Current News (Part 4)

[Amos Stevens]

March 5, 2005

Canadian town grieves over killing of Mounties

By Beth Duff-Brown
The Associated Press




TORONTO - A bagpiper played "Amazing Grace" and flags flew at half-staff Friday as Canadians grappled with the deadliest attack on police officers in 120 years, after four Mounties were slain during a raid on a marijuana farm in a rural western hamlet.
The slayings stunned a nation that prides itself on far fewer acts of gun violence than its neighbor to the south.

"Canadians are shocked by this brutality and join me in condemning the violent acts that brought about these deaths," Prime Minister Paul Martin said. He directed a moment of silence before opening his Liberal Party's annual conference later Friday.

The four Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers had been investigating a farm in Mayerthorpe, a small hamlet of about 1,300 people in western Alberta province.

Spokesman Cpl. Wayne Oakes said the four Mounties and the suspected gunman were found in a Quonset hut on the farm late Thursday. A government source said the suspect killed himself after shooting the officers.

"The loss of four police officers is unprecedented in recent history," said Bill Sweeney, commanding officer of the Mounties in Alberta. "I'm told you have to go back to about 1885 ... during the Northwest Rebellion to have a loss of this magnitude."

The Northwest Rebellion was an unsuccessful attempt by indigenous rebels to establish an independent nation in the northwestern frontier.

The Mounties, with their bright red tunics and broad-brimmed Stetsons, are as much a national symbol as a police force. Legend has it that the small Northwest Mounted Police, formed in 1873 to bring order to the Canadian west, wore their scarlet tunics so natives could readily distinguish them from the blue-coated U.S. cavalry.

The suspect was identified by police as 46-year-old James Roszko. Authorities said he had a long criminal record, including the use of illegal firearms and sexual assault.

Oakes said the Mounties were investigating reports of stolen property and marijuana on Roszko's property.

Sgt. Rick Oncescu said two SWAT teams were called into the area and Mounties from surrounding jurisdictions also responded when the four officers did not respond to radio calls Thursday afternoon.

A woman played "Amazing Grace" on bagpipes as children laid flowers Friday at the flagpole in front of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police headquarters in Mayerthorpe.

Tracy Eisert, who used to serve the slain Mounties at the local Burger Baron, wept as she carried flowers. "I served these gentlemen where I work and I wanted to say thank you," she said.

"This is something that happens in Hollywood, but it never happens here," said Albert Schalm, the town's mayor. "I think it will change the community. It will just make everybody more aware that there are drug problems, even out here in rural Canada."

There were 152 homicides by firearms in Canada in 2002, according to federal statistics, compared with 11,829 homicides by guns in the United States for that same year.

A 1995 federal firearms law in Canada requires every firearm in the country to be registered and each gun owner licensed.

But Canada is grappling with an increase in organized crime behind the multibillion-dollar marijuana industry.

"It is an unprecedented and unspeakable loss," Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli said in a statement.

"We know that these are the most serious challenges, made complicated by the involvement of organized crime, the availability of weapons and the risks posed by individuals who choose the path of violence and destruction over peace and good."

The officers were armed only with handguns.

Police identified the four Mounties as Peter Christopher Schiemann, Anthony Fitzgerald Orion Gordon, Lionide Nicholas Johnston and Brock Warren Myrol.

Myrol, 29, had been on the job for only two weeks.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Copyright 2005 The Register-Guard

 

[Littledragon]

You made another thread on this Amos?? Where are the mods!

Just kidding.

 

[Amos Stevens]

Food poisoning kills 29 children

Food poisoning kills 29 children
Wednesday, March 9, 2005 Posted: 10:20 AM EST (1520 GMT)


(CNN) -- Nearly 30 elementary school children in the Philippines have died after eating fried cassava balls obtained from a vendor, a local official told CNN.

Fourteen children died Wednesday before reaching hospitals and 13 died upon arrival, a spokesman for Ubay Mayor Eutiquio Bernales said.

Two more children also have died, but it was not clear when. Thirty-five more are in critical condition.

The victims suffered severe stomach pain, then vomiting and diarrhea after eating the snack during morning recess, The Associated Press reported.

They were taken to at least four hospitals near the school in Mabini, a town on Bohol Island, about 610 kilometers (380 miles) southeast of Manila, AP said.

"Some said they took only two bites because it tasted bitter and the effects were felt 5-10 minutes later," Dr. Harold Gallego of Garcia Memorial Provincial Hospital in the nearby town of Talibon told AP.

