SDB Evening News Reads for 051711

Chan Lowe—Tribune Media Services

Good evening, the weather has been unseasonable cool here in Banjoland.  I can tell my poodle is cold because he keeps lying down on the laptop adapter. Those doodads are always a bit on the warm side. Anyway, lets get on with the show…

For anyone who questioned the veracity of DSK’s victim in the violent assault that took place on Saturday, shame on you! And as a side note, this headline from ABC makes me angry, can you guess why?  Dominque Strauss-Kahn’s Accuser Inconsolable After Alleged Attack – ABC News

The Manhattan hotel chamber maid allegedly sodomized by IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn is still reeling from the attack, crying inconsolably three days after the French politician allegedly assaulted her, her brother said.

“If this happened in France it would have been very different,” the brother said, added that he believed in the U.S. judicial system and that his sister would testify against Strauss-Kahn.

“We trust this American justice is different than European justice,” he said. “She trusts American justice.”

Over in France they are bothered for a different reason. It seems French newspapers are reprinting photos taken from American photographers and in France, images of this accused man in handcuffs is against the law. I understand the point of being innocent until proven guilty…and can appreciate the possible prejudice that can come of seeing an image of DSK in “criminal” disarray.  However, if that is what the man looks like…so be it.  France Calls for Restraint in Airing Strauss-Kahn Images – WSJ.com

France’s broadcasting watchdog called on the country’s television channels to use restraint in showing footage of International Monetary Fund managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn in handcuffs, highlighting Europe’s increasingly cautious reaction to the arrest and detention of the man until recently seen as a favorite to become France’s next president.

The broadcasting authority issued a release Tuesday reminding networks that French law prohibits them from airing images of people in handcuffs, or otherwise restrained, until they have been convicted by a court.

At least Spain’s finance minister has the right idea about this.

“For the time being we must let justice take its course, but the charges are extremely severe,” Spain’s finance minister, Elena Salgado, said on the sidelines of a meeting of European finance ministers in Brussels. Ms. Salgado said her solidarity is firstly with the woman who has allegedly suffered an assault.

One thing is certain, this next link sure will keep DSK out of the spotlight for a few brief moments.  Carla Bruni pregnancy ‘announced’… in wake of Strauss-Kahn sex scandal – Telegraph

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is expecting a child with Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president’s father confirmed yesterday, in what commentators noted was extraordinarily good timing for the deeply unpopular leader.

Here is an opinion piece from the Washington Post.   Men’s club: John, Dominique and Arnold – PostPartisan

Schwarzenegger, Strauss-Kahn and Ensign aren’t the first to humiliate themselves and their families. And they won’t be the last, unfortunately. But these Y-chromosome transgressions just might cease if the electorate and men followed the advice dispensed today by former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm (D) on Twitter:

Another guy guv admits 2 cheating on his wife. Maybe we need more women governors. Guys: keep ur pants zipped, for Pete’s sake.#Arnold

This next article is another Opinion piece, but has a better grasp at the problem with the Media’s job of reporting the story. How the Media’s Getting the Strauss-Kahn, Ensign Scandals Wrong – Susan Milligan (usnews.com) First, Milligan takes issue with the term “Mistress” and its negative connotations of women. The word defines a woman as “property” of the man.

But “womanizer” is worse, since it turns an entire sex into a collective object to be used or victimized by men. Strauss-Kahn has been described in the media as a notorious “womanizer,” a term that treats women almost as badly as the IMF chief allegedly has done. It also makes the man sound like the hapless victim of irresistible female charms. If Strauss-Kahn did was he has been accused of doing–sexually assaulting and attempting to rape a maid at a fancy New York hotel–he’s not a “womanizer.” He’s a violent criminal, and needs to be punished for it. It’s actually the perpetrators who like to describe themselves in such roguish ways: convicted Washington state sex offender Donald “Theo” Holmes, who admitted having impregnated mothers and daughters in the same house, summed himself up this way: “I’m a womanizer.” A state psychologist who examined him had a different view: “psychopathic sexual predator.”

She ends with this statement:

Strauss-Kahn has been accused of a violent assault…The media can do better than to define the women in such dismissive terms.

Amen!

Santorum is at it again…Santorum: What does McCain know about torture? – War Room – Salon.com

John McCain has been on something of a crusade this week on the question of how we found Osama bin Laden, giving speeches and writing Op-Eds outlining his position that it was not torture of detainees that led the U.S. to its man.

Now comes presidential candidate and “enhanced interrogation” supporter Rick Santorum arguing on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show that McCain simply “doesn’t understand how enhanced interrogation works.” Yes, he’s talking about the same John McCain who, in his five and a half years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, was interrogated during a program of beatings and torture.

What an idiot…hey “Santorum,” you sir are an ass!

The Coast Guard has closed the Mississippi River at Natchez, and as a result crop prices are beginning to rise. As if the price of bread wasn’t high enough.

On to the recent news about the federal audits performed on Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup and Ally Financial.  Confidential Federal Audits Accuse Five Biggest Mortgage Firms Of Defrauding Taxpayers [EXCLUSIVE]

The audits accuse the five major lenders of violating the False Claims Act, a Civil War-era law crafted as a weapon against firms that swindle the government. The audits were completed between February and March, the sources said. The internal watchdog office at HUD referred its findings to the Department of Justice, which must now decide whether to file charges.

Okay, I am no expert in all this finance stuff…but I do think my family is one of the victims of the “swindle” during the foreclosure of our home by BoA.

