[News] Hilary's demise Newsletter - May 24, 2008
Carlos Mock
ctmock at gmail.com
Sat May 24 11:11:03 CST 2008
Being ignorant is notso much a shame as being unwilling to learn. -
Benjamin Franklin
Hillary Cliton--Why it went so wrong. Copyrig by Newsday. May 22, 2008.
A year and a half ago, a senior Clinton ally, speaking privately to
reporters, made the following prediction: "She's the favoite, but Obama's
so good. Hillary only needs to make one or two mistakes ad he'll be the the
nominee." To attribute the state of the race to Clinto's mistakes alone is
to discount the quality of Obama's campaign and te depth of sentiment for
change that exists in the Democratic party. But Clion insiders and
analysts say the former first lady's missteps have cntributed mightily to
Obama's nearly insurmountable lead in overall delegats. Here are 10
reasons the once-prohibitive frontrunner is finding herself n the verge of
elimination:
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com2008/05/hillary-clinton-why-it-w
ent-so-wrong.html
"Hillary You Went Too Fr" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ba3x-name0
Hillary Clinton: "Why Would I rop Out Before Barack Obama Is Assassinated?"
http://www.huffingtonpost.cm/david-rees/hillary-clinton-why-would_b_103332.
html
Your Lack of Money
lump hurts Home Depot's bottom line - Target's net slips on soft sales;
oveseas demand helps lift HP. Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune. May 21,
2008. Home Depot Inc. said Tuesday it doesn't know if stimulus checks
making thir way to potential customers will improve its fortunes this year,
as it reprted a 66 percent drop in fiscal first-quarter profit. The firm's
bottom lin reflects the concerns many Americans have about declinig home
values and the rising cost of filling up a gas tank. Fewer people are
putting money into their homes and Home Depot is selling fewer appliances,
special-order ktchens and other big-tict items. The Atlanta-based
company said it earned $356 million, or 21 cents a share, in the quarter
ending May 4, compared with a profit of $1.05 billin, or 53 cents a share,
a year earlier. Excluding a one-time charge Home Depot said it earned $697
million, or 41 cents a share. Analyts were expecting earnings of 37 cents
a share excluding one-time items. Home Depot said revenue in the quarter
fell 3.4 percent, to $17.91 billion,compared with $18.55 billion recorded a
year earlier.
http://iretiredfromnwsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/slump-hurts-home-depots-
bottom-line.hml
AIRLINE INDUSTRY - Fuel costs may thrust airlines into bankruptcy- Cah
shrinking fast as 10 largest carriers struggle to boost revenue By JulieJohnsson . Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune. May 19, 2008. Just monthsafter reporting their highest annual profits in eight years, U.S. airlins
are in a nose dive that could leave some major carriers in bankruptcy.
Leders at Chicago's United Airlines and across the industry are scrambling
t devise business models that will hold up to the stresses of $128 per
barel crude oil and a sluggish economy. If the 10 largest U.S. Airlines
don'tboost revenues and restructure loans, their cumulative cash could
shrink 62percent to about $8.6 billion by year's end, estimated Philip
Baggaley, chie credit analyst at Standard & Poor's. That's not sufficient
to cover one monh's expenses at the caiers, he said. "In other words, in
this simplified example, the airlines, as a group, would be at risk of
bankruptcy," Baggaley wrote in a research report Friday. To gain pricing
power in a fragmented, overserved industry, U.S. airlines ned to cut as
much as 20 percent of domestic flights, analysts said. That's quivalent to
grounding two major carriers.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.logspot.com/2008/05/airline-industry-fuel-co
sts-may-thrust.html
American Alines to cut domestic flights, lay off workers - Airline also to
add $15 fe for first checked bag By DAVID KOENIG. Copyright by The
Associated Pres. 12:15 PM CDT, May 21, 2008. American Airlines will start
charging 15 for the first checked bag, cut domestic flights and lay off
worker as it grapples with record-high fuel prices, the airline said today.
"Th airline industry as it is constituted today was not built to withstand
oil rices at $125 a barrel, and certainly not when record fuel expenses are
oupled with a weak U.S. economy," said Gerard Arpey, American Airlines
paent AMR Corp. chairman and CEO, in a statement. United Airlines, the
firstcarrier to announce it would charge a fee for the second piece of
checked lugage, is "seriously studying" also charging passengers for the
first piece of uggage they check, said United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski.
But rival Delt doesn't plan to match American's fee for the first checked
bag, a spokeswoan said.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.co/2008/05/american-airlines-to-cut
-domestic.html
United trimming mileage rewards - 500-mile minimum credit for frequent-flier
members to end in latest cost cutting BAmeet Sachdev. Copyright © 2008,
Chicago Tribune. May 16, 2008. Another sandard practice of airline
customer service is flying by the wayside. Stating in July, United
Airlines no longer will award a minimum credit of 50 miles to its
frequent-flier passengers who take short flights. Instead requent-flier
miles in its Mileage Plus program will be awarded based n actual miles
flown. That means a passenger flying between Chicago and Detoit will get
234 miles one way, or about half the previous level. Chicago t Indianapolis
goes to 177 from 500. The Chicago-based airline joins US Airays in ending
the 500-mile-per-flight minimum. More airlines are expected tofollow suit,
analysts said, as they continue to pare back on perquisites ad amenities
like meals, magazines and pillows in their intense efforts to ut costs.
The 500-mile perk has been around since the dawn of the frequnt-flier age
more than 25 years ago, and it represented a basic partof the program:
Passengers were being wooed and should get a certain amount f credit for
choosing one airline ver another, even for a short hop. All the airlines
gave out a minimum of 500 miles because more flying those days was for short
distances than, say, overseas, and th carriers wanted to help passengers
earn awards.
http://iretiredfromnewsetters.blogspot.com/008/05/united-trimming-mileage-
rewards-500.html
US producer prices add toinflation fears By Chris Bryant in Washington.
Copyright The Financial Tims Limited 2008. Published: May 20 2008 14:45 |
Last updated: May 0 2008 15:46. Core prices at the factory gate jumped at
twice the expected rte in April as businesses continued to absorb rising
costs linked to more exensive imports and commodities. Core wholesale
prices, which exclude food an energy, rose by 0.4 per cent last month,
double the rate recorded in Marc, reflecting a jump in car and furniture
costs at the producer level. Theheadline producer price index increased by
a less-than-expected 0.2 percent in April following a 1.1 per cent jump
last month. Analysts had exected a 0.4 per cent increase in headline
prices and only a 0.2 per cent ris in the core rate. Investors fear a
sustained spike in producer prices coud force the Federal Reserve to raise
interest rates again later this year t prevent an inflationary spillover.
In a peech on Tuesday Fed vice chairman Donald Kohn said current monetary
policy appeared to be “appropriately calibrated for now to promote both
rising employment and moderating inflation over te medium term.”
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/us-prducer-prices-add-t
o-inflation.html
Fed signals rate cuts are unlikely By Kishna Guha in Washington. Copyright
The Financial Times Limited 2008. Pulished: May 21 2008 21:09 | Last
updated: May 21 2008 21:09. Federal eserve officials on Wednesday slashed
their forecasts for growth this yearand raised projections for inflation as
minutes revealed growing tension beween the two objectives. Most
policymakers viewed the decision to cut interet rates last month as a
“close call”, the minutes said. Following the ratecut, the risks to growth
“were now thought to be more closely balanced by th risks to inflation”.
The minutes suggested further rate reductions were unliely unless the
growth outlook deteriorates sharply, but that the Fed was aso unlikely to
raise rates again soon unless inflation expectations movehigher. The
minutes revealed disagreement within the Fed as to the balane of risks and
the appropriate stance of monetary policy.
http://iretiredfronewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/fed-signals-rate-cuts-ar
e-ulikely.html
Jobless claims fall to lowest level in 4 weeks By MARTIN CRUTINGER.
