Hello Brother Dearest! 3/25/07
It‟s Sunday, and that means that I‟ve once again missed my Saturday deadline.
Sorry!! It‟s a hard day, there‟s lots going on all the time and all that. I know you don‟t
really care, you just want a letter. On with it then! This Saturday I got up at 10:30am and
had to get ready to go to the Humane Society to do a volunteer shift, so I couldn‟t write
you in the morning; Shawn and Hailey both came over for a pitty party. Shawn‟s wife
Serai left him for another woman, and Hailey has finally come to frips with the fact that
Joe is unable to fulfill her needs. Hailey decided to leave Joe on Firday, and she came
over right after pre-marital counseling. So, in the wake of ths misfortune, we called
Shawn to join us and I was the only friend who was happy in life. So sad, that I couldn‟t
really relate.
Hey, you called me today!!! You woke me up at 11am. (Jealous much? *lol*) I‟m
super glad you‟re done with Basic, and that you‟re better. I was seriously entertaining the
idea that you may end up dying from Pneumonia before this was all said and done. I
don‟t know what I would do if my big brother got sick and died, so take better care of
yourself from now on please!! I am such a worry wart, I know, but I can‟t help it.
Josh and I are watching this new show/movie/documentary series that just
premiered at 8pm tonight, on the discovery channel. It‟s called Planet Earth. It was
filmed over the course of 5 years, with 2000 hours filmed, using high definition cameras.
They show some pretty interesting stuff. So far, my favorites have been overhead shots of
two different predators going after their prey, and using tactics to do it! Never before
seen, as we are constantly reminded. It‟s actually really cool. There are these hunting
dogs in Africa who work together in packs to pick off an Impala a day, and the way they
do it is amazing. Reminds me a little of Jurassic park, with the Raptors, only lots more of
them. So they‟ll kind of fake an attack, and get them separated, and then they‟ll send the
front-runner after one of the smaller herds, and they‟ll position flanks on the sides to
intercept, and then they single in on one which they attack.
Lissa News:
In The News:
March 22, 2007 2:40:39 PM
Deployments: The Real Numbers
By Rod Nordland
Baghdad, March 22, 2007: There will soon be more American soldiers in Iraq than at
any point in the war so far. The incoming surge of 21,500 troops is only part of that
picture; in addition, the U.S. commander, Gen. David Petraeus, has asked for an
additional Army aviation brigade, as well as a couple thousand military police. Other
support troops will be coming in to Iraq as well, and they weren't all included in the
original 21,500 estimate announced by President Bush last month. When all this is
complete, sometime in July, the grand total of U.S. troops in Iraq will be 173,000, U.S.
military officials here confirmed on background, apparently because of the sensitivity of
these details. And it's likely that U.S. troop numbers will stay at that level for months
more, perhaps even into 2008. That's only part of the picture, however; the total number
of U.S. troops deployed into the war theater, that is, Iraq and neighboring countries, may
be as much as 100,000 more than that. Last August, for instance, the Congressional
Research Service, quoting the Department of Defense's Contingency Tracking System,
put the total deployment at 260,000, while the number actually in Iraq was at 140,000 to
160,000. (Other estimates by government-oversight bodies have put the total deployed in
the theater at 202,000 to 207,000.)
Some things are getting smaller. The projected size of the Coalition of the willing has
reached a historic low, but by July the number of soldiers from U.S. allies in Iraq will
actually climb a tad, to 13,000, thanks to a commitment from the former Soviet republic
of Georgia for a new brigade of 2,300 troops. More than half of that 13,000 are British,
who are also in the process of withdrawing more of their troops by next year, and the
remainder are small contingents from 23 other contributing countries, major powers
ranging from Mongolia to Peru.
The total bill for the Iraq war will soon rival the estimated $600 billion cost of the
Vietnam War "although, if the dollars were adjusted for inflation, it would probably
already be more costly. So far, $351 billion has been spent or appropriated between 2003
and 2007, and the president's additional budget request of $68 billion in 2007 will bring
that to $419 billion, if it passes, according to estimates by the Congressional Budget
Office (these figures include U.S. military expenditures, expenditures for Iraqi security
forces, and spending for foreign aid and diplomatic operations in Iraq). With another
$113 billion predicted for the 2008 budget, the total direct cost of the war will by then top
half a trillion dollars, $532 billion in all. That naturally does not even begin to take into
account indirect costs, from veterans' care to oil-price rises.
It's not like there's nothing to show for all this. This month's quarterly Pentagon report to
Congress on the progress of the war had some revealing statistics. Washington has
managed in the process to "stand up" 328,700 Iraqi security forces, of whom 120,000 are
in the Iraqi Army, and 192,300 are policemen of various sorts. These sound like
impressive numbers, but the report goes on to note that "The actual number of present-
for-duty soldiers is about one-half to two-thirds of the total due to scheduled leave,
absence without leave, and attrition." The police have as high or even higher levels of
desertion and loss.
Another detail from the Pentagon report: electricity generation has been averaging 10
hours a day nationwide, and only 6.6 hours a day in Baghdad, in the last quarter of 2006.
Overall production of electricity was about where it was in 2004, although demand had
greatly increased.
One slightly reassuring statistic: since the surge began, and the Baghdad Security Plan
started pouring much larger numbers of troops onto the streets, the death toll among
American soldiers has not risen significantly, averaging 2.8 deaths a day from Feb. 15 to
March 21, about the same as the daily rate in January and February. On the other hand, it
hasn't gone down, either. As with any statistic, it all depends on how you look at it.
Many VA clinics beset with mold, leaky
roofs
Agency head orders ‘immediate corrective action’ after
internal review
Army Master Sgt. Gary
Rhett, building manager,
looks last Thursday at a
section of wallpaper that
was pulled back to reveal
mold in a room in the
Walter Reed Army
Medical Center, which
was used to house
recovering wounded
soldiers.
WASHINGTON - The Veterans Affairs‟ vast network of 1,400 health clinics and
hospitals is beset by maintenance problems such as mold, leaking roofs and even a
colony of bats, an internal review says.
