EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The United States and the Czech Republic are once again negotiating the possibility of building part of the US missile defence system in Prague, Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas said on Friday. The Pentagon has already requested a sum of $2.2 million for the building from the US Congress. The facility should be able to detect and give an early warning in case a short- or medium-range missiles aimed at Nato countries. According to sources from the Czech Foreign Ministry, the new site should consist of two offices with equipment gathering data on enemy missiles, Czech daily Hospodarske noviny (HN) has reported. Mr Necas said that only a handful of people would be needed to run the site and that the personnel could be drawn from the Czech army after undergoing training. The exact location has yet to been determined, but Prague or its environs is the main option.
The facility should be able to detect and give an early warning in case a short- or medium-range missiles aimed at Nato countries.
According to sources from the Czech Foreign Ministry, the new site should consist of two offices with equipment gathering data on enemy missiles, Czech daily Hospodarske noviny (HN) has reported.
Mr Necas said that only a handful of people would be needed to run the site and that the personnel could be drawn from the Czech army after undergoing training. The exact location has yet to been determined, but Prague or its environs is the main option.
Mine keeps telling me that "site to be built" means "done deal, money's changed hands", while "again negotiating" and "the possibility" mean that it is "not done yet, gotta do more work, may not come together, kinda like earlier deals with Poland".
But, what the heck. It is only two offices of equipment--though I don't know how big that is in reference to the International Standard Football Pitch. Never underestimate their intelligence, always underestimate their knowledge.
Frank Delaney ~ Ireland
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will make his first visit to Lebanon on Friday since 2002 to attend a hastily arranged regional summit with President Michel Sleiman and Saudi King Abdullah. The three leaders are meeting to discuss how to defuse Lebanon's growing sectarian tensions that are straining the country's fragile religious balance, raising new fears of instability. Separately, the summit also serves as an important milestone in Lebanese-Syrian relations as it marks the first visit by a Syrian leader since the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. Relations between the two countries have largely stalled since Hariri was killed, with many Lebanese alleging that Syria, the once dominant power-broker in Lebanon, was responsible. Damascus, for its part, repeatedly denied any involvement in the assassination. In 2008 the two countries established formal diplomatic relations for the first time and now hope to build on those ties. Hezbollah under fire Tensions between the Islamic Shiite group and the majority party in parliament led by Hariri have worsened recently as a special tribunal, set up under United Nations auspices, to investigate Hariri's assassination is widely expected to indict members of Hezbollah for their involvement in the killing. Hezbollah's influential secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, has warned, though, that he will not accept any indictments from the `Special Tribunal for Lebanon' (TSL). Nasrallah's challenge to the court, based in The Hague, is a pre-emptive move as the tribunal has yet to hand down any judgment on the case. Nonetheless, Nasrallah asserts that the court is a US and Israeli plot to undermine "the resistance" and sow discord between Lebanon's Sunni and Shiite populations.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will make his first visit to Lebanon on Friday since 2002 to attend a hastily arranged regional summit with President Michel Sleiman and Saudi King Abdullah. The three leaders are meeting to discuss how to defuse Lebanon's growing sectarian tensions that are straining the country's fragile religious balance, raising new fears of instability. Separately, the summit also serves as an important milestone in Lebanese-Syrian relations as it marks the first visit by a Syrian leader since the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.
Relations between the two countries have largely stalled since Hariri was killed, with many Lebanese alleging that Syria, the once dominant power-broker in Lebanon, was responsible. Damascus, for its part, repeatedly denied any involvement in the assassination. In 2008 the two countries established formal diplomatic relations for the first time and now hope to build on those ties.
Hezbollah under fire
Tensions between the Islamic Shiite group and the majority party in parliament led by Hariri have worsened recently as a special tribunal, set up under United Nations auspices, to investigate Hariri's assassination is widely expected to indict members of Hezbollah for their involvement in the killing. Hezbollah's influential secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, has warned, though, that he will not accept any indictments from the `Special Tribunal for Lebanon' (TSL). Nasrallah's challenge to the court, based in The Hague, is a pre-emptive move as the tribunal has yet to hand down any judgment on the case. Nonetheless, Nasrallah asserts that the court is a US and Israeli plot to undermine "the resistance" and sow discord between Lebanon's Sunni and Shiite populations.
AFP - Rioting erupted in Kabul Friday when two US embassy vehicles were set ablaze after one collided with a civilian car, killing a number of occupants, officials and witnesses said. Television pictures showed the vehicles in flames and young Afghan men throwing stones at them and beating them with sticks and iron bars. NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said it had despatched a quick reaction force to the area, outside the American embassy and near US and Afghan army bases in the centre of the city.
Television pictures showed the vehicles in flames and young Afghan men throwing stones at them and beating them with sticks and iron bars.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said it had despatched a quick reaction force to the area, outside the American embassy and near US and Afghan army bases in the centre of the city.