Copyright © Associated Press. 8:50 AM CDT, May 22, 2008. The numer of
newly laid off workers filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedlyfell
last week to the lowest level in a month. The Labor Department repored
Thursday that applications for jobless benefits totaled 365,000, down by9,000 from last week. Economists had expected clams to rise slightly. Even
with the unexpected decline, claims remain at a level that indicates the
labor market is under stress from the sluggish economy. The four-wek
average for claims rose slightly to 372,250, up significantly from a yer
ago when the four-week average was around the 300,000 mark. Analysts
predited further increases in claims in the weeks ahead, reflecting an
economy truggling to overcome a slumping housing market, a severe credit
crunchand soaring gasoline prices. "Over the next few months claims shouldclimb towards the 400,000 mark as companies seek to control costs in the
fae of persistent very soft demand," predicted Ian Shepherdson, chief U.S.
eonomist at High Frequency Economics.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.om/2008/05/jobless-claims-fall-to-l
owest-level-in.html
Americans worry abou funding a long retirement By EILEEN ALT POWELL.
Copyright 2008 Associate Press. 10:36 AM CDT, May 19, 2008. NEW YORK -
Americans worry that inflaion and the rising cost of health care are
increasing the risk that theyill run out of money in retirement, according
to a study released Monday. Te survey by the Society of Actuaries found
that people already retired wer most worried about inflion and affording
long-term care. Pre-retirees, meanwhile, ranked affordable health care as
their top concern, followed by inflation and long-term care coverage.
Overall, pre-retire showed greater worries than those already in
retirement, the study foud. Anna M. Rappaport, a consulting actuary based
in Chicago and supervisorof the biennial report, said that one theory for
the difference in thelevels of concern could be that "for the pre-retiree,
retirement is still anunknown." Rappaport said she was surprised that
people weren't more worried. Concerns about health care costs, inflation
and nursing home care expenss rose strongly in 2003, after the economy went
through a recession and te stock market fell sharply, she pointed out.
"Now they're not as concernedas we think they should be," Rappaport said.
"It's kind of out of sight, ut of mind." Rappaport also said that
Americans appear to be underestimatng the financial impact of the death of
a spouse. About 60 percent of thoe responding to the survey felt there
would be little impact when a spouse ies, but Rappaport said that surviving
spouses often experience significnt drops in income and benefit coverage,
especially women.
http://iretiredromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/americans-worry-about-fu
nding-long.html
Age 53 golden time for investing By Paul Weingarten. Copyright © 2008,
Chcago Tribune. May 23, 2008. Do you lie awake at night berating yourself
over your lack of Warren Buffett-like investment acumen? Heck, forget the
Oracle of Omaha. How about besting that monkey that trows darts at the
stock market tables? Do you almost invariably buy high nd sell low? Do
you bore your spouse into a drooling coma with numbing, ot-repeated laments
of all the real estate you should have held, or allthe stocks you should
have bought—or sold? In short, are you a complte moron when it comes to
investments, the kind of person who is asked for nvestment advice just so
the inquirer can then do the exact opposite of what ou are advising? You
have got plenty of company. Investment ineptitude is ne of those
nature/nurture mysteries that deserves intense scientific study. an one
inherit a gene that confers the propensity to bomb in the stock market Is
this simply a case of absorbing the wrong lessons from a parent or closerelative who possessed an unerring instinct for making bad investmens? Or
could the explanation be simpler—that smart investing takes time,
inteligence, courage and luck, not a follow-the-herd mentality?
http://iretirefromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/age-53-golden-time-for-i
nvesting.html
InBev weighs options for beer merger By Julie MacIntosh in New York and Neil
Hume in London. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: May
23 2008 20:47 | ast updated: May 23 2008 23:44. The large Belgian brewer
InBev could attemp to force Anheuser-Busch to the bargaining table or
strike a deal with SABMller as it tries to consolidate share of the global
beer market, accordig to people familiar with the company’s plans. InBev
has long studied th possibility of a merger with Anheuser, the US brewer of
Budweiser beer, bu has consistently run into opposition from Anheuser’s
board of directors As it weighs whether to take a more aggressive stance,
InBev is working ona $46bn takeover bid for Anheuser and arranging
potential financing for adeal, according to people close to the process.
Those people cautionedthat InBev’s plans were still not crystallised,
however, and could change. Sares of Anheuser finished the session more
than 7 per cent higher at $5.61 in New York on Friday, their biggest gain
in three years. InBev fel €1.56, or 3.1 per cent, to €48.76 in Brussels.
http://iretiredfromnewslettrs.blogspot.com/2008/05/inbev-weighs-options-for
-beer-merger.html
Comodities
Oil $132.19
Silver Bullion $18.22
Gold Bullion $925
Platinum Bullion$ $2173
Euro $1.5763
Chicago has highest gas prices in U.S. Copright by The Associated Press.
6:13 PM CDT, May 18, 2008. CAMARILLO, Calf. - A national survey says the
average price for regular gasoline rose abut 17 cents in the last two
weeks, with the highest price in Chicago at $4.0 a gallon. The average
price of self-serve regular gasoline on Fridy was $3.79 a gallon. Mid-grade
was at $3.91, and premium was $4.02. That's according to the Lundberg Survey
of 7,000 stations nationwide released Sunday. For the first time, the
srvey found average prices for regular gas surged above $4 a gallon in two
metropolitan areas: Chicago and on Long Island in New York.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/chicago-has-highest-gas-
prices-in-us.html
Fall in US crude stocks sends oil to $135 By Ed Crooks. Copyright The
Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: May 22 2008 08:52 | Last updaed:
May 22 2008 08:52. The price of oil rose above $135 a barrel for thefirst
time on Thursday, driven by an unexpected fall in US stocks of crude. In
morning trading in Asia, S oil reached a high of $135.04 a barrel, before
falling back to about $134.0. The rise followed data from the US
government on Wednesday showing a sharp fall in inventories of crude oil and
gasoline. The Energy Information Administration said crude stocks fell the
previous week by 5.4m barrels, leaving total crude oil stocks 6.5 per cent
lower than last year. Analysts had expected a small rise. The figures for
inventories are particularly sensitive as they come just before the start of
the US driving season, when Americans go on holiday and petrol consumption
rises. The season begins next Monday, Memorial Day.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/fall-in-us-crude-stocks-
sends-oil-to.html
US begins to break foreign oil ‘addiction’ By Carola Hoyos, Chief Energy
Correspondent. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: May
19 2008 14:28 | Last updated: May 19 2008 22:13. The US is starting to
break its “addiction” to foreign oil as high prices, more efficient cars,
and the use of ethanol significantly cut the share of its oil imports for
the first time since 1977. The country’s foreign oil dependency is expected
to fall from 60 per cent to 50 per cent in 2015, before rising again
slightly to 54 per cent in 2030, according to the head of the Department of
Energy’s statistical arm. America’s foreign oil dependency expected to fall
by 10 per cent in 2015. Carola Hoyos, chief energy correspondent, talks to
Daniel Garrahan about the domestic and international implications The net
imports of the world’s biggest consumer are expected to fall between now and
2030, ending what has been an almost relentless 30-year climb in the use of
foreign oil and a fall in domestic production. In 2006, George W. Bush said
in his State of the Union speech that America was “addicted to oil” – often
imported from unstable parts of the world – and said he would work to
address the issue. On Monday, oil prices hovered near record highs as
China’s energy needs outweighed the reduced US demand, and Saudi Arabia
output increases failed to ease supply concerns.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/us-begins-to-break-forei
gn-oil.html
Opec ministers criticise Saudi move By Carola Hoyos, Chief Energy
Correspondent. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: May
19 2008 14:28 | Last updated: May 19 2008 15:41. Oil prices on Monday
shrugged off Saudi Arabia’s offer of 300,000 barrels a day of extra crude,
as other Opec oil ministers criticised the kingdom’s decision. US benchmark
futures oil prices rose to more than $127 on Monday as the other ministers’
criticisms made it appear unlikely the group would follow Saudi Arabia’s
lead by more pumping oil. Saudi Arabia began quietly to increase its
production earlier this month and Ali Naimi, the kingdom’s energy minister,
announced the move on Friday in the wake of US President George W. Bush’s
visit to Riyadh. Some of his fellow ministers were more blunt than others
about their disagreements with the cartel’s biggest and most powerful
member. Analysts noted that many of the 12 other members of the group,
including those whose representatives spoke over the weekend, were unable to
increase their production because they are already pumping at full capacity.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/opec-ministers-criticise
-saudi-move.html
The Short View: Commodity speculation By John Authers, Investment Editor.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: May 20 2008 19:54 |
Last updated: May 20 2008 19:54. In 1980, the Hunt brothers cornered the
silver market, causing an epic price spike and then a bust. Crude oil is
close to $130 a barrel. Is something similar at work? The US Congress
suspects as much and held a hearing on market manipulation in Washington on
