Boston Mayor Bans Sugared Beverage Sales on City Property

Boston Mayor Tom Menino is taking a page out of NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg and the other nanny staters by canning sales of soda on city property.

Mayor Tom Menino issued an executive order to ban the sale of sugary drinks on Boston city property on Thursday.

The mayor’s office said Menino is issuing this order because of the link between sugary drinks and rising obesity rates and health care costs. The order sets science-based standards for what’s considered a healthy beverage and what can be sold or served on City property, according to a city press release.

The policy applies to cafeterias, vending machines, concession stands, and beverages served at meetings, City-run programs, and events where food is purchased with City dollars.

Back in 2004, Menino banned soda and junk food from being sold in public school vending machines, and now he’s taking his battle city-wide.

I can't wait until the next city budget comes through and the loss of revenue requires either spending cuts or tax hikes to cover the lost revenue from contracts that enable beverage makers to sell soda on city property.

Moreover, there's a question as to just how far this policy extends - does this mean that vendors will be unable to sell soda on city streets or roadways from vending carts or trucks?

To be clear, this is what Menino intends:

City buildings and departments have a six-month grace period before they’ll be required to phase out the sale of so-called “red” beverages, or those loaded with sugar, such as non-diet sodas, pre-sweetened ice teas, refrigerated coffee drinks, energy drinks, juice drinks with added sugar and sports drinks. The order allows for the sale of “yellow” beverages such as diet sodas, diet iced teas, 100 percent juices, low-calorie sports drinks, low-sugar sweetened beverages, sweetened soymilk and flavored, sweetened milk. “Green” beverages, such as bottled water, flavored and unflavored seltzer water, low-fat milk, and unsweetened soymilk can continue to be sold. The promotion of “red” beverages on City property through sponsorship agreements with City departments, including banners and advertising panels on vending machines, will be prohibited.

Pretty much, unless you're selling bottled water or diet soda, you're going to have to find another source of revenue if you're one of those vendors.

Obesity didn't start with soda and sugared beverages. It got a whole lot worse as people chose to live a sedentary lifestyle where they don't exercise or take care of themselves, all while supersizing their food intake by choice and ignoring proper portion control to manage their weight.

Now, Menino is going to harm small businesses, including distributors, bottlers, and vendors who sell these beverages to a public that wants them because he thinks that soda is the root of the obesity epidemic.

Just as a New York City Councilman entered a bill to eliminate the sales of toys with Happy Meals yesterday turned out to be a poster child for obesity himself (and whose wife complained about his eating habits), that's nanny-staters for you.

Nobody seems to like City Councilman's Leroy Comrie's proposed Happy Meal regulations. On Tuesday when Comrie announced the proposed law—which aims to set "nutrition standards for distributing incentive items aimed at children,"—he acknowledged that, weighing in at 335 pounds himself, he was hardly a model of healthy eating (in fact that was part of his point). So no surprise that both the Post (Councilman, Heal Thyself) and the News (City Councilman Leroy Comrie's bill to ban toys in Happy Meals with over 500 calories is fat-headed) today ran editorials decrying the plan as a dud from a self-hating, publicity-hungry tub of lard. And not happy to stop there, the Post went to the next level and got Comrie's weight-watching, yoga-doing wife Marcia on the record to complain about her rotund husband's eating habits.

In the Councilman's case, he chose to eat unhealthy food options - and his weight (and wife) suffered for it.

When presented with healthy options, he not only took them, but ate up whatever else he could find. You can't simply excuse that because there are only fast food options available. Even fast food restaurants have healthier food options - but Comrie chose to ignore them and ate what he wanted. That's on him.

The same goes with soda. There's nothing wrong with soda, if you have a healthy lifestyle and live by a simply motto - moderation.

Developing: Terror Bust In Boston

One man is in FBI custody and two others are being sought in connection with a terror plot both inside the US and elsewhere in the world.

A news conference is scheduled for 10AM EDT.

UPDATE:
We have names and the kind of terrorism that the men sought to engage in:

Tariq Mehanna, 27, is facing charges of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. Authorities allege he conspired with Ahmad Abousamra and others to provide material support to terrorists, US Attorney Michael Loucks and Boston FBI chief Warren Bamford said in a statement.

Mehanna and co-conspirators allegedly had multiple conversations about obtaining automatic weapons and shooting people in a shoopping mall, including discussions of the logistics of the mall attacks, and possible attacks on emergency responders.

UPDATE:
Still more details coming out about Mehanna and his cohorts, including the fact that Mehanna was known to law enforcement before today's revelations:

Mehanna had "multiple conversations about obtaining automatic weapons and randomly shooting people in shopping malls," Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Loucks said. Their plan was thwarted when they could only get handguns, not automatic weapons, he said.

Prosecutors would not say which malls had been targeted. They also allegedly hoped to attack U.S. troops stationed in Iraq.

Mehanna's attorney, J.W. Carney Jr., did not immediately return calls for comment.

Mehanna, a U.S. citizen, was arrested in November and charged with lying to the FBI in December 2006 when asked about the whereabouts of Daniel Maldonado, who is now serving a 10-year prison sentence for training alongside al-Qaida members to overthrow the Somali government.

Mehanna told the FBI that Maldonado was living in Egypt and working for a Web site. But authorities said Maldonado had called Mehanna from Somalia urging him to join him in "training for jihad."

Authorities said Wednesday that Mehanna and his conspirators had contacted Maldonado about getting automatic weapons for their planned mall attacks.

Destroying the Tourism Industry One Tax and Fee at a Time

States and localities have long thought that they had a sure way that they could raise revenues without incurring the wrath of their constituents. They'd simply tax the bejeebus out of anyone coming to visit from out of town.

They'd impose taxes on airport access, car rentals, meals, and hotel stays, to cover operating costs, or to fund new projects.

Boston's Mayor Thomas Menino is pushing to do just this in to the teeth of a recession all while the hotel and tourism industry is reeling as people stay home instead of traveling.

Currently, the meals tax is 5 percent. Beginning Aug. 1, the tax jumps to 6.25 percent. Under the mayor's proposal, an additional hike would bring the tax to 7 percent, effective Oct. 1.

As for hotel taxes, the current rate is 12.45 percent. If the plan is approved, the tax will jump to 14.45 percent.

Wisconsin just raised its car rental taxes significantly - from $2 to $18, to fund the construction of a rail link.

All over the country, states and localities are raising taxes and fees to balance their budgets, or to pay for new projects:

Popular tourist destinations were hit especially hard. Among places where taxes rose:

•Hawaii. The hotel room tax increased from 7.25% to 8.25% on Wednesday and will rise to 9.25% in July 2010.

•Nevada. The room tax will increase up to 3 percentage points, to a maximum of 12%. In Las Vegas, the hotel tax jumps from 9% to 12%. Reno's tax was already 12% and is not scheduled to change.

