Politics Daily http://www.politicsdaily.com Politics Daily http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.politicsdaily.com/media/feedlogo.gif Politics Daily http://www.politicsdaily.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/NPR Sting Video Was Edited to Accentuate Negativehttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/15/npr-sting-video-was-edited-to-accentuate-negative/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/15/npr-sting-video-was-edited-to-accentuate-negative/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/15/npr-sting-video-was-edited-to-accentuate-negative/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

A surreptitious video depicting an NPR fundraiser criticizing Republicans and tea party activists during a meeting with phony Muslim donors was edited, leaving out important context for the controversial remarks.

The sting, conducted by conservative video-maker James O'Keefe, led to the removal last week of NPR chief executive Vivian Schiller, who was not one of those shown in the video but took responsibility for her subordinates' loose talk -- including a comment asserting that the tea party movement is "scary" and "seriously racist."

But an analysis of the full, two-hour video -- a much shorter version lit up the Internet -- shows that NPR fundraisers Ron Schiller (no relation to Vivian) and Betsy Liley also talked positively about Republicans and conservatives during their lunch date with the bogus donors. And they make it clear to the prospective contributors that their money would not influence news coverage.

"There is such a big firewall between funding and reporting," Ron Schiller says in the longer version of the video. "Reporters will not be swayed in any way, shape or form."

NPR reporter David Folkenflik and The Blaze, a conservative news aggregator set up by Fox News commentator Glenn Beck, analyzed the longer O'Keefe tape and discovered the short version had been edited in a misleading way. Some of Ron Schiller's remarks were run out of sequence in the flow of questions and answers.

While Schiller does say the Republican Party has been "hijacked" by the tea party and Christian evangelicals -- and is "fanatically involved in people's personal lives" -- it is evident in the full tape that he is not giving his own view but rather quoting two influential Republicans, according to reporter Folkenflik. Schiller does not challenge those assertions, but they are not his.

"Except for a couple of unfortunate forays [into] political opinion, I think Ron Schiller actually did a fairly remarkably good job of explaining how NPR works and what you can and cannot expect if you contribute money to the NPR foundation," said Al Tompkins, who teaches journalism ethics at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla.

But the first version of the video that showed up on the Internet last week seemed to confirm conservatives' suspicions about a liberal bias at NPR. And the revelations came as Republicans in Congress pushed to cut off federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which allocates financial support to NPR. While Schiller, in the video, said NPR "would be better off" in the long run without federal money, he also said losing the government assistance would be very hurtful in the short term.

Ron Schiller had already announced he was leaving NPR for another job when the video surfaced last week. His departure was then accelerated.

O'Keefe, who employs people he calls citizen journalists for his hidden camera stings, first popped up in 2009 with a video showing a worker for the liberal community activist group ACORN giving improper tax advice to individuals masquerading as a pimp and prostitute. Last year, O'Keefe pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor after being charged with trying to tamper with the phone lines in the New Orleans office of Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.)

O'Keefe did not answer requests this week for comment on the editing of the video, Folkenflik said.

Folo Tom Diemer on Twitter http://twitter.com/tomdiemer

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>dailyguidancejames okeefeNPRPolitics Daily Staff2011-03-15T10:58:00+00:00Cuba Sentences U.S. Aid Contractor to 15 Yearshttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/12/cuba-sentences-u-s-aid-contractor-to-15-years/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/12/cuba-sentences-u-s-aid-contractor-to-15-years/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/12/cuba-sentences-u-s-aid-contractor-to-15-years/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

An American contractor accused of crimes against the Cuban state was sentenced to 15 years in prison in Cuba Saturday, government-run television reported.

In a decision likely to set back Havana-Washington relations, a five-judge panel concluded that the contractor, Alan Phillip Gross, was involved in what the Cuban government described as a Washington-backed "subversive project" to "topple the Revolution," Reuters reported.

Related Stories

Gross, a 61-year-old resident of Potomac, Md., a suburb of Washington, was convicted of "acts against the independence and territorial integrity of the state'' for working to set up illegal Internet networks for Cuban dissidents using "sophisticated" communications technology.

Prosecutors had asked for a 20-year sentence for Gross, who has been detained in the maximum-security jail Villa Marista in Havana since his arrest on Dec. 3, 2009. He can appeal his case to Cuba's highest court, Reuters said.

"Today's sentencing adds another injustice to Alan Gross's ordeal," said National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor. "He has already spent too many days in detention and should not spend one more. We urge the immediate release of Mr. Gross so that he can return home to his wife and family."

Gross had been sent to the island under a "democracy-building" program of the United States Agency for International Development that Cuba says is meant to destabilize or overthrow the government.

His detention strained relations between Cuba and the U.S., coming at a time when President Obama had promised to open communications with the Cuban people. The Obama administration has since loosened some travel restrictions to Cuba and lifted limits on remittances for people in the U.S. with relatives on the island.

Washington has repeatedly demanded Gross' release, saying that he was on the island to set up Internet access for Cuba's Jewish community, which numbers 1,200. But Jewish community leaders kept their distance from Gross since his arrest.

Havana prosecutors said Gross was "targeting young people, universities, religious groups, women's groups, racial groups and cultural types," Reuters said.

Gross was in Cuba on a tourist visa and was preparing to board a plane at José Martí International Airport to return to America when he was nabbed.

His wife, Judy Gross, who attended his two-day trial last week in Havana, has asked for his freedom on humanitarian grounds. He is ailing, she says, and their 26-year-old daughter and Gross' 88-year-old mother both have cancer.

Some political analysts have said that a political solution will be reached to allow Gross to go free soon. Others disagree, saying that Cuba has shown little desire to improve relations with the United States, which has imposed a trade embargo on the island since 1962.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>Alan GrossCuba-U.S. relationsCuban crimesdailyguidanceTommy VictorUnited States Agency for International DevelopmentLuisita Lopez Torregrosa2011-03-12T17:24:00+00:0021 Priests in Philadelphia Suspended on Sex Abuse Allegationshttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/08/21-priests-in-philadelphia-suspended-on-sex-abuse-allegations/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/08/21-priests-in-philadelphia-suspended-on-sex-abuse-allegations/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/08/21-priests-in-philadelphia-suspended-on-sex-abuse-allegations/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia on Tuesday placed 21 priests on administrative leave following a damning grand jury report last month -- the second investigation of sex abuse by priests in recent years -- that said up to 37 clerics suspected of abuse remained in ministry.

Rigali suspended the priests on the eve of Ash Wednesday and the penitential season of Lent. In a statement, Rigali expressed his "sorrow" for the abuse of children by clergy.

"I am truly sorry for the harm done to the victims of sexual abuse, as well as to the members of our community who suffer as a result of this great evil and crime," Rigali said.

The grand jury charged three priests and a parochial school teacher with raping and assaulting boys in their care, while a former official with the Philadelphia Archdiocese was accused of allowing the abusive priests to have access to children. Most of the cases were beyond the statute of limitations and could not be prosecuted.

Several of the 37 priests cited by the grand jury had been suspended from ministry before Tuesday's action or were incapacitated and have not been in active ministry, the archdiocese said. Two other priests no longer serve in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and are members of religious orders, whose leaders have been notified of the accusations.

Eight priests cited by the grand jury were cleared by an independent examination, the archdiocese said.

The revelations have rocked the Catholic Church in Philadelphia and threaten to reopen the abuse scandal that the U.S. hierarchy has tried to put behind it.

Shortly after the grand jury report was released, Rigali hired Gina Maisto Smith, a former Philadelphia assistant district attorney who has prosecuted child sexual assault cases for nearly two decades, to lead a review of the 37 cases.

"I was given the unlimited freedom to do a thorough review with full access to all files and documents," Smith said in the statement.

She will now lead a team that includes a "nationally renowned pediatrician" in the field of child abuse, a forensic psychiatrist and psychologist, an expert from the child advocacy community and other experts in investigating the remaining cases more fully.

"These administrative leaves are interim measures," Rigali stressed. "They are not in any way final determinations or judgments."

