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BLOG'a'Boulder
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Dispatches from Boulder the Damned
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Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Clinton is going on O'Reilly tonight, which I won't watch. The Blogs - devoted to Obama - are going nuts. Their candidate failed to take on Chris Wallace, his well defended idiot cleric is melting down and taking his campaign with him, and Clinton is rising in the polls. If she bitch slaps O'Reilly, she's on her way. We'll see.
Here in Boulder the Damned, we have had a mountain lion - puma, cougar, catamount - on 9th St. here. The authorities thoughtfully shooed in away with a barrage of beanbag bullets. I say again, with regret for all, that it is only a matter of time before a child or jogger is killed in the city, Boulder overreacts, and hell is upon us.
Senator Barack Obama denounced the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and angrily broke off relations with his former pastor. I feel for Obama, because I don't think he grokked the vanities of many men of the cloth, especially those of the black churches. Whether Sharpton or Wright, these guys thrive on the attention.
Obama said Wright's appearance at the National Press Club on Monday, where he reiterated some of his most controversial views and spoke well of Louis Farrakhan, amounted to "a show of disrespect to me" and "an insult to what we've been trying to do in this campaign." In his speech on race in Philadelphia last month, Obama said Wright was "like family" and that he could "no more disown" him than he could his white grandmother or the black community as a whole. But yesterday it was clear Obama had heard enough from his minister of 20 years, who married him and baptized his daughters. "Appearing pained and irritated" (LAT), the senator from Illinois officially "tried to divorce him," as Slate's John Dickerson puts it. And like any divorcing couple there was a version of the traditional, "I don't know who you are anymore." Obama emphasized that the Wright who has been appearing before the media lately is "not the person that I met 20 years ago" and characterized the pastor's comments as "outrageous" and "destructive." And in what might be the most insulting thing that could be said to a minister, Obama called Wright's words "a bunch of rants."
There's plenty of anger at Wright to go around from Obama supporters who worry that the pastor's appearances could threaten the senator's bid for the White House. The LAT talks to some African-American church leaders who are also angry at Wright for making it sound like he's somehow the spokesman for all the black churches in the country, which he clearly does. For its part, the NYT talks to several members of "the most important constituency in politics now: the uncommitted superdelegates." At the very least, Wright's media blitz has raised more concerns in their ranks about Obama's electability, though it seems many are simply choosing the usual wait-and-see attitude to figure out how this latest episode plays with voters before making any decisions.
Rising concerns about the country's economic health are leading politicians to "scramble for a response." So far, at least, the proposals being put forward are not new and would do little to help the average consumer. But Washington politicians are doing a good job of pointing fingers at the other side for failing to do anything. Still, governments at all levels are increasing the number of workers on their payrolls faster than at anytime in the past six years. In the first three months of the year, federal, state, and local governments added 76,800 jobs, while private companies got rid of 286,000 workers. Economists say the government can help a tightening economy by increasing jobs but warn that this strategy can also lead to future financial problems.
The Washington Post leads runs the fourth installment of its "Global Food Crisis" series, which takes a look at how "ethanol plants are swallowing more and more of the nation's corn crop" at a time when food prices are rising around the world. "The price of grain is now directly tied to the price of oil," the president of the Earth Policy Institute said. "We used to have a grain economy and a fuel economy. But now they're beginning to fuse."
Bush provided "an unusually dark assessment of the economy" yesterday. Although Bush clearly wanted to emphasize that he understands Americans are facing a hard time, he also said "there is no magic wand to wave right now." No, there never is, but the fact that several big oil companies are reporting record profits is also helping fuel the anger against his attitude. Politicians, both in Washington and on the campaign trail, are most nervous about the price of gas, which has increased $1.40 a gallon in 18 months, as more voters are expressing their dissatisfaction to anyone who will listen. Instead of proposing something new and innovative, Bush went back in time "to the earliest days of his administration" (WP) and called on lawmakers to approve drilling on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and expand nuclear power, among other measures that include reducing restrictions on oil companies so they can (theoretically) increase production. Meanwhile, lawmakers want to push Bush into suspending purchases for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a move the administration insists would have a negligible effect on prices since it only amounts to a fraction of a percent of total demand.
In a blunt news analysis, the NYT's Carl Hulse writes that as more crises keep piling up, "official Washington" is doing what it does best: nothing. Although there were high hopes that lawmakers would get together after an initial show of bipartisanship with the tax rebates, that never happened, and now Congress is spiraling once again into an endless loop of partisan bickering. Although everyone says they're looking for a solution, there's a vexing sense that politicians "are not approaching the most pressing problems with an appropriate sense of urgency."
In Iraq, U.S. soldiers continue to get more involved in intense battles inside Baghdad's Sadr City. At least 28 Iraqis were killed yesterday in a four-hour battle that was one of the deadliest since the latest conflict flared up after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki launched an offensive against Shiite militias last month. The WP says American troops "are now engaged in the kind of urban battle … reminiscent of the first years of war." The U.S. military said the 28 dead were militants, but residents of Sadr City said the real death toll was at least 50, including many civilians. There are increasing fears that followers of cleric Muqtada Sadr will simply declare "an all-out war to defend themselves."
Much the same in Afghanistan. The peace talks between the Pakistani government and Islamic militants have collapsed. It seems the talks broke down after the government refused to remove troops from the volatile border regions. A spokesman for the militants warned the fighting and attacks would resume unless the government reversed its decision.
The LAT looks at how the recent Supreme Court decisions about voter ID requirements and lethal injections illustrate "a subtle but profoundly important shift in how the justices decide constitutional questions." In the past, the court would regularly declare that certain laws were unconstitutional if they simply had the potential to violate someone's rights. Now, the justices want actual proof that rights have been violated, which isn't their job. Once violated, it's criminal.
While troubles in the economy are causing headaches around the country, the movie industry is preparing for what many predict will be a "wonderful summer in Hollywood," reports the LAT. As a general rule, bad economic times mean good news for the movie business (attendance increased in three of the last four recessions). The movies that do the best in tough economic times are the big-budget "event" films. In fact, "some of the most celebrated blockbusters," such as E.T., Jaws, and The Lord of the Rings, "premiered in the midst or on the heels of a recession." The LAT explains it this way: "If you're struggling to pay the bills, why not let Angelina Jolie take your worries away?"
