April 22, 2005

Sharpton may lose Pepsico seat over con men flap

Pepsico is reviewing the service of Rev. Al Sharpton on a minority advisory board after hearing claims by two con men that Sharpton was going to get them big bucks from Pepsico.

The two men, fast-food giant La-Van Hawkins and Philadelphia power broker Ronald White, raised plenty of money for Sharpton's presidential bid in 2004, and were overheard on a wiretap.

"Let's say they [Pepsi] probably have some minority mandates . . . We could take insurance, we could take printing, we could take their pension fund . . . If you just broke off, like, you know, 10 percent of that s- - -, man, like, you talking billions of dollars," White tells Hawkins on a March 31, 2003, tape.

A little over a week later, on April 8, Hawkins says that Sharpton has claimed he's already greased the skids to get the Pepsi president, identified on the tapes as "Donna," to invite them to breakfast.

"I said to him, 'Rev., Tuesday and Wednesday.' He came back and said Donna said let's have breakfast Monday morning . . . He's hooking that s- - - up for the president, Donna, on Wednesday," Hawkins says.

No one is sure as to who "Donna" is; the only female president within Pepsico is North American head Dawn Hudson.

The wiretaps were released as part of a corruption trial of Hawkins and others. White died last fall.

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April 21, 2005

Sgt. Akbar found guilty; could face death penalty

A military jury at Ft. Bragg, NC, has convicted 34 year-old US Army Sgt. Hasan Akbar of premeditated murder in a grenade and rifle attack on his fellow soldiers two years ago in Kuwait.

Akbar tossed a grenade into a tent where GIs were sleeping and opened fire on the tent, killing Army Capt. Christopher Seifert and Air Force Maj. Gregory Stone.

Prosecutors say Hasan Akbar, 33, told investigators he launched the attack because he was concerned U.S. troops would kill fellow Muslims in Iraq. They said he coolly carried out the attack to achieve "maximum carnage" on his comrades in the 101st Airborne Division.

The verdict came after 2 1/2 hours of deliberations following seven days of testimony in a court-martial -- the first time since the Vietnam era that an American has been prosecuted on charges of murdering a fellow soldier during wartime.

Defense attorneys acknowledged that Akbar carried out the attack, but argued he was too mentally ill to have premeditated it and was fueled by emotion.

"Sgt. Akbar executed that attack with a cool mind," prosecutor Capt. Robert McGovern said during closing arguments, cocking Akbar's unloaded M-4 rifle and pulling the trigger twice for emphasis. "He sought maximum carnage."

The prosecutor said Akbar planned carefully and stole grenades that would achieve maximum destruction in the brigade command section of Camp Pennsylvania in Kuwait.

Defense attorney Maj. Dan Brookhart countered that Akbar was concerned the invasion of Iraq would result in the deaths of Muslims and that U.S. soldiers would rape Iraqi women.

The 15 member jury will now consider the death penalty for Akbar. They will reconvene Monday to make that consideration.
(More coverage from The Jawa Report, Michelle Malkin & others)

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San Antonio mayoral candidate has twin brother stand in at parade

Julian Castro is running for mayor in San Antonio and is rather busy right in through here. Though his schedule is tightly packed, he still cannot be in two places at the same time.

Enter his brother, Joaquin.

Joaquin Castro took his place at a local parade, waving to the crowds.

As you can imagine, some folks don't like it.

Retired state appeals court judge Phil Hardberger, one of Castro's opponents, said he believes the parade appearance was dishonest and deceptive.

"If you're 18 years old and having a date, it might be a youthful prank when you swap out your brother. But when you're running for mayor of a city with 1.3 million people and sending in your brother as an impersonator ... I do see a problem with it," Hardberger said.

Castro doesn't feel that there was a problem.
Castro told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he had a conflicting event and didn't intend to deceive anyone.

"We can't help that we look like each other," said Castro, a City Council member and leading contender in next month's election.

