Thursday, August 24, 2006

A touching story of a Katrina victim taking a chance and meeting Bush

From the Something Awful Forums (stay with it after the story, it gets BETTER):

Katrina Victim: 'The Job's Not Done'
New Orleans Resident Arrives at White House to Ask Bush for Help Rebuilding

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2006 — - President Bush was visited today by a Hurricane Katrina victim who drove to Washington in a FEMA trailor as a pointed reminder of the rebuilding that remains to be done nearly a year after the storm battered the region.

Rocky Vaccarrella, 41, traveled from Lousiana and through the Gulf Coast to the capital with the intention of meeting the president. The St. Bernards Parish resident lost his home last year when the storm hit New Orleans.

Vaccarella said he wanted to thank Bush for the federally provided trailers that have provided temporary housing to many in the region who lost homes, but also to keep the pressure on.

"I wanted to remind the president that the job's not done and he knows that," Vaccarell said. "I just don't want the government and President Bush to forget about us."

Bush spoke on the South Lawn of the White House after meeting in the Oval Office with Vaccarella. The president cautioned against placing too much importance on the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's Gulf Coast strike, saying a long, sustained rebuilding effort is still needed.

"It's a time to remember that people suffered and it's a time to recommit ourselves to helping them," Bush said. "But I also want people to remember that a one-year anniversary is just that, because it's going to require a long time to help these people rebuild."

A day earlier, the Bush administration's Gulf Coast coordinator, Don Powell, said $44 billion has been spent to get the still-battered region back on its feet. A far larger sum -- more than $110 billion -- has been designated for the massive rebuilding project. Of that money, approximately $17 billion will help rebuild an estimated 204,000 homes in Louisiana and Mississippi.


Oh God, that's so touching. Vaccarella even called for another Bush term. You can read about it in all 386 related articles covered by all the major news outlets » http://news.google.com/news?sourcei...neKatrina/story%3Fid%3D2348028%26page%3D1&hl=en

And now, wow, What are the odds.....

The Shocking twist revealed
Rockey Vaccarella is a Republican supporter, failed GOP candidate, and had the date to meet with the president for dinner already written down on his schedule before such an event happened.

http://www.attytood.com/archives/003647.html

At least he was a real Katrina Victim, that isn't faked. I am shocked they couldn't find a black man or woman though. Is an upper class rich white guy from New Orleans still supporting Bush the best PR coup they could pull off. Worse that all the news orgs ate it up.

Posted by crimnos @ 8:48 AM :: (0) comments

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Bush OKs involuntary Marine recall

God, this has to suck.

Bush OKs involuntary Marine recall
Initial recall is for 2,500, but there is no cap
Wednesday, August 23, 2006; Posted: 8:10 a.m. EDT (12:10 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush has authorized the U.S. Marine Corps to recall 2,500 troops to active duty because there are not enough volunteers returning for duty in Afghanistan and Iraq, Marine commanders announced Tuesday.

The recall was authorized last month, and will begin in spring 2007 to fill positions for upcoming rotations, Marine officials said. The Marine Corps is taking volunteers from the Marine Individual Ready Reserve, the officials said.

Marine Col. Guy A. Stratton, head of the manpower mobilization section, told The Associated Press that there is a shortfall of about 1,200 Marines needed to fill positions in upcoming unit deployments.

"Since this is going to be a long war, we thought it was judicious and prudent at this time to be able to use a relatively small portion of those Marines to help us augment our units," Stratton said, according to the AP.

Tours for recalled Marines could last 12 to 18 months, according to Marine officials.

Marines are trying to fill combat, communications, intelligence, engineering and military police positions, according to the Marine Corps.

Though the initial recall is for 2,500 troops, there is no cap on how many could be called up in the future.

Marines in the Individual Ready Reserve have fulfilled their four-year, active duty requirement, but are on call for another four years.

Marines in their second or third years of on-call service will be tapped, because those in their first years just finished active duty and those in their fourth years have almost completed their military obligations.

About 59,000 Marines are in the Individual Ready Reserve, according to Marine officials.

Recalled Marines will have five months before reporting for duty, and will receive refresher courses and training before being deployed.

This is not the first time the corps has called on the Individual Ready Reserve since fighting started in Iraq in 2003. The Marines recalled more than 2,600 troops in the early days of the Iraq war.

The Army has recalled about 10,000 soldiers since September 11, 2001, the majority of those coming in 2004 to help in Iraq.

Posted by crimnos @ 9:46 AM :: (0) comments

Bush OKs involuntary Marine recall

God, this has to suck.

