflecting attention from the nation's economic ills."
CNN said its own investigation of Obama's links to Ayers found they were confined to the two men working together on a non-profit group to raise funds for a Chicago school improvement project and a charitable foundation, adding there was nothing to suggest anything inappropriate.
"What's clear is that John McCain and Sarah Palin would rather spend their time tearing down Barack Obama than laying out a plan to build up our economy," Sevugan told CNN.
* * *
Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, speaking at a fundraiser in Colorado, accused Barack Obama of "palling around with terrorists."
Palin claimed Obama is close to Bill Ayers, a leader in the 1970s radical Weatherman group who is now a college teacher and activist in Chicago, The Denver Post reported. She said a campaign aide had suggested that "the gloves are off, the heels are on."
The Alaska governor met with Blue Star Mothers at a diner before her appearance at a breakfast fundraiser at Centennial Airport. The group brings together mothers of military service members.
At the fundraiser, Palin said she and Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee, view the United States as "a force for good in the world."
"Our opponent, though, is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect, imperfect enough, that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country," she said.
Ayers and Obama live in the same Chicago neighborhood and served together on a non-profit group's board for several years.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Bill O'Reilly on Obama
Like him or not, you have to give Barack Obama credit for waging a smart, focused campaign. Destroying the Clinton machine was a major achievement and so was putting together a successful convention in Denver. Obama is now firmly a part of U.S. history, no matter what happens in the presidential election.
The problem some Americans continue to have with the Senator is that he is long on charisma but short on detail. This frightens some voters. Who the heck is this guy, anyway?
* * *
On the other hand, I happened to tune in to FNC yesterday and caught O'Reilly with Barney Frank. Pretty sad (though some may find it funny).
The problem some Americans continue to have with the Senator is that he is long on charisma but short on detail. This frightens some voters. Who the heck is this guy, anyway?
* * *
On the other hand, I happened to tune in to FNC yesterday and caught O'Reilly with Barney Frank. Pretty sad (though some may find it funny).
Thursday, October 02, 2008
The New President and the Global Landscape
We have no wish to advise you how to vote. That's your decision. What we want to do is try to describe what the world will look like to the new president and consider how each candidate is likely to respond to the world.
[I assume he'll get to the new president's likely responses in a follow-up article.]
[I assume he'll get to the new president's likely responses in a follow-up article.]
The Debates 2008
Presidential Debate 3: FactCheck, SNL
Presidential Debate 2: FactCheck, SNL (who won?)
VP Debate: FactCheck, SNL, (Sarah and Hillary, Sarah and Katie, on SNL)
Presidential Debate 1: FactCheck, SNL
Presidential Debate 2: FactCheck, SNL (who won?)
VP Debate: FactCheck, SNL, (Sarah and Hillary, Sarah and Katie, on SNL)
Presidential Debate 1: FactCheck, SNL
Friday, September 19, 2008
Iraqi pullout?
The United States is moving towards ending its military control of Iraq by agreeing to withdraw combat troops from Iraqi cities and towns by next June and from the rest of Iraq by 2011, according to Iraqi and American negotiators.
The withdrawal of US troops to bases outside the cities, towns and villages would make the Iraqi government, whose security forces number half a million men, the predominant military power in Iraq for the first time since the US-led invasion of 2003.
The withdrawal of US troops to bases outside the cities, towns and villages would make the Iraqi government, whose security forces number half a million men, the predominant military power in Iraq for the first time since the US-led invasion of 2003.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
mayoral debate
The three leading candidates for Honolulu mayor last night traded sharp questions and personal attacks while engaging in a contentious debate on issues ranging from the proposed commuter rail project to public safety and the fiscal condition of the city during difficult economic times.
In their only scheduled debate before the Sept. 20 primary election, Mayor Mufi Hannemann, Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi and University of Hawai'i engineering professor Panos Prevedouros met onstage at the Hawai'i Theatre before more than 250 supporters and others.
In their only scheduled debate before the Sept. 20 primary election, Mayor Mufi Hannemann, Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi and University of Hawai'i engineering professor Panos Prevedouros met onstage at the Hawai'i Theatre before more than 250 supporters and others.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Hurricane Gustav
[8/30] Spooked by predictions that Hurricane Gustav could grow into a Category 5 monster, an estimated 1 million people fled the Gulf Coast Saturday — even before the official order came for New Orleans residents to get out of the way of a storm taking dead aim at Louisiana.
Mayor Ray Nagin gave the mandatory order late Saturday, but all day residents took to buses, trains, planes and cars — clogging roadways leading away from New Orleans, still reeling three years after Hurricane Katrina flooded 80 percent of the city and killed about 1,600 across the region.
The evacuation of New Orleans becomes mandatory at 8 a.m. Sunday along the vulnerable west bank of the Mississippi River, and at noon on the east bank. Nagin called Gustav the "mother of all storms" and told residents to "get out of town. This is not the one to play with."
"This is the real deal, this is not a test," Nagin said as he issued the order, warning residents that staying would be "one of the biggest mistakes you could make in your life." He emphasized that the city will not offer emergency services to anyone who chooses to stay behind.
[9/2] Sept. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Gustav, now downgraded to a depression over western Louisiana, spared New Orleans the devastation wrought three years ago by Katrina, while Tropical Storm Hanna hit the Bahamas on a course for the Carolinas.
Gustav lashed Louisiana and Mississippi as a hurricane, toppling trees, tearing off roofs and leaving half of New Orleans without power. The city's flood defenses were intact and the death toll may have been kept to single figures, officials said. Katrina flooded 80 percent of the city and killed 1,800 people.
Mayor Ray Nagin gave the mandatory order late Saturday, but all day residents took to buses, trains, planes and cars — clogging roadways leading away from New Orleans, still reeling three years after Hurricane Katrina flooded 80 percent of the city and killed about 1,600 across the region.
The evacuation of New Orleans becomes mandatory at 8 a.m. Sunday along the vulnerable west bank of the Mississippi River, and at noon on the east bank. Nagin called Gustav the "mother of all storms" and told residents to "get out of town. This is not the one to play with."
"This is the real deal, this is not a test," Nagin said as he issued the order, warning residents that staying would be "one of the biggest mistakes you could make in your life." He emphasized that the city will not offer emergency services to anyone who chooses to stay behind.
[9/2] Sept. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Gustav, now downgraded to a depression over western Louisiana, spared New Orleans the devastation wrought three years ago by Katrina, while Tropical Storm Hanna hit the Bahamas on a course for the Carolinas.
Gustav lashed Louisiana and Mississippi as a hurricane, toppling trees, tearing off roofs and leaving half of New Orleans without power. The city's flood defenses were intact and the death toll may have been kept to single figures, officials said. Katrina flooded 80 percent of the city and killed 1,800 people.
Friday, August 29, 2008
McCain chooses Elaine?
(CNN) -- Sen. John McCain on Friday announced Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential candidate, calling her "the running mate who can best help me shake up Washington."
Who's next, Kramer?
Who's next, Kramer?
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
CVS to buy Longs
CVS Caremark Corp., the second-biggest U.S. drugstore chain, said it would buy Longs Drug Stores Corp. for $2.9 billion, including debt, to expand its reach in the western U.S.
Longs Drug investors will receive $71.50 a share, the companies said today in a statement. That's 32 percent more than Longs Drug closed at in New York trading before the announcement.
CVS Chief Financial Officer David Rickard said in a 2006 interview that the drugstore chain wanted to expand its presence on the West Coast and was open to doing so through acquisitions. Longs Drug has 521 locations in California, Hawaii, Nevada and Arizona.
* * *
Walnut Creek, Calif.-based Longs Drugs Stores Corp. has developed a loyal following in Hawaii, with a history here dating back 54 years.
Longs reportedly open-ed its first store on Hotel and Bishop Streets in 1954, and was a hit with customers from the start.
Longs Drug investors will receive $71.50 a share, the companies said today in a statement. That's 32 percent more than Longs Drug closed at in New York trading before the announcement.
CVS Chief Financial Officer David Rickard said in a 2006 interview that the drugstore chain wanted to expand its presence on the West Coast and was open to doing so through acquisitions. Longs Drug has 521 locations in California, Hawaii, Nevada and Arizona.
* * *
Walnut Creek, Calif.-based Longs Drugs Stores Corp. has developed a loyal following in Hawaii, with a history here dating back 54 years.
Longs reportedly open-ed its first store on Hotel and Bishop Streets in 1954, and was a hit with customers from the start.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
George W. Bush sewage plant
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A measure seeking to commemorate President Bush's years in office by slapping his name on a San Francisco sewage plant has qualified for the November ballot.
The measure certified Thursday would rename the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant the George W. Bush Sewage Plant.
Supporters say the idea is to commemorate the mess they claim Bush has left behind by actions such as the war in Iraq.
Local Republicans say the plan stinks and they will oppose it.
The measure certified Thursday would rename the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant the George W. Bush Sewage Plant.
Supporters say the idea is to commemorate the mess they claim Bush has left behind by actions such as the war in Iraq.
Local Republicans say the plan stinks and they will oppose it.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
no WMDs welcome
PARIS (AP) - Forty-three nations, including Israel and Arab states, have agreed to work for a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction in launching an unprecedented Union for the Mediterranean aimed at securing peace across the restive region.
In a final declaration, the nations represented at the summit - including Israel, Syria, the Palestinian Territories and countries across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa - agreed to "pursue a mutually and effectively verifiable Middle East Zone free of weapons of mass destruction."
The statement said that includes nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their delivery systems, and said the countries will "consider practical steps to prevent the proliferation" of such weapons.
It was unclear, however, how the signatories - who included Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Syrian President Bashar Assad - would enforce the pledge.
In a final declaration, the nations represented at the summit - including Israel, Syria, the Palestinian Territories and countries across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa - agreed to "pursue a mutually and effectively verifiable Middle East Zone free of weapons of mass destruction."
The statement said that includes nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their delivery systems, and said the countries will "consider practical steps to prevent the proliferation" of such weapons.
It was unclear, however, how the signatories - who included Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Syrian President Bashar Assad - would enforce the pledge.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
My Friend John McCain
It’s hard to believe it’s been 37 years since, as a POW in North Vietnam, I was moved from a fairly “easy” satellite POW camp to one of the cavernous cell bays of the medieval-like Hoa Lo prison in downtown Hanoi with 26 other “bad attitudes.”
“Because you have bad attitude you will go to a place more harsh,” the “V” snarled. ("V" was our generic slang term for the Communist interrogators.)
There, at what became known as the Hanoi Hilton, in cell bay No. 7, I first met Lt. Comdr. John McCain.
- by Jerry Coffee, Midweek, July 9, 2008
“Because you have bad attitude you will go to a place more harsh,” the “V” snarled. ("V" was our generic slang term for the Communist interrogators.)
There, at what became known as the Hanoi Hilton, in cell bay No. 7, I first met Lt. Comdr. John McCain.
