Friday, September 29, 2006

EDWARD CLAIRE REISCH - Wanted


EDWARD CLAIRE REISCH

UNLAWFUL FLIGHT TO AVOID PROSECUTION -
SEXUAL CHILD ABUSE, SODOMY



Edward Claire Reisch is wanted for allegedly sexually abusing a minor female relative who was at his home over the Thanksgiving holiday in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1999. On November 27, 1999, a local arrest warrant was issued for Reisch by the District Court of Maryland for Baltimore City charging Reisch with child abuse, sexual assault, and sodomy. A federal arrest warrant charging Reisch with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution was issued on March 2, 2001.

SHOULD BE CONSIDERED ARMED AND DANGEROUS AND AN ESCAPE RISK

Principal Shot at Wis. High School Dies

Sep 29, 5:50 PM (ET)

By TODD RICHMOND


CAZENOVIA, Wis. (AP) - A teenager brought two guns to his rural school and shot the principal to death Friday after a struggle with adults and other students, authorities said.

The 15-year-old was taken into custody and charged with first-degree intentional homicide, the district attorney said. No one else was hurt.

It was not clear why the student opened fire or if Weston Schools Principal John Klang was the intended target, Sheriff Randy Stammen said.

Witnesses said the student walked in with a shotgun before classes began. A custodian, teachers and students wrestled with him, but he broke through, took out a handgun and shot Klang three times, Stammen said.

The custodian said the teen was a special-education student who told him he was there to kill someone, but did not say who.

"He was calm, but he was on a mission," said Dave Thompson, 43, who also has two children at the school.

Sophomore Shelly Rupp, 16, described the boy as a freshman with few friends and said he was "just weird in the head."

"He always used to kid around about bringing things to school and hurting kids," she said at a gas station nearby where students and townspeople gathered.

Thompson said the student first pointed a shotgun in a teacher's face. Thompson grabbed away the gun, but the student then appeared to be reaching for another gun, so Thompson and the teacher took cover. Thompson then ran into a kitchen to call 911.

Junior Timmy Donovan said the student "pulled a .22 pistol out of his pants, and then started shooting the principal. And at that point, I guess the principal ran and tackled him to the ground."

Klang, 49, was shot in the head, chest and leg, authorities said. He died hours later at a hospital in Madison.

The student, identified as Eric Hainstock, could get life in prison if convicted, District Attorney Patricia Barrett said. Wisconsin does not have the death penalty.

Children from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade attend the small school near Cazenovia, a community of about 300 people about 60 miles northwest of Madison.

The shooting took place two days after a gunman took six students hostage in a Colorado high school and killed one of them before committing suicide.

Laurie Rhea, 42, said the principal spent last weekend at the gas station washing cars for a homecoming fundraiser.

"All the kids just loved him," she said.

The shooting happened as the school was preparing for homecoming weekend. The homecoming parade, football game and dance were canceled or postponed.

---

Archdiocese May Sign Abuse Settlement

Sep 29, 5:54 PM (ET)

By GILLIAN FLACCUS


LOS ANGELES (AP) - The nation's largest Roman Catholic archdiocese could sign a $60 million settlement with dozens of alleged victims of clergy abuse within days, several attorneys told The Associated Press.

The settlement being drafted by attorneys for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the alleged victims would give 45 claimants a total of $60 million, said Venus Soltan, a plaintiffs' attorney. The settlement would encompass alleged victims whose claims are not covered by the church's insurance policies, she said.

If distributed equally, each alleged victim would get $1.3 million, although how the money would be divided remained unclear.

"We are in the final stages of documentation and the settlement should be coming public within a week," said Soltan, who represents two of the people who would receive money under the agreement. "It's a very big deal because it's the first time Los Angeles has settled any of its cases."

An attorney for the priests and another plaintiffs' attorney confirmed those figures for The Associated Press in interviews this week and said a deal is likely within a week.

The 45 cases are a fraction of the more than 500 clergy abuse lawsuits filed against the archdiocese since 2003, when alleged victims were allowed to file lawsuits under a state law that peeled back the statute of limitations on sexual abuse claims for one year.

Archdiocese spokesman Tod Tamberg acknowledged Friday that both sides were working hard on a deal, but said similar negotiations with the uninsured cases fell apart last year.

"Talks are ongoing, we're trying to settle the uninsured cases, that's no secret. Last month, people were saying it was going to happen within days," Tamberg said. "I've seen so many stops and starts along the way and I wouldn't hazard a guess at all."

The potential deal would be the most significant step to date toward resolving extensive litigation against the archdiocese that has dragged on for years. It would represent the second-largest publicly known clergy abuse payout in California and the fourth-largest in the nation, according to an AP review of settlements.

"We're aware that they've been working very hard, both the lawyers for the church and the plaintiffs' lawyers, and they're very close," said Donald Steier, an attorney who represents accused priests, including some whose cases would be included in the proposed settlement.

Those familiar with the cases said the settlement would resolve claims by people who say they were abused before the early 1950s and after 1987, when insurers stopped covering molestation.

Attorneys cautioned, however, that several things could cause the fragile agreement to collapse, including a dispute over the release of confidential priest personnel files.

Plaintiffs' attorneys have said in the past that they would not agree to any settlement without securing the public release of those files. Attorneys for the individual priests, however, are likely to fight to keep the records private.

Mary Grant, spokeswoman for the Survivors' Network of Those Abused by Priests, said she hoped the proposed deal would come through.

"We want victims to be cautious, we don't want them to get hurt again," she said. "It's not settled until it's signed."

The news of a possible deal comes as the first round of civil lawsuits are being prepared for trial. The first one goes to court in late November.

Attorneys for the archdiocese and plaintiffs last year selected 44 cases for trial from among the hundreds in hopes that jury verdicts in those cases would provide a better idea of the church's liability. Some victims' attorneys have estimated that a settlement encompassing all the cases could surpass $1 billion.

Sex abuse by Roman Catholic priests has cost the U.S. church at least $1.5 billion since 1950. Several American dioceses have reached multimillion-dollar settlements with victims in the last few years, as bishops have tried to resolve the crisis and move on.

The Diocese of Orange, Calif., agreed to the largest payout to date - $100 million for 90 people - in December 2004.

Three dioceses - Tucson, Ariz.; Spokane, Wash.; and Portland, Ore. - sought bankruptcy protection from a flood of lawsuits.

The Sexually Explicit Internet Messages That Led to Fla. Rep. Foley's Resignation


September 29, 2006 5:59 PM

Brian Ross, Rhonda Schwartz & Maddy Sauer Report:

Florida Rep. Mark Foley's resignation came just hours after ABC News questioned the congressman about a series of sexually explicit instant messages involving congressional pages, young men who are under 18 years of age.

In Congress, Rep. Foley (R-FL) was part of the Republican leadership and the chairman of the House caucus on missing and exploited children.

He crusaded for tough laws against those who used the Internet for sexual exploitation of children.

"They're sick people; they need mental health counseling," Foley said.

But, according to several former congressional pages, the congressman used the Internet to engage in sexually explicit exchanges.

They say he used the screen name Maf54 on these messages provided to ABC News.

Maf54: You in your boxers, too?
Teen: Nope, just got home. I had a college interview that went late.
Maf54: Well, strip down and get relaxed.

Another message:

Maf54: What ya wearing?
Teen: tshirt and shorts
Maf54: Love to slip them off of you.

