US cable reveals Vatican 'green' lobbying efforts

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US cable reveals Vatican 'green' lobbying efforts

(AFP)

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican agreed to help the United States in behind-the-scenes lobbying of states to join the Copenhagen Accord on climate change, a US embassy cable published by WikiLeaks showed Thursday. The cable reported a meeting between diplomats at the US embassy to the Holy See and a Vatican official in charge of climate change talks, who "agreed to encourage other countries discreetly to associate themselves with the Accord." "'Green' pope supports US path forward from Copenhagen," the cable said. "Even more important than the Vatican's lobbying assistance... is the influence the Pope's guidance can have on public opinion in countries with large Catholic majorities," read the cable, signed by ambassador Miguel Diaz. Pope Benedict XVI is seen as a major advocate for environmental issues. He emphasised the need to protect the environment in a New Year's Day speech this year and has had solar panels installed in the Vatican. The Vatican is even thinking of launching an electric version of his famous "popemobile". The cable also said the Vatican was "not naive" about the political motives behind criticism of the Copenhagen agreement from Cuba and Venezuela, which were among the nations that helped block approval of the pact. Representatives from 194 countries are meeting in the Mexican resort city of Cancun for a new bid to strike a deal to curb greenhouse gases following on last December's disappointing Copenhagen meeting. The leaked cable was the first from the US embassy to the Holy See to be revealed by WikiLeaks -- and many more will come, according to media reports. The Catholic News Agency (CNA) in the United States said there wore more than 800 Vatican cables on human rights, religious freedom and security. The Vatican's Osservatore Romano official daily has already said the publication will not affect diplomatic relations with the United States.

Related articles Debate: Is L'Osservatore Romano undermining the Church? Catholic Herald Online (blog) - 2 hours ago The City of Vatican Declared The Greenest State In The World IBTimes - 5 hours ago Vatican plans to restore photo archive UPI.com - 20 hours ago More coverage (1) » Read more at www.google.com

 

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Unbelievable: Berkeley City Council To Vote on Honoring Pfc. Bradley Manning

"If he did what he's accused of doing, he's a patriot and should get a medal"

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Unbelievable: Berkeley City Council To Vote on Honoring Pfc. Bradley Manning

"If he did what he's accused of doing, he's a patriot and should get a medal" sfgate An Army private jailed for allegedly leaking sensitive military data is a hero and should be freed, according to a resolution under consideration by the Berkeley City Council. The council is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to declare its support for Pfc. Bradley Manning, who's suspected of providing WikiLeaks with classified military documents and a video depicting an Army helicopter attack in Baghdad in which 11 civilians were killed. Manning, 22, currently in the brig in Quantico, Va., faces 52 years in prison if convicted. Manning has not commented on his guilt or innocence. "If he did what he's accused of doing, he's a patriot and should get a medal," said Bob Meola, the Berkeley peace and justice commissioner who authored the resolution. "I think the war criminals should be the ones prosecuted, not the whistle-blowers." The proposed resolution originated from the same commission that declared the Marine Corps "unwanted intruders" in Berkeley in 2008. The council's ensuing approval - and reversal - ignited some of the city's most raucous protest in years and prompted more than 25,000 e-mails to City Hall. Flashback 2008: Berkeley City Council tells Marine Corps recruiters they are not welcome calling them "intruders"

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South Dakota Man Convicted of Producing Child Pornography

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South Dakota Man Convicted of Producing Child Pornography

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Phillip C. Running, age 23, of Parmelee, South Dakota, was convicted of two counts of production of child pornography as a result of a federal jury trial in Pierre, South Dakota. These charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both. Restitution may also be ordered. Running was indicted by a federal grand jury for production of child pornography on August 17, 2010. The charges stem from incidents in which Running videotaped two minor children engaging in sexually explicit conduct on or about between June 2001 and May 2002.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jay Miller prosecuted the case. A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date was set for March 1, 2011. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal. Read more at minneapolis.fbi.gov