- by Jerry Coffee, Midweek, July 9, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
At the G8 Summit
After yesterday’s session of the G8 summit, today, the leaders of the group of eight met with the leaders of eight other emerging economies, namely India, China, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Australia, South Korea and Indonesia. These sixteen countries together account for 80 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate change has dominated the discussions at this year’s G8 summit in Japan. Yesterday, the leaders of the Group of Eight countries had decided to half the global emissions by 2050. However, in today’s discussions, only Indonesia, Australia and South Korea have supported the G8’s vision. All developing countries argued hard that it was developed countries who sacrificed nature during their growth and industrialization and now they should bear the brunt of taking on the expenses of curbing carbon emissions.
However no consensus could be achieved on the proposed target of carbon emissions, and leaders ‘safely stuck to their target’ of 50% less by 2050.
These countries have agreed to cut their greenhouse emissions but they avoided setting specific targets for the same. Chinese President Hu Jintao said that China being a developing country was on the path of industrialization and improving people’s welfare. United States is already opposed to committing to firm targets without assurances that big emerging economies will act too. Experts are doubtful that any substantial steps to fight global warming will be taken unless the new U.S. president assumes office in January 2009.
Climate change has dominated the discussions at this year’s G8 summit in Japan. Yesterday, the leaders of the Group of Eight countries had decided to half the global emissions by 2050. However, in today’s discussions, only Indonesia, Australia and South Korea have supported the G8’s vision. All developing countries argued hard that it was developed countries who sacrificed nature during their growth and industrialization and now they should bear the brunt of taking on the expenses of curbing carbon emissions.
However no consensus could be achieved on the proposed target of carbon emissions, and leaders ‘safely stuck to their target’ of 50% less by 2050.
These countries have agreed to cut their greenhouse emissions but they avoided setting specific targets for the same. Chinese President Hu Jintao said that China being a developing country was on the path of industrialization and improving people’s welfare. United States is already opposed to committing to firm targets without assurances that big emerging economies will act too. Experts are doubtful that any substantial steps to fight global warming will be taken unless the new U.S. president assumes office in January 2009.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Obama = Carter?
I am writing in regards to Jade Moon’s column on Barack Obama. I don’t know why she is so big on him. Being a former newscaster and having lived through the Jimmy Carter presidency, I grew up in the ‘70s, just a she did, and wanted “change” from the old Nixon/Ford administration. I had just turned 19 in 1976 and jumped on the bandwagon of “change” and decided that I, along with all the other young, naïve people, were going to make a difference. We did, and got Carter elected.
Once he did, I realized that all of his policies led to a rapid rate of inflation, much higher gas prices and sky-high interest rates. I got my first car loan in 1978 and paid a 12.5 percent interest rate. All of his tax increases on the “rich” caused prices to get so high that the $200 he saved me through “tax breaks” cost me an extra $500 or more per year in inflation. Some change! An increase on capital gains taxes, raising taxes on big business and environmental restriction costs were passed on to regular people like me, people these changes were supposed to help!
Mr. Obama wants to implement these same laws and restrictions that have already failed in the past! How naïve can one be to think these policies would work now. I was a staunch and loyal Democrat for most of my life, and the Democrats have failed me. I refuse to make the same mistake twice!
As far as race or gender are concerned, and Jade Moon wants a “first,” why not nominate and elect Condoleezza Rice? She is highly intelligent, an expert on foreign policy, speaks numerous languages and actually knows something about the economy - qualities that Barack Obama seems to be lacking. I truly believe she would make a great president.
I think Jade Moon is seeing things through rose-colored glasses. Electing Obama will not only be a mistake, it will be one we have made before.
Mark Katayama
Honolulu
Once he did, I realized that all of his policies led to a rapid rate of inflation, much higher gas prices and sky-high interest rates. I got my first car loan in 1978 and paid a 12.5 percent interest rate. All of his tax increases on the “rich” caused prices to get so high that the $200 he saved me through “tax breaks” cost me an extra $500 or more per year in inflation. Some change! An increase on capital gains taxes, raising taxes on big business and environmental restriction costs were passed on to regular people like me, people these changes were supposed to help!
Mr. Obama wants to implement these same laws and restrictions that have already failed in the past! How naïve can one be to think these policies would work now. I was a staunch and loyal Democrat for most of my life, and the Democrats have failed me. I refuse to make the same mistake twice!
As far as race or gender are concerned, and Jade Moon wants a “first,” why not nominate and elect Condoleezza Rice? She is highly intelligent, an expert on foreign policy, speaks numerous languages and actually knows something about the economy - qualities that Barack Obama seems to be lacking. I truly believe she would make a great president.
I think Jade Moon is seeing things through rose-colored glasses. Electing Obama will not only be a mistake, it will be one we have made before.
Mark Katayama
Honolulu
Sunday, July 06, 2008
curbside recycling coming islandwide
[11/17/08] The blue bins are for aluminum cans; glass bottles and jars (without lids or tops); plastic containers marked with the 1 and 2 number code in a triangle; newspapers, minus magazines and glossy inserts; and corrugated cardboard only.
According to the opala.org Web site, materials in the blue bins are shipped to remanufacturing facilities, while yard waste placed in the green bins is composted locally.
"Low-grade" plastics and papers, such as plastic bags, Styrofoam containers, telephone books and cereal boxes can be tossed into the gray regular refuse cart to be burned at the city's HPOWER plant.
The city says those products "provide greater benefit to the island in local energy production than shipping to distant markets to be made into new products."
Tin or steel food cans should be tossed into the regular trash, not the recycling bin, because those metals are pulled out by magnets at HPOWER, then sold by the city to a metal recycler.
* * *
The city will roll out its curbside recycling program to the rest of Oahu by giving each homeowner one refuse and one recycling pickup each week without the option to pay for additional trash service.
The city Department of Environmental Services announced Tuesday that it selected the pickup method in Hawaii Kai, where the curbside recycling program is being done on an experimental basis.
"Definitely, we're going forward," said Marcus Owens, spokesman for the Environmental Services Department. He said the program will expand in September when the bins for 39,000 East Oahu homes are rolled out. The entire island will be converted by May 2010.
According to the opala.org Web site, materials in the blue bins are shipped to remanufacturing facilities, while yard waste placed in the green bins is composted locally.
"Low-grade" plastics and papers, such as plastic bags, Styrofoam containers, telephone books and cereal boxes can be tossed into the gray regular refuse cart to be burned at the city's HPOWER plant.
The city says those products "provide greater benefit to the island in local energy production than shipping to distant markets to be made into new products."
Tin or steel food cans should be tossed into the regular trash, not the recycling bin, because those metals are pulled out by magnets at HPOWER, then sold by the city to a metal recycler.
* * *
The city will roll out its curbside recycling program to the rest of Oahu by giving each homeowner one refuse and one recycling pickup each week without the option to pay for additional trash service.
The city Department of Environmental Services announced Tuesday that it selected the pickup method in Hawaii Kai, where the curbside recycling program is being done on an experimental basis.
"Definitely, we're going forward," said Marcus Owens, spokesman for the Environmental Services Department. He said the program will expand in September when the bins for 39,000 East Oahu homes are rolled out. The entire island will be converted by May 2010.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Rush Hour worst in Honolulu
Cities like Los Angeles and Chicago would top any list of the nation's worst traffic areas, including a study released yesterday by a provider of national traffic trends. But Honolulu?
"If you happen to be driving on a Thursday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on its main highways, you're no longer in the Aloha State," according to the report compiled by INRIX. "You're in the worst place and worst hour of any single roadway in the U.S., taking 88 percent more time to get where you're going than if there were no congestion."
INRIX, a privately held Seattle-based corporation, yesterday released its National Traffic Scorecard, and ranked Honolulu as having the worst drive-time travel time in the nation.
"If you happen to be driving on a Thursday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on its main highways, you're no longer in the Aloha State," according to the report compiled by INRIX. "You're in the worst place and worst hour of any single roadway in the U.S., taking 88 percent more time to get where you're going than if there were no congestion."
INRIX, a privately held Seattle-based corporation, yesterday released its National Traffic Scorecard, and ranked Honolulu as having the worst drive-time travel time in the nation.
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Oil rises
Crude oil rocketed more than $10 a barrel Friday to a record high of $138.54, snuffing out motorists' hopes that gasoline prices might ease soon.
"It's like every time I look at the prices, they have jumped another 10 cents a gallon," groused James Freedner, 57, of Sun Valley. "I just don't know when this is going to stop."
The biggest one-day surge ever in crude prices was fueled by a mix of factors, including a gloomy U.S. job report and interest-rate fears that drove down the dollar, unease in the oil-rich Middle East and a prediction by a major brokerage firm that crude could hit $150 a barrel by July 4.
"Never before seen, unprecedented, amazing, epic, all those fit to describe today's [trading] session for crude oil and refined products," Denton Cinquegrana of the Oil Price Information Service wrote in a report to clients late Friday.
The $10.75-a-barrel jump at the New York Mercantile Exchange followed Thursday's increase of $5.49 and is expected to flow through quickly to the gas pump.
"It's like every time I look at the prices, they have jumped another 10 cents a gallon," groused James Freedner, 57, of Sun Valley. "I just don't know when this is going to stop."
The biggest one-day surge ever in crude prices was fueled by a mix of factors, including a gloomy U.S. job report and interest-rate fears that drove down the dollar, unease in the oil-rich Middle East and a prediction by a major brokerage firm that crude could hit $150 a barrel by July 4.
"Never before seen, unprecedented, amazing, epic, all those fit to describe today's [trading] session for crude oil and refined products," Denton Cinquegrana of the Oil Price Information Service wrote in a report to clients late Friday.
The $10.75-a-barrel jump at the New York Mercantile Exchange followed Thursday's increase of $5.49 and is expected to flow through quickly to the gas pump.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
China Earthquake
Associated Press updated 6:27 p.m. HT, Mon., May. 12, 2008
CHENGDU, China - A powerful earthquake toppled buildings, schools and chemical plants Monday in central China, killing about 10,000 people and trapping untold numbers in mounds of concrete, steel and earth in the country's worst quake in three decades.
CHENGDU, China - A powerful earthquake toppled buildings, schools and chemical plants Monday in central China, killing about 10,000 people and trapping untold numbers in mounds of concrete, steel and earth in the country's worst quake in three decades.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Myanmar Cyclone
May 7, 2008
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Bodies floated in flood waters and survivors tried to reach dry ground on boats using blankets as sails, while the top U.S. diplomat in Myanmar said Wednesday that up to 100,000 people may have died in the devastating cyclone.
AP (updated 3:54 a.m. HT, Sun., May. 18, 2008)
YANGON, Myanmar - A senior U.N. envoy arrived in Myanmar on Sunday to urge its military junta to accept more international aid for cyclone survivors, amid mounting fears of starvation, especially among children.
About 78,000 people are confirmed dead and 56,000 missing in the cyclone, according to the government. Aid agencies, however, say the death toll alone could be 128,000.
