Category: Ethics

Did You Know Ben Roethlisberger Weighs 241 Pounds?

Posted on by TL

Ben Roethlisberger stands once again accused of sexual assault. The alleged victim is a Georgia college student, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

In the latest incident, a 20-year-old woman attending Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville, near Mr. Roethlisberger’s off-season home, is the alleged victim, according to Milledgeville police Deputy Chief Richard Malone.

"We had a sexual assault report," Deputy Chief Malone said during a news conference Friday night. "It is alleged that he was the perpetrator."

Mr. Roethlisberger and his legal team have emphatically denied the accusations in the Nevada case but have not come out as strongly in the latest incident.

Late Friday afternoon, the quarterback’s agent, Ryan Tollner, issued a statement:

"Last night, Ben and his friends met a group of women and everyone mingled together throughout the evening. We have spoken to law enforcement.

"Based on information currently available, an allegation was made against Ben, which appeared to be dismissed after a preliminary investigation last night.

"Obviously, given the prior accusation against Ben, we are skeptical of motive, but we will continue to cooperate with everyone involved."

Here’s the strange part:

The incident report indicates that the victim was with two female friends, ages 19 and 20. Mr. Roethlisberger’s name is obscured, but the "offender" is listed as 6-feet-5 and 241 pounds with brown hair and eyes.

241 pounds? Why not 240 pounds? Why not "between 240 and 250 pounds?" Why is "241" the magic number?

Could it have something to do with the official NFL profile of Big Ben? From NFL.com:

Ben Roethlisberger | #7 | QB
Pittsburgh Steelers | Official Team Site

Height: 6-5   Weight: 241   Age: 28
Born: 3/2/1982 Lima , OH
College: Miami (Ohio)
Experience: 7th season
High School: Findlay HS [OH]

Nailing Ben’s weight exactly is quite the coincidence.

Quite.

Jacob B. Nodarse, 23, Suspect in Darien Killings in Custody

Posted on by TL

First from the Sun-Times:

A suspect in the triple murder of a family in west suburban Darien was arrested this afternoon in south Florida, authorities said.

Jacob Nodarse, 23, of Lemont, was sleeping in a van outside his parents’ house in Lehigh Acres, Fla., when police and deputy U.S. marshals arrested him at about 4 p.m. today, officials said.

Nodarse was the subject of a manhunt after Darien Police early today issued an alert that he might have fled to Florida in a BMW, which was found parked in his parents’ garage, authorities said.

Nodarse has been charged with obstruction of justice. Police would not say why they believe he is a suspect in the fatal shootings early Tuesday of Jeffrey R. Kramer, 50, his wife Lori L. Kramer, 48, and their 20-year-old son Michael J. Kramer.

From the Chicago Tribune:

Shortly after the arrest in Florida, four police cars pulled up to a building in Countryside where records show Nodarse once lived. About half a dozen police officers in bullet-proof vests entered the building, breaking down a door.

Nodarse’s grandmother, Ingrid Kampe, 64, of Tinley Park, was shocked at news of the arrest.

She said they had just had dinner together at a steakhouse on Sunday "and he seemed fine, he seemed really good" and didn’t act out of the ordinary at all. She described him as kind, quiet and mild-mannered.

"He’s got a heart of gold," Kampe said.

Earlier today, Hamilton County sheriff’s police had searched a stretch of rural highway in northern Florida after cell phone signals indicated he was there.

But deputies reported back to Darien police that they found nothing. "They gave us a location where the car may be located. We checked every location in the area and haven’t found anything," said Hamilton County Sheriff J. Harrell Reid.

And it’s at this point that I’ll stress everyone arrested in this country is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

What a horrible tragedy.

Blagojevich Toe-to-Toe With Northwestern: NU Wins

Posted on by TL

Oh, Rod.

Why, oh why?

From the Blago Blog at the Sun-Times:

Rod Blagojevich’s closing remarks to Northwestern students had to do with his family.
"I’m real, what happened to me ain’t true. What happened to my wife and my two daughters — it’s a horrible, horrible thing.
"You can fight back. When you have the truth on your side — and the tapes — (laughter) you can fight back."
Going on about his life in politics, he says: "Thunderbolts come out of nowhere," he means this seriously but he’s met with loud laughter and sarcastic clapping. "Sometimes in life, you get your ass kicked."

First question from student — what’s his advice on ethics? "You’re going to laugh, but it’s true. Surround yourself with good lawyers."

The secret to good ethics is to have good lawyers?

Rod continues to dig himself in deep.

Read the Blago Blog.

