Why, pray tell, do the authorities let out an illegal alien on "his own recognizance?"And a repeat offender, no less? Is it too much to ask for our own government to uphold our own laws?The Virginia man suspected in a drunken-driving crash that killed a Catholic nun in Prince William County this weekend is an illegal immigrant and repeat offender who was awaiting deportation and who federal immigration authorities had released pending further proceedings, police said Monday.
Carlos Montano, a county resident, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and drunken driving. Mr. Montano had been arrested two other times on drunken-driving charges, and on at least one of those occasions county police reported him to federal authorities.
"We have determined that he is in the country illegally. He has been arrested by Prince William County Police in the past, said police spokesman Jonathan Perok.
He said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was notified at the time of one of those arrests. "At the time of this incident, the accident yesterday, he was in the deportation process and was out on his recognizance for court proceedings."
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Great news: Illegal immigrant who killed nun in accident was released by feds
This is one end result of Obama and his minions pissing on the rule of law. From The Washington Times via memeorandum:
Official: 9 killed in Conn. warehouse shooting
STEPHEN SINGER
Associated Press Writer
MANCHESTER, Conn. (AP) -- A warehouse driver who was asked to resign his job at a beer distributor went on a shooting rampage Tuesday morning that left nine people dead, including himself, and others wounded, company and government officials said.
The number of dead was confirmed by a Connecticut government official who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.
Authorities were notifying victims' relatives before confirming the number of deaths, state police Lt. J. Paul Vance said.
The driver, Omar Thornton, had worked at the distributor for a couple of years and been called in for a disciplinary hearing, said John Hollis of the Connecticut Teamsters, who was with company officials at the scene of the shooting.
Hollis would not say why Thornton was being disciplined. When police found him, he had been shot, Manchester police Lt. Joe San Antonio said.
About 50 to 70 people were in the warehouse during a shift change when the gunman opened fire around 7 a.m., said Brett Hollander, whose family owns Hartford Distributors. Adding to the chaos was a fire at the warehouse, about 10 miles east of Hartford, that was put out. Police did not know whether the fire was related to the shootings.
Check here for updated versions of the story.
Among the victims was Hollander's cousin, a vice president at the company who was shot in the arm and the face. Hollander said he thought his cousin would be OK.
"There was a guy that was supposed to, was asked to resign, to come in to resign and chose not to and shot my cousin and my co-workers," Brett Hollander told the AP.
Joanne Hannah told the Hartford Courant her daughter Kristi had dated Thornton for eight years. Thornton, who is black, had complained about being racially harassed at work, Hannah said. Thornton complained to his superiors, who did nothing about it, she said her daughter told her.
Kristi Hannah did not immediately return a call for comment.
Two victims were taken to Hartford Hospital, spokeswoman Michaela Donnelly said. One was in critical condition, and one was in fair condition. Families of workers gathered at the town high school to wait for information and comfort each other.
The rampage was the nation's deadliest since 13 people were fatally shot at Fort Hood, Texas, last November. A military psychiatrist is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in that case.
It was the worst workplace shooting in Connecticut since 1998, when a state lottery worker gunned down four supervisors before committing suicide.
Police officers from numerous agencies and police and fire vehicles surrounded the warehouse, on a tree-lined road in an industrial park just west of a shopping mall.
In a statement, Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell offered condolences to the victims' families and co-workers.
"We are all left asking the same questions: How could someone do this? Why did they do this?" she said.
Associated Press Writer
MANCHESTER, Conn. (AP) -- A warehouse driver who was asked to resign his job at a beer distributor went on a shooting rampage Tuesday morning that left nine people dead, including himself, and others wounded, company and government officials said.
The number of dead was confirmed by a Connecticut government official who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.
Authorities were notifying victims' relatives before confirming the number of deaths, state police Lt. J. Paul Vance said.
The driver, Omar Thornton, had worked at the distributor for a couple of years and been called in for a disciplinary hearing, said John Hollis of the Connecticut Teamsters, who was with company officials at the scene of the shooting.
Hollis would not say why Thornton was being disciplined. When police found him, he had been shot, Manchester police Lt. Joe San Antonio said.
About 50 to 70 people were in the warehouse during a shift change when the gunman opened fire around 7 a.m., said Brett Hollander, whose family owns Hartford Distributors. Adding to the chaos was a fire at the warehouse, about 10 miles east of Hartford, that was put out. Police did not know whether the fire was related to the shootings.
Check here for updated versions of the story.
Among the victims was Hollander's cousin, a vice president at the company who was shot in the arm and the face. Hollander said he thought his cousin would be OK.
"There was a guy that was supposed to, was asked to resign, to come in to resign and chose not to and shot my cousin and my co-workers," Brett Hollander told the AP.
Joanne Hannah told the Hartford Courant her daughter Kristi had dated Thornton for eight years. Thornton, who is black, had complained about being racially harassed at work, Hannah said. Thornton complained to his superiors, who did nothing about it, she said her daughter told her.
Kristi Hannah did not immediately return a call for comment.
Two victims were taken to Hartford Hospital, spokeswoman Michaela Donnelly said. One was in critical condition, and one was in fair condition. Families of workers gathered at the town high school to wait for information and comfort each other.