A glimmer of hope was raised Sunday when British Foreign Office Minister for Asia Lord Malloch-Brown said Myanmar may accept a compromise to use Asian intermediaries to open up to foreign help, including allowing Western ships to deliver aid to the country, which is also known as Burma.
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Bodies floated in flood waters and survivors tried to reach dry ground on boats using blankets as sails, while the top U.S. diplomat in Myanmar said Wednesday that up to 100,000 people may have died in the devastating cyclone.
AP (updated 3:54 a.m. HT, Sun., May. 18, 2008)
YANGON, Myanmar - A senior U.N. envoy arrived in Myanmar on Sunday to urge its military junta to accept more international aid for cyclone survivors, amid mounting fears of starvation, especially among children.
About 78,000 people are confirmed dead and 56,000 missing in the cyclone, according to the government. Aid agencies, however, say the death toll alone could be 128,000.
A glimmer of hope was raised Sunday when British Foreign Office Minister for Asia Lord Malloch-Brown said Myanmar may accept a compromise to use Asian intermediaries to open up to foreign help, including allowing Western ships to deliver aid to the country, which is also known as Burma.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Aloha Airlines shuts down
Aloha Airlines, which has been operating since before Hawaii became a state, abruptly announced yesterday it is shutting down passenger service after today.
The 61-year-old carrier, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy just 10 days earlier -- its second such filing in a little more than three years -- said it ran out of time to find a qualified buyer or secure continued financing for its passenger business.
David Banmiller, president and chief executive of Aloha, accused Mesa Air Group's go! of pushing Aloha over the edge.
"Unfair competition has succeeded in driving us out of business," said Banmiller, referring to a below-cost interisland airfare war that go! triggered when it entered the Hawaii market in June 2006.
* * *
Aloha ‘oe
The 61-year-old carrier, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy just 10 days earlier -- its second such filing in a little more than three years -- said it ran out of time to find a qualified buyer or secure continued financing for its passenger business.
David Banmiller, president and chief executive of Aloha, accused Mesa Air Group's go! of pushing Aloha over the edge.
"Unfair competition has succeeded in driving us out of business," said Banmiller, referring to a below-cost interisland airfare war that go! triggered when it entered the Hawaii market in June 2006.
* * *
Aloha ‘oe
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Castro resigns
HAVANA - Fidel Castro, ailing and 81, announced Tuesday he was resigning as Cuba’s president, ending a half-century of autocratic rule which made him a communist icon and a relentless opponent of U.S. policy around the globe.
The end of Castro’s rule — the longest in the world for a head of government — frees his 76-year-old brother Raul Castro to implement reforms he has hinted at since taking over as acting president when Fidel fell ill in July 2006.
President Bush said he hopes the resignation signals the beginning of a democratic transition, though he doubts that would come about under the rule of another Castro.
The end of Castro’s rule — the longest in the world for a head of government — frees his 76-year-old brother Raul Castro to implement reforms he has hinted at since taking over as acting president when Fidel fell ill in July 2006.
President Bush said he hopes the resignation signals the beginning of a democratic transition, though he doubts that would come about under the rule of another Castro.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Bhutto assassinated
Pakistani former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated in a suicide attack. Ms Bhutto - the first woman PM in an Islamic state - was leaving an election rally in Rawalpindi when a gunman shot her in the neck and set off a bomb. At least 20 other people died in the attack and several more were injured.
President Pervez Musharraf has urged people to remain calm but angry protests have gripped some cities, with at least 11 deaths reported. Security forces have been placed on a state of "red alert" nationwide.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attack. Analysts believe Islamist militants to be the most likely group behind it.
Ms Bhutto, leader of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), had served as prime minister from 1988-1990 and 1993-1996, and had been campaigning ahead of elections due on 8 January.
It was the second suicide attack against her in recent months and came amid a wave of bombings targeting security and government officials.
President Pervez Musharraf has urged people to remain calm but angry protests have gripped some cities, with at least 11 deaths reported. Security forces have been placed on a state of "red alert" nationwide.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attack. Analysts believe Islamist militants to be the most likely group behind it.
Ms Bhutto, leader of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), had served as prime minister from 1988-1990 and 1993-1996, and had been campaigning ahead of elections due on 8 January.
It was the second suicide attack against her in recent months and came amid a wave of bombings targeting security and government officials.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Al Gore wins Nobel Peace Prize
OSLO, Norway - Al Gore and the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Friday, and the former vice president used the attention to warn that global warming is "the greatest challenge we've ever faced."
World leaders, President Bush among them, congratulated the winners, while skeptics of man's contribution to warming criticized the choice of Gore.
Gore in a statement said he was " deeply honored ... We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity."
"It is the most dangerous challenge we've ever faced, but it is also the greatest opportunity we have had to make changes," he later said at a brief news conference in Palo Alto, Calif.
Gore did not take any questions. As he walked away a reporter asked if he would run for president, but Gore did not respond.
Gore’s film "An Inconvenient Truth," a documentary on global warming, won an Academy Award this year. He had been widely expected to win the peace prize.
World leaders, President Bush among them, congratulated the winners, while skeptics of man's contribution to warming criticized the choice of Gore.
Gore in a statement said he was " deeply honored ... We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity."
"It is the most dangerous challenge we've ever faced, but it is also the greatest opportunity we have had to make changes," he later said at a brief news conference in Palo Alto, Calif.
Gore did not take any questions. As he walked away a reporter asked if he would run for president, but Gore did not respond.
Gore’s film "An Inconvenient Truth," a documentary on global warming, won an Academy Award this year. He had been widely expected to win the peace prize.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
No End In Sight
"No End in Sight" is the most coolheaded of the Iraq war documentaries, the most methodical and the least polemical. Yet it's the one that will leave audiences the most shattered, angry and astounded.
Directed by Charles Ferguson, making his feature debut, the film relies mainly on interviews with people who were either inside the Bush administration or on the ground in Iraq in those crucial early months following the fall of Baghdad. Most of those interviewed are either career diplomats or career military officers, not anti-administration types by any stretch. Some, like Richard Armitage, were in the White House inner circle. Yet they describe an administration of such colossal ineptitude and baseless arrogance as to boggle the mind.
Ferguson doesn't impose an interpretation on the material. Some will come away from the film convinced that invading Iraq was a monumental mistake, while some will think that it might have worked. Some will come away confirmed in the opinion that the United States needs to pull out as soon as possible, while others will find confirmation for the belief that leaving now would be the worst possible course.
Yet "No End in Sight" is likely to unite everyone in the common opinion that the invasion and occupation were mismanaged on an epic scale. It's not just that "mistakes were made," to use the tired passive-voice cliche of feigned contrition, but rather that only mistakes were made. In instance after instance, the administration ignored genuine experts in favor of people with flashy, erroneous notions. They ignored the advice of people on the ground in favor of functionaries in Washington with neither military experience nor familiarity with the Islamic world.
Directed by Charles Ferguson, making his feature debut, the film relies mainly on interviews with people who were either inside the Bush administration or on the ground in Iraq in those crucial early months following the fall of Baghdad. Most of those interviewed are either career diplomats or career military officers, not anti-administration types by any stretch. Some, like Richard Armitage, were in the White House inner circle. Yet they describe an administration of such colossal ineptitude and baseless arrogance as to boggle the mind.
Ferguson doesn't impose an interpretation on the material. Some will come away from the film convinced that invading Iraq was a monumental mistake, while some will think that it might have worked. Some will come away confirmed in the opinion that the United States needs to pull out as soon as possible, while others will find confirmation for the belief that leaving now would be the worst possible course.
Yet "No End in Sight" is likely to unite everyone in the common opinion that the invasion and occupation were mismanaged on an epic scale. It's not just that "mistakes were made," to use the tired passive-voice cliche of feigned contrition, but rather that only mistakes were made. In instance after instance, the administration ignored genuine experts in favor of people with flashy, erroneous notions. They ignored the advice of people on the ground in favor of functionaries in Washington with neither military experience nor familiarity with the Islamic world.
Can We Win The War in Iraq?
Dissecting the U.S. deployment of 133,000 troops on the ground in Iraq, Edward Luttwak of the Center for Strategic and International Studies recently calculated that only 28,000 are actually in the field at any given time.
To put that number in perspective, Luttwak points out that the New York City Police force has 37,000 police officers - yet U.S. coalition forces are being asked to keep control over a nation of 28 million, including the urban hotspots of Baghdad with its 6 million inhabitants, Mosul with 1.7 million, Kirkuk with 800,000 and Fallujah, a Sunni stronghold with a population of 250,000.
That's just 28,000 soldiers to interdict insurgents and jihadists coming over the borders with Syria and Iran, to patrol all the cities, protect all the oil fields, pipelines, banks and utility infrastructure... and to provide cover for the U.S. military bases, airfields and convoys.
It gets worse: the latest plan proposed by the administration cuts U.S. forces to just 104,000 troops, with an increasing share being National Guard and Army Reservists who, rather than playing their usual supporting role, are this time headed for the front line - because when it comes to Iraq, it's pretty much all front line.
To give you some sense of the danger, small arms are so abundant that $10 will buy you, retail from a street vendor, an AK-47 machine gun and all the ammunition you can carry.
Which brings us to the question addressed in this special WWNK feature, can the U.S. win in Iraq?
To put that number in perspective, Luttwak points out that the New York City Police force has 37,000 police officers - yet U.S. coalition forces are being asked to keep control over a nation of 28 million, including the urban hotspots of Baghdad with its 6 million inhabitants, Mosul with 1.7 million, Kirkuk with 800,000 and Fallujah, a Sunni stronghold with a population of 250,000.
That's just 28,000 soldiers to interdict insurgents and jihadists coming over the borders with Syria and Iran, to patrol all the cities, protect all the oil fields, pipelines, banks and utility infrastructure... and to provide cover for the U.S. military bases, airfields and convoys.
It gets worse: the latest plan proposed by the administration cuts U.S. forces to just 104,000 troops, with an increasing share being National Guard and Army Reservists who, rather than playing their usual supporting role, are this time headed for the front line - because when it comes to Iraq, it's pretty much all front line.
To give you some sense of the danger, small arms are so abundant that $10 will buy you, retail from a street vendor, an AK-47 machine gun and all the ammunition you can carry.
Which brings us to the question addressed in this special WWNK feature, can the U.S. win in Iraq?
Friday, September 07, 2007
Corruption in Iraq not discouraged
One after another, the men and women who have stepped forward to report corruption in the massive effort to rebuild Iraq have been vilified, fired and demoted.
Or worse.
For daring to report illegal arms sales, Navy veteran Donald Vance says he was imprisoned by the American military in a security compound outside Baghdad and subjected to harsh interrogation methods.
Or worse.
For daring to report illegal arms sales, Navy veteran Donald Vance says he was imprisoned by the American military in a security compound outside Baghdad and subjected to harsh interrogation methods.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Why David Rosen is suing Kamehameha
I AM THE attorney who is preparing to sue the Kamehameha Schools and its trustees to have their use of a racial classification to exclude those with no native Hawaiian ancestry declared illegal ("Lawyer's search for clients to sue Kamehameha raises questions," Star-Bulletin, May 23). I am not doing this for financial gain or to make a name for myself, as many have asserted. My motivation, while difficult to believe for some, is principle.
