WASHINGTON, Jan 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. government ran a $1 billion budget surplus in December, helped by a rise in corporate tax payments, the Congressional Budget Office said in its latest budget report released on Friday. The surplus, which compared with an $18 billion deficit in the previous December, helped create a smaller fiscal deficit for the first three months of the 2005 fiscal year, than in the same quarter of the prior year.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Can Any Marriage Last?
The Brad and Jen split has Katie asking the question.
You know, Larry, I usually tease you about kind of the inordinate attention some of these stories get, but everybody I know, they were very upset this weekend about this particular breakup, because it sort of made you feel like, 'Gosh, can any marriage last?' And here they seemed really suited to each other. They were, you know, so attractive. They both seemed like very nice people. And I actually called our newsdesk on Saturday and said: 'I know that we have this tsunami going on, and--and all these people, but is it true that they broke up? I mean, so I think a lot of people are really interested particularly in them as a couple. Why do you think that's true?
Our people in television really that naive. Apparently so.
You know, Larry, I usually tease you about kind of the inordinate attention some of these stories get, but everybody I know, they were very upset this weekend about this particular breakup, because it sort of made you feel like, 'Gosh, can any marriage last?' And here they seemed really suited to each other. They were, you know, so attractive. They both seemed like very nice people. And I actually called our newsdesk on Saturday and said: 'I know that we have this tsunami going on, and--and all these people, but is it true that they broke up? I mean, so I think a lot of people are really interested particularly in them as a couple. Why do you think that's true?
Our people in television really that naive. Apparently so.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Big Ben Comes Through
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Ben Roethlisberger has surprised his Pittsburgh Steelers' teammates many times during his unbeaten rookie season. He did so again Tuesday, announcing he'll donate his first NFL playoff paycheck to the tsunami victims relief effort.
Even on a team that openly encourages its players to participate in charity activities and community events, Roethlisberger's $18,000 gesture before Saturday's Jets-Steelers game created a positive stir.
"Wow, I didn't even know that," wide receiver Hines Ward said. "Guys do a lot of different things in different ways that people don't always hear about, but that's great -- that's for a great cause, definitely. That's a big tragedy, and I hope everyone will at least donate (something)."
Unlike the regular season, when each player earns a weekly share of his base salary, playoff salaries are determined by the league's collective bargaining agreement and each player is paid the same.
Roethlisberger, who is 13-0 as a rookie quarterback, hopes other NFL players will follow his
lead.
"I'm going to donate my game check this week to the tsunami relief -- and hopefully maybe (it will be) a challenge for other people to do that, too," Roethlisberger said.
Even on a team that openly encourages its players to participate in charity activities and community events, Roethlisberger's $18,000 gesture before Saturday's Jets-Steelers game created a positive stir.
"Wow, I didn't even know that," wide receiver Hines Ward said. "Guys do a lot of different things in different ways that people don't always hear about, but that's great -- that's for a great cause, definitely. That's a big tragedy, and I hope everyone will at least donate (something)."
Unlike the regular season, when each player earns a weekly share of his base salary, playoff salaries are determined by the league's collective bargaining agreement and each player is paid the same.
Roethlisberger, who is 13-0 as a rookie quarterback, hopes other NFL players will follow his
lead.
"I'm going to donate my game check this week to the tsunami relief -- and hopefully maybe (it will be) a challenge for other people to do that, too," Roethlisberger said.
Tony Said What?
Randy Moss likely will draw a fine from the NFL, but Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy had to chuckle nonetheless when he saw the Minnesota Vikings' wide receiver pretend to moon the fans at Lambeau Field on Sunday.
Dungy knew Moss' gesture -- acting as if he was dropping his pants and mooning the end-zone crowd after catching a 34-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter of the Vikings' 31-17 victory -- was tantamount to payback.
"I thought it was kind of humorous," Dungy said Monday afternoon. "Anybody that's played in the NFC Central knows what that's all about.
"Green Bay has a reputation with their fans being great, and they really are. But one of their traditions is when they beat you, they stand around the parking lot, all around the fence, and they moon the bus when you leave."
What the *%#^&? Isn't this the same Tony Dungy that blasted Monday Night Football and ABC for the T.O./Desperate Housewives skit? He said it was degrading to the black athlete and classless? Well, what do you call Randy Moss' antics?
Sorry Tony, you can't have it both ways.
