American Politics

[CBGBConnisur]

Wow, so far Israel has decided to attack Hamas rather than defang Tehran's nuclear program. I am wondering just how US foreign policy will develop under Obama after Bush's hawkish leadership. Obama has repeatedly said he wants to sit down and talk with the leader of Iran without any precondition. Its going to be some very interesting times.

[Sgt Perv]

What about an Illinois Governor trying to sell a US Senate seat?

This fool got caught, on tape, trying to sell Obamas senate seat.

[CBGBConnisur]

Big whoop, OJ was guilty then and guilty now. He largely got away with it then and was pushing his luck now. Next time he should have used normal legal procedures to get his so called property instead of taking the law into his own hands.

[Warbucks]

http://www.yahoo.com/s/135782/*http:..._us/oj_simpson

OJ put himself in this position but an all white jury could there be any other outcome?

A lot of child molesters don't receive this much time.

O.J. gets at least 9 years for armed hotel robbery

A weary and beaten-looking O.J. Simpson was put away Friday for at least nine years — and perhaps the rest of his life — for an armed robbery in a hotel room, bringing a measure of satisfaction to those who believed the football star got away with murder more than a decade ago.

The 61-year-old Hall of Famer listened stone-faced, his wrists in shackles, as Judge Jackie Glass pronounced the sentence — 33 years behind bars with eligibility for parole after less than a third of that.

Moments before, Simpson made a rambling, five-minute plea for leniency, simultaneously apologizing for the holdup as a foolish mistake and trying to justify his actions.

He choked back tears as he told her: "I didn't mean to steal anything from anybody ... I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all of it."

The judge said several times that her sentence in the Las Vegas case had nothing to do with Simpson's 1995 acquittal in the slaying of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.

"I'm not here to try and cause any retribution or any payback for anything else," Glass said.

But Goldman's father, Fred Goldman, and sister, Kim, said they were delighted with the sentence.

"We are thrilled, and it's a bittersweet moment," Fred Goldman said. "It was satisfying seeing him in shackles like he belongs."

Simpson said he and five other men were simply trying to retrieve sports memorabilia and other mementos when he stormed a Las Vegas hotel room occupied by two dealers on Sept. 13, 2007. He insisted the items, which included his first wife's wedding ring, had been stolen from him.

But the judge emphasized that it was a violent confrontation in which at least one gun was drawn, and she said someone could have been shot. She said the evidence was overwhelming, with the planning, the confrontation itself and the aftermath all recorded on audio or videotape.

Glass, a no-nonsense judge known for tough sentences, imposed such a complex series of consecutive and concurrent sentences that even many lawyers watching the case were confused as to how much time Simpson got.

Simpson could serve up to 33 years, according to Elana Roberto, the judge's clerk.

In state prison, he will remain in his own cell protected from the general prison population because of his celebrity.

Simpson's lawyer suggested again that his client was a victim of payback for his acquittal in Los Angeles.

"It really made us all aware that despite our best efforts, it's very difficult to separate the California case from the Nevada case," attorney Yale Galanter said.

Some people who followed the case said justice had finally caught up with Simpson.

"You do things and you've got to expect karma to come around," said Greg Wheatley, 32, of Los Angeles.

Simpson was led away to prison immediately after the judge refused to permit him to go free on bail while he appeals.

Simpson's co-defendant and former golfing buddy, Clarence "C.J. Stewart, was sentenced to up to 27 years in prison but would be eligible for parole after 7 1/2 years, court officials said.

The judge could have sent both men to prison for the rest of their lives. The state parole agency recommended at least 18 years. The defense pushed for the minimum six years.

District Attorney David Roger revealed that Simpson and Stewart had both been offered plea agreements during the trial that would have resulted in lesser sentences. He would not provide details.

The prosecutor also said that because the crimes were considered violent felonies, Simpson and Stewart will not be eligible for good-behavior credits to lessen their sentences. He did not expect them to be immediately released when they do seek parole.

