Random News Stories

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

He was also antisemitic as all hell, and knew it, but absolutely refused to let it affect his policy or his hiring.

[Junkenstein]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/22/white-house-drone-strikes-us-citizens

The White House has launched a new effort to draw a line under its controversial drone strike policy by admitting for the first time that four American citizens were among those killed by its covert attacks in Yemen and Pakistan since 2009.

In a letter to congressional leaders sent on Wednesday, attorney general Eric Holder acknowledged previously classified details of the drone attacks and promised to brief them on a new US doctrine for sanctioning such targeted killings in future.

Holder claimed one of the US citizens killed, Anwar al-Awlaki, was chief of external operations for al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (Aqap) and had been involved in plots to blow up airplanes over US soil. However, Holder said three others killed by drones – Samir Khan, Abdul Rahman Anwar al-Awlaki and Jude Kenan – were not "specifically targeted". The second of these victims, Anwar al-Awlaki's son, is said by campaigners to have been 16 when he died in Yemen in 2011.

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism estimates that between 240 and 347 people have been killed in total by confirmed US drone strikes in Yemen since 2002, with a further 2,541 to 3,533 killed by CIA drones in Pakistan.

Amid mounting concern that the policy has harmed US interests overseas, President Obama is expected to give a major speech on his counter-terrorism strategy at the National Defense University in Washington on Thursday, marking the start of a concerted effort to better justify and explain the killings.

[Cain]

From Holder's statement:

For example, when Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab — the individual who attempted to blow up an airplane bound for Detroit on Christmas Day 2009 — went to Yemen in 2009, al-Aulaqi arranged an introduction via text message. Abdulmutallab told U.S. officials that he stayed at al-Aulaqi's house for three days, and then spent two weeks at an AQAP training camp. Al-Aulaqi planned a suicide operation for Abdulmutallab, helped Abdulmutallab draft a statement for a martyrdom video to be shown after the attack, and directed him to take down a U.S. airline. Al-Aulaqi's last instructions were to blow up the airplane when it was over American soil.

Only, Abdulmutallab never actually said Al-Awlaki instructed him to blow up the plane.  He refused to name his co-conspirator, then immediately afterwards discussed how he had been inspired by the speeches of Al-Awlaki.

[Telarus]

Thanks for that fact-check, Cain. 

[Cain]

No problem.

Obama's speech was full of rhetorical bullshit.  "Signature strikes" will continue as and when ordered by the White House - that is the bottom line.

[Junkenstein]

Today in lazy BBC reporting, we learn that Coulson gave an interview to GQ
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22690011

And isn't bitter at all:

Boris Johnson would rather David Cameron "fail miserably" at the election than "stab him in the back", ex-No 10 press chief Andy Coulson says.

Mr Coulson told GQ magazine that if the Tories lose the election, the London mayor believed he could then "ride in on his bike to save party and country".

Mr Johnson's future ambitions have been the source of constant speculation.

Mr Coulson was forced to resign from Downing Street after becoming embroiled in the phone hacking scandal.

He faces charges relating to phone hacking and alleged conspiracy to bribe public officials for information, alleged offences that date back to his time as editor of the News of the World.

In an article for GQ magazine, the former No 10 director of communications said he thought Mr Johnson was unlikely to move against Mr Cameron while he was still prime minister.

He said: "Stabbing David, or anyone else for that matter, in the back would be distinctly off brand, just not very Boris."

However, Mr Coulson added: "He would much prefer to see David fail miserably in the election and ride in on his bike to save party and country."

A career as a pundit does not beckon. Please fuck off now.

[Junkenstein]

Somewhat related to Machete Terror:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22698510

HA HA HA

A list apparently showing the contact details of English Defence League (EDL) members has been published online.

It has been posted by people claiming to part of a computer hacking network known as Anonymous.

Names and addresses of more than 200 people from all over the country are on the list.

The post from a group calling itself Anonymous UK also includes the mobile telephone numbers of people it claims to be senior members of the EDL.

It said the EDL "should have expected this" and warned it to "expect more".

The publication followed an audio message from Anonymous UK to the EDL that accused the far-right group of taking "advantage of moments of fear and terror to spread hatred and animosity".

This should be good. The last time the BNP list was published every card carrying racist shat themselves. I doubt it's got any notable names but it's a sure bet that there will still be a couple of police officers.

