Obama, Pope 'discuss' abortion, stem cells, Mideast

This photo released by the Vatican's press office shows Pope Benedict XVI greeting President Barack Obama prior their meeting at the Vatican Friday July 10. (AFP/VPO-HO)

There's not much to be discussed between the leader of the free world and the head of the guilt ridden that would accomplish anything, if you ask me, but there's always protocol and photo-ops. They have to play the game or millions would complain...they have to strike a pose to keep photographers employed...

U.S. President Obama and Pope Benedict XVI met Friday after the G8 summit in L'Aquila, Italy, and they reportedly talked about abortion, embryonic stem cell research, Middle East peace efforts, helping the poor, and world financial markets.

The election of the 47-year-old African-American Democrat wasn't good news to the Vatican after eight years of common ground on abortion and stem cells with former President George W. Bush. Obama ended Bush's restrictions on government funding for embryonic stem cell research and for family planning groups that perform or facilitate abortions overseas when he took office in January.

For those who don't know, the Vatican is against abortion (even though millions of Catholics get abortions every year...) and embryonic stem cell research (even though whoever chooses to end a pregnancy is going to whether stem cell research exists or not...), and favors Middle East peace and ending the Iraq war.

During the meeting, the 82-year-old leader of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics reportedly expressed the church's opposition to abortion and embryonic stem cell research. Well...duh. The Vatican's stand on these issues is based on religious beliefs and, as a result, not one that is negotiable. End of story.

The 30-minute visit (what controversial topics can be "discussed" in 30 minutes?) was described by both sides as "positive." Well...duh again.

As it's customary, the leaders exchanged gifts after the meeting. The Pope gave Obama a copy of a Vatican document on bioethics that stresses the church's opposition to using embryos for stem cell research, cloning and in-vitro fertilization.

"Yes, this is what we had talked about," Obama said, telling the Pope he would read it on the flight to his next stop, Ghana...or use it as toilet paper there should he find himself moved by a force of nature in a hut without TP.

The pope's secretary, Rev. Georg Ganswein, told reporters the document would "help the president better understand the position of the Catholic church." But here's the thing: Obama et al understand the church's position; they just don't agree with it. If the Catholics are not to be persuaded to accept abortion and stem cell research, what makes them think they can persuade those in favor to switch sides?

Pope Benedict also gave Obama a mosaic depicting St. Peter's Square with one of its fountains in the foreground, and Obama gave Benedict a stole that had covered the remains of S.t John Neuman, a 19th-century missionary who was the first American bishop to be canonised.

After the meeting, Benedict reportedly said that Obama pledged to seek to reduce abortions. And how exactly does Obama plan to do that? Cutting access to abortion services is out of the question as far as pro-choicers (mostly liberal Democrats) are concerned, so other than boosting safe-sex campaign efforts, how else could he shrink the number of abortions in the U.S.?

Ironically, even though he's a protestant, polls show Obama received a majority of Catholic votes. But when he was invited to receive an honorary degree at Notre Dame, the leading Catholic university in the U.S., in the Spring, dozens of bishops blasted the university, and the local bishop declined to attend the ceremony.

Moving on to the economy, earlier this week Benedict issued a major document calling for a new world financial order guided by ethics (whose?) and a search for the common good (is there such a thing?), denouncing a profit-at-all-cost mentality (I have to agree with this) blamed for the global financial meltdown.

About Middle East peace efforts, Benedict appears to agree with Obama's two-state solution and has issued the Vatican's strongest call yet for a Palestinian state. But unless those directly involved agree...

I often wonder why the concept of "you can't please everyone" is so difficult for us human to understand when there's no escaping it. It's simply impossible--regardless of what, who, where, when, why--to make decisions, speak and act in a way that will please every human being on Earth.

Religious groups, above all others, tend to operate on the premise that what they deem right is right, what they deem wrong is wrong. The way I see it, anyone or any group that takes that stand is just plain arrogant. But that's just me...

So what is there for Obama and the Pope to discuss? What is there to negotiate?

Since the dawn of time and until the end of life as we know it, a difference of opinion is the spark that fuels the will of mankind, if you ask me.

Sources: AP, CNN, AFP
Copyright © 2009, Primetime Oracle
All Rights Reserved

11 places with a worse economy than the U.S.'s

A businessman sits on an improvised chair at a Tokyo park. Japanese wholesale prices fell at the fastest pace yet last month, data showed, deepening concern that renewed deflation could hinder a recovery in the world's number two economy. (AFP/Yoshikazu Tsuno)

(Another interesting article about the economy)

By Rick Newman of U.S. News & World Report
Published Fri Jul 10, 11:50 am ET

When times are tough, one thing that tends to raise the spirits is knowing that somebody else has it worse. And as wretched as the U.S. economy seems, it's not as bad as in other regions.

