 |
||||
|
|
JOHN SEMMENS: Semi-News
Palestinians Unveil Monument Honoring Sheehan December 2, 2005
Cindy Sheehan, who has denounced the Iraq War as a screen for U.S. aid to Zionist extremism, cried when she saw the sandstone statute of a woman in a Burka. Abesh al-Nada, spokesman for Hamas, heaped praise on Sheehan. “Very few in the West recognize the threat of Zionism,” said al-Nada. “Ms. Sheehan is one of those few. Her outspoken stand against the Bush Administration has strengthened our resolve to eliminate the Zionist presence in the Middle East.” Al-Nada also offered to marry Sheehan. “The position of third wife is now vacant,” said a-Nada. “Ms. Sheehan would have the honor of bathing my feet and tending my camels.” Al-Nada said the position of third wife opened up after the previous occupant carried out a suicide bombing of an Israeli transit bus. Carbon Dioxide Level Hits New Peak Carbon dioxide levels are now 27 percent higher than at any point in the last 650,000 years, according to research into Antarctic ice cores published in Science. Analysis of carbon dioxide in the ancient Antarctic ice showed that at no point in the past 650,000 years did levels approach today's carbon dioxide concentrations of around 380 parts per million (ppm). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projects that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels could reach 450-550 ppm by 2050, possibly resulting in higher temperatures and rising sea levels. Carbon dioxide is the principal "greenhouse" gas thought to be driving global warming. Humans boost carbon dioxide levels primarily by the combustion of fossils fuels and deforestation, and accordingly, atmospheric concentrations have risen sharply in recent decades. Today the United Nations, the world's largest single source of gaseous emanations, produces about 24 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. Experts speculate that dining excesses and especially vaporous “debates” may be the primary active factors driving the emissions. Chinese Market Defies Massachusetts 'Blue Laws' Massachusetts' attorney general is launching an investigation into supermarkets that stayed open opened on Thanksgiving in defiance of the state's Puritan-era Blue Laws. The laws were passed in the 1600s to keep colonists at home or in church on Sundays. "This attempt to cater to the convenience of consumers will not be tolerated in the State of Massachusetts," said Burt Guano, a spokesman for Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly. Managers of the offending stores could be sentenced to up to three days in the stocks or be flogged up to 10 lashes. “We must make an example of these criminals, lest crime get out of hand,” said Guano. Death Row Drama Gains Star Support Actor Jamie Foxx pleaded for a commuted sentence on behalf of Stanley Tookie Williams, the convicted murderer and Crips gang co-founder. Foxx is not alone. An unusually varied collection of Hollywood stars and other famous names is trying to persuade Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that Williams ought to be spared. His supporters assert that the people Williams killed were unimportant compared to his more recent artistic endeavors on death row. Williams has written nine children's books and established an online project linking teenagers in America and abroad. A Swiss legislator, college professors and others repeatedly have submitted his name for Nobel peace and literature prizes. Rev. Jesse Jackson visited San Quentin to speak with Williams. Jackson said, “These killings happened a long time ago. It’s time to forgive and forget.” Williams, 51, who saw the notorious gang he co-founded with a childhood friend spawn copycats worldwide was convicted of killing a convenience store worker and, days later, killing two motel owners and their daughter during a robbery. Clark to Assist Saddam Defense Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark arrived in Baghdad to aid in Saddam's defense. Clark has been advising nearly a dozen international lawyers on Saddam's defense team. Clark contends that since the troops that originally flushed Saddam out of his rat hole failed to read him his Miranda rights, the case against him must be thrown out. Clark further argued that jailers who inspected Saddam for lice conducted an illegal search. “The way in which Saddam has been treated is an affront to civilized standards,” said Clark. “Saddam isn’t the one on trial here. America is.” Clark also cited the refusal to allow Saddam to be free on bond while awaiting trial as a violation of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Clark demanded that Saddam be released into his custody. “Saddam is entitled to a presumption of innocence,” said Clark. “If he is released to my custody I will assure the court that he will appear for his trial -- if that still goes forward despite the repeated procedural errors committed by the prosecutors.” Meanwhile, Saddam may not have helped his case by calling the presiding judge “the deformed offspring of a donkey and a Jew” and promising to personally rape him