DC Chief of Police, Mayor, and City Official React to Supreme Court’s Decision on Thursday

On Thursday the US Supreme Court struck down the D.C ban on handgun ownership as unconstitutional. It’s decision overruled 200+ years worth of lower court decisions that suggested that the intent of the amendment strictly concerned gun ownership in a citizens’ militia. The 1976 law prohibited handgun ownership and required that shotguns and rifles be kept unloaded and either disassembled or under a trigger lock.

The plaintiff in the case, Gillian St. Lawrence, a 29 year old residing in the posh neighborhood of Georgetown in Northwest DC, stated, “I’m thrilled… I’m finally going to be able to take the trigger lock off my shotgun and load it if I need to be able to defend myself in my own home”. It should be noted that the majority of murders occur on the opposite side of town—in the urban areas of Southeast and Northeast.

Last year there were 143 murders in DC and the thugs seem ready to beat that number this year. There have been 85 murders in DC so far this year. So let’s make it easier shall we? Hunting season is officially starting up once more in DC. Come one come all! (Your writer is a resident of DC).

In Other News:

On Thursday, the Bush administration agreed to remove North Korea from it’s “axis of evil” list in the so-called War against Terror. Despite the countries 6 month delay at filing a report on its’ plutonium production, and the gaping holes in said report, the administration praised the country for its’ significant step forward. On Friday, in a reciprocal show of good faith, North Korean officials toppled the cooling tower at its’ plutonium production facility. It remains to be seen, however, the extent to which the reclusive rouge regime will in fact halt it’s nuclear program.

In Zimbabwe, citizens are heading to the polls to vote in single candidate run-off election. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew from the race last Sunday following the murder of 80+ members of his party. On Friday he stated, “What is happening today is not an election. It is an exercise in mass intimidation with people all over the country being forced to vote,”. The United States has already warned that it will not recognize the results of the election.

And Now For Something Completely Different:

Next month the Church of Sweden will carry out “drive-in” weddings. The 7 minute ceremonies will be accompanied by a priest singing Elvis tunes and a gospel choir. Those desired to take the plunge will be directed to the highway turnoff by the red neon “Get Married” sign at the exit.

Ooookkkkay. So that’s the news!

[photo courtesy of the Washington Post]

And Now the News with Kandy Korrespondent

On Wednesday, the US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of ending the death penalty for the crime of child rape. This is the second such ruling this year. Last September an unofficial national moratorium on the death penalty went into effect when the court agreed to hear two appeals to lethal injection arguing that the practice causes extreme pain constituting cruel and unusual punishment. The moratorium was ended when the court finally ruled on April 16th that Kentucky’s, the state in question, guidelines for lethal injection did not in fact constitute cruel and unusual punishment.

The death penalty tends to be considered a “third-rail” issue along the lines of abortion. The sudden willingness of the highest court to rule on such cases seems to mark a shift in this regard. Anti-death penalty activists are hopeful that this current trend will end in an eventual ban on its usage. The United States is one of the few “western” countries to still use the death penalty.

In Other News:

Also on Wednesday, during a phone-in town hall meeting Presidential hopeful John McCain told a Floridian voter that only World War III would justify reinstituting a national draft. While this calms some fears, the fact that he failed to define World War III of course still leaves the issue a bit open to interpretation. Given the current ambiguous nature of the so-called “War on Terror”, it is unclear at what point a conflict would in fact obtain such a label.

On Tuesday, Senator Clinton officially returned to the Senate after her unsuccessful presidential bid. She was greeted with tearful hugs amid a pair of standing ovations. Afterward she reemphasized the need for a united party going into the November election, stating, “If you care about the issues I care about … you really have to stay with us in the Democratic Party and vote for Senator Obama”.

Zimbabwe ruled on Wednesday that the June 27th presidential vote will go on despite the opposition candidate’s withdrawal and subsequent international condemnation. The US warned on Tuesday that it would not recognize the results of the election. (this writer fails to see how such a statement will in any way impact Mugabe but that’s neither here nor there)

And Now For Something Completely Different:

For those of you who always forget to charge your phone prior to attending music festivals (all ten of you!) your worries are at an end! The UK phone operator “Orange” has teamed up with GotWind, a renewable energy firm, to produce a special phone recharger powered by “dance energy”. Simply attach it to your arm and presto… apparently.