•New Hampshire. The tax on rooms and restaurant meals rose from 8% to 9% and was extended to include recreational vehicles at campgrounds.

•Massachusetts. Cities were given authority to raise the hotel tax from 4% to 6%, in addition to the state tax of 5.7%. Taxes on eating out will rise from 5% to 6.25% statewide, plus another 0.75% if cities choose.

•New York City. The city, which raised its hotel tax March 1 to 14.25%, not counting other fees, will start charging more for Internet reservations.

It that adds up to a significant chunk of the cost for a typical trip.

I take regular trips every year for leisure and have found that 30% of the costs to rent a car take the form of taxes and fees not imposed by the rental company but by the locality or state. It's insane. These localities are taxing me for the privilege of coming to their localities to spend my money on businesses and enterprises in their areas for a period of time before returning home.

I'm not alone in finding this situation infuriating. The recession is leading car rental companies to reduce their inventories, pushing the prices for the car rentals up, which only adds to the taxes owed on said rentals, and increasing the overall cost for a vacation.

There I was, going over a pending car-rental reservation and grumbling over the profusion of fees and taxes that increased my base rate by another 42 percent.

There was, of course, state tax (8 percent), county tax (1.5 percent) and city tax (1.5 percent). There were also the usual-suspect add-on fees, including an airport concession recovery fee (11.11 percent), customer facility charge ($3.50 per day) and vehicle licensing fee ($.20 per day), all of which were unavoidable as there was no convenient non-airport location.

There is one way I've found that can help reduce the overall cost of car rentals, and that is to buy Entertainment books annually. Since I take trips every year and make other purchases from the books, they more than make up for the $30-40 the books can cost. In fact, the Entertainment book more than pays for itself when booking car rentals. They have special rates that can save anywhere from $40-100 for a car rental over what you might find using Kayak, Orbitz, or any of the other travel websites, including Priceline. You have to play around with the various coupon codes offered, and might find that a 2-car class upgrade does better than 10% or 15% off for a weekly rental or vice versa, depending on which rental company you go with.

Still, those taxes and fees are unavoidable, and they mean that I have less money to spend on trinkets or restaurants or other items during the course of my stay.

So, while Boston looks to raise its taxes, it has a ways to go to being the highest tax burdened jurisdiction for travelers. That distinction goes to Chicago, which imposes more than $40 in taxes per day on tourists.

Questions Persist Following Boston Metro Crash

Over the weekend, a Boston Metro trolley crashed into another trolley, injuring nearly 50 people and totaled three trolley cars. Word came out that the driver of the vehicle that crashed admitted to text messaging at the time of the accident and had a troublesome record, including multiple tickets and one accident, in which a death occurred (although none of the tickets or the accident would have precluded Quinn from obtaining the job).

Normally, that would be the end of the query, but there's much more to this story, as Jules Crittenden points out. Apparently the driver, Aiden Quinn, was transgendered and originally applied for the job under the name Georgia Quinn.

Never mind the texting, the three speeding tickets and one accident in recent years and the relative youth at 24. Should people who deny fundamental biological facts and claim to be of the opposite gender be entrusted with large public conveyances that carry dozens of commuters? Would it be discriminatory to question their judgment and stability? Should the NTSB be looking at possible medical issues, such as any effect hormone treatments for example might have on behavior, perception and judgment?

Transgender trolley driver/texting crash background at Boston Herald. Discussion of MBTA hiring criteria Boston Globe looks at the youth and driving record issues, mentions the transgender aspect but does not take it into consideration.

The NTSB will definitely examine the medical records and see if the treatment plan (including hormone therapy) may have put lives in jeopardy by causing impairment of judgment. It's in this context that the transgender question will be addressed; I don't expect it to evaluate the question of whether transgendered persons should be allowed to drive or operate mass transit vehicles.

Character Approved and Arrested

Shepard Fairey, the "artist" behind the ubiquitous Obama posters has been quite busy of late.

He's been seen getting sued by the Associated Press for copyright infringement (a case I wish would go on ad infinitum because both sides deserve to lose, but one that Fairey would prevail because it was a fair use and there is sufficient differences between the original photo and the poster to merit separate consideration).

He's been character approved by USA Networks.

And now, he's been arrested on outstanding warrants for graffiti.

Shepard Fairey was in Boston on Friday night for an event kicking off his exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art.

Police said they had warrants on Fairey from last month after he allegedly tagged property in Boston with graffiti based on his Andre the Giant street art campaign.

It was unclear if Fairey was being held on Saturday.

Gawker notes that this is like the 15th time he's been arrested on such charges, which include vandalism.

Character approved indeed.

Boston Mayor Against Affordable Health Care

Why is Mayor Menino against a program that could bring affordable health care to the public? He claims it's because it will put the public in jeopardy. His former health commissioner, who is now the state's public health commissioner, disagrees.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino embarked on a highly public campaign yesterday to block CVS Corp. and other retailers from opening medical clinics inside their stores, an effort that exposed a rift between Menino and the state's public health commissioner, a longtime ally.

Menino blasted state regulators for paving the way Wednesday for the in-store clinics, which are designed to provide treatment for sore throats, poison ivy, and other minor illnesses.

The decision by the state Public Health Council, "jeopardizes patient safety," Menino said in a written statement. "Limited service medical clinics run by merchants in for-profit corporations will seriously compromise quality of care and hygiene. Allowing retailers to make money off of sick people is wrong."

In a separate letter, Menino urged members of the city's Public Health Commission to consider barring the clinics from Boston. CVS executives said they plan to open 25 to 30 MinuteClinics in Greater Boston before the end of the year, although they have not specified how many of those will be within the city's limits.

The Boston Public Health Commission spent nearly an hour discussing the impending arrival of the clinics and ways they could potentially be stopped.

The panel took no action, but instructed the health agency's attorney to investigate whether it could adopt regulations forbidding stores with clinics from selling tobacco products, forcing them to make an untenable financial choice. The city says 31 CVS stores and 56 other pharmacies in Boston have city-issued licenses to sell tobacco.

In a statement issued last night, executives of MinuteClinics said they "would be happy to talk to Mayor Menino about any of his concerns."

"We at MinuteClinic are committed to providing convenient, affordable access to quality health care," the statement said.

By issuing a broadside against the clinics and the state's approval of them, Menino placed himself squarely in opposition to a former longtime deputy, John Auerbach. Before becoming the state's public health commissioner last year, Auerbach spent nine years as executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission.

Auerbach's state agency yesterday released a statement defending its decision on the clincs: "The members of the Public Health Council were deliberative and thoughtful in their review of the limited service clinic regulation. We believe these types of clinics, operated either as part of a retail operation or in a nonprofit setting, can provide the public access to safe, convenient, and quality care for minor health issues."

The clinics are not designed to treat chronic diseases such as cancer or diabetes or serious emergencies. The facilities will be staffed with nurse-practitioners who are trained to spot patients with more severe illnesses or in need of specialized care and send them to a doctor or an emergency room.