Dungy knew Moss' gesture -- acting as if he was dropping his pants and mooning the end-zone crowd after catching a 34-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter of the Vikings' 31-17 victory -- was tantamount to payback.
"I thought it was kind of humorous," Dungy said Monday afternoon. "Anybody that's played in the NFC Central knows what that's all about.
"Green Bay has a reputation with their fans being great, and they really are. But one of their traditions is when they beat you, they stand around the parking lot, all around the fence, and they moon the bus when you leave."
What the *%#^&? Isn't this the same Tony Dungy that blasted Monday Night Football and ABC for the T.O./Desperate Housewives skit? He said it was degrading to the black athlete and classless? Well, what do you call Randy Moss' antics?
Sorry Tony, you can't have it both ways.
UK Fights Back
Now I like the sound of this. Bottom line:
If Crawford leaves without the waiver, he will face a significant loss of his college eligibility. He'll have two and a half years available to complete one and a half years of eligibility. The penalty would simply mean he'll be a junior when he resumes his college career, rather than a sophomore.
If Crawford leaves without the waiver, he will face a significant loss of his college eligibility. He'll have two and a half years available to complete one and a half years of eligibility. The penalty would simply mean he'll be a junior when he resumes his college career, rather than a sophomore.
Poor Dan
He just doesn't get it.
Tue Jan 11 2004 14:56:11 ET
The panel report is part of a process -- a necessary process to deal with a difficult issue -- at the end of which four good people have lost their jobs. My strongest reaction is one of sadness and concern for those individuals whom I know and with whom I have worked. It would be a shame if we let this matter, troubling as it is, obscure their dedication and good work over the years.
Yet good can come from this process if CBS News, and the hundreds of able professionals who labor every day to fill an essential public service in an open society, emerge with a renewed dedication to journalism of the highest quality. We should take seriously the admonition of the report's authors to do our job well and carefully, but also their parallel admonition not to be afraid to cover important and controversial issues.
CBS News is a great institution with a distinct and precious legacy. I have been here through good times, and not so good times. I have seen us overcome adversity before. I am convinced we can do so again. That must be our focus and priority. And we can fulfill that objective by getting back to business and doing our jobs better than ever. Lest anyone have any doubt, I have read the report, I take it seriously, and I shall keep its lessons well in mind.
Dan Rather
Tue Jan 11 2004 14:56:11 ET
The panel report is part of a process -- a necessary process to deal with a difficult issue -- at the end of which four good people have lost their jobs. My strongest reaction is one of sadness and concern for those individuals whom I know and with whom I have worked. It would be a shame if we let this matter, troubling as it is, obscure their dedication and good work over the years.
Yet good can come from this process if CBS News, and the hundreds of able professionals who labor every day to fill an essential public service in an open society, emerge with a renewed dedication to journalism of the highest quality. We should take seriously the admonition of the report's authors to do our job well and carefully, but also their parallel admonition not to be afraid to cover important and controversial issues.
CBS News is a great institution with a distinct and precious legacy. I have been here through good times, and not so good times. I have seen us overcome adversity before. I am convinced we can do so again. That must be our focus and priority. And we can fulfill that objective by getting back to business and doing our jobs better than ever. Lest anyone have any doubt, I have read the report, I take it seriously, and I shall keep its lessons well in mind.
Dan Rather
Fighting "With the Army You Have"
Kevin Drum nails the "not enough troops" chorus:
Of course, no one seriously suggests that we should strip every last soldier from Europe, North Korea, and our other overseas deployments. Realistically, then, the maximum number of troops available for use in Iraq is probably pretty close to the number we have now: 300,000 rotated annually, for a presence of about 150,000 at any given time.
The only way to appreciably increase this is to raise the Army's end strength by several divisions, and this is exactly what Kagan and Sullivan think Rumsfeld has been too stubborn about opposing. But as they acknowledge, doing this would take a couple of years — and as they don't acknowledge, it would have made the war politically impossible. The invasion of Iraq almost certainly would never have happened if Rumsfeld had told Congress in 2002 that he wanted them to approve three or four (or more) new divisions in preparation for a war in 2004 or 2005.
In other words, when Rumsfeld commented that you go to war "with the army you have," he was exactly right. Kagan and Sullivan both supported the Iraq war, but it never would have happened if Rumsfeld had acknowledged that we needed 100,000 more troops than we had available at the time.
