Saturday, April 11, 2009

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Hastert Now Lobbying For Turkey Top
Former Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert, R-Plano, is now lobbying for the Republic of Turkey, according to papers filed last week with the Justice Department's Foreign Agents Registration Act unit.
 
Brandon Friedman: McKiernan Raises Effort to Win Afghan Hearts and Minds to a New Level Top
As the violence in Afghanistan continues to intensify, the top American general in the country, Gen. David McKiernan, is ratcheting up his efforts to counter the burgeoning insurgency . But for McKiernan, there are some things his new approach does not include: Notably, it doesn't include a renewed emphasis on air strikes. Nor does it place value on more raids of suspected terrorist hideouts. Instead, McKiernan has sharpened his focus on the long-neglected practice of winning hearts and minds. But rather than simply paying the technique lip service--as has often been done in the past--McKiernan, in a concerted shift, is now placing more importance on effective communication with tribal leaders than on killing militants. The top U.S. general in Afghanistan reached out to influential Afghan tribesmen in regions where U.S. troops will soon deploy, apologizing for past mistakes and saying he is now studying the Quran, the Muslim holy book. Gen. David McKiernan met with villagers in Helmand and Kandahar -- two of Afghanistan's most violent provinces -- in an attempt to foster good will ahead of the U.S. troop surge that will send 21,000 more forces here this summer to stem an increasingly violent Taliban insurgency. McKiernan said he wanted to show respect to tribal elders by traveling to Kandahar on Wednesday to explain some of the mistakes U.S. forces have made in the past -- such as arresting people based on information taken from one side in a tribal fight, or killing civilians during operations. "I'm trying to connect to the local population in a bottom-up way and try to explain what the new U.S. strategy means and why they're going to see an increased force presence where they live," McKiernan said during the trip to Kandahar aboard the seven passenger jet he flies in. This is a long-overdue move, but a seismic shift in the approach, nonetheless. The key to understanding any insurgency is to put yourself in the insurgents' shoes; to find out what motivates them. And that's what this is all about. While blowhards and chickenhawks on the Right will presumably accuse McKiernan of emulating President Obama's actions as "Apologizer-in-Chief," this is, in fact, a real step toward pacifying the insurgency in Afghanistan. McKiernan told the Afghans that President Barack Obama's new strategy is to combat instability in the Pakistan-Afghanistan region as a whole. He said that in the future, Afghan forces will enter villagers' homes if necessary, a pledge that brought another round of applause. He then said he was studying the Muslim holy book. "I'm reading a very good book now about this part of the world. It's written in English, but it's all about you -- it's the Quran," McKiernan said to applause. Moments later an Afghan man stood up and gave McKiernan a bright purple, red and green cloth in which to wrap the translated version of holy book. I'm sure the heads of the no-negotiation crowd will explode on hearing such an anecdote, but this is how effective counterinsurgency is done. Of course, we're hearing rumblings of discontent already. And I'm sure it'll only be a matter of hours before Gingrich, Malkin, and Glenn Beck begin calling for the removal of McKiernan the "appeaser" and McKiernan the "Obama lackey." In fact, I have a clip of how they'll argue about what consequences an American commander reading the Quran could bring: But I'm sure it won't be that bad. Sarcasm aside, however, those who've served on the ground in both Iraq and Afghanistan understand that U.S. troops will never end an insurgency through the use of firepower and rigidity. And those who would suggest otherwise are uninformed, inexperienced, and dangerous. If we're ever going to leave Afghanistan in a relative peace, this type of approach is what it's going to take. Now, if Petraeus and McKiernan can push this mentality down to the platoon level, there might be hope for success in the region. Also available at VetVoice More on Barack Obama
 
White Sox Sued By Man Claiming He Was Injured By Crowd Fight Over T-Shirt Top
HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) -- An Indiana man is suing the Chicago White Sox claiming he was injured by fans struggling over a free T-shirt launched from a cannon device into the stands. David Babusiak's lawsuit says he suffered a severe back injury after T-shirts were fired into the crowd at a game in 2007. He claims shooting T-shirt projectiles was an "abnormally dangerous activity," especially when some fans may have been drunk. Besides the White Sox, the suit names as defendants U.S. Cellular Field and the Chevrolet Pride Crew, a group that entertains fans at home games. Babusiak of St. John, Ind., filed the suit Thursday in federal court in Hammond. It seeks $75,000 in damages. White Sox spokesman Scott Reifert says the team can't comment because the case is in litigation. --- Information from: the Chicago Sun-Times, http://www.suntimes.com More on Sports
 