 

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University of Connecticut Student Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

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University of Connecticut Student Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Kimberly K. Mertz, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced that STEVEN DONALD LEWIS, 21, of Plainville, was arrested today by members of the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force on a federal criminal complaint charging LEWIS with possession of child pornography and receipt and distribution of child pornography. The criminal complaint alleges that, on November 9, 2010, a Bristol Police Department detective assigned to the FBI’s Computer Crime Task Force in New Haven logged into a publically available Internet file-sharing program and downloaded 34 images of child pornography from a shared directory maintained by LEWIS. LEWIS was arrested this morning at his dormitory residence at the University of Connecticut, where he is a student. Law enforcement agents also seized LEWIS’ laptop computer. Following his arrest, LEWIS appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Thomas P. Smith in Hartford and was released on a $100,000 bond co-signed by a family member with whom LEWIS will now reside. If convicted of the charge of possession of child pornography, LEWIS faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000. If convicted of the charge of receipt and distribution of child pornography, LEWIS faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years, and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000. U.S. Attorney Fein stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force, which includes federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Bristol Police Department. The University of Connecticut Police Department and the Connecticut State Police have provided valuable assistance to the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Deborah R. Slater. The Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force investigates crimes occurring over the Internet, including computer intrusion, Internet fraud, copyright violations, Internet threats and harassment, and online crimes against children. The Task Force also provides computer forensic review services for participating agencies. The Task Force is housed in the main FBI office in New Haven, Connecticut. For more information about the Task Force, please contact the FBI at 203-777-6311. U.S. Attorney Fein noted that this prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov. To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com. Read more at newhaven.fbi.gov

 

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Grand Jury Adds New Charges Against Deputy Sheriff and Charges Wife in Superseding Indictment

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Grand Jury Adds New Charges Against Deputy Sheriff and Charges Wife in Superseding Indictment

HOUSTON—A federal grand jury has returned a six-count superseding indictment against Harris County Deputy Sheriff George Wesley Ellington, 38, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno announced today along with FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard C. Powers and Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia. The superseding indictment incorporates charges of accepting bribes in return for protection of loads of Ecstasy from the original indictment returned in late October 2010 and adds four additional charges, including two counts of aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute Ecstasy—with one count adding his wife, Katrise Tania Ellington, 31, as a defendant—and two counts of carrying and possessing a firearm during and in relation to the drug trafficking offenses charged. George Ellington, arrested following the unsealing of the original indictment in October 2010, was later released on bond. He is expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mary Milloy on Monday, Dec. 13, 2010, for arraignment on the new charges. Katrise Ellington surrendered to federal authorities this morning and after appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge John Froeshner has been ordered released on a $25,000 unsecured bond pending trial. George Ellington is charged in Counts 1 and 2 with accepting a total of $1000 in bribes in February 2010 and April 2010 in return for using his position as a Harris County Deputy Sheriff to provide protection for two loads of 3, 4 Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly called Ecstasy, and with unauthorized access to confidential law enforcement databases; Counts 3 and 4 accuse Ellington of aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute Ecstasy on the same dates in February and April 2010; and Counts 5 and 6 charge him with carrying and possessing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crimes alleged in the previous counts. Katrise Ellington is charged along with her husband in Count 4 with aiding and abetting the possession with the intent to distribute Ecstasy in April 2010. Each of the two bribery charges and two drug trafficking charges carries a maximum penalty, upon conviction, of 20 years’ imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine. The two firearm charges carry a potential 30-year sentence—that is, five years upon conviction of the first count and an additional 25-year sentence if convicted of the second charge—which must be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed. The case will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel C. Rodriguez. An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law. Read more at houston.fbi.gov

 

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Tucson Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Production of Child Pornography

