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| Chirac allies among 47 accused in major French corruption trial |
| 03.21.05 (8:51 am) [edit] |
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PARIS (AFP) - Senior allies of President Jacques Chirac -- including four former ministers -- were among nearly 50 people who appeared in court in Paris at the start of one of France's biggest ever political corruption trials. A total of 47 defendants -- including politicians, party officials, and representatives of some of France's biggest building companies -- are accused of fixing public works contracts in the Paris region in order to obtain illegal party funding. One of several financial scandals to come to light from Chirac's long tenure to 1995 as mayor of Paris, the affair centres on kickbacks worth more than 70 million euros (93 million dollars) allegedly paid by the building firms in order to secure bids to renovate secondary schools around the capital. Under a secret arrangement that lasted from 1989 to 1997, companies funnelled back two percent of the money paid by the regional Ile-de-France council, with 1.2 percent going to Chirac's Rally for the Republic (RPR) and its ally the Republican party (PR), and 0.8 percent going to the Socialists (PS), according to the prosecution. Among the defendants is Michel Roussin, 65, who for many years served as Chirac's cabinet director at Paris city hall and was cooperation minister in the conservative government of Edouard Balladur from 1993 to 1995. Also appearing is Michel Giraud, 75, a former president of the Ile-de-France regional council and labour minister; Gerard Longuet, 59, former PR president and industry minister; and Guy Drut, 54, who was sports minister from 1995 to 1997 and is now on the committee for the Paris 2012 Olympic bid. The other defendants include the former treasurers from the three parties as well as businessmen accused of fixing the building market in defiance of competition laws. The investigation, which began in 1997 after a tip-off, came close to drawing in Chirac himself four years later, when magistrates began looking into large sums of cash which were paid for his personal travel expenses while he was mayor of Paris. Chirac refused to appear before the judges, and his office said the money -- the franc equivalent of some 300,000 euros -- came from bonuses that he earned as prime minister in the 1980s. The case led to a landmark ruling from the high court of appeal that serving presidents are immune from judicial proceedings. The trial, which is set to last till July, follows last year's conviction of another senior Chirac aide -- former prime minister Alain Juppe -- for paying RPR staff with municipal funds. An investigation is also underway into the alleged rigging of the Paris public housing market during the early 1990s. It falls at a bad time for Chirac's government, which is suffering at the polls thanks to a faltering economy, 10 percent unemployment and last month's scandal over the official residence of then finance minister Herve Gaymard -- a close ally of the president who was forced to resign. Government insiders fear that a reminder of the widespread illegality that prevailed in French politics will increase the public's disillusionment with its leaders, just as Chirac is trying to rally support for a "yes" vote in the referendum on the European constitution in May. Two polls in recent days have showed a majority planning to vote "no". All France's political parties have been found guilty of illegal funding scams from the 1980s and early 1990s, but since then public financing has been introduced and the succession of scandals has dried up. It is because of the country's extremely slow justice system that the cases are now coming to court. In the "secondary schools affair," it is also alleged that several politicians benefitted personally from the kickbacks. Some of the accused face a maximum term of 10 years in jail. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1 511&e=5&u=/afp/20050321/w l_afp/francejusticepoliti cs_050321142150" title="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1 511&e=5&u=/afp/20050321/w l_afp/francejusticepoliti cs_050321142150" target="_blank"http://story.news.yahoo.com/n... 
