Vanessa's blog :-)

No shock there, not anymore. But she had Obama on her show.  ?

Hey Oprah, if Sarah was Black, would she be on your show?

How disappointing. No wonder I stopped watching.

PARIS - France has denied citizenship to a veiled Moroccan woman on the grounds that her "radical" practice of Islam is incompatible with basic French values such as equality of the sexes.

The case will reignite debate about how to reconcile freedom of religion, which is guaranteed by the French constitution, and other fundamental rights, which many in France feel are being challenged by the way of life of some Muslims.

Le Monde newspaper said it was the first time a Muslim applicant had been rejected for reasons to do with personal religious practice.

"She has adopted a radical practice of her religion, incompatible with essential values of the French community, particularly the principle of equality of the sexes," said a ruling by the Council of State handed down last month and sent to Reuters on Friday to confirm a report in Le Monde.

The Council of State is a judicial body which has final say on disputes between individuals and the public administration.

Married to a French national, the woman arrived in France in 2000, speaks good French and has three children born in France.

She wears a black burqa that covers all her body except her eyes, which are visible through a narrow slit, and lives in "total submission" to her husband and male relatives, according to reports by social services. Le Monde said the woman is 32.

The woman's application for French nationality was rejected in 2005 on grounds of "insufficient assimilation". She appealed to the Council of State, which last month approved the rejection.

In the past, nationality was denied to Muslims who were known to have links with extremist circles or who had publicly advocated radicalism, which is not the case here.

The ruling comes weeks after a heated debate over whether traditional Muslim views were creeping into French law, prompted by a court annulment of the marriage of two Muslims because the husband said the wife was not a virgin as she had claimed to be.

Going to an extreme?
In the case of the Moroccan woman, Le Monde suggested the Council of State had gone to the opposite extreme by rejecting the woman's beliefs and way of life rather than accommodating them.

"Is a burqa incompatible with French nationality?" the newspaper asked.

The legal expert who provided a formal report on the case to the Council of State wrote that the woman's interviews with social services revealed that "she lives almost as a recluse, isolated from French society," Le Monde reported.

"She has no idea about the secular state or the right to vote. She lives in total submission to her male relatives. She seems to find this normal and the idea of challenging it has never crossed her mind," Emmanuelle Prada-Bordenave wrote.

Le Monde quoted Daniele Lochak, a law professor not involved in the case, as saying it was bizarre to consider that excessive submission to men was a reason not to grant citizenship.

"If you follow that to its logical conclusion, it means that women whose partners beat them are also not worthy of being French," Lochak said.

ahhh...I've always liked the French. Good for them. Maybe we should begin investigating to see who's assimilated sufficiently as well.

America does not adequately protect the human rights of noncitizens, says an investigator. He takes aim at increased detentions, saying they are overused.

By Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
March 8, 2008

The United States has failed to uphold its international obligations to protect the human rights of migrants, subjecting too many to prolonged detention in substandard facilities while depriving them of an adequate appeals process and labor protections, a United Nations investigator said Friday.

In the international body's first scrutiny of U.S. treatment of its 37.5 million noncitizen migrants, U.N. investigator Jorge Bustamante took particular aim at what he criticized as the "overuse" of detention for immigrants. Noting that the annual detainee population has tripled in nine years to 230,000, he called on the United States to eliminate mandatory detention for certain migrants and instead expand the use of alternatives, such as electronic ankle bracelets.

Bustamante, who visited Los Angeles last year during a three-week fact-finding mission, also urged that migrants be given the right to legal counsel, more impartial hearings and improved holding facilities, particularly for women and children.

"The United States lacks a clear, consistent, long-term strategy to improve respect for the human rights of migrants," said his report, which was presented Friday to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. Bustamante serves as the body's special rapporteur on the human rights of migrants.

In a statement to the council, the U.S. delegation called the report disappointing.

The report "focuses only on a narrow slice of the migrant population in the United States and makes no effort to recognize notable, positive aspects of U.S. migration policy," the statement said. "This results in an incomplete and biased picture of the human rights of migrants."

The delegation said the United States had one of the world's most generous immigration policies and offered more than 11 million migrants green cards, citizenship, asylum, refugee resettlement and temporary protected status between 2000 and 2006. The United Nations estimates that global migrants number 200 million, with the United States by far the largest haven, with 35 million as of 2000.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Kelly Nantel also criticized Bustamante, saying he did not adequately consider the voluminous information provided him by U.S. officials documenting migrant protections in place here.

Those include the right to seek administrative review of detention and deportation decisions, along with access to federal courts to challenge removal orders.

Bustamante "has made a number of inaccurate or misleading claims and has drawn sweeping conclusions that appear to be based on anecdotal evidence from a small sample of individuals, for which he fails to provide appropriate evidence and reasoning," Nantel said.

At the U.S. government's invitation, Bustamante visited seven cities last year to interview dozens of migrants, community activists, immigration attorneys and senior government officials. He toured the U.S.-Mexican border and visited a federal detention center in Arizona, but he was denied access to other facilities in Texas and New Jersey.

In his two-day visit to Los Angeles in May, Bustamante said he was concerned about "rising anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States" and took testimony about worker abuse, government raids, family separations and other issues. In his report, he wrote that xenophobia and racism toward migrants had worsened since the Sept. 11 attacks, with a particularly devastating effect on children, Afro-Caribbean migrants, and those perceived to be Muslim or ethnic South Asians and Middle Easterners.