In history, this day in 30CE, Jesus of Nazareth was crucified. Or not.
In 1563, all Jews were expelled from France by order of Charles VI.
This day in 1789, George Washington took office as first elected U.S. president.
The U.S. purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million. Even back then in 1803, it seems a screw deal for France. It wouldn't buy Topeka, today.
In 1849, the republican patriot and guerrilla leader Giuseppe Garabaldi repulsed a French attack on Rome.
Come all ye rounders if you want to hear.....In 1900, the very real Casey Jones was killed while trying to save the runaway train "Cannonball Express." Like John Henry, the story is true. Like John Henry, these heroes of labor were mistified into Heroes to not upset the children.
A great war tale. In 1943, this day, the British submarine HMS Seraph dropped 'the man who never was,' an unknown dead man provided with the ID of one Major Martin, off Spain. The corpse washed ashore carrying sensitive papers detailing an upcoming Allied invasion of Sardinia. The papers are fake and forged documents, intended to misdirect Italian defense forces. When the Allies later invaded Sicily, most of Italy's defenses are in Sardinia.
A week before Germany surrendered, Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide this day in 1945.
It was this day in 1973 that President Nixon announced resignation of Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and other top aides.
In 1975, our nightmare more or less ended. North Vietnamese troops entered the Independence Palace of South Vietnam in Saigon. 11 Marines lifted off of the U.S. Embassy were the last soldiers to evacuate.
In 1991, an estimated 125,000 people were killed in tropical cyclone Marian when it hit the Chittagong region of Bangladesh. It caused more than $1.5 billion in damage. Although 95% of the population heard the cyclone warning, most did not believe that a cyclone was actually on its way. As usual, multiply by five for a more realistic number.
In 1998, NATO was expanded to include Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. The three nations were formally admitted the following April at NATO's 50th anniversary summit.
This day in 2002, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf was overwhelmingly approved for another five years as president.
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Tuesday, April 29, 2008
You're looking at the first Colossal Squid, adult, brought to the surface a few months ago. It's related but more massive than the Giant Squid, although not a whole lot different.
I love this stuff. There are the Colossal and the Giant Squids, related, but not the same, and both hover around in the antarctic waters. Sperm whale feed on both, but now they have discovered a shark, the Sleeper, that does as well. Further, they've discovered a totally new and huge octopus that also feeds down there. More specific here. My idea of heaven, sorta, is a string of live cams in the deep around the world just to see what the hell are neighbors ARE and are up to.
"You know, I'm really not interested in policies that are long on rhetoric and short on results. I think the taxpayers, as well as the people we're trying to help, need to know our strategy is well-defined, with clear goals, and we hold people accountable." Our Responsible President, speaking on Malaria Day, who has yet to hold anyone of his fluffers responsible for his catastrophe.
Posted Tuesday, April 29, 2008, at 6:23 AM ET
The Supreme Court ruling that laws requiring citizens to show photo identification before voting are constitutional. I'd think. I've never understood the problem with that, even though it is the Democrats who, mostly, object.
The Los Angeles Times devotes its top nonlocal spot to the 6-3 decision, in which the justices upheld an Indiana law, generally considered to have the strictest voter-identification requirements in the country, mainly because opponents failed to prove that anyone had been blocked from casting a ballot because of the law. Everyone says the decision is likely to encourage other states to pass voter-identification laws although few think it will have a significant effect on this year's presidential election.
The debate over voter-identification requirements has been highly partisan with Republicans consistently favoring the laws, while Democrats stridently oppose them. In the main opinion, written by the usually liberal Justice John Paul Stevens, the Supreme Court ruled that requiring voters to prove their identity is "amply justified by the valid interest in protecting the integrity and reliability of the electoral process." The justices left open the possibility that voters who could prove they were affected by these laws could file future challenges "but made it clear that it would be difficult for them to prevail," says the WP. The WSJ highlights that "the evidence is far from clear" on either side of the debate, since no one knows how many people fail to vote because of ID laws, and at the same time there's no proof that voter fraud is a significant problem.
Inside, the NYT says that yesterday's Supreme Court ruling "is likely to lead to more laws and litigation." As more states, particularly those with Republican governments, pass new voter ID laws, Democrats and civil rights groups will probably file lawsuits specifying groups of voters that should be exempted. "The court's opinion is likely to perform the same function for the photo ID debate as the Pennsylvania primary did for the Democratic presidential nominationhardening positions while doing little if anything to illuminate a path to resolving the conflict," said one expert. Some expressed concern that the decision will lead to lots of confusion on Election Day because people might think the Supreme Court approved a national ID requirement for voters. I'm not sure an optional national ID program is bad, by the way. What is a passport, a SS card, a driver's license?
There has been a record number of airstrikes by unmanned airplanes in Iraq this past month. Commanders ordered 11 attacks by Predators in April, which is almost double the previous monthly high. The Pentagon has been pushing for more drones to be used in the war zone and military leaders are "expected to rely more on unmanned systems as they begin to withdraw 30,000 U.S. troops sent last year," says USAT.
In Iraq, militants unleashed what the LAT calls "some of the fiercest attacks in weeks" that killed four American soldiers. The WP points out that 44 U.S. troops have died in Iraq in April, which is the largest monthly total since September. Meanwhile, as U.S. officials are increasing their criticism of Iran's involvement in Iraq, the WSJ reveals that Americans received "back-channel messages" from Tehran that condemned the recent fighting in Basra. The Iranian messages apparently expressed concern that the fighting would get out of control and said that Tehran had no control over the Shiite militants. I suspect that is true, although Iran may encourage or not. It's not clear why Iran would choose to communicate with Americans this way, and U.S. officials really don't know how much to believe, but they do recognize that Tehran played a pivotal role in brokering the cease-fire "that eventually ended the fighting in Basra." The LAT details on Page One how the Iraqi government is in a difficult situation. While Iraqi officials seem to agree Iran is helping arm the militants, they're also pressuring the Bush administration to allow Baghdad to "pursue diplomatic solutions more quietly with Tehran."
In politics, the NYT looks at how Sen. Hillary Clinton has opened up a new line of attack against Sen. Barack Obama for his unwillingness to support a "gas tax holiday" this summer. Obama insists the tax holiday wouldn't actually help drivers all that much and is a short-term fix for a wider problem. But Clinton says it's an example of how Obama doesn't understand how middle-class Americans are struggling to make ends meet and is running ads emphasizing their different views. I agree with both, here.