The rampage was the nation's deadliest since 13 people were fatally shot at Fort Hood, Texas, last November. A military psychiatrist is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in that case.
It was the worst workplace shooting in Connecticut since 1998, when a state lottery worker gunned down four supervisors before committing suicide.
Police officers from numerous agencies and police and fire vehicles surrounded the warehouse, on a tree-lined road in an industrial park just west of a shopping mall.
In a statement, Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell offered condolences to the victims' families and co-workers.
"We are all left asking the same questions: How could someone do this? Why did they do this?" she said.
Brett Favre, the Minnesota Vikings, and possible re-retirement for the billionth time
by BigBlueShoe
We take a quick break from covering Colts training camp to discuss Brett Favre. Today, a strong rumor, circulated by Minneapolis Star-Tribune sports writer Judd Zulgad using Twitter, said Favre was telling the Vikings that his injured ankle had not healed and that he would not be returning to Skol Nation for 2010. Fox sports' Jay Glazer confirmed the rumor, saying Favre was also telling teammates that he was done.
Naturally, people on Twitter, and all over the Internet, went nuts.
Just a few moments ago, Vikings head coach Brad Childress addressed the media, saying he was unaware of Favre's intentions to retire. Prior to the news conference, many people saw the Vikings brain trusts, including their owner Zigi Wilf, huddled together and animated about something. So, it's kind of doubtful Childress was unaware of Favre's intentions.
Like Mike Florio, I believe Favre plays in 2010. This just smells like another excuse for Favre to avoid training camp. Per NFL rules, by having Favre not report for camp, the team must fine him. He's still under contract for 2010. However, if he retires (again) and re-signs with the Vikings (again) after training camp, the team cannot fine him and Favre can go without camp.
So, how does this affect the Colts?
Well, if the new over-time rules this year were in place last year, the Vikings likely would have beaten the Saints in the NFC Championship Game. Thus, Super Bowl 44 would have been Colts v. Vikes. With Favre, the Vikes are arguably the best team in the NFC. Without him, maybe 10 wins. Maybe. Also, if Favre plays in 2010, it makes it that much harder for Peyton Manning to have a shot at Brett's records.
For me, an NFL with Brett Favre in it is a more exciting NFL. Yes, the waffling is annoying, but at least he isn't announcing his "decision" to a live audience on ESPN... yet.
While most of you could likely give two craps about Favre, the news is important to someone like me. See, my mother-in-law is a HUGE Brett Favre fan. So, for her, I write this article. There, son-in-law blogging obligations complete.
Brett Favre Retirement Watch
Naturally, people on Twitter, and all over the Internet, went nuts.
Just a few moments ago, Vikings head coach Brad Childress addressed the media, saying he was unaware of Favre's intentions to retire. Prior to the news conference, many people saw the Vikings brain trusts, including their owner Zigi Wilf, huddled together and animated about something. So, it's kind of doubtful Childress was unaware of Favre's intentions.
Like Mike Florio, I believe Favre plays in 2010. This just smells like another excuse for Favre to avoid training camp. Per NFL rules, by having Favre not report for camp, the team must fine him. He's still under contract for 2010. However, if he retires (again) and re-signs with the Vikings (again) after training camp, the team cannot fine him and Favre can go without camp.
So, how does this affect the Colts?
Well, if the new over-time rules this year were in place last year, the Vikings likely would have beaten the Saints in the NFC Championship Game. Thus, Super Bowl 44 would have been Colts v. Vikes. With Favre, the Vikes are arguably the best team in the NFC. Without him, maybe 10 wins. Maybe. Also, if Favre plays in 2010, it makes it that much harder for Peyton Manning to have a shot at Brett's records.
For me, an NFL with Brett Favre in it is a more exciting NFL. Yes, the waffling is annoying, but at least he isn't announcing his "decision" to a live audience on ESPN... yet.
While most of you could likely give two craps about Favre, the news is important to someone like me. See, my mother-in-law is a HUGE Brett Favre fan. So, for her, I write this article. There, son-in-law blogging obligations complete.
Brett Favre Retirement Watch
A hidden world, growing beyond control
The top-secret world the government created in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has become so large, so unwieldy and so secretive that no one knows how much money it costs, how many people it employs, how many programs exist within it or exactly how many agencies do the same work.
These are some of the findings of a two-year investigation by The Washington Post that discovered what amounts to an alternative geography of the United States, a Top Secret America hidden from public view and lacking in thorough oversight. After nine years of unprecedented spending and growth, the result is that the system put in place to keep the United States safe is so massive that its effectiveness is impossible to determine.
The investigation's other findings include:
* Some 1,271 government organizations and 1,931 private companies work on programs related to counterterrorism, homeland security and intelligence in about 10,000 locations across the United States.
* An estimated 854,000 people, nearly 1.5 times as many people as live in Washington, D.C., hold top-secret security clearances.
* In Washington and the surrounding area, 33 building complexes for top-secret intelligence work are under construction or have been built since September 2001. Together they occupy the equivalent of almost three Pentagons or 22 U.S. Capitol buildings - about 17 million square feet of space.