The investigation, ordered two weeks ago by VA Secretary Jim Nicholson, is the first
major review of the facilities conducted since the disclosure of squalid conditions at
Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
A copy of the report was provided to The Associated Press.
Democrats newly in charge of Congress called the report the latest evidence of an
outdated system unable to handle a coming influx of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Investigators earlier this month found that the VA‟s system for handling disability claims
was strained to its limit.
'Putting Band-Aids on problems'
“Who‟s been minding the store?” said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., a member of the
Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. “They keep putting Band-Aids on problems, when
what the agency needs is major triage.”
The review was conducted by directors of individual VA facilities around the country and
compiled in a 94-page report to Nicholson. It found that 90 percent of the 1,100 problems
cited were deemed to be of a more routine nature: worn-out carpet, peeling paint, mice
sightings and dead bugs at VA centers.
The other 10 percent were considered serious and included mold spreading in patient care
areas. Eight cases were so troubling they required immediate attention and follow-up
action.
Some of the more striking problems were found at a VA clinic in White City, Ore. There,
officials reported roof leaks throughout the facility, requiring them to “continuously
repair the leaks upon occurrence, clean up any mold presence if any exists, spray or
remove ceiling tiles.”
In addition, large colonies of bats resided outside the facility and sometimes flew into the
attics and interior parts of the building.
“Eradication has been discussed but the uniqueness of the situation (the number of
colonies) makes it challenging to accomplish,” according to the report, which said the
bats were being tested for diseases. “Also, the bats keep the insect pollution to a
minimum which is beneficial.”
In other findings:
In Oklahoma City, secondhand smoke from an outside smoking shelter sometimes
infiltrated the building through the women‟s restroom.
Deteriorating walls and hallways were common, requiring repair, patch and paint
in 30 percent of patient areas in Little Rock, Ark.
Numerous unspecified “environmental conditions” affected the quality of the
building in New York‟s Hudson Valley, with the private landlord repeatedly
refusing to fix problems. The VA is taking steps to relocate to another facility.
Roof leaks or mold at facilities such as Hudson Valley; North Chicago, Ill.;
Indianapolis; Puget Sound, Wash.; Portland, Ore; and Fayetteville, Ark.
'Immediate corrective action'
Veterans groups said they were concerned about the findings but also appreciated the
VA‟s aggressive efforts to identify problems.
“We now expect these problems to be corrected immediately and not shelved due to
insufficient funding or because the proper care and treatment of our wounded veterans is
no longer in the national spotlight,” said Joe Davis, spokesman of Veterans of Foreign
Wars.
John Gage, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which
represents 150,000 VA workers, added: “Clearly the problems facing the VA require
increased funding as well as better oversight.”
In response, Nicholson this week ordered “immediate corrective action” to fix problems,
with full accounting provided to the VA. He noted that an overwhelming majority of the
issues were normal “wear and tear” items.
In many cases where there were roof leaks or mold, officials had begun action to order
patches or repairs, the department said. In some instances, they were moving to new
facilities.
“The level of detail in the reports and the corrective actions enumerated demonstrate your
responsiveness to my request,” Nicholson wrote in an order Monday to VA medical
center directors.
'No imminent threat of harm'
In interviews, VA officials said they were somewhat reassured by the report, which they
said indicated no red flags rising to the level of problems at outpatient facilities at Walter
Reed in Washington, D.C., one of the premier facilities for treating those wounded in Iraq
and Afghanistan.
Walter Reed is a military hospital run by the Defense Department. Critics long have said
problems of military care extend to the VA‟s vast network, which provides supplemental
health care and rehabilitation to 5.8 million veterans.
But VA officials noted that despite some problems, the VA health system consistently
outperforms private-sector hospitals in customer satisfaction.
“There was no imminent threat of harm to patients,” said Louise Van Diepen, chief of
staff to VA‟s acting undersecretary for health, Michael Kussman. “We have no indication
to lead us to believe there is a smoking gun.”
“Could it happen? Yes. But we‟re doing everything we can prospectively to monitor the
situation,” she said.
Three high-level Pentagon officials have been forced to step down after the disclosures
last month at Walter Reed. The controversy also has led to investigations by
congressional committees, a presidential task force and the Pentagon.
A separate review of the VA system for handling disability claims is under way to
determine how to cut through bureaucratic delays, confusing paperwork and long appeals
process as thousands of veterans return home from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Words of war: Understanding military
jargon
A quick guide to ground force terminology
Military coverage is filled with jargon that sometimes obscures the story. Here is a quick
guide to U.S. Army formations and select equipment — what they consist of, how large
they are and what they do.
Battalion: A battalion, usually about 400-strong, is comprised of three rifle companies, a
combat support company and a headquarters company. Battalions often blend companies
with different fighting specialties to take on tasks that no existing unit is properly
configured to tackle. Battalions normally fight enemy forces they can see and engage.
This is defined as an area extending from less than 100 yards in forests, urban areas and
other close terrain out to about two to three miles from the battalion‟s direct and indirect
weapons-fire.
Brigade: The brigade provides mobility, counter-mobility and survivability, topographic
engineering and general engineering support to the largest unit - the corps — and
augments the corps‟ various divisions. The brigade may contain combat engineer
battalions, separate engineer companies, assault float bridges, and topographic and
tactical bridge companies. It contains around 2,500 people commanded by a colonel.
Bunker buster: A bomb designed to destroy hardened targets deep under ground. The
American GBU-28 bunker buster bomb is guided by laser and can break through 100 feet
of earth or 20 feet of concrete before exploding. The GBU-28 was initially developed in
1991 for penetrating hardened Iraqi command centers.
Constant Phoenix: A modified C-135B transport aircraft equipped with devices to detect
radioactive “clouds” from nuclear weapons detonations. It is controlled by the Air Force
Technical Applications Center (AFTAC) and operated by the 45th Reconnaissance Wing
at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. The interior seats 33 people.
Company: Company-sized units, 130 to 150 soldiers, are normally commanded by
captains. They consist of two or more platoons, usually of the same type, a headquarters
unit and some logistical capabilities. Companies are the basic elements of all battalions.