But the report said that two federal laws passed in 1996 accounted for the biggest changes toward a stricter approach in U.S. immigration policy. Among other things, the laws increased the number of people subject to mandatory, prolonged and indefinite detention, including those who commit an expanded list of crimes such as minor drug offenses, the report said. The laws also reduced avenues of appeal and limited judges' discretion to grant migrants the right to remain in the United States.

The growing reliance on detention tears families apart and costs U.S. taxpayers $1.2 billion a year, the report said. In contrast, alternatives such as electronic monitoring are far cheaper -- about 20% of the cost of detention, according to a 2006 congressional report.

Human rights activists hailed the report as an important and independent voice that brings public attention to problems faced by migrants.

"The U.S. touts the importance of human rights abroad, but rhetoric doesn't match the reality at home," said Chandra Bhatnagar of the American Civil Liberties Union in New York. "All we are asking is to bring human rights home."

teresa.watanabe@latimes.com

"The United States lacks a clear, consistent, long-term strategy to improve respect for the human rights of migrants," ?????

Pardon me while I LMAO!!!!!

How about "the migrants" implement a clear, consistent, long-term strategy to improve respect for the human rights of Americans? Because Americans, already do, and continue to improve their treatment of everyone around the world. Unbelievable! Break our laws, and then complain when you get caught and we enforce them. What are we, pushovers? To be used and abused to the criminals hearts content?

Jorge, are you insane? Seriously.

I was really pisst off at some of you who spoke up against illegal immigration and labeled you racists. I did it because I read some comments that I deemed cruel. Maybe I misunderstood you, or maybe you really are cruel- whatever! That aside, I would like to know, how in the heck someone can say: "Bustamante said he was concerned about "rising anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States" , when I just saw a news report on T.V. on how racially motivated attacks are down?

A representative for the ADL said that racially motivated attacks where down from last year. First the ADL says they're up, (I posted their articles) now they say they're down, but according to Bustamante, now there’s rising anti-immigration sentiment. YEAH RIGHT! So what’s it going to be next week? "Anti-Immigration sentiment is now down this week"....shut-up. What a load!

And Teresa, how about you ask actual immigrants, and how about legal immigrants for a change, what they think of this country and how American Citizens treat them? Oh, off the top of my head, how about me for instance? Well, lets see now, ever since I stepped foot in this country, American Citizens have been the ones who have shown me love, respect, compassion, helped me, educated me, given me a great quality of life and supported me. How about you write that huh?

The United States of America treats EVERYONE humanely & compassionately. I'm not saying we're perfect, we do make mistakes and there’s bad and good everywhere, BUT in general, we are the best country in the world and don't you forget it.  If we make a mistake, we fix it, and we hold ourselves accountable. (That’s just one reason that makes us a great Nation, there's many)

So how dare you United Nations? Get your story straight please.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says Colombia violated Ecuador's sovereignty.

The move was in apparent reaction to Colombia's joint operation Saturday in Ecuador that resulted in the death of the second-in-command of the FARC Colombian rebels group.

Chavez condemned the operation Saturday, saying the Colombian government violated Ecuador's sovereignty. He said if the operation had been conducted in Venezuela, he would have declared war against Colombia.

"Colombia's government recognizes -- in a happy and irresponsible attitude -- that it has violated the sovereignty of a neighbor country. And that's worrisome," he said.

"President Uribe, think well. Don't think about doing that over here, don't think it. Because it would very serious, a military raid in Venezuelan territory would be 'causus belli.' There is not any excuse."

Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos denied that Colombia violated Ecuadoran airspace in the joint operation that killed Luis Edgar Devia Silva, known as "Raul Reyes."

The operation, which involved Colombian air forces attacking a FARC camp from the Colombian side, also involved Colombia's national police Santos said. Reyes was among 17 killed.

Santos also said Colombian President Alvaro Uribe had spoken to Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa to inform him on the activities.

The White House weighed in on the situation Sunday, saying, "We're monitoring the situation."

"This is an odd reaction by Venezuela to Colombia's efforts against the FARC, a terrorist organization that continues to hold Colombians, Americans and others hostage," spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.

FARC is the Spanish acronym for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The Marxist group has been trying for some 40 years to overthrow the Colombian government.

On Wednesday, the group released four former Colombian lawmakers who were among the estimated 750 hostages the group has held in the jungles of Colombia.

In the past two months, FARC has released six hostages overall. Reyes, who was a member of the seven-man FARC leadership council, known as the general secretariat, had played a key mediation role in the release of those hostages.

Chavez, whose left-wing political philosophy comes closer than that of Colombia's rightist leaders to the stated doctrines of FARC, brokered the two deals to release hostages.

Not exactly comforting.

The UK's Prince Harry is in Afghanistan and has seen combat, the UK Ministry of Defense confirmed Thursday.

Prince Harry followed a family tradition of serving in the military. He was deployed 10 weeks ago and his fellow soldiers were sworn to secrecy. The prince's status is currently being reviewed, the Ministry of Defense said.