Watch Now: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/topsecretamerica/
The investigation's other findings include:
* Some 1,271 government organizations and 1,931 private companies work on programs related to counterterrorism, homeland security and intelligence in about 10,000 locations across the United States.
* An estimated 854,000 people, nearly 1.5 times as many people as live in Washington, D.C., hold top-secret security clearances.
* In Washington and the surrounding area, 33 building complexes for top-secret intelligence work are under construction or have been built since September 2001. Together they occupy the equivalent of almost three Pentagons or 22 U.S. Capitol buildings - about 17 million square feet of space.
Watch Now: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/topsecretamerica/
Breaking News: 3 reported dead in Connecticut warehouse shooting
NEW YORK — At least three people were killed Tuesday and three others injured in a shooting at a beer distribution firm in Connecticut, local media reported.
The Hartford Courant daily said police responded to the scene at Hartford Distributors in Manchester, Connecticut around 7:30 am (1130 GMT) at the time of a shift change, with 35 to 40 people inside.
The paper initially said the gunman with a rifle was shot by police, but later reported that the man, an employee, killed himself as police officers approached. It was not immediately clear if the gunman was counted among the three dead.
State police contacted by AFP could not immediately confirm the information.
Local television said multiple ambulances and SWAT team members were called to the scene
Lorenzen Wright's Wife Allegedly Threatened Him in Recordings
The personal assistant for recently murdered Lorenzen Wright, formerly of the Atlanta Hawks, says that she has a recorded voice mail message from Wright's ex-wife threatening to have him harmed. According to Wendy Wilson (pictured above), Wright's assistant, Sherra Wright told Lorenzen "things like if she caught him with anyone else, she'd have him 'F'd up or whatever."
Wilson filed a report with Memphis police, because she felt the calls were threatening to Wright. She also claims that Wright asked her to keep the tape in case something happened to him.
Sherra Wright's divorce attorney denies the allegations, saying that Wright's ex-wife was struggling to pay bills. "I just feel like Sherra Wright is being placed in a bad light," the attorney said to a local TV station. "She does not deserve it at all. She's been an incredible Mother and woman. And she's done her best to shield her children from financial difficulties."
After his divorce, Wright was ordered to pay $26,000 per month in child support and alimony. His ex-wife claims that he hadn't made a payment since November. One might doubt Wright's ability to pay his child support in light of the fact that he had two homes repossessed this year. The financial problems appear to be the cause of the alleged dispute between Wright and his ex-wife, which occurred shortly before he was found dead.
When it comes to figuring out who murdered Lorenzen Wright, the list is as long as any day of the week. There are the drug dealers Wright was affiliated with, his threatening ex-wife, and anyone else who might decide to stalk a famous athlete. There was a time when I was sure of who might have killed Wright, but now I have no idea.
Lorenzen Wright, whose death occurred in the middle of a complex relationship dispute, has a lot in common with another famous Tennessee athlete who was killed last year: the late Steve McNair. Both men died in what appeared to be simple situations, only for us to find out later that their lives were more distorted than any of us might have imagined.
Oh, what a tangled web we weave. I find it interesting that when it comes to love, relationships and black male athletes, the same story is played out over and over again:
1) Player goes to an academic institution that provides inferior education (Memphis is not known for producing Rhodes Scholars in its basketball program, but most universities don't even properly educate the athletes who actually graduate) and thinks that he's set for life because he can dribble a basketball. This didn't apply directly to Wright, however, who went against the grain and actually returned to Memphis to finish his degree. I applaud him for that choice, but this is not typical among basketball players at The University of Memphis, at least not historically.
2) Player gets to the NBA or NFL and earns more money than he could ever imagine. He is sure that when he runs out of money, there will always be more waiting. So he spends like crazy and goes in to an even crazier amount of debt. After all, he has more money than Jesus, right?
3) Player meets women during his stay in the NBA and maybe gets married. The first thing that men attract when they are rich, tall and famous is a woman (usually lots of them). Unfortunately, many of these women don't understand that a wealthy man is not as valuable as a man who is financially responsible.
4) Player gets divorced either during his time in the NBA or afterward and is ordered to pay $20,000 or more in child and spousal support. Child support payments are all based on what he can afford as a player, not what he'll be earning when he's done playing. In some cases, the settlements are worth tens of millions of dollars. In nearly every single divorce settlement, "infidelity" is cited as one of the causes, which makes me wonder why some athletes make promises that temptation may not allow them to keep. It ends up becoming a multimillion dollar mistake, for they are then penalized severely for doing what single men are allowed to do whenever they please.
5) Player's career comes to an end, and since many athletes are not properly educated during college, they usually have nothing to fall back on. So after spending several months or years trying to find another team who will take him, the aging athlete goes off in to the sunset, facing a mountain of debt he accumulated during his playing days as well as massive child support obligations that eventually lead the player in to bankruptcy. All of the chickens of your 20s come home to roost during your 30s and 40s, sometimes leading to a depressing, frustrating life.
6) In some cases, the story ends badly, with prison, drug addiction or even death. The suicide of the late Melvin Turner is a case in point, as well as the pending trial of former Kentucky star Antoine Walker, who earned $110 million during his career and is now facing bankruptcy. These stories are so common in the media that we hardly lift an eyebrow when they are published.