The International Monetary Fund's latest tally of world economic conditions forecasts a 2.6 decline in U.S. economic output for all of 2009, and anemic growth of 0.8 percent in 2010. That's more optimistic than the IMF's prediction from three months ago, but those are still lousy numbers. A weak economy throughout 2010 would mean a bleak employment picture, an agonizingly slow housing recovery, and another year or two likely to feel like a recession, whether it's technically labeled that or not.

We should count ourselves lucky, though. The IMF expects at least 11 major parts of the world to have more severe economic contractions than the United State this year, including most of western Europe, Japan, Russia, and Mexico. Europe will still be stumbling along behind the United States next year, as well. Here are the IMF's projections for economic growth in various parts of the world:

	2009	2010
China	7.5	8.5
India	5.4	6.5
Middle East	2.0	3.7
Africa	1.8	4.7
Brazil	-1.3	2.5
World total	-1.4	2.5
Canada	-2.3	1.6
U.S.	-2.6	0.8
France	-3.0	0.4
Spain	-4.0	-0.8
U.K.	-4.2	0.2
European Union	-4.7	-0.1
Central/Eastern Europe	-5.0	1.0
Italy	-5.1	-0.1
Japan	-6.0	1.7
Germany	-6.2	-0.6
Russia	-6.5	1.5
Mexico	-7.3	3.0

If these projections come true, it means the United States, despite its overspent consumers, wrecked banks, and insolvent automakers, will be leading the world economy out of recession. Somehow. The developing world will help, but those high growth projections in China and India can be deceiving. China in particular has government policies that practically mandate high growth, and 8.5 percent in 2010 would be just about the bare minimum to keep employment at tolerable levels. And neither China nor India is a major buyer of American-made goods and services; for the most part, it's the other way around. With much of the developed world trailing the United States, it will take American consumers to ratchet up demand for the world's products. Scary thought.

The IMF does offer a bit of more heartening news: The global wipeout finally seems to be receding. "The world economy is stabilizing," the IMF reports. Its global economic growth projection of 2.5 percent in 2010 is 0.6 points higher than predicted in April. But the global economy isn't expected to gain its footing in earnest until the second half of 2010. Maybe by then American spenders will have come out of hiding.

Forbes: The most expensive cities in the world

(An interesting article about cost of living, economy)

By Sarah Lynch
Forbes.com Jul 8th, 2009

Think your morning commute is expensive? Think again. The ride on a bus or subway in Tokyo costs $3.25. Grab a newspaper and a cup of coffee on the way and the total comes to $11.70. That's more than anywhere else in the world--24% more than what those same things cost in New York even.

Tokyo is the world's most expensive city, according to Mercer's 2009 Worldwide Cost of Living survey released today, with the cost of living up 13.1% from 2008; the city ranked at No. 2 in 2008's survey. Japan's capital is followed by Osaka and Moscow, which held the top spot in last year's rankings. Geneva comes in fourth.

The significant changes from last year are due to massive swings in exchange rates, with many currencies at their weakest in years against the U.S. dollar, during the March 2009 survey period. Because of this, New York moved up 14 spaces to No. 8 from No. 22. London dropped to No. 16 from No. 3 as the pound dropped as low as 1.37 against the U.S. dollar during the study period. Six months earlier, one pound was worth $1.86.

"Changes in exchange rate tend to be one of the major drivers, I would argue the major driver, in cost of living," says Rebecca Powers, a principal consultant at Mercer. Even with the U.S. dollar weakening over the past four months--it's now worth $1.65--due in part to the Obama administration's stimulus package, the cost of living in London, when measured against the value of the U.S. dollar, is significantly lower than it was a year ago, when the pound was worth more than $2.

Other notable jumps from last year's ranking to this year's are Dubai, which moved to No. 20 from No. 52, and Caracas, which moved to No. 15 from No. 89. Both climbed so quickly because the local currencies are pegged to the greenback; the more the dollar's value increased, so did the cost of living in those places (but Caracas also has a high rate of inflation, pushing up prices for basic goods).

All U.S. cities included in the ranking also experienced a rise, including Los Angeles, up 32 places, and Washington, D.C., up 41 places.

Behind the Numbers

To generate its ranking of the world's most expensive cities, Mercer, an international consulting firm, looked at more than 200 cities across six continents, examining the cost of over 200 items in each location, including housing, food, clothing, transport, household goods and entertainment to calculate an overall cost of living. The survey is used to help multinational companies determine compensation packages for employees living abroad. Mercer uses New York as the base city for the index and scores the cost of living there at 100 points. Cities scoring higher are more expensive; lower than 100, and they're cheaper. All cities included in the ranking are in comparison to New York, and currency is measured against the U.S. dollar.