The clinics would reduce reliance on emergency rooms and serve a vital need in the community.

It's all about the money - if CVS can turn a profit on these low cost retail operations, then it shows that the government intervention into the health care market may not be necessary after all, which means big trouble for those espousing big government intervention in health care - all of the Democrats running in 2008 have proffered one version or another for government health care.

What is interesting is that the Boston Globe article fails to mention Menino's party affiliation. Why is that? Would that not raise some uncomfortable questions for the 2008 candidates? After all, why is a Democrat against cheap and affordable health care unless he's against retailers providing that service without relying upon the government for handouts?

The Big Dig's Big Day

After 14 years, and $14.8 billion, the Big Dig is finally completed. Five people were killed in the sprawling construction of the Central Artery Tunnel, including Milena Del Valle, who was killed July 2006 when a ceiling panel within the tunnel fell, crushing her to death. Her family settled with the company that produced the defective epoxy fastener, Powers Fasteners, for $6 million. Manslaughter charges are still pending against the company, along with Parsons Brinkenhoff and Betchel, who were the primary contractors on the project.

Officially, Dec. 31 marks the end of the joint venture that teamed megaproject contractor Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff with the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority to build the dizzying array of underground highways, bridges, ramps and a new tunnel under Boston Harbor — all while the city remained open for business.

The project was so complex it's been likened to performing open heart surgery on a patient while the patient is wide awake.

Some didn't know if they'd live to see it end.

Enza Merola had a front row seat on the Big Dig from the front window of her pastry shop — stacked neatly with tiramisu, sfogliatelle and brightly colored Italian cookies — in Boston's North End.

During the toughest days of the project, the facade of Marie's Pastry Shop, named after her sister, was obscured from view. The only way customers could find the front door was along a treacherous path through heavy construction.

"For a while we thought we weren't going to make it," Merola said. "But you know, we hung in there."

The Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel Project — as the Big Dig is officially known — has its roots in the construction of the hulking 1950's era elevated Central Artery that cut a swath through the center of Boston, lopping off the waterfront from downtown and casting a shadow over some of the city's oldest neighborhoods.

Guerrilla Marketers Compensate Boston For Security Alert

Turner Broadcasting and a New York marketing firm agreed on Monday to pay $2 million in compensation for a "guerrilla" advertising campaign that sparked fears of terrorism in the Boston area last week.

Travel on major roadways and rail lines was suspended and police responded in large numbers last Wednesday after the discovery of blinking electronic devices meant to promote an adult-themed show on Turner's Cartoon Network.

Authorities have charged Sean Stevens, 28, and Peter Berdovsky, 27, in the security alert, Boston's biggest since the September 11 attacks. They pleaded not guilty last week to charges of placing a hoax device and disorderly conduct.

The two were paid by Interference Inc., a New York marketing company hired by Turner Broadcasting System Inc., a unit of Time Warner Inc..

Turner and Interference have agreed to pay a combined $2 million in restitution and other compensation to communities and agencies affected by the scare, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley said in a statement.

The settlement includes $1 million to the cities of Boston, Somerville and Cambridge along with Massachusetts state agencies and another $1 million in "good will funds" to finance homeland security and other programs by various groups.

Expect the charges against Stevens and Berdovsky to be reduced or dropped entirely as the city has secured a significant piece of compensation for their costs incurred as a result of the whole asinine episode.

Boston Guerilla Marketing Tactics Worked

The guerrilla marketing campaign that panicked Boston over a possible terror plot boosted the ratings of the obscure cartoon cable-television show it was promoting.

Viewership was up 4 percent for Thursday's midnight showing of "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" on the Cartoon Network, said Nielsen Media Research.

A day earlier, two men were arrested in Boston - and Turner Broadcasting System faced a wave a of criticism - for installing electric-light displays featuring an "Aqua Teen" character called Ignignokt giving the finger.

Boston was one of 10 cities where Turner tried out the marketing ploy.

The rating news could get even better for the show's creators in the coming days.

"I think it will only help ratings for the show, said Mediaweek television-industry analyst Marc Berman.

"Any exposure, good or bad, always helps and while this [debacle] has a terrible negative connotation, I really don't think its going to hurt the show."

The commotion caused by the appearance of those electronic devices all over Boston essentially shut down the city for a day as the Boston PD ran all over the city trying to figure out what was going on. The two men behind the ad campaign installations were arrested and out on bail.

How to Cause a Panic in Boston

This video shows how those electronic devices were assembled and placed. These devices were "installed" around Boston, resulting in yesterday's nightmarish scenario of street, bridge, and subway closures resulting from the police being called in to investigate. The bomb squad was called out and detonated several of them.

Two people connected with the installation were arrested on charges of placing hoax devices around the city.

Authorities have arrested two men in connection with electronic light boards depicting a middle-finger-waving moon man that triggered repeated bomb scares around Boston on Wednesday and prompted the closure of bridges and a stretch of the Charles River.

Meanwhile, police and prosecutors vented their anger at Turner Broadcasting System Inc., the parent company of CNN, which said the battery-operated light boards were aimed at promoting the late-night Adult Swim cartoon "Aqua Teen Hunger Force."

Boston officials condemned Turner for not taking proper steps to end the bomb scares earlier and for not issuing an adequate apology to the city. (Watch how the scare unfolded )

Turner Broadcasting said in written statements the devices had been placed around Boston and nine other cities in recent weeks as part of a guerrilla marketing campaign to promote the show.

"We apologize to the citizens of Boston that part of a marketing campaign was mistaken for a public danger," Phil Kent, CEO and chairman of Turner Broadcasting System Inc., said in one of two statements issued by the company.

The same installation was done in 10 other cities, but the situation got out of hand in Boston.

The problem is that the LED installation got people concerned because of where they were placed (on bridges and overpasses), and if you were driving/riding by these things you saw something out of place. If you're a terrorist, masking a bomb to make it look like something harmless makes sense. Terrorists do this all the time - turning toys, garbage, and other innocent looking items into IEDs.

What is quite curious is that the ad campaign was in 10 cities around the country, and it only caused an uproar in Boston. Was there something about where those things were placed that made the difference or did other cities' residents simply ignore 'em? That's a question I doubt will be answered.

UPDATE:
The two men arrested in connection with the publicity stunt gone wrong have pleaded not guilty. Meanwhile, for reaction to the publicity campaign in the other cities where it was run:

In Seattle and several suburbs, the removal of the signs was low-key. "We haven't had any calls to 911 regarding this," Seattle police spokesman Sean Whitcomb said Wednesday.

Police in Philadelphia said they believed their city had 56 devices.

The New York Police Department removed 41 of the devices — 38 in Manhattan and three in Brooklyn, according to spokesman Paul Browne. The NYPD had not received any complaints. But when it became aware of the situation, it contacted Cartoon Network, which provided the locations so the devices could be removed.

