Chinese News Agency Prints Embarrassing US Geographical Error

The Chinese state new agency Xinhua has made an embarrassing geographical error in reporting on a US news story. The boldface is added by me:

LOS ANGELES, April 24 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake measured at 4.2magnitude hit Reno city in northern California Thursday afternoon but caused no immediate injuries

The quake, followed by a series of aftershocks, shook downtown buildings for about 30 seconds, though there were no immediate reports of damage, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The 4.2 temblor hit at 3:55 p.m. and was centered four miles (6.4 km) northwest of Reno, the USGS said.

"We felt it over here, but nothing came off the walls," Reno police spokesman Steve Frady said.

He said that since April 15, there have been three quakes a day in the area.

The quakes are centered in an area where scores of smaller ones have been centered in recent weeks. Temblors of magnitude 2 and higher have been occurring about every three days since a swarm of widely felt earthquakes began Feb. 28, said John Anderson of the University of Nevada, Reno's seismology laboratory.

Xinhua reported that Reno is in California, while also reporting that a local university is the "University of Nevada". Perhaps China has a position that Nevada is a "renegade" state which falsely claims not to be part of California.

I Hate Illinois Nazis!

Tony Zirkle, a Republican candidate for the House of Representatives from Indiana's 2nd District, covering South Bend and Elkhart, spoke at a gathering of Illinois Nazis in Chicago on the occasion of Hitler's 119th birthday, April 20, 2008.

In a segment on South Bend's WSBT (Channel 22), which is no doubt destined to be a YouTube hit, Zirkle claimed he was there to spread the good word about Jesus Christ. However, a statement from the Nazis disagreed, saying that Zirkle "spoke on his history as a state's attorney in Indiana, prosecuting Jewish and Zionist criminal gangs involved in trafficking prostitutes and pornography from Russia and the Zionist entity."

In another interview, Zirkle defended himself saying "I'll speak before any group that invites me. I've spoken on an African-American radio station in Atlanta."

Zirkle is not expected to win the Republican primary for the seat on May 6. This is no doubt because the American National Socialist Workers Party opposes the war in Iraq, putting them far outside the mainstream of the Republican Party.

Forget Pennsylvania- In the Land of Elvis, Republicans All Shook Up

Tomorrow newspapers will have the wrong politics headline. They'll run something totally false about Hillary still being a viable candidate even though she trails by around 160 delegates (including a reasonable forecast of a ten-delegate lead in Pennsylvania) and there are only 408 lest, requiring a split of around 289 to 119 (71%, a 32-point edge) to win. There are those who think she can win with superdelegates, but I suspect the prospect of Hillary being chased around the country before the convention by angry crowds of leftist, black, and antiwar Obama supporters accusing her of trying to steal the election like her fellow corporatist honky warmonger Bush will cause the superdelegates to decide that they don't want the party to commit suicide in the general election.

Somewhere buried in the politics coverage in a minor item, if mentioned at all, may be the news that there was also voting in Mississippi for an election to the House of Representatives. This is because of one of a long series of elections -the Trent Lott Resignation Saga. Trent Lott resigned from the Senate. The governor, Haley Barbour, appointed Roger Wicker to Lott's seat. Lott was re-elected in 2006, but Wicker doesn't get to be in the Senate for the full time- he faces a special Senate election in November to see who will serve until 2012. Thad Cochran, Mississippi's other senator, is also up for re-election this year.

Roger Wicker was the member of the House of Representatives from Mississippi's 1st District, which is a large, mostly rural area in the nothern part of the state whose most famous former resident is Elvis, who was born in Tupelo, Wicker's hometown, in 1935, shortly after the town was the first to receive electricity from the Tennessee Valley Authority.

The 1st District House seat was therefore vacant and a special election for the House seat was triggered. In 2004, George W. Bush won the 1st District by 25 points. It seems like it would be easy for the Republicans to win. Primaries were set for March 11, the date of the Mississippi presidential primary. Both Republican and Democratic primaries resulted in runoffs, held April 1. Then the general election, which is nonpartisan, has all of the primary candidates on the ballot (WTF?) and the top votegetter wins if he or she gets 50%.

The general election was held today, and the results are what should be the headline tomorrow:

Travis Childers	(D)	33,138	49%
Greg Davis	(R)	31,066	46%
Steve Holland	(D)	782	1%
Glenn McCullough	(R)	957	1%
Wally Pang	(I)	724	1%
John Wages	(G)	397	1%

A Democrat won the Land of Elvis by 3 points. The exact percentage was 49.41% to 46.32%, with the 50% threshold missed by 394 votes. This is going to go to a runoff, the fourth election in two months, on May 13 with Childers and Davis only on the ballot. Those damn Greens!

