While students have not achieved their demand for free quality public education, movement develops new strategies with an eye towards upcoming 2013 elections … Read More
Where Pot Is Legal, Dealers Brace For Corporate Takeover
On the social news site Reddit, dozens of members who identified themselves as street-level marijuana dealers in Washington and Colorado … Read More
Boustany trounces Landry for Louisiana congressional seat
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana Congressman Charles Boustany, a veteran Republican allied with House Speaker John Boehner, has trounced freshman GOP incumbent Jeff Landry in an attack-heavy runoff race.The two incumbents were forced into the same district when Louisiana lost a congressional seat because of anemic population growth in the latest federal census. The state will have six U.S. House seats in the new term that begins in January.A four-term congressman who had gone into Saturday’s balloting favored by the new district design, Boustany will represent the 3rd District covering southwest Louisana and nearby Acadiana.With nearly all precincts reporting, Boustany led Landry by about a 3-2 margin. About one-fifth of district voters cast ballots on Saturday.”This looks like a very solid victory. We had a very strong ground game, which was a key element in the runoff. We reached out to a lot of voters with a solid message backed by the results I’ve gotten in Congress,” said Boustany, a retired doctor.Landry, the tea party favorite, was unable to build enough grassroots support in his bid to oust Boustany. The race had been marked by sharp attacks since both men ran as conservative Republicans opposed to the policies of President Barack Obama and had little philosophical ground in which to distinguish themselves.Continue Reading… … Read More
Tens of thousands of Kuwaitis demand dissolution of new parliament (PHOTOS)
Tens of thousands of Kuwaitis demand dissolution of new parliament (PHOTOS)Get short URLLink copied to clipboardemail story to a friendprint versionPublished: 08 December, 2012, 23:21
TAGS:Election,
Middle East,
Protest,
Politics,
Bill Dod,
Opposition,
Lucy Kafanov,
Clashes
Protestors march to Kuwait Towers during as they protest against new voting rules at the Gulf Road in Kuwait City on December 8, 2012.
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(25.3Mb)embed videoProtesters have hit Kuwait City demanding the dissolution of the parliament elected last week and the cancelation of an amendment to election laws. The emir invited the new house to hold its inaugural session, rejecting the opposition’s calls.Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah on Wednesday reappointed Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al Sabah as premier, after the cabinet resigned in a routine step required after the election. Kuwait, which is one of the oldest Gulf monarchies, has one of the most open political system among the Gulf Arab states. Parliament has legislative powers and the right to question ministers. But the emir, head of the Al-Sabah family that has ruled Kuwait for 250 years, still appoints the prime minister, who in turn chooses the cabinet.Despite the protest mood showing no signs of dying down, Kuwait’s monarchy is not under threat, according to geopolitical analyst Eric Draitser.“The Kuwait monarchy is entirely dependent upon the United States and other powers, which need Kuwait and other countries like it to maintain control of oil dominance in the region. So, if any of those regimes were to fall, it would create severe economic shockwaves for the US and the other powers and, of course, they are not able to execute their geopolitical agenda unless they have hegemony in the Middle East,” Draitser told RT.Kuwaiti opposition supporters stand between banners calling for freedom and liberty prior to the start of a march along a major road in Kuwait City on December 8, 2012. (AFP Photo / Marwan Naamani)Former Member of Parliament Walid Al-Tabtabaie (3rd R) holds a young boy on his shoulders shouting with a megaphone during a march protesting against new voting rules at the Gulf Road in Kuwait City on December 8, 2012. (Reuters / Stephanie McGehee)Protestors hold up their agals (ropes to keep the traditional headdress in place) during a march protesting against new voting rules at the Gulf Road in Kuwait City on December 8, 2012. (Reuters / Stephanie McGehee)”);
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Crowds of men, women and children wearing orange, the color of the protest movement, marched along a coastal road on the edge of the capital, heading for Kuwait Towers, a major landmark by the Gulf.”This parliament is illegitimate, this [electoral law] amendment is illegal,” chanted the protesters.The demonstrators called on the government to abolish the decree, which lowered the number of candidates a voter is eligible to pick from the maximum of four to one. They claim the amendment was adopted so that the government could have even more control over the parliament.Kuwait’s government, where members of the ruling family hold top posts, however, says the new rules bring the country in line with democratic norms elsewhere. Last week’s snap polls were boycotted by the opposition, and all 50 seats were won by pro-government candidates, including a record 17 seats by the Shiite minority.The opposition’s supporters have been demonstrating for the second week in a row, attracting large numbers of people as police watched the protest without interfering.On Saturday, the demonstrators also raised banners reading “No to violence, enough arrests,” in reference to violent clashes between police and protesters over the past several days.The confrontations had broken out between riot police and youth activists who staged protests every night since Monday to express their rejection of the election. Police used teargas and stun grenades liberally while battling the activists at that demonstration. More than 150 protesters and 24 police officers were injured while dozens were arrested. Protestors march as they protest against new voting rules at the Gulf Road in Kuwait City on December 8, 2012. (Reuters / Stephanie McGehee)Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah on Wednesday reappointed Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al Sabah as premier, after the cabinet resigned in a routine step required after the election. Kuwait, which is one of the oldest Gulf monarchies, has one of the most open political system among the Gulf Arab states. Parliament has legislative powers and the right to question ministers. But the emir, head of the Al-Sabah family that has ruled Kuwait for 250 years, still appoints the prime minister, who in turn chooses the cabinet.Despite the protest mood showing no signs of dying down, Kuwait’s monarchy is not under threat, according to geopolitical analyst Eric Draitser.