San Antonio-based host Adam McManus will be discussing it and taking calls on his KSLR radio show at 5P ET/4P CT (AM 630 & streamed at KSLR.com).
(Linking to OTB's Beltway Traffic Jam)

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Project 21 lauds Senate Judiciary movement on Janice Rogers Brown

Project 21 has issued a new release commending the Senate Judiciary Committee on their move to pass along the nomination of Janice Rogers Brown to the full Senate for what I hope will be an up or down vote.

Janice Rogers Brown, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, was approved in the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 21 by a 10-8 party-line vote. Senate liberals, however, imply resumed filibusters will keep her and other nominees from receiving a vote in the full Senate. Members of the black leadership network Project 21 demand a halt to such delaying tactics.

“The Senate has a constitutional duty to move forward with fair consideration of judicial appointees,” said Project 21 member Darryn “Dutch” Martin. “If they resume the stalling that keeps long-standing judicial vacancies open, they don’t deserve to be considered public servants.”

A single mother and the daughter of an Alabama sharecropper, Associate Justice Brown has spent 25 years in public service. She has served on the California Supreme Court since 1996, and prior to that served on the benches of other state courts. A quarter of the court to which Brown is currently nominated is vacant.

In 2003, a bipartisan group of law professors praised Brown’s “commitment to individual freedom, even when rights are asserted by unpopular litigants.” Similarly, her fellow judges describe her as "a superb judge" who is "extremely intelligent, keenly analytical and very hard-working" and a judge "who applies the law without favor, without bias and with an even hand."

Senate liberals began a filibuster of Brown's nomination in November of 2003. While only a simple majority is needed for actual confirmation, a filibuster requires 60 votes to bring the nomination to the floor for a vote.

Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) implied filibusters will resume against Brown and others when he told the Associated Press nominees such as her “deserved to be rejected before… they deserve to be rejected again.” Despite the senator’s statement, Brown and other nominees were never rejected because a vote on their nominations never took place due to filibusters.

“Janice Rogers Brown is the most prolific thinker since Clarence Thomas,” says Project 21 member Lisa Fritsch. “Her broad profundity on the importance of individual rights of citizens and what must be the limited exercise of government are the very essence of our nation’s founding.”

Though I didn't get quoted this time out, I'm still happy to stand with my fellow Project 21 members in support of Justice Brown.

Though Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) and other Republicans may be reluctant to move forward, this move by the Judiciary possibly sets up a showdown on the abuse of the Senate's filibuster power by Democrats in the larger body.

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ACLU demands arrest of Hannity

Radio and television talk show host Sean Hannity visited the Minuteman Project along the Arizona-Sonora (Mexico) border to interview the volunteers there. Opponents to the securing of the Mexican border ambushed Hannity to raise a ruckus over the efforts there.

Brian Maloney at The Radio Equalizer is all over this.

Arizona State Rep. Kyrsten Sinema has charged the U.S. Border Patrol with having a double standard when it comes to prosecuting individuals who cross the U.S. border with Mexico illegally. During a visit this week to the Mexico-U.S. border, the ABC Radio Networks syndicated talker and Fox News personality stepped over a fence into Mexico and moments later stepped back over into the U.S. Sinema charges that action means Hannity broke U.S. law by “reentering the U.S. illegally” and that although the Border Patrol saw Hannity’s action agents took no steps against him or made any attempt to arrest him. Hannity was in Arizona this week to highlight the crisis of illegal immigration between the U.S. and Mexico.

Dennis Durband of The Arizona Conservative has an excellent account of Sinema's background of radicalism here:

For starters, Sinema supports the creation of day laborer centers in Arizona, requiring taxpayers to educate and train illegal aliens. She is endorsing law breaking and requiring taxpayers to subsidize it.

Sinema also recommends giving driver’s licenses to “undocumented residents.” Drivers licenses for illegals increase the risk of home invasions and terrorism by allowing illegal aliens to blend into American society and qualify for services that their own respective governments should provide. Illegals are costing Arizona taxpayers $1.3 billion a year.