Sen. John McCain has also come out in favor of the "holiday," and a spokesman for the presumptive Republican nominee emphasized the fact that Obama supported just such a tax break when he was a state lawmaker in 2000 to characterize him as a flip-flopper. For what it's worth, in a fact-check feature, the WP explains that Obama voted for a six-month moratorium of his state's sales tax on gas, and while the move was "politically popular" it was also "economically questionable." Ultimately, and this should hardly be surprising, "the advocates of a 'gas tax holiday' are exaggerating the benefits to consumers from their proposal."
Obama is once again emphasizing that his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, "does not speak for me." At a time when Obama is trying to win over primary voters and convince Democrats that he's electable, Wright has injected himself right in the middle of the national conversation with a media blitz that no one thinks is doing the senator from Illinois any favors. There is a 'type' of black preacher, and Wright and Al Sharpton are members: self-centered and harmful to that which they claim to protect. In what was his third nationally televised appearance since Friday, Wright delivered a speech at the National Press Club yesterday where he defended some of his most controversial remarks. Wright also said that the criticism against him amounted to "an attack on the black church." Wrong, sorry. Although many bigoted whites hate both. In addition, Wright seemed to suggest that Obama's speech in Phladelphia last month where he criticized some of his former pastor's remarks was disingenuous. "He had to distance himself, because he's a politician," Wright said. Way to go, Rev.
Alessandra Stanley basically mocks him for being another American obsessed with appearing on television. "Now it turns out that Mr. Wright doesn't hate America, he loves the sound of his own voice," Stanely writes. "He grabbed his 30-second spots of infamy and turned them into 15 minutes of fame." Overall though, Wright's recent appearances may have supported Obama's assertion that his former pastor was like a member of his family. More specifically, Wright is like "the compelling but slightly wacky uncle who unsettles strangers but really just craves attention."
The WP's Eugene Robinson says that he's "through with Wright not because he responded but because his response was so egocentric." By choosing to make such public appearances, Wright "was throwing Barack Obama under the bus," writes Robinson. "It's time for Obama to return the favor." The NYT's Bob Herbert emphasizes that Wright is anything but naive about politics and characterizes the recent media onslaught as "Wright's 'I'll show you!' tour" in which he demonstrates how he's upset at his "ungrateful congregant." All this hurts Obama, and it's not just because of what Wright says. By giving the impression that there's nothing Obama can say or do about Wright's outbursts, it "contributes to the growing perception of the candidate as weak, as someone who is unwilling or unable to fight aggressively on his own behalf."
In history, this day in 1429, the War of the Roses and Hundred Years War featured a star turn by Joan of Arc, who led the unworthy French to victory England.
In 1661, the Chinese Ming dynasty occupied Taiwan.
A grisly end to the days of train robbery. On April 29, 1901, train robber and one of the last of the Old West outlaws, Thomas "Black Jack" Ketchum was hanged in Clayton, New Mexico. The executioner's poor choice of rope and Ketchum's recent increase in weight combine to produce a gruesome decapitation in the gallows.
On this day in 1918, Germany's Western Front offensive with Storm Troopers ended, and the war was clearly lost.
Nuptials! In 1945, in his bunker in Berlin, Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun were married. Hitler designated Admiral Karl Doenitz his successor, and the next day they killed themselves. Far more important, the American 7th Army liberated the Dachau death camp outside of Munich. A year to the day later, twenty-eight former Japanese leaders were indicted in Tokyo as war criminals.
In 1974, as he circled the drain, U.S. President Nixon announced he was releasing edited transcripts of secretly made White House tape recordings related to the Watergate scandal.
Black day. In 1975, the U.S. embassy in Vietnam was evacuated as North Vietnamese forces fought their way into Saigon. Helicopters and rooftop evacuations.
In 1990, the destruction of the Berlin Wall began.
In 1992, this day, rioting erupted in Los Angeles after Rodney King's police assailants were acquitted by a jury. The looting and destruction started in South Central L.A. and quickly expands. By the time things are under control, 51 are dead and the city has sustained $1.5 billion in property damage. Civil disorder spread to other North American cities, through the influence of live TV coverage. 54 people were killed in 3 days.
On this day in 1996, search and rescue teams began dragging Maryland's muddy Wicomico River after former CIA director William Colby was reported missing. They soon discovered his partially-submerged canoe underneath a boat dock, but his body isn't located until it rises to the surface a week later.
This day in 1998, the U.S., Canada and Mexico ended tariffs on $1 billion in NAFTA trade.
In 1998, Brazil announced a plan to protect a large are of Amazon forest. The area was about the size of Colorado.
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Monday, April 28, 2008
"I don't want to alarm anybody, but maybe it's time for Americans to start stockpiling food." This, from Brett Arends, in the Wall St. Journal some days ago. THAT's the mood Bush has left us. That's the WSJ, not the Progressive Weekly. The Wall Street Journal also mentions the rockets and bullets aimed at Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who survived an assassination attempt.
Also? Shitheel Robert Mugabe clings to power in Zimbabwe. There's a noose somewhere that needs filling. This guy is the pits, wholly representative of the tribal patriarchal 'leaders' that inflict Africa.
Obama didn't do that well after he relented and went on Fox yesterday. After the big build, he was boring and looked unentombed. The polls are showing Clinton up. And frankly, Obama is losing the glow. He looks tired and sounds shallow. And there are no sure wins coming up.
The WP has a piece by Eli Saslow, who sketches the scene at a North Carolina voter registration office. He profiles an ex-felon (drug charge) who learned he could register as long as he'd completed parole, a high-school senior registering for the first time, and an ex-Marine switching from the GOP so he can cast a vote not so much for Hillary Clinton but rather against the newcomer he calls "Embowa." Frankly, I think the GOP fears Clinton far more, and lots of 'independents' are GOPers voting for Obama.
"From what I can tell, if he becomes president he will refuse to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and we will leave Iraq unprepared," he says. "I'm not going to sit at home and let that happen." Idiot.
Democrats have seen a surge of a million or so new registrations in the last seven primaries, while Republicans have stayed roughly flat, Saslow finds. "In 20 years," says the North Carolina official registering voters, "I've never seen anything quite like it." See above: they're not Democrats, really.