(HT: Anonymous Emailer)

UPDATE:
Were there emails between various people behind the scenes telling everyone to keep quiet about the incidents as they were being reported and investigated by the Boston Police? That's the implication in this report. The Boston prosecutors look like they're going to have a field day with discovery based on this stuff. Follow the paper trail. I don't think that civil suits will have much of an effect, though the City might press for some kind of monetary settlement over the police expenses.

As it is, the charges against the duo include:
Chapter 266: Section 102A1/2. Possession, transportation, use or placement of hoax devices; penalty; law enforcement or public safety officer exemption.

UPDATE:
Lots of folks opining about the Boston kerfuffle and the subsequent charging of two men in the attacks including: The Moderate Voice, Hot Air, Texas holdem, erictatro, xrlq.

Idiocy Abounds Today

Item 1:
Boston police department arrests one in connection with hoax devices left all over Boston. The appearance of the devices led to road and subway closures, disruptions of traffic, confusion and a massive police response including the bomb squad.

More than 10 blinking electronic devices planted at bridges and other spots in Boston threw a scare into the city Wednesday in what turned out to be a publicity campaign for a late-night cable cartoon. The devices depict a character giving the finger.

Boston police said Wednesday night that one person had been arrested, and authorities scheduled a news conference later in the evening to provide details.

Highways, bridges and a section of the Charles River were shut down and bomb squads were sent in before authorities declared the devices were harmless.

"It's a hoax — and it's not funny," said Gov. Deval Patrick, who said he'll speak to the state's attorney general "about what recourse we may have."

Turner Broadcasting, a division of Time Warner Inc. and parent of Cartoon Network, said the devices were part of a promotion for the TV show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," a surreal series about a talking milkshake, a box of fries and a meatball.

If it were up to me, I'd make sure that Turner Broadcasting was held fiscally responsible for the entire police response and forced to pay for the emergency response and to make reparations to the city for the costs associated with the hoax. This isn't the kind of press that Time Warner and Turner Broadcasting wants or needs. Heads will roll on that. Turner regrets the inconvenience caused. I'm sure.

Item 2:
Joe Biden declares candidacy for President of the United States and promptly self destructs by making the following comments about fellow Senator and Presidential candidate Barack Obama.

I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy'...

This, from the man who Mark Levin calls the dumbest man in the Senate. Biden sure knows how to put a foot in his mouth. He wasn't exactly a top flight candidate before he threw his hat in the ring, but this pretty much makes him toxic. Of course, Biden fights back claiming that his comments were taken out of context. Typical. What he meant to imply was "clean as a whistle and sharp as a tack". Right. If that's what he meant to say, he could have said it. Instead, he goofed big time. Too bad. So sad.

Oh, and Jesse Jackson was a presidential candidate way back in the 1980s before he got his own case of foot in mouth disease and fell out of favor with the media and establishment Democrats. Al Sharpton has run for President as well, but he's anything but a mainstream candidate.

Item 3:
Al Franken is declaring his run for the Senate.

Comedian and radio talk show host Al Franken has begun calling Democratic members of Congress and prominent DFLers to tell them he will definitely challenge Republican Sen. Norm Coleman in 2008, the Star Tribune has learned.

On Monday, Franken announced that he was quitting his radio show on Feb. 14, and he told his audience that they'd be the first to know of his decision. But Franken has been working the phones in recent days, telling his political friends he's ready to declare his candidacy.

Anyone reading this blog knows I cannot stand Franken, but if Minnesota thinks that he's their guy, sucks to be Minnesota because the joke is on them. Franken's involvement in Air America better be examined by the media far more closely than it has until now because there's more than meets the eye. That should be telling as to what Franken intends to do with taxpayer money and how fiscally [ir]responsible he is.

Item 4:
The New York Times suffers huge Fourth Quarter loss. Restating earnings. Big mess. Don't simply read the article, but instead focus on the actual filings. It's far more juicy and it's what the investors read. This is bad news for the NYT. They're restating earnings because their accounting department was having trouble trying to figure out how to conform to GAAP and tax law. Don't look for the NYT to call for SOX reform or tax reform, even though it is clearly necessary.

UPDATE:
Item 5:
I'm not sure what to make of this, but someone wasn't telling the truth as to what happened.

Rep. Loretta Sanchez has quit the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, accusing the chairman, Rep. Joe Baca, of telling people she's a "whore."

Baca denied the charge.

In an interview with The Politico Wednesday, Sanchez, a California Democrat as is Baca, also cited concerns about whether Baca was properly elected Hispanic Caucus chairman in November and about his general attitude toward female lawmakers. The caucus represents 21 Hispanic Democrats in Congress.

"I'm not going to be a part of the CHC as long as Mr. Baca illegally holds the chair … I told them no. There's a big rift here," Sanchez said. "You treat the women like shit. I have no use for him."

In a statement to The Politico, Baca said Sanchez "has decided to resign from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), and has chosen to air baseless statements. Let me be clear; her comments are categorically untrue."

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Truckin'

A study reveals that truck traffic in the New York metro area has increased by 30% since 1998. So, what does that mean to local members of Congress? Time to slap the truckers with more taxes and fees. Congressman Anthony Weiner wants to hit truckers with an additional $20 in tolls for driving through the City during peak periods as part of a four part plan.

Weiner added that the city's river crossings are rapidly becoming more congested. Traffic at the Lincoln Tunnel increased 56 percent in the last nine years.

He proposed a four-point plan to help deal with the truck congestion in the five boroughs, beginning with increasing truck tolls during peak hours and offering incentives for nighttime truck deliveries.

"By increasing truck tolls two or three times the current rate, it will help. Large businesses, like supermarkets, can also easily take deliveries in the evening," Weiner said.

Another step would be to build a cross-harbor, rail-freight tunnel. New York City is the only major city not connected to the national rail system, and as a result, 99 percent of the city's goods must be brought in by truck, Weiner said.

"We want New York City to grow, and we want bustling commerce," he said. "But at this rate we're going to choke on our success."

This is yet another symbol of folks having absolutely no understanding of economics or how and why the truck traffic has increased.

The economy in the region has increased exponentially without any increase in the rail access that would siphon all those trucks off the roads and onto the rails. The truck traffic is indicative of the strong economy in the region that ships goods and services to other parts of the country and around the world. Tagging all those trucks with $20 each time they cross into the City will make those shipping companies think twice about coming to the City in the first place. They might find alternative ports to operate from. There would be less traffic because businesses would go elsewhere instead of paying for the privilege of operating in the City. This will trickle down to every aspect of the City's economy - from the real estate market to restaurants and service industries. The costs will get passed on to everyone living and working in the city because those trucking companies will pass on the costs - they always do.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is currently trying to preserve the region's competitive advantages by dredging the area's waterways so that it can accommodate the latest generation of container ships, including Panamax ships. Those container ships means thousands of jobs and billions in revenues for the region's companies. Does Weiner think that tacking yet more taxes on businesses will keep them in the region or push them to go elsewhere - Baltimore or Boston for example?