The vendor who sold the cassava balls insisted nothing was wrong with them and ate a few to prove the point. Now she, too, is in critical condition.

All of the children were in the first and second grades of San Jose Elementary School in Mabini. Francisca Doliente AP that her 9-year-old niece Arve Tamor was given some of the deep-fried caramelized cassava by a classmate who bought it from a regular vendor outside the San Jose school.

"Her friend is gone. She died," Doliente said, adding that her niece was undergoing treatment.

Grace Vallente, 26, said her 7-year-old nephew Noel died en route to the hospital and that her 9-year-old niece Roselle was undergoing treatment.

"There are many parents here," AP quoted her as saying from L.G. Cotamura Community Hospital in Ubay.

"The kids who died are lined up on beds. Everybody's grief-stricken."

Cassava is a starchy, tuberous root that is a low-cost source of carbohydrates in humid, tropical areas; it is also the source of tapioca.

Cassava contains amino acid-derived cyanogenic glucosides -- some more than others -- and must be thoroughly cooked to remove toxic levels.

Eaten raw, the human digestive system will convert part of it into cyanide. Two cassava roots contain enough to be fatal.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright 2005 CNN. All rights reserved

 

[Lollipop]

What bads news all around!!

 

[Amos Stevens]

Dan Rather signs off CBS evening news

Dan Rather signs off 'CBS Evening News'
By David Bauder, AP Television Writer | March 10, 2005

NEW YORK -- To the end of his career as CBS News anchor, Dan Rather stared down his critics.



Rather ended his final broadcast at the "CBS Evening News" on Wednesday with the message he was once ridiculed for offering: "courage."

The 73-year-old Texan has covered a breathtaking array of stories in more than 40 years at CBS, from the Kennedy assassination to the tsunami, and was the network's most visible face for the past 24 years. He replaced Walter Cronkite on the evening news on March 9, 1981.

Bob Schieffer is Rather's temporary replacement starting Thursday. CBS expects to name a permanent anchor team to succeed Rather in the coming months.

He was the second of the three men who dominated network news for more than two decades to step down in four months. NBC's Tom Brokaw exited in November, leaving ABC's Peter Jennings remaining at "World News Tonight."

His voice slightly hoarse, Rather was all business for the first 20 minutes of Wednesday's broadcast. He didn't mention the special day, and neither did correspondents John Roberts or Anthony Mason when they threw stories back to him.

Then Rather looked back on what he called the most important story of his career -- the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He opened the news that evening by saying, "you will remember this day as long as you live."

He thanked viewers at the end of Wednesday's newscast, then mentioned Sept. 11 survivors, tsunami survivors, the American military, the oppressed, the sick and fellow journalists in dangerous places.

"And, to each of you," he said. "Courage."

He seemed to savor each word of his signoff: "For the `CBS Evening News,' Dan Rather reporting. Good night."

For a week in September 1986, Rather ended the news with the word "courage." He gave it up after being mocked for it, and the incident joined the list of oddities that bedeviled the tightly-wound newsman throughout his career.

Its use two decades later seemed almost an act of defiance for a man who has taken some body blows recently: consistent and distant third-place showings in the rankings, public criticism from predecessor Cronkite and the exultation of critics who have long accused him of a bias against Republicans. He drew much of the public blame for last fall's discredited story about President Bush's military service.

Rather addressed some of those critics during Wednesday's prime-time look back on his career.

"One way a reporter in this country should be judged is how often, how well he or she stands up to the pressure to intimidate," he said. "Be respectful, be polite, but ask the question. Just ask the damn question. What kind of reporter are you if you don't press the question?"

Rather wants most to be remembered as a reporter and, even after 24 years as anchor, never seemed to fully embrace that role.

He said he's not retiring, but changing jobs. He will be a reporter for CBS's "60 Minutes" broadcasts.

"I have my weaknesses," he said in the prime-time special. "I've made my mistakes. But the one mistake I've tried hard not to make is to say, OK, I know which way the wind is blowing and I'm going to tilt my reporting to fit that.

"Ain't gonna do it," he said. "Haven't. Don't. Won't."

While his critics seemed to dominate the end stages of his anchor career, Rather regularly had more than 7 million viewers who watched him each night.

Marian MacNeil of Windsor, Calif., said she watched Rather regularly and admired him.