And there's more! In the 2007 general election in Louisiana, Piyush "Bobby" Jindal was elected governor, freeing up his House seat, the 1st District, and then another House member, Richard Baker, in the 6th District, unexpectedly resigned in midterm to take a lobbying job with the Managed Funds Association, which is a trade group for the hedge funds industry. These seats are the subjects of a special election on May 3.

Bush won Louisiana's 6th District, which is the Baton Rouge area, by 19 points in 2004, and the 1st District, in the New Orleans upriver suburbs and the area across the 24-mile long Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, the longest bridge over a lake in the world, was one of the most heavily pro-Bush districts in 2004 with a vote of 70% to 29% for Kerry. However, many Katrina evacuees have moved into these districts and the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain in the 1st District was devastated by the influx of seawater into the lake. The causeway was out for three weeks, adding to the difficulties of north shore residents.

The two (!) votes for the primary have been held on March 8 and April 11, yielding candidates who will run in a general election with independents to be held May 3. Fortunately for Louisianans, their rules have eliminated the possibility of a second (fourth?) round of voting because the top votegetter wins in the general election (but not in the primaries). There are claims that the Democrat, Don Cazayoux, is leading in the 6th District. More embarrassment may be in store for the Republican Party.

The Trent Lott Resignation Saga will conclude in November, when all House seats and both Mississippi Senate seats will be up for re-election. By my count, there will have been five votes in Mississippi's 1st District in 2008. Former governor Ronnie Musgrove, who lost to Haley Barbour in 2004, is running against Wicker for Trent Lott's Senate seat. There will be opportunity for more Republican embarrassment.

Terrorists Attack Iran- Dan Rather Interviewed Suspect?

Iran's Press TV refers to one Abdolmalik Rigi (عبدالمالک ریگی), a Baluchi militant, in the context of a terrorist attack on a mosque in the major city of Shiraz, and connects him to the CIA, which has been listed by the Iranian government as a terrorist organization. Rigi is the head of the group Jundullah (جندالله).

An outlawed group led by Abdul-malek Rigi is said to be behind the occasional terrorist attacks in southern Iranian provinces.

The militant group is responsible for many crimes including kidnapping of foreign tourists, mass shooting of civilian travelers, and attacking police forces.

Rigi, leader of the group, is believed to be supported by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Interestingly, Dan Rather has actually interviewed Abdolmalik Rigi! (video) And in the interview we are assured that Mr. Rigi's funding doesn't come from the CIA. It comes from the Baluchi minority in Sweden!

Kuwait Uses Force- Sick of the Endless Primaries

I know some people are sick of the endless Democratic primary, but this is ridiculous! And a note to al-Jazeera: I think it would be more accurate to describe these things as "caucuses" instead of primaries, although that would be unfamiliar to non-US readers.

Kuwait diwaniya ban sparks protest

Interior ministry officials said Kuwaiti special forces intervened to disperse protesters on Friday [AFP] Kuwaiti authorities have used force to disperse a crowd protesting over a clampdown on diwaniyas, traditional meeting places, banned by law. Colonel Mohammed al-Saber, the interior ministry spokesman, said in comments carried on Kuwaiti state television that no one was seriously injured in the clash on Friday in Sabahiya, south of the capital. Special forces intervened and disperse more than 1,000 people who threw stones at them during an alleged secret vote for tribal primaries at a diwaniya, al-Saber said. The TV showed forces beating back people with batons and using tear gas. Al-Saber said authorities used minimum force. Friday's incident was the second time in a month that tribal members clashed with police over primaries that became illegal in 1998 in the Gulf country. Vote criminalised Kuwaiti tribes are holding the secret primaries to pick their candidates for parliamentary elections on May 17. Kuwait has criminalised the vote because authorities believed it encourages allegiance to the tribe rather than the state. It also deprives many Kuwaitis from a fair chance to compete in the same district if they are not supported by a tribe. Police have arrested scores of Kuwaitis for holding the banned vote so far. But the tribes have been finding a way of to getting around the crackdown by calling for "consultations" of tribesmen or organising the vote under the guise of dinner banquets. There have also been reports that the internet was used for the polling. Diwaniyas Diwaniyas, which have always existed in Gulf culture, are part of the social and political fabric of Kuwait. They are used by men and, more rarely, by women, often simply to meet socially in the evenings. The Kuwaiti government has said it will demolish 30,000 diwaniyas built illegally on state-owned land - including those belonging to members of parliament, former ministers and wealthy citizens. Kuwait's parliamentary elections were scheduled after the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, disbanded the parliament last month because of tensions between the legislature and the cabinet that prompted the resignation of several ministers.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