“The Kuwait monarchy is entirely dependent upon the United States and other powers, which need Kuwait and other countries like it to maintain control of oil dominance in the region. So, if any of those regimes were to fall, it would create severe economic shockwaves for the US and the other powers and, of course, they are not able to execute their geopolitical agenda unless they have hegemony in the Middle East,” Draitser t
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old RT.Kuwaiti opposition supporters stand between banners calling for freedom and liberty prior to the start of a march along a major road in Kuwait City on December 8, 2012. (AFP Photo / Marwan Naamani)Former Member of Parliament Walid Al-Tabtabaie (3rd R) holds a young boy on his shoulders shouting with a megaphone during a march protesting against new voting rules at the Gulf Road in Kuwait City on December 8, 2012. (Reuters / Stephanie McGehee)Protestors hold up their agals (ropes to keep the traditional headdress in place) during a march protesting against new voting rules at the Gulf Road in Kuwait City on December 8, 2012. (Reuters / Stephanie McGehee) … Read More
TSA creating all new watch list for Americans
Being absent from a federal no-fly list might not mean you won’t be hassled the next time you enter an US airport. The Transportation and Security Administration is constructing a new list of known “low risk” passengers.
According to the November 19 Federal Register newsletter put out by the US government, the TSA is trying to put together a new roster of airport patrons who may be a cause for concern but not necessarily dangerous enough to be added to the no-fly list that contains suspected terrorists and other persons of interest.
The news comes as the TSA is still trying to figure out how to operate its PreCheck program, a project that lets frequent-flyers bypass the stringent security screenings that other passengers who put through while boarding flights in the US.
“As part of the effort to identify individuals that are low risk, TSA also is creating and maintaining a watch list of individuals who are disqualified from eligibility from TSA Pre[check]TM, for some period of time or permanently, because they have been involved in violations of security regulations of sufficient severity or frequency,” reads an excerpt from the Federal Register.
“Disqualifying violations of aviation security regulations may involve violations at the airport or on board aircraft, such as a loaded firearm that is discovered in carry-on baggage at the checkpoint, or a threat to use a destructive device against a transportation conveyance, facilities or personnel,” the bulletin continues, noting that the TSA Pre[check]TM Disqualification List “will be generated by TSA’s Performance and Results Information System (PARIS).”
In February, the Associated Press revealed that the number of names included on the federal no-fly list created after the September 11 terrorist attacks has doubled in size in just 12 months. While around 10,000 individuals were barred from flying in 2011, information made available to the AP in February of this year suggested that the number of persons unable to board planes now amounts to roughly 21,000.
“The news that the list is growing tells us that more people’s rights are being violated,” Nusrat Choudhury of the American Civil Liberties Union told the AP for their report. “It’s a secret list, and the government puts people on it without any explanation. Citizens have been stranded abroad.”
In October, a Louisiana man was told he was added to the federal no-fly list while awaiting a connecting flight in Hawaii. He had managed to fly from the mainland US to the Pacific island with no problem, but once arriving in Oahu was told he would be prohibited from boarding another plane.
“I was very, very vocal about the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and I did contact my representative” about it, Wade E. Hicks, Jr told radio host Doug Hamann of the incident. “I do believe that this is tied in some way to my free speech and my political view.”
While criticism of the government was never fully considered a good enough re
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ason to remove someone’s air travel privileges, the development of a new “low risk” roster could classify a whole new group of persons who would have otherwise been left off the no-fly list.
Wade Haskett, North Carolina Man, Unwittingly Carried Winning Jackpot Lottery Ticket In Wallet For Weeks
Wade Haskett had wanted a new roof and new hardwood floors for his home — little did he know that he had carried the necessary funds around in his wallet for weeks, the Henderson Times-News reports.According to the paper, Haskett, of Waynesville, N.C, hadn’t bothered to check a Carolina 5 lottery ticket he purchased Nov. 6 until Sunday, when his wife saw a news report that one ticket from a nearby store remained unclaimed. Haskett, a part-time detention officer for the Haywood County Sheriff’s Department, then realized his good fortune: He was $118,182 richer ($80,364 after taxes).“I know it is not a big amount, but it is more than I had,” Haskett said in a release from the North Carolina Education Lottery.Read More…
Daily Report: Car-Service App Tangles With Regulators
Summoning a taxi or car service with your smartphone feels like the future. City governments can agree on that. But as Brian X. Chen reports in Monday’s New York Times, many of them are proposing new rules that would stop Uber, one of the most prominent ride-requesting apps. … Read More