Tuesday's action was one of the most sweeping in the decade since widespread revelations of child sexual abuse by clergy began battering the Catholic Church, and they indicate that the church is still in the midst of what has been called the "Long Lent" of American Catholicism.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>CardinalJustinRigaliCatholic sexual abuse scandalgrand juryGrandJuryPhiladelphiaphiladelphia archdiocesepriests suspendedDavid Gibson2011-03-08T18:32:00+00:00Stung: NPR Execs Caught in Candid Chat With Would-be Muslim Donorshttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/08/stung-npr-execs-caught-in-candid-chat-with-would-be-muslim-dono/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/08/stung-npr-execs-caught-in-candid-chat-with-would-be-muslim-dono/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/08/stung-npr-execs-caught-in-candid-chat-with-would-be-muslim-dono/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

A video made surreptitiously by a conservative sting artist shows phony, would-be Muslim donors meeting with two NPR fundraisers who are caught on the tape making candid, awkward comments about the Republican Party -- and also talking bluntly about the ouster of commentator Juan Williams.

The sting operation, produced by conservative activist James O'Keefe, shows NPR fundraisers Ron Schiller (who has since announced his departure from NPR) and Betsy Liley at lunch with two men masquerading as wealthy Muslim donors. That the NPR people appear to tell the supposed contributors what they want to hear is not an unusual approach for fundraisers.

But against the backdrop of a possible cut off of NPR funding proposed by the GOP-controlled U.S. House, Schiller can be heard saying that "very little of our funding comes from the government." That is correct. "In the long run," he said, "we would be better off without federal funding." That's at least debatable. Then, talking about the GOP, Schiller added: "The current Republican Party, particularly the tea party, is fanatically involved in people's personal lives and very fundamental Christian -- and I wouldn't even call it Christian." In answer to a leading question about the tea party movement, he adds, "Basically, they believe in white, middle America, gun toting -- it's pretty scary. They're seriously racist."

Schiller, who said Tuesday night his resignation as NPR Foundation's senior vice president for development would take effect immediately, went on to say that he was proud that NPR let Juan Williams go last year after Williams said on Fox News he would be concerned if he boarded a plane with fellow passengers in Muslim garb. "He lost all credibility and that breaks your ethics as a journalist." Schiller says.

NPR, in a statement, said: "The fraudulent organization represented in the video repeatedly pressed us to accept a $5 million check, with no strings attached, which we repeatedly refused to accept. We are appalled by the comments made by Ron Schiller in the video, which are contrary to what NPR stands for. Mr. Schiller announced last week he is leaving NPR for another job."

O'Keefe's Project Veritas gained notoriety in 2009 in another covertly made video that showed individuals posing as a pimp and prostitute seeming to get advice on gaming the tax system from a representative of ACORN, a liberal community activist organization. O'Keefe went too far last year when he and three others were charged with attempting to tamper with the phone lines in Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu's New Orleans office. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, received three years' probation, a $1,500 fine and 100 hours of community service.

Watch the new video, courtesy YouTube.


 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>acornjames okeefemuslimNPRPolitics Daily Staff2011-03-08T12:50:00+00:00Rep. Alcee Hastings Sued for Sexual Harassment of Former Aidehttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/08/rep-alcee-hastings-sued-for-sexual-harassment-of-former-aide/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/08/rep-alcee-hastings-sued-for-sexual-harassment-of-former-aide/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/08/rep-alcee-hastings-sued-for-sexual-harassment-of-former-aide/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

A conservative group with a proclivity for filing lawsuits has sued Florida Rep. Alcee Hastings, accusing the 74-year-old Democrat of sexual harassment of a woman who worked for a commission he once led.

Judicial Watch says Hastings made "unwelcome sexual advances" on policy adviser Winsome Packer between January 2008 and February 2010, when he co-chaired the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Washington Post reports. Hastings, who is divorced, denies the allegations.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, also accuses Hastings of retaliating against Packer after she rebuffed him -- threatening her job with the panel and marginalizing her. The harassment allegedly included unwanted hugs, "humiliating and inappropriate" questions in public settings and an invitation to accompany him alone to his hotel room.

"Ms. Packer was particularly vulnerable to such threats because she was a Republican working for the Democratically-controlled commission," the lawsuit asserts. ". . . Eventually, the emotional distress, anxiety and humiliation caused by the sexual harassment and retaliation caused Ms. Packer to suffer severe health problems and forced her to leave her prestigious position."

The commission, also known as the Helsinki Commission, and its former staff director Fred Turner, are also named as defendants. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and a public admission from Hastings that he violated Packer's rights.

Hastings, who gave up the commission leadership after Democrats lost control of the House last year, said a draft of the complaint that he'd seen was filled with "numerous inaccuracies and untruths." He told the Post, "I have never sexually harassed anyone. In fact, I am insulted that these ludicrous allegations are being made against me. When all the facts are known in this case, the prevailing sentiment will be, 'How bizarre.' "

In its 16-year history, Judicial Watch has filed dozens of lawsuits, mostly against Democrats, including at least 18 against the administration of former President Bill Clinton. Packer, a native of Jamaica, self-published a novel last year titled "A Personal Agenda," which was "inspired by her own experiences" and "offers a unique look at political relationships and aims to show that racial, cultural and sexual harassment knows no color," according to a publicist's news release.

Hastings, too, has a history. Now in his 10th term, he was accused of bribery and perjury, impeached by the U.S. House and removed from his post as a federal judge in 1989.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>Alcee HastingsdailyguidanceJudicial Watchsexual harassmentPolitics Daily Staff2011-03-08T10:50:00+00:00'Daily Show' Hot on the Trail of AWOL Wisconsin Lawmakershttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/08/daily-show-hot-on-the-trail-of-awol-wisconsin-lawmakers/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/08/daily-show-hot-on-the-trail-of-awol-wisconsin-lawmakers/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/08/daily-show-hot-on-the-trail-of-awol-wisconsin-lawmakers/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Where are the "Wisconsin 14"? "Daily Show" correspondent John Oliver tried to track down the missing Democratic state senators who are frustrating Gov. Scott Walker's bid to curtail the collective bargaining rights of public employee unions.

Monday on the Comedy Central program, the trail led faux reporter Oliver to the "notorious, lawless region" of Illinois, where he was forced to go through a series of checkpoints -- fast food drive-throughs on a tacky commercial strip -- in the "Rockford Province" before finding former Illinois governor (and "notorious former warlord") Rod Blagojevich.

The ex-governor, who is facing a retrial this year on the corruption charges that got him thrown out of office, played it straight. "I don't know where they are," he told the intrepid newshound, adding that the missing senators are "standing up for working people" in Wisconsin. Along the way, Oliver also interviewed a tea party activist who said some of the lawmakers had been spotted at a tavern described as a "Scottish-type Hooters."

Finally Oliver encountered state Sen. Jon Erpenbach in what appeared to be a darkened motel room. While the legislator talked earnestly of the situation in Madison, Oliver peppered him with spoofy, provocative questions ("Why do you hate American democracy?") and then provided a false translation of his responses. "I'm just a typical guy from Wisconsin," poor Erpenbach insisted.

It was all in fun, of course. "The Daily Show" is a fake news program, although it touches on real issues and does some authentic reporting.

Watch the video, courtesy "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart."


 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>comedy centraldailyguidanceJohn Oliverjon stewartrod Blagojevichscott walkerTom Diemer2011-03-08T09:19:00+00:00D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray Denies Allegations of Illicit Payments During Campaignhttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/07/d-c-mayor-vincent-gray-denies-allegations-of-illicit-payments-d/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/07/d-c-mayor-vincent-gray-denies-allegations-of-illicit-payments-d/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/07/d-c-mayor-vincent-gray-denies-allegations-of-illicit-payments-d/#commentsFiled under:

Vincent Gray, mayor of Washington, D.C., is denying allegations by a former mayoral candidate -- and later an administration employee -- who says he was paid to ramp up attacks on then-mayor Adrian Fenty during last year's campaign.

At a weekend press conference, however, the mayor acknowledged his administration "made missteps" in the way it vetted candidates for jobs, The Washington Post reported Monday.

"We have taken steps to address those missteps," Gray said Sunday, without providing details.

The allegations come from Sulaimon Brown, who was hired at the city's Department of Health Care Finance after the campaign. He was on the job -- which he alleges was part of his reward for the attacks -- just a month before he was fired.

Brown says he was given a series of payments by Lorraine Green, Gray's campaign chair and adviser, and campaign consultant Howard Brooks between June 24 and the Sept. 14 Democratic primary, according to the Post.