Every day there is a new sign that it's FUBAR. But for those calling the shots, the problem is supposed to be: *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
The leak of 92,000 classified documents on the Afghan war by the WikiLeaks website has posed "dangerous" risks for US troops in battle and for relationships with allies in the region, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday.
Washington suspects young military intelligence analyst Bradley Manning, previously accused of leaking the video of a botched US raid in Iraq to WikiLeaks, of being behind the recent leak of thousands of classified documents on the Afghan conflict.
In September 2009, the German government released $1 million (760,000 euros) of funding to train Somali police officers. The training took place in Ethiopia, and the new recruits were equipped with uniforms, weapons and knowledge with the aim of sending them back into Somalia to try and keep peace in the fractured country. Two months after the completion of this training, almost 1,000 new police officers have reportedly disappeared en route to the Somali capital Mogadishu. It is thought highly likely that these deserters have left to join opposition Islamist militia in Somalia.
In September 2009, the German government released $1 million (760,000 euros) of funding to train Somali police officers. The training took place in Ethiopia, and the new recruits were equipped with uniforms, weapons and knowledge with the aim of sending them back into Somalia to try and keep peace in the fractured country.
Two months after the completion of this training, almost 1,000 new police officers have reportedly disappeared en route to the Somali capital Mogadishu. It is thought highly likely that these deserters have left to join opposition Islamist militia in Somalia.
Falling Off a Cliff Judicial Confirmation Rates Have Nosedived in the Obama Presidency Judicial confirmations slowed to a trickle on the day President Barack Obama took office. Filibusters, anonymous holds, and other obstructionary tactics have become the rule. Uncontroversial nominees wait months for a floor vote, and even district court nominees--low-ranking judges whose confirmations have never been controversial in the past--are routinely filibustered into oblivion. Nominations grind to a halt in many cases even after the Senate Judiciary Committee has unanimously endorsed a nominee. Such tactics are completely unprecedented, and so are their results. Fewer than 43 percent of President Obama's judicial nominees have so far been confirmed, while past presidents have enjoyed confirmation rates as high as 93 percent. And President Obama's nominees have been confirmed at a much slower rate than those of his predecessor--nearly 87 percent of President George W. Bush's judicial nominees were confirmed. The data could not be any clearer. As Figure 1 shows, judicial confirmations have fallen off a cliff since President Obama took office.
Judicial confirmations slowed to a trickle on the day President Barack Obama took office. Filibusters, anonymous holds, and other obstructionary tactics have become the rule. Uncontroversial nominees wait months for a floor vote, and even district court nominees--low-ranking judges whose confirmations have never been controversial in the past--are routinely filibustered into oblivion. Nominations grind to a halt in many cases even after the Senate Judiciary Committee has unanimously endorsed a nominee.
Such tactics are completely unprecedented, and so are their results. Fewer than 43 percent of President Obama's judicial nominees have so far been confirmed, while past presidents have enjoyed confirmation rates as high as 93 percent. And President Obama's nominees have been confirmed at a much slower rate than those of his predecessor--nearly 87 percent of President George W. Bush's judicial nominees were confirmed.
The data could not be any clearer. As Figure 1 shows, judicial confirmations have fallen off a cliff since President Obama took office.
These nomination and confirmation totals are pathetic. And they're irresponsible in a time where we have over 100 vacancies on the federal bench, 31 of which are considered judicial emergencies. Read more...
Read more...
Indeed. The senate's confirmation rate would be even lower if the White House actually had presented a nominee for each Article III vacancy and the numerous agency appointments being filled by "acting" directors.
Judicial Selection Snapshot Last updated: 07/26/2010 Read more...
As usual, what I find interesting is short shrift given Article I, II, IV vacancies by concerned civil libertarians' investigation of partisan obstruction of Mr Obama's master plan. The hierarchy of federal judicial decision-making and bottle-necks to "social justice" are self-evident. Yet one will be hard pressed to locate a concise directory or count of these judges, their political affiliations, and jurisdictions, although their judgements affect Americans' livelihoods daily and directly. Article I personnel are the gate-keepers.
Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution lists the enumerated powers over which Congress may legislate, including the power to "constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court." Courts created under this Congressional power are official "Article III courts" with judges enjoying all of the safeguards provided by Article III, including life tenure and secured salaries. However, as you may know, well over half of the courts established by Congress do not contain the safeguards of Article III. Congress has created many "federal" courts, including those adjudicating issues of federal taxation, communication, and trade, by exercising its power under the enumerated powers of Article I, section 8 (including, for example, the "necessary and proper clause" found in Article I, sec. 8, para 18). While it might seem unconstitutional for Congress to create courts that are technically "inferior" to the Supreme Court without providing them Article III protections, the Court has upheld these "legislative courts" or "Article I courts" since 1828. See American Ins. Co. v. Canter, 26 U.S. (1 Pet.) 511 (1828).
However, as you may know, well over half of the courts established by Congress do not contain the safeguards of Article III. Congress has created many "federal" courts, including those adjudicating issues of federal taxation, communication, and trade, by exercising its power under the enumerated powers of Article I, section 8 (including, for example, the "necessary and proper clause" found in Article I, sec. 8, para 18).