"Since we're polling those places in a local environment, we're getting costs in a local currency," Powers says. "When the currencies fluctuate, that has a significant affect on costs." Powers says these cost fluctuations are making multinational companies reassess the need for expansion abroad.

"Companies have been much more guarded about their investments," she says. "While you can still argue that there is interest in emerging markets, the general pattern of money flowing into the same markets was interrupted when companies started looking at their money."

Johannesburg, South Africa (No. 143) bottoms out the complete list of cities with a score of 49.6. Also at the tail end are Monterrey, Mexico (No. 142), and Asuncion, Paraguay (No. 141).

Tokyo Steady, Shaky Everywhere Else

The main constant in these rankings, since Mercer's first set was released in 1994, is Tokyo's place at or close to the top. Osaka has only fallen outside the top 10, once, when it slipped to the No. 11 spot last year. While the value of the yen is strong against the dollar, Japan--and Tokyo in particular--has always featured prominently due to the high cost of international goods, says Mercer senior researcher Nathalie Constantin-Metral. One can count on Japan being expensive in good times and bad alike for the yen.

But there's no telling what will happen in a place like Moscow--which zoomed up to the top spot last year, and fell out of it this year. It will all depend, says Constantin-Metral, on the performance of Russia's currency. The ruble had been on a long, steady climb against the greenback as of March 2008; but it bottomed out at the beginning of March 2009. It's been on a recovery trajectory ever since, but still has a long way to go. Either way, the rankings make clear that the more the ruble slips, the less expensive a city Moscow becomes.

American cities, then, have more in common with a place like Moscow than anywhere in Japan. The more the dollar--and prices--move, the more or less expensive U.S. cities get, which means it's all up in the air as to what will happen over the year ahead. Tokyo and Osaka may be expensive, but at least everyone knows it for certain. Just about everywhere else, it seems, nobody knows for sure what the cost of living is like until the year is already in the rear-view mirror.

World's Top Five Most Expensive Cities To Live

1. Tokyo, Japan

2. Osaka, Japan

3. Moscow, Russia

4. Geneva, Switzerland

5. Hong Kong

Rep. Jackson Lee was 'bad' at Jackson memorial

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee presented a resolution to honor Michael Jackson at his memorial July 7. (AP photo)

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, made a BIG mistake at the Michael Jackson Memorial Tuesday.

The moment she triumphantly presented a House resolution for a Congressional honor for Michael Jackson that if approved would ensure he would be celebrated for all eternity, I knew she had just killed it.

It doesn't take a politician, psychologist or rocket scientist to know that you do not ever presume big-headed, power hungry, sometimes narcissistic politicians will do what you want them to do, especially in public.

Jackson Lee submitted the measure on June 26 to honor the late singer as an “American legend and musical icon.” If passed, it would recognize Michael Jackson as a “global humanitarian and a noted leader in the fight against worldwide hunger and medical crises” and would celebrate him as an “accomplished contributor to the worlds of arts and entertainment, scientific advances in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, and global food security.”

At the time she read this words during the memorial, the measure, Resolution 600, had yet to be voted on at the House.

Uh, oh.

Not surprisingly, two days later House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (right) said she would not bring the resolution to the floor for a vote. (Photo by Alex Wong, Getty Images)

At a press conference Thursday, Pelosi said the resolution was unnecessary but noted representatives may “express their sympathy or their praise any time that they wish."

“A resolution, I think, would open up to contrary views to—that are not necessary at this time to be expressed in association with a resolution whose purpose is quite different," Pelosi said.

But Jackson Lee is not giving up (how could she, after what she said at the memorial?) and is sticking to her plan to push the resolution through the House.

"This resolution is based on fact," Jackson Lee said in a written statement. "Speaker Pelosi is my dear friend and she recognizes the great artist that Michael was. I appreciate her concern that we handle the resolution with the right timing.”

What do you think? Will Pelosi change her mind and put it to a vote? If so, would it pass?

There are many who still believe the King of Pop was a pedophile, not to mention a self-deluded lunatic. What is the likelihood they would put these opinions aside in order to recognize him for his humanitarian work and contributions to the entertainment world?

Pop superstar Michael Jackson died June 25 after going into cardiac arrest.