"I feel terrible the way he's being treated now," MacNeil said. "I think they're smearing a good reputation and overshadowing his 50 years. I hope he's able to rise above this."

Both Jennings and Williams paid tribute to Rather at the end of their broadcasts. Williams called him a "very tough competitor" and a friend of nearly 20 years.

On "World News Tonight," Jennings noted the National Guard story and said ABC took no pleasure in the pain it caused its competitor.

"For many of us, being a reporter turned out to be a calling," Jennings said. "It is an identity for Dan. He would be the first to reflect -- as all serious reporters do -- that this opportunity to work on behalf of the public interest has been an unusual privilege.

"Dan and I are also friends," he said. "It goes without saying that we wish him nothing but the best."

When the lights went down at CBS' broadcast center on Manhattan's West Side, CBS News President Andrew Heyward and correspondents Ed Bradley, Vicky Mabrey, Jim Axelrod and Rita Braver offered toasts, a spokeswoman said.

Rather drank from a glass of "Wild Turkey" bourbon.

© 2005 The New York Times Company

 

[Lollipop]

Always has been a drama King, good bye, good luck and may he rest in peace! Since he never tried to make any!
At least he had good taste in drink!

 

[TDWoj]

A follow-up to the Mounties' story.

-----------------------

Bailiff says he was unaware of Roszko's past

The bailiff assigned the task of repossessing James Roszko's pickup truck had no idea of the man's violent criminal past.

Mark Hnatiw was one of the last people to talk to Roszko before the cold-blooded murders of four RCMP officers last week -- not that Roszko had much to say.

"'F--- off'," was all Roszko said to him before roaring across a field in his truck, Hnatiw recalled Wednesday.

"That's when I said to my partner, 'This is getting weird. We better call the RCMP,'" he told CTV News' National Affairs Correspondent Lisa LaFlamme in an exclusive interview.

Hnatiw gave a first-hand account of what happened the day before the Mounties violently lost their lives.

Last Wednesday afternoon, the 6'3", 250-pound Hnatiw and another bailiff arrived at the padlocked front gate of Roszko's farm to repossess his pickup truck. Roszko wasn't welcoming, letting out his two guard dogs.

That's when the bailiff called police, asking the Mayerthorpe RCMP detachment for assistance. Two RCMP members arrived at the scene within minutes, but Roszko was gone.

Believing Roszko left the property, the bailiffs cut the gate's padlock, pepper-sprayed the two dogs and, accompanied by the two police officers, went up the lane and into the Quonset.

Hnatiw describes what he saw as soon as the door to the dark, metal hut was opened.

"The first thing I remember seeing was very new model Ford truck parts. White in colour. What am I looking for? White Ford truck. What went through my mind was, 'Maybe he's taken it apart'? We're looking for booby traps. This guy's a criminal. Who knows what we're going to find?"

Hnatiw said the RCMP were happy to finally get onto Roszko's property, as it had been some time since they were able to gain access to it.

At one point, someone yelled out, "'Smell that? It's a 'grow', there's a grow in here,'" he said.

It turned out to be less of a repo job than an investigation into a marijuana grow operation and chop shop. There was about 20 mature marijuana plants, 100 young ones, a few pounds of marijuana leaves and several cut-up vehicles.

Hnatiw said he was satisfied with his work and had a good feeling when he left Roszko's property. He spoke with RCMP Const. Brock Myrol before leaving the scene.

"A fine looking young man. Shiny boots, looked like a million bucks, proud to be there ...," he said, tearing up.

Hnatiw was shattered when he heard the news of the officers' deaths the next day.

"I started to shake ... oh my God, I was there when (Roszko) was on the property. Why aren't I dead?" asked the former prison guard.

He's been haunted by that question ever since and has taken 30 days off from his job to try to deal with the tragedy.

He said he feels a sense of responsibility, despite the RCMP telling him there's nothing he could have done to prevent the killings.

"James Roszko has changed my life," said Hnatiw. "But I'll heal. I'll heal. He's changed my life, but he's not going to take my life."

Roszko's past

Hnatiw told LaFlamme that he wants to know, more than anything, how somebody with such a criminal past could have been out on the streets.

Roszko has been charged with 36 various offences over the years and has been convicted 12 times. His former friends say he had weapons buried on his property, including inside the Quonset hut.

Recently released court documents show that more than a decade ago, Roszko tried to convince another man to kill for him.