The Goldmans took a share of the credit for Simpson's fate, saying their relentless pursuit of his assets to satisfy a $33.5 million wrongful-death judgment "pushed him over the edge" and led him to commit the robbery to recover some of his valuable sports memorabilia.

Nicole Brown Simpson's sister, Denise Brown, released a statement from her family referring to the date her sister and Ron Goldman were killed.

"Allowing wealth, power and control to consume himself, he made a horrific choice on June 12, 1994, which has spiraled into where he is today," the statement said.

Simpson and Stewart were both brought to the courtroom in dark blue jail uniforms, their hands chained to their waists. Simpson, who had not been expected to speak, delivered his statement to the judge in a hoarse voice before a hushed courtroom.

Both men were convicted Oct. 3 of 12 criminal charges, including kidnapping and armed robbery.

"We were preparing Mr. Simpson for the worst," Galanter said. "We felt we did really well. Obviously, he's upset about the possibility of doing nine years."

Galanter planned to file a notice of appeal later Friday. He believed the Goldman family's presence in the courtroom was inappropriate.

Most of the 63 seats in the courtroom were taken by media, lawyers and family members of the defendants. Fifteen members of the public were also allowed.

After sentencing was over, the Goldmans left the courtroom and Kim threw her arms around her father and wept.

One of Simpson's sisters declined to comment, and the other, Shirley Baker, said only: "It's not over."

Jurors who heard 13 days of testimony said after the verdict that they were convinced of Simpson's guilt because of audio recordings that were secretly made of the robbery at the Palace Station casino hotel.

The confrontation involved sports memorabilia brokers Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong. It was recorded by collectibles dealer Thomas Riccio, who was acting as middleman.

"Don't let nobody out of this room!" Simpson commands on the recordings, and he instructs other men to scoop up items.

On Tuesday, the judge is scheduled to sentence four former co-defendants who took plea deals and testified against Simpson and Stewart.

Michael McClinton, Charles Cashmore, Walter Alexander and Charles Ehrlich could receive probation or prison time. McClinton could get up to 11 years; the others face less.

___

Associated Press wri

[Cruiser D]

Do you guys live in far away isolated cabins with internet access?

[Opebo]

i'd like to bring up the kind of american politics that really matters - the theocracy taking an american freedom fighter prisoner. i don't know if any of you know max harcore, but he produces, directs, and acts in some of the finest pornography out there, and thusly, he became a specific target of the bush administration's move to end free speech and implement theocracy (said program began in earnest in 2005).

just a month or so ago, max was sentenced to four years in prison(!) for 'obscenity'.

wiki about max

[CBGBConnisur]

American politics is screwed up, I don't really give a rat about Democracy any more. Democracy allowed that horrific massacre in India to occur. Recently went to China, a police state, got as much p4p as I can dream about, and no worries with the law over there. If I did the same thing in the good old USA I would be in lock up in no time flat, the cops would put up a photo of me on TV and the web saying CBGB visits hookers. I don't care for Israel or Iran either but the Mideast has been a big part of US foreign policy since Truman.

Obama was talking all about "Change" but look what happened? He is surrounding himself by a bunch of graybeards. And despite the slowdown plaguing the US and Europe, China will still be the fastest growing big economy in the world for a very long time, maybe not growing at 12 to 13 percent like it has recently, but still at a very healthy clip and I bet their Renmimbi will appreciate dramatically over the next 10 years which will effectively make them the richest nation on Earth in a little over a decade. much sooner than 2035 that most people predicted they would be numero uno by.