Copyright © 2009, Primetime Oracle
All Rights Reserved

Horny guys may rule the world .............................. .............................. but women's butt lead the way

While leaders were getting ready for a photo-op at the G8 summit in L’Aquila, Italy, Thursday, a female assistant accidentally dropped some papers; when she bent down to pick them up, France's Nicolas Sarkozy and Italy's Silvio Berlusconi stared at her butt. Obama, on the other hand, didn't.


Then, when this lovely lady in a burgundy dress walked by, Sarkozy, again, couldn't help himself. Obama appears to be checking out as well, but this VIDEO shows the President was watching his footing, letting her pass and helping the woman in the black and white dress come down the steps. Sarkozy, however, is another story.

Oh...the French...

Tales from the crypt...so much for resting in peace

A pile of stone, which police say is made up of broken burial vaults and headstones, sits near a grave in Burr Oak cemetery in Alsip, Illinois. (Chicago Sun-Times Scott Olson/Getty Images)

If there were a 911-like number for the Political Correctness Police, I would tell you to start dialing.

First of all, unlike others covering this story who are appalled (or pretending to be, as it's the politically correct thing to do) and calling this "a very disturbing story," I'm neither outraged nor disturbed. Surprised, even shocked? Yes, but not scandalized. Secondly, as it's often the case, I feel compelled to play devil's advocate.

Among today's top stories is the discovery that the remains of some 300 people buried at a historic cemetery near Chicago were disinterred and dumped in a mass grave or pushed deeper into the ground so that other bodies could be buried atop them in a grave-reselling scheme concocted by four individuals who ran the cemetery.

I don't need to tell you--because you can guess or because how else would people react?--that everyone is upset about this : the relatives of the dead, the community, the authorities, politicians, and--how could he miss this?--Rev. Jesse Jackson, who apparently unglued himself from the Jackson family to stick his nose some place else.

(Here we go again...why is he automatically a spokesman? Does he get paid for showing up whenever and wherever one or more African Americans are involved in anything that will guarantee him some air time on CNN? Like the moth to the flame, he finds a microphone, expresses his usual outrage, and there you have it. Ugh.)

Back to the cemetery...

Why is this such a big story? No one has been killed or raped or tortured or robbed...no constitutional rights have been violated, no bogus war has been declared, no politician has been caught with his pants down, no bomb has exploded other than the usual suicide bombs in the Middle East.

A bunch of bones were moved. So?

So it would suck, I suppose, to find out that you've been bringing flowers to a grave for years and kneeling down to speak to your long-gone loved one during yearly, monthly, weekly or daily visits only to find out that he or she isn't there alone or isn't there at all.

But here's the thing: he or she was never there--only the decaying organic matter of a corpse. The person was never there--right? So what if a few bones were moved?

Here's what we know so far:

Four cemetery workers at the Burr Oak Cemetery in the suburb of Alsip south of Chicago dug up an estimated 300 graves and made hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit from the resale of the plots.

Carolyn Towns, 49, Keith Nicks, 45, Terrence Nicks, 39, and Maurice Dailey, 59, were charged Thursday with one count each of dismembering a human body, a Class X felony for which they could serve six to 30 years in prison. Bail for Towns, described as the ringleader, was set at $250,000, while the others' was set at $200,000.

(Clockwise) Carolyn Towns, Terrence Nicks, Keith Nicks and Maurice Dailey (Chicago Sun-Times)

Investigators reportedly found a pile of bones from more than 100 bodies uncovered in an overgrown and fenced off area of the cemetery.

The scheme, said to have been in operation for at least four years, appears to have targeted older, unmarked graves that had not been visited in a long time.

"Each step you take you find more bones, more remains," Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said at a press conference today.

An investigation into the matter began six weeks ago when the cemetery's owner--Perpetua Holdings of Illinois, a subsidiary of a Tucson, Arizona-based funeral home and cemetery development company--told police an employee with a guilty conscience revealed the money-making scheme that had allegedly been going on for as long as four years.

Dart said it would take weeks, if not months, before it will be known who the bodies are, adding that 30 to 40 FBI agents "from all over the world" who specialize in identifying remains will arrive Monday to work on the case.

One of the biggest problems investigators are facing is that cemetery records appear to have been destroyed and there's nowhere else they can go for documentation because "there's no regulation whatsoever in this industry," Dart said.

Towns allegedly took cash from families who came to the cemetery to bury loved ones, filled out paperwork on the new burials, and then destroyed them so that there would be no record of the transactions. Then she would tell the others to exhume the remains from the graves, dump them in a mass grave on the northwest side of the cemetery, and smash the headstone into pieces.

"This crime is a whole new dimension that shows us how far people will go for financial gain," Cook County's State Attorney Anita Alvarez told reporters.