Ingmar Guandique: The Man Accused Of Murdering Chandra Levy Top
WASHINGTON — There are plenty of witnesses in the case against an imprisoned Salvadoran immigrant accused of killing former D.C. intern Chandra Levy _ the ex-girlfriend who says she was beaten, other women he's convicted of attacking and a man believed to be a fellow inmate. But none of the dozen prosecution witnesses outlined in a March 3 affidavit actually saw the attack on the young woman in a Washington park about eight years ago. Only two directly link Ingmar Guandique, who's expected to arrive in Washington in the next few weeks, to Levy's death. Prosecutors have nailed convictions in other cases with no physical evidence and only secondhand or circumstantial witness accounts. New evidence could also emerge in the Levy case. But without forensic evidence linking Levy and Guandique or an eyewitness account, the Levy case offers weaknesses the defense could pounce on, say several attorneys not connected to the case. "It's long on witnesses and short on direct evidence that Guandique had anything to do with this," said David Benowitz, a criminal defense attorney who once worked as a public defender in the District of Columbia. The same team of prosecutors and detectives working the Levy case last year solved the 1996 D.C. slaying of Shaquita Bell, even though her body has never been found and no one saw the killing. Michael Dickerson, her ex-boyfriend and a convicted felon, pleaded guilty in October to killing her after authorities lined up evidence from ballistics, past domestic violence and witnesses who saw the couple argue. Thomas A. "Tad" DiBiase, a former federal prosecutor in D.C. who now runs the Web site nobodymurdercases.com, recalled many other cases in which suspects were convicted even though a body was never found and no witnesses actually saw the killing. "You line all these things up and that ends up being quite powerful and difficult for the defense to deal with," DiBiase said. The Levy investigation has been problematic since it started. Critics have long pointed to early missteps such as the police department's failure to find Levy's body until a year after the Modesto, Calif., resident disappeared. Some former investigators also say police remained too focused on former U.S. Rep. Gary Condit, the California lawmaker who was reportedly romantically involved with Levy. Condit lost his bid for re-election in 2002. Guandique is accused of sexually assaulting and killing Levy on a trail in Rock Creek Park on May 1, 2001. By the time her remains were found, they were so decomposed that valuable evidence probably was lost. The March 3 arrest warrant and affidavit make no mention of DNA or other forensic evidence pointing to Guandique. U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Taylor said that there was no physical evidence linking Guandique to the crime, but that the "cumulative weight" of circumstantial evidence led investigators to Guandique. Guandique has been serving a 10-year federal prison term in California for two other attacks in the same park where authorities say he attacked Levy. Federal Bureau of Prisons officials said he was moved to their federal transfer center in Oklahoma City on Thursday. Authorities have said they don't have a date for Guandique's arrival in Washington, but they expected the U.S. Marshals Service to transfer him to D.C. within 30 to 60 days of the arrest warrant date. Channing Phillips, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, said a grand jury will convene to consider indicting Guandique, but he could not say when. In D.C., suspects must be indicted within nine months of being charged. Santha Sonenberg and Maria Hawilo, Guandique's public defenders, have called authorities' investigation "flawed." Some criminal defense attorneys say prosecutors, lacking forensic evidence and eyewitnesses, are relying too heavily on secondhand witnesses. None of the witnesses are named, but police describe some of their identities. There's an ex-girlfriend who says they argued and that he occassionally hit, grabbed and bit her. Then there are the two women he's convicted of attacking along with another woman who was walking in the park and believes Guandique followed her around the time Levy went missing. Another witness is merely the dog-walker who discovered Levy's remains a year later. Others include those who claim to have known Guandique for many years and those who say they've exchanged letters with him. One of the most extreme characterizations of Guandique comes from a witness who says Guandique boasted about being known as "Chuckie" because he had a reputation for killing and chopping up people. In the affidavit, the interview with witness 11 is dated from February. That man also was present when Guandique allegedly heard a recent news report about authorities' plan to arrest him in the Levy murder. The witness claims Guandique said he was involved in her slaying and described the incident in detail. Given that Guandique was in jail at the time, it's likely that man is an inmate. Another witness also said that Guandique admitted to killing Levy, though police say the account Guandique provided that person was "inconsistent in some respects with accounts he gave to other witnesses." The affidavit does not specify the discrepancies. Only that witness and the 11th witness connect Levy by name to Guandique. Benowitz, the former public defender, said he would question witnesses' motivation for speaking to police and under what circumstances they were interviewed. He said that the 11th witness appears to be a "jailhouse snitch," and that the defense would need to know whether the inmate received any favors in exchange for the interview. As for the two witnesses directly linking Guandique to Levy, the defense may question whether they could have gotten those details from published reports or other sources and not actually from Guandique, said Paul Rothstein, an evidence expert at Georgetown University's law school. Rothstein also said it would help if authorities could get evidence to show how Levy died _ evidence that would square with Guandique's alleged admissions outlined in the affidavit. And if Guandique had accomplices, as some witnesses suggest, they would need to testify, too. "What's set forth in this affidavit, without more facts, does not seem to add up to a sound case of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, if it went to trial," Rothstein said. ___ Associated Press writer Gillian Gaynair in Washington contributed to this report. ___ On the Net: U.S. Attorney's Office, Washington: http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/dc/ Public Defender Service, Washington: http://www.pdsdc.org/ Georgetown University Law: http://www.law.georgetown.edu/ No Body Murder Cases: http://www.nobodymurdercases.com/
 