once he is restored to power. Clark begged the court to forgive Saddam’s remarks as the natural response to the harsh treatment he has received since his capture. Saddam’s reaction to this plea was derisive laughter and a pledge to “disembowel the simpering infidel” at the first opportunity. Giant Mosque May Be Built in London A massive mosque that will hold 40,000 worshippers, 50,000 AK-47 rifles, 10 million rounds of ammunition, bomb-making facilities and a web-cam room suitable for taping and broadcasting beheadings is being proposed beside the Olympic complex in London to be opened in time for the 2012 Games. The complex is designed to become the “Muslim quarter” for the Games, acting as a hub for special Islamic activities and projects. Iraq al Qaeda Slams Zarqawi Family Iraq's al Qaeda on Monday blasted the Jordanian tribe of its leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi for disowning him after his group claimed triple suicide bombings in Amman which killed 57 people this month. "How can you disavow the mujahid Abu Musab at a time like this?" said an Internet statement. "Abu is already feeling depressed about the way things are going in Iraq. His army dwindles by the day. He, himself, has almost been killed twice in the last month. He needs the love and support of his family during these trying times." Zarqawi brushed off the disavowal. "I will just add them to the list of those I intend to kill," he said. Right now, that list is reputed to have nearly 5 billion names on it. Zarqawi's admin assistants are having trouble keeping it updated, despite the dire threats they face for failure. Economy Shocks Dems GDP expanded by over 4 percent. Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods and sales of new homes rose sharply while consumer confidence soared in November, all indications the economy is recovering nicely from the blow delivered by congressional Democrats. "We've been talking down the economy at every opportunity," said senate minority leader Harry Reid (D-NV). "Why are consumers, businesses and investors ignoring us?" Senator Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) blamed tax cuts. "If the Republicans had listened to us this never would've happened," said Clinton. "Now that taxpayers have been allowed to keep more of their money they are wantonly provoking economic expansion. This is ruining everything." Former senator John Edwards (D-N.C.) found confirmation of his presidential campaign theme in these statistics. "I see two Americas," said Edwards. "In one America, I see Republicans facilitating the aspirations of the ambitious. In the other America, I see Democrats struggling to perpetuate their base of the ignorant, unemployed, listless and parasitic elements of society. If more people fulfill their aspirations by their own efforts, our message of dependency will lose its audience." A Washington Post editorial predicted a dark era of continued Republican political dominance if the trend toward prosperity is not reversed. Neo-Nazis Form Alliance with Islamists There have been rumblings of late about the developing alliance between Islamic radicals and neo-Nazis. While an alliance would seem unlikely due to the view of the neo-Nazi that Muslims are racially inferior and the view of the Islamists that the neo-Nazi are also infidels, there is a common bond. This bond was revealed by August Kreis, the new head of Aryan Nations. In an interview with CNN earlier this year, Kreis said, "The Islamists are maniacal morons, but so are we. We share the same enemies: Jews and the American government. Even though the Islamists are mostly racial scum, I believe we can make a common cause against the Jews and their pawns." Kreis told CNN that he had a message from Osama bin Laden offering him the position of "al-Dupe." "I'm not really sure what this position entails, but it sounds important," said Kreis. Kreis says he plans to use his appointment as al-Dupe as a springboard to power -- first in America and later in the world. Boxer Berates Self, Other Democrats In a press conference held earlier this week, Sen. Barbara Boxer, a persistent critic of President Bush, lambasted fellow Democrats and herself for being in such disarray on Iraq that she argued the effort to discredit Bush is fast disintegrating into "a disaster'' for Americans at home and the troops abroad. "Every day, there's another message. ... We don't seem to know what we're doing,'' she said during a news conference in San Francisco. "We are in a mess because we have no plan, and now it seems we don't even talk to each other. ... What's happening here is not working; it's a disaster.'' Shortly after the White House issued a statement praising Senator Boxer’s candor, she retracted her remarks stating that she thought they had been made “off the record.”
John Semmens'
Semi-News Archives: Home |News |State Briefs |Editorials|Letters |Key Legislation |Privacy Policy |Contact Us
|
| ||
Leaders
of the Intifada against Israel unveiled a stone monument Friday with the
words "Sheehan's Stand" in honor of the woman who supported their
efforts.