British Police used Water Torture on Drug Smugglers

This is the result of Bush/Cheney's torture policies. The police are now the law breakers. We are headed back to the middle ages. And they call this freedom.

Six Metropolitan police officers have been suspended from duty following ­allegations they used a form of water-based torture on suspected drugs ­smugglers, it emerged last night.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said it was investigating the conduct of officers based in Enfield, north London, during drugs raids in the borough last November.

Neither the IPCC nor Scotland Yard would comment on the nature of the ­allegations but sources said the officers were accused of pushing suspects' heads into buckets of water.

One IPCC document is said to use the word "waterboarding" – the CIA technique condemned as torture by Barack Obama – in connection with the allegations.

The torture claims are part of an ­investigation which also includes accusations that evidence was fabricated and suspects' property was stolen. It has already led to the abandonment of a drug trial, it was reported last night.

Review: Palm Pre, iPhone 3GS Neck-And-Neck

A new challenge to iphone and blackberry:

The smart phone wars have heated up over the past few days with the release of Palm's new Pre and Apple's announcements of a new iPhone, a cheaper price for its existing phone and a new operating system for users of all iPhones.

The Palm Pre, which hit stores on Saturday for $199 after rebate (and a two year contract with Sprint) is a very worthy competitor for Apple. Unlike the iPhone it has a physical keyboard which, while a bit small, is quite good. But it also has a touch screen that you can use to launch programs, zoom, shrink or move windows and dial the phone, although there's no onscreen virtual keyboard for entering text.

One of the things I like best about the Pre is that you can synchronize it over the air. Rather than connect it to a PC or Mac to move over contacts and calendar items, you simply sign in to your existing accounts and it brings over all the data via the Sprint network. It works with Google's calendar and Gmail, Yahoo and other web-based services as well as for businesses with Microsoft Exchange servers. Apple does this through its $99 a year MobileMe service but Palm does it for free with a variety of services.

Gingrich Speaks at GOP Event not Palin

Report: U.S. to Allow 10 Banks to Repay TARP

Veteran LA police detective charged with murder

New World Trade Deal by 2010: WTO Chief

44% - Free Traders, Again (Pew)

Congress Pushes to Impeach Convicted Federal Judge

Russia expands ban on US imports of meats

Egypt: 5 more students test Positive to Swine flu

Who is challenging Ahmadinejad's power?

Gingrich speaks at GOP event after Palin flap

China reports 11 new H1N1 cases, total reaches 100+

US military releases Iraqi Shiite militia leader

Gunmen throw grenades in Acapulco, 3 police killed

Spanish Internet Music Piracy Developer on Trial

Where The Jobs Are: Summer 2009

British Hacker Fights U.S. Extradition

Pirate Party wins in Sweden

Study: Conservatives more likely to read opposing viewpoints than liberals

Scarborough falsely claimed KSM and Zubaydah "were not asked" about an Iraq/Al Qaeda link

Using Twitter and Facebook to Find a Job

Sotomayor Fractures Ankle at New York Airport

Despite Fracturing Ankle, Sotomayor Keeps Appointments with Senators

Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

Video: State Trooper Dies Following Pa. Shootout with Man Who Fled in Car Along kidnapped son

Indicted Chicago alderman pleads not guilty

No public threat in tritium leak at Ill. plant

Work to start on $8.7 billion NY-NJ tunnel

Shooting deaths of Oklahoma girls remain a mystery one year later

Laura Bush: Sotomayor 'a Good Nominee'

Labour Party Suffers Worst Electoral Results In A Century

Conservatives Score Wins in EU Parliament Voting

Laura Bush: Sotomayor 'a Good Nominee'

Pro-Western bloc Beats Hezbollah in Lebanon vote

N. Korea Sentences 2 U.S. Reporters to 12 Years in Prison

Independent Panel: Lax Oversight of Military Contracts Wasted Billions in Iraq and Afghanistan

China is now World No. 2 Arms Spender

AP Analysis shows Recession's Impact Moderating

Palin Accused of Plagiarising Newt Gingrich

Global Military Spending Sets New Record

Khmer Rouge Murdered Children to Prevent Revenge Later On

Meth labs again on rise in Kentucky

Sampras: Federer is the 'Best Ever'

Disabled man Boarded up in his House during Foreclosure

Does Israel Need Obama's Tough Love?