[Junkenstein]

Again, this really isn't news. Some people seem to forget that this kind of shit goes on though:
http://inplainsight.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/27/18380470-sentenced-to-debt-some-tossed-in-prison-over-unpaid-fines?chromedomain=openchannel&lite

Cash-strapped cities and states increasingly are trying to tap a previously overlooked pot of money – uncollected fines, fees and other costs imposed by civil and criminal courts – in order to help them balance their books.

And when people don't pay these court-ordered debts, some local officials have not been shy about tossing them in jail, leading to the creation of modern-day "debtor's prisons" full of poor offenders, advocates say.

"The system doesn't really work when the courts, instead of administering justice, are debt collection agencies," said Roopal Patel, co-author of a 2010 report on the issue by the Brennan Center for Justice. "If a court is preoccupied with fundraising and turning toward the poorest people going through the system to raise money, it really undermines the function of the courts."

While there is no comprehensive data on how many states jail citizens for court-related debt, several organizations, including the Brennan Center, have raised alarms over what they say is the widespread practice of locking up poor offenders in violation of federal law, citing Supreme Court rulings that someone can only be incarcerated for "willfully" refusing to pay.

James Robert Nason could be a case study for the court-debt-prison cycle.

In 1999, when he was 18, he pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary in Spokane, Wash. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail, community service, and ordered to pay $735 in court costs, attorney fees and restitution. That debt began to accrue 12 percent annual interest from the day of his sentencing.

Nason didn't finish the community service, and didn't keep up with the payments. As a result he served more than 120 days behind bars over several years, despite arguing that he couldn't afford to pay. At one hearing, he said he was both homeless and unemployed.

In 2006, as he faced 120 more days in jail, his court-appointed appellate  lawyer argued that Spokane's self-described "auto jail," which put Nason behind bars without a hearing whenever he failed to pay, violated his rights to due process.

In 2010, the Washington State Supreme Court agreed. Before imposing sanctions for failure to pay court debt, "a trial court must inquire into the offender's ability to pay," the court wrote in its decision in Nason's case. Spokane court officials declined to comment, citing pending lawsuits.

Certain counties in Florida, Ohio, Georgia and elsewhere also routinely imprison people who fail to keep up with court debt, according to the American Civil Liberties Union and the Brennan Center. In practice, advocates said, courts often fail to inquire about a defendant's ability to pay until after they're incarcerated.

This to me seems to be another charming after effect of the sub-prime shitstorm. Paying your finical overlords is your reason to live. Disagree and go to jail. I'm sure it was happening prior to the latest fuck-ups and over the next few years I think this is going to be huge.

There's already a ton of empty private prisons. Bunks need Bums.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Yeah, the debtor's prison situation has been escalating for a while.

It's one reason I am not at all OK with some state's laws about throwing parents who don't pay child support in jail. It helps no one.

[Salty]

So, this is pretty horrible shit, just a warning. Very horrible rape and murder. 

Happened about two streets over from my new place.

http://articles.ktuu.com/2013-05-26/killing-elderly-couple_39527139

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

That is so sad and horrible.

[Junkenstein]

Not much yet, but should be funny to watch:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22727903

MP Patrick Mercer has resigned the Conservative Party whip.

Mr Mercer is a former shadow defence minister who has represented Newark since 2001.

The former Army officer was sacked from the Conservative frontbench by David Cameron in 2007 after allegedly racist comments.

The BBC understands his decision to quit is in connection with a lobbying story being pursued by Panorama, scheduled to go out on Thursday.

[Cain]

Mercer's a nutter.  He's surrounded himself with so-called counterterrorism experts, most of whom are neocon cranks.  Check out his links to nutter Dominic Wightman and VIGIL, when you have the time.

As for this, turns out he was lobbying on behalf of Fiji.  As you may know, Fiji has been suspended from the Commonwealth due to its distressing tendency to undertake military coups.   Very naughty.

[Cain]

You could be forgiven for missing this, since virtually every UK media outlet has tried to bury it in one form or another (this link was hidden away in a corner on the Guardian website)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2013/may/31/uk-human-rights-record-un-panel

The British government's human rights record since the attacks of 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq is facing ferocious criticism from a United Nations panel, which warns that prompt action is needed to ensure the country meets its obligations under international law.

In a report published on Friday, the UN Committee against Torture recommends more than 40 separate measures which it says will need to be taken if the UK is to be given a clean bill of health.

