Thursday, March 25, 2010

Senegal lawmakers declare slavery a crime against humanity

AFP/File – Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, pictured in January 2010. Senegal's national assembly has adopted

DAKAR (AFP) – Senegal's national assembly has adopted a bill declaring slavery and the slave trade crimes against humanity, moving closer to becoming the first African nation to pass such legislation, government said Wednesday.

"Members of parliament voted on the text on Tuesday," justice ministry spokesman Cheikh Bamba Niang told AFP.

The bill must still be approved by the Senate before being signed into law by President Abdoulaye Wade. The two houses of parliament are largely dominated by the presidential majority.

He said the law was about "a duty to remember. It is a judicial response to a historical, distant fact. To show the magnitude and the horror and its dramatic consequences on Africa."

The bill also provides for an annual day of commemoration on April 27 "corresponding with the date of the abolition of the slave trade in the French colonies, April 27, 1848, at the initiative of Victor Schoelcher," a French humanitarian who dedicated his life to the abolition of slavery.

In addition, it stipulates that "school programs must, notably in history studies, include this question and reserve sufficient space for it so that our children can understand what happened and the consequences of the slave trade on the evolution of Africa."

ALG Joins Senate Republicans in Urging Obama to Rule Out Recess Appointment of Becker


March 25th, 2010—Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today joined with the Senate Republican caucus in urging Barack Obama to rule out a recess appointment of Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

According to the letter signed by all 41 Republican members of the Senate, “We urge you not to ignore the bipartisan Senate vote by giving Mr. Becker a recess appointment to the NLRB. Taking this action would place a rejected nominee in an appointed term to the NLRB, setting an unfortunate precedent for all future nominations and future administrations.”

Becker’s nomination was blocked in the Senate on February 9th, with Democrat Senators Blanche Lincoln and Ben Nelson joining 31 other Republicans against the nominee.

“Craig Becker is a radical of the first order, and the Senate was more than justified in blocking his appointment,” Wilson said, citing Becker’s advocacy of making substantial changes to the National Labor Relations Act via the National Labor Relation Board without any Congressional approval.

According to a report published by Americans for Limited Government, “Militant on a Mission,” Becker wrote that “The [National Labor Relations] Board should return to the principle that a union election is not a contest between the employer and the union... Unlike the other proposals, however, it could be achieved with almost no alteration to the statutory framework.”

According to the ALG report, “This unilateral imposition of his views regardless of Congressional approval may apply to Card Check legislation as well.”

Under current law, the National Labor Relations Act, workers have a right to a secret ballot when unions are organized. Unions have lobbied the Obama administration and Congress for a “card check” system in the EFCA that would eliminate the employer's right to request a secret ballot election, allowing unions to be organized without any ballot.

Becker’s highly controversial views resulted in Senate Republicans’ opposition against the nomination, and in their letter write, “Mr. Becker’s writings clearly indicate that he would use his position on the NLRB to institute far-reaching changes in labor law far exceeding the Board’s authority and bypassing the role of Congress.”

Get full story here.

A Tale of Opposites: McDonnell and Christie Deal With Public Sector Pension Deficits



By Adam Bitely

After November’s elections, the casual political observer would have cast the results as follows. In Virginia, a strong conservative candidate had become governor, and in New Jersey, a moderate Republican had been elected in a state that seemed impossible to win in. However, that analysis is tragically flawed.

Consider the following. In New Jersey, a state plagued by strong public sector unions and a budget that just cannot be balanced, newly elected Governor Chris Christie has been faced with making decisions that even the supposedly strong conservative Bob McDonnell in Virginia chose not to make. Christie has taken on the public sector unions headstrong and has not relented.

In a recent Washington Examiner column, Christie is credited with cutting 375 out of 378 state programs. As well, he has made education cuts, including all-out spending freezes, and has promised to sign any reform bill on public sector union pension and benefit programs.
As far as Christie is concerned on public sector union pensions, which are funded by the taxpayer, he is promising reform. As Christie said, “until reform is enacted, we cannot in good conscience fund a system that is out of control, bankrupting our state and its people and making promises it cannot meet in the long term.”

This is all quite different from what Governor McDonnell has done in Virginia.

Get full story here.

Lame Duck

ObamaCare: “The Bigger the Lie”


By Howard Rich

Lost amid the partisan sniping and procedural jousting over the passage of “Obamacare” is a fundamental, unavoidable hypocrisy – one that’s worth unmasking as Washington politicians continue to ignore the will of the American people and plunge our nation deeper into full-blown socialism.