For that reason, conservative critiques of Rumsfeld on these grounds strike me as hypocritical. Would Kagan and Sullivan have supported delaying the Iraq war a couple of years in order to raise the troops they now believe are necessary? If not, isn't it a little late to start complaining now?
Of course, no one seriously suggests that we should strip every last soldier from Europe, North Korea, and our other overseas deployments. Realistically, then, the maximum number of troops available for use in Iraq is probably pretty close to the number we have now: 300,000 rotated annually, for a presence of about 150,000 at any given time.
The only way to appreciably increase this is to raise the Army's end strength by several divisions, and this is exactly what Kagan and Sullivan think Rumsfeld has been too stubborn about opposing. But as they acknowledge, doing this would take a couple of years — and as they don't acknowledge, it would have made the war politically impossible. The invasion of Iraq almost certainly would never have happened if Rumsfeld had told Congress in 2002 that he wanted them to approve three or four (or more) new divisions in preparation for a war in 2004 or 2005.
In other words, when Rumsfeld commented that you go to war "with the army you have," he was exactly right. Kagan and Sullivan both supported the Iraq war, but it never would have happened if Rumsfeld had acknowledged that we needed 100,000 more troops than we had available at the time.
For that reason, conservative critiques of Rumsfeld on these grounds strike me as hypocritical. Would Kagan and Sullivan have supported delaying the Iraq war a couple of years in order to raise the troops they now believe are necessary? If not, isn't it a little late to start complaining now?
NCAA Reform
This is a huge development that his been flying under the radar screen. I like it.
GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) -- The NCAA approved the first phase of a landmark academic reform package Monday under which about 30 percent of Division I football teams would have lost scholarships had it been implemented immediately.
On the last day of the NCAA convention, the Division I Board of Directors approved the Academic Progress Rate (APR), the standard teams in every sport must reach beginning in the 2005-06 school year to avoid scholarship reductions.
Schools will receive warning reports in the next few weeks that let them know which of their teams fall below the APR set by the Division I Committee on Academic Performance. The rate is based roughly on a 50-percent graduation rate over a five-year period.
The Academic Performance Program applies to every men's and women's sport -- more than 5,000 teams at the 325 Division I schools.
University of Hartford president and committee chairman Walter Harrison said the biggest problems were in football (about 30 percent of teams), baseball (25 percent) and men's basketball (20 percent).
"Our hope, of course, is not the penalty," Harrison said. "We hope it encourages different kinds of behavior so that the numbers will be lower."
The so-called "contemporaneous penalties" are considered rehabilitative in nature and expected to serve as warnings for teams with poor academic performance. Such penalties could begin after December 2005.
Another phase of the program will be historical penalties, which will be more severe and directed at schools with continued problems. Harrison's committee is still working on the penalties, and they will have to be approved by NCAA directors later.
GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) -- The NCAA approved the first phase of a landmark academic reform package Monday under which about 30 percent of Division I football teams would have lost scholarships had it been implemented immediately.
On the last day of the NCAA convention, the Division I Board of Directors approved the Academic Progress Rate (APR), the standard teams in every sport must reach beginning in the 2005-06 school year to avoid scholarship reductions.
Schools will receive warning reports in the next few weeks that let them know which of their teams fall below the APR set by the Division I Committee on Academic Performance. The rate is based roughly on a 50-percent graduation rate over a five-year period.
The Academic Performance Program applies to every men's and women's sport -- more than 5,000 teams at the 325 Division I schools.
University of Hartford president and committee chairman Walter Harrison said the biggest problems were in football (about 30 percent of teams), baseball (25 percent) and men's basketball (20 percent).
"Our hope, of course, is not the penalty," Harrison said. "We hope it encourages different kinds of behavior so that the numbers will be lower."
The so-called "contemporaneous penalties" are considered rehabilitative in nature and expected to serve as warnings for teams with poor academic performance. Such penalties could begin after December 2005.
Another phase of the program will be historical penalties, which will be more severe and directed at schools with continued problems. Harrison's committee is still working on the penalties, and they will have to be approved by NCAA directors later.
Crawford Out?
This is surprising:
One of Kentucky's ballyhooed freshmen, guard Joe Crawford, appeared on the brink of transferring, Coach Tubby Smith said on his weekly radio show last night.