The documents show that he offered a young acquaintance $10,000 in 1993 to kill a man in Mayerthorpe, Alta. with a .308-calibre HK assault rifle -- the same weapon he may have used last Thursday to cut down the Mounties.

Roszko was charged with counselling another person to commit murder.

The charge, however, was dropped after a preliminary hearing. The judge ruled that casually talking about killing someone isn't the same thing as plotting to kill someone.

And RCMP officers searched Roszko's property a few times over the years, looking for an illegal assault rifle they suspected he owned.

 

[Amos Stevens]

Judge says Calif can't ban gay marriages

Judge Says Calif. Can't Ban Gay Marriage




By LISA LEFF, Associated Press Writer

SAN FRANCISCO - A judge ruled Monday that California's
ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional — a legal
milestone that, if upheld on appeal, would open the
way for the most populous state to follow
Massachusetts in allowing same-sex couples to wed.



Judge Richard Kramer of San Francisco County's
trial-level Superior Court likened the ban to laws
requiring racial segregation in schools, and said
there appears to be "no rational purpose" for denying
marriage to gay couples.


The ruling came in response to lawsuits filed by the
city of San Francisco and a dozen gay couples a year
ago after the California Supreme Court halted a
four-week same-sex marriage spree started by Mayor
Gavin Newsom.


The opinion had been eagerly awaited because of San
Francisco's historical role as a gay rights
battleground.


Gay marriage supporters hailed the ruling as a
historic development akin to the 1948 state Supreme
Court decision that made California the first state to
legalize interracial marriage.


"Today's ruling is an important step toward a more
fair and just California that rejects discrimination
and affirms family values for all California
families," San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera
said.


Conservative leaders expressed outrage at the ruling
and vowed to appeal.


"For a single judge to rule there is no conceivable
purpose for preserving marriage as one man and one
woman is mind-boggling," said Liberty Counsel
President Mathew Staver. "This decision will be
gasoline on the fire of the pro-marriage movement in
California as well as the rest of the country.


Last winter, nearly 4,000 gay couples got married
after Newsom instructed the city to issue them
licenses, in defiance of state law. The California
Supreme Court later declared those marriages void,
saying the mayor overstepped his authority. But the
court did not address the underlying issue of whether
the law against gay marriage violates the California
Constitution.


At issue were a 1977 law that defined marriage as "a
personal relation arising out of a civil contract
between a man and a woman," and a voter-approved
measure in 2000 that amended the law to say more
explicitly: "Only marriage between a man and a woman
is valid or recognized in California."


The state maintained that tradition dictates that
marriage should be limited to opposite-sex couples.
Attorney General Bill Lockyer also cited the state's
domestic-partners law as evidence that California does
not discriminate against gays.


But Kramer rejected that argument, citing Brown v.
Board of Education — the landmark U.S. Supreme Court
(news - web sites) decision that struck down
segregated schools.


"The idea that marriage-like rights without marriage
is adequate smacks of a concept long rejected by the
courts — separate but equal," the judge wrote.


It could be months or years before the state actually
sanctions same-sex marriage, if ever.


Lockyer has said in the past that he expected the
matter eventually would have to be settled by the
California Supreme Court.


Two bills now before the California Legislature would
put a constitutional amendment banning same-sex
marriage on the November ballot. If California voters
approve such an amendment, as those in 13 other states
did last year, that would put the issue out of the
control of lawmakers and the courts.


The decision is the latest development in a national
debate that has been raging since 2003, when the
highest court in Massachusetts decided that denying
gay couples the right to wed was unconstitutional.





In the wake of the Massachusetts ruling, gay rights
advocates filed lawsuits seeking to strike down
traditional marriage laws in several other states.
Opponents responded by proposing state and federal
constitutional amendments banning gay marriage.

Around the country, Kramer is the fourth trial court
judge in recent months to decide that the right to
marry and its benefits must be extended to same-sex
couples.

Two Washington state judges, ruling last summer in
separate cases, held that prohibiting same-sex
marriage violates that state's constitution, and on
Feb. 4, a New York City judge ruled in favor of five
gay couples who had been denied marriage licenses by
the city.

Just as many judges have gone the other way in recent
months, however, refusing to accept the argument that
keeping gays from marrying violates their civil
rights.

California has the highest percentage of same-sex
partners in the nation, and its Legislature has gone
further than any other in providing gay couples the
benefits of marriage without being forced to do so by
court order.


Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press.