The Times views Obama's evolving campaign style; the candidate is getting more specific and holding more town hall-style events as opposed to large rallies in an effort to connect with working-class voters. The story includes this nugget:
In interviews with several associates and aides, Mr. Obama was described as bored with the campaign against Mrs. Clinton and eager to move into the general election against Senator John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee.
That isn't good for Obama, who's had it way too easy. Obama's advisers, the piece says, are no longer fully confident that the campaign will end before June 3.
Scandal is rare, and greed is forever. The New York Times leads with pushback from the mortgage industry against tighter lending regulations, this to "the chagrin of consumer groups." The banks say too much paperwork would increase the cost of a loan. The proposed rules target the easy loans that had been given out to customers with bad credit.
Frankly, the supposed horror of airline travel gets too much coverage. USA Today leads with the possibility of less scrutiny for some airline passengers if they can "prove" they don't belong on a terrorist watch list. (If they can't, what does that mean?) The plan unfurled by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff seeks to combat that very "Ted Kennedy problem"—named for the unfortunate Massachusetts senator who has repeatedly undergone extra scrutiny because his name is apparently "similar" to that of someone linked to a suspected terrorist. Or suspected to be linked to a terrorist. Or suspected to be linked to a suspected terrorist. Either way, Sen. Kennedy would need only provide each airline he flies with his name and birthdate and from then on will be treated like a regular, non-terrorist customer.
The Washington Post leads with the story of the consequences of Prince William County's (Va.) ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration. Since September, 759 fewer kids are enrolled in Prince William classes that teach English to speakers of other languages (ESOL). Meanwhile, 623 students from the county have enrolled in nearby Fairfax schools. Proponents of the crackdown say that their policy is working, squeezing illegal immigrants out of the community. Opponents say a climate of fear is driving legal immigrants out, as well.
The L.A. Times fronts a deeper look into a recent drug-war shootout in Tijuana that left 15 dead. The story asks what return the Mexican government is getting on its increased investment in the war against the so-called drug cartels. Reporter Héctor Tobar finds some officials who see the violence as a good sign. It's the result, they say, of government success, as truces established by the cartels wilt under the government heat.
USA Today grades NFL teams' performance on draft day. As always, it's got all the details you'll need, such as this scouting report on a cornerback drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles: "Jack Ikegwuono has knee problems and may be facing burglary charges." Broncos seem to have done well, though.
In history, this day in 585, an unforeseen total eclipse of the sun interrupted a battle between Lydia and Media, bringing a sudden end to their six-year war.In 1686, the first volume of Isaac Newton's "Principia Mathamatic" was published.
And it was in 1789, in the middle of the South Pacific, that the crew of the HMS Bounty mutinied, setting Captain William Bligh and 18 loyal crewmen adrift in an open boat. Fletcher Christian, new captain, set sail to Pitcairn Island where they married into the tribes. Bligh and his men made safety, being quite the sailor and navigator.
On this day in 1818, President James Monroe proclaimed naval disarmament on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain.
On April 28, 1881, Billy the Kid escaped from a New Mexico jail, killing jailer Bob Ollinger and a fellow prisoner in the process. Way to go. Billy survived for another three months before Pat Garrett killed him.
This day in 1919, the rough draft - The League of Nations - was founded.
In 1932, a yellow fever vaccine for humans was announced. It's now mostly gone. Till then, a pandemic.
In 1942, this day, the ongoing global conflict was given the name "World War II" after a Gallup Poll took the nation's pulse. Three years to the day later, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci were captured by partisan fighters and executed after they attempted to flee the country.
A year later, the Allies indicted former Japanese Premier Tojo with 55 counts of war crimes.
In 1947, Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl and five others set out in a balsa wood craft known as Kon Tiki to prove that Peruvian Indians could have settled in Polynesia. The trip began in Peru and took 101 days to complete the crossing of the Pacific Ocean. The reality is, the ancient cruise lines probably went the other way, but it's still an important stunt, shattering the Columbus myth.
In 1967, the remarkable Muhammad Ali refused induction into the U.S. Army and was stripped of boxing title. He cited religious grounds for his refusal.
It was this day in 1996 that U.S. President Clinton gave a 4 1/2 hour videotaped testimony as a defense witness in the criminal trial of his former Whitewater business partners.
In 1997, a worldwide treaty to ban chemical weapons took effect. Russia and other countries such as Iraq and North Korea did not sign. We won't sign the land mine bill.
In 1999, the neo-con U.S. House of Representatives rejected (on a tie vote of 213-213) a measure expressing support for NATO's five-week-old air campaign in Yugoslavia. The House also voted to limit the president's authority to use ground forces in Yugoslavia.
In 2001 it was that a Russian rocket was launched from Central Asia with the first space tourist aboard. The crew consisted of California businessman Dennis Tito and two cosmonauts. The destination was the international space station.
And, this day in 2006, conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh surrendered to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. He was arrested (booked, photographed) then released. The charge is a single count of doctor shopping to obtain painkillers. Rush can have his case dismissed if he stays clean for 19 months, gives up the right to own a gun, forks over $30,000 to the state and continues to undergo treatment that includes random drug testing. Limbaugh used to damn druggies.
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Sunday, April 27, 2008
The Justice Department continues to claim American intelligence operatives can use interrogation methods that might be illegal under international law. In a March 5 letter to Congress, the Justice Department made no specific determination of which CIA interrogation tactics violate the Geneva Conventions' prohibition on "outrages against human dignity." The administration instead suggested that a flexible, case-by-case standard would be appropriate. "The fact that an act is undertaken to prevent a threatened terrorist attack, rather than for the purpose of humiliation or abuse, would be relevant to a reasonable observer in measuring the outrageousness of the act," wrote one of the Department's lawyers. The letter had not previously been made public, and the CIA's rules for interrogation remain secret.
The Los Angeles Times gives its top news spot to an investigative piece on Barack Obama's financial relationship with longtime political supporter Robert Blackwell. Seven years ago, Obama received a $1,000 donation from Blackwell one day after writing a letter urging Illinois officials to provide one of Blackwell's companies with a state grant. Obama's financial relationship with Blackwell started after the Senator's failed 2000 congressional campaign, when Blackwell began providing Obama with an $8,000 monthly retainer for providing legal advice to his technology company. A few months after the payments ended, Obama sent a letter to state officials suggesting that they give a $50,000 tourism grant to a different Blackwell company, this one specializing in table tennis. The Obama campaign denies that there was any connection between the payments and the grant request.
