The Underground -- White House envoy to meet Israel, Palestine leaders, push for peace talks |
- White House envoy to meet Israel, Palestine leaders, push for peace talks
- Man who murdered pro-lifer, one other, gets life in prison
- Former Rolling Stone’s child lover wants age of consent to be 18
- Fringe Muslim group’s threats cause Comedy Central to censor South Park
- Archie Comics to introduce first openly gay character, Kevin
| White House envoy to meet Israel, Palestine leaders, push for peace talks Posted: 23 Apr 2010 12:34 PM PDT
U.S. Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell will meet today with Israel leaders with hope to revive peace talks between Israel and Palestine after almost a year of deadlock. Mitchell is expected to meet with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Ehud Barak. The visit comes after a row broke out between Israel and the U.S. recently over home construction plans by Israel in East Jerusalem.
Negotiations met a snag early this month when Netanyahu announced plans to construct 1,600 houses in East Jerusalem. One of the conditions set on the table for the peace talks is to halt all construction in that area. Netanyahu responded with outright rejection saying, “There will be no construction freeze in Jerusalem. There should be no preconditions to talks.” Netanyahu pointed out that he is following a four-decade-old policy of his predecessors. However State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said, “We understand that the Israelis have a longstanding position, but … the status quo is not sustainable.” East Jerusalem is the most explosive issue that divides Israel and Palestine. Israel captured the area in the 1967 Mideast war. However, their annexation of the area has never been internationally recognized. Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its eternal capital. Some 180,000 Israelis live in east Jerusalem, mostly in Jewish neighborhoods surrounding the area. But one cause of friction is some 2,000 Israeli nationalists who live deep inside Arab neighborhoods. Some 250,000 Palestinians live in the Arab neighborhoods. Benny Begin, a senior Cabinet minister, said in a Thursday meet with media and diplomats that Netanyahu would have a hard time selling even limited concessions to his government, a coalition dominated by hard-line nationalist parties. “It is just impossible and unacceptable that people try to impress us that we should limit construction in Jerusalem,” Begin said. Netanyahu so far has curbed West Bank construction in a temporary freeze. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat called the Netanyahu position on Jerusalem “very unfortunate.” The Palestinians have said they will not hold face-to-face talks with Netanyahu until he freezes all settlement activity in east Jerusalem and the West Bank. Other proposals that were given to Israel include release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, turning over more West Bank territory to Palestinian control, and possibly curbing Jewish construction in the heart of Arab neighborhoods in east Jerusalem. Last week Obama assessed the situation, saying the U.S. couldn’t force its will on Israelis and Palestinians if they weren’t interested in making needed compromises in order to end their decades-old conflict. Sources: http://www.unnindia.com/english/story.php?Id=6381  |
| Man who murdered pro-lifer, one other, gets life in prison Posted: 23 Apr 2010 12:21 PM PDT
A truck driver who killed a pro lifer and one other man in a Michigan shooting spree was sentenced to life imprisonment yesterday.  Credit:sxc.hu/shadgross In a court hearing, Harlan Drake, 34, was charged with first-degree murder for the deaths of pro life activist James Pouillon, 63, and businessman Mike Fuoss, 61. Shiawassee County Circuit Judge Gerald Lostracco handed Drake a life term, the automatic penalty under Michigan law. Drake had also planned that day to kill one other man on the morning of the shootings last September 11, but didn’t know where to find him. The murders, he said, were vengeance acts on behalf of his mother, Kim Staples. Staples did not like the fact that Pouillon would hold a picture of an aborted fetus outside Owosso High School, about 90 miles northwest of Detroit. Drake shot him four times. Fuoss, the other victim, was a boss of Staples with whom the latter had disputes. While shooting Fuoss 17 times Drake told him, “You should be nicer to your employees.” The third target, whom Drake could not find, was a former boss of his mother. Before the sentencing Drake apologized for the pain he caused to the families of his victims. But minutes later he seemed bored and told the judge to “get on with this” and called him a racist and