TresSugar

Front Page: Plot to Assassinate Obama, Hundreds Held in Immigration Raid, Mystery Virus Hits India

CitizenSugar — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 06:55:20 -0700

Plot to Assassinate Obama:
Denver authorities announced they had arrested three people on drug and gun charges in connection with a possible plot to assassinate Obama during his speech accepting the nomination Thursday night. The US Attorney Generals office will hold a press conference this afternoon to discuss the "aggressive" inquiry into the case. It's not clear how detailed the plot was before the arrests.

Hundreds Held in Immigration Raid:
Another large-scale immigration raid, this time in Mississippi, led to 350 workers being detained. Numerous ICE agents infiltrated the Howard Industries factory and so far dozens of workers have been “identified, fingerprinted, interviewed, photographed and processed for removal from the US.” Immigrants' rights activists said, “It’s horrific what ICE is doing to these families and these communities.”
Mystery Virus Hits India:
A virus that started in one village in India has spread to 350 people and claimed 160 lives; 15 to 20 people are dying everyday. Doctors are unsure what the disease is, though possible causes lie everywhere in the piles of garbage and waterlogged roads. The villagers are getting desperate: “Everyone here is waiting for doctors to come and examine people; but they aren’t coming and we are counting our dead.”

Headline: Benazir Bhutto Assassinated

CitizenSugar — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 20:29:18 -0800

Just 12 days before the already troubled elections in Pakistan, minority leader Benazir Bhutto, recently returned from exile, has been killed in a combination of gunfire and suicide bombing at a rally.

Bhutto had recently voiced concern over her safety, and this tragic realization of her fears will be felt internationally. The United States' strategic relationship with Pakistan was tested in November, when leader Pervez Musharraf imposed a six-week period of emergency rule that threatened to impede the upcoming election.

While sifting through the breaking information on the assassination, I found this chilling tidbit from Wonkette:

"We would normally probably snark, but we also recall that Al-Qaeda assassinated Northern Alliance leader Ahmed Shah Massoud as sort of a favor/thank-you gesture to the Taliban on September 9, 2001 to ensure their continued protection, so we’re sorta just going to hide under the covers for a couple of days."

Not meant to scare, but it does go to show that even events halfway around the world can't possibly get far enough away anymore. Stay tuned for more information as it breaks.
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Headline: Bhutto Assassination and the Campaign

CitizenSugar — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 17:36:03 -0800

As commentary and analysis of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto continues to tumble in, the presidential candidates, in Iowa with less than a week to the first true contest of the campaign, are carefully weighing their reactions. An international tragedy, especially one deeply entrenched in the struggle between democracy and terrorism, at this point in campaign serves as a grave litmus test. A not-so-hypothetical "what would you do?" Here's a sample:

From John McCain:
According to the Washington Post, McCain said that he was the only Republican candidate with the credentials to deal with national security threats posed by Islamic jihadists. McCain said,

"I think my record is clear - 20 years, I've been involved in every national security issue that's faced this nation. And I have the judgment to handle it, and I've proven it."

For more candidates' reactions, please read more.

From Rudy Guiliani:
Also in the Washington Post, Guiliani stated that the assassination serves as another reason why the United States needs to play offense against Islamic terrorism and expand its forces in Afghanistan to block the possible resurgence of the Taliban and al-Qaeda. He said,

"We need a military that is ready for anything the terrorists might throw at us. The reality is we need a larger military so these things don't become a strain."

From John Edwards:
He was the only candidate who actually spoke with Musharraf, the current President of Pakistan, almost immediately after the assassination. According to MSNBC, Edwards said,

". . . we had a conversation in which I urged him to continue the democratization process. He told me, he gave me his assurances that he intended to do that, and we also spoke about having international independent investigators allowed into the country for transparency purposes, for credibility purposes, and we spoke briefly about the elections.”

And from Barack Obama:
He issued a lengthy statement yesterday to CBS News.