It's time to reverse this trend.
One more thing, while Sherra Wright's actions are certainly worthy of additional investigation, the fact that she threatened to "F-up" Lorenzen for not paying his child support doesn't mean she is connected with his death. At the same time, many murders across the United States are committed by those we once loved.
It's a strange world. I keep hoping that it will change at some point, but it almost never does. At the very least, there is always a teachable moment in everything we read or see in the world, and it is our job to extract the necessary lesson.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the Athlete Liberation and Academic Reform Movement (ALARM). To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.
Ray Williams: Former Boston Celtics Player Now Living in His Car
Some people think that the riches of the NBA will last forever, but that's not usually the case. The Boston Globe recently published a report about Ray Williams, a 10-year veteran of the Boston Celtics and an ex-captain of the New York Knicks (pictured), who now has the misfortune of living in his car. Williams was once known as "Sugar Ray," and played next to Larry Bird and other Celtic greats of the 1980s. Williams now says that recently he's been reduced to living on bread and water.
Williams was a Top-10 pick in the 1997 NBA draft and scored 52 points in one game. It turns out that with all the years he spent learning to become a basketball player, he failed to prepare for life after basketball. Both Ray and his brother Gus filed for bankruptcy, after their playing days were over.
"Ray is like many players who invested so much of their lives in basketball,'' said NBA veteran Mike Glenn. "When the dividends stopped coming, the problems started escalating. It's a cold reality.''
Williams is now 55 years old and diabetic. He is asking that the NBA players of today contribute to helping him and other retired players who are struggling financially:
"When I played the game, they always talked about loyalty to the team,'' Williams told the Boston Globe. "Well, where's the loyalty and compassion for ex-players who are hurting? We opened the door for these guys whose salaries are through the roof.''
Well, the NBA has tried to offer help to Williams, sort of. The NBA Legends Foundation gave him grants of more than $10,000 in 1996 and 2004, but recently denied his request for additional help. The NBA Retired Players Association offered Williams $2,000. The amounts may sound significant, but that's about how much money LeBron James earns for about four minutes of play on the basketball court. Clearly, the NBA could do more to help retired players.
Charles D. Smith, a veteran of the NBA, says that Williams has turned down opportunities to find work, though:
"You can only do so much for any one player, because there are a lot of guys who need help,'' Smith said. "Ray needs to let us help him help himself.''
Williams says that he doesn't have transportation to get to a job and that the NBA should do more to support him. I'm not sure what the situation is, so I won't try to speculate. At the very least, we can all agree that the outcome is ultimately sad and unfortunate.
One of the things we advocate for in ALARM, the Athlete Liberation Academic Reform Movement is that athletes must understand that their mission in life goes beyond dribbling a basketball and throwing a football. Far too many African-American male athletes commit every ounce of their soul to playing sports - only to find themselves in desperate circumstances when their careers are over. This is not helped by an amateur and professional sports system that is designed to encourage athletes to skate through school without getting proper educational fundamentals. Some athletes don't even have a sixth grade reading level when they receive college degrees. I am not sure if this is the case with Williams, but his problems are not unique.
The key to avoiding financial devastation for men like Ray Williams is for them to make sure that they are properly educated. The same skills it takes to memorize a complex offensive scheme can be used to do complicated math problems. The same hustle I once used to go to practice every day was eventually applied to studying every day. For some reason, however, the culture of the black male in America has been inundated with a disdain for intellectual fulfillment, but I can tell you clearly that there's nothing cool about being uneducated in a competitive workforce.
With regard to the NBA's ability to help Williams, it's clear that they could do more. Like the NFL, it seems that perhaps the NBA may want to find ways to help athletes who played in the league before the big money days, after the Larry Bird-Magic Johnson rivalry. The problem for Williams is that he seems more determined to take money from someone else than he does to earn a living for himself. If the NBA has offered Williams help in getting a job and he has refused to take it, then I can't imagine there being much more they can do. Either way, the story is sad all the way around.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the Athlete Liberation and Academic Reform Movement (ALARM). To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.
T.I. Gives Speech, Laptops to K.I.N.G. Camp Attendees by Sherri L. Smith
We all heard rapper Trick Daddy declare his love for the kids, but maybe he should take a page out of T.I.’s book. The King of the South recently gifted all the young attendees of his King Camp with a new laptop to help them in their academic endeavors.
“This is not a gift,” says the Atlanta rapper, “this is a reward. There’s a difference. It’s a reward for all your hard work, your dedication, and your resilience.”
According to T.I.’s site, K.I.N.G. was a 12-week progam designed to uplift urban youth by introducing a shift in thinking, encouraging the kids to become leaders in their communities. The kids were also given rewards based on conduct, leadership, academic achievement, and sportsmanship.
On the comments section on YouTube, one of the parents, thinkpolitics leaves a glowing review of both the camp and the gift.