Rep. Trent Franks: Blacks Better Off Under Slavery (Video and Text)

Posted on by TL

From Media Matters for America:

Arizona Congressman Trent Franks told blogger Mike Stark that African Americans were much better off under slavery. Franks, the most conservative member of the Republican caucus, who has in the past called the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision "the greatest holocaust in the history of mankind," is not new to conspiracy and bigotry.

Last October for example, Franks accused a prominent Muslim advocacy group of "trying to infiltrate the offices of members of Congress by placing interns in the offices." Franks, an on-again, off-again birther, has called president Obama "un-American," accused him of going "against American interests" and even called him "an enemy of humanity." His comments to Stark, as repulsive and abhorrent as they are, seem to be consistent with the reactionary mindset that some on the right hold.

FRANKS: In this country, we had slavery for God knows how long. And now we look back on it and we say "How brave were they? What was the matter with them? You know, I can’t believe, you know, four million slaves. This is incredible." And we’re right, we’re right. We should look back on that with criticism. It is a crushing mark on America’s soul. And yet today, half of all black children are aborted. Half of all black children are aborted. Far more of the African American community is being devastated by the policies of today than were being devastated by the policies of slavery. And I think, What does it take to get us to wake up?

No matter how you parse that, it comes out really, really wrong.

The excerpt starts at the 6:22 mark in the above video.

To All The Media: Colin Powell Debunks Claims That America Is Less Safe Under Obama (Video)

Posted on by TL

Video above is from MediaMatters.org.

Copy the code. Help spread the word.

I still love Colin Powell.

WSJ: GOP Lawmakers Condemn Stimulus, Praise It Privately, Grab All the Cash They Can

Posted on by TL

Something about pots calling kettles something comes to mind here…

From the Wall Street Journal:

Sen. Christopher S. Bond regularly railed against President Obama’s economic stimulus plan as irresponsible spending that would drive up the national debt. But behind the scenes, the Missouri Republican quietly sought more than $50 million from a federal agency for two projects in his state.

Mr. Bond was not alone. More than a dozen Republican lawmakers, while denouncing the stimulus to the media and their constituents, privately sent letters to just one of the federal government’s many agencies seeking stimulus money for home-state pork projects.

The letters to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, expose the gulf between lawmakers’ public criticism of the overall stimulus package and their private lobbying for projects close to home.

“It’s not illegal to talk out of both sides of your mouth, but it does seem to be a level of dishonesty troubling to the American public,” said Melanie Sloan, executive director of the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

Some in the GOP are working to steer money to their home states in a backhanded manner:

But the USDA letters also reveal a more discreet way for lawmakers to try to steer money to home-state projects.

Several Republicans who sent letters to the USDA for home-state projects seeking an infusion of stimulus cash are facing competitive re-election races.

Rep. Joe Wilson, South Carolina Republican who became famous after yelling, “You lie,” during Mr. Obama’s addresses to Congress in September, voted against the stimulus. Nonetheless, Mr. Wilson elbowed his way into the rush for federal stimulus cash in a letter he sent to Mr. Vilsack on behalf of a foundation seeking funding.

“We know their endeavor will provide jobs and investment in one of the poorer sections of the Congressional District,” he wrote to Mr. Vilsack in the Aug. 26, 2009, letter.

So Joe “You lie!” Wilson knows the Democrats are on the right track, that their efforts will provide jobs. And that would be especially nice for Mr. Wilson around election time.

Imagine that.

More GOP hypocrisy at the WSJ

Nod to Jed Lewison at the Daily Kos for this, and to Americablog for the original nod.

Patronage Forever: Cicero Taxpayers Still Paying Health Insurance for Loren-Maltese’s Mom

Posted on by TL

From the Chicago Tribune:

The mother of former Cicero Town President Betty Loren-Maltese continues to receive health care benefits from the town, even though coverage should have expired when she stepped down as a member of a town commission in 2001.

Kitty Loren, 88, who served on the town’s Police and Fire Commission for 10 years, said today that she is covered by the town and provided documents to the Tribune indicating she currently is in a plan for retirees over 65.

"Betty set up the insurance for me," said Loren at her home in Alabaster, Ala., today. "Nobody ever took it away from me. I didn’t know that I wasn’t supposed to have it."

A town spokesman said the town does offer health care to individuals who serve on commissions and boards, but the coverage ends when their terms are completed.

The spokesman, Ray Hanania, said he "is concerned" and doesn’t know why Loren is getting insurance from the town but said he needs more time to look into the matter.

That’s one way to add to the tax levy.

Patronage never pays.