a hypocrite. Drake’s lawyers argued that he was mentally ill at the time and didn’t understand what he was doing. They said Drake has been treated for depression since his semitrailer slammed into a car in Ottumwa, Iowa, killing two teens in 2004. He was not cited. Drake also attempted suicide in jail after killing Pouillon and Fuoss. However, the jury rejected an insanity defense. Lostracco said, “This case was not about abortion. It was about your intention to be a hit man (to settle grudges).” Drake replied, “Coming from a hypocrite and a racist, I really appreciate that, judge.” Madison Pouillon, 16, said her grandfather drove her to school moments before he was shot with his pro life sign across the street. She said she began praying for him when officials, citing safety, would not let her leave the building. The teen cried and couldn’t finish reading her statement. Her mother, Holly Pouillon, 38, picked up the paper, turned to Drake, expressed her daughter’s forgiveness and added, “May God be with you.” Jim Fuoss, 58, said his family had endured much misfortune in the past seven months. His slain brother’s wife, Barb, died of brain cancer on April 10. Sources: http://www.wwltv.com/news/national/91820879.html |
| Former Rolling Stone’s child lover wants age of consent to be 18 Posted: 23 Apr 2010 12:15 PM PDT
Mandy Smith, the former child-lover and later wife of the Rolling Stone’s bassist Bill Wyman, said recently that the age of consent in Britain should be raised to 18. Smith said at the currently legal age of consent, which is 16, girls are still emotionally vulnerable, and that even at age 18 some girls are still not ready for sex. She adds, “You can never get that part of your life, your childhood, back.”  Bill Wyman and his Rhythm Kings Middelburg 27-01-2009/Credit: Jacco Barth Parliament first established the age of consent in the UK at 13 years in 1875 in response to concerns that young girls were being exploited for prostitution. The age of consent was amended to 16 years in 1885 under the Criminal Amendment Act because girls as young as 12 were still being sold in the sex trade. Christian campaigner Josephine Butler, who fought to protect girls and prostitutes from exploitation, was primarily responsible for the changed law. Two years ago Parliament passed a bill requiring Northern Ireland to lower its age of consent from 17 years to 16 years. This caused a furor with Northern Ireland’s Legislative Assembly (NLA). Some NLA warned this would only encourage sexual predators. Belfast’s Rape Crisis Centre also objected to the change, saying the new law would make it more difficult for them to protect vulnerable girls. Wild Child In the 1980s Smith was deemed by media as London’s Wild Child. She first dated Wyman when she was 13, and publicly admitted they had sex when she was 14 and Wyman was 48. When Smith reached 16, the age of consent, their relationship became public and their marriage when she was 18 was depicted as a fairy tale wedding. Two years later they divorced. Today Smith is 39, single, celibate, and living out a revived Catholic faith. She mentors young girls and is involved in charitable work. She laments a childhood that she “could never get back.” Smith says, “Sometimes, I drive through the city on a Saturday night and see young girls wearing hardly any clothes on their way to a nightclub, while others are being sick on the pavement from binge-drinking. They take their values from some rubbish TV show or wannabe celebrities.” Smith’s father was absent since she was three, and she met Wyman in a club at a time when her mother was perennially ill. Today Wyman is remarried with young children. In occasional interviews he refers to his “love affair” with Smith when she was 14 as a “midlife crisis.” Writer Victoria Coren of The Observer wrote, “It’s not OK for a 48-year-old man to sleep with a 14-year-old, whoever he is. It’s not “a love affair.” Smith says teenage girls today are caught up in a highly sexualized culture and its expectations. “The girls I talk to are under pressure to be a certain way,” said Smith. “They think they should be having sex, living a certain life.” Smith rediscovered her faith in 2005 and says “God is the only man in my life now. The great thing about the Church is that you can go back. It’s never too late,” she said. Sources: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1266664/Mandy-Smith-I-DID-sleep-Bill-Wyman-I-14–man-life-God.html#ixzz0lemZCzQJ http://christiantelegraph.com/issue9556.html http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/apr/10042004.html |
| Fringe Muslim group’s threats cause Comedy Central to censor South Park Posted: 23 Apr 2010 11:55 AM PDT