Tuesday. Long-term investors in the sector believe that the big
institutions that have entered in recent years are “accidental Hunt
brothers”. Investment in indices based on commodity futures have risen from
$13bn five years ago to $260bn now, according to Michael Masters, an
investor who testified. The rise in investors’ demand for oil futures is
almost equal to the increase in demand from China. Historically, futures
markets are naturally short (betting on a fall) as producers tend to buy
futures to guard against falls in prices. In 1990, only 13 per cent of open
interest in crude oil futures was long. That is now up to 58 per cent –
probably thanks to new investors. Changes to indices have dramatic effects
on prices. Crude oil briefly dipped below $50 early last year after a cut in
the weighting towards energy in the GSCI index. And there is no shortage of
commodities in the US – although many fear there are constraints elsewhere
in the supply chain.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/short-view-commodity-spe
culation.html
The euro’s success could also be its downfall By Harold James. Copyright
The Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: May 18 2008 17:55 | Last
updated: May 18 2008 17:55. Since the second world war, the US dollar has
been the world’s hegemonic currency. It took over that role from the British
pound. So it is not surprising that the story of the pound often looks like
a memento mori, the skull that medieval rulers placed before them to remind
themselves of the transience and fallibility of the human condition. By the
second world war, the US was obviously a much more powerful economy than
Britain. Now, given the combination of the rapid decline of the dollar and
the eurozone overtaking the US as the world’s largest economic area, we may
be set for another seismic currency shift. It is one in which the euro takes
over the baton from the dollar. The story of the decline of sterling
mirrors Britain’s slow transformation from the world’s largest creditor to a
pariah status as an impoverished debtor. British weakness was driven by
declining rates of economic growth and fading competitiveness. The decline
was also punctuated by stark political crises.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/euros-success-could-also
-be-its.html
Housing
Illinois Average Rates
5/24/08 - 10:46 PM
30 Yr Fixed 5.81%
15 Yr Fixed 5.39%
30 Yr Fixed Jumbo 7.05%
Backlog of unsold US homes hits record By Chris Bryant in Washington.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: May 23 2008 16:05 |
Last updated: May 23 2008 18:49. The backlog of unsold US homes surged to a
record level in April and sales continued to decline as the dark clouds
hanging over the residential property market showed few signs of lifting, a
report revealed on Friday. Existing home sales fell 1 per cent in April to
a seasonally adjusted 4.89m annual rate, the National Association of
Realtors said. The figure was a fraction less severe than economists had
expected, but matched a record low set in January. Sales of previously owned
homes were 17.5 per cent below the same period a year ago. Inventories of
unsold properties climbed by 10.5 per cent to 4.55m units, which at the
present anaemic sales pace would take 11.2 months to offload - the most
since the NAR began tracking combined statistics for single family homes and
condos in 1999. Meanwhile, inventories of unsold single family homes rose
to a 10.7-month supply, the biggest since 1985. The supply of unsold
properties commonly rises in the spring. Nevertheless, the report contained
few morsels for those looking for signs of a bottom in the housing market.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/backlog-of-unsold-us-hom
es-hits-record.html
Foreclosures accelerate US housing slide By Chris Bryant in Washington.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: May 22 2008 16:23 |
Last updated: May 22 2008 16:37. The US house price slump accelerated in
the first three months of this year as a tide of home foreclosures added to
a glut of unsold properties, a new report revealed on Thursday. House
prices dropped by a seasonally adjusted 1.7 per cent in the first quarter,
the biggest decline in the history of Office of Federal Housing Enterprise
Oversight house price index. Prices have fallen by 3.1 per cent in the last
year, marking the largest drop since records began in 1991. House prices
fell 1.4 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2007. “For homeowners and
financial market observers, these declines spell further erosion in home
equity levels and potentially more trouble for mortgage markets,” James
Lockhart, OFHEO director, said. The slide in house prices threatens to
prolong the domestic economic slowdown as consumers rein in spending and
potential home buyers wait on the sidelines.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/foreclosures-accelerate-
us-housing.html
Countrywide Financial Chairman Angelo Mozilo's e-mail sets off a furor - He
calls a borrower's plea for help a "disgusting" example of form letters
inundating the Calabasas mortgage lender. By E. Scott Reckard. Copyright ©
2008, The Los Angeles Times. May 21, 2008. Apparently clicking "reply"
when he meant to hit "forward," Countrywide Financial Corp. Chairman Angelo
Mozilo ignited an online furor Tuesday by describing a mortgage customer's
plea for help as a "disgusting" example of form letters inundating the
Calabasas home lender. Mozilo's e-mail rocketed back to the customer,
Daniel Bailey Jr., who had asked Countrywide to modify the terms of his loan
so he wouldn't lose his home of 16 years. Bailey said he took out the
adjustable-rate mortgage without realizing how it worked and had been told
incorrectly that he could refinance after a year. Instead, he wrote, "the
bottom fell out" of the home-loan industry, and he was stuck with
unaffordable payments.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/countrywide-financial-ch
airman-angelo.html
International
Burma to allow in ‘all’ aid workers, says Ban © Reuters Limited. May 23,
2008. In an apparent breakthrough for delivering help to millions of
Myanmar’s cyclone survivors, the military government agreed to allow in
”all” aid workers, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said on Friday. The UN
Secretary-General met junta supremo Than Shwe in his remote new capital of
Naypyidaw for more than two hours to ask him to permit more foreign
expertise for the victims of Cyclone Nargis. ”I had a very good meeting
with the Senior General and particularly on these aid workers,” Ban said.
”He has agreed to allow all the aid workers.” Asked by a reporter whether
he considered it a breakthrough, Ban replied: ”Yes, I think so, he has
agreed to allow all aid workers regardless of nationalities.”
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/burma-to-allow-in-all-ai
d-workers-says.html
International Herald Tribune Editorial: More shame on the Burmese junta.
Copyright by The International Herald Tribune. Published: May 21, 2008.
There is no end to the criminal behavior of Myanmar's generals. Nearly three
weeks after Cyclone Nargis killed more than 100,000 people, the junta's
refusal to open Burma to international help is condemning many more
thousands to malnutrition, disease and, unless something is done quickly,
death. The generals have grudgingly agreed to allow their Asian neighbors
to oversee distribution of foreign relief and granted the UN World Food
Program permission to fly nine helicopters. Given the horrifying size and
complexity of the disaster, that's not nearly enough. Most international
disaster specialists are still banned from the storm-devastated area. So,
largely, are the United States and France, which have ships loaded with
heavy-lift helicopters, food, water, medicine, field hospitals and other
supplies waiting in nearby waters.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/international-herald-tri
bune-editorial_4935.html
U.S. to reverse ban on phones to Cuba - Rule change follows loosening by
Castro By Deb Riechmann. Copyright © 2008, The Los Angeles Times. 10:32
PM CDT, May 21, 2008. WASHINGTON — President Bush announced Wednesday that
people living in the United States soon will be allowed to send cell phones
to Cubans in the island nation, a move that he hopes will push the communist
regime to increase freedom of expression for Cuban citizens. Addressing
recent changes in Cuba, Bush said, "Cubans are now allowed to purchase
mobile phones, DVD players and computers, and they have been told that they
will be able to purchase toasters and other basic appliances in 2010." "If
the Cuban regime is serious about improving life for the Cuban people, it
will take steps necessary to make these changes meaningful," Bush said at
the White House as he marked Cuba's 106th anniversary of independence this
week. If the Cuban people can be trusted with mobile phones, "they should
be trusted to speak freely in public," he said.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/us-to-reverse-ban-on-pho
nes-to-cuba.html
China
International Herald Tribune Editorial: An honest accounting of China's
disaster. Copyright by The International Herald Tribune. Published: May
19, 2008. Chinese leaders are being far more open about the earthquake in
Sichuan Province than their predecessors were after a similar disaster in
1976, and more open than the Burmese junta after a cyclone devastated much
of the country earlier this month. But the presence in Sichuan of Chinese
and foreign reporters reveals only part of the story. A better test of
China's new transparency will be whether the government lets reporters
investigate whether human failings, official or otherwise, contributed to
thousands of deaths. The extent of the tragedy would have been hard to
conceal. Video of the quake was up on YouTube shortly after the first
tremors Monday. And Chinese society is far more open to outsiders and to its
own people than it was under the Maoist Gang of Four in 1976, when an
earthquake devastated the north. Prime Minister Wen Jiabao arrived at the
affected part of Sichuan within hours of the disaster, and news crews
followed. The central government is moving quickly to shape news coverage.