"We met at Union Station, out front. The initial payment was in cash, in a plain white envelope," Brown told Washington's WTTG-TV.

Green and Brooks have denied the allegations that they paid Brown to continue his attacks against Fenty.

Brown has provided a number of text messages that he says are from the mayor and that show he was promised an administration job.

The Post said the mayor called on the city attorney general's office to investigate.

"If somebody did that, then they ought to be subject to whatever justice is required," Gray said of the allegations. "I would never condone anything like that, period, point blank."

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>dailyguidanceMayor Vincent GraySulaimon Brownwashington DCChristopher Weber2011-03-07T11:31:00+00:00Sen. Tom Coburn Talks to Ethics Panel in John Ensign Probehttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/03/sen-tom-coburn-talks-to-ethics-panel-in-john-ensign-probe/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/03/sen-tom-coburn-talks-to-ethics-panel-in-john-ensign-probe/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/03/sen-tom-coburn-talks-to-ethics-panel-in-john-ensign-probe/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) spoke privately with Senate investigators looking into Sen. John Ensign's affair with a former staffer, Politico reported Thursday.

The news of Coburn's conversation with members of the Senate Ethics Committee is the first information about the Ensign probe since the panel appointed a special counsel, Carol Elder Bruce, last month.

Coburn and the Nevada Republican are longtime friends. Politico said Coburn's appearance before the panel took place "recently."

Ensign has not yet been interviewed by ethics investigators.

He is being investigated over his admitted affair with Cynthia Hampton, his former campaign treasurer. Her husband, Doug Hampton, was once a member of Ensign's congressional staff.

The ethics panel is looking into whether Ensign broke federal law and congressional rules by helping Doug Hampton find lobbying work after he left the senator's office in April 2008. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Ensign, 52, caught a big break late last year when federal prosecutors announced he would not face charges related to payments he made following the extramarital affair.

The Federal Election Commission dismissed a complaint against Ensign over a $96,000 payment his parents made to his former mistress and her family. The FEC disagreed with allegations that the money given to Cynthia Hampton amounted to an illegal political donation.

The appointment of a special prosecutor suggests the probe could last well into the 2012 election season.

Ensign is moving forward with his reelection campaign, despite concerns by some Republicans that the scandal could hurt GOP chances in Nevada. He has been raising money simultaneously for his campaign and his legal defense.

A poll last month by the Las Vegas Review-Journal found Ensign trailing his potential GOP challenger, Rep. Dean Heller, by 15 points.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>dailyguidancejohn ensignsenate ethics committeetom coburnChristopher Weber2011-03-03T20:00:00+00:00WikiLeaks Suspect Bradley Manning Hit With 22 New Chargeshttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/03/wikileaks-suspect-bradley-manning-hit-with-22-new-charges/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/03/wikileaks-suspect-bradley-manning-hit-with-22-new-charges/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/03/wikileaks-suspect-bradley-manning-hit-with-22-new-charges/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, the suspected source of many of the hundreds of thousands of classified documents turned over to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks, has been hit with 22 additional charges, including "aiding the enemy," which carries the death penalty on conviction.

Military prosecutors, however, have told Manning's lawyers they will not recommend capital punishment in the case that, if tried, would go before a court-martial. Manning, 23, is being held at a military brig in Quantico, Va., on earlier accusations related to leaks when he was an intelligence specialist in Iraq.

Charges brought Wednesday under the Uniform Code of Military Justice include aiding the enemy -- the "enemy" is not specified -- wrongly causing intelligence to be posted on the Internet, and violating Army regulations on information security, the Washington Post reported. The government asserts that WikiLeaks' posting of Iraq and Afghanistan war documents and also State Department cables put soldiers and civilians at risk.

"The new charges more accurately reflect the broad scope of the crimes that Pfc. Manning is accused of committing," Army spokesman Capt. John Haberland said. If convicted on all charges, Manning could face life in prison.

In a separate matter Tuesday in London, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange appealed an extradition order that would force him to return to Sweden to answer sex offense complaints. The appeal could drag on for two or three months, an Assange attorney told CNN.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>Bradley Manning and Julian AssangedailyguidanceTom Diemer2011-03-03T09:56:00+00:00'Anonymous' Activists Hit Conservative Website Over Wisconsin Protestshttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/28/anonymous-activists-hit-conservative-website-over-wisconsin-pr/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/28/anonymous-activists-hit-conservative-website-over-wisconsin-pr/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/28/anonymous-activists-hit-conservative-website-over-wisconsin-pr/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

The shadowy activists who call themselves "Anonymous," and who made headlines last year for attacking websites opposed to WikiLeaks, have entered the Wisconsin budget fight fray.

The group temporarily knocked out a site belonging to Americans For Prosperity, a political organization backed by David and Charles Koch. In a press release, "Anonymous" said Sunday's denial of service attack was to protest the billionaire brothers' support of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who is seeking to end collective bargaining rights for state workers' unions.

From the release:

The Koch brothers have made a science of fabricating 'grassroots' organizations and advertising campaigns to support them in an attempt to sway voters based on their falsehoods. Americans for Prosperity, Club for Growth and Citizens United are just a few of these organizations. In a world where corporate money has become the lifeblood of political influence, the labor unions are one of the few ways citizens have to fight against corporate greed. Anonymous cannot ignore the plight of the citizen-workers of Wisconsin, or the opportunity to fight for the people in America's broken political system. For these reasons, we feel that the Koch brothers threaten the United States democratic system and, by extension, all freedom-loving individuals everywhere. As such, we have no choice but to spread the word of the Koch brothers' political manipulation, their single-minded intent and the insidious truth of their actions in Wisconsin, for all to witness.

"Anonymous" called for a boycott of paper and other products associated with the brothers' company, Koch Industries.

Sunday's DNS attack, which cripples a site by inundating it with information, appears to have made Americans for Prosperity "intermittently unavailable," Politico reported. The site was back up Monday.

The Koch brothers and representatives for Americans for Prosperity have not commented.

Read the complete "Anonymous" release here.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>americans for prosperityAnonymousdailyguidancedenial of service attacksgov. scott walkerkoch brothersKoch industrieswisconsin protestsChristopher Weber2011-02-28T12:15:00+00:00Exorcist Priest and Abortion Scold Falls From Grace, Rocks the Catholic Righthttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/16/exorcist-priest-and-abortion-scold-falls-from-grace-rocks-the-c/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/16/exorcist-priest-and-abortion-scold-falls-from-grace-rocks-the-c/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/16/exorcist-priest-and-abortion-scold-falls-from-grace-rocks-the-c/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

A Catholic priest who traveled the country performing exorcisms and launching fierce attacks against anyone he viewed as insufficiently tough on abortion -- he once suggested Fox News host Sean Hannity was a "heretic" for saying birth control could be a better option than abortion -- has been removed from ministry for sexually exploiting at least one woman he was treating for demonic possession.

The surprising revelations about Father Thomas Euteneuer, who was for a decade the charismatic leader of Human Life International (HLI), a Catholic anti-abortion lobby, have not only stunned his many fans among church conservatives but have also left them sharply divided.

Some of Euteneuer's avid disciples continue to praise him as a prophet who confessed to a single and very human failing, while others feel betrayed and say the priest and his organization are so hypocritical they have hurt the sacred cause of protecting the unborn. Critics also say that the full story of Euteneuer's misdeeds has still not been told, and that policies on exorcism must be tightened to prevent further abuses.

"In my opinion, from now on, for the good of the faithful, all exorcisms should be done in the presence of at least one other person besides the priest," Matt Abbott, a Catholic columnist for the conservative website RenewAmerica.com, wrote in an e-mail. "That person, or persons, should be vetted by the Church and law enforcement and should not be a personal friend of the priest performing the exorcism."

Church officials say that there is currently no requirement that someone be present during an exorcism apart from the priest and the person who is possessed, though some dioceses and individual exorcists do encourage a "team approach" to exorcism.

Exorcism is enjoying something of a renaissance both in popular culture and in the Catholic Church. "The Rite," a movie about training priests to perform exorcisms and starring Anthony Hopkins, was released in January to strong reviews and box office returns. The movie is based on the real-life experiences of a California priest, Father Gary Thomas, who went to the Vatican to learn about exorcisms.