An adjunct professor in social work at Arizona State University, Sinema opposes the Protect Arizona Now proposition and claims it is unconstitutional and there is no evidence of voter fraud in Arizona.

Sinema is also connected with the ACLU, and is using their auspices to demand his arrest.

Or, as Larry Shannon over at RadioDailyNews.com suggests, is this merely a stunt by Hannity for ratings?

(More coverage from Michelle Malkin & others)

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Father Roderick, podcasting from the Vatican

Father Roderick Vonhögen from the Utrecht Archdiocese in The Netherlands is the globetrotting blogger behind the podcasts of CatholicInsider.com.

And while I haven't started podcasting myself yet (though I'm diligently studying the necessary software and requirements to do so), Father Roderick was on hand in St. Peter's Square Tuesday evening as Pope Benedict was introduced to the world.

Catholic Insider's 4/19 edition takes you there, live. (MP3)

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Columnist whines because Arinze not elected "black pope"

 
Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell has penned a whining column that is more worthy of a two year-old than someone you would expect to read in a major newspaper.
One of my girlfriends is a Nigerian-born immigrant and a devout Roman Catholic. I noticed she didn't say a word during the days leading up to the conclave. She seemed to have been resigned to the idea that the world isn't ready for a black pope.

...it's pretty clear, at least to this Baptist, that the Holy Spirit didn't get the final word.

All this whining is due to the fact that the Vatican Conclave, convened to elect a new Pope to replace the late Pope John Paul II, elected German Joseph Ratzinger to the throne of St. Peter, not Nigerian-born Cardinal Francis Arinze.

Mitchell -- an admitted Baptist, not a Catholic -- seems to be of the opinion that she knows better than the more than 100 Cardinals who were sequestered in the Sistine Chapel for four separate votes for the new Pontiff. Mitchell points to an Agence France-Presse article among other places to support her not-so-veiled cry of racism.

Among those speculating on who would be the next pope was a 10-year-old girl named Francesca Colonna, attending mass with her mother and father.

"At school, they said that if a black pope is elected, the sun will crash on Earth, and it will be the end of the world," the girl told the reporter.

And a German priest noted that it "would be hard for Europeans to accept a non-European pope."

Even Arinze had said in interviews that the world "wasn't ready for a black pope."

Mitchell then points to the suggestions for another non-Catholic, South African Anglican Bishop Desmond Tutu, and his call for Arinze's election.

Notice that we aren't hearing these cries from the Hispanic community. The Catholic Church is growing by leaps and bounds in Latin America, and there were several papal candidates from South of the Border. We only hear the whining from people like Mitchell.

I guess in her eyes, the Catholic Church doesn't know what it needs for itself, or what it's own members want. After all, it's more politically correct to do what she says, right?

For the record, I was rooting for Cardinal Arinze - I felt that he was the most qualified person for the job, with then-Cardinal Ratzinger - now Pope Benedict XVI - a close second. I'm simply glad that the Conclave was able to come to a concensus quickly, for who they felt was the best person for the job. I wish Pope Benedict well, and hope that he can both bring glory and honor to God, along with serving his flock in his larger role as shepherd of a significant part of God's flock.

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April 20, 2005

Department of Redundancy Department: King Co., WA renamed King Co., WA

King County, WA, home to the city of Seattle, has been renamed King County, WA, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by moonbat Governor Christine Gregoire.

The county had been originally named after former US Vice President William Rufus Devane King, but the county council, and the moonbat masquerading as governor felt that it needed to be put into "official" effect.

Governor Christine Gregoire signed a bill Tuesday renaming King County in honor of the civil rights leader who visited Seattle in 1961.

Council members renamed the county after King in 1986, but a similar change was not made in state law at the time.

King County was established in 1852 when Washington was still part of the Oregon Territory.