Defendant Worked as a Babysitter and Photographer for Children's Sporting Events

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Tucson Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Production of Child Pornography Defendant Worked as a Babysitter and Photographer for Children's Sporting Events

TUCSON, AZ—Christopher Flynt, 28, of Tucson, was sentenced yesterday to 15 years in prison for production of child pornography by U.S. District Court Judge John M. Roll. Flynt was convicted following his guilty plea March 25, 2010. An investigation into distribution of child pornography over the Internet revealed that on August 28, 2008, Flynt had received several images of child pornography from another individual. On October 1, 2008, a search warrant was executed at Flynt’s home resulting in the seizure of his computer. A subsequent forensic examination confirmed Flynt possessed the child pornography sent over the Internet, along with over 300 additional images of child pornography. “This individual used his employment positions as a babysitter and child photographer to indulge in the illicit child pornography industry and betrayed the trust of those he cared for and their parents,” said U.S. Attorney Dennis K. Burke. “He will now be under law enforcement’s radar for the rest of his life so that he does not get another opportunity to victimize children. I want to thank the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their work, along with the Orange County (California) Sheriff's Department for their collaboration in this investigation.” “The FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office are committed to combating child pornography. This criminal activity against the most vulnerable, our children will not be tolerated and those who participate in this type of activity will be held accountable to the full extent of the law,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Nathan Gray, Phoenix Division. At the same time Flynt produced, possessed, and traded child pornography, he was working as a babysitter for three minor boys and operated a business photographing children’s sporting events. One of the images on Flynt’s computer was of the youngest boy Flynt babysat. The investigation revealed that Flynt coerced the boy, who was 8 years old at the time, into letting Flynt take a lewd photograph of him. Flynt had previously been employed by an elementary school and the YMCA in the Tucson area. Flynt will be placed on lifetime supervised release after he’s released from prison. He will also be required to register as a sex offender and to complete a sex offender treatment program. The investigation leading to the conviction was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Orange County (California) Sheriff’s Department. The prosecution was handled by Angela Woolridge, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Tucson. CASE NUMBER: CR 09-0279-TUC-JMR (DTF) RELEASE NUMBER: 2010-265(Flynt) Read more at phoenix.fbi.gov

 

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Northern Arizona Man Sentenced for Assaulting Police Officer

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Northern Arizona Man Sentenced for Assaulting Police Officer Defendant Receives More Than Five Years in Prison

PHOENIX—Larry Shonnie Ben, Jr., 31, of Kayenta, Arizona, was sentenced on Monday to 66 months in federal prison by the Honorable Frederick J. Martone for assaulting a police officer. Ben entered a guilty plea September 21, 2010 to assault with a dangerous weapon. On December 13, 2009, officers from the Kayenta Police Department received calls about a drunk driver. During a traffic stop involving Ben, an officer reached into his vehicle to retrieve the keys. At that point, Ben drove over the officer’s foot as he attempted to flee the scene. “This individual was intoxicated to the point where he was uncooperative and even violent, posing a threat to the very officials who keep the community safe,” said U.S. Attorney Dennis K. Burke. “This case is a great example of multiple federal, state, and tribal agencies working together to bring the defendant to justice.” Kayenta police, assisted by the Shiprock Police Department pursued Ben. During the chase, Ben deliberately hit the passenger side of the victim officer’s vehicle. The officer proceeded to drive in front of Ben to warn oncoming vehicles. At that point, Ben accelerated his vehicle to a high rate of speed and collided into the back of the officer’s vehicle. The investigation in this case was conducted by the Navajo Division of Public Safety Department of Criminal Investigations, the Kayenta Police Department, the Shiprock Police Department, the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Christina J. Reid-Moore, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix. CASE NUMBER: CR-10-8014-PCT-FJM RELEASE NUMBER: 2010-263 (Ben) Read more at phoenix.fbi.gov

 

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The Day Our Minds Are to Stand Still

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The Day Our Minds Are to Stand Still

Feel guilty that many people have such things as automobiles, and continually support existing commodities by denying feasible alternatives to petro, coffee, tobacco and pharmaceuticals...