Weiner would do better if he put the focus on the need to improve the transit options that will get truckers off the major highways and onto the rail links. Not only would this extend the lifespan of those roads that wont take as much of a pounding due to heavy truck traffic, but it would improve the efficiencies in the region. Thus far, only a tiny fraction of the money needed to build the rail link between Long Island and the rest of the country is there (Brooklyn is part of Long Island folks - look at a map).

Photographer Freed, Violence Remains in Gaza

A Peruvian photographer working for AFP held since New Year's Day has been released after more than a week being held by Palestinian terrorists.

The photographer, Jaime Razuri, 50, worked for the French news agency AFP. He was abducted at gunpoint from a part of central Gaza City where many foreign journalists have offices. There was no immediate word on who the kidnappers were.

Razuri was taken to the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said Abbas aide Tayeb Abdel Rahim. Abbas was in the West Bank at the time. Fatah officials said Fatah and Popular Resistance Committees, a small militant Gaza group, mediated in his release.

The kidnapping was the latest in a series of abductions of foreigners by shadowy groups in Gaza, targeting journalists and aid workers. Unlike Razuri, most of the victims were leased unharmed after a few hours.

The kidnapping of the photographer drew denunciations from Palestinian officials, foreign correspondents and local Palestinian journalists.

In other developments, geography is playing a big role in the violent Palestinian power struggle: when Hamas attacks in its Gaza stronghold, its rival Fatah retaliates in the West Bank, where it holds sway.

There's no word on whether ransom was paid for his release.

Meanwhile Fatah holds a huge rally in the belly of the beast. Gaza is Hamas territory and Fatah holding a big rally there isn't going to sit well with the Hamas thugs. This comes as Fatah's Abbas outlaws Hamas' security force and Hamas calls the bluff by claiming that it will double the number of forces associated with that group.

Of course, there's the additional fine irony of Fatah members chanting that Hamas are murderers. Israelis and anyone with a solid understanding of good and evil would note that they've been saying this for years (and the same thing about Fatah too).

UPDATE:
The IDF notes that the Palestinian security forces are rife with terrorist elements. Is this a surprise to anyone? The Palestinian Authority is essentially one big terrorist racket, comprised of both Hamas and Fatah - and both have their own terrorist militias at the ready.

If anything, this should be yet another caution against anyone providing any kind of aid whatsoever to the Palestinians until they purge themselves of the terrorist elements.

Technorati: terrorism, nasrallah, fatah, haniyeh, Olmert, carter, Abbas, abdullah, jordan, PRC, Hamas, Gaza, palestinian, Israel.

Reaction Pours In On Saddam's Death

A new dawn rises over Baghdad and it is the first one in recent Iraqi history where Saddam Hussein was not alive to see it. His hanging was justice delayed for the hundreds of thousands of people harmed by his actions - murder, rape, ethnic cleansing, genocide, war crimes including the use of chemical weapons, and support for terrorism around the world.

Thus far, there is no curfew in Baghdad.

Ed Morrissey live blogged the event.

Hundreds of Iraqis protested the death in Saddam's home town of Tikrit, but compare that to the celebrations elsewhere in Iraq and around the world. Indeed, the majority of people recognize that Saddam was a tyrant who not only ruined Iraq but caused such grief and misery for millions through his actions.

The next issue will be the disposition of the body. The Tikritis are calling for his body to be turned over to his family. The US and Iraqis appear leaning towards burying him in a secret location.

The Vancouver Sun headlines that the Butcher of Baghdad is dead. The Guardian says that witnesses thought that Saddam was a broken man. Newsweek notes that he was afraid. That compares with other reports saying that he was defiant until the end. People are going to see what they want to see in all this.

World leaders and selected experts weighed in:

US PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH:

Bringing Saddam Hussein to justice will not end the violence in Iraq, but it is an important milestone on Iraq's course to becoming a democracy that can govern, sustain, and defend itself.

FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTRY:

France, which advocates like all its European partners the universal abolition of the death penalty, takes note of Saddam Hussein's execution.

That decision belongs to the Iraqi people and to the Iraqi sovereign authorities.

France calls on to all Iraqis to look forward and to work for reconciliation and national unity.

More than ever the aim must be a return to the full sovereignty and stability of Iraq.

AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ALEXANDER DOWNER:

The people of Iraq now know that their brutal dictator will never come back to lead them.

While many will continue to grieve over their personal loss under his rule, his death marks an important step in consigning his tyrannical regime to the judgment of history and pursuing a process of reconciliation now and in the future.

US DEMOCRATIC SENATOR JOSEPH BIDEN, INCOMING CHAIR OF THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE:

Iraq has closed one of the darkest chapters in its history and rid the world of a tyrant.

Every effort was made to afford Saddam the judicial rights he denied to the 148 innocent victims of Dujail and to hundreds of thousands of other Iraqis during his brutal reign.

I hope that the families of his many victims can now begin the healing process.

BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY MARGARET BECKETT:

I welcome the fact that Saddam Hussein has been tried by an Iraqi court for at least some of the appalling crimes he committed against the Iraqi people.

He has now been held to account.

RICHARD DICKER, DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH:

The test of a government's commitment to human rights is measured by the way it treats its worst offenders ... History will judge the deeply flawed Dujail trial and this execution harshly.

LARRY COX, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA:

The rushed execution of Saddam Hussein is simply wrong. It signifies justice denied for countless victims who endured unspeakable suffering during his regime, and now have been denied their right to see justice served.

TOMOHIKO TANIGUCHI, DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY OF JAPAN'S FOREIGN MINISTRY:

We have acknowledged that the judgment has been made according to due process and pay respect to the legal procedures that the Iraqi government has taken.

That said, what is most important in our view is to make this sentence not a new source of conflict but of reconciliation between the Iraqi people.

INDIAN FOREIGN MINISTER PRANAB MUKHERJEE:

We had already expressed the hope that the execution would not be carried out.

We are disappointed that it has been.

We hope that this unfortunate event will not affect the process of reconciliation, restoration of peace and normalcy in Iraq.

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR CHARLES LIPSON:

This will be a public accounting for the crimes that he and his regime undertook systematically over many years, but sadly it won't do much, I think, to set Iraq on a path to stability.

The nature of the internal divisions are too deep. Saddam's execution won't be able to set right the problems that we allowed to take root.

SETH JONES, POLITICAL SCIENTIST/TERRORISM EXPERT:

This means very little in the long run for the level of violence over there.

I expect this will trigger some revenge killings.

But the insurgency has been caused by so many factors I don't think this will have any meaningful impact over the long term.

LIAQAT BALUCH, A LEADER OF PAKISTAN'S SIX-PARTY OPPOSITION ALLIANCE OF CONSERVATIVE RELIGIOUS PARTIES:

This will further increase hatred of America. No one liked or supported Saddam Hussein here but the way he was tried was improper and unjust.