And this one:

Maf54: Do I make you a little horny?
Teen: A little.
Maf54: Cool.

The language gets much more graphic, too graphic to be broadcast, and at one point the congressman appears to be describing Internet sex.

Federal authorities say such messages could result in Foley's prosecution, under some of the same laws he helped to enact.

"Adds up to soliciting underage children for sex," said Brad Garrett, a former FBI agent and now an ABC News consultant. "And what it amounts to is serious both state and federal violations that could potentially get you a number of years."

Foley's resignation letter was submitted late this afternoon, and he left Capitol Hill without speaking to reporters.

In a statement, he said he was "deeply sorry" and apologized for letting down his family and the people of Florida.

But he made no mention of the Internet messages or the pages.

One former page tells ABC News that his class was warned about Foley by people involved in the program.

Other pages told ABC News they were hesitant to report Foley because of his power in Congress.

The Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, said Congressman Foley did the right thing in stepping down. And Hastert announced that the House will open its own investigation to find out if any other members were also crossing the line with the young people who compete to be pages and learn how Washington works.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Ex-Boyfriend Accused of Burning Woman

By Associated Press

September 28, 2006, 12:45 PM EDT


NAPOLEONVILLE, La. -- A man and his younger brother poured gasoline on his estranged girlfriend and set her on fire, leaving her with severe burns, the sheriff said.

The brothers were arrested and booked on a count of attempted murder of the 25-year-old woman, Assumption Parish Sheriff Mike Waguespack said.

The sheriff's office said Aquendius Landry, 28, and Larmatina Landry, 24, drove the woman to a remote roadway late Tuesday, then drenched her with gasoline and set her on fire early Wednesday.

The woman, who has two children with Aquendius Landry, has burns over 60 percent of her body, Waguespack said.

"This person was tortured. It was a brutal crime and at best this woman has a horrible recovery ahead of her, or she won't make it at all," he said.

Waguespack said he will request that the brothers remain in custody without bond because of the severity of the crime.

The couple had a history of abuse arrests, Waguespack said.

Illegal immigrants frequently denied compensation


By LIZ CHANDLER
McClatchy Newspapers


CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. - Jose Hernandez was good with a machete. So he was the top choice when his boss needed someone to chop down young trees that were choking parts of Florida's Everglades.

On one trip to the swamps, the workers flew in by helicopter and quickly cut a stand of sprouting trees. But when they took off again, something went wrong: The chopper lurched left, then plunged into murky water.

A broken rotor blade slashed through Hernandez's left thigh.

Doctors saved his life, but couldn't save his leg.

To pay for his costly medical care, Hernandez filed a workers' compensation claim, which covered some of his bills.

Then, the insurance carrier, Florida Citrus, Business & Industries Fund, discovered that Hernandez was in America illegally, without work papers or permission from federal immigration officials. It halted all payments and left Hernandez to languish in a low-income Florida nursing home, unable to work to support his wife and four children in Mexico.

Thousands of illegal workers like Hernandez are hurt on the job every year in America, but don't get the compensation that's promised by law in every state.

Bosses often fire them, threaten them with deportation and commit an array of other misdeeds to avoid responsibility for workers' injuries. Some insurers refuse to pay their claims, citing reasons related to their illegal status.

As a result, injured workers often go without medical care or go to emergency rooms for treatment - and taxpayers get stuck with the bills.

"It's a violation of the American spirit," said Florida lawyer Gerry Rosenthal, who represents Hernandez. "Employers are hiring these people and pushing them hard to make a profit for the company, but when a worker gets hurt, they abandon him."

CONTINUED

2.6 billion people lack basic sanitation: U.N. report

Thu Sep 28, 2006 8:40am ET162

By Evelyn Leopold

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Some 2.6 billion people in the world, mainly in Africa and Asia, lack access to basic sanitation, increasing the risk of diarrhea and other diseases fatal to children, said a U.N. report released on Thursday.

UNICEF, the U.N. children's fund, in a study on water and sanitation in developing nations, concluded that U.N. goals could be met on clean water, especially in urban areas, but the same was not true for access to the crudest of toilets.

The report, Progress for Children, surveyed available clean water and sanitation facilities from 1990 to 2004 and calculated which countries could meet goals set at a U.N. Millennium summit in 2000.

These include cutting in half by 2015 the proportion of people without safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

"Despite commendable progress, an estimated 425 million children under the age of 18 still do not have access to an improved water supply and over 980 million do not have access to adequate sanitation, said Anne Veneman, UNICEF's executive director and a former U.S. secretary of agriculture.

Overall, about 1.2 billion people, or an increase from 78 percent in 1990 to 83 percent in 2004, had access to drinking water, a figure that would meet the Millennium goals.

Still, more than 1 billion people were without clean water in 2004 from sources such as wells or springs, a number which may increase as the population grows, the report said.

The lack of access to water is especially acute in sub-Saharan Africa, which represents about 11 percent of the world's population but almost a third of all people without access to safe drinking water.

But even in North Africa and the Middle East, people living in arid rural areas suffer from lack of water. In Djibouti, Iraq and Morocco, for example, more than 40 percent of the rural population have no access to proper drinking water.

Among the worst-affected nations, where less than 50 percent of the population has can find proper water sources, are Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, Equatorial Guinea and Chad, the report said.

Meanwhile, access to basic facilities such as flush toilets or cleanable latrines slabs rose to 59 percent from 49 percent in 1990 but remained short of U.N. targets.

Of the 2.6 billion people worldwide without access to proper sanitation, about 2 billion live in rural areas, some two-thirds in sub-Saharan Africa and 37 percent in South Asia.

At the same time, the largest gains were in Asia, especially in India and China. But the report said the majority of people in both countries still have no adequate sanitation.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Young Children Fight U.S. Troops in Iraq

Sep 19 3:07 PM US/Eastern

By ANTONIO CASTANEDA
Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq


Shiite militias are encouraging children _ some as young as 6 or 7 _ to hurl stones and gasoline bombs at U.S. convoys, hoping to lure American troops into ambushes or provoke them into shooting back, U.S. soldiers say.

Gangs of up to 100 children assemble in Sadr City, stronghold of radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army militia, and in nearby neighborhoods, U.S. officers said in interviews this week.

American soldiers have seen young men, their faces covered by bandanas, talking with the children before the rock-throwing attacks begin _ and sometimes handing out slingshots so the volleys will be more accurate, the troops said.

"It's like a militia operation. They'll mass rocks on the last or second-to-last vehicle" in a U.S. patrol, said Capt. Chris L'Heureux, 30, of Woonsocket, R.I. "There's no doubt in my mind that they're utilizing these kids in a deliberate, thought-out way."

Al-Sadr's followers insist they are not organizing attacks by children.

"Such behavior by Iraqi children is spontaneous and the natural reaction from innocent children who are witnessing horrible deeds committed by the occupation forces in Iraq," Ali al-Yassiri, an aide to al-Sadr, told The Associated Press.

Militants have used children before. Marines in the volatile city of Ramadi say Sunni Arab insurgents often send children to check out U.S. defenses or warn of approaching patrols. And Israeli troops have long faced stone-throwing Palestinian kids.

But the increased use of children in the high-profile Baghdad battle poses a new challenge to American troops seeking to curb Iraqi militias. The tactic also shows the lengths to which militants will go in confronting U.S. troops in a high-stakes fight for control of the capital.