The county was named after William Rufus Devane King, who was a long-tenured senator from Alabama and vice president of the United States under Franklin Pierce.

I certainly understand honoring Dr. King, as has been done with streets, government buildings and other such edifaces around the nation. But the notion of renaming King County to King County in Dr. King's name is just plain stupid.

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Ohio Congresscritter accepted trip money from lobbyist

US Congresscritter Stephanie Tubbs Jones (Moonbat-OH) is in hot water over taking a 2001 trip paid for by a lobbyist -- or is she?

Stephanie Tubbs Jones, an Ohio Democrat who sits on the House ethics committee, took a 2001 trip to Puerto Rico that was paid for by a registered lobbyist firm — an apparent violation of the chamber's ethics rules — according to documents that she filed with the House clerk.

A spokeswoman for Mrs. Jones disputed those records yesterday, saying "human error" led a staffer to list the name of D.C. lobbyist firm Smith, Dawson & Andrews as having paid the $3,366 tab for Mrs. Jones and her husband to travel to the Puerto Rican island of Vieques in the Caribbean.

The irregularities with the trip are not unlike those facing House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who is the butt of many calls for investigation and other punitive measures in recent weeks. There have even been calls in the press for him to resign.

Time will tell if those same voices will be raised in concern regaring Jones' miscues, let alone any calls for her resignation.

I'm not holding my breath though. After all, she's "only" a Democrat, and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus on top of that. It's politically incorrect to challenge her, and will be seen as (c'mon, let's say it together) "racially motivated partisan poiltics."

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April 19, 2005

P21: Black Activists Criticize NAACP for Filibuster Flip-Flop

A new release from Project 21 criticizes the NAACP for their apparently partisan position on the "nuclear option" in the US Senate.

Members of the black leadership organization Project 21 are criticizing the NAACP for endorsing filibusters against Bush Administration judicial nominees, calling the NAACP endorsement contradictory to the group's past position, when filibusters halted the progress of civil rights bills.

"For decades, the NAACP was vehemently against filibusters because they were employed to oppose and counter civil rights legislation. But the NAACP has now switched position," notes Project 21 member Michael King. "NAACP head Julian Bond has aggressively made verbal attacks on the Bush Administration. Though Bond and the NAACP leadership vociferously deny charges of partisanship, Bond's actions and the silence of the membership implies that partisanship is the order of the day. By virtue of its actions, the NAACP has forfeited any opportunity to provide a reasonable voice to this discussion."

Current filibuster rules require the votes of 60 or more senators to bring something up for consideration on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Then only a simple majority is needed for passage or confirmation. During President Bush's first term, Senate liberals employed prolonged filibusters against appeals court nominees for the first time ever. Senate leaders are assessing a rule change - dubbed the "nuclear option" by its opponents - to reduce the number of votes needed to schedule a floor vote as a filibuster progresses.

In a March 16 "Action Alert," NAACP Washington Bureau director Hilary O. Shelton called the filibuster "a respected method of ensuring that the most ardent concerns of the minority party... were taken into consideration" and an "accepted parliamentary maneuver." The alert suggests people contact senators to support retaining the existing Senate rules.

Between the 1930s and 1960s, the NAACP was outspoken against filibusters. For example, anti-lynching legislation was never enacted despite three popular bills because of filibusters. The NAACP's fair employment proposal suffered a similar fate. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was unsuccessfully filibustered.

"While the NAACP has filled its coffers and built a reputation fighting the presentation of the Confederate Battle Flag, they are now celebrating a tactic used by former Confederates and segregationists to impede the fight for civil rights," said Project 21 member Kevin Martin. "The black community should be alarmed that the NAACP now supports the same filibuster that kept lynchings legal."
I really wish the NAACP would come on out of the closet and finally admit that their agenda is a partisan one. But then again, to do that, they'd have to give up their tax exempt status.
(Mroe coverage from LaShawn Barber & others)

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Habemus Papam! Pope Benedict XVI

Bells are ringing in St. Peter's Square, along with white smoke coming from the Sistine Chapel's chimney, signaling the election of a new pope.