Video: 1 in 4 Children may Suffer from Sleep Disorders

Man gets Tongue Bitten off During Rape Attempt

Video: Face The Nation (6-7-09)

Top Conservative, Krauthammer, Calls Sotomayor Racist

Judge Sotomayor's Votes Show No Single Ideology - Washington Post

Video: Face The Nation (6-7-09); Newt Gingrich, David Axelrod

Transcript: Secretary of State Clinton on ABC's 'This Week'

New Orleans mayor, wife quarantined in China

More Bodies Found Near Jet Crash Site

Burger King: Global Warming is Baloney

Some Militants Respond Positively to Obama Speech

US Unemployment Rate Gallops Ahead of Expectations

18 killed in clash between Mexican army, gunmen

Report Finds Major Problems in Wartime Spending

Paris mayor gives Dalai Lama honorary citizenship

First Black female rabbi ordained

Federer Wins French Open, Ties Sampras' Record

U.S. Contractors Suspected of Murder Arrested in Iraq

Peru Protest Violence Kills 22 Police

U.S. Security Contractors Suspected in murder of fellow Employee Arrested in Iraq

Brazil Crews find 2 Bodies from Air France Flight

Pakistanis avenge Mosque blast, attack TalibanU.S.

Military: Blast Strikes Baghdad's Green Zone

Lawyer: Carradine Murdered by Secret Kung Fu Society

Survivor: Spain plane's wing dipped sharply

Online Payday Loan Industry Charging 700% on Interest Rates

Do We Need A Technological Breakthrough To Avert The Climate Crisis?

Japan explores using cell phones to stop pandemics

Supreme Court Asked To Block Chrysler Sale

Man Threatening to Kill Obama Arrested

Man Sought for Threatening President Arrested

Transcript: President's remarks at D-Day Anniversary Ceremony

Fears Escalate Over Violence in Islamabad

British Man, Teen Son Held After Ricin Found in Terror Raid

Report: A full third of Cocaine Smuggled into U.S. Transported with Submarines

Study: High Number of 'Hidden Homeless' in U.S.

Teen survivor of genocide awaits US graduation

Germany warned of pre-election Islamist Attack

Radio Ads Pulled Over Transgender 'Freaks' Remarks

Pair 'starved girl to death by locking up their kitchen full of food'

Mom Accused of Killing 4 Daughters Waives Right to Trial

Flight 447 had Missing Instruments, Autopilot not Turned On

Obama Marks 65th D-Day Anniversary in Normandy

AirFrance did not replace missing instruments on Flight 447; autopilot not Turned on

Airbus plans to replace faulty speed monitors

US loses just 345,000 jobs in May, raising hopes

Report: U.S. weighs guilty pleas in some 9/11 cases

Bush sent 18 armored agents to search house of wiretap whistleblower

Foreign buyers snapped up U.S. assets in 2008

Mexico: 29 kids die in day-care center fire

Millions will lose their TV signals next week

'Buy American' plan leads to ire, confusion

Dick Cheney new pro-gay marriage views not believable

'Hooker for Jesus' weds Christian rocker

Carjacking story a lie...husband murdered wife

2 Kensington men rewarded in rape suspect's capture; part of mob that beat suspect

FBI Probes Muhammad's Ties to Ohio Mosque

Al Qaeda eyes bio attack from Mexico

GM exposure is $50 million

GM exposure is $50 million

US looking at its own sanctions against NKorea

Pelosi says China stalling on human rights

U.N. report: Nature best controls climate gases

Mattel fined $2.3 million for lead in toys

Man who crashed plane to fake death pleads guilty

Consumer borrowing plunges by $15.7B in April

Mudd withdraws from consideration amid interrogation questions

UN: New uranium traces found in Syria

New drug war strategy focuses on weapons and cash

Woman Found Dead After Apparent Carjacking

Arsonist Sentenced to Death for Killing 5 Firefighters

Obama Calls for new Effort for 2-state Solution

Bomb kills around 40 at mosque in northwest Pakistan

Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi: Naked Guests, teenage girlfriend, more corruption allegations