The incidents have seemed to increase since U.S. soldiers moved their security crackdown into Shiite neighborhoods surrounding eastern Baghdad's Sadr City. The U.S. crackdown in the capital is aimed at curbing the power of the Mahdi Army and other sectarian militias.

At one checkpoint, soldiers said hundreds of rocks rained down on their vehicles as they sealed off a neighborhood during a house-to- house search for weapons and militants.

U.S. officers believe the militias are trying to provoke American soldiers into firing on the children or chasing the soldiers into areas where snipers lie in wait.

"Right now the reason we're not (pursuing) is because it's a trap," 1st Lt. Bernard Gardner, 25, of Kinnear, Wyo., said as a group of children pelted his Stryker armored vehicle with rocks. "There's probably one or two snipers out there waiting for us to get in range."

The soldiers are also leery of firing even warning shots in return _ worried that could enflame sectarian passions and turn Shiite civilians against the Americans. Part of the offensive's aim is to bolster public confidence in coalition and Iraqi forces.

"If we point a gun at a kid and they take a photo of it, they'll make a zillion flyers out of it," Gardner said. "That's why we have to be so delicate with the rock throwers."

He said just one bullet fired near a group of children would be "like the shot heard 'round the world."

Most children, even in traditionally hostile areas, typically approach U.S. troops to ask for water or candy, not to ambush them. Even as unruly gangs roamed the areas near Sadr City on one recent day, soldiers kept playing with curious children on tamer blocks nearby.

Army intelligence officers say they predicted before the offensive began this summer that militants in Baghdad would make use of children. As expected, the harassment started with small groups of youngsters throwing stones, then escalated into bigger groups of children hurling larger rocks and even pieces of cement blocks.

Attackers are becoming even more brazen: Children recently have begun hurling bottles of oil and even a homemade firebomb at U.S. vehicles, soldiers say.

One child recently jumped on a passing convoy and untied the straps on a load of supplies. Another young boy ran alongside a moving Stryker vehicle before throwing a rock at a soldier.

No serious injuries have been reported in the attacks by children, although one platoon commander was hit in the face with a rock.

Since firing back is considered out of the question, U.S. soldiers have resorted to other methods to control the children.

On a major road leading into Shaab, a Shiite neighborhood in eastern Baghdad, U.S. soldiers stopped all civilian vehicles and pedestrians to pressure adults into dispersing a group of children that were attacking American vehicles.

"If you can't control your kids, you can't use this road," yelled Sgt. 1st Class Eric Sheehan, 33, of Jennerstown, Pa. One pedestrian responded: "But they're not from this neighborhood."

Some adults eventually persuaded the children to leave _ for at least a few hours.

"They're gone," Sheehan said. "For now."

Other Iraqi adults have been more helpful. After several rocks were thrown at passing U.S. vehicles in Shaab, soldiers followed one child home. When soldiers told his mother what had happened, she slapped her son across the face in front of them.

Soldiers are also using new tools, such as high-decibel speakers, to scare away children. Some youngsters scampered away this week as soon as a soldier pointed a hand-held speaker in their direction.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Monday, September 18, 2006

HIV outbreak at Kazakh children's hospital


Sep 18 12:09 PM US/Eastern

Fifty-five children have been infected with the HIV virus in a paediatric hospital in Kazakhstan, likely through unsanitary use of needles, the health ministry said.

"The contamination took place in two wards in a regional paediatric hospital: the intensive care ward and neo-natal care," Health Minister Erbolat Dosayev said in an interview published in the weekly Megapolis on Monday.

The children were likely infected through the repeated use of disposable and non-sterilized syringes or during blood transfusions, Dosayev said.

Officials in this former Soviet republic said last week that four of the infected childen had died from lack of treatment.

The first cases of HIV infection among children in Kazakhstan appeared in May in the south of the country and an investigation was launched in July to determine the source of the infections.

ELIZABETH SHOAF


Man arrested in teen kidnap case 17/09/2006 - 14:21:01

Authorities in the US today arrested a man suspected of kidnapping a 14-year-old girl who sent a text message to her mother that led to her rescue from a booby-trapped bunker.

Investigators arrested Vinson Filyaw, 37, in Richland County about 24 hours after rescuing Elizabeth Shoaf, Steve McCaskill, the sheriff in neighbouring Kershaw County.

Filyaw will be charged with kidnapping, possession of an incendiary device and impersonating an officer, he said.

McCaskill said more charges are likely to follow after investigators interview the girl. Police expected to talk to her tomorrow about the abduction on September 6 and the ordeal that followed, he said.

"The big relief was when we found Elizabeth Shoaf alive and well,” McCaskill said. “But it is a great relief when you get a criminal of this type out of society and behind bars."


Sheriff’s deputies found Shoaf about a mile from her home in a 15-ft deep hole covered with plywood. The bunker had a hand-dug toilet, a camp stove and shelves made with cut branches and canvas.

McCaskill said the girl appeared to be unharmed but was taken to the hospital for checks.

"We’re just glad that she’s alive and she’s safe and that she will be home with us," her aunt, Geraldine Williams, told WLTX-TV in Columbia. "She’s a good girl. We never believed that she ran away."

Deputies had been searching for Filyaw, an unemployed construction worker, for months on an unrelated charge of criminal sexual conduct against a 12-year-old girl, McCaskill said.

Officers tried to arrest him at his home earlier this week but he had an elaborate escape plan involving a tunnel dug from his bedroom to a shed, the sheriff said.

"When deputies came to serve the warrant, he was able to escape, going under the mattress, going under the trailer and hiding and eluding the arrest," McCaskill said.

Police said Elizabeth, from Lugoff, South Carolina, was being reunited with her mother Madeline Shoaf.

More Links:
Crime Library
Link Tiles
BreitBart.com

The Pope must die, says Muslim

A notorious Muslim extremist told a demonstration in London yesterday that the Pope should face execution.

Anjem Choudary said those who insulted Islam would be "subject to capital punishment".

Should the Pope have apologised for his remarks? Vote here

His remarks came during a protest outside Westminster Cathedral on a day that worldwide anger among Muslim hardliners towards Pope Benedict XVI appeared to deepen.

The pontiff yesterday apologised for causing offence during a lecture last week. Quoting a medieval emperor, his words were taken to mean that he called the prophet Mohammed "evil and inhuman".

He insisted he was "deeply sorry" but his humbling words did not go far enough to silence all his critics or quell the violence and anger he has triggered.

A nun was shot dead in Somalia by Islamic gunmen and churches came under attack in Palestine.


Choudary's appeal for the death of Pope Benedict was the second time he has been linked with apparent incitement to murder within a year.

The 39-year-old lawyer organised

demonstrations against the publication of cartoons of Mohammed in February in Denmark. Protesters carried placards declaring "Behead Those Who Insult Islam".

Yesterday he said: "The Muslims take their religion very seriously and non-Muslims must appreciate that and that must also understand that there may be serious consequences if you insult Islam and the prophet.

"Whoever insults the message of Mohammed is going to be subject to capital punishment."

He added: "I am here have a peaceful demonstration. But there may be people in Italy or other parts of the world who would carry that out.

"I think that warning needs to be understood by all people who want to insult Islam and want to insult the prophet of Islam."

As well as placards attacking the Pope such as "Pope go to Hell", his followers outside the country's principal Roman Catholic church also waved slogans aimed at offending the sentiments of Christians such as "Jesus is the slave of Allah".