Corps: The corps is the largest tactical unit in the U.S. Army. The Corps is responsible
for translating strategic objectives into tactical orders. It synchronizes tactical operations
including maneuvering, the firing of organic artillery, naval firing, supporting tactical air
operations, and actions of their combat support, bringing together these operations on the
battlefield. Each corps will have between two and five divisions, depending on the
mission.
Division: Divisions perform major tactical operations for the corps and can conduct
sustained battles and engagements. One division is made up of at least three brigades
with between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. Divisions are normally commanded by major
generals. Types of divisions include light infantry, armored and mechanized infantry,
airborne and air assault.
IED: An IED, or Improvised Explosive Device, is a “homemade” device that is designed
to cause death or injury by using explosives alone or in combination with toxic
chemicals, biological agents, or radiological material. IEDs may be detonated by a
suicide bomber or remotely detonated. They may utilize commercial or military
explosives, homemade explosives, or military ordnance and ordnance components.
Platoon: A platoon is four squads - generally three rifle squads and one weapons squad,
normally armed with machine guns and anti-tank weapons. Lieutenants lead most
platoons, and the second-in-command is generally a sergeant first class.
Squad: A small military unit consisting of 10 to 11 soldiers.
Stryker: The U.S. Army‟s newest armored vehicle. The 19-ton, eight-wheeled Stryker
can be configured for use in infantry, reconnaissance, fire support or medical evacuation
missions. It can operate at 60 mph and has a range of 312 miles. The vehicle may be
transported by C-130 aircraft.
Abortion ultrasound-viewing advances in
S.C.
Senate, governor expected to OK measure with rape,
incest exemptions
COLUMBIA, S.C. - With calls of emotional blackmail from opponents, a measure
requiring women seeking abortions to first review ultrasound images of their fetuses
advanced Wednesday in the South Carolina Legislature.
The legislation, supported by Republican Gov. Mark Sanford, passed 91-23 after
lawmakers defeated amendments exempting rape or incest. The House must approve the
bill again in a routine vote before it goes to the Senate, where its sponsor expects it to
pass with those exemptions.
Some states make ultrasound images available to women before an abortion, but South
Carolina would be alone in requiring women to view the pictures.
Critics consider the proposal a tool to intimidate women who already have made an
agonizing decision.
"You love them in the womb, but once they get here, it's a different story," said Rep.
Gilda Cobb-Hunter, a Democrat and a social worker. "You're sitting here passing
judgment? Who gave you the right?"
Proponents hope women will change their minds after seeing an ultrasound.
Rep. Alan Clemmons, choking back tears as he talked about his two adopted children,
recalled a prayer given by his 11-year-old daughter.
"She thanked her God, her father in heaven for her birth mother for loving her enough to
give her life," said Clemmons, a Republican. "I thank my God for those young mothers
who chose to give them life."
The bill‟s sponsor, Rep. Greg Delleney, a Republican, said the measure would save lives
and a lifetime of regret for some women.
“She can determine for herself whether she is carrying an unborn child deserving of
protection or whether it‟s just an inconvenient, unnecessary part of her body and an
abortion fits her circumstances at that time,” Delleney told NBC affiliate WIS-TV of
Columbia.
The state's three abortion clinics already perform ultrasounds, paid for by the woman
seeking the procedure, to determine the fetus' age. The state's informed-consent law,
passed in 1994, requires abortion doctors to tell women at least an hour before the
operation the likely age of their fetus and give them information about fetal development
and alternatives to abortion.
Click for related content
Michigan to require chance to see fetus
An opponent, Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, a Democrat, said there was no need to change the
law, because women already have access to ultrasound images if they want them.
“It suggests that women don‟t know what they‟re doing, that they‟ve arrived at this
decision quite lightly, and nothing could be further from the truth,” Cobb-Hunter told
WIS.
For Chappell Fennell, the mother of a newborn, it‟s a close call, but in the final analysis,
she said, it‟s a bad idea.
“I can see both sides,” Fennell told WIS. “I think it‟s a woman‟s decision in the end, and
that‟s how it should be. I don‟t think it should be left up to senators or House members
whether or not she should look at an ultrasound.”
Family accused of keeping woman as
‘slave’
Parents, three children are charged with kidnapping 19-
year-old
Sean Stipp / Tribune-Review via AP
Suspect Cynthia Pollard, 41, is led into Magisterial District Judge James Albert's office in
Greensburg, Pa., on Tuesday.
GREENSBURG, Pa. - A couple and their three teenage children held a woman captive
for six months, beating her with broom handles, boards and a metal pipe and forcing her
to do chores as they referred to her as their "slave," police said Wednesday.
All five members of the family were arrested on kidnapping, terroristic threat and related
charges. They have not yet entered pleas but denied wrongdoing.
The accuser, Emily Nicely, 19, went to live with the family voluntarily last summer but
said that she was forced to stay with them since September.
A man whose newspaper was delivered by the family called police on March 10 after he
noticed bruises on her. Police brought her to a hospital, where investigators discovered
that she had bruises over her entire body and that she had suffered a concussion.
Greensburg police Capt. George Seranko said police believed Nicely's account because
the injuries they saw corroborated her story.
"She had injuries on every part of her body," Seranko said.
Nicely said her family had moved out of Greensburg, about 30 miles east of Pittsburgh,
and that she moved in with the Pollard family so she could finish high school in the same
district.
School district officials, however, said she was last enrolled in the 2004-05 school year.
"That's actually still part of our investigation," Seranko said.
Three teens charged
Mark Pollard, 43; his wife, Cynthia, 41; and their oldest son, Mark Jr. 18, remained in jail
Wednesday, the day after their arrest. The couple's youngest children, Jonathan, 17, and
Tabitha, 16, were charged as adults. They were freed on bond and allowed to stay with
other family members.
Cynthia Pollard acknowledged that Nicely was forced to
stand in a corner but told investigators that Nicely is
covered with bruises because she falls while delivering
newspapers. She also said the family had "numerous
physical confrontations with Ms. Nicely but that it was
always in self-defense," according to the police affidavit.
"She's a liar," Cynthia Pollard told television reporters
after her arraignment Tuesday.
Shortly after Nicely began staying with the Pollards, they
became physically abusive, forced her to do work, and
never let her leave the home unless she was accompanied
by at least one of them, Nicely told police.