The producers of “South Park” complained recently that Comedy Central censored a portion of their popular cartoon after they had received threats from a radical Muslim group. Producers T The censorship was done in response to threats from Revolution Muslim, a fringe group which complained that `South Park’ insulted their prophet by depicting him in a bear costume in last week’s episode. Many Muslims believe that Islamic teachings forbid showing images of Muhammad. The Muslim group didn’t explicitly threaten the producers. However, they warned that Parker and Stone could end up as Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh did, who was slain six years ago for making a film that criticized Islamic society. Their Web site, revolutionmuslim.com also published Stone and Parker’s work address. The Web site said, “We have to warn Matt and Trey that what they are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo Van Gogh for airing this show.” A photo of Van Gogh’s body lying in the street was included with the original posting, which has been unavailable to some Web users since news of the item broke earlier this week. The extremist group is relatively small with about a dozen members. It was formed in 2007 and is based out of New York. It is mostly known for posting inflammatory and often threatening comments on its Web site, including a poem last October during the Jewish High Holy Days asking God to kill all the Jews. Its members also stage protests in front of New York mosques, advocating a more fundamentalist form of Islam, said Oren Segal, director of the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism. South Park, in its 200 shows, has satirized Christianity, Buddhism, Scientology, the blind and disabled, gay people, Hollywood celebrities and politicians of all persuasions. Some of those who were satirized protested, or threatened to boycott. Regarding Comedy Central’s self censorship, experts call it a dangerous precedent which also stirs up a free-speech issue that, while dormant for years, has now opened again. UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh said to the Los Angeles Times that the network has potentially empowered other extremists by how it has chosen to handle the situation. “The consequence of this position is that the thugs win and people have more incentive to be thugs,” said Volokh, who teaches free speech and religious freedom law. Sources: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100422/ap_en_tv/us_tv_south_park_muslims http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-et-south-park-20100423,0,5940860.story |
| Archie Comics to introduce first openly gay character, Kevin Posted: 23 Apr 2010 11:48 AM PDT
Archie Comics will introduce a new character who is openly gay, Kevin Keller. Keller first appears in Veronica No. 202 (release date on Sept. 1st) as the new kid in Riverdale. In the story, entitled “Isn’t it Bromantic?” Keller beats Jughead in an eating contest. This makes him gain the attention of boy-crazy Veronica.
Cartoonist Dan Parent commented to Newsarama, “We didn’t do something with turmoil. The guy just happens to be gay, and the characters accept it, and that’s it.” He said the comics want to reflect high schools in America, where being gay is okay for the most part. “My daughter has openly gay kids in her high school and it’s accepted,” Parent said to Newsarama. “Obviously this isn’t the case everywhere in the country. But gay kids in high schools isn’t the big deal it used to be.” The character’s debut is part of Archie Comics’ overall efforts to make the comic, which has been around since 1939, more contemporary. Historically, Riverdale had not been so diverse. There was a malt shop, white walls, a jalopy and in general all the components which in its time created a safe world for everyone. Archie Comics Co-CEO Jon Goldwater, in an official statement, said he felt it just made sense to now have an openly gay character. Parent said , “In the last year or two, we’ve been introducing a lot of new characters: Diverse characters, characters with different ethnicities.” Among the notable changes were a redesign to update the characters for modern audiences, parodies of current pop culture stories, and the introduction of an interracial relationship between Archie and Josie and the Pussycats’ character Valerie. Sources: http://news.yahoo.com/s/newsarama/20100422/en_newsarama/archiemeetkevinriverdalesnewgaystudent http://voices.washingtonpost.com/comic-riffs/2010/04/gay_archie_character.html http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/04/22/archie-introduces-an-openly-gay-character-kevin-keller/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/22/AR2010042205766.html |
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