A Scotland Yard spokesman said of his comments: "We have had no complaints about this. There were around 100 people at the demonstration. It passed off peacefully and there were no arrests."

Larger Islamic groups in Britain said they accepted the Pope's apology. Inayat Bunglawala of the Muslim Council of Britain said: "The Vatican has moved quickly to deal with the hurt and we accept that.

"It was something that should never have happened - words of that nature were always likely to cause dismay - and we believe some of the Pope's advisers may have been at fault over his speech."

Yesterday's sermon by the Pope was the first time a pontiff has publicly said sorry.

He said he regretted Muslim reaction to his speech and stressed that the quotation did not reflect his personal opinion. Anger and violence - including attacks on seven churches in the West Bank and Gaza - have characterised one of the biggest international crises involving the Vatican in decades.

The Pope appeared determined to move quickly to try to defuse the anger but the fury of many radicals was unabated last night and there were fears for his safety.

Iraqi jihadists issued a video of a scimitar slicing a cross in two, intercut with images of Benedict and the burning Twin Towers.

The website run in the name of the Mujahedeen Army, used by extremist groups who have claimed responsibility for attacks in Iraq, was addressed to "You dog of Rome" and threatened to "shake your thrones and break your crosses in your home".

In a reference to suicide bombing, it said: "We swear to God to send you people who adore death as much as you adore life."

The threat of violence against Catholics and Christians was emphasised by the murder of an Italian nun in Somalia. Sister Leonella, 66, was shot as she walked from the children's hospital where she worked to her house in Mogadishu, a city recently taken over by an Islamic government.

A Vatican spokesman said he feared her death was "the fruit of violence and irrationality arising from the current situation".

Father Frederico Lombardi said he hoped it was an isolated event. "We are worried about this wave of hatred and hope it doesn't have any grave consequences for the Church around the world," he said.

The murder suggested that extremists are determined to use the Pope's embarrassment as an excuse for violence.

In Turkey, state minister Mehmet Aydin said the Pope seemed to be saying he was sorry for the outrage but not necessarily for his remarks.

"You either have to say this, 'I'm sorry' in a proper way or not say it at all," he told reporters in Istanbul.

There were fierce denunciations of the pontiff from Iran. The English-language Tehran Times called his lecture in Bavaria last week "code words for a new crusade".

The powerful cleric Ahmad Khatami told theological students in the holy city of Qom: The "Pope should fall on his knees in front of a senior Muslim cleric and try to understand Islam."

But the Turkish government signalled it was content and that the Pope's visit to the country in November can go ahead.

In his sermon yesterday at the Papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo outside Rome, Benedict spoke amid strengthened security.

He said: "I am deeply sorry for the reactions in some countries to a few passages of my address at the University of Regensburg, which were considered offensive to the sensibility of Muslims.

"These in fact were a quotation from a medieval text, which do not in any way express my personal thought. I hope this serves to appease hearts and to clarify the true meaning of my address."

No other Pope is thought to have made such an apology.

Friday, September 15, 2006

New hope for an end to Uganda's monstrous war

By Jeffrey Gettleman The New York Times
Published: September 14, 2006


GULU, Uganda In the beginning, it was simply called the Acholi war, and despite the brutality, few people outside Uganda paid attention.

The Lord's Resistance Army, a messianic rebel group, was exploring a new dimension of violence by building an army of abducted children and forcing them to burn down huts and slice off lips and pound newborn babies to death in wooden mortars, as though they were grinding grain.

"I killed and killed and killed," said Christopher Oyet, an 18-year-old former rebel who was kidnapped at 9. "Now, I am scared of myself."

CONTINUED

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Montreal Gunman Liked 'Columbine' Game



Kimveer Gill


Sep 14, 10:39 AM (ET)

By PHIL COUVRETTE


MONTREAL (AP) - A man with a black trench coat whose shooting rampage in a Montreal college killed one person and wounded 19 others before he was slain by police said on a blog in his name that he liked to play a role-playing Internet game about the Columbine shootings.

The gunman who opened fire at Dawson College on Wednesday was Kimveer Gill, 25, of Laval, near Montreal, a police official said Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity because authorities were not ready to announce it publicly yet.

Six victims remained in critical condition, including two in extremely critical condition.

The official said police had searched Gill's home.

In postings on a Web site called VampireFreaks.com, blogs in Gill's name show more than 50 photos depicting the young man in various poses holding a rifle and donning a long black trench coat and combat boots.

One photo has a tombstone with his name printed on it - below it the phrase: "Lived fast died young. Left a mangled corpse."

The last of six journal entries Wednesday was posted at 10:41 a.m, about two hours before the gunmen was shot to death at Dawson.

He said on the site that he was drinking whiskey in the morning and described his mood the night before as "crazy" and "postal."

He said on the site that he liked to play "Super Columbine Massacre," an Internet-based computer game that simulates the April 20, 1999, shootings at the Colorado high school by two of its students that left 13 people dead.

"His name is Trench. you will come to know him as the Angel of Death," he wrote on his vampirefreaks.com profile. "He is not a people person."

He wrote that he hates jocks, preppies, country music and hip-hop.

"Work sucks ... school sucks ... life sucks ... what else can I say? ... Life is a video game you've got to die sometime."

Below a picture of Gill aiming the barrel of a gun at the camera there's the inscription: "I think I have an obsession with guns ... muahahaha."

"Anger and hatred simmers within me," said another caption below a picture of Gill grimacing.

He wrote that he is 6-foot-1, was born in Montreal and is of Indian heritage. He said his weakness is laziness and that he fears nothing. Responding to the question, "How do you want to die?" Gill replied "like Romeo and Juliet - or in a hail of gunfire."

Gill wore a black trench coat during the shooting and opened fire in the cafeteria just as Columbine students Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris did in 1999. Gill also maintained an online blog, similar to Klebold and Harris, devoted to gothic culture, heavy metal music such as Marilyn Manson, guns and journal entries expressing hatred against authority figures and "society."

A phone call to the home of Gill's family was answered by a woman said she heard about it through the media late Wednesday night. Police showed up shortly after,

A neighbor who lives across the street from the home said Gill was a loner.

"There were never any friends," Louise Leykauf said. "He kept to himself. He always wore dark clothing."

Montreal Police Chief Yvan Delorme said the lessons learned from other mass shootings had taught police to try to stop such assaults as quickly as possible.

"Before our technique was to establish a perimeter around the place and wait for the SWAT team. Now the first police officers go right inside. The way they acted saved lives," he said.

Witnesses said Gill started shooting outside the college, then entered the second-floor cafeteria and opened fire without uttering a word. At times, he hid behind vending machines before emerging to take aim - at one point at a teenager who tried to photograph him with his cell phone.

Police dismissed suggestions that terrorism played a role in the lunch-hour attack.

The gunman opened fire haphazardly at no target in particular, until he saw the police and took aim at them, Delorme said.

Police hid behind a wall as they exchanged fire with the gunman, whose back was against a vending machine, said student Andrea Barone, who was in the cafeteria. He said the officers proceeded cautiously because many students were trapped around the assailant, who yelled "Get back! Get back!" every time an officer tried to move closer.

Eventually, Barone said, the gunman went down in a hail of gunfire.

Delorme said some officers were at the school on an unrelated matter when the shooting erupted. He said reinforcements rushed to the scene and took part in the shooting.