 

[Amos Stevens]

Poor Martha Stewarts ankle brace is chaffing her skin

Martha connects with her fans

Domestic diva chats on the Web about her ankle
monitor, no 'Camp Cupcake' memoir and TV.
March 14, 2005: 10:00 PM EST




NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Martha Stewart is back playing
hostess again.

The queen of domesticity, in her second week out of
prison and back at work, threw a virtual party Monday
night for her fans via a wide-ranging Web chat. In it,
she described her ankle bracelet, life in prison and,
of course, what's next for her and her company, Martha
Stewart Living Omnimedia (Research).

The 63 year-old Stewart spent the last five months in
a minimum-security prison in West Virginia following
her conviction for lying to government investigators
looking into a personal stock sale she made in late
2001.

Now confined to her New York estate until August,
Stewart told her on-line guests that she was fitted
with an electronic bracelet last week. She described
the rubber-and-wire device as "rigid" and "somewhat
uncomfortable and irritating." She also said
exercising with it on is difficult.

"I wish it were removable but it is not," wrote
Stewart, who said she was chatting at her kitchen
table in Bedford, N.Y. with the help of three
employees, including Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia
editorial director Margaret Roach.

Stewart noted that she's not allowed to take off her
ankle bracelet "at any time" nor is she allowed, while
at home, to have any padding under the strap around
her ankle. "I hope none of you ever have to wear one,"
she wrote.

Stewart's comments were possible because, under terms
of her house arrest, she can work at home and also
leave the premises for up to 48 hours a week. Stewart
spent a portion of that weekly allowance traveling
last week to Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's New
York offices, where her public address to employees
was broadcast on television.

Marketing experts have said that Stewart, in order to
refurbish her tarnished image, has to be aggressive
about winning back consumers. Since her release,
Stewart has appeared humble, rejuvenated and -- just
as important, according to brand consultants -- no
longer the perfectionist.

Indeed, Stewart started off Monday night's chat by
confessing that preparations had "not gone off as
smoothly as planned" thanks to a downed power line and
a backup generator that was not connected to telephone
or Internet lines.

She also admitted that her Bedford home, which has
been undergoing renovations since she bought it in
2000, has "very little" furniture.

In other confessions, she said she spent most of her
time in prison resting and in a "good mood." She said
she didn't miss material things, or driving in a car
or paying bills or using the telephone or e-mail. She
did miss her pets and "maybe fresh lemons."

She said she doesn't plan to write a memoir about her
stay at the federal prison for women in Alderson, W.
Va. But she said she'll include a section about her
incarceration when she writes her autobiography.

Responding to questions about her upcoming television
shows, Stewart said thousands have applied to compete
on a spin-off of "The Apprentice" that is expected to
air next fall and will star Stewart. The winner will
land a $250,000-a-year position at Martha Stewart
Living Omnimedia.

The show's creators, including top Hollywood producer
Mark Burnett, are still in the process of selecting
the contestants. She did not say when taping was
scheduled to start and where.

And she said she was open to suggestions for her own
version of Donald Trump's signature "You're fired!"
sign off at the end of each segment.

No ideas -- like "Get out of the kitchen!" -- came up
during the on-line Q&A.



© 2005 Cable News Network LP, LLLP.

 

[Lollipop]

Judge Says Calif. Can't Ban Gay Marriage




By LISA LEFF, Associated Press Writer

SAN FRANCISCO - A judge ruled Monday that California's
ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional — a legal
milestone that, if upheld on appeal, would open the
way for the most populous state to follow
Massachusetts in allowing same-sex couples to wed.



Judge Richard Kramer of San Francisco County's
trial-level Superior Court likened the ban to laws
requiring racial segregation in schools, and said
there appears to be "no rational purpose" for denying
marriage to gay couples.


The ruling came in response to lawsuits filed by the
city of San Francisco and a dozen gay couples a year
ago after the California Supreme Court halted a
four-week same-sex marriage spree started by Mayor
Gavin Newsom.


The opinion had been eagerly awaited because of San
Francisco's historical role as a gay rights
battleground.


Gay marriage supporters hailed the ruling as a
historic development akin to the 1948 state Supreme
Court decision that made California the first state to
legalize interracial marriage.


"Today's ruling is an important step toward a more
fair and just California that rejects discrimination
and affirms family values for all California
families," San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera
said.


Conservative leaders expressed outrage at the ruling
and vowed to appeal.


