L.A. Times Prints Satire Spoof As Real News

A quote in a fake news release that was intended as an April Fool's joke ended up in a front-page story in the Los Angeles Times. The story in Tuesday's editions of the Times noted how successful the reintroduction of wolves had been 10 years ago, but said the predators remained controversial. "In Wyoming, for example, Gov. Dave Freudenthal last April decreed that the Endangered Species Act is no longer in force and that the state 'now considers the wolf as a federal dog,' unworthy of protection," the story read.The Times printed a correction Wednesday, acknowledging that the news release was a hoax. "The reporter saw it on the Internet and had talked with the governor in the past, so she was familiar enough with the way he talks and writes that she thought it sounded authentic, and she didn't check, which she should have," Times Deputy Metro Editor David Lauter told the Casper Star Tribune. "We hate when this kind of thing happens, and we correct it as quickly as we can," Lauter said. The fake press release was put together by Maury Jones, an outfitter in the community of Afton, as a joke for April Fool's Day. "I never thought I'd get this kind of reaction," he said. "But it's got some legs."

Opportunistic Germany Desires Stronger Ties With Iraq

Germany wants to build closer political and economic ties with Iraq but would stand by its policy of not sending troops to the country, a local newspaper reported. "After the Iraqi elections which passed off successfully, the German government wants to intensify its backing for the process of democratization and stabilization in Iraq," junior defence minister Friedbert Pflueger told reporters. But Pflueger also said Germany would stand by its policy of not sending troops to Iraq. "There is a consensus in the grand coalition (of conservatives and socialists headed by Chancellor Angela Merkel) that no German soldier be sent to Iraq," Pflueger was quoted as saying. The previous government headed by former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, an outspoken critic of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, was strongly opposed to sending German forces to the country.

Japan, US To Develop Missile Interceptor

Tokyo Japan's government has announced it will join with the United States to develop a joint missile defense system against possible threats from North Korea and longer-term concerns about China's burgeoning military capabilities. Japan's Security Council and its Cabinet on Saturday approved joint development of a next generation multi-billion-dollar anti-ballistic missile system with the United States.Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, in a statement released Saturday, calls the system critical for Japan's defense, to be able to counter any attack from ballistic missiles. Mr. Abe did stress, however, that Japan would maintain its policy against exporting weapons to the United States, or other countries, in relation to this project. Japan and the United States have been working together for six years to research missile defense. The two allies launched the project after North Korea in 1998 test-fired a long-range missile, which flew over Japan. The president of Japan's National Defense Academy, Tadashi Nishihara, acknowledges the joint missile defense project has faced criticism from China. "They will continue to criticize us for research, development and also deployment. But as our defense white paper has mentioned, there is a growing concern about the increase in the number of missiles being deployed by China," he said. "Therefore, the tension between China and Japan may intensify." Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro Nukaga played down such concern, telling reporters Saturday that, when Japan significantly alters its defense policy, it always extensively explains its plan to neighboring countries. He says he believes Japan's neighbors are at ease with this decision. Other Japanese government ministers, however, have begun expressing increasing anxiety about a lack of transparency in China's growing military budget. Foreign Minister Taro Aso recently said China is beginning to be a threat to Japan. The next stage for the joint project will be to actually produce an advanced model of the sea-based missile interceptor. The government has authorized $30 million in next year's budget for development costs. There is no set date for deployment of the system.