And just last November, 66 priests and 56 bishops turned out for a two-day seminar sponsored by the American hierarchy to teach clerics about exorcisms and hopefully ease the shortage of priests authorized to formally cast out demons; reports of demonic possession are overwhelming the handful of exorcists in the United States, church officials say.

Euteneuer was one of those few priests with a mandate to conduct exorcisms, and that job, along with his campaign against abortion for HLI (based in Front Royal, Va.), kept him traveling around the country and in demand in conservative Catholic circles. That popularity also made his fall from grace all the more disheartening for those who had seen Euteneuer as an inspiration.

"I'm drained and depressed, not to mention angry. Cynical as well," Abbott wrote in a Jan. 29 column.

Questions about Euteneuer, a handsome, square-jawed 48-year-old, first arose last August when he abruptly resigned as president of HLI. He had been living in Virginia while heading up the organization, but as a priest of the Diocese of Palm Beach, Fla., he was subject to the authority of Bishop Gerald Barbarito, who ordered him back to Florida.

Euteneuer portrayed the move as a return to the life of a parish priest that he had always wanted, and as a much-needed respite from his labors.

"It has been 15 years since I last had any significant time for renewal, and after traveling more than 1.1 million miles, authoring two books, visiting 58 countries and making thousands of public appearances, I am ready for a break!" Euteneuer wrote in the HLI bulletin. "I intend to continue to do pro-life work wherever I may be called to serve, and my bishop agrees that this is a vital charism of my priestly life. A true pro-lifer is not oriented to a job so much as to the daily task of fighting the culture of death and building the culture of life!"

Fellow conservatives like Deacon Keith Fournier praised him as a "heroic priest" and the board of directors of Human Life International released a statement on Aug. 27 effusively praising Euteneuer for 10 years "of meritorious service to HLI" and for "his leadership, hard work and dedication."

In reality, however, Euteneuer had been forced to resign after being accused of inappropriate relations with a "young adult woman" on whom he was performing an exorcism.

Euteneuer's departure from HLI, while lamented, did raise some eyebrows because it was such a sudden about-face from his longtime public profile.

Indeed, for years Euteneuer had been known as a no-holds barred campaigner against abortion who never missed any opportunity to blast a foe and earn a headline. When Sen. Edward Kennedy died in 2009, for example, he wrote that the liberal Democrat "will not be missed by the unborn who he betrayed time and time again, nor by the rest of us who are laboring to undo the scandalous example of Catholicism that he gave to three generations of Americans."

Euteneuer's verbal punch-up with Hannity during an on-air exchange in 2007 was also a classic, as Euteneuer suggested Hannity was a heretic and said he would deny him Communion because the Fox News host thought it might be better that non-Catholics use birth control rather than risk having an abortion.


In 2010, Euteneuer ripped a well-known Jesuit priest, Father James Martin, because Martin had criticized Pope Benedict XVI for seeming to rank gay marriage as a threat to life on par with abortion. "If the Holy Father's proclamation of the unchanging truth makes Father Martin uncomfortable, then it's time for Father Martin to hang up his collar," Euteneuer said.

Also in 2010, Euteneuer's high-octane campaign against an abortion clinic in Fort Pierce, Fla., became the subject of an HBO documentary, "12th and Delaware."

(Even small fry were not beyond Euteneuer's notice; he so disliked my report on the resignation of the bishop of Scranton -- a friend of Euteneuer's -- that he issued a statement calling me "anti-Catholic" and a "dishonest hack" with a "sick media mind." I've been called far worse, of course, and I was in good company in that Euteneuer included "many" American bishops in his condemnation.)

Finally, in January, The Palm Beach Post wrote a story raising questions about Euteneuer's fate, and noting that HLI had dropped Euteneuer's new book on exorcism from its website despite strong sales. But even then the pro-life organization denied anything was amiss.

"Rumors that the book was 'pulled' or 'recalled' are not true," HLI spokesman Stephen Phelan told The Post. He said the book, "Exorcism and the Church Militant," sold out in three months and HLI decided not to publish any more since Euteneuer was no longer president. (Used copies still sell for hundreds of dollars in the Internet.)

That story seemed to crystallize suspicions that Euteneuer was involved in a scandal, and on Jan. 31 the priest acknowledged in a lengthy statement that while performing an exorcism, "one particularly complex situation clouded my judgment and led me to imprudent decisions with harmful consequences, the worst of which was violating the boundaries of chastity with an adult female who was under my spiritual care."

It wasn't clear exactly what Euteneuer did with the woman, as he said the "violations of chastity happened due to human weakness but did not involve the sexual act." ("Bill Clinton would be proud of that," Hannity quipped on his show a couple days later.) Euteneuer insisted it was a lapse with one person only, and he apologized repeatedly and took full responsibility for his failure.

But he also could not resist taking a swipe at his detractors, writing that "I am shocked to the depths of my being at the malicious efforts by supposedly faithful Catholics to destroy a priest who has served the Church faithfully for 22 years." He denounced efforts to drag out the truth as a "sinful campaign" and asked that this single episode not undermine all his work on behalf of the unborn.

At the same time Euteneuer was coming clean, Bishop Barbarito circulated an internal memo to the priests of the Palm Beach diocese informing them that Euteneuer was "undergoing intensive evaluation and counseling to address admitted inappropriate crossing of adult heterosexual boundaries on the occasion of carrying out his priestly ministry." Barbarito said no decision had been made on when Euteneuer would return to ministry.

Then, two days later, Human Life International released a statement confirming that in fact they had received allegations against Euteneuer in August last year that led to his departure. But HLI defended its decision not to disclose any wrongdoing at the time by citing church teaching on "the duty to avoid scandal."

The HLI statement also noted that, contrary to Euteneuer's confession, HLI had "subsequently learned of additional allegations in connection with his exorcism ministry." The organization did not provide details on the other cases and there has been no further word from the Palm Beach diocese about where the investigation of Euteneuer stands.

On Feb. 4, the interim head of HLI, Monsignor Ignacio Barreiro-Carámbula of New York, added to the uncertainty about Euteneuer's case by announcing that the organization had been "under legal constraint not to speak publicly about the matter" and that the victim in the case had been "gravely harmed" by Euteneuer.

In the absence of further information, the Catholic blogosphere lit up with battles between Euteneuer's fans and foes. Hannity had a bit of schadenfreude over Euteneuer's predicament, but elsewhere Catholic conservatives have been arguing fiercely.

Blogger Mark Shea cut off comments on his post about Euteneuer, saying he had made "a manly and forthright act of contrition. Good enough for me. . . . There but for the grace of God go I."

And commenters at other blogs suggested that Satan was getting back at Euteneuer for his exorcism work. "Being exposed to demons is not an easy thing," one person wrote. "Sometimes the demons will purposely twist the bodies of their victims that will have their sexual parts touch the one who is trying to remove the demons. This, I am sure must have happened several times to Father Tom." Others pinned the blame directly on the women who accused Euteneuer.

Likewise, hundreds of supporters left comments on the site hosting Euteneuer's confession, almost all of them praising him for being "courageous" and "humble" and citing Jesus' admonition, "He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone."

But others, like Matt Abbott at RenewAmerica.com, who called Euteneuer's story "a whitewash," have argued that pro-lifers must be rigorous in calling out failures among their own if the movement is to maintain its credibility.

The woman behind the Catholic blog "Journey to Therese," who would only be identified by her first name, Adele, also took that approach and has published on her site some of the toughest criticism of Euteneuer.

Adele said she felt personally betrayed because Euteneuer had traveled to her home on more than a dozen occasions between 2008 and 2010 to try to treat what she believed was the demonic possession of a family member.

Adele told me she was deeply upset with Euteneuer over his failing and said she believed there were many other instances. But she also said that because of her critical coverage of Euteneuer she had received numerous "threatening" e-mails that were so disturbing she had referred them to the authorities for investigation.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>abuseexorcismexorcistsFather Thomas EuteneuerHuman Life InternationalDavid Gibson2011-02-16T11:14:00+00:00Nevada GOP Senate Fight Brewing as John Ensign Challenger Emergeshttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/15/nevada-gop-senate-fight-brewing-as-john-ensign-challenger-emerge/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/15/nevada-gop-senate-fight-brewing-as-john-ensign-challenger-emerge/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/15/nevada-gop-senate-fight-brewing-as-john-ensign-challenger-emerge/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), fighting an ethics investigation on Capitol Hill, may soon face a challenge within his own party from Rep. Dean Heller, who has been encouraged by a favorable survey of his Senate prospects.