A Politburo member is reported to have told a meeting of propaganda
officials Tuesday that the media need to "uphold unity and encourage
stability." Live broadcasts from a television station in Chengdu, the
provincial capital, were stopped. The government and the Communist Party
want to regulate openness as though it were water from a tap./Chinese
diaspora carries torch for old country By Michael Fullilove. Copyright The
Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: May 18 2008 17:33 | Last updated:
May 18 2008 17:33. China on Sunday suspended the Olympic torch relay for
three days of mourning for victims of last week’s earthquake. Nevertheless
the torch’s progress around China is proving more tranquil than the
international portion of the relay, which was disrupted repeatedly by
anti-Beijing protests. Even more striking than those rallies, however, were
the counter-demonstrations by overseas Chinese nationalists determined to
defend the torch. Thousands of Chinese students rallied in Seoul and a few
threw bottles at critics demonstrating against Beijing’s treatment of North
Korean refugees. In Canberra, 10,000 Chinese were bussed in from Sydney and
Melbourne, vastly outnumbering the pro-Tibetan independence protesters.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/chinese-diaspora-carries
-torch-for-old.html
Mess-o-potamia
Attacks surge in Afghanistan - Officials: Truces in Pakistan free rebels to
hit over the border By Kim Barker. Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.
11:08 PM CDT, May 23, 2008. KABUL, Afghanistan — The number of attacks on
U.S. troops in eastern Afghanistan has increased significantly in April and
May, causing many here to worry that local peace deals with militants in
neighboring Pakistan are allowing them to regroup and focus on fighting
across the border in Afghanistan. Officials with the NATO-led International
Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, speaking on condition of anonymity
because of the sensitivity of the issue, said that attacks in eastern
Afghanistan in the past three or four weeks have jumped to about 100 a week
from 60 a week in March. This was "a very significant increase" in attacks,
which include everything from minor indirect fire to suicide attacks, one
ISAF official said last week. ISAF has about 51,000 troops in Afghanistan,
but the U.S. military provides almost all the 16,000 troops in the eastern
region, which borders Pakistan's tribal areas, the remote and mostly lawless
border region where Taliban and Al Qaeda militants have found shelter for
years. Any increase in attacks in eastern Afghanistan therefore would be
primarily against U.S. forces.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/attacks-surge-in-afghani
stan-officials.html
International Herald Tribune Editorial - Extend the law to the gunslingers
in Iraq. Copyright by The International Herald Tribune. Published: May 16,
2008. After guards from Blackwater Worldwide protecting a U.S. State
Department convoy killed at least 17 Iraqis in a hail of bullets last
September, we hoped the Bush administration would rethink the folly of
relying on mercenaries, who have no accountability to Iraqi or American law.
The ever-stubborn administration decided it couldn't stay at war without its
gunslingers. More than six months after the event, not a single charge has
been brought against the guards. Last month, the State Department - which is
supposed to be sensitive to local politics and perception - renewed
Blackwater's contract in Iraq for another year. Patrick Kennedy, the under
secretary of state for management, told James Risen of The New York Times,
"If the contractors were removed, we would have to leave Iraq." That the
United States is so dependent on 30,000 or so private guards to plug the
holes in the undermanned military force underscores, once again, how badly
this administration has mismanaged the occupation of Iraq - and why the
United States must begin an orderly withdrawal as soon as possible.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/international-herald-tri
bune-editorial_18.html
U.S.: 11 fighters killed in Baghdad - Sadr City calm amid push by Iraqi
military By Bushra Juhi. Copyright by The Washington Post. 10:31 PM CDT,
May 21, 2008. BAGHDAD — American soldiers killed 11 suspected Shiite gunmen
in clashes Wednesday in a militia stronghold near Baghdad's Sadr City, scene
of a major Iraqi army clampdown, the U.S. military said. Sadr City itself
remained calm, a day after some 10,000 Iraqi troops fanned out in the
district in the government's biggest move yet to establish control in the
bastion of the Mahdi Army, the Shiite militia loyal to anti-U.S. cleric
Moqtada Sadr. Mahdi Army fighters were not visible in the streets of Sadr
City, and long-closed shops began to reopen in parts of the district hit
hardest by past clashes, as Iraqi soldiers and police set up more
checkpoints to beef up their hold. If the move into Sadr City succeeds, it
will be a major boost for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government, which
is trying to extend its authority over regions where armed groups and
militias have held sway.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/us-11-fighters-killed-in
-baghdad-sadr.html
Lebanese leaders sign deal to end crisis © Reuters Limited. May 21, 2008.
Rival Lebanese leaders signed a deal on Wednesday to end 18 months of
political conflict, pulling their country away from the brink of civil war
and paving the way for the election of a new president. Parliament will
convene on Sunday to elect army chief General Michel Suleiman as head of
state, aides to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told Reuters in Qatar, where
the feuding sides signed the accord after six days of Arab-mediated talks.
The agreement between the US-backed ruling coalition and the Hezbollah-led
opposition resolved a dispute over a law for holding 2009 parliamentary
elections and met the opposition’s long-standing demand for veto power in
cabinet. It followed a Hezbollah military campaign this month against
ruling coalition leaders which bolstered the opposition’s political
strength. Hezbollah, backed by Iran and Syria, routed its rivals in the
conflict that killed 81 and prompted the Qatari-led mediation bid. It was
Lebanon’s worst civil conflict since the 1975-1990 war and exacerbated
tensions between Shi’ites loyal to Hezbollah and Druze and Sunni supporters
of the government.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/lebanese-leaders-sign-de
al-to-end.html
Israel opens peace talks with Syria By Tobias Buck in Jerusalem. Copyright
The Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: May 21 2008 10:22 | Last
updated: May 21 2008 13:37. Israel and Syria have started indirect talks
with the aim of signing a comprehensive peace agreement, the first attempt
in eight years to end the decades-old conflict between the two neighbours.
The surprise announcement was made simultaneously by Israel, Syria and
Turkey, which has agreed to act as a mediator. The statement said the two
sides would ”conduct these talks in good faith and with an open mind” and
added: ”They decided to pursue the dialogue between them in a serious and
continuous way, in order to achieve the goal of comprehensive peace”. There
was no suggestion of when the talks might end, or what conditions the two
sides had agreed to at the outset of the talks, which opened this week in
the Turkish capital of Ankara but were only disclosed on Wednesday. Despite
repeated attempts, Syria and Israel have never managed to sign a formal
peace agreement, leaving Israel in control of a swathe of Syrian territory
known as the Golan Heights that it captured during the 1967 war.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/israel-opens-peace-talks
-with-syria.html
National
Edward Kennedy has malignant brain tumor By John Sullivan. Copyright by The
International Herald Tribune. Published: May 20, 2008. Senator Edward M.
Kennedy has a malignant tumor in his brain, his doctors said Tuesday. Tests
performed over the weekend at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston
indicated that Kennedy, 76, had a type of cancer known as a malignant glioma
in the left parietal lobe, the upper left portion of his brain. Kennedy,
Democrat of Massachusetts, suffered a seizure Saturday in Cape Cod and was
airlifted to the hospital for treatment. The doctors said Tuesday that the
senator was "in overall good condition," had been walking around the
hospital and had suffered no more seizures since Saturday. "The usual
course of treatment includes combinations of various forms of radiation and
chemotherapy," Dr. Lee Schwamm, the vice chairman of neurology at
Massachusetts General Hospital, and Dr. Larry Ronan, a primary care
physician at the hospital, said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/edward-kennedy-has-malig
nant-brain.html
International Herald Tribune Editorial: A threat to free speech. Copyright
by The International Herald Tribune. Published: May 21, 2008. The U.S.
