Tuesday, January 25, 2005

F--- Free Speech

Shasta Bates disagrees with President Bush. She's so upset she reportedly has a bumper sticker her truck which says Fuck Bush. When a man flagged down a local policeman, Sgt. Michael Karasek, and showed him the bumper sticker, the officer demanded the anti-Bush bumper sticker be removed or he would throw Ms. Bates into jail. He repeatedly made the threats even though City Attorney Cole Finnegan, when contacted later, said he didn't believe there were any city ordinances against such a sticker. The U.S. Supreme Court decided decades ago that such language was permissable, particularly when expressing a political viewpoint. Denver police have initiated an investigation into the threats against Ms. Bates.

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

UAV Crashes Near Children's Park in India

An Unmanned Airborne Vehicle crashed onto the premises of Kid's World Foundation in Eastern India. No children were hurt, but the military aircraft was severely damaged. Some of the children reportedly took photos of the crashed vehicle, but Army troops confiscated the film. Other reports say that local police and press were kept from the site until the damaged plane was removed.

Tuesday, January 11, 2005

Abu Ghraib: Just Like Cheerleading

One of the lawyers defending Charles Graner, accused of abusing prisoners at Abu Ghraib said this as part of his defense: "Don't cheerleaders all over America form pyramids six to eight times a year. Is that torture?" These photos show what he is comparing to cheerleading.

Sunday, January 09, 2005

Before and After

Amoung the most dramatic images I've seen since the earthquake and tsunami hit Southeast Asia are these before and after images of a Banda Aceh shoreline.

Friday, January 07, 2005

Frist: Get Me Some Devastation!

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a medical doctor, tied up two of the five U.S. Military helicopters available to aid tsunami-stricken southern Sri Lanka, so he could tour the area. "Get some devastation in the back" Frist reportedly told a photographer snapping pictures of the Senator and members of his staff just before they left the scene. A number of homeless men at the site complained "that the local Red Cross had only set up their clinic, complete with flags and banners, a few hours before the U.S. senators visited".