Scores of students fled into the streets after the shooting began. Some had clothes stained with blood; others cried and clung to each other. Two nearby shopping centers and a daycare center also were evacuated and subway service was disrupted.

"I was terrified. The guy was shooting at people randomly. He didn't care, he was just shooting at everybody," said student Devansh Smri Vastava. "There were cops firing. It was so crazy."

Police said the attacker had a rapid-fire rifle and two other weapons. They did not provide details.

Although police initially suggested the gunman had killed himself, Delorme later said at a news conference that "based on current information, the suspect was killed by police."

"Today we have witnessed a cowardly and senseless act of violence unfold at Montreal's Dawson College," Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said. "Our primary concern right now is to ensure the safety and recovery of all those who were injured during this tragedy."

The school was closed until Monday.

Canada's worst mass shooting took place in Montreal when gunman Marc Lepine, 25, killed 14 women at the Ecole Polytechnic on Dec. 6, 1989, before shooting himself.

That shooting spurred efforts for new gun laws achieved mainly as the results of efforts by survivors and relatives of Lepine's victims.

Dawson, with about 10,000 students, was the first English-language institution in Quebec's network of university preparatory colleges when it was founded in 1969.

---

Associated Press writer Rob Gillies contributed to this report from Toronto.

Baby Rapist on LiveJournal


John Dallas Lockhart
Eligible for parole in 9 years and counting.


Overview:
According to police, John Lockhart raped a four-month-old infant -- and took pictures of the horrific crime. Police had been taking part in an ongoing fraud investigation aimed at John Lockhart's law practice, when they discovered the grossly appalling photos on his computer.

Current:
The Baby-Rapist is on LiveJournal under the name ohbutyouwillpet. His previous journal was ohiocplplays.

Huff's Crime Blog: Driving The Fifth Nail Into The Inverted Mind: John, Joe, Psycho Sickos Who Blog

Saturday, September 09, 2006

In the News: Teens die after logging into 'suicide chat rooms'

Vulnerable youngsters surf the net for advice and encouragement on ending their own lives

By Jonathan Owen
Published: 10 September 2006


Pro-suicide websites and chat rooms have been implicated in the deaths of at least 16 young people in the UK in the past few years.

One of the victims was Simon Kelly, an 18-year-old with no apparent problems, or so his parents thought. They returned home from a holiday to discover that their son had hanged himself. His father, Paul Kelly, has been campaigning since his son's death, five years ago, to close down pro-suicide chat rooms and websites.

Simon had left a website on his computer in which he thanked his friends from suicide chat rooms. "I had no idea that these sites existed before the death of my son. We were taken completely unawares because as far as we knew he was a perfectly normal, sociable and happy youngster. The people behind these sites appear to be totally cynical in their desire to encourage and enable people to kill themselves."

For victims such as Simon, it is too late. Mr Kelly is determined to help stop others suffering the same fate: "I'm looking to prevent future sorrows and tragedies. People will continue to die as the result of suicide chat rooms unless something is done."

Simon is one of many young people whose deaths have been linked to suicide websites in recent years ­ the most recent was a 13-year-old girl in Lytham St Anne's, Lancashire.

Grieving parents want websites and chat rooms that promote suicide to be banned. Their campaign is being led by Papyrus, a charity led by concerned and bereaved parents for the prevention of young suicide.

Under the Suicide Act 1961, assisting a suicide carries a prison sentence of up to 14 years. But suicide websites are not illegal.

The Government has ruled out changing the law and seems content to leave regulation to the industry. A spokesman for the Internet Services Providers' Association said: "It needs to be unlawful content for the industry to take action." But he added: "Suicide is something that needs to be tackled very sensitively and is something the industry is concerned about."

Some internet providers, such as AOL, Google and Microsoft, now prioritise suicide charities in web searches for certain words and phrases and have chat room moderators.

A web administrator on a pro-suicide website saidof critics of such sites: " They think death is an inherently bad thing, while I don't."

Suicide accounts for the deaths of more than 5,500 people a year in the UK, and is the most common cause of death among teenagers. In 2004, 635 young people aged between 15 and 24 took their own lives.

Additional reporting by Claire O'Boyle

A SCHOOLGIRL'S DEATH WISH

'Online, she was a completely different child'

Carina Stephenson was an apparently happy, normal teenager. The 17-year-old was described by her parents as "the perfect daughter".

What they didn't know, as she went off on a bike ride one day in May last year, was that she had made a secret pact with girls she had met in suicide chat rooms to take her own life.

Her body was found hanging in woods near her home in Branton, near Doncaster, four days later. Her family were devastated to discover that Carina, a student who was about to start her A-levels, had been leading a double life. "This was the hardest part of it. Going online it was just like getting to know a completely different child," said her mother, Liz Taylor.

She tracked down the girls that her daughter had made a pact with but does not feel any anger towards them. "I think they were shocked that Carina had actually done it. But the people behind the sites should be locked up," she said.

"I class it as assisted suicide. It is horrific and the pain of losing her will never, ever go. We need to stop these sick maniacs. I want all these sites shut down. There is no excuse for not doing anything about this."

Pro-suicide websites and chat rooms have been implicated in the deaths of at least 16 young people in the UK in the past few years.

One of the victims was Simon Kelly, an 18-year-old with no apparent problems, or so his parents thought. They returned home from a holiday to discover that their son had hanged himself. His father, Paul Kelly, has been campaigning since his son's death, five years ago, to close down pro-suicide chat rooms and websites.

Simon had left a website on his computer in which he thanked his friends from suicide chat rooms. "I had no idea that these sites existed before the death of my son. We were taken completely unawares because as far as we knew he was a perfectly normal, sociable and happy youngster. The people behind these sites appear to be totally cynical in their desire to encourage and enable people to kill themselves."

For victims such as Simon, it is too late. Mr Kelly is determined to help stop others suffering the same fate: "I'm looking to prevent future sorrows and tragedies. People will continue to die as the result of suicide chat rooms unless something is done."

Simon is one of many young people whose deaths have been linked to suicide websites in recent years ­ the most recent was a 13-year-old girl in Lytham St Anne's, Lancashire.

Grieving parents want websites and chat rooms that promote suicide to be banned. Their campaign is being led by Papyrus, a charity led by concerned and bereaved parents for the prevention of young suicide.

Under the Suicide Act 1961, assisting a suicide carries a prison sentence of up to 14 years. But suicide websites are not illegal.

The Government has ruled out changing the law and seems content to leave regulation to the industry. A spokesman for the Internet Services Providers' Association said: "It needs to be unlawful content for the industry to take action." But he added: "Suicide is something that needs to be tackled very sensitively and is something the industry is concerned about."

Some internet providers, such as AOL, Google and Microsoft, now prioritise suicide charities in web searches for certain words and phrases and have chat room moderators.

A web administrator on a pro-suicide website saidof critics of such sites: " They think death is an inherently bad thing, while I don't."

Suicide accounts for the deaths of more than 5,500 people a year in the UK, and is the most common cause of death among teenagers. In 2004, 635 young people aged between 15 and 24 took their own lives.

Additional reporting by Claire O'Boyle

A SCHOOLGIRL'S DEATH WISH

'Online, she was a completely different child'

Carina Stephenson was an apparently happy, normal teenager. The 17-year-old was described by her parents as "the perfect daughter".

What they didn't know, as she went off on a bike ride one day in May last year, was that she had made a secret pact with girls she had met in suicide chat rooms to take her own life.