We'll get our first glimpse shortly.

UPDATE - 12:45P ET - 78 year old Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany has been elected Pope by the College of Cardinals. He has taken the name of Pope Benedict XVI.

The new Pope, previously the Dean of the College of Cardinals, is considered a conservative traditionalist, and is expected to continue the work of his friend, Pope John Paul II. This is the second straight non-Italian Pope after the Polish John Paul II.

At 78, most anticipate that Pope Benedict XVI's reigh will be notably shorter than Pope John Paul II's, but many pundits point out the apparent good health of the new Pope.

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My UJ Name is The Hand Grenade of Courteous Debate; what's yours?

As seems the norm, I'm late to the party on this one.

Jon Carroll's piece in the San Francisco Chronicle follows up on an e-mail making it's way across the web (at least if your SpamBlocker hasn't blocked it).

Greetings to the Imprisoned Citizens of the United States! Too long has your attention been waylaid by the bright baubles of extremist thought. Too long have fundamentalist yahoos of all religions (except Buddhism -- 14-5 vote, no abstentions, fundamentalism subcommittee) made your head hurt. Too long have you been buffeted by angry people who think that God talks to them. You have a right to your moderation! You have the power to be calm! We will use the IED of truth to explode the SUV of dogmatic expression!
So, much as the Islamic badguys want to do, these folks (with tongue firmly planted in cheek, of course) want to convert all of us. One of their first tasks is to change our Christian names.

Thanks to the wonder of the internet, you can find our your Unitarian Jihad Name.

I ran it, and have been dubbed The Hand Grenade of Courteous Debate.

Works for me. Head on over and get yours, and let me know here what you have been dubbed.

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April 18, 2005

Monday Night Football moving to ESPN in 2006; NBC gets Sunday Night Football

Monday Night Football, the second-longest running prime-time series in television history, moves from ABC to ESPN as of the start of the 2006 season. Only CBS' 60 Minutes has been on the air longer, by two years.

ESPN's Sunday Night Football franchise that they inherited from TNT in the late 90s will move to broadcast television on NBC. NBC has not broadcast the NFL since CBS took the AFC package from them in 1998.

ABC, where MNF originated is co-owned by ESPN parent Disney. ABC will be left without pro football for the first time since the opening 1970 MNF broadcast of the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns.

As part of the deal, NBC will carry the 2009 and 2012 Super Bowl broadcasts. NBC is paying $600 million for the deal.

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Tribal Council begins in the Vatican

115 cardinals are entering the Sistine Chapel this morning to begin the Conclave that will select the new Pope.

The cardinals are sequestered inside the Chapel complex, completely cut off from the outside world in order to participate in a centuries-old process that will see three or four votes per day until a new Pope is selected. The complex has had all radios and televisions, all cell phones and Blackberries, all internet access and any other access to the outside world removed.

Representing 52 countries, the 115 crimson-robed "princes" of a church stung by priest sex-abuse scandals and an exodus of the faithful celebrated a midmorning Mass at St. Peter's Basilica before sequestering themselves in the Sistine Chapel late Monday afternoon.

There, seated atop a false floor hiding electronic jamming devices designed to thwart eavesdroppers, they were to take an oath of secrecy, hear a meditation from a senior cardinal and decide whether to take a first vote or wait until Tuesday.

If there is a vote this afternoon, smoke will rise from the chimney at the Sistine Chapel sometime during the 1PM (ET) hour.

Black smoke would signify that no concensus vote had been reached, while white smoke, coupled with the ringing of bells in the Vatican would signify that a new pontiff has been chosen.

Several names have been posited by network news people as the supposed "front-runner," but many point out the old Vatican adage, "He who enters a pontiff, exits a cardinal." That implies that no "front-runner" has ever won the two-thirds vote necessary to become pope.