“I AM A PARENT OF A CHILD THAT ATTENDED KING CAMP.MY SON HAS HAD,WHAT HE CALLS, THE BEST SUMMER EVER.HE IS GOING TO THE SIXTH GRADE AND I BELIEVE THAT KING CAMP HAS GIVEN HIM THE TOOLS BE A LEADER AND CONFIDENT IN WHO HE IS AND WHAT HE CAN BECOME. HE WAS ALSO ONE OF THE? STUDENTS THAT RECEIVED A LAPTOP. THIS EXPERIENCE HAS TAUGHT HIM THAT ,YES,NEW THINGS CAN BE SCARY.BUT,WITH DETERMINATION YOU CAN ACHIEVE GREAT THINGS.
***THANK YOU TIP,YOU ARE SERIOUSLY CHANGING LIVES***”
In addition to the laptops, T.I. also gave a rousing speech to encourage the attendees to take control of their lives and be the best they could be. It’s a great example of how to save a young boy’s life with tec
Virginia Case Against ObamaCare Individual Mandate Reminds American People of Why Judges are Important
By Robert
Romano
Watch out, Elena Kagan.
Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson ruled that the Commonwealth of Virginia indeed has the standing to sue over ObamaCare’s individual mandate to purchase health insurance, which will go into effect in 2014. In addition, the Court ruled that the issues Virginia raised are certainly ripe for adjudication, despite the claims of the Obama Administration.
While this ruling is only preliminary, and does not answer questions of the constitutionality of the individual mandate, it does appear to bode well for opponents of the provision. Particularly, Judge Hudson noted that the power Congress has claimed — to force an individual to purchase anything — is unprecedented. According to the decision, “Neither the U.S. Supreme Court nor any circuit court of appeals has squarely addressed this issue. No reported case from any appellate court has extended the Commerce Clause or Tax Clause to include the regulation of a person’s decision not to purchase a product, notwithstanding its effect on interstate commerce.”
Get full story here.
Watch out, Elena Kagan.
Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Hudson ruled that the Commonwealth of Virginia indeed has the standing to sue over ObamaCare’s individual mandate to purchase health insurance, which will go into effect in 2014. In addition, the Court ruled that the issues Virginia raised are certainly ripe for adjudication, despite the claims of the Obama Administration.
While this ruling is only preliminary, and does not answer questions of the constitutionality of the individual mandate, it does appear to bode well for opponents of the provision. Particularly, Judge Hudson noted that the power Congress has claimed — to force an individual to purchase anything — is unprecedented. According to the decision, “Neither the U.S. Supreme Court nor any circuit court of appeals has squarely addressed this issue. No reported case from any appellate court has extended the Commerce Clause or Tax Clause to include the regulation of a person’s decision not to purchase a product, notwithstanding its effect on interstate commerce.”
Get full story here.
Forget “Buy American”, It’s “Buy Union
By Adam
Bitely
I would wager that if you asked any unsuspecting American who the owner of Chrysler is they would either reply with Fiat or say they had no idea. I myself was a victim of such a lack of knowledge. After all, I read the headlines and Fiat was clearly out front. Until recently, I had no idea of just how large a role that the UAW played in leadership at Chrysler.
Upon further research, I discovered that Fiat was an owner, but a small one at best. Fiat currently controls 20 percent of Chrysler. But if you were to read the headlines, such as this one from ABC last June “Italy’s Fiat Now Owns Most of Chrysler’s Assets”, you would assume they were the ones in charge at the Detroit based automaker.
But a little reported fact is that the United Auto Workers Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association owns 67.69 percent of Chrysler. The UAW VEBA was created as a way for the UAW to fund their members’ health care benefits. What better way to fund them than to own a failed car company. This little known fact seems to have been reported on in only a few outlets.
Surprisingly, you would never know that Chrysler is run by Big Labor. For instance, check out this advertisement from Jeep, a prominent brand of Chrysler’s, proudly declaring that the entire vehicle is American.
Get full story here.
I would wager that if you asked any unsuspecting American who the owner of Chrysler is they would either reply with Fiat or say they had no idea. I myself was a victim of such a lack of knowledge. After all, I read the headlines and Fiat was clearly out front. Until recently, I had no idea of just how large a role that the UAW played in leadership at Chrysler.
Upon further research, I discovered that Fiat was an owner, but a small one at best. Fiat currently controls 20 percent of Chrysler. But if you were to read the headlines, such as this one from ABC last June “Italy’s Fiat Now Owns Most of Chrysler’s Assets”, you would assume they were the ones in charge at the Detroit based automaker.
But a little reported fact is that the United Auto Workers Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association owns 67.69 percent of Chrysler. The UAW VEBA was created as a way for the UAW to fund their members’ health care benefits. What better way to fund them than to own a failed car company. This little known fact seems to have been reported on in only a few outlets.
Surprisingly, you would never know that Chrysler is run by Big Labor. For instance, check out this advertisement from Jeep, a prominent brand of Chrysler’s, proudly declaring that the entire vehicle is American.
Get full story here.
Radical Left-Wing Non-Profits Aligned with Sen. Levin Falsely Posture as Small Business Advocates
By Kevin
Mooney 
Small business groups have joined forces with Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) to block offshore tax havens for large companies and wealthy Americans that come at the expense of job producing enterprises, according to The New York Times. Or have they?
Although Sen. Levin has never been a friend of the free market system in the past, he has suddenly developed a concern for law abiding business owners who lose out when more sizable corporate operations exploit tax shelters, a July report informs readers.