Her body was found hanging in woods near her home in Branton, near Doncaster, four days later. Her family were devastated to discover that Carina, a student who was about to start her A-levels, had been leading a double life. "This was the hardest part of it. Going online it was just like getting to know a completely different child," said her mother, Liz Taylor.

She tracked down the girls that her daughter had made a pact with but does not feel any anger towards them. "I think they were shocked that Carina had actually done it. But the people behind the sites should be locked up," she said.

"I class it as assisted suicide. It is horrific and the pain of losing her will never, ever go. We need to stop these sick maniacs. I want all these sites shut down. There is no excuse for not doing anything about this."

In the News: Retailers peddle padded bras for girls

by Jane Metlikovec
September 09, 2006 12:00am


BREAST-enhancing padded bras for girls as young as six are being sold in Victorian shops.

Childhood experts have warned parents they could be baiting pedophiles by dressing their young girls as raunchy women.

Tiny matching lingerie sets of lacy bras and knickers in many children's brands including Bratz, Saddle Club and Barbie, have hit the shelves aimed at girls who are barely old enough for school.

The Herald Sun last week revealed the latest Bratz Babyz range included sexually provocative baby dolls dressed in leather and lingerie.

The padded Bratz "bralettes" were among more than 30 different junior bra styles starting at size six on sale at a city Target store visited by the Herald Sun yesterday.

The Australian Family Association warned parents against sexualising their children. "We have a growing problem with pedophilia and people viewing children as sex objects," spokeswoman Angela Conway said.

"Children do not need these products and I am appalled. It is more than bad taste. The sexual portrayal of children in this country is illegal and these products are pandering to just that."

Australian Childhood Foundation CEO Dr Joe Tucci said padded bras were "the most ridiculous piece of clothing a parent could buy".

Bratz distributor Funtastic defended the range.

"The idea of the padding is for girls to be discreet as they develop," a spokeswoman said.

"It is more about hiding what you have got than showing it off. It is certainly not there to make children look like they have breasts."

Target also stood by the underwear range. It provided "fashionable items that give girls modesty and style as they go through development changes", a spokeswoman said.

BETHANY LEANNE MARKOWSKI - Missing


HAVE YOU SEEN THIS GIRL?

MARCH 4, 2001
JACKSON, TENNESSEE


Date of Birth: February 1, 1990
Place of Birth: Tennessee
Sex: Female
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Green
Race: White
Height: 4'8" (at time of disappearance)
Weight: 95 pounds (at time of disappearance)

THE DETAILS

Bethany Markowski was last seen by her father in the parking lot of the Old Hickory Shopping Mall in Jackson, Tennessee, on the afternoon of March 4, 2001. Bethany had gone into the mall alone while her father waited for her in the car. After approximately two hours passed, Bethany's father went into the mall to look for his daughter, but was unable to locate her.

REMARKS

Markowski was last seen wearing a green shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes.

Monday, September 04, 2006

Blood Ritual




Islamic Blood Ritual
DISCRIMINATION OF WOMEN & CHILD ABUSE

CARL STEPHEN KAMINSKI - Wanted





CARL STEPHEN KAMINSKI

UNLAWFUL FLIGHT TO AVOID PROSECUTION - CHILD MOLESTATION

Carl Stephen Kaminski, a registered and convicted child sexual offender in the state of California, is wanted for child molestation in San Jose, California. Kaminski allegedly began molesting two young brothers, aged nine and ten, between January and May of 1988. Kaminski allegedly molested the boys while they were playing video games supplied by Kaminski at his home, and while he took the boys on weekend camping trips.

A subsequent search of Kaminski's home revealed evidence of an apparent pedophile network, complete with photo albums of children, computer files, and organized records of potential victims. This computer was hooked up to a modem through which Kaminski communicated with other individuals in an underground network of pedophiles. With this in mind, Kaminski is thought to be one of the earliest known computer-aided pedophiles.

Kaminski was charged with two counts of child molestation in a California state arrest warrant which was issued on June 30, 1988, by the San Jose Police Department. A federal arrest warrant charging Kaminski with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution was issued on November 11, 1988, in the United States District Court, Northern District of California, San Jose, California.

LYNN OWEN COZART - Wanted


LYNN OWEN COZART

UNLAWFUL FLIGHT TO AVOID CONFINEMENT - INVOLUNTARY DEVIATE SEXUAL INTERCOURSE, ENDANGERING THE WELFARE OF CHILDREN, INDECENT ASSAULT

On February 15, 1996, Lynn Owen Cozart was found guilty of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, endangering the welfare of children, and three counts of indecent assault in the Beaver County Court of Common Pleas, Beaver County, Pennsylvania. These charges stemmed from the discovery that Cozart had molested his three juvenile children from 1984 through 1994. Cozart failed to appear for his sentencing on April 8, 1996, and has been a fugitive since that time. A federal arrest warrant charging Cozart with unlawful flight to avoid confinement was issued in the Western District of Pennsylvania on March 22, 2002.

Friday, September 01, 2006

The Perverse Side of Things


"The Perverse Side of Things"
Torture, Inadequate Detention Conditions, and Excessive Use of Force by Guinean Security Forces

pdf file of report

ALEXIS S. PATTERSON - Missing


HAVE YOU SEEN THIS GIRL?


DESCRIPTION

Date of Birth: April 4, 1995
Place of Birth: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Sex: Female
Hair: Black
Height: 3'8"
Eyes: Brown
Weight: 42 pounds
Race: Black

THE DETAILS

Alexis S. Patterson was reported missing by her mother on Friday, May 3, 2002. Patterson was last seen in the area of Hi-Mount School located at 4921 West Garfield Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at approximately 8:00 a.m. She was reportedly dropped off by her step-father.

REMARKS

Alexis S. Patterson was last seen wearing a red hooded jacket with a gray stripe on the sleeves, a purple shirt, light colored blue jeans, and white Nike tennis shoes. She wore her hair in two braids pulled back into one ponytail and was carrying a pink "Barbie" book bag.

Individuals with information concerning this case should take no action themselves, but instead immediately contact the nearest FBI Office or local law enforcement agency. For any possible sighting outside the United States, contact the nearest United States Embassy or Consulate.

REACHELLE SMITH - Missing


HAVE YOU SEEN THIS GIRL?


DESCRIPTION

Date of Birth: September 10, 2002
Place of Birth: Unknown
Sex: Female
Hair: Brown
Height: 3'6"
Eyes: Brown
Weight: 40 pounds
Race: White

THE DETAILS

Reachelle Smith is missing under suspicious circumstances. She was last seen at her residence in Minot, North Dakota, by her guardian at approximately 1 a.m. on May 17, 2006. When the guardian awoke the next morning and found Reachelle gone, the guardian's male roommate stated that Reachelle would be spending a few days with his mother, with whom the child has a grandmother-type relationship.

On May 22, the guardian awoke to find the roommate missing, along with her own van. She called police to report the missing child and roommate. The roommate was later found dead in the van, by an apparent suicide, outside of Minot. Reachelle was not inside the van.

REWARD

The FBI is offering a reward for information regarding the disappearance of Reachelle Smith.