Spoiled Brat Wants Things His Way Or He(And The ACLU) Will Sue

A high school pussy has sued the Palm Beach County School Board, claiming he was ridiculed and punished for refusing to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance.
Cameron Frazier, with the support of the
American Civil Liberties Union
, is challenging the school district and Florida law that require students to show written permission from their parents before declining to recite the pledge. Teacher Cynthia Alexandre called the 17-year-old student ''so ungrateful and so un-American'' after he twice refused to stand for the pledge in her classroom Nov. 8, according to a federal lawsuit. Frazier the brat was then removed from the classroom. He is seeking unspecified damages and legal fees. ''Patriotism is more than going along with everybody else and just saluting a flag. It's about things like supporting our troops during the holidays and helping hurricane victims,'' Frazier said in a statement
provided by the ACLU
. ''This lawsuit is not about the Pledge of Allegiance,'' said Howard Simon,
executive director of the ACLU of Florida.
``It is about his right to choose not to stand to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.'' School district spokesman Nat Harrington said he could not comment on pending litigation.
STATE LAW State law says the pledge needs to be recited at the beginning of the day at all elementary, middle and high schools. A student must stand for the pledge even if he is exempt from reciting it with a written request from a parent, Harrington said. ''You cannot be disruptive during that time or any other time,'' Harrington said.

Self Important Celebrities Turn Backs On America's Heros

During world war two American troops away from home for Christmas were entertained by Marlene Dietrich, Bing Crosby and the Marx Brothers. Even in Vietnam Bob Hope was guaranteed to put in an appearance. But soldiers in Iraq are more likely to get a show from a Christian hip-hop group, a country singer you have probably never heard of and two cheerleaders for the Dallas Cowboys.Bob HopeJust as the seemingly intractable nature of the war has led to a growing recruitment crisis, so the United Services Organisation, which has been putting on shows for the troops since the second world war, is struggling to get celebrities to sign up for even a short tour of duty. It is a far cry from the days following the September 11 2001 attacks, when some of the biggest names in show business, from Jennifer Lopez to Brad Pitt, rallied to the cause. "After 9/11 we couldn't have had enough airplanes for the people who were volunteering to go," Wayne Newton, the Las Vegas crooner who succeeded Bob Hope as head of USO's talent recruiting effort, told reporters. "Now with 9/11 being as far removed as it is, the war being up one day and down the next, it becomes increasingly difficult to get people to go."Dallas Cowboys CheerleadersNewton said many celebrities have been wary of going because they think it might be seen that they are endorsing the war. "And I say it's not. I tell them these men and women are over there because our country sent them, and we have the absolute necessity to try to bring them as much happiness as we can." Fear is also a factor. "They're scared," country singer Craig Morton, who is in Iraq on the USO's Hope and Freedom Tour 2005, told reporters. "It's understandable. It's not a safe and fun place and a lot of people don't want to take the chance." The USO was founded in 1941 as a way of boosting morale for the military. For most of that time Bob Hope, who made his first appearance in 1942 and his last in 1990, was its most recognisable face, famed for putting on Christmas extravaganzas on aircraft carriers and American bases during the Vietnam war. Thousands of performers signed up to play the "foxhole circuit" during the second world war, but the USO has a much smaller list.Ted NugentOne of the Super Stars still willing to travel is Rock God Ted Nugent, Who carried a Glock handgun to shows in Iraq last year and said in a radio interview that he manned a machine gun on a Humvee.Ted NugentThe tradition of beautiful women thrilling the troops has continued - although while Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell showed up in Korea and Vietnam could boast Raquel Welch, in Iraq they have had to make do with sometime pop singer and reality TV star Jessica Simpson.Jessica Simpson

Japan Claims Chinese A Military Threat

The Chinese government has slammed Japan for calling the government in Beijing a 'considerable threat' in light of its military spending. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso is concerned that China has nuclear weapons and its military spending has been rising for years.China is "a neighbouring country with one billion people and nuclear bombs whose military spending has been growing by two digits every year for 17 consecutive years," Foreign Minister Aso told reporters. "And the content of that is extremely unclear. If I say what this means, I recognize that it is becoming a considerable threat," he said. China reacted angrily, saying its economic might was benefiting Japan. "As a foreign minister, to so irresponsibly incite such groundless rhetoric about a China threat, what is the purpose?" foreign ministry spokesman, Qin Gang, said at a regular briefing. "China's development has made commonly acknowledged contributions towards the world's peace and stability, bringing East Asian countries, including Japan, great development opportunities," he said in Beijing. Mr Aso's remarks came just after the release of a new Chinese government paper reinforcing that the country intends to become a peaceful world power. Relations between the two countries have been badly strained of late, with Beijing angry over Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to a Tokyo shrine that commemorates war criminals among the war dead. China says the pilgrimages show Tokyo doesn't fully regret its militarist past. The two countries are also bitterly divided over gas reserves in the East China Sea with Japan planning a major increase in patrols in the disputed area. However China, with its vast labour pool and rising middle class, remains Japan's top trading partner.