[CBGBConnisur]

You must be on drugs, Iran is destined to go nuclear and its going to have serious reverberations. There was a recently released intelligence report that paints a grim picture regarding the USA's ability to influence the world over the next 12 to 17 years. Since its written by the CIA its very credible and a lot more than the nonsense I am reading on this forum that America is going to continue along as the dominant force in the world, especially from the resident pom Geneva schoolboy on this board. Among the big developments is the rise of non Arab Muslim powers, Iran, Indonesia, and Turkey are all mentioned. Iran will be the first to get the bomb, the other two will also be on their way. Also the Dollar will lose its exclusive role as the world reserve currency and compete with the other major units of wealth such as the Euro and the Renmimbi.
Obama's more diplomatic plan to remake the 21st Century a continued American century is going to fail just like Bush's militaristic plan.
Biden is just being realistic about things, and probably was just adding reality to the current euphoria over Obama, which will not last very long. The conventional US military machine will not mean much when other nations have nukes. The MAD principle never went away and it still pretty much dictates US relations with China and Russia to a heavy degree. Why else are we less antagonistic to Moscow and Beijing even though they have serious issues with human rights, especially Beijing? And I bet the same will go for US relations with Iran in the coming years, there will be no other choice. Within the time frame of that report China will have substantially more advanced nuclear capability than right now. India will also be a factor in the MAD principle too.

[CBGBConnisur]

Israeli Iran war will be the first big crisis Obama will deal with. Its coming, don't think it ain't. A major confrontation between Israel and Iran is on the cards.

[Bango Cheito]

In NYC farmers markets have limited hours. And Trader Joes and Whole Foods are STILL junk.

Here in Bogota I can walk 15 minutes and be in a REAL farmers market, open year round, 6 days a week, and has food that blows away the best farmers market in the US. And it costs about 8 cents on the dollar what it costs in the US too!!

Well food has to travel great distances, nobody's fault the people that kept buying up farmland to put suburbs up. Its happening in Central California now, they say by 2020 or slightly later all the rich Central California farmland will be covered in sub-divisions.

I hope it doesn't happen or that will be the next crisis in America, were do we grow the food!

Food is fine in America man, go to a Farmer's Market, Trader Joe's or Whole Foods Markets you'll be just fine....

I still eat "junk" gained a grand total of 20 lbs since high school some 20 years ago. I don't overeat and could lose this 20lbs whenever I feel like it, which might be soon, I lost 12lbs just walking around Europe....

[Cruiser D]

Actually Jelly we started a limited total war during the height of the insurgency (egads sounds like Vietnam doublespeak) after watching the Brits employ it with results in Basra. Take sniper fire from a highrise? Boom, no more highrise. 1.5 mil sounds a bit excessive. 100k, maybe.

Dr S, we'll be in Iraq until they boot us out or 20-40 years in one form or another take your pick.

The Middle East has always been the 800lb gorilla in the room no one wants to talk about. We could have either invaded Iraq or spent all the money and resources on going fossil fuel free - if we had done that in 2003 we'd probably be 70% free by now. Instead of an economy tittering on the edge we be in a powerful surge like the 40's, 50's and 60's. We could have continued our cold war in the Middle East and keep applying political and economic pressure while reducing the Middle East relative importance in the world. For the best interests of the USA the W administration chose the wrong path. Instead the W administration chose a path that was against the best interests of the country while benefiting foreign countries and big oil. The US military has done a great job and continues to be at the forefront of emerging military doctrine and tactics. W and the rest of the crew should be Perp walked out the White House, sadly that will never happen.

[Jelly Donut]

..
Yes there knuckle heads that support any kind of battle, it gives them a hard-on, killing Iraqis now around 1.5 Million, many of them CHILDREN is hardly creditable to supporting a War, they just like KILLING PEOPLE.

The reality is the Unted States could have gone into Iraq and fought a war in which hardly any Americans would die at all. Got a problem in Fallujah? Boom. No more Fallujah. The US did not go down that road in the interest of limiting civilian casualties.

The kind of war the folks at Democracy Now and The Lancet dream of when they produce numbers like 1.5 million is this kind of total war. The currency of these people is not truth. They have an agenda and they move ideas forward based on the agenda, not on reality. The bigger the number, the more self-satisfied they feel. That's just the way it is.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science has had a few interesting articles in Science trying to understand and questioning why the Lancet numbers were so far off every other study of civilian casualties. I think any reasonable person would at least ask the same kind of questions. I'd encourage you to be more critical of your sources.