DAVID JOHN SPRONG, JR. - Wanted


UNLAWFUL FLIGHT TO AVOID PROSECUTION - LEWD AND LASCIVIOUS CONDUCT WITH CHILD UNDER 14 YEARS OF AGE

David John Sprong, Jr., a convicted felon and registered sex offender in the state of California, is wanted on multiple molestation charges related to the alleged molestation of young girls. On March 17, 2006, a complaint was filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento, and a warrant was issued alleging that Sprong failed to appear for trial. He was to be remanded to custody during a March 17, 2006, pre-trial hearing meant to consolidate multiple molestation charges against Sprong and to add a life enhancement for multiple victims by a habitual sex offender. Sprong was free on bond having previously been charged with multiple counts of digital penetration, oral copulation, and fondling of female minors. A federal arrest warrant charging Sprong with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution was issued on March 22, 2006, in the Eastern District of California, Sacramento, California.

ELBY JESSIE HARS - Wanted




UNLAWFUL FLIGHT TO AVOID PROSECUTION - CRIMINAL SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH A MINOR (SECOND DEGREE)

Elby Jessie Hars, a convicted child sex offender, is currently wanted for his alleged involvement in sexual activity with a minor girl. The crime occurred in Richland County, South Carolina, in 2000.

A state arrest warrant was issued in April of 2000 by a Richland County General Sessions Magistrate after Hars was charged with multiple counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor (second degree). In March of 2001, Hars was charged federally with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution by the United States District Court, District of South Carolina, and a federal warrant was issued for his arrest.

GARY LEE ST. JOHN - Wanted


UNLAWFUL FLIGHT TO AVOID PROSECUTION - SEXUAL ASSAULT, LEWD OR LASCIVIOUS ACTS WITH A CHILD UNDER 14 YEARS OF AGE; FAILURE TO APPEAR

Gary Lee St. John is alleged to have committed sex acts upon a six-year-old girl in Reno, Nevada in early 1998. St. John was arrested on February 26, 1998, charged with sexual assault and lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age, and later released on bail. He failed to appear for trial in November of 1998 and a state warrant was issued for his arrest based on the previous sex related charges. In January of 1999, a federal arrest warrant was issued charging St. John with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. St. John was subsequently charged with failure to appear in a bench warrant which was issued in February of 1999.

PROTECT-New York

Wins Big for Children

The Incest Loophole, a law that let generations of sexual predators escape justice, has fallen in New York, after months of battle by PROTECT members and allies across the U.S. and abroad. The victory comes after many in the state capitol said it could never be done in 2006.

The bill will now go to Governor George Pataki to be signed into law.
New York now joins two other major states--Illinois and California--in rolling back preferential treatment for criminals who sexually assault their own children. It is the first state to explicity write into its laws that incest against children is rape.

Assembly Vote: 141-0
Senate Vote: 60-0

The unanimous vote on the Circle of Trust bill once again proves that PROTECT's agenda will always win in the light of day. Once PROTECT-New York succeeded in forcing the bill out of the political backrooms of Albany and made public servants vote publicly on it, the outcome was assured.

The New York legislative victory holds special significance in what has come to be known nationally as the Circle of Trust campaign. New York's antiquated incest laws were included in a model penal code in the late 19th century. Other states then adopted the law, spreading the hated incest exception far beyond New York's borders. For more on this history, see Ruby Andrew's article, "Child Sexual Abuse and the State"--(abstract) (free registration required))

We send our deep gratitude--and our congratulations--to every PROTECT member and supporter who helped win this important victory, both inside and outside New York. PROTECT-New York chair Kim Talman and her team of volunteers showed to a national audience how to win despite long odds by fighting for children the same way that other serious lobbies fight for their interests. To the hundreds of people who made phone calls or sent letters and faxes, please take time to celebrate. The legislation passed by a landslide in the light of day... but behind the scenes it was almost killed, so your action truly might have been the one to make a difference.

Passing legislation like the Circle of Trust bill takes passion, skill and doggedness, but sometimes something more is at work. The campaign to overturn New York's incest loophole began with an extraordinary commentary in the New York Times by PROTECT national advisory board member Andrew Vachss. The column hit New York with an impact rarely seen in public life. In the wake of Vachss' powerful call to close the incest loophole, no fewer than eight different bills were introduced in the New York Senate and Assembly, by members of both parties. Vachss, a New Yorker who first brought the shame of New York's--and America's--double standard on child sexual abuse in the home to national attention, set the stage for this important victory.

Police Round Up Sex Offenders Who Haven't Reregistered

A special police task force on Thursday arrested convicted sexual predators who moved and never reregistered with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Under a new law, the Jessica Lunsford Act, convicted sex offenders in Florida have to check in with police at least twice a year. The law is named after a 9-year-old girl who was kidnapped, abused and killed in Homosassa, Fla., allegedly at the hands of a convicted sex offender, NBC 6's Tom Llamas reported.

The Miami-Dade Police Department said many offenders do not follow the law, so detectives hit the streets Thursday to round up sex offenders who have not registered with the FDLE."That requirement consists of them reporting twice a year, once in their birth month and six months thereafter," said Ronald Rebozo of the Miami-Dade Sex Crimes Bureau.One of the men was convicted of showing his genitals to a girl who was a minor. The man said he always reports to police and that he has not broken any laws or tried to run. But police arrested the man and several others for not reregistering.Miami-Dade police had a list of about 85 offenders, all men, whose crimes ranged from rape to lewd behavior with a minor."We will on the spot reregister them, give them a notice of responsibilities of the requirements of all the new legislation. And we're going to be able to make the community safer," Rebozo said.Many of the sex offenders told NBC 6 they had no idea about the new law. Miami-Dade police said that law enforcement agencies had sent the offenders several pieces of mail, so they should have been aware of the new legislation.

Student organizes drive to save Darfur

August 31, 2006

The Darfur genocide has been a horrifying reality in Sudan that has called SMU student, Denver Nicks, to action. Nicks has created a committee through Students For A Better Society that will attempt to raise awareness about the Darfur situation and help stop the genocide.

The conflict in Darfur began in 2003 after the Sudanese government used armed militias to begin a scorched earth campaign, as well as militia attacks that have led to countless human rights violations.

The situation is only worsening thanks to state-sponsored violence, lack of humanitarian aid, famine, starvation, disease and a program of systematic rape of African women.

With more than 3.5 million people starving, 2.5 million displaced due to the extreme violence, and more than 400.000 dead, one SMU student has decided to take a stand.

Nicks first became involved with the Darfur genocide when a friend from another university began a campaign and sparked Nicks’ interest. His involvement began by simply wearing his “Save Darfur” t-shirts and bracelet, but Nicks wanted to take a more hands-on approach. The grim situation made him want to take the campaign to the SMU student body to raise more awareness for the cause.

This summer Nicks attended a conference in Washington D.C. on student activism in Darfur, which furthered his drive to become more closely involved with the campaign to end the genocide.

Nicks will conduct a meeting on Thursday, Aug. 31, at 5 p.m. in Hughes-Trigg Portico E to discuss the plans for the anti-genocide committee. His main objective is to raise campus awareness about the genocide in Darfur through the sale of t-shirts and fundraising. The money from fundraising will go either to the cause of raising more awareness about Darfur, or to the International Rescue Committee Fund to assist Darfur directly.

Another huge goal of the committee will be to pressure political leaders to take a stand and assist with genocide relief.

“In the state of Texas the political leaders have very low scores when it comes to assisting with the Darfur genocide. We hope to pressure them to do more to help,” stated Nicks.

All of the Texas state representatives and senators have a grade of C or below on their assistance with the Darfur genocide. Sen. John Cornyn ranks the lowest with a grade of F, while the majority of representatives have a scored a D. (www.darfurscore.org/grades/texas).