Harry is third in line to the British throne and a lieutenant in the Blues and Royals. In a recent interview with CNN Correspondent Paula Newton, Prince Harry said, "At the end of the day I like to sort of be a normal person, and for once I think this is about as normal as I'm ever going to get." And in a pre-deployment interwith the British Press Association, he said: "If I'm wanted, if I'm needed, then I will serve my country as I signed up to do."

The head of the British Army, Chief of the General Staff Sir Richard Dannatt, said Harry's deployment had been kept secret after striking an agreement with the media. He said: "What the last two months have shown is that it is perfectly possible for Prince Harry to be employed just the same as other Army officers of his rank and experience.

"His conduct on operations in Afghanistan has been exemplary. He has been fully involved in operations and has run the same risks as everyone else in his Battlegroup. "In common with all of his generation in the army today, he is a credit to the nation. "In deciding to deploy him to Afghanistan, it was my judgment that with an understanding with the media not to broadcast his whereabouts, the risk in doing was manageable." Dannatt added that he and senior commanders will now be reviewing Harry's deployment. Last year, the military ruled Harry could not be sent to Iraq because publicity about the deployment could put him and his unit at risk.

WOW! What a guy......ahhh...he's so dreamy. Thanks for your service Harry. Its so nice to see him doing what so many other brave men & women do everyday to protect all of us.

 To all the men and women in the Armed Forces:

~ THANK YOU ~

Fidel Castro announced his resignation as president of Cuba and commander in chief of Cuba's military Tuesday, according to a letter published in the state-run newspaper, Granma.

Fidel Castro, shown in an undated file photo, took power in Cuba in 1959 and reigned with an iron hand.

Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said the U.S. embargo on Cuba will not be lifted in the near term.

Castro revealed his plans without notice by publishing a letter in the middle of the night in state-run newspaper Granma.

"I will not aspire to, nor will I accept the position of president of the council of state and commander in chief," Castro wrote. "I wish only to fight as a soldier of ideas. ... Perhaps my voice will be heard."

President Bush said Castro's decision ought to spark "a democratic transition" for Cuba.

"The international community should work with the Cuban people to begin to build institutions that are necessary for democracy and eventually this transition ought to lead to free and fair elections," Bush said Tuesday in Rwanda. "The United States will help the people of Cuba realize the blessings of liberty." Watch Bush's reaction to Castro's resignation »

Angelina Jolie has been working to focus attention on problem of refugees in Iraq.

"There doesn't seem to be a real coherent plan to help them," said Jolie, speaking in an exclusive interview with CNN's Arwa Damon Thursday.

"There's lots of goodwill. Lots of discussion, but there seems to be a lot of talk at the moment, and a lot of pieces that need to be put together. I'm trying to figure out what they are."

A goodwill ambassador for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Jolie wants to find ways to help the agency be more active inside war-torn Iraq. 

Sunni-Shiite sectarian violence in the country has sparked a displacement crisis that is considered the most significant in the Middle East since the 1948 creation of Israel.

More than 4.2 million Iraqis have fled their homes, around 2 million to neighboring states, mostly Syria and Jordan, and another 2.2 million displaced inside Iraq.

The flight was aggravated by the February 2006 bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra, an attack that stoked pitched sectarian warfare. Many of the internally displaced live precarious lives amid conditions of squalor, crowded into camps and slums that often lack basic necessities, such as proper food, health care and shelter.

"How Iraq settles in the years to come is going to affect the entire Middle East," said Jolie. "It's in our best interest to address a humanitarian crisis on this scale because displacement can lead to a lot of instability and aggression." Read transcript of interview

Jolie has been working to help draw attention to the problem and has called for governments to bolster their support of the U.N.H.C.R. In August, Jolie first visited Iraq and Syria to get a sense of the problem. She heard stories from refugees about their plight. Watch as Jolie lunches with troops »

This visit to Iraq is focusing on the problems of the internally displaced, 58 percent of whom are under age 12. A top issue for the agency is getting better security.

Jolie is talking with U.S. officials, including top U.S. Gen. David Petraeus, about that issue, and are willing to provide such security which she said "needs to be addressed and solved."

The Iraqi government needs to empower agencies that deal with migration to address the concerns of the displaced -- but that has not happened yet, she said.

Jolie said it was crucial that the government prepare a plan to deal with refugees who return home from Syria and Jordan and find that their homes are "occupied" by others or "bombed out." She emphasizes the way in which these people are resettled will have "broad implications" in the region.

Jolie also is talking to people about moving forward the U.S. effort to resettle Iraqi refugees in the United States, which has set a goal of taking in 12,000 of those people by September. Only 375 have been admitted so far.

"I have to believe there are people working toward that goal," she said.

International agencies, such as the United Nations and the Arab League, and many countries in the region and in Europe are addressing the refugee and the internally displaced persons' crisis, and money is being allocated to Iraq and host countries to help clothe, feed and house people.

Most of the refugees are in Syria and Jordan, and they reside in big cities like Damascus and Amman. The U.N.C.H.R. is trying to help governments in Syria and Jordan to cope with the influx, which has stretched the resources of institutions like schools and health systems. It is also attempting to help 41,000 non-Iraqi refugees in Iraq, such as Palestinians and Iranians.

Last month, the UNHCR announced a plan to seek $261 million this year for its work to help these refugees. It has almost 350 staffers "directly engaged in operations for Iraq and the surrounding region."