"We’ve been distracted by Iraq. We have not been paying attention to Pakistan for several years and as a consequence we have had a subversion of democracy at the same time we have ignored or at least not dealt with the growing threat of Islamic militants in Pakistan. If anything, Iraq has helped to spur some of the militancy in Pakistan. Now moving forward we have to send a message that we stand strong with the Pakistani people in moving the democratic process forward but we have to continue to press, to deal with this on going chaotic situation with the militants in Pakistan."

Regardless of the content their individual statements, what is made crystal clear by the sheer necessity of making them at all is that whoever wins also wins a whole truckload of global challenges.

Headline: Arrests Made Over Bhutto Assassination

LibertySugar — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 11:15:58 -0800

Pakistani police arrested two alleged terrorists in connection with the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. The suspects alleged involvement is unknown, but they are being held along with two previously arrested suspects - Aizaz Shah, 15, and Sher Zaman

The government in Pakistan has determined that Baitullah Mehsud orchestrated last December's assassination. Mehsud, the leader of Pakistan's Taliban, also has connections to al-Qaeda. The CIA reached the same conclusion. Bhutto's family and party are accusing President Musharraf's government of being involved in Bhutto's death. Musharraf denies any involvement.

The arrests come at the end of the 40-day mourning period - a day when thousands of people have gathered at Benazir Bhutto's tomb in southern Pakistan.

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Book Bag! Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story

TresSugar — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:00:00 -0700

"From all I'd read and heard about her, Jacqueline Kennedy seemed coquettish and sensual but not particularly sexual. If anything, I pictured her as more voyeur than player. But that wasn't the case. She kept waiting for me to try to get her into bed. When I failed to make a move, she took matters into her own hands and popped the magic question. 'Would you like to spend the night?' And I said, 'I thought you'd never ask.'"

In a deleted passage from a draft of Marlon Brando's 1994 biography, the actor describes how Jacqueline Kennedy seduced him in 1964. Wow! The excerpt is included in the upcoming book Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story, but the book does not center on Jackie's love for Brando - oh no, it's much more salacious than that. The latest work from longtime Kennedy biographer C. David Heymann chronicles a purported love affair between Jackie and her late husband's brother Robert F. Kennedy, an affair that is supposed to have occurred after the assassination of JFK.

I have to say that even decades later, a book about the sex lives of 20th-century icons sounds delightfully steamy!

Hillary Apologizes For RFK Remark. Was "Sorry" Necessary?

CitizenSugar — Sat, 24 May 2008 09:00:37 -0700

Yesterday, Hillary Clinton used the example of Robert Kennedy's June 1968 assassination while she was explaining why she's still in the race. The world seems to have done a collective jaw-drop. She has apologized for the parallel drawn saying:

I regret that my referencing that moment of trauma for our entire nation and particularly for the Kennedy family was in any way offensive. The Kennedys have been much on my mind the last days because of Senator Kennedy.

But was her apology necessary? Was the statement, as Michelle Obama worries, a reference to violence that could befall Obama? Or was it merely an unfortunate way to put historical perspective on the month of June in a campaign year? Here's Hillary's whole original quote:

My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don't understand [calls to drop out]."

As soon as the egg of a quote was laid, Liberty and I rushed to the Church of Wikipedia to see exactly what the state of the 1968 election was in June. Was Bobby well ahead, or was the contest still alive? That seems to be the crucial detail to me - was the mention of the assassination just a calendar signpost? A way of saying, of course we all remember the day, it happened in June? Apparently, at the moment of Kennedy's assassination, the delegate totals were: Hubert Humphrey, 561; Robert F. Kennedy, 393; Eugene McCarthy, 258.

Hmm. Kennedy was in second place in the delegate totals. Just like Hillary. And we're heading into June. Were people too quick to offense on this statement? Was it just, as a Clinton spokesperson has said, "historical examples of the nominating contest going well into the summer. Any reading into it beyond that is inaccurate and outrageous." Or is any reference to an assassination - especially a Kennedy - despicable?