"On numerous occasions, the Pollard family would punch
the victim with a closed fist, kick, and strike the victim
with any of several objects including boots, broom
Sean Stipp / AP handles, a metal pipe, wooden door slats, belts, boards,
Suspect Mark Pollard, and other objects," police said in an affidavit. "The
43, smiles as he is led into Pollard family referred to her as their 'slave.'"
the judge's office Tuesday.
Mark Pollard is black. Cynthia Pollard and Nicely are
white.
"They told her that if she told anyone or tried to leave, they would put wire around her
neck and strangle her. They would then go after her family," police said.
Nicely said she was also punished by having to stand with weights, with her hands on her
head or in a corner for hours, police said.
Customer called police
A newspaper customer, Nelson Williams, 66, and his caretaker summoned police after
they noticed bruises on Nicely when she brought them the paper on March 10.
"Her face, it looked like a baseball bat hit her," Williams told The Associated Press. "She
was bad. Boy, she was bruised."
Several minutes after Williams took
Nicely in, Cynthia Pollard came to the
house and demanded that they let
Nicely leave.
Williams said Pollard told him that
Nicely had mental health problems and
said, "She does that to herself."
He said he replied, "Ain't nobody do
that to herself in the face."
Sean Stipp / Tribune-Review via AP
Suspect Tabitha Pollard, 16, is led away from
the judge's office in Greensburg, Pa., on
Tuesday.
Click for related content
Prosecutor: Slain Georgia boy was first molested
Camera in shampoo bottle leads to charges
Man gets probation for dead deer sex
Nicely is now living with her mother in another county, authorities said. The Associated
Press could not immediately locate Nicely for comment.
Neighbors reported hearing the Pollards
fighting frequently and said police had
been called to the home several times.
Colleen Clark lives in an apartment next
door to the Pollards, and her daughter
lives in another unit. She said she once
had a run-in with Cynthia Pollard,
because Pollard plugged an extension
cord into her daughter's porch outlet,
apparently because the electricity in the
Pollard home was turned off.
Mark Urbanek, who also lives in the
apartment building, said the Pollards were
always fighting.
"I think that was part of that family's
Eric Schmadel / AP routine," he said.
Emily Nicely is shown in a 2005
Greensburg Salem High School yearbook On Wednesday, nobody was home at the
photo submitted by the Pittsburgh Tribune- Pollard house in a dingy alley. The front
Review. door was open and had no doorknob; the
house‟s white aluminum siding was
covered with dirt.
Military sex assault reports rose by 24 percent
Army attributes increase to new reporting programs, not more crime
WASHINGTON - Reports of sexual assaults in the military increased by about 24
percent last year and more than twice as many offenders were punished.
There were nearly 3,000 sexual assault reports filed in 2006, compared with almost 2,400
the previous year, a Pentagon report said Wednesday. Action was taken against 780
people, from courts-martial and discharges to other administrative remedies.
The cases involved members of the military who were victims or accused of the assaults.
The military counts rape, nonconsensual sodomy, indecent assault and attempts to
commit any of those as sexual assault, though the 17-page report contained no data on
how many of each were reported.
This is the third year the military has compiled sexual assault statistics. The reporting
methods have changed each year, however, making comparisons of the annual reports
difficult.
Of the 2,947 sexual assaults reported last year, 756 were initially filed under a program
that allows victims to report the incident and receive health care or counseling services
but does not notify law enforcement or commanders.
The restricted, confidential reporting program allows the victims to consider pursuing an
investigation later; that was done in 86 of the 756 cases last year. Data for 2005 included
only the restricted cases for half the year.
1,400 inquiries completed
According to the new report, more than 1,400 investigations into sex assault cases dating
to 2004 were completed last year. In slightly more than half, commanders took no action,
most often because the charges were not substantiated or lacked evidence.
When action was taken, more than one-third — or 292 individuals — were court-
martialed. An additional 243 received nonjudicial punishment and 245 either were
discharged or received some other administrative action. Nonjudicial punishments can
include reprimand letters or demotions.
Pentagon officials have said that sexual assaults often go unreported. They have
attributed the rise in number in part to the vigorous effort to encourage victims to report
the crime.
The report provided a breakdown of some of the assaults, saying that 756 of the victims
were members of the military. Of those, 285 were Army soldiers, 247 were in the Air
Force, 144 were in the Navy, 48 were Marines and one was in the Coast Guard.
Army spokeswoman Maj. Cheryl Phillips said, "There is no evidence that the actual
number of assaults is increasing in the Army, but there are definite indicators that the
Army has created more willingness among Soldier victims to report incidents."
In the report, the Defense Department said the military services "placed a high priority on
training" and that the 2006 report demonstrates the Pentagon's "commitment to
eliminating sexual assault from the military services" through education and by removing
barriers that can dissuade victims from reporting the crime.
SALEM, Ore. - A former Woodburn coach has gotten a state reprimand for biting the
thigh of one of half a dozen wrestlers who tried to give him a wedgie.
At a December 2005 practice, the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission said,
team members tried to give Peter Porath a wedgie — jerking his undershorts upward.
"At least six wrestlers, weighing between 180 and 215 pounds each, came up to Mr.
Porath from behind in an attempt to give him a „wedgie.‟ In the process of getting the
boys off of him, Mr. Porath bit the inside of a wrestler's leg, leaving distinct teeth marks,"
the commission said.
Man gets probation for dead deer sex
Judge: ‘The ... behavior is disturbing’; man convicted
earlier in horse case
SUPERIOR, Wis. - A 20-year-old man received probation after he was convicted of
having sexual contact with a dead deer. The sentence also requires Bryan James
Hathaway to be evaluated as a sex offender and treated at the Institute for Psychological
and Sexual Health in Duluth, Minn.
"The state believes that particular place is the best to provide treatment for the
individual," Assistant District Attorney Jim Boughner said.
Hathaway's probation will be served at the same time as a nine-month jail sentence he
received in February for violating his extended supervision.
He was found guilty in April 2005 of felony mistreatment of an animal after he killed a
horse with the intention of having sex with it. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail and
two years of extended supervision on that charge as well as six years of probation for
taking and driving a vehicle without the owner's consent.