Supreme Court upheld a law on Monday that sweeps too broadly in its attempt
to ban child pornography, which is repellent and illegal. Those who traffic
in it must be punished, but this law is drawn in a way that also
criminalizes speech that should be protected by the First Amendment. The
dissenters are right that the court should have made Congress go back and
pass a more carefully written law. They are also right that the court's
analysis undermines protections for political speech. The court has
traditionally been extraordinarily careful both to protect children and the
right to free expression. In 2002, the court struck down parts of the Child
Pornography Protection Act that banned images that appeared to be explicit
depictions of children, even if they were actually pictures of adults or
computer-generated images. Banning images in which there are no real
children, the court held, violates the First Amendment. After that ruling,
Congress passed a new law with its own problems. One provision punished
anyone who "promotes" material in a manner "intended to cause another to
believe" it is child pornography. That, once again, sweeps in fake child
pornography - which is just what the court in 2002 said must be avoided.
This time, the court upheld the law, by a 7-2 vote. That creates a
contradiction. Fake child pornography is protected, but marketing fake child
pornography is not. As Justice David Souter noted in dissent, it makes no
sense to criminalize proposing to sell items that are themselves
constitutionally protected.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/international-herald-tri
bune-editorial_22.html
Child porn messages not protected - Offering, asking for images illegal,
high court rules By David G. Savage. Copyright by The Los Angeles Times
2008. May 20, 2008. WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday gave
prosecutors a powerful tool to attack the spread of child pornography
online, ruling that people who send messages over the computer offering or
seeking sexual images of children can be sent to prison, even when no such
pornography exists. The 7-2 ruling, which upheld a 5-year-old law, rejected
the claim that such messages are protected as free speech. Monday's ruling
goes a long way toward overturning the effect of a 2002 decision that
shielded computer-generated pornography. The justices said then that because
no real children were involved in producing these images, this material
deserved protection as a form of free speech. In response, Congress passed
a law in 2003 making it a crime to exchange online messages about "any
material or purported material" that would cause "another to believe" it
depicts a minor engaged in sex, whether "actual or simulated." Violations
call for at least 5 years in prison.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/child-porn-messages-not-
protected.html
US Congress subpoenas Rove to testify By Stephanie Kirchgaessner in
Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: May 23
2008 03:37 | Last updated: May 23 2008 03:37. Karl Rove, the former
political adviser to President George W. Bush, was subpoenaed on Thursday by
a congressional committee investigating if the White House ordered
prosecutors to target a former Democratic governor for political reasons.
John Conyers, the chairman of the House judiciary committee, ordered the
move after Mr Rove’s attorney said his client would not voluntarily appear
to answer questions about the prosecution of Don Siegelman, the former
Alabama governor who was convicted in 2006 of bribery and obstruction.
“Although he does not seem the least bit hesitant to discuss these very
issues weekly on cable television and in the print news media, Mr Rove and
his attorney have apparently concluded that a public hearing room would not
be appropriate,” Mr Conyers said. “I have no choice today but to compel his
testimony.” It is not the first time Mr Conyers has sought to force former
administration officials to testify in the investigation into the firing of
nine US attorneys by the Bush administration for their alleged reluctance to
pursue cases against Democrats and, in some cases, their decisions to
investigate Republican officials.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/us-congress-subpoenas-ro
ve-to-testify.html
Texas seizure of polygamist-sect kids thrown out By MICHELLE ROBERTS.
Copyright 2008 Associated Press. 6:17 AM CDT, May 23, 2008. SAN ANGELO,
Texas - An appellate court decision upended the custody case that sent more
than 440 children from a polygamist sect's ranch into foster care, but it's
not clear whether the children might soon return home. The Third Court of
Appeals in Austin said the state failed to show the youngsters were in any
immediate danger, the only grounds under Texas law for taking children from
their parents without court action. Texas District Judge Barbara Walther
now has 10 days to release the youngsters from custody, but the state could
appeal to the Texas Supreme Court and keep the children from immediately
going back to their parents. The decision Thursday in one of the biggest
child-custody cases in U.S. history was a humiliating defeat for the state
Child Protective Services agency. It was hailed as vindication by members of
the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, who claim
they are being persecuted for their religious beliefs.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/texas-seizure-of-polygam
ist-sect-kids.html
Bush Whacking
International Herald Tribune Editorial: Bush's Middle East travels.
Copyright by The International Herald Tribune. Published: May 20, 2008.
President George W. Bush's recent visit to the Middle East offers a graphic
primer on his failed policies - and the many dangers his successor will
face. The Peace Process: In Israel, Bush spoke again about his vision of a
two-state solution with Palestinians and Israelis living side by side in
peace. But after ignoring the conflict for seven years, the negotiations he
opened in Annapolis last November have made little apparent progress. And
Bush did not use the trip to press either side to make even minimum
concessions. The Israelis need to halt all settlement activity. The
Palestinians need to do more to end attacks on Israel. The United States
needs to be ready to press compromise proposals, something Bush and his
secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, show little interest in doing. After
a three-day stay in Jerusalem, Bush met the Palestinian president, Mahmoud
Abbas, in Egypt - not Ramallah - a fact that was duly and angrily noted by
Palestinians. The next president will have to make a much stronger, and
earlier, commitment to the peace process, appoint a more skilled and
creative team of advisers, and resolve to be a more sensitive and honest
broker than Bush.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/international-herald-tri
bune-editorial_21.html
International Herald Tribune Editorial: Fortunately, Israel doesn't listen
to Bush. Copyright by The International Herald Tribune. Published: May 23,
2008. Everybody knew President Bush was aiming at Senator Barack Obama last
week when he likened those who endorse talks with "terrorists and radicals"
to appeasers of the Nazis. But now we know what Bush knew then - that Israel
is in indirect peace talks with Syria, a prominent member of Bush's list of
shunned nations - and it seems as if the president was going for a
two-for-one in his crack about appeasement. If so, it was breathtakingly
cynical to compare the leadership of the Jewish state with those who stood
aside in the face of the Nazi onslaught, and irresponsible to try to
restrain this American ally from pursuing a settlement that it judges as
possibly being in its best interests. But Bush turned his back on
Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts for seven years (before opening the anemic
Annapolis process in November), and he resisted previous moves by Jerusalem
and Damascus to revive serious negotiations, last held in 2000, over the
Golan Heights. Instead, he has sought to isolate Syria.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/international-herald-tri
bune-editorial_24.html
Odd Bush boost for Obama's proposal By Clarence Page. Copyright © 2008,
Chicago Tribune. May 21, 2008. Sometimes the tit-for-tat exchanges of
outrage between political candidates make me wonder: Are they for real? Or,
like professional wrestlers on TV, are they just trying to build up their
box-office intake? For example, when President Bush, in a speech to the
Israeli Knesset, compared those who seek talks with Iran and radical Islamic
groups to those who thought they could buy peace from the Nazis before World
War II. "We have an obligation to call this what it is—the false comfort of
appeasement," Bush said. Those were heard as fighting words by Sen. Barack
Obama. Even though the Democratic presidential front-runner was not
mentioned by name, he has been saying since last July that he's willing to
talk to Iran's leaders without preconditions during his first year in the
Oval Office. Appeasement? There's a huge difference between simply holding
talks and appeasement. Obama has said he would tell Iran to stop threatening
Israel, stop developing nuclear weapons, stop funding terrorist groups like
Hamas and stop stirring up deadly mischief inside Iraq. If Iran didn't
agree, Obama says, he would proceed with sanctions.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/odd-bush-boost-for-obama
s-proposal.html
International Herald Tribune Editorial: Not much help for polar bears.
Copyright by The International Herald Tribune. Published: May 21, 2008.
Boxed in by the courts and its own scientists, the Bush administration has
agreed to place the polar bear under the protection of the Endangered
Species Act. The move was the clearest official acknowledgment that the
bear, its hunting grounds diminished by shrinking summer ice, is seriously
at risk. The decision was a victory for conservationists. It is not clear
that it is much of a victory for the bears. The listing appears to offer
only modest new protections. It does nothing to address the gravest threats
to the bears' survival: oil and gas drilling and global warming. Interior
Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said the act - as he interprets it - in no way
inhibits oil and gas development in prime polar bear habitat like the
Chukchi Sea, where the department recently opened up 30 million acres to
exploratory drilling. He also said the listing could not be used as
leverage to force power plants and other carbon dioxide sources to restrict
emissions of greenhouse gases, even though those gases are heavily
responsible for the ice's melting. Kempthorne did not dispute that the
bear's habitat is shrinking or that in time the bear could face extinction.