Three non-profit organizations — the American Sustainable Business Council, Business for Shared Prosperity and Wealth for the Common Good — are indentified as the primary authors of a 25 page report that calls out multinational companies for avoiding $37 billion in federal taxes; an estimate that is probably on the low end.
“The campaign is unusual because it is the first time that small businesses have organized to combat offshore tax avoidance and evasion in a significant way,” The Times observes. But instead of investigating the coalition’s self-proclaimed business concerns, the Gray Lady blithely invokes the report’s major recommendations, which are not reflective of free market values.
Get full story here.
Small business groups have joined forces with Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) to block offshore tax havens for large companies and wealthy Americans that come at the expense of job producing enterprises, according to The New York Times. Or have they?
Although Sen. Levin has never been a friend of the free market system in the past, he has suddenly developed a concern for law abiding business owners who lose out when more sizable corporate operations exploit tax shelters, a July report informs readers.
Three non-profit organizations — the American Sustainable Business Council, Business for Shared Prosperity and Wealth for the Common Good — are indentified as the primary authors of a 25 page report that calls out multinational companies for avoiding $37 billion in federal taxes; an estimate that is probably on the low end.
“The campaign is unusual because it is the first time that small businesses have organized to combat offshore tax avoidance and evasion in a significant way,” The Times observes. But instead of investigating the coalition’s self-proclaimed business concerns, the Gray Lady blithely invokes the report’s major recommendations, which are not reflective of free market values.
Get full story here.
Rasmussen: 57% Say Health Care Plan Bad For the Country, 59% Favor Repeal
If Democrats are still hanging on to their highly
mistaken belief that Obamacare would grow on the American people and
that it would be an asset come election time, they're going to be
extremely disappointed. According to Rasmussen's latest national
telephone survey of likely voters, voter pessimism towards the new
national health care bill has reached an all-time high, while the
number of insured voters who feel it will force them to switch their
coverage is up 11 points from early last month (emphasis added):
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 57% of Likely U.S. Voters say the recently passed health care law will be bad for the country. That's the highest level of pessimism measured since regular tracking began following Congress' passage of the law in late March. Thirty-two percent (32%) say the health care plan will be good for the United States. Prior to this survey, belief that the plan is good for the country ranged from 34% to 41%, while those who predict it will be bad for the country range from 49% to 54%.Yet the liberal elites in Washington that think they know what's good for the rest of us, overwhelmingly support the bill:
... while 70% of Mainstream voters feel the bill is bad for the country, 80% of the Political Class disagree and see it as a good thing for America.Clearly, by "political class," Rasmussen means Democrats in Washington since virtually all Republican lawmakers vehemently oppose Obamacare. And likely voters overwhelmingly favor repeal of Obamacare:
Fifty-nine percent (59%) of all voters now favor repeal of the health care bill. Thirty-eight percent (38%) oppose repeal. These findings include 45% who Strongly Favor repeal and 28% who Strongly Oppose repeal. Support for repeal has ranged from 52% to 63%, while opposition has ranged from 32% to 42%. Most Republicans and unaffiliated voters continue to strongly favor repeal of the health care bill and believe it will be bad for the country. Democrats, on the other hand, have remained supportive of the bill and feel it will be positive for the country.
Early Graves & the Funeral Pyre in fatal van accident.... Mahk Daniels RIP
by BBG
R.I.P. Mahk Daniels (more by Samantha Marble)
R.I.P. Mahk Daniels (more by Samantha Marble)
CENTRAL POINT, Ore. -- A van carrying nine members of two California-based "death metal" bands lost control crashed on Interstate 5 in Central Point when the driver fell asleep, killing one passenger and injuring two others just after 5:30 AM Monday. Oregon State Police say the van, pulling a trailer, was carrying members of a San Francisco-based death metal band to California when it crashed in the southbound lane between the Central Point and Blackwell Road exits.The Gauntlet is currently reporting that the "adult male victim" is Early Graves vocalist Makh Daniels. So sad to hear this news... our condolences go out to Daniels's family, the Early Graves guys, and The Funeral Pyre. Early Graves and The Funeral Pyre were last in NYC in mid-July at Union Pool (view video from that show courtesy Metal Injection), supporting EG's incredible new LP Goner.
OSP didn't release the names of the band and van occupants. But KTVL has confirmed the van was transporting the two bands Early Graves and The Funeral Pyre.
OSP says a 2003 Chevrolet extended van pulling a utility trailer was traveling southbound on Interstate 5 near milepost 34. The van contained nine adult males returning to California from Eugene where they played at a weekend outdoor concert.
The van's driver reportedly fell asleep and he lost control. The van and trailer traveled off the right shoulder, rolled and came to rest off the freeway in a grassy area. None of the nine occupants were using safety restraints and the adult male victim was ejected from a rear cargo area where he and two others were. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene by responding emergency medical services personnel.
The driver and one passenger were transported by ambulance to Rogue Valley Medical Center for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. -[KTVL]
Why Couldn’t Anyone Swim?
SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — Six teenagers who could not swim drowned in a northwest Louisiana river during a family outing, falling into deep water from the shallows where they were wading.