They plan on testing out at this year’s Glastonbury Festival—good luck guys!

That’s the News.

[photo courtesy of javno.com]

On Sunday, presidential opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai quit the race ending all hopes of a Mugabe-free Zimbabwe in the near future. Tsvangirai said that with the rising violence, he could not in good conscience ask his supporters to turn out to vote knowing that they might very well be going to their death. Sound dramatic? Well, considering that over 80 of his supporters have been killed by pro-Mugabe mobs since the beginning of April, and that one of his campaign aides is currently facing the death penalty on treason charges, and that Tsvangirai himself has been arrested 5 times in the past several weeks, sadly, he’s right.

He told reporters on Sunday that a free and fair election is impossible, stating, “We in the MDC have resolved that we will no longer participate in this violent, illegitimate … sham of an election process.”

On Monday, Tsvangirai fled to the Dutch embassy in Hare, Zimbabwe’s capital, seeking refuge from the violent mobs. A Dutch official told Reuters that Tsvangirai asked to spend the night, but had not requested asylum. Also on Monday, over 60 opposition supporters were arrested in a police raid on Tsvangirai’s headquarters.

Also on Sunday, comedian George Carlin died of heart failure at a Los Angeles hospital at the age of 71. Carlin made headlines with his drug-referenced filled stand-up comedy including a routine entitled, “Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television.” In 1978, the US Supreme Court ruled that Carlin’s routine contained indecent words and that the Federal Communications Commission could ban the from being aired at times when children might be listening. In 2005 he told Playboy that he was looking “forward to an afterlife where he could watch the decline of civilization on a ‘heavenly CNN’”.

On Monday, the European Union agreed to impose new sanctions against Iran over its refusal to meet demands to curb its nuclear program. The sanctions include an asset freeze on its biggest bank, Bank Melli, and visa bans targeting “very senior experts” inside Iran’s nuclear and ballistic programs.

And Now For Something Completely Different:

Lifestyle for Sale—for the right price you can become Ian Usher, complete with house, friends and job. Seriously. Following a split from his wife, Mr. Usher decided to auction off his “entire life” on, where else, ebay. So far he’s attracted 70 bids.

He states,

“Everything that I have – the furniture in the house – all has memories attached to it. It’s time to shed the old, and in with the new. On the day it’s all sold and settled, I intend to walk out of my front door with my wallet in one pocket and my passport in the other, nothing else at all. My current thoughts are to then head to the airport and ask at the flight desk where the next flight with an available seat goes to, and to get on that and see where life takes me from there.”

While that sounds awesomely bohemian and existential, at the same time the whole thing reeks of arrogance. What’s so great about Usher’s life? He’s a shop assistant at a rug store for crying out loud! And what’s so great about his friends that its’ necessary to spend money to get to meet them? And—who the hell are those 70 bidders? They need to have their head’s examined.

That’s the News.

It’s the news with Kandy Korrespondent!

On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon opened the UN Aids conference in New York with the grim announcement that the world is losing the fight against HIV-AIDS. He noted that drug innovation is not keeping up with the growing numbers of new infected– 2.5 million people became infected with HIV last year while only one million began using antiretroviral drugs. UN figures suggest that at least 33 million people have HIV worldwide.

Bill Clinton, also in attendance, took the opportunity to highlight the impact of the current economic crisis upon the distribution of aid.

“This oil price spike has taken away 100 per cent of the value of foreign aid and debt relief to very many countries […] It has dramatically increased the cost of producing food, and it has increased therefore the number of people who are at risk of these diseases.”

As Air Force One touched down in Berlin on Tuesday, the mood in Germany was strangely calm. Throughout his two terms in office, every visit Bush has made to Germany has been accompanied by massive protests—from his first visit in May 2002 to last year’s G8 summit in Heiligendamm. It’s not any lack of animosity, nor a lessening of the German social activism. Rather, according to Der Taqesspiegel, ““Bush is not even popular in the role of the enemy anymore.” A student elaborated stating, “it just isnt’ worth it anymore […] he isn’t president much longer anyway”. Ouch!