U.N. report alleges widespread killings by Kenyan police

Obama calls for new effort for 2-state solution

Body Found In Hunt For Missing Mich. Girl

Scientists find more dinosaur bones at Utah quarry

Oil rises to new high for 2009

Why the World Cares More AboutSomalia's Pirates than its People (Time.com)

Russian military historian blames Poland for WWII

Palm Pre: A Challenge to the Apple Iphone?

GAO: Government Food Aid Being Wasted

GAO: Government's food aid programs are spending more and delivering less to hungry people

New swine flu deaths reported in 6 states

Man charged with threat against Obama in Utah

Change you can believe in: President Obama sells ambassadorial posts just like his predecessors.

Sotomayor's financial disclosures show a judge of modest means.

Number of roadside bombs surge in Afghanistan.

Analyst says new North Korean missile pad is ready

Text of Obama's speech to Muslims

Rifle group appeals handgun ban to high court

IRS to seek more regulation of tax preparers

Deadly bat disease spreading fast

NY Times: Taliban Stir Rising Anger of Pakistanis

Johann Hari: Could We Be the Generation that Runs out of Fish?

NBA decides to fine MVP James after all

"Kung Fu" actor Carradine found hanged in Thai hotel

Video: Store Owner with Rifle gives Thief Money, Bread, and Prayers

This is a true hero. He should be rewarded for his kindness. Unfortunately, Mohammad Sohail, will be forgotten in a couple of weeks. Or those who commit terrible crimes getting remembered.

An owner of a New York store thwarted a robbery only to take pity on the perpetrator, who claimed he could not feed his family, and gave the man $40 and a loaf of bread, a video of the incident showed.

A video posted on Tuesday by the Newsday newspaper on its website www.newsday.com showed a masked man wielding a bat as he entered a convenience store in Shirley, Long Island, just after midnight on May 21 and demanded money.

But when the store's owner, identified by the local Channel 12 TV station as Mohammad Sohail, pulled out a rifle, the masked man dropped to his knees and appeared to beg for forgiveness.

"He said 'I am sorry, I have no money, no job, my family is hungry,'" Sohail told the TV station. "Then I feel bad for him ... I take $40 for him."

Sohail said he was not planning to press charges.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Climate Change Responsible for 300,000 Deaths a year

From the Global Humanitarian Forum:
First ever report exclusively focused on the global human impact of climate change calculates more than 300 million people are seriously affected by climate change at a total economic cost of $125 billion per year.

• Report projects that by 2030, worldwide deaths will reach almost 500,000 per year; people affected by climate change annually expected to rise to over 600 million and the total annual economic cost increase to around $300 billion.
• Report projects that by 2030, worldwide deaths will reach almost 500,000 per year; people affected by climate change annually expected to rise to over 600 million and the total annual economic cost increase to around $300 billion.

Bush Defends His Torture Policies, Says Lawyers OK'd It

Former President George W. Bush is finally speaking out. He has decided to follow the Cheney approach and defend the indefensible. But he is hiding behind his lawyers.

Former president George W. Bush is stepping back into the public arena to defend his decision to allow harsh interrogation of some detainees.

The former president addressed the Economic Club of Southwestern Michigan Thursday with wide-ranging remarks on his presidency, his retirement and decisions he made while in office, the Detroit Free Press reports.

He defended his decision to allow harsh interrogation of the terrorist who ordered the 9/11 attacks, saying it was cleared by his lawyers to prevent what his advisers believed was another, imminent attack.