Friday, February 09, 2007
It's not your money once it's flown
It's been a weird week, financially speaking. First I get a call from the savings-and-loan outfit that handles my home mortgage. We have it set up so the monthly house payments come directly from a checking account.
The assistant mortgage manager says, "Mr. Memminger, I just want to let you know there was a little problem with your account."
"Didn't we cover the mortgage payment this month?" I asked.
"Sure," he said. "The problem is that we accidentally took out a little more from your account than was needed, about an extra thousand bucks."
I said, "No problem, just put it back or credit next month's payment"
He said, "Well, actually, Mr. Memminger, we've been thinking about getting some new furniture for the lobby, and your overpayment would sure help out in that department."
I said I wasn't interested in buying furniture for their lobby and for them to return my money.
He said, "The thing is, it's technically not your money now since we have it. And it would be for the greater good of the bank and all of our customers in general if we could just go ahead and use that overpayment to improve the bank's infrastructure."
I said, "You can stick your infrastructure. Give me my money back."
He said the matter would be taken up by the bank's board of directors. He hung up before I could protest.
... Had the world gone mad? Apparently, yes, because when I got home, I turned on the news and found out that the state had overcharged residents more than $763 million in taxes. Gov. Linda Lingle at least wanted to give $100 of that overcharge back to the taxpayers. After all, it was our money. But Calvin Say, speaker of the state House, said there were all kinds of things that overcharge could be spent on, and he didn't think any of it should be returned to the taxpayers.
I'm not sure what he wants to spend it on, but I think I heard something about lobby furniture, infrastructure, employee raises and some kind of air compressor. Apparently, when it comes to other people holding money that belongs to you, possession is more than nine-tenths of the law. Weird.
The assistant mortgage manager says, "Mr. Memminger, I just want to let you know there was a little problem with your account."
"Didn't we cover the mortgage payment this month?" I asked.
"Sure," he said. "The problem is that we accidentally took out a little more from your account than was needed, about an extra thousand bucks."
I said, "No problem, just put it back or credit next month's payment"
He said, "Well, actually, Mr. Memminger, we've been thinking about getting some new furniture for the lobby, and your overpayment would sure help out in that department."
I said I wasn't interested in buying furniture for their lobby and for them to return my money.
He said, "The thing is, it's technically not your money now since we have it. And it would be for the greater good of the bank and all of our customers in general if we could just go ahead and use that overpayment to improve the bank's infrastructure."
I said, "You can stick your infrastructure. Give me my money back."
He said the matter would be taken up by the bank's board of directors. He hung up before I could protest.
... Had the world gone mad? Apparently, yes, because when I got home, I turned on the news and found out that the state had overcharged residents more than $763 million in taxes. Gov. Linda Lingle at least wanted to give $100 of that overcharge back to the taxpayers. After all, it was our money. But Calvin Say, speaker of the state House, said there were all kinds of things that overcharge could be spent on, and he didn't think any of it should be returned to the taxpayers.
I'm not sure what he wants to spend it on, but I think I heard something about lobby furniture, infrastructure, employee raises and some kind of air compressor. Apparently, when it comes to other people holding money that belongs to you, possession is more than nine-tenths of the law. Weird.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
President Bush: Hero or Villain?
When people were asked in an AP-AOL News poll to name the villains and heroes of the year, Bush topped both lists, in a sign of these polarized times.
Bush won the villain sweepstakes by a landslide, with one in four respondents putting him at the top of that bad-guy list. When people were asked to name the candidate for villain that first came to mind, Bush far outdistanced even Osama bin Laden, the terrorist leader in hiding; and former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, who is scheduled for execution.
The president was picked as hero of the year by a much smaller margin. In the poll, 13 percent named him as their favorite while 6 percent cited the troops in Iraq.
Bush won the villain sweepstakes by a landslide, with one in four respondents putting him at the top of that bad-guy list. When people were asked to name the candidate for villain that first came to mind, Bush far outdistanced even Osama bin Laden, the terrorist leader in hiding; and former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, who is scheduled for execution.
The president was picked as hero of the year by a much smaller margin. In the poll, 13 percent named him as their favorite while 6 percent cited the troops in Iraq.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Democrats win House, Senate tied
Democrats erased the Republican Senate majority Wednesday with a cliffhanger victory in Montana, hours after taking control of the House in an election that delivered a rebuke of GOP scandal, the Iraq war and the course of a nation.
With Democrats now assured of 50 Senate seats, the battle for outright control came down to Virginia, where the party's candidate, Jim Webb, held a small lead.
For Republicans, it was an election that started out grim and got only grimmer with the the new day. First, voters brought down the Republican House majority after 12 years in power, and gave Democrats a majority of governorships for the first time in just as long.
Then Senate control began slipping away, the narrow GOP majority ground down to nothing, protected only by Vice President Dick Cheney's tie-breaking vote if the contest ended at 50-50.
Democrats hoped to shape a 51-49 majority with a Virginia victory for Webb, a former Navy secretary under Ronald Reagan. Webb led by fewer than 9,000 votes out of more than 2.3 million cast, and with the margin so small and so much on the line, GOP Sen. George Allen was not conceding. If a recount is held it could take weeks to be conducted by a panel of judges.
With Democrats now assured of 50 Senate seats, the battle for outright control came down to Virginia, where the party's candidate, Jim Webb, held a small lead.
For Republicans, it was an election that started out grim and got only grimmer with the the new day. First, voters brought down the Republican House majority after 12 years in power, and gave Democrats a majority of governorships for the first time in just as long.
Then Senate control began slipping away, the narrow GOP majority ground down to nothing, protected only by Vice President Dick Cheney's tie-breaking vote if the contest ended at 50-50.
Democrats hoped to shape a 51-49 majority with a Virginia victory for Webb, a former Navy secretary under Ronald Reagan. Webb led by fewer than 9,000 votes out of more than 2.3 million cast, and with the margin so small and so much on the line, GOP Sen. George Allen was not conceding. If a recount is held it could take weeks to be conducted by a panel of judges.
Rumsfeld to step down
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, architect of an unpopular war in Iraq, intends to resign after six stormy years at the Pentagon, Republican officials said Wednesday.
Officials said Robert Gates, former head of the CIA, would replace Rumsfeld.
The development occurred one day after congressional elections that cost Republicans control of the House of Representatives, and possibly the Senate as well. Surveys of voters at polling places said opposition to the war was a significant contributor to the Democratic Party's victory.
Officials said Robert Gates, former head of the CIA, would replace Rumsfeld.
The development occurred one day after congressional elections that cost Republicans control of the House of Representatives, and possibly the Senate as well. Surveys of voters at polling places said opposition to the war was a significant contributor to the Democratic Party's victory.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Saddam sentenced to hang
[12/29/06] Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi dictator who spent his last years in captivity after his ruthless regime was toppled by the U.S.-led coalition in 2003, was hanged before dawn Saturday for crimes committed in a brutal crackdown during his reign.
[11/5/06] BAGHDAD, Iraq – An Iraqi court sentenced Saddam Hussein to the gallows for crimes against humanity, closing a quarter-century-old chapter of violent suppression in this land of long memories, deep grudges and sectarian slaughter.
The former Iraqi dictator and six subordinates were convicted and sentenced for the 1982 killings of 148 people in a single Shiite town after an attempt on his life there.
Shiites and Kurds, who had been tormented and killed in the tens of thousands under Saddam's iron rule, erupted in celebration — but looked ahead fearfully for a potential backlash from the Sunni insurgency that some believe could be a final shove into all-out civil war.
Saddam trembled and shouted "God is great" when the hawk-faced chief judge, Raouf Abdul-Rahman, declared the former leader guilty and sentenced him to hang.
[11/5/06] BAGHDAD, Iraq – An Iraqi court sentenced Saddam Hussein to the gallows for crimes against humanity, closing a quarter-century-old chapter of violent suppression in this land of long memories, deep grudges and sectarian slaughter.
The former Iraqi dictator and six subordinates were convicted and sentenced for the 1982 killings of 148 people in a single Shiite town after an attempt on his life there.
Shiites and Kurds, who had been tormented and killed in the tens of thousands under Saddam's iron rule, erupted in celebration — but looked ahead fearfully for a potential backlash from the Sunni insurgency that some believe could be a final shove into all-out civil war.
Saddam trembled and shouted "God is great" when the hawk-faced chief judge, Raouf Abdul-Rahman, declared the former leader guilty and sentenced him to hang.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Bush vs. Kim Jong-il
LONDON (Reuters) - The United States is seen as a threat to world peace by its closest neighbors and allies, with Britons saying President George W. Bush poses a greater danger than North Korea's Kim Jong-il, a survey found on Friday.
A majority of people quizzed in three out of four countries polled also rejected the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
The findings came just days before the U.S. mid-term congressional elections, with a growing number of U.S. voters wanting their troops in Iraq to be brought home.
Britain's Guardian newspaper said it carried out the survey along with Israel's Haaretz, La Presse and Toronto Star in Canada and Mexico's Reforma.
In Britain, which alongside Israel is traditionally a close Washington ally, 69 percent of those questioned said they felt U.S. policy had made the world less safe since 2001.
A majority of Canadians and Mexicans agreed, with 62 percent of those polled in Canada and 57 percent in Mexico saying their neighbor's policy had made the world more dangerous.
As for Israel, just 25 percent of people asked said Bush had made the world safer, while 36 percent felt he had upped the risk of conflict and a further 30 percent said at best he had made no difference.
Israelis alone were in favor of Bush's decision to invade Iraq, with 59 percent for the war and 34 percent against.
The ratio was starkly different in the three other nations. Some 89 percent of Mexicans felt the invasion to topple Saddam Hussein was unjustified, as did 73 percent of Canadians and 71 percent of Britons, the survey said.
The perceived failings of U.S. foreign policy placed Bush alongside al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a cause of global anxiety, it said.
North Korea's nuclear test last month drew worldwide condemnation, while Western powers are trying to force Iran to scale back atomic work they fear may be used to make bombs. Iran says its aims are purely peaceful.
Asked whether they thought the U.S. leader was a great or moderate danger to peace, 75 percent of British people said yes. Some 87 percent felt the same about bin Laden, while Kim scored 69 percent and Ahmadinejad clocked 62 percent.
Just 23 percent of Israelis said Bush he represented a serious danger, with 61 percent disagreeing.
ICM interviewed 1,010 adults from October 27-30 in Britain. Professional local opinion polling was used in the other three countries, the Guardian said. In Israel, 1,078 people were asked, 1,007 were quizzed in Canada and 1,010 in Mexico.
A majority of people quizzed in three out of four countries polled also rejected the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
The findings came just days before the U.S. mid-term congressional elections, with a growing number of U.S. voters wanting their troops in Iraq to be brought home.