Bridget Gainer, Former Daley Aide And AON Lobbyist, Chosen To Replace Quigley On County Board Top
North Side political power brokers today picked a 40-year-old former Daley administration official to replace Congressman-elect Mike Quigley on the Cook County Board. Bridget Gainer, 40, an Aon Corp. executive who held administrative positions at the Chicago Park District and City Hall's budget office, will be the newest county commissioner.
 
Paula Duffy: Agent Scott Boras reveals human side in wake of Adenhart's death Top
In my opinion, one of the most amazing things to emerge in the aftermath of the sudden and crushingly sad death of the young Angels pitcher, Nick Adenhart is the open way his agent has mourned him. If you haven't seen the video of Scott Boras speaking at the Angels' team press conference on Thursday morning, check out the clip here . What's stunning is the the way he openly weeped without feeling the need to excuse himself as he said a few words about the tragedy he learned of in the middle of the night. It is a natural thing to do but I never thought I'd see Scott Boras allow himself to appear vulnerable in quite that manner. All we ever see of the man is his steely gaze and his intransigence during negotiations. Boras made himself available for radio interviews in Southern California throughout Thursday and Friday. It wasn't self promotion. It was his duty he said. Some might say it was self-aggrandizement. I see it differently. There are a lot of hours to fill on talk radio and when something occurs for which there is a huge demand for reactions, shows reach out everywhere to give their listeners a reason not to turn the dial. Even on Friday morning, Boras still had a difficult time speaking about Nick. His words were excruciatingly slow and measured. He rarely was able to get to the point of the actual question posed by the radio host. You might wonder why Boras appeared at the table along with the Angels brass during that press conference. It was at the request of Jim Adenhart, Nick's father. In a way, Boras was the surrogate for the family and along with Jim had experienced the heights of happiness only hours prior to the dreaded phone call. That is the good side of the agent-as-surrogate parent role. We've all seen the bad side enough to make his honest grief seem at odds with everything we think we know of him. I for one and happy I witnessed it.
 
Texas Rep. Betty Brown Apologizes For Saying Asians Should Simplify Their Names Top
AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas lawmaker under fire for saying that Asian-American voters should adopt names that are "easier for Americans" has apologized for her remarks. State Rep. Betty Brown, R-Terrell, issued an apology Thursday for the comments made during a House Elections Committee hearing on April 7. Brown said the remark came during a conversation on the difficulty of translating names and that she was referring to transliteration issues when she asked a representative of the Organization of Chinese Americans whether Asian-Americans could adopt names that "we could deal with more readily here." Ramey Ko, the representative, had testified that people of Asian descent have problems voting because they sometimes list legal names that had been transliterated in addition to common English names on their driver's licenses or other identification. Brown said she was not asking Ko to change his name. New York City Councilman John C. Liu, who along with the Texas Democratic party had called on Brown to apologize, said in a statement that the apology was "a fair first step," but didn't go far enough. Liu said Brown's comments during the exchange with Ko went beyond the concept of transliteration. Brown said in her apology that she understands the "diversity of Texas" and the "enrichment" that Asian-Americans have brought to the state. Her spokesman, Jordan Berry, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Brown's comment was being used by opponents of voter identification to obscure the real issues involved. "Ninety percent of Texans _ Republicans and Democrats _ want the voter ID legislation," he said, referring to a bill recently passed by the state Senate that would require photo identification to vote. "Let's move forward."
 