New Member of Congress Booed At Swearing In

Rep. Jackie Speier of California was sworn in today. In the swearing in, the California delegation comes down into the space between the podium and the speaker's chair. The senior members of both parties from California, Pete Stark (D) and David Dreier (R) gave short welcomes and then the Speaker recognized the new member of Congress and she gave a short speech. In it, she said that "The process to bring the troops home must begin immediately". Then she says, "The president wants to stay the course and a man who wants to replace him suggests we could be in Iraq for 100 years." This, apparently a grievous insult to the Commander in Chief despite the fact that it is a correct description of clearly stated Republican policy, resulted in boos. Apparently the boos came from the floor, not the gallery, and the House had to be gaveled back to order. A bit later, the Speaker had to request to someone on the floor, "Will the gentlemen please take their conversations outside the chamber". The boos can be found in the YouTube video of the incident at about 08:46.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, Darrell Issa (R), a fellow member of the California delegation, actually stormed off the floor in the incident. I wonder if he's going to get lectured by David Dreier about the importance of maintaining decorum at such events?

Pirates Take Impressive Prize in Aden Straits

Arr! Libération tells the tale! France is hot on their trail!

Below with my (sometimes very nonliteral) translation:

Les 32 membres d’équipage d’un yacht français otages des pirates

Abordage. «Le Ponant» a été attaqué vendredi alors qu’il croisait au large de la Somalie.

CHRISTOPHE AYAD

QUOTIDIEN : samedi 5 avril 2008

Pirates Hold 32 Members of French Cruise Ship Crew Hostage
"Le Ponant" was boarded Friday while cruising off the coast of Somalia.
CHRISTOPHE AYAD
Saturday, April 5, 2008

Les autorités françaises ont déployé les grands moyens, vendredi, pour tenter de secourir les 32 membres d’équipage, majoritairement français, du grand voilier de luxe, pris en otage au large de la Somalie. Le Ponant, un yacht de croisière, «a été victime d’un acte de piraterie en début d’après-midi alors qu’il naviguait entre la Somalie et le Yémen», a affirmé le porte-parole de l’état-major, le capitaine de vaisseau Christophe Prazuck. Vendredi soir, le Ponant avait été pris en chasse par un aviso de la Marine nationale, le Commandant Bouan, présent dans la zone pour une mission de surveillance antiterroriste lancée depuis les attentats du 11 Septembre. Le yacht a également été survolé par un hélicoptère. Le gouvernement a déclenché le «plan pirate-mer», qui mobilise notamment des unités des commandos marine et des gendarmes du Groupe d’intervention de la gendarmerie nationale (GIGN). Selon nos informations, des hommes du GIGN, spécialisés dans le contre-terrorisme maritime, se sont envolés pour Djibouti, où la France dispose d’une base militaire permanente, la plus importante sur le continent africain.

French authorities deployed forces Friday to come to the aid of 32 mostly French members of the crew of a luxury liner taken hostage off the coast of Somalia. "Le Ponant", a cruise ship, "was a victim of an act of piracy early last afternoon while it passed between Somalia and Yemen", affirmed Navy spokesman Capt. Christophe Prazuck. Friday evening, a Navy corvette, the Commandant Bouan, was sent to intercept Le Ponant. The Commandant Bouan is stationed in the area on an antiterrorist surveillance mission launched after the September 11 attacks. The cruise ship is also being overflown by a helicopter. The government activated its joint piracy plan, which mobilizes both Navy commandos and the National Gendarmes Intervention Group (GIGN), an Interior Ministry antiterrorism unit. According to our sources, a GIGN team specialized in naval counterterrorism was flown to Djibouti, where France maintains its largest permanent military presence on the African continent.

Industrie. Le navire, un trois-mâts de 88 mètres, doté de quatre ponts, ne transportait aucun passager et aucun coup de feu n’a été tiré dans l’attaque, a précisé l’état-major à Paris. Une cellule de crise a été mise en place par le Quai d’Orsay afin de coordonner la liaison entre les autorités françaises, l’armateur, CMA-CGM, et les familles des marins.

"An Industry": The three-masted, four-decked 88-meter ship was not transporting passengers and no shots were fired in the attack according to the Capt. Prazuck. A crisis center was opened in the Foreign Ministry to coordinate between the French authorities, the ship-owner CMA-CGM, and the families of the sailors.