Britain's Guardian newspaper said it carried out the survey along with Israel's Haaretz, La Presse and Toronto Star in Canada and Mexico's Reforma.
In Britain, which alongside Israel is traditionally a close Washington ally, 69 percent of those questioned said they felt U.S. policy had made the world less safe since 2001.
A majority of Canadians and Mexicans agreed, with 62 percent of those polled in Canada and 57 percent in Mexico saying their neighbor's policy had made the world more dangerous.
As for Israel, just 25 percent of people asked said Bush had made the world safer, while 36 percent felt he had upped the risk of conflict and a further 30 percent said at best he had made no difference.
Israelis alone were in favor of Bush's decision to invade Iraq, with 59 percent for the war and 34 percent against.
The ratio was starkly different in the three other nations. Some 89 percent of Mexicans felt the invasion to topple Saddam Hussein was unjustified, as did 73 percent of Canadians and 71 percent of Britons, the survey said.
The perceived failings of U.S. foreign policy placed Bush alongside al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a cause of global anxiety, it said.
North Korea's nuclear test last month drew worldwide condemnation, while Western powers are trying to force Iran to scale back atomic work they fear may be used to make bombs. Iran says its aims are purely peaceful.
Asked whether they thought the U.S. leader was a great or moderate danger to peace, 75 percent of British people said yes. Some 87 percent felt the same about bin Laden, while Kim scored 69 percent and Ahmadinejad clocked 62 percent.
Just 23 percent of Israelis said Bush he represented a serious danger, with 61 percent disagreeing.
ICM interviewed 1,010 adults from October 27-30 in Britain. Professional local opinion polling was used in the other three countries, the Guardian said. In Israel, 1,078 people were asked, 1,007 were quizzed in Canada and 1,010 in Mexico.
Monday, October 16, 2006
The War in Iraq
[12/6/06] The long-awaited Iraq Study Group report, which was delivered to President Bush Wednesday morning, concludes that the situation in Iraq is “grave and deteriorating” but could still be improved if the U.S. focuses mainly on strengthening the Iraqi army and launches an immediate “diplomatic offensive” to win cooperation from countries such as Syria and Iran.
Both steps would mark a sharp departure from the current Bush administration approach, and could receive a chilly reception from the White House as well as U.S. military commanders in Iraq.
In releasing the report to Congress and the public, the members of the group acknowledged “the current approach is not working,” said panel co-chair and former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton at a press conference to discuss the report.
On the politically potent issue of U.S. troop levels, the panel, which called the report “The Way Forward,” recommends a quick and dramatic reduction in U.S. combat forces under a scenario whereby the U.S. would shift its focus to advising and supporting the Iraqi army. Barring “unexpected developments” on the security front, the report suggests that all U.S. combat brigades not needed to protect U.S. advisers or pursue terrorist cells would leave Iraq by March 2008. [Tomorrow's News Today]
[11/9/06] The past couple of days have been filled with anticipation over the outcome of which party will emerge victorious during this year's elections. Adding to the flurry of activity, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfield unexpectedly announced his resignation raising further questions about the future of American policy. Both the parties and individuals newly appointed to government positions will have an impact on both fiscal policy for the markets (dividend and taxes) and on our foreign involvement (the war in Iraq).
There have been hints as to what ISG [Iraq Study Group] might recommend, but the broad options boil down to these:
[10/16/06] The United States has opened up a window of opportunity for other powers. Iraq and Afghanistan have absorbed a large percentage of U.S. ground combat capability, limiting U.S. military options elsewhere. An internal political crisis has further limited the Bush administration's options. With the outcome of the November midterm elections uncertain, outside powers have a window of opportunity in which to take risks. This week, the North Koreans took advantage of that window of opportunity.
Both steps would mark a sharp departure from the current Bush administration approach, and could receive a chilly reception from the White House as well as U.S. military commanders in Iraq.
In releasing the report to Congress and the public, the members of the group acknowledged “the current approach is not working,” said panel co-chair and former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton at a press conference to discuss the report.
On the politically potent issue of U.S. troop levels, the panel, which called the report “The Way Forward,” recommends a quick and dramatic reduction in U.S. combat forces under a scenario whereby the U.S. would shift its focus to advising and supporting the Iraqi army. Barring “unexpected developments” on the security front, the report suggests that all U.S. combat brigades not needed to protect U.S. advisers or pursue terrorist cells would leave Iraq by March 2008. [Tomorrow's News Today]
[11/9/06] The past couple of days have been filled with anticipation over the outcome of which party will emerge victorious during this year's elections. Adding to the flurry of activity, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfield unexpectedly announced his resignation raising further questions about the future of American policy. Both the parties and individuals newly appointed to government positions will have an impact on both fiscal policy for the markets (dividend and taxes) and on our foreign involvement (the war in Iraq).
There have been hints as to what ISG [Iraq Study Group] might recommend, but the broad options boil down to these:
- Recommend that the United States continue with the current strategy: military operations designed to create a security environment in which an Iraqi government can function.
- Recommend the immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces and allow the Iraqis to sort out their political problems.
- Recommend a redeployment of forces in Iraq, based around a redefinition of the mission.
- Recommend a redefinition of the political mission in Iraq.
[10/16/06] The United States has opened up a window of opportunity for other powers. Iraq and Afghanistan have absorbed a large percentage of U.S. ground combat capability, limiting U.S. military options elsewhere. An internal political crisis has further limited the Bush administration's options. With the outcome of the November midterm elections uncertain, outside powers have a window of opportunity in which to take risks. This week, the North Koreans took advantage of that window of opportunity.
Earthquake knocks out power in Hawaii
A 6.6-magnitude earthquake centered on the Kona side of the Big Island — the largest to rattle the Islands in 23 years — and a 5.8-magnitude quake that followed disrupted air traffic on all major islands yesterday, sent boulders crashing onto Big Island highways and knocked out power throughout most of the state.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Iraq War Made Terror 'Worse'
(CBS/AP) The U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq has increased the number of terrorist groups worldwide and "made the overall terrorism problem worse," a U.S. intelligence official said in a secret study.
The assessment of the war's impact on terrorism came in a National Intelligence Estimate that represents a consensus view of the 16 disparate spy services inside government, CBS News learned Sunday.
The assessment of the war's impact on terrorism came in a National Intelligence Estimate that represents a consensus view of the 16 disparate spy services inside government, CBS News learned Sunday.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Dog the Bounty Hunter arrested
[9/19/06] HOW HAPPY would the United States be if some bounty hunter from Mexico named "El Perro" came across the border and started dragging Mexican rapists and killers back into Mexico? We'd give him a medal and urge him to keep up the good work.
So when our "perro," our "Dog," went into Mexico and dragged an American scumbag rapist out of that country and brought him back to the United States, you'd think the government of Mexico would thank us for cleaning up our own messes.
But no. Instead they demand bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman be extradited to Mexico to face kidnapping charges. How screwed up is that?
[9/16/06] A federal magistrate judge let the "Dog" out yesterday to the delight of his fans who packed the courtroom at his detention hearing.
Duane "Dog" Chapman, star of the reality TV show "Dog the Bounty Hunter," was released to home detention on $300,000 bail yesterday. Chapman had been held since his arrest Thursday by federal agents for his extradition to Mexico.
Federal Magistrate Judge Barry Kurren allowed Chapman to continue his bail bond business and filming his TV show in Hawaii while not in house detention. He also ordered Chapman to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet.
Brook Hart, another Chapman attorney, argued there were special circumstances that should allow his clients to go free. He said the Mexican government sought extradition three years after the Chapmans left Mexico. Hart said it is questionable whether the crime Chapman is accused of is a crime in the United States. This would mean he cannot be extradited for the Mexican crime, Hart said.
Hart said Chapman was charged with unlawful restraint of liberty or false imprisonment but not kidnapping.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Johnson argued that the Chapmans subjected themselves to the laws of Mexico when they sought Luster, never knowing that bounty hunting was illegal there.
Kurren told Johnson that "in the spectrum of cases, it really is on the lower end."
[9/15/06] The "Dog" spent last night in the federal pound.
Duane "Dog" Chapman, the well-known bounty hunter made even more famous by his A&E reality show, was arrested yesterday at his Portlock Road residence in connection with his June 2003 capture of convicted rapist and Max Factor heir Andrew Luster in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Also arrested in different locations were his son Leland and partner, Timothy Chapman.
Honolulu attorney Brook Hart, who represented all three yesterday at an initial appearance in U.S. District Court, said the Chapmans are alleged to have violated Mexican law that prohibits the capture of fugitives by persons not authorized under Mexican law. The Mexican government is seeking to extradite the trio.
[Doesn't have the Mexican government have better things to do?]
So when our "perro," our "Dog," went into Mexico and dragged an American scumbag rapist out of that country and brought him back to the United States, you'd think the government of Mexico would thank us for cleaning up our own messes.
But no. Instead they demand bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman be extradited to Mexico to face kidnapping charges. How screwed up is that?
[9/16/06] A federal magistrate judge let the "Dog" out yesterday to the delight of his fans who packed the courtroom at his detention hearing.
Duane "Dog" Chapman, star of the reality TV show "Dog the Bounty Hunter," was released to home detention on $300,000 bail yesterday. Chapman had been held since his arrest Thursday by federal agents for his extradition to Mexico.
Federal Magistrate Judge Barry Kurren allowed Chapman to continue his bail bond business and filming his TV show in Hawaii while not in house detention. He also ordered Chapman to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet.
Brook Hart, another Chapman attorney, argued there were special circumstances that should allow his clients to go free. He said the Mexican government sought extradition three years after the Chapmans left Mexico. Hart said it is questionable whether the crime Chapman is accused of is a crime in the United States. This would mean he cannot be extradited for the Mexican crime, Hart said.
Hart said Chapman was charged with unlawful restraint of liberty or false imprisonment but not kidnapping.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Johnson argued that the Chapmans subjected themselves to the laws of Mexico when they sought Luster, never knowing that bounty hunting was illegal there.
Kurren told Johnson that "in the spectrum of cases, it really is on the lower end."
[9/15/06] The "Dog" spent last night in the federal pound.
Duane "Dog" Chapman, the well-known bounty hunter made even more famous by his A&E reality show, was arrested yesterday at his Portlock Road residence in connection with his June 2003 capture of convicted rapist and Max Factor heir Andrew Luster in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Also arrested in different locations were his son Leland and partner, Timothy Chapman.
Honolulu attorney Brook Hart, who represented all three yesterday at an initial appearance in U.S. District Court, said the Chapmans are alleged to have violated Mexican law that prohibits the capture of fugitives by persons not authorized under Mexican law. The Mexican government is seeking to extradite the trio.
[Doesn't have the Mexican government have better things to do?]
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
damaged pedestrian overpass stalls traffic
A military truck trailer rig, transporting a hydraulic excavator westbound on the H-1 freeway at Aiea, hit and damaged the Aiea Pedestrian Overpass. The westbound side of the freeway was closed causing rush-hour traffic to back up.