On Tuesday, Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai rejected calls for a so-called national unity government instead of a presidential runoff vote. There is growing belief that the June 27th runoff has little to no chance of being free and fair given the current levels of violence and intimidation within the country. The opposition says that at least 66 of its supporters have been killed since the March 31st elections.

A freak Salmonella strain linked to certain tomato varieties has shut down the Florida tomato industry. Unless the USFDA can find the source and clear the state’s produce for sale, $40 million worth of tomatoes will rot. Even so, however, the damage to tomato demand has already been done: McDonald’s and other restaurant chains have stopped serving tomatoes while Wal-Mart and other grocery stories have stopped stocking certain tomatoes varieties. Since the initial warning on June 3rd, there have been 145 reported cases and 23 hospitalizations.

Saturday’s World Cup qualifying match between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon nearly resulted in a major international incident when the Syrian national anthem was played for the Lebanese team. Last months’ violence between the Western-backed government and the Syrian/Iranian-backed Hezbollah opposition resulted in 65 deaths. Syria’s influence in Lebanon remains an incredibly hot issue.

That’s the news

[Photo courtesy of AlJazeera.net]

It’s the News with Kandy Korrespondent!

Democratic presidential nominee-apparent, Obama and soon to be ex-presidential candidate Clinton shared a private tête-à-tête on Friday marking the first step towards re-uniting the much divided Democratic Party. Neither the meetings’ location nor content have been disclosed.

Meanwhile, Clinton supporters are mounting an intense effort to pressure Obama into offering Clinton the post of vice president. On Tuesday, Senator Clinton told supporters that she would be “open” to being Obama’s running mate if it would help the Democratic Party win the White House.

In Other News:

On Friday, a bill aimed at limiting climate-warming carbon emissions died in the Senate after a procedural vote. The bill would have cut total US emissions by 66% by 2050. Opponents said it would result in lost jobs and even higher fuel prices.

Despite the highest jump in the unemployment rate in 3 ½ years, 5.5% during May alone, the White House maintains that the country is not in a recession.

Internationally:

On Friday, Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was detained for the second time by police. Tsvangirai is set to compete in a run-off against incumbent dictator Robert Mugabe on June 27th. On Thursday, police held five US diplomats, among them the US ambassador, and two British diplomats after they visited victims of political violence. The opposition says that 65 people have been killed since the first round of voting in March.

A senior western diplomat told the UK’s Telegraph on Friday that Mugabe’s power has been reduced to that of a figurehead with several generals in actual command of the country.The diplomat says that it was these senior generals who kept Mugabe in power at the end of March.

On Thursday, Mugabe banned all of the international aid organizations working in Zimbabwe—including the UN organization CARE International—saying that they were aiding Tsvangirai’s campaign bid.

CARE warned on Friday that the regime’s ban puts millions of Zimbabweans at risk. CARE’s Africa communications manager Kenneth Walker stated,

“You have a situation, a very dire economy in Zimbabwe… inflation is more than 100,000 percent and just finding the next meal is an extremely major exercise for a great many people… So several million people without access to food aid, health services, education, clean water and sanitation facilities are at risk.”

Eighty percent of Zimbabweans are unemployed. Home-based care for those affected with HIV-AIDS was among the services provided by CARE.

And Now For Something Completely Different:

Beijing Olympic organizers have released the officially sanctioned cheer for the August games. The four-step cheer is designed to promote cheering in a “smooth and civilized manner”. Organizers will use television programs, squads of volunteers at Olympic venues, and the Education Ministry to assure proper cheer etiquette.

It goes like this:

“Olympics… Jiayou” (translated as “add oil”—a traditional Chinese sporting cheer)

as you say this, clap twice and then give a double thumbs up.

Then, “China… Jiayou”

If you are a foreigner you may replace Olympics and Jiayou with the names of individuals and other countries.