But using the Endangered Species Act to shape climate policy, he said, would
be "wholly inappropriate."
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/international-herald-tri
bune-editorial_1668.html
Indecision 2008
Chicago Tribune Editorial: GOP blues. Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune.
May 19, 2008. With polls showing a possible bloodbath in November, House
Republicans have been working feverishly to rebrand themselves. But they've
hit a snag with their new motto, "The Change You Deserve." It happens to be
a trademarked advertising slogan for Effexor, a prescription drug to treat
depression. Republicans have good reason to feel depressed. Democrats have
won three special elections this year in U.S. House seats that were once
considered safely Republican. On Tuesday, Democrat Travis Childers beat
Republican Greg Davis in a Mississippi district that President George W.
Bush carried handily four years ago. House Republican Leader John Boehner
of Ohio called the loss "a wake-up call." Republicans said the same thing
after they lost seats that were held by former House Speaker Dennis Hastert
in Illinois and Rep. Richard Baker in Louisiana. Most voters feel the
country is on the wrong track, polls show. A Gallup survey last year found
fewer voters identify themselves as Republicans than at any point in the
last 20 years. Some party leaders say things haven't been this bad since
their post-Watergate malaise. "The Republican brand is in the trash can,"
Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia fumed in an open letter to his colleagues. "If we
were dog food, they'd take us off the shelf."
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/chicago-tribune-editoria
lgop-blues.html
McCain wary of close ties with Bush By Andrew Ward in Washington. Copyright
The Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: May 20 2008 20:14 | Last
updated: May 20 2008 20:14. When John McCain visited the White House in
March to receive the endorsement of George W. Bush, the Republican
presidential candidate said he would be glad to campaign alongside the
president anywhere in the US – provided Mr Bush could find time in his “busy
schedule”. It has come as a surprise to no one that the two have not been
seen together since. With an approval rating of 28 per cent – close to
record lows for a US president – Mr Bush is considered an electoral
liability for the Republican party in November. “The easiest way for McCain
to lose the election is to allow the Democrats to tie him to Bush,” says
Larry Sabato, political scientist at the University of Virginia. A recent
Gallup poll found that 38 per cent of likely voters were less likely to vote
for Mr McCain because of his association with Mr Bush, compared with just 33
per cent who said they were less inclined to vote for Barack Obama, the
likely Democratic nominee, because of his relationship with Jeremiah Wright,
his controversial former pastor.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/mccain-wary-of-close-tie
s-with-bush.html
McCain Adviser's Work As Lobbyist Criticized - Foreign Clients Included
Notorious Rulers By Michael D. Shear and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum. Copyright by
The Washington Post. Thursday, May 22, 2008; Page A01. Longtime
uber-lobbyist Charles R. Black Jr. is John McCain's man in Washington, a
political maestro who is hoping to guide his friend, the senator from
Arizona, to the presidency this November. But for half a decade in the
1980s, Black was also Jonas Savimbi's man in the capital city. His lobbying
firm received millions from the brutal Angolan guerrilla leader and took
advantage of Black's contacts in Congress and the White House. Justice
Department records that Black's firm submitted under the Foreign Agents
Registration Act detail frequent meetings with lawmakers and their staffs
and lavish spending by Black and his partners as they attempted to ensure
support for Savimbi, whose UNITA movement was fighting the Marxist Angolan
government.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/mccain-advisers-work-as-
lobbyist.html
McCain fundraiser resigns over lobby links By Stephanie Kirchgaessner in
Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: May 18
2008 23:13 | Last updated: May 18 2008 23:13. The fundraising chairman for
John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, resigned on Sunday
because of his work as a corporate and foreign government lobbyist. Thomas
Loeffler, an attorney and lobbyist whose Texas firm, the Loeffler Group,
represents clients ranging from EADS North America to the South Korean
government, stepped down just days after the McCain campaign instituted a
new policy forbidding any person working for his campaign to be a registered
lobbyist. He was the fourth senior official to step down from Mr McCain’s
campaign in two weeks. The new policy, which was outlined in a memo by Rick
Davis, a former lobbyist and Mr McCain’s campaign manager, also said
part-time volunteers for the campaign must disclose their status and are
prohibited from involvement in policy-making on subjects on which they
lobby. The policy was instituted after two advisers for the presumptive
Republican nominee, Doug Goodyear and Doug Davenport, were forced to resign
when it emerged that they worked for a company that had acted as consultants
for Burma’s ruling junta.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/mccain-fundraiser-resign
s-over-lobby.html
Obama's Executive Sounding Board - Behind Barack Obama is a remarkable crew
of African American business leaders in Chicago. But their helping hands
extend far beyond politics by Roger O. Crockett. Copyright by Business
Week. Chicago May 19, 2008, 12:01AM EST. On Feb. 10, 2007, Senator Barack
Obama launched his bid for the White House in Springfield, setting himself
on a course that has become one for the history books. But Obama might not
have made it even to the Old State Capitol Building that frigid day if not
for a private meeting he had with friends and advisers in late 2002 as he
was mulling a run for the U.S. Senate. In a South Side high-rise overlooking
the lake, the junior state senator vetted his lofty political ambitions with
a group of Chicago's African American business elite that included Frank M.
Clark Jr., Valerie B. Jarrett, Quintin E. Primo III, James Reynolds Jr., and
John W. Rogers Jr. Truth be told, his executive sounding board was present
chiefly to talk Obama out of entering the contest. The Chicago Democrat had
already lost a race for the U.S. House of Representatives, his funds were
low, and his public stature even lower. Another loss so early in his
political career would be disastrous. But over bacon and eggs in Jarrett's
condo in Kenwood, the group debated the pros and cons. In the end, they
agreed with their ambitious friend: Obama should run, and they would all
pitch in. Jarrett recalls Obama saying, "Part of what I am expecting you to
do is broaden my reach far beyond the African American community."
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/obamas-executive-soundin
g-board.html
Mythmaking for the next war By Steve Chapman. Copyright © 2008, Chicago
Tribune. May 22, 2008. At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union had
some 45,000 nuclear warheads. At the moment, Iran has none. But when Barack
Obama said the obvious—that Iran does not pose the sort of threat the Soviet
Union did— John McCain reacted as though his rival had offered to trade Ft.
Knox for a sack of magic beans. "Such a statement betrays the depth of Sen.
Obama's inexperience and reckless judgment," exclaimed McCain. "These are
very serious deficiencies for an American president to possess." But if
Iran is the Soviet Union, I'm Shaquille O'Neal. There is nothing reckless in
soberly distinguishing large threats from small ones, and there is something
foolhardy in grossly exaggerating the strength of your enemies. As military
powers go, Iran is a pipsqueak. It has no nuclear weapons. It has a pitiful
air force. Its navy is really just a coast guard. It spends less on defense
than Singapore or Sweden. Our military budget is 145 times bigger than
Iran's. By contrast, the Soviets had far more nuclear weapons than we did,
a blue-water navy, formidable air power and ground forces that dwarfed ours.
In a conventional war, it was anything but certain that we could prevail,
and in a nuclear exchange, it was clear they could destroy us.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/mythmaking-for-next-war.
html
Chicagoland
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Cronyism is the star of Stroger's hiring show.
Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. May 20, 2008. The front page news
Monday was Cook County Board President Todd Stroger's hiring of two men with
criminal records. We have no quarrel with Stroger on that. Both men paid
their dues more than a decade ago, and neither was convicted of a hanging
offense -- one admitted to involvement in a club fight, the other to making
threatening phone calls. America is about second chances, and Cook County
government should be no different. More practically, if you impose a ban on
hiring people who made dumb mistakes when they were young, you eliminate a
lot of good possible hires. But this is not a story about redemption, a
tale to give you a warm, fuzzy feeling. This is a story about clout.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/chicago-sun-times-editor
ial-cronyism-is.html
Feds: City building inspectors bribed By Jeff Coen and Dan Mihalopoulos.
Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune. May 23, 2008. A mole wore a wire for a
year while acting as a bagman carrying bribes from developers and
contractors to Chicago building inspectors, exposing systemic corruption in
the Zoning and Buildings Departments, authorities said Thursday. Even for a
town that has turned payoffs into an art form, the operative uncovered
brazen misconduct, investigators alleged. City inspectors ignored problems,
fabricated reports and sped up paperwork in exchange for envelopes of cash,
work on their homes and tickets to skyboxes for Bulls games, the federal
charges alleged. One inspector took $10,000 to approve two illegal basement
units in a building, while another allegedly took $7,000 to "inspect"
plumbing that was already covered by concrete, investigators said.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/feds-city-building-inspe
ctors-bribed.html
GLBT
Symbol of gay power stirs ugly culture clash By LAURA WASHINGTON
LauraSWashington at aol.com. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. May 19, 2008
If you build it, they will come. The Center on Halsted is a spectacular
success. Success can bring unintended consequences. Despite the best of
intentions, this glittering symbol of gay power in Chicago is marooned in an
ugly culture clash. The year-old center is a public/private collaboration
serving Chicago's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities.
Located at the corner of Halsted and Waveland, it has firmly tethered the
GLBT community to the North Halsted Street gay entertainment district. Its
smorgasborg of offerings includes HIV/AIDS and career counseling, euchre and
badminton leagues, ecumenical religious services, food programs for the
homeless. A major focus: GLBT "bookends" -- youths and senior citizens. So
they came, big time, and in rainbow colors. That's when the trouble started.
They came to mostly white, middle-class Lake View from Woodlawn, Englewood,
Lawndale and Pilsen -- black and Latino neighborhoods where a pernicious
brand of homophobia keeps them underground. The center is a haven -- and a
lure. They come to the bustling Boys Town corridor for excitement and
adventure. They come to Halsted and Waveland to loiter and jostle on the
street, from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m., and later. Towering, muscled youths and
young adults donning flowing wigs, peekaboo dresses and platform footwear.
Trim girls and boys sporting T-shirts and slouched low-riders. They strut,
squeal, sashay. It's their coming-out party.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/symbol-of-gay-power-stir
s-ugly-culture.html
CA poll - Weigh In! Governor Schwarzenegger's office is taking an automated
poll on the California Supreme Court's same-sex marriage decision. To
support Schwarzenegger's position in favor of the Supreme Court decision
legalizing same-sex marriage, you can call here: 916-445-2841 Press 1, 5, 1,
1
International Herald Tribune Editorial - California, gay rights and the U.S.
presidential election. Copyright by The International Herald Tribune.
Published: May 19, 2008. The California Supreme Court brought the United
States a step closer to fulfilling its ideals of equality and justice with
its momentous 4-to-3 ruling upholding the right of same-sex couples to
marry. The battle is far from over, even in California. Opponents of giving
gay couples the respect, benefits, obligations and protections that come
with marriage are already mobilizing to try to nullify the historic decision
through a proposed state constitutional amendment likely to appear on the
November ballot. All three presidential candidates oppose same-sex marriage,
although the two Democrats at least support recognition of civil unions.
Still, the California verdict was a major victory for civil rights. At issue
in the case was a ban on same-sex marriage based on a law enacted in 1977
and a statewide initiative approved by voters in 2000. Both defined marriage
as available only to a man and woman. The new opinion found that "the right
of an individual to establish a legally recognized family with a person of
one's choice" is fundamental. The court said California's strong domestic
partnership statute was not enough to solve the inequality problem. "An
individual's sexual orientation - like a person's race or gender - does not
constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold rights," wrote
Chief Justice Ronald George, first appointed to the bench by Ronald Reagan.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/international-herald-tri
bune-editorial_19.html
What California did By Paul Varnell. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press
and Paul Varnell. May 21, 2008. The May 15 decision by the California
Supreme Court overturning the state’s ban on same-sex marriage is clearly
major news for all of us. It was a robust, comprehensive decision that
examined nearly all the traditional arguments against permitting same-sex
marriage and found them wanting. The court said, “In light of the
fundamental nature of the substantive rights embodied in the right to
marry—and their central importance to an individual’s opportunity to live a
happy, meaningful, and satisfying life as a full member of society—the
California Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic
civil right to all individuals and couples, without regard to their sexual
orientation.” Specifically, the court pointed out that (1) allowing gays
only a differently named relationship (such as “civil unions”) would “impose
appreciable harm on same-sex couples,” (2) given the prejudice that gays
have historically faced, forbidding them the word “marriage” would likely be
viewed as an official view that their relationships are of lesser stature
and (3) calling gay relationships by a different name could perpetuate the
view that gays and gay couples are “second-class citizens.” The decision is
significant for several reasons. The majority included three justices
appointed by Republicans and the court’s lone Democratic appointee and was
written by Republican Chief Justice Ronald George. And the California court
is regarded as influential since other state courts sometimes look to it for
precedents and judicial reasoning.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/what-california-did.html
Q and A: Same-sex marriages - The court's decision is to take effect in 30
days. By Rong-Gong Lin II. Copyright © 2008, The Los Angeles Times. May
16, 2008 Do you have a question about the same-sex marriage ruling? Send
your question to ron.lin at latimes.com. Here are questions submitted by
readers today, and answers provided by Times Staff Writer Rong-Gong Lin II.
My partner and I are registered domestic partners with the state of
California. We are also legally married in Canada. Will both be recognized
in California after the 30 day period? -April E. Yes. You and your partner
won't have to do anything in California for your Canadian marriage to be
recognized here. Here's a good rule of thumb to remember: The court ruling
gave all the rights straight married couples have to gay married couples. If
a straight couple got married in Las Vegas, Alaska, or Italy, they don't
need to get married again or register their marriage in California. So when
the ruling goes into effect, California will recognize the marriage of gay
couples who married elsewhere. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has said he wants
to officiate at as many same-sex weddings as possible. I know the clergy,
judges/commissioners, the county clerk and deputy county clerks and serving
state officers, legislators and California members of Congress can solemnize
marriages. How can the mayor of a city do this? -Jim D.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/q-and-same-sex-marriages
-courts.html
With these words, let us wed By Carlos T. Mock. Copyright © 2008, Chicago
Tribune. May 20, 2008.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-oped0520marriagemay20,0,10177
93.story. Let us wed. The idea remains shocking to many people. So far,
only five countries—Belgium, Canada, Netherlands, South Africa and
Spain—have given full legal status to same-sex unions. The sight of
homosexual men and women having wedding days just like those enjoyed for
centuries by heterosexuals is unsettling, just as, for some people, is the
sight of us holding hands or kissing. The case for allowing gays to marry
begins with equality, pure and simple. Why should one set of loving,
consenting adults be denied a right that other adults have and which, if
exercised, will do no damage to anyone else? The case rests on equality,
liberty and society. One argument against same-sex marriage is rooted in
semantics: marriage is the union of a man and a woman, and so cannot be
extended to same-sex couples. They may live together and love one another,
but cannot, by this argument, be "married." But that is to dodge the real
question—Why not?—and to obscure the real nature of marriage, which is a
binding commitment, at once legal, social and personal, between two people
to take on special obligations to one another. If homosexuals want to make
such marital commitments to one another, and to society, then why should we
be prevented from doing so while other adults, equivalent in all other ways,
are allowed to do so?
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/with-these-words-let-us-
wed.html
Marriage ruling has implications in Illinois By Gary Barlow. Copyright by
The Chicago Free Press. May 21, 2008. Advocates for marriage equality in
Illinois praised the California Supreme Court’s ruling legalizing marriage
for gay and lesbian couples last week, saying it shows where the trend is
heading on the issue in the rest of the country and in the Land of Lincoln.
“That the supreme court in the largest state in the country says that it’s
unfair to discriminate against gay and lesbian couples has to be a good
thing for us,” said Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), the openly gay state
legislator who’s working to pass a civil unions bill in the Illinois
Legislature. “It will have no direct impact here but I think it clearly
shows that in the larger, more populous states in our country, the trend is
toward marriage equality,” said Harris, who filed the civil unions bill
after failing to garner enough backing in the Illinois House to legalize
marriage for gay and lesbian couples. The political director of Illinois’
statewide GLBT advocacy group said the ruling is “very exciting.” “Although
it has no real impact in Illinois, it has a huge psychological effect,” said
Equality Illinois’ Rick Garcia. “It says if you have a constitution that
protects everyone fully and equitably, then you cannot deny equal marriage
rights just because you’re uncomfortable with it.”
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/marriage-ruling-has-impl
ications-in_23.html
Harris explains civil union benefits for seniors By Matt Simonette.
Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. May 21, 2008. State Rep. Greg Harris
(D-Chicago) joined seniors and Illinois House and Senate co-sponsors at a
press conference at the Illinois State Capitol May 14 to explain how HB
1826, legislation Harris is sponsoring that would allow civil unions for
Illinois residents, would benefit seniors living in the state. “This
legislation shows that there is more to civil unions than just benefits for
same sex couples,” said Harris “It shows that we are trying to protect the
rights of all individuals and make sure they receive the benefits they are
entitled to.” Many seniors in committed relationships do not get remarried
because their pension or social security benefits would be cut. But since
these individuals are not married, they can be denied the rights to visit
their loved ones in hospitals or nursing homes, make emergency medical
decisions or even make funeral arrangements. Creating civil unions,
according to Harris, can give committed couples the ability to secure these
rights without reducing pensions.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/harris-explains-civil-un
ion-benefits.html
NEPAL'S FIRST GAY MP SPEAKS -- Nation's Two Largest Political Parties
Embrace LGBT Rights By Doug Ireland. Copyright by Direland, Doug Ireland
and gay City News.
http://direland.typepad.com/direland/2008/05/nepals-first-ga.html. May 8,
2008. I wrote the following article for Gay City News, New Yorks largest
lesbian and gay weekly, which published it today: In an historic
breakthrough, the leader of Nepal's largest LGBT group, the BlueSunil_pant_2
Diamond Society, has been named to a seat in the parliament following April
10 elections in that nation, the largely mountainous home to some 30 million
people. Sunil Pant (right), 35, a Belarus-educated computer engineer who
founded the Blue Diamond Society (BDS) in 2002 and has been its executive
director ever since, was named to the parliament by the tiny Communist
Party-(United). The CPN-(U) won the right to have five seats in the new
constituent assembly under a complicated proportional representation system
used in the elections, the first since Nepal, long an autocratic monarchy,
declared itself a "People's Republic" last December following a 2006 peace
deal that ended a decade-long civil war.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/nepals-first-gay-mp-spea
ks-nations-two.html
Health Care
How to cure America’s health system By Clive Crook. Copyright The Financial
Times Limited 2008. Published: May 18 2008 16:45 | Last updated: May 18
2008 16:45. In US public policy, all roads lead to healthcare. Remorseless
pressure on public spending? Blame Medicare. Economic insecurity? Fear of
losing health benefits is a chief cause. Stagnant wages and worsening
inequality? Look to the cost of employer-provided insurance. This failing
system is a national scandal not just in its own right, but because of its
proliferating fiscal, economic and political implications. For many workers
without employer-provided insurance, the cost of cover is now prohibitive.
The average cost for a family is $12,000 (€7,700, £6,100) a year (roughly a
quarter of median household income before tax) and rising handsomely in real
terms. If you have cover provided by your employer, losing your job means
losing your insurance. The unluckiest – especially those with a dreaded
“pre-existing condition” – may then face ruin. This vastly amplifies the
anxieties colouring the election and driving the US towards an increasingly
strident anti-business, anti-trade outlook. Even those with
employer-provided insurance and no fear of losing it are unhappy, because
the cost is eating up their wages. It is so high and rising so fast that
many workers can expect pay rises or continued coverage, but not both. If
you add the cost of insurance to wages, the pay of low- and middle-income
workers has not in fact been stagnant. Concerns about living standards and
widening inequality are linked to health policy.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/how-to-cure-americas-hea
lth-system.html
UK lawmakers approve embryo research By DAVID STRINGER. Copyright 2008
Associated Press. 6:07 PM CDT, May 19, 2008. LONDON - British lawmakers
voted Monday to approve controversial plans to allow the use of animal-human
embryos for research. The proposed laws, the first major review of embryo
science in Britain for almost 20 years, have provoked stormy debate --
pitting Prime Minister Gordon Brown and scientists against religious
leaders, anti-abortion campaigners and a large number of lawmakers. Brown
has said he believes scientists seeking to use mixed animal-human embryos
for stem cell research into diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's are
on a moral mission to improve -- and save -- millions of lives. The process
involves injecting an empty cow or rabbit egg with human DNA. A burst of
electricity is then used to trick the egg into dividing regularly, so that
it becomes a very early embryo, from which stem cells can be extracted.
Scientists say the embryos would not be allowed to develop for more than 14
days, and are intended to address the shortage of human embryos available
for stem cell research.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/uk-lawmakers-approve-emb
ryo-research.html
Immigration
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Immigrants deserve to be treated fairly.
Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. May 21, 2008. Almost 400 illegal
immigrant workers at a meatpacking plant in Iowa were rounded up last week
-- the largest criminal work site raid in the U.S. A group this size
couldn't be squeezed into the local county jail, so Immigration Customs and
Enforcement officials improvised. The men were sent to a cattle fairgrounds,
the women to county jails. Later, they were shipped to jails across the
state, making it hard for volunteer attorneys to reach them. Each lawyer
represents about 17 clients and has faced delays in meeting with them, the
American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa said. Some immigrants, including
newcomers from Mexico, Ukraine and Israel, went unfed for 15 hours, a nun
who spoke with the detainees told the Des Moines Register. ICE officials
dispute that claim. Immigration raids are a fact of life in the U.S., but
mistreatment of immigrants shouldn't be. Besides the concerns raised in
Iowa, a recent New York Times investigation reported evidence of inadequate
medical care for detained immigrants. Sixty-six immigrants died in detention
from January 2004 to November 2007, according to federal data obtained by
the Times.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/chicago-sun-times-editor
ial-immigrants.html
Technology
US court: Paper money discriminates against blind By MATT APUZZO. Copyright
2008 Associated Press. 11:49 AM CDT, May 20, 2008. WASHINGTON - The U.S.
discriminates against blind people by printing paper money that makes it
impossible for them to distinguish among the bills' varying values, a
federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. The ruling by the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upholds a decision by a lower
court in 2006. It could force the Treasury Department to redesign its money.
Suggested changes have ranged from making bills different sizes to printing
them with raised markings. The American Council for the Blind sued for such
changes but the Treasury Department has been fighting the case for about six
years. "I don't think we should have to rely on people to tell us what our
money is," said Mitch Pomerantz, the council's president. The U.S.
acknowledges the design hinders blind people but it argued that blind people
have adapted. Some relied on store clerks to help them, some used credit
cards and others folded certain corners to help distinguish between bills.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/us-court-paper-money-dis
criminates.html
Other
Financial Times Editorial Comment: Broaden the mind. Copyright The
Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: May 23 2008 19:25 | Last updated:
May 23 2008 19:25. If there is one thing more toxic than airline food, it
seems to be the industry business model. While a few airlines have been
making money, many more are struggling. Silverjet, an all-business class
airline, suspended trading in its shares on Friday. Its rivals, Maxjet and
Eos, have already filed for bankruptcy. Venerable names are not immune:
American Airlines announced this week that it was cutting flights, retiring
aircraft and – perhaps to acquire that “low-cost” cachet – charging many
passengers to check in their luggage. The extremities of the airline
industry are being snipped off by the twin scissor blades of high fuel costs
and a weakening economy. Given that the pruning is likely to continue,
business travellers may have to steel themselves for a period in which
business class travel is both expensive and scarce. Simple economics says
that as prices rise, business travellers will seek substitutes. Yet there
are few promising alternatives. A cruise ship is an awkward place from which
to be discussing the next round of downsizing. Road warriors could deck out
a caravan with a desk and the latest productivity tools – a more literal
interpretation of “mobile office”. Cross-country skiing, airships, luxury
canoes – all these substitutes have their downsides, sadly. As for the idea
of flying economy class – well, that really is out of the question.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/05/financial-times-editoria
l-comment_24.html
Humor
New! Carlos now has an online store. Order your books directly from Carlos
and have them signed and dedicated. http://www.carlostmock.com/catalog/
In Pride (orgullo),
Carlos T. Mock, MD
Www.carlostmock.com
Author: Borrowing Time: A Latino Sexual Odyssey - Floricanto Press 2003.
Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT
Round Table.
Author: The Mosaic Virus – Floricanto Press 2007. Nominated for a Stonewall
Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie
from The Lambda Literary Foundation
Author: Author: Papi Chulo – Floricanto Press 2007. Nominated for a
Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a
Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation
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