Im bringin Tom Lantoss back

Source: San Mateo County Times (Original Article)

The murder of Anthony Bologna, night manager of Draeger’s of San Mateo, and his two sons became political Friday when Bologna’s widow Danielle called on San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris to seek the death penalty against the man charged with the killing.Danielle Bologna told the San Francisco Chronicle that seeking the death penalty would “make a statement so people won’t just kill families for no reason.”Violence in San Francisco “has gone too far,” Bologna continued. “Nothing is getting done. Why did we put her here, if she is not going to stop this?”The shooting near the Bolognas’ Excelsior district home was a horrifying crime — particularly for parents, regardless of where they live — because it happened suddenly, apparently without provocation, and there doesn’t seem to have been anything Anthony Bologna could have done to prevent it.The suspect, 21-year-old Edwin Ramos of El Sobrante, allegedly became violent when Bologna’s car inadvertently blocked the path of his own vehicle on a narrow street. Even though Bologna, whom family members described as mild-mannered, backed up to allow the other car to pass, Ramos allegedly opened fire and took the lives of three innocent people.The only logical explanation for the slaughter to emerge so far is that, as reported in a separate Chronicle article, the Bolognas may have been the victims of mistaken identity in a war Advertisementbetween rival gangs.But will the shocking and repellent nature of the Bologna case prompt Harris to deviate from her opposition to capital punishment? Should it?Harris didn’t seek the death penalty against the man charged with killing a San Francisco police officer in 2004. And the pressure to take an eye for eye is rarely louder than it is in cases involving alleged cop-killers. Harris has a committee that considers the appropriate punishment in murder cases involving special circumstances, which make defendants eligible for the airfaresadvice death penalty under California law. There …continue reading

Source: San Mateo County Times (Original Article)

The murder of Anthony Bologna, night manager of Draeger’s of San Mateo, and his two sons became political Friday when Bologna’s widow Danielle called on San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris to seek the death penalty against the man charged with the killing.Danielle Bologna told the San Francisco Chronicle that seeking the death penalty would “make a statement so people won’t just kill families for no reason.”Violence in San Francisco “has gone too far,” Bologna continued. “Nothing is getting done. Why did we put her here, if she is not going to stop this?”The shooting near the Bolognas’ Excelsior district home was a horrifying crime — particularly for parents, regardless of where they live — because it happened suddenly, apparently without provocation, and there doesn’t seem to have been anything Anthony Bologna could have done to prevent it.The suspect, 21-year-old Edwin Ramos of El Sobrante, allegedly became violent when Bologna’s car inadvertently blocked the path of his own vehicle on a narrow street. Even though Bologna, whom family members described as mild-mannered, backed up to allow the other car to pass, Ramos allegedly opened fire and took the lives of three innocent people.The only logical explanation for the slaughter to emerge so far is that, as reported in a separate Chronicle article, the Bolognas may have been the victims of mistaken identity in a war Advertisementbetween rival gangs.But will the shocking and repellent nature of the Bologna case prompt Harris to deviate from her opposition to capital punishment? Should it?Harris didn’t seek the death penalty against the man charged with killing a San Francisco police officer in 2004. And the pressure to take an eye for eye is rarely louder than it is in cases involving alleged cop-killers. Harris has a committee that considers the appropriate punishment in murder cases involving special circumstances, which make defendants eligible for the credit card au death penalty under California law. There …continue reading

Source: Calcutta Telegraph (Original Article)

Washington, June 26: The Indo-US nuclear deal will not have a free passage in the US Congress when it comes back here even if the UPA and the Left parties resolve their differences over the Hyde Act and the so-called 123 Agreement.

This became clear on Capitol Hill yesterday during a hearing on the “future of Indo-US relations” in the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee on the Middle East and South Asia.

Gary Ackerman, the chairman of the sub-committee, told the hearing that “I have a very difficult time understanding why the Government of India continues to pursue a pipeline with Iran and Pakistan at a time when other nations in the world are not just implementing UN approved sanctions, which is India’s historic position, but are going further by cutting off access to banking services and discouraging other economic interactions with Iran.”

In remarks clearly meant to be heard and noticed in New Delhi, Ackerman added: “I hope that India’s officials will hear and understand the US view of Iran: that Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and regional hegemony is a serious threat posed to international peace and stability in the Middle East and the vital national security interests of the US.”

That Ackerman has chosen to touch on Indo-Iranian ties, a politically volatile issue in UPA-Left relations, only a few days before he leaves for New Delhi is a clear signal that he intends to tell India’s leadership — behind closed doors, of course — that the Manmohan Singh government will have to pay a price if it returns to Capitol Hill for the next stage in the implementation of the nuclear deal.

Ackerman warned that “continued pursuit” of the India-Pakistan-Iran “pipeline or other investments in Iran’s energy sector as was hinted a few weeks ago by unnamed officials at India’s state-run Oil and Natural Gas Commission University Course 1208 will halt and potentially even roll …continue reading

Source: Bizjournals.com (Original Article)

The papers of Tom Lantos, a longtime California congressman and Holocaust survivor who died in February, have been given to the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley.