That’s the news!

[Photo courtesy of the New York Times.]

I am sad to announce that legendary fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent passed away in Paris on Sunday at the age of 71. He is best known for redesigning “men’s clothes” for women through creations such as his infamous tux of 1966 and trademark elegant pantsuit. As one commentator put it, “Chanel gave women freedom” in the first half of the 20th century, and Saint Laurent “gave them power”.

In Other News,

Hilary Clinton emerged triumphant from Sunday’s primary in Puerto Rico yet it is doubtful that this will be enough to stop her downhill spiral. On Tuesday, the remaining 31 delegates will be decided as voters in Montana and South Dakota go to the polls for the Democratic Party’s final two primaries. Obama is approximately 50 delegates away from the 2,118 needed to secure the party’s nomination.

A massive fire raged through Universal Studios in Los Angeles for nearly 10 hours on Sunday. The fire damaged a sound stage, movie sets, and attractions including a famous alley from “The Sting” and a set from “Back to the Future”. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

International Wrap-up:

Election day violence in Macedonia left one dead and nine wounded.

Twenty Russian gay rights activists held a protest in Moscow today in spite of city officials continued refusal to allow parades or demonstrations. Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov has in the past called homosexuality “santanic”. Russia decriminalized homosexuality in 1993.

South Africa has said it will set up seven camps throughout the country to receive the 70,000 migrant workers displaced by the past weeks’ violent rampages. Aid agencies protest that the South African government lacks the expertise necessary for such an endeavor. According to officials, 56 people have been killed and over 650 injured.

Meanwhile in Zimbabwe, tensions are mounting leading up to the June 27th presidential run-off between incumbent dictator Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai. On Saturday, the BBC reported that Major General Martin Chedondo told troops that they must leave the army unless they plan to vote for Mugabe. Such admonishment echoes the stance of Zimbabwe’s Generals who have vowed never to support a Tsvangirai government.

And Now For Something Complete Different…

I’m sure by now you’ve heard all about Japan’s coffin-like businessman hotel rooms, sandwiched subways, and traffic nightmares… but what about phantom closet dwellers? According to Reuters, on Friday a 57-year old man in Japan found a 58-year old woman living in his closet. Seriously. Apparently the man had become suspicious when food kept disappearing from his kitchen and decided to set up a hidden camera. He sent the images to the local police who found the woman hiding in a closet along with a mattress and several plastic drinking bottles.

It’s today’s news with Kandy Korrespondent!

On Wednesday President Thabo Mbeki announced the deployment of the South African army in response to increasing xenophobic violence in Johannesburg and surrounding cities. Foreigners are fleeing their homes for mosques, churches, community centers, and police stations. According to witnesses, mobs are roaming the streets armed with clubs and bottles attacking foreign-owned businesses and homes. The BBC estimates that there are between three and five million foreigners currently residing in South Africa. Many are refugees from Zimbabwe.

In related news, according to the International Crisis Group there is a growing danger of a military coup within Zimbabwe. Moreover, the ICG doubts that current dictator Robert Mugabe will allow a genuinely free and fair election to occur since, according to recent polls, opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai seems sure to deliver a resounding defeat. The report calls for joint African mediation.

In Other News:

On Tuesday, Senator Edward Kennedy was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. The diagnosis follows Senator Kennedy’s hospitalization due to a seizure on Saturday. Fifty percent of those similarly diagnosed die within a year, the rest pass away within three years. This type of tumor is always fatal.

Check out the National Brain Tumor Foundation to join the fight against this most deadly form of cancer.

The Israeli and Syrian governments confirmed on Wednesday that they have begun indirect peace talks in Turkey with the hope of reaching a comprehensive accord. Syria wants to regain the Golan Heights territory that it lost to Israel during the Middle East war of 1967. Israel, on the other hand, wants to end Syria’s close alliance with Iran and their joint sponsorship of Hezbollah and Hamas.

Warring groups in Lebanon have reached a power sharing agreement bringing an end to the worst internal fighting since Lebanon’s 15- year civil war. Hezbollah and its allies secured the power of veto over any cabinet decision.