GOP Demands White House Post Health Care Proposal Online, Then Attacks When WH Does

Posted on by TL

Three cheers to the Party of No! If Obama does anything, the GOP is against it, even if they specifically asked him to do it.

No matter what it is.

From Open Left:

On February 8th, Republican House leader John Beohner sent a letter to the White House, demanding that the White House post online any health care proposal it wished to discuss at the health care summit:

If the President intends to present any kind of legislative proposal at this discussion, will he make it available to members of Congress and the American people at least 72 hours beforehand?

So, four days later, the White House accepted this demand, and announced it would post a legislative proposal online more than 72 hours before the summit:

Since this meeting will be most productive if information is widely available before the meeting, we will post online the text of a proposed health insurance reform package.

Boehner’s response defies logic:

Boehner’s condemnation comes as the White House announced it would post comprehensive healthcare reform legislation online before the meeting. The Ohio Republican said it is now clear that Democrats intend to move ahead on their own course regardless of negotiations.

"A productive bipartisan discussion should begin with a clean sheet of paper," Boehner said in a statement. "We now know that instead of starting the ‘bipartisan’ health care ‘summit’ on Feb. 25 with a clean sheet of paper, the president and his party intend to arrive with a new bill written behind closed doors exclusively by Democrats– a backroom deal that will transform one-sixth of our nation’s economy and affect every family and small business in America."

Boehner’s request is not ancient history; it happened February 8 of this year.

There you have it, the Party of No. Impossible to work with at every turn.

Time for Reconciliation, to keep Democracy moving.

Nod to Americablog for this.

Gay-Rights Activists Stage Valentine’s Day Protest at Holy Name Cathedral

Posted on by TL

From the Chicago Tribune:

Attending Mass at Holy Name Cathedral was supposed to be one of the final Valentine’s Day weekend treats for Cindy White and her husband, who had traveled to Chicago from Hampshire, Ill., to celebrate the romantic holiday.

Instead, the couple found themselves wading through nearly 100 men and women who had gathered outside the cathedral Sunday morning to protest the Catholic Church’s opposition to gay marriage and other stances that they see as unjust to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

The protesters waved rainbow flags and shouted slogans like, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, homophobia has got to go!” and, “Holy Name, holy shame!”

According to the Tribune, last year, the Gay Liberation Network helped organize a march from the city building in which marriage licenses are issued to Holy Name to show support for gay marriage, said Andy Thayer, the group’s co-founder.

“We want to drag the church’s bigotry out of the closet,” said Thayer, 49.

The response from Church officials somewhat was less than Christian. Colleen Dolan, spokeswoman for the Chicago Archdiocese, called the protestors “misdirected.”

“They may not like it, but it’s the teaching of the church that marriage is between one man and one woman,” Dolan said. “Those of us in the church don’t get to choose what the teachings are.”

So who does the choosing? Who, exactly, are “those of us in the church?” The People of God, as the Church teaches? Dolan’s is an interesting, and ultimately shallow, response.

Let the colors fly with the stained glass at last.

More on this story at the Trib.

Wash. Post Says Obama Favors Targeted Killings of Terrorists Over Captures

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From the Washington Post:

When a window of opportunity opened to strike the leader of al-Qaeda in East Africa last September, U.S. Special Operations forces prepared several options. They could obliterate his vehicle with an airstrike as he drove through southern Somalia. Or they could fire from helicopters that could land at the scene to confirm the kill. Or they could try to take him alive.

The White House authorized the second option. On the morning of Sept. 14, helicopters flying from a U.S. ship off the Somali coast blew up a car carrying Saleh Ali Nabhan. While several hovered overhead, one set down long enough for troops to scoop up enough of the remains for DNA verification. Moments later, the helicopters were headed back to the ship.

The strike was considered a major success, according to senior administration and military officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the classified operation and other sensitive matters. But the opportunity to interrogate one of the most wanted U.S. terrorism targets was gone forever.

I’m not sure what to make of this. If this report had come out under the Bush Administration, no doubt I would have been critical, but I still would have tried to understand. This certainly shifts the debate on which party is tougher on terrorism. According to the report, "The Obama administration has authorized such attacks more frequently than the George W. Bush administration did in its final years, including in countries where U.S. ground operations are officially unwelcome or especially dangerous." Republicans charge that the administration has been too reluctant to risk an international incident or a domestic lawsuit to capture senior terrorism figures alive and imprison them, according to the Post.

I’m not ready to render judgment — need to keep reading, see if there really has been a shift in policy, or if this article represents the armchair conclusions of a pair of journalists.

At least we don’t have to worry about charges of waterboarding under President Obama.