While it might seem unconstitutional for Congress to create courts that are technically "inferior" to the Supreme Court without providing them Article III protections, the Court has upheld these "legislative courts" or "Article I courts" since 1828. See American Ins. Co. v. Canter, 26 U.S. (1 Pet.) 511 (1828).
Article I courts --sometimes called "administrative" courts-- are established to adjudicate petitions by US citizens or residents to specific departments of the executive branch. Uncontested purview includes Federal Claims, Social Security benefits and appeals, veterans benefits and appeals, US Tax Code prosecution and appeals, and military command and courts-martial. Incidentally, hardly anyone's but trial lawyers' most agitated complaints about the "independence" of these tribunals has penetrated innerboobs attention since, oh, 9/11.
Here is the interesting outline of Article I authorities and coordination with Article III headline "activism" from which I pulled the quote above. So I cannot help but wonder why the White House does not share the sense of urgency that grips its progressive colleagues. Perhaps the "inferior" courts' composition suits the immediate legal interests of the administration? Plenty time remains to finesse the unitary backboard. After all, Mr Obama isn't expected to begin campaigning in earnest for, what, another year and one half.
Possibly related fanbook: judicialnomination.org, ACS Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
Twank 'em. The GOP is waiting for a repeat of the Gingrich era, but without the politeness. Never underestimate their intelligence, always underestimate their knowledge.
Dark oil slicks are spreading from the middle of Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo towards the shores -- the wetlands, mangroves, beaches and docks. Oil is permeating fishing nets, coating the garbage dumped into the water, killing off wildlife and driving away residents and tourists. "My sons would set out the nets and at dawn would bring in mullet and corvina fish to sell to small restaurants in Puerto Caballo. They stopped several months ago because what they caught were blackened and damaged," Adelso Silva, an elderly fisherman from Santa Cruz de Mara, near the city of Maracaibo, capital of Zulia state. Located in northwest Venezuela and connected by a natural channel to the Caribbean Sea, Lake Maracaibo is the largest in South America, with a surface area of 12,800 square kilometres and a volume of 245 billion cubic metres of water. The shoreline and lakebed have been the sites of intense petroleum production since the second decade of the 20th century.
"My sons would set out the nets and at dawn would bring in mullet and corvina fish to sell to small restaurants in Puerto Caballo. They stopped several months ago because what they caught were blackened and damaged," Adelso Silva, an elderly fisherman from Santa Cruz de Mara, near the city of Maracaibo, capital of Zulia state.
Located in northwest Venezuela and connected by a natural channel to the Caribbean Sea, Lake Maracaibo is the largest in South America, with a surface area of 12,800 square kilometres and a volume of 245 billion cubic metres of water. The shoreline and lakebed have been the sites of intense petroleum production since the second decade of the 20th century.
Yesterday José Miguel Insulza presented to the President of the OAS Permanent Council, Maria Isabel Salvador, the 12 page report of the High Commission appointed to report on conditions in Honduras. The full report has not yet been released, but its conclusions just appeared in the Honduran press. As reported in El Tiempo, the High Commission proposed seven points that could make it possible for Honduras to return to the OAS.
Colombia - A report released by U.S. NGO the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) finds an "alarming link" between Colombian military units that received U.S. funding and cases of extrajudicial killings or "false positives" -- in which civilians were murdered and presented as guerrillas killed in combat -- committed by those units. John Lindsay-Poland, the FOR's research and advocacy director, told Colombia Reports that the NGO undertook the two year research project on Colombia as a case to study, in order to evaluate the affects that U.S. military aid has on human rights. To compile the report, the FOR drew on data from the Colombian prosecutor general's office, the Colombian inspector general's office and 20 human rights organizations, in order to study 3,000 cases of false positives committed by members of the Colombian armed forces since 2002. These cases were then cross-referenced with lists of more than 500 Colombian military units who received assistance from the U.S.
Six Reasons Why Argentina Legalized Gay Marriage First... 1) First, Catholics don't go to Church and Evangelicals are (still) small in number. ... 2) Second, separation of church and party. It is not enough to have separation of church and state, as do most countries in the region. It is vital to have separation of church and party. ... 3) Third, transnational legalism. Much has been written about how globalization helps to promote LGBT rights. But Argentina shows that there is a type of globalization that is especially helpful, and which incidentally, is scarce in the United States--transnational legalism. This term refers to the ease with which a country's legal system borrows from international cases to set legal precedents domestically. ... 4) Fourth, domestic legal resources. It would be incorrect to say that Argentina's pro-LGBT groups drew exclusively from abroad. They also drew from domestic sources. ... 5) Fifth, democracy, yes; referendum democracy, no. Perhaps the most important victory by pro-LGBT groups in Argentina was to avoid the referenda trap. ... 6) Sixth, and lastly, the president presides. Ultimately, what made the law possible was the President's decision to take the risk of backing the bill.