Rumsfeld Says US TroopsTo Be Cut Back In Iraq

US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said US troops in Iraq will be cut by two brigades. "President George W. Bush has authorized an adjustment in US combat brigades in Iraq from 17 to 15," Rumsfeld said, addressing US troops in a military camp east of Falluja.Defense Secretary Donald RumsfeldTwo army brigades, which are now stationed in Fort Rilley, Kansas, and Kuwait, will no longer need to go to Iraq. "The effect of these adjustments will reduce forces in Iraq, by the spring of 2006, below the current high of 160,000 during the (Iraqi) election period to below the 138,000 baseline that had existed before the most recent elections," Rumsfeld said. Rumsfeld's remarks were the first he has made proposing a drop in troop levels below the baseline. His aides said details about the cut would be given later at the Pentagon.

Support For Multiculturalism Drops In Australia

Nearly three-quarters of Australians favour multiculturalism, but support for the concept has dropped over the years, the latest Newspoll shows. The poll printed in The Australian newspaper shows support for multiculturalism has dropped eight percentage points to 70 per cent since 1997.The biggest decline in support has been among coalition voters, those on low incomes and those aged over 50. Support for multiculturalism remains strongest among the young and those earning more than $70,000 a year. The perception of racism in Australia have remained unchanged since 1997, when 44 per cent said they believed the nation was racist. But there has been a decline in how Australians view themselves on the question of tolerance. In 1997, 56 per cent said Australians were tolerant, that rose to 59 per cent in 2003 and fell again to 53 per cent when the poll was taken last weekend.

Mexican President Whines And Cries Over Border Wall Plan

Mexico's President Vicente Fox likened a U.S. plan to build 1,100 kilometers (700 miles) of fence along its border with Mexico to the Berlin wall, saying it was a hypocritical move coming from a nation of immigrants. Speaking at an event for migrants in his home state of Guanajuato, Fox said on Sunday that barriers between nations belonged in the past and, like the Berlin wall in 1989, were torn down by people striving for liberty and democracy.Mexican President Vicente Fox"This wall is shameful," Fox said. "It's not possible that in the 21st century we're building walls between two nations that are neighbors, between two nations that are brothers, between two nations that are partners." On Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an immigration enforcement bill that includes a proposal to fence off parts of the 3,200-kilometer (2,000-mile) U.S.-Mexico border in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. The bill also enlists soldiers and local police to stop people sneaking over the border and obliges employers to check the legal status of their workers. Fox said the measures were hypocritical for a country of immigrants. "When we look at their roots, the immense majority of (Americans) are migrants, migrants that have arrived from all over the world," he said. Since he came into power in 2000, Fox has lobbied the U.S. government to allow more Mexicans to work legally in the United States. Nearly two years ago, U.S. President George W. Bush proposed a new guest worker program in which temporary, three-year work visas would be issued. However, lawmakers did not include the guest worker program in the immigration reform bill they passed Friday. Some Mexicans see the bill as evidence of the failure of Fox's effort.

Judge Rules Against Minnesotas Cigarette 'Fee'