Saddam was a bad guy and he had to be tried for his crimes but not that way.

America is trying to divide Iraq on sectarian lines. U.S. forces are brutally killing civilians there.

BRAZIL FOREIGN MINISTRY:

(Brazil) does not believe carrying out this sentence will contribute to bringing peace to Iraq.

The Boston Globe thinks that this plants the seeds of future strife.

The Washington Post combines Saddam's death with a car bombing in Kufa that killed 30+.

The last moments of Saddam were captured on video.

So what were Saddam's last words? His lawyers released his last written statement, but his final words before his execution were:

Palestine is Arab

To the end, Saddam sided with terrorism. And the Palestinians played to form as well - mourning his death because Saddam tossed money at the Palestinian suicide bombers.

JammieWearingFool has a good roundup of reactions as does Pajamas Media. Memeorandum has a monster wrapup on reactions.

Ed Driscoll notes Drudge's unusual use of two sirens relaying the story.

Others blogging and noting media reaction: Webloggin, Florida Masochist (who wont be watching the execution), Clarity and Resolve, Dr Sanity (who notes the cheering in heaven), Sensible Mom, Hot Air, QandO and Michelle Malkin.

Technorati: saddam hussein, saddam's death, iraq, kurds, dujail, shiites, bush, capital punishment, justice.

Not So Friendly Fire

Hamas and Fatah continue to exchange the gift of gunfire. It's the gift that keeps on giving considering that both terrorist groups are trying their best (or worst) to undermine and eliminate the other rival group.

Hamas and Fatah-allied gunmen exchanged fire in Gaza City and Ramallah on Friday, fanning fears of widescale fighting between the rival Palestinian groups a day after gunmen shot at the entourage of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas.

The street battles in the Gaza Strip and West Bank came amid Hamas accusations that a powerful Fatah leader orchestrated the attack on Haniyeh. Leaders of both groups had warned in recent days that the spiraling violence threatened to bring the Palestinians to civil war.

The fighting cast a cloud over celebrations Friday to mark Hamas' 19th anniversary. However, the Islamic militant group pushed ahead with its rallies, and at least 60,000 people gathered at a stadium in Gaza City for a celebration Friday afternoon. Haniyeh was expected to make an address.

The fighting Friday in the normally peaceful city of Ramallah began when Hamas supporters marched toward the center of town, where Fatah-allied police were deployed in advance of the Hamas celebrations. A total of 32 people were wounded by stones and gunfire, including a man hit in head by crossfire, hospital officials said.

In Gaza City, masked Hamas gunmen waged battle with Fatah-allied police near a security post in the middle of the city. The four-minute battle sent civilians running for cover.

Hamas and Fatah do not govern. They threaten. They cajole. They run guns, ammo, and have bag men who are trying to fund the continuing terror operations against Israel and against rival groups. The Palestinians are caught in the middle of this mess, but they are not entirely blameless.

They voted for Hamas in overwhelming numbers. They wanted the violence to escalate - that's what Hamas promised. The Palestinians didn't care or think that electing a terrorist group that doesn't recognize Israel's right to exist might turn off the spigot of international aid.

They now suffer the repercussions of those actions.

Hamas now controls the Rafah crossing. Fatah's thugs had been in control, but were forced out in a gun battle that also saw Fatah take shots at Haniyeh, wounding his son and killing a bodyguard.

Meanwhile, Kofi Annan is sad that he couldn't resolve the Middle East problems. Here's a clue Kofi. You're not that smart.

You didn't even have the first clue as to what was going on there, blaming the victim of terrorist attacks for the violence, refusing to call out the terrorist groups that purposefully targeted civilians, and putting terrorist groups on the same footing as nation-states. What Kofi did not only didn't resolve Middle East conflicts, but set back the cause of peace by hamstringing the ability of nations to defend themselves from terror attacks, turning the UN into a cashbox that rogue nations relied upon to prevent any action to enforce UN resolutions, and cozied up to regimes harboring genocidal intent.

Finally, you cannot impose peace on a group whose religious, cultural, and political ideologies are so entwined with the concept of destruction of those who oppose their way of life and see Israel's very existence as an affront to their religious beliefs.

UPDATE:
Hamas held big demonstrations in Gaza, where more than 70,000 followers congregated. Gunfights broke out less than a block from the home of noted terrorist Mohammed Dahlan. Hamas believes that Dahlan was behind the attempt on Haniyeh.

When Haniyeh finally crossed, unidentified men began firing toward him. One of his bodyguards was killed and his son and 26 others were wounded.

At the bodyguard's funeral, Khalil al-Hayeh, head of the Hamas bloc in parliament, told mourners that Dahlan was trying to instigate a coup against the government and appeared to call for his assassination.

Al-Hayeh exhorted the crowd to "get us the plotters of the coup."

"We will, we will," the crowd replied.

Dahlan said the allegations were an attempt by Hamas leaders "to mask their sweeping failure to manage Palestinian political and social life."

Dahlan, a member of Fatah is one to talk given their sweeping failures to improve the Palestinian socio-political situation.

UPDATE:
The NYT has some odd reporting here:

Today’s events were largely an extension of a strange episode on Thursday, when Israel temporarily barred Mr. Haniya from returning to the Gaza Strip after a tour of the Middle East. Israel said he was carrying tens of millions of dollars in cash in his luggage, and that the money could be used to finance terrorist attacks, though Israel provided no evidence of those claims. As Mr. Haniya approached the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, Israel ordered the crossing closed.

The seven-hour standoff that ensued quickly turned into an internal Palestinian battle. Hamas gunmen stormed the border terminal on the Palestinian side of the border at Rafah to support Mr. Haniya, who was stranded on the Egyptian side.

The Hamas gunmen first clashed with the Palestinian security forces at the crossing, who are loyal to Mr. Abbas. Later, they battled Egyptian security forces on the other side of the frontier.

Mr. Haniya was eventually allowed to enter Gaza after leaving the money with Hamas officials who stayed behind in Egpyt. But as Mr. Haniya was leaving the border area, his entourage came under fire. One bodyguard was killed, and one of Mr. Haniya’s sons and one of his political advisers were wounded.

What's strange is the NYT reporting. First, they claim that Israel said that Hamas was trying to bring money into Gaza but Israel had no proof. Three paragraphs later, they say that Hamas thugs were left holding the money in Egypt while Haniyeh made his way into Gaza.

Curious. Very curious. Wouldn't the third paragraph prove the claims made by Israel? In a world with logic and reasoning, you would be correct. However, this is Israeli double standard world, and all bets are off. It's obvious that Hamas was trying to bring money in, and didn't like the fact that someone was preventing them from doing so.

It's also interesting that the Israelis weren't the ones at the border; it was a group of international monitors, and Fatah's Presidential security forces. No Israelis were there. It would appear that the Israelis tipped off Fatah about the money coming in, and the clashes ensued when Haniyeh refused to let Fatah take a cut. Fatah knows that Hamas with money spells trouble, so they blocked his entry.