Motorists were stuck in stalled traffic for hours as westbound vehicles were diverted from Moanalua Freeway and the H-1 near Halawa.
Motorists were stuck in stalled traffic for hours as westbound vehicles were diverted from Moanalua Freeway and the H-1 near Halawa.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Crocodile Hunter killed by stingray
Steve Irwin's deadly encounter with a stingray was captured on dramatic videotape and shows TV's "Crocodile Hunter" pulling out the animal's poisonous barb that had pierced his heart moments before he died, officials said today.
The beloved naturalist was being videotaped snorkeling above the beast for Ocean's Deadliest, a new TV documentary. Queensland Police Superintendent Michael Keating said the footage showed nothing suspicious about Irwin's death nor evidence that he provoked the animal. Police held the tape as evidence for a coroner's inquiry, a standard procedure in high-profile deaths or those caused by other than natural causes.
News of Irwin's death shocked his native Australia, and fans around the world poured out their grief and condolences.
The beloved naturalist was being videotaped snorkeling above the beast for Ocean's Deadliest, a new TV documentary. Queensland Police Superintendent Michael Keating said the footage showed nothing suspicious about Irwin's death nor evidence that he provoked the animal. Police held the tape as evidence for a coroner's inquiry, a standard procedure in high-profile deaths or those caused by other than natural causes.
News of Irwin's death shocked his native Australia, and fans around the world poured out their grief and condolences.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Israel bombs Lebanon
[8/15/06] Israel began slowly pulling out forces from southern Lebanon and made plans to hand over territory Tuesday on the first full day of a tense cease-fire that already has been tested by skirmishes and rocket fire.
[7/12/06] BEIRUT, LEBANON — Hezbollah militants crossed into Israel today and captured two Israeli soldiers. Israel responded in southern Lebanon with warplanes, tanks and gunboats, and said seven of its soldiers had been killed in the violence.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called the soldiers' capture "an act of war," and his Cabinet prepared to approve more military action in Lebanon.
Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel
Zar'it-Ayta al-Sha`b incident
* * *
[8/10/06] George Friedman comments.
The Israelis have few options. They can continue to fight until they break Hezbollah -- a process that will be long and costly, but can be achieved. But they then risk Hezbollah shifting to guerrilla war unless their forces immediately withdraw from Lebanon. Alternatively, they can negotiate a cease-fire that inevitably would leave at least part of Hezbollah's forces intact, its prestige and power in Lebanon enhanced and Iran elevated as a power within the region and the Muslim world. Because the Israelis are not going anywhere, they have to choose from a limited menu.
The United States, on the other hand, is facing a situation in Iraq that has broken decisively against it. However hopeful the situation might have been the night al-Zarqawi died, the decision by Iran's allies in Iraq to pursue civil war rather than a coalition government has put the United States into a militarily untenable position. It does not have sufficient forces to prevent a civil war. It can undertake the defense of the Sunnis, but only at the cost of further polarization with the Shia. The United States' military options are severely limited, and therefore, withdrawal becomes even more difficult. The only possibility is a negotiated settlement -- and at this point, Iran doesn't need to negotiate. Unless Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the top Shiite cleric in Iraq, firmly demands a truce, the sectarian fighting will continue -- and at the moment, it is not even clear that al-Sistani could get a truce if he wanted one.
While the United States was focused on the chimera of an Iranian nuclear bomb -- a possibility that, assuming everything we have heard is true, remains years away from becoming reality -- Iran has moved to redefine the region. At the very least, civil war in Lebanon (where Christians and Sunnis might resist Hezbollah) could match civil war in Iraq, with the Israelis and Americans trapped in undesirable roles.
[7/12/06] BEIRUT, LEBANON — Hezbollah militants crossed into Israel today and captured two Israeli soldiers. Israel responded in southern Lebanon with warplanes, tanks and gunboats, and said seven of its soldiers had been killed in the violence.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called the soldiers' capture "an act of war," and his Cabinet prepared to approve more military action in Lebanon.
Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel
Zar'it-Ayta al-Sha`b incident
* * *
[8/10/06] George Friedman comments.
The Israelis have few options. They can continue to fight until they break Hezbollah -- a process that will be long and costly, but can be achieved. But they then risk Hezbollah shifting to guerrilla war unless their forces immediately withdraw from Lebanon. Alternatively, they can negotiate a cease-fire that inevitably would leave at least part of Hezbollah's forces intact, its prestige and power in Lebanon enhanced and Iran elevated as a power within the region and the Muslim world. Because the Israelis are not going anywhere, they have to choose from a limited menu.
The United States, on the other hand, is facing a situation in Iraq that has broken decisively against it. However hopeful the situation might have been the night al-Zarqawi died, the decision by Iran's allies in Iraq to pursue civil war rather than a coalition government has put the United States into a militarily untenable position. It does not have sufficient forces to prevent a civil war. It can undertake the defense of the Sunnis, but only at the cost of further polarization with the Shia. The United States' military options are severely limited, and therefore, withdrawal becomes even more difficult. The only possibility is a negotiated settlement -- and at this point, Iran doesn't need to negotiate. Unless Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the top Shiite cleric in Iraq, firmly demands a truce, the sectarian fighting will continue -- and at the moment, it is not even clear that al-Sistani could get a truce if he wanted one.
While the United States was focused on the chimera of an Iranian nuclear bomb -- a possibility that, assuming everything we have heard is true, remains years away from becoming reality -- Iran has moved to redefine the region. At the very least, civil war in Lebanon (where Christians and Sunnis might resist Hezbollah) could match civil war in Iraq, with the Israelis and Americans trapped in undesirable roles.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Ehren Watada won't go
[2/4/07] 1st Lt. Ehren Watada goes on trial in a military court as the nation's first commissioned officer to refuse deployment to Iraq.
It's a trial with significance beyond Lieutenant Watada. The case will provide a test of how far officers can go in resisting an order and how much they can criticize their superiors – notably the commander in chief. Over time, Watada came to believe that the Bush administration lied about the reasons for invading Iraq and concluded its actions were "illegal and immoral."
The Pentagon, however, argues that no soldier can pick and choose assignments, something that would undermine a core tenet of the military – the command structure. It also says that when people join the Army, they lose some of the free-speech rights of a civilian.
[2/4/07] Army 1st. Lt. Ehren Watada maintains that the crux of his court-martial proceedings is the legality of the war in Iraq, despite what a military judge has said.
* * *
[12/26/06] Letters to the Editor
* * *
A patriotic Eagle Scout who had hoped to make the Army his career, 1st Lt. Ehren K. Watada says the war in Iraq is illegal and that he will not deploy with his Fort Lewis unit when it leaves in two weeks.
Watada, an artillery officer, said even after enlisting he did not believe that "an invasion was fully justified, but I believed the president's claims should be given a benefit of doubt. At that time, I never imagined that our leader could betray the trust of the people over something as serious as war."
Watada could face up to five years in jail and a dishonorable discharge if he is convicted at a court-martial for failing to join his 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Regiment, unit when it begins leaving for Iraq on June 23.
Eric Seitz, Watada's civilian attorney, acknowledged at a state Capitol news conference that Watada will face an uphill battle in making those arguments.
But Seitz said "there is a lot of support" for Watada. "There are a lot of people who are opposed to the war. There has been a crescendo of opposition against the war in the last couple of months.
Watada has drawn the support from various anti-war groups and politicians such as former Gov. Ben Cayetano, U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, former Lt. Gov. Jean King, former Rep. Sam Lee and state Sens. Clayton Hee and Clarence Nishihara.
[not in online edition] However, others, like Rebecca Davis, co-founder of Military Families Voice of Victory, said in an emailed statement that she hopes that Watada is prosecuted "to the fullest extent."
"He is a coward and a traitor. His actions will only serve to get his fellow soliders killed so that he can save himself and become famous," Davis said.
It's a trial with significance beyond Lieutenant Watada. The case will provide a test of how far officers can go in resisting an order and how much they can criticize their superiors – notably the commander in chief. Over time, Watada came to believe that the Bush administration lied about the reasons for invading Iraq and concluded its actions were "illegal and immoral."
The Pentagon, however, argues that no soldier can pick and choose assignments, something that would undermine a core tenet of the military – the command structure. It also says that when people join the Army, they lose some of the free-speech rights of a civilian.
[2/4/07] Army 1st. Lt. Ehren Watada maintains that the crux of his court-martial proceedings is the legality of the war in Iraq, despite what a military judge has said.
* * *
[12/26/06] Letters to the Editor
* * *
A patriotic Eagle Scout who had hoped to make the Army his career, 1st Lt. Ehren K. Watada says the war in Iraq is illegal and that he will not deploy with his Fort Lewis unit when it leaves in two weeks.
Watada, an artillery officer, said even after enlisting he did not believe that "an invasion was fully justified, but I believed the president's claims should be given a benefit of doubt. At that time, I never imagined that our leader could betray the trust of the people over something as serious as war."
Watada could face up to five years in jail and a dishonorable discharge if he is convicted at a court-martial for failing to join his 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Regiment, unit when it begins leaving for Iraq on June 23.
Eric Seitz, Watada's civilian attorney, acknowledged at a state Capitol news conference that Watada will face an uphill battle in making those arguments.
But Seitz said "there is a lot of support" for Watada. "There are a lot of people who are opposed to the war. There has been a crescendo of opposition against the war in the last couple of months.
Watada has drawn the support from various anti-war groups and politicians such as former Gov. Ben Cayetano, U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, former Lt. Gov. Jean King, former Rep. Sam Lee and state Sens. Clayton Hee and Clarence Nishihara.
[not in online edition] However, others, like Rebecca Davis, co-founder of Military Families Voice of Victory, said in an emailed statement that she hopes that Watada is prosecuted "to the fullest extent."
"He is a coward and a traitor. His actions will only serve to get his fellow soliders killed so that he can save himself and become famous," Davis said.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Insurgent Leader Al-Zarqawi Killed in Iraq
BAGHDAD, June 8 --Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the mastermind behind hundreds of bombings, kidnappings and beheadings in Iraq, was killed early Wednesday by an airstrike --north of Baghdad, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Thursday.
Zarqawi, a Jordanian-born high-school dropout whose leadership of the insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq made him the most wanted man in Iraq, was killed along with several other people near the city of Baqubah, the officials said.
U.S. warplanes dropped two 500-pound bombs on a house in which Zarqawi was meeting with other insurgent leaders. A U.S. military spokesman said coalition forces pinpointed Zarqawi's location after weeks of tracking the movements of his spiritual adviser, Sheik Abdul Rahman, who also was killed in the blast.
Following the attack, coalition forces raided 17 locations in and around Baghdad, seizing a "treasure trove" of information about terror operations in the country, U.S. Army Major Gen. William B. Caldwell IV told reporters at a military briefing here. Some of the raids focused on targets the United States had been using to monitor Zarqawi's location, Caldwell said.