Minnesota's 75-cent-per-pack charge on cigarettes was struck down by a Ramsey County judge, potentially punching a big hole in the state budget. As part of a budget approved this summer, lawmakers were counting on more than $400 million over two years from the so-called health impact fee.Lawyers for cigarette makers argued that the fee violated a 1998 tobacco settlement that funneled billions of dollars to the state to cover health costs caused by smoking. That settlement also banned future claims on tobacco companies. Gov. Tim Pawlenty insisted on calling the charge a "fee" so he could continue to claim he hadn't broken a pledge to raise taxes. In striking down the fee, Ramsey County District Judge Michael Fetsch ordered the state to pay refunds to the suing tobacco companies for fees paid since the law took effect in August. Fetsch said the way the fee was crafted violated the 1998 settlement. He also said the fee would be selectively enforced if it only applied to cigarettes not part of the earlier settlement. "The purpose of the legislation was to recover health-related costs and to prevent tobacco use by youths," the judge wrote.Ramsey County District Judge Michael Fetsch"They will cease smoking the more expensive cigarettes and buy the less expensive cigarettes from the settling defendants' distributors." Pawlenty's office did not immediately return a call seeking comment. An attorney and spokesman for the tobacco companies were also unavailable. In court filings in October, Pawlenty's general counsel, Karen Janisch, contended that the law was worded to allow the state to take in the money in other ways, including directly from smokers. "The commissioner of revenue has ample authority under the (health impact fee) act to collect ... the HIF from persons and entities other than defendants' distributors, if necessary," she wrote. Major tobacco companies sued soon after the law took hold, saying the fee violates a 1998 court settlement with the state in which they agreed to pay billions of dollars to end a lawsuit over health costs related to smoking. The companies, including the makers of Marlboro and Camel brand cigarettes, say the state promised not to pursue future health-cost claims in return for the money. To date, the companies have paid $2.25 billion, and another $1 billion is due to come in over the next six years. Attorney General Mike Hatch, who is defending the cigarette charge, maintained that the 1998 settlement only prohibited future court claims, not legislative action.

President Clinton Claimed Authority To Order No-Warrant Searches

In a little-remembered debate from 1994, the Clinton administration argued that the president has "inherent authority" to order physical searches — including break-ins at the homes of U.S. citizens — for foreign intelligence purposes without any warrant or permission from any outside body. Even after the administration ultimately agreed with Congress's decision to place the authority to pre-approve such searches in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court, President Clinton still maintained that he had sufficient authority to order such searches on his own.President Bill Clinton"The Department of Justice believes, and the case law supports, that the president has inherent authority to conduct warrantless physical searches for foreign intelligence purposes," Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on July 14, 1994, "and that the President may, as has been done, delegate this authority to the Attorney General." "It is important to understand," Gorelick continued, "that the rules and methodology for criminal searches are inconsistent with the collection of foreign intelligence and would unduly frustrate the president in carrying out his foreign intelligence responsibilities." Executive Order 12333, signed by Ronald Reagan in 1981, provides for such warrantless searches directed against "a foreign power or an agent of a foreign power." Reporting the day after Gorelick's testimony, the Washington Post's headline — on page A-19 — read, "Administration Backing No-Warrant Spy Searches." The story began, "The Clinton administration, in a little-noticed facet of the debate on intelligence reforms, is seeking congressional authorization for U.S. spies to continue conducting clandestine searches at foreign embassies in Washington and other cities without a federal court order. The administration's quiet lobbying effort is aimed at modifying draft legislation that would require U.S. counterintelligence officials to get a court order before secretly snooping inside the homes or workplaces of suspected foreign agents or foreign powers."Jamie GorelickIn her testimony, Gorelick made clear that the president believed he had the power to order warrantless searches for the purpose of gathering intelligence, even if there was no reason to believe that the search might uncover evidence of a crime. "Intelligence is often long range, its exact targets are more difficult to identify, and its focus is less precise," Gorelick said. "Information gathering for policy making and prevention, rather than prosecution, are its primary focus." The debate over warrantless searches came up after the case of CIA spy Aldrich Ames. Authorities had searched Ames's house without a warrant, and the Justice Department feared that Ames's lawyers would challenge the search in court. Meanwhile, Congress began discussing a measure under which the authorization for break-ins would be handled like the authorization for wiretaps, that is, by the FISA court. In her testimony, Gorelick signaled that the administration would go along a congressional decision to place such searches under the court — if, as she testified, it "does not restrict the president's ability to collect foreign intelligence necessary for the national security." In the end, Congress placed the searches under the FISA court, but the Clinton administration did not back down from its contention that the president had the authority to act when necessary.