Medical Marijuana Laws In California Moving Pot Into Mainstream Top
With little notice and even less controversy, marijuana is now available as a medical treatment in California to almost anyone who tells a willing physician he would feel better if he smoked. Pot is now retailed over the counter in hundreds of storefronts across Los Angeles and is credited with reviving a section of downtown Oakland, where an entrepreneur sells out classes offering "quality training for the cannabis industry." The tabloid LA Journal of Education for Medical Marijuana is fat with ads for Magic Purple, Strawberry Cough and other offerings in more than 400 "dispensaries" operating in the city.
 
North Korea UN Draft Agreement Reached By Six Powers Top
The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Japan have reached an agreement on a draft statement about North Korea's long-range rocket launch last weekend, envoys said on Saturday. More on North Korea
 
Bryan Young: God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut Top
It was two years ago today that Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. passed away. It doesn't seem all that long ago, really, and looking back on what I had written when I found out , I still feel much the same way. I wish he could have seen how far the world has come in the two short years since his passing. We've ceded control of the country back from people named Bush, Dick and Colin, elected a black man president, and entered a brand new Great Depression. In order to offer a remembrance of Mr. Vonnegut, I'd like to share with you a letter I wrote him but never sent. Dated February 18, 2006, it was written just over a year prior to his death. I typed it up on an old Corona typewriter. I regret not sending it. Mr. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., My name is Bryan Young and this is the second letter I've written you, but only the first I've sent. I read the first letter I wrote to you and crumpled it up and threw it in the trash. What it had to say was this: I'm 25, I've read almost your complete library every year since I was 15 and respect, admire, and cherish you and what you have said in the last 60-plus years, using only idiosyncratic arrangements in horizontal lines, with ink on bleached and flattened wood pulp, of twenty-six phonetic symbols, ten numbers, and about eight punctuation marks. In it, I also mentioned that you, your books, and your overly infectious ideas are what gave me the courage to pursue a career in documentary filmmaking and writing screenplays. I didn't quit my day job. The overall point of my first, unsent, letter was to give you some solace in the fact that youth isn't entirely useless. (Not the state of being youthful, merely those of us with less experience and wisdom as you.) There are still those of us who care about history and Abraham Lincoln and reading newspapers and Mark Twain and Sacco and Vanzetti. There are some of us who still type with typewriters and send letters (see, you're holding the proof in your hands!) and care about those around us. Sadly, my last letter lacked eloquence. So far, I don't feel this one does either, but it's much closer. The point that I wanted to make with my first letter, but failed to do so, was this: Your work has made a difference. Maybe it didn't change the world, but it certainly changed me (and those whom I force your books upon). Your message will be carried on by those of us courageous (or foolish) enough to carry it. Before I go, I want to apologize for the familiarity with which I write this letter to you. I've read your novels (and short stories, anthologies, and plays) so often and have for so long, that they're like visits to an old friend (or a late night drunken phone call to old buddies from school.) Although we've never met and never communicated, I feel as though you're sort of a father figure, or a very old friend. I hope you are well. Perhaps you'll publish another anthology of essays and I'll be able to visit my old writing buddy one more time. Sincerely and with all the respect in the world, Bryan Young And so, on this solemn day, I'd suggest that you guys go buy some Kurt Vonnegut novels and actually read them. He still has a lot of knowledge and wisdom to offer the world, we just need to spread the word. (Bryan Young is the writer and producer of Killer at Large , and he frequently tries to imitate Vonnegut on his personal blog .)
 