Officials in Iraq and the coalition have been heartened by the fact that some refugees are starting to trickle back home. But they are returning to a country where mixed Shiite and Sunni neighborhoods have turned into Sunni or Shiite enclaves and that they might not be able to return to their homes.

GO Angie!   I love this woman :-)

http://www.adl.org/default.htm

Anti-Immigrant Groups Borrow From Playbook Of Hate Groups To Demonize Hispanics

New York, NY, October 23, 2007 … As the national debate over immigration reached a fever pitch, some mainstream advocacy groups "reached for the playbook of hate groups" -- resorting to hateful and dehumanizing stereotypes and outright bigotry to demonize immigrants.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which monitors extremist groups and their rhetoric with regard to the immigration debate, has exposed a new development where some of the more mainstream anti-immigrant groups increasingly are adopting the tactics and rhetoric of racist groups and moving it into the mainstream.

"Under the guise of warning about the impact of illegal immigration in the rush to thwart the immigration bill from becoming law, some anti-immigrant groups reached for the playbook of hate groups," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.  "They have taken hateful and racist rhetoric and brought it into the mainstream."

ADL's new online report, Immigrants Targeted: Extremist Rhetoric Moves into the Mainstream documents the rhetoric employed by groups that routinely position themselves as legitimate, mainstream advocates against illegal immigration in America.

A closer look at the public record reveals that many ostensibly mainstream anti-illegal immigration organizations – including those who testified before Congress or frequently appeared on news programs –  promote virulent anti-Hispanic and anti-immigrant rhetoric.  Some groups have fostered links with extremist groups. 

The groups highlighted in the ADL report include Mothers Against Illegal Aliens (Phoenix, AZ), the Federation for American Immigration Reform (Washington, DC), Choose Black America, You Don't Speak for Me, Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee (Raleigh, NC), Grass Fire (Maxwell, IA) and The Dustin Inman Society (Marietta, GA).

"The Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis were not the only ones who saw an opportunity in the national debate over immigration to sow the seeds of racism as a means to derail immigration reform," said Mr. Foxman.  "While reasonable people can disagree about border control and the appropriate parameters for immigration reform, the debate has been tainted by the virulent anti-immigrant message employed by a handful of groups.  The real victims in this are Hispanic-Americans and other immigrants who are being unfairly targeted, demeaned and stereotyped."

The report cites several key tactics used by anti-immigrant groups, including:

• Describing immigrants as "third world invaders," who come to America to destroy our heritage, "colonize" the country and attack our "way of life."  This charge is used against Hispanics, Asians and other people of color.
• Using terminology that describes immigrants as part of "hordes" that "swarm" over the border. This dehumanizing language has become common.
• Portraying immigrants as carriers of diseases like leprosy, tuberculosis, Chagas disease (a potentially fatal parasitic disease), dengue fever, polio, malaria.
• Depicting immigrants as criminals, murderers, rapists, terrorists, and a danger to children and families.
• Propagating conspiracy theories about an alleged secret "reconquista" plot by Mexican immigrants to create a "greater Mexico" by seizing seven states in the American Southwest that once belonged to Mexico.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.

A RESURGENT MOVEMENT

RECENT RACIST SKINHEAD ACTIVITY:

This is just a sample of crimes happening in our area. There's more, Nationwide. check it out for yourself.

12/21/2007 Claremont CA. Berdoo Skinheads

A jury in a Los Angeles County Superior Court convicted three members of the racist Berdoo Skinheads of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon as hate crimes.

Anthony Scott Allen, 23, of Big Bear; Ryan Christopher White, 28, of Joshua Tree; and Joseph McCool, 20, of Redlands stabbed an African-American man at a Claremont shopping center while on their way to a neo-Nazi rally in Westwood in December 2006.

A fourth defendant, Chad Timothy Milson, 20, of Yucca Valley, pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and testified for the prosecution.

12/11/2007 Stevenson Ranch CA.

Police in Stevenson Ranch, California, arrested Christopher Johnsen, 20, of Canyon Country, and Travis Wanke, 28, of Valencia, on December 11, 2007, after allegedly attacking an African-American man in a Santa Clarita restaurant.

According to witnesses, Wanke exposed his swastika and other white supremacist tattoos and shouted racial slurs at the victim just prior to the physical altercation. Wanke has several white supremacist tattoos, including an Iron Cross with a swastika, the number 14, and skinhead-style boots. He was allegedly wearing a jacket with Waffen SS lighning bolts on the front during the altercation. Battery and felony hate crime charges have been filed against both men.

12/7/2007 Riverside CA. Nazi Low Riders

The Riverside Sheriff's Department arrested Ryan Joseph Kidd, 32, on December 7, 2007, after Kidd crashed the allegedly stolen vehicle he was driving in Mead Valley. He was charged with vehicle theft, possession of stolen property, evading a police officer and violation of parole.

Kidd has numerous white supremacist tattoos, including swastikas, Waffen SS bolts, "White Power," "Nazi Low Riders" and "NLR."