North Korea Reacts To U.N. Bill, Vows Nuclear Build-Up

North Korea said yesterday that it would build up its nuclear deterrent to defend its sovereignty following the passage last week of a UN resolution condemning human rights abuses in the communist country.The UN General Assembly adopted a U.S.-led draft resolution expressing strong concern over North Korea's weak human rights record by a vote of 88 to 21, with 60 abstentions. It was the first resolution specifically citing North Korea's human rights violations to be adopted by the UN. "The U.S. is a typical criminal state that politicizes human rights issues and applies selective double standards concerning them," a spokesman for the North's Foreign Ministry told the Korean Central News Agency, the communist state's official news outlet. The draft expressed serious concern about Pyongyang's "systematic, widespread and grave violations of human rights," including torture, execution and forced labor; sanctions on repatriated North Korean citizens; restrictions on freedom of thought and religion; trafficking of women for prostitution and forced marriages.
The spokesman said, "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea will increase its self-reliant defense capacity including nuclear deterrent, pursuant to the Songun [military-first] policy, to cope with the escalated U.S. policy to isolate and stifle us with the nuclear and human rights issues as pretexts."

Iran Confirms Ambush On President's Motorcade

Iran confirmed that one of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's body guards was killed when a motorcade of the security team was ambushed in the southeast of the country but indirectly denied that it was an assassination attempt on the president.Government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham said a group of "bandits" in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan attacked a motorcade of the country's elite Revolutionary Guards Corps which was specially in charge of Ahmadinejad's security. Elham also confirmed a previous report that one guard and alocal driver of the president's security team were killed and another guard wounded during the attack, which took place on the way to the Gulf coastal city Chahbahar from Saravan, a city nearly 300 km northeast of Tehran. Two bandits were also killed during the exchange of fire in theattack and a following hunting operation by security forces, Elham added. Hinting that the attackers were just aimed at the security team,the spokesman revealed no details about Ahmadinejad's whereabouts when the ambush took place. The news was firstly reported on Saturday by Iran's semi-official newspaper the Islamic Republic Daily, which said that a leading motorcade with Ahmadinejad's security guards aboard was ambushed by bandits. The government failed to offer timely information after the incident happened, which led to suspicion that the attackers were targeting Ahmadinejad. Sistan-Baluchestan, located in southeastern Iran, has a population of 2,200,000, most of them Baluchis, and covers an area of 186,000 square meters. The province, bordering with Pakistan and Afghanistan, is one of the most turbulent and poorest provinces in the Islamic Republic. Ahmadinejad, accompanied by cabinet ministers, arrived in Sistan-Baluchestan Wednesday morning for a three-day visit aimed to build closer tie between the central government and local people there.

House OKs 700-Mile Mexico Border Fence

The House of Representatives voted to build a wall along the US border with Mexico to stop illegal immigration.The 260-159 voice vote on an amendment to a bill on illegal immigration "mandates the construction of specific security fencing, including lights and cameras, along the Southwest border for the purposes of gaining operational control of the border. "Fencing has been designated in sectors that have the highest number of immigrant deaths, instances of drug smuggling and illegal border crossings," because of the large number of would-be immigrants who die in the desert attempting to cross the US border.The US border with Canada was not forgotten. The bill "includes a requirement for the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a study on the use of physical barriers along the Northern border." The US-Mexico border is 3,200 kilometers long.

Ahmadinejad Calls On Moslems To Boost Vigilance Against Israel

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on world Moslems to increase their vigilance against Israel.Mahmoud Ahmadinejad'The Zionist regime (Israel) is today a threat to the whole Middle East region and therefore Moslems should increase their vigilance against this regime,' Ahmadinejad said in a meeting with local officials. Ahmadinejad has been condemned worldwide this week for his anti- Israeli rhetoric and doubts over the extent of the Holocaust voiced last Wednesday. The Holocaust is the broad term used to describe Nazi Germany's systematic extermination of some six million Jews in Europe during World War Two. Ahmadinejad in his remarks used the term 'fairy tale' in referring to those events. While Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki shared Ahmadinejad's doubts about the Holocaust and termed his remarks in line with Iran's stance, Interior Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi said the president's remarks were misunderstood by Western governments, adding that Iran had no intention to investigate the Holocaust issue.