President Barack Obama and his Congressional allies are spending money that they know we don’t have on a program that they know isn’t going to work – all in an effort to expand government’s control over the private sector and its reach into the private lives of American citizens.

Sound a bit conspiratorial?

It’s not – at least not when you turn down the partisan rhetoric (on both sides of the debate) and start examining what this monstrosity actually does.

Get full story here.

Greenspan Strikes Back

The 'Maestro' explains what went wrong.

By Robert J. Samuelson

Rarely has a public figure's reputation suffered a reversal as dramatic as Alan Greenspan's. When he left the Federal Reserve in early 2006 after nearly 19 years as chairman, he was hailed as the "maestro" and credited with steering the country through numerous economic shoals. Four years later, his policies are widely blamed for fostering the 2007–09 financial crisis. Now Greenspan is offering an elaborate "not guilty" defense.

The indictment of Greenspan is straightforward. Lax regulation by the Fed of financial markets encouraged dubious subprime mortgages. Easy credit engineered by the Fed further inflated the housing "bubble." Greenspan's rebuttal comes in a 14,000-word article for the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, a journal from the think tank of the same name.

Greenspan is in part contrite. He admits to trusting private markets too much, as he already had in congressional testimony in late 2008. He concedes lapses in regulation. But mainly, he pleads innocent and makes three arguments.

First, the end of the Cold War inspired an economic euphoria that ultimately caused the housing boom. Capitalism had triumphed. China and other developing countries became major trading nations. From the fall of the Berlin Wall to 2005, the number of workers engaged in global trade rose by 500 million. Competition suppressed inflation. Interest rates around the world declined; as this occurred, housing prices rose in many countries (not just the United States) because borrowers could afford to pay more.

Get full story here.

Out of Our Right Minds - Trauma, Depression and the Black Woman


Out of Our Right Minds - Trauma, Depression and the Black Woman from Stacey Muhammad on Vimeo.



Out of Our Right Minds - Trauma, Depression and the Black Woman is the next short docu film from Award Winning Independent Filmmaker, Stacey Muhammad of Wildseed Films / Intelligent Media.

This film explores Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome and and the experience of trauma, and how the lives of Black women have been affected by these experiences.

Black women and men from all walks of life, speak openly and candidly about depression, mental illness, anxiety, stress...why these discussions are considered taboo in the African American community..and ways in which we begin to ... and continue to ... heal the wounds.

Dir. by Stacey Muhammad
Asst. Dir. RH Bless
Edited by: Stacey Muhammad
Music by: T. Taylor, Mr. Famous & Masada
Marketing and Promotions: C. Wharton

For more information about booking Wildseed Films for screenings / lectures / panels, etc. please contact Intelligent Media @ 484-472-3745.

Roethlisberger Rape Accusation withdrawn?



Read Article: (www.sportingnews.com)

Ben Roethlisberger's attorney has announced that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has withdrawn their request for a DNA sample from Ben Roethlisberger. The claim has not, as yet, been confirmed by the GBI, who declined to comment.

Does this mean that not enough evidence has been found to support the claim, or that Ben is, in fact, innocent of the second claim?

Regardless of his innocence or guilt, as long as Big Ben continues to put himself in situations where the claims can be made, it is a problem for himself, his team, and the NFL. Roger Goodell has indicated that he will speak with Roethlisberger about his actions off the field, and how he continues to put himself in these situations.

Let's hope Ben listens.

Dwight Gooden Arrested and Charged with DUI



By: Tina Chubb
Former Major League Baseball player Dwight Gooden, who played for both the New York Mets and the New York Yankees, was reportedly arrested in New Jersey on Tuesday, after crashing his car while driving under the influence of drugs, according to cnsnews.com.

And according to the original source WCBS in New York; Gooden reportedly had a kid travelling with him as a passenger, at the time of the crash. Franklin Lakes police Captain Joseph Seltenrich, said that Gooden had crashed his car around 8:50 am, on Old Mill Road.

It wasn’t actually clear at the time, whose child it was that was travelling with the former pitcher. After conducting an on-scene investigation, police arrested 45-year old Gooden. He was then charged with driving under the influence, as well as other charges.

Gooden was then released on his own recognizance. Police didn’t actually say what drugs they believed Dwight was on, but he has waged a highly-publicized battle with both alcohol and drugs, including cocaine. You would think he would have learned his lesson by now.