While the committee has focused on the failure to hold to account those responsible for human rights abuses in the so-called war on terror, and for the mistreatment of prisoners in Iraq, it also raises a series of other serious concerns over matters that include the controversial Justice and Security Act, the forced removal of failed asylum seekers to Sri Lanka, and the failure to hold a public inquiry into the state's involvement in the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane.

The report – which will doubtless make uncomfortable reading across Whitehall – contains the harshest criticism that the committee has yet made of a British government. It is the first substantial criticism since 1992, when the UK was told that were it not for the mistreatment of terrorism suspects in Northern Ireland, it would have been found to have "met in virtually every respect" its obligations under the UN convention against torture.

The committee condemned what it described as an "escape clause" in the 1988 Criminal Justice Act, the piece of legislation that incorporated the UN torture convention into UK law. It called for the repeal of the clause, as it provides British officials with a defence against prosecution for torture if they can show that they had "lawful authority, justification or excuse" for inflicting severe pain or suffering.

During the hearings earlier this month, the committee's members made clear that they were concerned that another piece of UK legislation, the 1994 Intelligence Services Act, may explain why no British intelligence officer has ever needed to rely on that defence, as it ensures they cannot be prosecuted within the UK once a warrant providing such "lawful authority" has been signed by a government minister.

The report says the committee is "deeply concerned at the growing number of serious allegations of torture and ill-treatment, including by means of complicity, as a result of the state party's military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan".

Asked about the concerns raised by the committee, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice, which led the British delegation to Geneva earlier this month, issued a statement saying the British government "does not engage in torture, or solicit, encourage or condone its use" and works to prevent torture occurring.

No, of course not.  The UK is deeply and terribly shocked to find that its overseas partners and allies engage in torture....time and time again.  We had no idea the regime in Uzbekistan, notorious for killing political dissidents with boiling oil, might torture prisoners.  Or that Kenyan Police, notorious for running death squads, might torture people.  Or that our friends in Bangladesh, who torture journalists for "blasphemy", might torture other people.

One wonders exactly what British intelligence does all day, since one can find examples of us working side by side with people who engage in torture on a daily basis, but they are apparently woefully unaware of their terrible practices and would never dream of handing someone over to be roughed up a bit.

[Junkenstein]

That info is getting consistently buried. Shock all round.

More on the Mercer fuckup:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22742327

Three peers have been accused of agreeing to carry out parliamentary work for payment.

Undercover Sunday Times reporters filmed the men appearing to offer to help a fake solar energy company.

Ulster Unionist Lord Laird, and Labour's Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate and Lord Cunningham, deny wrongdoing.

Lord Laird was also filmed by the BBC's Panorama discussing a retainer to ask parliamentary questions. He has now resigned the party whip.

The fresh allegations over political lobbying come after MP Patrick Mercer resigned the Tory whip on Friday amid claims he broke lobbying rules.

The House of Lords code of conduct says peers cannot engage in "paid advocacy" - using their access to Parliament to make a profit.

The Sunday Times suggests the three peers, who it filmed separately, may have broken those strict rules.

It's the usual shit. Lords caught offering things then suddenly claiming they've been scammed, mislead and never do any wrong ever.

Countdown until next remarkably similar incident: Less than 6 months.

The first, Lord Cunningham - a minister under Tony Blair - offered to write to Prime Minister David Cameron to push the solar energy company's supposed agenda.

He also offered to ask parliamentary questions and was offered a monthly payment of £10,000 but said he could do a deal for £12,000 a month.

He told undercover reporters he offered "value for money" because he could introduce them to senior members of all three of the main political parties.

But in a statement sent to the Sunday Times, Lord Cunningham denied breaking any rules.

He said: "I deny any agreement to operate in breach of the House of Lords code of conduct and, in fact, recall that I made it clear that I would only operate within the rules."


He said his reference to "a fanciful £12,000 a month payment" was made to test his suspicion that he had been talking to journalists.

Lord (Brian) Mackenzie, a former chief superintendent for Durham police and President of the Police Superintendents Association, said he could arrange parties for paying clients - including on the terrace of the House of Lords - after being asked if this was possible.

"I just say to a colleague who has nothing to do with it, 'would you host a function for me?'" he said.

When asked if he had done anything wrong, Lord Mackenzie told BBC Radio 5 live: "Not at all".

I've honestly lost count of the number of "Peers" who have come out with this kind of limp lie. It'd be a really nice change for just one of them to cough to wrongdoing and name a bunch of names. I guess moral fibre isn't a useful quality in government.