"I am taking a serious look at the race for U.S. Senate," Heller said in a statement to the Las Vegas Sun's Jon Ralston. The poll, taken for Heller last month by the nationally known Tarrance Group, gave him a 15-point lead in a hypothetical match-up with Ensign. The sample of 601 likely Republican voters had a margin of error of plus or minus four points.

An independent survey, conducted in early January by Public Policy Polling, also showed Heller with a substantial edge over Ensign in a two-person primary.

In Washington, Ensign has been dogged by reports of his extramarital affair with the wife of his former chief of staff, Doug Hampton. The Senate Ethics Committee has named a special counsel to investigate whether he broke the law or Senate rules in trying to get lobbying work for his former aide. But the two-term senator has said his 2012 campaign is going "full speed ahead."

Heller, who won a third U.S. House term last November, said he would announce a decision on the Senate race in the "near future." Nevada Democrats, who got Senate Majority leader Harry Reid reelected in 2010, might prefer the wounded Ensign as an opponent for their yet-to-be-determined candidate in 2012. The Nevada seat would be a key pickup for Democrats as they struggle to hold their majority in the Senate next year.

Dave Sackett, who oversaw the poll for Tarrance, said in a memo that the incumbent's base among Republicans was crumbling across the state, according to the Sun.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>dailyguidancedean hellerharry reidJohn EnsignTom Diemer2011-02-15T13:18:00+00:00Assange, Berlusconi and the Sex Lives of Othershttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/14/waiting-for-art-assange-berlusconi-and-the-sex-lives-of-other/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/14/waiting-for-art-assange-berlusconi-and-the-sex-lives-of-other/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/14/waiting-for-art-assange-berlusconi-and-the-sex-lives-of-other/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

LONDON -- In his impassioned defense of Bill Clinton during the Senate's 1999 impeachment trial, Arkansas Sen. Dale Bumpers paraphrased a famous quote by the journalist H.L. Mencken: "When you hear somebody say, 'This is not about money' -- it's about money. And when you hear somebody say, 'This is not about sex' -- it's about sex."

How true. Back then, we all said that what we really cared about was whether President Clinton had lied under oath. But what we really focused on was the prurient testimony of one Monica Lewinsky, with her sordid tales of stained blue dresses and the creative use of cigars.

The same could be said of two legal cases currently drawing headlines in Europe: those of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy.

In Assange's case, the main legal issue at his extradition hearing in London last week was whether the arrest warrant issued by the Swedish government for allegations of rape was executed properly. The hearing also addressed whether he could, in fact, get a fair trial in Sweden.

But what many people will remember most about this case long after it's resolved will be the closing arguments made by Assange's lawyers last Friday. At one point, his defense attorney described the claim by one of the women in question -- known as Miss A -- who has accused Assange of ripping off her clothes, snapping a necklace, pinning her down and trying to force himself on her without wearing a condom.

The defense's interpretation of that act: Assange using the weight of his body to pin her down "describes what is usually termed the missionary position," the lawyer said. He added that "sexual encounters have their ups and downs, their ebbs and flows. What may be unwanted one moment can with further empathy become desired."

And then the coup de grace: "If Sweden [said] sucking toes without washing . . . is rape . . . then that would be an extradition offense?"

Sucking toes? The missionary position? Assange's attorney had a legal aim in dragging up all this titillating stuff. He wanted both to call into question the inherently murky concept of "consent" as well as to demonstrate the lack of "double criminality" - i.e., that the allegations made against Assange were offenses under both Swedish and English law. (Rape laws in Sweden are a good deal more flexible than the narrower definitions elsewhere, including in the U.K.)

There's no question that rape is an inherently difficult topic to address legally, as my colleague Sarah Wildman has argued on these pages before. And it's worth noting that the prosecution wasn't buying Assange's defense. Acting on behalf of Sweden, chief prosecutor Clare Montgomery said that, with respect to Miss A's claims: "In popular language, that's violence." She also referenced the claims of a second woman, "Miss B," who alleges that Assange had sex with her while she was sleeping: "If you penetrate a sleeping woman, there's an evidential assumption that she did not consent."

We'll know the outcome of the extradition hearing -- which will determine whether Assange must return to Sweden for further questioning about these alleged rapes -- on Feb. 24.

But I guarantee that regardless how the British court rules, what the public will most remember is the image of Assange sucking someone's toes.

Of course, all of that pales in comparison to the details leaking out of the investigation into Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's private life. Last week, Italian prosecutors requested that he be put on trial immediately for sex-related offenses that carry a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.

At issue is whether the prime minister paid an underage prostitute to have sex with him and whether, in turn, he used the power of his office to cover up the alleged crime. Early Tuesday, a judge decided to fast-track a trial, which will begin April 6 in Milan. A panel of three judges -- all women -- will hear the case.

But even though it is the abuse-of-office charge that carries the much steeper sentence (up to 12 years vs. up to three for paying for sex with a minor), it is sexual offense -- coming on the heels of several other recent disclosures -- that has attracted the ire of the Italian public, and Italian women in particular.

As part of the investigation, prosecutors raided a series of properties Berlusconi owns in Milan that were allegedly used to house a "harem" of young women who dressed up in nurse's outfits and policemen's uniforms and performed striptease for the Italian leader. In these properties, police allegedly found sex toys, expensive jewelry and envelopes stuffed with 20,000 Euros ($27,000).

As I wrote in an earlier post, Berlusconi has always been the proverbial politician with nine lives, surviving scandal after scandal surrounding his often colorful relationships with women. But there is a sense that Italy has finally had enough.

On Sunday, thousands of Italians took to the streets in some 200 cities across the country to protest Berlusconi's attitudes toward women. The largest event was in Rome, where organizers said 100,000 people gathered under the slogan "If not now, when?"


Women's groups in particular are fed up with the way women are portrayed in the Italian media (which is largely owned by Berlusconi himself). For them, the current scandal highlights a troubling message: the way for a woman to get ahead in Italy is to sell her soul, if not her body, to powerful men.

The Assange and Berlusconi cases hinge on whether each committed a criminal offense. But we already know way more about their sex lives than we possibly could have imagined back in the days when "Julian Assange" was just a weird, secretive computer hacker who seemed to have wandered off the film set of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."

And that's just how we -- as a public -- want it.

Follow Delia on Twitter.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>berlusconi sex scandalberlusconi trialberlusconi underage prostituteberlusconi women protestsjulian assange extradition hearingjulian assange rapejulian assange rape chargesDelia Lloyd2011-02-14T22:30:00+00:00Ex-Rep. Chris Lee, Wife in Retreat While Craigslist Ad-Placer Yesha Callahan Speaks Outhttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/13/ex-rep-chris-lee-wife-in-retreat-while-craigslist-ad-placer-ye/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/13/ex-rep-chris-lee-wife-in-retreat-while-craigslist-ad-placer-ye/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/13/ex-rep-chris-lee-wife-in-retreat-while-craigslist-ad-placer-ye/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

And now, just in time for Valentine's Day, news of two women in the Craigslist congressman's tumultuous life: Michele Lee, his anguished spouse, and Yesha Callahan, who placed the "women seeking men" personals ad that derailed a promising political career and could wreck his marriage.

Mrs. Lee, 44, rushed from Buffalo to the ultra-posh and private Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Florida, "hoping to work things out" with ex-Rep. Chris Lee, 46, the New York Post reports. The second-term New York Republican abruptly quit the House on Wednesday just hours after Gawker.com broke the story that he had lied about being a divorced lobbyist in a personals ad. He also sent a shirtless muscle photo of himself to the woman who placed the ad.

The "humiliated" wife and her hard-partying, millionaire second husband, 46, are said to be holed up at the same exclusive club where the fallen lawmaker's father, Patrick Lee, owns a $4 million home.

Related Stories

"'She's crushed -- this was supposed to be her prince charming,'" the Post quotes a friend of Michele. She fretted over his "extended solo stays in Washington," and urged him to spend more time in Buffalo, said another pal. Her first marriage to a high-school sweetheart ended after he cheated on her, according to the Post. The Lees have a young son.

"She picked a bad boy twice, which is a shame, because she's a smart woman without a mean bone in her body," a friend told the Post. "She's absolutely humiliated. She was so proud of him and what he'd accomplished."