GoDaddy plans to stop registering CN Domains [America vs China]

By manish

American companies are being bitten by CN fever and it seems Google’s decision to leave China has started a new trend.
Today, GoDaddy has announced that it plans to stop registering Chinese domain names, i.e. .cn domain names [though will continue to support existing customers].

“We believe that many of the current abuses of the Internet originating in China are due to a lack of enforcement against criminal activities by the Chinese government.
Our experience has been that China is focused on using the Internet to monitor and control the legitimate activities of its citizens, rather than penalizing those who commit Internet-related crimes” – GoDaddy [via: Reuters].

So, like we said earlier [read: Of Google’s China Approach and BATNA – [Negotiation Skills @Work], its America vs. China now. Its not about Google vs. Chinese government anymore.

Even though Google’s top competitor in China, Baidu witnessed a surge in share price, it would be interesting to watch if Chinese netizens can afford to remain isolated and be happy with ‘Made in China/rather, Not-Made-in-US’ product.

| More Related posts:

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President Barack Obama’s Twitter Account Hacked!


French hacker who sabotaged the account of President Barack Obama in one of his attacks on the Twitter online social network, poses behind a mouse on March 25, 2010 at his home in Beaumont, central France. The man was arrested on March 23 by French police in the Puy-de-Dome region after an operation conducted jointly with US agents from the FBI that lasted several months, and released the day after.



Frenchman has been arrested for exploiting the Twitter accounts of President Barack Obama and singer Britney Spears. The 25-year-old man was able to gain access to passwords of Twitter administrators and used them to try to compromise the twitter accounts of U.S. politicians and popular hollywood stars.



by Brandon Dimmel
Earlier he has carried out minor internet fraud but in this case was driven by the thrill of the challenge and instead of gaining access to the sensitive information he was more interested in the private life of Obama and britney Spears.

The suspect, also known as “Hacker Croll”, is not a trained hacker and he gained twitter access by simply guessing users’ passwords, as reported by the BBC. But in 2009 also, he managed to hack several Twitter accounts including several high profile celebrities and Twitter’s internal corporate documents stored in a Google Apps account.

Captain Adeline Champagnat, a senior member of the police cyber crimes unit said:

His aim wasn’t to make money. It was simply to show that he was able to access accounts of Twitter members. And the best proof of that is that he did screen grabs of certain confidential data which he tried to post on blogs that are reserved for pirates or hackers.

If convicted for illegally accessing dozens of Twitter and Facebook pages, the hacker may face up to two years in prison.

The Art of Spin: Then, Now and What Lies Ahead


By Richard A. Lee



In Hardball, the book that bears the name of his MSNBC television program, Chris Matthews recounts a classic tale of spin from the 1984 Democratic primary.


At the time, Walter Mondale was losing momentum to Gary Hart. As Super Tuesday approached, Mondale’s candidacy was in serious jeopardy, especially because he was in danger of losing Georgia. Since Mondale had been vice president during the Carter Administration, a defeat in Carter’s home state would be viewed as a defeat nationally.


But Robert Beckel, Mondale’s campaign manager, turned that scenario around to his candidate’s advantage. Beckel argued that, since Mondale needed Georgia to keep his campaign alive, a victory in the Peach State equated to a victory nationally. First he hounded the press with this spin on the Super Tuesday elections. Then he hounded Mondale supporters to make sure they filled a small room where the former Vice-President would speak after the election results were in.


The result? Mondale’s appearance took place before a packed, enthusiastic crowd on national television. To the cheering crowd, he announced that he had just carried Georgia. Ultimately, Mondale emerged as the victor on Super Tuesday -- or at least the perceived victor since he actually lost seven of the nine primaries that night.


Over a quarter of a century has passed since Beckel successfully spun the 1984 Super Tuesday results, and the practice of spinning has become more prevalent and more sophisticated. Now that President Obama has signed a controversial health care reform bill into law, we are about to be treated to healthy doses of spin from both sides of aisle since the bill is likely to become the focal point of this fall’s Congressional elections.


But before we get to that, let’s take a look at how the characterization of the bill itself evolved. The measure that the President signed into law is a far cry from what he and his supporters envisioned a year ago. Yet, it has been described – by political analysts as well as the media – as a historic piece of legislation and a victory for the President.


This is due in large part to the events that took place in the weeks preceding Sunday’s vote in Congress. After Republican Scott Brown captured a Senate seat in a special election in Massachusetts (normally a Democratic stronghold), it appeared that health care reform was dead, or at least on life support. So just by making the bill viable again (even if it required negotiation, compromise, promises and deal-making), the President could claim some success. Then, by actually gaining legislative approval and making the bill law, he was able claim victory – and rightfully so. Getting the bill passed in today’s political environment clearly was a major accomplishment.