Nicks encourages anyone who is appalled by genocide and wishes to assist with the effort to attend the meeting.

“I am so excited about the campaign and anyone who is not down with genocide is more than welcome to join,” Nicks stated.

Fore more information please contact Denver Nicks at dnicks@smu.edu

U.N. peacekeeping force for Darfur

Press Release

For Immediate Release
August 31, 2006
Contact:

Jeff Kovick, 202-478-6147, Jeff@savedarfur.org
Alex Meixner, 202.478.6194, Alex@savedarfur.org


Save Darfur Coalition Applauds UN Vote on Peacekeepers,
Urges Swift International Action to Deploy Forces

“We must turn words on paper into boots on the ground”

Washington, DC – The Save Darfur Coalition today maintained cautious optimism following the United Nations Security Council decision to authorize a U.N. peacekeeping force for Darfur, Sudan. The 12-0-3 vote is a clear demonstration of the international community’s will to end the genocide in Darfur. The international community, however, must now overcome the Government of Sudan’s objections to the U.N. peacekeeping force before the desperately needed troops can be deployed.

“While we applaud the hard work that has gone into passing this resolution, the United States and other Security Council member nations must now turn their attention to making sure that this newly authorized peacekeeping force is actually deployed, and deployed soon,” said David Rubenstein of the Save Darfur Coalition.

The peacekeeping mission will function under a similarly worded mandate to current U.N. peacekeeping mission in south Sudan, and is authorized to take “all necessary means” to protect civilians from attack and ensure the unfettered continuation of the peace process as agreed to in the Darfur Peace Agreement. The U.N. mission in Darfur would comprise up to 22,600 military and police personnel.

“Only the actual presence of these peacekeepers will provide the security the people of Darfur so desperately need,” continued Rubenstein. “We must turn words on paper into boots on the ground.”

The United Nations will solicit troops from contributing countries for the Darfur UNMIS force with deployment slated to begin no later than October 1, 2006. Gaining the permission of the Government of Sudan remains a significant hurdle to that timetable, however, one which will take a marked increase in international pressure to overcome. A recent attempt by President Bush to coax Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir’s cooperation fell flat when President Bashir first refused to meet with President Bush’s envoy, Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer. He then rejected Bush’s offer after finally agreeing to meet with Frazer two days later. President Bush’s message to President Bashir included an offer to honor him with a meeting in September if Bashir agreed to the U.N. force.

Since 2003, the Sudanese government-sponsored genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan has killed over 400,000 men, women, and children, forced 2.5 million Darfurians to flee their homes, and left more than 3.5 million individuals reliant on humanitarian aid. Within the last few months, the rates of both systematic rape of Darfuri women and fatal violence against humanitarian aid workers have increased dramatically.

On September 17, the Save Darfur Coalition will join individuals around the world in calling for the immediate deployment of the U.N. peacekeeping force to Darfur. In New York City’s Central Park, “Save Darfur Now: Voices to End Genocide” will be the centerpiece event in a global day of action (www.dayfordarfur.org). In New York, multi-platinum, award winning duo Big & Rich will be joined by rock group O.A.R. in a rally in the East Meadow of Central Park. Additional events will be held in Paris, London, Abuja, and numerous other cities globally. The New York rally will coincide with the 61st meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in the city. The Save Darfur Coalition will be announcing additional speakers and performers for “Save Darfur Now: Voices to End Genocide” (www.savedarfur.org/now) in the coming weeks.

The Save Darfur Coalition comprises 175 human rights, humanitarian, and faith-based organizations united in support of stronger action to end the ongoing genocide in Darfur, Sudan.

###

HIV-positive Indian has to abort her own foetus

BreitBart.com


Health authorities in eastern India began a probe into reports Friday that an HIV-positive woman was forced to perform an abortion on herself after doctors refused help.

The 23-year-old woman was advised to have an abortion after testing positive for the deadly virus, but doctors at a state-run hospital in Kolkata refused to treat her because of her infection.

Medical staff at Kolkata Medical College left pills to induce an abortion by her bedside, said D. Pandey, a doctor at a non-profit group who is the woman's neighbour.

"After taking the pills, she started bleeding and the foetus started coming out. She took it out with her own hands and even cleaned the bed," Pandey told AFP.

The woman who had been six months pregnant was asked to leave the hospital immediately afterward, the doctor said.

People with the HIV virus which is carried in blood and other bodily fluids are sometimes denied access to hospitals and schools in India and face ostracism.

Surya Kant Misra, the health minister of West Bengal state of which Kolkata is the capital, ordered an inquiry into the report after the woman met him Thursday to complain about her treatment. Her name was kept confidential.

In May, Geneva-based UNAIDS said India had 5.7 million people living with HIV/AIDS -- the most in the world, ahead of South Africa where the figure stands at 5.5 million.

The Indian government which uses a different methodology to calculate its figures says the country has 5.2 million people with HIV/AIDS.


Copyright AFP 2005, AFP stories and photos shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.

Austrian girl's lawyer "devastated" by cell

By Angelika Gruber
Reuters

STRASSHOF, Austria (Reuters) - Natascha Kampusch's lawyer visited the windowless basement cell where she was held captive for eight years from the age of 10 on Friday and said he was devastated by the "unimaginable" conditions.

"The reality is harsher than anything you can imagine," Gerald Ganzger told reporters after examining the 6 square meter (65 sq ft) cell near Vienna that she was kept in by an Austrian man after he abducted her on the way to school.

"I am devastated -- this is unimaginable," he said. "It makes such a big difference to see this in real life rather than just in newspaper pictures."

Ganzger and police officers said it would help investigations into one of Austria's most notorious crimes that has made headlines across the world if Kampusch, now 18, returned to the house with them.

"One needs to revisit the crime scene to retrace all the steps and to clear up potential misunderstandings," said Armin Halm from the Federal Crime Office.

Kampusch escaped from the house in the sedate commuter town of Strasshof 25 km (15 miles) outside Vienna on August 23.

Her captor, 44-year-old communications technician Wolfgang Priklopil, killed himself shortly after she fled when he was distracted by a phone call while she was vacuuming his car.

Kampusch, now staying at an undisclosed location with counsellors, has said in a statement she was mourning Priklopil's death. Police say she had "sexual contact" with her captor but have not elaborated.

Experts say Kampusch is suffering from "Stockholm Syndrome" -- a psychological condition in which prisoners begin to identify with their captors.

Her psychiatrist said the ordeal had left Kampusch with deep psychological scars but that she was also a mature woman.

Kampusch, reported to be in good physical health, was expected to give her first public interview sometime next week, said her adviser Dietmar Ecker.

In her statement issued earlier this week, she described how she and her captor furnished the cell hidden beneath a garage, had breakfast with him, helped him cook and chatted with him.

She said Priklopil had told her to address him as "master" but that she refused.

Police said they had completed a search for DNA traces in the house but were still hunting for other clues to confirm whether Priklopil had acted on his own or had a helper.

Divers were called in to search an old well in the garden.

Police said they were investigating whether Priklopil knew about John Fowles' novel "The Collector", which tells the story of a man who kidnapped a girl and hid her in a secret basement cell in the hope one day she might fall in love and marry him.

"We have received several tips about the book," said Gerhard Lang, a senior police officer. He said no copy of the novel had been found at the house.