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| 1 Comments |
| UN Cowers, slinks away from terrorists in Sudan |
| 03.16.05 (10:53 am) [edit] |
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UN, Agencies Withdraw Under Threats in Sudan http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=5 86&e=8&u=/nm/20050316/wl_ nm/sudan_darfur_dc" title="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=5 86&e=8&u=/nm/20050316/wl_ nm/sudan_darfur_dc" target="_blank"http://story.news.yahoo.com/n... KHARTOUM, Sudan (Reuters) - The United Nations (news - web sites) has withdrawn all international staff in part of western Sudan to the state capital after Arab militias said they would target foreigners and U.N. convoys in the area, the top U.N. envoy in Sudan said Wednesday. Jan Pronk also told Reuters in an interview that the government had made small steps to disarm the militia, known locally as Janjaweed, in West Darfur state, but more had to be done. The Janjaweed stand accused of a campaign of rape, killing, looting and burning non-Arab villages. "The Janjaweed militia have said that they will now target all foreigners and all U.N. humanitarian convoys so we have withdrawn all people to El-Geneina," he said. The militias gave the warning to the drivers of seized U.N. trucks, he added. All aid agency staff in the area -- West Darfur state on the Chad border -- have also pulled back to the El-Geneina, which is the state capital, he said. Pronk said the threats probably arose because the governor of West Darfur state had demanded that all cars the government had given to the militia in the past be returned. U.N. security officials were assessing the threat. The Khartoum government has admitted arming some militia to quell a rebellion launched in early 2003 but denies all links to the Janjaweed, calling them outlaws. West Darfur had been relatively quiet in recent months while tensions were high in South Darfur state and parts of North Darfur. Tens of thousands of people have been killed during the rebellion and thousands die every month in camps which house the almost 2 million people who have fled their homes in Darfur. The U.N. Security Council has demanded that Sudan disarm the Arab militias, and Pronk said the government needed to take tough action against them. "The government will have to take action politically and militarily against the Janjaweed," he said. But he said not much had been done yet. Pronk berated the U.N. Security Council for failing to break a deadlock over a resolution on Sudan, saying those responsible for war crimes there needed to be brought to justice. If not, it would create a feeling of impunity for the criminals and the victims would lose faith in the international community. "It is not responsible, in my opinion, to continue deliberating who is going to be the court," he said. Yep. More finger-pointing and grab-ass by the U.N. while innocent people die. Great work, you vermin. |
| 1 Comments |
| Rad Monkey Electric Cowbells |
| 03.15.05 (11:44 am) [edit] |
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You've got to effing kidding... http://www.radmonkeycowbells.com" title="http://www.radmonkeycowbells.com" target="_blank"http://www.radmonkeycowbells.... |
| 1 Comments |
| Which privileges for Islam? |
| 03.15.05 (9:06 am) [edit] |
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By Daniel Pipes http://www.JewishWorldReview.com" title="http://www.JewishWorldReview.com" target="_blank"http://www.JewishWorldReview.... | Throughout the West, Muslims are making new and assertive demands, and in some cases challenging the very premises of European and North American life. How to respond? Here is a general rule: Offer full rights — but turn down demands for special privileges. By way of example, note two current Canadian controversies. The first concerns the establishment of voluntary Shar'i (Islamic law) courts in Ontario. This idea is promoted by the usual Islamist groups, such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Canada and the Canadian Islamic Congress. It is most prominently opposed by Muslim women's groups, led by Homa Arjomand, who fear that the Islamic courts, despite their voluntary nature, will be used to repress women's rights. I oppose any role for the Shari'a, a medieval law, in public life today, but so long as women are truly not coerced (create an ombudsman to ensure this?) and Islamic rulings remain subordinate to Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms, I see no grounds on which to deny Muslims the right, like other Canadians, to revert to private arbitration. On the other hand, Muslim demands for an exclusive prayer room at McGill University in Montreal are outrageous and unacceptable. As a secular institution, the university on principle does not provide any religious group with a permanent place of worship on campus. Despite this universal policy, the Muslim Student Association, a part of the Wahhabi lobby, insists on just such a place, even threatening a human rights abuse filing if it is defied. McGill must stand firm. The key distinction is whether Muslim aspirations fit into an existing framework or not. Where they do, they can be accommodated, such as in the case of: * Schools and universities closing for the Eid al-Adha holidays. * Male employees permitted to wear beards in New Jersey. * The founding of an Islamic cemetery in Tennessee. Adherents