Patrick Lee was said to be livid, having warned his son about his after-hours partying well before the Craigslist story broke. The elder Lee was "particularly enraged" over the "sloppiness of the situation" and the beefcake photo, reports the Post, which referred to Michele as "a woman porned." Patrick Lee pushed for immediate resignation "to curtail any extended embarrassment for the family," the source said. "He said, 'End it quick.'"

Meanwhile Callahan, 34 -- who anonymously outed Lee on Gawker and TheLoop21.com then went public in The Washington Post, now offers a cheeky, somewhat profane essay titled "Owning My ----" about the flap, complete with a winsome head shot, on her flyblackchick.com website.

"Sure, I'm the bad woman," she purrs, noting that some have accused her of "enticing" Lee to send her the infamous shirtless photo.

"Excuse me for not realizing 'Do you have something that doesn't look like a JCPenney Ad' is considered enticing nowadays. Maybe I'll use it more often. Maybe it'll keep me off of Craigslist. Maybe it'll yield me a financially & emotionally stable man. I mean anything is possible right?"

She chided "all of you holier than thous out there" for suggesting that anyone seeking dates on Craigslist should expect raunchy responses.

"The same people you're meeting from Match, E-Harmony, OkCupid and whatever other high priced service you want to use, guess what...they're all on Craigslist too!" she wrote. "And if you're looking for a job, may I suggest the job ads as well...There you go, my unpaid advertisement for Craigslist."

"Also, to set the record straight, Gawker didn't pay me & I didn't ask to be paid," writes the University of Maryland faculty specialist and mother of a young son.

In a pre-emptive strike against anyone digging into her past, she offers this intel:

"If it makes you happy to go back YEARS in my history and find a state tax lien that has been satisfied, some parking violations, a few days in jail *GASP* over stupid ---- and the recent Federal lawsuit regarding the previous name of my site, then knock yourselves out. Call every local newspaper or news channel. Shout it from the rooftops if it makes you feel better. Just don't slip and fall, I don't need another lawsuit because you broke your ------- neck while doing it. Tonight I will sleep fine. Tomorrow I will sleep fine. Hopefully those people who live lily white lives with no blemishes will sleep fine as well."

Happy Valentine's Day, ladies.

As for the buff ex-Congressman who described himself to Callahan in one e-mail as a "fit, fun and classy guy," well, Happy VD to you, too.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>Christopher LeeChristopher Lee CraigslistCongressman CraigslistMichele LeeValentines Dayyesha callahanAnnie Groer2011-02-13T10:32:00+00:00New York Rep. Chris Lee Resigns Over Craigslist Dating Ad and Sexy Photohttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/09/new-york-rep-chris-lee-resigns-over-craigslist-dating-ad-and-se/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/09/new-york-rep-chris-lee-resigns-over-craigslist-dating-ad-and-se/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/09/new-york-rep-chris-lee-resigns-over-craigslist-dating-ad-and-se/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

What started last month with an anonymous woman's Craigslist dating search for men who don't "look like toads" ended Wednesday with the resignation of two-term Rep. Christopher Lee, R-N.Y., a married father who passed himself off as a divorced lobbyist when he sent her a topless muscle photo of himself.

Gawker.com broke the story about the lying lawmaker under the headline "Married GOP Congressman Sent Sexy Pictures to Craigslist Babe."

Within hours, he had quit his $174,000-a-year job and issued this statement:

"I regret the harm that my actions have caused my family, my staff and my constituents. I deeply and sincerely apologize to them all. I have made profound mistakes and I promise to work as hard as I can to seek their forgiveness. The challenges we face in Western New York and across the country are too serious for me to allow this distraction to continue, and so I am announcing that I have resigned my seat in Congress effective immediately."

Answering a Washington-area "Women for Men" ad last month, Lee described himself as 39, divorced, a lobbyist and a "fit, fun classy guy." And to prove it, he e-mailed the shirtless photo to the unnamed government worker from Maryland.

Once she figured out the man she thought might have been a JC Penney model was actually a 46-year-old congressman, she went to Gawker with copies of their bantering e-mails about bad Craigslist dates.

Lee wouldn't discuss the incident Wednesday afternoon when intercepted by Fox News enroute to his car, saying, "I have to work this out with my wife."

He resigned later in the afternoon. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to set a date for a special election to fill Lee's seat.

For a while it seemed he might try to tough it out. A Lee spokesman earlier told Gawker that Lee believed his e-mail account had been hacked around Jan. 21, although the date on the e-mails containing the topless Blackberry portrait was dated Jan. 14.

In the warp-speed world of online news, the Gawker story was added to Lee's Wikipedia profile by mid-afternoon, though it should be noted that in the case of the fit, fun philanderer, he was answering, not placing, an ad.

"In February of 2011 Representative Chris Lee was found to have been posting personal ads on Craigslist looking for women and lying about his age and marriage after e-mails and risque photos he sent to a woman were uncovered."

http://gawker.com/#!5756377/craigslist-congressman-resigns

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>chris leechris lee craigslistchris lee resignationchris lee shirtless photoCraigslistGawkerAnnie Groer2011-02-09T17:00:00+00:00Berlusconi Could Face Trial Soon on Sex Chargeshttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/09/berlusconi-could-face-trial-soon-on-sex-charges/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/09/berlusconi-could-face-trial-soon-on-sex-charges/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/09/berlusconi-could-face-trial-soon-on-sex-charges/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

LONDON -- Silvio Berlusconi's ongoing legal troubles just got a whole lot worse. On Wednesday, Italian prosecutors requested that the prime minister be put on trial immediately for sex-related offenses that carry a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.

A judge now has five days to decide whether there is sufficient evidence to indict Berlusconi. If she decides that there is, she may consent to a fast-track trial. Otherwise, the process will slow down and involve the Italian parliament.

Berlusconi called the prosecutors' action "disgusting" and characterized it as an attempt to oust his government.

The formal investigation into the prime minister's private life began last month when prosecutors started looking into whether Berlusconi paid an underage prostitute -- Karima el-Mahroug (better know as Ruby Rubacuori) -- for sex last year at his mansion near Milan. She was 17 at the time, and paying for sex with a woman under 18 is a crime that carries a prison sentence of up to three years.

Prosecutors are also looking into whether Berlusconi abused his official position to cover up the alleged crime.

"Rubygate," as the scandal is now called, rose to international prominence last fall when it was learned that Berlusconi had secured the release of El Mahroug following her arrest for suspected theft. He allegedly told police that the Moroccan runaway was the granddaughter of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. A conviction for abusing his office could bring a prison sentence of up to 12 years.

Prosecutors have requested an immediate indictment on both counts. Normally, a judge would hold a preliminary hearing in cases such as this before deciding on an indictment, but Chief Prosecutor Bruti Liberati said that Berlusconi should be tried without such a hearing because of the "obviousness of the evidence" against him.

Prosecutors say that where two charges are related and one qualifies for direct indictment of the accused, a fast-track procedure can be applied to both. But Berlusconi's lawyers argue that this motion is in violation of the Italian constitution, which designates that a special tribunal deal with offenses allegedly committed by public officials. They also dispute the age of the dancer (claiming she was 18), which would render one of the charges moot.

Over the past few weeks, the scandal has snowballed. Almost daily, there have been sordid accusations of drug use as well as women in policemen's uniforms stripping at the prime minister's mansions.

The Vatican -- long silent on the matter of the prime minister's unusually colorful sex life -- publicly rebuked him in veiled but pointed language. A top church official called for "all those who hold public responsibility . . . to be committed to a more robust morality, a sense of justice and lawfulness." Pope Benedict XVI himself told an audience of police officers in Rome that public officials must "rediscover their spiritual and moral roots."

Italian women seem particularly put off by the latest round of accusations. Some 73,000 people have signed a petition on the website of the left-wing newspaper L'Unità, urging Italian women to say "enough already" to Berlusconi. A nationwide protest promoted by women is scheduled for Feb. 13.

Berlusconi has denounced the prosecutors' actions as "a disgrace" and "disgusting."

"I'm sorry that we have offended the dignity of, and thrown mud at, the country," he said, adding, "I'm not worried about myself. I'm a rich gentleman who can go on to setting up hospitals for children around the world, as I have always wanted to."