"I made a decision within the law to get information so I can say, I've done what it takes to do my duty to protect the American people," he told the largely sympathetic audience. "I can tell you, the information gained saved lives."

But he does make some interesting admonitions on the economic mess he left behind.

In his first major speech on his presidency since leaving office, he also acknowledged that he had abandoned his free-market principles to bail out the U.S. financial industry, but says he did so because he was told that the nation otherwise would fall into a depression.

The Associated Press reports that the 43rd president blamed "a lack of responsible regulation" in the lending industry for the recession and condemned the practices of some financial institutions, like Fannie Mae.

He's also paling around with ex-President, and fellow criminal, Bill Clinton. They have a lot in common.

Former President George W. Bush hardly misses it at all. “Free at last,” he proclaimed before the same crowd at the Metro Toronto Convention Center. “I like being in Texas, and I do not miss the spotlight.”

But that was practically where the differences stopped as the two former presidents appeared for the first time on a stage together to discuss national and international policy. Each earned more than an estimated $150,000 for the appearance.

Some 6,000 people — or their corporate employers — paid from $200 to $2,500 to attend the event, a rare chance to see two former presidents, who served in succession, square off from opposite sides of the political spectrum.

What they got instead, while no less historic, was a glimpse of the strange-bedfellows-for-the-moment friendship between the two men, once bitter rivals.

Mr. Clinton made it clear from the start that he would avoid any major clashes with Mr. Bush, telling the crowd that the agreed-upon moderator, Frank McKenna, the former Canadian ambassador to the United States, would try to meet their expectations by turning the convention hall into a gladiators’ coliseum, but “we’ll do our best to thwart them.”

And as they settled into overstuffed chairs, Mr. Bush and Mr. Clinton became something of an ex-presidents’ support group, avoiding direct critiques of each other, or, for that matter, their future club member, President Obama (“I want you to understand that anything I say is not to be critical of my successor,” Mr. Bush said, “there are plenty of critics in American society.”)

Study Finds Half of men Arrested Test Positive for Drugs

This study only confirms what we know--drugs have a terrible impact on our society and lead to criminal conduct. What isn't mentioned in this study is how many of these same individuals have drinking problems. Alcohol has an even greater impact on criminal behavior. We need a study that shows that disastrous impact.

Half of the men arrested in 10 U.S. cities test positive for some type of illegal drug, a federal study found.

Not only do the findings show "a clear link between drugs and crime," they also highlight the need to provide drug treatment, says Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, which will make the data public Thursday.

Assessing offenders for drug and mental health problems and providing treatment is "important if you want to stop recidivism and recycling people through the system," says Kerlikowske, who supports drug courts that offer court-ordered drug treatment.

"There's an opportunity when someone is arrested to divert them to treatment if they need it," says Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance Network, a group that supports legalizing marijuana and treating drug use as a public health issue. "But people shouldn't have to get arrested to get treatment."

In 2008 researchers interviewed and obtained urine samples from 3,924 men arrested in 10 metropolitan areas: Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, New York, Portland, Ore., Sacramento and Washington, D.C.

In Chicago, 87% tested positive for drug use and in Sacramento, 78% tested positive. Many of the men — 40% in Chicago and 29% in Sacramento — tested positive for more than one drug.

Marijuana is the most common drug in every city where testing was done except Atlanta, where cocaine is most prevalent, the study found.

Methamphetamine use is concentrated on the west coast where 35% of the men arrested in Sacramento and 15% of the men arrested in Portland tested positive for the drug.

Heroin use is highest, at 29%, among men arrested in Chicago, an increase from 20% in 2007. Heroin use among arrestees declined in Portland, from 12% in 2007 to 8% in 2008.

More facts:

Provisional data for 1997 show that respondents arrested in the past year for possession or sale of drugs and driving under the influence had the highest percentage of illicit drug use in the past year. Past year illicit drug users were also about 16 times more likely than nonusers to report being arrested and booked for larceny or theft; more than 14 times more likely to be arrested and booked for such offenses as driving under the influence, drunkenness, or liquor law violations; and more than 9 times more likely to be arrested and booked on an assault charge.