Lantos had a strong interest in human rights that grew out of his early experiences — his family died in the Holocaust and he himself escaped from a forced labor camp in Hungary during World War II.

Two years ago, Lantos and others were arrested in front of the Sudanese embassy in Washington, D.C., protesting that country's policy in Darfur.

He served 14 terms in Congress, starting in 1980. The university contacted him to ask for his archives shortly before he died of cancer on Feb. 11 at the age of 80.

"When he announced his retirement in January, people in the Chancellor's office got in contact with me and said this is a no brainer, if we can get his papers," said Bancroft Library Director Charles Faulhaber. "We are delighted and honored."

His papers include reports and notes as well as files from the Congressional Human Rights Caucus for countries ranging from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. The donated archives also include letters, political buttons and stickers, videotapes and photographs. There are also some letters written in Hungarian by Lantos when he was a graduate student at the University of Washington. Final shipments of Lantos' papers will arrive in the fall, after the library has moved back into its space in the center of campus, which was being seismically retrofitted and renovated.

"Most of the material is still in Washington, D.C.," said Theresa Salazar, curator of the library's Western Americana collection. "We have a few things from his San Mateo office. We haven't even seen the stuff that is in the National Archives, which is the bulk of it."

Salazar, who has worked at Bancroft for eight years, said the library will ANZ Credit Cards take about five years to process …continue reading

Source: Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (Original Article)

The following are excerpts from President Bush’s remarks at the Thursday ceremony for the 2008 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom:

Welcome to the White House, for what is going to be a joyous occasion. Mr. Vice President, Justice Scalia, members of my Cabinet and administration, members of Congress, Medal of Freedom recipients and their families and friends: Thanks for coming. Laura and I are honored to welcome you here.

The Medal of Freedom is the highest civil honor a President can bestow. The award recognizes outstanding individuals who have been leaders in their chosen fields, have led lives of vision and character and have made especially meritorious contributions to our nation and the world. Today we add the names of six remarkable Americans to that select list.

Dr. Benjamin S. Carson Sr.

The story of our first recipient begins in a poor neighborhood in the heart of Detroit. This was an environment where many young people lost themselves to poverty and crime and violence. For a time, young Ben Carson was headed down that same path. Yet through his reliance on faith and family, he turned his life into a sharply different direction. Today Dr. Carson is one of the world’s leading neurosurgeons. He is renowned for his successful efforts to separate conjoined twins and his expertise in controlling brain seizures. He has worked to be a motivating influence on young people. He and his wife, Candy, have started an organization that offers college scholarships to students across America. The child of Detroit who once saw a grim future became a scholar, a healer and a leader. …

Ben has said that one of his role models is Booker T. Washington, who inspired millions and who was one of the first African-American leaders ever to visit this house as a guest of a President. … He’s lived true to the words that was once uttered by this great man: “Character, Low Interest Credit Cards not circumstances, makes the man.”

Dr. …continue reading

Source: Tri Valley Herald (Original Article)

Central County Fire Chief Don Dornell has been navigating through the federal government’s bureaucracy for the past five months in his quest to get the OK to visit troops in Iraq, and he still has not gotten an answer.Dornell wants to visit the soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division’s 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, Bravo Company, after that unit’s commander, Capt. Aaron Billingsley, requested that he come to their base northeast of Baghdad to boost morale.As part of the nationwide Adopt-a-Unit program, Burlingame adopted Billingsley’s company, and Dornell has been heavily involved in the cause. He’s visited them at their home base, Fort Campbell, Ky.The chief received what he called encouraging news Friday when San Mateo Rep. Jackie Speier’s office forwarded him a letter that told him to send his request to the U.S. Central Command’s headquarters. That letter came after Dornell talked to public affairs officials in the White House, the Department of Defense, the late Rep. Tom Lantos’ office and other government officials.Speier’s office credited the Army with responding quickly to its requests for more information about whom the chief should contact.”Everyone kind of refers you to someone else,” Dornell said. “I’ll just keep asking people until the guys come home or I run out of options. It’s an effort worth pursuing.”The troops in the unit could be home in December, when they complete a 15-month deployment, AdvertisementDornell said.Speier said she supports the chief’s request to visit the troops, with the caveat that she wouldn’t want to send him or anyone else into a dangerous situation.”I am thrilled they are interested in supporting the troops,” Speier said. “In the end it is (the military’s) call. We are going to facilitate this to the greatest extent possible.”Dornell said he wouldn’t be too concerned for his safety because he believes the 140 soldiers in the unit would be like bodyguards, and he has faced danger St George Platinum Credit Card as a firefighter.He wants to bring …continue reading

Source: San Mateo County Times (Original Article)