Haniyeh didn't like this, and his gunmen opened fire. Meanwhile, another wonderful tidbit slides by: Hamas fired on Egyptian forces. Yet another sign that Hamas couldn't care less about laws, international law, or anything other than making sure that it got its money and no one stood in its way.

Technorati: terrorism, nasrallah, fatah, haniyeh, Gilad, Shalit, Olmert, carter, Abbas, Regev, Goldwasser, PRC, Hamas, Gaza, palestinian, Israel, hizbullah, hezbullah, hezbollah, lebanon, syria.

The Grim Reality

US Army General John Abizaid has issued a warning that if world doesn't figure out how to stem Islamists, we're going to face a third world war.

Army General John Abizaid compared the rise of militant ideologies, such as the force driving al Qaeda, to the rise of fascism in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s that set the stage for World War Two.

"If we don't have guts enough to confront this ideology today, we'll go through World War Three tomorrow," Abizaid said yesterday in a speech titled The Long War, at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, outside Boston.

If not stopped, Abizaid said extremists would be allowed to "gain an advantage, to gain a safe haven, to develop weapons of mass destruction, to develop a national place from which to operate. And I think that the dangers associated with that are just too great to comprehend."

Abizaid said the world faces three major hurdles in stabilising the Middle East region: Easing Arab-Israeli tensions, stemming the spread of militant extremism, and dealing with Iran, which Washington has accused of seeking to develop nuclear bombs.

"Where these three problems come together happens to come in a place known as Iraq," said Abizaid, who earlier in the week warned Congress against seeking a timeline for withdrawing US troops from the country that is wracked by insurgent and sectarian violence.

I hate to break it to Abizaid, but we're already in a global war against the Islamists. It's been declared by the jihadis for years now. Simply look back to the 1990s and Osama's calls for global jihad if you doubt that.

Call this the modern equivalent of the phony war if you like, but it is war nonetheless. The Islamists are watching our every political action and response intently, looking for weakness and a lack of resolve, which they will exploit.

The uptick in violence appears to coincide with the US elections, along with the results of the elections. That doesn't bode well for Congressional Democrats who have been told by Abizaid that a swift withdrawal would be real bad news. Damn near catastrophic to the Iraqis, let alone what it would do for US national security.

The question that detractors of the Iraq campaign avoid like the plague is a simple one. Al Qaeda and jihadis who are intent on killing Americans and imposing their way of life on the rest of us are in Iraq. Yet these detractors think that we should leave Iraq post-haste. Where's the logic in leaving the battlefield where we can kill them. It would seem that the detractors don't think that the jihadis should be taken at their word, which includes the spread of Islam at swordpoint and forcing the submission to their brand of Islam or face the stern consequences.

The $51.2 Million Pitch

That's supposedly video of the pitch that supposedly will revolutionize the game - the gyroball. It's also a big reason Boston shelled out $51.2 million for the right to negotiate a deal with Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Not only would the Yankees kill to have a good front line pitcher, but this helps a depleated Boston pitching staff that has its staff succumb to injury and even cancer (Jon Lester).

The Battle for Ground Zero, Part 185

Three more victims from 9/11 were identified from remains. The three were able to be identified using new advanced DNA identification techniques developed since the attacks. The remains were not among those found in the past two weeks in the searches of underground utility vaults. One was a flight attendant from Boston who was on AA Flight 11 when it crashed into the North Tower.

40% of the WTC victims have not been identified via remains. The medical examiner's office is holding them in special storage until such time that scientists might be able to come up with new DNA techniques to identify them.

That means that we'll be hearing about the identifications for a long time to come.

Meanwhile, a nun who offered aid and comfort to Ground Zero workers died of a lung ailment, quite possibly from her inhalation of debris from Ground Zero.

The nun who spent six months blessing human remains in the rubble at Ground Zero lost her battle for life Wednesday, and her attorney believes her death is directly related to the air she inhaled at the site.

Officials say Sister Cindy Mahoney volunteered to work at the former World Trade Center site, only to develop lung disease years later.
The 54-year-old nun told attorney David Worby that she wanted her body autopsied to prove that she and her fellow Sept. 11th workers were sickened by the poisonous air at the site.

UPDATE:
The call for the federal joint POW/MIA Accounting Command to get involved in the systematic search for additional remains at Ground Zero - to take over for the city's search.

Technorati: World Trade Center, WTC, Pataki, LMDC, urban policy, Freedom Tower, IFC, International Freedom Center, spitzer, silverstein, mount sinai, respiratory ailment, wtc cough, bloomberg.

Stop Digging

John Kerry doesn't know when to stop digging. The mess he made yesterday is going to carry through all the way till election day, especially if the GOP is shrewd enough to exploit the gaffe.

Kerry can say that it was a botched joke all he wants, but his statements and declarations have not cast doubt on what he meant. He either consciously or subconsciously dislikes our military and his disdain for the military shines through at times like this.

Even some prominent liberals have taken note. Don Imus thinks Kerry would best serve Democrats by shutting up and going windsurfing or biking. Anything to get out of the way of destroying whatever chances Democrats had of retaking the House or Senate.

Kerry still thinks he's botched a joke. Sorry, but that doesn't cut it. He hasn't apologized for botching the joke. He thinks that we're rubes who have misinterpreted his statement, but the statement speaks for itself.

Kerry is an embarrassment. Don't take my word for it. Take the Boston Herald's.

Candidates around the country are realizing the repercussions of Kerry's gaffe, and his appearances are being cancelled around the nation. He doesn't want to be a distraction to the Party in the final days? Sorry, but it's too late. Your foot in mouth disease is all too prominent and the damage has been done. You cannot undo the damage, and your mealy mouth non-apologies only reinforce the disdain you have for the men and women of the US Armed Forces.

Sharp repercussions and rebukes? Hell yes. Did Kerry gift the 2006 elections to the Democrats? Quite possibly. Kerry now has to spend the next week in damage control mode and defending the indefensible, while the GOP can not only slam Kerry, but the Democrats at large who harbor similar sentiments.

This beats anything Karl Rove could have contemplated as an October surprise, unless Kerry was on the Rove payroll.

UPDATE:
The GOP is breaking out the big guns. Let the ads commence (HT: digger12291970 at LGF.) Don't expect any apologies though. Kerry doesn't think he's done anything wrong. He thinks that we're the dumb ones who misinterpreted his lame joke. Sorry, but few are buying it. Even fewer should buy it because it fits his pattern of disdain for the US Armed Forces.

Where are the leading Democrats to come out and call for Kerry's full and proper apology? Thus far, nothing but crickets. That speaks volumes about what they think of the military and those who would consider serving. The reactions should have been immediate. Heck, I'm just as patriotic as the next guy or gal, and thought Kerry should have apologized immediately. Why don't the likes of Pelosi, Dean, Clinton (both), Kennedy, and Schumer call for an apology? Are they putting their own political ambitions ahead of the apology - to watch Kerry flame out any chances of a run for 2008? Do they agree with Kerry? This is a no-win situation for those leading Democrats - because they've got to defend the indefensible.