7/10/2007 Huntington Beach CA.   Public Enemy Number One (PEN1)

PENI members Michael Allen Lamb, 32, and Jacob Anthony Rump, 30, both of Huntington Beach, were convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and committing murder for the benefit of the gang. The pair ambushed Scott Miller, 38, a founder of PENI, a year after he participated in an interview on Fox News in Los Angeles in which he revealed information about the gang, including its drug trafficking activities. Miller was found shot in the back of the head on March 8, 2002, in an Anaheim alley, in retaliation for the interview. On October 5, 2007, Rump was sentenced to life without parole.

 3/23/2007 Westwood CA. Peckerwoods

Kevin William Ridenour, 21, and Nicholas Edward Craig, 18, burned a five-foot cross in front of the home of an African priest (a native of Rwanda) on March 23, 2007. They were charged with conspiracy against civil rights, interference with housing rights because of a person's race, and use of fire to commit a felony.

The affidavit states that Craig claims the men got the idea for the cross burning from old movies showing the Ku Klux Klan using the method to intimidate African-Americans. Craig is quoted as saying he and Ridenour "burned the cross to scare the black priest." The affidavit states that Ridenour told deputies he is a member of the Peckerwoods racist skinhead group. Lassen County authorities have also charged the two men under California law with cross-burning, vandalism to a church, conspiracy and involvement in a hate crime.

On June 4, 2007, Craig received a 21-month prison sentence. On June 8, 2007, a U.S. district court judge sentenced Ridenour to two years in prison, and three years of court supervision after his release for violating the priest's civil rights by burning the cross.

 3/22/2007 Riverside CA. Riverside Skins

Police in Riverside, California, arrested two members of the Riverside Skins on suspicion of murder in the death of a 41-year-old man. Darrin Wayne Agbara, 38, of Riverside, was arrested on March 22.

The second suspect, Joseph Edward Salem, 32, also of Riverside, was already in custody in Riverside County on suspicion of auto theft, possession of stolen checks and chemicals used to make methamphetamine. Police have suggested that the accused shot and killed the man believing he would inform law enforcement of their criminal activities. The victim was found dead in his car on March 1 in Colton, California.

Several factors have coincided that have allowed the racist skinhead subculture to stage a comeback:

The Internet:

• • White power music. Since the late 1990s, the Internet has played an increasingly important role in the growth and development of fringe social movements of all sorts. But in very specific ways, it helped enable a new growth of racist skinhead activities. Perhaps most importantly, it gave new life to the white power music industry, around which much of the racist skinhead subculture revolves. Now it no longer mattered that white power music was unavailable in stores, because white power music companies could sell CDs and accessories directly to customers over the Internet. They could also establish marketing tools such as "RadioWhite," an on-line white power music Internet radio station. In 2005, RadioWhite maintained six different 24-hour music feeds, with more than 5,000 songs on its playlists.
    
    
  • Recruiting Kids. From its beginning, young people have been attracted to the Internet, and America's youth now grow up with the Internet. This has created an increased risk of young people being exposed to and attracted by white supremacist propaganda. In 1985, few people were likely to come into contact with a white supremacist, but in 2005, anybody can do so with the click of a mouse. Alienated white youth find a welcome reception on-line among white supremacists, hungry for new recruits. Young men and women who do not fit in at home or at school find it easier to fit in on-line. This has made it very easy for young people to be exposed to the online message forums and social networking Web-sites prevalent in the racist skinhead subculture.
    
    
  • Global Hate. The global reach of the Internet has allowed the creation of a truly international racist skinhead community, with international groups such as Hammerskin Nation and Blood & Honour. It has made white power music a global phenomenon and created a network of international white supremacist sites that put haters around the world in touch with each other. European racist skinheads, using the Internet, helped to play a role in reinvigorating the American scene. Now, both American and European racist skinheads are helping the subculture to expand rapidly in the countries of the former Communist bloc.   

The Hammerskin Nation is the most violent and best-organized neo-Nazi skinhead group in the United States. A number of its members have been convicted of harassing, beating or murdering minorities. Many popular racist rock bands are affiliated with the Hammerskin Nation, and the group regularly sponsors concerts. Though internal dissension and a civil lawsuit currently threaten its continued strength, the Hammerskin Nation remains active and dangerous.

Hammerskins Online

In addition to holding concerts and engaging in street violence, the Hammerskins have begun to use the Internet fruitfully. "The MOST NOTORIOUS band of Skinheads in the World have metastasized from the mean streets, and into your home [sic]," exclaims Hammerskin Press. "Where ever you go, our WEB of Racism will follow!" The well-designed Hammerskin Nation Web site, coordinated by the Eastern Hammerskins in New Jersey, features concert reviews, chapter listings and information about upcoming events. The site includes a "Cyber-Terrorist" page, which contains viruses, password-stealing programs, e-mail "bombers" and other downloadable hacking tools.

While the Hammerskins resemble other savvy extremists in their use of the Web, few groups use e-mail mailing lists and bulletin boards as effectively. The Hammerskin Nation has made particular use of e-mail in its promotion of concerts, providing details to its supporters about the locations of shows, places to stay nearby, directions on how to get to concert venues and other related information. At the Hammerskin Nation online bulletin board, hosted by the British Hammerskins, many longtime Hammerskins chat with each other and with potential recruits about their beliefs and tactics. The bulletin board also contains a number of sections open only to Hammerskins, where members of the group can discuss their plans privately. One of these sections describes itself as a "private plotting forum."