of other minority religions may get a holiday off, wear beards, or dispose of their dead in private burial grounds — so why not Muslims? In contrast, special privileges for Islam and Muslims are unacceptable, such as: * Setting up a government advisory board uniquely for Muslims in the United States. * Permitting Muslim-only living quarters or events in the United States and Great Britain. * Setting aside women-only bathing at a municipal swimming pool in France. * Banning Hindus and Jews from a jury hearing a case about an Islamist in Great Britain. * Changing noise laws to broadcast the adhan (call to prayer) in Hamtramck, Michigan. * Allowing a prisoner the unheard-of right to avoid strip-searches in New York State. * Exploiting taxpayer-funded schools and airwaves to convert non-Muslims in the United States. * Allowing students in taxpayer-funded schools to use empty classrooms for prayers in New Jersey. * Deeming the "religious vilification" of Islam to be illegal in Australia. * Punishing anti-Islamic views with court-mandated indoctrination by an Islamist in Canada. * Prohibiting families from sending pork or pork by-products to U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq. * Requiring that female American soldiers in Saudi Arabia wear U.S. government-issued abayas. * Applying the "Rushdie rules" — or letting Muslims shut down criticism of Islam and Muslims. Go read the rest. Via: Jewish World Review |
| 1 Comments |
| Saying Israelis are 'legitimate targets' not a hate crime |
| 03.15.05 (8:54 am) [edit] |
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Police have decided not to charge a controversial Muslim leader under Canada's hate-crime laws for suggesting on a television talk show last fall that all adult Israelis are "legitimate targets" for Palestinian terrorists. Investigators with Halton Region police said that while the comments by Dr. Mohamed Elmasry "were described by many as [a] hate crime," they did not meet the legal definition. "Although the comments would be considered distasteful to many, in this context they do not constitute a criminal offence," police said in a news release. "The comments were made during a free-flowing discussion between subject-matter experts who were encouraged to express their opinions openly on a topic of significant public interest." Dr. Elmasry, a University of Waterloo professor and president of the Canadian Islamic Congress, drew widespread public condemnation last October for telling a television panel discussion that all Israelis over the age of 18 could be targets for attacks by Palestinians because they are all members of the country's army. Halton police, who sought legal advice on the case from Ontario's Attorney- General, were handed the file because Dr. Elmasry made the comments on the Michael Coren Show, which is broadcast from studios located in Burlington, west of Toronto. Canadian Jewish groups objected angrily to his remarks and fellow Muslims distanced themselves from Dr. Elmasry. He issued an apology soon after the public outcry began over the Oct. 19 show and said later he was trying to express the view of many Palestinians, not his own opinion. Just so we get it straight. So, Jews are un-persons, right? Via: National Post Online |
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| Dell Fires 30 Tennessee Muslims Over Workplace Prayer |
| 03.11.05 (9:16 am) [edit] |
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WASHINGTON, March 10 /U.S. Newswire/ -- A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today called on Dell Computers to rehire 30 Muslims workers allegedly fired from a plant in Tennessee for seeking to perform religiously-mandated prayers in the workplace. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) also offered to help the company and its employees reach a mutually-agreeable solution to the dispute. CAIR said the workers were fired from a Dell facility in Nashville, Tenn., after they sought to perform the Islamic "Maghrib" prayer each day after sunset. (While the window of opportunity to perform the other four daily Islamic prayers, the sunset prayer is tied to a particular time of day and therefore requires greater flexibility and creativity on the part of employers and workers. Muslims pray each day after the break of dawn, at midday, in the afternoon, at sunset, and in the evening.) SEE: 30 MUSLIM WORKERS FIRED FOR PRAYING ON JOB AT DELL http://www.tennessean.com/loc... "Given sufficient goodwill on the part of all those involved, both the employees' legal right to reasonable religious accommodation and the employer's right to maintain smooth operations in the workplace can be maintained," said CAIR Legal Director Arsalan Iftikhar. In a letter sent today to Dell President and CEO Kevin B. Rollins, Iftikhar asked that the Muslim workers be rehired pending resolution of the issues involved. He said CAIR staffers who have experience dealing with workplace religious accommodation are available to act as mediators between the Muslim workers and Dell. CAIR publishes a booklet, called "An Employer's Guide to Islamic Religious Practices," designed to prevent just such incidents. The booklet is available by e-mailing pubs@cair- net.org. (Include name, address and phone number when requesting the booklet.) Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires an employer to accommodate religious practices unless it causes an "undue hardship." The Washington-based group has 31 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding. Via: Yahoo! News http://news.yahoo.com/news?tm... UPDATE: Seems the good folks at CAIR were a little less than truthful (I'm shocked. Shocked!!!) Looks like our devout friends were given a choice. Hey, I've worked in a 2500 seat call center, and we had several hundred muslim workers. These folks would log out of their phones, get up, and pray to one of my IDF closets three times a day. Look, I have no problem with spirituality, but come on! I never had to fight my way through fanatical Quakers to get to equipment in an IDF closet that needed attention. These a**holes acted as if I'd pissed on a Mosque. No other "religion" forced us to alter normal business procedures to accomodate them. Religion of peace my ass. Muslim Workers Walk Off Job Over Prayers NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Thirty Muslims walked off the job at a Dell Inc. plant after alleging the company refused to let them pray at sunset — the latest dispute over prayer between an American business and its Islamic employees. The Muslim workers, who were packaging Dell computers through a temporary labor agency, are taking the dispute to mediation, both sides said Friday. Most of the employees are from Somalia. Abdirizak Hassan, executive director of the Somali Community Center of Nashville, said the workers walked out of the company's Nashville plant last month because they were not allowed time for prayers. The question of how to integrate Islamic prayers into the American workplace is becoming far more common, with many companies using a "tag out" system to accommodate the prayers, said Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The policy allows workers to step away a few at a time for sunset prayers. Muslims are required by their faith to pray five times a day. Most of the prayer times are flexible, but the sunset prayers must be said at dusk. Byrne Mulrooney, a spokesman for labor agency Spherion Corp., said the company was still trying to determine what happened. He said the Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based company has a good record of accommodating its Muslim workers. Dell spokesman Mark Drury said company officials are looking into the Feb. 4 incident. He said the Round Rock, Texas-based company has a "tag out" policy, and wants to know if Spherion was following it. HINT: This is called appeasement, morons. Islam's mission is for every person on the planet to convert, become a slave, or be killed. Read it's fliping "holy" books fer crying out loud. Oh yes, a shout-out to CAIR: Fuck you. |
| 1 Comments |
| ACLU: Remove Letter 't' From Alphabet |
| 03.04.05 (10:09 am) [edit] |
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American Civil Liberties Union lawyers on behalf of atheist and non-Christian Americans are petitioning the Supreme Court in a new crusade. Emboldened by their success at removing the small gold cross from the County of Los Angeles seal. The group has rallied around the notion of removing the 'cross looking' letter from the English language in America since it bears resemblance to the familiar Christian symbol. Alber Whie, an ACLU counsel who legally had the letter moved from his name earlier this month and doesn't pronounce it either, speaks on behalf of the ACLU. The American Civil Liber-ies Union feels i- is a viola-ion of sepera-ion of church and s-a-e -o con-inue -o include Chris-ian symbols in governmen-. Whie also asked that the media stop calling this effort a "crusade", for what he said were "obvious reasons." He added he felt a compromise could be possible if the lower case 't' were simply flipped upside down. Posted by spacemonkey, via IMAO. |
| 2 Comments |
| Afghanistan Appoints First-Ever Woman Governor |
| 03.03.05 (8:02 am) [edit] |
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Afghanistan Appoints First-Ever Woman Governor By Michael Kitchen Islamabad 03 March 2005 Afghanistan has appointed its first female provincial governor in keeping with the new government's policy of promoting women to positions of power. Interior Minister Ali Jalali announced the appointment of Habiba Sarobi as Afghanistan's first ever-female governor. Mr. Jalali says the appointment was originally suggested by his ministry and is part of a wider reorganizing of provincial-governor posts. Ms. Sarobi will head the government of Bamiyan, a central Afghan province inhabited mostly by members of the ethnic Hazara minority. Ms. Sarobi, herself an Hazara, served as minister for women's affairs until replaced recently by former presidential candidate Masooda Jalal. Her appointment is part of a national initiative to place more women in positions of power. Afghan President Hamid Karzai and others in his administration have urged a wider political role for women. The Islamist Taleban government, overthrown by an Afghan-U.S. coalition in 2001, severely limited women's rights, excluding women from politics, business, and all but the most rudimentary education. Via: Voice of America But wait! Bush lied! Quagmire!! Haliburton!!! |
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| Canada opts out of US defense shield, insists on missile consultation |
| 03.03.05 (7:23 am) [edit] |
 C'mon, folks... Surely not all Canadians have turned as loopy as Ward Churchill? |
| 2 Comments |