And Now For Something Completely Different…

A New Zealand man was arrested after trying to barter pot for some snacks at a gas station. The man had already begun to eat when he realized he didn’t have any money. He then offered the cashier 12g of marijuana and a pipe—not realizing that a cop was standing directly behind him in line.

See you tomorrow!

And now the news with Kandy Korrespondent:

On Monday, Presidential hopeful Hilary Clinton made it clear that she will continue to contest Senator Obama’s claim to the Democratic nomination. Responding to the widening call for her to step aside she told a rally in Kentucky,

“This is nowhere near over […] None of us is going to have the number of delegates we’re going to need to get to the nomination, although I understand my opponent and his supporters are going to claim that”

Hilary Clinton is trailing Barack Obama by delegates and superdelegates. In the days since the pivotal Indiana and North Carolina primaries, several Clinton supporters have defected to Obama. On Monday, Obama picked up five more superdelegates.

Democrats are going to the polls today in Kentucky and Oregon where 103 delegates are at play. Obama is projected to take Oregon while Clinton is thought to have a large lead in Kentucky.

In Other News:

Anti-Immigrant violence has left at least 22 dead in South Africa. Immigrants are hiding in churches, police stations, and, if they are lucky, in the homes of their South African friends. Stories about the violence over the weekend featured a horrific picture of a police officer trying to put out a man who had been set on fire by the mob.

The violence seems to stem in part from the sudden influx of 3 million Zimbabweans who have sought refuge in South Africa from their country’s current instability.

Meanwhile in Zimbabwe, a run-off between incumbent dictator Robert Mugabe and the opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has been scheduled for June 27th. Last week, however, the US ambassador to Zimbabwe warned that with the current level of violence and intimidation, a fair run-off election is impossible. Tsvangirai fled the country fearing for his life shortly after the election. He postponed his plans to return last weekend, saying that the Mugabe government is planning to assassinate him. (For a background on the current Zimbabwe crisis, check out my other articles)

And Now for Something Completely Different…

Poems by “the world’s worst poet” outsold signed first edition Harry Potter books during an auction in Edinburgh, Scotland. Apparently, William McGonagall (1825-1902) is the world’s worst poet. The private collector paid £6,600 for a collection of the monstrosities while the signed Harry Potter books only brought in a total of £6,000.

The best part of this story is hearing why people call him the worst poet. His verse is pretty bad and fairly sappy but the clincher is how incredibly bombastic he was in regards to his “talent”. According to Alex Dove, one of the auctioneers,

“He was a confident gentleman who thought that his poetry was some of the best. He once walked all the way to Balmoral to try to become Poet Laureate. Unfortunately the Queen wasn’t in. He spent a lot of time on the streets of Dundee trying to sell his poems and performing them, much to the amusement of the residents.”

According to Dove, students would “poet-bait” meaning that they would encourage him to perform and then pelt him with eggs and tomatoes.

That’s the news! See you tomorrow.

It’s news time with Kandy Korrespondent:

Yesterday in New York, the Rev. Al Sharpton and 189 others were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, when they blocked rush hour traffic to protest the acquittal of three officers in the shooting of Sean Bell. Shouting, “We are all Sean Bell”, demonstrators knelt in front of City Hall, blocking on of the streets leading to the Brooklyn Bridge.

In November 2006, twenty-three year old Sean Bell was shot over 50 times by undercover cops who say they thought he was going to be involved in a drive-by shooting. He died the night before his wedding day. His fiancée was one of those arrested in yesterday’s protest.

In Other News:

Despite barely beating Obama in Indiana and loosing in North Carolina by 14 points, Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton remains defiantly determined to continue her candidacy. Yet it’s becoming clearer and clearer that her campaign is quickly headed into the ground.

On Wednesday, following the drama of Tuesday’s primary, democratic heavyweight George McGovern withdrew his support from Clinton in favor of Obama. Since the nomination now rests upon the super delegate count, such public withdrawals are very harmful to the Clinton camp.