Melissa Huckaby, Calif. Sunday School Teacher, Booked In Child Death Top
TRACY, Calif. — Police said Saturday after arresting a Sunday school teacher that they still didn't know the motive for the killing of an 8-year-old girl whose body was found in a suitcase dumped in an irrigation pond. Melissa Huckaby, 28, a local minister's granddaughter, was arrested late Friday about five hours after she drove herself to the local police station at the request of officers, said police Sgt. Tony Sheneman. She was being held without bail in connection with the death of Sandra Cantu, the San Joaquin County sheriff's office said. Sandra disappeared on March 27 and hundreds of volunteers and law enforcement officials turned out to search for her. On April 6, farmworkers draining an irrigation pond found the suitcase. Huckaby walked into the police station Friday and started a conversation with officers, Sheneman said at a news conference. "She was calm, cool and collected, then she became very emotional .... She went back and forth from being calm to emotional." Eventually, she became "resigned," Sheneman said. "I couldn't begin to even theorize what her motive was," he said. "Sandra was very close friends with Melissa's daughter. They used to play together," Sheneman said. Sheneman said police know where the girl was killed but can't disclose the location. Autopsy results are not yet available, he said. He wouldn't say whether police believe the slaying was accidental or deliberate, saying that will be an issue for Huckaby's arraignment and trial. He said police had started to narrow their focus on a suspect about the same time Sandra's body was found. "No one person pointed their finger. It was a compilation of evidence," he said. Sheneman had earlier told The Associated Press that interviews with Huckaby in The Tracy Press had revealed inconsistencies that prompted further inquiries from investigators. And he had confirmed early Saturday that the suitcase belonged to Huckaby. Sandra's aunt, Angie Chavez, said the girl's mother, Maria Chavez, was devastated. "It's not over. This is just the beginning of a horrible nightmare," Angie Chavez said of the arrest as she stood at the entrance to the mobile home park where Sandra lived with her mother. Angie Chavez' husband, Joe Chavez, said Huckaby should face the death penalty. "You eye everybody with a great deal of suspicion. We're shell-shocked here," Joe Chavez said. "Who can you trust at this point? Who do you know?" Huckaby's family had been questioned during the investigation, and their home and vehicles had been searched, Sheneman said. Sheneman said investigators hadn't expected that the suspect would turn out to be a woman. "It's unusual for it to be a woman statistically and according to the FBI," he said at the news conference. Discovering it was a woman and a member of the tight knit Tracy community who knew the family was "a double blow," he said. "Today's going to be a very difficult day for everyone to digest that," Sheneman said. "This was an anomaly in the murder of a child." "There's still a lot of work to be done in the next several weeks to ensure that Miss Huckaby pays for what's she's done," Sheneman said. "There are no other suspects in this case. We do not anticipate any other arrests in this case." Neighbor Barbara Sokoloski, whose home is behind Sandra's, described Sandra on Saturday as "a friendly sweet little girl who always went around trying to find somebody to play with." "It's too bad that kids these days can't go out and play like we did when I was a little girl," said Sokoloski, 69. Huckaby had told The Tracy Press that Sandra visited her home on the day of her disappearance to play with her 5-year-old daughter. But Huckaby said she'd turned Sandra away because her daughter needed to pick up her toys and Sandra went to another friend's home. Huckaby also said she had left her suitcase in the driveway that day, and that it was missing. The Tracy Press said Huckaby was released Thursday from Sutter Tracy Community Hospital, where she spent several days in intensive care for what she described as "internal bleeding." Huckaby is a granddaughter of Pastor Clifford Lawless, whose Clover Road Baptist Church was searched by police. Huckaby taught Sunday school at the church and lived with Lawless in the Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park that also was Sandra's home. Lawless did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment Saturday. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokeswoman Terry Thornton said Huckaby has no state prison record. Huckaby was scheduled to appear in court on April 17 to check in with a county mental health program as part of a three-year probation sentence for a petty theft she pleaded no contest to. She told the newspaper on Friday that someone else by the same name was facing charges for the attempted November theft from a Target store.
 
Evangelical Leaders Stunned By Rick Warren's Apparent Turnaround On Gay Marriage Top
Evangelical leaders say they are bewildered and stunned by the Rev. Rick Warren's apparent turnaround on gay marriage after the famous California pastor said earlier this week that he was not a proponent of California's Proposition 8. Mr. Warren told CNN's Larry King on Monday that he "never once even gave an endorsement" of the proposition, which said marriage in the state could only involve one man and one woman. The measure won at the polls last November by a close margin, in effect negating an earlier California Supreme Court ruling allowing gay marriages. More on Gay Marriage
 

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