- This is probably a topic the FBI should have a discussion on some time soon, what with the very real possibility that the United States is now in the business of declaring itself legally allowed to off its own citizens. Unfortunately, no one clued FBI Director Robert Mueller in on what the specifics are for Attorney General Eric Holder's "three criteria" for the targeted killing of Americans believed to be involved in terrorist activities. When House lawmakers questioned Mueller about a recent speech in which Holder described the legal justification for assassination, he fumbled, stumbled and said he would have to go back and check with the Department of Justice to see whether Holder’s green light for offing Americans also applied to Americans inside the U.S. In defense of Mueller, he showed up for a hearing on his agency's budget, but that doesn’t fully excuse him not knowing the answer to the House members’ questions. "I have to go back. Uh, I'm not certain whether that was addressed or not," Mueller said when asked by Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Kan., about a delineation between domestic and foreign targeting of Americans. When Yoder dogmatically followed up with a question about whether "from a historical perspective," the federal government has "the ability to kill a U.S. citizen on United States soil or just overseas," Mueller stonewalled again. "I'm going to defer that to others in the Department of Justice," he replied. Holder was more decisive Monday in a speech at Northwestern University in which he declared that the “U.S. government has determined, after a thorough and careful review, that the individual poses an imminent threat of violent attack against the United States,” they can be killed. Caputring Americans involved in terrorist activities is difficult, Holder argued, so killing them is often easier. The circumstances "are sufficient under the Constitution for the United States to use lethal force against a U.S. citizen abroad," Holder declared. Additionally, he took the position that the president need not receive permission from a federal court before taking action against a United States citizen terrorist. “The Constitution guarantees due process, not judicial process," he said. Sounds like some true, semantic bureaucratic bullsh*t from the ol’ AG…………
- Solid start, angry South Africans, but you can do better. And by better, take that to mean angrier and more violent. Having tens of thousands of people marching peacefully through their main cities Wednesday to demand the governing African National Congress do more for the poor is good in that the spirit is there but the execution is lacking. Seeing 50,000 people march peacefully in Johannesburg is nice and having smaller crowds participating in Cape Town and other cities and towns is all well and good, but peaceful marches rarely accomplish anything. Props to the Congress of South African Trade Unions for organizing the protests, but its organization was severely lacking. For example, the idea of “doing more for the poor” is far too general and arguing that the ANC, praised for leading the battle against apartheid, has become complacent and needs to be pushed to replace corrupt or incompetent leaders is not specific enough. Who are these corrupt leaders, what are they doing and why aren’t they being burned in effigy or mocked via signs toted by protestors as they march? If the COSATU is going to make a real difference before an ANC policymaking conference in June and another meeting in December to elect top party leaders, the level of its protests must increase drastically. One of the only specific demands COSATU made in conjunction with the protest was that the government scrap planned tolls to pay for road upgrades in the Johannesburg area because the tolls would unfairly burden the middle and lower classes. Many marchers took the day off work to participate in demonstrations the ANC stupidly called "unnecessary.” Unnecessary is the wrong word to describe why the protests were regrettable. Weak, quiet and too non-violent are better terms. COSATU leader Zwelinzima Vavi informed archers in Johannesburg Wednesday there would be more protests if their demands were not met. "Just as we made the apartheid system unworkable, we will make this system unworkable," Vavi said. More anger, more fire and more threats, Z. Step your game up………..