"For a single judge to rule there is no conceivable
purpose for preserving marriage as one man and one
woman is mind-boggling," said Liberty Counsel
President Mathew Staver. "This decision will be
gasoline on the fire of the pro-marriage movement in
California as well as the rest of the country.


Last winter, nearly 4,000 gay couples got married
after Newsom instructed the city to issue them
licenses, in defiance of state law. The California
Supreme Court later declared those marriages void,
saying the mayor overstepped his authority. But the
court did not address the underlying issue of whether
the law against gay marriage violates the California
Constitution.


At issue were a 1977 law that defined marriage as "a
personal relation arising out of a civil contract
between a man and a woman," and a voter-approved
measure in 2000 that amended the law to say more
explicitly: "Only marriage between a man and a woman
is valid or recognized in California."


The state maintained that tradition dictates that
marriage should be limited to opposite-sex couples.
Attorney General Bill Lockyer also cited the state's
domestic-partners law as evidence that California does
not discriminate against gays.


But Kramer rejected that argument, citing Brown v.
Board of Education — the landmark U.S. Supreme Court
(news - web sites) decision that struck down
segregated schools.


"The idea that marriage-like rights without marriage
is adequate smacks of a concept long rejected by the
courts — separate but equal," the judge wrote.


It could be months or years before the state actually
sanctions same-sex marriage, if ever.


Lockyer has said in the past that he expected the
matter eventually would have to be settled by the
California Supreme Court.


Two bills now before the California Legislature would
put a constitutional amendment banning same-sex
marriage on the November ballot. If California voters
approve such an amendment, as those in 13 other states
did last year, that would put the issue out of the
control of lawmakers and the courts.


The decision is the latest development in a national
debate that has been raging since 2003, when the
highest court in Massachusetts decided that denying
gay couples the right to wed was unconstitutional.





In the wake of the Massachusetts ruling, gay rights
advocates filed lawsuits seeking to strike down
traditional marriage laws in several other states.
Opponents responded by proposing state and federal
constitutional amendments banning gay marriage.

Around the country, Kramer is the fourth trial court
judge in recent months to decide that the right to
marry and its benefits must be extended to same-sex
couples.

Two Washington state judges, ruling last summer in
separate cases, held that prohibiting same-sex
marriage violates that state's constitution, and on
Feb. 4, a New York City judge ruled in favor of five
gay couples who had been denied marriage licenses by
the city.

Just as many judges have gone the other way in recent
months, however, refusing to accept the argument that
keeping gays from marrying violates their civil
rights.

California has the highest percentage of same-sex
partners in the nation, and its Legislature has gone
further than any other in providing gay couples the
benefits of marriage without being forced to do so by
court order.


Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press.

Yes, Arnold was on Hardball last night with Chris Mathews, he said it should be brought before the people of CA for a vote! But if not and the Supreme Court bans gay marriages he State would have to abided my the law!

 

[Jalu]

Gay people are here to stay. If they want to marry let them.
I don't see where that threatens heterosexual marriages.
My mom and dad have been married for 50 years, and whether gays marry or not their vows are theirs to keep. Most heterosexual marriages end up in divorce. I'd say that is the real threat to marriage...

 

[Lollipop]

Gay people are here to stay. If they want to marry let them.
I don't see where that threatens heterosexual marriages.
My mom and dad have been married for 50 years, and whether gays marry or not their vows are theirs to keep. Most heterosexual marriages end up in divorce. I'd say that is the real threat to marriage...

Yes, each individual should have the right to choose their own path!
And not feel the need to live up to others standards! The differences in each of us makes the world a more interesting place to be!

 

[Amos Stevens]

Brain damaged womans feeding tube removed

Brain-Damaged Woman's Feeding Tube Removed




By MITCH STACY, Associated Press Writer

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. - With a furious legal and
political battle raging outside her hospice room,
doctors removed Terri Schiavo's feeding tube Friday
after an unprecedented attempt by Congress to keep the
brain-damaged woman alive was rebuffed.



The move came after Republicans on Capitol Hill used
their subpoena power to try demand that Schiavo be
brought before a congressional hearing, saying
removing the tube amounted to "barbarism." The
attorney for Schiavo's husband shot back at a news
conference, calling the subpoenas "nothing short of
thuggery."


"It was odious, it was shocking, it was disgusting and
I think all Americans should be very alarmed about
that," George Felos said.