The networks all have their reporters ensconced in strategic locations around St. Peter's Square, and will (of course) go to wall-to-wall "Pope-o-vision" when events warrant.

UPDATE - 5P ET - Black smoke spewed out of the Sistine Chapel's chimney shortly after 2P ET, signalling a "No" vote among the cardinals sequestered for the Conclave.

Tribal Council continues tomorrow, with the next "chimney sign" taking place sometime after 6A ET.

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April 17, 2005

ABC -- bringing you the news shaken, not stirred

According to The Drudge Report this evening, ABC News is testing several concepts to replace Nightline once Ted Koppel steps down in December. One of the concepts was -- believe it or not -- a nightclub, complete with white linen table cloths, candles and a fog machine.

According to Drudge, more info will be revealed in Monday morning's New York Times.

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April 15, 2005

Recall of Fulco Sheriff Myron Freeman gaining ground

A new website has popped up, RecallFreeman.com, that demands the recall of Fulton County Sheriff Myron Freeman. Freeman's handling of the Fulton County Courthouse shootings last month are at the center of the recall effort.

'Grounds for recall' means:


(A) That the official has, while holding public office, conducted himself or herself in a manner which relates to and adversely affects the administration of his or her office and adversely affects the rights and interests of the public; and


(B) That the official is guilty of a failure to perform duties prescribed by law...

Many fault Freeman for not addressing security issues in the Fulton County Courthouse complex.

Brian Nichols is accused of begining his murderous rampage last month at the Fulton County Courthouse, thanks to the lax security there. Four people died during the Nichols crime spree.

The other thing that I've said is that Freeman needs to be kept as far as is humanly possible away from any and all microphones. His verbal presence is lacking, and that's putting it mildly.

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FL state Senator's hand slapped for begging to pay for S. Africa trip

Florida state Senator Mandy Dawson (Moonbat-Ft. Lauderdale) was formally reprimanded by the state Senate yesterday after soliciting funds from lobbyists to pay for a trip to South Africa. Dawson also was stripped of her membership of the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee.

The reprimand is one in a long string of troubles for the veteran politician, who was first elected to the Florida House in 1992 and then to the Senate in 1998. She was chastised in 2000 for missing an excessive number of votes and in 2002 was arrested on a charge of altering a painkiller prescription to receive more pills. She avoided a felony charge after completing a yearlong, court-sponsored drug-rehabilitation program.

Thursday's proceeding took about five minutes, with Dawson looking down while the charges against her were read. She then got up and gave a rambling speech, where she talked about a dog she once adopted and how she ran for office to help babies born to cocaine-addicted moms and to deal with AIDS.

One aspect lacking in her remarks: a clear statement of contrition.

Instead, Dawson qualified her one mea culpa with an ``if.''

''I hope you will accept my humble and sincere apology if my actions have in any way compromised the integrity of this body,'' Dawson said. ''Please know I hold sacred and respect the integrity of the Senate and its rules.'' Referencing the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, Dawson pledged ''reconciliation'' with the Senate and the citizens of Florida. But she suggested that she won't suffer any further political trouble.

''I truly believe in my heart of hearts that although my path into this body is different, my constituents see my values and continue to support me. And for that I am eternally grateful,'' she said, closing with a Zulu phrase that she said translated as ''great happy day'' and ``go in happiness.''

An investigation by the Miami Herald a month ago revealed that Dawson had sent a letter to a number of lobbyists asking for $2500 to fund an economic development trip to South Africa. In the letter, according to the Herald, Dawson asked that the monies be sent to the Florida's Legislative Black Caucus. Two people sent donations.

The Legislative Black Caucus paid for Dawson and a male companion to go on the ten-day trip. Seven other Florida state legislators also went on the trip, but those officials paid for their trips either from unused campaign dollars or out of their own pockets.

A subsequent Senate investigation found that Dawson violated state law by accepting a gift in excess of $100, and by soliciting monies from lobbyists. She also violated Senate rules by failure to "maintain the integrity of the office."