Smith's comments came after meeting with Crawford's parents to "explore the option of transferring," team spokesman Scott Stricklin said.
"Their first inclination is to transfer," Smith said on the radio. "If he does, we wish him the best." The UK coach made it clear he preferred that Crawford, a McDonald's All-American from Detroit, stay. Smith noted the would-be waste of "energy and resources" devoted to recruiting prospects. He gave Crawford an indefinite period to think over the options.
"He's a great kid," Smith said. "I hope he understands we want him here. He also understands he has to do what's best for him."
What's interesting is that Crawford is averaging over 13 minutes a game. Under Tubby, that's a lot. Crawford may be upset that Rondo and Morris are playing more, but Crawford hasn't shown much to this point. Here's hoping he grows up and sticks it out.
One of Kentucky's ballyhooed freshmen, guard Joe Crawford, appeared on the brink of transferring, Coach Tubby Smith said on his weekly radio show last night.
Smith's comments came after meeting with Crawford's parents to "explore the option of transferring," team spokesman Scott Stricklin said.
"Their first inclination is to transfer," Smith said on the radio. "If he does, we wish him the best." The UK coach made it clear he preferred that Crawford, a McDonald's All-American from Detroit, stay. Smith noted the would-be waste of "energy and resources" devoted to recruiting prospects. He gave Crawford an indefinite period to think over the options.
"He's a great kid," Smith said. "I hope he understands we want him here. He also understands he has to do what's best for him."
What's interesting is that Crawford is averaging over 13 minutes a game. Under Tubby, that's a lot. Crawford may be upset that Rondo and Morris are playing more, but Crawford hasn't shown much to this point. Here's hoping he grows up and sticks it out.
Unbelievable
More nonsense from The Left. This time, instead of foolish action, it's foolish inaction.
When he was 21 years old, Hadi Salih was seized from his home in Baghdad by Saddam Hussein's secret police and summarily sentenced to death. His crime? Forming a trade union and campaigning for decent wages and basic health and safety conditions.
Amazingly, Salih survived. After five years in an Iraqi dungeon, his death sentence was commuted to permanant exile. He never gave up campaigning against Baathism and - although he opposed the recent war because of the civilian casualties it would cause - he headed home the moment Saddam was toppled.
Salih quickly became the leading figure in the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU), one of 12 trade union organisations formed in Iraq over the past two years. He knew that no society has needed trade unions more than Iraq does right now. Trade unions are a secular space where it doesn't matter if you are Sunni, Shia or Christian; they provide an opportunity to bridge sectarian divides and unite in a common democratic cause. Even more importantly, trade unions are the only way for Iraqis to resist the IMF programme of "shock therapy" and corporate rule being imposed undemocratically (with the support of the British and US governments) on their country.
Speaking a few months ago, Salih expressed his hope that trade unions could play the same role in regenerating Iraq that they played in post-war Japan. "The labour movement in Japan has been fighting for their country and for social justice for 50 years. If they can do it, we can too. That is why, despite everything, I am enthusiastic." He had already recruited over 300,000 members.
On Tuesday night, a masked gang broke into Salih's home in Baghdad. They bound him hand and foot and they blindfolded him. They beat and they burned his flesh. Once they had finished torturing him, they strangled him with an electric cord. As a final touch, they riddled his body with bullets.
Salih's close friend Abdullah Muhsin, the international representative of the IFTU, told me yesterday, "He was an ordinary but a very decent man. He worked in the print industry in Iraq and in exile, and the passion of his life was Iraqi workers and their desire to live as free people. And now I hear people describe his murderers as 'the resistance'. Resistance to what? To trade unions? To a decent man who loved his family and loved Iraq and wanted his country to be free? They cannot silence Salih. They cannot silence the Iraqi trade unions. Not again."
The IFTU has reported a pattern of attacks on trade union offices and trade union members. The murder of Salih bears all the hallmarks of Saddam's Mukhabarat - the Baathist KGB. Whatever you thought about the justice of the recent war in Iraq - and there were plenty of good reasons to oppose it - the only decent path now is to stand with a majority of Iraqis against the murderers of Salih and dozens of other Iraqi trade unionists.