Of course, Republicans are taking a different view of the new law. In their quest to gain seats in Congress this fall, GOP leaders will try to convince voters that the bill is a costly government takeover that is unconstitutional because it requires Americans to have health insurance. On the other hand, Democrats will continue to describe the new law in terms similar to those uttered by the President when he signed it: a historic piece of legislation that “will set in motion reforms that generations of Americans have fought for, and marched for, and hungered to see.”

Because of the complexity of the new law, it will take years to fully implement – and even longer to determine its success or failure. That’s why the party that wins the spin battle over the next few months is likely to win at the polls in November too.


In New Jersey, we have a similar scenario unfolding with the state budget. Democrats and Republicans, not surprisingly, are taking significantly different positions on Governor Christie’s proposed Fiscal 2011 budget, which calls for extensive cuts across the board. Republicans view it as a much-needed step to address the state’s fiscal problems and set New Jersey back on track. Democrats counter that the cuts will hurt New Jersey’s working middle-class families by driving up local property tax rates. This is how lawmakers are likely to spin the issue between now and the June 30 budget deadline.


On the surface, there’s nothing wrong with putting one’s spin on any given issue. Why not highlight what you believe are the positive or negative aspects of a piece of legislation – and then try to convince people you are correct? The problems develop when spin gets out of control and the arguments begin to contain more fiction than fact.


“In these hyper-partisan times, it's rarely good enough to respond to an unfair attack with a factual argument. Fire is fought with more high heat,” Associated Press writer Ron Fournier wrote in a recent article about untruths in politics.


Citing examples of misleading and inaccurate statements from both major political parties, Fournier contends that such conduct can have devastating consequences:


“Such distortion and dishonesty cause Americans to be increasingly skeptical of – even cynical about – their political institutions and leaders. Once people lose faith in the political system, they're less likely to vote, less willing to pay taxes to support government-run programs, less motivated to run for office themselves and – sociologists say – they're even less likely to get involved in their own communities. These are consequences of cutting corners in the public square.”


Those are troubling words. Perhaps, they are not be troubling enough to prevent politicians from continuing to employ such tactics, but they should be troubling enough to us as citizens to make it our business to take the time to cut through the spin and learn the facts – on health care, the state budget and any other issue with the potential to impact our daily lives.


# # #


Richard A. Lee is Communications Director of the Hall Institute of Public Policy — New Jersey. A former journalist and Deputy Communications Director for the New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey, he also teaches courses in media and government at Rutgers University, where he is completing work on a Ph.D. in media studies.

Kim Kardashian: Calender 2010 Pictures


Kim Kardashian recently revealed her 2010 Calender Pictures and i must say i am more than impressed by these sexy pictures. Kim is vivacious and is one of the most widely watched socialite not just in United States but all over the world. So i am sure this calender of hers is going to be sold like hot cake.

I am already up for it…Are U??? Enjoy Kim Kardashian 2010 Calender Pictures below after the jump.







ALG’s TimesCheck.com Blasts Times “ObamaCare” Coverage


March 24th, 2010, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government’s TimesCheck.com has released an analysis of the coverage The New York Times has given to the healthcare legislation that has now been signed into law.

“White House spinsters have understandably focused on hard luck insurance cases that readers can empathize with as a way of selling an unpopular proposal,” said Kevin Mooney, editor of TimesCheck.com. “But, it is not the job of news media to simply repeat and parrot back emotional appeals that do not cut into the substance of ObamaCare.”

Mooney said recent articles have focused more on anecdotal stories that involve individual instances of financial hardship, while avoiding any discussion of the bill’s merits.

Although the reports call attention to insurance issues and financial challenges that are relevant to healthcare consumers, Mooney said “they omit key facts that would provide readers with greater perspective and context.”

Mooney continued, “For example, it is not accurate to suggest that without insurance there is no access to healthcare. In fact, it is already possible to offer direct payments, which doctors and hospitals gladly accept without the attending bureaucracy of insurance procedures. Moreover, existing law also makes it a requirement for anyone entering an emergency room to be treated regardless of their ability to pay.”

Mooney said that the Times “pretty much parroted the Democrat talking point equating health care access with civil rights.”

“Just one day after ObamaCare passed, The Times sought to equate the measure with the civil rights movement. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) figured prominently in this narrative given his prominent role as an advocate for equal rights in the past,” Mooney explained.