Officials planned to hold a news conference Tuesday to release more details about the deaths of the six, who drowned Monday in the Red River in a popular recreational area where sand bars gave way to 20-foot depths. A seventh teen, a 14-year-old, was rescued.
“They had one lifejacket here. As you can imagine, everybody started yelling for help. Nobody could swim,” said Caddo Parish sheriff’s spokeswoman Cindy Chadwick.
Shreveport Assistant Fire Chief Fred Sanders said he believed the victims, ages 13 to 18, included three brothers from one family and a sister and two brothers from another.
“They were out here with some adults. But unfortunately, neither the children nor the adults could swim,” he said.
Sanders said names may be released Tuesday, after the department is sure relatives have been notified.
The teens had started playing in a familiar area but ended up at a spot in the river where the bottom fell suddenly and that’s where divers found the bodies, Sanders said.
Marilyn Robinson, a friend of the families, told The Times of Shreveport she watched helplessly as the victims went under. She said a large group of family and friends, including roughly 20 children, were out at the sandbar to barbecue and have a good time. They frequent the area and were familiar with the water, Robinson said.
“None of us could swim,” she said. “They were yelling ‘help me, help me. Somebody please help me.’ It was nothing I could do but watch them drown one by one.”
Sanders said he did not know whether one teen fell and pulled down others, or if they were trying to rescue each other.
It took more than three hours to find all the bodies, he said.
“It’s devastating,” Sanders said. “To my knowledge the city has never experienced an incident of this magnitude.”
Rescue crews were delayed a bit because the accident was reported as near the Jimmie Davis Bridge but was nearly a mile away, Sanders said.
The families were in a recreational area of the Red River that has sand bars, Sanders said. The park is a popular picnic and fishing area and some people do go wading.
Military Homosexual Scandal Linked to WikiLeaks Treason
As reported by
UNCOVERAGE.net last week, the young Army private who took it upon
himself to undermine the U.S. military effort in Afghanistan by
downloading and “leaking” 92,000 documents to an anti-war website did so
because of his own personal agenda.Bradley Manning is a homosexual obsessed with the idea of getting the military “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy repealed. As you can see from Cliff Kincaid’s excellent summation from many sources, Manning was openly flaunting his homosexuality on websites,in emails and in protest activities. Has the government stopped enforcing its policy? If so, why? This is a perfect example of the wishy-washy reticence of appeasement policy and how much danger our good people are in because of the patty-cake treatment given to unstable homosexuals in military service. There is much more to this story. Manning will not be the only one. This case should serve as EXHIBIT “A” for why “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” cannot be repealed. To write this off as “one single case” with “one troubled person” is a mistake. Emotional stability and upholding an oath to the country must be verified and reviewed regularly.
This kid needs to be in prison or executed for treason. What he has done to put so many in harm’s way is unforgivable. The military’s recklessness in either not noticing or not taking action against this radical activist needs to be reviewed.
Brazil's president offers asylum to imprisoned Iranian woman
President Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva was quoted by Brazil's official state news agency EBC as saying "I want to make an appeal to my friend Ahmadinejad ... and to the government of Iran to allow Brazil to take in the woman."
Brazil recently participated in talks with Iran aimed at restarting negotiations about Iran's nuclear program.
In May, Brazil helped broker a deal with Iran that would provide Tehran with enriched uranium for medical research.
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was convicted of adultery in 2006 and was originally sentenced to death by stoning. Iranian authorities say the sentence has been put on hold, but there have been no reports as to whether a new sentence has been imposed.
Iran's judiciary could reinstate her sentence of death by stoning, execute her by another means, or possibly even grant her a reprieve, according to human rights groups.
Ashtiani's attorney, Mohammad Mostafaei, told CNN earlier this month that his client confessed to the crime after being subjected to 99 lashes. He said she later recanted the confession and denied any wrongdoing.
Mostafaei has gone into hiding since last weekend after being interrogated by Iranian authorities, human rights groups say. Advocates and Mostafaei say his wife and brother-in-law are being held by Iranian authorities.
A letter believed to be written by Mostafaei was posted on the Internet on Saturday, calling for the release of his relatives. The lawyer says he has cooperated with interrogators, and says his wife and brother-in-law are victims of of "hostage taking."
Mostafaei said he and his family are innocent of any wrongdoing.
The Guardian newspaper previously reported that Mostafaei's wife was arrested when they were unable to find him.
Royal Bank of Scotland and terror finance
From Britain's Financial Services
Authority - on a fine it has slapped on the Royal Bank of Scotland
Group.
RBSG could have facilitated transactions involving sanctions targets, including terrorist financing.
This sort of thing - entirely lax and negligent procedures for stopping dirty money - is core business for the City of London, day after day.
The Royal Bank of Scotland is, on some measures, the biggest bank in the world, it seems, with a balance sheet whose size exceeds $ 3 trillion - fifteen times the Gross Domestic Product of Scotland (OK, these numbers may be a tad out of date, but the orders of magnitude are right) and revenues of $113 billion last year. And the size of the fine for creating money laundering facilities?
£5.6m, or less than US$9 million. That is, 0.005 percent - about one thirteen-thousandth - of its revenues last year. They must be screaming. And now get this, again from the FSA:
"This is the biggest fine imposed by the FSA to date in pursuit of its financial crime objective."