Follow Delia on Twitter.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>berlusconi fast track trialberlusconi investigationberlusconi sex offenderberlusconi sex scandalberlusconi trialsilvio berlusconiDelia Lloyd2011-02-09T09:35:00+00:00Groupon's Tibet Ad: When Edgy Goes Overboardhttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/07/groupons-tibet-ad-when-edgy-goes-overboard/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/07/groupons-tibet-ad-when-edgy-goes-overboard/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/07/groupons-tibet-ad-when-edgy-goes-overboard/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Groupon's Super Bowl ad debut featuring Tibet made a splash, but not the kind the company perhaps expected.

After spending big bucks -- about $3 million -- for the spot, plus the cost of a trendy ad firm, Groupon won not kudos but criticisms for its efforts. Now, the company is trying to explain the ads and repair the damage at the same time as it prepares for an initial public offering.

The ad began with scenes of the Himalayan land in the western part of China. Tibetans have protested their lack of freedom under the Chinese government, with many Tibetans imprisoned as a result.

"The people of Tibet are in trouble," actor Timothy Hutton says at one point. "Their very culture is in jeopardy. But they still whip up an amazing fish curry."

Then he goes on to rave about the Groupon discount he used at a Chicago restaurant. Click play below to watch ad:



Twitter lit up with backlash against the ad. One employee of the agency that created the ad, Crispin Porter+Bogusky, tweeted in response: "Pretend to be upset by our #groupon ad, but we got people talking about Tibet & are donating money. More than what you're doing." He later deleted the tweet, but it was retweeted several times. Even some Chinese were offended by the ad, according to a Forbes blog posting, a bad sign considering Groupon hopes to expand to the country. An AdWeek online column headline called the spot "Bad Taste, Pure and Simple."

One advocate of Tibetan freedom had mixed emotions about the ad.

"I was shocked to see the commercial. At first, I thought it was something positive about Tibet," said Giovanni Vassallo, president of the San Francisco Bay are chapter of Friends of Tibet. "On one level, I don't think Tibet ever gets enough news so I was really happy there was some exposure."

But, he said, "It wasn't funny. It could have been done better. It felt like it was something degrading toward the Tibet cause."

Groupon's slogan for the Tibet ad and two others was "save the money," and the Chicago-based company is raising money for The Tibet Fund and other causes at SaveTheMoney.org, with Groupon matching donations. Monday, Groupon's CEO took to his blog to explain the idea behind the ads.

"The firm that conceived the ad, Crispin Porter & Bogusky, strives to draw attention to the cultural tensions created by brands," Andrew Mason wrote. "Our ads highlight the often trivial nature of stuff on Groupon when juxtaposed against bigger world issues, making fun of Groupon."

The Groupon ad isn't the first time Crispin Porter has rubbed consumers the wrong way. The company has taken heat for anonymous viral campaigns, and once encouraged people to defriend others on Facebook in exchange for a Burger King Whopper.

"The last thing we wanted was to offend our customers - it's bad business and it's not where our hearts are," Mason concluded in his blog post.

Beyond the tastelessness of using a beleaguered people to sell something, there was the other taste debate in the ad, pointed out by Vassallo.

"It's kind of weird that they would choose fish curry, when Tibetan people don't really eat fish and curry is Indian."

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>chinacrispin porter +Boguskygroupongroupon+tibetgroupon+tibet+adgroupontibetgroupontibetadtibettibet+adtibet+groupontibetadtibetgrouponSandra Fish2011-02-07T22:15:00+00:00Mark Sanford and Maria Belen Chapur: Happily Ever After?http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/27/mark-sanford-and-maria-belen-chapur-happily-ever-after/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/27/mark-sanford-and-maria-belen-chapur-happily-ever-after/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/27/mark-sanford-and-maria-belen-chapur-happily-ever-after/#commentsFiled under: ,

Soul mates are hard to find.

But former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has likely found his, and no thanks to popular websites like Match.com and eHarmony.

Sanford, who left office on Jan. 12 when Nikki Haley was sworn in, was spotted last week at a glitzy resort in Uruguay with Maria Belen Chapur, a former Argentine journalist he calls his soul mate.

The couple fascinates the Argentine press. The Argentine celebrity magazine "Caras" published an eight-page spread on them. One picture shows Sanford in a blue polo shirt, khaki shorts, baseball cap and sunglasses holding hands with Chapur in white shorts and a gauzy top. Other pictures show the pair enjoying a day at the beach. They look, well, happy.

If Danielle Steel was writing the story of Mark and Maria, it would be a best-seller.

The popular governor of a Southern state with the heiress wife and four sons meets an exotic divorced woman, a former journalist turned commodity broker, who speaks four languages, at an open-air dance spot in Punte del Este, a jet set locale.

They become friends. They chat over the next seven years on e-mail. Suddenly, passion ignites and friendship turns to romance. But roadblocks loom everywhere. The Republican governor is a family-values man in a conservative state with a high-profile national role as the chair of the National Governors Association.

His head belongs to politics, his heart to a woman thousands of miles away. He balances home life with governing the state, but thinks constantly of the woman he will die "knowing is his soul mate."

Mark must see Maria even if it means jeopardizing his family and career. He sneaks away to Argentina without telling his staff. His absence is noticed and his wife, who knows about Maria, and says he has disappeared before. His staff says he is hiking on the Appalachian Trail. Enter an intrepid local reporter who gets a tip, meets Mark's plane from Argentina at a metropolitan airport and busts him.

Related Stories

His career is on the line. Maria is chased by media. Her e-mails are hacked and love notes are leaked to the press. Mark risks it all and gives an interview declaring Maria is his soul mate. His critics - and even some supporters - want Mark to resign. He refuses. Impeachment begins, but fails. His wife moves out of the governor's mansion. He is censured. He stays in office and true to Maria, who never sells out for fame and fortune but holds steady for love.

If Mark Sanford's story were a romance novel, we would be rooting for the love birds to live happily ever after, walking on a beach at sunset with glasses of champagne. But in real life in the United States, affairs and infidelity are looked upon as sinful, distasteful and wrong.

Sanford isn't alone in his quest for true love. Researchers have said there is a 50-50 chance that a partner will have an affair during a marriage. That includes non-physical relationships such as romance via e-mail, which is how Mark and Maria began their romance.

Although Maria is likely to get the blame for the Sanfords break-up, she was likely not the cause. As Dr. John Mordecai Gottman, a psychologist who studies marital stability, says, "Most marriages die with a whimper, as people turn away from one another, slowly growing apart."

It happens. Just look at Al and Tipper Gore. No one would have seen their split coming ten years ago - although Al and Tipper might have.

Politicians are people, too. Mark Sanford wasn't caught in a tawdry scene in a cheap motel by an interstate. It appears he fell in love. His path begs the questions: What would you do for love? Keep your current life or toss it all for "the one"? Mark and Maria walked through the fire together and came out on the other side. Loyalties tested, they both passed.

Last week, according to the Argentine press, Mark and Maria sped around town in her gray Peugeot (it would be an exotic car, wouldn't it?), passing through the neighborhood where they met 11 years ago. (That alone is admirable. It is hard enough to maintain a friendship for 11 years, much less something deeper.) They enjoyed a long lunch. They walked on the beach. They revisited Punte del Este where they met those many years ago.

"Belen and Mark took in the sun, walked hand-in-hand along the surf and kissed passionately, showing that long-distance love, in the electronic age, is not impossible," according to the "Caras" story.

The Associated Press has sought comment from Sanford. He did not respond. Cue the love song as end credits roll.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>al goreal gore separationargentinainfidelitymaria belen chapurmark sanfordMark Sanford Affairnational governors associationNikki Haleysouth carolinatipper goretipper gore seperationSuzi Parker2011-01-27T21:00:00+00:00Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal Depicted in Nazi Uniform by Spanish-Language Newspaperhttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/25/georgia-gov-nathan-deal-portrayed-in-nazi-uniform-by-spanish-la/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/25/georgia-gov-nathan-deal-portrayed-in-nazi-uniform-by-spanish-la/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/25/georgia-gov-nathan-deal-portrayed-in-nazi-uniform-by-spanish-la/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,

Here we go again with the Nazi stuff. A Spanish-language newspaper in Atlanta, El Nuevo, has published a doctored photo of new governor Nathan Deal in a brown Nazi uniform complete with a fake Hitler mustache.