From Philip A. Jonker's Predictive Programming in Movies" http://predictiveprogramminginmovies.blogspot.com/2009/02/day-earth-stood-still-2008.html A revealing and very important dialogue transpires between Klaatu and Dr Benson: Klaatu: "This planet is dying. The human race is killing it." Dr Benson: "So you've come here to help us?" Klaatu: "No, I didn't." Dr Benson: "You said you came to save us." Klaatu: "I came to save the Earth." Dr Benson:"You came to save the earth, from us." Klaatu: "We cannot risk the survival of this planet for the sake of one species. If the earth dies, you die. If you die, the earth survives. There are only a handful of planets in the cosmos that are capable of supporting complex life. This one cannot be allowed to perish." Dr Benson: "We can change. We can still turn things around..." Klaatu: "We've watched. We've awaited and hoped that you would change. It has reached a tipping point where we have to act. We'll undo the damage you done and give the Earth a chance to begin again." Dr Benson: "Don't do that... Please. We can change." Klaatu: "The decision has been made. The process has begun." The movie makes no bones about the notion that the typical viewer is to blame for the phenomenon of the world going to hell in a hand basket. The degenerating environment, ballooning pollution, over-population global warming, it's all the fault of the average joe. Humans like a virus eating away the planet. What a horrible realization, the viewer is nudged into thinking... Consequently, he or she is left teetering on the brink of a guilt trip. Lest going off on tangents, for all clarity, the imposition of a guilt-trip on the viewer and the need for (Obama-esque kind of) change are the predictive programming elements of significance in this most important of scenes. (1:10:30) Quite similar to the original, Klaatu proceeds to demonstrate his hands down intellectual superiority by kindly helping out with ease the planet's most intelligent physics scholar, Prof. Barnhardt. In addition, also similar to the original a standing Klaatu authoritatively looking down on a humble and seated Dr. Benson and Prof. Barnhardt, helps persuade the viewer to also accept Klaatu's parental moral superiority. A most interesting discussion follows between Prof. Barnhardt and Klaatu: Professor: "There must be alternatives. You must have some technology that can solve our problem." Klaatu: "The problem is not technology. The problem is you. You lack the will to change." Professor: Then help us change..." Klaatu: "I cannot change your nature. You treat the world as you treat each other." Professor: "But every civilization reaches a crisis point eventually. [...] Only when your world was threatened with destruction that you became what you are now." Klaatu: "Yes." Professor: "Well, that's where we are. You say we're on the brink of destruction, and you are right. But it's only on the brink that people find the will to change. Only at the precipice do we evolve. This is our moment, don't take it from us. We are close to an answer." Again all the woes and ills of the world are pinned on the typical viewer. Never are the guiding financial, economic and religious powers given even as much as a casual and superficial critical review. And that's a shame really, since it is not the hordes of simpleton Joe Sixpack's and Jane Soap opera's who are too blame but rather a relatively small group of psychopathic megalomaniacs; the bigger than life banksters, the mesmerizing religious hierarchies - most notably that of the Catholic Church, the military industrial complex, etc., who are ruining it for the rest of world. But oh no, movies like this tempt us into believing that not only are we guilty, we need to be driven on the brink of annihilation in order to greet a better world. What a great premonition that is, huh? On the side, Klaatu demonstrates his superhuman magical powers by downing two obnoxious helicopters but then contrasts this act of aggression by showcasing a high moral standing through rescuing the son of Dr Benson from falling to sure death. Thus his authority over life and death is laid bear. (1:26:00) Ironically, after witnessing from close up the most basic and ubiquitous types of bonding belonging to humans, Klaatu has a change of heart and confesses to Dr. Benson: "There's another side to you. I feel it now." The obvious question being, couldn't he have realized that a bit sooner? Wouldn't it have been better for him to first study humans from close up rather than doing that after setting in motion the hellish wrath from outer space? After all, didn't he and his space alien buddies scrutinize this