Few and Proud

Hammerskin Nation members are notable for their unflagging commitment to the group and its ideas. "Being a Hammerskin is the distinct feeling of being set apart from the entire planet," writes Jimmy Matchette. "And of knowing we will conquer & overcome all obstacles to achieve our goals and accomplish our great work, knowing that if we fail, all is lost forever and the west will perish." He adds: "Even though I am locked down in a maximum security federal penitentiary, I wouldn't [have] traded the opportunity for all the gold in the world. You my true comrades hold all the glory of victory at your fingertips. We really are the most notorious White power Skinhead group in the entire World!" 

Recruiting

The Hammerskin Nation does not try to hide the fact that it wants to recruit disillusioned young people. "Everyday we get a letter from some kid who is fed up with his multi-culturist surroundings," boasts an editorial in the Hammerskin magazine, Hammerskin Press. "They are looking for answers and a way out....Kids grow up without any form of self-identity. They are given two choices, either go with the 'norm' of multi-culturalism and race mixing or be deemed an outcast, a minority. Let's take hold of the Racist minority and welcome them into the movement."

Though the Hammerskins seem eager for recruits, they are selective about whom they accept into their ranks. Most white supremacist organizations allow prospective recruits to join by doing nothing more than filling out an application and paying annual dues. In contrast, the Hammerskin Nation, like a college fraternity, asks prospective members to prove themselves before they are allowed to join. Imprisoned Hammerskin Louis Oddo tells those who want to join to "hook up with a close Hammerskin crew" and "learn what they are about."

"If everybody likes what they see, I'm sure you'll be given a chance," Oddo explains. "I know of people that were on probation for up to 2 years, so be patient." Forrest Hyde, another Hammerskin who has served time, points out that because "a movement is only as strong" as its "weakest link," the Hammerskins value "quality over quantity" when it comes to membership.

Hammerskin Crime

Violence is an integral part of the skinhead subculture, among racist and nonracist skinheads alike. Racist skinheads have committed a large number of violent hate crimes across the United States during the past two decades, ranging from brutal beatings to outright murder. As one of the most prominent white power skinhead groups in the country, the Hammerskins have frequently shocked the communities in which they are active with the violence of some of their activities.

The Confederate Hammerskins of Dallas were both the first Hammerskin group and the first to come to public attention. In the summer of 1988, group members Sean Tarrant, Jon Jordan, Michael Lawrence, Christopher Greer and Daniel Wood chased and beat blacks and Hispanics in an effort to keep them out of Robert E. Lee Park in Dallas. During that summer and into the fall, the Hammerskins vandalized a synagogue and a Jewish community center by shooting out windows, smashing doors and spray painting anti-Semitic slogans and swastikas. Michael Lawrence also committed violent crimes with skinheads Christopher Jones, Daniel Roush and Forrest Hyde in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the following year. The Tulsa group firebombed a minority-owned nightclub and assaulted its nonwhite patrons.

In June 1991, Arlington, Texas, was the site of further violence by Hammerskins. Three 16-year-old members of the Confederate Hammerskins murdered an African American, Donald Thomas, while he sat on the back of a truck with two white friends. Joshua Hendry claimed that after he, William Roberts and Christopher Brosky drank about two cases of beer, Roberts said that he wanted to "do a drive-by" and "shoot a black person." According to Hendry, after he and Brosky agreed, Roberts readied a sawed-off shotgun. Hendry later testified that when the three passed Thomas, Brosky yelled "shoot him!" and Roberts pulled the trigger.

Also in 1991, Jimmy "Soda Pop" Miller, an Arizona Hammerskin, firebombed a residence he mistakenly thought was occupied by rival skinheads. Miller also defaced a synagogue. Though he was sentenced to more than five years for these crimes, he was released after serving only two years in prison.That same year, in Birmingham, Alabama, Hammerskin Louis Oddo and his colleague Adam Galleon murdered a 50-year-old black homeless man on Christmas Eve. Oddo and Galleon killed the man, Douglas Garrett, by hitting him with a baseball bat and kicking him with their heavy boots. Oddo and Galleon were subsequently convicted of murder.

Less than two years later, in the summer and fall of 1993, members of the New Dawn Hammerskins defaced two synagogues, harassed black patrons of a local bookstore and assaulted two black girls in Brockton and Randolph, Massachusetts. In July 1994, these Hammerskins were charged with conspiring to intimidate and interfere with the rights of black and Jewish citizens. The leader of the group, Brian Joseph Clayton, was also the only adult among the defendants. He pled guilty to the charges and received 46 months in prison.

The next major incident of Hammerskin-related violence took place on March 17, 1999, in an open field near Temecula, California. Six Western Hammerskins (Travis Miskam, Daniel Butler, Alan Yantis, Gregory McDaniel, Jesse Douglas and Jason McCully) allegedly attacked a 23-year-old African American, Randy Bowen. They apparently chose to attack him simply because he was black, approaching him without provocation at an unplanned youth gathering. Miskam reportedly hit Bowen over the head with a beer bottle, and when Bowen asked him why, Miskam allegedly replied, "We don't like [...] here; I don't like [...]." According to legal documents, as Bowen tried to flee, the Hammerskins chased him, shouting "Die, [...]," "Get that [...]," "Kill that [...]," and "We're going to get you, [...]." Between them, the Hammerskins carried a bottle, a screwdriver, a folding knife and a razor knife. They cut and stabbed Bowen on his head and back before he escaped to a stranger's home. Witnesses indicated that after attacking Bowen, the Hammerskins started goose-stepping, giving Nazi salutes and singing German songs.