Presidents To Appear On Dollar Coins

The U.S. Mint beginning in 2007 will start striking new dollar coins featuring the pictures of dead presidents for the first time in decades. Artist's renderings show what the new coins might look like. None have been designed yet.Four coins will be issued each year in the order in which the presidents served, reports USA Today. They are expected to become collectors' items similar to the 10-year state quarter program, which ends with Hawaii in 2008. The dollar coins also are expected to save the government about $500 million a year because they last longer than paper dollars. But they are not expected to completely replace paper bills because of public preference.

Iraqi Voter: Anybody Who Doesn’t Appreciate America Can Go To Hell

“Anybody who doesn’t appreciate what America has done and President Bush, let them go to hell”

– Iraqi Citizen, voter Betty DawishaCLICK HERE FOR A SPECIAL MESSAGE TO Anybody who doesn’t appreciate what America has doneBetty Dawisha, a 71-year-old Iraqi who also exited Iraq due to Saddam. Ms. Dawisha is also elated by the election in her home country but is also indignant. Not having a Ph.D. in political science, Ms. Dawisha was rather blunt after casting her ballot. "Anyone who doesn’t appreciate what America has done, and President Bush, can go to hell," she told reporters. Thanks, Betty. The mainstream media will ignore your political analysis but American troops in Iraq will appreciate it.

Four Vikings Charged In Sex Boat Party Incident

Prosecutors charged four Minnesota Vikings with three misdemeanors apiece in connection with a raucous boat party last fall on Lake Minnetonka. Daunte Culpepper, Bryant McKinnie, Fred Smoot and Moe Williams were charged with indecent conduct, disorderly conduct and lewd or lascivious conduct.From top, L-R: Daunte Culpepper, Bryant McKinnie, Fred Smoot and Moe WilliamsInvestigators spent hundreds of hours on the case, which grew out of an Oct. 6 party involving two chartered boats, Hennepin County Sheriff Pat McGowan said during a press conference. "There was no shortage of inappropriate behavior on both boats," McGowan said. McGowan said others on the boat engaged in criminal activity, but could not be identified by witnesses. The case remains under investigation, he said. None of the women on the boat could be identified, McGowan said. The crimes carry a maximum penalty of a $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail. The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office has scheduled a press conference at 1:30 p.m. to announce the charges.Coach Mike TiceVikings Coach Mike Tice said during noon press conference that any team action against players would not come unless and until there are criminal convictions. Tice cut off reporters' questions about the boat party. "I'm focused on Pittsburgh," Tice said, referring to the team's game Sunday against the Steelers at the Metrodome. The Hennepin County Sheriff's Department began investigating party after crewmembers from Al & Alma's Supper Club & Charter Cruises said through a lawyer they saw strippers and players involved in sex acts on the two chartered boats. At least 17 Vikings were among 90 people aboard the boats, the crew's attorney, Stephen Doyle, has said. However, not all of the players were involved in the alleged sex acts, Doyle said. Detectives had looked into whether players flew prostitutes from other states in for the party. And federal authorities reviewed the information to determine whether players violated the Mann Act, which forbids interstate transportation of anyone for immoral purposes. However, U.S. Attorney Thomas Heffelfinger said there was insufficient evidence to file federal charges.Clockwise, from top left, Daunte Culpepper, Moe Williams, Bryant McKinnie, Fred Smoot.

The President puts Secretary of State Rice In Charge Of Post-Conflict Strategy

President Bush on Wednesday designated Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to take charge of overseeing U.S. assistance to countries recovering from war or civil strife.Secretary of State Condoleezza RiceThe move was the latest by the Bush administration, which in the wake of the postwar chaos in Iraq, has increased its emphasis on trying to stabilize such countries. A statement by White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the step would help countries prevent terrorists from operating inside their borders. Putting Secretary of State Rice in charge appeared aimed at helping coordinate Pentagon activities with other agencies' and accelerating the U.S. response to crises. "We want to be fast, we want to be effective," said Carlos Pascual, the State Department official who will run the program. President Bush has spearheaded efforts to help Afghanistan and Iraq, among others, recover from conflict. Last March, the State Department set up a new office to manage the aftermath of war and try to prevent extremism from taking hold in desperate places. On Tuesday, the Pentagon said it was elevating peacekeeping to a level comparable to war fighting and would increase training and take other steps so maintaining stability would be a core U.S. military mission.