Anyone want to take bets on how long before she (or someone close to her) starts screaming "racism?"

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April 13, 2005

CafePress selling "Kill Bush" t-shirts

  
CafePress.com is the leading site on the web that sells shirts and other novelties for users, with their own designs on them.

One user, in his/her infinte wisdom, carries the username "Kill_Bush" (not to be confused with "KillBush420", but we'll discuss that in a bit).

Said user took the blood-spattered poster image from Kill Bill and came up with a shirt that said -- you guessed it, "Kill Bush."

CafePress has yanked the product from their site, but the shirt's order page still exists through the marvel of Google's cache.

And though the one user is gone, there is another one, using the CafePress username KillBush420, that has merchandise that is equally inciteful.

Also (and while we're on the subject)The Secret Service is investigating an artist, whose work is part of an exhibit called "Axis of Evil: The Secret History of Sin" at Chicago's Columbia College.

The work, by Chicago artist Al Brandtner, is entitled "Patriot Act," and depicts President Bush's head with a pistol pointed toward it in the form of a postage stamp.

Curators of the exhibit are afraid of the inquiry and what it means to free speech rights.

The exhibit's curator, Michael Hernandez de Luna, said the inquiry "frightens" him.

"It starts questioning all rights, not only my rights or the artists' rights in this room, but questioning the rights of any artist who creates — any writer, any visual artist, any performance artist. It seems like we're being watched," he said.

Threatening a sitting President is considered a crime and is punishible by jail time.

Oh, and for the sake of complete disclosure, I sell my own t-shirts and mugs 'n stuff from CafePress, which you can find here or on the left rail.

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Rudolph pleads guilty and remains arrogantly defiant

Eric Robert Rudolph stood defiantly in a Birmingham courtroom this morning, and pleaded guilty to bombing an abortion clinic there in 1998. Rudolph insisted that the government's case was flimsy at best when questioned by federal Judge Lynwood Smith.

Asked by the judge whether he believed the government had enough evidence to prove his guilt, Rudolph replied, “Just barely, your honor.”

After prosecutors read a summary of the evidence in U.S. District Court, Smith told Rudolph that he understood he might dispute some of the prosecutionÂ’s claims.

“But let me just cut to the chase: Did you plant the bomb that exploded at the New Woman All Women clinic?”

“I did, your honor,” Rudolph said.

The bomb was placed in a flower pot and authorities believe it was detonated by remote control.

Smith asked Rudolph whether he detonated the bomb.

“I certainly did, your honor.”

“Are you in fact guilty?” Smith asked.

“I am,” replied Rudolph, 38.

Asked whether he understood that he was pleading guilty to the 1998 bombing in exchange for a life sentence in federal prison, Rudolph nodded and replied: “Correct.”

“Are you satisfied with your attorneys?” Smith asked.

“Yes. I am your honor. They’re very, very good. Superlative attorneys,” said Rudolph, who eluded authorities for 5 1/2 years after the Birmingham blast by hiding in the mountains of western North Carolina.

The 50-minute proceeding ended with Smith pronouncing, “The defendant is now adjudged guilty.”

By admitting guilt, Rudolph now faces life in prison, and avoids the death penalty. The next step is a repeat performance in federal court in Atlanta, where Rudolph pulled off three bombings, including the Centennial Olympic Park bombing during the 1996 Summer Olympics here.

Rudolph's plea deal comes in exchange for his disclosure of where more than 250 pounds of explosives were hidden in the mountains of North Carolina - where he hid from federal authorities for more than five years before his capture.

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SFGate caption on Bush an attack?

Is this SFGate.com photo caption over the line?

That corral's where we keep the liberals: President Bush shows off his Crawford, Texas, ranch to the Israeli prime minister -- coincidentally on the same day that the media report the president's iPod playlist includes "My Sharona."
Personally, I don't quite think so, but I'm sure there are some folks who might get a little upset at it.

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