In a political landscape populated by Bushes, Kennedys and Clintons, the children and kinfolk of longtime U.S. politicians do indeed have a better shot at winning elective office, but not necessarily at holding on or moving up, experts say. A study last year on political dynasties in the U.S. Congress found that politicians who held office for more than one term were 40 percent more likely to have a relative in Congress in the future than other members. "Being in power for longer has a causal impact on the chances that someone from the family would access a position of political authority," said Ernesto Dal Bo, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley and one of the authors of the study. The reason were not determined. It could be that children of political parents gained name recognition, learned valuable skills or got access to political machinery, Dal Bo said. Stephen Hess, a George Washington University professor who wrote a book on U.S. political dynasties, said ...
http://news.yahoo.com
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Editor - 20:06:00 03-03-07
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 National ID Card Rules Unveiled. Progress to a complete Police State just never stops |
Homeland Gestapo officials released long-delayed guidelines that turn state-issued identification cards into de facto internal passports Thursday, estimating the changes will cost states and individuals $23 billion over 10 years. The move prompted a new round of protest from civil libertarians and security experts, who called on Congress to repeal the 2005 law known as the Real ID Act that mandates the changes. Critics, such as American Civil Liberties Union attorney Tim Sparapani, charge that the bill increases government access to data on Americans and amplifies the risk of identity theft, without providing significant security benefits. "Real ID creates the largest single database about U.S. people that has ever been created," Sparapani said. "This is the people who brought you long lines at the DMV marrying the people at DHS who brought us Katrina. It's a marriage we need to break up."...
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,72843-0.html?tw=wn_index_9
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Editor - 15:28:00 03-03-07
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| New Warsaw archbishop appointed |
The Pope has named a new archbishop of Warsaw after Stanislaw Wielgus quit admitting he had collaborated with Poland's communist-era secret police. Pope Benedict XVI named Kazimierz Nycz, 57, who has been bishop of the Baltic city of Koszalin-Kolobrzeg since 2004. Bishop Wielgus resigned on 7 January at the service intended to install him as the city's new archbishop. He admitted spying on fellow clerics, many of whom had opposed the Soviet-backed government in Poland. Bishop Nycz is thought to have an unblemished record under communist rule. Bishop Wielgus has apologised for his actions but said he was blackmailed and harassed into co-operating with the secret police. He has been granted a hearing at a special vetting court to try to clear his name...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6415021.stm
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Editor - 10:33:00 03-03-07
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| Russian anti-Putin demo broken up |
Russian riot police have broken up a rare opposition march in St Petersburg. Several thousand opposition supporters gathered to protest against what they see as attempts by President Vladimir Putin to stifle democracy. They broke through a police cordon and marched down Nevsky Prospekt, the city's main street, shouting "freedom!" and slogans hostile to Mr Putin. The organisers say police beat demonstrators with batons and made a number of arrests. The event - entitled "the march of the dissenters" - was organised by opposition leaders, including former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and chess champion Gary Kasparov. They accuse the Kremlin of using its power to silence the opposition in advance of local and parliamentary elections. Mr Kasparov said about 5,000 people took part in the march and called it a "major success". ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6415699.stm
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Editor - 10:30:00 03-03-07
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| Kuwait Court Acquits 2 Ex-Gitmo Inmates |
A criminal court on Saturday acquitted two former Guantanamo Bay prisoners of joining Al Qaeda or the Taliban.Omar Rajab Amin and Abdullah Kamel al-Kundari denied any terror connections at the start of their trial. Their lawyers argued there was no evidence against them and the case was "political." Defense attorneys said the accused were in Afghanistan for charity work — not to fight.Details of the ruling, which was announced by a court clerk, were not immediately available. The two men were not in court Saturday, but one of their lawyers, Thikra al-Majdali, said she expected them to be released from custody by tomorrow.The prosecution can appeal the ruling, but it was not clear Saturday if it would do so.Amin, 41, and al-Kundari, 32, were released from the U.S. detention camp in September after spending nearly five years there. They were detained by authorities for questioning upon their return to Kuwait....
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,256320,00.html
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Editor - 10:03:00 03-03-07
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| Human liver, partial head mistakenly delivered to home |
Two packages containing human body parts — including a liver and a partial head — that were intended for a lab were delivered to a home instead, and officials say more than two dozen similar packages could be dispersed across the United States.The body parts, sent from China, were mistakenly dropped off at Franck and Ludivine Larmande's home by a DHL driver who thought the bubble-wrapped items were pieces to a table."My husband started to unwrap one and said, 'This is strange, it looks like a liver,'" Ludivine Larmande told The Grand Rapids Press. "He started the second one, but stopped as soon as we saw the ear.""Something wasn't right. It was scary, and I'm glad I didn't open them."The body parts — which are preserved — were for medical research, police Lt. Roger Parent said....
http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2007-03-03-body-parts-delivery_N.htm?csp=34
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Editor - 09:58:00 03-03-07
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