Bush OKs involuntary Marine recall
Initial recall is for 2,500, but there is no cap
Wednesday, August 23, 2006; Posted: 8:10 a.m. EDT (12:10 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush has authorized the U.S. Marine Corps to recall 2,500 troops to active duty because there are not enough volunteers returning for duty in Afghanistan and Iraq, Marine commanders announced Tuesday.

The recall was authorized last month, and will begin in spring 2007 to fill positions for upcoming rotations, Marine officials said. The Marine Corps is taking volunteers from the Marine Individual Ready Reserve, the officials said.

Marine Col. Guy A. Stratton, head of the manpower mobilization section, told The Associated Press that there is a shortfall of about 1,200 Marines needed to fill positions in upcoming unit deployments.

"Since this is going to be a long war, we thought it was judicious and prudent at this time to be able to use a relatively small portion of those Marines to help us augment our units," Stratton said, according to the AP.

Tours for recalled Marines could last 12 to 18 months, according to Marine officials.

Marines are trying to fill combat, communications, intelligence, engineering and military police positions, according to the Marine Corps.

Though the initial recall is for 2,500 troops, there is no cap on how many could be called up in the future.

Marines in the Individual Ready Reserve have fulfilled their four-year, active duty requirement, but are on call for another four years.

Marines in their second or third years of on-call service will be tapped, because those in their first years just finished active duty and those in their fourth years have almost completed their military obligations.

About 59,000 Marines are in the Individual Ready Reserve, according to Marine officials.

Recalled Marines will have five months before reporting for duty, and will receive refresher courses and training before being deployed.

This is not the first time the corps has called on the Individual Ready Reserve since fighting started in Iraq in 2003. The Marines recalled more than 2,600 troops in the early days of the Iraq war.

The Army has recalled about 10,000 soldiers since September 11, 2001, the majority of those coming in 2004 to help in Iraq.

Posted by crimnos @ 9:46 AM :: (0) comments

Monday, August 21, 2006

Asset Forfeiture Laws Continue to Spiral Out of Control

I am so sick of this bullshit. We're basically resorting to legal trickery (suing the money) to evicerate the right to due process for criminal activity. I agree with the dissent that it sure looks like something wasn't kosher with that money, but if the government's siezing your shit you deserve more of a trial than this mockery.

Federal Appeals Court: Driving With Money is a Crime

Eighth Circuit Appeals Court ruling says police may seize cash from motorists even in the absence of any evidence that a crime has been committed.

US Court of Appeals, Eighth CircuitA federal appeals court ruled yesterday that if a motorist is carrying large sums of money, it is automatically subject to confiscation. In the case entitled, "United States of America v. $124,700 in U.S. Currency," the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit took that amount of cash away from Emiliano Gomez Gonzolez, a man with a "lack of significant criminal history" neither accused nor convicted of any crime.

On May 28, 2003, a Nebraska state trooper signaled Gonzolez to pull over his rented Ford Taurus on Interstate 80. The trooper intended to issue a speeding ticket, but noticed the Gonzolez's name was not on the rental contract. The trooper then proceeded to question Gonzolez -- who did not speak English well -- and search the car. The trooper found a cooler containing $124,700 in cash, which he confiscated. A trained drug sniffing dog barked at the rental car and the cash. For the police, this was all the evidence needed to establish a drug crime that allows the force to keep the seized money.

Associates of Gonzolez testified in court that they had pooled their life savings to purchase a refrigerated truck to start a produce business. Gonzolez flew on a one-way ticket to Chicago to buy a truck, but it had sold by the time he had arrived. Without a credit card of his own, he had a third-party rent one for him. Gonzolez hid the money in a cooler to keep it from being noticed and stolen. He was scared when the troopers began questioning him about it. There was no evidence disputing Gonzolez's story.

Yesterday the Eighth Circuit summarily dismissed Gonzolez's story. It overturned a lower court ruling that had found no evidence of drug activity, stating, "We respectfully disagree and reach a different conclusion... Possession of a large sum of cash is 'strong evidence' of a connection to drug activity."

Judge Donald Lay found the majority's reasoning faulty and issued a strong dissent.

"Notwithstanding the fact that claimants seemingly suspicious activities were reasoned away with plausible, and thus presumptively trustworthy, explanations which the government failed to contradict or rebut, I note that no drugs, drug paraphernalia, or drug records were recovered in connection with the seized money," Judge Lay wrote. "There is no evidence claimants were ever convicted of any drug-related crime, nor is there any indication the manner in which the currency was bundled was indicative of
drug use or distribution."

"Finally, the mere fact that the canine alerted officers to the presence of drug residue in a rental car, no doubt driven by dozens, perhaps scores, of patrons during the course of a given year, coupled with the fact that the alert came from the same location where the currency was discovered, does little to connect the money to a controlled substance offense," Judge Lay concluded.

Posted by crimnos @ 9:43 AM :: (2) comments