The Clinton Campaign is also in serious financial trouble. Yesterday, it was revealed that since April 11th, Ms. Clinton has lent 6 million of her own money to the campaign.

The Torch reaches Everest: At 1:00 GMT on Wednesday, Chinese climbers reached the top of Mt. Everest carrying the Olympic flame. One of the mountaineers apparently stated, “We have lit this torch on the top of the world for harmony and peace.” For a further in depth analysis of the way the Chinese Olympics are “aiding” global harmony and peace, check out my previous posts.

The controversy surrounding the March 31st presidential election in Zimbabwe continues. As the two parties negotiate and quarrel over a possible run-off election, villagers who are opposed to Mugabe tell of intimidation, violence, and hunger. According to the BBC’s undercover correspondent as many as 1,500 opposition members have been driven into hiding.

On Wednesday evening, the state of Israel began celebrations to mark its 60th anniversary. In events during the day, on Wednesday—which is actually Remembrance Day in honor of soldiers killed since the state’s founding– Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that Isreal’s survival depends on its “willingness and ability” to defend itself, but that there was also a “willingness to compromise”.

And Now for Something Completely Different…

Radar detectors are sooo 20th century: Speeding drivers in southern China have shifted to machines designed to switch a license plate number every few seconds. According to traffic policemen in Yangjiang, over 50% of speeding cars caught on camera disguise their license plate in some way.

I looked it up on line but all I came up with was an electronic license plate blurring device on youtube. If anyone knows anything else about this please share!

That’s the News! Tune in tomorrow for the our Friday wrap-up.

There are still no results from Zimbabwe’s March 29th presidential elections. In my first blog I talked about the growing apprehension of the populace during the initial post-election week. My second blog discussed the legal fights and growing danger faced by Zimbabwe opposition party members. This time we’ll be checking out the amazing diplomatic stalling techniques of South African President Mbeki during this crisis.

In her ever-so diplomatic approach, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said this past week that, “It’s time for Africa to step up” and deal with this crisis. (nice job of passing the buck Condi)

South Africa has the largest economy within Africa—giving it major bargaining power with states such as Zimbabwe.

Enter South African President Thabo Mbeki.

He traveled Zimbabwe on Saturday April 12th to meet with Mugabe. Following these talks, he declared that there was “no crisis” in Zimbabwe.

Hmmm…

Did I mention that only the day before Mugabe had banned all political rallies amid reports of escalating violence throughout the country?

So let’s recap:

1. Violence and intimidation are rampant in Zimbabwe over blatantly flawed election

2. Yet the Present of South Africa assures us that there is no crisis and says the diplomats must “engage” with both sides.

And now we come to the best part of all: The Chinese angle—yes apparently the Sudanese government aren’t the only ones touting Chinese armaments.

Meet the An Yue Jiang, a Chinese ship allegedly bearing three million rounds of AK-47 ammunition, 1,500 rocket-propelled grenades and 2,500 mortar rounds en route to Zimbabwe.

When the ship docked in Durban, South Africa this past week, human rights organizations called on Mbeki and the South African government to do something to halt the further transit of the weapons.

The South African government replied that,

“If the buyer is the Zimbabwean sovereign government and the seller is the Chinese sovereign government, South Africa has nothing to do with that,”

Fortunately, dockworkers and cops thought differently. The dockworkers’ union refused to unload its cargo. The police officers union voiced their solidarity with this position—warning the government that it would not be able to use cops as scabs. The ship left Durban on Saturday fully loaded in search of a more welcoming (read: dictator controlled) port.

South Africa is the strongest “democratic” government in Africa. The one to whom Secretary Rice obviously referred when she called upon Africa to “step up”.

But, if these events are any indicator, South African president Mbeki cannot be trusted to take any action to prevent massive casualties in Zimbabwe.

It’s time to stop passing the buck on Zimbabwe and similar crises. If we truly care about human rights and loss of African lives we must pressure our governments to create an international African crisis response team.

In fact, simply the threat of such intervention on the continent would most likely move Mbeki to stop f**king around and use his economic power to bring Mugabe to the negotiating table.

To find out more and get involved, check out Kubatana.net.