[Doctor_Skank]

Yes I have, the last one; he was glad to be home, he was glad he got discharged with honor and didn't support it one bit. He joined before the War (long before, '99) and been in Kosovo as well.

Yes there knuckle heads that support any kind of battle, it gives them a hard-on, killing Iraqis now around 1.5 Million, many of them CHILDREN is hardly creditable to supporting a War, they just like KILLING PEOPLE.

Good thing he is out of the army because the army doesn't need people like him.

True that many soldiers don't fully understand or support the war in Iraq. Initially I didn't either. I certainly didn't buy into the entire premise of the war.

Nonetheless, most soldiers I have spoken to do believe in what they are doing and do believe that ultimately their hard work and sacrifice will benefit Iraq and the United States. US involvment in Iraq has evolved from the initial (and faulty) premise that we went there to protect ourselves from terrorists. It was regime change protocol from the very beginning. Nonetheless, Iraq 2002-2005 is not the Iraq of today. Priorities, mission, position have all changed significantly and the army is doing a very good job excercising a mission that it was never trained or intended to do. They are learning very quickly.

It will be a long time before the US has fully extracted itself out of Iraq, if that is the US intention at all. The investment into the country can't be measured in $ alone... neither can the cost.

Just like in a relationship, the longer you are in the harder it is to get out.

We are in for another 3 years at least. I suspect we"ll be there longer under other less-martial terms, which we should be. If we aren't, somebody else will be. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081115/..._mi_ea/ml_iraq

Who cares who's Army is better, I sure as hell don't

Let's hope you and the rest of the apathetic civilian world never have to find out or be dependent on an army which you don't care about.

Some, of course they are proud to serve but only crazy wanna-be butchers that play too much Halo and Call of Duty in their free time actually WANT to be there.

That's a ridiculous statement. Never believed in anything in your life? You've obviously never been a soldier so don't start thinking you know what it is like because you watched something on youtube or talked to some disgruntled buddies.

[Cruiser D]

I didn't say soldiers particularly support the war, they just go about their business with amazing professionalism and dedication. Just about none want be in Iraq.

Obama didn't will by a popular vote landslide, just in the Electoral College. Which by the way needs to be done away with. It just serves no purpose, other then allowing W to become president in 2000 and starting the travesty of the last 8 years. The Electoral College has as much relevance now as having to be a white male landowner to vote.

[DJ FourMoney]

Yeah, one wonders were you used to buy your food Bango, did someone put a gun to your head and force you to always buy over processed crap?

Umm, like I said DJ, have you actually talked to a US soldier? I don't get my news or views on what soldiers are thinking from youtube. I spend some time on US military bases and I interact with the soldiers.

And the US right now has the capability to feed the world, the government still pays farmers not to farm. I don't think food is going to be our next crisis, that is as long as you can afford it.

Yes I have, the last one; he was glad to be home, he was glad he got discharged with honor and didn't support it one bit. He joined before the War (long before, '99) and been in Kosovo as well.

Yes there knuckle heads that support any kind of battle, it gives them a hard-on, killing Iraqis now around 1.5 Million, many of them CHILDREN is hardly creditable to supporting a War, they just like KILLING PEOPLE.

I don't get my news from You Tube. I watched Winter Solider since no other media outlet would support it, after all when your GE (NBC), you can't have any dissension in the ranks. For CBS and ABC, its just flat disappeared from the news, its covered less than 2% by anybody but Democracy Now and other left leaning channels/web sites which reports on it every f***king day.

Its because everybody largely ignored the mainstream media is proof how Obama won by a landslide and that maybe you should get your news from You Tube.

Also Nate Silver who's a Sports Stat man had closer predictions than any other "classical" poll out there, further proving that mainstream media is out of touch. The best thing was turning Palin into a Cartoon by Tina Fey which was the most powerful thing that happen and was heaven sent.

Who cares who's Army is better, I sure as hell don't