Il semble que le navire de luxe français, de retour des Seychelles, croisait hors des eaux territoriales somaliennes, les plus dangereuses au monde, notamment en raison de l’absence d’Etat central à même de contrôler ses côtes. La piraterie y est une véritable industrie. Les pirates se camouflent dans des bateaux de pêche et agissent de façon très organisée, à l’aide de vedettes rapides, qui leur permettent d’agir par surprise et de se mettre vite à l’abri. Le Bureau maritime international recommande aux capitaines de ne pas s’approcher à moins de 200 miles nautiques (370 km) de la Somalie.

It seems that the luxury cruise ship, returning from the Seychelles, cruised through the edge of Somali territorial waters which are the most dangerous in the world due to the absence of state control of its coasts. Piracy is an industry here. The pirates camouflage themselves as fishing vessels and act in a very organized way using fast patrol boats, which enable then to gain surprise and then return quickly to shelter. The International Maritime Organization recommends that captains not travel within 200 nautical miles (220 miles) of Somalia.

Le Ponant se dirigeait vers la Méditerranée pour une croisière prévue du 21 au 22 avril entre Alexandrie (Egypte) et La Valette (Malte), selon la CMA-CGM.

Le Ponant was returning to the Mediterranean for a cruise scheduled for April 21-22 between Alexandria and Valetta (Malta), according to CMA-CGM.

L’année dernière, une trentaine de navires ont été pris d’assaut par des pirates somaliens. Leurs équipages et les bateaux ont été, la plupart du temps, rendus contre de fortes rançons. Les cargaisons sont revendues. En novembre 2005, un paquebot de croisière transportant 600 touristes européens avait échappé de justesse à une tentative d’abordage au large de la Somalie (lire ci-contre).

Last year, about thirty ships were taken by Somali pirates. The crews and boats are typically returned after payment of a stiff ransom. The cargo is resold. In November 2005, a cruise ship transporting 600 Europeans narrowly escaped a boarding attempt off Somalia (read referenced article in French).

La marine de guerre française a escorté pendant deux mois, en décembre 2007 et janvier 2008, les navires du Programme alimentaire mondial des Nations unies, victimes d’attaques répétées. Un dispositif insuffisant pour parer à toute attaque.

For two months, in December 2007 and January 2008, the French Navy escorted ships of the World Food Program, which were victims of repeated attacks. It was not sufficient to deter all attacks.

«Terroristes». En octobre dernier, le directeur du Bureau maritime international, Pottengal Mukundan, a déploré «l’impunité» dont jouissent les pirates somaliens depuis l’arrivée au pouvoir du gouvernement de transition reconnu par la communauté internationale. Ceux-ci sont originaires pour la plupart de villages situés entre Mogadiscio et le Puntland (au nord-est). La seule autorité ayant réussi à juguler la piraterie est l’Union des tribunaux islamiques, qui ont régné à Mogadiscio de juin à décembre 2006 et sont tenus pour des «terroristes» par les Etats-Unis.

"Terrorists": Last October, the director of the International Maritime Organization, Pottengal Mukundan, deplored the "impunity" Somali pirates have enjoyed since the capture by Somalia's Transitional Federal Government of Mogadishu. The pirates primarily originate in villages between Mogadishu and Puntland, in the northeast. The only authority which has been able to supress piracy is the Union of Islamic Courts, which controlled Mogadishu from June to December of 2006 and is classified as "terrorist" by the United States.

Mukasey Reveals Gross Incompetence by Bush Admin Caused 9/11

Attorney General Michael Mukasey admits in San Francisco that gross incompetence by the Bush Administration caused 9/11:

Before the 2001 terrorist attacks, he said, "we knew that there had been a call from someplace that was known to be a safe house in Afghanistan and we knew that it came to the United States. We didn't know precisely where it went. You've got 3,000 people who went to work that day, and didn't come home, to show for that."

Mukasey did not specify the call to which he referred. He also did not explain why the government, if it knew of telephone calls from suspected foreign terrorists, hadn't sought a wiretapping warrant from a court established by Congress to authorize terrorist surveillance, or hadn't monitored all such calls without a warrant for 72 hours as allowed by law. The Justice Department did not respond to a request for more information.

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Now I would guess that Mukasey, the Attorney General, knows that the call from Afghanistan could be monitored without a prior warrant, and that in the entire 29-year history of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that warrants have been declined only four times. I don't really think this is a statement about a real phone call- I think this is a bald-faced lie. But that's not surprising at all. Lies, lies, and more lies have been the clear policy of the Bush Administration on national security matters from day one. You voters out there aren't allowed to know the truth about anything, because you are not qualified to make important decisions about your own security.