The stated aim of Zarqawi, 39, in addition to ousting foreign forces from Iraq, was to foment bloody sectarian strife between his fellow Sunni Muslims and members of Iraq's Shiite majority, a prospect that has become a grim reality during the past several months.
His killing is the most significant public triumph for the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq since the 2003 capture of Saddam Hussein, although analysts warned that Zarqawi's death may not stem the tide of insurgency and violence any more than Hussein's capture did. Copying Osama bin Laden's leadership strategy, Zarqawi set up numerous semi-autonomous terrorist cells across Iraq, many of which could continue operating after his death.
Zarqawi, a Jordanian-born high-school dropout whose leadership of the insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq made him the most wanted man in Iraq, was killed along with several other people near the city of Baqubah, the officials said.
U.S. warplanes dropped two 500-pound bombs on a house in which Zarqawi was meeting with other insurgent leaders. A U.S. military spokesman said coalition forces pinpointed Zarqawi's location after weeks of tracking the movements of his spiritual adviser, Sheik Abdul Rahman, who also was killed in the blast.
Following the attack, coalition forces raided 17 locations in and around Baghdad, seizing a "treasure trove" of information about terror operations in the country, U.S. Army Major Gen. William B. Caldwell IV told reporters at a military briefing here. Some of the raids focused on targets the United States had been using to monitor Zarqawi's location, Caldwell said.
The stated aim of Zarqawi, 39, in addition to ousting foreign forces from Iraq, was to foment bloody sectarian strife between his fellow Sunni Muslims and members of Iraq's Shiite majority, a prospect that has become a grim reality during the past several months.
His killing is the most significant public triumph for the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq since the 2003 capture of Saddam Hussein, although analysts warned that Zarqawi's death may not stem the tide of insurgency and violence any more than Hussein's capture did. Copying Osama bin Laden's leadership strategy, Zarqawi set up numerous semi-autonomous terrorist cells across Iraq, many of which could continue operating after his death.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
dropouts left behind
In 2004-05, the latest year for which Department of Education statistics are available, some schools had [dropout] rates almost twice the state average. In many, the rate has been growing.
The highest in the state was Wai'anae High, with a dropout rate of 29.2 percent. That means nearly three of every 10 students who started ninth grade together four years earlier left school without graduating.
Close behind were McKinley High and Nanakuli High and Intermediate, with respective dropout rates of 26.5 percent and 26.6 percent, followed by Farrington High at 22.6 percent.
The social cost is heavy. These young people may be doomed to low-paying jobs or menial labor, and may never have the earning power to support a family or the training to contribute what they might have to society. They're also more likely to be the ones involved with drugs, unwedded pregnancy, gangs and criminal activity.
A survey of 716 male inmates of the 1,003 men incarcerated at Halawa Medium Security Correctional Facility in 2005 showed that 35.8 percent did not have high school diplomas, according to a spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Safety.
The highest in the state was Wai'anae High, with a dropout rate of 29.2 percent. That means nearly three of every 10 students who started ninth grade together four years earlier left school without graduating.
Close behind were McKinley High and Nanakuli High and Intermediate, with respective dropout rates of 26.5 percent and 26.6 percent, followed by Farrington High at 22.6 percent.
The social cost is heavy. These young people may be doomed to low-paying jobs or menial labor, and may never have the earning power to support a family or the training to contribute what they might have to society. They're also more likely to be the ones involved with drugs, unwedded pregnancy, gangs and criminal activity.
A survey of 716 male inmates of the 1,003 men incarcerated at Halawa Medium Security Correctional Facility in 2005 showed that 35.8 percent did not have high school diplomas, according to a spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Safety.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Iraq's unity government takes office
BAGHDAD, Iraq – After five months of often bitter wrangling over Cabinet posts, Iraq's unity government took office Saturday (May 20) and vowed to fight the insurgency, restore stability and set the stage for the eventual withdrawal of U.S. and other foreign troops.
The new permanent government resulting from December's elections in which 12 million Iraqis participated has been portrayed by Western officials as the best hope for changing the dynamics of violence in Iraq. But it must expand control and persuade insurgents, assassins and militias to stand down, with no guarantee of success.
The new permanent government resulting from December's elections in which 12 million Iraqis participated has been portrayed by Western officials as the best hope for changing the dynamics of violence in Iraq. But it must expand control and persuade insurgents, assassins and militias to stand down, with no guarantee of success.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Puerto Rico out of money
Puerto Rico's government shut down Monday after the U.S. commonwealth ran out of money to pay 100,000 public employees, temporarily throwing them out of work.
About 500,000 students are out of school as the shutdown left 40,000 teachers idle. Forty-three government agencies and all 1,600 public schools on the island were closed.
The closure comes after the legislature and the governor failed to reach a last-minute deal to address the government's $740-million budget shortfall. The legislature and the governor have been unable to agree on a budget since 2004 and debts continue to pile up.
About 500,000 students are out of school as the shutdown left 40,000 teachers idle. Forty-three government agencies and all 1,600 public schools on the island were closed.
The closure comes after the legislature and the governor failed to reach a last-minute deal to address the government's $740-million budget shortfall. The legislature and the governor have been unable to agree on a budget since 2004 and debts continue to pile up.
Friday, May 05, 2006
Congress advised to reject Akaka bill
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights recommended yesterday that Congress reject a bill granting federal recognition and self-government rights to Hawaiians.
The action was a blow to supporters of the controversial bill, which was introduced six years ago by Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawai'i, and other members of the Hawai'i delegation.
Akaka said in a written statement that his goal is still to have the bill heard on the Senate floor.
The action was a blow to supporters of the controversial bill, which was introduced six years ago by Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawai'i, and other members of the Hawai'i delegation.
Akaka said in a written statement that his goal is still to have the bill heard on the Senate floor.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
sewage dumped into Ala Wai
As much as 10 million gallons of raw sewage has been dumped into the Ala Wai Canal since Friday and city officials say it could be a week before the spill stops. The sewage was purposely diverted to the Ala Wai after Friday's heavy rains apparently caused a 42-inch sewer line to rupture on Kaiolu Street in Waikiki. The amount of waste already released rivals the biggest sewage spills the city has ever seen.
Mayor Mufi Hannemann, speaking at a press conference at Kaiolu Street yesterday, said diverting sewage into the canal was unavoidable.
Mayor Mufi Hannemann, speaking at a press conference at Kaiolu Street yesterday, said diverting sewage into the canal was unavoidable.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
rain hits Oahu
A midday downpour thundered over Honolulu yesterday, overwhelming an area already saturated from six weeks of rain.
Homes and businesses were inundated, roads were closed, mudslides threatened homes and Kahala Mall was flooded out for the weekend.
The torrential rains flooded major thoroughfares, overflowed the Manoa and Makiki streams, and knocked out phone service for many East Oahu residents. The rain also overwhelmed waste-water treatment facilities in Kaneohe and Waimanalo, sending thousands of gallons of untreated waste water into Kaneohe Bay and around the Waimanalo plant. Sewage spills were also reported at Manoa, Kakaako, Enchanted Lake, Kailua Heights and Aliamanu.
[4/16/06] Listen To The Rain (special report)
Homes and businesses were inundated, roads were closed, mudslides threatened homes and Kahala Mall was flooded out for the weekend.
The torrential rains flooded major thoroughfares, overflowed the Manoa and Makiki streams, and knocked out phone service for many East Oahu residents. The rain also overwhelmed waste-water treatment facilities in Kaneohe and Waimanalo, sending thousands of gallons of untreated waste water into Kaneohe Bay and around the Waimanalo plant. Sewage spills were also reported at Manoa, Kakaako, Enchanted Lake, Kailua Heights and Aliamanu.
[4/16/06] Listen To The Rain (special report)
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
gas prices and the gas cap
[9/13/06] Hawaii gas prices hover above mainland prices
[6/11/06] A Star-Bulletin analysis indicates that Hawaii motorists could have saved an average of 10 cents a gallon on regular gasoline in the past month if the state's wholesale gasoline price cap law had remained in place.
Instead of rising and falling with mainland markets as they had under the price caps -- with sharp week-to-week changes of more than a dime in many cases -- Hawaii prices have remained fairly consistent since Gov. Linda Lingle signed the legislation to suspend the caps on May 5.
Since then, the daily statewide average as reported by AAA's Fuel Gauge Report has ranged from $3.38 to $3.43 a gallon, with the average settling at $3.41. The national average over the same time has been about $2.88 a gallon. Under the old price cap formula, the statewide average over the past month could have been about $3.31 a gallon.
[5/6/06] The repeal of the gas cap should bring more stable prices, but not necessarily lower prices
[5/5/06] Legislature retires the gas cap
[4/29/06] The gas cap being suspended indefinitely
[3/23/06] A PUC study concludes Oahu drivers are paying 5 cents per gallon more under the gas cap law.
[3/5/06] A NEW state study suggests an average household might have paid up to $65 more for gasoline in Hawaii from September through January as a result of the state's wholesale gasoline price caps. The analysis prepared by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism attempts to determine what gas prices would have been without the price caps, which took effect Sept. 1, the same day oil and gas prices nationwide began climbing to record highs following Hurricane Katrina's landfall in the Gulf Coast. It estimates that consumers paid $54.9 million more for all grades of gasoline over the five-month span.
[10/30/05] The price gap has widened under the gas cap
[10/19/05] Gas skimpers running out of gas
[9/20/05] How the gas cap is affecting some families
[9/16/05] Up to this point, the pricing in Hawaii has reflected the warnings by Stillwater Associates
[9/15/05] Honolulu Gas Prices
[9/15/05] gas sales down as drivers wait for Monday's expected decrease in prices
[9/13/05] gas prices increase 47 cents a gallon
[9/9/05] Van pool phone lines are flooded. Bus ridership is up. Even good, old-fashioned walking is finding new enthusiasts. Apparently, Hawai'i drivers do have a tipping point: $3 per gallon.
[9/7/05] Gas prices top $3.00 but are still below national average
[9/1/05] Gas cap expected to spur jump in gas prices
[9/1/05] Drivers in Atlanta said stations were charging well over $3 a gallon for regular unleaded, and at least one station in Stockbridge, Ga., was charging customers $5.87 a gallon.
[6/11/06] A Star-Bulletin analysis indicates that Hawaii motorists could have saved an average of 10 cents a gallon on regular gasoline in the past month if the state's wholesale gasoline price cap law had remained in place.
Instead of rising and falling with mainland markets as they had under the price caps -- with sharp week-to-week changes of more than a dime in many cases -- Hawaii prices have remained fairly consistent since Gov. Linda Lingle signed the legislation to suspend the caps on May 5.
Since then, the daily statewide average as reported by AAA's Fuel Gauge Report has ranged from $3.38 to $3.43 a gallon, with the average settling at $3.41. The national average over the same time has been about $2.88 a gallon. Under the old price cap formula, the statewide average over the past month could have been about $3.31 a gallon.
[5/6/06] The repeal of the gas cap should bring more stable prices, but not necessarily lower prices
[5/5/06] Legislature retires the gas cap
[4/29/06] The gas cap being suspended indefinitely
[3/23/06] A PUC study concludes Oahu drivers are paying 5 cents per gallon more under the gas cap law.