Hathaway pleaded no contest earlier this month to misdemeanor mistreatment of an
animal for the incident involving the deer. He was sentenced Tuesday in Douglas County
Circuit Court.
"The type of behavior is disturbing," Judge Michael Lucci said. "It's disturbing to the
public. It's disturbing to the court."
Boy, 7, arrested for riding dirt bike on
sidewalk
Baltimore mayor apologizes; mother says son was just
sitting there
BALTIMORE - Police arrested a 7-year-old boy, handcuffed him and hauled him down
to the station house on a charge of riding a motorized dirt bike on a sidewalk.
Then, according to his mother, Gerard Mungo Jr. was handcuffed to a bench and
interrogated before being released to his parents.
"They scared me," Gerard told The Baltimore Examiner before breaking down in tears.
Mayor Sheila Dixon apologized Friday for the arrest, and Police Commissioner Leonard
Hamm said it would be investigated internally.
The arrest came after an officer saw Gerard riding his dirt bike on the sidewalk in east
Baltimore on Tuesday, police spokesman Matt Jablow said. Hamm, citing the internal
probe, declined to discuss how the rest of the incident unfolded.
Kikisa Dinkins said her son was sitting on the bike with the motor off on the sidewalk
when an officer grabbed him by the collar and pulled him off.
"I told them to let go of my baby," Dinkins said. "Since when do you pull a 7-year-old
child by his neck and drag him?"
Dinkins said she called for a police supervisor to intervene, but the confrontation
continued to escalate after the supervisor arrived.
"They started yelling at him, 'Do you know what you did is wrong, son?'" Dinkins said.
"He was so scared he ran upstairs."
Police arrested Gerard and confiscated the bike.
Dinkins said officers fingerprinted him and took his mug shot. Hamm could not confirm
that and said those actions would not have been normal procedure in a non-felony case.
‘He’ll never be the same’
Dinkins said the arrest scarred her son. "This has changed his life," she said. "He'll never
be the same."
The Police Department's zero-tolerance arrest policy — begun under former Mayor
Martin O'Malley, who is now Maryland's governor — has drawn complaints that such
arrests occur most often in poor, black neighborhoods. Gerard is black.
Hamm said the officer had the option of talking with a parent or confiscating the bike. He
said that although the city is concerned about nuisance dirt bikes, the arrest "was not
consistent with my philosophy of trying to solve problems in the neighborhoods."
The mayor, who appeared Friday with Hamm, said she also planned to look into the case.
"It is clear to me that the arrest was wrong, that the officers on the scene should not have
arrested the child, and on behalf of the City of Baltimore I apologize to the boy and his
parents," Dixon said.
U.S., North Korea resolve Macau bank
dispute
$25 million in frozen funds to be transferred, clearing
way for 6-party talks
BEIJING - The United States and North Korea have resolved a dispute over $25 million
in frozen North Korean funds, clearing the way for progress in dismantling the North‟s
nuclear programs, U.S. officials said Monday.
The U.S. nuclear envoy, Christopher Hill, said six-party talks — which resumed Monday
— could now “move on to the next problem, of which there are many.”
U.S. Deputy Assistant Treasury Secretary Daniel Glaser said the funds would be
transferred into a North Korean account at the Bank of China in Beijing to be used for
education and humanitarian purposes. Glaser said Pyongyang had proposed the
arrangement.
The funds, some of which U.S. authorities suspect may be linked to counterfeiting or
money laundering by cash-starved North Korea, had held up progress in nuclear
disarmament talks.
“North Korea has pledged ... that these funds will be used solely for the betterment of the
North Korean people,” Glaser said.
“We believe this resolves the issue of the DPRK-related frozen funds,” Glaser said, using
the acronym for North Korea‟s formal name — the Democratic People‟s Republic of
Korea.
Step toward normalizing relations?
The Feb. 13 disarmament agreement gave North Korea 60 days to shut down both its
main reactor and a plutonium processing plant, and allow U.N. monitors to verify the
closures.
In return, North Korea is to receive energy and economic assistance and a start toward
normalizing relations with the U.S. and Japan.
Chinese envoy Wu Dawei told delegates at the opening of the talks that their efforts so
far had “created favorable conditions for us to implement our initial actions ... on
schedule.”
He added the negotiations still faced “a lot of difficulties and obstacles,” and called on
representatives to “make joint efforts to overcome them.” He didn‟t give specifics.
This week‟s session will focus on reviewing the progress of five related working group
meetings held during the past month, discussing specific steps necessary to meet the
April 14 shut down deadline, and beginning to talk about what actions would come after
it, Wu said.
U.S. allegations in 2002 that North Korea has a secret uranium enrichment program
prompted the North to expel U.N. inspectors and eventually led to North Korea
detonating its first nuclear device last year.
North 'prepared to cooperate'
The North Korean deposits have been frozen in Banco Delta Asia, or BDA, since
Washington blacklisted the tiny, privately run Macau-based bank 19 months ago on
suspicion the funds were connected to money-laundering or counterfeiting.
Washington promised to settle the issue by mid-March as an inducement to North Korea
to disarm.
Hill said the resolution showed “the DPRK understood our concerns and are prepared to
cooperate with us to ensure that this money is used appropriately.”
There was no immediate statement on the agreement from North Korea‟s top envoy, Kim
Kye Gwan. Those attending Monday‟s talks said Kim reiterated earlier comments that
North Korea would stop activities at its Yongbyon reactor once the funds were fully
released.
Other participants to the Beijing talks — that also include China, Japan, South Korea and
Russia — welcomed the breakthrough.
“With the BDA issue resolved, there will be no big obstacle to implementing measures
within the 60-day deadline that leads to North Korea‟s shutdown of nuclear facilities,”
said South Korean envoy Chun Yung-woo.
Chun urged setting a date for a meeting of the six nations‟ foreign ministers to follow the
mid-April shutdown as agreed last month, according to South Korean diplomats.
Japanese envoy Kenichiro Sasae said the move allowed the talks to “move to the next
step.”