Want to know more about that tragic night in June? New York magazine has a powerful narrative all about it, out this week.

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Briefing Book! Atheist Bus Ads Roll in London Today

LibertySugar — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:30:07 -0800

Religion: Eight-hundred buses with atheist ads, which were funded by a special campaign, hit the streets in London today. - Boing Boing
Colbert & Colmes: Alan Colmes joined Stephen Colbert and guest-hosted the Colbert Report, Monday night. The two took on the Roland Burris appointment. - Huffingtion Post
Assassination Risk: Ann Coulter told CBS that George Bush is at a greater risk of assassination than Barack Obama.- 23/6
House: Seven habits of highly effective freshmen. - Politico
Anti-green: The mechanical art of destroying the rain forest. - Good

O Captain! My Captain! Obama Honors Lincoln at Ford Theater

CitizenSugar — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:30:45 -0800

The president honored his favorite predecessor last night at the reopening of Ford's Theater, the site of Abraham Lincoln's assassination in 1865. "Harrowing," Obama called the occasion, if you're looking for the word.

Timed to coordinate with the great emancipator's 200th birthday today, the 18-month, $25-million renovation features a revamped stage, new seats, and a spacious, updated lobby. Who said taxpayers weren't bailing out the arts? Anyway! A video presentation of the Gettysburg Address was read by the four former living presidents, and the president and first lady were presented with their very own, very large copy.

While Obama traveled to Springfield, IL, today to formerly commemorate the 16th president's bicentennial, he honored him last night with these words:

Despite all that divided us - North and South, black and white - he had an unyielding belief that we were, at heart, one nation, and one people. And because of Abraham Lincoln, and all who’ve carried on his work in the generations since, that is what we remain today.

View 4 Photos ›

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Bhutto's Daughter Sings Tribute to Her Slain Mother

LibertySugar — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:30:23 -0800

The oldest daughter of Pakistan's assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was killed in a combination of gunfire and suicide bombing at a rally last year, has written and recorded a rap-infused song expressing the pain over her mother's death. The album, "I Would Take the Pain Away," and a five-minute video of clips and photographs of Benazir Bhutto has made its way to YouTube. Lyrics include:

My mother was murdered. I don't even comprehend. Was it worth dying for? I'm walking through screened doors. . . . No comfort or ease. I'm begging you please God bless the deceased.

Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari, 18, is a student at Britain's Edinburgh University.

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Front Page: Bhutto's Cause of Death, Stimulus, Kenya's Peace

CitizenSugar — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 06:54:26 -0800

Scotland Yard has confirmed that Benazir Bhutto, the Pakistani opposition leader assassinated in December, was killed by the force of hitting her head as a result of a suicide blast, not the assassin's bullet. These findings support the Pakistani government's theory on the death of Bhutto. The findings were determined without autopsy results or an investigation of the scene, and also point to a lone gunman as opposed to the two seen in news photos of the scene. Scotland Yard relayed these findings to President Musharraf yesterday, and two arrests were made in conjunction with the assassination.
The US Senate passed a $168 billion dollar version of the stimulus package introduced in the House last week. The package was expanded to include payments for Social Security recipients and disabled veterans who wouldn't have qualified for a check under the original plan. The vote of 81 to 16 passed the bill and sent it to the White House where President Bush has said he will sign it. Not all members were in favor of the plan. During the debate, Senator Bob Corker, R-TN, said the entire concept of the stimulus package was as if Congress had taken $150 billion and "thrown it into a mud puddle." Checks are expected this Spring.
Peace talks in Kenya mediated by Kofi Annan have reached a breakthrough. Though details aren't yet known, opposition official William Ruto said, "We have agreed to form a joint government. Details of that government, its time, and how to share it are under discussions." The breakthrough comes after 1,000 have died and 300,000 have fled their homes following post-election violence.