Ed Morrissey notes the Rube Goldbergesque contortions that Kerry must endure to try and salvage this so-called joke.

Others blogging: Flopping Aces, Gaius, and Michelle Malkin (and here).

UPDATE:
Democrat candidate for Senate Harold Ford, who's in a tough race in Tennessee with Bob Corker, has called on Kerry to apologize. Kerry's appearance with Bob Casey in Pennsylvania was cancelled. An Iowa candidate cancelled their appearance with Kerry.

Kerry has made his name and likeness radioactive going into the homestretch of a pivotal election that would determine control of Congress. Way to go!

UPDATE:
Jon Tester also calls on Kerry to apologize. That's in stark contrast to the Leftists who are rallying behind Kerry because he was speaking the truth. Well, that's what I've been saying all along. Kerry is telling you exactly what he thinks of the military and those that serve. It just bears absolutely no resemblance to reality, or what a majority of Americans think of those who serve. However, Kerry's comments do appear to jibe with many on the hard Left.

LaShawn Barber and Brendan Loy think that Kerry would be insane to publicly immolate himself by saying that the military is stupid. I'd strenuously disagree with them because Kerry's MO over the past 30+ years has been to show nothing but utter contempt for those in the Armed Forces. His repeated statements and gaffes have all been in one direction - disparaging the military and those who serve. That cannot be a coincidence.

Greg at the Belgravia Dispatch wonders whether this will have any effect on the races decided next week. From the look of the various candidates who are calling for apologies or distancing themselves from Kerry, I'd say that the politicians and their advisors think it could do serious damage. Democrat candidates in red states clearly do not want to be associated with this nonsense, and those in tight races would be similarly concerned.

Others blogging: Big Lizards, Macranger, AJ Strata, Hyscience, and memeorandum has constant updates.

UPDATE:
John McCain again calls for Kerry to apologize. Good luck with that. Kerry is digging in his heels and is doing the non-apology apology. That isn't cutting it with the military either. Some take the humorous approach, while some are calling for his resignation from the Senate.

UPDATE:
What we've got here is another non-apology apology.

Thrust into the midst of the midterm election campaign, Sen. John Kerry apologized Wednesday to "any service member, family member or American who was offended" by remarks deemed by Republicans and Democrats alike to be insulting to U.S. forces in Iraq.

Six days before the election, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee said he sincerely regretted his words were "misinterpreted to imply anything negative about those in uniform."

Let's get this straight. Just 24 hours after saying that he wasn't sorry and wouldn't apologize for anything, he's now saying that he's apologized to those who were offended by remarks. Michelle Malkin's emailer got it right:

Kerry said that if anyone thought his remarks were intended for the military then they were crazy.

Yet he apologized today for remarks that he made if people took offense.

Well, if folks took offense that means that they thought his remarks were offensive to the military.

That means that he called those folks to whom he apologized CRAZY.

This isn't an apology. He was saying only yesterday that if you thought that his statement was offensive to the military you were crazy. Now, he's claiming to apologize to those who were offended by his remarks. No wonder so many people are genuinely outraged over his statements.

Anyone else finding a wee bit of dissonance between his two statements? A flip flop perhaps? Or maybe that Kerry's nuanced apology isn't much of an apology because he's still offending those who were offended in the first place with his condescension. Kerry continues to think that its our interpretation that is flawed, not his utterances.

Here's the thing. This isn't a one-off event. Kerry has a history of making such statements. His record of making these statements makes the likelyhood that this was a botched joke less reasonable to an observer.

Big deal that he went to college - he did worse than President Bush, who he regularly lampoons and calls stupid. He served in the Navy (after being unable to be deferred yet more times). His service is not being questioned, but his every utterance about the military since he went into politics has been anti-military, going back to the Winter Soldier hearings. This has nothing to do with Bush, Cheney, or the GOP. It has everything to do with what John Kerry said about the US military and those that serve in an all-volunteer force - one that is the most highly educated in our history and one whose educational background is superior to that of the general public.

Technorati: john kerry, support the troops, democrat, politics.

Eve of Destruction

We're almost upon the first anniversary of the massive riots in France that caused hundreds of injuries and arrests, hundreds of damaged businesses, and nearly 10,000 cars torched over a period of about three weeks.

Well, things aren't any better now than they were last year. In fact, the situation is even worse. Last year's normal rate of car torchings was about 40 per night. Now, the new normal is 100, and that's before we add in the additional violence directed at police and French law enforcement.

It's a situation that has gone from bad to worse. The thugs behind the violence, who are largely Muslim immigrants, are coordinating their efforts, and have become even more vicious in their attacks.

Around 10 hooded men -- five of them carrying handguns -- forced the driver and passengers off a night bus heading from Bagnolet to Montreuil at around 1:00 am on Thursday morning, the Paris region transport service RATP said.

"Then they stole the bus, drove it a short distance away and set fire to it," an RATP spokesman told AFP. No-one was hurt.

According to a police spokesman, one of the men held his gun against the driver's head to force him to leave the bus.

The incident took place one day before the first anniversary of riots that shook the suburbs of Paris and several other French cities. Last year's violence began in Seine-Saint-Denis, the disadvantaged, high-immigrant department where Montreuil and Bagnolet are situated.

Drivers on the Bagnolet to Montreuil line went on strike on Thursday to protest against the attack.

Other reports indicate that there were two bus incidents that mirror each other in terms of masked gunmen and torched buses. The rioters then targeted the firefighters and police responding to the incident - throwing rocks at them before being dispersed. Some in the French government seem to recognize the seriousness of the situation and that it calls for strong measures - and some are calling for those involved in the bus incidents to be charged with attempted murder, but there appears to be a lack of willpower to see it done.

The French government seems paralyzed into inaction, as they were last year. While they appear to have put riot police on alert, they are not taking the steps necessary to detain and arrest the thugs who have been rioting nightly causing the car torchings. The police still treat some of the immigrant neighborhoods (the banlieus) as no-go zones, instead of policing them.

Der Speigel notes that Sarkozy called those involved in the riots scum - and that raised tensions as well. Well, I wouldn't call rioting thugs well behaved now, would you? They are thugs, and their rioting must be put to an end.

UPDATE:
The Paris transit authority is busy rejiggering the bus routes to avoid areas where troubles are known to break out. Sacre bleu! That's going to cause yet more rioting because you're depriving those areas of bus service! No pasaran notes that a total of four buses were torched last nite, not the two I noted earlier. It's so hard to keep up with the exploding numbers.

UPDATE:
Gateway Pundit has more.

Technorati: riot, paris riots, paris, france, banlieu, muslim immigrant.