The Rise Of White Australia

Authorities moved to crack down on rioters after two days of racial unrest in Sydney‘s beachside suburbs, while people of Middle Eastern descent were allegedly assaulted by whites in two other cities amid concerns the violence could spread, police said.The rioting began Sunday on Cronulla Beach when about 5,000 white youths — rallied by cell phone text messages — attacked people of Arab or Middle Eastern descent after Lebanese youths had assaulted two lifeguards earlier this month. Police fought back with batons and pepper spray. Racial tensions in Australia have been rising in recent years, largely because of anti-Muslim sentiment fueled by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States and deadly bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, in October 2002. "The rapes have had a significant impact in terms of race relations in Sydney," said professor Chris Culleen, director of the Institute of Criminology at Sydney University. Iemma said he would urge lawmakers to pass legislation increasing prison sentences for riot offenses. He also said police would be given special "lockdown" powers to stop convoys from forming and driving into communities to carry out acts of retribution. Police said they discovered weapons including firebombs and rocks on the roofs of some houses in the beachside suburb of Maroubra. Some of those arrested were armed with machetes and baseball bats. Perth police Superintendent Shayne Maines said authorities could not rule out a link between the attack and the racial violence in Sydney. "There was some suggestion they did make ethnically related comments to the occupant of the house," Maines said. And on the Gold Coast in Queensland state, text messages targeting ethnic groups have called for people to attend a demonstration on Sunday and to start "cracking skulls," Australian Associated Press reported. In the 2001 census, nearly a quarter of Australia‘s 20 million people said they were born overseas. The country has about 300,000 Muslims, most in lower income suburbs of large cities. Sydney also has a large community of Lebanese who mostly live in a cluster of lower-income neighborhoods close to the city‘s Olympic sports complex. New South Wales state‘s Gov. Marie Bashir — who holds a largely ceremonial role as local representative of Britain‘s monarch — comes from a Lebanese family.

KTLK 100.3 FM Bitch Slaps KSTP AM 1500

After suggesting it would be better off without Rush Limbaugh, KSTP (1500 AM) is now blaming Clear Channel for the syndicated commentator's decision to move to KTLK (100.3 FM), a new talk station set to debut in the Twin Cities in January. The decision "was a complete surprise to us," wrote KSTP program director Steve Konrad in a recent e-mail to listeners.Rush LimbaughHe blamed a "tangled web of corporate involvements" for the switch and urged KSTP listeners to call Clear Channel corporate headquarters in San Antonio to complain. Konrad's comments differed dramatically from those of his boss, KSTP general manager Todd Fisher. When the show's move was reported in August, Fisher pooh-poohed Limbaugh's exit, saying it "dovetailed with conversations we'd already been having about our future strategies," which included more "live and local" hosts.Dan Seeman, local general manager for the radio conglomerate, acknowledged that Clear Channel owns the Limbaugh show "and has for the past five years." Seeman said Limbaugh's main reason for leaving KSTP was that the station refused to air the program live. KTLK will air Limbaugh's show live from 11 to 2 p.m.; KSTP currently airs a delayed version from 12 to 3 p.m Here is the new KSTP AN 1500 weekday line-up effective upon the return from New Year's holiday weekend:Mid-4a........ Coast-To-Coast AM (live)
4a-5:30a..... Wall Street Journal -- This Morning (live)
5:30a-9a..... Willie Clark (live)
9a-11:50a.... Bob Davis (live)
11:50a-12:05p... Paul Harvey News & Comment
Noon-2p....... Ron Rosenbaum & Mark O'Connell (live)
2p-5:30p...... Joe Soucheray (live)
5:30p-7:30p.. Tommy Mischke (live)
7:30p-10p..... Chris Krok (live)
10p-Mid......... Hannity (temporarily)