El Nuevo Georgia said its complaint with the Republican governor has to do with strong anti-immigrant rhetoric he used during the campaign last year. The story accompanying the dressed-up photo, headlined "Repression in the Age of Deal," recounted an ethics investigation of Deal during his time in Congress and also details past financial troubles.

Editor Rafael Navarro told CNN he thought the photo represented the fear of immigrants in the state at the outset of Deal's administration, and was also an attention-grabber for Americans who don't speak Spanish but see the newspaper. Navarro said traffic at the paper's website spiked after the picture went up.

Deal has not commented directly. But an aide said, "Those who can't formulate a coherent argument in our society's marketplace of ideas often resort to childish, even offensive tactics. This is pathetic."

Democratic state Rep. Pedro Marin, a Hispanic serving in the Georgia legislature, was quoted in the El Nuevo Georgia article but said he didn't know the photo would be used. "It is disrespectful," he said. "I might disagree with the policies of Governor Deal, but I respect him and the office he represents."

In Washington, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) got some unwanted attention last week when he suggested that House Republicans were using a Nazi-style "big lie" strategy to try to convince Americans that the new health care law is a government takeover of the system.

Folo Tom Diemer on Twitter http://twitter.com/tomdiemer

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>dailyguidanceNathan DealTom Diemer2011-01-25T11:37:00+00:00Peace Corps Turns 50 Amid Charges of Rape, Murder and Cover-Uphttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/17/peace-corps-turns-50-amid-charges-of-rape-murder-and-cover-up/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/17/peace-corps-turns-50-amid-charges-of-rape-murder-and-cover-up/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/01/17/peace-corps-turns-50-amid-charges-of-rape-murder-and-cover-up/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

On the night of March 11, 2009, a 24-year-old Peace Corps volunteer named Kate Puzey was tied up and knifed on the front porch of her house in West Africa. Her throat was cut. She was killed the way you would slaughter a goat, Puzey's cousin told ABC's "20/20" in a Jan. 15 broadcast. Kate Puzey was the 23rd volunteer to be murdered in Peace Corps history.

The killing took place just days after Puzey e-mailed her Peace Corps supervisors about a fellow teacher and Peace Corps employee. He was not an American, but rather a villager, or Host Country National. Puzey believed he was raping the female students at the school where they taught. Puzey asked that her report remain anonymous, for obvious reasons. But it just so happened that a relative of the accused teacher was employed by the local Peace Corps office. Click below to watch video:


At first Puzey's parents were reluctant to blame the organization their daughter loved. But over time they grew frustrated with the Peace Corps' stonewalling. It did not help matters when their dead daughter's belongings were unceremoniously delivered in a cardboard box.

Gang rapes and death threats to female Peace Corps volunteers have in the past been met with apathy from the Peace Corps, according to the victims interviewed by ABC. In August 2009, President Obama replaced the previous Peace Corps director with Aaron S. Williams. Just prior to the airing of the ABC investigation, the Peace Corps released a statement assuring the public that Williams improved the organization's response to sexual assault and other crimes.

As for the murder of Kate Puzey, the Peace Corps had no comment: "Peace Corps does not have a role in the ongoing investigation, but we have been assured that the Benin government is supporting the legal process necessary to conclude the investigation and begin a trial. The Department of State and the FBI have been working with the Benin authorities."

Good luck with that. In a 2004 study, Benin was found to be the "most corrupt out of 95 countries analyzed."

Even Peace Corps defenders acknowledge the problems inherent in serving a developing country. One former volunteer wrote: "Peace Corps hires a lot of HCNs (Host Country Nationals) and there are usually a lot of bureaucracy involved in these countries. Firing bad employees is often very difficult and has to be handle extremely delicately (as in Kate's case)."

Viewers of the ABC show are outraged: "The stunning thing I learned from that report was that over 1,000 female volunteers have been sexually assaulted or raped over the past decade. ... The administration had successfully just swept it under the carpet. This ... [suggests] to the bad guys that if you rape our women, we will not make a fuss and will hush it up for you. The appropriate response should be exactly the opposite - a timely and forceful, loud response to the host nation that such thing will not be tolerated. None of this 'we cannot comment since it is still under investigation' ... over two years later! Shame on the Peace Corp bureaucrats!"

Writes a volunteer now serving in West Africa: "It eats at me every single day that I have children being molested in my schools and feel like I can't say anything about it for fear of backlash or, obviously, worse. Kate was well-integrated in her community, had that 'wall' of protection, but in the end, in this culture, murder for the sake of reputation isn't out of the question."

The commenter goes on to criticize the bureaucratic response of the Peace Corps in the Puzey case, as observed on the ABC program. "Sometimes you just need to fall on your sword, even if you can't directly pinpoint the mistake."

This kind of spotlight could not come at a worse time, just as Congress comes down with an acute case of cut-spending fever. The annual budget of the Peace Corps is $400 million. And this year, the Peace Corps turns 50. Maybe it's not such a bad time to take stock.

The Peace Corps was born at end of World War II. The idea was compelling: Young Americans would travel to developing countries and serve as "missionaries of democracy." Sen. Hubert Humphrey introduced a bill in 1957, and on March 1, 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed the order. A few months later, the first group of volunteers left for Africa, and almost immediately the controversies began. Volunteers in Nigeria stood accused of espionage, were sequestered, and ended up resorting to a hunger strike.

The sad case of Deborah Gardner is the stuff of film scripts. In point of fact, journalist Philip Weiss wrote a book about her. "American Taboo: A Murder in the Peace Corps" was published in 2004. The following year his story, "Stalking Her Killer," appeared in "New York" magazine.

In 1976, Gardner was known as the prettiest girl in the Peace Corps. Rightfully so. She taught high school on an island in the South Pacific. She was stabbed 22 times by Dennis Priven, a fellow volunteer who was stalking her. He pleaded insanity. Due to technicalities in the law, her killer not only went free, he ended up with a high-paying job in the Social Security Administration. He retired at the age of 51, probably with a nice pension.

If we can't even protect our own volunteers in these remote corners of the world, what are we doing there? Although the majority of former volunteers consider their time in the Peace Corps to be a highlight of their lives (and would do it again) we've come a long way from the "ugly American" days of the 1950s. Besides being a resume enhancer and surefire pickup line, to what purpose is the Peace Corps today?

Fifty years ago, ecotourism did not exist. "Lonely Planet" did not exist. Global Crossroad and Volunteer Abroad did not exist. Now you can teach English as a second language, after making contacts at Dave's ESL Cafe. You can immerse yourself in a culture, and put some muscle into spreading kindness wherever you go.

Kate Puzey told her parents that if anything happened to her in Africa, they should take comfort in the fact that she was doing exactly what she wanted to do. She's not the first, and she won't be the last to give her life in service. (RIP Cheryl Beckett, Daniela Beyer and Karen Woo, International Assistance Mission volunteers murdered in Afghanistan last year).

In the last decade the American military has moved toward the Peace Corps model. Hearts and minds, schools and bridges.

In a 1986 interview, Peace Corps founding director Sargent Shriver, who was hospitalized Monday, described his organization's raison d'être this way:
When [Gen. Augusto] Pinochet came into power a lot of Peace Corps volunteers were in Chile and they started protesting Pinochet and writing letters to newspapers. I was criticized in Washington for the actions of these volunteers. My response was that we should rejoice that we are the only country in the world that had the vision to send abroad people who are not under government control. Instead, they are independent free-standing human beings. I maintain that they are the greatest advertisement for the American system of government that there is in the world, they are worth a thousand Coca-Cola signs. There is no better advertisement for what this country stands for than an individual Peace Corps volunteer walking down the street unarmed, wearing the same clothes that the people do, eating the same food, living the same life, and being there as an independent free-standing person who believes in democracy and who is compassionate to his fellow man.
Such a sentiment dovetails perfectly with 21st-century ideals of tolerance and global cooperation. Maybe it's time to recognize that peace and war are not on opposite sides of the spectrum. In some countries, we can make peace instead of war. In other countries, perhaps we'd best not send our daughters unless we send soldiers with them.

Follow Donna Trussell on Twitter.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>2020abcafricadeborah gardnerkate puzeymurderpeace corpsPeace Corps Volunteersrapesargent shriversexual assaultviolence against womenDonna Trussell2011-01-17T23:00:00+00:00