[3/5/06] A NEW state study suggests an average household might have paid up to $65 more for gasoline in Hawaii from September through January as a result of the state's wholesale gasoline price caps. The analysis prepared by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism attempts to determine what gas prices would have been without the price caps, which took effect Sept. 1, the same day oil and gas prices nationwide began climbing to record highs following Hurricane Katrina's landfall in the Gulf Coast. It estimates that consumers paid $54.9 million more for all grades of gasoline over the five-month span.
[10/30/05] The price gap has widened under the gas cap
[10/19/05] Gas skimpers running out of gas
[9/20/05] How the gas cap is affecting some families
[9/16/05] Up to this point, the pricing in Hawaii has reflected the warnings by Stillwater Associates
[9/15/05] Honolulu Gas Prices
[9/15/05] gas sales down as drivers wait for Monday's expected decrease in prices
[9/13/05] gas prices increase 47 cents a gallon
[9/9/05] Van pool phone lines are flooded. Bus ridership is up. Even good, old-fashioned walking is finding new enthusiasts. Apparently, Hawai'i drivers do have a tipping point: $3 per gallon.
[9/7/05] Gas prices top $3.00 but are still below national average
[9/1/05] Gas cap expected to spur jump in gas prices
[9/1/05] Drivers in Atlanta said stations were charging well over $3 a gallon for regular unleaded, and at least one station in Stockbridge, Ga., was charging customers $5.87 a gallon.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Hawaiian Telcom TV
Time Warner Oceanic Cable, the dominant television provider in Hawai'i, soon will face a major new competitor, which could result in lower prices for all viewers.
Hawaiian Telcom, the state's largest telephone provider, is preparing to launch a television service via high-speed phone lines as soon as August.
Hawaiian Telcom, the state's largest telephone provider, is preparing to launch a television service via high-speed phone lines as soon as August.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Dick Cheney off target
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) -- Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded a companion during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas, spraying the fellow hunter in the face and chest with shotgun pellets.
* * *
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 /U.S. Newswire/ -- James and Sarah Brady made comments today related to Vice President Cheney's reportedly accidental shooting yesterday in Texas.
"Now I understand why Dick Cheney keeps asking me to go hunting with him," said Jim Brady. "I had a friend once who accidentally shot pellets into his dog - and I thought he was an idiot."
"I've thought Cheney was scary for a long time," Sarah Brady said. "Now I know I was right to be nervous."
* * *
In a stunning reversal of policy, Vice-President Dick Cheney has invited the openly shunned Jack Abramoff bird hunting. The Vice-President said he doesn't mind that Mr. Abramoff is currently embroiled in scandal; Cheney just wants to "help him get away from things." Cheney noted an attribute the pair shared. "I've heard that he has a talent for wandering off. That would make him an ideal hunting buddy. I've also insisted he forgo the neon orange vest for his traditional black trench coat and fedora. I just want him to feel at ease."
* * *
and much more
* * *
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 /U.S. Newswire/ -- James and Sarah Brady made comments today related to Vice President Cheney's reportedly accidental shooting yesterday in Texas.
"Now I understand why Dick Cheney keeps asking me to go hunting with him," said Jim Brady. "I had a friend once who accidentally shot pellets into his dog - and I thought he was an idiot."
"I've thought Cheney was scary for a long time," Sarah Brady said. "Now I know I was right to be nervous."
* * *
In a stunning reversal of policy, Vice-President Dick Cheney has invited the openly shunned Jack Abramoff bird hunting. The Vice-President said he doesn't mind that Mr. Abramoff is currently embroiled in scandal; Cheney just wants to "help him get away from things." Cheney noted an attribute the pair shared. "I've heard that he has a talent for wandering off. That would make him an ideal hunting buddy. I've also insisted he forgo the neon orange vest for his traditional black trench coat and fedora. I just want him to feel at ease."
* * *
and much more
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Governor Lingle's advisors fail fifth grade test
Lingle told HSTA delegates that her own senior policy advisers took the fifth-grade Hawaii math test and could not pass it.
(I wonder if she took the test herself?)
(I wonder if she took the test herself?)
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Photos of the Year
Time Magazine's photos of the year
I see the site still has photos for past years: 2004, 2003, 2002.
-- from Cool Tricks and Trinkets #387
I see the site still has photos for past years: 2004, 2003, 2002.
-- from Cool Tricks and Trinkets #387
Monday, January 16, 2006
Top Stories of 2005
The onslaught of Gulf Coast hurricanes, notably Katrina and the deadly flooding which devastated New Orleans, was overwhelmingly picked by U.S. editors and news directors as the top story of 2005 in The Associated Press' annual vote.
CNN readers were asked to reflect on the year's events and choose from a selection of top stories. The aftermaths of Hurricane Katrina, the Indian Ocean tsunami and South Asian earthquake were ranked alongside politics and scandals at home and abroad, the deaths of a chief justice and a pope, Martha Stewart and Michael Jackson's brand of celebrity justice and a British royal wedding.
CNN readers were asked to reflect on the year's events and choose from a selection of top stories. The aftermaths of Hurricane Katrina, the Indian Ocean tsunami and South Asian earthquake were ranked alongside politics and scandals at home and abroad, the deaths of a chief justice and a pope, Martha Stewart and Michael Jackson's brand of celebrity justice and a British royal wedding.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
A new report card
[11/18/05] Schools given option to return to old report cards
[11/3/05] Teacher's Union wants to return to old report card
[10/16/05] Elementary schools will no longer use A's, B's and C's.
[10/1/05] When the state begins issuing new standards-based report cards for elementary schools next month, it will spell the end of that familiar grade scale and signal a new era featuring its odd-sounding successors ME, MP, N and U.
[11/3/05] Teacher's Union wants to return to old report card
[10/16/05] Elementary schools will no longer use A's, B's and C's.
[10/1/05] When the state begins issuing new standards-based report cards for elementary schools next month, it will spell the end of that familiar grade scale and signal a new era featuring its odd-sounding successors ME, MP, N and U.
Friday, October 28, 2005
Remembering Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks was no politician, but in an amazingly simple act of defiance, she gave extraordinary strength to the civil rights movement.
It is no exaggeration for me to say that I think of Rosa Parks every day, at least, every day that I ride the bus.
A lot of myths surrounded the life of Rosa Parks.
While millions view Parks as the mother of the Civil Rights Movement, it is a designation she repeatedly disclaimed, citing that she was only doing what she thought was her right.
It is no exaggeration for me to say that I think of Rosa Parks every day, at least, every day that I ride the bus.
A lot of myths surrounded the life of Rosa Parks.
While millions view Parks as the mother of the Civil Rights Movement, it is a designation she repeatedly disclaimed, citing that she was only doing what she thought was her right.
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Pakistan hit by earthquake
Rescue workers pulled survivors from rubble and uncovered bodies from debris as darkness fell in Islamabad and elsewhere, a day after a 7.6-magnitude earthquake caused devastation across South Asia. Nearly 20,000 people were estimated killed in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan as a result of Saturday's quake.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
The New Nickel
After nearly 100 years of depicting presidents in somber profiles on the nation's coins, the Mint is trying something different: The new nickel features President Jefferson, facing forward, with the hint of a smile.
[1/12/06] Coming soon to a cash register near you — a smiling Thomas Jefferson looking straight at you from a new nickel that will end nearly a century of tradition for U.S. coins.
[1/12/06] Coming soon to a cash register near you — a smiling Thomas Jefferson looking straight at you from a new nickel that will end nearly a century of tradition for U.S. coins.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
New $10 Bill
A redesigned $10 bill with new background colors meant to thwart counterfeiters was unveiled Wednesday at a ceremony on Ellis Island in New York Harbor. The new $10 bill follows the introduction of new $20 and $50 bills in each of the last two years.
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Irish Republic Army declares end to violence against Britain
[9/25/05] The Irish Republican Army has given up its entire arsenal of weapons, demonstrating that its 35-year campaign to overthrow Northern Ireland by force is really over, the Canadian general who supervised the tortuous process said.
[8/1/05] The Irish Republican Army declared an end on Thursday to a 36 year campaign of violence against Britain that was aimed at unifying Northern Ireland with the Irish Republic.
[8/1/05] The Irish Republican Army declared an end on Thursday to a 36 year campaign of violence against Britain that was aimed at unifying Northern Ireland with the Irish Republic.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Israel pulls out of Gaza Strip
Israeli soldiers on Monday removed the last inhabitants from the settlement of Netzarim, the final settlement slated for evacuation, marking the end of 38 years of Israeli settlement in the Gaza Strip.
In the Palestinian neighborhoods close to Dugit, residents watch the bulldozers work, and find it hard to believe that Jewish homes are being destroyed this time.
In the Palestinian neighborhoods close to Dugit, residents watch the bulldozers work, and find it hard to believe that Jewish homes are being destroyed this time.
Friday, August 19, 2005
Walgreens in talks for first Hawai'i store
Walgreens, the nation's biggest-selling drug store chain, has set its sights on Hawai'i in an expansion plan that would deliver more consumer shopping options and could threaten the dominance of what many kama'aina regard as a local sales institution, Longs Drug Stores.
Walgreens, a behemoth with more than 10 times as many stores as Longs, is negotiating with the owner of Pearl Kai Shopping Center to build a store with a drive-through pharmacy as part of an effort to establish at least two or three stores in Honolulu, the owner of Pearl Kai said.
Walgreens, a behemoth with more than 10 times as many stores as Longs, is negotiating with the owner of Pearl Kai Shopping Center to build a store with a drive-through pharmacy as part of an effort to establish at least two or three stores in Honolulu, the owner of Pearl Kai said.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Monday, August 08, 2005
Peter Jennings
The longtime anchor of ABC "World News Tonight" died Sunday, some four months after he announced on the air that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Court rules against Kamehameha admissions policy
A federal appeals court today struck down the Kamehameha Schools' century-old Hawaiian preference admissions policy, saying it violates federal anti-discrimination law.
Monday, August 01, 2005
The American Sheik
Officially, he's Army Staff Sgt. Dale L. Horn, but to residents of the 37 villages and towns that he patrols, he's known as the American sheik.
"He has developed a great relationship with local leaders," said Lt. Col. Bradley Becker, who commands the 2nd Battalion, 8th Field Artillery Regiment. "They love him. They're not going to let anyone shoot at Sheik Horn."
"He has developed a great relationship with local leaders," said Lt. Col. Bradley Becker, who commands the 2nd Battalion, 8th Field Artillery Regiment. "They love him. They're not going to let anyone shoot at Sheik Horn."
Monday, June 13, 2005
Monday, February 07, 2005
Global Poverty
Global poverty can be cut in half by 2015 and eliminated by 2025 if the world's richest countries -- including the US, Japan and Germany -- more than double aid to the poorest countries, according to a UN-sponsored report.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Sunday, January 23, 2005
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