REDWOOD CITY - A statewide primary election without a presidential
primary race produced an unsurprisingly low voter turnout in San Mateo
County.
At last count, 19 percent of registered voters participated in Tuesday’s
“direct primary,” the new vocabulary chosen to describe an election-year
primary sans presidential or gubernatorial candidates, according to
county elections manager David Tom.
“We’ve never done this type of primary before,” Tom said. “The
participation has been very, very light.”
Election officials, who projected a turnout of about 35 percent, are
still counting provisional ballots, so final numbers for Tuesday’s
direct primary are not yet available.
But the low voter participation was a far cry from the 59.3 percent
turnout for the Feb. 5 presidential primary election, the highest
participation in decades for a presidential primary, Tom said.
The conspicuous absence of a presidential race on the ballot wasn’t the
only reason for voters to shun polling places and ignore absentee
ballots, Tom said.
For one thing, he said, county voters might be suffering from elections
fatigue. The direct primary on Tuesday was the fourth election in six
months, causing voters to “kind of lose interest” in the democratic
process, Tom said.
In addition, the only remotely controversial state ballot initiatives
Tuesday were the property-rights Propositions 98 and 99, Tom said.
According to Tom, the battle for the 12th Congressional District, held
by Tom AdvertisementLantos before his death in February, would have attracted more
voters if the contest weren’t essentially settled during a special
election in April, when Jackie Speier scored a landslide victory over
her Democratic and Republican opponents.
The beginning of the summer season and its jam-packed schedule of
vacations and graduations didn’t help matters much, Tom said.
“All of these different factors may play a role in low turnout,” he
concluded.
The nail-bitingly close 19th Assembly credit card au District race, in which county
Supervisor …continue reading

Source: Washington Post (Original Article)

SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, D-N.Y.: It is wonderful being here with all of you, among so many friends, and I feel like this is a giant family reunion, the largest AIPAC gathering in history. And I feel like I am among compare credit card family, and thank you for the warm welcome. (APPLAUSE)

Source: SunHerald.com (Original Article)

WASHINGTON, June 4 — Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke this morning at the annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Below are the Speaker’s remarks:

“Good morning. Thank you for that kind introduction, Amy Friedkin. Thank you for your tremendous leadership of AIPAC over the years. Thank you for your friendship to me. I’m proud that Amy is a Californian and I know there are many Californians and San Franciscans here this morning.

“It is an honor to be here with Amy, with Howard Friedman from Baltimore, Maryland. And I want to join in acknowledging your incoming president, David Victor. Good luck to you, David.

“In particular, I would like to recognize the more than 1,200 college students who are here today. We celebrate Israel’s founding 60 years ago, and pass the torch to all of you to ensure Israel exists for your grandchildren, and your grandchildren’s grandchildren, and even further into it, your grandchildren’s grandchildren.

“You know, Members of Congress are afforded many honors and as Speaker of the House, even more so. But I can think of none that surpass the honor of being able to lead a bipartisan delegation of Members of the House of Representatives to extend on behalf of the Congress of the United States and the American people, our greetings and congratulations to Israel on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel.

“What is important about the trip was that it was bipartisan and I’m happy that Leader Boehner mentioned it was his intention to be on the trip, because he and I had planned it for a long time, but for health reasons, he could not come at the last minute.

“That is all to say that in the Congress of the United States, the aisle that divides Democrats and Republicans disappears when it comes to policy that relates to our support of the security for the state of Israel.

“As you saw in the film, we began our visit, ANZ Credit Card right off the plane, by touring …continue reading

Source: San Diego Union Tribune (Original Article)

LOS ANGELES – Republican voters in Northern California’s 4th Congressional District responded to state Sen. Tom McClintock’s call for a return to conservative principles, making him their nominee to replace incumbent Rep. John Doolittle, R-Rocklin.

It was California’s most hotly contested congressional primary, but in the end McClintock won easily Tuesday over former Rep. Doug Ose. He survived nearly $3 million in attacks from Ose that sought to portray him as a carpetbagging career politician.

His win sets up a showdown with Democrat Charlie Brown, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who came close to beating Doolittle in the 2006 general election.

In an interview after being declared the victor, McClintock said voters had responded to his message of limited government and renewed personal freedoms.

“There is a growing sense across this district and for that matter across the country that our government is becoming destructive of those freedoms in so many ways,” McClintock said.

Ose, a real estate developer and investor who tried to convince voters his business acumen would help the district, said he couldn’t understand the outcome.

“I don’t know exactly what the prevailing or the superior arguments were. I just frankly am stunned, I really am,” Ose said in an interview.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, McClintock had nearly 54 percent of the vote to nearly 39 percent for Ose, who had been endorsed by former Gov. Pete Wilson.

Doolittle had long been the chief political power broker in the district that sprawls north and east from Sacramento, but was forced to drop his re-election plans after getting caught up in a federal lobbying scandal. His retirement at the end of the year created one of two open seats among California’s 53 House districts.

The other was in San Diego, where Duncan D. Hunter, a 31-year-old Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran, won the laguna beach dvd nomination Tuesday to replace his father, …continue reading