Yet - I can't believe I'm saying this - a significant portion of the left is not standing with them. John Pilger - who says he has "seldom felt as safe in any country" as when he visited Saddam's Iraq - now openly supports the resistance on the grounds that "we can't afford to be choosy". The Stop the War Coalition passed a resolution recently saying the resistance should use "any means necessary" - which prompted Mick Rix, a decent trade unionist, to resign from the STWC on the grounds that this clearly constituted support for the murder of civilians. George Galloway has attacked the IFTU as "quislings" and described the tearful descriptions of one of their members of life under Saddam as "a party trick".
When he was 21 years old, Hadi Salih was seized from his home in Baghdad by Saddam Hussein's secret police and summarily sentenced to death. His crime? Forming a trade union and campaigning for decent wages and basic health and safety conditions.
Amazingly, Salih survived. After five years in an Iraqi dungeon, his death sentence was commuted to permanant exile. He never gave up campaigning against Baathism and - although he opposed the recent war because of the civilian casualties it would cause - he headed home the moment Saddam was toppled.
Salih quickly became the leading figure in the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU), one of 12 trade union organisations formed in Iraq over the past two years. He knew that no society has needed trade unions more than Iraq does right now. Trade unions are a secular space where it doesn't matter if you are Sunni, Shia or Christian; they provide an opportunity to bridge sectarian divides and unite in a common democratic cause. Even more importantly, trade unions are the only way for Iraqis to resist the IMF programme of "shock therapy" and corporate rule being imposed undemocratically (with the support of the British and US governments) on their country.
Speaking a few months ago, Salih expressed his hope that trade unions could play the same role in regenerating Iraq that they played in post-war Japan. "The labour movement in Japan has been fighting for their country and for social justice for 50 years. If they can do it, we can too. That is why, despite everything, I am enthusiastic." He had already recruited over 300,000 members.
On Tuesday night, a masked gang broke into Salih's home in Baghdad. They bound him hand and foot and they blindfolded him. They beat and they burned his flesh. Once they had finished torturing him, they strangled him with an electric cord. As a final touch, they riddled his body with bullets.
Salih's close friend Abdullah Muhsin, the international representative of the IFTU, told me yesterday, "He was an ordinary but a very decent man. He worked in the print industry in Iraq and in exile, and the passion of his life was Iraqi workers and their desire to live as free people. And now I hear people describe his murderers as 'the resistance'. Resistance to what? To trade unions? To a decent man who loved his family and loved Iraq and wanted his country to be free? They cannot silence Salih. They cannot silence the Iraqi trade unions. Not again."
The IFTU has reported a pattern of attacks on trade union offices and trade union members. The murder of Salih bears all the hallmarks of Saddam's Mukhabarat - the Baathist KGB. Whatever you thought about the justice of the recent war in Iraq - and there were plenty of good reasons to oppose it - the only decent path now is to stand with a majority of Iraqis against the murderers of Salih and dozens of other Iraqi trade unionists.
Yet - I can't believe I'm saying this - a significant portion of the left is not standing with them. John Pilger - who says he has "seldom felt as safe in any country" as when he visited Saddam's Iraq - now openly supports the resistance on the grounds that "we can't afford to be choosy". The Stop the War Coalition passed a resolution recently saying the resistance should use "any means necessary" - which prompted Mick Rix, a decent trade unionist, to resign from the STWC on the grounds that this clearly constituted support for the murder of civilians. George Galloway has attacked the IFTU as "quislings" and described the tearful descriptions of one of their members of life under Saddam as "a party trick".
RatherGate is Over
Andrew Sullivan sums it up:
THE END OF RATHER: He has to go now, doesn't he? When all the people directly associated with this debacle have quit or been fired, on what basis does he stay? He fronted the report. He stood by it. He took responsibility for it. On his watch, CBS News became a laughing stock. Is he really going to let everyone else take the hit? Has he lost all sense of self-respect as well as loyalty? For goodness' sake, Dan. Go. Even Howell did eventually. People will remember the rest of your legacy. But if you hang on to your job as long as you hung on to that "story," all you will prove is your pride.
THE END OF RATHER: He has to go now, doesn't he? When all the people directly associated with this debacle have quit or been fired, on what basis does he stay? He fronted the report. He stood by it. He took responsibility for it. On his watch, CBS News became a laughing stock. Is he really going to let everyone else take the hit? Has he lost all sense of self-respect as well as loyalty? For goodness' sake, Dan. Go. Even Howell did eventually. People will remember the rest of your legacy. But if you hang on to your job as long as you hung on to that "story," all you will prove is your pride.