Glaser said details on the timing and procedures for transferring the BDA funds into the
Bank of China account held by North Korea‟s Foreign Trade Bank would be worked out
between the North and regulators in Macau, a semiautonomous Chinese territory.
He said the Treasury Department maintained its decision last week ordering U.S. banks
to sever ties with BDA because of inadequate financial controls.
Palestinian unity government takes office
Israel won't work with Hamas-Fatah coalition that
condones violence
Palestinian lawmakers
vote for a new unity
government on
Saturday. Israel has
ruled out dealing with
the new coalition,
citing Hamas‟s refusal
to forswear violence,
recognize the Jewish
state and accept past
interim peace deals.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Palestinians installed a new, more moderate coalition
government on Saturday, in hopes of persuading the international community to end its
isolation of the Palestinian Authority and lift a year of bruising sanctions.
Israel promptly announced it wouldn‟t deal with the coalition, because governing partners
Hamas and Fatah stopped short of explicitly recognizing the Jewish state or renouncing
violence, as the international community has demanded.
But the new alliance, which replaced the militantly anti-Israel government led by the
Islamic Hamas, appeared to implicitly recognize Israel by calling for a Palestinian state
on lands the Israelis captured in 1967. Norway immediately recognized the new coalition
and announced it would lift sanctions. Britain and the U.N. signaled flexibility —
suggesting money could start flowing again if the coalition keeps anti-Israel activities in
check.
The Hamas-Fatah merger, however, is in danger of crumbling quickly over ideological
differences, and long-standing enmities between the two factions and their legions of
gunmen.
Palestinian lawmakers voted overwhelmingly — 83 to 3 — to approve the government,
then leapt to their feet in a standing ovation after the result was announced. Forty-one of
the legislature‟s 132 members, most of them members of Hamas, are held in Israeli jails
and weren‟t able to vote. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah swore in the
new 25-member Cabinet shortly after the parliament session.
Pleas for lifting of boycott
The rise to power of Hamas, a group that has killed dozens of Israelis in suicide
bombings, provoked Israel, the West and Russia to impose severe funding restrictions last
year in a bid to pressure the militants to recognize the Jewish state, disarm and accept
past peace accords.
Finance Minister Salam Fayyad warned that the new government would not be able to
function for long unless the international community lifted its boycott and increased
assistance.
“We do face a very serious and crippling financial crisis,” he said. “Without the help of
the international community, it is not going to be possible for us to sustain our
operations.”
Mixed messages emerged on Saturday from the political platform the new government
announced, and from the speeches leaders of the governing factions made to parliament.
But, in sum, they reflected a softening of Hamas‟ stance toward Israel.
Presenting the government‟s program to parliament, Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of
Hamas said the governing alliance would work “first and foremost to establish an
independent Palestinian state,” with disputed Jerusalem as its capital, on lands Israel
occupied in the 1967 Mideast War.
He said the Palestinians maintained the right to resist occupation, but would also seek to
widen a truce with Israel, now limited to the Gaza Strip.
Ideological gaps in coalition
Abbas, a moderate, focused on conciliatory language, asserting that the Palestinian
people “reject violence in all its forms” and seek a comprehensive “peace of freedom and
equality” that would be based on negotiations.
Abbas‟ words underscored the ideological gaps that remain between him and Hamas.
While the alliance didn‟t meet international conditions for acceptance, it pledged to
“respect” previous peace deals between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
It also called for peace talks to be conducted by Abbas, and for any future deal to be
submitted to a national referendum, suggesting Hamas would not enjoy veto power.
Mixed reception
Egypt, a leading regional mediator, urged the international community to stop isolating
the Palestinian government. Its foreign minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, called the new
coalition a “precious opportunity to resume the peace process.”
Israel saw things differently. Government spokeswoman Miri Eisin said Israel would deal
with Abbas, but not with the new government unless it recognizes the Jewish state.
“With all the desire we all have to assist the Palestinian people, this new government
does not stand for any of the international principles that the international community
itself defined,” Eisin said.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Israel called upon the international
community “to stand by it own principles and not to deal with a government that refuses
to recognize the right of Israel to exist.”
In several quarters, the reaction was more positive.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere announced that Oslo would re-establish
political and economic relations with the new Palestinian government, saying the
coalition was “taking important steps towards complying with international demands.”
The U.N.‟s Mideast envoy, Alvaro de Soto, and the British Foreign Office both called the
alliance a “step in the right direction” and said they would watch to see how the new
government would implement its political program.
“I welcome President Abbas‟ continued efforts at intra-Palestinian reconciliation, which
have led to agreement on the forming of a national unity government,” British Foreign
Secretary Margaret Beckett said: “We will judge the government by its platform and
actions and respond accordingly.”
U.S. remains cautious
Even before the coalition was approved, Russia praised it for taking international
demands “into account.”
The U.S., traditionally a major donor, has been cool to the coalition plan.
“It remains our view that any Palestinian government must renounce violence, recognize
Israel and respect previous agreements and obligations between the parties,” State
Department press officer Nancy Beck said Saturday. “These are foundation principles
upon which any Palestinian state must be based.”
In Syria, a leading member of Hamas‟ exiled leadership, Moussa Abu Marzouk,
demanded that the so-called Quartet of Mideast negotiators — the U.S., U.N., EU and
Russia — end aid restrictions.
The governing alliance was formed after months of stop-and-go negotiations broken up
by bursts of deadly factional fighting that claimed more than 140 lives.
Abbas has brushed aside international misgivings about Fatah joining forces with Hamas,
saying it was the only way to avert a civil war in the West Bank and Gaza.
The long-standing enmity caused ordinary Palestinians to question how long their new
government would last.
“I think this government will last for six months at the most because there are extremists
on both sides,” said Mohammed Shohar, 43, an engineer who works as a technician at
Ittihad Hospital in the West Bank town of Nablus. “I think this government will cause a
lot of problems in parliament.”
Nazek Sweiseh, a physical education student at An Najah University in Nablus, was no
more upbeat. “I am not very happy about this,” Sweiseh said. “I feel they are all liars,
they conned us for a whole year, killing each other.”