The audits conclude that the banks effectively cheated taxpayers by presenting the Federal Housing Administration with false claims: They filed for federal reimbursement on foreclosed homes that sold for less than the outstanding loan balance using defective and faulty documents.

Two of the firms, including Bank of America, refused to cooperate with the investigations, according to the sources. The audit on Bank of America finds that the company — the nation’s largest handler of home loans — failed to correct faulty foreclosure practices even after imposing a moratorium that lifted last October. Back then, the bank said it was resuming foreclosures, having satisfied itself that prior problems had been solved.

Fannie Mae mysteriously became the holder of the Note for our house and within a week the foreclosure was completed. BoA sold the house for 60,000, got TARP funds to cover the balance on the house…which was 140,000, and we still are getting monthly mortgage bills from Bank of America.  The greed is sickening.

Hopefully some sort of justice will be the out come of this next link:  N.Y. State Investigates Banks’ Role in Fiscal Crisis – NYTimes.com

The requests for information by Mr. Schneiderman’s office also seem to confirm that the New York attorney general is operating independently of peers from other states who are negotiating a broad settlement with large banks over foreclosure practices.

By opening a new inquiry into bank practices, Mr. Schneiderman has indicated his unwillingness to accept one of the settlement’s terms proposed by financial institutions — that is, a broad agreement by regulators not to conduct additional investigations into the banks’ activities during the mortgage crisis. Mr. Schneiderman has said in recent weeks that signing such a release was unacceptable.

In other Business News, you know that big Arctic Oil deal between BP and Russia? Well it is kaputs…Agreement Between BP and Russian Oil Giant Collapses – NYTimes.com

The disputed share swap and oil exploration agreement between BP and the Russian state-owned company Rosneft has collapsed, leaving some BP investors questioning the company’s future strategy and freeing Rosneft to look for a new partner in Russia.

On to some quick links to World News.

Libyan oil minister Shokri Ghanem ‘defects’ – Africa – Al Jazeera English

Libya’s oil minister has reportedly defected and fled to Tunisia.

Shokri Ghanem, who also chaired the National Oil Corporation, is said to be on his way to the Tunisian capital, Tunis. Hoda Abdel Hamid, one of Al Jazeera’s correspondents in Libya, said a border guard confirmed the defection. “He told us the minister had crossed into Tunisia two days ago and that he was alone, not with his family,” she said.

[…]

Ghanem has been in charge of the oil ministry since 2006 and was previously prime minister. His oil ministry is the biggest income generater for the country. Libya has Africa’s largest oil reserves, at 41.5 billion barrels.

Interesting huh? I wonder who will fly the coop next.

The next two links are very upsetting to read.

Ex-Rwanda army chief sentenced for genocide – Africa – Al Jazeera English

The genocide lasted 100 days and left 800,000 people, mostly minority Tutsis, dead [EPA]

The UN court for Rwanda has handed the general who was army chief during the country’s 1994 genocide a 30-year jail term for his role in the mass killing, including calling for the murder of ethnic Tutsis.

Syrian mass grave found near Deraa, residents say | World news | The Guardian

A Syrian protester displays Arabic words on his hands: ‘Yes for freedom, no to violence’. Residents of Deraa, the centre of the uprising, have reported the finding of a mass grave. Photograph: Muzaffar Salman/AP

Thirteen bodies have been retrieved from a mass grave in Deraa, the hub of Syria‘s protest movement, according to residents cited by rights organisations.

People from the southern city say hundreds are unaccounted for since a crackdown on protests began on 18 March and intensified when the army moved in on 25 April to try to quash unrest against Bashar al-Assad’s 11-year rule.

Its very distressing to read about the mass graves in Syria. One entire family was among the dead. Really do not know what else you can say about this. Why the silence from Obama? Can someone explain that to me?

I’ll end this post with a couple video clips. We need some sort of upbeat ending to this post.  The first link is a real “feel good” video. The second clip is a satire on the ranting Pro-Life big mouths.

You may remember this post from a few months back.  Playing For Change, Playing For Peace « Sky Dancing  Well, their new album is coming out at the end of the month. So here is a sample of the CD Songs Around The World. Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds.

Playing For Change | Three Little Birds

This video is the first track on our new album, PFC 2 – Songs Around The World, coming May 31st!! (click here to pre-order) We begin the journey in West Africa, in the ancient village of Kirina, Mali. The instruments start to play, and we hear the familiar words “don’t worry about a thing, every little thing is gonna be alright.” This timeless message invites us on a musical journey through time and space. Together we continue to connect the world through music.

Playing For Change | Three Little Birds

I can’t get that Playing for Change video to embed. So please click that link to see it.

I hope you enjoyed that clip, and for something a little more disturbing…this tidbit from Squidbillies.  Dougal County Commissioner and Wealthy Businessman Dan Halen is getting the county residents up in arms.

Dan Halen reveals the horrible truth to Dougal County: the government wants to add fluoride to their drinking water.

You see, for Dan Halen “Live Begins at Arousal.” A word of warning, this show is very offensive…but living in the area of North Georgia this cartoon is making fun of, I can’t help but find the humor in it. Think Deliverance with a large dose of Seth MacFarlane.  This particular clip is not so bad, in fact it sounds a lot like Rush or Beck or any of the GOP PLUBs out there now.

So if you watch it…just keep this in mind.  I warned you. 😉

That is it for me, what are you doing this fine Tuesday evening?