The Cemetery Care and Burial Trust Department, a division of the Illinois Comptroller's office, reportedly said it has received complaints in recent years about poor upkeep at Burr Oak, including sunken or tilting gravestones, unmanageable roads, drainage problems and weeds, AP reported.

Burr Oak is the final resting place of some notorious African-Americans, including lynching victim Emmett Till, blues singers Willie Dixon, Dinah Washington and Otis Spann, as well as Harlem Globetrotter Inman Jackson, AP reported.

"This is reprehensible if it's true," said Simeon Wright, a cousin of Till, said. "I've got several generations of my family buried there, and I've never had any problems. ... But this is a pretty ghoulish story."

Update: Authorities discovered Emmett Till’s original casket in a dilapidated garage at the cemetery filled with lawn care equipment and piles of stuff. There was wildlife living inside the casket, Dart said. Till, 14, was killed in August 1955 in Mississippi after he reportedly whistled at a white woman.

Rev. Jesse Jackson slammed the grave re-sellers: "There should be no bail for them. There should be a special place in hell for these grave thieves who have done so much to harm to these families."

He added that "we" (whoever that is) will be working closely with the families and the FBI. Doing what? Forensics?

The sheriff said people were crying hysterically, some because the remains were lost or couldn't be identified, others because they would have to bury loved ones a second time, etc.

I'm scratching my head because I just can't relate to being hysterical about this. Confused? Yes. Pissed off? Absolutely. These dirtbags messed with the remains of someone I cared about without permission, not because these had to be moved but to profit from it. What I find most outrageous is the scam and its invasive and deceptive nature.

At the same time I question how realistic it is to expect to bury every person that ever lived in a piece of land set aside for that purpose, never to be "disturbed." I can't elaborate on this because I, like most people, don't know how these things work.

I also find it ironic that often the more religious people show the most indignation about graves being disturbed when they're the ones supposed to believe that the body is nothing but a husk that houses the soul for a short time on Earth. So why cry over a husk?

Maybe there is no separation after all. Maybe the body is the person.

Maybe there's no soul. And the essence of that person is truly gone. Maybe there's no afterlife, and the remains is all that remains.

Deep inside, something in us must be hanging on to that concept; otherwise, people or machines unearthing corpses or trampling over what is left of a person we once knew wouldn't bother us--would it?

News sources: CNN, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, The Associated Press, NPR
Copyright © 2009, Primetime Oracle
All Rights Reserved

Michael Jackson's doctor could be bio-father of kids

Dr. Arnold Klein was Michael Jackson's dermatologist for many years.

Media coverage of all things Michael Jackson is still on turbo speed and will continue to be so until at least some of the many mysteries surrounding the King of Pop are solved, with reporters, editors and paparazzi working for newspapers, TV news and entertainment shows, magazines, and online publications racing nonstop to be the ones to break the next big story.

Citing sources close to Michael Jackson, celebrity gossip website TMZ and US magazine are reporting that Michael and Debbie Rowe are not the biological parents of the eldest children, 12-year-old Prince Michael and 11-year-old Paris, who were born while Michael and Debbie were married from 1996 to 1999.

Michael not being the biological father? Yeah, I could see that. But Debbie? Those eyes...you just have to look at Paris and Debbie's eyes to see that these two muct be genetically linked. I don't know about Prince Michael, however, and the third kid, Prince Michael II (a.k.a."Blanket") allegedly was conceived with Michael's sperm and a surrogate mother.

Rumors about the kids being "too white" to be Michael's offspring have always been present, but that's all they have ever been: rumors. The pop star swore all three of his children were biologically his, but he also insisted that he never had plastic surgery on his face--with the exception of two on his nose "to improve breathing"-- and that his face had changed as a result of puberty. So, unfortunately, we can't believe him.

Today Michael's dermatologist and friend of many years, Dr. Arnold Klein, addressed reports that he is the biological father, telling Good Morning America host Diane Sawyer and Larry King of Larry King Live that "to the best of my knowledge I'm not the father of the children."

In other words, he could be the father.

When pressed by Sawyer and King to give a straight answer, Klein remained wishy-washy about it. "As far as I know, I'm not the father," he said, adding that "if push comes to shove, I can't say anything about it."

Klein's lawyers issued the following statement: “Because of patient confidentiality Dr. Klein will make no statement on any reports or allegations.”

Patient confidentiality didn't stop guru-wanna-be Deepak Chopra from spilling the beans about Michael's prescription drug addiction, going on and on about Michael begging him for Demerol a hundred years ago, blasting "enablers" and doctors who profit from catering to celebrities craving drugs. And you know what? If Chopra was not only a friend but also a doctor to Michael, he could and probably will in trouble for breaking HIPA laws, which are very strict and do not make exceptions for disseminating information at TV interviews on Larry King and Nancy Grace.