The judge presiding over the case ruled in the
husband's favor early Friday afternoon and rejected
the request from House attorneys to delay the removal,
which he had previously ordered to take place at 1
p.m. EST. Felos said Michael Schiavo was at his wife's
side shortly after the tube was disconnected.


The removal of the tube signals that an end may be
near in a decade-long family feud between Schiavo's
husband and her devoutly Roman Catholic parents, Bob
and Mary Schindler. The parents have been trying to
oust Michael Schiavo as their daughter's guardian and
keep in place the tube that has kept her alive for
more than 15 years.


Michael Schiavo says his wife told him she would not
want to be kept alive artificially. Her parents
dispute that, saying she could get better and that
their daughter has laughed, cried, smiled and
responded to their voices. Court-appointed physicians
testified her brain damage was so severe that there
was no hope she would ever have any cognitive
abilities.


The family is still hoping for a long-shot legal
victory to have the tube re-inserted.


Several right-to-die cases across the nation have been
fought in the courts in recent years, but few, if any,
have been this drawn-out and bitter.


The case has garnered attention around the world and
served as a rallying cry for conservative Christian
groups and anti-abortion activists, who flooded
members of Congress and Florida legislators with
messages seeking to keep Schiavo alive.


Outside Schiavo's hospice, about 30 people keeping
vigil dropped to their knees in prayer when word
spread of the judge's ruling calling for removal of
the tube.


White House spokesman Scott McClellan said President
Bush (news - web sites) discussed the case with his
brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and members of the
state's congressional delegation during his swing
through Florida on Friday to discuss Social Security
(news - web sites) reform.


"We're continuing to monitor developments," McClellan
said. "The president believes when there are serious
questions or doubts in a case like this that the
presumption ought to be in favor of life."


Gov. Jeb Bush said the judge's decision "breaks my
heart" and noted that it often takes two decades for a
death row inmate's appeals to go through the system.


"There's this rush to starve her to death," Bush said
of Terri Schiavo.


But Rep. Henry Waxman (news, bio, voting record) of
California, senior Democrat on the Government Reform
Committee, called the subpoenas a "flagrant abuse of
power" and said they amounted to Congress dictating
the medical care Terri Schiavo should receive.


"Congress is turning the Schiavo family's personal
tragedy into a national political farce," Waxman said.






Schiavo suffered severe brain damage in 1990 when a
chemical imbalance apparently brought on by an eating
disorder caused her heart to stop beating for a few
minutes. She can breathe on her own, but has relied on
the feeding and hydration tube to keep her alive.

Both sides accused each other of being motivated by
greed over a $1 million medical malpractice award from
doctors who failed to diagnose the chemical imbalance.


The Schindlers also said that Michael Schiavo wants
their daughter dead so he can marry his longtime
girlfriend, with whom he has young children. They have
begged him to divorce their daughter, and let them
care for her.

The tangled case has encompassed at least 19 judges in
at least six different courts.

In 2001, Schiavo went without food and water for two
days before a judge ordered the tube reinserted when a
new witness surfaced.

When the tube was removed in October 2003, her parents
and two siblings frantically sought intervention from
Gov Jeb. Bush to stop her slow starvation. The
governor pushed through "Terri's Law," and six days
later the tube was reinserted.

That set off a new round of legal battles which
culminated in September 2004 with the Florida Supreme
Court (news - web sites) ruling that Bush had
overstepped his authority and declared the law
unconstitutional.

The U.S. Supreme Court (news - web sites) has been
unwilling to hear arguments in the case.

On Feb. 25, Circuit Judge George Greer gave Michael
Schiavo permission to order the removal of the feeding
tube Friday.

"I have had no cogent reason why the (congressional)
committee should intervene," Greer told attorneys in a
conference call Friday, adding that last-minute action
by Congress does not invalidate years of court
rulings.

In Tallahassee, the Florida House on Thursday passed a
bill to block the withholding of food and water from
patients in a persistent vegetative state who did not
leave specific instructions on their care. Hours
later, however, the Senate defeated a different
measure 21-16.



Copyright © 2005 Yahoo! Inc.

 

[ORANGATUANG]

I just heard on an news break on the tv that there was an plot to kidnap David Lettermans baby boy...its all very scetchy but as hear more i hope to report unless some one there does ..pretty sick sons of bitches out there thats for sure iam not an real fan of David Lettermans but i feel for him at the moment....just thought you would like to know.