ALG President Bill Wilson called the Times comparison of the health care takeover to civil rights “disgraceful,” saying, “If editors want to make this argument, it belongs on the editorial page because it is highly debatable and questionable,” said Wilson. “The bill includes costly, coercive measures that in the eyes of many Americans actually subtract from individual liberty.”

Get full story here.

ALG Letter to Members of the Senate Against "ObamaCare" Reconciliation


United States Senate
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20510

To the Members of the United States Senate:

As you are well aware, tonight begins an expected series of votes on reconciliation for the final step in President Barack Obama’s government takeover of the nation’s health care system. Americans for Limited Government would like to remind you of your duty as elected representatives of your states.

An overwhelming majority of Americans remain opposed to the government takeover of health care. They still oppose the unconstitutional individual mandate that will eventually force them on to government-run plans. They continue to be against the rationing of care away from seniors to pay for coverage for the unoccupied. They understand that the cost of premiums will rise even faster now that ObamaCare is the law of the land, and for the few who do not, they soon will witness it firsthand. Millions of Americans are rightly fearful of the implications of $2.5 trillion in insurance provisions costs from 2014 to 2023 once the program is fully implemented.

Reconciliation also remains an improper vehicle for enacting such far-reaching changes to the nation’s economy. The sole goal in utilizing the tactic is to block repeated attempts by the minority to work in a bipartisan fashion in crafting meaningful healthcare reform under the normal rules, and instead to ram the remaining “fixes” down the throats of an unwilling American public.

Get full story here.

Gov. Christopher Christie To Cut Employee Pensions In New Jersey

By George Gombossy

Those who think that Connecticut’s pension debt problem for government workers is something that can be left on the back burner, may want to check out what is going on in New Jersey.

New Jersey Republican and Democratic legislators enacted bills signed into Law by Gov. Christopher Christie Monday that forces all state employees to contribute more to their health-care insurance and cuts pension benefits for new hires. The laws also limit payouts for unused sick leave, and limits pension boosts.

New Jersey – as the result of rich pension and health benefits approved to gain votes from state employees – faces unfunded pension benefits of $46 billion, according to an article today in the Wall Street Journal.

These projections are based on what some financial experts say are overly rosy projections on the return the states can earn on money socked away to pay for these benefits. If more conservative rates of return in the six percent rate are used, the debt could increase dramatically.

Cancer-Stricken Dennis Hopper Too Ill To Fight Divorce


Dennis Hopper is knocking at death’s door: The cancer-stricken screen legend is reportedly too ill to defend himself in his nasty divorce battle with sixth wife Victoria Duffy , and doctors predict Hopper will never recover.


The 73-year-old award-winning actor filed for divorce from Duffy in January, citing irreconcilable differences. He later won a court judgement which forced her to move out of his Venice, California residence — the pair have been at war ever since.

“It is doubtful that Mr. Hopper will ever recover sufficiently to be subjected to a deposition,” read court papers filed by his lawyer Joe Mannis.

The Easy Rider star is believed to weigh just over 100 pounds as a result of his ongoing cancer treatment, but that hasn’t stopped Duffy from trying to bleed him dry, Hopper’s legal team claims. Hopper charges that his estranged wife stole some stealing valuable works of art from him while he was “extremely ill” and refuses to return them.

In addition, in a bid to end the arguing, Dennis has offered Victoria – who he married in 1996 – $5,000-a-month in spousal support and claims it is all he can afford as he has been unable to work and his liquid assets total just $300,280.

Victoria rejected the offer, insisting that her estranged husband is hiding assets.

Slow News Day: Kim Kardashian Dumped By Text Message?


By now you know that reality TV personality Kim Kardashian was given the old heave ho by star NFL running back Reggie Bush. It seems Reggie now finds that life is a bowl of cherries after winning the Super Bowl. And being with a needy woman who keeps track of his every movement is the pits!

Rumors swirled that Reggie Bush was flirting with the ladies at Robin Thicke’s birthday bash in NYC last week. Supposedly, Kim K warned Reggie that she was monitoring all the blogs and she wasn’t happy with the rumors that she was seeing. So word is that Reggie fired back with a series of text messages advising Kim that he was now a single man.

they say Reggie gave Kim the ultimate man-whore excuse: “it’s not you, it’s me’.”