On August 16, 1999, a grand jury indicted the four adult Hammerskins involved in the attack (Miskam, Butler, Yantis and McDaniel) on charges of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder with enhancements for gang affiliation and commission of a hate crime. In March 2001, as Miskam, Yantis and Douglas awaited trial, Butler, McDaniel and McCully pled guilty to assault with a deadly weapon and committing a hate crime. In addition, lawyers representing Bowen filed a civil suit that aims to force all six Hammerskins involved in the attack, their families, and the Hammerskin Nation to pay Bowen general and punitive damages. The suit alleges that the Hammerskins are a "street gang," as defined by the California Penal Code, and describes the group as encouraging its members, including the defendants, "to commit acts of violence and intimidation against African-Americans to promote their white supremacist goals."

UPDATE

The official Hammerskin Nation Web site disappeared from the Internet nearly a year ago, and white supremacist Tom Metzger has claimed that "there is no more official Hammerskin Nation." Attendance was down at the annual Hammerfest in October 2001, and on November 21, 2001, a Riverside, California, jury convicted Western Hammerskins Travis Miskam and Jesse Douglas on assault, hate crime and gang-related charges in connection with their 1999 attack on Randy Bowen. At the same time, the Hammerskin splinter group known as the Outlaw Hammerskins has grown in stature. Many Outlaw members attended the 2002 Nordic Fest hosted by the Imperial Klans of America, and the group will provide security for the upcoming White Pride Festival hosted by the National Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in August.

The original Hammerskin Nation also remains active:

• Eastern Hammerskins participated in the large racist rally in York, Pennsylvania, on January 12, 2002, alongside National Alliance and World Church of the Creator members. One Eastern Hammerskin was arrested at the rally for driving his car into a crowd of anti-racist protesters.
  
  
• Hammerskins from North Carolina attended a Klan rally in Newport, Tennessee, on January 19, 2002. The Confederate Hammerskins held a concert on March 16, 2002, in Jacksonville, Florida, featuring Aggressive Force and other bands.
  
  
• The Northern Hammerskins held a concert on April 20, 2002, in Detroit, Michigan featuring the Bully Boys, among other groups.
  
  
• On May 11, 2002, Hammerskins participated in a National Alliance rally at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., and other Hammerskins attended a World Church of the Creator rally that day in Peoria, Illinois.
  
  
• In Colorado, Heritage Press sponsored the Rocky Mountain Heritage Festival on July 13, 2002. Hammerskin bands such as Intimidation One and H8Machine performed.
  
  
• Eastern Hammerskins are sponsoring a second and larger white power concert with National Alliance on August 24, 2002, in the Washington, D.C., area.

A federal prosecutor flew to metro Detroit with a Dora the Explorer doll, hoop earrings and petroleum jelly for a 5-year-old he planned to have sex with, police say.

John David Roy Atchison -- who prosecutes civil and criminal matters as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Northern Florida District -- appeared on the other side of the law Monday in Detroit federal court. Atchison, 53, of Gulf Breeze, Fla., was charged with enticement of a minor using the Internet and knowingly traveling interstate to engage in illicit sex.

According to court documents, during an Internet chat with an undercover officer, Atchison described himself as "very much a family man." He initiated the online chat Aug. 29 with the officer posing as a mother interested in letting men have sex with her children.

During continuous conversations, he expressed a desire to engage in oral, vaginal and anal sex with her fictitious daughter. Money was not part of the discussion.

In the chats, he also suggested he previously had sex with minors.

John David Roy Atchison

I get physically ill just looking at him. What is wrong with these types of people? Please do this man, no monster, a favor and put him to death.

DEARBORN, Mich., July 10 – Ford Motor Company will take its 10 years of hydrogen research expertise to the Bonneville Salt Flats in August in an attempt to set the world land speed record in a hydrogen fuel cell powered Ford Fusion.

The Ford Fusion Hydrogen 999 fuel cell car – a collaboratively engineered racer with Ballard, Roush and Ohio State University – is one of two vehicles Ford's fuel cell research team is helping prepare to set world land speed records. Ford researchers also are working with Ohio State University student engineers on its Buckeye Bullet 2, a fuel cell-powered racer that will compete for a similar world record in the unlimited class category.

“Racing is part of Ford Motor Company's DNA so it seemed only natural for us to build a fuel cell race car that runs on hydrogen, a fuel that could someday play a key role in meeting the energy needs of the transportation sector,” said Gerhard Schmidt, vice president, Research & Advanced Engineering for Ford Motor Company. “Our goal in attempting this record is to further expand our technological horizons with fuel cell powered vehicles. The collaboration with Ohio State University also affords us an opportunity to work closely with a prestigious university, which provides out-of-the-box thinking from student engineers and helps us recruit talented young people to work at Ford Motor Company.”

The land speed record attempt will take place during Bonneville Speed Week from Aug. 10-17. The attempt will be sanctioned by the Southern California Timing Association®.