The Washington Post leads with a feature on what it calls the world's "worst food crisis in a generation." Driven by rising demand and stagnant supply, world grain prices are skyrocketing to levels not seen since the 1970s. Since 2005, food prices have climbed 80 percent, an ascent produced by an unhappy coincidence of events: a weak harvest in the United States and Europe, soaring oil prices in Argentina and Ukraine, and a fiscal crisis that has led investors to move funds out of mortgages and into grain futures. The dietary deficit has sparked "food-related violence" in at least 14 nations, including riots in Haiti that led to the resignation of the country's Prime Minister.
The NYT says rising food and gas prices are producing thrifty and creative new consumption habits. Tighter budgets are leading to tighter belts, and Americans are trading in their Lucky Charms and Tide for less costly store-brand alternatives. (In the case of Lucky Charms, that appears to be something called "Millville Marshmallows.") Says one retail consultant: "It hasn't gotten to human food mixed with pet food yet, but it is certainly headed in that direction."
In other domestic economic news, the Post reports that a rise in housing foreclosures and a tumbling real estate market have made vacant properties "havens for squatters, vandals, thieves, partying teenagers and worse."
The Post fronts a feature on the U.S. government's spotty regulation of the potentially dangerous chemicals used by plastics manufacturers. In one case, the Food and Drug Administration deemed a compound safe based on two industry-funded reports, despite hundreds of studies to the contrary.
The Times has an analysis of the three presidential candidates fiscal plans, and concludes that they have one thing in common: "[E]ach could significantly swell the budget deficit and increase the national debt by trillions of dollars." Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama's proposals would create additional shortfall through new government programs, while John McCain's plan would do the same by enacting new tax cuts. Analyst's say McCain's plan would lead to the biggest increase in the national debt, which already stands at $9.1 trillion, about $3.5 trillion higher than in 2001.
The Times has a story from a staff reporter jailed in Zimbabwe for "committing journalism." The journalist, Barry Bearak, had come to the repressive country to report on the presidential election and was arrested for working without the appropriate papers. He and another reporter were released after more than a week in a crowded and wretched Harare prison.
The United Nation's and African Union's joint effort to establish a 26,000-troop peacekeeping force in Darfur is going as well as expected. The effort is off to a slow and stumbling start. The paper says it is "a tale of good intentions and loftier ambitions, mixed with some of the same issues that dogged" previous efforts. "Among the problems are the slow deployment of troops, a lack of adequate equipment and a shabby network of military bases."
In history, this day in 1296, the Scots were defeated by Edward I at the Battle of Dunbar.
In 1521, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan was killed by natives in the Philippines. Since he'd been there before, having arrived from the East, and having just completed a voyage across the Pacific, he gets the nod as the first to sail around the world. Franklin, for the same reason, is accorded first to have made the Northwest Passage, albeit dead. Amundsen did it for real more than a half century later.
It was this day in 1746 that King George II won the battle of Culloden Moor by Loch Ness. This led to the Bans, slavery for the defeated army's camp followers, and the depopulation of the Highlands, the five string banjo and Bluegrass, the conquest of western Canada and no Canadian Indian wars, and a romantic Scottish literary movement bearing little or no resemblance to what happened.
In 1937, German bombers again devastated Guernica, Spain.
In 1950, South Africa passed the Group Areas Act, which formally segregated races. Hello, Apartheid!
In 1978, pro-Soviet Marxists seized control of Afghanistan.
It was this day in 1989 that student protestors took over Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
This day three years ago, the A380, the world's largest jetliner, completed its maiden flight. The passenger capability is 840.
In 2006, construction began on the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower on the site of former World Trade Center.
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Saturday, April 26, 2008
Democrats worry - or big names worry - that the long and increasingly nasty nomination battle is hurting the party. The Post says "African Americans and wealthy liberals" are becoming concerned about the fallout of the negative turn of the Obama-Clinton battle. A cynic, I'm thinking they're more concerned that Clinton might win. It is worth reminding that with Florida and Michigan, she might be well ahead if those states hadn't gotten greedy.
I still think that the GOP/Bush/neo-cons fear a Clinton presidency more than Obama, because they think Obama's weaknesses play into McCain's hands. I don't doubt they'd support Obama as 'independents' to get him nominated. Obama may be - or may not be - everything that is hoped, but he doesn't look good under pressure of late, doesn't sound good, and there is an Adlai-like mental quality absent even that man's accomplishements before he ran for President.
The former group is represented by James Clyburn, a high-ranking Democratic congressman who is uncommitted. "If this party is perceived by people as having gone into a back room somewhere and brokered a nominee, that would not be good for our party," he told the paper, in remarks that echoed what he told the NYT a day earlier. The "wealthy donors" angle, though, is an intriguing one: According to campaign finance records released this week, 73 top Clinton donors wrote their first checks to Obama in March. None of Obama's deep-pocketed supporters, by contrast, defected to Clinton. Money is always cowardly.
The LAT adds that one of Clinton's top fundraisers is switching sides, and a WSJ piece on the role of Bill Clinton in the campaign suggests a reason why his wife has not yet stepped aside despite the increasing calls to do so: "Known as a bad loser, Mr. Clinton privately buttresses his wife's drive to push on, telling her, according to aides: 'We're not quitters.' " I think President Clinton gets slogged a lot despite his quadruple coronary bypass.
The acquittal of three New York police officers who killed an unarmed man with 50 bullets two years ago is proceeding apace. The shooting of Sean Bell in New York did not spark the same level of outrage as previous police shootings have, the Times notes. "This was due in part to the race of the officers—two of the three on trial were black—and to the response of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who reached out to the victim's family in a stark contrast to the response of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani after Mr. Diallo was killed," the paper writes. At some point, we have to rein in the attitude that cops, putting themselves in danger, have no culpability for shooting their way out of a non-existent threat. Second, when drunk and approached by cops, it is not a submission of respect or dignity to obey them till it's straightened out.
Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a Pentagon news conference yesterday that Iran was increasing its shipments of arms to militants in Iraq, and pointedly warned Tehran. "I have reserve capability, particularly in our Navy and our Air Force," Mullen said. "So it would be a mistake to think that we are out of combat capability." The NYT has a detailed analysis of the U.S. administration's claims against Iran. It finds, unsurprisingly, that there is much more nuance to the situation than President Bush and other top officials claim, and that Iranian involvement is not necessarily getting larger but instead more refined. Iran has developed "a formal and sophisticated training program" for Shiites in Iraq "that included five courses on tactics, leadership, training, commando operations and weapons and explosives. Graduates of the training program are expected to return to Iraq and train other Iraqis, the officials said," according to the Times.
China's offer to meet with a representative of the Dalai Lama isn't a big deal. Even if Chinese officials and representatives of the Dalai Lama were to meet, it wouldn't necessarily bear fruit. The two sides talked six times between 2002 and 2007. "Envoys of the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama made little progress on Tibet's links to China—such as agreeing when it was, and wasn't, historically part of the country, for example —or steps to broaden Tibet's autonomy under Chinese rule," the paper writes. The NYT quotes a Chinese analyst on Beijing's possible intentions. "They want the Dalai Lama to help them relieve pressure before the Olympics. But is it a sincere move, or just a public relations move?" he asks. If he did, what in return?
The makers of a new documentary film on Abu Ghraib paid some interviewees and that has provoked controversy, the NYT reports. No kidding.
Love this. New discoveries in Afghanistan show that oil painting developed in Asia 800 years before it did in Europe, the LAT reports.
In history, this day in 1478, Pazzi conspirators attacked Lorenzo and kill Giuliano de'Medici.
In 1514, Copernicus made his first observations of Saturn.
On this day in 1865, John Wilkes Booth was discovered hiding in a farmer's tobacco shed, and is shot in the neck by a soldier not much more sane than himself. Dying and paralyzed from the neck down, he whispers: "Tell my mother I did it for my country." As his hands are held up to his face, Booth mutters "useless... useless..." They are his last words.
In 1929, the first non-stop flight from England to India was completed.
Today was Guernica's hell, when bombed by German planes serving Franco in 1937.
This day in 1969, Paul McCartney denied rumors of his recent death. Eventually, most people believe him.I remember. In 1982, Argentina surrendered to Britain over Falkland Island crisis.
It was this day in 1986, 44 seconds into a late-night experiment at the Soviet Chernobyl nuclear power station, reactor number four sustained two large explosions. A plume of dangerous radioactivity blossomed three kilometers high, making it the worst catastrophe in the history of nuclear power. The Soviet news agency TASS held off reporting the incident for almost 48 hours. 31 died in the incident and thousands more were exposed to radioactive material.
Why judges are important, should be vetted. In 1991, during a telephone interview, Michigan judge Francis Bourisseau explained he would never grant an abortion to a minor, except perhaps for white girls raped by blacks. Oddly, people were offended and angry.
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Friday, April 25, 2008
USA Today leads with a new report from the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction which contends Iraqi security forces are nowhere near ready and it could be years before they have enough resources to secure the country. An audit found that the figures kept by the Iraqi government substantially overestimate the number of military and police officers and there's no way of knowing how many of those listed in the payroll are actually on the job. For its part, the Pentagon insists the numbers are accurate.
Iraq's main Sunni political bloc announced that it will return to the government after a boycott in place since August. Although the finishing touches on the deal are still being worked out, the move would be a clear victory for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as he continues to wage war against Shiite militias. "The reconciliation has proved a success," Maliki said. But the LAT points out that followers of cleric Muqtada Sadr said they have no plans to return to the government.
The new Pakistani government is supposedly close to reaching a peace deal with leaders of the "the most militant tribes" in the volatile border region. Although nothing is official yet, a top militant leader, Baitullah Mehsud, has ordered members of the Taliban Movement of Pakistan to stop all attacks and militant activities and warned that anyone who ignores his order will be punished. The 15-point accord calls for an end to the fighting and for the release of prisoners from both sides. Under the terms being discussed, the Pakistani military would also withdraw from a section of South Waziristan as long as the militants allow the local paramilitary force known as the Frontier Corps freedom to move around in the area. Followers of Mehsud, who is thought to have ordered the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, say the Pakistani military has already begun withdrawing from tribal regions, but officials deny those allegations and insist negotiations are ongoing.
Not surprisingly, U.S. officials aren't thrilled about a possible accord with Meshsud, who is thought to be responsible for "many, if not most of the suicide attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan over the last two years," says the NYT. Previous attempts at reaching this type of cease-fire agreement haven't been successful, and the Post points out that some believe they actually allowed the militants to get stronger. Significantly, the draft accord makes no mention of halting attacks in Afghanistan.
The Wall Street Journal says the U.S. military claims to have found evidence that Iran is continuing to send weapons into Iraq, despite Tehran's pledge to take action to stop these shipments. Officials say the Iranian arms have date stamps indicating they were manufactured in the past two months. Officials apparently plan on making their findings public within the next few days, possibly Monday. The WSJ says that the allegations "mark a further hardening of U.S. rhetoric on Iran" at a time when military officials believe Tehran is increasing its support for Shiite militia groups in Iraq. Top Pentagon leaders are declaring that the Iranian government, including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is aware of the shipments. Even though the criticism of Iran has been increasing lately, officials had recently acknowledged they weren't sure whether Iranian weapons found in Iraq were leftovers. But this new discovery apparently gives officials the confidence to claim that Iran continues to ship weapons, including explosively formed penetrators, to Shiite militants.
The Federal Aviation Administration acknowledged managers in Dallas covered up mistakes by air traffic controllers by blaming them on pilots. A new report, which the FAA declined to release, says the agency never appropriately cracked down on this problem even though similar allegations were made years ago. "The report is disturbing," the FAA acting administrator said. USAT highlights that the problems amounted to the second time in as many months that "federal whistle-blowers raised safety concerns at the FAA," a legacy of not funding oversight by government. Although Agency officials had promised in 2005 to crack down on reporting errors in Dallas, the problems persisted for several years. None of the errors has resulted in a crash yet, but misreporting is serious because it can prevent the FAA from tracking patterns and improving overall safety at airports.