Iran's Ahmadinejad: Jewish State Should be Moved to Europe Or North America

Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad launched a fresh attack against Israel, describing the Holocaust as a "myth" and saying the Jewish state should be moved to Europe or North America. "They have invented a myth that Jews were massacred and place this above God, religions and the prophets," the outspoken president said in a speech carried live on state television.Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad"If somebody in their country questions God, nobody says anything, but if somebody criticises the myth of the massacre of Jew, the Zionist loudspeakers and the governments in the pay of Zionism will start to scream," he said."Our proposal is this: give a piece of your land in Europe, the United States, Canada or Alaska so they (the Jews) can create their own state," said Ahmadinejad, who was speaking to thousands of people in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan.

Philippine Soldiers Clash With Islamic Militants

Two Philippine Marines were killed and 11 other members of the military unit wounded in a clash with Islamic militants on the southern Philippine island of Jolo, the military said.Philippine soldiers are deployed to hunt down militants on JoloThe unit was attacked near the town of Patikul on Monday as government forces mounted a sweep for the Abu Sayyaf, designated by the US government as a terrorist organisation and blamed for kidnappings and bombings in the southern Philippines. "We suffered two killed and 11 wounded but the Marines also inflicted heavy casualties," said Brigadier General Alexander Aleo, commander of an anti-terrorism task force in the south. He did not elaborate. The soldiers clashed with an Abu Sayyaf group of about 50 gunmen some 11 hours into the tropical jungle sortie, Aleo said. Military helicopters plucked the casualties from the combat zone. The fresh fighting raised the government toll to nine soldiers killed and 38 wounded since the military began the Jolo offensive on November 11.

Hillary Clinton to Co-Sponsor Flag Protection Bill

Sen. Bob Bennett has a new ally in his fight to make it a crime to deface the U.S. flag: Sen. Hillary Clinton. The New York Democrat and former First Lady has signed on as a co-sponsor of the Republican Bennett's bill. And she's taking some heat for the alliance, the Salt Lake Tribune's Washington bureau reported.Bennett's bill would allow the government to fine or imprison someone who intentionally defaces or destroys the flag. Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines says Clinton's backing comes after talking with veterans who want the flag protected. "Burning or destroying an American flag is a despicable act that disrespects the sacrifices of our brave veterans and soldiers who fought to protect the very freedom of speech that flag burners exploit," Clinton said in a June statement. "I find this abhorrent and will endeavor to make sure our laws reflect this." The American Legion this week blasted Clinton for sponsoring Bennett's bill instead of backing a constitutional amendment proposed by U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. Hatch, who has secured 57 Senate sponsors to his resolution, says amending the constitution would prohibit U.S. judges from striking down any law that protects the flag. "In deference to the senator, she may be sincere in her quest for a law, but she is sincerely wrong," said American Legion National Commander Thomas Bock. "The remedy she has chosen, a statute without an enabling amendment to the U.S. Constitution, is a long road to a dead-end." Neither Bennett nor Hatch, however, has been able to get any momentum behind their proposals. Hatch's bill has been stuck in committee since April and Bennett's bill hasn't moved since October when he introduced it for the second time.

Miracle-Gro Plans To Fire Smokers

Quit smoking, or you're fired. That's what Scotts Miracle-Gro is telling it employees. If they don't quit smoking by October, they'll lose their jobs.The lawn and garden company is trying to keep health insurance costs down by promoting healthy lifestyles for its employees. Its chairman and chief executive, James Hagedorn, says the company shouldn't have to shoulder health risks for employees who smoke. It pays for 75 percent of employees' health insurance. The Ohio-based company has 6,000 employees.It says it can legally fire smokers in 21 states. The company has said it will provide free counseling, nicotine patches and classes on quitting for workers who currently smoke. A spokesman says the company hasn't yet decided how it will enforce the smoking ban.