planet for quite a while already before coming to earth? Anyway, be that as it may. The rudimentary type of bonding between mother and child is offered as the key to our Problem apparently and proceeds to save the day. It is literally and figuratively left out of the picture that the loving and forgiving relationship as seen between mother and child is unfortunately usually not as pronounced in other relationships as the movie seems to imply. The movie does not care, and they all, minus a few soldiers, intelligence personnel and a truck driver, live happily ever after. In addition, never mind those big bad boy banksters hiding and snickering in the shadows who no doubt greatly enjoy this remarkable piece of tear-jerking distraction. A craftily made and entertaining work of misdirection aimed at obfuscating the faces of the real guilty; the bunch of megalomaniacal degenerates really responsible for sending this world to hell, and then some. It is all about guilting people out against modernity- technologies allowing many people to do more things- tripping them out to get them to curse not any sort of undesirable side effects --- aka pollution -- but rather the modernity itself- and from those enjoying such, usually via a magic word getting people to suspend thinking. Take, for instance, the name of 'environmentalism', it will get otherwise intelligent people to invect against 'cars' thoughlessly. Oh lets just get rid of all of the cars*, qipped a passenger in a car that I was driving, an automobile that had gotten her from Washington, D.C. to New York City in about 4 hours -- all the while forgetting about the miseries of animal powered transport in animal sh*t and its accompanying disease! (while offereing absolutely nothing in useful criticism about say reducing emissions via improved propulsion technologies, lest say the status quo lose market share). [*cars is a term actually encompassing private automobiles and train cars, trolly (light rail) cars, uses, indeed anything self movable asides from boats (hulls), airplanes (fuselages), and bikes]. As it was the New Jersey approach to the Holland Tunnel that had elicited that quip, it was the ingrained idea of the use of automobiles by the many that 's the target. (Indeed, why not instead ask why Lower Manhattan has, for vehicular traffic from the west, has only the original 2x2 lanes of the Holland Tunnel as built during the 1920s- why is there no subsequent project to add paralell tubes, let alone some continuing eastward belowground to connect withe Williamsburg Bridge?) An alternative goal of informing the masses would have a different message: Your people are dumbed out and conditioned to become too lazy to inquire independently with its heard mentality; too many people spend too much time watching sports, pornography, or gambling. Too many of you don't realize how your 'news' media is designed to dumb you down, not reporting on matters outside of one's country or even state/province in any depth- aka around the world in 80 seconds on FOX, let alone my Westchester County, N.Y. Comcast Cable which reduced its inclusion of the Megahertz TV channel to only 30 minutes weekly before eliminating it You ask why politics are so screwed up while continually voting for the lesser of two evils; yet you fail to fathom the quite obvious dynamics of a intrinsically corrupt fraternal order society of suck-ups producing mediocracy claoked as great achievment, evidenced via the countless political broken promises and votes made unanimously and without debate like a bunch of drones. A Beholden Doctrine http://cos-mobile.blogspot.com/2007/10/beholden-doctrine.html Read more at continuingcounterreformation.blogspot.com

 

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The Senate convicted a federal judge on four articles of impeachment today, only the eighth such in history

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Senate Convicts Terrible Judge

The Senate convicted a federal judge on four articles of impeachment today, only the eighth such removal in history.

Send an email to Jim Newell, the author of this post, at newell@gawker.com. Read more at gawker.com

 

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Ronni Chasen Murder Weapon Matches Suicide Gun

A "law enforcement source" tells the LA Times the gun of a man who committed suicide does appear to be the one that killed publicist Ronni Chasen. (Which is the opposite of what they said earlier.) Press conference later today.

Send an email to Hamilton Nolan, the author of this post, at Hamilton@gawker.com. Read more at gawker.com

 

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