In any case, because of the statement and Klein's wishy-washiness, the media is focusing on the possibility that Klein signed a confidentiality agreement prohibiting him to speak about how Prince and Paris were conceived.

But I have another theory: Dr. Klein could have been involved in a relationship with Rowe (left) around the time the children were conceived, possibly with Michael's knowledge.

Debbie Rowe, Klein's nurse, married Michael Jackson and "gave" him to children.

Klein told Larry King that he was quite certain Michael and Debbie had sex, something that forever has been inconceivable for most people who see Michael as an asexual person. Would Michael, painfully shy Michael, talk to Dr. Klein about his sex life? Maybe, but I doubt it. Debbie, on the other hand, who worked for Klein for about 25 years, probably would share some details with Klein, especially if the two were having an affair.

Whether through intercourse, artificial insemination or in-vitro fertilization, if Klein was having sex with Debbie at the same time she was with Michael or any of these procedures were being performed, then there's a chance that it was Klein's sperm and not Michael's that brought into being 12-year-old Prince Michael, 11-year-old Paris, or both.

That could explain why the good doctor is saying "to the best of my knowledge" and "as far as I know."

What the hosts and anchors and reporters and editors should be asking Klein isn't if he's the biological father of the kids, but if he had a sexual relationship with Debbie.

Now, whether or not he would provide a straight answer...well, that's another story.

Alhough Klein appears nonchalant during the interviews, I sense a quiet desperation in this guy. He's lying. About what? I'm not sure, but I suspect it has to do with the potential discrepancy between what he says he saw or knew about Michael--including physical appearance, the state of his health, the meds Michael was taking, Klein's claim that he never saw needle marks on Michael's arms, etc.--and whatever turns out to be Michael's condition at the time of his death.

Michael Jackson died on June 25 after going into cardiac arrest at 50 years old. An autopsy revealed no signs of disease or foul play; however, the results of toxicology tests, which usually take six to eight weeks to arrive, are still pending, so currently the cause of death remains "deferred."

Klein said today that when he saw Michael in his office some four days before he died, the pop icon was in a great mood, dancing for his patients and "muscular." Yet, unconfirmed reports state that Michael was emaciated at the time of his death.

Klein doesn't want to be in the LAPD's shit list of enabling doctors. He blasted such doctors and, when asked, said that as far as he knows he's not in that list, noting investigators have not questioned him.

Don't worry, Klein--they will. And, if you ask me, you're near the top of that shit list.

Copyright © 2009, Primetime Oracle
All Rights Reserved

Cheap fireman kills dogs, Rambo lady kills bambi

What's up with Ohio?

Our first two candidates for this week's Sick Fuck of the Week award are from that state. We have a dog-killing fireman from Columbus and a bambi-killing woman from Euclid.

I've always thought that violence, hostility, hatefulness can grow in stages--violence against things and property, violence against plants (yes, plants), violence against animals, violence against people, violence against humanity...

Therefore, I doubt this is the first violent act each of these two individuals has committed. The insensitivity, cruelty and brutality required to do what they did does not grow on someone overnight...even warts take longer to grow on you.

Cheap fireman not a lifesaver

David Santuomo was going on vacation and didn't want to or couldn't pay to board his two dogs, so he killed them.

He suspended mixed-breed dogs Sloopy and Skeeter from a pipe near the ceiling in his basement and fired 11 shots from a .22-caliber rifle, killing both dogs.

He then wrapped the carcasses in plastic and dumped them in a trash bin behind the firehouse were he works. So he's not only cheap and cruel, but also an idiot.

Well, what else was he supposed to do? Leave them with a friend or co-worker? Pay someone a few bucks a day to feed and walk them? Put them up for adoption? Call the Humane Society? Jeez...

A judge gave 43-year-old Santuomo a 90-day jail sentence to be served in 10-day increments (WTF?!) over the next two years after he pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and one felony count of possession of a criminal tool during a hearing last week. The tool is a silencer he made by taping a 2-liter soda bottle to the end of the rifle.

Ninety days to be served in 10-day increments? Why? Why not serve the three months at once? What, would that be too harsh?

Santuomo also has to pay $4,500 in restitution, perform 200 hours of community service, stay away from companion animals for five years and write a letter of apology to be published in the local newspaper and the International Association of Firefighters magazine.

"This is pretty heinous," said Cheri Miller, spokeswoman for the Capital Area Humane Society, which carried out a search warrant in Santuomo's home. "There were reports that he was bragging about this," she said.

The Columbus Division of Fire has received more than 2,000 e-mails and calls from outraged people, said Battalion Chief , the department's spokesman.