Experts in aviation say runway collisions are the aspect of airline safety that worry them the most. Even though nervous fliers probably think they're safe when they're on the ground, the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board says that exactly the opposite is true. "To me, this is the most dangerous aspect of flying," he said. Although existing technology could help avoid most of the risk, the FAA has been slow in requiring that it be implemented. Here's a scary thought: "If you've got a G.P.S. in your car, you have infinitely more detailed information about where you are than in the cockpit of an airplane on the ground," a former president of the Air Line Pilots Association said.
The Senate unanimously voted for legislation that would prohibit employers and health insurers from discriminating based on a person's genes. As more people begin to undergo genetic testing, companies would be prohibited from using this information to evaluate a customer or employee. The House is expected to approve the bill. "It's the first civil rights bill of the new century of life sciences," Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said. Nice thought, and all, but the records will be kept.
Barack Obama is the "new star" of several Republican ads. Besides giving a preview of what Republicans might focus on in the general election if he's the nominee, the ads are particularly significant because they're coming out at a time when Democratic leaders are trying to figure out whether Obama "could be vulnerable to being cast as too far out of the mainstream." Meanwhile, in the WP's op-ed page, Geoff Garin, a strategist for Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign, says the former first lady has been held to a different standard than Obama. Although Clinton has often been accused of being too negative, it's Obama's campaign that "has made an unprecedented assault on her character—not her positions, but her character—saying one thing about raising the tone of political discourse but acting quite differently in its treatment of Clinton."
The top U.S. envoy to Africa says Zimbabwe's opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, was the "clear victor" of the country's election and President Robert Mugabe should step down. "This is a government rejecting the will of the people," the assistant secretary of state for African affairs said. "If they had voted for Mugabe, the results would already have been announced. Everyone knows what time it is."
Actor Wesley Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison for failing to file tax returns for three years. The judge ignored dozens of letters, including from the likes of Woody Harrelson and Denzel Washington, and handed the maximum penalty to the star of the Blade trilogy. In what the NYT calls the "most prominent tax prosecution since the billionaire hotelier Leona Helmsley was convicted of tax fraud in 1989," Snipes has to pay up to $17 million in back taxes, not including penalties and interest.
In history, this day in 1792, French highwayman Nicolas Jacques Pelletier was beheaded by the guillotine, making him its first victim.
In 1846, the Mexican-American War ignited, a result of disputes over claims to Texas boundaries by Southern slavers. The outcome of the war fixed Texas' southern boundary at the Rio Grande River.
This day in 1859, work began on the Suez Canal in Egypt.
In 1860, the first Japanese diplomats to visit a foreign power reached Washington, DC. They remained in the U.S. capital for several weeks while discussing expansion of trade with the United States. Seven years to the day later, Tokyo was opened for foreign trade.
In 1898, the U.S. declared war on Spain. Spain had declared war on the U.S. the day before.
This day in 1915, during World War I, Australian and New Zealand troops landed at Gallipoli in Turkey. This was Churchill's underbelly plan to get the Central Powers from below and protect the Suez Canal. The attack was unsuccessful.
Hale! In 1928, a seeing eye dog was used for the first time.
In 1952, after a three-day fight against Chinese Communist Forces, the Gloucestershire Regiment was annihilated on "Gloucester Hill," in Korea. Yes, the Brits fought there as well.
It was this day in 1953, that Dr. James D. Watson and Dr. Francis H.C. Crick suggested the double helix structure of DNA.
In 1954, the prototype manufacture of the first solar battery was announced by the Bell Laboratories in New York City.
This day in 1959, the St. Lawrence Seaway opened to shipping, connecting the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean.
In 1961, a huge invention: Robert Noyce was granted a patent for the integrated circuit.
In 1967, Republican Colorado Governor John Love signed the first law legalizing abortion in the U.S. The law was limited to therapeutic abortions when agreed to, unanimously, by a panel of three physicians. Those were the days when the GOP was real.
In 1983, Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov invited Samantha Smith to visit his country after receiving a letter in which the U.S. schoolgirl expressed fears about nuclear war.
Too funny. In 1990, Sandinista rule ended in Nicaragua when they were voted out. The Boulder Sandelistas were totally flummoxed, and have never really recovered. Rather, they now are into 'environmental' concerns. More important, the U.S. Hubble Space Telescope was placed into Earth's orbit. It was released by the space shuttle Discovery.
It happens. In 2003, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader and ex-wife of former President Nelson Mandela, was sentenced to four years in prison for her conviction on fraud and theft charges. She was convicted of 43 counts of fraud and 25 of theft of money from a women's political league.
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Thursday, April 24, 2008
 Lawmakers will see a video today of North Koreans inside the suspected Syrian nuclear reactor site that was destroyed by Israel last September. This video is apparently what convinced Israel and the White House that Syria was receiving help from North Korea to build a nuclear reactor, particularly because of its striking design similarities to the reactor at Yongbyon. If true, compelling, and I'd assume this wasn't racial profiling but ID of actual individuals known to be North Koreans.
It was five years ago today we discovered North Korea claimed to have nuclear weapons.
Israel apparently decided to show the Bush administration the video from inside the Syrian facility after U.S. officials openly expressed skepticism that North Korea was helping to build a nuclear reactor. Syria vigorously denies the claim. "If they show a video, remember that the U.S. went to the U.N. Security Council and displayed evidence and images about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq," the Syrian ambassador said. Others are also skeptical, particularly because officials will tell lawmakers that "there was no uranium for the reactor and no indication of fuel capability," which has led experts to wonder whether this was really part of a Syrian nuclear weapons program. Also, there is no evidence that Syria has tried to rebuild after the bombing, so the inevitable question is: Why now?
The NYT notes the whole thing is strange considering that the White House has so far refused to talk about the bombing. "It is not clear what has changed, apart from the politics of the moment," says the NYT. Some think it might force the North Koreans to confess. But there are "widespread suspicions, especially in the State Department," that the administration's hawks—led by Vice President Cheney—pushed for the release of the information in order to derail an impending deal with North Korea, which many say is too soft on Pyongyang. As an alternate theory, some officials tell the WP that "the CIA's hand was forced" because lawmakers had threatened to cut funds if they weren't kept in the loop.
A real scandal. USA Today says approximately 60,000 federal contractors owe almost $8 billion in back taxes. "Lack of communication between agencies lets one arm of the government pay contractors money while another arm is trying to collect taxes from them," says USAT. Lawmakers are angry and are moving to do something about the problem. A regulation that took effect this week requires contractors to reveal if they owe any taxes, and a bill that's pending in the Senate would prohibit companies that owe taxes from getting contracts. Great. Now how about criminal proceedings for not paying taxes?