 

[katw_03]

More sad news

A sex-offender has admitted to killing Jessica
Lunsford & burying her not far from her home.
I also am a member of WebSleuths and have
been following this case closely. It breaks
your heart to know that there are such twisted,
evil people in this world, the sickest of those
who prey on children. :smad: If anyone can post
that article on here It is on the Fox news and MsNBC

 

[katw_03]

Virtual Candle

There is a web-site www.gratefulness.org
where you can light a candle for missing
children, for your significant other, etc.
You can leave your name and comments.
I believe it burns for 48 hours. It is a
place for deep thinking & solitude.

 

[Serena]

There is a web-site www.gratefulness.org
where you can light a candle for missing
children, for your significant other, etc.
You can leave your name and comments.
I believe it burns for 48 hours. It is a
place for deep thinking & solitude.

That was very nice, Kat! Thank you for sharing that.
I've saved it in my favorites folder and will also pass it along.

 

[Amos Stevens]

Kidnap Plot

'Kidnap plot' over Letterman baby

Letterman has been a late-night fixture for 20 years
A painter working at the home of US TV talk show host David Letterman has been charged with plotting to kidnap his infant son and nanny.
Kelly Frank, 43, was arrested after a man he allegedly asked to help him informed police in Montana.

In an affidavit submitted to a Montana court, the man said Mr Frank told him that he had a key to the house.

In a statement, Mr Letterman and his girlfriend, Regina Lasko, said they would be "forever grateful" to police.

In addition to the kidnap plot, Mr Frank was charged with theft in relation to alleged overcharging for work on Mr Letterman's ranch.

An official in the Montana state Corrections Department said Mr Frank had intended to kidnap Mr Letterman's son and hold him for ransom.

According to the affidavit, he also intended to kidnap the nanny "so she could take care of the child".

"We will be forever grateful for their tireless efforts and determination to vigorously pursue this situation," the Lettermans said.

Mr Frank is being held on bail of $600,000 (£312,000).

 

[Amos Stevens]

Body of missing Florida Girl found

(I'm not too impressed with the search dogs at this point-when she was first missing)

Body of missing Florida girl foundSaturday, March 19, 2005 Updated at 10:09 AM EST

Associated Press


Homosassa, Fla. — The body of a missing 9-year-old girl was found early Saturday, more than three weeks after she disappeared from her bedroom and a day after officials said a registered sex offender said he kidnapped and killed the girl.

Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy said Jessica Lunsford's body was found during an overnight search in a densely wooded area, only about 150 yards away from the home the girl shared with her father and grandparents.

"In the early morning hours, somewhere between 3:30 and 4:30, we recovered Jessica," Sherrif Dawsy said.

About an hour before Sherrif Dawsy's announcement, Jessica's father, Mark Lunsford, issued a brief, emotional statement to reporters. He visited the search scene shortly after sunrise.



"Everyone heard me say, time after time, that she would be home," Mr. Lunsford said, his eyes hidden behind dark black sunglasses. "She's home now."

John Evander Couey, 46, confessed to kidnapping and killing Jessica after taking a lie-detector test Friday in Georgia, Mr. Dawsy said.

"We're en route to bring him back home," Mr. Dawsy said.

 

[katw_03]

Thanks Amos!

(I'm not too impressed with the search dogs at this point-when she was first missing)

Body of missing Florida girl foundSaturday, March 19, 2005 Updated at 10:09 AM EST

Associated Press


Homosassa, Fla. — The body of a missing 9-year-old girl was found early Saturday, more than three weeks after she disappeared from her bedroom and a day after officials said a registered sex offender said he kidnapped and killed the girl.

Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy said Jessica Lunsford's body was found during an overnight search in a densely wooded area, only about 150 yards away from the home the girl shared with her father and grandparents.

"In the early morning hours, somewhere between 3:30 and 4:30, we recovered Jessica," Sherrif Dawsy said.

About an hour before Sherrif Dawsy's announcement, Jessica's father, Mark Lunsford, issued a brief, emotional statement to reporters. He visited the search scene shortly after sunrise.



"Everyone heard me say, time after time, that she would be home," Mr. Lunsford said, his eyes hidden behind dark black sunglasses. "She's home now."

John Evander Couey, 46, confessed to kidnapping and killing Jessica after taking a lie-detector test Friday in Georgia, Mr. Dawsy said.

"We're en route to bring him back home," Mr. Dawsy said.

It is so heartbreaking. They have a petition started at www.petitiononline.com Please go there and sign, for
Jessica and all the children. Protect them from these predators!