Court Upholding Gay Marriage Ban: Victory for America

The California Supreme Court's upholding of a ban on gay marriage is a victory for democracy, thus America. Gay groups would like to shove their preferences down our collective throats, even if a majority of Americans don't agree. That is why they will continue to use the courts to impose minority rule over the people:

A coalition of gay rights groups said Wednesday that a federal same-sex marriage lawsuit brought by two high-profile lawyers is premature and they'd rather work through state legislatures and voters to win wedding rights.
A day after the California Supreme Court upheld a voter-approved ban on gay marriage, the American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal and other national organizations issued a statement saying they think the U.S. Supreme Court is not ready to rule in their favor on the issue.

"In our view, the best way to win marriage equality nationally is to continue working state by state, not to bring premature federal challenges that pose a very high risk of setting a negative U.S. Supreme Court precedent," said Shannon Minter, legal director of National Center for Lesbian Rights.

On Tuesday, lawyers Theodore B. Olson and David Boies, who represented opposing sides in the 2000 Bush v. Gore election challenge, announced they had filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of two gay men and two gay women.

Their case argues that California's voter-enacted ban on same-sex marriage, known as Proposition 8, violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of equal protection and due process.

Olson said he hopes the suit, which seeks a preliminary injunction against the California measure until the case is resolved, will wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court.

In New York voters also want the right to decide if same sex marriage will be the law. Let the people decide not the courts or politicians.

Nearly eight of 10 New Yorkers say the state Senate should put a bill legalizing gay marriage up for a vote regardless of whether there's enough support to pass it, a new poll released Tuesday shows.

The Siena College poll shows that 78% of those surveyed disagree with Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, who said he would only bring the bill to the floor only if he has the 32 votes needed to pass it.

Just 15% said the Senate should wait until the votes are there to pass it.

Overall, voters are split 46%-46% on the issue of whether gay marriage should be legalized. That's down from last month's 53-39 margain approval margin.

On This Memorial Day: America in Danger

The nuclear test conducted by North Korea today is a stark reminder of the dangers that face America.

We are a nation unprepared to deter agression against us and our allies. Two inconclusive wars and a bankrupt economy leave us vulnerable to hostile intentions. September 11th proved the United States could be brought to it's knees by militarily insignificant forces. This is no reflection of the superior abilities of our military, but the morally corrupt and incompetent government ruling us in Washington.

I predicted 'disaster' on July 4th 2001. My attitude has not changed since. We are a nation imperiled. We need national soul searching. In short, we need a revolution.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Tom Ridge Refutes Cheney, Limbaugh: Transcript (5-24-09)

Former Homeland Security head under Bush, Tom Ridge, distanced himself from Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh. Read the complete CNN's State of the Union transcript. Excerpt below:

KING: It is that last point, Governor Ridge, Dick Cheney says a lot of Americans are alive today because of them. The Obama administration disputes that. You were there, you saw the intelligence. Did those enhanced interrogation techniques save lives, prevent attacks on this country? Is Dick Cheney right?

RIDGE: I never saw the intelligence at that depth. We were a consumer of information. We didn't generate it. But I do believe that since President Obama has released the memos that are substantially redacted, then perhaps there may be information that should be released to show that they actually received substantive information that enabled America to better protect itself. You can't have it both ways. I think that's one of the things that the vice president is arguing. Don't delete or redact parts of the memos to gird your point of view. There may be other information. I don't know what it is that may also support the vice president.

At the end of the day, we haven't been attacked since 9/11 in the United States of America. At the end of the day we've had a lot of professionals working very hard around the world to make sure that it doesn't happen.

[...]KING: Where's Tom Ridge?

Are you in the Rush Limbaugh/Dick Cheney version of the Republican Party or the Colin Powell version of the Republican Party?