Top Iran cleric warns on uranium
enrichment
Khamenei threatens ‘illegal’ steps if Security Council
insists it stop practice
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran‟s supreme leader said Wednesday that Tehran will pursue nuclear
activities outside international regulations if the U.N. Security Council insists it stop
uranium enrichment.
“Until today, what we have done has been in accordance with international regulations,”
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said. “But if they take illegal actions, we too can take illegal
actions and will do so.”
Khamenei did not elaborate on what “illegal actions” could be pursued by Tehran, which
faces new Security Council sanctions over its refusal to halt enrichment.
Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty — the agreement under which
U.N. inspections are held.
Khamenei warned the United States that Iran will “use all its capacities to strike” if his
country is attacked.
“If they want to treat us with threats and enforcement of coercion and violence,
undoubtedly they must know that the Iranian nation and authorities will use all their
capacities to strike enemies that attack,” Khamenei told the nation in an address marking
the first day of Nowruz, or the Persian New Year.
Ahmadinejad: West waging ‘psychological warfare’
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday had a similar message, accusing some
big powers of waging psychological warfare against Iran. “By psychological warfare,
propaganda and misuse of the organizations they have themselves created ... they are
trying to prevent our nation‟s development,” Ahmadinejad said.
Khamenei said sanctions against Iran had not worked in the past.
“We achieved nuclear (technology) under sanctions. Sanctions may even, under
circumstances, come to our benefit since they create more motivation for us,” he added.
“The Iranian nation needs nuclear energy for life, not weapons,” Khamenei said. “One
day oil will dry up.”
Security Council sets new sanctions
Germany and the five permanent members of the Security Council — the United States,
Russia, China, Britain and France — have drawn up new sanctions to punish Iran for
rejecting U.N. demands to halt enrichment — a process that can produce fuel for a
reactor or fissile material for a nuclear warhead.
The U.S. and some of its allies accuse Iran of intending to build nuclear weapons. Tehran
says its nuclear program is purely for generating electricity.
Iran says it will never give up its right under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty to
enrich uranium and produce nuclear fuel. But it has offered to provide guarantees that its
nuclear program won‟t be diverted toward weapons.
Ambassadors from the 15 Security Council nations held informal discussions at Britain‟s
U.N. Mission in New York ahead of a meeting to discuss possible changes to the draft
sanctions resolution.
Click for related content
Bolton says force may be needed against Iran
U.S. crackdown on Iran working, officials say
Ahmadinejad plans trip to U.N.
Ahmadinejad has said he will travel to the United Nations in New York if the Security
Council decides to vote on sanctions.
The sanctions in the draft resolution would ban Iranian arms exports and freeze the assets
of 28 additional individuals and organizations involved in the country‟s nuclear and
missile programs — about a third linked to Iran‟s Revolutionary Guard, an elite military
corps.
The package also calls for voluntary restrictions on travel by the individuals subject to
sanctions, on arms sales to Iran, and on new financial assistance or loans to the Iranian
government.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, meanwhile, said his country “will not support
excessive sanctions against Iran,” and added that the draft resolution has been softened at
Moscow‟s behest.
Lavrov said broader restrictions on officials‟ travel, and a ban on “credits” to Iran, had
been softened on Russia‟s advice. He did not specify what type of credits.
‘Wedge’ issue for Tehran, Moscow
European and U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the
sensitivity of the talks said Tuesday that Moscow had bluntly told Tehran it would not
ship fuel for the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran until Tehran
freezes its uranium enrichment program.
Lavrov denied that. “It‟s not the first time that we are seeing such an unscrupulous
approach aimed at driving a wedge between us and Iran,” he told lawmakers in the lower
house of parliament.
Russia has said plans to supply fuel for Bushehr this month were called off because of
Iranian payment delays that prompted Moscow to indefinitely postpone the reactor‟s
September launch.
Iran angrily denied falling behind in payments and accused Russia of caving in to U.S.
pressure to take a tougher line on Tehran.
Iranian state television on Tuesday described Russia as an “unreliable partner,” adding:
“It is clear that Russia has stopped construction of this plant under pressure and for
political reasons.”
Hawaii homeless family moves into
mansion
Japanese billioniare makes homes available
HONOLULU - Dorie-Ann Kahale and her five daughters moved from a homeless shelter
to a mansion Thursday, courtesy of a Japanese real estate mogul who is handing over
eight of his multimillion-dollar homes to low-income Native Hawaiian families.
Tears spilled down Kahale‟s cheeks as she accepted from billionaire Genshiro Kawamoto
the key to a white, columned house with a circular driveway, a stone staircase and a deep
porcelain bathtub. Her family will live there rent-free, but must pay utility bills.
“I‟m shocked. I‟m overwhelmed,” Kahale said. “From the little box we had to what we
have today.”
Kawamoto, whose own eyes started welling up as Kahale cried, handed over two other
homes Thursday to homeless or low-income families.
Kawamoto, one of Japan‟s richest men, said he plans to open eight of his 22 Kahala
homes to needy Hawaiian families. They will be able to stay in the homes for up to 10
years, he said.
Native Hawaiians are disproportionately represented among the state‟s homeless and
working poor.
Kawamoto owns dozens of office buildings in Tokyo under the name Marugen and his
been buying and selling real estate in Hawaii and California since the 1980s.
He has been criticized for evicting tenants of his rental homes on short notice so he could
sell the properties, as in 2002 when he gave hundreds of California tenants 30 days to
leave.
Two years later, he served eviction notices to tenants in 27 Oahu rental homes, mostly in
pricey Hawaii Kai, saying they had to leave within a month. He said he wanted to sell the
houses to take advantage of rising prices.
Kawamoto selected the eight low-income families from 3,000 people who wrote him
letters last fall after he announced his plan. He has said he tried to pick working, single
mothers.
‘This is pocket money for me’
Giving away mansions shows more dedication to helping Hawaii‟s homeless than just
handing out wads of cash, he said. Asked whether he was concerned about losing money
on the effort, he laughed and said: “This is pocket money for me.”
Kahale‟s new house is worth nearly $5 million, an average price for the mansion-like
dwellings on Kahala Avenue. It is one of the more modest homes in the neighborhood,
many of which feature ornate iron gates, meandering driveways and sculptured gardens.