So Now We Know
I was wondering what happened with this:
WASHINGTON — The criminal probe into why former Bill Clinton aide Sandy Berger illegally sneaked top-secret documents out of the National Archives — possibly in his socks — has heated up and is now before a federal grand jury, The Post has learned. . . .
"It may have been off the front pages, but the investigation has been active," said a source with knowledge of the probe.
"[Berger] has been interviewed several times by federal agents — FBI and prosecutors."
Berger admits removing 40 to 50 top-secret documents from the archives, but claims it was an "honest mistake" made while he vetted documents for the 9/11 commission's probe into the Twin Towers attacks.
Berger has also acknowledged that he destroyed some documents — he says by accident. . . .
The documents include multiple drafts of a review of the 2000 millennium threat said to conclude that only luck prevented a 2000 attack.
That story conflicts with Berger's own testimony to the commission, in which he claimed that "we thwarted" millennium attacks by being vigilant — rather than by sheer luck, as the review reportedly suggests.
WASHINGTON — The criminal probe into why former Bill Clinton aide Sandy Berger illegally sneaked top-secret documents out of the National Archives — possibly in his socks — has heated up and is now before a federal grand jury, The Post has learned. . . .
"It may have been off the front pages, but the investigation has been active," said a source with knowledge of the probe.
"[Berger] has been interviewed several times by federal agents — FBI and prosecutors."
Berger admits removing 40 to 50 top-secret documents from the archives, but claims it was an "honest mistake" made while he vetted documents for the 9/11 commission's probe into the Twin Towers attacks.
Berger has also acknowledged that he destroyed some documents — he says by accident. . . .
The documents include multiple drafts of a review of the 2000 millennium threat said to conclude that only luck prevented a 2000 attack.
That story conflicts with Berger's own testimony to the commission, in which he claimed that "we thwarted" millennium attacks by being vigilant — rather than by sheer luck, as the review reportedly suggests.
With Congressman Like This...
...who needs enemies.
Most alarming to White House officials, some congressional Republicans are panning the president's plan — even before it is unveiled. "Why stir up a political hornet's nest .... when there is no urgency?" said Rep. Rob Simmons (Conn.), who represents a competitive district. "When does the program go belly up? 2042. I will be dead by then."
Yep, leave the fiscal crisis to your children and grandchildren. That a boy.
Most alarming to White House officials, some congressional Republicans are panning the president's plan — even before it is unveiled. "Why stir up a political hornet's nest .... when there is no urgency?" said Rep. Rob Simmons (Conn.), who represents a competitive district. "When does the program go belly up? 2042. I will be dead by then."
Yep, leave the fiscal crisis to your children and grandchildren. That a boy.
Monday, January 10, 2005
This Sounds Like Hell
Here's a nice story from this morning's Enquirer:
In District 1, about three-quarters of last year's shooting victims were black males. Most victims were in their 20s and 30s, although their ages ranged from 8 to 54. At least three were suspected shooters in other incidents.
All but three of the District 1 shootings occurred in Over-the-Rhine and the West End.
Police arrested 12 suspects in the 94 shootings. But nine cases were dropped for lack of sufficient evidence or cooperation, and only three suspects were charged, indicted and prosecuted through the system.
Two of them went to prison.
Why so few convictions?
The cycle of violence involves people like Jason McClure.
Three times last year, the 24-year-old Over-the-Rhine man was charged with shooting people. But none of the victims or witnesses ever showed up for court. So each time, McClure went free.
"What happens is when he shoots people and nobody shows up for court, he's going to keep shooting people," Officer Sean Woods says. "It lets him run the streets. We have to just keep picking him up."
In the latest case, McClure was accused in August of shooting two men. The charges were dismissed because neither victim would cooperate with detectives, police say. Then, three weeks later, one of the victims was suspected of shooting McClure. McClure wouldn't testify, either, even though he'd been shot five times.
He could not be found for comment.
If officers didn't think of it as a game, Officer Matt Hamer says, "we'd probably just cry and go home."
Now, McClure is wanted again. This time he is accused of sticking a black-and-silver handgun in the face of an Over-the-Rhine corner store clerk in December. Police say McClure threatened the clerk not to testify before a grand jury looking into a case in which McClure is accused of robbing the same store. McClure casually grabbed a few Black & Mild cigarettes on his way out, says Woods, who filed the latest charges.