RIDGE: I'm in the Tom Ridge version of the party. And my version of the party is simply, when you're asked to serve, as I have been by two Republican presidents -- one gave me a draft notice and sent me to Vietnam and the other called me away from the office I had led as governor, and neither one asked me where I stood on gay rights or abortion. They said, "Will you serve?"

And I think, for the American public -- for the Republican Party to restore itself is not as a regional party but as a national party. We have to be far less judgmental about disagreements within the party and far more judgmental about our disagreement with our friends on the other side of the aisle.

KING: You've used those terms, "need to be less shrill, less judgmental." Who's being shrill? Who's being judgmental?

RIDGE: Well, I think a lot of our commentators are being shrill. I mean, I don't disagree...

KING; Rush?

RIDGE: Yes, I -- listen, Rush Limbaugh has an audience of 20 million people. A lot of people listen, daily, to him and live by very word. But words mean things, and how you use words is very important.

KING: I want to be clear, though. You think Rush is among those being too judgmental, too shrill?

RIDGE: Well, I think -- I think Rush -- Rush articulates his point of views in ways that offend very many. It's a matter of -- matter of language and a matter of how you use words. And it does get the base all fired up, and he's got strong following. But, personally, if he would listen to me -- and I doubt if he would -- the notion is, express yourselves, but let's respect others' opinions. And let's not be divisive.

Let's lead our party based on some principles that have been very much a part of who we are for decades, and let's be less shrill, in terms of -- and, particularly, not attack other individuals. Let's attack their ideas. Let's explain, in a rational, thoughtful, responsible and reasonable way why our ideas and our approach are more acceptable, why they should be more acceptable to the average citizen.

Times Square Opens to Pedestrians Monday

I plan on being there. How about you? (e-mail me if in the neighborhood at Jobrny1-times@yahoo.com):

Shut Down: 42nd-47th In Midtown; 33rd-35th Near Herald Square. Broadway will close in Midtown, from 42nd to 47th streets. And over at Herald Square, no traffic will be allowed between 33rd and 35th streets.

It's about the environment and and a better living environment:

Starting on Sunday, pedestrians will really own a piece of the city.

Broadway will be closed to vehicle traffic for five blocks at Times Square, turning part of the "Crossroads of the World" into a pedestrian mall of throbbing lights, animated billboards and towering skyscrapers. The city believes the move will reduce pollution, cut down on pedestrian accidents and actually increase the flow of traffic.

A second pedestrian promenade will be created from 33rd to 35th streets on Broadway by Herald Square, where Macy's dominates the intersection. The city will try out the pedestrian malls for the remainder of the year, and if things go well it could make the change permanent.

Planners hope that the uncontrolled chaos that has long defined the heart of this city will shift to a gentler landscape, one where a visitor could conceivably use the word "stroll" to describe getting from one side of Times Square to the other.

No one's strolling there now. Crowds press up against each other, body to body, pushing the unlucky onto the street to walk alongside the cars. A sea of yellow cabs trickles foot-by-foot down Broadway. People who want to enter stores play a game of human Frogger, dodging pedestrians going in both directions, getting a toe crushed here and there.

Those caught in the crush of people say some added breathing room would be a welcome change. After spending his 52 years in New York, Carlos Grande hopes the pedestrian walkway can transform midtown into a grand, Old World-style space.

"You go to Europe and it's different. You see people sitting at sidewalk cafes, enjoying life," he says. Settled at a small street-side table already placed by the city on Broadway, he is interrupted by a chirping sparrow that lands by his feet, right by the rushing wheels of trucks.

[...]From 42nd Street to 47th Street, planners hope pedestrians will lounge at outdoor seating and stroll along the avenue. They hope drivers will begin using Broadway between the two promenades only if they're headed right there.

As construction on the project continues throughout the summer, the city has hired an array of musicians, magicians and other performers to keep lunchtime crowds in the area. Next month, they will broadcast the Tony awards on the new Broadway promenade. And in December, the Transportation Department will complete a report meant to help decide whether the setup should be permanent.

- Honor our fallen heroes whatever you do.