The Ford Fusion Hydrogen 999 land speed record vehicle was designed by Ford engineers and fabricated and built by Roush in Allen Park, Michigan. Ohio State students are providing the design of the 770 hp electric motor, while Ballard is supplying the hydrogen fuel cells. Ford retiree Rick Byrnes, a veteran Bonneville racer, will pilot the Ford Fusion Hydrogen 999 car on its record attempt.

Ohio State students have designed their unlimited class vehicle, dubbed Buckeye Bullet 2, from the ground up. Ballard donated the hydrogen fuel cells for Ohio State's car, Roush its engineering services and Ford has provided overall project coordination and expertise in fuel cell drivetrains.

In 2004, Ohio State students set the unlimited land speed record for an electric vehicle by running 315 mph in the first Buckeye Bullet, dubbed BB1.

Hydrogen Part of a Broader Effort
Ford's strategy for alternative fuels is built around multiple technologies, including hydrogen fuel cells. This flexible approach allows the company to meet goals for customer needs, environmental impact and shareholder interests. The strategy does not focus on one catch-all solution but includes a flexible array of options, including hybrids, E85 ethanol, clean diesels, bio-diesels, advanced engine and transmission technologies and hydrogen fuel cells.

The company already has a fleet of 30 hydrogen powered Focus fuel cell vehicles on the road as part of a worldwide, seven-city program to conduct real world testing of fuel cell technology. The 30-car fleet has accumulated more than 540,000 miles since its inception in 2005.

Ford also is conducting tests with the world's first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, the Ford Edge with HySeries Drive. The Ford Edge with HySeries Drive uses a series electric drivetrain with an onboard hydrogen fuel cell generator to give the vehicle a range of 225 miles with zero emissions.

Currently, Ford offers gasoline-electric hybrids including the Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid. The company will also offer hybrid versions of the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan in 2008.

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With about 260,000 employees and about 100 plants worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.fordvehicles.com.

 well....not yet. But keep an eye out for him, cause he's looking and wants to.

Be a sex offender that is.

INFORMATION ONLY
NOTORIOUS PEDOPHILE ADVOCATE

McClellan has recently been featured in national and local news reports in which he admits  operating an Internet website catering to pedophiles.  It is reported that McClellan traveled all over Washington State and photographed young girls in public settings. In the news reports McClellan admits being a pedophile who is sexually attracted to young girls.  On July 26th, at 2:30pm, a mother observed McClellan in the children’s section of the Santa Monica Main Library. McClellan is not a registered sexual offender and is not wanted at this time in connection with any crime.  If you see McClellan, please closely monitor your children.

If he is seen in the area of children, please notify the local police department.

For additional information please contact:
Santa Monica Police Department
Juvenile Crimes Section (M-F 7:00-5:00)  (310) 458-8451
Watch Commander (24 hours) (310) 458-8427

Shouldn't we have laws against this kind of thing? why isn't the fact that he wants to abuse children enough? having an internet website catering to pedophiles is NOT a crime? if it is, why is he out?

So, I can say I want to kill him, but....I'm not in any trouble until I actually DO IT. right? is that the way our laws work? He can say he likes to molest children, but that's not a crime unless he actually molests one. It must be freedom of speech. I'm sure that’s exactly what our founding fathers had in mind when they wrote the Constitution. It is our right as an American to say all the stupid, disgusting, evil things we want. As long as we don't get caught doing them. !!!???

Patrick Wood
July 27, 2007
NewsWithViews.com :

Less than 20 percent of citizen respondents in the UK, France, Spain and the U.S. viewed it as having a positive effect. Germany and Italy were a bit higher.

Still, well over 50 percent of all respondents voted “No” to globalization.

Another shock to the pro-globalization elite is the overwhelming passage (362-63 on July 24, 2007) of the Duncan Hunter Amendment (H.R. 3074) to the Transportation Appropriations Act, “prohibiting the use of federal funds for participation in working groups under the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), including the creation of the NAFTA Super Highway.”

“The proposed NAFTA Super Highway presents significant challenges to our nation’s security, the safety of vehicle motorists, and will likely drive down wages for American workers,” said Congressman Hunter. “Much like NAFTA, the super highway is designed to serve the interests of our trading partners and will lead to neither security nor prosperity.”

Congressman Duncan Hunter, also a presidential candidate, told his fellow congressional colleagues,

“This 12 lane highway, which is already under construction in Texas, will fast-track thousands of cargo containers across the U.S. without adequate security. These containers will move from Mexico, a country with a record of corruption and involvement in the drug trade, across a border that is already porous and insufficiently protected."

yeah ok, blah blah blah.....I read the Bible, rest assured, it WILL happen. We may not LIKE it and I DON'T agree, but....it'll happen.

You'll see.

"A full-term newborn in good condition was found Monday by a customer in a restroom at a Denny's restaurant in Anaheim, and police were interviewing a 17-year-old girl suspected of being the mother. The customer said she noticed blood on the floor and movement in the trash can before finding the newborn. The girl denied giving birth, but police took her to a hospital for a medical exam. The girl could be arrested and possibly face criminal charges."

We live in a wonderful country with many caring and loving people that would love to adopt a child. A baby is not just a "baby," he or she is a person, small and fragile, but no less special and important as anyone else. Please treat them with the love and dignity they deserve. There is nothing more beautiful on this planet, than a newborn baby. nothing.