"The last time I saw him, he said, 'I'm straightening out,' " the officer says. "They all say that."
...Police say chances are minuscule that somebody might see McClure's picture, do the right thing and call. Still, they can hope.
McClure stays on another list, too.
"Every cop has a list in his head of five or six guys we think would shoot us in the back," Woods says. "He's on my list."
In District 1, about three-quarters of last year's shooting victims were black males. Most victims were in their 20s and 30s, although their ages ranged from 8 to 54. At least three were suspected shooters in other incidents.
All but three of the District 1 shootings occurred in Over-the-Rhine and the West End.
Police arrested 12 suspects in the 94 shootings. But nine cases were dropped for lack of sufficient evidence or cooperation, and only three suspects were charged, indicted and prosecuted through the system.
Two of them went to prison.
Why so few convictions?
The cycle of violence involves people like Jason McClure.
Three times last year, the 24-year-old Over-the-Rhine man was charged with shooting people. But none of the victims or witnesses ever showed up for court. So each time, McClure went free.
"What happens is when he shoots people and nobody shows up for court, he's going to keep shooting people," Officer Sean Woods says. "It lets him run the streets. We have to just keep picking him up."
In the latest case, McClure was accused in August of shooting two men. The charges were dismissed because neither victim would cooperate with detectives, police say. Then, three weeks later, one of the victims was suspected of shooting McClure. McClure wouldn't testify, either, even though he'd been shot five times.
He could not be found for comment.
If officers didn't think of it as a game, Officer Matt Hamer says, "we'd probably just cry and go home."
Now, McClure is wanted again. This time he is accused of sticking a black-and-silver handgun in the face of an Over-the-Rhine corner store clerk in December. Police say McClure threatened the clerk not to testify before a grand jury looking into a case in which McClure is accused of robbing the same store. McClure casually grabbed a few Black & Mild cigarettes on his way out, says Woods, who filed the latest charges.
"The last time I saw him, he said, 'I'm straightening out,' " the officer says. "They all say that."
...Police say chances are minuscule that somebody might see McClure's picture, do the right thing and call. Still, they can hope.
McClure stays on another list, too.
"Every cop has a list in his head of five or six guys we think would shoot us in the back," Woods says. "He's on my list."
Abbas Wins
The often described "moderate" accepted his win with this:
"I present this victory to the soul of Yasser Arafat and present it to our people, to our martyrs and to 11,000 prisoners."
Not promising.
"I present this victory to the soul of Yasser Arafat and present it to our people, to our martyrs and to 11,000 prisoners."
Not promising.
Rummy Must Go
In The Weekly Standard, Frederick W. Kagan comes out against Rummy. This is a signficant development and not a good sign for Rummy, Iraq, or the war on Islamic terror.
Sunday, January 09, 2005
The Big O...Prophet
Here's a gem from the Big O in this morning's Cincy Enquirer:
ST. LOUIS - Former University of Cincinnati great Oscar Robertson says the NCAA rules under which UC freshman Vincent Banks has been declared academically ineligible for this year are biased against kids from inner-city schools who have trouble on standardized tests that help determine their eligibility.
"I think it's biased against a lot of schools that have poor academics," Robertson said Saturday. "I think it's biased against kids in the inner city where the schools don't have a good academic record. This only hurts the kid."
Standardized tests are biased against kids from bad schools? No, you don't say. I hear they're also biased against stupid kids, lazy kids, kids without a father in the home, kids who spend all of their time watching TV, kids who smoke dope, drug-dealing kids, and kids who happen to be athletes.
ST. LOUIS - Former University of Cincinnati great Oscar Robertson says the NCAA rules under which UC freshman Vincent Banks has been declared academically ineligible for this year are biased against kids from inner-city schools who have trouble on standardized tests that help determine their eligibility.
"I think it's biased against a lot of schools that have poor academics," Robertson said Saturday. "I think it's biased against kids in the inner city where the schools don't have a good academic record. This only hurts the kid."
Standardized tests are biased against kids from bad schools? No, you don't say. I hear they're also biased against stupid kids, lazy kids, kids without a father in the home, kids who spend all of their time watching TV, kids who smoke dope, drug-dealing kids, and kids who happen to be athletes.
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