The City of London, deliberately setting out to be the global epicentre of financial laxity, money laundering and crime. If you want more on this theme, you might look here. Oh, and the response from RBS is, predictably, the usual: "everything's OK now. Problem solved."
By www.taxjustice.net
RBSG could have facilitated transactions involving sanctions targets, including terrorist financing.
This sort of thing - entirely lax and negligent procedures for stopping dirty money - is core business for the City of London, day after day.
The Royal Bank of Scotland is, on some measures, the biggest bank in the world, it seems, with a balance sheet whose size exceeds $ 3 trillion - fifteen times the Gross Domestic Product of Scotland (OK, these numbers may be a tad out of date, but the orders of magnitude are right) and revenues of $113 billion last year. And the size of the fine for creating money laundering facilities?
£5.6m, or less than US$9 million. That is, 0.005 percent - about one thirteen-thousandth - of its revenues last year. They must be screaming. And now get this, again from the FSA:
"This is the biggest fine imposed by the FSA to date in pursuit of its financial crime objective."
The City of London, deliberately setting out to be the global epicentre of financial laxity, money laundering and crime. If you want more on this theme, you might look here. Oh, and the response from RBS is, predictably, the usual: "everything's OK now. Problem solved."
By www.taxjustice.net
Gross Hoax Wrongly Claims Bill Cosby Is Dead
Earlier this afternoon, the internet was abuzz for the second time this year over reports of Bill Cosby passing away. It all began on Twitter with the trending topic “Bill Cosby died” and “Is Bill Cosby dead?” It then transferred over to online forums and had everyone wondering if it was really true.
This past February, the same hoax was all over the net and Bill Cosby’s rep shot it down. Today, his rep did the same by saying: “Mr. Cosby is alive and well.”
Unlike Obama Administration, Virginia Will Enforce Immigration Laws
News also broke today that Cuccinelli issued an official advisory opinion on July 30 that was another shot across the bow of the Obama Administration in the ongoing fight over enforcement of federal immigration laws.
In response to an inquiry from a state representative, Cuccinelli advised all Virginia law enforcement officers that, just like Arizona police officers, they can “inquire into the immigration status of persons stopped or arrested.” Moreover, local officers can arrest any individual who has “violated a criminal law of the United States, including a criminal violation of the immigration laws.”
Unlike the specious “legal” opinion issued by Judge Susan Bolton in the Arizona immigration case, Cuccinelli’s opinion is fully in accord with federal immigration law and prior court decisions that have held that local police officers can inquire into the immigration status of individuals they lawfully detain or arrest. On the ability to arrest those who have criminally violated federal immigration laws, Cuccinelli very pointedly explains that “it would be most surprising if state and local officers lacked the authority…to arrest individuals suspected of committing federal crimes.” If they did, then local law enforcement would have “to stand idly by and allow” bank robbers, kidnappers, or terrorists who have violated federal law “to proceed with impunity.” Why should criminal violators of federal immigration laws be somehow different? That is, of course, a ridiculous claim, although it has not prevented pro-illegal aliens groups and their spokesmen from criticizing Cuccinelli’s opinion.
In the heart of the opinion, Cuccinelli makes it very clear that Virginia police “have the same authority to make the same inquiries as those contemplated by the new Arizona law. So long as the officers have the requisite level of suspicion to believe that a violation of the law has occurred, the officers may detain and briefly question a person they suspect has committed a federal crime.” The real problem, of course, will be if the federal government then refuses to pick up and deport illegal aliens who have been found by local police—an unfortunate problem that illustrates the importance of having someone in the White House who understands the President’s constitutional obligation to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.”
We should never forget that this issue has real consequences: two teenagers in Virginia Beach were killed in 2007 by a drunken illegal alien who rammed their car at a stoplight. He had been previously arrested and convicted for public drunkenness and DUI—if local police had checked his immigration status after those prior arrests and the federal government had picked him up and deported him back to Mexico, those two girls would likely be alive today.
Hopefully, not only will local police officers in Virginia use the authority that Attorney General Cuccinelli has given them, but other state attorneys general will follow his lead and issue similar opinions. The Justice Department and the Obama Administration need to be confronted by states contesting their ill-advised and dangerous policy of not fully enforcing our immigration laws.
BY Hans von Spakovsky
Newsweek Sells For $1
The Washington Post has
sold Newsweek to
electronics billionaire Sidney Harman for $1 in return for his pledge to
assume the struggling title's liabilities and retain most of its staff.
Newsweek has struggled through the recession more than most weekly news magazines, losing nearly $30 million last year alone. It was earning that much a year as recently as 2007. And the longer it remained on the market, the less tenable its financial situation became. It has been an expensive product for the Post Company to produce, with its various international editions and separate back-office positions that were specific to the magazine. Instead of sharing a general counsel and accounting staff with the Post Company, for example, Newsweek has its own employees in those positions. The magazine’s top editors and managers redesigned it last year in hopes of attracting more readers and advertisers. But the updated magazine, which contained more commentary and analysis on the news of the week, failed to catch on.Harman, who is 91, is married to Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA).
By JoeMyGod
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