"People are not very happy," said David Whiting, battalion chief of the Columbus Division of Fire. "We had people say they should do to him what he's done to the dogs. A lot of people want him fired. They don't want him coming into their house. They're worried about their animals; they're worried about their kids. They'd just as soon let their house burn down if he shows up."

Santuomo's attorney called the crime an isolated event "totally out of character" for his client. "It's the same old story. They couldn't care less about people and they love animals," the lawyer said. Ugh.

Yeah, right. This sick fuck's decision to shoot his dogs instead of finding a place for them to stay while he went on a cruise--an act he both planned and executed on his own--just kind of, you know, sort of materialized from thin air...just happened and could, like, you know, happen to anyone.

Bite me.

Bambi killer

Newborn Whitetail fawn

I suppose the following incident, too, demonstrates how anyone would react the same way under the circumstances.

Dorothy Richardson saw a fawn sitting in her flower bed in a bed of flowers, so she grabbed a shovel and beat it to death.

I mean, honestly, what else could she do in such a life-threatening situation?

The 75-year-old woman then stuffed the fawn's body in a cardboard box and put it out on trash day.

Richardson said she was defending herself (from a 25-pound fawn?), but it turns out she was defending her flower garden. She reportedly hit it once, and bambi screamed, so she hit it two more times. She also mean to leave the body at the end of the yard so that other deer would know better than to mess with her.

"I killed it--I killed it dead," she reportedly bragged to a neighbor, noting she had worked hard on her plants. "And I'd kill it again."

"That doesn't sound right," said a neighbor who called Richardson friendly and churchgoing. "That is just not like her."

What does churchgoing have to do with goodness and kindness these days? Not much, if you ask me.

Some, however, say the matter is getting out of hand.

"She's scared, she's 75, she made a horrible mistake, but it's gotten to the point where people are calling her and talking about killing her," said Clifford Johnson, another neighbor. Yikes!

"Everybody's very upset over this," said Euclid Animal Control officer Ann Mills, who requested the warrant. "This is my first for a beating like that--it makes you sick to your stomach, you know?"

Richardson faces charges on animal cruelty, which in Euclid is a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine; however, because of her state charge of second-degree misdemeanor punishable by a maximum 90 days in jail and $750 fine might be considered.

Female deer leave their fawns in secluded spots while they forage for food. The fawns avoid being eaten by predators by remaining still until their mothers return. Young fawns are still nursing and do not eat flowers and other foliage, Division of Wildlife spokeswoman Jamey Graham said according to an AP report.

Call me sentimental, but I just can't imagine beating a beautiful and harmless fawn to death with a shovel; furthermore, I can't imagine doing it and be more than willing to do it again.

Say what you want about the deer getting in her garden. Did you ever stop to think that her garden got in the way of the deer?

Copyright © 2009, Primetime Oracle
All Rights Reserved

R.I.P Michael Jackson

Kevin Mazur/MJ Memorial/Getty Images

Honduras showdown boils over, Update: 2 dead

A supporter of ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya shows his bloodstained hands after helping wounded peeple during clashes with soldiers at Toncontin International Airpot in Tegucigalpa Sunday. (AFP)

The shit is going to hit the fan in Honduras today, and few seem to be watching.

I think it's because Latin American conflicts aren't as sexy as Middle Eastern ones. Perhaps it's because these countries are too close to home, therefore not exotic enough, although probably it's because they don't represent a nuclear threat. Then again hot Latin tempers can't outdo volatile Iranian or Iraqi or Palestinian tempers...

The unrest in Honduras won't match that in Iran in the aftermath of the June 12 elections, but people will be hurt, some might die, and--once again, for the second time in less than a month--the international community will find itself wondering what to do, if anything.

After years of military coups, Honduras settled into democracy in the 80s. But a week ago, its president was ousted by a military-led coup d'etat, and despite strong international opposition to the coup and calls for the interim government to restore President Manueal Zelaya, the new leaders aren't backing down, but neither is Zelaya.

Supporters of the deposed president have been rallying and protesting his removal in the streets of capital city Tegucigalpa, clashing with police and soldiers.

Supporters of ousted Honduras President Manuel Zelaya clashed with soldiers near the presidential palace in Tegucigalpa on June 29, a day after Zelaya was ousted. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

These encounters should turn more violent today, when Zelaya will attempt to return in defiance of the interim government's warnings that he's not welcome and would be arrested if he tried.

Zelaya is on his way to the Central American country as we speak to reclaim his post undeterred by threats from coup leaders he would be arrested if he set foot on Honduras.