As all eyes turn toward Indiana, the Clinton campaign announced that it received $10 million in contributions after the Tuesday victory, reports the WSJ. The NYT has a double-story lead, one looking at increasing questions of how Sen. Barack Obama's race might affect the general election and another questioning how much primary results really foreshadow what will happen in November. The LAT talks to "dozens" of superdelegates, who seem to accept that the race will continue for six more weeks but insist that a decision has to be made after the last primary on June 3 and can't wait until the convention, which will take place in late August. I don't know why it cannot.
The NYT's Adam Nagourney acknowledges that "the role of race is difficult to disentangle from the other strands of the political debate surrounding" the senator from Illinois, including his "values, elitism, ideology, and experience." But it seems clear that race is at least playing some sort of factor in a key part of the electorate, and that is increasingly worrying Democrats. Although Obama says he's made inroads with white, blue-collar voters, the Post points out that "exit polls dispute that." Not only did he lose white voters without college degrees in Pennsylvania by pretty much the same margin as in Ohio, he even lost ground with white Roman Catholics, who make up an important constituency in several key states. That isn't race, that's religion, far worse. I'd feel better if Obama had actually said he'd support the Democratic nominee regardless.
Clinton's victory in Pennsylvania allowed her to continue making the argument that she's winning the states that are essential to a Democratic victory in November. The NYT says that just because she's winning the states in the primary doesn't mean Obama can't also win them in November. For its part, Obama's camp contends that the senator from Illinois could put other states in play that have traditionally leaned Republican. That may be true, or it may be that the GOP/faux independents who voted the primaries are hoping for Obama. Ultimately, political analysts seem to agree that "state primary results do not necessarily translate into general election victories," and most of those who voted for Clinton would likely pull the lever for Obama in November. Vice-versa?
Despite the spike in donations, the former first lady still expects to be vastly outspent in Indiana. According to the Associated Press, Clinton still trails Obama in the national delegate count by 131. In terms of the popular vote, "the gap both narrows and widens" depending on how it's counted, notes the WSJ. Traditional counts put Obama ahead in the popular vote, but if the results from Michigan and Florida are included, then Clinton has a narrow lead.
In his WSJ op-ed piece, Karl Rove says that although Obama is still clearly the favorite, the last few weeks have weakened him as a candidate. "His appeals are based on two aspirational pledges he is increasingly less credible in making," Rove writes. There's little evidence that Obama "demonstrated bipartisanship" in any important issues as a senator, and he has also "not provided leadership on any major legislative battle." That's how McCain could beat him: he hasn't done anything, risked anything.
David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, is now the Bush administration's nominee to lead military forces in the Middle East and Central Asia as head of Central Command. At the same time, Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno was nominated to take over for Petraeus in Iraq. Everyone points out that with these nominations, President Bush is ensuring that two commanders who have been key to his strategy in Iraq continue in influential roles long after he leaves the White House. The move could very well signal that the Pentagon is ready to overhaul its Afghanistan mission and implement the same sort of counterinsurgency tactics that have been used in Iraq. The LAT notes up high that Petraeus has often been critical of Iran's interference in Iraq, "making his appointment a signal of heightened U.S. attention to Tehran."
Grocery prices are increasing, and even a casual reader of news probably knows that food shortages have led to riots around the world. But lawmakers in Washington are covering their ears, closing their eyes, and pretending that everything is the same, notes the NYT. Although American farmers are making record incomes and losing sleep over the futures markets, Congress is getting ready to pass the typical farm bill that has billions in the same old subsidies. "It really is astounding," said Rep. Ron Kind. "It's as if this farm bill is being negotiated in a vacuum."
The WP notes that the latest royal mini-scandal in England involves Prince William, who has been busy traveling around in a Royal Air Force Chinook helicopter as if it were his new ride. He landed the helicopter near his girlfriend's home ("a majestic use of military aircraft as a flirtation device") and picked up his brother to fly to a bachelor party, among other questionable uses of taxpayer resources. There's been the usual grumbling about privilege, but others are decidedly more forgiving of the prince: "If William can't run around and act like, 'I'm going to be king,' then who can?"
In history, this day in 1800, the Library of Congress was established with a $5,000 allocation.
In 1805, U.S. Marines attacked and captured the town of Derna in Tripoli.
In 1877, federal troops were ordered out of New Orleans, marking the end to the North's post-Civil War rule in the South.
In 1898, this day, Spain declared war on the U.S., rejecting America's ultimatum for Spain to withdraw from Cuba.
It begins. In 1915, during World War I, the Ottoman Turkish Empire began the mass deportation of Armenians by using Kurdish troops.
This day in 1916, Irish nationalists launched the Easter Rebellion against British occupation forces. They were put down several days later.
OH, CANAda........ On April 24, 1928, the Supreme Court of Canada declared that - although women were indeed legal "persons" - they are nevertheless ineligible to serve in the Canadian Senate. The Court agreed that the term "person" applies equally to humans of both genders, but the British North America Act referred specifically to "fit and qualified persons" -- necessarily excluding the unfit and unqualified women. Tories, don't you know.....
In 1948, the Berlin airlift began to relieve the surrounded city.
This day in 1953, Winston Churchill was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. I should hope.
In 1961, President Kennedy accepted "sole responsibility" following Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. Plenty of that to go around. Hi, CIA!
Credit where due. In 1967, Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov became the world's first space mission fatality after his Soyuz parachutes become entangled four miles above the Earth. Komarov died when his craft crashed full speed into the earth. He was a real space pioneer.
In 1973, Albert Sabin reported that herpesviruses were factors in nine kinds of cancer.
Fiasco Day, Dawn of Delta Force. In 1980, a mission to rescue 53 American hostages from Tehran failed; 8 US soldiers are killed.This day in 1981, the IBM Personal Computer was introduced.
In 1990, the obnoxious Michael Milken pled guilty to six felonies and agreed to pay a $600 million penalty. He was later sentenced to ten years in prison. Milken sold junk-bonds in the 1980s.
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All material on this site copyright Richard L. MacLeod (Dark Cloud) 1968-2010 unless otherwise stated.
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