- Human beings aren't the only ones working on creating better hybrids. Nature is hard at work as well and scientists have discovered one of its new products, a strange and rare site in the deep sea where two extreme seafloor environments exist side by side and where a motley collection of odd hybrid creatures live, seemingly adapted to the hardships posed by both intense environments. With hydrothermal vents and cold methane in the deep sea off Costa Rica, scientists were able to conduct research beginning in 2010 on the unique ecosystem and found a host of unknown species living there. During a dive in the manned submersible Alvin to an area known as the Jaco Scar, where an underwater mountain is moving under a tectonic plate, researchers discovered the previously unknown species. "The most interesting aspects of this site are the presence of vent-like and seep-like features together, along with a vast cover of tubeworms over large areas and a wealth of new, undescribed species," said lead researcher Lisa Levin, of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, in a statement. The sort of hydrothermal vents found in Costa Rica exist where cracks or rifts in the seafloor spew volcanically heated, chemical-rich seawater, while cold seeps tend to exist in less intense environments. Cold seeps occur when fluids laden with methane and other hydrocarbons slowly seep out of the seafloor and cover a large area. In light of their new find, Levin’s team was able to coin the term "hydrothermal seep" to describe the ecosystem. Their visit to the site was the first manned mission to the area. "It was not until human eyes saw shimmering water coming from beneath a large tubeworm bush that we really understood how special Jaco Scar is," Levin said. The team’s findings were published in the March 7 issue of the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B…………
- Ah, Jose Canseco, will you never cease bringing joy and amusement to the lives of baseball fans (and humanity) by your ubiquitous shenanigans and tomfoolery? (Hint: no). Canseco, known as the greedy snitch who wrote a book that led to the exposure of the sleazy steroid culture in Major League Baseball even though his intention was merely to sling mud and make money, has been bumping around and trying to figure out his next move now that he’s – in everyone’s mind but his – no longer able to play baseball professionally. Canseco has often argued he still runs a 4.3 in the 40-yard dash, but looks far too bulky to still possess much speed. He’s shown up in independent leagues and tried out for Major League teams when he’s had new project to promote, but now he appears to be winding his way toward the final few seconds of his 15 minutes of fame. He’s already appeared on VH1’s bottom-feeder reality series “The Surreal Life” and now, he can’t even get a gig in the Mexican Baseball League officials. League officials confirmed Wednesday that Canseco has acknowledged that he took a banned substance for which he has no prescription and will not be allowed to join the Quintana Roo Tigers. Plinio Escalante, president of the Mexican League, confirmed that the banned substance is testosterone and a second source said Canseco refused to take a doping test. As is his custom even when he’s outright lying, Canseco took to Twitter to lash out at his accusers. "How can test positive when I never took any test don't believe everything the media tells you.the truth always comes out I am not using any illegal substanced," Canseco tweeted. "Don't be so quick to judge till you here the truth that's a sure sign of ignorance hatred and jealousy." Yes, because people are insanely jealous of a ‘roided-up former MLB All-Star trying out for a Mexican League team and who last played in the majors for the Chicago White Sox in 2001. Perhaps he’s just bitter because back on Feb. 12, he proclaimed to his dozens and dozens of Twitter followers that his return to baseball was imminent. "Back in baseball I knew I would play this year you just gotta believe in your dreams," the 47-year-old Canseco wrote on Twitter Feb. 12. "Leave on redeye tonite to start spring training with AAA quintana roo tigers tomorrow. TEam won league championship last year." Sadly, that stint with a league that is part of the MLB's minor league system at the Triple-A level will never happen and Canseco will have to find another way to keep himself in front of the cameras………..
- Name changes are typically a tool for artists to “reinvent” themselves musically, which is code for trying to revive a fading career with a new moniker. Diddy has tried the ploy numerous times, Mos Def did so recently and plenty of others walked that trail before them. For the man formerly known as Malice, one-half of Virginia coke-rap duo Clipse, the reasoning is (allegedly) different. To honor his newfound outspokenness about religion, he has officially changed his name to "No Malice." No Malice made the announcement in a Twitter post that read, "R.I.P. "Malice" 8/20/2002 - 3/6/2012," and linked to a video that shows him entering a funeral parlor in a dress shirt and bow tie, staring down at himself in a casket (wearing a hooded sweatshirt), shaking his head and walking away. The entire scene is extremely odd and overly dramatic, but it certainly grabs one’s attention. His Twitter handle is now @NoMalice757, and his Twitter name stands as, "aka Yes My Lord." The rapper, whose real name is the very un-hip-hop Gene Thornton, and his younger brother, Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton, released their third official album as Clipse, "Til The Casket Drops," in 2009. Since then, Malice/No Malice has drastically changed his public persona by emphasizing his Christian faith and writing a memoir, "Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind and Naked," in the process. "I have a good grasp on what's important now," he said in early 2011. "I was chasing all these material things, money, women . . . just looking for fulfillment. Ultimately though, my fulfillment came from my faith." He is currently working on a new solo project, "Hear Ye Him!," is coming this summer, while Pusha T is currently working on his debut album for Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music imprint………….
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