“I am the commander-in-chief of the armed forces elected by the people, and I ask the armed forces to comply with this order to open up the airport and avoid any problems with the landing,” Zelaya said according to the local Telesur TV.

United Nations General Assembly President Miguel D'escoto is on the plane with Zelaya, while a delegation of supporters including Organization of American States Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza and presidents Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner of Argentina, Rafael Correa of Ecuador, and Fernando Lugo of Paraguay is flying on a separate plane to nearby El Salvador.

"It is important that Insulza go with Zelaya to avoid the manipulation of information, " Fernandez de Kirchner said. "It's not an ideological problem but one of the restoration of democracy."

The de-facto government is determined to block his return--denying permission for Zelaya's plane to land, closing the airport and access to it, boosting police and military reinforcements at the airport and surrounding areas, and vowing to arrest Zelaya if he enters the country any which way.

Enrique Ortez, foreign minister the caretaker government in Honduras, said any aircraft carrying Zelaya would not be allowed to land.

"I have given orders that he not be allowed back. We cannot allow recklessness," he told local radio.

Right: A soldier stands guard at the international airport in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on Sunday.

The 34-member OAS yesterday expelled Honduras from the group because of coup leaders' refusal to restore Zelaya.

Zelaya originally planned to return Thursday but postponed his trip until a OAS deadline to allow him to return to his post expired Saturday.

So far, Zelaya has given no indication of changing his mind, which means a showdown--most likely violent--is imminent.

Since the coup, Zelaya has called on his supporters to protest using only non-violent methods, but the interim government is fully armed and, apparently, ready to do whatever it takes to keep Zelaya out of Honduras, enforcing curfews and passing resolutions suspending Hondurans constitutional rights in the meantime.

At dawn on June 28, a military-led coup d'etat removed Zelaya from power. The reason: despite strong opposition from the country's high court, Congress and military, Zelaya instroduced and pushed a referendum to draft a new constitution that, among other things, would allow presidents to run for a second four-year term.

Zelaya fired the head of the military for not supporting the referendum, but the Supreme Court, which deemed the referendum illegal, ruled the firing was illegal and reinstated General Romeo Velasquez to his post.

Last Sunday, under orders from the Supreme Court and just hours before the polls were scheduled to open for the referendum, the army stormed the presidential residence, arrested president Zelaya and put him on a plane to Costa Rica, then took possession of the residence. Congress faked a letter of resignation from Zelaya and voted to place its leader, Roberto Micheletti, as interim president of Honduras. Hondurans have taken to the streets both in support and opposition to Zelaya's return.

The leftist leader has been adamant about returning to Honduras to complete his term, which began in 2006 and is set to end in 2010. Neighboring Latin American countries, the U.S., European Union, UN and OAS, among other countries and groups, back him. But the new governement is not giving in, claiming there was no coup but a constitutional removal of the president from power due to his illegal actions.

Micheletti said he was open to “good faith” talks with the OAS, but reiterated that his government was legitimate and would not be moved.

“We are going to remain here until the country becomes calm,” he said.

The clock is ticking.

A fatally wounded supporter of Manuel Zelaya--a 10-year-old boy--is carried away after he was apparently shot by Honduran soldiers outside of the international airport in Tegucigalpa July 5. (AP Photo)

UPDATE: The shit hits the fan, 2 dead...so far

As predicted, the alarm went off, unleashing intensified violence between Zelaya supporters and soldiers outside the Toncontin International Airport in Tegucigalpa ahead of Zelaya's arrival.

Troops reportedly fired shots in the air and used tear gas to control the crowd.

Two casualties have been reported so far: an 18-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy. (Now, what are children doing in such a place? Why would parents take a 5-year-old kid to such an event?)

Zelaya begged for permission to land, but it was denied. The plane also could not land because of vehicles the military placed on the runway.

"If I could parachute to the ground, I would," he said via phone from the plane.

The plane reportedly is was heading to El Salvador but ended up landing on Managua, Nicaragua, because of fuel issues.

Meanwhile, Venezuela President Hugo Chavez reportedly has had the audacity to accuse the "yankee's government" for supporting Honduras' interim government.

Come again?

So the all-powerful U.S. somehow masterminded the coup d'etat in Honduras and the bloodbath that followed the June 12 presidential elections in Iran. I suppose it could happen. I mean, it's not like the resources aren't there, but we've got bigger fish to fry right now--don't we?

Source: Telesur via BNO

Copyright © 2009, Primetime Oracle
All Rights Reserved

Recent Honduras posts:
Ousted Honduras president in his words, posted June 28
Honduras president resigns...not!, posted June 28
Coup d'etat in Honduras, Zelaya safe in Costa Rica, posted June 28