Kahale became homeless two years ago when her landlord raised her rent from $800 to
$1,200, putting the apartment beyond reach of her salary as customer service
representative for Pacific LightNet, a telecommunications company. She first stayed with
relatives, then moved to a shelter in September.
“What we need to do is appreciate,” Kahale said after getting the keys to her new house.
“As fast as we got it, it could disappear.”
Some neighbors are unhappy with Kawamoto‟s plan, speculating that he is trying to drive
down real estate values so he can snap up even more homes.
“Everyone‟s paying homage to him, but in reality, he‟s the problem,” said Mark
Blackburn, who lives down the street from Kahale‟s new home. “Houses are homes.
They‟re made to live in; they aren‟t investment vehicles.”
He suggested that the Waianae Coast, a heavily Hawaiian community on the other side of
Oahu that has been hit hard by homelessness, would have been a better place for
Kawamoto to carry out his charity work.
Kawamoto countered that those in the Kahala neighborhood who don‟t want Hawaiians
next door might want to leave the islands altogether.
“The people who don‟t want to live near Hawaiians should move,” Kawamoto said.
Lyn Worley, 40, who got the key to another Kawamoto house, said she believes her
neighbors will grow to love her family.
The elementary school clerk has been living in a house in Waianae with her five children
and brother for the past four years. Their lease ran out — and then Kawamoto‟s offer
came along.
“We prayed so hard and cried so much for God to drop something from the skies, and he
did,” Worley said. “And he did, he really, really did.”
Somalia fighting causes Mogadishu
exodus
At least four people die a day after 21 were killed
Somali women carry
their belongings while
fleeing heavy fighting in
Mogadishu on Thursday.
MOGADISHU, Somalia - Hundreds of residents fled their homes Thursday during a
second day of fighting between Islamic insurgents and Somali and Ethiopian troops in
which at least four people were killed and six wounded. In the southern port town of
Kismayo unidentified gunmen threw a bomb late Thursday at a police station, killing one
person, an official said.
Government officials vowed Thursday to continue fighting the insurgents in Mogadishu
who they said are led by the newly chosen head of Somalia's al-Qaida cell, Aden Hashi
Ayro. The suspected al-Qaida leader is one of the people the U.S. targeted in a January
airstrike in Somalia.
Unidentified gunmen threw a bomb at the main police station in the southern port town of
Kismayo, said Mayor Ibrahim Mohamed Yusuf. One woman was killed and another
woman and her two children were injured in the blast because the bomb missed the
station building and hit a wall separating the station from a private home, Yusuf said.
Police have sealed off the station area.
In Mogadishu, gunfire could still be heard intermittently Thursday evening, but the
fighting seemed to be less fierce than the previous day's battles, during which at least 21
people were killed and more than 120 people wounded.
Exodus from city
Residents leaving their homes Thursday boarded minivans or taxis, with the poorer ones
carrying their belongings on their heads and in plastic bags. They were moving to safer
parts of the city or leaving Mogadishu altogether.
One woman said she was forced to leave behind her husband and two of her seven
children because they were too weak to travel. Hadija Mad Osman said her husband was
injured by shrapnel when a mortar exploded near them, and the children had diarrhea.
"I have left my husband and two of my children lying in a makeshift house near the
football stadium," Osman said. "I do not know where I am going."
Insurgents fired rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and heavy machine-guns and
government troops responded with artillery and machine-gun fire in the battles in
northern and southern parts of Mogadishu, witnesses said.
Other witnesses counted four bodies in different parts of the city and Dr. Ali Bile of
Keysaney Hospital said the hospital had received six wounded.
"The fighting has meant the end of my life and happiness. I lost two sons in 1993 when
the U.S. troops fought battles with Somali militia and now I have lost the last one," said
37-year old Shamsa Abdikadir Wehliye, whose son was killed in Wednesday's fighting.
She spoke at Medina Hospital as she tended her 50-year old husband, who was injured by
shrapnel from the previous day's fighting.
Deputy Defense Minister Salad Ali Jelle said the Somali government had gathered
intelligence that Ayro, a top leader of the ousted Islamic courts, had been directing the
insurgency in Mogadishu and was recently named the head of the al-Qaida cell in
Somalia.
He said the government had reports that Ayro was in Mogadishu.
Afghanistan training?
Counterterrorism experts believe Ayro, who is in his mid-30s, received al-Qaida training
in Afghanistan. U.N. officials have linked him to the killings of 16 people.
Counterterrorism officials also believe he was involved in a plot — never carried out —
to bring down an Ethiopian airliner.
U.S. officials said on Thursday they have managed to see an American, Ameer Mohamed
Meshal, who has been in Ethiopian custody for the past three weeks after being caught in
Kenya and deported on suspicion of being a supporter of Somalia's ousted Islamic
movement.
Meshal reported to a U.S. Embassy official who visited him Wednesday that he was well
and had not been mistreated while in Ethiopian custody, said Tom Casey, deputy U.S.
State Department spokesman.
In Washington, Deputy U.S. State Department spokesman Casey said that Ameer
Mohamed Meshal was first detained in Kenya and deported to Somalia without the U.S.
embassy being notified. Later Meshal was deported to Ethiopia.
"We understand that the Ethiopian Government is planning to have a hearing soon on his
status. As long as he remains in custody, we will continue to provide appropriate consular
support to Mr. Meshal in the same way that we would provide these services to any
American citizen arrested or detained in a foreign country," Casey told The Associated
Press.
Kenyan and Ethiopian officials were not immediately available for comment.
Wednesday marked some of the heaviest fighting in Mogadishu since a radical militia
known as the Council of Islamic Courts was driven from the capital in December after six
months in power. But the group has promised to launch an Iraq-style guerrilla war, and
mortar attacks pound the capital nearly every day.
The leader of the Council of Islamic Courts, Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, told the British
Broadcasting Corp.'s Somali service that the insurgents and residents of Mogadishu are
justified in fighting the Somali government troops and their Ethiopian allies, but denied
he was involved.
Somalia has been without an effective central government since 1991. The current
administration has failed to assert control throughout the country, and the African Union
has deployed a small peacekeeping force to defend it.