“Reggie dumped Kim by text while she was in Miami,” a pal of the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star tells HollywoodLife.com exclusively. “He actually sent her three text messages that said he needed time and space and ‘it’s not you, it’s me’.”
Ladies, any time a man tells you those words, that means it really is over and he has moved on. Do yourself a favor and don’t lower yourself to begging and pleading — or even contacting him under the pretense of calling to see how he’s doing — because men HATE needy women. That’s not exactly a quality that attracted him to you in the first place. Being needy is never sexy!

Execution delayed in DNA case

Lyle Denniston

The Supreme Court on Wednesday evening delayed the execution in Texas of Henry W. Skinner, at least until the Court acts on his new case seeking to pursue a civil rights claim that he was denied a chance to have DNA evidence tested in an attempt to prove his innocence of a triple murder more than 16 years ago. The Court’s order blocked an execution that had been scheduled for 7 p.m. Washington time. The Court has not yet scheduled its consideration of his pending appeal (Skinner v. Switzer, 09-9000; his stay application was 09A743).

Skinner is seeking to raise an issue that the Justices had agreed to review last Term in District Attorney’s Office v. Osborne (08-6). The Court decided the Osborne case on June 18, but left unresolved that specific issue. The question is whether a state inmate seeking access to and testing of DNA evidence may pursue that claim under civil rights law (Section 1983), rather than in a federal habeas challenge. Skinner’s lawyers contend that he has tried unsuccessfully to use Texas state procedures for DNA testing, so his only remaining chance to get it is through a civil rights claim.


He was convicted in 1995 and sentenced to death for the slaying of his live-in girlfriend and her two mentally retarded, adult sons, in their home in the small town of Pampa, Texas, on New Year’s Eve in 1993. He was in the home during the murder rampage, but has contended repeatedly since then that he was unconscious from using drugs and alcohol earlier in the evening. He also has contended that new evidence, about the physical nature of the killings, indicates that in his condition he had neither the strength nor clarity of mind to commit the crimes.

For ten years, his lawyers have said, he has sought access to DNA evidence that was never tested by prosecutors. He filed his federal civil rights claim only after those efforts had failed, his counsel has said. Although prosecutors arranged for some DNA tests on some of the evidence, and used the results to help convict Skinner, his attorneys contend that prosecutors only sought selective testing of crime scene materials.

In his petition for review, Skinner contended that he has a constitutional interest under state law in seeking to use evidence that would help prove his innocence, but that he has been frustrated in trying to vindicate that interest in state proceedings. In addition, the petition argued that the conflict among lower courts on whether a DNA access claim can be pursued under civil rights law, or only under habeas law, has intensified since the Supreme Court agreed to examine that issue in the Osborne case last Term. Thus, it said, the need for Supreme Court guidance is now “more urgent.”

Lawyers on both sides have completed all of the filings in the case on that issue, so the Court is expected to schedule it for Conference within a matter of weeks. In the meantime, the postponement granted Wednesday will stay in effect until the petition is acted upon and, if granted, until it is decided. If review is denied, the postponement will expire automatically and the state could then schedule execution anew. If review is granted, a ruling would not be expected until next Term, starting next October.

FBI Investigating "Suspicious Incident" After Tea Party Activists Post Congressman's Brother's Address

Yesterday we mentioned that Tea Party organizers in Virginia had urged activists “to drop by” Rep. Thomas Perriello’s house to voice their displeasure with his health care vote, but mistakenly gave out the address of Perriello’s brother.

Well, it looks like somebody took up the call because the FBI and local law enforcement officials are now investigating a "suspicious incident" at the house where a propane tank's gas line had been cut.

Of course, now the Tea Party activsts are "shocked, shocked" to find out that anyone would have done such a thing:

Danville Tea Party leader Nigel Coleman was one of the two activists who posted Bo Perriello’s address online Monday.

“This is Rep. Thomas Stuart Price Perriello’s home address,” Coleman wrote Monday. “… I ain’t holding back anymore!!”

According to the Danville Register & Bee site, when Coleman learned that the address actually belonged to the congressman’s brother, he responded on a blog: “Do you mean I posted his brother’s address on my Facebook? Oh well, collateral damage.”

Coleman told The Daily Progress today that he is “shocked” and “almost speechless” at the possibility that someone would sever the propane line to Perriello’s brother’s house.

“I obviously condemn these actions,” he said. “I would hope that people aren’t thinking about doing anything crazy. We just wanted people to get close to the congressman and have their voices heard. Violence is not going to answer anything. I’m a little shocked and amazed.”

Coleman added that he is not certain that the incident is related to the posting of the home’s address. “Of course, we don’t know this is a related event,” he said.