Thursday, December 27, 2007

Benazir Bhutto is Murdered; Riots In Pakistan | Nuclear Stockpile Safety At Issue

Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was shockingly assassinated by a gunman who then blew himself up, bring another 22 people to the end of their lives on earth. According to officials the terrorist organization Al Qaeda's claiming responsibility.

As Pakistan has an active nuclear stockpile, there's fear around the world that Radical Islamic Fundamenalists could gain control of those weapons.

Here's the news from CNN and YouTube videos:

(CNN) -- Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated Thursday in Rawalpindi, was the first female prime minister of Pakistan and of any Islamic nation. She led Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 1996.

Benazir Bhutto died Thursday after a suicide bombing at a political rally in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Bhutto, 54, spent eight years in self-imposed exile in Great Britain and Dubai after President Farooq Leghari dismissed her second administration amid accusations of corruption, intimidation of the judiciary, a breakdown of law and order, and undermining the justice system.

She was found guilty of corruption and sentenced to five years in prison. The conviction was later overturned but she remained in exile until this year.

She returned to Pakistan in October after President Pervez Musharraf signed an amnesty lifting corruption charges. Watch political history of Bhutto »

In a September 26 interview on CNN's "The Situation Room," Bhutto said she expected threats against her life as she prepared to lead a push for the restoration of democracy in Pakistan.

"After military dictatorship an anarchic situation developed, which the terrorists and Osama (bin Laden) have exploited," she told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "They don't want democracy, they don't want me back, and they don't believe in women governing nations, so they will try to plot against me.

"But these are risks that must be taken. I'm prepared to take them," she said.

Bhutto narrowly escaped injury on October 18 when a suicide bombing near her convoy in Karachi killed 126 people.

"Soon thereafter, I was asked by authorities not to travel in cars with tinted windows -- which protected me from identification by terrorists -- or travel with privately armed guards," she wrote for CNN.com in November.

"I began to feel the net was being tightened around me when police security outside my home in Karachi was reduced, even as I was told that other assassination plots were in the offing."

"I decided not to be holed up in my home, a virtual prisoner," she wrote. "I went to my ancestral village of Larkana to pray at my father's grave. Everywhere, the people rallied around me in a frenzy of joy. I feel humbled by their love and trust."

Musharraf declared a state of emergency and placed Bhutto under house arrest twice in November as anti-government rallies grew in Rawalpindi. The arrest warrant was lifted November 16.

She filed a nomination paper for a parliamentary seat on November 25 and appeared headed for a power showdown with Musharraf before she was assassinated Thursday. See a timeline of Bhutto's political career »

Bhutto was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, former president and prime minister of Pakistan, who was hanged in 1979 for the murder of a political opponent two years after he was ousted as prime minister in a military coup. Benazir Bhutto was the de facto leader of her father's Pakistan People's Party.

Her brother, Murtaza, was killed along with six others in a 1996 shootout with police at his home. Another brother, Shahnawaz, died mysteriously in France in 1985.

"I know the past is tragic, but I'm an optimist by nature," Bhutto told Blitzer in September. "I put my faith in the people of Pakistan, I put my faith in God. I feel that what I am doing is for a good cause, for a right cause -- to save Pakistan from extremists and militants and to build regional security.

"I know the danger is out there, but I'm prepared to take those risks."

Benazir Bhutto earned degrees from Radcliffe College and Oxford University and received an honorary degree from Harvard University in 1989.

She leaves her husband of 20 years, Asif Ali Zardari, two daughters and a son.

Videos,



Benazir Bhutto's last moments...



What are the implications for the US? We'll have more focusing on that question in what is a big, big mess.

Barack Obama "Our Moment Is Now" Speech In Des Moines Iowa



Today, in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. Senator Barack Obama gave what many have said -- including Time Magazine -- is the best speech of the presidential campaign. I also remind all that it was Senator Obama who stated months ago that our focus should be not in Iraq, but in Pakistan, where Prime Minister Butto was assassinated today.

Iowa Obama Supporter Victim Of Hate Crime But Police Say It's Not A Hate Crime? WTF?

You've got to read this; it will make your blood boil! How in heck can this not be a hate crime?

Local Obama supporter victim of vandalism, theft
By KEN BLACK, TIMES-REPUBLICAN
POSTED: December 27, 2007
Save | Print | Email | Read comments | Post a comment
For most, the backlash for supporting one presidential candidate over another is usually nothing more than a random, unappreciative comment — if that.

But one Marshalltown family woke up on Christmas Eve having to deal with much more than baking pies and wrapping a few additional presents.

Supporters of Barack Obama living on 25th Street reported a number of racial slurs and derogatory comments had been spray painted on their property. Further, the family’s Christmas presents were all stolen from a vehicle and a garage.

Chief Lon Walker confirms the police received the report Monday morning.

“We found vandalism to the house. When we got there, we found some racial things regarding presidential candidate Barack Obama,” he said.

Marie Ortiz has been working as a volunteer for the Obama campaign locally. She has volunteered her time in the office, going door to door, and has signs supporting Obama in her yard.

She has two children, ages 11 and 2.

But Christmas was not completely ruined for the youngsters. Campaign workers at the local Obama office came by on Christmas Eve with presents.

A neighbor also gave the family some money to replace some of the things that were lost.

“They were really a godsend,” Ortiz said.

Walker reported he considers the case somewhat unusual because there has been no other reports of such severe backlash for those outwardly supporting presidential candidates. Even among Obama backers, no other crime of this degree has been reported.

“We are treating it right now as if the derogatory racial comments were aimed toward Obama,” the chief said. “We’re not treating it as a hate crime because it does not appear as if the victims were the intended recipient of the racial slurs.”

The couple living at the home comes from a minority heritage.

However, Ortiz has a different opinion on the matter.

“A hate crime is a hate crime. I think it was probably racially motivated,” she said.

At this point, the police have little to go on. Some footprints were found in the snow and photographed, but a canvas of the neighborhood turned up no significant information.

“If anyone saw anything or knows of anything, we’d sure love to hear from them,” Walker said.

The Marshalltown Police Department can be contacted at 641-754-5725.

———

Contact Ken Black at 641-753-6611 or kblack@timesrepublican.com

NFL DRAFT BIBLE moves Football Friday Podcast to Blogtalkradio.com

Well we have just outdone it this time. We will begin "live streaming"
our weekly shows in just a little over two weeks!

Our Page is www.blogtalkradio.com/nfldraftbible

The Perfect Bowl - NFL Lets NBC and CBS Show Game For Free - Profootballtalk.com

Leave it to Mike Florio to get the scoop on the deal allowing the Pats / Giants game to be shown on NBC and CBS

NBC, CBS GOT PATS-GIANTS FOR FREE

Well, we've done some sleuthing regarding the NFL's decision to simulcast the Pats-Giants game on Saturday night. And a source with knowledge of the situation tells us that NBC and CBS are paying a whopping . . . nothing . . . for the rights to the game.

Plus, the networks get to sell their own commercials.

Wow.

"NBC is the exclusive carrier of prime time 'over the air' NFL football," the source said, "which means if the game was moving to an 'over the air' station it had to be NBC."

But since NBC already has a game for the week (Tennessee at Indianapolis), the Pats-Giants game was partially owned by CBS as well, since CBS would have aired the game on Sunday afternoon, given that the AFC team in the interconference contest is the visitor.

Said the source: "Both parties had to agree to a simulcast or agree not to do it."

Another source tells us that ESPN, which pays the NFL $1.1 billion per year for the rights to Monday Night Football, wasn't even included in the discussions -- which officially confirms the four-letter network's status as the NFL's biatch.